Bremen bests the Redskins
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| Senior midfielders Zach Verchimak (No. 9) and Andy Oehlwein of Morris pursue the ball as goalkeeper Nick Terhall looks on in the background Tuesday evening. The Redskins were defeated 3-0 by Bremen at the Lemont Class 2A Sectional, ending a 10-win year. |
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LEMONT — A history-etching soccer season for the Morris Redskins came to a plodding halt Tuesday via a 3-0 loss to Midlothian Bremen in an IHSA Class 2A Sectional semifinal contest.
Plodding did not refer in any way, shape or fashion as to how Morris played in bowing out 10-9-1. The word more aptly appertained as to the Clydesdailian effort needed by any of the players on the soggy and gooey turf to navigate their way around the less than terra firma.
"The conditions were just horrible ... and that goes for both teams," pointed out Bremen Braves coach Steven Granat. "The conditions had to affect the game. It was hard to gauge just how good Morris was. It was a completely different game that what we expect to play on turf. It would have been nice to see what would have happened on a field that was not so wet. But we had to play under the conditions although I am surprised that we played."
"The field was almost unplayable," noted Morris coach Sean Porter, standing under an overhang while being interviewed following the match in an effort to stay out of the splattering raindrops. "It [the rain] was coming down hard that for a while. But the conditions did not hurt us. I thought we played well overall. The game was a lot closer than the final score. We had a lot of chances but could not get anything to go in."
Redskins junior keeper Nick Terhall, who came up with a dozen saves, said the weather "did not do anything to help. The ball was very hard to control and the players were sliding all over. It was miserable out there ... it wasn't soccer weather all all. We are more of a dry-weather team. We weren't able to do much tonight but we have had a good season."
A good season capped with the first regional crown in MCHS boys soccer history with this squad being the third in history to notch double figures in victories during a single season.
But a pair of goals by Bremen before the break and another with just under 10 minutes to play added up to the 3-0 blanking. Braves junior goalie Erik Segoviano notched his 11th shutout on the season, turning away a dozen Redskin shots.
The win, boosting Bremen to 15-7 overall, advances the Braves into Saturday's sectional championship match against either the host Indians, who blanked Joliet Catholic 7-0 in the second match Tuesday night.
Morris forced the action at the start with a long, lofting shot out of the left corner being handled easily by Segoviano about 30 seconds in. The next Redskins attempt would not happen until the 14-minute mark.
Bremen tallied on its initial shot, with senior forward Christian Avalos converting a cross from senior mid Jose Ortega after a rush down the right side. Terhall grabbed a free kick by Braves senior mid Alejandro Garcia from the left elbow in the seventh minute before the next three Bremen shots were not on-goal. The last one was a header by Garcia, thanks to a lofting pass by senior mid Steven Garcia, that he bumped just wide of the right post 10 minutes in.
Terhall also came out of the net to scoop up a through ball with Garcia bearing down on the box. The Braves made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute when Ortega blasted a goal up the center slot after being fed by freshman forward Ulises Hernandez.
Morris had a couple of good chances to slice into the deficit before the break, with junior forward Matt Ringman cranking a quick, spinning shot out of the right elbow in the 28th minute before a bounder by junior defender Tom Woodard skidded before being plucked out of the mire by Segoviano in the 30th.
A Zach Schmitt effort was blocked en route by Hernandez before a corner kick by Schmitt sailed by the goal. Terhall kept the deficit at 2-0 by beating Hernandez to a through pass in the 32nd minute before grabbing a pass intended by Garcia to Avalos with 1:31 remaining.
The Redskins came out following the intermission, cranking up shots from long range, putting the ball on net with hopes of either an errant bounce ending up in the goal or creating some second-chance possibilities.
"We were looking to get some rebounds," said Porter. "We are pretty good at shooting from the 18 and creating rebounds but we were not able to generate enough traction to get to the ball when it was loose. I thought the Bremen goalie did a great job in getting his body in front of the ball."
Schmitt had a couple of long attempts go wide and another sail high before Ringman fired a shot out of the center slot that just missed nudging the left post on the way by. Segoviano stuffed a free kick by senior mid Zach Verchimak.
The Braves made it 3-0 with 9:42 left when Hernandez converted a pass from senior forward Francisco Gomez out of the center slot.
"We had a great season," said Porter. "It is sad to see it end. The guys played hard and we are certainly going to miss our seniors."
