East Aurora’s Roman Hernandez believes soccer is an open book.
“I think I know how to read the game well and make the right decisions,” he said. “The rest just comes naturally.”
The senior forward naturally came through with a goal Friday for the host Tomcats during a 5-1 loss to third-seeded Naperville Central in a Class 3A regional championship game.
Hernandez’s goal tied the game at 1-1 for sixth-seeded East Aurora (14-5-4) until late in the first half.
“Naperville Central scored two goals at the end of the first half that were as good as any goals I’ve seen this year,” East Aurora coach Nathan Parry said. “That broke our backs.”
For Hernandez, this fall was a comeback of sorts after a disappointing, and abbreviated, junior season.
East Aurora went undefeated this season at 7-0-2 in the Upstate Eight Conference. Hernandez had a goal and an assist Oct. 9 in a key 3-1 victory over defending 3A state champion West Chicago.
“Last season, the conference came down to West Chicago,” he said. “They beat us 2-1 and we lost the conference by one point. I wanted to make sure we didn’t get shut down again.”
That victory gave East Aurora 23 points in conference play, giving the Tomcats their first UEC title since 2012.
Hernandez played with the Oak Brook-based Eclipse club program as a freshman. He made his mark during his three years at East Aurora.
His speed, creativity with the ball and ability to make shots powered the Tomcats’ attack. He finished his senior season with 21 goals and 10 assists.
He scored a hat trick in East Aurora’s 4-0 victory over Wheaton Warrenville South in the regional semifinals.
Hernandez, who has generated recruiting interest from Indiana State, Xavier and Butler, was thrilled at the chance to showcase his talent before the Tomcats’ passionate fan base one last time in the regional final.
“It was exciting to play in front of all the people who supported us,” he said. “We had more desire. All of us were hungry. I think that was a big reason why we played so well this year.”
Storybook season: Genoa-Kingston’s bid for a 1A state title ended Saturday with a 6-0 loss to Wheaton Academy in the Hinckley-Big Rock Sectional final.
The Cogs’ one-two forward punch of senior Eagan Reams and junior Jorge Leon rewrote the program’s scoring records.
Genoa-Kingston (21-2) scored an astounding 150 goals. Reams finished with 49 goals and 24 assists. Leon followed with 44 goals and 18 assists.
That’s not all. Junior midfielder Diego Espinoza added 19 goals and 11 assists.
Scoring whiz: Sophomore Lance Grandgeorge also made his name as an elite creator and scorer.
Grandgeorge produced 36 goals and 21 assists for Somanauk (20-3), which reached a 1A sectional.
Carter Andrews, a senior who played midfielder and forward, added 24 goals and 10 assists.
Making history: Senior forward Kellen Klosterman scored a goal and added an assist for Oswego East during a 5-1 victory over Metea Valley in the 3A Batavia Regional championship game.
It was the first regional title for the Wolves (17-4-1) in program history.
Right in stride: St. Charles East recovered from a cold streak late in the season. The Saints lost three of four games, including tight outcomes against state powers Fremd and Naperville North.
St. Charles East (17-4-1) rebounded by winning two regional games by identical 5-0 scores over Glenbard East and Glenbard West.
Senior forward Sebastian Carranza had a hat trick against Glenbard West, giving him 34 goals.
Senior midfielder Luca Avendano had two goals and an assist against Glenbard East. Junior forward Mason Brockmeyer also had two goals against the Rams.
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
