Lincoln-Way East earns regional semifinal victory over Homewood-Flossmoor behind Kamden Williams’ hat trick

CHICAGO – Eleven minutes into a Class 3A Marist Regional semifinal boys soccer game between Lincoln-Way East and Homewood-Flossmoor, it appeared as though the Griffins went up 1-0. That goal, however, was waved off on an offside call, and the game remained scoreless.

Well, for three minutes it did. After that, it seemed like Lincoln-Way East did nothing but score.

In a 10-minute stretch from the 14th minute to the 24th minute, the Griffins scored five goals with three coming from superstar Kamden Williams. The Griffins added a sixth goal just before halftime and a seventh in the second half to cut the game time in half and secure a 7-0 victory. The win sent Lincoln-Way East to the regional championship Saturday at Marist against Thornton Fractional North, a 3-1 winner over Marist in the other semifinal.

Lincoln-Way East (15-4-3) entered the postseason as the top seed in the Joliet West Sectional, and the Griffins played like it against the No. 17 Vikings. While Homewood-Flossmoor (4-16-1) was able to dispatch Joliet Central in the regional quarterfinal match to earn its spot, the Vikings were unable to keep up with the explosive Griffin offense.

Nor were they able to puncture the fearsome Lincoln-Way East backline as the Vikings managed just two shot attempts in the first half and rarely made it onto the Griffins’ side of the pitch.

“We were kind of nervous coming to play on this pitch,” Griffins coach Matthew Ribbens said. “Luckily we were able to manipulate the space well and make fast runs. We didn’t want to be timid or scared so we came out fast and when you score five in 10 minutes that definitely helps.”

Ribbens also credited Homewood-Flossmoor for continuing to work hard and hustle even when it fell behind 5-0. He also credited his defense for being the strength of the team even in an explosive offensive display.

“Our back line is why we’re the No. 1 seed,” Ribbens said. “They’ve been class all season. They give our top guys the freedom and the comfort to go and do what they need to do which gives us a lot of confidence.”

After an even 13 minutes to start that game, Williams notched his first goal of the day in the 14th, soaring it past the keeper to move the Griffins ahead. It was just three minutes later when striker Josh Mensching made his way down the field and punched it in for a 2-0 Lincoln-Way East advantage.

Only a minute later, there was a pinball machine exchange in front of the Vikings’ net. A host of Griffins got a touch on the ball, with Mensching appearing to tap it toward the goal before it knocked off keeper Jefferson Mansfield’s back heel and into the net. No matter who claimed the credit, the result was the same: a 3-0 advantage for the Griffins.

Williams scored his second goal two minutes after that as he whipped it in virtually undefended. The senior made it a hat trick in the 24th minute as the advantage grew to 5-0 Griffins.

Rami Othman scored a goal just five minutes before the halftime whistle to make it 6-0 at the break. Aiden Shaughnessy scored the lone goal of the half in the 50th minute, which by IHSA rule cut the remaining time in half to 15 minutes remaining.

Next up, the Griffins will head back to Marist on Saturday for a noon game. Williams knows what the Griffins need to do to be ready.

“I want to see everyone on the field having energy,” he said. “Our bench had great energy today, and we all came to play. I just hope we’re able to elevate that energy for Saturday.”