HOFFMAN ESTATES  — If you’ve been monitoring what Noah Molitor’s been doing this season then you’re well aware that he’s a scoring machine.

The machine once again delivered during Thursday’s Class 1A semifinal as Molitor’s rebound score off the crossbar early in the second half was all the offense Normal (University) needed during a 1-0 victory over Mendota.

“It’s very similar to a previous goal against Normal West in the intracity game (a 2-1 victory on Sept. 2),” Molitor explained. “The ball just popped out in front of me and in those situations you can’t hesitate. It’s just natural instinct for me to put it back in the net.”

The scoring play began unfolding just as senior midfielder Owen Pacetti released the ball on a throw-in.

Mendota defender Maurcio Martinez was able to defend the throw with a header but rather than send it away, it went across the box where a wide open Keaton Ash was waiting to receive it. Ash’s header caromed off the crossbar, but if there’s anyone who knows how to play a carom and redirect a ball into the back of the net, it’s Molitor.

Molitor pounced on the rebound and then used a header to send it just inside the near post in the 45th minute.

Coincidentally, it was also Molitor’s 45th goal of the season. He’s now scored 21 more goals than the 24 his team has surrendered.

“I knew I was going to put that in the back of the net, there was no doubt in my mind,” he said. “I was just excited that the ball was there. I think we deserved it. I mean, we worked hard. Just having it being right there was in our favor but in the end of the day we played better anyways.”

He expected a big-time battle from the Trojans knowing full well a second straight trip to the Class 1A finals was on the line. 

“We knew their offense was going to be all over us,” Molitor said. “They have four really good attacking players so we knew this. We knew all about their defense. Our coaches told me exactly what I needed to do about movement, where I needed to be. At the end of the day it’s hard work that’s going to win the game.”

As one of a dozen seniors playing for University (Normal), this year is truly an unforgettable one for the Pioneers and that’s been amplified by a second trip into state finals weekend.

“This is crazy,” Molitor said. “It just makes it more important that I’m making it to the state championship game with my best friends. We have 12 seniors so this is so important for us. We’ve worked so hard this season. Just like last year we knew exactly what it was going to take. We’re going to come out with energy and be ready on Saturday.”

University (Normal) (24-5-1) has now outscored its post-season foes, 31-1. The Pioneers also picked up their 14th shutout of the season as their back line once again limited their opponent from doing much to challenge them. 

Mendota (24-3-1) only produced three shots as Bryce Nicolas-Penn, Connor Evans, Paul Isaacs and Kadin Rayford made sure the Trojans wouldn’t break through its back line and deny the Pioneers a chance at playing for the title again.

“I thought we played well and the biggest thing for us tonight was staying on the defensive end,” Pioneers coach Jeremy Stanton said. “We played great team defense. Our back line was incredible and we had a great game plan going into this one. The guys executed, it was perfect. I couldn’t be more proud of them Our back line did unbelievable. They gave up a two shots on goal the whole game - two shots on against a very good offensive team so that was a great to see.”

The Pioneers made sure Trojans saw a lot of their Kelly green and gold around them.

“We just wanted to stay compact defensively and want them to see a second defender if they’ve got good attacking players,” Stanton said. “We knew that once they were attacking into the final third a lot of times they’ll slip passes in and try to get behind the defender. We had good reads on them going into the game and it played out that way, too.”

University (Normal) hasn’t been this good all season defensively, but for the most part it has been.

“Our schedule is incredibly tough in the regular season and our conference is tough and that prepared us for this,” Stanton said. “I would say up to the midpoint of the season our defense was really solid and then we had a lapse there for a couple weeks and we weren’t playing great. We weren’t connecting. We weren’t communicating as much as we had been. We’ve stressed defense now the last several weeks and then playoffs and everything else and that’s where the game is won for us. So we’ve been solid at the beginning of the season and now we’re solid at the end, at the right time.”

Mendota didn’t go down without a fight, but with such little success with the ball in pressuring the Pioneers, its chances seldom arrived. 

Undoubtedly, Mendota's best opportunity arrived in the 75th minute.

Johan Cortez sent a beautiful pass across the front of the box to Cesar Casas, but he was unable to put in on frame, as his shot sailed wide. It would’ve been his 33rd goal on the year, tops on a team featuring Johan Cortez (27 goals, 28 assists), Isaac Diaz (31 goals, 9 assists) and Sebastian Carlos (16 goals, 9 assists).

“Johan made a great pass to Cesar and we just missed it,” Trojans coach Nick Myers said. “But we had a wonderful opportunity to tie it there.”

Myers praised how well his team played despite not getting the intended results. Regardless, the Trojans will head home after Saturday’s third-place game having made history as the first team in school history to make the Final Four.

“I thought we played a great game,” Myers said. “For our first time being here I thought we handled our emotions and we got through the first 10 to 15 minutes of being in this type of atmosphere. I thought defensively we played great. We were under pressure for a lot of the game. I thought the guys held up well. In the second half we made one mistake and it really cost us. U-High is a quality team. I thought we played well.”

The swarming defense delivered by the Pioneers certainly slowed down a potent offensive attack. Mendota is averaging nearly 5 goals a game, having scored 143 times. 

Mendota had previously lost by shutout just twice this fall and those losses came to Moline and Yorkville, schools with approximately 2,000 students compared to their enrollment of around 500.

“They kind of swarmed us a little bit as soon as we got the ball and made it it tough for us to get it off our feet quickly,” Myers said. “We adjusted a little bit at halftime. We talked about trying to switch the field diagonally as quick as possible and maybe catch the week side defenders. We just weren’t able to do it enough because we were down 1-0. We went with a two-striker formation toward the end and that helped us a bit and gave us more of an attack. It would’ve been nice to put that intensity and pressure on through the game instead of the last 15 minutes but we had some opportunities toward the end.”

Normal (University) fell to North Shore Country Day, 2-0, in last year’s Class 1A final. The Pioneers won a state title in 2016. Now they’ll have another chance to win their first one in eight years.

“I think we have experience on our side since we’ve been there last year,” Stanton said. “I think the guys learned a lot from last year’s game so hopefully we can take that and put it into play.”

Starting lineups

Mendota
GK: Mateo Goy
D: Cameron Kelly
D: Maurice Martinez
D: Cameron Escatel
D: Daniel Garcia
MF: Ramiro Palacios
MF: David Casas
MF: Johan Cortez
F: Cesar Casas
F: Sebastian Carlos
D: Isaac Diaz

University (Normal)
GK: Noah Greishaber
D: Bryce Nicolas-Penn
D: Connor Evans
D: Paul Isaacs
D: Kadin Rayford
MF: Reed Kawakita
MF: Myles Parola
MF: Keaton Ash
MF: Owen Pacetti
MF: Aidan Dozier
F: Noah Molitor

Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Noah Molitor, sr., F, University (Normal)

 

Scoring summary

First half
No scoring
 

Second half
U: Noah Molitor (unassisted), 45’