By Darryl Mellema

In the midst of discussing his team's Tuesday night win over West Chicago, Wheaton Academy coach Jeff Brooke took time to address his team's Tuesday night loss as well, and there was no confusion in the two events sitting side-by-side.

Wheaton Academy won its season-opener at West Chicago 2-0, thanks to second-half goals by Gareth Flynn and Tim Daniels.

But with 16:33 left in the match, Daniels felt a pop in his left ankle, fell to the turf, and began pounding his fists onto the ground.

Within minutes, West Chicago paramedic personnel arrived and Daniels was stretchered from the field and transported to Central DuPage Hospital with a suspected fractured ankle.

Whether broken or severely sprained, Daniels, who scored 34 goals for the Warriors last season, will miss at least a considerable amount of his senior season.

"He's one of the best players I've ever coached," Brooke said. "He scored those goals for us last year and has a humble attitude on our campus. It's heartbreaking to see him go down."

As he left the field, Daniels made sure to give a double 'thumb's up' sign to his teammates and the large crowd which gathered to watch the match. Though it took a few minutes for the match to return to its previous pace, the teams were soon back battling each other.

"This is a strong team, with a strong core," Brooke said. "I was impressed tonight, even with the way we finished the game. It's a tough loss for us, but we believe in the squad and we'll keep moving forward."

Throughout the match, West Chicago tried to unhinge Wheaton Academy's defense with through balls on the ground in the penalty area.

The Warriors' back line – Adam Hunt, Trevor Adams, Stephen Fernandes and William West – dealt with those balls with their speed and athleticism.

Through 80 minutes, West Chicago was unable to get behind that defense and Warriors goalie Jesse Carmody had to make only one save on a shot from the middle of the penalty area.

The Warriors were also strong dealing with aerial threats. Adams is 6-2 and Fernandes is 6-1. While neither are gigantic in height, neither was ever found wanting in a battle for the ball in the air.

"The back four, I was more than impressed with tonight," Brooke said. "It's anchored by Stephen Fernandes, who's entering his third year on varsity. He's a player who's a little bit under the radar but he's a brilliant player in the back. He really led the charge tonight."

That defense provided a strong platform for Wheaton Academy's 4-4-1-1 formation – with Daniels opening the match playing just behind Gareth Flynn in attack.

After an opening 20 minutes in which neither team showed tremendous cohesion, Wheaton Academy nearly scored.

One of West Chicago's players bent over in pain at the top of the penalty area. More than half the players on the field stopped moving, but the referee never stopped play as there was no obvious injury and the ball was still in play.

One of those players who kept moving was Flynn, who carried the ball to the top of the penalty area and shot, forcing Adrian Porcayo to make a sharp save.

One minute later, Porcayo was called into action again when Daniels got free on the left wing and crossed to Frank DellaTorre.

Despite that brief flurry, neither team had many chances in the scoreless first half.

As the second half opened, Wheaton Academy moved directly to the attack – and scored when left midfielder Josh Urban sent a through ball to Flynn, who connected after just 37 seconds of play .

Through the opening 20 minutes of the second half, Wheaton Academy played the most fluid soccer by either team in the match, and Urban was involved in many of those moves as the ball went wide, and then back inside to the forwards.

"We thought that in the last 18 minutes of the first half, we had zero attacking strategy," Brooke said. "So we really went back to getting the ball at-width in attacking areas, and Urban provided that for us."

Buoyed by the goal, Wheaton Academy began to carve openings. Mark Rougas fed Urban in space after 16 minutes of play and Urban forced Porquayo to make another strong save.

But West Chicago had no answer with 21 minutes left with DellaTorre found Daniels free 25 yards from goal. Daniels touched the ball to his left and freed himself from his defender. With his next move, he scored.

Five minutes later, Daniels left the field in an ambulance and though the Warriors held out for their win, their thoughts continued to be with their fallen comrade after the match.

Wheaton Academy no longer has a Thursday scheduled match with Kaneland and returns to action on Saturday, when the Warriors visit Geneva for a noon match.