Boys soccer: 2-1 halftime score, 2-1 final as Plainfield Central tops Bolingbrook

PLAINFIELD – Officially, the boys soccer season was supposed to start early last week. With the heat index reaching as high as 110 in some places, that didn’t happen for many teams. By the end of the week, however, the action got going, and continued Tuesday.

In Plainfield on Tuesday, there was a lot of action in the first half.

It took only six minutes for the first goal between Plainfield Central and Bolingbrook. By the end of the opening half, three had been scored, as the offenses looked to be in midseason form. In the second half, however, the defenses ruled, which ultimately played to the Wildcats’ advantage as they took the 2-1 victory.

“I was surprised there wasn’t a goal in the second half,” Plainfield Central coach Kevin Fitzgerald said. “I think our defenders and goalie just toughed it out. Bolingbrook’s clearly got a lot of speed, talent, size and quickness. ... We found a way, which was nice.

“I was surprised neither team scored, but we’re fine with that, of course.”

“I was surprised neither team scored, but we’re fine with that, of course.”

—  Kevin Fitzgerald, Plainfield Central boy soccer coach

Plainfield Central struck first. Sebastian Chevez managed to break through the Raiders defense in the sixth minute to put the ball in the back of the net. That gave the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead.

Bolingbrook wouldn’t go down without a fight. Eight minutes after Chavez’s goal, Aiden Montes dribbled around the Plainfield Central defense and snuck the ball past keeper Marshall DeGraff to tie the game at 1-1.

Plainfield Central (3-0-0) didn’t need much time to answer right back, however, as Fabricio Mendoza couldn’t be stopped by a host of Raiders in front of the net. He put pressure on the back line and got the ball in to move the Wildcats back in front 2-1 just three minutes after Montes’ goal.

That’s how the score remained entering the midway break.

The second half saw plenty of movement, but far less scoring. Bolingbrook picked up far better penetration in the second half than in the first, but continued to come up short. A free kick attempt by Jared Ibarra bounced off the top of the crossbar in the 57th minute, while Nolan Snyder came within inches of equalizing three minutes after that.

Bolingbrook (1-1-1) created ahandful of opportunities the rest of the way, coming close to scoring each time, but was unable to penetrate the the last line of defense. Plainfield Central was on its heels for much of the final 40 minutes, but nearly scored twice before being kept out by keeper Diego Guzman.

It didn’t matter to the Wildcats. The one-goal difference was all they needed to take victory.

“I think the work ethic that we have [helped us win],” Chavez said. “The people that came back from last year have helped guide the new guys. They’ve helped us keep the energy up throughout the game and made sure we didn’t let up or give in.”

The loss stings for Bolingbrook, of course, but coach Nic Trotter felt there were far more positives than negatives to take away.

“I think we have to clean the details up, but the ideas were very good,” Trotter said. “I think we got the ball into dangerous areas, but we need to fix some details to get the ball between the posts and below the bar. Defensively, we did a good job of staying organized and adapting to [Central’s] style. ... This is our third game of the season, and we’re still putting things together at this point. We expect to get better.”

Bolingbrook’s next contest is Thursday at Willowbrook. Plainfield Central will visit Illinois Math and Science Academy on Thursday.