Catino Harris’ goal in final minute gives Glenbard West regional title win over St. Charles North

GLEN ELLYN — Catino Harris knew exactly where he needed to be during Glenbard West’s final scoring opportunity of the game.

With just a minute remaining and the score tied in the regional final against fifth-seeded St. Charles North, the No. 4 Hilltoppers found themselves on the attacking end once again.

As soon as Harris saw sophomore Alex Ginder keep the ball in play, he knew he had to make it into the box, or else coach Phil Wicyk would be mad at him.

But after burying the ball in the back of the net to give the Hilltoppers a 2-1 lead with just 50 seconds left on the clock, Wicyk could be anything but mad.

“It feels like one of the greatest goals to ever happen,” Glenbard West’s coach said. “You couldn’t ask for anything better than a last-minute goal in a title game in front of your home crowd.”

Harris’ last-minute goal ended up being the game winner as the Hilltoppers held on for the final 50 seconds to secure the 2-1 victory over St. Charles North for the regional title.

“It was just kind of instant,” Harris said. “I knew I had to do what I had to do. If I bury it, we win. Alex Ginder came in clutch with the ball in the middle, and I knew I had to finish it.”

Glenbard West will face top-seeded Geneva in a sectional semifinal Tuesday. The Hilltoppers ended the Vikings’ season last year in the regional final with a 1-0 victory.

Harris managed to get in on the play that tied the game with just 11:20 left to play. After the ball got popped up in the North Stars’ box, the sophomore used his head to jar the ball away from the hands of goalkeeper Osman Ahmed and to the feet of sophomore Harrison Olechowski to tie the game at 1-1.

“I knew I had to use my ponytail to my advantage,” Harris said. “I jumped as high as I could. And it just so happened that everything played out in our favor and Harrison was right there to bury it and tie it up.”

The Hilltoppers came mere inches from getting the first advantage in the first half on their final two shots, but couldn’t get the ball past the goal line before the half ended with the score tied at 0-0.

“It’s been one of our kryptonites this season, not being able to hit the back of the net,” Wicyk said. “I told them at halftime that we need to learn from our mistakes and put it in. And we made no mistake on those last two. But what an overall great game from them and us.”

For North, the season ends in heartbreak. The North Stars finish the season 9-3-6. The loss marks the fourth straight season the North Stars have made it to a regional final but couldn’t secure a title.

“That’s a tough one. That’s going to sting for a while,” North coach Eric Willson said. “We got a 1-0 lead with 11 minutes to go, and we just didn’t find a way to close it out. It’s a tough one, and I definitely feel it for our boys.”

The North Stars took the first lead of the game in the 58th minute after sophomore Oliver Longosz dribbled out a free kick and found the far post from 25 yards out to give them a 1-0 lead, but couldn’t preserve it for the regional title.

“We got the goal off the set, and you look up at the clock and see 20 minutes left and you’d like to be able to see the game out,” Willson said. “But when you have to defend for long periods of time it makes it difficult. We just couldn’t find a way to close it out. But my seniors were awesome all season and great leaders, and I’m just sorry that I couldn’t get them a regional this year.”