Metea Valley outlasts East Aurora in thriller
Mustangs earn regional final berth vs. DVC foe Waubonsie Valley
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA --- Anyone who took in the double feature at Tuesday’s Class 3A East Aurora Regional got their money’s worth with two cliffhangers.
In the opening semifinal, if the intensity was considered high as regulation neared its conclusion between Waubonsie Valley and West Aurora, it was off the charts as the end of the second 10-minute overtime session approached.
A mere 2:21 remained when Noah Glorioso completed a hat-trick to lift no. 13-seed Waubonsie Valley to an upset over no. 4-seed West Aurora 4-3.
In the nightcap, the prospect of extra soccer loomed, but Metea Valley’s Evan Lang shortened the running time of the second feature when he headed home the game-winner off James Lynch’s corner kick with only 1:24 left in regulation. That enabled the no. 5-seeded Mustangs to avoid the chance of an upset against regional host and no. 12-seed East Aurora.
‘No one wanted to go to overtime,” Lang emphatically stated. “We lost to this team last year in the first round and that was tough to get over. Long before pairings were decided, getting past the first game was a goal.”
Although the IHSA shifts the locations of its Class 3A sectionals, the cluster of Aurora and Naperville programs are seldom split. That has led to the apt title of “Sectional of Death” by the participants. To that point, West Aurora’s loss guarantees that this is the fifth time in the last six seasons that a top-four seed from this group failed to make the sectional semifinals.
Friday’s 5 p.m. regional championship puts Metea Valley, after adding a win to the school record for single-season victories at 14-7-2, in the dicey position of having to beat fellow DuPage Valley Conference foe Waubonsie Valley (10-10-1) for a third, or depending upon one’s perspective, a second time.
The Mustangs needed overtime to gain a 3-2 September 26 victory over Waubonsie Valley. The two schools reached the championship of the 20th annual Warrior Invitational 11 days later, however, the late afternoon title game led most of the senior-heavy Waubonsie Valley varsity to opt out to prepare for the Homecoming dance. Despite being an unusually close tango for 50 minutes, Metea Valley ultimately posted a 4-0 shutout of the Warriors’ mostly Junior Varsity unit.
“Beating someone again is never easy, but being conference foes, the first time going to overtime and this being for a regional, we expect this to be a hard-fought game,” Lang said. “The chance to get to sectionals makes it worth more.”
Metea Valley gets the chance in large part due to the work of Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Lynch.
Nine minutes into the match, East Aurora had a corner kick carom off the near post in front of the goal eliciting shouts from the home faithful before the Mustangs cleared the ball. After 11:54 elapsed, Metea Valley fell behind as the Tomcats’ Bryan Torres shot a 14-yard rocket from the left that caromed off a Mustangs defender and into the net. It was Torres’ fifth goal of the season.
While Metea Valley goalie Kevin Branch was left helpless on that play, the junior later came up big, blocking and then catching an absolute cracker from the right wing launched by Edgar Esquivel.
That save allowed for the Mustangs equalizer at 22:45 as Lynch began a two-assist, one-goal performance. Lynch fed Shareef Amor for an eight-yarder into the left half of the goal.
“Once I dribbled by a couple defenders down the line, I was on a diagonal run toward the goal and saw Shareef open to the wide side,” Lynch noted.
“I’ve played with James long enough to know when and where he’ll pass plus he knows my runs,” Amor explained in regard to his ninth goal of the year. “Initially I got control and since (the keeper) was right in front of me, I took the shot trying to place it past him.”
East Aurora nearly regained the lead, but Branch raced off his line to just reach the ball a second before East’s Emmanuel Rizo could get a toe poke. The counterattack led to Lynch hammering a 33-yard laser that Tomcat keeper Gonzalez blocked upward and then caught.
When East’s Diego DeLoera made an overlapping run Branch was caught off his line, but he was fortunate defender Ethan Williams just managed a defensive clear.
The team's traded the last chances of the half. The Tomcats' Esquivel had a 40-yard cannon shot with a rising trajectory go for naught before Lynch managed one final blast literally seconds prior to the halftime horn.
The second half began with East firing just wide on dangerous threats including a Tomcats direct kick just 4:28 after intermission. Esquivel hit a hard “Bend it like Beckham” style direct kick, but Metea Valley’s Branch dove to his right for a stellar save.
The Mustangs then gained their first lead at 45:23. An in-swinging corner kick from Lynch found the mark for his ninth goal.
“Having seen the goalie coming out off the line, I hit it hoping it would curve just right,” Lynch said.
Aggressively seeking to knot the score, East repeatedly launched missiles from distance from all over the new Roy E. Davis Field. The fantail of little black pellets on slides was testimony to the newness of the turf field. It's surrounded by a gleaming red track, new concession areas and other pristine facilities that ensure East Aurora can and will host future events.
With only 14:10 still to be played, the Tomcats struck. DeLoera switched sides with his pass and Esquivel hammered a 21-yarder from the left wing that caught the side netting behind the far right post. That marked the senior co-captain’s team-best ninth goal and DeLoera’s first assist.
Fighting the emotions of the season- and career-ending loss, East Aurora's Esquivel continually cited the team effort and family-style togetherness that made the season special.
“Even that goal, my teammates helped me get it down. I got a great ball to work with, I was able to see an opening on the far side, pictured the shot and went for it,” Esquivel explained. “The pressure on both teams kept increasing as time was winding down. They got an opportunity that worked and time ran out before we could answer.”
The game-winner had Lynch boost his team-best assist tally to 13 with a corner kick that connected with Lang’s head as the junior forward crashed the middle. The victory was worth the wait.
“It felt great getting that goal,” Lang added. “With the first game going into overtime, it felt like we were in the locker room for an hour and a half. We’d check the time and the score but wanted to get on the field.”
Teammate Amor believes the Mustangs can spend much more time on soccer pitches this season.
“Last year we didn’t have as much success as we hoped for, so maybe we’re a surprise to some people this year,” Lang said. “It’s okay if they don’t expect much from us, but I believe the element of surprise is now gone and people should watch out for us.”
Veteran Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson couched his enthusiasm with perspective.
“It was pretty much what we’ve done all year -- have a rough first half and thankfully a good second half,” Robinson noted. “We end up reacting to adversity well. Unfortunately the adversity is often of our own making.
“No question Lynch was the dominant player out there to be Man of the Match, but Branch continues to do big things for us as well. That free kick they had from 20 that bent around our (defensive) wall, Kevin made a world-class save.
“Realizing all the quality teams in the area, they shouldn’t be a 12-seed,” Robinson said. “Coach (Nate) Parry and the East program are top class. They can be proud of how they played and hosted everyone.”
Parry joined the Tomcats staff in 2002 when coach Jason Rollins guided East Aurora to its first conference title in a run that produced the school’s most successful and competitive seasons. While continuing to serve in a supporting role to other head coaches, Parry also worked as an assistant Athletic Director and even filled an interim AD capacity at one time. Since being given the reins to the boys program, Parry has elevated the Tomcats to a level not seen since Rollins’ tenure. They are far more competitive than East’s final 9-6-3 record would indicate.
“I realize it may not sink in for a while, but they really did give it their all,” Parry said of his players. “And that was our mantra going into the season, ‘Give it your all.’
Today they gave up a lead then battled back to tie it up.
"We weren’t a pushover like some may think a 12-seed would be. I know they’re better than just a five-seed, which is why I’m pleased that there were stretches where we controlled the run of play. They did also which is the sign of a competitive game.
“I’m most proud of our development as a team. Having coached them from freshmen to seniors, what is most impressive is how the seniors took ownership of the program,” Parry explained. “From off-season conditioning, to how they would warm-up, to their T-shirts, they cared about the details and each other. You can’t ask for more as a coach.”
Waubonsie Valley 4, West Aurora 3
The sectional as noted continued the pattern of a top-four seed failing to advance. Last year no.15 Plainfield Central stunned no. 2 Naperville Central. In 2015, it was the no. 8 Redhawks ousting no. 2 Plainfield North while no. 6 Batavia topped no. 3 Neuqua Valley.
This season it happened to no. 4 West Aurora, which despite scoring the opening goal and erasing a two-goal deficit, came up short in the second overtime. The loss marked the first time the Blackhawks failed to win a postseason match since 2013.
Axel Sanchez used Patience Yuha’s assist to put West Aurora ahead after 15:49 elapsed. But a dozen minutes later, Waubonsie Valley’s Glorioso capitalized on a Mitch Mueller set-up for a 1-1 halftime draw. Then just 3:51 into the second half, Glorioso gambled on a 41-yard bomb that sailed under the crossbar. Using a Stephan Spano feed, Giacomo Parrino reacted to West goalie Ivan Burciaga having been drawn out of the net and managed to curve a kick from the left wing just inside the far right post to put the Warriors up by two.
Six minutes later, Sanchez collected his second goal using a William Ortiz cross for a five-yard strike that cut the deficit in half. Re-energized, the Blackhawks stayed on the attack, and Andy Emile took a feed from Sanchez. As he was falling away sent an 18-yarder from the right wing to make 3-3 with 20:01 left in regulation.
As the second of the overtime sessions neared its conclusion, Glorioso picked up Waubonsie Valley’s only hat-trick for this year. Parrino’s cross found Glorioso closing in on the right post and his kick essentially bounced over the West keeper and under the crossbar inside the far left post.
“I was on the back end of things and Giacomo was working down the line. As I was making a run I just hoped he’d play it across, and that’s exactly what he did,”
Glorioso said in regard to the hatter that bumped him up to seven goals. “It was just like what we did in practice and warm-ups.”
Starting lineups
East Aurora
GK Salvador Gonzalez
D Marco Junez
D Diego DeLoera
D Abel Barron
M Luis Trejo
M Edgar Esquivel
M Adrian Munoz
M Jose Alonso
F Bryan Torres
F Sergio Reyes
F Daniel Manchaca
Metea Valley
GK Kevin Branch
D Ethan Ytterberg
D Tony Sanchez
D Ethan Williams
D Erik Severson
M Matthew Barry
M Jaylen Brooks
M Joey Donovan
M Evan Lang
F Shareef Amor
F James Lynch
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: James Lynch, jr. F, Metea Valley
Officials: Andrew Sok (center), Dave Holbrook, Steve Osborne
Game summary
Metea Valley 3, East Aurora 2
East Aurora 1 1 -- 2 9-6-3
Metea Valley 1 2 -- 3 15-6-2
Scoring
EA – Torres booming 14-yarder from left side caroms off defender and in (unassisted, 11:54 gone
MV – Amor eight-yard finish into left side of goal (Lynch assist), 22:45 gone
MV – Lynch in-swinger corner kick (unassisted), 45:23 gone
EA – Esquivel left wing 21-yarder curved inside far right post (De Leora assist), 65:50 gone
NV -- Lang six-yard header crashing middle on corner kick (Lynch assist), 78:36 gone
Shots
EA 9 – 8 --- 17
MV 6 – 8 --- 14
Shots on goal
EA 1 – 3 --- 4
MV 2 – 7 --- 9
Saves (goalie)
EA 6 (Gonzalez 1/5)
MV 2 (Branch 0/2)
Corner kicks
EA 2 – 6 --- 8
MV 2 – 2 --- 4
Offsides
EA 1 – 1 --- 2
MV 1 – 2 --- 3
Game summary
Waubonsie Valley 4, West Aurora 3 (2 OT)
Waubonsie Valley 1 2 0 1 ---- 4 10-10-1
West Aurora 1 2 0 0 ---- 3 16- 4-2
Scoring
WA – Sanchez eight-yard finish to right (Yuha assist), 24:11 gone
WV – Glorioso six-yard strike inside right (Mueller assist), 33:56 gone
WV – Glorioso 41-yard bomb under crossbar (unassisted), 43:51 gone
WV – Parrino left side tough angle curving kick inside far right post (unassisted), 52:33 gone
WA – Sanchez five-yard strike off cross (Ortiz assist), 58:37 gone
WA – Emile falling away 18-yarder from right wing (Sanchez assist) 59:59 gone
WV – Glorioso 7-yarder from right post with high bounce inside far post (Spano assist), 97:39 gone
Officials: Dave Holbrook (center), Andrew Sok, Steve Osborne
Mustangs earn regional final berth vs. DVC foe Waubonsie Valley
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA --- Anyone who took in the double feature at Tuesday’s Class 3A East Aurora Regional got their money’s worth with two cliffhangers.
In the opening semifinal, if the intensity was considered high as regulation neared its conclusion between Waubonsie Valley and West Aurora, it was off the charts as the end of the second 10-minute overtime session approached.
A mere 2:21 remained when Noah Glorioso completed a hat-trick to lift no. 13-seed Waubonsie Valley to an upset over no. 4-seed West Aurora 4-3.
In the nightcap, the prospect of extra soccer loomed, but Metea Valley’s Evan Lang shortened the running time of the second feature when he headed home the game-winner off James Lynch’s corner kick with only 1:24 left in regulation. That enabled the no. 5-seeded Mustangs to avoid the chance of an upset against regional host and no. 12-seed East Aurora.
‘No one wanted to go to overtime,” Lang emphatically stated. “We lost to this team last year in the first round and that was tough to get over. Long before pairings were decided, getting past the first game was a goal.”
Although the IHSA shifts the locations of its Class 3A sectionals, the cluster of Aurora and Naperville programs are seldom split. That has led to the apt title of “Sectional of Death” by the participants. To that point, West Aurora’s loss guarantees that this is the fifth time in the last six seasons that a top-four seed from this group failed to make the sectional semifinals.
Friday’s 5 p.m. regional championship puts Metea Valley, after adding a win to the school record for single-season victories at 14-7-2, in the dicey position of having to beat fellow DuPage Valley Conference foe Waubonsie Valley (10-10-1) for a third, or depending upon one’s perspective, a second time.
The Mustangs needed overtime to gain a 3-2 September 26 victory over Waubonsie Valley. The two schools reached the championship of the 20th annual Warrior Invitational 11 days later, however, the late afternoon title game led most of the senior-heavy Waubonsie Valley varsity to opt out to prepare for the Homecoming dance. Despite being an unusually close tango for 50 minutes, Metea Valley ultimately posted a 4-0 shutout of the Warriors’ mostly Junior Varsity unit.
“Beating someone again is never easy, but being conference foes, the first time going to overtime and this being for a regional, we expect this to be a hard-fought game,” Lang said. “The chance to get to sectionals makes it worth more.”
Metea Valley gets the chance in large part due to the work of Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Lynch.
Nine minutes into the match, East Aurora had a corner kick carom off the near post in front of the goal eliciting shouts from the home faithful before the Mustangs cleared the ball. After 11:54 elapsed, Metea Valley fell behind as the Tomcats’ Bryan Torres shot a 14-yard rocket from the left that caromed off a Mustangs defender and into the net. It was Torres’ fifth goal of the season.
While Metea Valley goalie Kevin Branch was left helpless on that play, the junior later came up big, blocking and then catching an absolute cracker from the right wing launched by Edgar Esquivel.
That save allowed for the Mustangs equalizer at 22:45 as Lynch began a two-assist, one-goal performance. Lynch fed Shareef Amor for an eight-yarder into the left half of the goal.
“Once I dribbled by a couple defenders down the line, I was on a diagonal run toward the goal and saw Shareef open to the wide side,” Lynch noted.
“I’ve played with James long enough to know when and where he’ll pass plus he knows my runs,” Amor explained in regard to his ninth goal of the year. “Initially I got control and since (the keeper) was right in front of me, I took the shot trying to place it past him.”
East Aurora nearly regained the lead, but Branch raced off his line to just reach the ball a second before East’s Emmanuel Rizo could get a toe poke. The counterattack led to Lynch hammering a 33-yard laser that Tomcat keeper Gonzalez blocked upward and then caught.
When East’s Diego DeLoera made an overlapping run Branch was caught off his line, but he was fortunate defender Ethan Williams just managed a defensive clear.
The team's traded the last chances of the half. The Tomcats' Esquivel had a 40-yard cannon shot with a rising trajectory go for naught before Lynch managed one final blast literally seconds prior to the halftime horn.
The second half began with East firing just wide on dangerous threats including a Tomcats direct kick just 4:28 after intermission. Esquivel hit a hard “Bend it like Beckham” style direct kick, but Metea Valley’s Branch dove to his right for a stellar save.
The Mustangs then gained their first lead at 45:23. An in-swinging corner kick from Lynch found the mark for his ninth goal.
“Having seen the goalie coming out off the line, I hit it hoping it would curve just right,” Lynch said.
Aggressively seeking to knot the score, East repeatedly launched missiles from distance from all over the new Roy E. Davis Field. The fantail of little black pellets on slides was testimony to the newness of the turf field. It's surrounded by a gleaming red track, new concession areas and other pristine facilities that ensure East Aurora can and will host future events.
With only 14:10 still to be played, the Tomcats struck. DeLoera switched sides with his pass and Esquivel hammered a 21-yarder from the left wing that caught the side netting behind the far right post. That marked the senior co-captain’s team-best ninth goal and DeLoera’s first assist.
Fighting the emotions of the season- and career-ending loss, East Aurora's Esquivel continually cited the team effort and family-style togetherness that made the season special.
“Even that goal, my teammates helped me get it down. I got a great ball to work with, I was able to see an opening on the far side, pictured the shot and went for it,” Esquivel explained. “The pressure on both teams kept increasing as time was winding down. They got an opportunity that worked and time ran out before we could answer.”
The game-winner had Lynch boost his team-best assist tally to 13 with a corner kick that connected with Lang’s head as the junior forward crashed the middle. The victory was worth the wait.
“It felt great getting that goal,” Lang added. “With the first game going into overtime, it felt like we were in the locker room for an hour and a half. We’d check the time and the score but wanted to get on the field.”
Teammate Amor believes the Mustangs can spend much more time on soccer pitches this season.
“Last year we didn’t have as much success as we hoped for, so maybe we’re a surprise to some people this year,” Lang said. “It’s okay if they don’t expect much from us, but I believe the element of surprise is now gone and people should watch out for us.”
Veteran Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson couched his enthusiasm with perspective.
“It was pretty much what we’ve done all year -- have a rough first half and thankfully a good second half,” Robinson noted. “We end up reacting to adversity well. Unfortunately the adversity is often of our own making.
“No question Lynch was the dominant player out there to be Man of the Match, but Branch continues to do big things for us as well. That free kick they had from 20 that bent around our (defensive) wall, Kevin made a world-class save.
“Realizing all the quality teams in the area, they shouldn’t be a 12-seed,” Robinson said. “Coach (Nate) Parry and the East program are top class. They can be proud of how they played and hosted everyone.”
Parry joined the Tomcats staff in 2002 when coach Jason Rollins guided East Aurora to its first conference title in a run that produced the school’s most successful and competitive seasons. While continuing to serve in a supporting role to other head coaches, Parry also worked as an assistant Athletic Director and even filled an interim AD capacity at one time. Since being given the reins to the boys program, Parry has elevated the Tomcats to a level not seen since Rollins’ tenure. They are far more competitive than East’s final 9-6-3 record would indicate.
“I realize it may not sink in for a while, but they really did give it their all,” Parry said of his players. “And that was our mantra going into the season, ‘Give it your all.’
Today they gave up a lead then battled back to tie it up.
"We weren’t a pushover like some may think a 12-seed would be. I know they’re better than just a five-seed, which is why I’m pleased that there were stretches where we controlled the run of play. They did also which is the sign of a competitive game.
“I’m most proud of our development as a team. Having coached them from freshmen to seniors, what is most impressive is how the seniors took ownership of the program,” Parry explained. “From off-season conditioning, to how they would warm-up, to their T-shirts, they cared about the details and each other. You can’t ask for more as a coach.”
Waubonsie Valley 4, West Aurora 3
The sectional as noted continued the pattern of a top-four seed failing to advance. Last year no.15 Plainfield Central stunned no. 2 Naperville Central. In 2015, it was the no. 8 Redhawks ousting no. 2 Plainfield North while no. 6 Batavia topped no. 3 Neuqua Valley.
This season it happened to no. 4 West Aurora, which despite scoring the opening goal and erasing a two-goal deficit, came up short in the second overtime. The loss marked the first time the Blackhawks failed to win a postseason match since 2013.
Axel Sanchez used Patience Yuha’s assist to put West Aurora ahead after 15:49 elapsed. But a dozen minutes later, Waubonsie Valley’s Glorioso capitalized on a Mitch Mueller set-up for a 1-1 halftime draw. Then just 3:51 into the second half, Glorioso gambled on a 41-yard bomb that sailed under the crossbar. Using a Stephan Spano feed, Giacomo Parrino reacted to West goalie Ivan Burciaga having been drawn out of the net and managed to curve a kick from the left wing just inside the far right post to put the Warriors up by two.
Six minutes later, Sanchez collected his second goal using a William Ortiz cross for a five-yard strike that cut the deficit in half. Re-energized, the Blackhawks stayed on the attack, and Andy Emile took a feed from Sanchez. As he was falling away sent an 18-yarder from the right wing to make 3-3 with 20:01 left in regulation.
As the second of the overtime sessions neared its conclusion, Glorioso picked up Waubonsie Valley’s only hat-trick for this year. Parrino’s cross found Glorioso closing in on the right post and his kick essentially bounced over the West keeper and under the crossbar inside the far left post.
“I was on the back end of things and Giacomo was working down the line. As I was making a run I just hoped he’d play it across, and that’s exactly what he did,”
Glorioso said in regard to the hatter that bumped him up to seven goals. “It was just like what we did in practice and warm-ups.”
Starting lineups
East Aurora
GK Salvador Gonzalez
D Marco Junez
D Diego DeLoera
D Abel Barron
M Luis Trejo
M Edgar Esquivel
M Adrian Munoz
M Jose Alonso
F Bryan Torres
F Sergio Reyes
F Daniel Manchaca
Metea Valley
GK Kevin Branch
D Ethan Ytterberg
D Tony Sanchez
D Ethan Williams
D Erik Severson
M Matthew Barry
M Jaylen Brooks
M Joey Donovan
M Evan Lang
F Shareef Amor
F James Lynch
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: James Lynch, jr. F, Metea Valley
Officials: Andrew Sok (center), Dave Holbrook, Steve Osborne
Game summary
Metea Valley 3, East Aurora 2
East Aurora 1 1 -- 2 9-6-3
Metea Valley 1 2 -- 3 15-6-2
Scoring
EA – Torres booming 14-yarder from left side caroms off defender and in (unassisted, 11:54 gone
MV – Amor eight-yard finish into left side of goal (Lynch assist), 22:45 gone
MV – Lynch in-swinger corner kick (unassisted), 45:23 gone
EA – Esquivel left wing 21-yarder curved inside far right post (De Leora assist), 65:50 gone
NV -- Lang six-yard header crashing middle on corner kick (Lynch assist), 78:36 gone
Shots
EA 9 – 8 --- 17
MV 6 – 8 --- 14
Shots on goal
EA 1 – 3 --- 4
MV 2 – 7 --- 9
Saves (goalie)
EA 6 (Gonzalez 1/5)
MV 2 (Branch 0/2)
Corner kicks
EA 2 – 6 --- 8
MV 2 – 2 --- 4
Offsides
EA 1 – 1 --- 2
MV 1 – 2 --- 3
Game summary
Waubonsie Valley 4, West Aurora 3 (2 OT)
Waubonsie Valley 1 2 0 1 ---- 4 10-10-1
West Aurora 1 2 0 0 ---- 3 16- 4-2
Scoring
WA – Sanchez eight-yard finish to right (Yuha assist), 24:11 gone
WV – Glorioso six-yard strike inside right (Mueller assist), 33:56 gone
WV – Glorioso 41-yard bomb under crossbar (unassisted), 43:51 gone
WV – Parrino left side tough angle curving kick inside far right post (unassisted), 52:33 gone
WA – Sanchez five-yard strike off cross (Ortiz assist), 58:37 gone
WA – Emile falling away 18-yarder from right wing (Sanchez assist) 59:59 gone
WV – Glorioso 7-yarder from right post with high bounce inside far post (Spano assist), 97:39 gone
Officials: Dave Holbrook (center), Andrew Sok, Steve Osborne