Naperville Central boys soccer faces West Aurora in the sectional semifinal where the Redhawks advance to the final. This highlight is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
The Naperville Central Redhawks look to advance to the sectional final on a rainy night at Bolingbrook High School. The West Aurora Blackhawks stand in their way who knocked out Metea Valley 2-1 in penalties in the regional final. The Redhawks enter after defeating Plainfield East 3-0 in the final.
First Half
10 minutes into the game, Central’s Patrick Bohan throws the ball in to Josh Weigel who makes one man miss then rifles a shot at Blackhawk keeper Nico Martinez. It’s saved and then headed in by Michael Cavalleri, but the linesman rules him offsides. The game remains deadlocked.
West Aurora now on the ball and it’s Omar Rashidi who dashes up the middle and finds the through pass to Isaac Tony Romero. He looks for the bottom left corner, but Naperville Central boys soccer goalie Dylan Scott extends for the save! 29 minutes left in the first half.
Redhawks now on the long throw-in and the ball is flicked on by striker Nathan Kwon into an area crowded with bodies. The ball takes a couple of bounces off the West Aurora defenders and eventually finds the back of the net. Cavalleri gets credited for the goal and the Redhawks lead 1-nil.
Five minutes after the goal, West Aurora has a chance to break even after a pass from Rashidi finds Matthew Lopez Martinez. Scott comes off his line and just gets enough of the ball to stop the attack. Redhawks still up 1-0.
Second Half
Now 10 minutes into the second half, another chance coming from a Central throw-in as the ball gets all the way into the box and pinballs off a bunch of players. Cavalleri gets blocked by a Blackhawk defender.
8 Minutes later, Central’s Sean O’Reilly sends the corner kick in where the ball gets cleared off the line, but Cavalleri is once again in the right place and taps it in for his second goal. Central up 2-0 with 27 minutes left in the game.
Chase Adams on the attack and decides to have a go from long distance, but his shot hits the woodwork. Kwon is there for the rebound and charges his way through a defender, getting the ball in the back of the net, but he gets called for a foul. Nonetheless, Naperville Central gets the 2-0 win thanks to a brace from Cavalleri and advances to the sectional final. They will take on crosstown rival Naperville North.
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