High school boys soccer: Woodstock blanks Belvidere for regional title

LOVES PARK – Woodstock felt pretty good by halftime, as should any team owning a two-goal lead that allows goals as grudgingly as the Blue Streaks.

“I felt completely confident with our defense,” Streaks midfielder Caleb Warmbier said. “It’s not just our defense. Everybody gave it all they had. It’s the regional finals. Whoever has the most heart, and out here it showed that Woodstock High School had the most heart and came out with the win.”

Josue Carreno scored in the fifth minute, and a hustling Oscar Escorza later stole a pass from Belvidere goalkeeper Enrique Resendiz and scored, providing all the Streaks needed. Their defense was air-tight, allowing only three shots on goal as Woodstock won, 2-0, to take the Class 2A Boylan Regional championship Saturday at Sportscore II’s Wedgbury Stadium.

Woodstock (23-0) advances to the Grayslake Central Sectional to play Lakes at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Lakes defeated Grayslake Central, 2-1, for the Lakes Regional title Friday.

Carreno raced past a Belvidere defender on the left side and was tripped inside the goal box to produce a penalty kick, which he made.

“It gave us something positive,” Carreno said. “It was motivation for us. We just fed off of that. I saw the ball coming and saw that I could beat the guy, so with my speed I took him. This feels really great. Hopefully we can go win the sectional as well.”

The Streaks’ defense was so good that goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez was required to make only three saves, and the Bucs (10-10-2) did not have a shot on goal until the 47th minute.

“We were able to shut down their top forward, No. 15 (Ivan Nungaray), keep a man on him at all times so the ball wouldn’t get to him,” defender Joey Tolentino said. “We were communicating well in the back to make sure balls didn’t get through or behind us.”

Streaks coach Matt Warmbier cautioned his team not to let up after the 2-0 lead.

“It felt similar to the Harvard game last week (a 2-1 Woodstock win). They were able to get a goal and make a game out of it,” Matt Warmbier said. “I didn’t want to let up that early goal to make it more of a game. Keep it where it’s at. We’ve been preaching all season to play as a unit and that’s what they did today. I’m super-proud of the way they worked as a defensive unit.”

Bucs coach Simon Stevens thought Carreno, with his speed, was the difference maker for the Streaks.

“They have a strong team. We’ve played teams much tougher than them,” Stevens said. “Honestly, it wasn’t anything they did, it’s what we didn’t do. Today, we just made lots of real small mistakes. Our passes weren’t where they needed to be, they were miscued. Communication was off. The penalty (kick) took us mentally out of it a little bit. Normally, we play a real controlled, tight game. We just couldn’t get that going.”

STAR OF THE GAME

Josue Carreno

Woodstock, sr., F

Carreno made a run down the left side and was tripped inside the goal box to produce a penalty kick in the fifth minute. He knocked that shot into the net to give the Blue Streaks all they would need.

THE NUMBER

9: Goals allowed all season by Woodstock

AND ANOTHER THING ...

Woodstock won its first regional championship since the 1994 team won a Class AA title. The coach of that team, Jeff Griffith, is in his final year teaching at Woodstock and was there to see the Streaks win the title.

Woodstock 2, Belvidere 0

Belvidere 0 0 - 0

Woodstock 2 0 - 2

First half

W-Carreno, 5:00.

W-Escorza, 34:14.

Goalkeeper saves: Resendiz (B) 2, Espinoza (B) 2, Alvarez (W) 3.