Wheaton A. halts St. Francis again
2-0 win gains Warriors home field advantage as sectional host
By Steve Nemeth
SYCAMORE --- St. Francis coach Kevin Ward hopes Wheaton Academy goes on to earn a trophy in the IHSA Class AA state tournament.
The reason goes beyond the Spartans ability to say their season was ended by an eventual “to be determined” place finisher.
Yes, Wheaton Academy’s Warriors, ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, claimed the championship plaque from Friday’s Class AA Sycamore Regional with a 2-0 victory that both ended St. Francis’ season and snapped the Spartans’ 11-game win streak.
But here’s the real deal. Should the Warriors finish anywhere from fourth to first, the IHSA Success Advancement policy will once again move Wheaton Academy up to Class 3A.
After claiming fourth place trophies in 2012 and 2013, Wheaton Academy captured the AA state crown in 2014 and that success bumped the Warriors to Class 3A. In 2015, the Warriors lost a sectional final to eventual 3A fourth place finisher Bartlett. Last year, the Warriors lost a regional title game to eventual fourth place finisher Conant.
Rewind to 2013 and St. Francis began the postseason thumping Illinois Math and Science Academy 8-0 only to lose 5-1 to Wheaton Academy. In 2014, the Spartans blanked IMSA (4-0) only again to be eliminated by the Warriors.
In 2015 when Wheaton Academy played in Class 3A, St. Francis earned a supersectional berth and just missed out on a state trip with a 1-0 loss to eventual runnerup Notre Dame (Peoria).
Back to the present, fourth-seeded St. Francis earns a hard-fought 1-0 victory over regional host Sycamore and who’s standing in the way? Yup, Subsectional A top-seeded Wheaton Academy.
“If not for these particular seeds, this game could’ve been for a sectional championship,” Ward noted. “Bottom line, it was a well-played match. They’re a little bigger than we are and that may have been the deciding factor.”
It may sound oversimplified, but breaking the scoreless deadlock and then increasing the gap were bigger factors.
Both teams had potentially dangerous scoring opportunities through the mid-point of the opening half. For St. Francis, scoring leader Leo Herard had a left-footed blast that Wheaton Academy goalie J.D. Gunn tipped wide with a highlight-reel worthy dive to his right.
For the Warriors, Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Seamus Kilgallon had pass after pass that teammates simply didn’t get to in order to reward him with an assist. That finally changed at 22:27.
Kilgallon sent a cross from the right wing toward the back post and teammate Luke Holwerda rose up for a 10-yard header past Spartans starting goalie Andrew Thill.
“We work on runs to the posts over and over and over,” Holwerda said. “Seamus hit the ball just right and initially I was concerned if I could get high enough. Once I stretched and reached to make contact I was able to land, turn around, and see it in the net.
“No matter how often you score, it’s always fun, especially when your teammates are all over you,” Holwerda added. “At that time, we needed something to get us going.”
Wheaton Academy Jeff Brooke certainly agreed.
“That was big,” Brook emphasized. “We came out and were playing well, but with the breeze at our back, we needed to get one on the board. The other positive was seeing Luke finish with his head. He’s worked hard on adding that component to his offensive abilities.”
After play resumed, Herard hit a rocket-shot that Gunn smothered with confidence. A minute later, the Warriors had the ball ricocheting among St. Francis defenders before Kilgallon took a follow-up and narrowly missed. He also had a left side opportunity that failed to dip and sailed high.
There was only 2:56 left before intermission when a loose ball looked like St. Francis' potential equalizer, but Warriors defender Elijah Lebo made a huge defensive clear. With 18 seconds remaining, Herard boomed a 14-yarder from the right only to have Gunn drop to one knee to ensure snaring the grounder.
Despite having the wind in its favor, St. Francis began the second half on the defensive. Wheaton Academy's Grayson Harris sent a pass to Holwerda, but the shot rose too rapidly. Jack Kilgallon made a textbook cross through the goal box that begged for a redirect as it ran parallel from one side to the other.
With 28:18 still to be played, the Warriors upped the ante to a 2-0 lead. Officially the goal would be recorded as Harris finishing a pass from Seamus Kilgallon. But the sequence began with Quinn Partain’s through-ball to Holwerda to the left side where he dribbled up the sideline. After eluding a defender, he sent a pass to the far right post. Either Thill or a Spartans defender nudged it wider. However Jack Kilgallon sprinted to the end line and executed a back-heel pass to Harris for a six-yarder.
“I didn’t really have time to see where the keeper was, I just hit it for the left side,” Harris said in regard to his 12th goal of the season. “No matter how many times you hit one in practice, it’s not the same as scoring in a game, especially when there’s pressure. In this case being a regional final, going up 2-0 was huge and made things a lot easier for us.”
Once again Brooke echoed a player's analysis.
“Getting that second goal allowed us to calm down a little more. Even though you’re ahead, the nerves can increase as you defend that lead. J.D. had a really big save in the first half, but I thought the pressure in the net grew and yet he managed the box so well. I believe he’s a phenomenal goalie and his presence can make an opponent pause to decide how to attack.
“But there’s no question Seamus was today’s MVP. He was fantastic in the middle,” Brooke said. “He stood out in the manner in which he controlled a lot of the game. He continually showed heart and played a great 80 minutes, or maybe 78 because I forced him to take a break.”
Ryan Scharf took over the St. Francis net for the final 24 minutes and was quickly tested on a shot from Logan Finnegan near the right post.
The Spartans answered. Henry Roback and Herard had solid contact on several shots only to miss or have Gunn make the save. Ethan Grosam had a cannon volley with five minutes remaining but the ball curved wide of the right post.
After the horn, the game became the 11th clean-sheet for Gunn whose confidence grew following his first half diving block.
“Making a big save when it was really needed to keep the team positive helped me keep cool and play with confidence,” Gunn said. “It all feels great getting a win over a rival school and a regional title as well.”
The win gave Wheaton Academy its 11th regional plaque and increased coach Brooke’s Warrior boys coaching mark to 185-48-18 (.773) in his 10th season.
Wheaton Academy hopes its sectional home field advantage might lead to the school’s eighth such trophy. Now owning a 13-game win streak, the Warriors have reached the 20-win milestone for the fourth time under Brooke. The fewest victories in a season under Brooke’s tenure came in his first year (2008) at 14-5-4.
“After the last two years, it’s nice to take a plaque back to school,” Brooke said. “Being home for sectionals is fantastic, but the truth is it’s like the slates are wiped clean again. Everyone there is a regional champ and everyone is hungry for more success.”
On Wednesday (Oct. 25), the 6:30 p.m. second semifinal pits Wheaton Academy against Glenbard South, which claimed its own regional via a 2-1 victory over LaSalle-Peru. The opponents for the opening semifinal at 4:30 p.m. are yet to be determined. They will come from Saturday (Oct. 21) regional finals between host Kaneland or Rochelle and Timothy Christian or St. Joseph in Ottawa.
During St. Francis' 11-game win streak the Spartains outscored their opposition by a 35-2 margin, thanks in part to notching nine of the team's 10 shutouts for the year. The final 14-6-0 record marks the third-consecutive campaign with double-digit victories.
“Back when we had two wins, I said if we could pull it together, we’d have a chance to surprise a lot of folks. We earned that chance coming into today,” Ward said before noting with perhaps a degree of superstition. “I quit counting but I know we came in with a win streak that was based on several shutouts.
"As has been the case all year, we had some special efforts once again today. (Defender) Jacob (Power) was basically playing with half of one foot, Roback is just a great leader, and Ethan (Grosman) also never quits.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK Adam Thill
D Ethan Grosman
D Trey Gora
D Henry Roback
D Jacob Power
M Samuel Audy
M Sean Conley
M Nicholas Gulli
M Ryan Pennington
M Frank Marsico
F Leo Herard
Wheaton Academy
GK J.D. Gunn
D Owen Setran
D Elijah Lebo
D Max Dominguez
M Seamus Kilgallon
M Grayson Harris
M Owen Hardy
M Jack Kilgallon
F Quinn Partain
F Luke Holwerda
F Matt Oster
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Seamus Kilgallon, Jr. M, Wheaton Academy
Officials: Ryan Eckert (center), Curt Wegner, Scott Gessert
Game summary
Class AA Sycamore Regional final
St. Francis (4-seed) 0 0 --- 0 14-6-0
Wheaton Academy (1-seed) 1 1 ---- 2 20-4-0
Scoring
WA – Holwerda 10-yard header off cross (S. Kilgallon assist), 22:27 gone
WA – Harris six-yarder slotted inside post (J. Kilgallon assist), 51:42 gone
Shots
SF 6 – 5 --- 11
WA 8 – 5 --- 13
Shots on goal
SF 4 – 1 --- 5
WA 4 – 2 --- 6
Saves (GK)
SF 4 (Thrill, 56 minutes, 3/0; Scharf, 24 m 1
WA 5 (Gunn, 4/1)
Corner kicks
SF 2 – 3 --- 5
WA 4 – 0 --- 4
Offsides
SF 0 – 1 --- 1
WA 0 – 0 --- 0
2-0 win gains Warriors home field advantage as sectional host
By Steve Nemeth
SYCAMORE --- St. Francis coach Kevin Ward hopes Wheaton Academy goes on to earn a trophy in the IHSA Class AA state tournament.
The reason goes beyond the Spartans ability to say their season was ended by an eventual “to be determined” place finisher.
Yes, Wheaton Academy’s Warriors, ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, claimed the championship plaque from Friday’s Class AA Sycamore Regional with a 2-0 victory that both ended St. Francis’ season and snapped the Spartans’ 11-game win streak.
But here’s the real deal. Should the Warriors finish anywhere from fourth to first, the IHSA Success Advancement policy will once again move Wheaton Academy up to Class 3A.
After claiming fourth place trophies in 2012 and 2013, Wheaton Academy captured the AA state crown in 2014 and that success bumped the Warriors to Class 3A. In 2015, the Warriors lost a sectional final to eventual 3A fourth place finisher Bartlett. Last year, the Warriors lost a regional title game to eventual fourth place finisher Conant.
Rewind to 2013 and St. Francis began the postseason thumping Illinois Math and Science Academy 8-0 only to lose 5-1 to Wheaton Academy. In 2014, the Spartans blanked IMSA (4-0) only again to be eliminated by the Warriors.
In 2015 when Wheaton Academy played in Class 3A, St. Francis earned a supersectional berth and just missed out on a state trip with a 1-0 loss to eventual runnerup Notre Dame (Peoria).
Back to the present, fourth-seeded St. Francis earns a hard-fought 1-0 victory over regional host Sycamore and who’s standing in the way? Yup, Subsectional A top-seeded Wheaton Academy.
“If not for these particular seeds, this game could’ve been for a sectional championship,” Ward noted. “Bottom line, it was a well-played match. They’re a little bigger than we are and that may have been the deciding factor.”
It may sound oversimplified, but breaking the scoreless deadlock and then increasing the gap were bigger factors.
Both teams had potentially dangerous scoring opportunities through the mid-point of the opening half. For St. Francis, scoring leader Leo Herard had a left-footed blast that Wheaton Academy goalie J.D. Gunn tipped wide with a highlight-reel worthy dive to his right.
For the Warriors, Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Seamus Kilgallon had pass after pass that teammates simply didn’t get to in order to reward him with an assist. That finally changed at 22:27.
Kilgallon sent a cross from the right wing toward the back post and teammate Luke Holwerda rose up for a 10-yard header past Spartans starting goalie Andrew Thill.
“We work on runs to the posts over and over and over,” Holwerda said. “Seamus hit the ball just right and initially I was concerned if I could get high enough. Once I stretched and reached to make contact I was able to land, turn around, and see it in the net.
“No matter how often you score, it’s always fun, especially when your teammates are all over you,” Holwerda added. “At that time, we needed something to get us going.”
Wheaton Academy Jeff Brooke certainly agreed.
“That was big,” Brook emphasized. “We came out and were playing well, but with the breeze at our back, we needed to get one on the board. The other positive was seeing Luke finish with his head. He’s worked hard on adding that component to his offensive abilities.”
After play resumed, Herard hit a rocket-shot that Gunn smothered with confidence. A minute later, the Warriors had the ball ricocheting among St. Francis defenders before Kilgallon took a follow-up and narrowly missed. He also had a left side opportunity that failed to dip and sailed high.
There was only 2:56 left before intermission when a loose ball looked like St. Francis' potential equalizer, but Warriors defender Elijah Lebo made a huge defensive clear. With 18 seconds remaining, Herard boomed a 14-yarder from the right only to have Gunn drop to one knee to ensure snaring the grounder.
Despite having the wind in its favor, St. Francis began the second half on the defensive. Wheaton Academy's Grayson Harris sent a pass to Holwerda, but the shot rose too rapidly. Jack Kilgallon made a textbook cross through the goal box that begged for a redirect as it ran parallel from one side to the other.
With 28:18 still to be played, the Warriors upped the ante to a 2-0 lead. Officially the goal would be recorded as Harris finishing a pass from Seamus Kilgallon. But the sequence began with Quinn Partain’s through-ball to Holwerda to the left side where he dribbled up the sideline. After eluding a defender, he sent a pass to the far right post. Either Thill or a Spartans defender nudged it wider. However Jack Kilgallon sprinted to the end line and executed a back-heel pass to Harris for a six-yarder.
“I didn’t really have time to see where the keeper was, I just hit it for the left side,” Harris said in regard to his 12th goal of the season. “No matter how many times you hit one in practice, it’s not the same as scoring in a game, especially when there’s pressure. In this case being a regional final, going up 2-0 was huge and made things a lot easier for us.”
Once again Brooke echoed a player's analysis.
“Getting that second goal allowed us to calm down a little more. Even though you’re ahead, the nerves can increase as you defend that lead. J.D. had a really big save in the first half, but I thought the pressure in the net grew and yet he managed the box so well. I believe he’s a phenomenal goalie and his presence can make an opponent pause to decide how to attack.
“But there’s no question Seamus was today’s MVP. He was fantastic in the middle,” Brooke said. “He stood out in the manner in which he controlled a lot of the game. He continually showed heart and played a great 80 minutes, or maybe 78 because I forced him to take a break.”
Ryan Scharf took over the St. Francis net for the final 24 minutes and was quickly tested on a shot from Logan Finnegan near the right post.
The Spartans answered. Henry Roback and Herard had solid contact on several shots only to miss or have Gunn make the save. Ethan Grosam had a cannon volley with five minutes remaining but the ball curved wide of the right post.
After the horn, the game became the 11th clean-sheet for Gunn whose confidence grew following his first half diving block.
“Making a big save when it was really needed to keep the team positive helped me keep cool and play with confidence,” Gunn said. “It all feels great getting a win over a rival school and a regional title as well.”
The win gave Wheaton Academy its 11th regional plaque and increased coach Brooke’s Warrior boys coaching mark to 185-48-18 (.773) in his 10th season.
Wheaton Academy hopes its sectional home field advantage might lead to the school’s eighth such trophy. Now owning a 13-game win streak, the Warriors have reached the 20-win milestone for the fourth time under Brooke. The fewest victories in a season under Brooke’s tenure came in his first year (2008) at 14-5-4.
“After the last two years, it’s nice to take a plaque back to school,” Brooke said. “Being home for sectionals is fantastic, but the truth is it’s like the slates are wiped clean again. Everyone there is a regional champ and everyone is hungry for more success.”
On Wednesday (Oct. 25), the 6:30 p.m. second semifinal pits Wheaton Academy against Glenbard South, which claimed its own regional via a 2-1 victory over LaSalle-Peru. The opponents for the opening semifinal at 4:30 p.m. are yet to be determined. They will come from Saturday (Oct. 21) regional finals between host Kaneland or Rochelle and Timothy Christian or St. Joseph in Ottawa.
During St. Francis' 11-game win streak the Spartains outscored their opposition by a 35-2 margin, thanks in part to notching nine of the team's 10 shutouts for the year. The final 14-6-0 record marks the third-consecutive campaign with double-digit victories.
“Back when we had two wins, I said if we could pull it together, we’d have a chance to surprise a lot of folks. We earned that chance coming into today,” Ward said before noting with perhaps a degree of superstition. “I quit counting but I know we came in with a win streak that was based on several shutouts.
"As has been the case all year, we had some special efforts once again today. (Defender) Jacob (Power) was basically playing with half of one foot, Roback is just a great leader, and Ethan (Grosman) also never quits.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK Adam Thill
D Ethan Grosman
D Trey Gora
D Henry Roback
D Jacob Power
M Samuel Audy
M Sean Conley
M Nicholas Gulli
M Ryan Pennington
M Frank Marsico
F Leo Herard
Wheaton Academy
GK J.D. Gunn
D Owen Setran
D Elijah Lebo
D Max Dominguez
M Seamus Kilgallon
M Grayson Harris
M Owen Hardy
M Jack Kilgallon
F Quinn Partain
F Luke Holwerda
F Matt Oster
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Seamus Kilgallon, Jr. M, Wheaton Academy
Officials: Ryan Eckert (center), Curt Wegner, Scott Gessert
Game summary
Class AA Sycamore Regional final
St. Francis (4-seed) 0 0 --- 0 14-6-0
Wheaton Academy (1-seed) 1 1 ---- 2 20-4-0
Scoring
WA – Holwerda 10-yard header off cross (S. Kilgallon assist), 22:27 gone
WA – Harris six-yarder slotted inside post (J. Kilgallon assist), 51:42 gone
Shots
SF 6 – 5 --- 11
WA 8 – 5 --- 13
Shots on goal
SF 4 – 1 --- 5
WA 4 – 2 --- 6
Saves (GK)
SF 4 (Thrill, 56 minutes, 3/0; Scharf, 24 m 1
WA 5 (Gunn, 4/1)
Corner kicks
SF 2 – 3 --- 5
WA 4 – 0 --- 4
Offsides
SF 0 – 1 --- 1
WA 0 – 0 --- 0