Lake Park holds off feisty Fenton
Lancers send seniors off with win
By Ken Keenan
ROSELLE -- Lake Park completed its mission on Senior Night. The hosts took the lead on a late first half goal and then held off visiting Fenton in their 2-1 win in the Lancers' regular season finale Thursday.
After controlling the play for a good 15-minute stretch to start the nonconference match, Lake Park grabbed a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute by forward Oliver Horgan, one of nine seniors on the roster.
The Bison tied it at 1-1 with 5:52 left in the first half, when senior midfielder Alexis Mendoza banged in a short shot. But with merely 43.1 seconds to go before the break, Lake Park took the lead for good on a quick shot in front by junior forward Pasquale Ottolino, Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match.
"We came out strong, but -- bottom line -- Fenton kept at us," said Lake Park head coach Anthony Passi, whose team heads into postseason play with a sparkling 16-1-4 overall mark. "The momentum changed after 15 minutes, and we couldn't find a foot. I think, in their case, they found a weakness on our outside mids and backs, and we didn't make adjustments. Fenton was winning the ball in the air, and they got stronger as the game progressed. They were very aggressive.
"We were on our heels for a while, but it was pretty much an even game the rest of the way. We did toughen up, and we closed the space on defense."
With Mendoza leading the charge, along with senior forward Cristian Villegas and freshman midfielder Angel Barriga, Fenton fashioned numerous strong runs on the attack, but the Lancers collectively clogged the middle to keep the Bison at bay. Villegas blasted a ball over the top of the net in the 65th minute, followed by a corner kick that led to a deflection, which also sailed high.
Mendoza had a crack at knotting the score with 1:30 left, firing a long shot wide, and in the closing seconds, Fenton junior defender Michael Hriso sent a shot toward the Lake Park net that didn't escape traffic as the final horn sounded.
"We did come out slow -- we had discussed that Lake Park would pressure us early -- but we had to wait until we reacted," said Bison head coach David Alvarez, who saw his club fall to 10-8-1 with one regular-season game remaining. "The penalty kick was tough, but the boys responded. The effort, the hustle, not getting down -- that was all there. We were creating chances, but unfortunately we couldn't put the ball in the net the second half.
"Hats off to Lake Park, and we played well, too."
Lake Park had a flurry of chances early on. Senior defender Franco Mariani produced a wide-angle shot from the left side that nearly evaded Bison junior goalkeeper Abel Carrera in the third minute, and Horgan scissor-kicked one over the cage two minutes later after zeroing in on a corner kick.
A nice passing sequence among Franco Mariani, Horgan and senior midfielder Lorenzo Mariani resulted in a chance in the sixth minute, and with 26:50 to go in the first half, senior midfielder Kris Lopez pounded a left-footer from 20 yards out that missed the target.
Two minutes prior to his tally, Horgan crashed through Fenton's defense but lost possession on the left side of the net, and another strong Horgan rush resulted in a wide attempt -- and the penalty kick after a collision on the play.
The Bison turned the tide when Mendoza scored, finishing a nice cross from Villegas.
"We came out kind of slow, but then we came out of it," Mendoza said. "The coaches told the boys to concentrate and just go at 'em. Effort-wise, we were there, but we just couldn't finish. There was not much room in the middle, so it was hard to turn and shoot."
Ottolino admitted that the Lancers felt the sting of the tying goal, adding that his eventual game-winner -- begun by a corner kick from senior midfielder Eric Claudio and assisted by junior midfielder Dan Hines -- brought back the confidence displayed in the beginning of the match.
"We had a good start, but the goal they scored slowed us down," Ottolino said. "We talked at halftime about mistakes. When (the Bison) got their chances, we were getting frustrated, but we answered with high pressure."
Added Horgan: "We gave (Fenton) time with the ball. We let them dribble in, and they became dangerous. But our defense has been playing amazing this year. Miguel Ramirez (a senior defender), Franco (Mariani) and (junior defender) Josh (Solarz) ... really in sync back there. It was a good match, but I felt we could have played better.
"We can't be satisfied, though. It feels good to have only one loss all season, but there's nothing to celebrate until final game at state -- that's our goal."
The Lancers will play in the Schaumburg Regional, facing either Willowbrook or Bartlett on Oct. 21, while Fenton takes on Glenbard South in the St. Francis Regional, in Wheaton, the next day.
Starting lineups
Fenton
GK: Abel Carrera
D: Jakub Slomkowski
D: Bernard Plawinski
D: Gerardo Lopez
D: Michael Hriso
MF: Alexis Mendoza
MF: Paul Plizga
MF: Angel Barriga
MF: David Ortega
F: Cristian Villegas
F: Juan Ayala
Lake Park
GK: Michael Jasiak
D: Marek Warchol
D: Josh Solarz
D: Miguel Ramirez
D: Franco Mariani
MF: Kris Lopez
MF: Lorenzo Mariani
MF: Ricky Claudio
MF: Eric Claudio
F: Oliver Horgan
F: Edan Armas
Man of the Match: Pasquale Ottolino, Lake Park
Officials: Mark Kenar, Richard Quathamer, Doug Neufeldt.
Lancers send seniors off with win
By Ken Keenan
ROSELLE -- Lake Park completed its mission on Senior Night. The hosts took the lead on a late first half goal and then held off visiting Fenton in their 2-1 win in the Lancers' regular season finale Thursday.
After controlling the play for a good 15-minute stretch to start the nonconference match, Lake Park grabbed a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute by forward Oliver Horgan, one of nine seniors on the roster.
The Bison tied it at 1-1 with 5:52 left in the first half, when senior midfielder Alexis Mendoza banged in a short shot. But with merely 43.1 seconds to go before the break, Lake Park took the lead for good on a quick shot in front by junior forward Pasquale Ottolino, Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match.
"We came out strong, but -- bottom line -- Fenton kept at us," said Lake Park head coach Anthony Passi, whose team heads into postseason play with a sparkling 16-1-4 overall mark. "The momentum changed after 15 minutes, and we couldn't find a foot. I think, in their case, they found a weakness on our outside mids and backs, and we didn't make adjustments. Fenton was winning the ball in the air, and they got stronger as the game progressed. They were very aggressive.
"We were on our heels for a while, but it was pretty much an even game the rest of the way. We did toughen up, and we closed the space on defense."
With Mendoza leading the charge, along with senior forward Cristian Villegas and freshman midfielder Angel Barriga, Fenton fashioned numerous strong runs on the attack, but the Lancers collectively clogged the middle to keep the Bison at bay. Villegas blasted a ball over the top of the net in the 65th minute, followed by a corner kick that led to a deflection, which also sailed high.
Mendoza had a crack at knotting the score with 1:30 left, firing a long shot wide, and in the closing seconds, Fenton junior defender Michael Hriso sent a shot toward the Lake Park net that didn't escape traffic as the final horn sounded.
"We did come out slow -- we had discussed that Lake Park would pressure us early -- but we had to wait until we reacted," said Bison head coach David Alvarez, who saw his club fall to 10-8-1 with one regular-season game remaining. "The penalty kick was tough, but the boys responded. The effort, the hustle, not getting down -- that was all there. We were creating chances, but unfortunately we couldn't put the ball in the net the second half.
"Hats off to Lake Park, and we played well, too."
Lake Park had a flurry of chances early on. Senior defender Franco Mariani produced a wide-angle shot from the left side that nearly evaded Bison junior goalkeeper Abel Carrera in the third minute, and Horgan scissor-kicked one over the cage two minutes later after zeroing in on a corner kick.
A nice passing sequence among Franco Mariani, Horgan and senior midfielder Lorenzo Mariani resulted in a chance in the sixth minute, and with 26:50 to go in the first half, senior midfielder Kris Lopez pounded a left-footer from 20 yards out that missed the target.
Two minutes prior to his tally, Horgan crashed through Fenton's defense but lost possession on the left side of the net, and another strong Horgan rush resulted in a wide attempt -- and the penalty kick after a collision on the play.
The Bison turned the tide when Mendoza scored, finishing a nice cross from Villegas.
"We came out kind of slow, but then we came out of it," Mendoza said. "The coaches told the boys to concentrate and just go at 'em. Effort-wise, we were there, but we just couldn't finish. There was not much room in the middle, so it was hard to turn and shoot."
Ottolino admitted that the Lancers felt the sting of the tying goal, adding that his eventual game-winner -- begun by a corner kick from senior midfielder Eric Claudio and assisted by junior midfielder Dan Hines -- brought back the confidence displayed in the beginning of the match.
"We had a good start, but the goal they scored slowed us down," Ottolino said. "We talked at halftime about mistakes. When (the Bison) got their chances, we were getting frustrated, but we answered with high pressure."
Added Horgan: "We gave (Fenton) time with the ball. We let them dribble in, and they became dangerous. But our defense has been playing amazing this year. Miguel Ramirez (a senior defender), Franco (Mariani) and (junior defender) Josh (Solarz) ... really in sync back there. It was a good match, but I felt we could have played better.
"We can't be satisfied, though. It feels good to have only one loss all season, but there's nothing to celebrate until final game at state -- that's our goal."
The Lancers will play in the Schaumburg Regional, facing either Willowbrook or Bartlett on Oct. 21, while Fenton takes on Glenbard South in the St. Francis Regional, in Wheaton, the next day.
Starting lineups
Fenton
GK: Abel Carrera
D: Jakub Slomkowski
D: Bernard Plawinski
D: Gerardo Lopez
D: Michael Hriso
MF: Alexis Mendoza
MF: Paul Plizga
MF: Angel Barriga
MF: David Ortega
F: Cristian Villegas
F: Juan Ayala
Lake Park
GK: Michael Jasiak
D: Marek Warchol
D: Josh Solarz
D: Miguel Ramirez
D: Franco Mariani
MF: Kris Lopez
MF: Lorenzo Mariani
MF: Ricky Claudio
MF: Eric Claudio
F: Oliver Horgan
F: Edan Armas
Man of the Match: Pasquale Ottolino, Lake Park
Officials: Mark Kenar, Richard Quathamer, Doug Neufeldt.