TP_060619

38 | June 6, 2019 | the tinley Junction sports
tinleyjunction.com
GIRLS SOCCER
Hoping this could be the start of something big
Senior T-Bolts leave
a legacy after twin
sectional titles
JEFF VORVA, Sports Editor
Timing is everything
Andrew’s girls soccer
team had the second-best
season in school history,
going 21-6-1 and making
it to the supersectional.
The trouble is, the Thunderbolts’
best season came
last year, when they finished
fourth in the state in
Class 3A and had plenty of
talent returning from that
team.
A narrow view is that
the Bolts season was disappointing
as they came
up short this year.
The broader view is that
they came up with a historic
two-season package
that could set the tone for
future seasons.
“We gave them a legacy,”
senior Megan Nemec
said.
The season came to an
end with a 2-1 overtime
setback to Lyons at the
Reavis Supersectional on
May 28 in Burbank.
Nemec, who is heading
to Loyola in the fall, knotted
the game at 1-1 with
5 minutes, 2 seconds left
in regulation but Illinoisbound
Eileen Murphy
scored in the first overtime
with what turned out to be
the winning goal. Murphy
also scored a second-half
goal to open the scoring in
the game.
“What are your going to
Samantha Koppers executes a bicycle kick against
Lyons in a 2-1 supersectional loss. JEFF VORVA/22ND
CENTURY MEDIA
do about Eileen Murphy?”
said Andrew coach Loren
Zolk. “She’s on a different
level and made two incredible
goals. It’s not how we
wanted it to end but I am
proud of how we battled.”
Murphy, Nemec and T-
Bolt goalie Gabby Sportiello
were teammates during
the club season for the
Windy City Pride.
Sportiello, who helped
keep the game scoreless
in the first half with some
leaping saves, said the 2019
campaign was successful.
“We were just one game
away from going back,”
Sportiello said. “We gave
it our all against Lyons and
they beat us. That happens.
We made them fight for it.’’
Zolk said that despite
not making the Final Four,
this could have been the
best in Andrew history.
“This team was better
overall than last year’s
team,” Zolk said. “Last
year, we got to play the
supersectional at home,
which was a huge advantage.
We got through to
the semifinals, which was
a great thing. But I thought
this group was better overall.
Winning back-to-back
sectionals is unheard of so
we are proud of that.
“If you win a sectional,
that’s a huge, huge deal.
Toward the end of the season,
we were putting things
together and I thought that
we could make a run in the
postseason and we did.”
Prior to the Lyons loss,
the T-Bolts won seven
straight.
The Thunderbolts will
graduate 10 seniors but
there were 11 underclassman
on the postseason roster
and the junior varsity
squad finished 14-1-1 and
outscored opponents 85-6
while the freshmen finished
14-0 and outscored
opponents 79-1.
BASEBALL
Titans want to build on back-to-back regional titles
JONATHAN BARLAS
Freelance Reporter
After Tinley Park’s 6-5
Illinois High School Association
3A St. Laurence
Sectional semifinal loss
against Joliet Catholic
May 29 at Ozinga Park,
Titans’ head coach Josh
O’Shea hurried off the
field to avoid any Hillmen
celebration from the third
base dugout.
With his head down running
straight towards Jake
Bergquist – who checkswung
a dribbler to the
first baseman for the final
out of TPHS’ season –
O’Shea put a hand on his
shoulder, walking him toward
the rest of the team.
Of the emotions felt huddled
around one another,
were not ones of defeat,
heartbreak or even sadness
– but satisfaction in the
Titans’ back-to-back sectional
appearances and two
consecutive regional titles.
Joliet Catholic knocked
out Tinley Park in the
same exact scenario, 11-
0, last season, similarly
advancing into a Saturday
sectional final.
O’Shea’s mindset for the
Titans’ was simple heading
into familiar conditions:
compete.
While JCA touted historical
advantage, Colin
Wilma’s eight strikeout
performance kept TPHS in
range of reaching its first
sectional title. But trouble
in the sixth inning led to
a season-ending performance,
falling 6-5 in the final
innings to the Hillmen.
Tinley Park completed
the 2019 season 26-7 (17-
2 in conference) winning
the South Suburban Blue
Conference as well as
another regional championship
under O’Shea in
his fifth season as head
coach.
Titan fans are hoping the
back-to-back regional titles
can be the start of something
big. Prior to 2018, it
was 25 years before TPHS
won a regional crown.
“I think it’s just the expectation
of, ‘hey, we’re
going to play with these
teams.’ There’s no intimidation,”
the coach said. “I
feel like every year we’ve
accomplished some sort of
goal. When I first got here
in 2013, I just honestly
wanted to be competitive
with Oak Forest and Lemont
– that’s it. We’re going
to be a third-place finisher
and be competitive. And
when we did that, I wanted
to beat those teams and
now for two years, we
have. Now we want to advance
and last year we did,
and got smoked by Joliet
Catholic.
“But this year, I wanted
to be competitive with
those types of teams, and
we were all year. So now,
just continue to put those
teams on our schedule, on
our lower levels, and I think
you do rise up. Your expectation
when you really start
competing is when you win
some games and not to be
intimidated by anyone. Our
expectation is we’re going
Colin Wilma of Tinley Park High School, struck out
eight hitters in a 6-5 loss to Joliet Catholic Academy.
JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
to win some of those games
and be competitive like we
have been. It’s going to be
our turn.”
O’Shea enjoyed the
team’s success in the past
two seasons.
“When we came in, zero
players committed to play
college ball. Now, we have
eight seniors going on to
play college ball,” he said.
“I think it’s just because
we’ve always preached
fun, man. We do work
hard, but I just preach every
time if we have the opportunity
to have fun playing
baseball, we’ll have
fun. And the difference we
have with players going on
to play in college shows
that they like being with
our program.’’