Men’s First Team Crowned MWPL Heartland Conference Division 2 Champions
- Gabi Vuong
- Aug 2
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 19
Edgewater Castle FC’s Men’s First Team played their last game of the summer season Thursday at Hoyne Field against Rockford FC. With their 3-0 win over Rockford, The Rooks have secured the 2025 Heartland Division 2 Championship title and will be promoted to Heartland Division 1 next season, the first time the Men’s First Team have won a league in ECFC history.
GOALS:
Edgewater Castle FC: Turcios 66’ (A Dagatti), Rockford 81’ (OG), Kamil 88’ (A Cardano)
First Half
Enzo Dagatti and Eduardo “Lalo” Aguilera started the first half with quick shots on goal seconds into the match but were highly pressured by Rockford’s defensive line and especially Rockford’s goalkeeper, who made multiple rapid saves.
Edgewater was seemingly connecting passes, but the pressure from Rockford grew even more so. Rockford took their first shot on goal in the 10th minute but were no match for the Rooks’ goalkeeper Aidan Crawford.
Quentin “Q” Benedetto stunned the Rockford offensive line. Benedetto slid to every ball that he could and tackled with no hesitation.
The match got competitive and physical as time marched on. During the 30th minute, Rockford's number 9 was given a yellow card for initiating a dangerous play while Alan Alonso had control of the ball. Shortly after in the 36th minute, Lucas Sampson brought the ball up the right side and crossed it but no one on the other side to make contact with.
A minimum of 6 minutes of extra time was added to the end of the first half. For the last play at 48’, Roberto Cardano crossed the ball from the left and found Darrell Turcios who took a headshot toward the goal. Rockford’s goalkeeper made an incredible save, diving right to end the first half with a score of 0-0.
Second Half
The second half started with Milos Vucic taking a shot on goal from center field and Rockford’s goalkeeper stepping in to catch. Rockford started to turn up the heat with a free kick in the Rooks third of the field, but could not get past Crawford’s quick saves.
The Rooks were the first team on the board after earning a corner kick from the right side of the field in the 66th minute. Dagatti passed a floater shot to Turcios, whose header past the Rockford goalkeeper’s reach into the bottom left corner of the goal to give the Rooks the 1-0 advantage. Turcios and the rest of the team instantly rushed towards the Acorns Pitchside Patio section after the goal to celebrate with fans.
Alonso then brought the ball up the center of the field at 81’ and tried to pass it to Murtadha Kamil on the left. Kamil and a Rockford defensive player both slid for the ball. In his attempt to save the ball, the Rockford defensive player touched the ball toward the goal and scored an own goal to give the Rooks a two goal cushion.
Shortly after, Ameer Abdullah during the 88th minute kicked the ball all the way from the backfield to Cardano near the opposing box. Cardano won the header and passed it to Kamil. Kamil took the shot and was deflected by Rockford’s goalkeeper. Kamil then went back for the rebound and shot it into the back of the net.
In the dying embers of the game, the match grew even more intense. In the 90th minute, a second yellow card was issued on Rockford's number 9 and ultimately was given a red card. Another yellow card was issued shortly after in the 92nd minute to another Rockford player and then the referees blew the whistle to end the game, giving the Rooks the silverware they worked so hard for.
This victory concludes the Men’s First Team’s very successful summer season, where they have added a second trophy to their collection after their 3-0 win over Rockford FC for the Midwest Premier League Heartland Division 2 Championship title.
