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player ready...Edy Cirilo tried to get a good read on his second free kick on Tuesday night.
Standing about 28 yards away from the box, the Wauconda senior midfielder had a chance to score an insurance goal in the opening minutes of the second half against Grayslake North in a Class 2A Lake Forest regional semifinal.
But Cirilo’s kick smacked off the crossbar, just out of the reach of Joe Swambar, the Knights’ 6-foot-3 senior goalkeeper. Cirilo’s first free kick had hit the crossbar too.
“That happened against Round Lake and the first time we played Grayslake North, a little boom off the (crossbar),” Cirilo said. “It’s frustrating, but sometimes you have to put it behind you and keep playing.”
The fourth-seeded Bulldogs, like Cirilo said, did keep playing and got a strong effort from their back line to avoid a potential upset, pulling out a 1-0 victory against the 13th-seeded Knights.
Wauconda (11-3-3) advances to play St. Viator, which edged Lake Forest 1-0 in the other semifinal, in the regional championship game at 5 p.m. Friday.
Eduardo Gonzalez, who scored the lone goal off a pass from Keegan Murphy with 36:01 left in the first half, said he was motivated to put the ball in the net after getting some ribbing from his teammates.
“I saw Keegan with the ball, and everyone is always on me about getting the back post,” Gonzalez said. “I thought the keeper was coming out, so I did a little chip, and it went in. It’s a game, but we could’ve done better. I had many chances. We’re going to train harder and come back stronger.”
The Knights (3-13-2) also allowed just one goal in the first meeting against the Bulldogs, a 1-1 draw on Sept. 15, and played aggressively in the second half Tuesday, controlling possession for the majority of the final 33 minutes.
Swambar kept the Knights in the game with stellar play in the net, finishing with seven saves. He also received a bit of luck after a goal by Wauconda was ruled to have come after the first-half buzzer sounded.
The Knights nearly tied the game in the 50th minute, but Chris Fabela’s shot from 5 yards away hit the near post.
“I think we’re a good team but played a really tough schedule this season,” Grayslake North coach Adam DeCaluwe said. “We just couldn’t finish a few chances. This is a good group of boys. They worked hard. It’s a pretty young team, with only six seniors, and we had three freshmen playing a lot of minutes.”
Although Cirilo didn’t score, he was all over the field, influencing the game in many ways. He has six goals and three assists this season.
“I’m toward the end of my ride here, so it definitely feels weird because I’ve been playing on the varsity for four years and created a good bond,” he said. “Leaving is definitely going to be difficult, but I’m trying to leave it all out on the field and hope for the best.”
Miller said Cirilo’s colorful personality brings a unique touch to the program that helps ease his teammates in tense situations.
“He’s probably our most exciting player on and off the ball and uses his athleticism and 1v1 ability to trigger our attack,” Miller said. “He has really grown into a leader this season. Edy is a big-game player, and his best games come against our best competition.”
Cirilo has played multiple positions in his career, and his versatility is a hidden asset, according to Miller.
“Coach has moved me around,” Cirilo said. “I had a couple of positions I was rough at. I’ve played a different position every year, but I love the sport, and you have to do what you can do to play.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.