Valle’s key stop propels Warriors

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ALGONQUIN – McHenry goalkeeper Frank Valle said he believed he needed to do something special, even though the odds were heavily against him.

Jacobs had been awarded a penalty kick when the ball hopped up and hit defender Ulises Fernandez on the arm in the penalty box.

As the Golden Eagles’ Mario Rako lined up for the kick that would have tied the score, Valle psyched himself up to defend it.

“I needed to stop it so we wouldn’t have to go to extra time later,” Valle said. “I wanted to block it, and I guessed where he wanted to kick it.”

Valle guessed right, lunging to his right to deflect Rako’s shot away from the goal in the 49th minute. McHenry used that momentum and fought off Jacobs’ pressure for the final 30 minutes to win, 2-0, in their Fox Valley Conference Valley Division opener Tuesday night.

“Frankie has been a wall back there for us,” Warriors coach Tony Caruso said. “He’s not flashy, but he gets the job done.”

McHenry (10-1-1 overall, 1-0 FVC Valley) took a 1-0 lead in the first half when midfielder Eric Duarte served a ball ahead and forward Carlos Wence outraced Jacobs’ defenders to the ball. He touched the ball to his left foot and punched it past Eagles goalkeeper Nick Matysek.

“Eric got a clear hit to the outside and I was able to beat a guy with my speed,” Wence said. “This is a great feeling. We just need to keep getting better each day.”

McHenry controlled the play in the first half, but Jacobs (7-7, 0-1) had the advantage in the second. Valle had five of his seven saves in the second half, although none were as challenging as the penalty kick shot.

The Warriors added insurance in the 71st minute when Jacobs was called for a foul inside the box and McHenry was awarded a penalty kick. Marco Tello buried his shot in the net for a 2-0 lead with 8:31 remaining.

“We came out with a lot of energy, but we probably could have had a couple [goals in the first half],” Caruso said. “Jacobs was attacking hard [in the second half], and we had to settle for defending them tough.”

Jacobs coach Anthony Cappello thought Valle’s save was the pivotal moment of the match.

“We’ve been talking about being a little hungrier in the box,” Cappello said. “McHenry played a great game, and they put away their chances. Their goalie made a lot of nice saves and didn’t give up any rebounds, either.”