Boys Soccer notes: Morton notches milestone championship at Iowa tournament

Morton soccer coach Jim Bageanis called it a milestone for his program.

The Mustangs annually have been one of the top big-class programs in the state dating to the Bill Stamper era in the 1990s.

Morton has become a powerhouse under the direction of Bageanis, winning a Class 3A state title in 2011, placing third in 2015, second in 2019 and fourth in 2021.

But the Mustangs were missing one key element in their recent program history – a championship from The Great River Classic in Burlington, Iowa. Bageanis said his program had competed in the Iowa tourney, which includes numerous high-level programs from different states, three times before this season.

The Mustangs accomplished their goal of winning their bracket for the first time, defeating Marquette (Wisconsin) in the title game. Morton won all three of its bracket games to make the 250-mile trip worthwhile and memorable.

“We’ve been there, but lost three years in a row to Marquette,” Bageanis said. “We got them this time. They’re a little down, but we will take it. We played a good St. Thomas Aquinas team from Kansas, which is 15th nationally ranked, so we played a great game that day. I was proud of the guys. We had pretty much 60-40 possession and we finished our chances and goalie Brandon Flores made some really good saves in that game.

“Program wise, it was a good chance to play some different competition. I know there’s some Illinois teams there, so that’s why we switched games with Naperville North. We wanted to play different teams and styles and we played on grass. There were a whole bunch of different things we had to deal with. The kids did a good job. I was proud of them.”

With a 2-0 win over Addison Trail on Oct. 3, the Mustangs (14-2, 3-0) stayed on course toward a strong finish in the regular season and their pursuit of the West Suburban Gold title.

Flores said the Mustangs’ backline played stellar in their three wins at the tournament, including a win over Waukesha West (Wisconsin) in their first game. The Mustangs did not allow a goal in their three wins, outscoring the opposition 7-0.

“In the tournament, we scored goals and our attack was amazing,” Flores said. “We did a wonderful job up top. My defense played great. We made some minor mistakes, but other than that, my defense really helped me out and have been amazing all season.

“That boosted our morale a lot, beating a nationally ranked team. That secured our hopes for hopefully winning a state title.”

The Mustangs’ two blemishes this year came against Naperville Central in the season opener and a 1-0 decision to Lyons on Sept. 17. Morton has scored 53 goals this season, while allowing only six goals.

Bageanis said the Mustangs showed their toughness by overcoming a tough road environment at Addison Trail right after their weekend trip to Iowa.

“We stressed that to the guys that they have to still come out and play like we did over the weekend and be consistent,” Bageanis said. “You could see we were a little late and lagging in the first half. I think the energy level was a little lower, but they stepped it up in the second half. They’re a good team, moved the ball and we were chasing it for a while. Glad we were able to get that transition goal late to allow us to breathe a bit. It only takes one, so who knows what happens after that.

“We weren’t connecting passes as well as we would’ve liked to on the offensive third in the first half. In the second half, we were holding it more, but at least we weren’t just giving it away. We’ll be better. Hopefully as the week goes on, we’ll be more fresher after being used to being at home.”

Glenbard South looking to make splash in playoffs

Glenbard South coach Adam Szyszko is looking forward to the Class 2A playoffs.

The Raiders have struggled to build consistency, but Szyszko pointed to the team’s tough schedule – mainly filled with Class 3A teams – as something that has helped prepare Glenbard South for the playoffs.

Szyszko said Glenbard South’s record is not reflective of the talent on the team. The Raiders (2-12-3) compete in the highly talented Upstate Eight Conference.

The Raiders start the playoffs against Plano in a regional quarterfinal. A quarterfinal victory sets them up for a semifinal match against Lemont, the top seed in the Glenbard South Sectional.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries, so managing three games in a week, especially with a back-to-back earlier in the week, is tough,” Szyszko said. “That’s a challenge managing that, and playing in this conference is tough. There’s no easy nights in this conference.

“Our record against Class 2A schools is 0-1-3. We’ve tied two of the higher seeds in our own sub-sectional and gave up an own goal to another higher seed against Hinsdale South. The goal for the last two weeks is to make sure everyone’s morale is up. We can hang with the teams. We’re going to play Plano and then Lemont, which is really tough. We’ve played a tough schedule. The hits keep on coming.”

Glenbard East falls short in upset bid

On Oct. 1, Glenbard East led highly ranked and undefeated Elgin 1-0 at halftime. Sophomore goalie Cooper Wooldridge had an impressive first-half showing, helping to keep the Maroons’ high-scoring attack, led by striker Eduardo Nava, scoreless in the first 40 minutes.

That all changed in the second half. Nava, an elite scorer, collected a hat trick in the second half to lift the Maroons to a 4-1 victory.

The Rams (7-4-2) bounced back with an impressive 3-0 win over Fenton on Oct. 5.

Glenbard East coach Josh Adler said Wooldridge is a promising player.

“[Nava] got a lot of opportunities, even in the first half,” Adler said. “He was finding his seams and getting opportunities. Sooner or later, they’re going to put the ball in the back of the net. But Cooper is starting to come into his own. He’s starting to do a good job of commanding the box and making his reads and playing the angles well and coming off the line. As a sophomore, he’s coming into his own and being more comfortable in his play and trusting his backline. Our guys showed they can compete. I was pleased with the effort.”