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BURBANK – Lockport was down but not out.
The Porters trailed for the first time this boys soccer season. But they regrouped for a pair of goals and held on for a 2-1 victory over a game Joliet West team Thursday evening in the title game of the Windy City Classic at Reavis.
Since there was no tournament this past season because of COVID-19, Lockport (5-0) now has won back-to-back tournament championships.
“It’s a great group of guys,” Lockport coach Chris Beal said of his team. “A positive bunch with a great blend at every position. To be undefeated is kind of exciting.”
The go-ahead goal came on an exciting run down the right side by sophomore Nathan Blazewski. He got the ball at midfield and sped in before putting a shot past Tigers junior keeper Daniel Gudino.
“It felt great,” Blazewski said. “We need it, and I buried it near post and felt really amazing. We knew we wanted to win. It had to be done, and we did it.”
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It was the second goal of the season for Blazewski and the first since the opening game. Not bad for someone who is in his first varsity season.
“Nathan has it all: speed, strength and attrition,” Beal said. “He has the self-confidence out there, and the key is he finished. His speed kills, that’s for sure.”
The Tigers (4-2) struck first when sophomore Joseph Karnezis corralled a loose ball near midfield and let a laser shot fly. It went into the upper right corner for a 1-0 lead with 17 minutes to play in the first half. The tournament was played with 30-minute halves. It was the first goal allowed by senior Patrick Marshall this season.
“We’re not used to going down and it shocked us,” Beal said. We had a shaky first 15 minutes but once we settled down and got a goal, we got the jitters out.
“It was our first time being challenged like that. Absolutely, Joliet West has a nice team.”
Lockport got the equalizer when Blazewski banged a perfect cross from the right side that found senior Danny Kajtezovic. The transfer from Tinley Park then finished with his sixth goal of the season to knot the score with 1:54 left in the first half.
“They had shocked us,” Kajtezovic said of the Tigers. “But Nathan had a nice cross, and I was able to tap it in. We felt better then.”
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The Tigers had a good shot to take the lead six minutes into the second half. But the blast by sophomore Adrian Maldonado from the left side was right at Marshall. Gudino made numerous strong saves throughout to keep Joliet West in it, including turning back four attempts from Makkonen Stampley.
“Danny is great,” Joliet West coach Michael O’Shea said of his keeper. “But Lockport is a very good team. We played really well, we just couldn’t get one in the second half.”
In the opening semifinal Tuesday, the Porters defeated Marist, 5-0. Kajtezovic scored a pair of goals, and Sean Flannery, Dylan Morgan, and Adam Doyle all added a goal apiece. Marshall and the defense came up with their fourth straight shutout to start the season.
The Tigers, meanwhile, scored a goal with only 32 seconds to play to defeat Shepard, 2-1, in the second semifinal. That was by sophomore Aiden Rodriquez in his first varsity game. After a scoreless first half, Joliet West trailed, 1-0, but scored twice in the last 21 minutes, including one from junior Victor Antomez.