Riverside Brookfield High School boys soccer coach Ivek Halic breaks the season into three sections – the season-opening invitational, conference play and the postseason.
The Bulldogs took care of the second part by being No. 1. They earned the championship in their first season in the Upstate Eight Conference East Division with just one blemish: their Oct. 10 conference finale with second-place West Chicago, losing at home on penalty kicks to settle a scoreless tie.
“It’s definitely an honor to go into a new conference and disturb the balance,” said RBHS senior captain and defender Liam Hickey, a third-year varsity player.
“It’s especially great because last year we didn’t win it and we did during our sophomore year. To return it to Riverside Brookfield, get a plaque, it’s definitely something we can keep forever.”
Using a points system similar to the NHL, the Bulldogs (10-7-1) were 5-0-1 in UEC East matches with one victory in penalty kicks over Glenbard East, Sept. 24. That edged the Wildcats, who were 5-1-0 with a 2-1 regulation loss at Fenton, Sept. 24.
In their final season in the Metro Suburban Conference, the 2023 Bulldogs were 3-3 for second place, finishing the season with 10 victories.
“Being new to the conference, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I loved the competition. I loved the format of it,” Halik said. “It was just tough. Each game these boys showed up. It was more meaningful, difficult.”
Lyons Township (11-7-2) and RBHS hope to repeat their strong 2023 postseasons as the No. 5 and 8 seeds in the Class 3A Reavis Sectional.
The Bulldogs played No. 9 Argo (12-4-4) Tuesday with the winner most likely meeting No. 1-seed Morton (10-5-5) at 11 a.m., Saturday. Morton was ranked No. 17 in the area last week by ChicagolandSoccer.org.
The Lions play No. 12 Proviso West (6-11-1), Wednesday, with the winner most likely meeting No. 4 Whitney Young (14-7-4) at 1 p.m., Saturday. LTHS is ranked No. 23 in the area.
If both teams win regionals, they’ll meet in the 4:30 p.m. sectional semifinals Tuesday.
The 2023 Lions rode a great senior class all the way to second place in Class 3A. With a new talented senior crop, they shared second in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division this season with York and Oak Park and River Forest at 4-2.
Both losses came in overtime to Silver champion Hinsdale Central 3-2, Oct. 1, and York 1-0, Oct. 15. They also beat Downers Grove North 1-0 in overtime Oct. 12.
Last year, the Bulldogs lost their regional final to Morton 4-2 on penalty kicks to break a scoreless tie.
Although RBHS lost 2-0 at No. 4-ranked West Aurora, Oct. 16, in the crossover match between UEC division champions, it served as a good postseason-like test. The Blackhawks (16-4) scored twice in the final 26 minutes.
“I think defensively as a unit, we played well. We kind of faltered a bit in the second half, but overall it was a valiant effort by the defense,” Hickey said. “We knew this was going to be tough. Especially this type of play, the style. Again, it is good preparation.”
One strength has been the defense, which has six shutouts, including three of the last five games.
Goalie Eros Valadez and defenders Hickey, Josef Guerrero, Xavier Salamanca and Reese Jackson started against West Aurora. Salamanca returned to action around the start of October.
“We know how hard it is [in the playoffs]. We’re just taking it one day at a time and trying to better ourselves every day,” Salamanca said.
Junior Valadez, a varsity newcomer, and the Bulldogs also have the experience of four regular-season games decided by penalty kicks, winning three of them.
“It’s kind of nerve-wracking. This is my first time on varsity. But I’m trying to get myself better, help the team out,” Valadez said. “I like how organized we are. When we’re under pressure, we can get away from the pressure.”