Sports
VIDEO: Maine East Ends Titans' Playoff Run in Offensive Showdown
Branden McGarrity scored two goals, but Glenbrook South fell to Maine East 5-4.
Tack on another five or ten minutes and ’s sectional semifinal might have had a different result. But unfortunately for the Titans, the clock ran out on their comeback attempt and their season on Tuesday night.
Behind Rami Dajani’s hat trick, Maine East (16-7-1) got out to a 5-2 lead late in the second half. But Glenbrook South stormed back with two goals in the span of less than two minutes to make it a one-goal game. The Titans (14-8-2) had a couple of great scoring chances to tie it up, but Maine East’s defense held on and the Blue Demons advanced to the sectional championship on Saturday in Evanston.
“They showed a lot of character to keep going; they didn’t play well up until 5-2,” Glenbrook South coach Paul Agombar said. “Give us another 10 minutes I think we would have scored another goal because of the way we were going but fair play to Maine East. We beat them 5-0 in the season and they come back out here.”
Find out what's happening in Glenviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Maine East got the ever-important first goal eight minutes into the game on a play that took all of 10 seconds to complete. Edward Cisneros booted a goal kick to the middle of the field where it was flicked on to a streaking Dajani, who had beaten the Titan back line. Dajani collected it and calmly put a left-footed shot into the net for a 1-0 Maine East lead.
Glenbrook South responded less than three minutes later and it was Branden McGarrity who would find himself in the right spot. Kosta Brkovic took a long ball on the right side , forcing goalkeeper David Patyk to come out. The rebound came to McGarrity who volleyed it up and over a Maine East defender for the equalizer.
Find out what's happening in Glenviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
After that Maine East put on an offensive showcase. Michal Walaszek made a run with the ball down the right side from midfield and gave Maine East the lead back on a high shot past a diving Drew Maki into the left side of the net midway through the first half. Dajani got his second goal of the game 11 minutes later when he ran past Simon Kim to receive a through-ball and finished with another left-footed shot past Maki, who had come off his line, and into a wide-open net.
Dajani would get his hat trick seven minutes into the second half. Walaszek rifled a shot in the box that was saved initially by Maki, but Dajani was all alone and headed in the rebound, giving Maine East a 4-1 lead.
“Mike and Rami what they can do this year,” DiPrizio said. “I’ve been saying right from the start, they are two of the most exciting players in the conference and people are going to have to start noticing us soon.”
Glenbrook South made it 4-2 when Simone Kolodezh’s shot deflected off a Maine East defender and into the net with 19 minutes remaining, but Walaszek came up with his second goal of the game on a beautiful left-footed shot into the upper-left corner from a tough angle to put Maine East back up by three goals.
The Titans made one last push in the final 12 minutes of the game. Off a free kick, Brkovic put home the Titans’ third goal after collecting a loose ball in the box. Two minutes later, a similar play would pull Glenbrook South within one. Luis Bautista put a free kick into the box and after Patyk made the initial save, McGarrity was there to put in the rebound with just under 10 minutes left on the clock.
“It’s such an emotional ride,” DePrizio said. “Give Glenbrook South credit, they came back. It was nerve-racking at the end. That’s soccer. Those 10 minutes, my heart was never beating so fast.”
Glenbrook South had a couple of chances in the remaining minutes to tie it, but couldn’t convert one last time.
The loss to Maine East was disappointing, especially after a productive regular season that netted them the No. 4 seed in the sectional.
“This was a very successful season for us,” Agombar said. “We won the regional title, we beat New Trier, GBN back-to-back by 5-1 and Branden McGarrity broke a 30-year-old goal-scoring record. There’s a lot more positives than negatives.”
Want to stay up-to-date on the latest Titan news? Stay tuned for our and 'like' us on Facebook!
