Naperville N. heads to title game after
nail-biting win over Bradley-Bourbonnais
Huskies knock second-straight foe out of unbeaten ranks
By Dave Owen
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- Since a 1-0 loss Sept. 8 to Bolingbrook, Naperville North’s response to every challenge has been the same.
Huge finishes.
The Huskies tested that formula under big-time conditions Friday. Trailing undefeated Bradley-Bourbonnais 1-0 through 57 minutes of the Class 3A state semifinal match, Naperville North used a Chris Sullivan penalty kick with 22:27 left to draw even.
Then after enduring a 30-yard free kick off the post by Bradley’s Efrain Davila with 15:50 to go, the Huskies had the last word on Jack Bromagen’s goal with just 7:15 left.
The 2-1 win over Bradley-Bourbonnais (24-1-0) sent Naperville North (20-2-3), which won its only state title in 1998, back to the state championship game. The Huskies meet Barrington at 7 p.m. Saturday at Hoffman Estates High School.
“It’s so hard to get here,” Huskies coach Jim Konrad said. “It’s Naperville North’s fifth time in the Final 4, and we’re usually top 10 in the state.
“Our guys are down and never give up. They don’t get negative with each other. They fight to the very end. Playing in the state championship tomorrow is indicative of our program and the success we’ve had for years and years. I couldn’t be prouder. I hope it ends the way we dream it does.”
Bromagen’s back-post finish was a dream ending to a play that began with Jack Barry’s right sideline throw-in from 5 yards out.
“Colin (Iverson) jumped up (in front) like he always does with a bunch of guys and forced it to flick on,” said Bromagen, “and I was just in the right place at the right time (at the far post). I just stuck my foot out, and it went in.”
Bromagen’s fourth goal of the season earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
But an equally big moment came 15 minutes earier. Sullivan’s 49-yard direct kick from the left sideline was redirected at the near post by Iverson. A great goal line clear by Bradley-Bourbonnais defender Brandon Wray appeared to deny the tying chance, until an official ruled Barry had been grabbed on a rebound try in the box to produce a PK.
Sullivan’s low liner inside the left post on the PK was his 50th career goal.
“Nothing was going through my head at all,” Sullivan said. “A huge moment, and I just tried to tune out everything. I just put it on the spot, I saw the keeper move a little bit on the juke, and I was able to put it away.”
The call and finish were a devastating hit for Bradley-Bourbonnais.
“Overall I think the big difference was the PK,” Boilermakers coach Rohan Robinson said. “Once that was called, the players didn’t know what happened.
“It wasn’t something they saw, they couldn’t process it. That took away a little momentum. It’s not like a hand ball or hard tackle – our captain’s asking them (the officials), and we can’t get a definitive answer.”
Said Bradley-Bourbonnais-Bourbonnais’ Anthony Markanich: “I think it just ruined our momentum after the PK. We knew it wasn’t a foul, and it changed us.”
Even before the goal, Sullivan had done his part on and off the field to change the mood of the game.
“Chris said in the huddle before the second half (with the Huskies down 1-0) 'We have to show everyone in this whole stadium who wants to be in the state championship tomorrow, us or them,’” Bromagen said. “We worked our butts off and got it done.”
But Bradley-Bourbonnais made the Huskies work from the start.
Just 45 seconds into the match, the Huskies needed two shot blocks by defenders (the second by Mitch Konrad) to deny an attack by the Boilermakers' Nicholas Markanich (44 goals this season).
Then in the sixth minute, Naperville North goalkeeper Tom Welch made a diving save on Anthony Markanich’s 8-yard drive right of the goal.
“I think that first run they had the first 15 seconds of the game knocked us on our heels a little bit,” Konrad said. “For them to get in deep and get a chance to score, it took us a while to recover from that. We were panicking a little and playing too direct.
“Fortunately we got through the first half only down 1-0. They scored a nice goal on us on a restart.”
That Bradley-Bourbonnais goal came 16:04 before halftime. On a 45-yard Efrain Davila free-kick towards the crease, Anthony Markanich raced in to redirect a 5-yard header into the net for his 31st goal of the season.
“We knew their defense wasn’t as good in the air,” Markanich said. “We played over the top and got behind them.”
Bradley-Bourbonnais closed the half with two more restart chances – a Davila 50-yard free kick headed wide by Tarek Bos-Shadi in the 28th minute, and a Nicholas Markanich header over the net on a corner-kick 55 seconds before halftime.
In the final 40 minutes, the explosive Markanich brothers were held more in check.
“We didn’t really change anything,” Konrad said. “We knew coming in they were special players, and that no. 10 (Davila), I caught my breath every time he hit it.
“Luckily we played a great schedule and Morton this week, so we had the mindset of move your feet, cover for each other and get numbers behind the ball. And Tommy (Welch) our goalkeeper did a good job of holding the ball.”
And while the defense locked down the Boilermakers, the Huskies’ offense ignited. Off a Cesar Recendez pass 50 seconds into the half, a Bromagen 10-yard shot was deflected just over the crossbar – foreshadowing a strong 40 minutes to come for Naperville North.
“In the second half we did a far better job of playing to feet,” Konrad said. “We started controlling the pace of the game a little bit. They were trying to hold the lead so they backed in, and that let us get a rhythm back. Then the boys started to feel we were having success, and that if we switched the ball quickly we could get to the end line and create.”
Ethan Harvey’s 50-yard free-kick with 32:10 left set up a Will Ritzmann shot in the box that was blocked by Wray. But the continued Huskies pressure would eventually pay off.
“As the game went on, we got the PK – Chris scored his 50th goal,” Konrad said. “And then just like the other night the ball comes in and Brom buries a tough shot back post. Brom as cool as always finishes, and then we hung on for dear life.”
The Bromagen game-winner was preceded by a scare – Avila drove a 30-yard free kick off the post with 15:50 left, inches away from putting Bradley-Bourbonnais up 2-1.
Then after the Huskies went ahead, Bradley-Bourbonnais didn’t fade. Fritz’s 20-yard straight-on shot with 4:40 left was stopped by Welch, and an offside call with 1:45 to go denied a Bradley-Bourbonnais two-man attack on goal.
Naperville North also just missed a monster chance with 3:30 left. A Recendez 6-yard shot was denied on a point-blank save by Bradley-bourbonnais goalkeeper Jacob Meents, and two ensuing rebound tries in the crease were denied by Meents and a Bradley-Bourbonnais defender.
Andrew Klaiber’s long send upfield with 40 seconds left repelled the final Boilermakers chance, and wrapped up the Huskies’ second-straight win over an unbeaten foe.
“Morton is a great team, and Bradley-Bourbonnais is a terrifying team,” Konrad said. “For whatever reason, it was our night tonight. We had our chances and finished them.
“We keep it simple, hammer the same things home. Do a small group of things well, and it’s paid dividends.”
The Huskies’ work ethic has been a big part of their 16-game unbeaten streak since Sept. 8. They have allowed just nine goals in that span against elite competition.
“We kind of knew we weren’t going to be as talented as some teams we were going to play,” Bromagen said. “Morton has so many gifted kids on the ball, and the team we just played. We just said we were going to outwork the other team.”
While a halftime deficit has been rare of late for the Huskies, they knew how to respond.
“We haven’t been in that situation, but we have put other teams in that situation,” Sullivan said. “And we notice teams start to crack when we’re up a goal.
“We knew that, and we never let up once. We came together, as one unit and we were able to tough it out and win the game. And now we’re playing in the state championship.”
Konrad guided the Huskies to fourth place in 2010 and has an .800 winning percentage in his 13 years as Huskies’ head coach. Now his 2016 team plays for the top prize.
“It’s been a blast,” Konrad said. “Obviously at this point every game you win, unless you’ve been part of a group like this, you can’t explain how special it is to see kids you’ve worked with and love have success.”
While not facing the caliber of competition that the Huskies did, Bradley-Bourbonnais was unbeaten before Friday and proved they belonged in the spotlight with a great semifinal performance.
“We have eight guys who have played together,” Robinson said. “Everything they do with a lot of passion. This season, you go out there and have fun, and when we need to go, they go. Their ability to play at a high level was out there.”
The Boilermakers had just five seniors, and the Markanich brothers are juniors.
“It was an awesome season, a great experience,” Anthony Markanich said. “But this first loss is a terrible feeling.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Tom Welch
D Andrew Klaiber
D Ethan Harvey
D Mitch Konrad
D Colin Iverson
MF Chris Sullivan
MF Will Ritzmann
MF Jack Barry
MF James Zhang
F Jack Bromagen
F Ty Konrad
Bradley-Bourbonnais
GK Jacob Meents
D Jacb Rodriguez
D Tarek Bos-Shadi
D Nolan Wade
D Brandon Wray
MF Efrain Davila
MF Peter Sorich
MF Anthony Markanich
MF Justin Fritz
F Nicholas Markanich
F Jack Kramer
Man of the Match: Jack Bromagen, Naperville North
Officials: M-John Martelin, AR1-Chris Rudolph, AR2-Tom Schaefer, 4th-Bret Richter
nail-biting win over Bradley-Bourbonnais
Huskies knock second-straight foe out of unbeaten ranks
By Dave Owen
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- Since a 1-0 loss Sept. 8 to Bolingbrook, Naperville North’s response to every challenge has been the same.
Huge finishes.
The Huskies tested that formula under big-time conditions Friday. Trailing undefeated Bradley-Bourbonnais 1-0 through 57 minutes of the Class 3A state semifinal match, Naperville North used a Chris Sullivan penalty kick with 22:27 left to draw even.
Then after enduring a 30-yard free kick off the post by Bradley’s Efrain Davila with 15:50 to go, the Huskies had the last word on Jack Bromagen’s goal with just 7:15 left.
The 2-1 win over Bradley-Bourbonnais (24-1-0) sent Naperville North (20-2-3), which won its only state title in 1998, back to the state championship game. The Huskies meet Barrington at 7 p.m. Saturday at Hoffman Estates High School.
“It’s so hard to get here,” Huskies coach Jim Konrad said. “It’s Naperville North’s fifth time in the Final 4, and we’re usually top 10 in the state.
“Our guys are down and never give up. They don’t get negative with each other. They fight to the very end. Playing in the state championship tomorrow is indicative of our program and the success we’ve had for years and years. I couldn’t be prouder. I hope it ends the way we dream it does.”
Bromagen’s back-post finish was a dream ending to a play that began with Jack Barry’s right sideline throw-in from 5 yards out.
“Colin (Iverson) jumped up (in front) like he always does with a bunch of guys and forced it to flick on,” said Bromagen, “and I was just in the right place at the right time (at the far post). I just stuck my foot out, and it went in.”
Bromagen’s fourth goal of the season earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
But an equally big moment came 15 minutes earier. Sullivan’s 49-yard direct kick from the left sideline was redirected at the near post by Iverson. A great goal line clear by Bradley-Bourbonnais defender Brandon Wray appeared to deny the tying chance, until an official ruled Barry had been grabbed on a rebound try in the box to produce a PK.
Sullivan’s low liner inside the left post on the PK was his 50th career goal.
“Nothing was going through my head at all,” Sullivan said. “A huge moment, and I just tried to tune out everything. I just put it on the spot, I saw the keeper move a little bit on the juke, and I was able to put it away.”
The call and finish were a devastating hit for Bradley-Bourbonnais.
“Overall I think the big difference was the PK,” Boilermakers coach Rohan Robinson said. “Once that was called, the players didn’t know what happened.
“It wasn’t something they saw, they couldn’t process it. That took away a little momentum. It’s not like a hand ball or hard tackle – our captain’s asking them (the officials), and we can’t get a definitive answer.”
Said Bradley-Bourbonnais-Bourbonnais’ Anthony Markanich: “I think it just ruined our momentum after the PK. We knew it wasn’t a foul, and it changed us.”
Even before the goal, Sullivan had done his part on and off the field to change the mood of the game.
“Chris said in the huddle before the second half (with the Huskies down 1-0) 'We have to show everyone in this whole stadium who wants to be in the state championship tomorrow, us or them,’” Bromagen said. “We worked our butts off and got it done.”
But Bradley-Bourbonnais made the Huskies work from the start.
Just 45 seconds into the match, the Huskies needed two shot blocks by defenders (the second by Mitch Konrad) to deny an attack by the Boilermakers' Nicholas Markanich (44 goals this season).
Then in the sixth minute, Naperville North goalkeeper Tom Welch made a diving save on Anthony Markanich’s 8-yard drive right of the goal.
“I think that first run they had the first 15 seconds of the game knocked us on our heels a little bit,” Konrad said. “For them to get in deep and get a chance to score, it took us a while to recover from that. We were panicking a little and playing too direct.
“Fortunately we got through the first half only down 1-0. They scored a nice goal on us on a restart.”
That Bradley-Bourbonnais goal came 16:04 before halftime. On a 45-yard Efrain Davila free-kick towards the crease, Anthony Markanich raced in to redirect a 5-yard header into the net for his 31st goal of the season.
“We knew their defense wasn’t as good in the air,” Markanich said. “We played over the top and got behind them.”
Bradley-Bourbonnais closed the half with two more restart chances – a Davila 50-yard free kick headed wide by Tarek Bos-Shadi in the 28th minute, and a Nicholas Markanich header over the net on a corner-kick 55 seconds before halftime.
In the final 40 minutes, the explosive Markanich brothers were held more in check.
“We didn’t really change anything,” Konrad said. “We knew coming in they were special players, and that no. 10 (Davila), I caught my breath every time he hit it.
“Luckily we played a great schedule and Morton this week, so we had the mindset of move your feet, cover for each other and get numbers behind the ball. And Tommy (Welch) our goalkeeper did a good job of holding the ball.”
And while the defense locked down the Boilermakers, the Huskies’ offense ignited. Off a Cesar Recendez pass 50 seconds into the half, a Bromagen 10-yard shot was deflected just over the crossbar – foreshadowing a strong 40 minutes to come for Naperville North.
“In the second half we did a far better job of playing to feet,” Konrad said. “We started controlling the pace of the game a little bit. They were trying to hold the lead so they backed in, and that let us get a rhythm back. Then the boys started to feel we were having success, and that if we switched the ball quickly we could get to the end line and create.”
Ethan Harvey’s 50-yard free-kick with 32:10 left set up a Will Ritzmann shot in the box that was blocked by Wray. But the continued Huskies pressure would eventually pay off.
“As the game went on, we got the PK – Chris scored his 50th goal,” Konrad said. “And then just like the other night the ball comes in and Brom buries a tough shot back post. Brom as cool as always finishes, and then we hung on for dear life.”
The Bromagen game-winner was preceded by a scare – Avila drove a 30-yard free kick off the post with 15:50 left, inches away from putting Bradley-Bourbonnais up 2-1.
Then after the Huskies went ahead, Bradley-Bourbonnais didn’t fade. Fritz’s 20-yard straight-on shot with 4:40 left was stopped by Welch, and an offside call with 1:45 to go denied a Bradley-Bourbonnais two-man attack on goal.
Naperville North also just missed a monster chance with 3:30 left. A Recendez 6-yard shot was denied on a point-blank save by Bradley-bourbonnais goalkeeper Jacob Meents, and two ensuing rebound tries in the crease were denied by Meents and a Bradley-Bourbonnais defender.
Andrew Klaiber’s long send upfield with 40 seconds left repelled the final Boilermakers chance, and wrapped up the Huskies’ second-straight win over an unbeaten foe.
“Morton is a great team, and Bradley-Bourbonnais is a terrifying team,” Konrad said. “For whatever reason, it was our night tonight. We had our chances and finished them.
“We keep it simple, hammer the same things home. Do a small group of things well, and it’s paid dividends.”
The Huskies’ work ethic has been a big part of their 16-game unbeaten streak since Sept. 8. They have allowed just nine goals in that span against elite competition.
“We kind of knew we weren’t going to be as talented as some teams we were going to play,” Bromagen said. “Morton has so many gifted kids on the ball, and the team we just played. We just said we were going to outwork the other team.”
While a halftime deficit has been rare of late for the Huskies, they knew how to respond.
“We haven’t been in that situation, but we have put other teams in that situation,” Sullivan said. “And we notice teams start to crack when we’re up a goal.
“We knew that, and we never let up once. We came together, as one unit and we were able to tough it out and win the game. And now we’re playing in the state championship.”
Konrad guided the Huskies to fourth place in 2010 and has an .800 winning percentage in his 13 years as Huskies’ head coach. Now his 2016 team plays for the top prize.
“It’s been a blast,” Konrad said. “Obviously at this point every game you win, unless you’ve been part of a group like this, you can’t explain how special it is to see kids you’ve worked with and love have success.”
While not facing the caliber of competition that the Huskies did, Bradley-Bourbonnais was unbeaten before Friday and proved they belonged in the spotlight with a great semifinal performance.
“We have eight guys who have played together,” Robinson said. “Everything they do with a lot of passion. This season, you go out there and have fun, and when we need to go, they go. Their ability to play at a high level was out there.”
The Boilermakers had just five seniors, and the Markanich brothers are juniors.
“It was an awesome season, a great experience,” Anthony Markanich said. “But this first loss is a terrible feeling.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Tom Welch
D Andrew Klaiber
D Ethan Harvey
D Mitch Konrad
D Colin Iverson
MF Chris Sullivan
MF Will Ritzmann
MF Jack Barry
MF James Zhang
F Jack Bromagen
F Ty Konrad
Bradley-Bourbonnais
GK Jacob Meents
D Jacb Rodriguez
D Tarek Bos-Shadi
D Nolan Wade
D Brandon Wray
MF Efrain Davila
MF Peter Sorich
MF Anthony Markanich
MF Justin Fritz
F Nicholas Markanich
F Jack Kramer
Man of the Match: Jack Bromagen, Naperville North
Officials: M-John Martelin, AR1-Chris Rudolph, AR2-Tom Schaefer, 4th-Bret Richter