Spartans drop SCC showdown with Wheaton Academy

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By Chris Walker

Wheaton Academy had to settle for second place in the Suburban Christian Conference last season after losing in overtime to Marian Central for its only loss.

The Warriors expect to contend for a conference title this season while St. Francis hopes to be part of the upper echelon of teams which also includes Marmion.

Wheaton Academy entertained St. Francis on Tuesday night, and prevailed 3-1 in West Chicago.

"We always get up for the conference and set it as a goal to compete for it every year," Wheaton Academy coach Jeff Brooke said. "We respect some of the teams that are at the top every year and we're trying to build and get better each and every game and tonight was the next step."

After losing 6-2 and 4-1, respectively, the past two seasons against the Warriors, the Spartans needed a boost early but didn't get it. Instead, they surrendered a goal just a few minutes into the contest.

"There's always a stigma when it comes to playing Wheaton Academy," St. Francis coach Kristin Keigley said. "There's always been a mental block when it comes to it, so we definitely saw an improvement there."

After controlling possession for a bit, Wheaton Academy senior midfielder Brian McLaren fed teammate Gareth Flynn for the 1-0 lead.

"It was pretty much a breakaway on a counterattack," McLean said. "I just looked ahead and saw Flynn take off. He composed himself, took on a couple guys and finished."

Things didn't get much better for the Spartans for the remainder of the opening half. While they certainly battled and had their fair share of opportunities, they had the winds taken out of their sails when they surrendered a fluke own goal.

On a towering kick toward goalie Ryan Suerte and a couple defenders, the ball was inadvertently headed past Suerte in the 16th minute, giving the Warriors a 2-0 advantage.

"We went up 1-0 and then 2-0 and we thought we'd get a couple more," McLaren said. "We always respect St. Francis and like what they bring with the rivalry. We wish we could've gotten a couple more, but we were happy with the result."

The Warriors (6-2-1, 3-0-0 SCC) didn't need any more offense, especially since their defense didn't budge. It took a strong effort from sophomore defenders Zebediah Lewis and Marshall West, especially after starting senior defender Adam Hunt went down with an injury.

"We look pretty new with a lot of young guys stepping up," Brooke said. "Zeb Lewis and Marshall West are both in back as sophomores. We've got Casey Zimmerman, also a sophomore, playing a lot, and a couple seniors stepping up. Brian McLean is learning a new role and (Gareth) Flynn grabbed a couple goals tonight and continues to be a nice player for us."

Flynn broke what had turned into a lengthy scoreless drought when he connected for his second goal of the evening with just 8:35 remaining. Once again it was McLaren who delivered the goods, lofting a perfect pass ahead to Flynn. Running toward the right side of the goal, Flynn went far post to make it 3-0.

"I thought we created a number of breakaways beyond the three that we put in that could've stretched it," Brooke said. "We're trying to play a fast possession version of soccer that sometimes looks alright and sometimes doesn't. I thought we lost our possession a bit, but still created a ton of chances."

St. Francis (4-3-1, 1-1-0 SCC) created some scoring chances in the second half, but wasn't able to find the back of the net until Drew Mascari scored with 4 seconds remaining.

"It was a good game and I'm happy, and the kids are happy with how they battled," Keigley said. "We controlled the second half and really did dictate play for the second half. We had so many opportunities but just couldn't do it."

Two notable scoring chances that came up empty for the Spartans in the second half, included a cross from Perry Poulos to Patrick Holman and a similar play from Remmy Mifsud to Mascari.

Wheaton Academy senior midfielder and co-captain Josh Urban noted how the Spartans adjusted in the second half.

"They brought a lot more players forward but we were up to the challenge," Urban said. "We were able to hold a couple guys back and counter whatever they were bringing forward. We kept them down to one goal, which was unfortunate at the end."

Although they left with a loss, the Spartans were pleased to finally receive a challenge from a fellow 2A team, and to be more competitive against an in-town school.

"We actually haven't had a tough game yet," Keigley said. "Our very first game with Notre Dame was decent but then we played a couple 3A schools where it was difficult to compete. We haven't had a good 2A school to compete against, so this was our first real game of getting real strict competition, so we know what we can do and can definitely build off of it."

The Spartans still think they can be a part of the conference race, as long as they can play well against Marmion and Marian, among others, as well as scoreboard watch as the aforementioned teams beat up on each other. They also know a rematch with the Warriors could lie ahead once the post-season begins.

"They could lose to Marian or Marmion. Those are usually the two other teams at the top," Keigley said. "Then we would have to beat those teams. So, conference could still be up in the air and we could see them in the sectional and compete for seeding. So, we're not done with them and that's OK with me because now the boys are out for blood."

A huge test against St. Charles North is up next for the Warriors. They also realize it's a non-conference game, while the conference race is ongoing.

"This was a clutch game because we know St. Francis is trying to hang in conference," Urban said. "We know if we can come out and play Marmion, Marian and St. Francis really well then we have a very good chance."