Morton sends message
in regular season finale
Top-seeded Mustangs display playoff form in 5-0 Senior Night win
By Matt Le Cren
BERWYN – Morton is ready.
The Mustangs are brimming with confidence and determination heading into the state playoffs, which begin next week when Morton hosts its own Class 3A regional.
The perennial power capped another brilliant regular season Thursday by routing Riverside-Brookfield 5-0 on Senior Night. Star senior striker Adrian Barrera led the way with two goals and an assist, while sophomore sensation Jesus Perez had a goal and an assist.
Sophomore Cristian Perez and juniors Ramario Iniquez and Adrian Sanchez also found the back of the net for Morton (18-2-1), which has won 16-consecutive games against in-state opponents since opening with the season with a 0-0 tie against Mt. Carmel and a 2-1 road loss to two-time defending state champion Naperville North.
“I think we’re more than ready,” Barrera said. “All of the hard work that we’ve put in is going to give us a successful result at the end.
“We started off kind of rough, but we got it back together. Our chemistry is good. We play to the last whistle every game.”
The senior-laden Mustangs did so again against Riverside-Brookfield. The visiting Bulldogs (9-14-0) hung tough for 20 minutes against wave after wave of attacks, but it was only a matter of time until they conceded.
Morton broke through in the 22nd minute when the speedy Jesus Perez beat his man to the left end line and crossed to Barrera, who roofed a shot from eight yards with 18:46 left in the first half.
It was the team-leading 14th assist for Perez and the 23rd goal of the campaign for Barrera, who would add his 24th on a similar shot just 47 seconds into the second half. Barrera, who has been on a tear lately, was reflective after his final regular season home game.
“It’s such a great feeling spending my four years of high school here and three years of varsity soccer,” Barrera said. “I’m very proud to be part of this great organization.
“It’s just a great feeling representing this school.”
Barrera and the other 14 seniors have done it well, winning with style and talent against all types of opponents and in many different scenarios. The Mustangs’ only losses were the one-goal defeat at Naperville North, which currently has a 37-game winning streak, and a 3-2 shootout setback to Marquette, the top-ranked team in Wisconsin.
“We do play within ourselves,” Morton coach Jim Bageanis said. “We’ve had some emotional games where we might get a little intense and tempers get going, but they know when they’ve got to buckle down, and they do the work.
“They know what needs to be done and they do the job. They have the confidence that they know they can accomplish whatever they need to do.”
The Mustangs feel they have the wherewithal to achieve their ultimate goal – winning the state championship. The key, Barrera said, is chemistry.
“I think (it is) the bond we have together as a team,” Barrera said. “There’s no issue with anybody.
“The attitude that we come with every game, the hard work we put in every practice and bond together as a team helps us. Every soccer player here, first we take care of business. Then we have fun outside (the lines).”
The Mustangs are undeniably fun to watch. Barrera and particularly Jesus Perez shine with their unselfishness. They diced a hard-working but overworked R-B defense with panache, frequently creating chances with savvy give-and-gos.
Riverside-Brookfield goalie Daniel Sessler had an excellent game, recording 11 saves to keep the score respectable, but it wasn’t enough. Barrera and Jesus Perez have played nearly two full seasons together and that familiarity provides a comfort level.
“Yes it actually helps, because I already know he’s going to be in the box,” Jesus Perez said. “I know where he’s going to be, because we’ve been playing with each other for two years, so we kind of know how we play.
“There’s other players right there with us, too, so we have a lot of players to rely on.”
Even when things didn’t work out exactly as planned against the Bulldogs, they still had success.
Jesus Perez triggered the second goal when he again dribbled into the left side of the box and rolled a shot that was aimed at the far post. The ball rolled wide but senior Yobany Esparza tracked it down before it went over the end line and centered it to Cristian Perez (no relation to Jesus) for the tap-in goal and 2-0 lead at the 7:56 mark.
Exactly six minutes later, Morton struck again. This time Barrera dished the helper, getting into the right side of the box and crossing to Iniquez for a tap-in to make it 3-0.
The Mustangs dominated even though Bageanis made sure to get all the seniors in the game. Backup goalie Andres Zamora started and made two saves in the first half before giving way to top man Andruw Martinez, who made one routine stop after intermission.
The other seniors who were honored in pregame ceremonies were Israel Carranza, Jose Arellano, Samuel Castro, Isaac Carnalla, Alex Sery, Miguel Castro, German Tinoco, Andre Olvera, Anarbol Barajas, Jonathon Perez and Jairo Samudio.
“I think we’re playing real well right now,” Bageanis said. “We’ve been resting some guys the last couple weeks, injury-wise. Right now we look like we’re going to be pretty healthy, which is a good thing.”
But good health and outstanding talent don’t guarantee anything in the state tournament.
“Every game is tough game in the playoffs,” Bageanis said. “You can dominate a playoff game and lose 1-0.
“We’ve talked about that in the past so hopefully we’re prepared. We’re going to go out there and take care of business like we need to.”
The Mustangs are the top seed at the R-B Sectional. Most observers are salivating at the thought of a possible rematch between Morton and Naperville North in the Lewis University Supersectional on Oct. 30, but a lot of obstacles remain.
“We obviously want to be at the top,” Jesus Perez said. “We want to be the best.
“We’re just hoping for the wins to come, game-by-game. Everyone is expecting us to win and for us, if we weren’t to win that would be a really big upset. That’s what we don’t want.
“We want to be a team that wins.”
Starting lineups
Riverside-Brookfield
GK Daniel Sessler
D Archer Teran
D Eduardo Carrillo
D Alexander Freel
D Alex Martell
M Kyle Paeth
M Josue Villalobos
M Matthew Hanson
M Daniel Villegas
F Gabriel Herrera
F Xavier Sanchez
Morton
GK Andres Zamora
D Israel Carranza
D Jose Arellano
D Samuel Castro
D Anarbol Barajas
D Jonathon Perez
M Andre Olvera
M Jairo Samudio
M Alex Sery
F Adrian Barrera
F German Tinoco
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Adrian Barrera, sr., F, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
Morton – Adrian Barrera (Jesus Perez) 18:46
Morton – Christian Perez (Yobany Esparza) 7:56
Morton – Ramario Iniquez (Barrera) 1:56
Second half
Morton – Barrera 39:13
Morton – Adrian Sanchez 16:44
in regular season finale
Top-seeded Mustangs display playoff form in 5-0 Senior Night win
By Matt Le Cren
BERWYN – Morton is ready.
The Mustangs are brimming with confidence and determination heading into the state playoffs, which begin next week when Morton hosts its own Class 3A regional.
The perennial power capped another brilliant regular season Thursday by routing Riverside-Brookfield 5-0 on Senior Night. Star senior striker Adrian Barrera led the way with two goals and an assist, while sophomore sensation Jesus Perez had a goal and an assist.
Sophomore Cristian Perez and juniors Ramario Iniquez and Adrian Sanchez also found the back of the net for Morton (18-2-1), which has won 16-consecutive games against in-state opponents since opening with the season with a 0-0 tie against Mt. Carmel and a 2-1 road loss to two-time defending state champion Naperville North.
“I think we’re more than ready,” Barrera said. “All of the hard work that we’ve put in is going to give us a successful result at the end.
“We started off kind of rough, but we got it back together. Our chemistry is good. We play to the last whistle every game.”
The senior-laden Mustangs did so again against Riverside-Brookfield. The visiting Bulldogs (9-14-0) hung tough for 20 minutes against wave after wave of attacks, but it was only a matter of time until they conceded.
Morton broke through in the 22nd minute when the speedy Jesus Perez beat his man to the left end line and crossed to Barrera, who roofed a shot from eight yards with 18:46 left in the first half.
It was the team-leading 14th assist for Perez and the 23rd goal of the campaign for Barrera, who would add his 24th on a similar shot just 47 seconds into the second half. Barrera, who has been on a tear lately, was reflective after his final regular season home game.
“It’s such a great feeling spending my four years of high school here and three years of varsity soccer,” Barrera said. “I’m very proud to be part of this great organization.
“It’s just a great feeling representing this school.”
Barrera and the other 14 seniors have done it well, winning with style and talent against all types of opponents and in many different scenarios. The Mustangs’ only losses were the one-goal defeat at Naperville North, which currently has a 37-game winning streak, and a 3-2 shootout setback to Marquette, the top-ranked team in Wisconsin.
“We do play within ourselves,” Morton coach Jim Bageanis said. “We’ve had some emotional games where we might get a little intense and tempers get going, but they know when they’ve got to buckle down, and they do the work.
“They know what needs to be done and they do the job. They have the confidence that they know they can accomplish whatever they need to do.”
The Mustangs feel they have the wherewithal to achieve their ultimate goal – winning the state championship. The key, Barrera said, is chemistry.
“I think (it is) the bond we have together as a team,” Barrera said. “There’s no issue with anybody.
“The attitude that we come with every game, the hard work we put in every practice and bond together as a team helps us. Every soccer player here, first we take care of business. Then we have fun outside (the lines).”
The Mustangs are undeniably fun to watch. Barrera and particularly Jesus Perez shine with their unselfishness. They diced a hard-working but overworked R-B defense with panache, frequently creating chances with savvy give-and-gos.
Riverside-Brookfield goalie Daniel Sessler had an excellent game, recording 11 saves to keep the score respectable, but it wasn’t enough. Barrera and Jesus Perez have played nearly two full seasons together and that familiarity provides a comfort level.
“Yes it actually helps, because I already know he’s going to be in the box,” Jesus Perez said. “I know where he’s going to be, because we’ve been playing with each other for two years, so we kind of know how we play.
“There’s other players right there with us, too, so we have a lot of players to rely on.”
Even when things didn’t work out exactly as planned against the Bulldogs, they still had success.
Jesus Perez triggered the second goal when he again dribbled into the left side of the box and rolled a shot that was aimed at the far post. The ball rolled wide but senior Yobany Esparza tracked it down before it went over the end line and centered it to Cristian Perez (no relation to Jesus) for the tap-in goal and 2-0 lead at the 7:56 mark.
Exactly six minutes later, Morton struck again. This time Barrera dished the helper, getting into the right side of the box and crossing to Iniquez for a tap-in to make it 3-0.
The Mustangs dominated even though Bageanis made sure to get all the seniors in the game. Backup goalie Andres Zamora started and made two saves in the first half before giving way to top man Andruw Martinez, who made one routine stop after intermission.
The other seniors who were honored in pregame ceremonies were Israel Carranza, Jose Arellano, Samuel Castro, Isaac Carnalla, Alex Sery, Miguel Castro, German Tinoco, Andre Olvera, Anarbol Barajas, Jonathon Perez and Jairo Samudio.
“I think we’re playing real well right now,” Bageanis said. “We’ve been resting some guys the last couple weeks, injury-wise. Right now we look like we’re going to be pretty healthy, which is a good thing.”
But good health and outstanding talent don’t guarantee anything in the state tournament.
“Every game is tough game in the playoffs,” Bageanis said. “You can dominate a playoff game and lose 1-0.
“We’ve talked about that in the past so hopefully we’re prepared. We’re going to go out there and take care of business like we need to.”
The Mustangs are the top seed at the R-B Sectional. Most observers are salivating at the thought of a possible rematch between Morton and Naperville North in the Lewis University Supersectional on Oct. 30, but a lot of obstacles remain.
“We obviously want to be at the top,” Jesus Perez said. “We want to be the best.
“We’re just hoping for the wins to come, game-by-game. Everyone is expecting us to win and for us, if we weren’t to win that would be a really big upset. That’s what we don’t want.
“We want to be a team that wins.”
Starting lineups
Riverside-Brookfield
GK Daniel Sessler
D Archer Teran
D Eduardo Carrillo
D Alexander Freel
D Alex Martell
M Kyle Paeth
M Josue Villalobos
M Matthew Hanson
M Daniel Villegas
F Gabriel Herrera
F Xavier Sanchez
Morton
GK Andres Zamora
D Israel Carranza
D Jose Arellano
D Samuel Castro
D Anarbol Barajas
D Jonathon Perez
M Andre Olvera
M Jairo Samudio
M Alex Sery
F Adrian Barrera
F German Tinoco
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Adrian Barrera, sr., F, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
Morton – Adrian Barrera (Jesus Perez) 18:46
Morton – Christian Perez (Yobany Esparza) 7:56
Morton – Ramario Iniquez (Barrera) 1:56
Second half
Morton – Barrera 39:13
Morton – Adrian Sanchez 16:44