Argo downs Eisenhower, claims conference

Updated: October 11, 2011 10:00PM

For the first time in five years, the Argo soccer team can call itself conference champion.

With a share of the South Suburban Red title hanging in the balance, the Argonauts emerged victorious in a tense battle with rival Eisenhower on Tuesday night. The 3-1 Argo win — paired with Reavis’ 3-0 loss to Lemont — gives Argo its first conference title since 2007.

“I’m so proud of my team,” Argo coach John Gaytan said. “Especially after beating a tough team like Eisenhower. We gave them a goal, but we came back and showed how much we wanted it.”

Argo dominated the ball in the first half, as Eisenhower played a conservative, packed-in defense. But the Argonauts couldn’t capitalize on a score after getting four shots on goal.

The second half saw a more aggressive attack from both schools. Argo’s Szymon Jakubiec opened the scoring on an assist from Krystian Nowak with 32 minutes left in the match.

Eisenhower’s Giovanna Sanchez answered, showing impressive speed in the open field as he netted a goal with 15 minutes left.

Four minutes later, Eisenhower would again find itself playing from behind.

Nowak once more showed his worth for the Argonauts, delivering a game-changing missile from 100 feet out. The goal tipped off the Eisenhower goalkeeper’s fingertips before finding the back of the net.

“We needed to get back into the game and that goal brought us back in mentally. After I hit it, I knew we would win. We took down our rival Eisenhower and now we can call ourselves champions,” Nowak said.

Argo’s Jonathon Marquez scored with eight seconds left, starting a celebration from the Argo faithful.

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