Elk Grove to host Hersey
on strength of 1st league win
By Ken Keenan
The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is becoming brighter for Elk Grove, which notched its first Mid-Suburban League win of the season with Friday's 2-1 victory over host Hoffman Estates.
Head coach Rob Shepard's crew trailed the Hawks 1-0 before junior forward Chris Guadarrama scored to forge a 1-1 tie. Junior forward/midfielder Edgar Soto was credited with the game-winner on an own-goal by Hoffman Estates in the 65th minute; the star striker (team-high five goals, three assists) also assisted on Guadarrama's tally.
The victory was Elk Grove's first since Sept. 6, when it squeaked past Jacobs 1-0 in nonconference play. The Grenadiers stand at 4-6-2 overall (1-6-0 MSL) heading into Tuesday night's league match with visiting Hersey.
"It was a nice comeback for the group, and shows our 'Never quit' sort of mentality," Shepard said. "We absorbed a lot of Hoffman runs going forward, but stayed organized enough to prevent them from getting more than the one goal. We also were able to create more chances than in any previous game, and were certainly able to finish more than we have previously as well. It certainly felt good to get the first conference win of the season, and hopefully it is a turning point for us."
Soto leads what Shepard labeled "a really young group," which counts only seven seniors among 23 rostered players .
"Edgar has been an absolute catalyst this year, and has really solidified our midfield play," Shepard said. "But the current group of seniors -- led by (goalkeeper) Alberto Centeno, (midfielder) Ivan Corona, (forward) Carlos Miranda, (and defenders) Dan Hadler and Bobby Hlavin have done a great job of being patient with this young group while modeling what it takes to be successful.
"The seniors are showing them how to prepare, the intensity that is necessary, the mentality to play the game, the speed that needs to be embraced -- and the overall balance of school, soccer, social life, grades, etc. that needs to be realized.
"The players that have come in this year have done a tremendous job of learning the ropes of how to play varsity soccer in the MSL while adjusting to playing with each other for the first time.
"A byproduct of having four (classes) represented on varsity is the need to become a cohesive group as quickly as possible. That has been the biggest hurdle this year, and it has taken some time for this group to come around."
Among the younger players Shepard cited for jumping on board are juniors Oscar Suarez (midfield) and Connor Emmerich (defense),sophomores Ronaldo Olague (defense), Markos Christforou (midfield/defense), Noe Centeno (midfield) and Ivan Perez (midfield), and freshmen Joey Weber (midfield) and Misa Contreras (forward/midfield).
Following the match against Hersey, Elk Grove has four regular season games remaining on its schedule before regional play kicks off Oct. 16.
"I expect this group to never quit and become more cohesive down the stretch," Shepard said. "I'd also like to see us complete an entire 80 minutes of soccer by exceeding the other team's intensity and playing at a level we have not yet seen."
Meanwhile, Hersey has been consistent from the get-go in 2014, compiling an overall mark of 8-2-4. The only loss in MSL play came at the feet MSL East leader Rolling Meadows, which nipped the Huskies 1-0 on Sept. 11.
Led by head coach Darren Llewellyn, Hersey (2-1-3 MSL) battled league now league-leading Fremd to a 1-1 tie on Friday, three days after topping MSL East rival Prospect 3-1. Hersey's other conference win came via a 2-1 win over Hoffman Estates on Sept. 18.
The Huskies opened the campaign with three-straight wins over Glenbrook South (2-1 on Aug. 25), Brother Rice (3-1, Sept. 2) and Hinsdale South (1-0, Sept. 4).
A pair of ties followed: 0-0 against current No. 1 Morton on Sept. 6 and 1-1 vs. Schaumburg on Sept. 9. The Huskies also tied Palatine 1-1 on Sept. 16.
on strength of 1st league win
By Ken Keenan
The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is becoming brighter for Elk Grove, which notched its first Mid-Suburban League win of the season with Friday's 2-1 victory over host Hoffman Estates.
Head coach Rob Shepard's crew trailed the Hawks 1-0 before junior forward Chris Guadarrama scored to forge a 1-1 tie. Junior forward/midfielder Edgar Soto was credited with the game-winner on an own-goal by Hoffman Estates in the 65th minute; the star striker (team-high five goals, three assists) also assisted on Guadarrama's tally.
The victory was Elk Grove's first since Sept. 6, when it squeaked past Jacobs 1-0 in nonconference play. The Grenadiers stand at 4-6-2 overall (1-6-0 MSL) heading into Tuesday night's league match with visiting Hersey.
"It was a nice comeback for the group, and shows our 'Never quit' sort of mentality," Shepard said. "We absorbed a lot of Hoffman runs going forward, but stayed organized enough to prevent them from getting more than the one goal. We also were able to create more chances than in any previous game, and were certainly able to finish more than we have previously as well. It certainly felt good to get the first conference win of the season, and hopefully it is a turning point for us."
Soto leads what Shepard labeled "a really young group," which counts only seven seniors among 23 rostered players .
"Edgar has been an absolute catalyst this year, and has really solidified our midfield play," Shepard said. "But the current group of seniors -- led by (goalkeeper) Alberto Centeno, (midfielder) Ivan Corona, (forward) Carlos Miranda, (and defenders) Dan Hadler and Bobby Hlavin have done a great job of being patient with this young group while modeling what it takes to be successful.
"The seniors are showing them how to prepare, the intensity that is necessary, the mentality to play the game, the speed that needs to be embraced -- and the overall balance of school, soccer, social life, grades, etc. that needs to be realized.
"The players that have come in this year have done a tremendous job of learning the ropes of how to play varsity soccer in the MSL while adjusting to playing with each other for the first time.
"A byproduct of having four (classes) represented on varsity is the need to become a cohesive group as quickly as possible. That has been the biggest hurdle this year, and it has taken some time for this group to come around."
Among the younger players Shepard cited for jumping on board are juniors Oscar Suarez (midfield) and Connor Emmerich (defense),sophomores Ronaldo Olague (defense), Markos Christforou (midfield/defense), Noe Centeno (midfield) and Ivan Perez (midfield), and freshmen Joey Weber (midfield) and Misa Contreras (forward/midfield).
Following the match against Hersey, Elk Grove has four regular season games remaining on its schedule before regional play kicks off Oct. 16.
"I expect this group to never quit and become more cohesive down the stretch," Shepard said. "I'd also like to see us complete an entire 80 minutes of soccer by exceeding the other team's intensity and playing at a level we have not yet seen."
Meanwhile, Hersey has been consistent from the get-go in 2014, compiling an overall mark of 8-2-4. The only loss in MSL play came at the feet MSL East leader Rolling Meadows, which nipped the Huskies 1-0 on Sept. 11.
Led by head coach Darren Llewellyn, Hersey (2-1-3 MSL) battled league now league-leading Fremd to a 1-1 tie on Friday, three days after topping MSL East rival Prospect 3-1. Hersey's other conference win came via a 2-1 win over Hoffman Estates on Sept. 18.
The Huskies opened the campaign with three-straight wins over Glenbrook South (2-1 on Aug. 25), Brother Rice (3-1, Sept. 2) and Hinsdale South (1-0, Sept. 4).
A pair of ties followed: 0-0 against current No. 1 Morton on Sept. 6 and 1-1 vs. Schaumburg on Sept. 9. The Huskies also tied Palatine 1-1 on Sept. 16.