WEST CHICAGO – While many of the assembled enjoyed Homecoming festivities, a halftime ceremony honoring the 2014 Wheaton Academy state championship team and postgame fireworks, Bartlett stole the show.

Dzemal Dzambegovic scored the game-winning goal in the 54th minute to lift the Hawks to a 2-1 victory over Wheaton Academy, the 10th-ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 on Thursday night before a large and festive crowd.

Bartlett (7-3-2) followed that the win with a 5-1 triumph over Burlington Central on Saturday, extending its winning streak to four matches. 

Wheaton Academy (13-2) saw its five-game winning streak snapped in the loss.

“That was a good win, I couldn’t ask for anything more from my guys,” Bartlett coach Anthony Glorioso said. “It’s a big win for our program against one of the top teams in the area. This group of guys is working hard, and they’re starting to really prove themselves with these wins.”

The Hawks jumped to a 1-0 lead after controlling play for much of the first half. They finally broke through when Oliver Kosciolek beat a Warriors defender to a loose ball.

The junior midfielder then sent a through-ball to Dawud Shah, who put it away in the 29th minute.

Bartlett led 1-0 at halftime, but the lead didn’t survive long into the second half. In fact, it took only 36 seconds for Cuyler Finnegan to tie it for Wheaton Academy.

The visitors eventually turned momentum back their way and Dzambegovic restored their lead with a run down the right side to receive a pass from Marco Costabile.

The junior forward/midfielder then beat keeper Connor Riddle high for the goal.

“I saw (Riddle) and I was like, I’m just gonna hit the top left corner, and I did it just like how I wanted to,” the Chiccagoland Soccer Man of the Match said of his goal.

“There was a little opening there. I kinda went for more of a volley to get the ball up and over him.”

Riddle finished with four saves; Bartlett keeper Daniel Martinez stopped three. 

The Hawks keeper’s likely top stop came in the 77th minute when he turned away a header from  Carlton McClure. 

Neither team came close to scoring in the final minutes as Bartlett held on for a victory that will certainly increase the Hawks’ footprint in the area -- even if the players would prefer it doesn’t.

“We’re trying to fly under the radar, but I don’t know how well that’s going to go now,” Bartlett defender Jack Conner said. “It was a great game. Hard work on both sides. I’m proud of my teammates for not giving up, especially in front of a big crowd. We were able to keep our cool and keep going.”

Glorioso made a similar point about the team’s even keel, especially after giving up the tying goal so quickly in the second half.

“We keep our composure calm on the ball, off the ball,” he said. “I don’t know what it is, but we seem to respond well after getting scored on.”

The Hawks also drew praise from Warriors coach Jeff Brooke.

“I was really impressed with Bartlett,” he said. “They did a nice job of moving off the ball.

“They kept pressure on us, and their pressure came in numbers. I would have liked to see us respond just a little bit better and work to keep the ball a little bit more.”

Early on, it appeared the Wheaton Academy’s plan involved getting Finnegan loose behind the defense. He had three such opportunities in the first nine minutes but came up empty each time.

“He was called offside on the first attempt, and shot wide of the mark on the next two, keeping the game scoreless and giving Bartlett confidence.

Wheaton Academy only had one other decent scoring chance in the half. That came in the 22nd minute off a free kick from Andrew Lopez headed by Sam Brown toward Martinez, who made the save.

“We definitely struggled in the first half,” senior defender Finn Ruch said. “I don’t think we played our best. In the second half we rallied and played more to our standard.

“Looking back, we’re going to regret some aspects of how we played. But at the same time it’s really good to play a team that is good, and then have a close game with them in front of our home fans and experience that excitement.”

The energy was palpable before the game started and lasted until the conclusion of the annual Homecoming fireworks display.

“It’s every high schoolers dream to see a crowd like that and feel the excitement,” Ruch added. “To have an opportunity to play in front of our peers and the faculty for Homecoming was just a fantastic opportunity. 

“We’re all super grateful for that. It’s super adrenaline-inducing when you walk on the field for warmups, and there are tons of people there to watch your game.”

A burst of excitement kicked in during the opening seconds of the second half when Finnegan connected after a through-ball to put the Warriors on the board.

“I was really proud of the way the guys came out of the halftime,” Brooke said. “I felt like we were really dictating the game to start the second half. If we had kept the ball a little more, that could have lasted longer, and maybe we even get a better result. Credit Bartlett, though. They did a great job.”

Starting lineups

Bartlett
GK: Daniel Martinez
D: Jack Conner
D: Nate Preissig
D: Ryan Wozny
D: Raul Arismendi
D: Mason Magnanao
MF: Omar Castro
MF: Will Ehlers
MF: Alexander Perez
F: Marco Costabile
F: Dzemal Dzambegovic

Wheaton Academy
GK: Connor Riddle
D: Brenden Kelly
D: Caleb Vandervelde
D: Carlton McClure
D: Finn Ruch
MF: Luke Rodriguez
MF: Mason Brooke
MF: Sam Brown
MF: Andrew Lopez
F: Gabe Stein Rodrigues
F: Cuyler Finnegan

Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Dzemal Dzambegovic, jr., F, Bartlett

Scoring summary

First half
Bartlett: Dawud Shah (Oliver Kosciolek), 29’

Second half
Wheaton Academy: Cuyler Finnegan, 41’
Bartlett: Dzemal Dzambegovic (Marco Costabile), 54’