Regional soccer title on their minds, Tigers crush the Vikings in semifinal match

Urbana's Emir Martinez
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Emir Martinez lines up a pass during second half action against Danville. The Urbana junior scored twice in his team's overwhelming victory over the Vikings on Tuesday at the Urbana Tigers Sports Complex.
URBANA - The #3 seed Urbana Tigers cruised past Danville in a dominant 7-0 shutout Tuesday evening, advancing to the Class 2A regional final. Playing on home turf at the Urbana Tigers' Sports Complex, the Tigers showcased their offensive prowess, scoring twice in the first half and exploding for five more goals in the second. The win improved their record to 11-8-1, while Danville's season ended at 7-12-4.

Urbana's attack was ignited by junior Emir Martinez, who opened the scoring just 10 minutes and seven seconds into the match. His early strike set the tone for what would be a lopsided contest. Martinez wasn’t finished, netting his second goal of the game with 17:10 left in the second half to push Urbana's lead to 5-0.

The Tigers’ relentless offensive display continued with Winner Nana scoring two goals of his own. His first came with just 5:32 left in the first half, giving Urbana a comfortable 2-0 lead at the break. Nana wasted little time adding to that tally after halftime, striking again just 7:34 into the second half to make it 3-0. Not to be outdone by his younger brother, senior Fortunel Nana found the back of the net shortly after, extending the lead to 4-0 with 31:31 remaining.

Urbana's Fortunel Nana
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Fortunel Nana settles the ball during the second half. The senior booked a goal eight and a half minutes into the second half for the Tigers.
Danville, seeded #6 in the Warrensburg-Latham Subsectional, struggled to contain Urbana's aggressive offense. The Vikings, who finished 9th in the Big Twelve Conference, failed to generate significant scoring chances throughout the match. Their defense, which had held Urbana to just two goals in their previous meeting on October 1, couldn’t replicate that performance in the postseason.

Urbana continued to apply pressure even as the match seemed out of reach. The Tigers’ sixth goal came courtesy of Arnau Sanchez-Marin, who chipped the ball over the Danville goalkeeper in the 74th minute. Sophomore Lemex Ondongo capped off the scoring with just 53 seconds left, adding the final dagger in Urbana's commanding victory.

The Tigers now turn their attention to the regional championship, where they will face Mahomet-Seymour, a familiar foe. The two teams split their regular-season series, with Urbana winning 3-1 in their first encounter on September 7, but falling 1-0 in the rematch on September 30. Mahomet-Seymour's defensive improvement in the second meeting will be a key storyline heading into the final.

Urbana, which finished 6th in the Big Twelve Conference with a 4-5-1 record, will look to continue its postseason momentum as it chases a regional title.

Urbana Tigers soccer, Class 2A regional semifinal, Urbana vs Danville soccer, Mahomet-Seymour regional final, high school soccer playoffs
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Mahomet-Seymour edges Mt. Zion 3-2 in OT thriller to advance to regional final

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Alexandre Chequim-Fiho celebrates after his overtime score in Mahomet-Seymour's Class 2A semifinal game on Tuesday. The Bulldogs advanced to Friday's regional championship game after beating Mt. Zion, 3-2.
URBANA - Mahomet-Seymour secured a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over Mt. Zion in the IHSA soccer regional semifinals on Tuesday, punching their ticket to the regional championship match. A late surge by the Bulldogs, capped by sophomore Alexandre Chequim-Fiho's overtime goal, sealed the win after a hard-fought battle at the Urbana Tigers Athletic Complex.

Mt. Zion controlled much of the first half, with forward Greg Frazier striking twice. His first goal came with 23:27 left in the half, followed by a second at the 9:40 mark, giving the Braves a 2-0 lead and momentum as the half wound down. However, Mahomet-Seymour responded before the break with senior Travis Hoffman netting his 23rd goal of the season, trimming the deficit to 2-1 just 39 seconds before halftime.

The second half saw both teams exchange opportunities, but neither side could break through until the closing minutes. With just 2:40 remaining in regulation, the Bulldogs found the equalizer through Brody Back, sending the match into overtime.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Bulldog goalkeeper Hayden Litteken leaps forward to block a shot by Mt. Zion's Will Grohne in the second half.

In the first overtime period, Mahomet-Seymour capitalized on their renewed momentum. Chequim-Fiho found the back of the net with 1:57 left, putting the Bulldogs ahead 3-2. Despite a strong push from Mt. Zion in the second overtime, including several near-miss opportunities, Mahomet-Seymour’s defense held firm to preserve the victory.

With the win, Mahomet-Seymour improved to 15-7-2 on the season. The Bulldogs, who captured the Apollo Conference title with an 8-1-1 record, have now strung together two consecutive wins in the postseason. They will face Urbana on Friday for the regional championship. Mahomet-Seymour previously defeated Urbana 1-0 earlier in the season, setting the stage for a tightly contested rematch at the Tigers Athletic Complex, with kickoff set for 4 p.m.

Mt. Zion (12-9-2) saw their season come to a close with the overtime defeat. The Braves, who finished third in the Apollo Conference with a 6-3-1 record, were known for their strong defensive efforts, recording seven shutouts during the season. However, despite a promising start in Tuesday's semifinal, they were unable to hold off the late charge by Mahomet-Seymour.

Keywords: Mahomet-Seymour soccer, Mt. Zion soccer loss, IHSA regional semifinals, Apollo Conference soccer, Illinois high school soccer, Mahomet-Seymour vs Urbana soccer
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Early voting in Champaign County; here's the dates and times

URBANA - Early voting is now open county-wide for the 2024 election in Champaign County. Voters can cast their ballots at any designated early voting locations in the county before Election Day. You can vote at ANY polling place, including your home polling place, regardless of where you live in the county.

Upon arrival, check in with Election Judges, and follow the procedure to cast your ballot. Voters do not need to show ID unless they have updated their voter registration or their signature does not match the records on file.

Before you head over to vote, look up what will be on your ballot and then research the candidates and issues. You are allowed to take a list of candidates you want to vote for into the booth with you. Learn more about researching your ballot and the candidates.

In case of any issues while voting, such as filling in the ballot incorrectly, Election Judges will be available to assist with a replacement ballot. Once your ballot is submitted, it cannot be rescinded.

Early voting is available at the locations and times below.

Brookens Administrative Center Gymnasium
1776 E Washington Street, Urbana, IL 61802:

October 7th – October 11th
October 14th – October 18th
Monday-Friday, 8:30AM – 4:30PM

Monday, October 21st – Monday, November 4th

  • Monday – Friday: 8:30AM – 4:30PM
  • Saturday, 9:00AM – 4:00PM
  • Sunday, 10:00AM – 4:00PM


    • Additional Early Voting Sites
    Open October 21st, 2024 to November 4th, 2024

    Days / Hours:

  • Monday – Friday, 11:00AM – 6:00PM
  • Saturday, 10:00AM – 4:00PM
  • Sunday, 1:00PM – 4:00PM

    • Champaign Public Library
    200 W Green Street, Champaign, 61820

    Illini Union
    1401 W Green Street, Urbana, 61801

    Lake of the Woods Pavilion
    109 S Lake of the Woods Road, Mahomet, 61853

    Leonhard Recreation Center
    2307 W Sangamon Drive, Champaign, 61821

    Meadowbrook Community Church
    1902 S Duncan Road, Champaign, 61821

    Parkland College
    Building E – 2400 W Bradley Avenue, Champaign, 61821

    Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
    802 E Douglas, St. Joseph, 61873

    Rantoul Youth Center
    1306 Country Club Lane, Rantoul, 61866

    Savoy Recreation Center
    402 W Graham Drive, Savoy 61874

    The Church of The Living God
    312 E Bradley Avenue, Champaign 61820

    Tolono Public Library
    111 E Main Street, Tolono 61880

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