Garza gets it rolling in Redhawks' win over the Falcons

By Eddie Burns

Naperville Central has become significantly more dangerous now that Art Garza is healthy and back in the fold.

Garza contributed a goal and two assists to help the Redhawks to a 3-1 victory against Wheaton North on Thursday night in a game that was shortened to one half because of lightning.

It took Garza and teammate Chris Prince less than four minutes to connect for the match’s first goal. Garza breezed through the Falcons defense and slipped a pass to Prince, who did the rest and ripped a shot past Wheaton North goalie Nick Barry.

In the 17th minute, Garza had a throw in near the Falcons’ penalty area. He toss slipped out of his and fell short of his teammates, but the ball bounced off the turf and Central’s Andy Miltonberger was there to flip the ball off his head and past Barry to make it 2-0.

Wheaton North cut the deficit in half when Pat Langan scored on a direct kick from just inside the Redhawks’ penalty area.

Garza returned the favor when he ripped a low-line drive shot that danced along the turf and into the net from 35 yards out on a direct kick restart.

“We’ve been waiting on Art to get healthy and I would say that he is healthy,” Central coach Jay Konrad said. “We are a much better team when Art is playing at his best. He did a great job tonight. He controlled the middle of the field, didn’t allow them to get forward and did a great job in the final third. He made dangerous runs.

He was the great player that he is. It is nice that his legs are back under him and those were not easy conditions to play and he was magic today and that was good stuff.”

Garza, who has two goals and six assists this season, missed the first few weeks because of a leg injury, but he’s starting to find a rhythm.

“I’m starting to get back in the flow of things,” said Garza, who now has two goals and six assists. “It was a little frustrating at first, but the more soccer I play and the more things seem to click.”

It was the first time in three matches the Falcons (4-5-4, 1-3-1 DVC) had allowed the first goal and it disappointing they were unable to build on the momentum created by Monday’s 4-0 win against Wheaton Academy.

“We have to show up and play,” said Langan, who has seven goals. “Coming off (the Wheaton Academy win) I think maybe we had a little bit too much confidence. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we obviously weren’t ready to play today and that is really disappointing and frustrating.”

Falcons coach Bryce Cann said his team was not nearly as sharp as it had been in recent matches.

“We made mistakes that we hadn’t made in a while,” Cann said. “We gave them space and let a guy like Garza turn on us and get going, which got us in trouble. Some of those small little things that you talk about when it comes to winning and losing we took for granted tonight.

When you are playing in difficult conditions you have to make sure you lock those things down and we didn’t. You make mistakes about quality teams and they are going to make you pay.”

Central (10-3-1, 3-2) held its two-goal advantage at halftime and was set to kickoff to begin the second half when the teams were called off the field because of lightning at 7:31 p.m. At the time, the match was considered official because one half had been completed, but Konrad and Cann agreed to attempt to wait out the storms.

The teams waited and waited.

When it appeared all the severe weather had cleared the area both squads eventually went back out on the playing surface and completed a brief 10-minute warm-up.
Seconds before the match was to resume the officials saw lightning and called it a night at 8:49 p.m.

Cann said he hopes his team can grow from this experience.

“At this time of year those things happen,” Cann said about the weather. “That is why you have to show up and play every half. Once a half goes it is an official game and that is a lesson we can learn from this. You can’t wait until the second half.”

Seedings set for Falcons, Redhawks

By Eddie Burns

The IHSA released the sectional seeds on Thursday.

Central received the fourth seed in the Class 3A Downers Grove South Sectional where Neuqua Valley earned the No. 1 seed.

“We are the No. 4 seed and that doesn’t really matter because our sectional is brutal,” Konrad said. “Right now, Neuqua is clearly the best team in the state and there is everybody else.”

West Aurora is the No. 5 seed and that could be a possible regional championship opponent for the Redhawks, if both teams survive their first-round games.

Central forward Art Garza said the Redhawks are simply focused on playing better and building confidence before postseason play begins.

“I feel we’re starting to gel,” Garza said. “We’ve found a style of play that works for us. We play direct when we need to and there are times when we have Chris Prince holding the ball and waiting for numbers to get forward and hope we can spring the attack. It’s been working for us.”

The Falcons received the No. 9 seed in the Hoffman Estates Sectional where Conant earned the No. 1 seed.

Wheaton North could see No. 8 St. Charles East in its first-round match.

The Falcons lost a 1-0 decision to Conant earlier this year and they own a victory against third-seed Leyden and played fifth-seed Lake Park to a draw.

“What’s done is done,” Falcons coach Bryce Cann said. “We played the top teams in our sectional and we’ve played them tough, but our kids have to show up and play and that is what we’ve been telling the players. We keep focusing on that.”

The Falcons will get a shot at the sectional’s second seed in Geneva on Saturday.
Midfielder Pat Langan said he and his teammates didn’t worry about what seed they received.

“Our sectional is really tough and it is one of the best,” Langan said. “We just need to show up to play against whomever. At this point, I don’t think that is really a big deal. We need to focus on finishing off the season strong, so we can get some momentum going and carry that into the playoffs.”