Lincoln-Way Central came into the game feeling very good about themselves after an impressive 2-1 victory over a previously undefeated Bolingbrook (7-1-4) team.
The Knights have been rolling since their early season loss to rival Lincoln-Way West (4-8-2) 1-0. They have been undefeated in their last 8 games since, giving up only 6 goals.
The defense, operated by Luca Rotondi, Drew Schiller, Dylan Maksa, and Matt Bettenhausen has caused nothing but trouble for opposing forwards all season long.
“This year, I have felt like I have made tremendous improvements in my game. I became a defender and captain of our team. As an entire backline, I feel like we have been extremely solid. I think we are a big part of our team’s successes this year, and I hope we continue to keep clean sheets as the year goes on” Rotondi stated.
The Knights beat 2A powerhouse Conant (5-7-2) in first- round of the Body Armor series in a tough-fought match 1-0. In the semi-final match, they then beat a very solid Washington (8-5-1) team in a commanding 5-1 victory in New Lenox, IL, advancing the team to the championship on Sunday.
Early in the second half of the championship game Sunday afternoon, Pate went down with an apparent arm injury and had to be removed from the game. This was a huge loss for the Knights as he has been a crucial part of the team’s offense.
Pate stated, “I blocked the ball on the free kick and cleared it. Then I felt an intense pain, probably one of the worst pains of my life, in my wrist.”
Pate later shared that he did suffer an injury to his wrist and will be out around 2 weeks, but he looks probable to return right before playoffs begin.
After the game, The Central Players celebrated on the field before heading to the trophy presentation. The Boys took pictures with the trophy before spraying liters of Coca-Cola bottles all over each other in celebration and lifting the cup.
Schiller spoke on the team culture after the game: “It truly felt amazing to be able to win this tournament for, not the first, but the second time in my high school career. I couldn’t have done it without this group. This team has battled through blood, sweat, and tears all year long and will continue to do it the rest of the year. This really shows how much our hard work is paying off, and we are excited to continue winning games.”
