Thrilling end to Cyclone soccer season

When all was said and done, the Moraine Valley Community College men’s soccer team had a memorable season, right down to the final penalty kick.

Yielding one of their best records in the last few years, the Cyclones finished second in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (5-1-1) and first in the NJCAA Region IV with an overall 15-2-2 record. They were a penalty kick or two away from advancing to the NJCAA Division I Championship, but came up short.

The Cyclones faced rival Skyway champions Waubonsee Community College (4th seed) at home on Oct. 28 in the Region IV finals. During the regular season, Moraine Valley fell 4-2 to the Chiefs. In this highly contested game, the Cyclones peaked at the right time and played their best soccer of the year, according to head Coach TJ Donahue.

“That’s what you want is this kind of final game. We played a very good team. Sometimes with two good teams, games end like this,” he said.

Tight defense kept the matchup scoreless through both halves of regulation time. Keeper Gustavo Flores (Eisenhower) made key saves to keep his team alive, despite an injured shoulder, but the Chiefs countered every step despite the number of close shots from the Cyclones. Flores recorded 11 saves at the end and finished the season ranked No. 6 in NJCAA Division I for his save percentage (.894). After two 10-minute sudden death overtimes, the game was forced into penalty kicks, a brutal way to end a well-played match between two worthy teams.

Because of his strength in defending penalty kicks, Abel Cavada-Bautista (Oak Lawn) took over in the net for the Cyclones. He was able to block one, but a few offensive misses by some Cyclones relegated them to a runner-up finish (5-4 PK).

“It was tough being one penalty kick away, but what can you do. Our guys cared so much. Everybody played well, including the subs. We just couldn’t put the ball in the net. We’ll work harder next time and get there,” Donahue said.

The Cyclones were without their leading scoring near the end of the regular season—Eduardo Manzo (Kennedy)—due to a season-ending injury. However, several other newcomers became forces on offense, including Ismet Sulamc (Stagg) and Krystian Sroka (Kennedy). Sulamc finished the season ranked No. 14 nationally for goals (21), No. 8 for game-winning goals (6) and No. 12 for shot percentage (3.0). Manzo was No. 5 for assists (16) and No. 7 for shot percentage (3.75). At the start of the season, the team was stronger offensively, but by the end they excelled on defense. That defensive strength came from sophomores Sean McLaughlin (Andrew), Manny Prouty (Argo) and Alonzo Nava (Eric Solorio), all of whom played solidly all year and each earned nods to the All-Conference team along with Manzo, Sulamc, Mohammed Farraj (Oak Lawn), and Matt Barrera (Oak Lawn).

“This is a great group of guys. They worked hard. Nobody missed practice,” Donahue said. “We didn’t get any red cards this season, and in my 30-plus years coaching I’ve never had that. We were a disciplined team, and that made a difference. We had an excellent year.”

Donahue commended his team for their focus on the field and in the classroom, which has led to several four-year universities looking to recruit some sophomores. Although the Cyclones will lose six players next year, they hope to return a core group and balance it with more talent for another successful run.