Morton hangs on to beat Naperville North
Mustangs make 2nd-straight trip to state after tense 2-1 win
By Matt Le Cren
ROMEOVILLE – Jonathan Murillo had a good feeling before taking a free kick midway through the first half of Tuesday’s Class 3A Lewis University Supersectional.
The Morton senior midfielder was feeling even better after he took it. And an hour after that, he was floating around the field in an ebullient mood.
Murillo drilled a brilliant free kick from 18 yards to open the scoring and the Mustangs went on to defeat Naperville North 2-1 and advance to the state semifinals, where they will play Fremd at 7 p.m. Friday at Hoffman Estates.
The match was a repeat of the 2019 supersectional on the same field, which the Mustangs won on penalty kicks after the overtimes ended at 3-3.
This one needed no extra time, yet the play on both sides was equally sublime.
Morton (21-1-3) led 2-0 at halftime but had to hold off a furious rally by the Huskies (21-6-2), who got a goal from Wright State-bound Cam Radeke and had two shots hit the crossbar and several other saved by Morton goalkeeper Daniel Martiez.
“They were a great team,” Martinez said. “They won three-consecutive state championships, ’16 through ’18.
“They’re a great team, but we worked hard and wanted it more. So we got those two early goals, and we did what had to be done. We really wanted this one.”
When the Huskies committed a foul on the edge of their penalty area at the 19:19 mark of the first half, Murillo really wanted to take it. That’s usually fellow senior Giovanni Alvarez’s job, but Murillo’s gut told him good things were coming.
“Gio always takes the free kicks on that side, while on the left side I get to shoot them, too,” Murillo said. “I was feeling it.
“I told Gio, ‘Let me take this one, I can curve it in, have confidence in me, I feel like it’s going in.’”
Alvarez deferred to Murillo, who didn’t let him down. He lined up the shot from just to the right of the circle and ripped a left-footed drive past the wall and in between North goalkeeper Patrick Horn and the right post for a 1-0 lead.
“I didn’t think about anything,” Murillo said. “I just took the shot, and it went in, thankfully.
“It was a good shot.”
It was indeed, and so was Luis Gonzalez’s drive from 25 yards that came 12 minutes later. The ball handcuffed Horn, who earlier had made diving saves on Alvarez and Murillo. This one dribbled into the net to make it 2-0.
That was the extent of Morton’s offense. The Mustangs spent most of the second half holding off a spirited comeback effort by the Huskies.
Radeke and Jacob Ryu led the way and both could have had hat-tricks. Radeke cut the gap to 2-1 when he ran onto a feed from Keegan Flaherty and beat Martinez with a short shot to the far post with 36:19 to go.
Then Ryu started sniping from long distance, booming powerful free kicks from as far away as midfield. Some shots were on frame and others went into the box, where Morton seniors Juan and Ivan Ramirez were kept busy trying to keep the likes of Radeke and Indiana recruit Alex Barger off the score sheet.
The brothers, who have been solid all season, were good in tight spaces and in the open field. Juan Ramirez made a great slide tackle to prevent a breakaway by Radeke in the first half.
“They brought great defensive mindset,” Martinez said. “Both of them were Chicago Fire Academy players, so they’re very strong mentally. They’re very confident; and they’re very good in the back.”
They – and Martinez as well – needed to be, because Naperville North was relentless. Martinez made four tough saves, including a leaping denial just under the crossbar on a 35-yard free kick from Ryu. Radeke hit the crossbar with a volley from outside the left post.
But the closest – and perhaps cruelest – miss came at the 16:50 mark when North was awarded an indirect kick just inside the top of the box.
After Morton set up a four-man wall in front of Martinez, Barger tapped the ball to Ryu, who ripped a shot that hit both the right post and the underside of the crossbar before coming down near the goal line.
Several Huskies raised their arms in celebration, thinking the ball had gone in, but the referee signaled to play on. The rebound caromed to freshman Noah Radeke, whose shot was blocked in-front.
“The ref said it didn’t go in,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “The ref was in the right spot.
“We were all over the goalmouth; we just couldn’t score. That happens.
“We’ve had some games where we’re lucky, and the ball hits the post and you squeak through when you’re not the better team.
“We did everything we could to score. The crossbar was not our friend today.
“This was about as good as we’ve played. We just didn’t get the result.”
The Huskies never stopped trying for the elusive equalizer. Their last gasp came in the closing seconds when Cam Radeke drove to the left end line and sent a cross in front of Martinez that barely missed the pate of a diving Tyson Amoo-Mensah. The DePaul-bound senior’s valiant effort came up inches short, and Martinez raced toward the Morton fans with his arms over his head.
“They were really strong that second half,” Martinez said. “They pressured a lot, they were aggressive.
“We tried to stay back and defend. They had fans screaming, and it was a very intense game.”
Morton coach Jim Bageanis said the Mustangs were grateful to advance, considering stars like Alvarez and Murillo gutted out the second half while playing hurt.
“We survived,” Bageanis said. “It was pure survival.
“They hit the post; they hit the crossbar. We had to make four outstanding saves. I don’t know how the ball didn’t go in the net on two of them. It very easily could have been 4-2 against us.
“We had several key guys banged up. They were good for about a half, and then they were just out there in the second half trying to survive. I was going to give them every chance to win it or lose it.”
Naperville North ran out of time.
“The boys were great,” Konrad said. “We had a couple mistakes that really bit us, and then I couldn’t be prouder of the way the boys battled back for the next 70 minutes.
“As much as it stings right now, I told the boys I couldn’t be prouder. We ask for them to battle and fight through every second and that last second Tyson stretched out diving into the box trying to get his head on it, that’s our program.
“That’s Tyson and that’s what we ask of the boys. They did not go away down 2-0, and that would be easy to do. They fought back, and I thought we had the best of the play in the second half. We just couldn’t find the goal.
“(Morton) made some plays and we were unlucky. Sometime soccer can be cruel.”
It was certainly a cruel feeling for Naperville North seniors like Ryu, who grew up with many of his teammates.
“We made all the changes we could,” Ryu said. “We had the confidence the whole time.
“We thought we’d come back.”
The Huskies did, just not far enough. And now Ryu and his buddies are left with their memories.
“This is the team I kind of grew up with during high school, played with them on JV and then a lot of them on club,” Ryu said. “I loved playing with them this year.
“I’m going to miss it. This is the final goodbye of playing together. It’s hard.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Patrick Horn
D Cole Ritzmann
D Adam Zielke
D Ryan Konrad
D Alex Arredondo
M Tyson Amoo-Mensah
M Jacob Ryu
M Bryan Higgs
F Cam Radeke
F Keegan Flaherty
F Alex Barger
Morton
GK Daniel Martinez
D Eddie Barraza
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
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jonathan Murillo, sr., MF, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
Morton – Jonathan Murillo (free kick) 19:19 remaining
Morton – Luis Gonzalez (unassisted) 7:28 remaining
Second half
Naperville North – Cam Radeke (Keegan Flaherty) 36:19 remaining
Mustangs make 2nd-straight trip to state after tense 2-1 win
By Matt Le Cren
ROMEOVILLE – Jonathan Murillo had a good feeling before taking a free kick midway through the first half of Tuesday’s Class 3A Lewis University Supersectional.
The Morton senior midfielder was feeling even better after he took it. And an hour after that, he was floating around the field in an ebullient mood.
Murillo drilled a brilliant free kick from 18 yards to open the scoring and the Mustangs went on to defeat Naperville North 2-1 and advance to the state semifinals, where they will play Fremd at 7 p.m. Friday at Hoffman Estates.
The match was a repeat of the 2019 supersectional on the same field, which the Mustangs won on penalty kicks after the overtimes ended at 3-3.
This one needed no extra time, yet the play on both sides was equally sublime.
Morton (21-1-3) led 2-0 at halftime but had to hold off a furious rally by the Huskies (21-6-2), who got a goal from Wright State-bound Cam Radeke and had two shots hit the crossbar and several other saved by Morton goalkeeper Daniel Martiez.
“They were a great team,” Martinez said. “They won three-consecutive state championships, ’16 through ’18.
“They’re a great team, but we worked hard and wanted it more. So we got those two early goals, and we did what had to be done. We really wanted this one.”
When the Huskies committed a foul on the edge of their penalty area at the 19:19 mark of the first half, Murillo really wanted to take it. That’s usually fellow senior Giovanni Alvarez’s job, but Murillo’s gut told him good things were coming.
“Gio always takes the free kicks on that side, while on the left side I get to shoot them, too,” Murillo said. “I was feeling it.
“I told Gio, ‘Let me take this one, I can curve it in, have confidence in me, I feel like it’s going in.’”
Alvarez deferred to Murillo, who didn’t let him down. He lined up the shot from just to the right of the circle and ripped a left-footed drive past the wall and in between North goalkeeper Patrick Horn and the right post for a 1-0 lead.
“I didn’t think about anything,” Murillo said. “I just took the shot, and it went in, thankfully.
“It was a good shot.”
It was indeed, and so was Luis Gonzalez’s drive from 25 yards that came 12 minutes later. The ball handcuffed Horn, who earlier had made diving saves on Alvarez and Murillo. This one dribbled into the net to make it 2-0.
That was the extent of Morton’s offense. The Mustangs spent most of the second half holding off a spirited comeback effort by the Huskies.
Radeke and Jacob Ryu led the way and both could have had hat-tricks. Radeke cut the gap to 2-1 when he ran onto a feed from Keegan Flaherty and beat Martinez with a short shot to the far post with 36:19 to go.
Then Ryu started sniping from long distance, booming powerful free kicks from as far away as midfield. Some shots were on frame and others went into the box, where Morton seniors Juan and Ivan Ramirez were kept busy trying to keep the likes of Radeke and Indiana recruit Alex Barger off the score sheet.
The brothers, who have been solid all season, were good in tight spaces and in the open field. Juan Ramirez made a great slide tackle to prevent a breakaway by Radeke in the first half.
“They brought great defensive mindset,” Martinez said. “Both of them were Chicago Fire Academy players, so they’re very strong mentally. They’re very confident; and they’re very good in the back.”
They – and Martinez as well – needed to be, because Naperville North was relentless. Martinez made four tough saves, including a leaping denial just under the crossbar on a 35-yard free kick from Ryu. Radeke hit the crossbar with a volley from outside the left post.
But the closest – and perhaps cruelest – miss came at the 16:50 mark when North was awarded an indirect kick just inside the top of the box.
After Morton set up a four-man wall in front of Martinez, Barger tapped the ball to Ryu, who ripped a shot that hit both the right post and the underside of the crossbar before coming down near the goal line.
Several Huskies raised their arms in celebration, thinking the ball had gone in, but the referee signaled to play on. The rebound caromed to freshman Noah Radeke, whose shot was blocked in-front.
“The ref said it didn’t go in,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “The ref was in the right spot.
“We were all over the goalmouth; we just couldn’t score. That happens.
“We’ve had some games where we’re lucky, and the ball hits the post and you squeak through when you’re not the better team.
“We did everything we could to score. The crossbar was not our friend today.
“This was about as good as we’ve played. We just didn’t get the result.”
The Huskies never stopped trying for the elusive equalizer. Their last gasp came in the closing seconds when Cam Radeke drove to the left end line and sent a cross in front of Martinez that barely missed the pate of a diving Tyson Amoo-Mensah. The DePaul-bound senior’s valiant effort came up inches short, and Martinez raced toward the Morton fans with his arms over his head.
“They were really strong that second half,” Martinez said. “They pressured a lot, they were aggressive.
“We tried to stay back and defend. They had fans screaming, and it was a very intense game.”
Morton coach Jim Bageanis said the Mustangs were grateful to advance, considering stars like Alvarez and Murillo gutted out the second half while playing hurt.
“We survived,” Bageanis said. “It was pure survival.
“They hit the post; they hit the crossbar. We had to make four outstanding saves. I don’t know how the ball didn’t go in the net on two of them. It very easily could have been 4-2 against us.
“We had several key guys banged up. They were good for about a half, and then they were just out there in the second half trying to survive. I was going to give them every chance to win it or lose it.”
Naperville North ran out of time.
“The boys were great,” Konrad said. “We had a couple mistakes that really bit us, and then I couldn’t be prouder of the way the boys battled back for the next 70 minutes.
“As much as it stings right now, I told the boys I couldn’t be prouder. We ask for them to battle and fight through every second and that last second Tyson stretched out diving into the box trying to get his head on it, that’s our program.
“That’s Tyson and that’s what we ask of the boys. They did not go away down 2-0, and that would be easy to do. They fought back, and I thought we had the best of the play in the second half. We just couldn’t find the goal.
“(Morton) made some plays and we were unlucky. Sometime soccer can be cruel.”
It was certainly a cruel feeling for Naperville North seniors like Ryu, who grew up with many of his teammates.
“We made all the changes we could,” Ryu said. “We had the confidence the whole time.
“We thought we’d come back.”
The Huskies did, just not far enough. And now Ryu and his buddies are left with their memories.
“This is the team I kind of grew up with during high school, played with them on JV and then a lot of them on club,” Ryu said. “I loved playing with them this year.
“I’m going to miss it. This is the final goodbye of playing together. It’s hard.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Patrick Horn
D Cole Ritzmann
D Adam Zielke
D Ryan Konrad
D Alex Arredondo
M Tyson Amoo-Mensah
M Jacob Ryu
M Bryan Higgs
F Cam Radeke
F Keegan Flaherty
F Alex Barger
Morton
GK Daniel Martinez
D Eddie Barraza
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
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jonathan Murillo, sr., MF, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
Morton – Jonathan Murillo (free kick) 19:19 remaining
Morton – Luis Gonzalez (unassisted) 7:28 remaining
Second half
Naperville North – Cam Radeke (Keegan Flaherty) 36:19 remaining