Marmion's lead slips away vs. Plainfield South
Cougars score twice to force 2-2 tie with Cadets

By Kevin Chroust
Photos courtesy of Annie Collins

Marmion soccer coach Kevin O’Connor got hit in the face with a deflected ball near the Cadets’ bench during the first half Monday against Plainfield South, but he’ll take that feeling every time over what blindsided him in the second.

For the third time this season, the Cadets blew a second-half lead, this time a two-goal lead, and left the field in their first game of the St. Charles East Tournament with a 2-2 tie against Plainfield South that felt quite a bit more like a loss.

“We as a team, if we have any kind of aspirations for a long season, we have to learn how to protect the lead in the second half,” O’Connor said. “This is the third time.”

Marmion threatened in the first half with shots on goal by Flynn Collins and Mike Frasca and also controlled the midfield, but was unable to break through.

Six and a half minutes into the second half, Frasca drew a free kick for the Cadets (7-2-4) just outside the Plainfield South penalty area on the right side of the box. Fellow center midfielder Mick Maley bent a right-footed shot around the wall, low and to the near post that gave the Cadets the lead.

“The goalie was in good position, the wall was in good position, but I just slipped it near post, bent it around the wall on the ground and it went in,” Maley said.

It was less than 2 minutes later that the Cadets added to the lead. Frasca played a ball from the Cadets’ own end of the field through the Cougars’ defense and out to the left.

Collins gathered the ball and played it into the box, where it pinballed around for a second and went off forward Joe Romanos and into the back of the net.

“Flynn just played the ball to space across and Joe just ran to try to get a toe poke on it,” O’Connor said. “There was confusion on the part of the back and the keeper for Plainfield. That’s what pressure does.”

After getting the two-goal lead, O’Connor moved Maley to the back line for a more defensive 4-5-1 formation. But rather than securing things in the defensive third, the move limited Marmion’s possession game in the midfield and ultimately allowed Plainfield South into the Cadets’ box.

The Cougars got their first goal in the 69th minute on a long throw into the box, and an open Adam Rodriguez poked it in at the far post.

And in the 76th, Colton Gallt also found space in the box and tied the match at 2-all.

“I thought they were close to breaking us a couple times with their formation because they put a guy right on our sweeper,” O’Connor said. “I didn’t know if we had enough support, so that’s why I went with the fourth back.

“What happened, our midfielders got caught playing up too far, balls got played in behind them and then we had numbers down.”

The Cadets also lost second-half leads against St. Charles North and Barrington earlier in the season, both of which resulted in ties, after coming into the season with the issue already being a sensitive subject. They were eliminated from supersectionals by Freeport last year after leading in the second half.

“We’ve got a young, inexperienced team, and that’s definitely showing right now,” Maley said. “… This is a sour taste in our mouths. Third time this has happened, it can’t happen again.”

Marmion is back in tournament action Wednesday against Burlington Central for its second of three pool play games.