Boys soccer notes: Morton off to unbeaten start with depth, talent

Five games into the season, the Morton boys soccer team is riding an unbeaten streak.

The Mustangs (5-0, 1-0 West Suburban Gold) defeated Riverside-Brookfield 2-1 on Wednesday night to stay among the unbeaten, outscoring their opponents 12-4 on the season. Morton coach Jim Bageanis said his roster is stacked with talented and motivated players.

”I think the team has depth, meaning that we have players that we could just interchange throughout the game,” Bageanis said. “We really don’t lose much out on the field of play. We are confident in our whole bunch to go in and produce at any time during the game.”

The Mustangs opened up the season with a 1-0 win over defending Class 3A state champion Naperville Central, beat Stagg 2-1 and Young 3-0, then knocked off Willowbrook 3-0 before taking down the Bulldogs.

”(Riverside-Brookfield) is an underrated team,” Bageanis said. “They played us hard for the entire night for the most part. We get everyone’s ‘A’ game when we play them. We have a huge target on our back every night, and our team knows it. We have a ton of potential. Our goal is always to win our conference and to get to the state finals. We have those high goals because we have the talent to achieve them most years.”

The Mustangs have received contributions from numerous players, Bageanis said, but he noted the consistent production of Caleb Mendoza, Jonathan Almaguer, Ivan Ramirez and Sergio Villegas.

”Caleb has been playing great for us all season,” he said. “He’s really taking charge of the middle defensively and not allowing guys to just run all over us. Jonathan has been doing a great job in the middle. He directs the play on the field and knows where to be at the right time. He’s a very knowledgeable and talented player.

”Ivan remains solid in the back for us, and he directs the defense…He’s a major part of our success defensively. Sergio has been dangerous for us at the outside mid position. He has the ability to take people one-on-one and also to make outstanding plays on the field. His relentless work ethic helps us defensively as well.”

St. Francis update

St. Francis altered its schedule this season in hopes of staying away from injuries and to build toward a strong finish. In past years, the Spartans would fill their first few weeks of the season with bigger schools, playing in the Lake Park Tournament in the past few years.

But this season, the Spartans played just one game in the first two weeks instead of playing several games in a tournament.

”I scheduled two games, and the game with Timothy (Christian) was postponed,” St. Francis coach Jim Winslow said. “This is my best team, but we never have a lot of depth.”

The Spartans (1-1) are definitely behind most of the state in total games played, dropping a 3-1 decision to DePaul Prep in a Chicago Catholic League crossover match on Tuesday night in Chicago. The Spartans are adjusting to playing in a new conference filled with talented teams after ending their time competing in the Metro Suburban Conference.

Winslow’s son, Cooper, is a four-year starter who also plays for the football team. Cooper Winslow said the change in conference is a big challenge for the Spartans, including in football.

”With both soccer and football, this is going to be a tough and challenging transition for the next couple of years,” Cooper Winslow said. “I also kick for the football team, and we are playing two defending state champions and a defending state semifinalist in football.”

Tidbits

Hinsdale Central is riding a hot streak in the first two-plus weeks of the season. The Red Devils defeated Metea Valley 4-1 on Wednesday behind three goals from all-state returnee Luca Davies. The Red Devils (5-1-1) have outscored their opponents 22-3 in their last five games, but have a stiff test this weekend against New Trier. Davies leads the team with nine goals to move into seventh all-time in program history with 61 points. Davies is fifth all-time in goals scored with 28.