Wildcats take a step forward against Marmion

By Gary Larsen

West Chicago took a step forward on Saturday after its season-opening loss to Wheaton Academy, and that step included flashes of a skilled and unselfish passing game.

The next step? Burying a few goals.

“I think there are positive signs because we’re getting good through-balls and everything, so it’s just a matter of finishing them,” West Chicago’s Adrian Porcayo said. “That’s the only thing we have to worry about is getting the ball in the back of the net. Patience is the only thing we need.”

Goalkeeper Porcayo earned his first shutout of the season in a 0-0 tie against visiting Marmion, as both teams worked on the kinks inherent in early-season scoring efforts.

West Chicago’s Esteban Fernandez sent a pair of hard shots in at the near post in the first half, and hit the post with another shot in the second half, adding to coach Steve Brugmann’s optimism that his boys have the capacity to finish this year.

“He’s going to score some goals,” Brugmann said of Fernandez. “He played a defender last year for us. We converted him and he’s a kid that’s willing to do whatever you ask him to do. But we’ve got him back at forward and he’s going to score.

“This team believes that they’re good, and it will just take some time. We’re still very young.”

With captains Porcayo and central defender Christopher Quintana leading in back, the Wildcats provided a tough puzzle to solve for Marmion’s attack.

“West Chicago has nice speed and they closed very well on us,” Marmion coach Kevin O’Connor said. “It took us time to adjust to that but the more we play against teams like that, the better we’re going to be. You have to play against teams that can close on you like that so that you can create opportunities based on their quickness.”

Porcayo, a big and athletic keeper, likes what his back line brings to the table.

“We don’t have tall people but the people we have back their do their jobs,” Porcayo said. “Our back is solid, our midfield is solid, and our forwards are doing fine and working hard.”

I think we just have to do more work on communication. We’ve got everything else. But talking-wise, in back when I tell them to switch, it’s got to happen. I’m the one back there looking at everything, but sometimes when I tell them where to go they go their own way. So we have to work on that.”

Where last year’s Wildcats had more forwards than midfielders, this year’s squad is just the opposite.

“I’m not sure yet what we’re going to do. We’re in a 4-5-1 because we’re loaded with central mids,” Brugmann said. “This year we’ve got five legitimate center mids so I thought we’d see how they could play it, and there’s reasons to do it, but we’re looking possibly at going back to a 4-4-2.

We had (Quintana) up there at the end. He’s super aggressive and quick, and we may have to use him there.”

One of the Wildcats’ midfielders playing a key role this year will be junior Richard Paret.

“Richie Paret is right in the middle for us and he’s a workhorse for us,” Brugmann said. “What we have to do is get kids to recognize is that he’s showing, and he’s your combo player. So come up on the outside, show for him, and then continue the run and he’ll recognize that run forward.”

Brugmann also applauded the day’s work put in by midfielder Jenaro Terrazas.

“He’s non-stop and he was very solid today,” Brugmann said. “I’m pretty happy with our whole center mid. We had opportunities and eventually we’ll start putting goals in the net if we continue to have those opportunities.”

Porcayo is similarly optimistic over this year’s possibilities.

“We have our team-bonding stuff and we all get along,” Porcayo said. “We hang out with each other and the connection is there. We just have to put everything we’ve got on the field when it’s game time.”
 
The Wildcats square off with Metea Valley in opening-round play of this year’s Pepsi Showdown, and then take on Oswego in second-round action. WEGO will travel to Glenbard East for a DVC game on Friday before resuming Pepsi play on Saturday, against state-ranked defending state champions Lyons Township in LaGrange.