St. Patrick finally finds
a goal vs. Marian Central
Shamrocks' Guerrero scores in 80th minute for ESCC win
By Bobby Narang
CHICAGO — It was the soccer equivalent of “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink” until Ivan Guerrero quenched St. Patrick’s thirst.
The midfielder found the net with 32.2 seconds left in regulation to give the Shamrocks a 1-0 win over Marian Central in an East Suburban Catholic Conference clash Wednesday night at Read-Dunning Park.
Many contributed to the onslaught of shots: Conor Day; Jorge Parra; Rafael Rios; and Jason Torres.
The Shamrocks received contributions up and down the lineup, nearly every player attempted a go at goal.
St. Patrick controlled the match, holding possession for most of the 80 minutes, slamming Marian Central goalie Dawson Yegge with shot after shot after shot on a cold day with a whipping wind.
But each time, the 6-foot-7 Yegge answered the call, saving all attempts from all kinds of angles and utilizing his height to grab high shots from deep.
“It was really frustrating because we kept on creating chances but couldn’t finish,” Guerrero said.
Parra admitted several players were reaching a high level of aggitation.
“It was really annoying and frustrating,” Parra said. "All of us had so many chances, and we couldn’t finish. It’s something we have to work on. But other than that, we moved the ball and played great but just couldn’t finish.”
Just when an extra 20 minutes of soccer action looked inevitable, Guerrero saved the day. He and his teammates did not want to go into overtime.
“We tried our best, but we got lucky that we got that chance at the end,” he said of his goal that came after the defense deflected a shot. “We crossed it in. We got it up-top, and someone took a bad shot. The one that was guarding him turned around, so I was able to open up and hit it.
“It was cold, and we all were tired at that point. It felt really good to get the goal and end it. We have so much potential when we’re moving the ball from side to side and playing our passing like crossing it. That's our game.”
With the win, the Shamrocks (5-7-0, 3-2-0) ended a two-game losing streak and kept the Hurricanes (6-8-0, 0-4-0) winless in the conference.
Yegge played stellar in the net. He did not tire despite the nonstop barrage of shots. He finished with 12 saves, but the Shamrocks attempted nearly 20 shots in the final 40 minutes.
"It was a tough game," Yegge said. “The first half we had one chance we could’ve made. It was just a lot of pressure on us. They’re a great team, and they connected a lot of passes to put pressure on us. We were just making saves and stops. Our team did beautiful until the last 30 seconds when they got one in.
“For me, I had a little hip injury, so it was hard with the wind, especially in the second half. I couldn’t kick it over 40 yards. We were just fighting for the ball. They were hitting it from 30 yards, which I’m fine with since I’m 6-7. So there are going to be high saves for me.
“I have to give props to my defense. They fought really hard.
“Their goal was a big cross, two people, and we got mixed up. Didn’t talk much, and they got a good shot. They’re a great team, but we fought hard, and I’m very happy with my team.”
The deeper the game went, St. Patrick ratcheted up the pressure. In the final 16 minutes, Leon nearly scored on two attempts. Parra hit a shot wide left; Sergio Barron’s header went over the net, and Yegge tallied two easy saves.
It was until Guerrero’s 15-yard shot inside the far post after a shot deflection, that the Shamrocks finally hit paydirt.
“It was a sloppy (goal), but we got what we needed,” Parra said. “Everyone was very happy. I didn’t want to play overtime. We were very frustrated. We have a lot of talent, a lot of potential, but little things we have to work on.”
Marian Central coach Art Dixon repeatedly laughed when asked about the Shamrocks’ offensive charge.
“We have 17 people in our program, so in order to compete, you have to make sure you’re defensive,” he said. “We concentrate on defense and toward the end of the half, we try and go for a goal.
“Dawson has been outstanding for us. Dawson’s been outstanding all year long, and the defense in front of him has always been there to help.
“It’s hard for them. This is a 3A school. We’re a Class A school. The team all together did a wonderful job, if someone goes down, another player always steps in. They did a great job."
Senior defender Derek Emmert said the Hurricanes lost focus on the game-winning goal.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Emmert said. "We knew they’ve played teams that we've lost to in the past. We just tried to go our best, move around and defend as a team.
“We just had poor clearance on the goal and a mix-up on who was defending. it was just a poor decision. We defended well until the end. Some games you are not going to have possessions, but you have to be comfortable defending. We did that. We can grow from that.”
The Hurricanes had two shots that nearly resulted in goals. In the 37th minute, Dominic Aragona’s shot came close, then Alek Trojanowski’s long shot hit the post and bounced out before it was grabbed.
Matt Garrelts, a senior defender, was happy with Marian Central’s effort.
“It was an unfortunate moment,” Garrelts said. “We played very well, holding them on their outside box. It came down to something stupid, a deflection got through, and he made the shot.
“It’s definitely frustrating that they ended up scoring in the last minute. We held them to mostly deep shots, and our goalie is huge. We did have a few good opportunities. Overall, I’m happy with the way we played, even though it ended in an unfortunate way.”
Home team hero Guerrero had three shot attempts in the final five minutes of the opening half against the wind before capitalizing in the final seconds.
St. Patrick coach Melchor Castro said his team missed numerous chances to score, which has been a problem all season. The Shamrocks entered the game with just two goals in their last four games.
“Their goalie played a great game and did save a lot,” Castro said. “We’re such a young team. That’s kind of held us back all season. We do things right during the game, but it’s that finishing third.
“Those goals are what we’re missing. We haven’t found our striker who can finish off a game like today. They're working hard. We have a lot of different goals scorers, which is good.
“But sometimes I feel we don't have that finisher, that top finisher who can get everything in the box and makes teams regret leaving him alone.
“We did create a lot of opportunities. I think the game should’ve not been as close as it was. We have to work on that more.
“Overall, I’m happy with the way we played. We were solid in the back, got lucky on a few counterattacks they had on us. We have to just be better at the opportunities and finish better. We’re still contending for conference.
“We have two hard losses against Marist and Notre Dame, still have Benet, (Saint) Viator and Joliet Catholic. Anything can happen in our conference right now, so we’re definitely still in the hunt. We’re still fighting for something in conference.”
Click here to see ESCC standings
Leon said the Shamrocks can build off the close victory.
“This game is a lesson for us,” Leon said. ‘We have to watch videos of this game and learn from it. We all were frustrated and wanted to come out with a win.”
Starting lineups
Marian Central
GK Dawson Yegge
D Derek Emmert
D Matt Garrelts
D Jacob Bonnet
D Joseph Goder
M Charles Peyton
M Nathan Iafigliola
M Aragona Dominic
M Michael Sbarounis
F Jeremey Henkel
F Alex Trojanowski
St. Patrick
GK Jake Zavala
D Gael Quinonez
D Jesus Sanchez
D Nicholas Leon
D Xavier Gamez
M Nathan Davila
M Conor Day
M Rafael Rios
M Ivan Guerrero
F Ben Elvira
F Jorge Parra
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ivan Guerrero, sr., MF, St. Patrick
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
St. Patrick— Ivan Guerrero (unassisted), 80th minute
a goal vs. Marian Central
Shamrocks' Guerrero scores in 80th minute for ESCC win
By Bobby Narang
CHICAGO — It was the soccer equivalent of “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink” until Ivan Guerrero quenched St. Patrick’s thirst.
The midfielder found the net with 32.2 seconds left in regulation to give the Shamrocks a 1-0 win over Marian Central in an East Suburban Catholic Conference clash Wednesday night at Read-Dunning Park.
Many contributed to the onslaught of shots: Conor Day; Jorge Parra; Rafael Rios; and Jason Torres.
The Shamrocks received contributions up and down the lineup, nearly every player attempted a go at goal.
St. Patrick controlled the match, holding possession for most of the 80 minutes, slamming Marian Central goalie Dawson Yegge with shot after shot after shot on a cold day with a whipping wind.
But each time, the 6-foot-7 Yegge answered the call, saving all attempts from all kinds of angles and utilizing his height to grab high shots from deep.
“It was really frustrating because we kept on creating chances but couldn’t finish,” Guerrero said.
Parra admitted several players were reaching a high level of aggitation.
“It was really annoying and frustrating,” Parra said. "All of us had so many chances, and we couldn’t finish. It’s something we have to work on. But other than that, we moved the ball and played great but just couldn’t finish.”
Just when an extra 20 minutes of soccer action looked inevitable, Guerrero saved the day. He and his teammates did not want to go into overtime.
“We tried our best, but we got lucky that we got that chance at the end,” he said of his goal that came after the defense deflected a shot. “We crossed it in. We got it up-top, and someone took a bad shot. The one that was guarding him turned around, so I was able to open up and hit it.
“It was cold, and we all were tired at that point. It felt really good to get the goal and end it. We have so much potential when we’re moving the ball from side to side and playing our passing like crossing it. That's our game.”
With the win, the Shamrocks (5-7-0, 3-2-0) ended a two-game losing streak and kept the Hurricanes (6-8-0, 0-4-0) winless in the conference.
Yegge played stellar in the net. He did not tire despite the nonstop barrage of shots. He finished with 12 saves, but the Shamrocks attempted nearly 20 shots in the final 40 minutes.
"It was a tough game," Yegge said. “The first half we had one chance we could’ve made. It was just a lot of pressure on us. They’re a great team, and they connected a lot of passes to put pressure on us. We were just making saves and stops. Our team did beautiful until the last 30 seconds when they got one in.
“For me, I had a little hip injury, so it was hard with the wind, especially in the second half. I couldn’t kick it over 40 yards. We were just fighting for the ball. They were hitting it from 30 yards, which I’m fine with since I’m 6-7. So there are going to be high saves for me.
“I have to give props to my defense. They fought really hard.
“Their goal was a big cross, two people, and we got mixed up. Didn’t talk much, and they got a good shot. They’re a great team, but we fought hard, and I’m very happy with my team.”
The deeper the game went, St. Patrick ratcheted up the pressure. In the final 16 minutes, Leon nearly scored on two attempts. Parra hit a shot wide left; Sergio Barron’s header went over the net, and Yegge tallied two easy saves.
It was until Guerrero’s 15-yard shot inside the far post after a shot deflection, that the Shamrocks finally hit paydirt.
“It was a sloppy (goal), but we got what we needed,” Parra said. “Everyone was very happy. I didn’t want to play overtime. We were very frustrated. We have a lot of talent, a lot of potential, but little things we have to work on.”
Marian Central coach Art Dixon repeatedly laughed when asked about the Shamrocks’ offensive charge.
“We have 17 people in our program, so in order to compete, you have to make sure you’re defensive,” he said. “We concentrate on defense and toward the end of the half, we try and go for a goal.
“Dawson has been outstanding for us. Dawson’s been outstanding all year long, and the defense in front of him has always been there to help.
“It’s hard for them. This is a 3A school. We’re a Class A school. The team all together did a wonderful job, if someone goes down, another player always steps in. They did a great job."
Senior defender Derek Emmert said the Hurricanes lost focus on the game-winning goal.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Emmert said. "We knew they’ve played teams that we've lost to in the past. We just tried to go our best, move around and defend as a team.
“We just had poor clearance on the goal and a mix-up on who was defending. it was just a poor decision. We defended well until the end. Some games you are not going to have possessions, but you have to be comfortable defending. We did that. We can grow from that.”
The Hurricanes had two shots that nearly resulted in goals. In the 37th minute, Dominic Aragona’s shot came close, then Alek Trojanowski’s long shot hit the post and bounced out before it was grabbed.
Matt Garrelts, a senior defender, was happy with Marian Central’s effort.
“It was an unfortunate moment,” Garrelts said. “We played very well, holding them on their outside box. It came down to something stupid, a deflection got through, and he made the shot.
“It’s definitely frustrating that they ended up scoring in the last minute. We held them to mostly deep shots, and our goalie is huge. We did have a few good opportunities. Overall, I’m happy with the way we played, even though it ended in an unfortunate way.”
Home team hero Guerrero had three shot attempts in the final five minutes of the opening half against the wind before capitalizing in the final seconds.
St. Patrick coach Melchor Castro said his team missed numerous chances to score, which has been a problem all season. The Shamrocks entered the game with just two goals in their last four games.
“Their goalie played a great game and did save a lot,” Castro said. “We’re such a young team. That’s kind of held us back all season. We do things right during the game, but it’s that finishing third.
“Those goals are what we’re missing. We haven’t found our striker who can finish off a game like today. They're working hard. We have a lot of different goals scorers, which is good.
“But sometimes I feel we don't have that finisher, that top finisher who can get everything in the box and makes teams regret leaving him alone.
“We did create a lot of opportunities. I think the game should’ve not been as close as it was. We have to work on that more.
“Overall, I’m happy with the way we played. We were solid in the back, got lucky on a few counterattacks they had on us. We have to just be better at the opportunities and finish better. We’re still contending for conference.
“We have two hard losses against Marist and Notre Dame, still have Benet, (Saint) Viator and Joliet Catholic. Anything can happen in our conference right now, so we’re definitely still in the hunt. We’re still fighting for something in conference.”
Click here to see ESCC standings
Leon said the Shamrocks can build off the close victory.
“This game is a lesson for us,” Leon said. ‘We have to watch videos of this game and learn from it. We all were frustrated and wanted to come out with a win.”
Starting lineups
Marian Central
GK Dawson Yegge
D Derek Emmert
D Matt Garrelts
D Jacob Bonnet
D Joseph Goder
M Charles Peyton
M Nathan Iafigliola
M Aragona Dominic
M Michael Sbarounis
F Jeremey Henkel
F Alex Trojanowski
St. Patrick
GK Jake Zavala
D Gael Quinonez
D Jesus Sanchez
D Nicholas Leon
D Xavier Gamez
M Nathan Davila
M Conor Day
M Rafael Rios
M Ivan Guerrero
F Ben Elvira
F Jorge Parra
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ivan Guerrero, sr., MF, St. Patrick
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
St. Patrick— Ivan Guerrero (unassisted), 80th minute