Varsity Soccer |

GAME RECAP

Tonight’s IHSA Sectional Semifinal vs. the Waukegan Bulldogs was quite a thriller!  As can often be the case in these late October “win or go home” contests, the energy was high and the intensity was higher.  Tonight’s match up paired our #3 seeded Broncos against the #2 seeded Bulldogs.  Barrington entered the contest with an overall record of 19-3-1;  Waukegan entered with an overall record of 16-2-3.  Despite our higher win total, Waukegan was definitely the favorite, especially since we would be playing again without our top two leading scorers (Klaus Pallan and Michael Blanke.)

Waukegan started the game fast, and picked up momentum from there.  During the first ten minutes, it was all we could do to get a foot on the ball.  On the occasions when we were able to gain possession, we quickly dispatched the ball back to Waukegan.  We were too direct and far too impatient.  Some of our lack of composure was due to our desire to play a quick transition game; more of it was due to the pressure Waukegan was putting us under.

When possessing the ball, the skillfulness and tempo that Waukegan displayed was impressive, and frustrating for our team.  Quick touches, penetrating entry passes, layoffs and shots from distance were too easy to come by for Waukegan.  They appeared to almost be doing whatever they wanted.  The moment they had been working for finally came in the tenth minute, when the Bulldogs broke through with a quick combination of passes, one of which required one of our center back to have to step up off of our backline.  The disruption in our shape was punished immediately, as a Waukegan forward slid into the open space, collected the ball with one touch, and hammered it into the side netting of the far post.  It was a high, high, high quality goal.  We were behind and we were being outworked and outplayed by a wide margin.  Things did not look good for us.

In the remaining portion of the first half, we continued to have a difficult time, although we did show some signs of being able to play more like ourselves.  We started to connect a few passes; more importantly, we also figured out how to match up more effectively in the midfield.  This slowed the Bulldog attack down and allowed us to keep the deficit at just one goal.  During the first half, we managed only two shots in the first half, both coming from the foot of Gio Guarnero.  Waukegan attempted seventeen shots at our goal.  We had to play significantly better if we were to have any chance in this game.

The second half began and Waukegan continued to play well, although we also found more and more opportunities to start gaining our own rhythm.  While we found it hard to gain many opportunities through the run off play, our work rate was becoming a factor, and the pressure we started to put them under did lead to several free kicks, corner kicks and throw ins for us.  We found these chances to be a great encouragement to our belief, and as each one came, they all seemed to fuel us to a greater and greater level of effort.  Waukegan continued to create chances, however, as had been the case in the first half, they settled for chances from distance, rather than making an extra pass or two which may have allowed them to add to their lead.

The critical moment in the match came when we found a way to even the score at 1-1, in the 59th minute.  A free kick for us from midfield allowed Charlie Frank to serve a ball into the Waukegan box.  Just as he was instructed to from our bench, Frank delivered the ball right into the goal mouth where the Bulldog keeper would be tempted to go for it.  To our delight, the traffic in the box kept him from being able to get to the ball, and allowed a just-added-to-varsity Caleb Wilson to get on the end of the ball and poke it home!  Bang!  Just like that we were tied!   What a way to score your first ever varsity goal!

Waukegan was stunned.  After controlling the game at an alarming level, the match was tied.

Ten minutes passed with both teams trying to grab the momentum.  During the last ten minutes of regulation,  Waukegan stepped their play up again and were awarded three successive free kicks from lethal range.  You could feel the nerves along our bench, as we knew that any one of these chances could spell our demise.  Two of the chances went off target, sailing over the crossbar and out of danger.  The third free kick was different though, as it was hit over our wall and almost into the back of the goal.  If not for a lunging Brett Sprengel, who had his best match of the season, we certainly would have conceded in this moment.  Brett had other ideas, as he read the attempt early and dove aggressively to his left, punching the ball out for a Waukegan corner.  This save was a potential game winning save!

The standard 80 minutes of regulation came to an end with the score knotted at 1-1.  We would head to overtime.

In the overtime, our boys continued to commit to a higher level of effort, which resulted in us finding a few more chances.  In the final minute of the first overtime period, a flurry of chances in front of the Bulldog goal led to a loose ball that the Waukegan keeper dove for.  Fortunately for us, he was unable to snare it.  With the opposing keeper sprawled out on the turf, Caleb Wilson again found himself in position to be the goal scorer… and that he was.  What a moment of glory for him and our team!

We saw out the remaining seconds of the first overtime, regrouped during the intermission, and went out to finish the upset bid.  The seconds on the clock for the second overtime ran away, down to zero and the celebration was on.  We had done it!  We found a way to defend like crazy, maximize our opportunities, and earn the win!

The victory was sweet, giving us a birth into the sectional championship game, and also our 20th win on the season.  The 20-win feat had only been accomplished five times prior, during the 41 previous years of history for our BHS soccer program.  For the boys who were on the team last year and this year, they are the first players to ever reach the 20 win mark in back-to-back seasons!  That’s a great accomplishment!  BE PROUD BRONCOS!!  BE PROUD!

SCORING SUMMARY
WHS – #19 (#18) — 10th minute
BHS – Caleb Wilson (Charlie Frank) — 59th minute
BHS – Caleb Wilson (UA) — 90th minute

STATS SUMMARY
Shots: BHS 7, WHS 33
Fouls: BHS 8, WHS 13
Corner Kicks:  BHS 5, WHS 12
Offsides: BHS 2, WHS 1