Jack McCormick, DeKalb defense preserve win over Rockford East

DeKALB – The point-blank shot from a Rockford East attacker deflected off DeKalb goalie Dominique Garcia and trickled toward the net for an apparent equalizer in the final 90 seconds on Thursday.

Sophomore centerback Jack McCormick sped toward the net and cleared the ball, ending the E-Rab attack and preserving the Barbs’ 1-0 win.

“I was just a little fortunate,” McCormick said. “It went through my keeper’s legs, and I just happened to be there to clear it out. We’ll take the win. It was huge.”

The Barbs (2-5) took the lead in the 22nd minute. But the E-Rabs (3-2-1) spent the last 30 minutes of the game on the attack. In the 71st minute, East had three point-blank attempts in a 10-second span that just missed the mark. The first two went off the same right post, then Oredi Kakozi sent a rocket that was just off-frame and pushed too far left.

The Barbs had a scoring opportunity shortly afterward, but Mauricio Jasso’s cross went off the hand of a Barb in front of the net. On the counter, Aidan Aarli had a good look and went top shelf, but Garcia elevated for the save in the 77th minute.

“That’s a player that stepped up in a big moment,” DeKalb coach PJ Hamilton said. “It all comes down to him being at the right spot at the right time and working hard without the ball on his foot to make sure he’s in the right spot. It preserved a result for us. Hat’s off to the kid, it’s well deserved. Young man, stepping up and playing big minutes as a sophomore centerback. Couldn’t be happier for him.”

Jasso had a cross earlier in the game that successfully found its target. From the far left side, he found Joaquin Medina-Benitez with the perfect pass. Medina-Benitez headed it home with 18:41 left in the first half.

“It looked like Mauricio slipped in between their two and had a good opportunity to get a service off,” Hamilton said. “He played a beautiful ball in, and we put the biscuit in the basket. It was as good as it got for us today on the offensive side of the ball.”

The loss snapped a five-game losing streak for the Barbs. They’ve given up at least four goals in each of those games against teams Hamilton said are a combined 26-4-1.

Hamilton said the win Thursday means everything, by improving motivation and getting the team ready for the postseason and a team they could meet again.

“You can see the improvement of this group coming,” Hamilton said. “There’s going to be some hiccups, but you can see it building. I just think this was the culmination of a lot of work over the last couple weeks of these boys really putting in and playing the right brand of soccer.”

McCormick said he was happy to pick up the shutout for Garcia, who he said has worked hard all season.

“They played a really good game, and we were just able to hold on in the end,” McCormick said. “They played super hard. I’m surprised they didn’t score. We played our best, though, and we stopped them.”