Hat Tricks by Acosta and Hess Power SJ-O Soccer to 10-1 Regional Semifinal Victory
By Fred Kroner
Hat tricks by Alex Acosta and Tyler Hess propelled the St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team to a victory in the IHSA Class 1A regional semifinals, a 10-1 win over Iroquois West at St. Anne on Friday (Oct. 18).
Besides scoring three goals apiece, Acosta and Hess each collected one assist.
Logan Mills contributed two goals and two assists.
Also figuring in the scoring were Yadi Acosta and Quinn Stahl, with one goal apiece. Davin Alvarez had one assist.
Goalkeeper Jaxson Colvin had two saves.
SJ-O (21-2-1) returns to action against Watseka on Wednesday (Oct. 23) at St. Anne in the regional championship match.
Watseka handed Clifton Central a 7-2 loss in the other semifinal match.
The Spartans shut out Watseka when they played a regular-season match. SJ-O has won 14 consecutive matches and is 20-0-1 in its last 21 matches.
The winningest soccer team in SJ-O history, the Spartans are chasing their first regional crown since 2012. Watseka has never won a regional title in soccer.
