LOCKPORT – Give them credit, Lockport certainly knows how to celebrate.

Earlier this season, on a cold and blustery afternoon, the Porters captured the Windy City Ram Classic championship title with an impressive victory over Lincoln-Way East.

Despite the wintery conditions, the Porters stayed on the field for an extensive period to revel in the tournament title.

On Thursday, the Porters kept their tradition intact with another victory worthy of a long postgame party.

Lockport scored two goals in the first half to post a strong 2-0 win over Wheaton North in the Porter Cup title game. The tournament host had plenty of reasons for their postgame party, which included championship T-shirts for all the players and coaches, pictures galore and even Tik Tok dance videos.

The Porters (11-0-0), ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, avenged last season’s Porter Cup semifinal loss to Wheaton North, and also ended the Falcons’ two-year run title run.

Lockport coach Todd Elkei said Thursday’s postgame get-together was special. This time, though, the team, the parents and family and friends weren’t allowed on the field due to security reasons.

“I thought we played pretty well and kept the ball on the ground in the first half. We were all over them,” Elkei said. “We could’ve had a couple of more but had a few unlucky ones by hitting the crossbar a couple of times. We moved the ball well.

“We break the season in parts. … We kind of have a redemption tour. We lost to these guys last year, so it was kind of circled on our calendar to take care of some business this year. We’re taking it one game at a time. We’re having fun.”

Lockport junior forward Ava Kozak, a Marquette recruit, scored the first goal of the game. 

The Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match scored in the 12th minute on an odd try. She nearly whiffed completely from six yards but got just enough of the ball to send a slow roller into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. 

Four minutes later, she appeared to score again, but the referee ruled she touched the ball with her hand before the shot attempt.

Still, Kozak stands at 14 goals in 11 games.

“This win feels amazing,” Kozak said. “We’ve been working really hard for it. We’ve been creating really well and working well together. I think we could’ve finished a couple more. We were fired up to beat them.”

Freshman sensation Yurida Hernandez thrilled the large crowd with a few fancy moves with the ball. Hernandez, like Kozak, is enjoying her first season on the varsity. Hernandez scored on a shot via a pass from Tiffany Giannese in the 24th minute. The eight-yard shot concluded the scoring.

“We just were determined to get into the box and always work on it during practice,” Hernandez said. “I got into the box and saw it, and the shot just went in. I felt a little frustration we didn’t score more, but we kept calm and didn’t get too fired up. I’m glad to help make an impact and help us win two titles so far.”

Thirteenth-ranked Wheaton North (6-2-1) played without all-state goalie Zoey Bohmer. The Loyola recruit was a significant factor in Wheaton North’s back-to-back Porter Cup titles. Bohmer suffered an injury in Wednesday’s practice.

Backup goalie Leah Roe got the unenviable task of facing Lockport. The junior held the Porters scoreless for the final 56-plus minutes of the match and dealt with an onslaught of shots in the first half.

She pulled off nearly every imaginable save in the opening half: a leaping tap-out save; a diving save to each side; catching a line-drive shot; snagging ground shots; and jumping into a group of players to control the ball. 

In total, Roe tallied nine of her 13 saves in the first half. Lockport’s attack was so relentless that a player shot at the Wheaton North goal after the first half buzzer sounded. 

“Leah is a more than capable high-quality goalie,” Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly said. “She’s going to step in for Zoey next year. I don’t think we’re going to miss a beat. In the first 10 or 15 minutes, it was a bit more nerve-wracking for her. 

“Zoey injured herself at the end of practice yesterday, so we didn’t know if she was going to play. Once Leah got some of the jitters removed, she was more focused on grabbing the ball and being successful. She can cover the goal really well. I think we’re in good hands.

“We just lacked aggressiveness. They’re a strong and physical team. Both of those goals were about physical strength. With a different voice in the back and Zoey gone, our centerbacks didn’t pick up enough of that void as far as being leaders in the first half. We allowed balls to bounce that shouldn’t bounce.”

Lockport’s backline played a big role in goalie Liz Rock (two saves) notching another clean-sheet. Alyssa Flood, Brinlee McNabb, Emma Czech and Meghan Mack kept Wheaton North all-state forward Jane Rogers from getting many clean looks.

Rock said the team was motivated to atone for last year’s loss to Wheaton North.

“(Wheaton North) has a strong offense and has speed and agility to get around a strong defense,” Rock said. “With the support of my defenders, they were able to cut down and angle the shots directly to me. I learned a lot from last season’s game. We had to push up, keep them on their half and move the ball better on the floor.”

McEvilly said his team will learn from two-goal defeat.

“Lockport has a very dangerous team,” McEvilly said. “Their midfield is outstanding. If you watch the last 60 minutes of the game, my two midfielders, Addison Falco and Calah Strong, can control anybody’s midfield. They took their (two scorers) out of the game, and they couldn’t really play through their midfield. The last 40 minutes turned into a track meet, and we just couldn’t connect with enough passes.

“These are all lessons. … We have some kids who are injured, but that doesn’t take away from Lockport. They are deserving champions, and we hope we can see them again.”

Strong, a junior midfielder, credited Lockport for applying nonstop pressure on the Falcons’ backline.

“We fought hard and played our best,” Strong said. “They deserve it and are a good team. We would’ve liked to win. It was a good result to hold them to two goals. Without Zoey, we stepped up and (Leah) helped control the game and really took that role on. I’m happy we fought hard. It was a good battle.”

Falco said her team showed toughness, especially bouncing back from a rugged first half.

“We never gave up,” Falco said. “This team did so great, and we all lifted each other up and never got down. We fought our hardest. It’s not the outcome we wanted, but it was a good fight. Lockport is a strong team with a lot of confidence. We all helped each other out and that really helped to keep them to two (goals) today.”

Starting lineups
 
Wheaton North
GK: Leah Roe
D: Addison Falco
D: Kylee Gosling
D: Emily Macek
D: Mira Spillane
MF: Grace Kuczaj
MF: Annie Pyykkonen
MF: Chloe Keating
MF: Calah Strong
F: Jane Rogers
F: Talia Kaempf
 
Lockport
GK: Liz Rock
D: Karolina Skubisz
D: Brinlee McNabb
D: Emma Czech
D: Alyssa Flood
D: Meghan Mack
MF: Kaylin Klutcharch
MF: Natalie Zodrow
F: Tiffany Giannese
F: Yurida Hernandez
F: Ava Kozak
 
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ava Kozak, jr. F, Lockport
 

Scoring summary
 
First half
Lockport: Kozak (Zodrow), 12’
Lockport: Hernandez (Giannese), 24’
 
Second half
No scoring