Morton holds off Downers Grove North challenge in regional final
Mustangs record 17th shutout, advance to sectional semifinal
By Curt Herron
BERWYN -- On paper, Friday's IHSA Class 3A Morton Regional final appeared to be a match that might not feature a whole lot of drama. The home team had gone 18-1-0 since losing its opener. The visitor was 4-13-1 following a 2-1-0 start.
But the championship match between second-seeded Morton and no. 7-seed Downers Grove North in no way lacked suspense. The dark horse Trojans gave the favored Mustangs a real run for their money for most of the evening.
Despite facing a team that had outscored its opponents 35-2 during a 10-match winning streak, the Trojans, who had played in 14 matches where they scored one goal or fewer, trailed just 1-0 for more than an hour and generated a lot of good scoring opportunities.
Morton finally ended the drama with goals in the 64th and 74th minutes to capture a 3-0 victory that earned the program its 19th regional championship in the last 20 seasons that the IHSA has conducted a tournament. Morton also defeated Downers Grove North in a regional title match for the third-straight season.
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Ismael Zepeda scored the first goal in the fourth minute following an assist from senior Edgar Quintero. The senior assisted on the second goal from classmate Deyair Ruiz. The match's final score came from sophomore Christian Valadez, following an assist from junior Josh Trujillo.
Morton (20-2-0) advances to the sectional semifinals for the 21st time in the past 22 seasons. The Mustangs face third-seed Benet (14-4-1) on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Hinsdale Central. The Redwings advanced with a 1-0 win over host Downers Grove South.
The other two regional finals feeding into the sectional featured close finals. Top-seed Lyons beat eighth-seeded host Argo 2-1, and fourth-seed Hinsdale Central won 5-3 on penalties (1-1 after 100 minutes) over no. 5-seed Young at Proviso East.
Earlier this season, coach Jim Bageanis' Mustangs, ranked fourth in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, lost 3-1 to no. 3 Naperville North in their season-opener. On Sept. 17 as the then no. 2-ranked team Morton fell 1-0 to then seventh-ranked and current no. 15 Lyons.
Morton has recorded nine shutouts during its now 11-match win streak, The defense has been outstanding, recording 17 clean-sheets and yielding just eight goals.
The Mustangs won 2-0 when it hosted Benet on September 16 in its Premier Invitational. Coach Sean Wesley's Redwings, who are ranked 17th, have gone 8-1-1 since that match with five of those victories shutouts.
There's a reason Morton's defensive third is so good.
"We started differently at the beginning of the year and then we made a few tweaks and adjustments in the back," Bageanis said. "We just changed the personnel a little bit. Everyone back there felt more comfortable, so we've stayed with it.
“Defense is one of the things that we were stressing this year. We didn't have a dominant goal-scorer like we've had in the past. We're scoring by committee, which is still good, but we didn't know where that would come from at the beginning of the year. … We needed to be sound in the back.
"I knew that they (Downers Grove North) were going to be a danger. When we were figuring out what the pairings were going to go, I was nervous to have to play them. Their record doesn't reflect the talent that they have on their team, and they can beat anyone on any night.
“What we've been stressing is to take one game at a time. Even through the season, it was let's get better at the little things that we've been doing wrong. This year's team has really listened and tried to do exactly what we're telling them. I'm real happy with the win, and Benet's going to be a tough task, too."
Senior Brandon Flores recorded the shutout in goal while senior Leo Ramirez joined junior Ivan Ramirez, Trujillo and Valadez along the backline for the Mustangs, who've allowed just three goals during their last 18 matches.
"I give them credit; they gave us 100 percent," Ivan Ramirez said. "I saw all of the effort that they were putting in, but I thought we gave less of a chance to score because of our communication and effort. I like our chemistry. We all give 100 percent all of the time and we're all friends, and we hang out together."
The result marked the final game for Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt, who has been the program's head coach for nine years with two more as an assistant. The 2003 Downers Grove North graduate announced earlier that this would be his final season as head coach.
The Trojans started only four seniors: Jackson Irby; Jack Ryan; Tomislav Petkovski; and Bradley Szydlowski. The defensive play of two of the team's captains, Szydlowski and Irby, along with Petkovski and junior Will Beatty along the backline was one of the biggest reasons why Downers Grove North was so competitive throughout the entire match.
"We created, but we just couldn't get anything going, and we weren't efficient enough," Schmitt said. "We started slow, but didn't quit. When you give up a goal that early, it's easy to kind of fall apart, but they fought back and held them off for a long time. They fought through everything that we went through this year. The record wasn't great, but they fought through every game and kept playing.
"We just wished that the results would have gone our way a little more through the season, which would have given us a little more confidence coming into a game like this. We were starting to get to that point, and I think if we got that a few games before than we did, it might have been a different story.
"This program has been a part of my life since I was 14. I played at Downers North and graduated from there. This has been a huge part of my life as long as I can remember. I'm going to miss everything about it.
“It's not the end, but for now, I'm stepping down. I really enjoy working with the players and watching them grow up into young men. And who they are as players and people has been a phenomenal thing for me, and I've enjoyed that as well. It was just fun to coach soccer with these kids. They're just a good bunch of kids."
Morton capitalized on one of the first good scoring chances of the match when Quintero sent a pass to Zepeda, who scored from about 10 yards. The fourth-minute goal held up for more than an hour.
"We definitely felt the physicality and the intensity. It was a good start of what's to come later," Zepeda said. "I've seen a lot of good things and especially our defense. I love our energy. Since the beginning of the season from the very first practice, we did this conditioning drill. We're all together with it and lifting each other up. We fought through it and continue to fight through in these games together, of course."
After Downers Grove North junior Riley Botha sent an attempt wide and classmate Aldo Velazquez was denied on a close attempt by Flores, Trojans junior goalkeeper Adi Zaveri hauled in threatening tries from Quintero and Zepeda, and defenders Irby and Szydlowski cleared attempts from Ruiz and Trujillo.
"They're very technical, and it's always a tough match," Szydlowski said. "This is the third time that I lost to them in the playoffs. We knew what we were getting into and everybody worked their butts off. It wasn't our best match, but I know that everybody put 100 percent on that field."
After the end of his high school soccer career, he took a moment to reminisce.
“I'll remember the Saturday practices and our Saturday games," he said. "Our Saturday games were always terrible, and the Saturday practices were always super fun."
During the final 12 minutes of the first half, the Trojans received good threats from juniors Ben Llewellyn and Botha and seniors Salvador Ontiveros and Ryan Wilson.
Wilson and Zepeda kicked off the final half with shots on goal before Ruiz was denied on one side and junior Holden Peckinpaugh, Llewellyn and Petkovski were all frustrated on the other side of the field.
"We've never really been a team that came out quickly," Wilson said. "We've come from behind in a lot of games this season, so it wasn't something that was new to us. I think the boys realized that was our last shot, and we only had one more chance at this.
“We all clicked in and gave it our all for as long as we could. Unfortunately, we all got tired, but I was proud of how the boys played.
"I have to give 100 percent credit to my defender captains, Bradley and Jackson, and also to our coaches for game-planning for a team like Morton. They're going to be a good team every year that you see them, no matter who they have."
Other Class of ’23 members who wore the purple and white kit this season included Owen Cross, Sean Eber, Benjamin Graney, Gabriel Hammond, Dylan Hicks, Max Prince and Eric Stark.
Morton went up 2-0 in the 64th minute when Zepeda sent a pass to Ruiz, who connected from about 20 yards. Downers Grove North looked to counter but efforts from Llewellyn and Ryan were deflected by defenders.
Shortly after Morton junior Alexis Meza sent in an attempt, the hosts collected their final goal. Trujillo sent in a free kick from 30 yards, and Valadez headed the ball from the side. It just got over the line just inside of the opposite post.
Now the Mustangs focus on trying to capture their third-straight sectional title and their sixth sectional championship in the last seven IHSA tournaments. They know that it won't be an easy task with another match against Benet again and Lyons or Hinsdale Central waiting in the wings if they advance.
They're old hands when it comes to pressure, though. Morton's earned hardware in the last two state finals.
"We're all together, and it's a family," Mustangs junior Caleb Mendoza said. "We motivate each other. I love playing with these guys."
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
GK: Adi Zaveri
D: Jackson Irby
D: Will Beatty
D: Bradley Szydlowski
D: Tomislav Petkovski
MF: Holden Peckenpaugh
MF: Aldo Velazquez
MF: Ryan Wilson
MF: Ben Llewellyn
F: Riley Botha
F: Jack Ryan
Morton
GK: Brandon Flores
D: Leo Ramirez
D: Josh Trujillo
D: Ivan Ramirez
D: Christian Valadez
MF: David Cisneros
MF: Edgar Quintero
MF: Julian Sotelo
MF: Caleb Mendoza
F: Deyair Ruiz
F: Ismael Zepeda
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ismael Zepeda, sr., F, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
Morton: Ismael Zepeda (Edgar Quintero), 4'
Second half
Morton: Deyair Ruiz (Zepeda), 64'
Morton: Christian Valadez (Josh Trujillo), 74'
Mustangs record 17th shutout, advance to sectional semifinal
By Curt Herron
BERWYN -- On paper, Friday's IHSA Class 3A Morton Regional final appeared to be a match that might not feature a whole lot of drama. The home team had gone 18-1-0 since losing its opener. The visitor was 4-13-1 following a 2-1-0 start.
But the championship match between second-seeded Morton and no. 7-seed Downers Grove North in no way lacked suspense. The dark horse Trojans gave the favored Mustangs a real run for their money for most of the evening.
Despite facing a team that had outscored its opponents 35-2 during a 10-match winning streak, the Trojans, who had played in 14 matches where they scored one goal or fewer, trailed just 1-0 for more than an hour and generated a lot of good scoring opportunities.
Morton finally ended the drama with goals in the 64th and 74th minutes to capture a 3-0 victory that earned the program its 19th regional championship in the last 20 seasons that the IHSA has conducted a tournament. Morton also defeated Downers Grove North in a regional title match for the third-straight season.
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Ismael Zepeda scored the first goal in the fourth minute following an assist from senior Edgar Quintero. The senior assisted on the second goal from classmate Deyair Ruiz. The match's final score came from sophomore Christian Valadez, following an assist from junior Josh Trujillo.
Morton (20-2-0) advances to the sectional semifinals for the 21st time in the past 22 seasons. The Mustangs face third-seed Benet (14-4-1) on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Hinsdale Central. The Redwings advanced with a 1-0 win over host Downers Grove South.
The other two regional finals feeding into the sectional featured close finals. Top-seed Lyons beat eighth-seeded host Argo 2-1, and fourth-seed Hinsdale Central won 5-3 on penalties (1-1 after 100 minutes) over no. 5-seed Young at Proviso East.
Earlier this season, coach Jim Bageanis' Mustangs, ranked fourth in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, lost 3-1 to no. 3 Naperville North in their season-opener. On Sept. 17 as the then no. 2-ranked team Morton fell 1-0 to then seventh-ranked and current no. 15 Lyons.
Morton has recorded nine shutouts during its now 11-match win streak, The defense has been outstanding, recording 17 clean-sheets and yielding just eight goals.
The Mustangs won 2-0 when it hosted Benet on September 16 in its Premier Invitational. Coach Sean Wesley's Redwings, who are ranked 17th, have gone 8-1-1 since that match with five of those victories shutouts.
There's a reason Morton's defensive third is so good.
"We started differently at the beginning of the year and then we made a few tweaks and adjustments in the back," Bageanis said. "We just changed the personnel a little bit. Everyone back there felt more comfortable, so we've stayed with it.
“Defense is one of the things that we were stressing this year. We didn't have a dominant goal-scorer like we've had in the past. We're scoring by committee, which is still good, but we didn't know where that would come from at the beginning of the year. … We needed to be sound in the back.
"I knew that they (Downers Grove North) were going to be a danger. When we were figuring out what the pairings were going to go, I was nervous to have to play them. Their record doesn't reflect the talent that they have on their team, and they can beat anyone on any night.
“What we've been stressing is to take one game at a time. Even through the season, it was let's get better at the little things that we've been doing wrong. This year's team has really listened and tried to do exactly what we're telling them. I'm real happy with the win, and Benet's going to be a tough task, too."
Senior Brandon Flores recorded the shutout in goal while senior Leo Ramirez joined junior Ivan Ramirez, Trujillo and Valadez along the backline for the Mustangs, who've allowed just three goals during their last 18 matches.
"I give them credit; they gave us 100 percent," Ivan Ramirez said. "I saw all of the effort that they were putting in, but I thought we gave less of a chance to score because of our communication and effort. I like our chemistry. We all give 100 percent all of the time and we're all friends, and we hang out together."
The result marked the final game for Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt, who has been the program's head coach for nine years with two more as an assistant. The 2003 Downers Grove North graduate announced earlier that this would be his final season as head coach.
The Trojans started only four seniors: Jackson Irby; Jack Ryan; Tomislav Petkovski; and Bradley Szydlowski. The defensive play of two of the team's captains, Szydlowski and Irby, along with Petkovski and junior Will Beatty along the backline was one of the biggest reasons why Downers Grove North was so competitive throughout the entire match.
"We created, but we just couldn't get anything going, and we weren't efficient enough," Schmitt said. "We started slow, but didn't quit. When you give up a goal that early, it's easy to kind of fall apart, but they fought back and held them off for a long time. They fought through everything that we went through this year. The record wasn't great, but they fought through every game and kept playing.
"We just wished that the results would have gone our way a little more through the season, which would have given us a little more confidence coming into a game like this. We were starting to get to that point, and I think if we got that a few games before than we did, it might have been a different story.
"This program has been a part of my life since I was 14. I played at Downers North and graduated from there. This has been a huge part of my life as long as I can remember. I'm going to miss everything about it.
“It's not the end, but for now, I'm stepping down. I really enjoy working with the players and watching them grow up into young men. And who they are as players and people has been a phenomenal thing for me, and I've enjoyed that as well. It was just fun to coach soccer with these kids. They're just a good bunch of kids."
Morton capitalized on one of the first good scoring chances of the match when Quintero sent a pass to Zepeda, who scored from about 10 yards. The fourth-minute goal held up for more than an hour.
"We definitely felt the physicality and the intensity. It was a good start of what's to come later," Zepeda said. "I've seen a lot of good things and especially our defense. I love our energy. Since the beginning of the season from the very first practice, we did this conditioning drill. We're all together with it and lifting each other up. We fought through it and continue to fight through in these games together, of course."
After Downers Grove North junior Riley Botha sent an attempt wide and classmate Aldo Velazquez was denied on a close attempt by Flores, Trojans junior goalkeeper Adi Zaveri hauled in threatening tries from Quintero and Zepeda, and defenders Irby and Szydlowski cleared attempts from Ruiz and Trujillo.
"They're very technical, and it's always a tough match," Szydlowski said. "This is the third time that I lost to them in the playoffs. We knew what we were getting into and everybody worked their butts off. It wasn't our best match, but I know that everybody put 100 percent on that field."
After the end of his high school soccer career, he took a moment to reminisce.
“I'll remember the Saturday practices and our Saturday games," he said. "Our Saturday games were always terrible, and the Saturday practices were always super fun."
During the final 12 minutes of the first half, the Trojans received good threats from juniors Ben Llewellyn and Botha and seniors Salvador Ontiveros and Ryan Wilson.
Wilson and Zepeda kicked off the final half with shots on goal before Ruiz was denied on one side and junior Holden Peckinpaugh, Llewellyn and Petkovski were all frustrated on the other side of the field.
"We've never really been a team that came out quickly," Wilson said. "We've come from behind in a lot of games this season, so it wasn't something that was new to us. I think the boys realized that was our last shot, and we only had one more chance at this.
“We all clicked in and gave it our all for as long as we could. Unfortunately, we all got tired, but I was proud of how the boys played.
"I have to give 100 percent credit to my defender captains, Bradley and Jackson, and also to our coaches for game-planning for a team like Morton. They're going to be a good team every year that you see them, no matter who they have."
Other Class of ’23 members who wore the purple and white kit this season included Owen Cross, Sean Eber, Benjamin Graney, Gabriel Hammond, Dylan Hicks, Max Prince and Eric Stark.
Morton went up 2-0 in the 64th minute when Zepeda sent a pass to Ruiz, who connected from about 20 yards. Downers Grove North looked to counter but efforts from Llewellyn and Ryan were deflected by defenders.
Shortly after Morton junior Alexis Meza sent in an attempt, the hosts collected their final goal. Trujillo sent in a free kick from 30 yards, and Valadez headed the ball from the side. It just got over the line just inside of the opposite post.
Now the Mustangs focus on trying to capture their third-straight sectional title and their sixth sectional championship in the last seven IHSA tournaments. They know that it won't be an easy task with another match against Benet again and Lyons or Hinsdale Central waiting in the wings if they advance.
They're old hands when it comes to pressure, though. Morton's earned hardware in the last two state finals.
"We're all together, and it's a family," Mustangs junior Caleb Mendoza said. "We motivate each other. I love playing with these guys."
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
GK: Adi Zaveri
D: Jackson Irby
D: Will Beatty
D: Bradley Szydlowski
D: Tomislav Petkovski
MF: Holden Peckenpaugh
MF: Aldo Velazquez
MF: Ryan Wilson
MF: Ben Llewellyn
F: Riley Botha
F: Jack Ryan
Morton
GK: Brandon Flores
D: Leo Ramirez
D: Josh Trujillo
D: Ivan Ramirez
D: Christian Valadez
MF: David Cisneros
MF: Edgar Quintero
MF: Julian Sotelo
MF: Caleb Mendoza
F: Deyair Ruiz
F: Ismael Zepeda
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ismael Zepeda, sr., F, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
Morton: Ismael Zepeda (Edgar Quintero), 4'
Second half
Morton: Deyair Ruiz (Zepeda), 64'
Morton: Christian Valadez (Josh Trujillo), 74'