Staff Reporter – CornerKICKSMedia.com
Serving as the middle game during the HSSA Boys Soccer State Finals, the South Elgin-Solorio Class I showdown turned out to be an unforgettable match on a picture-perfect day at Triton College in River Grove.
Both schools walked into the heavily crowded stadium in the midst of the first state game, earning some plaudits from DJ Riel. All the coaches and players quickly realized this was no ordinary game, not with the official Chicago Bulls and Chicago Bears DJ pumping up the crowd with his music and positive vibes.
South Elgin and Solorio did not disappoint on the pitch either.
After battling back and forth for 80 minutes and a scoreless 10-minute golden-goal overtime, South Elgin finally walked away with a 1-0 victory after a 5-4 win in penalty kicks over Solorio (Chicago).
South Elgin midfielder Carson Lippold recorded the game winner, drilling the ball into the back of net to set off a big celebration.
“The kids were very excited to beat a very strong squad in Solorio,” South Elgin coach Bill Wright said. “It was a well-played game by both teams that came down to a penalty-kick shootout. This was an outstanding experience for a group of kids who normally do not get to experience something like this.”
South Elgin freshman goalie Ryan Weynschenk saved the first penalty-kick attempt to set up the winning shot by Lippold.
“This was a tough one,” Solorio coach Adrian Marquez said. “Hopefully it helps the kids grow and serves as a motivational experience. Every single one of my kids played an important role in what the team achieved, even if the end result for the state final wasn’t what we hoped for.”
South Elgin nearly scored a goal early in the first half, but sophomore forward Soumil Valiyapurayil’s shot just missed the mark. Solorio junior forward Jonathan Diaz had a point-blank shot saved by Weynschenk in the 54th minute, while South Elgin’s Daniel Dziekonski’s header in final minutes of regulation was just wide.
“We had a great team effort by everybody, but several players stepped up like Chris Agular, Bartosz Gosztyla, Pedro Flores, Jacob Buthman and Cesar Martinez,” Wright said of his team.
Solorio goalie Diego Ramirez put on a show with four big saves in the second half to set up the golden-goal session.
“The game was an amazing experience overall, from the crowd to the game itself with the live DJ, cameras in the locker rooms getting footage of our team talk,” Solorio junior defender Andres Rodriguez said. “It was a full experience like the professionals. It was fun and very nerve-racking, giving us a little feeling of what the pros go through.”
Bio on reporter: Bobby Narang has been covering prep recruiting and sports for the past 30 years. His work also appears in the Chicago Tribune and Daily Herald.
