Wildcats dodge upset bid by East Aurora in 0-0 draw
UEC Valley title remains undecided

 

CLICK TO SEE PHOTO GALLERY FOR THE MATCH

Photos courtesy of LuAnne Hollingshead

 

By Steve Nemeth

Neuqua Valley coach Tony Kees knew what to expect even if the majority of soccer followers were assuming the Wildcats were easy favorites to beat East Aurora on Thursday.

After the hard-fought back-and-forth battle ended in a 0-0 draw, Kees summed it up:  “In the end, I’m thrilled with the results, all things considered.”

What many may not have considered was that East Aurora’s 14-1-3 record is an accurate barometer of the Tomcats and not necessarily a result of scheduling. 

What few would have considered was that a crowd of well over 400 fans, including a drummer, would make enough noise, clap rhythmically and chant “Let’s Go Tomcats,” and vociferously boo certain calls by the officials to the extent that some of the Roy E. Davis Field neighbors may have been confused into thinking it was a Friday football night.

“The conditions were extraordinary, the hype, the atmosphere, their fan support and the energy they brought to the field.  The first five or six plays could’ve dictated play in our favor and when they didn’t, things spiraled negatively for us, so getting a tie is a result we’ll take,” Kees admitted.

With the Upstate Eight Conference having split into the River and Valley Divisions, neither coach was certain whether or not criteria was established in order to determine a league champion, assuming both schools can find a way to win in one final road game which would create identical 5-0-1 league records.

In some conferences, goal differential, overall record, or some other method is used to designate a champion for the season while most loops simply recognize co-champions.

It didn’t take long for Neuqua Valley to recognize it was in for a tangle as East Aurora boasted a 10-2 edge in overall attempts and a 2-1 lead in on-target shots for the opening 40 minutes.  The most notable play occurred with 21:39 left before halftime when a Tomcat header had to be saved off the goal line by one of the Wildcat defenders drawing a long and loud reaction from the home side.

“They treated this like a state championship and we knew they could play,” NVHS co-captain Pat Doody said.  “We knew they had guys that can play and possess the ball.  It was a little hard to adjust to the narrow field, but we were still confident we could meet the challenge.  We just couldn’t make the final pass in several instances and that was the difference.”

Neuqua Valley, ranked No. 2 by both Chicago newspapers, picked up the pace in the second half with a 6-5 lead in overall attempts and a 4-3 edge for on-target tries.  Early in the second half, East Aurora goalie Norberto Sanchez made a two-hand save on a header while the Wildcats’ Jacob Brindle just missed to the left on a header with 12:19 left in regulation.

“We wanted to be more direct in our play knowing that the narrow field and tight spaces would make it tough, we just had too many touches,” Kees added.  “We knew we’d have to be atypical in our play and one day just wasn’t enough to fully prepare us to execute in the style we wanted.  Thankfully our defense didn’t give up too much.”

Actually it was the ninth shutout posted by Neuqua Valley’s defenders with Hunter Hollingshed making five saves and chalking up another four defensive clears/covers on potentially dangerous balls.

“I wasn’t really worried at any point because my defenders did another good job in front of me and I made the saves I had to.  Their counterattacks gave us some problems, but we adjusted,” Hollingshead noted.  “I love to play in front of a crowd and it was a heckuva atmosphere.”

Neuqua Valley, now 11-2-2 overall, journeys to Milwaukee Saturday (Oct. 9) to face Marquette University High before next Tuesday’s (Oct. 12) UEC Valley finale at Lake Park. 

East Aurora visits Marmion Academy on Friday (Oct. 9), hosts St. Charles North on Saturday (Oct. 10), and then concludes the regular and Valley seasons at Metea Valley on Tuesday (Oct. 12).

From the East Aurora perspective it was a memorable match regardless of the outcome and one the Tomcats hope sends a message to not only future opponents, but also to the pollsters.

“I do think people should recognize us now and not question our record,” East Aurora senior Eddie Llamas insisted.  “As a school, we’ve never had the change to get a (soccer) conference title, but we still can and it all goes with our T-shirts that say “Play to be remembered,” which is also a tribute to (ex-teammate) Jason Ventura (who died last winter).”

It was also the ninth shutout for East Aurora which managed to do what only one other team --- Naperville Central in the Best of the West Championship --- accomplished: keeping the Wildcats off the scoreboard.

“We really wanted to win this because they’re clearly one of the best teams in the state,” keeper Sanchez added.

“I think we have been overlooked somewhat,” East Aurora coach Jason Rollins said.  “But I think this match further proves we can hang with really good programs.  They really didn’t have a particularly good shot in the first half and I think part of it was that we took it to them.  It was close throughout and late in the game, as expected, it became more intense.

“Once again we didn’t panic, we didn’t force the issue, but continued to play in control.  I know we’ve drilled it into them, but the more they realize they stick to playing our game, the more confidence they gain.”