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Game story: Leyden’s Esquivel brothers share an unforgettable moment, victory against Morton

By Patrick Z. McGavin , 10/10/24, 12:00AM CDT

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Diego sets up Christian’s 100th-minute penalty kick in 2-1 victory over Morton

NORTHLAKE — The soccer history of the Esquivel family was already noteworthy and magical and marked by significant personal accomplishments in the Leyden program.

What happened over the frenzied final seconds in the marquee showdown between Morton and the Eagles on a crisp and gorgeous Tuesday night is the stuff of instant legends. 

In the delirious aftermath, players from both sides still tried to make sense of it all.

“From where I started to where I ended, it was probably an unexplainable moment, especially with the rivalry we have against them,” junior midfielder Diego Esquivel said. 

“It felt like a special scene.”


With a penalty shootout seemingly inevitable, Diego Esquivel changed everything.

His tackle, steal and resulting counter yielded a penalty kick chance his older brother Christian converted with 11.4 seconds remaining in the second overtime for the no. 6 Eagles’ implausible 2-1 victory in West Suburban Conference Gold Division play.

The 100th-minute victory paves the way for a repeat conference championship for the Eagles (14-2-2, 4-0-0).

Last year, Leyden ended the Mustangs’ reign of nine-consecutive championships with an 80th-minute goal.

The surreal ending was a double disappointment for the no. 18 Mustangs (9-5-5, 5-1-0). 

Morton led for a good portion of the second half.

Coming off a four-goal performance Saturday against Downers Grove South, forward Enrique Ayala converted a penalty kick in the 43rd minute that staked Morton to its 1-0 advantage.

“It was definitely intense throughout the whole game,” Morton defender Christian Valadez said. “I thought it was back and forth. We’d have a chance, and then they’d have a chance. 

“I just thought it was really unfortunate the way the game ended. There was nothing really we could do.”

With the clock winding down, Diego Esquivel made a quick play on the ball, took possession and pushed it up the field with midfielder Rogelio Herrera making a hard run down the left flank.

“I knew there was time but not a lot,” Diego Esquivel said. “There were maybe 10 or 20 seconds left. I got to the 50-yard line, and I saw less and less of their players.

“I saw him up there. I trust him with the ball at his feet. He got it done.”

Capturing the through-ball from Diego Esquivel, Herrera made a strong push toward the Morton goal on the left edge when the official ruled a Morton defender impeded his progress too aggressively and called the foul.

Just 11.8 seconds showed on the clock before a conference-mandated penalty shootout when Christian Esquivel strode to the north end of the field where Ayala made his earlier penalty kick.

“There were a lot of emotions going on there,” Christian Esquivel said. “I felt the people in the back, and the people in the stands, and it got pretty nerve-wracking at first. 

“I caught myself, took my time, took a little breather.”

He drilled his shot into the lower left corner.

“It’s something that is very special to win this game against them,” Christian Esquivel said. 

With some combination of two wins, or a win and tie against last place Willowbrook and third place Downers Grove South, Leyden would repeat as conference champions.

“It means a lot, especially for our coach, going back-to-back,” midfielder Brandon Delgado said. “It’s been a while since we did that.”

Delgado’s dramatic 69th-minute goal restarted the narrative.

The Eagles appeared stymied and flat-out unlucky after creating a series of sharp movements and near scoring-chances through the free kicks of defender David Tracewicz and the run of play.

Delgado won the ball on the left edge and utilized his excellent ballhandling and dribbling to near the outside of the box.

From 24 yards, he lofted a brilliant and breathtaking ball that perfectly curved inside the near post for the incredible tying score.

“I’ve been practicing that shot a lot of times in practice,” Delgado said. “You always think about and prepare for that situation where you’re down, and you have to put in the extra work.

“You think about doing whatever it takes to make it work out there.”

Up until the moment, the atmosphere was anxious and the Eagles had a slightly nervous edge to their movements. Leyden was coming off a shocking 2-1 loss against Lincoln Park last Friday.

The Eagles struggled with the narrow field of the Lions’ facility off Lake Shore Drive on the north side of the city and also gave up a crucial penalty kick goal.

Leyden never lost faith in itself against Morton.

“We talked to each other and kept telling each other that we were going to get it,” Delgado said. “We just stayed positive and pushed through it.”

There were more than a few tense moments.

“His goal gave us confidence,” Christian Esquivel said. “The whole game we were getting frustrated with ourselves. We had so many chances to score goals. 

“His goal lifted our spirit, and our momentum shifted so much. We played a full game.”

A high-flying Morton team that looked comfortable protecting the narrow lead was suddenly thrown into literally starting over from scratch.

“The pressure was hard on us, because we had to win this game no matter what in order to secure the conference championship,” Ayala said.

“Leyden is a good team, and we always look forward to playing against them. They’re always very close games.”

Centerback Nicolas Zaragoza was part of a spirited and highly technical Morton backline that engaged and challenged the Eagles’ dynamic offense at every juncture.

“I feel like we played a really good game in the back,” Zaragoza said. “We just need to talk more.

“I feel like it took us a while for us to connect. If we keep playing this way, we could make it very far in the playoffs.”

Tracewitz nearly ended the game on the final play of regulation. On a free kick from 40 yards, he smashed a left-footed howitzer with a wicked spin that required Morton keeper Miguel Jimenez to make a diving deflection.

Late goals tend to create late momentum. Morton tried vainly to snatch it back.

The Delgado goal altered the balance of the game and shifted the momentum almost permanently to the Eagles’ side.

“It felt refreshing, or reassuring, because we tied the game,” Delgado said. 

“I felt like after that goal we had the definite advantage. We were in their half most of the time. We kept getting second-balls, and we kept pressuring them.”

Each side had its moments during the two overtimes. Morton forward Angel Rodriguez, running sharply off of Ayala, smashed a ball from about 26 yards in the 95th minute that forced Leyden keeper Daniel Llanos to leave his feet.

With Jimenez off his line during the first overtime, Valadez peeled back and made a header clearance in front of the goal.

The back-and-forth action and high-level play was consistently decided by a razor thin margin, a movement here, a deflection there.

Delgado earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor for scoring the only goal in the run of play.

“No matter what happened, we stayed positive out there,” Delgado said. “We talked to each other, and we kept telling each other that we were going to get it.

“We stayed positive and pushed through it.”


Starting lineups

Morton
GK: Miguel Jimenez
D: Dario Cisneros
D: Rafael Ramirez
D: Nicolas Zaragoza
D: Christian Valadez
MF: Giovanni Roman
MF: Alfredo Campos
MF: Yahir Aguilar
MF: Moises Malavaez
F: Enrique Ayala
F: Angel Rodriguez

Leyden
GK: Daniel Llanos
D: Stefano Andrino
D: Fabian Rodriguez
D: David Tracewicz
D: Yadier DeLaCruz
MF: Ryvin DelPilar
MF: Brandon Delgado
MF: Christian Esquivel
MF: Diego Esquivel
MF: Rogelio Herrera
 F: Jesus Ramos

Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Brandon Delgado, sr., MF, Leyden


Scoring summary

First half
No scoring

Second half
Morton—Enrique Ayala (penalty kick), 43’
Leyden—Brandon Delgado (unassisted), 69’

First overtime
No scoring

Second overtime
Leyden—Christian Esquivel (penalty kick), 100’