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Power Selemani, West Aurora take down Joliet West

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There are certain skills that West Aurora’s Power Selemani brings to the field that can’t be coached.

The junior forward mentioned one word in particular to describe how he comes up with some of his more acrobatic goals.

“I’m very creative when it comes to scoring,” Selemani said. “Scoring and passing are what I’m best at, so when it comes to scoring, I always try to finish every chance I get.”

Selemani was at his creative best Thursday afternoon for the host Blackhawks in a 4-2 Suburban Prairie Conference victory over Joliet West in Aurora.

Overall, Selemani scored two goals for West Aurora (16-2, 8-2), but the first one ended up breaking a 1-1 deadlock and gave the Blackhawks the lead for good.

Pacifique Ndayishimiye also scored to erase an early 1-0 deficit. Jesus Posada added an insurance goal in the second half.

They don’t get more creative than Selemani’s first goal. He chipped the ball in the air to get past the Joliet West goalkeeper, who had vacated the net, and then headed it home for a 2-1 lead with 24:15 left in the first half.

“I just saw the goalie coming out,” Selemani said. “After he came out, I had to decide whether to shoot it one time or chip it, so I chipped it and it didn’t go as planned.

“I saw the ball right in front of me, so I headed it in.”

West Aurora's Power Selemani (7) steps in front of a pass against Joliet West's Ethan Podmolik (19) during a Southwest Prairie Conference game in Aurora on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.

Selemani scored again with 9:03 left in the first half. This time he pulled up to make sure he wasn’t offside, with Eduardo Lopez playing it ahead for the goal.

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“I saw the defender following me,” Selemani said. “Me and my teammate made eye contact, so I just ran forward. I knew he would play the ball in, so I just went forward.

“I knew the ball would come to me.”

Seeing Selemani come up with another new way to put the ball in the net is not surprising to Ndayishimiye.

“It’s just the type of player he is,” Ndayishimiye said. “He’s good on the ball. He knows what to do. He’s smart with what he does. He has good moves, too.

“He just thinks fast, on the fly — that’s what makes him great.”

West Aurora's Pacifique Ndayishimiye (5) takes a header that gets blocked by Joliet West's Tommy Polacek (16) during a Southwest Prairie Conference game in Aurora on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.

Ndayishimiye had some moves of his own on his goal, his third of the season. He plays defense but presses forward when he sees an opportunity.

With the ball bouncing around in the box, Ndayishimiye found a way to convert and force a 1-1 tie.

“I feel like that goal gave us energy,” Ndayishimiye said. “Our goal was to come into the game with energy. We needed something to lift our spirits up because we got scored on.”

West Aurora coach Joe Sustersic said it was the sixth time this season the Blackhawks trailed 1-0 before rallying to win.

“Unfortunately, we like to get punched in the nose sometimes before we want to start playing,” Sustersic said.

Selemani felt he would have chances, however, to help get the Blackhawks back into it.

“I knew we were going to come back,” Selemani said. “This has happened before. We always go down and find our way back.”

West Aurora's Power Selemani (7) races through the Joliet West defense during a Southwest Prairie Conference game in Aurora on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.

Sustersic has learned to sit back and watch when Selemani and his teammates decide to do their thing.

“They just come in with God-given talents that you can’t coach,” Sustersic said. “You can instruct them on how to be a better player, maybe teach them some skills to make them better, but there are so many times it’s just God-given ability.”

Still, it never ceases to amaze Susteric when Selemani comes through.

“Sometimes, all of us as coaches are just mesmerized,” Sustersic said. “It’s not just Power. ‘Pas’ and Shauri (Mateso) do it, too. They just know each other.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.



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