Suburban Life soccer notes: Timothy Christian, York set for ‘Battle of Elmhurst’ under Friday night lights

Timothy Christian picked an odd day to play two of its best and most important opponents this season.

The Trojans, who do not have a football team, hosted Wheaton Academy last Friday for a crucial Chicagoland Christian Conference game.

This Friday, the Trojans have another game under the lights, entertaining Class 3A York at 6:15 p.m.

The Battle of Elmhurst is slated to be another memorable night on the Trojans’ campus. The Dukes (5-6-2) have struggled compared to the past few seasons but represent a formidable foe for the Class 2A Trojans (12-4-3). The Trojans defeated Marian Catholic 9-0 on Tuesday to become the first outright winner in the Chicagoland Christian Conference after sharing the title in a three-way tie last season in the inaugural season.

“We set the schedule to have every situation possible before the postseason,” TC coach Joel Zielke said. “We wanted big matches in away games and also against big teams playing in front of a big crowd with a lot on the line. This makes it a memorable experience...We’re excited. It’s going to be (another) electric atmosphere with high-level soccer and a big crowd. We’re not a football school, so this is a big deal.”

If last Friday’s game against Wheaton Academy is a preview of things to come, the Trojans’ fans will be in for a special night. In front a sold-out, standing-room only crowd of nearly 2,000 fans, the Trojans scored two goals in the first two-plus minutes of the first overtime to record a 4-2 victory over Wheaton Academy in double-overtime.

Zielke said last Friday’s electric atmosphere was a memorable game.

“Obviously, I’m super proud of our team and how resilient we were throughout the night,” Zielke said. “We knew we would come out on fire with Homecoming with a big night and big crowd….These boys wanted to make a good memory on Homecoming.

“They kept fighting and we had some good individual performances that were outstanding. I told the boys  in the pregame, I don’t want our highs to be too high and our lows to be too low. We had to manage our emotions and expectations. We talked about it all the week with Homecoming a special week and night. We have a great community that’s very supportive and they come out in big ways. I thought our student section tonight was absolutely fantastic.”

Owen Wise had one of his best games of the season at the right time to build some momentum for the Trojans’ quest to win their first state title since 2015. Wise netted a hat trick in the win over Wheaton Academy.

“The three goals felt great, it would feel good any day but definitely against Wheaton Academy, it’s something I will always remember,” Wise said. “To be fair, I have a sprained toe and I’m so tired and ready to go to bed.”

IC Catholic knocks off St. Francis

On the surface, there seemed to be nothing special about IC Catholic Prep’s 2-1 victory over St. Francis last week.

Yes, it was an ideal day to take a postgame picture.

It was very warm afternoon to go with a quality Chicago Catholic League White Division victory for the host Knights.

But the Knights gathered together to take a team picture for another reason – to celebrate a rare victory over St. Francis.

“This is the first time we’ve ever beaten St. Francis,” IC Catholic coach Miguel Garcia said. “We’ve been struggling lately but we’re peaking at the right time. I think this will help catapult us for the playoffs.”

IC Catholic forward Jacob Dominick set the tone with the first goal, helping charge up his teammates to play strong and pull out the signature win.

“Since my freshman year, we’ve played them three times, even with the best team we’ve had in my freshman year, we couldn’t beat them,” Dominick said. “I was really close to the seniors last year, so that loss to St. Francis was really tough. We had good teamwork.”

Morton forward Ayala’s big night

Morton forward Enrique Ayala accomplished an unusual feat last Saturday night, recording a hat trick in the first 11 minutes against West Suburban Gold rival Downers Grove South. Ayala added a fourth goal to set a new career high to spark Morton to a 5-0 win.