Cadets bounce back with SCC win over St. Edward

By Steve Nemeth

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Sometimes players and coaches need to take a step back to re-assess what’s happening on the field.

That was the case in a couple of respects for Marmion when it came to Tuesday’s Suburban Christian Conference home date with St. Edward.

Coach Ricky Del Toro believed a 1-0 lead wasn’t reflective of his team’s abilities and opted to sit several of his regulars well before halftime.

Perhaps it was the view from the bench or Del Toro’s intermission reminder that turned the SCC contest into a comfortable 5-0 victory that kept the Cadets unbeaten in league play (5-0-0) and improved the season record to 9-6-1.

Marmion also needed to regroup from a St. Charles East Invitational that was frustrating from several respects.

First and foremost, the Cadets were unable to complete an opening-round match with Plainfield South after lightning forced the contest to be abandoned midway through a scoreless first half.

Despite a 7-0 thumping of Belvidere in round two, a third-round 3-3 tie with the tourney-host Saints coupled with the incomplete match left Marmion playing for third place at the end of the four-day event.

That became a 3-2 penalty kick loss to Elgin that snapped a seven-match unbeaten streak.

That’s why the Cadets now hope the momentum is there for the stretch run of the regular season that includes SCC trips to Guerin Prep and Wheaton St. Francis before a home finale against Wheaton Academy.

“In the first half I had to take many of our starters out because they were simply not playing to the level they’re capable. We were far too impatient,” Del Toro explained.

“At half we talked about needing to be closer to our prime this time of the year and thankfully we started finding people in spaces during the second half and did a better job of finishing opportunities.”

While Marmion finished the contest with a commanding 36-9 advantage for overall attempts and a 20-4 edge in on-target tries, the first-half numbers --- 17-2 for attempts and 9-1 for on-frame shots --- produced a one-goal halftime lead thanks only to Claudio Jasso’s 37-yard rocket of shot from the middle of the field.

“I was left open and just rocked it, while I knew it was a good shot I thought it might go high, but instead it went down and in,” Jasso said in regard to his second goal of the season that came 13:21 into the match.

With Marmion noticeably increasing its offensive pressure, the onslaught finally paid dividends with 26:55 still to be played.

That’s when Trevor Jones set up teammate Conor Morton for a six-yard strike near the right post. Jones’ sixth assist of the season enabled Morton to register a team-best 10th goal for the year.

Forty-two seconds later, the Cadets were back on the attack and earned a corner kick which meant it was time for Gavin Sanchez to continue his development as a set-up specialist.

The sophomore logged his team-leading seventh assist as senior standout Matt Switzer used his vertical leap to rise above everyone for a five-yard header that sailed past St. Ed keeper Matt Hesch to make it 3-0.

Switzer is one of five Cadets with twin figures for points with Sanchez sharing the team lead of 21 points with junior Flynn Collins.

That’s the case because Collins took advantage of a Jake Hutchinson pass to park an eight-yarder from left of center for his ninth goal of the year.

Collins nearly added to his totals if not for the Green Wave’s Hesch, who tipped one shot just over the crossbar and managed to smother a second hard shot.

The final score was accounted for with 10:21 left as Eddie Graham sent a cross to Jones, whose shot was knocked past Hesch by one of the St. Ed defenders.

“We had some good chances early and eventually it showed how much talent they’ve got. There’s a reason they finished fourth in the state in 2A,” St. Edward coach Tim Brieger said in acknowledging his 1A ballclub’s underdog status.

“In several stretches we had a good showing, but they had a very nice back post goal and a very nice header which few keepers or teams could stop.”

Marmion also boasted a 10-1 advantage for corner kicks while goalie Brian Hymel posted his fifth solo shutout while also having previously shared a clean sheet with John White.

“I thought Matt (Switzer) was once again instrumental to our success,” Del Toro added. “He is just so very consistent from match to match, whether it’s his defensive work, his possession of the ball, field vision and distribution, or attacking the goal like he did with his header off the corner kick.”