Ridgewood in a foreign place

Piotr Soja and his friends have taken the Ridgewood boys soccer team further than it ever has been before, but that journey pales in comparison to how far they have come to get here.

The Rebels (18-6-2) face Burlington Central in a Class 2A state semifinal at 11 a.m. today at North Central College in Naperville. It is the first time any sports team from the Norridge school has advanced this far.

Even more amazing is the team's makeup - all of the 23 players are foreign-born. Most, like Soja and fellow star Rafal Maslowski, are from Poland. But goalie Veli Milanov is Bulgarian, defender Sean Fagan is from Ireland, midfielder Irvin Grepo hails from Croatia and defender Edwin Giles emigrated from Mexico. Polish-born forward Maciej Nguyen is half Polish and half Vietnamese.

‘‘Some of the other teams seem to make fun of us,'' Soja said. ‘‘I don't know why. They laugh that we speak Polish on the field. They say that we can't speak English, but it's an advantage to us. We just enjoy our nation and everybody.''

Soja, who moved here in fourth grade, is the team leader with 36 goals. Maslowski, a five-year resident, is next with 11 goals and 12 assists.

‘‘We've got a nice team,'' Ridgewood coach Robert St. John said. ‘‘We've got a nice balance of speed, and we try to play a more possession-oriented style, more technical, and it's worked.

‘‘I've been part of the program for 13 years. It's been my baby. It's growing, and it's right where we want it. We work tirelessly with these guys.''

It hasn't always been easy. Midfielder Artur Kurzynski and sweeper Przemyslaw Zabielski arrived within the last two years and spoke no English - a challenge considering St. John and assistant coaches Kenny Caslin, Tom Bishop, Armando Cabrera and John Weibel don't speak Polish. But somehow they have made it work.

‘‘We just play together all the time, even outside the school,'' Soja said. ‘‘We're all friends outside the team. It's like a big group. That's what's making us stand out from everyone else.''

Burlington Central also is enjoying a historic season. The Rockets (20-4-2), who never had won a regional before, are led by Christopher Gousios (20 goals, seven assists), Erick Uribe (14 goals, nine assists) and Alexis Camarena (13 goals, eight assists).

Peoria Notre Dame (24-1), which plays Waterloo (23-1-3) in the second semifinal, is heavily favored to win the title.

‘‘We're the little school in Norridge that nobody knows about, and that suits us fine,'' St. John said. ‘‘Who we are and who we play isn't going to affect how we approach the game every day.''

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