Late goal stuns Red Devils
Naperville Central comeback stops Hinsdale Central

By Matt Le Cren
Photos courtesy of Bret Richter

Naperville Central forward Jimmy Altosino had missed three games after spraining the MCL in his right knee and was thrilled that he was allowed to play Saturday.

Hinsdale Central wishes he would have waited one more game to make his comeback.

Despite having to wear a brace on his knee, Altosino used that same leg to score the game-winning goal in dramatic fashion to rally the visiting Redhawks to a 3-2 victory in Hinsdale. The decisive play came with just 26 seconds remaining in the non-conference match when Altosino ran onto a pass from Pat Flynn and ripped an 18-yard shot that caromed off a Hinsdale defender and past goalie Will Meyer.

“I remember our coaches saying if you’re anywhere near the 18, take a shot,” Altosino said. “I saw the ball coming and I just hit it as hard as I could as well as I could.”

Altosino’s goal, the senior’s fourth of the season, capped off a match in which the Redhawks (8-3) twice rallied from a one-goal deficit. It was the first time Naperville has scored three goals in one game since the second contest of the season and the first time the Redhawks have tallied three times in a half.

“The kids just keep playing,” Redhawks coach Troy Adams said. “Whatever the score is, whoever is out there, whatever’s happening, they play the game to get out there and run after the ball and do what they’re supposed to do.

“They do what we tell them to do. I have to give them credit. They do it as well as any team that I’ve had at any level. They really respond to challenges and adversity.”

But it didn’t start out that way. The host Red Devils (6-5) had the upper hand in the first half, using the emotion of Senior Day to hold the Redhawks without a shot on frame.

Hinsdale Central enjoyed a 1-0 halftime lead thanks to defender Andrew Worthington, who knocked in a 45-yard free kick from Mike Oleferchik at the 32:32 mark.

But the visitors tied it 1:32 into the second half on a goal by Peter Beasley. Noah Kalbfeld assisted on the play.

The Red Devils wasted no time retaliating, grabbing a 2-1 lead just 1:03 later as junior Lenny Zavala, who was just called up from the JV team, headed home an Oleferchik free kick from the right wing.

Naperville’s offense, though, wouldn’t quit, and Kalbfeld got the equalizer with 24:36 remaining on a play that started when defender Sean Stevens made a steal in his own end to snuff a promising counterattack by the Red Devils.

Stevens quickly passed through the midfield to Flynn, who alertly saw that he suddenly had numbers and got the ball to a streaking Kalbfeld for a great finish from 30 yards out.

“Him scoring that goal was neat,” Adams said. “Early in the season, he had three or four opportunities right in front of the goal and the ball bounced funny or he hit the turf. I said,
‘Hey Noah, you’re going to score a goal in a big game and you’re going to forget about all those ones you should have scored.’

“And he came out with one in a big game here. That was a big-time shot from 30 yards out and around the keeper. It was great to see.”

Kalbfeld’s goal appeared to take the wind out of the sails of the Red Devils, who were unable to mount much of an attack the rest of the way.

“When we got scored on it was a downer and then when we came back and got that other goal we got this huge burst of momentum and at that point, in the last 20 minutes, we just had the ball and kept pressuring and pressuring,” Altosino said. “Our defense was getting the ball out and stopping the big kids from getting the ball in the air on the dead balls. It was unlucky that they got [Zavala’s goal], but after that I felt we were really strong.”

Altosino said he sensed that things would ultimately go Naperville’s way.

“When I came in [after a rest late] in the first half, I could feel that the other team was starting to let up a little, so I kept checking the clock to see how much time we had because I knew if we pressured we would get the chance,” he said. “We were pressuring the goalie and we finally got one.

“It feels awesome. It felt really good to come back and I’m just glad my coach allowed me to play. I wanted to win so bad for my team.”

The loss was a tough one for the Red Devils, who lately have been plagued by inconsistent performances.

“We let the game slip out of our hands,” Worthington said. “We’ve got to flush it and move on. You take the positives out of every game and you flush the negatives, so it’s just a learning experience. We’re looking forward to next Tuesday.”

The Red Devils host Lyons Township on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.

Even Adams said there wasn’t much difference between his side and the Red Devils.

“I don’t know if you can say that you played so much outstandingly different, but it’s amazing [how] that goal in the last 30 seconds can make one team feel so good and the other team so bad,” Adams said. “They absolutely destroyed us in the first half. They came out with way more emotion, way more fire, way more energy level.