Historic win for Cadets

Back on Sept. 3, 1996, the Marmion boys soccer team recorded its first win in the program’s history.

The same program the Cadets knocked off 12 years ago — IMSA — was also the team it defeated Thursday to record their 200th win in the program’s history.

Thanks to two goals from Ralph Palmeri, Marmion finished the regular season on a winning note with a 3-1 home win in Aurora.

“Even though it doesn’t seem like a big game on paper, it was a milestone game for Marmion,’’ Cadets coach Kevin O’Connor said.

Beto Del Toro also tallied for O’Connor’s crew, which will open the state playoffs Friday against Glenbard East.

“Beto has really picked up his game over the last couple of weeks,’’ O’Connor said. “Even though his eight goals this season aren’t earth-shattering, he has elevated his game in a big way.’’

Another key component to Marmion’s success of late has been defender Luke Friedman.

“I think most of us would admit it has been a subpar year for us,’’ Friedman said. “If we don’t have any mental lapses, we can be a sleeper in the playoffs.’’