Jovani Ruiz starts scoring flurry as Kaneland tops Sycamore

MAPLE PARK – Sycamore and Kaneland played almost 25 scoreless minutes. Then Jovani Ruiz tried to make something happen.

The Kaneland senior forward was hoping to cross the ball from the outside to a teammate. Instead, the ball deflected off the hands of Sycamore goalie Ryan Guzinksi and into the net, the first of two quick goals for the Knights in a 2-1 victory over the Spartans.

[ Photos: Kaneland, Sycamore boys soccer teams meet in Interstate 8 Conference play ]

“It was supposed to be a cross but it ended up in the goal,” Ruiz said. “I was just hoping to make a dangerous play, but it just ended up in the goal.”

The win gives each team one conference loss on the season, having split the season series. Sycamore (10-6-1, 6-1) won the match last month between the teams, shutting out the Knights (13-4-1, 7-1).

Kaneland hasn’t lost since, winners of eight straight games since the Sept. 18 match, a 1-0 Sycamore win.

Ruiz said he was glad to avenge the earlier loss to the Spartans, and that the offense was a big reason why they won this time after getting shutout in the first meeting.

“We moved the ball pretty good up top,” Ruiz said. “We still need to work on our defense, but we finished the ball up top.”

Ruiz’s goal came in the 25th minute. Seven minutes later Matthew Mitchinson fed the ball to Cam Guernon, who wasted no time firing a shot and scoring for a 2-0 Kaneland lead in the 32nd minute.

“Those times we were able to get around their defense, get the cross off and actually finish them,” Kaneland coach Scott Parillo said. “That second goal was beautiful, one-two touch, boom, boom, boom. Around their defense, nice crossover, a one-touch into the back of the net.”

About 90 seconds later, Sycamore got on the scoreboard with Aiden Sears ruining the perfect sheet of Kaneland goalkeeper Cooper Van Wagoner.

“In a close game, we make a couple mistakes and we’re down two goals,” Sycamore coach Kevin Bickley said. “Credit to the guys to lift their heads up and get the one back before half. If you go into halftime down two, it makes a big difference. To get that goal before half really gives us a little bit of momentum and gives us a little bit of life.”

The Spartans dominated the ball in the second half but couldn’t finish their shots. Sears had a beautiful feed to Gavin Crouch, but Van Wagoner batted the shot away. The rebound went Leo Padilla, who fired a shot before Van Wagoner could reset, but Dylan Pilz flew into the picture to deflect the shot with 22:51 left in the game.

There was a sequence in the final 10 minutes that resulted in solid looks for Ronaldo Oceloti, Noah Carlson and Crouch, but none found their way past Van Wagoner.

The Spartans were again without Jameson Carl, who’s been the centerpiece of the Sycamore offense the past couple of years. He had a boot on his right leg from an injury suffered the day after the first Kaneland game.

“We just couldn’t seem to get the ball to bounce in,” Bickley said. “We’re working hard, it’s just the finish. Guys are getting it in the right spots. ... We’re just missing that part of it. It’s something we have to keep working on because we have some tough games coming up and then regionals. We have to figure it out.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/daily-chronicle/2024/10/08/jovani-ruiz-starts-scoring-flurry-as-kaneland-tops-sycamore/