SCN can't overcome Morfin, W. Chicago
North Stars fall 2-0 to Wildcats in 3A sectional semifinal
By Gary Larsen
ST. CHARLES — All good win streaks come to an end and only a select few each season end with the glory of a state title win. St. Charles North’s 2-0 loss to West Chicago Tuesday dashed those state title hopes for the North Stars, and put an end to a seven-game unbeaten streak in the process.
But that unbeaten streak and the character it was built on is what North coach Eric Willson will remember about the players on his 2019 team.
The North Stars turned a mid-season losing streak into a memorable unbeaten streak at season’s end. They did it thanks to the resolve of their core upperclassmen.
“It could have gone sideways for us, and it could have gone a different direction,” Willson said. “Credit to our seniors because they just weren’t willing to accept that. They changed who we were, they changed the type of team we were, and we got results because of it. That’s what I’m most proud of from this group; that’s what they were able to do in that spot.”
The setup to North’s memorable unbeaten streak was a winless streak, a six-game span that culminated on Sept. 26 in a 2-1 loss to St. Charles East.
Willson challenged his boys after that loss:
“We need our playmakers to step up. We need leaders to step up,” Willson said at the time. “That’s not happening right now so hopefully we’ll keep grinding it out and find a way to make that happen when it matters most at the end of the year.”
Resilience, character, toughness — those are some of the chief qualities typically needed to turn a season around. St. Charles North relied on those qualities to turn the page after losing a month ago to their crosstown rivals.
But North’s 11 seniors also bought into something more.
“Ever since then we’ve kind of been all committed to each other,” senior Faizan Mohiuddin said during the unbeaten streak, “and the wins just reflect that.”
First came a tie against a solid Glenbard North team on Oct. 1, followed by shutout wins over Streamwood, Neuqua Valley, Batavia and Wheaton Warrenville South.
Unfortunately, by then their mid-season slump had relegated the North Stars to the no. 13 seed of this year’s 3A St. Charles East Sectional. How did they respond?
They shrugged that seeding off like a bad call and just kept on winning.
The North Stars beat fourth-seeded Addison Trail 2-1 in a regional opener. Then they won by the same score in a regional title game over no. 12 Schaumburg, to put themselves in Tuesday’s sectional semifinal against no. 1 West Chicago.
The combination play that St. Charles North strives to employ had served them well. In West Chicago, North faced a team that mirrored that philosophy.
North punched the gas pedal to the floor at the opening whistle. The attacking surge seemingly paid off at eight minutes, when junior Luke Persenico busted free on the left side and charged the post, burying a shot that would have put the North Stars up 1-0.
The raised flag of a sideline official put an end to North’s brief celebration, an offsides call negating Persenico’s goal.
“That would have been a lot of momentum and probably would have changed the whole game,” Persenico said. “It was unfortunate, but we just had to keep charging and keep working hard.”
North attacked well for another five minutes, until the game’s momentum turned on the right foot of West Chicago’s Moises Morfin. At 12 minutes, Morfin picked and danced his way around a defender or two near the top of the North Stars’ box before setting up his shot.
“I saw the (final) defender coming at me, I took a cut to my left, he dove, I went back to my right and took a shot,” Morfin said. “Gladly, it went in. I saw where the goalie was to his right so I placed it to his left.”
Flashy Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez is called “El Mago” in Spanish, which translates in English to “The Magician”. The crafty Morfin showed flashes of living up to that moniker throughout West Chicago’s win.
“He has the freedom to roam wherever he wants up top, he’s very technical, and has a way of keeping the ball at his feet,” West Chicago coach Jose Villa said. “He’s also deadly up-top. He has progressed in all areas over the past two years, and not just in the soccer aspect but his mentality and attitude has gotten better. He continues to work for the team.”
Morfin’s goal came on an assist by Diego Cortes. It also came on the first shot taken by West Chicago, and it changed the face of the game.
“I felt like we were dominating and then after (Morfin’s) goal, the momentum just fell off a bit, and we didn’t have as many offensive chances,” Persenico said.
North keeper Bobby Curran made a fine stop at the post at 13 minutes and fielded a hard-hit one-hopper sent in by Jessie Hernandez at 23 minutes.
West Chicago keeper David Kuehn cut off a Colin Nelson cross at 25 minutes and saved a Sam Strader header at 29 minutes.
West Chicago’s Alejandro Cadena charged after a serve to the goalmouth at 34 minutes and the two collided, but Curran held onto the ball.
Curran may be unable to find much solace in Tuesday’s loss, but he made several outstanding saves to keep things close.
“Hats off to their defense and major props to (Curran), who made some huge saves for them,” Villa said. “They made it tough for us.”
Kuehn and a West Chicago backline led by central defender Ben Suddeth, thwarted a good number of free kicks sent in by St. Charles North throughout the second half.
West Chicago (20-2-3) scored again at 55 minutes when Morfin ran onto a serve from the left side by Brayam Barrios. Morfin finished at the post and the day’s scoring was over.
Morfin’s two goals earned him Tuesday’s Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
St. Charles North (11-5-3) kept fighting but struggled to find a clean look on net to the final buzzer.
“There was no doubt in my mind that the boys were going to fight until the end,” Willson said. “But we just couldn’t solve it. We just couldn’t find that final little bit to get something on frame, to be able to put the ball in the back of the net. And when you do that against a really good team, it’s a matter of time before they find one.
“Credit to West Chicago. They’re really well-coached and a fantastic team. I certainly want to tip the cap to them. They’re a really good side.”
West Chicago, ranked no. 8 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, also earned the top seed of the St. Charles East sectional. The win sends West Chicago to a sectional title game Saturday against seventh-seeded and 21st-ranked York, a 3-0 winner over Geneva in Tuesday’s second sectional semifinal.
West Chicago last won a sectional title in soccer in the fall of 1997.
“No pressure. We’re playing well this season and everything’s going well so far,” Morfin said. “And we’re not done. We’re taking it all the way to state. We’re having fun and playing like we should play.
“It’s a great feeling. We’re making history for our school. Now we’re going to keep it going. We can’t stop here.”
As a junior, Persenico has one more varsity season left to play. He left the field proud of his side’s turnaround down the season’s stretch.
“Going into the postseason with those wins was good for our team,” Persenico said. “Then I thought we showed that we shouldn’t have been seeded so low. We worked hard, and I’m proud of our team and the hustle we gave. It’s just unfortunate we couldn’t come out with a win.”
The North Stars started eight seniors Tuesday and will lose 11 seniors to graduation. Willson applauded the determination those seniors showed in turning the season around and for their commitment to his program.
“Any time you spend that that small little window of time with guys — it’s been four years but I realize that’s just a small window of their life that they’re with me, so I try to value that time spent with them, and take full advantage of it.
“As far as we’re concerned, they’re a part of our bridge, they’re on our bridge, and they’ll always be a part of that. We still talk to alumni and I hope it’s no different with this group of seniors.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles North
G - Bobby Curran
D - Mike DePasquale
D - Xander Jao
D - Colin Nelson
M - Faizan Mohiuddin
M - Andrew Kraft
M - Jared Sinnaeve
M - Thomas Weber
F - Luke Persenico
F - Nolan Sinnaeve
F - Nick Sommer
West Chicago
GK - David Kuehn
D - Ben Suddeth
D - Lukas Stary
D - Alexis Arroyo
D - Alejandro Cadena
M - Brayam Barrios
M - Diego Cortes
M - Jahir Martinez
M - Bryan Bonilla
F - Moises Morfin
F - Isaias Palacios
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Moises Morfin, sr., F, West Chicago
Scoring summary
First half
West Chicago — Morfin (Cortes) 12 minutes
Second half
West Chicago — Morfin (Barrios) 55 minutes
North Stars fall 2-0 to Wildcats in 3A sectional semifinal
By Gary Larsen
ST. CHARLES — All good win streaks come to an end and only a select few each season end with the glory of a state title win. St. Charles North’s 2-0 loss to West Chicago Tuesday dashed those state title hopes for the North Stars, and put an end to a seven-game unbeaten streak in the process.
But that unbeaten streak and the character it was built on is what North coach Eric Willson will remember about the players on his 2019 team.
The North Stars turned a mid-season losing streak into a memorable unbeaten streak at season’s end. They did it thanks to the resolve of their core upperclassmen.
“It could have gone sideways for us, and it could have gone a different direction,” Willson said. “Credit to our seniors because they just weren’t willing to accept that. They changed who we were, they changed the type of team we were, and we got results because of it. That’s what I’m most proud of from this group; that’s what they were able to do in that spot.”
The setup to North’s memorable unbeaten streak was a winless streak, a six-game span that culminated on Sept. 26 in a 2-1 loss to St. Charles East.
Willson challenged his boys after that loss:
“We need our playmakers to step up. We need leaders to step up,” Willson said at the time. “That’s not happening right now so hopefully we’ll keep grinding it out and find a way to make that happen when it matters most at the end of the year.”
Resilience, character, toughness — those are some of the chief qualities typically needed to turn a season around. St. Charles North relied on those qualities to turn the page after losing a month ago to their crosstown rivals.
But North’s 11 seniors also bought into something more.
“Ever since then we’ve kind of been all committed to each other,” senior Faizan Mohiuddin said during the unbeaten streak, “and the wins just reflect that.”
First came a tie against a solid Glenbard North team on Oct. 1, followed by shutout wins over Streamwood, Neuqua Valley, Batavia and Wheaton Warrenville South.
Unfortunately, by then their mid-season slump had relegated the North Stars to the no. 13 seed of this year’s 3A St. Charles East Sectional. How did they respond?
They shrugged that seeding off like a bad call and just kept on winning.
The North Stars beat fourth-seeded Addison Trail 2-1 in a regional opener. Then they won by the same score in a regional title game over no. 12 Schaumburg, to put themselves in Tuesday’s sectional semifinal against no. 1 West Chicago.
The combination play that St. Charles North strives to employ had served them well. In West Chicago, North faced a team that mirrored that philosophy.
North punched the gas pedal to the floor at the opening whistle. The attacking surge seemingly paid off at eight minutes, when junior Luke Persenico busted free on the left side and charged the post, burying a shot that would have put the North Stars up 1-0.
The raised flag of a sideline official put an end to North’s brief celebration, an offsides call negating Persenico’s goal.
“That would have been a lot of momentum and probably would have changed the whole game,” Persenico said. “It was unfortunate, but we just had to keep charging and keep working hard.”
North attacked well for another five minutes, until the game’s momentum turned on the right foot of West Chicago’s Moises Morfin. At 12 minutes, Morfin picked and danced his way around a defender or two near the top of the North Stars’ box before setting up his shot.
“I saw the (final) defender coming at me, I took a cut to my left, he dove, I went back to my right and took a shot,” Morfin said. “Gladly, it went in. I saw where the goalie was to his right so I placed it to his left.”
Flashy Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez is called “El Mago” in Spanish, which translates in English to “The Magician”. The crafty Morfin showed flashes of living up to that moniker throughout West Chicago’s win.
“He has the freedom to roam wherever he wants up top, he’s very technical, and has a way of keeping the ball at his feet,” West Chicago coach Jose Villa said. “He’s also deadly up-top. He has progressed in all areas over the past two years, and not just in the soccer aspect but his mentality and attitude has gotten better. He continues to work for the team.”
Morfin’s goal came on an assist by Diego Cortes. It also came on the first shot taken by West Chicago, and it changed the face of the game.
“I felt like we were dominating and then after (Morfin’s) goal, the momentum just fell off a bit, and we didn’t have as many offensive chances,” Persenico said.
North keeper Bobby Curran made a fine stop at the post at 13 minutes and fielded a hard-hit one-hopper sent in by Jessie Hernandez at 23 minutes.
West Chicago keeper David Kuehn cut off a Colin Nelson cross at 25 minutes and saved a Sam Strader header at 29 minutes.
West Chicago’s Alejandro Cadena charged after a serve to the goalmouth at 34 minutes and the two collided, but Curran held onto the ball.
Curran may be unable to find much solace in Tuesday’s loss, but he made several outstanding saves to keep things close.
“Hats off to their defense and major props to (Curran), who made some huge saves for them,” Villa said. “They made it tough for us.”
Kuehn and a West Chicago backline led by central defender Ben Suddeth, thwarted a good number of free kicks sent in by St. Charles North throughout the second half.
West Chicago (20-2-3) scored again at 55 minutes when Morfin ran onto a serve from the left side by Brayam Barrios. Morfin finished at the post and the day’s scoring was over.
Morfin’s two goals earned him Tuesday’s Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
St. Charles North (11-5-3) kept fighting but struggled to find a clean look on net to the final buzzer.
“There was no doubt in my mind that the boys were going to fight until the end,” Willson said. “But we just couldn’t solve it. We just couldn’t find that final little bit to get something on frame, to be able to put the ball in the back of the net. And when you do that against a really good team, it’s a matter of time before they find one.
“Credit to West Chicago. They’re really well-coached and a fantastic team. I certainly want to tip the cap to them. They’re a really good side.”
West Chicago, ranked no. 8 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, also earned the top seed of the St. Charles East sectional. The win sends West Chicago to a sectional title game Saturday against seventh-seeded and 21st-ranked York, a 3-0 winner over Geneva in Tuesday’s second sectional semifinal.
West Chicago last won a sectional title in soccer in the fall of 1997.
“No pressure. We’re playing well this season and everything’s going well so far,” Morfin said. “And we’re not done. We’re taking it all the way to state. We’re having fun and playing like we should play.
“It’s a great feeling. We’re making history for our school. Now we’re going to keep it going. We can’t stop here.”
As a junior, Persenico has one more varsity season left to play. He left the field proud of his side’s turnaround down the season’s stretch.
“Going into the postseason with those wins was good for our team,” Persenico said. “Then I thought we showed that we shouldn’t have been seeded so low. We worked hard, and I’m proud of our team and the hustle we gave. It’s just unfortunate we couldn’t come out with a win.”
The North Stars started eight seniors Tuesday and will lose 11 seniors to graduation. Willson applauded the determination those seniors showed in turning the season around and for their commitment to his program.
“Any time you spend that that small little window of time with guys — it’s been four years but I realize that’s just a small window of their life that they’re with me, so I try to value that time spent with them, and take full advantage of it.
“As far as we’re concerned, they’re a part of our bridge, they’re on our bridge, and they’ll always be a part of that. We still talk to alumni and I hope it’s no different with this group of seniors.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles North
G - Bobby Curran
D - Mike DePasquale
D - Xander Jao
D - Colin Nelson
M - Faizan Mohiuddin
M - Andrew Kraft
M - Jared Sinnaeve
M - Thomas Weber
F - Luke Persenico
F - Nolan Sinnaeve
F - Nick Sommer
West Chicago
GK - David Kuehn
D - Ben Suddeth
D - Lukas Stary
D - Alexis Arroyo
D - Alejandro Cadena
M - Brayam Barrios
M - Diego Cortes
M - Jahir Martinez
M - Bryan Bonilla
F - Moises Morfin
F - Isaias Palacios
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Moises Morfin, sr., F, West Chicago
Scoring summary
First half
West Chicago — Morfin (Cortes) 12 minutes
Second half
West Chicago — Morfin (Barrios) 55 minutes