Wheaton Academy heads to Elite 8
Gunn earns 11th shutout in Warriors’ 3-0 win over Timothy
By Gary Larsen
WEST CHICAGO — Ten minutes into the second half of Friday’s Class 2A sectional title game, Timothy forward Michael Martens lined up to take a penalty kick. The slick and skilled attacking player had a chance to cut host Wheaton Academy’s lead in half and swing momentum his side’s way.
He may have been outslicked by Wheaton Academy keeper J.D. Gunn.
As Martens stepped to the ball, Gunn feinted slightly to his left before launching himself to his right. The Warriors goalkeeper flew parallel to the ground before landing with outstretched arms at the post, where he got his hands on Martens’ PK and deflected it over the end line to preserve the Warriors’ two-goal lead.
Wheaton Academy (22-4-0) went on to win 3-0 over Timothy (17-7-0) for its 15th-straight win, and Gunn’s bit of chicanery to save that PK stood as tall as any moment in the game.
“I kind of pointed one way and went the other, just to kind of play mind games with (Martens),” Gunn said. “That (PK) would have made the game 2-1 and might have put them back in it. So it was an important save.”
Gunn stopped every shot and left his line aggressively in pursuit of every serve to his goalmouth. At 6-foot-4, the senior’s net presence helped key the Warriors’ 13th shutout of the year. Wheaton Academy has shut out its playoff opponents by a composite score of 12-0.
“J.D. has really grown into a team leader in an amazing way,” Wheaton Academy coach Jeff Brooke said. “He’s managing his box and tonight you saw how he’s capable of making a big save. I thought Timothy came out with a breeze at their back and provided a dynamic attack. And then they step up and take that (PK), and J.D. made a big save.”
Gunn was named Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match for his net play against the Trojans. The win sends Wheaton Academy to a supersectional game Tuesday at Sterling against Quincy (Notre Dame), a 4-2 winner over Peoria (Notre Dame) on Friday.
Two months ago, Wheaton Academy won 9-1 over Timothy in the season-opening game for both teams. Timothy coach Stephen Fernandes was a coaches’ all-state defender for Wheaton Academy in 2011, and Brooke suspected he’d see a different Timothy team in Friday’s rematch.
“I knew Steve would have his guys ready to go and excited to play against us,” Brooke said. “They were more organized, and they have some real dynamic players.”
Fernandes was proud of the way his boys competed Friday.
“They played incredible,” he said. “I thought we created a lot of dangerous chances and if we put a few of those away it might be a different game. Wheaton Academy is a really good team. They move the ball like crazy. They have speed everywhere, and I thought we played one of our best games of the year.
“In years past against them, when they’d go up 1-0 we’d start hanging our heads. But we talked about how we are a different team than we were in that 9-1 loss. We’ve gotten better every day, and I think this was our best game yet. It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t put a few of those chances away.”
Wheaton Academy, ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, got on the board just three minutes in when a Quinn Partain corner kick to the goalmouth hit the carpet and senior Grayson Harris cleaned it up into the net.
“I thought we played really well. It was good to get an early goal,” Warriors senior striker Luke Holwerda said. “In playoff games any little mistake, any little freak accident, and all of a sudden you can find yourself down one-nil. Then your mindset goes, the team goes, and everything can kind of drop. So I was thrilled when I saw that first one go into the back of the net.”
The Warriors took a 2-0 lead at 16 minutes when outside defender Max Dominguez sent a ball ahead up the right side to Holwerda, who took a touch or two to his left before his left-footed shot tore a path inside the near post from 18 yards.
That moment was notable for seniors Holwerda and Dominguez.
“I gave (Dominguez) a high-five after the game and told him I don’t think he ever assisted me in four years,” Holwerda said. “So I gave him a high-five and told him there’s a first time for everything.”
Holwerda, Owen Hardy, Seamus Kilgallon, and Jack Kilgallon all tested Timothy keeper Nick Johnson with hard-hit shots from distance in the first half, and Johnson handled them all.
The Trojans’ Jimmy Allen charged onto a serve to the far post midway through the first half but his final touch flew wide, while teammates Zach Orange and Jonathan Stremler also sent shots wide of net.
Martens and fellow senior Allen were dangerous throughout, and junior Isaiah Whitaker showed steady flashes of the attacking skill that he’ll bring back next season. Martens earned his penalty kick with a burst of speed near the eighteen that led to a tripping call on the Warriors’ last man back.
“(Martens) has been our all-star, all year,” Fernandes said. “Basically everything has gone through him all season. He has been awesome, and he works as hard as anyone on the field.”
The Trojans had a handful of corner kicks and free kicks from distance during the first 20 minutes of the second half.
Timothy's Johnson saved Holwerda at 58 minutes. One minute later, Holwerda sent a ball across the six from right to left but Johnson dove back to the post to save a shot taken by Hardy.
The Warriors’ third goal began with a Partain free kick taken from deep in the right corner at 65 minutes. The ball again hit the carpet near the goalmouth and this time it was Seamus Kilgallon on the spot to locate it and bury it for the game’s final goal.
Searching for a goal, Timothy's Allen picked his way past a few defenders and fired a good shot from 20 yards at 68 minutes, but Gunn slid to his right and snared it. Martens forced a diving save from Gunn at 76 minutes for the game’s final quality scoring chance.
Friday’s win also marked Wheaton Academy’s eighth shutout in its last 11 games. It took some time but defenders Dominguez, Owen Setran, Elijah Lebo, Mathew Oster, and D.J. Pollino have gelled in back.
“We started off the year 7-4-0 and it was rough because last year we came off of 13 (shutouts) and we only gave up six goals,” Gunn said. “So this year was difficult with a whole new backline. But they’ve really adapted well since those first 11 games. We haven’t lost since and hopefully we can keep that going.”
After losing 16 players to graduation from last year’s team, this year’s Warriors have done their coach proud.
“These guys have grown up quick,” Brooke said. “We’ve improved from Day One. They value the ball and value playing at both ends of the field. We’re pretty dynamic in the final third, I think, and pretty tough in our own third.
“The guys have had a nice character about them. They love playing together, have a lot of fun, and they know when to flip the switch and play hard. Our goal is to outwork everyone, and I’m proud of the guys for obviously growing up quick this year.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
GK J.D. Gunn
D Owen Setran
D Max Dominguez
D Elijah Lebo
D Mathew Oster
M Seamus Kilgallon
M Jack Kilgallon
M Grayson Harris
M Owen Hardy
F Luke Holwerda
F Quinn Partain
Timothy
GK Nick Johnson
D Jonathan Stemler
D Harrison Stanton
D Matt Van Zeelt
D Mike Vogt
M Carson Hooker
M Ben Helmkamp
M Isaiah Whitaker
M Zach Orange
F Michael Martens
F Jimmy Allen
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: J.D. Gunn, sr., GK, Wheaton Academy
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton Academy — Harris (UA); Holwerda (Dominguez)
Second half
Wheaton Academy — S. Kilgallon (UA)
Gunn earns 11th shutout in Warriors’ 3-0 win over Timothy
By Gary Larsen
WEST CHICAGO — Ten minutes into the second half of Friday’s Class 2A sectional title game, Timothy forward Michael Martens lined up to take a penalty kick. The slick and skilled attacking player had a chance to cut host Wheaton Academy’s lead in half and swing momentum his side’s way.
He may have been outslicked by Wheaton Academy keeper J.D. Gunn.
As Martens stepped to the ball, Gunn feinted slightly to his left before launching himself to his right. The Warriors goalkeeper flew parallel to the ground before landing with outstretched arms at the post, where he got his hands on Martens’ PK and deflected it over the end line to preserve the Warriors’ two-goal lead.
Wheaton Academy (22-4-0) went on to win 3-0 over Timothy (17-7-0) for its 15th-straight win, and Gunn’s bit of chicanery to save that PK stood as tall as any moment in the game.
“I kind of pointed one way and went the other, just to kind of play mind games with (Martens),” Gunn said. “That (PK) would have made the game 2-1 and might have put them back in it. So it was an important save.”
Gunn stopped every shot and left his line aggressively in pursuit of every serve to his goalmouth. At 6-foot-4, the senior’s net presence helped key the Warriors’ 13th shutout of the year. Wheaton Academy has shut out its playoff opponents by a composite score of 12-0.
“J.D. has really grown into a team leader in an amazing way,” Wheaton Academy coach Jeff Brooke said. “He’s managing his box and tonight you saw how he’s capable of making a big save. I thought Timothy came out with a breeze at their back and provided a dynamic attack. And then they step up and take that (PK), and J.D. made a big save.”
Gunn was named Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match for his net play against the Trojans. The win sends Wheaton Academy to a supersectional game Tuesday at Sterling against Quincy (Notre Dame), a 4-2 winner over Peoria (Notre Dame) on Friday.
Two months ago, Wheaton Academy won 9-1 over Timothy in the season-opening game for both teams. Timothy coach Stephen Fernandes was a coaches’ all-state defender for Wheaton Academy in 2011, and Brooke suspected he’d see a different Timothy team in Friday’s rematch.
“I knew Steve would have his guys ready to go and excited to play against us,” Brooke said. “They were more organized, and they have some real dynamic players.”
Fernandes was proud of the way his boys competed Friday.
“They played incredible,” he said. “I thought we created a lot of dangerous chances and if we put a few of those away it might be a different game. Wheaton Academy is a really good team. They move the ball like crazy. They have speed everywhere, and I thought we played one of our best games of the year.
“In years past against them, when they’d go up 1-0 we’d start hanging our heads. But we talked about how we are a different team than we were in that 9-1 loss. We’ve gotten better every day, and I think this was our best game yet. It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t put a few of those chances away.”
Wheaton Academy, ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, got on the board just three minutes in when a Quinn Partain corner kick to the goalmouth hit the carpet and senior Grayson Harris cleaned it up into the net.
“I thought we played really well. It was good to get an early goal,” Warriors senior striker Luke Holwerda said. “In playoff games any little mistake, any little freak accident, and all of a sudden you can find yourself down one-nil. Then your mindset goes, the team goes, and everything can kind of drop. So I was thrilled when I saw that first one go into the back of the net.”
The Warriors took a 2-0 lead at 16 minutes when outside defender Max Dominguez sent a ball ahead up the right side to Holwerda, who took a touch or two to his left before his left-footed shot tore a path inside the near post from 18 yards.
That moment was notable for seniors Holwerda and Dominguez.
“I gave (Dominguez) a high-five after the game and told him I don’t think he ever assisted me in four years,” Holwerda said. “So I gave him a high-five and told him there’s a first time for everything.”
Holwerda, Owen Hardy, Seamus Kilgallon, and Jack Kilgallon all tested Timothy keeper Nick Johnson with hard-hit shots from distance in the first half, and Johnson handled them all.
The Trojans’ Jimmy Allen charged onto a serve to the far post midway through the first half but his final touch flew wide, while teammates Zach Orange and Jonathan Stremler also sent shots wide of net.
Martens and fellow senior Allen were dangerous throughout, and junior Isaiah Whitaker showed steady flashes of the attacking skill that he’ll bring back next season. Martens earned his penalty kick with a burst of speed near the eighteen that led to a tripping call on the Warriors’ last man back.
“(Martens) has been our all-star, all year,” Fernandes said. “Basically everything has gone through him all season. He has been awesome, and he works as hard as anyone on the field.”
The Trojans had a handful of corner kicks and free kicks from distance during the first 20 minutes of the second half.
Timothy's Johnson saved Holwerda at 58 minutes. One minute later, Holwerda sent a ball across the six from right to left but Johnson dove back to the post to save a shot taken by Hardy.
The Warriors’ third goal began with a Partain free kick taken from deep in the right corner at 65 minutes. The ball again hit the carpet near the goalmouth and this time it was Seamus Kilgallon on the spot to locate it and bury it for the game’s final goal.
Searching for a goal, Timothy's Allen picked his way past a few defenders and fired a good shot from 20 yards at 68 minutes, but Gunn slid to his right and snared it. Martens forced a diving save from Gunn at 76 minutes for the game’s final quality scoring chance.
Friday’s win also marked Wheaton Academy’s eighth shutout in its last 11 games. It took some time but defenders Dominguez, Owen Setran, Elijah Lebo, Mathew Oster, and D.J. Pollino have gelled in back.
“We started off the year 7-4-0 and it was rough because last year we came off of 13 (shutouts) and we only gave up six goals,” Gunn said. “So this year was difficult with a whole new backline. But they’ve really adapted well since those first 11 games. We haven’t lost since and hopefully we can keep that going.”
After losing 16 players to graduation from last year’s team, this year’s Warriors have done their coach proud.
“These guys have grown up quick,” Brooke said. “We’ve improved from Day One. They value the ball and value playing at both ends of the field. We’re pretty dynamic in the final third, I think, and pretty tough in our own third.
“The guys have had a nice character about them. They love playing together, have a lot of fun, and they know when to flip the switch and play hard. Our goal is to outwork everyone, and I’m proud of the guys for obviously growing up quick this year.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
GK J.D. Gunn
D Owen Setran
D Max Dominguez
D Elijah Lebo
D Mathew Oster
M Seamus Kilgallon
M Jack Kilgallon
M Grayson Harris
M Owen Hardy
F Luke Holwerda
F Quinn Partain
Timothy
GK Nick Johnson
D Jonathan Stemler
D Harrison Stanton
D Matt Van Zeelt
D Mike Vogt
M Carson Hooker
M Ben Helmkamp
M Isaiah Whitaker
M Zach Orange
F Michael Martens
F Jimmy Allen
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: J.D. Gunn, sr., GK, Wheaton Academy
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton Academy — Harris (UA); Holwerda (Dominguez)
Second half
Wheaton Academy — S. Kilgallon (UA)