Roundup
Class A state tournament
Burlington Central Supersectional
(1) Wheaton Academy 2, (1) Latin 0
The Warriors punched their ticket for the chance to defend their 2021 state championship on a rainy, windy and cold night. It took 53 minutes to break the deadlock. Josiah Pitts tracked down a ball from Caleb Mariotti in the penalty area for what proved to be the game-winning goal. In the 70th minute, Caleb Mariotti's shot was parried down by the Roman's goalkeeper, but Jakob Karlson got to the ball and slotted it home for a late insurance goal. Declan Finnegan (five saves), Troy Erickson, Logan Bates, "Tebo" Shinetulga and Scotty Murray stood tall in the Warriors defensive third and earned their 14th shutout of the season. The Warriors (15-4-3), ranked 25th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, will play the the winner of the Althoff/Sacred Heart-Griffin game Wednesday night. If Althoff wins, the 5 p.m. Friday semifinal in East Peoria will be a rematch of last season's 2-1 chamionship win for Wheaton Academy.
Class 3A state tournament
Hinsdale Central Sectional
(4) Hinsdale Central 2, (1) Lyons 0
The host Red Devils (16-4-1) prevailed behind goals from sophomore Austen Szurgot (unassisted) and Luca Davies (Braden Henry) to advance to their first sectional Final since 2019. The win gave Hinsdale Central, which is ranked 19th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, revenge for a 5-2 loss to the no. 15 Lions (15-6-3) in the annual Silver Brick rivalry conference match. Davies moved up in the school's record book after scoring his 19th goal on the season. The junior now stands at fourth place all-time for goals in a season and is tied for fifth for most points in a season. "Really happy for our guys," said coach Mike Wiggins. "They worked really hard in this game. Remarkable discipline in defending, something that we knew was going to be important. Credit to Lyons for creating the chances they had throughout the game, and I thought we handled their chances well. Our goalkeepers (sophomore Martin Contreras and senior Henrique Ribiero) were solid once again ... as we recorded our ninth shutout on the season. Scoring first helped, and what a goal by sophomore Austen Szurgot to get things going for us." Hinsdale Central meets third-seeded Benet, which upset no. 2-seed Morton, in the final at 6 p.m. Friday at Hinsdale Central's Dicinson Field.
Class A state tournament
Burlington Central Supersectional
(1) Wheaton Academy 2, (1) Latin 0
The Warriors punched their ticket for the chance to defend their 2021 state championship on a rainy, windy and cold night. It took 53 minutes to break the deadlock. Josiah Pitts tracked down a ball from Caleb Mariotti in the penalty area for what proved to be the game-winning goal. In the 70th minute, Caleb Mariotti's shot was parried down by the Roman's goalkeeper, but Jakob Karlson got to the ball and slotted it home for a late insurance goal. Declan Finnegan (five saves), Troy Erickson, Logan Bates, "Tebo" Shinetulga and Scotty Murray stood tall in the Warriors defensive third and earned their 14th shutout of the season. The Warriors (15-4-3), ranked 25th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, will play the the winner of the Althoff/Sacred Heart-Griffin game Wednesday night. If Althoff wins, the 5 p.m. Friday semifinal in East Peoria will be a rematch of last season's 2-1 chamionship win for Wheaton Academy.
Class 3A state tournament
Hinsdale Central Sectional
(4) Hinsdale Central 2, (1) Lyons 0
The host Red Devils (16-4-1) prevailed behind goals from sophomore Austen Szurgot (unassisted) and Luca Davies (Braden Henry) to advance to their first sectional Final since 2019. The win gave Hinsdale Central, which is ranked 19th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, revenge for a 5-2 loss to the no. 15 Lions (15-6-3) in the annual Silver Brick rivalry conference match. Davies moved up in the school's record book after scoring his 19th goal on the season. The junior now stands at fourth place all-time for goals in a season and is tied for fifth for most points in a season. "Really happy for our guys," said coach Mike Wiggins. "They worked really hard in this game. Remarkable discipline in defending, something that we knew was going to be important. Credit to Lyons for creating the chances they had throughout the game, and I thought we handled their chances well. Our goalkeepers (sophomore Martin Contreras and senior Henrique Ribiero) were solid once again ... as we recorded our ninth shutout on the season. Scoring first helped, and what a goal by sophomore Austen Szurgot to get things going for us." Hinsdale Central meets third-seeded Benet, which upset no. 2-seed Morton, in the final at 6 p.m. Friday at Hinsdale Central's Dicinson Field.