ROCHELLE — The Sycamore Spartans appeared ready to roll over the Rochelle Hub varsity soccer team during Wednesday’s Interstate 8 Conference matchup. But a valiant effort from the purple and white nullified a five-goal deficit and brought the Hubs back within striking distance.

Sycamore dominated the early portion of the first half, scoring five consecutive goals against the Hubs, who offered minimal resistance on defense and struggled with the quick passing attack from the Spartans. Facing a 5-0 deficit, Rochelle finally increased the pressure on both ends of the field, which enabled the Hubs to retake most of the control during Wednesday’s match. 

Despite two goals from seniors forward Alberto Casillas and senior midfielder Fernando Diaz, Rochelle was unable to climb out of the five-goal hole, as Sycamore escaped with a 6-4 win. The Hubs (3-4-1, 0-1 Interstate 8) will travel and face DeKalb on the road Saturday afternoon.

“The bottom line for us was that we didn’t come out ready to play,” head coach Brad Male said. “Once we scored that first goal, we picked our heads back up and we played how I know these guys are capable of playing. I thought this match showed that we’re capable of playing against any team in our conference. We have to play as a team and we have to play for 80 minutes.”

The Spartans didn’t take long to seize control of the opening half, scoring within the first minute and building a five-goal lead in the first 15 minutes of action. Rochelle found new life midway through the first half, when sophomore defender Alexis Nava sent a long pass through the air that found its way to Casillas, who sent a right-footed shot into the net during the 19th minute.

Rochelle added another goal during the 32nd minute, scoring after Diaz cashed in an assist from senior midfielder Bryan Garcia to bring the Hubs within three. Trailing 5-2, Rochelle carried its momentum into the second half, where the Hubs brought themselves within two after scoring in the 42nd minute. The goal came after Diaz sent a free kick toward the Sycamore goalkeeper, who smacked the ball away but right toward Casillas, who scored easily on the deflection.

A foul inside the Rochelle box led to a penalty kick and a goal for Sycamore’s Jameson Carl in the 47th minute, but the Hubs answered right back during the 52nd minute, when junior midfielder Antonio Ruiz rolled a pass to Diaz for his second goal of the match. A foreign exchange student from Spain, Ruiz played an integral role in Rochelle’s comeback surge.

“Antonio is an excellent ball handler,” Male said. “He sees the plays develop and he’s able to put the ball where it needs to go. I’m looking for him to continue doing that for us. We changed his position on the field a few times today and I thought he fit well in each of those positions. The key for us will be getting the ball off our feet a little quicker so we can develop more plays.”

The Hubs continued to fight for possession and quality shots during the second half, but the Sycamore defense stood strong and prevented Rochelle from further shrinking its deficit. Rochelle’s next conference match will be played at Kaneland on Monday, Sept. 16.