Editor’s note: Due to a scoreboard malfunction at the start of the match, references to game times are approximate.
By Chris Walker
AURORA — Power Selemani missed a PK midway through the first half of West Aurora’s Upstate Eight Conference crossover title game against Riverside-Brookfield.
The senior then cramped up early in the second half of a scoreless game and had to be helped to the bench.
These things were definitely not what the no. 4-ranked Blackhawks wanted in their regular-season finale and final home game of the fall, the Upstate Eight Conference championship.
“When I missed the PK, I just had to let it go for a split second and go onto the next thing,” Selemani said. “Before we started the second half, we were huddling up, and (senior teammate) Pas (Ndayishimiye) said I was going to score.”
And the forward did, twice
He broke the scoreless game in the 66th minute on a 10-yard strike, then extended the lead with just under six minutes remaining as West Division champion West Aurora, defeated East Division titleist Riverside-Brookfield in the Upstate Eight Conference final 2-0 Wednesday (Oct. 16)
For his performance, Selemani was named the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
“In the first half I was frustrated missing the PK, and the goalie (senior Eros Valadez) made some saves,” Selemani said. “I went into the second half more hungry and wanted to score bad. When I got hurt, I wanted to come back and score that goal.”
Ndayishimiye agreed that that the Blackhawks had been getting antsy as they worked toward converting one of their many good chances.
“We were just waiting for that one really,” he said. “When the one went in it lifted us up more, because we were missing all those chances. I wouldn’t say that slowed the game down, but I feel like we kind of got into our heads. Once we got that one, it really pushed us to get that second one. Keeping that pressure up gave us energy.”
The cramp that sidelined Selemani in the second half looked far worse from afar. While he had to be helped walking off the field, he said it was minor, yet extremely painful, because it was right under his calf. He couldn’t put any weight on it while it was cramping.
After about five minutes of rest and recovery, Selemani was back on the field and soon the game would no longer be scoreless.
Both goals came on passes from junior midfielder Carlos Gracia-Sheets.
“We’ve been having a good connection lately,” Selemani said. “I trust him to give it back. He’s like magic.”
On the insurance goal, Gracia-Sheets got the ball in deep. From there Selemani took possession near the post and headed it into the back of the net.
“I knew to go on my run, when he cut in and made the run forward into the box,” Selemani said. “I controlled it with my chest. Sometimes I’ll control the ball with my head to my right foot on the volley. We saw we had chances. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way with the chances, and we don’t put the chances away at times.”
West Aurora (16-4-0) had missed opportunities galore throughout the first half as the Blackhawks pressured Riverside-Brookfield from the very start.
“They were very quick offensively and credit to no. 7 (Selemani), because he was their main pivot player they played through going forward,” Bulldogs senior defender Liam Hickey said. “We had to try to contain him, to make sure we had a body on him so he couldn’t turn. If he was able to turn, then he caused a lot of danger.
“He had great creative flair, playmaking abilities which definitely made it hard for us, but I think defensively as a unit we played well. We kept good shape especially in the backline. Kind of faltered at times in the second half. Overall it was a valiant effort by our defense.”
West Aurora’s pressure was relentless.
“I didn’t know much about them but with the speed, the technique and their shape, they move the ball really well,” Riverside-Brookfield coach Ivek Halic said. “Their movement off the ball is really good. It’s a quality team, a very good team.”
Pushing opponents onto their heels is something few teams do as well as the Blackhawks, and that’s not a surprise. It’s been a driving factor to their success. In the last five seasons, West Aurora is 81-17-8. Like the Bulldogs they’re new to the conference. The Blackhawks joined from the Southwest Prairie Conference last year. They fourth-seed will see a familiar foe in no. 13 Yorkville when they open up play in the Class 3A East Aurora Regional on Oct. 22.
While West Aurora has outscored its 20 opponents, 68-18, Riverside-Brookfield has been outscored 28-27 in 17 games. While the Blackhawks averaging 3.4 goals per game, the Bulldogs less than 2 in the net per match.
“(Applying) pressure is something we stress throughout our practices and the whole season,” Ndayishimiye said. “We always want to be pressuring, especially those guys up-top, because eventually there’s going to be a mistake. If there’s pressure we’re going to capitalize on the mistake.”
Riverside-Brookfield (8-6-3) may have fallen short in the title game, but the Bulldogs still had reason to celebrate. They’re Eastern Division conference champs in their debut season in the league.
“I’m pleased with the conference,” Halic said. “Being new, I didn’t know what to expect. I love the competition, love the format of it, love playing the cross-over game. (West Aurora) is a great team. Very disciplined, quick.
“I felt like we played very well just lost our shape at times, but very pleased with how the boys played -- the effort put into it. (Goalkeeper) Eros (Valadez) made a couple big saves. Liam (Hickey) was solid in the backline so very happy with them.”
The Bulldogs finish the regular-season with a final game on Saturday against Nazareth before they head into the state series against regional host Argo on Oct. 22.
“We tell these guys, ‘Hey, this season has three seasons within it. We have a tournament; we have conference; we have the postseason, so one game at a time. Keep everything in perspective.’”
Hickey believes his team took a lot from the match.
“We knew it would be a tough game going in, and it would prepare us for Argo, which will definitely also be a tough game that we are preparing for,” Hickey said. “So, experiencing this kind of play style and going up against it helped us definitely. We got a loss but came here with a plan to win. It’s good preparation for regionals next week.”
Senior midfielders Tomas Kunickas and Xavier Salamanca posed the biggest scoring threats for the Riverside-Brookfield attack. Salamanca had been sidelined with an injury so his return to the lineup certainly will help the Bulldogs chances as they head into the postseason.
The Bulldogs are in pursuit of their first regional title since 2019 and fifth overall. They are seeded no. 9; Argo is an eighth-seed. Unless there’s a colossal upset in the other regional semifinal, the winner will get top-seeded Morton (10-5-5) in the final.
As one of the top-ranked teams in the state, the Blackhawks will be tough to beat, but they also realize that they can’t afford to continue to fail to take advantage of opportunities, especially early in games.
“We definitely have the skills and the team to make it downstate, it’s just making sure we get our job done as a team and focus in practice,” Ndayishimiye said. “We just have to bring what we do in practice into those games and finish those chances.”
The Blackhawks setbacks came against Gateway Legacy, which MaxPreps ranks third in Missouri, and Naperville Central in 1-0 contests Sept. 7 and Sept. 19 respectively. Plainfield Central handed them their worst loss of the season, 3-0, on Sept. 28 and Bartlett beat them 3-1 on Oct. 1.
Currently, West Aurora has won six-straight matches and outscoring their foes 22-3.
“We started well, but those teams we played at the beginning weren’t as strong as teams toward the end of the season,” Ndayishimiye said. “So, we’ve just been tightening the screws. We made some changes to starting positions, how we go into the game mentally with the focus and now comes the end of the season where it’s just us perfecting what we’ve done the whole season.”
It certainly helps when you have a four-year player like Ndayishimiye.
“He’s seen the good, the bad, seen the peaks and valleys, and being even-keeled. He’s one of the most selfless players that are out there,” Sustersic said. “He doesn’t care about his own accolades, but he’s out there doing what’s necessary and people look up to him.
“We’ve had him for four years, and he’s gone from a little freshman wearing no. 4 to now no. 5 and being a great leader with positivity to lead the team.”
Starting lineups
Riverside-Brookfield
GK: Eros Valadez
D: Austin Castilla
D: Liam Hickey
D: Joseph Guerrero
MF: Noah Bernt
MF: Brandon Elizondo
MF: Diego Villegas
MF: Tomas Kunickas
MF: Xavier Salamanca
MF: Reese Jackson
MF: Kenzo Delemos
West Aurora
GK: Luis Garcia
D: Adrian Hernandez
D: Sujan Tiwari
D: Pas Ndayishimiye
MF: Carlos Gracia-Sheets
MF: Justin Sadi
MF: Chris Leon
MF: Sere Iranloye
MF: Mason Aguirre
F: Ruben Perez
F: Power Selemani
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Power Selemani, sr., F, West Aurora
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
WA: Power Selemani (Carlos Gracia-Sheets), 66’
WA: Power Selemani (Carlos Gracia-Sheets), 74’