Downers South ready for
annual early tournament test
By Dave Surico
If it's the second week of the season, it must be time for Jon Stapleton and his Downers Grove South club to lace them up for the Hinsdale Invitational.
And from the head coach down to the ball boys, everyone should know that means a stern test in a tournament that features perennial powers Hinsdale Central and Morton alongside Hersey, Brother Rice, Hinsdale South, Oswego East and Lincoln-Way East.
Stapleton is pleased with the way his squad opened the season in a 1-0 home win against Fremd.
"I thought our team showed a lot of composure," he said. "We had a lot of guys who were playing in their first varsity game, and I thought our ability to remain composed, especially in the first half while under pressure was a good sign.
"We didn’t panic while Fremd maintained long chunks of possession in the first half, we didn’t panic in front of the goal when we scored, and I thought we managed a lead pretty well during the conclusion of the game."
The coach hopes his team holds on to those positives while it continues to move forward.
"We need to possess the ball better and move it quicker from one side of the field to the other," Stapleton said. "This is something we obviously train for, however doing it under game pressure is something different.
"I feel as we get a few more games under our belt we will improve in this area. Our team recognizes that the Fremd game was a start to a long process of improvement as a team."
The Mustangs pulled a tough draw for their tournament opener -- defending champion Hinsdale Central at 6 p.m. at the Red Devils' Dickinson Field.
"Hinsdale Central is a very experienced and talented team, and we realize that we will need to be at our best to beat them," Stapleton said. "Like their teams of the past, we expect them to strong defensively, skilled in the attack and exceptional in their set pieces. We recognize that we need to limit their restart opportunities by playing sound defensively. And when they do get those opportunities we need to defend them well."
Downers Grove South has had its fair share of success in the tournament. The Mustangs advanced to the title game six times in the past 11 years and earned titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Three runner-up finishes (2004, 2008 and 2012) came via PKs.
annual early tournament test
By Dave Surico
If it's the second week of the season, it must be time for Jon Stapleton and his Downers Grove South club to lace them up for the Hinsdale Invitational.
And from the head coach down to the ball boys, everyone should know that means a stern test in a tournament that features perennial powers Hinsdale Central and Morton alongside Hersey, Brother Rice, Hinsdale South, Oswego East and Lincoln-Way East.
Stapleton is pleased with the way his squad opened the season in a 1-0 home win against Fremd.
"I thought our team showed a lot of composure," he said. "We had a lot of guys who were playing in their first varsity game, and I thought our ability to remain composed, especially in the first half while under pressure was a good sign.
"We didn’t panic while Fremd maintained long chunks of possession in the first half, we didn’t panic in front of the goal when we scored, and I thought we managed a lead pretty well during the conclusion of the game."
The coach hopes his team holds on to those positives while it continues to move forward.
"We need to possess the ball better and move it quicker from one side of the field to the other," Stapleton said. "This is something we obviously train for, however doing it under game pressure is something different.
"I feel as we get a few more games under our belt we will improve in this area. Our team recognizes that the Fremd game was a start to a long process of improvement as a team."
The Mustangs pulled a tough draw for their tournament opener -- defending champion Hinsdale Central at 6 p.m. at the Red Devils' Dickinson Field.
"Hinsdale Central is a very experienced and talented team, and we realize that we will need to be at our best to beat them," Stapleton said. "Like their teams of the past, we expect them to strong defensively, skilled in the attack and exceptional in their set pieces. We recognize that we need to limit their restart opportunities by playing sound defensively. And when they do get those opportunities we need to defend them well."
Downers Grove South has had its fair share of success in the tournament. The Mustangs advanced to the title game six times in the past 11 years and earned titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Three runner-up finishes (2004, 2008 and 2012) came via PKs.