Boys soccer: St. Charles East falls just short of state semifinal berth in 2-1 loss to New Trier

ST. CHARLES – One one end of the turf was elation. A feeling of “finally” that hadn’t been felt since 2009 for New Trier.

On the other, a stunned silence for St. Charles East that took a few moments to process.

New Trier had just defeated St. Charles East 2-1 In the Class 3A St. Charles North Supersectional on Wednesday.

It took a bit of an emotional rollercoaster to get there.

The score was deadlocked 0-0 at the half. The Saints staved off an eventual surge by the Trevians in the opening minutes, attacking through the middle of the field, but their backline and goalie Jordan Rolon held firm.

New Trier (21-1-2) took the 1-0 lead with 38:43 in the second half after Trevians sophomore Calyx Hoover connected on a tic-tac-toe pass in the box from Harrison Hahner. Saints defender Brandon Garland soon after knocked away a potential scoring chance to keep out the insurance goal.

The Saints (19-8) eventually equalized. Giuseppe Avendano connected on a rocket with 24:32 left, but New Trier quickly responded right back. Senior captain Kevin Farina headed in a goal in traffic on an assist from Aidan O’Neil 40 seconds later for the 2-1 Trevians lead.

“That’s a set play we’ve been working on for a while,” Farina said while holding the plaque. “I didn’t really have to do much. Aidan played a perfect ball to my head, and I just had to flick it on. He did all the hard work for me. I got the easy job. ...

“Last year, we lost in the supersectional. We’re just so hungry. We talk about it all the time: ‘Leave a legacy’. We’re leaving our legacy right now. Since 2009, we’ve talked about it a lot. That’s huge for us. Huge for confidence. Huge for our program.”

“We talk about it all the time: ‘Leave a legacy’. We’re leaving our legacy right now.”

—  Kevin Farina, New Trier boys soccer captain

From there, the Trevians defense held firm to fight their way to state.

The Trevians advance to the state semifinal Friday at 7:30 p.m. vs. Glenbrook North, the team that handed them their one loss earlier this season.

“It’s a special group of 14 seniors,” St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo said. “They all played their role, accepted their role and been a huge piece of our program. They laid the groundwork for the next group.

“They’re a fun group who love to be around each other. I think that’s what made us dangerous. A group that cares about each other to this extent is one that you want to go to battle with. That’s [a reason why] the coaching staff loves these kids, because they love each other and they play for the right reasons.

“It’s a group to be proud of.”