The emotions on the Rochelle sideline were hard to contain after the conclusion of Friday’s IHSA Class 2A Sectional Championship at Glenbard South High School.
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GLEN ELLYN — The emotions on the Rochelle sideline were hard to contain after the conclusion of Friday’s IHSA Class 2A Sectional Championship at Glenbard South High School.
The second-seeded Hubs took the field for their first-ever sectional title game looking to upset No. 1 seed Marmion and keep their unbeaten season alive. Rochelle held an early lead for as long as it could, but the Cadets rallied with two goals in the final 10 minutes of play to defeat the Hubs 2-1 and end Rochelle’s season with an overall record of 20-1-1.
“This was by far the best team we played this year,” head coach Brad Male said. “I think both teams played tremendously tonight. Unfortunately, we made a few mistakes late in the game and Marmion was able to capitalize off those. These guys had one heck of a season.”
Rochelle got the jump on Marmion early in the first half when senior Adolfo Flores sent a free kick over the middle of the field. Junior Austin Brown found open space inside the Marmion penalty area and headed the ball into the goal to give the Hubs a 1-0 advantage in the 13th minute.
The Cadets kept possession for most of the first half, however, challenging the Hubs in ways they haven’t been attacked all season. Behind strong efforts from the Rochelle defense and senior goalie Mason DeLille, who had 10 saves in the match, Rochelle maintained its 1-0 lead entering the second half.
“Getting that first goal was a huge confidence booster,” Male said. “Marmion controlled the ball a little better in the center of the field and that was huge for them. We had a couple of unfortunate mistakes in the center and we weren’t able to keep the pressure on them. They had some good runners and they had good ball control.”
Marmion continued pressuring the Hubs in the second half, totaling numerous free kicks off Rochelle fouls as well as corners to pin the purple and white deep in their own territory. After 30 minutes of scoreless play in the second half, Marmion broke through with a goal from the left side of the Rochelle box in the 70th minute to tie the match 1-1.
The Cadets then stunned Rochelle with another goal in the 77th minute to take their first lead of the game. Marmion sent several balls deep in an effort to clear the ball away over the final few minutes to ice the victory. The Cadets outshot Rochelle 17-9 and put 12 shots on goal to Rochelle’s five.
“It’s been an amazing season for these guys,” Male said. “Being undefeated until this point wasn’t something I was expecting this year. It’s going to hurt for a little while but in the end, I think the boys will look back and see all of the positives that came out of this season.”
