April 19, 2024
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Streator soccer clinches 26th straight .500+ season with shutout of Peotone

By J.T. Pedelty

Streator boys soccer coach Jim Muntz (center) gives his team last-minute instructions before the start of Thursday's home game against Peotone. (J.T. Pedelty)

STREATOR - Thursday’s 2-0 shutout of Peotone at the SHS Athletic Fields was a special one for the Streator Bulldogs boys soccer club for a few reasons.

It was senior night for the Bulldogs’ six 12th-graders — Max Baker, Jackson Stipp, Cristobal Flores, Brian Chavez, Damian Simmons and Sawyer Good — with Friday’s home game versus Joliet Catholic still awaiting them.

“Baker is one of our better players this year, goalie-wise he’s improved,” said outgoing SHS head coach Jim Muntz. “Sawyer stepped up for us all year long as a leader. Cristobal Flores came in for his first start today, and he just goes out and does a good job. Jackson Stipp has played well over three years on the varsity.

“Chavey has played well and really stepped up his senior year. Damian was injured all year. I feel bad he couldn’t compete his senior year, but for three years he gave so much to the program.

“We’re going to miss our seniors. They devoted a lot, showed a lot of leadership, gave a lot to the program.”

On top of that, it was a hotly-contested — and at times hot-tempered — win, not only avenging a 2-0 loss to Peotone (4-7, 4-5 IC8) earlier in the season, but also guaranteeing the Bulldogs (6-5-2, 2-5 IC8) the program’s 26th consecutive season at or above .500 under Muntz.

“It’s surreal, but it’s not about me,” Streator’s coach said. “We have a great group of guys, and they’re going to do good, good things in the years to come.”

Baker only needed to record seven saves to notch the shutout and faced zero shots on goal the entirety of the second half. Streator held on to a 2-0 advantage built by first-half goals from Jack Starkey (on a perfect, cutting direct free kick) and Davey Rashid (off a Starkey assist which Peotone keeper Austin Coultier pushed into the crossbar and to Rashid, who directed it back to Coultier, with the keeper unable to keep the ball from squirting into the net).

The Bulldogs didn’t score in the second half, and didn’t need to, clamping down “strong team defense,” per Muntz, led by a spectacular, all-over-the-field showing by Parker Phillis as well as standout plays from Aiden Studnicki, Mac Beals and Stipp.

Streator finished with a 14-7 edge in shots on goal.