The Rochelle varsity boys soccer team edged Sycamore 1-0 on Saturday to win the IHSA Class 2A Stering Regional Championship. The Hubs (19-0-1) will begin sectional play at Glenbard South on Tuesday.
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STERLING — The magic number was 20 for the Rochelle varsity boys soccer team when the purple and white took the field for the IHSA Class 2A Sterling Regional Championship against Sycamore on Saturday.
The Hubs carried their 20-game unbeaten streak into their regional matchup against the Spartans, which was their 20th game of their 20th season since the program’s inception 20 years ago. Behind one goal from freshman Josue Orozco (who wears No. 20 for Rochelle) the Hubs edged Sycamore 1-0 on an extremely windy afternoon to claim its first regional title since 2012 and the first under head coach Brad Male.
Rochelle (19-0-1) will advance to compete in the IHSA Class 2A Glenbard South Sectional which begins on Tuesday. The Hubs will open the semifinals against New Lenox (Providence Catholic) at 6:30 p.m. after Aurora (Marmion) takes on Lemont at 4:30 p.m.
“It’s an awesome feeling because these boys have worked hard all year,” Male said. “They set some goals before the season and this was one of them. Seeing them fulfill one of their goals was amazing.”
The Hubs played into the wind during the first half, making scoring chances tough to generate early on. Senior Adolfo Flores earned a corner kick in the first minute, sending the ball into junior Max Torres who shot the ball toward the Sycamore net but missed the goal. Rochelle didn’t record a shot on goal until Orozco put one on during the 33rd minute.
Sycamore totaled four shots on goal in the first half but the game remained scoreless after 40 minutes.
“We’ve put a lot of hard work in throughout the season,” senior Jessee Infante said. “We can’t celebrate too much because we have more games coming but we’re looking forward to those. We were pretty happy getting out of the half tied 0-0 because we had the wind against us. We were focused during the second half and we were able to finish the half.”
With the wind at their backs, the Hubs charged forward early in the second half. Sophomore Brayan Orozco dribbled the ball up the right sideline before crossing the ball to his freshman brother Josue, who stopped the ball and drilled a left-footed shot into the right corner of Sycamore’s net to give the Hubs a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute.
“I’m really happy to help the team get here,” Josue said. “I started the play and passed the ball off to Brayan and he passed the ball back to me. I was nervous when I got the ball, but I was able to reach it and when I shot it I was able to score a goal. I’m happy to play with my brother. He and my teammates help show me what I need to work on to become a better player.”
The Rochelle defense didn’t surrender a single shot on goal to the Spartans in the second half. Senior Mason DeLille recorded four saves for the Hubs, who after recording their 19th victory this season are now the single-season record holders for wins.
