After a hard-fought match, the boy’s varsity soccer team lost to the Plainfield Central Wildcats in the IHSA Regional Final.. However, the 2-1 result did not reflect their performance, as the game was very evenly matched.
The returning seniors have gone through this scenario multiple times before and were able to help prepare the rest of the team for this game.
“I think the biggest thing was to have them relax,” Coach Joshua Robinson said. “The group of seniors has been in the regional final now three years in a row. [The team] executed the plan that we had. They knocked the ball around really well and maintained way more possession.”
In the first half, a Wildcat midfielder played the ball to a forward who dribbled and shot it towards the right of the goal, just out of reach of the goalie’s hands. The first half ended 1-0 with Central in the lead..
“We were organized, and the kid just had a special moment and got behind,” Robinson said. “We had plenty of guys behind the ball.”
The Plainfield Central scored a second goal midway through the second half. The Wildcats had pushed forward and found an open shot.
Despite the score, the Mustangs found many more chances to go to goal. 25 minutes in, junior Michael Birkner faked a defender, dribbled down the line, and crossed into senior Carlos Sanchez, who headed the ball and placed it top left corner. For the rest of the game, the Plainfield Central locked down the defense until the final whistle, preventing the Mustangs from scoring again.
“We had plenty of opportunities where we just missed,” Robinson said. “We made a couple really big saves, and we missed a couple shots. I think we nipped the post a couple of times.”
Overall, the Mustangs had a good season, with an overall record of 13-8-4. The team had many great accomplishments, including winning the 2024 Body Armor Sports Series Tournament for the first time ever. The team also overcame many different challenges, such as playing with a new team, and with new leaders. They were able to rack up a total of 50 goals from 13 different players.
According to MaxPreps, the team was ranked in the top three schools with the hardest schedule in the state of Illinois.
