Fire Junior U-16 title clash goes to Academy over North

By Curt Herron

The Chicago Fire Juniors were well-represented in championship matches at Sunday's Illinois Youth Soccer Association State Cup.

But one of the many highlights for the Fire Juniors on this rainy day at Sportscore Two in Loves Park was a head-to-head title showdown.

That championship match involved the U-16 squads from the Development Academy and their new partners, the Wind/Fire Juniors North teams.

After waiting out bad weather before starting their match, the Fire Juniors got the better of the Fire Juniors North by a 4-1 margin.

It was the second straight State Cup title for the Fire Juniors, who defeated Sockers FC in last year's U-15 championship match.

Now the Fire Juniors set their sights on a trip to Beavercreek, Ohio for the Division II Regional, which runs from June 25-30.

Cody Witkowski score a pair of goals to lead the Fire Juniors while Jon Clark and Greg Healy also added scores for the winners.

Click to hear Cody Witkowski interview

Keeper Luke Cogan was supported by defenders Matt Thomas and Tanner Planck as North only managed a goal from Joey Calistri.

Coach Victor Fernandez' squad quickly answered a North score to go up 2-1 just before the break and added two more second-half goals.

Click to hear coach Victor Fernandez interview

Clark got things started in a good fashion for the Fire Juniors when he scored the match's first goal in the 15th minute.

North managed to tie things up shortly before the break when Calistri scored but it wasn't able to sustain the momentum.

That's because Witkowski answered with a goal a little over a minute later to put the Fire Juniors were in front for good.

Click to hear Jon Clark interview

The winners added to their advantage in the 55th minute when Witkowski found the net for the second time during the match.

And Healy closed out the scoring when he collected a goal in the 70th minute to wrap things up for the Fire Juniors.

For team members like Michael Frasca, being able to repeat as state champions against a fellow Fire team was rewarding.

Click to hear Michael Frasca interview