Marist ends St. Rita's 10-game win streak
68th-minute goal corrals Mustangs in regular season finale
By Steve Millar
CHICAGO -- St. Rita was overdue for an off day, and co-head coach Tim McCarthy would rather it come in Thursday’s regular season finale than prematurely halt a playoff run.
The host Mustangs battled Marist to the final whistle Thursday but saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end in a 1-0 defeat to the RedHawks.
“We didn’t play our game,” McCarthy said. “There were only parts of the second half where we did. You can’t win them all and sometimes you come out and just don’t have it. Yet, we were still with them the whole way.
“We’d rather lose this one and come back angry Tuesday than come out flat Tuesday.”
St. Rita (15-5-1) withstood a furious second half attack from Marist (12-9-1) until the 68th minute, when junior midfielder Joey Shannon played the hero.
After the Mustangs broke up a Marist corner kick, the RedHawks’ Alexis Arreola tracked down the loose ball and played a quick pass to Shannon.
Shannon was 40 yards out with his back to the goal, but he got some help from injured sophomore Jimmy Valek on the bench.
“I heard Jimmy yelling that the goalie was out,” Shannon said. “He was yelling for me to shoot it. I just turned, took the quick shot and was able to chip it over (St. Rita goalkeeper David Bauer).”
Shannon, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, knew it was vital for Marist to close the regular season the right way. The RedHawks, battling a wave of injuries, had lost four straight prior to Thursday.
“I think it was huge to get this win,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries. It was big to get this win to get some momentum, especially against a school in our area like St. Rita.”
Before Shannon’s goal, St. Rita’s defense had stood tall while Marist picked up its offense in the second half.
Mustangs defenders Tyler Padilla, Brendan Gleeson and Jack Carey helped shut down four RedHawks corner kicks in the first 27 minutes of the second half.
Bauer also came up big, leaping to punch Vince Messineo’s shot over the crossbar to keep the shutout intact with 19 minutes to go.
St. Rita’s defense impressed Marist coach Sean Maxwell.
“We’ve been on this losing streak, but we haven’t been playing all that badly,” Maxwell said. “We just weren’t finishing.
“We didn’t create as much today as we have been. Credit to Rita. Their ‘D’ played well with the big guy (Padilla) in the back, and they possessed well. We didn’t create as many chances as we needed to, but fortunately we got a badly-needed win.”
St. Rita responded well to the Marist goal, pushing hard to find the equalizer.
Carlos Sanchez got a couple late looks for the Mustangs, firing high from 25 yards with 8:10 to go and missing just wide off a Chuy Flores pass two minutes later.
“We were playing with a sense of urgency those last few minutes,” St. Rita midfielder Jaime Banuelos said. “We were trying to win the ball, earn it as a team.
“Marist was pressing us pretty high, trying to stretch us wide. We were handling it pretty well, but the result wasn’t there.”
St. Rita played without leading scorer Langston Bedgood due to injury. Bedgood is expected to return for the postseason.
The Mustangs tested Marist goalkeeper John Kennedy just twice, with their final shot on goal coming on a Padilla header that Kennedy grabbed with 39 minutes to go.
St. Rita’s best threat came in the 18th minute. Julio Walton found Sanchez open in the middle of the box. Sanchez had a good look from 15 yards, but Kennedy denied him with a kick save.
“There were a few times where if we just turned and took the shot, we had an opportunity,” McCarthy said. “We’ll see that on film.
“When we play our game, there aren’t many people that can keep up with us. But we only did that in moments (Thursday). As long as we get back to doing it in the playoffs, we’ll be fine.”
Both teams are headed into the postseason with optimism.
Marist, seeded fifth in the Class 3A Sandburg Sectional, opens up Tuesday against 12th-seeded Lincoln-Way Central.
“I think this team can make a run,” Maxwell said. “We have 11 seniors who can bring a lot of spirit to the team. We’re hoping to be mostly healthy.
“We had some guys who were willing to play today, and I told them we wanted to wait and make sure they’re ready for the playoffs.”
St. Rita, seeded fourth in the Class AA St. Laurence Sectional, takes on 13th-seeded Bogan in Tuesday’s Oak Forest Regional semifinal.
The Mustangs expect to go into that game with a little extra fire in their bellies after Thursday’s loss.
“It was a good little kick in the butt for us,” Banuelos said. “We’ve been earning the wins, but we’ve had some lulls. This was kind of a kick in the butt to tell us to get going.”
Senior midfielder Ryan Dangles agreed with McCarthy that the biggest key for the Mustangs is playing their game.
“We just need to focus on our game,” he said. “If we start letting other teams get in our head, that’s going to take its toll. If we can stay focused, play the way we want to play, I think we can go far in the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Marist
GK: John Kennedy
D: Jacob Robinson
D: Vince Messineo
D: Liam Bennett
M: Alexis Arreola
M: Joey Shannon
M: Brian Garza
M: Aidan Gleeson
M: Quinn Kennedy
F: Ethan Fit
F: Brian Davila
St. Rita
GK: David Bauer
D: Brendan Gleeson
D: Tyler Padilla
D: Jack Carey
M: Brendan Breslin
M: Ryan Dangles
M: Chuy Flores
M: Jaime Banuelos
M: Jose Alencastro
F: Carlos Sanchez
F: Logan Corum
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Joey Shannon, jr., M, Marist
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Marist: Joey Shannon (Alexis Arreola), 68th minute
68th-minute goal corrals Mustangs in regular season finale
By Steve Millar
CHICAGO -- St. Rita was overdue for an off day, and co-head coach Tim McCarthy would rather it come in Thursday’s regular season finale than prematurely halt a playoff run.
The host Mustangs battled Marist to the final whistle Thursday but saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end in a 1-0 defeat to the RedHawks.
“We didn’t play our game,” McCarthy said. “There were only parts of the second half where we did. You can’t win them all and sometimes you come out and just don’t have it. Yet, we were still with them the whole way.
“We’d rather lose this one and come back angry Tuesday than come out flat Tuesday.”
St. Rita (15-5-1) withstood a furious second half attack from Marist (12-9-1) until the 68th minute, when junior midfielder Joey Shannon played the hero.
After the Mustangs broke up a Marist corner kick, the RedHawks’ Alexis Arreola tracked down the loose ball and played a quick pass to Shannon.
Shannon was 40 yards out with his back to the goal, but he got some help from injured sophomore Jimmy Valek on the bench.
“I heard Jimmy yelling that the goalie was out,” Shannon said. “He was yelling for me to shoot it. I just turned, took the quick shot and was able to chip it over (St. Rita goalkeeper David Bauer).”
Shannon, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, knew it was vital for Marist to close the regular season the right way. The RedHawks, battling a wave of injuries, had lost four straight prior to Thursday.
“I think it was huge to get this win,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries. It was big to get this win to get some momentum, especially against a school in our area like St. Rita.”
Before Shannon’s goal, St. Rita’s defense had stood tall while Marist picked up its offense in the second half.
Mustangs defenders Tyler Padilla, Brendan Gleeson and Jack Carey helped shut down four RedHawks corner kicks in the first 27 minutes of the second half.
Bauer also came up big, leaping to punch Vince Messineo’s shot over the crossbar to keep the shutout intact with 19 minutes to go.
St. Rita’s defense impressed Marist coach Sean Maxwell.
“We’ve been on this losing streak, but we haven’t been playing all that badly,” Maxwell said. “We just weren’t finishing.
“We didn’t create as much today as we have been. Credit to Rita. Their ‘D’ played well with the big guy (Padilla) in the back, and they possessed well. We didn’t create as many chances as we needed to, but fortunately we got a badly-needed win.”
St. Rita responded well to the Marist goal, pushing hard to find the equalizer.
Carlos Sanchez got a couple late looks for the Mustangs, firing high from 25 yards with 8:10 to go and missing just wide off a Chuy Flores pass two minutes later.
“We were playing with a sense of urgency those last few minutes,” St. Rita midfielder Jaime Banuelos said. “We were trying to win the ball, earn it as a team.
“Marist was pressing us pretty high, trying to stretch us wide. We were handling it pretty well, but the result wasn’t there.”
St. Rita played without leading scorer Langston Bedgood due to injury. Bedgood is expected to return for the postseason.
The Mustangs tested Marist goalkeeper John Kennedy just twice, with their final shot on goal coming on a Padilla header that Kennedy grabbed with 39 minutes to go.
St. Rita’s best threat came in the 18th minute. Julio Walton found Sanchez open in the middle of the box. Sanchez had a good look from 15 yards, but Kennedy denied him with a kick save.
“There were a few times where if we just turned and took the shot, we had an opportunity,” McCarthy said. “We’ll see that on film.
“When we play our game, there aren’t many people that can keep up with us. But we only did that in moments (Thursday). As long as we get back to doing it in the playoffs, we’ll be fine.”
Both teams are headed into the postseason with optimism.
Marist, seeded fifth in the Class 3A Sandburg Sectional, opens up Tuesday against 12th-seeded Lincoln-Way Central.
“I think this team can make a run,” Maxwell said. “We have 11 seniors who can bring a lot of spirit to the team. We’re hoping to be mostly healthy.
“We had some guys who were willing to play today, and I told them we wanted to wait and make sure they’re ready for the playoffs.”
St. Rita, seeded fourth in the Class AA St. Laurence Sectional, takes on 13th-seeded Bogan in Tuesday’s Oak Forest Regional semifinal.
The Mustangs expect to go into that game with a little extra fire in their bellies after Thursday’s loss.
“It was a good little kick in the butt for us,” Banuelos said. “We’ve been earning the wins, but we’ve had some lulls. This was kind of a kick in the butt to tell us to get going.”
Senior midfielder Ryan Dangles agreed with McCarthy that the biggest key for the Mustangs is playing their game.
“We just need to focus on our game,” he said. “If we start letting other teams get in our head, that’s going to take its toll. If we can stay focused, play the way we want to play, I think we can go far in the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Marist
GK: John Kennedy
D: Jacob Robinson
D: Vince Messineo
D: Liam Bennett
M: Alexis Arreola
M: Joey Shannon
M: Brian Garza
M: Aidan Gleeson
M: Quinn Kennedy
F: Ethan Fit
F: Brian Davila
St. Rita
GK: David Bauer
D: Brendan Gleeson
D: Tyler Padilla
D: Jack Carey
M: Brendan Breslin
M: Ryan Dangles
M: Chuy Flores
M: Jaime Banuelos
M: Jose Alencastro
F: Carlos Sanchez
F: Logan Corum
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Joey Shannon, jr., M, Marist
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Marist: Joey Shannon (Alexis Arreola), 68th minute