Morton edges Benet
in shootout for sectional title
Host Mustangs come back from deficit in PKs to advance
By Matt Le Cren
BERWYN -- Benet goalkeeper Evan Lucas played the best game of his career Friday night.
The junior made seven saves, including three outstanding stops in the first half, and became only the third goalie to shut out Morton this season.
It wasn’t enough.
Morton goalkeeper Daniel Martinez made a save in the shootout to counter an earlier stop by Lucas, and the top-seeded Mustangs went on to edge Benet 4-3 in PKs in the Class 3A Morton Sectional championship.
It was the seventh sectional title in the past 10 seasons for Morton (20-1-3), which will play fellow no. 1 seed Naperville North (21-5-2) in the Lewis University Supersectional at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Naperville North came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat third-seeded Naperville Central 3-2 Saturday.
“The goalkeeper really saved them,” Martinez said. “If it wasn’t for him, we would have blown the game out 3-0 or 4-0.
“We had incredible shots from Gio (Alvarez). We were unlucky a few of them hit the post and a couple got saved.
“The goalkeeper played a great game. We just came in at the right moments.”
For Martinez, that moment came in the third round of penalty kicks and helped shift the momentum back to Morton, which won the shootout by a 4-3 margin.
Lucas started the shootout by diving to his right to stop Daniel Diaz. Nico Picha then made his attempt to give Benet (15-6-1) a 1-0 lead.
In the second round, Lucas guessed correctly but Luis Gonzalez rolled his shot into the net to get the Mustangs on the board. Had he missed, Morton would have been in trouble, much like Lyons was when Benet won a shootout 3-1 in Tuesday’s semifinal.
But Gonzalez was never worried.
“Benet’s a great team,” Gonzalez said. “Their goalie was outstanding.
“But I had faith. I was confident. I knew where to put (my shot), and I always knew we were going to win. After Max (Aquino) made his, I knew.”
Aquino, Morton’s third shooter, faced the same pressure as Gonzalez did, because John Kolb scored to put Benet up 2-1 after two rounds. But he rolled his shot inside the left post to tie it.
Then came the turning point with Benet star T.J. McVey at the spot. In the semifinal, the senior had scored on a penalty kick in the second half and then buried Benet’s final penalty in the semifinal shootout win.
McVey fired a hard shot toward the lower left corner, but Martinez lunged and blocked it, leaving the score tied after three rounds. He leaped to his feet and pumped both his arms in the air, revving up his rain-soaked teammates and Morton’s fans.
“I watched their game against Lyons, and I did get to see the penalties,” Martinez said. “Coach (Jim Bageanis) helped me out saying a lot of them like to shoot to my right.
“I took that into consideration. First two penalties were to the right (which allowed me) to see where they would place them.
“First one, almost got a tip to it, but sadly it was really well-placed. (McVey’s shot) I got to it.”
Morton defender Eddie Barraza followed by rolling his shot past the lunging Lucas into the lower left corner to give the Mustangs their first lead.
Benet defender Nick Roe countered by converting into the right corner to pull Benet even at 3-3.
Alvarez, who had endured a frustrating night of near-misses, including a 42-yard shot that hit the crossbar in the second overtime, began the fifth round with an emphatic finish into the upper left corner.
The match ended when Benet’s Andy Nash fired his shot over the crossbar. Martinez leaped into the air in joy while Nash sank to his knees in disappointment.
Bageanis said players from both teams should hold their heads high.
“No matter who won that game today, you can’t walk away disappointed,” Bageanis said. “That was an awesome high school soccer match.
“Both teams battled; it was a clean match. Danny came up big in the PKs, and that was awesome.”
The match pitted two squads who were trying to prove something. The Mustangs are driven to win the program’s second state championship after falling to West Chicago in the 2019 Class 3A final.
The Redwings were seeking to win their first sectional in Class 3A after they were moved to the highest class after capturing the AA state crown in 2019. The program also won Class A titles in 2000 and 2001.
“If you tell me at the beginning of the year that we’re going to play Morton at Morton for a (sectional title) and we’re going to hold them and go to penalties, I’d love that,” Benet coach Sean Wesley said. “I couldn’t be more proud to be here with the group. It’s what we wanted.”
Wesley was particularly pleased with the play of Lucas, who kept the Redwings in the game with a terrific performance against the wind and rain in the first half, when the Mustangs enjoyed a 14-0 advantage in shots.
Lucas twice turned away Diaz on long-range attempts and also denied Gonzalez's rocket from the top of the circle.
“He had a lot of good saves,” Wesley said. “Into the wind, into the rain, against a team that was flying and definitely trying to score early on us and take advantage of it, he came up with a few huge saves and kept us in it.
“I was super proud that at the end of that half it was 0-0. We did exactly what we needed to do.
“They have the ability to turn it on. They have so many guys that want to run at you.
“We created some chances in the second period, and I thought we were going to get one.”
But the Redwings never really sniffed the net. Martinez had to make only three saves, with the only tough one coming on Roe’s short header in the box that Martinez bobbled in the slick conditions before securing it near the right post.
Defender Jared Plummer had Benet’s only chance after regulation, sending a 32-yard drive over the crossbar 35 seconds into the first overtime. It was a testament to Morton’s defense, which never wavered even if the offense was stymied.
“That’s one of the things I told the guys,” Bageanis said. “For all the chances we had tonight, a lot of teams would be frustrated and be packing it in and saying this is not our night.
“But they kept battling all night long. These guys have battled all year.
“We haven’t been hanging our heads when things aren’t going our way, and they persevered. That’s all we can ask.”
The Mustangs persevered against a determined foe and weather conditions that left everyone soaked.
“This weather was the worst I’ve played in with the wind and the rain,” Gonzalez said. “But we got through it.”
The forecast for Tuesday’s supersectional is for drier but colder conditions. That’s fine with Martinez.
“The cold is not as bad as this rain,” Martinez said. “This rain is unpredictable.”
The playoffs, especially from this point on, are unpredictable too. The Mustangs are three wins away from their goal, but they are determined.
“I’m a senior; it’s our last year" it’s our last ride,” Martinez said. ““We want redemption. We want to make our 2019 brothers proud.
“They came so close. They lost the final. We want to make them proud and win it not just for them but for us and for our families that come and support us.
“They are great supporters. They’re there every moment for us.”
As for Benet, they will say goodbye to 15 seniors who got the team to a 3A sectional championship for just the second time. That includes McVey, a Division I prospect who played on the 2018 sectional team.
‘I’m super proud of our team,” Lucas said. “We’ve come a long way from the start of the year.”
That’s especially true of Lucas, for whom this was not the last ride.
“I had a couple rough games,” Lucas said. “I don’t think I played as well as I wanted to this season, but toward the end of the season I started getting back on track and started getting more comfortable.
“Last year I was injured pretty early in the season, so I didn’t get all the experience that I wanted.
“But I’m super excited for next year. I think we’re going to come out and play even better.”
Starting lineups
Morton
GK Daniel Martinez
D Eddie Barranza
D Juan Ramirez
D Ivan Ramirez
D Luis Gonzalez
M Edgar Quintero
M Daniel Diaz
M Jonathan Murillo
M Max Aquino
F Deyair Ruiz
F Giovanni Alvarez
Benet
GK Evan Lucas
D Evan Frazier
D Nick Roe
D Jared Plummer
D Alex Blacha
M Brendan Forsythe
M Nico Picha
M Daniel Pepping
F T.J. McVey
F John Kolb
F Andy Nash
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Daniel Martinez, sr., GK, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout (Morton shot first)
Morton – Daniel Diaz (saved), Luis Gonzalez (scored), Max Aquino (scored), Eddie Barraza (scored), Giovanni Alvarez (scored).
Benet – Nico Picha (scored), John Kolb (scored), T.J. McVey (saved), Nick Roe (scored), Andy Nash (missed).
in shootout for sectional title
Host Mustangs come back from deficit in PKs to advance
By Matt Le Cren
BERWYN -- Benet goalkeeper Evan Lucas played the best game of his career Friday night.
The junior made seven saves, including three outstanding stops in the first half, and became only the third goalie to shut out Morton this season.
It wasn’t enough.
Morton goalkeeper Daniel Martinez made a save in the shootout to counter an earlier stop by Lucas, and the top-seeded Mustangs went on to edge Benet 4-3 in PKs in the Class 3A Morton Sectional championship.
It was the seventh sectional title in the past 10 seasons for Morton (20-1-3), which will play fellow no. 1 seed Naperville North (21-5-2) in the Lewis University Supersectional at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Naperville North came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat third-seeded Naperville Central 3-2 Saturday.
“The goalkeeper really saved them,” Martinez said. “If it wasn’t for him, we would have blown the game out 3-0 or 4-0.
“We had incredible shots from Gio (Alvarez). We were unlucky a few of them hit the post and a couple got saved.
“The goalkeeper played a great game. We just came in at the right moments.”
For Martinez, that moment came in the third round of penalty kicks and helped shift the momentum back to Morton, which won the shootout by a 4-3 margin.
Lucas started the shootout by diving to his right to stop Daniel Diaz. Nico Picha then made his attempt to give Benet (15-6-1) a 1-0 lead.
In the second round, Lucas guessed correctly but Luis Gonzalez rolled his shot into the net to get the Mustangs on the board. Had he missed, Morton would have been in trouble, much like Lyons was when Benet won a shootout 3-1 in Tuesday’s semifinal.
But Gonzalez was never worried.
“Benet’s a great team,” Gonzalez said. “Their goalie was outstanding.
“But I had faith. I was confident. I knew where to put (my shot), and I always knew we were going to win. After Max (Aquino) made his, I knew.”
Aquino, Morton’s third shooter, faced the same pressure as Gonzalez did, because John Kolb scored to put Benet up 2-1 after two rounds. But he rolled his shot inside the left post to tie it.
Then came the turning point with Benet star T.J. McVey at the spot. In the semifinal, the senior had scored on a penalty kick in the second half and then buried Benet’s final penalty in the semifinal shootout win.
McVey fired a hard shot toward the lower left corner, but Martinez lunged and blocked it, leaving the score tied after three rounds. He leaped to his feet and pumped both his arms in the air, revving up his rain-soaked teammates and Morton’s fans.
“I watched their game against Lyons, and I did get to see the penalties,” Martinez said. “Coach (Jim Bageanis) helped me out saying a lot of them like to shoot to my right.
“I took that into consideration. First two penalties were to the right (which allowed me) to see where they would place them.
“First one, almost got a tip to it, but sadly it was really well-placed. (McVey’s shot) I got to it.”
Morton defender Eddie Barraza followed by rolling his shot past the lunging Lucas into the lower left corner to give the Mustangs their first lead.
Benet defender Nick Roe countered by converting into the right corner to pull Benet even at 3-3.
Alvarez, who had endured a frustrating night of near-misses, including a 42-yard shot that hit the crossbar in the second overtime, began the fifth round with an emphatic finish into the upper left corner.
The match ended when Benet’s Andy Nash fired his shot over the crossbar. Martinez leaped into the air in joy while Nash sank to his knees in disappointment.
Bageanis said players from both teams should hold their heads high.
“No matter who won that game today, you can’t walk away disappointed,” Bageanis said. “That was an awesome high school soccer match.
“Both teams battled; it was a clean match. Danny came up big in the PKs, and that was awesome.”
The match pitted two squads who were trying to prove something. The Mustangs are driven to win the program’s second state championship after falling to West Chicago in the 2019 Class 3A final.
The Redwings were seeking to win their first sectional in Class 3A after they were moved to the highest class after capturing the AA state crown in 2019. The program also won Class A titles in 2000 and 2001.
“If you tell me at the beginning of the year that we’re going to play Morton at Morton for a (sectional title) and we’re going to hold them and go to penalties, I’d love that,” Benet coach Sean Wesley said. “I couldn’t be more proud to be here with the group. It’s what we wanted.”
Wesley was particularly pleased with the play of Lucas, who kept the Redwings in the game with a terrific performance against the wind and rain in the first half, when the Mustangs enjoyed a 14-0 advantage in shots.
Lucas twice turned away Diaz on long-range attempts and also denied Gonzalez's rocket from the top of the circle.
“He had a lot of good saves,” Wesley said. “Into the wind, into the rain, against a team that was flying and definitely trying to score early on us and take advantage of it, he came up with a few huge saves and kept us in it.
“I was super proud that at the end of that half it was 0-0. We did exactly what we needed to do.
“They have the ability to turn it on. They have so many guys that want to run at you.
“We created some chances in the second period, and I thought we were going to get one.”
But the Redwings never really sniffed the net. Martinez had to make only three saves, with the only tough one coming on Roe’s short header in the box that Martinez bobbled in the slick conditions before securing it near the right post.
Defender Jared Plummer had Benet’s only chance after regulation, sending a 32-yard drive over the crossbar 35 seconds into the first overtime. It was a testament to Morton’s defense, which never wavered even if the offense was stymied.
“That’s one of the things I told the guys,” Bageanis said. “For all the chances we had tonight, a lot of teams would be frustrated and be packing it in and saying this is not our night.
“But they kept battling all night long. These guys have battled all year.
“We haven’t been hanging our heads when things aren’t going our way, and they persevered. That’s all we can ask.”
The Mustangs persevered against a determined foe and weather conditions that left everyone soaked.
“This weather was the worst I’ve played in with the wind and the rain,” Gonzalez said. “But we got through it.”
The forecast for Tuesday’s supersectional is for drier but colder conditions. That’s fine with Martinez.
“The cold is not as bad as this rain,” Martinez said. “This rain is unpredictable.”
The playoffs, especially from this point on, are unpredictable too. The Mustangs are three wins away from their goal, but they are determined.
“I’m a senior; it’s our last year" it’s our last ride,” Martinez said. ““We want redemption. We want to make our 2019 brothers proud.
“They came so close. They lost the final. We want to make them proud and win it not just for them but for us and for our families that come and support us.
“They are great supporters. They’re there every moment for us.”
As for Benet, they will say goodbye to 15 seniors who got the team to a 3A sectional championship for just the second time. That includes McVey, a Division I prospect who played on the 2018 sectional team.
‘I’m super proud of our team,” Lucas said. “We’ve come a long way from the start of the year.”
That’s especially true of Lucas, for whom this was not the last ride.
“I had a couple rough games,” Lucas said. “I don’t think I played as well as I wanted to this season, but toward the end of the season I started getting back on track and started getting more comfortable.
“Last year I was injured pretty early in the season, so I didn’t get all the experience that I wanted.
“But I’m super excited for next year. I think we’re going to come out and play even better.”
Starting lineups
Morton
GK Daniel Martinez
D Eddie Barranza
D Juan Ramirez
D Ivan Ramirez
D Luis Gonzalez
M Edgar Quintero
M Daniel Diaz
M Jonathan Murillo
M Max Aquino
F Deyair Ruiz
F Giovanni Alvarez
Benet
GK Evan Lucas
D Evan Frazier
D Nick Roe
D Jared Plummer
D Alex Blacha
M Brendan Forsythe
M Nico Picha
M Daniel Pepping
F T.J. McVey
F John Kolb
F Andy Nash
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Daniel Martinez, sr., GK, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout (Morton shot first)
Morton – Daniel Diaz (saved), Luis Gonzalez (scored), Max Aquino (scored), Eddie Barraza (scored), Giovanni Alvarez (scored).
Benet – Nico Picha (scored), John Kolb (scored), T.J. McVey (saved), Nick Roe (scored), Andy Nash (missed).