Celtic Black enhances playoff chances
3-1 NISL win over Strikers keeps team on right track
By Patrick Z. McGavin
SCHAUMBURG -- The jolt of the new situation caught Connor Delahunt, who was served a somewhat rude introduction in his first game with Celtic Black after Schwaben broke open a close game with four second half goals en route to a 5-0 victory May 8.
He was eager to make amends and find his rhythm while feeling more comfortable in the process.
“We got killed our last game, so coming out and getting that first goal was really big for us,” he said. “Getting that first one is really big, because it stretched them out and forced them to attack us more and that just created more holes for [our] offense to attack.”
Delahunt controlled a ball inside the box off a free kick by Barrington High School teammate Justin Funk that he hammered home in the 27th minute that sparked the Celtic’s 3-1 victory over Strikers Elite in a Premier League 2A division game of the Northern Illinois Soccer League on Monday night at Olympic Park.
Three players from Barrington’s state runner-up team play for Palatine Celtic Soccer Club. A fourth Barrington player, junior forward Ethan Lew, is the Celtics’ leading scorer with four goals.
During the high school season, Delahunt registered four goals and three assists for the Broncos, who lost 3-1 to Naperville North in the state championship game. Junior midfielder Funk and Charlie Frank are also part of the mix.
“They are all really good friends and they get along very well and they like to be around each other,” Celtic Black coach Gordon Poluyanskis said. “As for the whole team, this is a new league that we just moved up into. It’s not too far off from where we were last year but you can there’s a difference.
“We are starting to find our footing when it comes to this league.”
Celtic (3-2-1) has 10 points in the league standings, a distant third behind South Suburban and Schwaben. However, the team’s third place standing gives them a strong advantage to reach the four-team playoff field.
The Strikers game marked just the second time Delahunt played with Celtic. He made his presence felt. Palatine High School junior midfielder Kevin Filian -- the son of Pirates’ coach Willie Filian -- is the fulcrum of the Celtic attack. He has a great knack for being around the ball and creating opportunities, particularly in concert with Dalton Rogers, a junior midfielder from Fremd.
Their speed and creativity drives the attack. Funk plays in the back for the Broncos. He is a creative and physical player. He joined with Filian and Rogers in generating the early pressure. The cumulative force paid off in the 27th minute.
Perched on the left wing from about 19 yards, Funk served a beautiful ball into the box that Delahunt was eventually able to get to his foot and for a short volley for the crucial opening goal.
“The ball was just bouncing around there, and happily it just came to me,” Delahunt said. “It was a great play by Justin, and I was there.” Delahunt earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his heady play.
Celtic Black enjoyed the advantage of the wind in the first half. It was not significant, but a small and telling indication of the team’s advantage in possession time and scoring opportunities. With Filian orchestrating the attack and getting to the edge against the Strikers, Celtic dictated the pace and rhythm and asserted its control.
Yoshiyuki Otani, a junior forward from Fremd, also looked sharp and provided another intriguing attacking player for Celtic. He brought poise and balance to the attack. The team did a marvelous job of connecting, consistent with the nature of club play.
Junior keeper Ethan Bank, of Palatine High School, had four saves. He is rangy and athletic. He suffered a broken hand and missed much of the season with the Pirates. Fully healthy, he demonstrated great instincts, elevation and an explosive burst to the ball. His play is another reason Celtic Black has shown steady improvement.
“I’d say that club is more possessions style on the ground, and high school is just direct, out of the air, looking for crosses and trying to find the corner,” Bank said. “This league is new for us, and it has been a little rough at times. The first game of the year, we lost like 6-0. We stuck in there, came back and tied out next game and then won two in a row.
“I think we are competing and just trying to stay with these other teams.”
Celtic seized complete control midway through the second half with two goals in a two-minute burst. In the 58th minute, the ever present Filian worked the ball down the left edge and broke across the grain in smashing a laser from about 21 yards out. Strikers keeper Ryan Johnson blocked the initial ball. The rebound was tailor-made for Filian’s Palatine teammate, William Riordan.
He finished the rebound with purpose for the 2-0 Celtic lead.
Lew effectively put the game away in the 60th minute with a beautiful scoring sequence, playing a Strikers’ defender off his hip and pivoting quickly to create enough space to launch a ball from about 14 yards inside the near post.
The goal put Lew in fourth place among the league’s top 10 scorers.
“I felt really confident with the ball in that situation,” Lew said. “Like Connor said, this was a big morale boost for us after that big loss we had last week. We are fighting for a playoff spot. Personally, I am new to this club. The first couple of games we did not do as well because we did not jell together as a team.
“Now I really feel like we are starting to get comfortable together and learn how we play with each other.”
The Strikers (1-4-1) averted the shutout when forward Brennan Hare finished in the 64th minute. He nearly had a second goal driving down the left edge but his flick just nudged off the far post.
“They did a much better job of finishing their opportunities than we did today,” Strikers’ coach Chad Ransom said. “I think we created some good chances and had a couple in front of the goal that had we just gotten a toe or a poke on the ball it might have been a different tale for us.
“We just did not capitalize on our opportunities, and getting down 3-0, that is a tough hole to get out of.”
Starting lineups
Strikers Elite
GK: Ryan Johnson
D: Kieran Willig-Friedrich
D: Will Smith
D: Jacob Power
D: Francis Ignacio
MF: Josh Hartsock
MF: Chris Pelico
MF: Charles Zehnal
F: Brennan Hare
F: Michael Craney
F: Carlos Gonzalez
Celtic Black
GK: Ethan Bank
D: Charlie Frank
D: Benjamin Cuthbert
D: Jakub Szafraniec
MF: Dalton Rogers
MF: Kevin Filian
MF: Justin Funk
MF: Connor Sapiente
F: Yoshiyuki Otani
F: William Riordan
F: Ethan Lew
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the match: Conor Delahunt, jr., MF, Celtic Black
3-1 NISL win over Strikers keeps team on right track
By Patrick Z. McGavin
SCHAUMBURG -- The jolt of the new situation caught Connor Delahunt, who was served a somewhat rude introduction in his first game with Celtic Black after Schwaben broke open a close game with four second half goals en route to a 5-0 victory May 8.
He was eager to make amends and find his rhythm while feeling more comfortable in the process.
“We got killed our last game, so coming out and getting that first goal was really big for us,” he said. “Getting that first one is really big, because it stretched them out and forced them to attack us more and that just created more holes for [our] offense to attack.”
Delahunt controlled a ball inside the box off a free kick by Barrington High School teammate Justin Funk that he hammered home in the 27th minute that sparked the Celtic’s 3-1 victory over Strikers Elite in a Premier League 2A division game of the Northern Illinois Soccer League on Monday night at Olympic Park.
Three players from Barrington’s state runner-up team play for Palatine Celtic Soccer Club. A fourth Barrington player, junior forward Ethan Lew, is the Celtics’ leading scorer with four goals.
During the high school season, Delahunt registered four goals and three assists for the Broncos, who lost 3-1 to Naperville North in the state championship game. Junior midfielder Funk and Charlie Frank are also part of the mix.
“They are all really good friends and they get along very well and they like to be around each other,” Celtic Black coach Gordon Poluyanskis said. “As for the whole team, this is a new league that we just moved up into. It’s not too far off from where we were last year but you can there’s a difference.
“We are starting to find our footing when it comes to this league.”
Celtic (3-2-1) has 10 points in the league standings, a distant third behind South Suburban and Schwaben. However, the team’s third place standing gives them a strong advantage to reach the four-team playoff field.
The Strikers game marked just the second time Delahunt played with Celtic. He made his presence felt. Palatine High School junior midfielder Kevin Filian -- the son of Pirates’ coach Willie Filian -- is the fulcrum of the Celtic attack. He has a great knack for being around the ball and creating opportunities, particularly in concert with Dalton Rogers, a junior midfielder from Fremd.
Their speed and creativity drives the attack. Funk plays in the back for the Broncos. He is a creative and physical player. He joined with Filian and Rogers in generating the early pressure. The cumulative force paid off in the 27th minute.
Perched on the left wing from about 19 yards, Funk served a beautiful ball into the box that Delahunt was eventually able to get to his foot and for a short volley for the crucial opening goal.
“The ball was just bouncing around there, and happily it just came to me,” Delahunt said. “It was a great play by Justin, and I was there.” Delahunt earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his heady play.
Celtic Black enjoyed the advantage of the wind in the first half. It was not significant, but a small and telling indication of the team’s advantage in possession time and scoring opportunities. With Filian orchestrating the attack and getting to the edge against the Strikers, Celtic dictated the pace and rhythm and asserted its control.
Yoshiyuki Otani, a junior forward from Fremd, also looked sharp and provided another intriguing attacking player for Celtic. He brought poise and balance to the attack. The team did a marvelous job of connecting, consistent with the nature of club play.
Junior keeper Ethan Bank, of Palatine High School, had four saves. He is rangy and athletic. He suffered a broken hand and missed much of the season with the Pirates. Fully healthy, he demonstrated great instincts, elevation and an explosive burst to the ball. His play is another reason Celtic Black has shown steady improvement.
“I’d say that club is more possessions style on the ground, and high school is just direct, out of the air, looking for crosses and trying to find the corner,” Bank said. “This league is new for us, and it has been a little rough at times. The first game of the year, we lost like 6-0. We stuck in there, came back and tied out next game and then won two in a row.
“I think we are competing and just trying to stay with these other teams.”
Celtic seized complete control midway through the second half with two goals in a two-minute burst. In the 58th minute, the ever present Filian worked the ball down the left edge and broke across the grain in smashing a laser from about 21 yards out. Strikers keeper Ryan Johnson blocked the initial ball. The rebound was tailor-made for Filian’s Palatine teammate, William Riordan.
He finished the rebound with purpose for the 2-0 Celtic lead.
Lew effectively put the game away in the 60th minute with a beautiful scoring sequence, playing a Strikers’ defender off his hip and pivoting quickly to create enough space to launch a ball from about 14 yards inside the near post.
The goal put Lew in fourth place among the league’s top 10 scorers.
“I felt really confident with the ball in that situation,” Lew said. “Like Connor said, this was a big morale boost for us after that big loss we had last week. We are fighting for a playoff spot. Personally, I am new to this club. The first couple of games we did not do as well because we did not jell together as a team.
“Now I really feel like we are starting to get comfortable together and learn how we play with each other.”
The Strikers (1-4-1) averted the shutout when forward Brennan Hare finished in the 64th minute. He nearly had a second goal driving down the left edge but his flick just nudged off the far post.
“They did a much better job of finishing their opportunities than we did today,” Strikers’ coach Chad Ransom said. “I think we created some good chances and had a couple in front of the goal that had we just gotten a toe or a poke on the ball it might have been a different tale for us.
“We just did not capitalize on our opportunities, and getting down 3-0, that is a tough hole to get out of.”
Starting lineups
Strikers Elite
GK: Ryan Johnson
D: Kieran Willig-Friedrich
D: Will Smith
D: Jacob Power
D: Francis Ignacio
MF: Josh Hartsock
MF: Chris Pelico
MF: Charles Zehnal
F: Brennan Hare
F: Michael Craney
F: Carlos Gonzalez
Celtic Black
GK: Ethan Bank
D: Charlie Frank
D: Benjamin Cuthbert
D: Jakub Szafraniec
MF: Dalton Rogers
MF: Kevin Filian
MF: Justin Funk
MF: Connor Sapiente
F: Yoshiyuki Otani
F: William Riordan
F: Ethan Lew
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the match: Conor Delahunt, jr., MF, Celtic Black