Ronaldo Rojas scored both goals as the Triton College men's soccer team avenged an Oct. 22 loss to Waubonsee Community College with a 2-0 victory in the Region 4 Division II quarterfinals Sunday in River Grove.
The Trojans advanced to the regional semifinals and will host Prairie State College Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at the Multi-Purpose Stadium.
Triton (17-2) had plenty of motivation as the Chiefs (13-4-1) knocked off the Trojans 2-1 in overtime.
"Our guys came out fired up and really wanted to win this one, not only because this was a playoff game, but they wanted some payback for that loss to them last week to end the regular season, said Triton head coach
Piotr Sliwa.
The Trojans dictated the pace at the start and controlled the majority of the ball possession. However, the game was scoreless at halftime.
"We dominated the game and had nothing to show for it," Sliwa. "(Waubonsee) was organized. They packed it in and tried to play us off the counter. But we created a bunch of chances that we should have put away. If we did that, the game would have been over at halftime."
Triton continued to push in the second half and finally broke through in the 54
th minute when
Juan Hernandez sent a terrific ball in the box from the corner that Rojas headed in from five yards out.
"We've practice that all the time," Sliwa said. Juan had a great cross in and Ronaldo finished it with a beautiful header. It was a big-time goal by a big-time player when we needed it."
Then in the 71
st minute
Ricardo Orozco was fouled in the box. Rojas took the penalty kick for the Trojans and buried it easily to give Triton insurance. For Rojas, the two goals were his team-leading 28
th and 29
th of the season.
The Trojans from that point were able to play keep away as the Chiefs could not generate much offensive pressure. For the match, Waubonsee only recorded two shots on goal.
Now the Trojans look to take down another regional rival in Prairie State. The Pioneers (15-3), who have been ranked ahead of Triton all season defeated Carl Sandburg College 3-0 in their quarterfinal game. Prairie State is currently ranked No. 11 in the NJCAA, while the Trojans are ranked at No. 19.
"Our guys definitely have seen the rankings and know that (Prairie State) have been ahead of them all season, fairly or unfairly, it doesn't matter at this point," Sliwa said. "They are just the next team we have to beat in order to get the regional final."
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