There is no phone booth on the field at North Central College’s stadium, so Providence’s Brad Guzan had to change into his Superman outfit in full view of everyone.
Off came the No. 8 jersey that he wore for 100 minutes as the Celtics and Waterloo Gibault battled to a 1-1 tie in the Class A boys soccer semifinals Saturday morning in Naperville.
On went the black goalkeeper’s jersey for the shootout. On went the goalkeeper’s gloves. And onward went Providence into the championship game.
But that’s where Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin showed its super powers. Chris Loftus and Zach Jones each scored two goals as the Cyclones dominated the Celtics 6-1 for their second Class A title in the past five years.
Guzan had said he knew Providence would be an underdog against Sacred Heart-Griffin (27-2-1). He was proven correct as the Cyclones ended the Celtics’ 14-game winning streak and outshot Providence 19-2.
As disappointing as Providence’s loss was, it didn’t detract from Guzan’s first appearance in goal for the Celtics in the semifinals. The 6-foot-3-inch senior faced five Waterloo Gibault players in the shootout. One shot went wide and he saved three others in Providence’s 2-1 victory.
“I don’t even know what to say about the kid, he’s just unbelievable,” teammate Phil Richardson said. “He’s the best player at every position on the field and then he gets into the goal and only lets one in.”
Make no mistake, Guzan is a goalkeeper–just not for his high school team. Guzan plays in the net for his club team, the Chicago Magic, and was recruited for that position by South Carolina.
Providence coach John Kovatch, however, has needed Guzan on the field. His mantra all season has been “he’s not just an All-State player, he’s an All-Stater at every position.”
Guzan has played the midfield, defense and forward in compiling 25 goals and 13 assists. In Friday’s come-from-behind quarterfinal victory over Dixon, Guzan had two goals and an assist.
Waterloo Gibault took a 1-0 lead in Saturday’s semifinal with 31 minutes 18 seconds left in regulation. Providence got its chance to tie with 9:24 left when Chris Day was fouled by Gibault’s Jarrett Neff in the penalty area. A.J. Nawrocki, who had missed a couple of scoring opportunities, connected for a 1-1 tie.
When regulation came to an end, Guzan didn’t hesitate.
“I told [coach] I was ready to go,” said Guzan, who had spoken with Kovatch about playing in goal for the first time in four years at Providence.
Guzan had been hurting during the Gibault game and when he came off the field before overtime, Kovatch said to him, “Brad, I know it’s killing you. But just go 20 more minutes and we get you into the goal.”
Kovatch’s confidence was rewarded, although Guzan took Providence’s first shot in the shootout–and it was saved by Gibault goalkeeper Lance Stemler. That was the last mistake Guzan made in the shootout. Providence’s Nawrocki and Sean Osbourne buried theirs to take the shootout 2-1.
“His instinct and quickness for being such a big kid” is what makes Guzan such an impressive goalkeeper, said Celtics regular goalie Pat Farrell, who didn’t mind being pulled.
In contrast, Providence’s showing in the title game was a major letdown for Guzan.
“It was kind of disappointing we couldn’t give them a better championship game,” said Guzan, who was back on the field for this game but unable to get a single shot off.
Providence (21-5-1) had only one bright spot in the final and it came at the end of the first half. Patrick Finn’s shot hit the post. Springfield goalkeeper Charlie Sales reached for the ball–and it went off him into the net with two seconds left in the half.
Sacred Heart-Griffin dominated the second half by scoring five times and helping set a record for goals in a title game by both teams (seven).
Kovatch said Sean Flynn’s goal–which gave the Cyclones a 3-1 lead with 17:31 left–hurt the most. Then Loftus, a 6-4 midfielder who has matched up with Guzan before in club tournaments, scored twice in a five-minute span to cement his team’s victory.
“They were just definitely the better team,” Guzan said. “It showed today.”
