Redhawks escape West Aurora upset bid

Naperville Central's Art Garza (23) eyes the goal as West Aurora's Jose Chavez moves in from behind.
(Jon Cunningham/Beacon News)

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AURORA -- West Aurora took talented Naperville Central just about as far as it possibly could without earning a victory.

The Redhawks, unbeaten and ranked No. 1, pulled out a 3-2 triumph on Matt Teich's goal with 14 seconds remaining in double overtime. Central is now 8-0 overall after its first DuPage Valley Conference matchup, which undoubtedly will remain one of its toughest battles.

"(The Blackhawks) are a very good team," said Redhawks coach Jay Konrad. "They create dangerous chances, they're well-organized defensively and their goalkeeper played unbelievable."

Central took advantage of a late push by the Blackhawks in the final minute of the game. After West Aurora could not get a last-second shot with its all-out pressure, possession changed hands and Teich found himself with a two-on-one with teammate Chris Prince. Teich got a return feed and shot it past junior Blackhawks goalkeeper Stephen Walan, who had 17 saves, some of which were spectacular.

The Blackhawks (4-1-1, 0-1 DVC) served notice early on that they would not be intimidated by Central's lofty ranking.

Only 1:41 into the game, Jose Chavez booted a 25-yarder that Redhawks goalkeeper Tyler Kelley got a hand on but didn't put away. The ball trickled into the goal for a 1-0 West Aurora lead.

Central tied it at 1 with 5:55 left in the half on a goal similar to the game-winner. Matt Dervin and Art Garza had a two-on-one working, and Dervin lofted a pass that Garza deposited into the left corner.

Seemingly destined for a halftime tie, Rodolfo Jiminez chased down a lead pass and dove into a shot from a tough angle that gave West Aurora a 2-1 lead 13 seconds before the break.

After West Aurora committed a foul deep in its own territory, the Redhawks found themselves with what was basically a short corner kick. Jerry Maddi kicked the ball toward net, and Dave Mallett booted the loose ball into the net from close range to tie the score at 2 with 24:15 left in regulation.

The Blackhawks had the best chance in overtime, but Victor Alfaro's shot from the left side was barely tipped by Kelley with three minutes left in the first extra period.

"An awful lot of credit to West Aurora. They came out and played with a lot of pride," said Konrad, who was impressed that the Blackhawks started 10 juniors.

The game was a clash of contrasts between West Aurora's physical play and desire to win loose balls, and Central's skilled ball handling and playmaking. The Blackhawks proved they will be a force in the DuPage Valley.

"I know this is a loss, but it will pay dividends in the future," said West Aurora coach Joe Sustersic. "We weren't projected to go undefeated - in fact, we weren't even on people's radar. We have a lot of kids who worked hard over the summer and want to have success."

The game was marred by what appeared to be a serious knee injury to Central's Garza in the final minute of regulation.

The talented junior was taken to the hospital and will undergo an MRI exam Wednesday.