Boys soccer: Dominique Garcia, DeKalb top Sycamore on penalty kicks in El Classicorn

SYCAMORE – Dominique Garcia and his DeKalb teammates have been dedicating time during practice to prepare for potential shootouts.

[ Photos: DeKalb, Sycamore boys soccer renew rivalry ]

Their hard work at practice and patience this season paid off handsomely in the second annual El Classicorn Showcase as the Barbs edged Sycamore 4-2 in a shootout after the teams battled for 80 minutes of scoreless soccer at Joe Jordan Field.

It was the first shootout of the season for DeKalb (4-10-2), which maintains ownership of the traveling trophy.

“We prepared for this in practice because we knew Sycamore was even with us. We saw their scorelines against other teams were even so we knew we may have to do this.”

—  Dominique Garcia, DeKalb soccer

“Two teams battled their butts off and created chances,” Barbs coach PJ Hamilton said. “And now we’re just building up details getting to see who can come through in big moments. Who can make the big save? Who can put the ball in the back of the net? It was an outstanding experience for us to get ready for the playoffs.”

Matt Tuszynskin opened the shootout and converted his try for the Barbs.

“It’s mainly a confidence thing,” he said. “I had faith in every single teammate. I made sure I was ready and that everybody was ready. We practiced in practice, so we were ready.”

Garcia was ready for Sycamore’s third attempt in the shootout after Javier Lopez and Carson Matthews had converted their tries for the Spartans and Josh de la Santos made his for the Barbs.

Rejecting it with one hand, Garcia gave the Barbs the advantage at 3-2.

“On attackers, they like to look one way and go the other,” Garcia said. “I saw that the attacker tried to trick me, so I just dove as far as I could to my left and got lucky and saved it.”

He wasn’t surprised that it came down to the shootout, either.

“We prepared for this in practice because we knew Sycamore was even with us,” Garcia said. “We saw their scorelines against other teams were even, so we knew we may have to do this.”

Seth Hess, who would have scored in regulation if not for a fantastic save by Sycamore goalkeeper Jesse Munoz in the final few minutes, converted his PK before Sycamore’s final attempt caromed off a post and jubilee ensured for the Barbs.

“All game it was equal, and the first half was more us and second half them because the wind helped,” Hess said. “We both had some counters, but at the end both teams wanted it, and it came down to PKs, and we executed.”

The Barbs also continued their success against their nearby nonconference rivals, improving to 4-0-1 in their past five meetings.

Sycamore (9-9-1) hasn’t beaten DeKalb since a 2-1 win Sept. 4, 2018. The teams played twice that season with the Barbs winning 1-0 Sept. 24.

“We knew they defended well, and every game PJ [Hamilton] has them organized,” Spartans coach Kevin Bickley said. “I thought we owned a lot of the chances in the second second half. They just wouldn’t fall for us for whatever reason.”

The game needed a shootout because a winner was needed due to the showcase format.

“Unfortunately, that’s the way we had to decide the winner, but it gives us practice,” Bickley said. “It’s our fourth one (1-3).”