MINOOKA – The Providence Catholic High School boys soccer team wanted a chance at redemption for its one-goal loss to Joliet Township earlier this season.
Be careful what you wish for.
Providence scored two early goals as it defeated Minooka following a JT 3-1 win over Bradley Bourbonnais in 3A regional semifinals on Tuesday. The stage is now set for the Celtic-Steelmen rematch in the Minooka Regional final at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Providence didn't waste much time before scoring. On a throw-in, Providence senior Johnathan Galick found himself in a familiar position. His header found the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season in the 30th minute. Eight of those nine goals have come courtesy of his head.
Just two minutes later, it appeared Minooka would have an answer. Sophomore Tony Velazquez broke free from the defense and kicked toward the right corner. The ball slid past a diving Alec Pickett, however it banged off the right goalpost and went wide.
"When you score a goal, it brings life into your team and we missed a momentum swing on that play," Minooka coach Jason Boe said. "We were never able to get that momentum."
Providence wasn't done yet. Joe Saavedra was given a penalty kick in the 23rd minute of play. Minooka senior goalkeeper Andy Pieczynski read the kick perfectly and denied it, but the ball would ricochet right back to Saavedra who kicked the ball past a diving Pieczynski for a 2-0 lead.
Minooka would have limited chances the rest of the way. The Indians' best opportunity may have come during the second half when a diving Pickett couldn't reach a ball and left the net open for a potential Minooka goal. However, the ball bounced the wrong way for the Indians -- past Andy Harvey -- and Minooka would not capitalize.
"I was happy with the way my boys played," Providence coach Dan Potempa said. "They brought energy. When we are playing well is when we are scoring early. When we don't get those early goals, we struggle so it is something that we have been working on. (Galick) is just a good player in the air and we look to him a lot and teams can't stop him. He is that good."
Minooka was battling the flu. Derek O'Rourke was out for six days. Despite the sickness, the Indians came up just short of their goal, and Boe said the flu wasn't the reason for the loss.
"It is a crushing blow," Boe said. "Our whole goal was to get to the regional playoffs and find success. They had a couple set pieces and scored on us and those are huge in soccer. I wouldn't chalk (the flu) up as the reason why we lost, but it definitely played a role."
In the first game, JT rolled to its 3-1 victory. The Steelmen were led by goals from Julio DeHaro, Ulises Ornelas and Manuel Mireles. Gabriel Lozano made nine saves.
"We started to play our style the second half," JT coach Eduardo Contreras said. "We played better defense and communicated. When we do that, we play well."
Contreras expects Providence to be a tough test for his team.
"We beat them by a goal this year, but they are a tough, hard-nosed team," he said. "I think they are physically stronger than us, but I think we are faster. They are well-coached and it will be a good challenge for us."
Potempa said the Celtics will have their hands full as well.
"They are a tough team," he said. "In my opinion, the team that comes out ready to win is going to win it. It is going to come down to one goal here or there."
Saavedra has revenge in mind.
"We are looking to come back and get some revenge," he said. "They knocked us off last year and we have a chance to do that this year. Our biggest thing is scoring first and getting our confidence up. When we score first, good things happen."
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