Poised Addison Trail makes
statement in 2015 debut
Win over Lake Park shows Blazers can compete with "big teams"
By Ken Keenan
ROSELLE -- Looking more like a well-oiled machine prepping for
postseason glory than a new-look squad seeking an identity, Addison
Trail put a hurt on host Lake Park with a 2-0 win Tuesday night.
The Blazers, fielding a starting lineup featuring five juniors and a
sophomore, played with poise and confidence throughout the match.
Frustrating the Lancers by controlling the back end and calmly
maintaining possession in the midfield before mounting an attack,
Addison Trail scored twice during an 11-minute span in the first half
and never looked back.
"It was a good start," said Blazers head coach Ryan Dini. "Coming into
Lake Park to beat a quality team, I'm really proud of the game we
played. We played smart, and we came out and got the job done. It's
early, but I feel good about this team. We have a lot of guys
competing for spots, and it's a very close, high-energy group. I
really feel like our team will be tough this year."
Just past the three-minute mark into the match, a solid passing sequence among
Addison Trail senior midfielder Damian Zielinski, junior mid Isvic
Quintana, sophomore forward Jonathan Hernandez and junior forward
Tomasz Kania led to a 35-yard free kick by junior defender Noel Diaz
that was tipped over the crossbar by Lake Park senior goalkeeper
Michael Jasiak.
Soon after, a Blazers' corner kick resulted in a loose
ball. Zielinski got off a shot from the right side that deflected
into the net off the leg of diving Lake Park junior defender Jack Fischer -- and
the visitors were up 1-0 with 35:49 left in the opening session.
Addison Trail upped the advantage to 2-0 in the 16th minute on a
pinball-like goal by Hernandez, which came after Jasiak lost the handle in
close.
Lake Park had its share of chances -- including a shot in traffic
stopped by Blazers senior keeper Cosme Garcia three minutes before
halftime -- but Addison Trail's defense stood tall with tight marking
and quick clears to prevent any real danger.
"Our defense stepped up big," Dini said. "Especially (junior) Uriel
Martinez -- he's everywhere, and cleans up mistakes -- and (junior)
Juan Martinez, too. And we had good goalkeeping from Garcia."
Another major contributor was senior midfielder Fernando Alvarado,
Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match. Whether helping out in the
back, shoring up the midfield or springing teammates on the attack,
Alvarado always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
"He was all over the field," Dini said. "He's a very good distributor
-- very even-keel -- and he plays the right way. He's a playmaker."
Alvarado steered any praise in the direction of Uriel Martinez and Garcia.
"I felt really confident out there, but they were leading the way,"
said Alvarado, who came off the bench in the win. "We demonstrated we could beat the big teams."
Added Martinez: "Before the game, we were confident about getting the
win. We put the work in, and we just played our game."
Garcia said, "Lake Park, they're a great team. But I felt like this
was our game. This (win) shows we have the talent going forward."
Meanwhile, the Lancers -- who finished 20-2-4 overall last season --
said they'll go back to the drawing board.
"Obviously, we didn't play as up to par as we'd like to," said senior
defender Brody Thompson, a standout in defeat. "Games are won and lost
at midfield, and (the Blazers) were faster -- more aggressive.
"It was frustrating. We know we can play better than this, so we'll get back
to practice, recap it, and move forward. We won't dwell on it. We'll
watch film, look at our mistakes, practice hard and move on."
Lake Park sophomore midfielder Lorenzo Costa was foiled on an
attempt when his shot deflected over the net with 10:15 left in in the
second half, before that he set up junior forward Enrique Luna for a shot
on goal four minutes later.
Costa felt his team, "came out a little bit unorganized. And when we did create chances,
their defense played well together. It was a wake-up call. We've got to work out all the kinks."
Lancers assistant coach Chris Fruehling, who filled in for head coach
Anthony Passi, tipped his cap to the victors while lamenting his
team's performance at the same time.
"Give credit to Addison Trail -- they came out with the desire and
motivation to set the tempo, and they did a great job of keeping their
shape, moving the ball nicely and finishing the opportunities they
had. On our end, we didn't have the same focus, and that's a bad
chemistry to have. Nine-out-of-10 times, you'll be on the wrong end of
it if that happens.
"We'll look at film, see what we have to work on and make changes. We
need to play together as a unit if we want to find success.
Communication is so important in the game of soccer to do what you
need to do. Without that, you're lost and chasing -- and we chased
(Tuesday night).
"The one positive, even though we didn't play our best ball, the boys
tried as hard as they could and didn't give up. So we can take that,
and build upon that."
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
GK:Cosme Garcia
D: Noel Diaz
D: Uriel Martinez
D: Antonio Conte
M: Damian Zielinski
M: Isvic Quintana
M: Hector Saucedo
M: Adrian Rozkuszka
F: Enrique Luna
F: Tomasz Kania
F: Jonathan Hernandez
Lake Park
GK: Michael Jasiak
D: Joshua Solarz
D: Brody Thompson
D: Jack Fischer
D: Franco Presta
M: Anthony Passi
M: Lorenzo Costa
M: Alessandro Montes
M: Michael Passi
F: Pasquale Ottolino
F: Gianfranco Cali
Man of the Match: Fernando Alvarado, MF, Addison Trail
Officials: Chuck Raksinh, Thomas Fryc, Dean Palmateer
statement in 2015 debut
Win over Lake Park shows Blazers can compete with "big teams"
By Ken Keenan
ROSELLE -- Looking more like a well-oiled machine prepping for
postseason glory than a new-look squad seeking an identity, Addison
Trail put a hurt on host Lake Park with a 2-0 win Tuesday night.
The Blazers, fielding a starting lineup featuring five juniors and a
sophomore, played with poise and confidence throughout the match.
Frustrating the Lancers by controlling the back end and calmly
maintaining possession in the midfield before mounting an attack,
Addison Trail scored twice during an 11-minute span in the first half
and never looked back.
"It was a good start," said Blazers head coach Ryan Dini. "Coming into
Lake Park to beat a quality team, I'm really proud of the game we
played. We played smart, and we came out and got the job done. It's
early, but I feel good about this team. We have a lot of guys
competing for spots, and it's a very close, high-energy group. I
really feel like our team will be tough this year."
Just past the three-minute mark into the match, a solid passing sequence among
Addison Trail senior midfielder Damian Zielinski, junior mid Isvic
Quintana, sophomore forward Jonathan Hernandez and junior forward
Tomasz Kania led to a 35-yard free kick by junior defender Noel Diaz
that was tipped over the crossbar by Lake Park senior goalkeeper
Michael Jasiak.
Soon after, a Blazers' corner kick resulted in a loose
ball. Zielinski got off a shot from the right side that deflected
into the net off the leg of diving Lake Park junior defender Jack Fischer -- and
the visitors were up 1-0 with 35:49 left in the opening session.
Addison Trail upped the advantage to 2-0 in the 16th minute on a
pinball-like goal by Hernandez, which came after Jasiak lost the handle in
close.
Lake Park had its share of chances -- including a shot in traffic
stopped by Blazers senior keeper Cosme Garcia three minutes before
halftime -- but Addison Trail's defense stood tall with tight marking
and quick clears to prevent any real danger.
"Our defense stepped up big," Dini said. "Especially (junior) Uriel
Martinez -- he's everywhere, and cleans up mistakes -- and (junior)
Juan Martinez, too. And we had good goalkeeping from Garcia."
Another major contributor was senior midfielder Fernando Alvarado,
Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match. Whether helping out in the
back, shoring up the midfield or springing teammates on the attack,
Alvarado always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
"He was all over the field," Dini said. "He's a very good distributor
-- very even-keel -- and he plays the right way. He's a playmaker."
Alvarado steered any praise in the direction of Uriel Martinez and Garcia.
"I felt really confident out there, but they were leading the way,"
said Alvarado, who came off the bench in the win. "We demonstrated we could beat the big teams."
Added Martinez: "Before the game, we were confident about getting the
win. We put the work in, and we just played our game."
Garcia said, "Lake Park, they're a great team. But I felt like this
was our game. This (win) shows we have the talent going forward."
Meanwhile, the Lancers -- who finished 20-2-4 overall last season --
said they'll go back to the drawing board.
"Obviously, we didn't play as up to par as we'd like to," said senior
defender Brody Thompson, a standout in defeat. "Games are won and lost
at midfield, and (the Blazers) were faster -- more aggressive.
"It was frustrating. We know we can play better than this, so we'll get back
to practice, recap it, and move forward. We won't dwell on it. We'll
watch film, look at our mistakes, practice hard and move on."
Lake Park sophomore midfielder Lorenzo Costa was foiled on an
attempt when his shot deflected over the net with 10:15 left in in the
second half, before that he set up junior forward Enrique Luna for a shot
on goal four minutes later.
Costa felt his team, "came out a little bit unorganized. And when we did create chances,
their defense played well together. It was a wake-up call. We've got to work out all the kinks."
Lancers assistant coach Chris Fruehling, who filled in for head coach
Anthony Passi, tipped his cap to the victors while lamenting his
team's performance at the same time.
"Give credit to Addison Trail -- they came out with the desire and
motivation to set the tempo, and they did a great job of keeping their
shape, moving the ball nicely and finishing the opportunities they
had. On our end, we didn't have the same focus, and that's a bad
chemistry to have. Nine-out-of-10 times, you'll be on the wrong end of
it if that happens.
"We'll look at film, see what we have to work on and make changes. We
need to play together as a unit if we want to find success.
Communication is so important in the game of soccer to do what you
need to do. Without that, you're lost and chasing -- and we chased
(Tuesday night).
"The one positive, even though we didn't play our best ball, the boys
tried as hard as they could and didn't give up. So we can take that,
and build upon that."
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
GK:Cosme Garcia
D: Noel Diaz
D: Uriel Martinez
D: Antonio Conte
M: Damian Zielinski
M: Isvic Quintana
M: Hector Saucedo
M: Adrian Rozkuszka
F: Enrique Luna
F: Tomasz Kania
F: Jonathan Hernandez
Lake Park
GK: Michael Jasiak
D: Joshua Solarz
D: Brody Thompson
D: Jack Fischer
D: Franco Presta
M: Anthony Passi
M: Lorenzo Costa
M: Alessandro Montes
M: Michael Passi
F: Pasquale Ottolino
F: Gianfranco Cali
Man of the Match: Fernando Alvarado, MF, Addison Trail
Officials: Chuck Raksinh, Thomas Fryc, Dean Palmateer