Wildcats blank OPRF in Pepsi Showdown opener

By Curt Herron

CLICK HERE FOR WEST CHICAGO'S TEAM PAGE

 

West Chicago has already demonstrated its ability to put the ball into the net this season.

After all, the Wildcats had been able to connect 19 times during their initial six matches.

But as WeGo prepares for a tough upcoming stretch of challenges, being able to prevent goals looms just as significant.

That's why Wildcat coach Jose Villa was pleased to see his squad claim a hard-fought 1-0 win over Oak Park and River Forest on Saturday.

Beside marking an opening-round win in the Pepsi Showdown, the triumph was WeGo's sixth in seven tries, with the other being a draw.

The close win at Lyons Township's West field in LaGrange also was the squad's second straight shutout and its fifth straight victory.

After both sides struggled to connect throughout much of the match, WeGo finally caught the break that it needed in the 70th minute.

That's when OPRF (2-5-1) was called for a handball in the box, which set up a penalty for Jenaro Terrazas, who converted the attempt.

Keeper Paolino Mansera was supported by defenders Danny Hernandez, Jesus Fernandez, Alfredo Villa, Alejandro Villa, Christian Cruz and Giovannie Altamirano.

The Wildcats will play at Libertyville on Tuesday in the second round. The defending champs advanced with a 5-0 victory over Lisle.

"I was proud of the boys for playing through it today," Villa said. "We played much better in the second half and continued to find through balls. We got a lot of opportunities with balls in the box and by just being dangerous.

"I told our guys that just by being dangerous that we might capitalize on a little lapse, and that's how we got the PK. Our defense did a great job and it was good to see it against a physical team since we'll see a lot more of those.

"Libertyville is going to be a very good team but that's who you want to go up against and it's the reason why we're in tournaments like this. I think that we're up the challenge and we're going to work hard to get ready for Tuesday."

While WeGo was able to walk away feeling good about its effort, OPRF was disappointed that it couldn't follow up on a big win.

After looking sharp in a 2-1 victory over rival Fenwick on Friday, the Huskies appeared to have experienced a bit of a letdown.

While good offensive opportunities were plentiful against the Friars, OPRF struggled to make much happen during Saturday's match.

The Huskies, who had four goals prior to Friday's win, which snapped a four-match losing streak, were blanked for the third time.

"Last night we had a physical match and this morning a lot of guys had a mental match since they took the ACT," OPRF coach Paul Wright said. "The first half was pretty even but West Chicago played a little better than us in the second half.

"The tough part is that we had an unlucky handball and we give away a PK and it's a 1-0 game. We can't get our heads too down on that, but it's just hard because we're in games but making some silly mistakes.

"We're getting the ball up to Noe (Espinoza) but you can't rely on one guy to do it all. But every day we improve on some element and we saw some things today and we'll keep on chipping away at it."

For much of the match, things looked like they were headed in the same direction as three others which were decided by penalties.

WeGo had the only opportunities during the initial part of the final half, however, there were only a couple of good ones at that.

Steven Porcayo was stopped on a short try just after the break and Alejandro Villa was denied on a similar effort near the midpoint.

Following a nearly 10-minute lull in threats, Edgardo Alcantar sent a liner toward the net but keeper Liam Sorensen hauled it in.

Less than a minute later, however, WeGo challenged again and this time, OPRF was called for the handball and Terrazas made the PK.

The Huskies weren't able to respond to the penalty and Terrazas was thwarted on a late attempt to add to his squad's advantage.

WeGo has now recorded three shutouts in its last four matches and has yielded just one goal during that recent stretch of play.

"We worked together and it was a team effort," Hernandez said. "At first, we were kind of frustrated, but then we got it together and changed our attitude and came out in the second half and just tried to play our best.

"Jenaro was running down the line like crazy and eventually it was because of him that they called the PK. We've got great players up top and we move the ball quickly and try to keep possession and outwork the other team.

"We have some taller players in the back and they're all solid defenders. And my job is to try to keep everyone focused and on their game. They're a tough team but we left it all on the field and weren't going to give up."

There was even less drama during the initial 40 minutes, which got underway late due to some earlier matches at LT's West field.

Jose Cortes was stopped in the early going and Mansera halted a corner kick from Gianluca Lo Casto shortly before the midway mark.

 

In the half's final quarter hour, Alcantar was just wide of the mark and then Erik Arsovski had a long free kick deflected away.