Cadets fight back before falling to Warriors

By Curt Herron

It would be perfectly understandable if Marmion's players walked away very disappointed following Monday's match.

After all, the Cadets had just dropped a hard-fought 5-4 Suburban Christian Conference match to Wheaton Academy at their own stadium.

With the win, the Warriors not only grabbed the upper hand in the SCC but also have the advantage in the Hampshire Sectional seeding.

But after trailing throughout much of the match and being down 4-2 midway through the second half, the Cadets forced a late 4-4 tie.

Wheaton Academy got the game-winner with just 1:02 remaining, however, when Brandon VanderVeen scored on a header following a long free kick from Tim Daniels.

That offset big efforts by Cadet seniors Sam Duffield and Max Rosenfelder, who teamed up on three goals by Duffield while Rosenfelder added the other score.

Instead of being down about the tough defeat, Marmion coach Kevin O'Connor was proud of the way that his squad battled back throughout.

"I'm very, very proud of our team," O'Connor said. "If we play with this kind of heart the rest of the season, we'll be pretty happy and are going to have a very nice year.

"These are two programs that have a great deal of respect for each other and this was a high-quality game tonight. It was a game that neither team really deserved to lose.

"We gave up two goals off of throw-ins and had a ball that we should have cleared on another goal. They certainly capitalized on our mistakes and give them credit for that."

Things weren't looking that great for the Cadets (6-5-1, 1-1) after the Warriors (8-2-1, 4-0) scored a goal late in the first half and got another one early in the second half to take a 3-1 lead.

But the hosts tightened things up when Rosenfelder connected on an indirect free kick from just beyond the top of the box, following a touch by Mike Maley, with 28:34 remaining.

That momentum didn't last long, however, as Wheaton Academy regained a two-goal lead just 44 seconds later when Daniels sent in a long shot that wasn't cleared and wound up in net.

With just under 22 minutes left, the Cadets began a flurry of activity which eventually saw them get several good scoring chances, highlighted by a pair of scores.

On their first scoring chance of the sequence, Duffield's header following a corner from Rosenfelder was cleared way by Frank Della Torre.

But the subsequent corner kick from Rosenfelder to Duffield was right on, with the Cadets' big forward heading the ball in with 20:39 left.

Rosenfelder followed that up with a free kick that was deflected away and then had a line drive stopped following a throw-in by Duffield.

The two seniors put things together again with 17:42 remaining when Rosenfelder sent in a long free kick to Duffield, who headed it in.

Down the stretch, the Cadets got shots on goal from Casey White and Connor Lefelstein but it was the Warriors who were able to find the net.

"It was a well-fought game," Rosenfelder said. "They went up 3-1 and 4-2 but we didn't give up and kept coming at them and at them and that showed since we played well.

"On free kicks I've worked on the long ball since Duff's such a big target. And during warmups, I was working on kicks from half and from the 18 and I was hitting that shot.

"We scored four goals off four set pieces so it's a good system. We definitely proved our worth as a team and we also showed a lot of heart by being able to come back."

The match started well for Marmion as Rosenfelder sent in a free kick to Duffield, who played the ball off his chest for a goal with just 3:11 gone.

That lead only lasted just over four minutes as the Warriors got the equalizer following a flip throw from Alex Varga that eluded keeper Evan Lefelstein.

Marmion's goalie stopped a few chances after that before Rosenfelder had a line drive deflected away with just over 14 minutes left before the break.

Wheaton Academy moved in front with 2:16 left in the half when William West connected from close range following a throw-in by Quinn Gorski.

Warrior keeper Philip Oster came out of the net to stop a try by Mike Frasca that followed a pass from Duffield with just over a minute left in the half.

The visitors seemed to establish control when they scored with 36:09 left as Devin Moore put in a short attempt following a free kick from Daniels.

But the Cadets had plenty of fight left in them as they eventually closed the gap to 3-2 and later tied things at 4-4 before the Warriors scored late.

"Our guys walked off the field tonight saying that we want to see these guys in the sectional," O'Connor said. "Let's hope we're fortunate enough to get another chance."

Men of the match:
Sam Duffield and Max Rosenfelder

It was a scene that played out several different times during Monday's match and it wound up resulting in three scores during the evening.

Max Rosenfelder to Sam Duffield proved to be the right combination for Marmion in its Suburban Christian Conference match against Wheaton Academy.

The Cadet seniors teamed up for three Duffield scores, thanks to a mixture of free kicks and corner kicks, while Rosenfelder also scored on an indirect free kick.

But despite putting four goals on the scoreboard, the Cadets allowed a tally with just 1:02 remaining to drop a 5-4 decision to the Warriors in Aurora.

The pair gave Marmion the early lead and then put together two more scores less than three minutes apart midway through the second half to force a 4-4 tie.

Cadets starters vs. Warriors

Cadets Schedule