Falcons hot, reach sectional final

Wheaton North's boys soccer team was not among the favorites to reach a sectional final as the regular season came to an end.

After all, the Falcons started the season 1-2-3 and were 4-9-5 heading into their regular-season finale. But the postseason is all about getting hot at the right time, and the Falcons have done just that.

Wheaton North avenged last season's sectional semifinal loss to St. Charles North by handing the North Stars a 2-1 overtime loss in Tuesday's Class 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional semifinal.

"I think it just comes down to finally stepping up and making plays when we need to," Wheaton North coach Bryce Cann said. "That's what we've been able to do in the postseason that we weren't able to do in the regular season."

The Falcons (8-9-5) did not have a ton of offensive chances in regulation, but their patience paid off in overtime. Mike Lenzi had the ball near midfield and Josh Bennett called for the ball about 20 yards ahead. Bennett takes the story from there.

"I settled it and I had the center midfielder beat and their sweeper in front of me and I saw Jacques (Ntahoturi) curling and making that run and I slid it to him and it went in," Bennett said. "I was shocked."

Ntahoturi's shot hit the post and started to trickle into the net. But with a St. Charles North defender darting in to try to clear the ball, Ntahoturi slid in and made the sure the ball was safely in the back of the net, sparking a celebration from the ninth-seeded Falcons.

"I thought it would go in on the first touch, and then I decided to go put it away in the net," Ntahoturi said. "It's really exciting to be here. We didn't know if we'd be here."

Being in a close game is nothing new for the Falcons. They are now 5-7 in one-goal games and have five ties to boot.

"Pretty much everybody is playing close matches now," Cann said. "We've been on both sides of those close matches so many times.

"I don't want to make too much of it, but at the same time, we've been through it before."

After a scoreless first half, the Falcons struck first on a penalty kick. After a penalty in the box, the Falcons' Pat Langan put in the game's first goal to the top, left corner at the 33:23 mark.

No. 10 seed St. Charles North (12-11-3) tied the game back up at the 15:25 mark when Angelo Catalano put away a 30-yard free kick. Wheaton North goalie Nick Barry made a key save in the final minutes to ensure the Falcons reached overtime, a play Cann called the play of the game.

The Falcons will face No. 12 seed Schaumburg, a 2-0 winner over Geneva, in the sectional finals Oct. 30 at 6 p.m.

"Schaumburg is playing a whole lot better," Cann said. "They've got their guys healed up. We're going to have our hands full, no doubt."

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