Morton soccer moves past Lyons Township into sectional final

BURBANK – Morton senior forward Angel Rodriguez was as surprised as any soccer player on the field Tuesday.

Rodriguez was standing around the 25-yard line when he intercepted a Lyons Township goal kick taken into a harsh wind. Hardly thinking, a wide-open Rodriguez squared up and scored.

”I was not expecting it,” Rodriguez said. “The ball was moving as it was coming to me. I tried my best, taking my first touch, and I took advantage of it.”

The Mustangs turned a couple of surprises into a 2-0 victory over the Lions in the Class 3A Reavis Sectional semifinals. The top-seeded Mustangs (13-5-5) play for the sectional title at 5 p.m. Friday against No. 7 Hinsdale Central (13-8-1), a 3-1 semifinal winner over No. 6 Downers Grove South (13-7-2).

Rodriguez struck with 25:09 left in the first half.

No. 5 Lyons (13-8-2) hoped to change its fortunes in the second half with help from the wind. Instead, Morton senior Enrique Ayala scored on a counterattack pass from Rodriguez just 39 seconds into the second half.

”It was very beneficial for the team to relax because we were only on a one-goal lead,” Ayala said. “The game in the first half was even. They had a lot of chances and we had our lucky chance. The second half we became more offensive.”

A strong defensive effort led by sophomore goalie Miguel Jimenez and the backline of Moises Malvaez Nicolas Zaragoza and Christian Valadez also helped the Mustangs move toward their first sectional title since taking fourth in state in 2021.

“We were like we’re going to have to drop back and defend with all of our might (in the second half),” Morton coach Jim Bageanis said. ”That’s what we tell our guys, we’ve got to make all of our chances count because in past years we’ve had 20 chances and only put one in.”

In 2023, the Mustangs lost to the Lions 4-2 in the sectional final after leading 2-1 at halftime. The Lions went on to finish second in the state.

”It feels great. The revenge feels good,” Rodriguez said.

The Lions rode another strong senior class to success even though senior Mason Burda was their lone returning starter. Goalie Matt Peterson helped the Lions stay close in the second half by thwarting four point-blank shots in a less than two-minute span.

”I was excited to see how hard we played to get out of the first half 1-0,” Lyons coach Paul Labbato said.”(Morton) played really well. I thought our guys did a lot right and then we just missed some opportunities we had to have a little bit better moments on the ball.”

Hinsdale Central 3, Downers Grove South 1

Just when it appeared Hinsdale Central had lost all of its momentum, the Red Devils regained it. Senior Austen Szurgot’s goal with 23:28 to play broke a 1-1 tie.

Hinsdale Central, the West Suburban Conference Silver Division champion, is 12-2 after a 1-6-1 start.

”We changed a couple of players in a couple of positions. Eventually, we figured that out,” Szurgot said. “I think our biggest thing was our grit. We have so much energy that playing in the playoffs and playing our best soccer is the best time for it.”

Hinsdale Central struck first on Kostas Zamalaitis’ goal that was assisted by Szurgot only 7:36 into play after his shot less than two minutes into the game deflected off the crossbar.

The Mustangs tied the game on sophomore Samuel Ceballos’ goal that was assisted by Besher Alkanbari 4:43 before halftime and continued pressing in the second half. Two more great passing combinations led to dangerous shots off mark by Ryan Deacy and Ceballos.

Then came Szurgot’s goal assisted by Alex Barbu after Matt Gantar’s throw-in from the sideline. The go-ahead goal was the first Hinsdale Central shot of the second half.

”It was a quality chance. We did a nice job,” Hinsdale Central coach Mike Wiggins said. ”I kind of felt midway through the first half our momentum had shifted a little bit. But I still felt like we were all right. Even though they evened it up, I don’t think there was a doubt if we could just continue to do what we do well, we felt we could get back the lead.”

Szurgot, who usually takes the Red Devils’ corner kicks, has 10 goals and 11 assists this season. Zamalaitis, who added a goal with 13:06 left, has seven goals and three assists on the year.

The Red Devils led 4-0 in shots and 3-0 in corner kicks in the game.

”Any time you play Hinsdale Central, you can’t give away set pieces,” first-year Downers South coach Chris Hernandez said. “Good teams find a way. We created some opportunities. But hats off to Central. I think we played well, competed well, but after that second goal, kind of a shot in the stomach.”

The Mustangs won their first regional since 2016.

”It’s a great piece to build off. This is the standard and we’re hoping to be back here next year,” Hernandez said.