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Game story: Morton fights through wind, Lyons to advance

By Bill Esbrook, 10/30/24, 9:30AM CDT

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Mustangs defeat Lions 2-0 in Reavis Sectional semi on strikes from Rodriguez, Ayala

BURBANK -- Who said an ill wind blows no good?

Well, literally it was the English playwright and poet John Heywood, in his book of proverbs from the year 1546.

It’s a common phrase now that is usually defined as a situation that has no positive outcome for anyone involved. The Morton boys soccer team probably, at least weather-wise, might disagree with that after their performance Tuesday in the opening semifinal of the Class 3A Reavis Sectional against Lyons.

There's no record of whether or not Heywood was a soccer fan, although it's possible.

Although the sport wasn’t formalized in England until 1863, it had been kicking around the globe in one form or another since originating in about 3 B.C.

If old John had somehow made his way to Burbank to watch Morton play against Lyons, he might have had to retract his declaration.

In a West Suburban Conference cross-over match, the rivals battled on Prato-Wierzal Field. Besides an unseasonable game-time temperature of 82, Mother Nature threw another curveball in the form of a strong, consistent wind with gusts over 40 mph – which more than qualifies as an ill soccer wind if you have to play into it.

The game-changing, ball-altering gale didn’t seem to faze Morton in the least.

The top-seeded Mustangs tallied a goal in each half, both with and against the wind, in a 2-0 semifinal victory over no. 5-seed Lyons.

“For the most part we were able to keep possession,” said coach John Bageanis about battling the blasts of air, “with not too many chances of being countered.

“We did a good job of getting back behind the ball in transition, and that was a big plus for us tonight.”

Senior Angel Rodriguez found the back of the net for Morton in the first half; classmate Enrique Ayala scored after intermission.

“I can’t say enough about Ricky (Ayala) and Angel,” added Bageanis. “They’re really starting to jell in the playoffs.”

The Mustangs, who are ranked 17th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, took advantage of the stiff breeze in the opening 40 minutes to get off to a hot start.

Aguilar and teammate Rafael Ramirez each had chances in the first five minutes but were turned away by Lyons keeper Matt Peterson.

However, the Lions (13-8-2) had a hard time getting the ball out of their own end due to the conditions, and Morton (13-5-4) was the beneficiary of that issue in the 16th minute.

Rodriguez intercepted a Lions clearance attempt 16 yards from the goal, settled the ball and sliced it past Peterson to make it 1-nil.

“We were very communicative out there today,” said Mustangs senior midfielder Moises Malavaez, who played a terrific match.

“We were yelling, talking to each other. We made sure to defend and then go on the attack, not make mistakes, just keep possession of the ball.”

The best chance of the opening period for Lyons came in the 30th minute.

Sophomore midfielder Hayden McTigue lined up a shot from eight yards, but his attempt was stopped by Morton goalkeeper Miguel Jimenez, who made one of his five saves.

When the halftime horn sounded, the Lions went to intermission happy to be down just 1-0 and prepared to pounce with the wind at their backs in the second half.

“We certainly thought we’d have the advantage,” said Lyons coach Paul Labbato. “We were talking about the fact that they (Morton) missed out on through-balls, because the wind carried it out of bounds or to our goalkeeper.”

Bageanis agreed with his counterpart down the sideline.

“We thought (in the second half) that we were just going to have to drop back and defend with all of our might,” he said. “I was expecting a bombardment of long balls.”

All of the confidence and good feelings for Lyons, however, went out the window in the first minute of the second stanza.

Right after kickoff, Rodriguez collected the ball just across midfield and launched a low, perfect long ball right to the feet of a hard-charging Ayala.

Ayala wasted no time, sending the ball into the net from 19 yards with 39:20 still showing on the second half clock.

The insurance goal proved to be the dagger.

“I saw him (Ayala) making the run,” said Rodriguez, “and he’s fast. I knew he was going to get to the ball. I knew he would score.”

Rodriguez and Ayala shared Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for their impactful play.

Ayala thought, as many did, that the early second half strike completely turned the match around.

“You can’t really relax when it’s a tight (1-0) game,” said the senior. “You’ve got to keep attacking.

“In the first half, I thought the game was pretty even. Then we got that goal (by Rodriguez), and that got them (Lyons) on edge.

“Scoring the second goal let us play our game.”

Lyons tried to answer with three scoring-chances in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

First, senior forward Mason Burda bent a corner kick on goal, but it was punched away by a leaping Jimenez.

Next classmate Filip Soldat, a midfielder, cut a shot through the wind from 16 yards that was on frame, but Jimenez was right there to make the stop.

Burda tried again, this time from 32 yards, but the shot ended up as another save for the Morton keeper.

The Mustangs, who earned their 12th shutout with the victory, controlled the final 15 minutes of the match.

The Mustangs took six shots down the stretch, including a 34-yard free kick by Ayala in the 72nd minute that sailed just over the crossbar at the last possible moment.

Only the extraordinary play of Lyons keeper Peterson kept the Mustangs from extending the lead.

When the Lions were able to make a foray into Morton territory, the Mustangs defenders, including starters Christian Valadez, Dario Cisneros and Nicolas Zaragoza, made sure there was no harm done.

“I think our backline did a great job,” said Bageanis. “They met the challenge, because they (Lyons) are really good in the air, and today we held our own.

“Then (midfielders) Alfredo Campos and Dave Perez did a great job of holding balls and distributing balls throughout the game.”

Malavaez said the Mustangs were able to quickly adapt to the changing conditions after intermission, and that was key.

“We were playing the ball on the ground because we were at a disadvantage through the air,” he said. “We were passing it on the floor.”

Earlier this season, on Sept. 20 and 21, Lyons won Morton’s Premier Invitational with victories over Lane and Benet.

Due to the two-game set-up of the tourney, the Lions didn’t meet the Mustangs. 

Labbato said if his team had matched up against Morton in the event, there might have been a different outcome in the playoff match.

“Any time you get to see the speed of play (of an opponent) and how tough that team is, it gives you a good sense of what they’re all about,” he said.

“I could only tell our kids what this rivalry looks like year-in and year-out, and how different it is. Tonight, they saw that first hand.”

Incidentally, Benet (Class AA) and Lane (Class 3A) advanced to the Sweet 16 Tuesday night. 

Labbato added that Morton’s 41st-minute goal was the backbreaker.

“They played really well, Morton did. They played really tough," he said. "I thought our guys did a lot of things right, we just missed some opportunities.

“We had to have better moments on the ball. Maybe then we could have gotten something, but it didn’t work out today.

“Then they doubled their lead, and that was really important.”

Morton advances to play another Silver Division foe from the West Suburban Conference at 5 p.m. Friday in the Reavis final. Seventh-seeded Hinsdale Central (13-8-2) advanced with a 3-1 win over six-seed Downers Grove South in the nightcap Tuesday. The red-hot Red Devils have won 12 of their last 14 matches.

Hinsdale Central won the Silver Division; Morton finished second to third-ranked Leyden on the Gold side.

Starting lineups

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

Lyons
GK: Matt Peterson
D: Fred Chen
D: Sean Dunne
D: Devin Wong
D: Johnny Rocha
MF: Filip Soldat
MF: Chris Medina
MF: Kellin Bourjaily
MF: Hayden McTigue
F: Ryland Avants
F: Mason Burda

Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Enrique Ayala, sr., F, Morton; Angel Rodriguez, sr., F, Morton.


Scoring summary

First half
Morton: Rodriguez (unassisted), 16'

Second half
Morton: Ayala (Rodriguez), 41'