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Joliet Central went winless last season, while Lockport had 15 victories in 2022, finished third in the state in Class 3A in 2021 and has solidified itself as one of the area’s top boys soccer programs over the past several years.
When the teams met Saturday, however, the result was a 4-4 tie.
It’s a testament to how far the Steelmen (3-5-1) have come under first-year coach Ulises Ornelas, a Joliet West graduate who played soccer for the Steelmen when there was a combined Joliet Township program.
“The mindset is different this year,” Joliet Central sophomore forward Ricardo Camacho said. “Last year, they would get down 2-0 and they would put their heads down. This year, even when we get down, we keep our heads up. We bring each other up. Everyone is doing a great job doing that.”
Camacho and junior Juan Franco have scored four goals each for the Steelmen, who have wins over Curie, Plainfield South and Hinsdale South.
The latter two victories came on the new turf field at Joliet Central, where the Steelmen also earned the eye-opening tie with Lockport.
Ornelas has put an emphasis on winning at home to help bring back pride in Joliet Central soccer.
“The athletic department is doing a lot for our boys, and we feel very fortunate,” Ornelas said. “We told the boys this is our home field and we have to defend it, we have to come out and compete.”
Raiders riding lockdown defense: Bolingbrook is off to a 3-0-2 start and has allowed one goal in those five games.
“Our goalkeeper, Diego Guzman, is phenomenal,” Bolingbrook coach Nick Trotter said. “He just makes saves you don’t see very often at a high school level. There are moments where we break down where he’s saved us, but there aren’t a lot of those moments.
“I’m really happy with the way we’re defending with urgency and the way we’re winning the ball back as a team. When you look at the score lines, that’s pretty much gotten us the games.”
Trotter credits junior Connor Capp for being a leader on the back line. Senior Aaron Palacios-Chaves controls the midfield for the Raiders, while junior Aiden Montes has been a surprising offensive spark.
Montes started the season as a reserve but has earned his way into the starting lineup and scored two goals.
“Montes came off the bench, and he was phenomenal, so he’s been in our starting 11 these last few games,” Trotter said. “He’s a small guy out there, but he’s really given us some energy and has done some good things for our offense.”
The Raiders’ biggest win was a 2-0 victory Aug. 31 over district rival Romeoville, which finished as the Class 3A state runner-up last year.
“It was just a great experience and a fun night.,” Trotter said. “The boys had that game circled. Regardless of their state standing, which obviously made it more fun, every year it’s that way between these two teams, and we always learn a lot about ourselves in that environment.”
Championship clashes: Three area teams will play in their bracket championship games of the BodyArmor Series on Sunday at the Lyons Soccer Complex in La Grange.
Lincoln-Way Central (6-1) will take on Minooka (6-1-3) in a battle of surging, local squads at 1:45 p.m.
The Knights beat Conant 1-0 and Chicago Washington 5-1 in the first two rounds of the tournament and have won four straight games since their lone setback, a 1-0 loss to Lincoln-Way West in the quarterfinals of the Windy City Ram Classic. Now they’ll get another shot at a tournament title.
Minooka earned a shootout win over Glenbard North in the opening round of the tournament after regulation time ended in a 1-1 tie. Minooka then beat St. Laurence 3-2 in the second round and has won three in a row.
Plainfield Central (7-1-1) will take on Thornton Fractional United, a co-op program featuring players from T.F. North and T.F. South, at noon Sunday.
The Wildcats, who already have blown past their win total of four in 2022, beat Eisenhower 3-2 in the first round and Morris 5-0 in the second.