Boys Soccer: Hubs exact revenge on Marmion Academy

Orozco, Milan shine as Rochelle defeats Cadets 4-0

Russell Hodges
Posted 10/17/19

Wednesday provided an opportunity for an emotional rematch for members of the Rochelle boys soccer team. The Hubs didn’t balk at the chance to defeat the school that ended their perfect season and eliminated them in the IHSA Sectional Championship this past year.

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Boys Soccer: Hubs exact revenge on Marmion Academy

Orozco, Milan shine as Rochelle defeats Cadets 4-0

Posted

AURORA — Wednesday provided an opportunity for an emotional rematch for members of the Rochelle boys soccer team. The Hubs didn’t balk at the chance to defeat the school that ended their perfect season and eliminated them in the IHSA Sectional Championship this past year.

Junior Brayan Orozco led Rochelle with two goals and freshman keeper Jarett Milan shined with 13 saves as the Hubs took down Marmion Academy 4-0 on Wednesday to wrap up the regular season. The victory was significant for returning players like senior Max Torres, who was a starting forward when the Cadets topped Rochelle 2-1 in the sectional finals last season.

The Hubs improved to 13-7 overall with the win, and Rochelle will kick off the IHSA Class 2A Regional Semifinals at Wheaton Academy on Tuesday, when the sixth-seeded Hubs will play the fourth-seeded Kaneland Knights, who beat Rochelle twice during the season.

“We knew they were still going to have a strong team since they only lost two seniors coming into this season,” Torres said. “Our minds were set on getting a good victory before going into regionals… We didn’t play our best both times against Kaneland. We made some defensive mistakes, but as a team, we played much better the second time. As long as we can capitalize on the chances we have, I think we’ll be able to win.”

Rochelle took the early lead against Marmion after Torres assisted Orozco for a goal in the opening minute and Orozco found junior Zane Walters for another score in the 18th minute. The Hubs lengthened their advantage over the Cadets when Walters connected with Torres for Rochelle’s third goal in the 22nd minute.

The Hubs led 3-0 at halftime before icing the victory with an Orozco goal assisted by junior Josh Hurtado in the 51st minute. While Rochelle won the match, Marmion Academy actually outshot the purple and white 17-16 and outpaced them 13-10 in shots on goal and 4-2 in corner kicks. The Cadets were caught offside four times, though, while the Hubs were flagged only once.

Wednesday’s game was played on grass, whereas the regional tournament at Wheaton Academy will be conducted on turf, where the dimensions of the field will be wider than usual.

“The ball will roll much faster and it’s going to be a much wider field,” Torres said. “If there’s a lot of wind, that will definitely affect the ball’s movement. But I know we can play fine on turf.”