By Bobby Narang
The St. Charles East High School boys soccer team found itself in a familiar spot in the playoffs on Saturday, Oct, 28.
The Saints entered the Class 3A West Chicago Sectional championship game aiming earn a signature playoff victory over the No. 1 York Dukes.
In the last two playoff meetings between the two schools, the Dukes have ended the Saints dream of a trip to the state tournament at Hoffman Estates High School.
In 2021, the season in which the Dukes won the program’s first State championship, the Saints suffered a 1-0 loss – 9-8 via penalty kicks – to the Dukes in a sectional championship game.
In 2019, the Dukes recorded a 2-1 triumph over the Saints via penalty kicks in a regional final, according to St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo.
“We told them (my players) that they (St. Charles East) had a monkey on their backs, so we knew it was in the back of their heads,” he said.
After a 1-1 draw following the conclusion of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods, the Saints gained a measure of revenge by winning the penalty kicks 4-2 to advance to the supersectional round.
York senior forward Jayden Waski said the Saints played with a lot of motivation.
“I think we didn’t stick to our plan,” Waski said. “I know we could’ve played better and possessed better but give props to St. Charles East. They are a great team. They came out strong, were physical and have a lot of fast players. Unfortunately, we couldn’t put away our chances, especially in the beginning of the game and early in the second half. It’s a game of chances, but sometimes if you don’t put your chances away, you will lose the game and that’s what happened today.
“(St. Charles East) definitely had some motive against us. Some of their players had been on the team for three years, so they definitely were motivated. They were going for us. We had a target on our backs for this game and even the entire playoffs. That’s what happens when you don’t come out to play and finish your chances.”
The Saints forced overtime when senior midfielder Aiden Maloney connected on a shot from 23 yards out in the 67th minute to tie the game at 1-1. The Dukes (16-5) scored the first goal of the game on a shot by Aaron Jobi from 17 yards in the 53rd minute, holding the lead thanks to solid play from their backline and in the net by Ochoa.
The No. 3-seed Saints (19-7) had a short drive to their next game, playing New Trier (20-1-2) in the St. Charles North Supersectional at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31. It marks the Saints’ first supersectional appearance since 2012.
“It’s a monkey off our back,” DiNuzzo said. “The amount of E-mails and texts I got from former athletes saying ‘go get them’ is something that sticks with them. It’s exciting.
“We didn’t play our best brand of soccer. It was disappointing, but to get the result is all you need. We found a way to win and see another day.”
The Saints advanced to the supersectional in their backyard by getting exceptional play in the net from goalie Ivan Campobasso. The junior reserve said he believes it was first time all season serving as the PK specialist. Starting goalie Jordan Rolan collected seven saves in 100 minutes of action, but gave away to the 6-foot Campobasso in the PK session.
He closed out the win with a two-handed save on York’s fifth attempt. The Saints gained an early advantage when Logan Lewarchick, Marc Walker and Aiden Maloney all found the back of the net on the team’s first three PK attempts.
“I feel like it’s because I’m very long and I like to get really far to the post,” Campobasso said of his late entry into the high stakes game. “We work it a lot in practice, to see which one should go in on game day. I just feel like I would be more comfortable, so that’s why they give me the chance…I just went out, I got on that line and I knew I was pumped up.”
York coach Jordan Stopka praised Campobasso for stepping up in a tense moment of the game.
“We just had to be calm, but unfortunately their keeper made some great saves (in PKs.),” Stopka said. “I don’t know if they watched film on us against Glenbard East. They knew which way we were going.”
“The kids put in so much work and took what we said and put it on the field. It’s a very humbling experience to lose, but (St. Charles East) is a great team. We could’ve lost to them two years ago in the same exact game and not won state, so sometimes it’s a game of inches. They had some opportunities to score and we didn’t happen. (Goalie) Diego Ochoa was phenomenal and saved us in the beginning of the game and have Diego to thank for not falling behind early in the game. What a team and a program. We had so much fun with this team. We’re always joking and having fun but they know when to get serious. You can’t lose sight of why we play the game in the first place. This was a fun team. I’ll always remember this team.”