South keeps the Cup with 3-0 win over North
By Eddie Burns
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The Wheaton Cup is staying on the South Side.
Wheaton Warrenville South completed the quest to retain the cup thanks to a 3-0 win against rival Wheaton North on Tuesday night at a windy Rexilius Field.
The Tigers also defeated Wheaton Academy earlier this season. WW South didn’t face St. Francis, but in order for a school to secure the cup it has to defeat both Wheaton North and Wheaton South.
Carlos Rodriguez’s goal in 25th minute turned out to be the winner. The scoring play began when the Tigers made a strong push along the far sideline. WW South managed to get a shot on net, which forced Wheaton North goalie A.J. Bibergall to the ground to make the initial save.
Rodriguez capitalized on the rebound shot, and South had all the scoring it would need.
“It was a big win for us,” Rodriguez said. “This is my first year on varsity and it is a great feeling to get a goal in the match that helps us secure the Wheaton Cup. The ball was just lying there and nobody was going to it. I saw the wide open net and that there was no keeper. I just put in the back of the net.”
Six minutes later, WW South teammate Javier Rojas made it 2-0 when he accepted a pass from Jurgeuen Gomez and Rojas secured possession and he beat Bibergall.
“Jurgeuen played the ball to me and I went straight in and I was able to get a good shot off,” Rojas said. “It was good for us to string together two goals to help build the lead.”
Rodriguez and Rojas were dangerous on several occasions throughout the opening half.
“We talked about who we wanted to go forward and at what pace we wanted them to go forward,” WW South coach Guy Callipari said. “We made certain that those roles were filled by guys who could do that. We were able to counter quickly. I was pleased with combination plays that we had.”
The Tigers (11-7-2; 4-2) maintained a 2-0 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Falcons (2-12-5, 1-4-2) did have the strong gusty wind at their backs, but they failed to take advantage.
Jeremy Stapleton and Julian Barrera teamed up on a dangerous chance, but Barrera’s shot sailed high and wide of the Tigers’ goal. Isaac Roberts created two separate chances with restarts that he sent into the penalty area. In the 44th minute, Dan Norton redirected a Roberts restart right on WW South net, but goalie Tim Reinders made the save before giving way to teammates John Batke and Julio Crisostomo, who also received time in goal in the final 40 minutes of the match.
The Falcons’ other best scoring chance came in the 55th minute when Brook Joy’s head shot was stymied by Batke.
“In the end, we didn’t finish our chances and they finished theirs,” Roberts said. “That is the way soccer goes. We got on the end of some balls played into their penalty area, but they made defensive plays. It was a team-effort. We came close to putting a couple of shots in there, but it is unfortunate that we didn’t.”
Bibergall was responsible for allowing both first-half goals, but he made several quality saves as did second-half goalie Alex Jiskra.
“We have two great goalies,” Roberts said. “They were both tremendous tonight as they have been this season. It’s unfortunate we didn’t give them support, but they both played great.”
Yusuf Yusuf capped the scoring when he managed to beat Jiskra in the final 35 seconds of the match.
“The last 15 minutes we showed good discipline and you get good quality opportunities when you play that way,” Callipari said. “We are certainly capable of being a very good team when the players are focused and they are concentrating. We looked like we were more on than off and everyone came to play and when that happens – we can be tough to beat.”
The Tigers are confident about how they are playing.
“Doesn’t matter who we play … we know we can play with all of the teams in the area -- if we play our game,” Rojas said.
Callipari said it was important for his side to maintain the Wheaton Cup.
“The (Wheaton Cup) is a special honor that we take seriously and we’re happy that it is coming back to Wheaton South,” Callipari said. “It is a nice compliment to the community and it was fun for everyone involved with soccer in town.”
The Tigers close out the regular season at Naperville Central on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Falcons begin the postseason at 5:30 p.m. on Friday when they host Proviso West in regional quarterfinal match.
“We’re hoping to last a lot longer than one match in the postseason,” Roberts said. “We’re going to work our butts off for the rest of the season. We hope to make a deep run in the playoffs.”
If the Falcons win, they will advance to meet top seed St. Charles East next Tuesday, but first thing is first.
