St. Viator rolls over Wells to reach Tuesday's supersectional

By Gary Larsen

The big rematches keep just coming in the Class 2A postseason.

Saint Viator’s 6-1 win over Wells on Friday sends the Vikings to Tuesday’s supersectional game against East Suburban Catholic foe St. Joseph, to be played at 4:30 p.m. at Benedictine University.

The Vikings (21-4-1) tied with St. Joseph on their home field on October 10.Wheaton Academy and Marmion play Saturday for a sectional title, in another rematch of a regular-season battle.

“It’ll be a good game, a good battle,” Saint Viator coach Mike Taylor. “Hopefully, we get to play three more games.”

Viator sits three games away from either a state championship or a third-place game in the 2A state finals.

The Vikings tuned up for Tuesday’s supersectional by posting four goals in the first half against Wells, with Alan Aboona scoring twice and Kevin Cavers and Jack Horvath tallying once apiece.

Saint Viator outscored Sullivan, Ridgewood, Fenton, and Wells by a combined score of 25 to 2.

“It’s nice to finally win some games in the playoffs,” Saint Viator’s Brendan King said. “We’re playing with a lot more confidence. Once we got past those first two games, we got the nerves out and we just played our game.”

“There was pressure on us to win those games because we were expected to get past them. But now we’re there, so we can just play our game.”

Aboona had a scab on his ankle torn off on a play in the first half, and after scoring twice he sat down for the remainder of the match. The Vikings also played without goalkeeper Scott Faul and Joe Surdam, who were both out with the flu.

“As we’ve said before, we can miss one or two guys if we play as a team,” Taylor said. “We don’t just need one or two guys – we need eleven to win.”

Patrick Windle started in net, making a few quality saves after the break. Wells’ Miguel Diaz spoiled the shutout with a blast that rebounded in off the post in the second half.

Bill Krawzak and Joe Schmidt scored a goal each in the second half, with Horvath feeding Schmidt on a nice give-and-go capped by Schmidt’s head shot score.

“Brendan solidified the defense today and he has all year,” Taylor said. “Alan (Aboona) played well when he was in the game, and Billy Krawzak wasn’t feeling well but he played well towards the end of the game.”

King is well-settled in his role as the leader in back for the Vikings.

“There’s a lot of young guys back here, and I’ve just got to make them make plays for me. They’re young, but they’re getting a lot better,” King said. “With (rainy) conditions like this you can’t be too cute. Take your touch and get it out.”

Once a sizable lead was established, Taylor substituted freely to get his guys as much of a taste of the postseason as possible.

“We played all 21 guys today. We have 13 seniors and for me it’s key to get them in this game, too,” Taylor said. “For them, they’ll remember it, and for the people in the stands. Moms and dads want to see their kids play, and I’ll try to play any kid I can, any time.”

Saint Viator starters vs. Wells

2009 Schedule
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Postseason play