Boys soccer: York weathers initial shot from Addison Trail, advances to sectional final
ST. CHARLES - For a moment, Addison Trail held a stunning lead.
Just over 50 seconds into the Class 3A St. Charles East Sectional semifinal versus defending state champion York on Wednesday, Addison Trail's Christopher Ortega converted a quick Dukes turnover into a one-goal advantage.
The moment, however, was the wake-up call York ultimately needed to kick-start into an eventual 3-1 victory to advance to Friday's sectional final.
"That has not happened to us, especially in the first minute," York junior Gustavo Herrera said. "We were shocked, but we looked at the time, we had plenty of time [to respond]. This team is a very special team; we all have qualities [to overcome it]."
"They play a 4-4-2, so their two forwards are central and I don't think we were ready for that. So used to other formations," Dukes coach Jordan Stopka said. "That's on me. I should've alerted them about that. I guess Ryder [Kohl] made a pass that he thought was a simple pass. Thought the center-forward was out and there's another right there."
York, riding a 12-game win streak, will face Conant, who defeated Glenbard East 4-1 in the second semifinal on Friday, for the sectional title at 5 p.m. at St. Charles East.
York (18-0-3) only needed about seven minutes to equalize on Frankie Rofrano's boot. Jose Herrera later connected with Joe Hernandez who put it home for a 2-1 York lead with 11:48 left in the first half.
"The resilience ... it's nice we got that equalizer [quickly]; not 20 minutes, 30 minutes to let their confidence build right back in," Stopka said.
Gustavo Herrera added a gorgeous top-shelf rocket for the insurance goal.
"I was going to leave it because my brother fell, but I had the shot right there, ripped it and it went in. I was shocked myself," said Herrera on his seventh goal of the season.
"You can't defend that," Stopka said. "You can play perfect defense and if that goes, in you turn to your bench and go 'there's nothing we can do.'"
Addison Trail (11-9-1)'s magical run in the postseason came to an end. After upsetting both West Chicago and St. Charles North in the regional round, the Blazers put York on the ropes, perhaps a testament to their postseason as a whole.
"100%," Blazers coach Ryan Dini said. "We've had some heartbreak over the last couple of years being a really good seed. This time, we were low a 13-seed; beating two top-notch teams and then going against the defending champs. I mean, talk about a tough road. Our guys fought hard. Great senior leadership as far as togetherness; a great group of guys. Fought for one another. Tonight, we lost to a better team."