Standing at the 49-yard line, Waukegan’s Andy Tobar moved his feet back and forth in a rhythmic fashion to warm up before the start of the second half on Friday night.
The “Eye of the Tiger” was blaring, and Tobar pointed toward a few teammates. After scoring the lone goal during a hectic first half in the Class 3A Buffalo Grove Sectional championship game, the senior midfielder clearly understood the challenge of holding off top-seeded and unbeaten Stevenson for the final 40 minutes.
“We went farther than we thought we would, but we knew we had to hold them down and defend this game in the second half,” Tobar said. “I thought we had it.”
The 14th-seeded Bulldogs entered the game riding a magical wave, especially for a team that struggled to build momentum in the regular season. Against all odds, Waukegan was the lowest remaining seed in 3A — and even in 2A — by a wide margin and was on the cusp of an upset victory against the North Suburban Conference champion Patriots, who had won 4-1 in the teams’ regular-season meeting on Sept. 30.
Stevenson, however, had other ideas. Chasing the program’s first state title, the Patriots scored two goals in a little more than 11 minutes late in the second half to record a 2-1 victory at Grant Blaney Stadium.
Senior forward Filip Janda scored the winner with 10:43 minutes left, finishing off a pass from senior midfielder Bryant Rouse — who earlier tied the game with a goal.
“Bryant was taking the ball down the middle and got past his defender, and I was wide open on the far post,” Janda said of his goal. “I knew I had the space. I was screaming for the ball. I took a touch and slotted it in the far left corner.”
The Patriots (20-0-3) advance to the Hersey Supersectional and will play New Trier at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“Waukegan was definitely a formidable opponent,” Janda said. “They were lower-seeded, but we knew they had a lot of momentum. They definitely put up a great fight. I’m glad to have put that shot in at the end. Bryant’s goal really helped switch up the momentum.”
The Bulldogs (8-11-3) nearly advanced to the supersectional for the second time since 2008 after defeating Lake Zurich in a thrilling win decided in a shootout on Tuesday. But they struggled to generate offense in the second half and missed two shots in the final 1:24.
“I felt we had a really great game but just couldn’t finish it,” Tobar said. “I’m really proud of my teammates. We’re happy to do well. We fought until the last minute.”
Tobar shocked the large crowd early in the first half. He dribbled the ball 15 yards, weaving between two Stevenson defenders, before slowing down to set up a shot. From 28 yards out, he blasted the ball into the back of the net to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute.
“I just tried to shoot it and saw no one else, and it went in,” Tobar said.
The Patriots came out strong in the second half but couldn’t get on the scoreboard despite three attempts in the opening 12 minutes.
Waukegan sophomore goalkeeper Julian Mendoza made seven saves. His counterpart, Stevenson senior Aidan Morris, made three saves.
Rouse started the Patriots’ comeback, quieting the Waukegan contingent by scoring a goal off a header on the far post to tie the game with 22:11 left. He darted toward the main grandstand and put his index finger next to his lips to celebrate his goal.
“It was amazing to score the first goal for us,” Rouse said. “We had a lot of heart and proved it in the second half.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.