Fremd erupts in 2nd half for 5-0 win over Elk Grove
Austin, Schoffstall pace across-the-board effort
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE VILLAGE -- A four-goal explosion in the second half capped a dominating performance by Fremd in a 5-0 win over host Elk Grove in Mid-Suburban League play Tuesday night.
But it was the Vikings' stingy defense -- specifically, no shots on goal allowed -- that earned the highest marks when head coach Steve Keller addressed his troops after the
game.
"It was a good, well-rounded effort by everybody," said Keller, whose team improved to 3-7-0 overall and 1-2-0 in league play with the win. "But I'm most pleased with the defensive effort. It's one of the areas we've been lacking. Tonight, guys were winning little battles ... anticipating the play."
Despite allowing a handful of chances, the young Grenadiers (only three senior starters) hung with the Vikings in the early going.
But after Fremd senior forward Angel Virgos finished a nice touch-pass from senior midfielder Matt Austin with a tap-in past charging Elk Grove sophomore goalkeeper Sean Martinez in the 22nd minute for a 1-0 lead, the visitors never looked back.
"After the first goal, we settled down and things started to fall in place," Keller said. "We were dangerous. Once we scored, finishing became better."
Fremd forward Max Clark nicely finished a corner kick by sophomore mid Russell Beaupre with a header past Martinez in the 51st minute to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, lanky sophomore mid Jake Schoffstall finished a sweet pass from Austin with a tap-in on the doorstep to give Fremd a 3-0 lead.
"Angel (Virgos) got that first goal and we stayed solid after that," Austin said. "We kept the ball more and had a lot of good runs. We broke 'em down pretty well."
Added Virgos: "The first goal gave us momentum to keep scoring more."
The Vikings had a handful of scoring opportunities shortly before halftime as well, including a sneaky try by senior defender Ben Cuthbert that Martinez dove to smother in the 37th minute, and a left-footed shot off the left post by junior mid Jake Scesniak in the 39th minute.
Shortly after Austin danced through the Grenadiers' defense to feed senior forward Vania Martin for a short blast that missed wide-right in the 59th minute, Martinez vacated the Elk Grove net with an injury and was replaced by sophomore Jose Del Real.
Austin didn't wait long to test the new keeper, bouncing a shot on goal with 19:25 remaining.
"He has excellent technique with the ball," Keller said of Austin. "Some of the balls he played tonight -- very dangerous."
Continuing to push the pace, Fremd increased the bulge to 4-0 with 11:40 left on another header by Schoffstall, this time after a corner by Martin.
"We kept attacking ... getting corners and making runs in," Schoffstall said. "It felt good to keep scoring goals."
Schoffstall nearly returned the favor with 3:50 to go, sending a free kick to Martin for a 30-yard strike that sailed wide-left. Merely 14 seconds elapsed before junior midfielder Connor Sapiente book-ended the onslaught by popping in a 40-yard floater over the head of a surprised Del Real.
"It was a frustrating game," said Elk Grove senior defender Angel Cruz, who set up sophomore mid Hector Torres for a 40-yard rocket that missed wide-left in the 70th minute. "After the first goal, Fremd stepped up the pressure. But I feel we could have responded better. We were forced to just blast the ball out of there."
Sweat-soaked Elk Grove junior defender Daniel Rumpel, a workhorse on the backline all match, said, "You start to feel the pressure rising and rising. But you've got to keep your head up. We're a young team -- a little inexperienced. Every game, we're learning."
First-year Grenadiers head coach Alex Stavropoulos was gracious in defeat, at the same time lamenting a bit of a slide concerning his team's focus.
"I'll definitely tip my hat to Fremd, but we did not stick to our formula and strategy," said Stavropoulos, whose club left the pitch at 1-5-2, 0-4-1 after suffering the conference loss. "It was a combination of Fremd definitely getting confidence with the first goal, and -- unfortunately -- we didn't react the way we have in past games. But the boys recognized that, and we'll use this as a learning opportunity. We'll watch film and see how things can break down.
"We need to learn -- that's the key word. With young players, when you hit hard times, that's the most important time to pick your heads up. Accept the moment, recognize it and put it to use."
Meanwhile, the Vikings hope to use the victory as a springboard to more success, with the 2017 season already at the halfway mark.
"We take the pedal off the metal sometimes with a lead," Keller said. "But (vs. Elk Grove) we increased our smarts and tactics, and we stayed solid defensively. A conference win is always good. Now we've got to replicate that."
Starting lineups
Fremd
G: Jack Taraszka
D: Kaelan Conway
D: Ben Cuthbert
D: Cole Jackson
M: Dalton Rogers
M: Russell Beaupre
M: Matt Austin
M:Max Mayer
M: Jake Schoffstall
F: Angel Virgos
F: Max Clark
Elk Grove
G: Sean Martinez
D: Daniel Rumpel
D: Angel Cruz
D: Nazar Peron
D: Adi Keserovic
M: Paul Jonas
M: Misa Contreras
M: Hector Torres
M: Eliseo Palacios
M: Gerardo Lazcano-Llanos
F: Michael Mencias
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Matt Austin, sr., M, Fremd
Officials: Harry Anestopoulos, Suren Karapetyan, Mike Valsamis
Scoring summary
First half
1. Fremd: Angel Virgos (assisted by Matt Austin) in 22nd minute
Second half
2. Fremd: Matt Austin (assisted by Russell Beaupre) in 51st minute
3. Fremd: Jake Schoffstall (assisted by Matt Austin) in 54th minute
4. Fremd: Jake Schoffstall (assisted by Vania Martin) in 69th minute
5. Fremd: Connor Sapiente (unassisted) in 77th minute
Austin, Schoffstall pace across-the-board effort
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE VILLAGE -- A four-goal explosion in the second half capped a dominating performance by Fremd in a 5-0 win over host Elk Grove in Mid-Suburban League play Tuesday night.
But it was the Vikings' stingy defense -- specifically, no shots on goal allowed -- that earned the highest marks when head coach Steve Keller addressed his troops after the
game.
"It was a good, well-rounded effort by everybody," said Keller, whose team improved to 3-7-0 overall and 1-2-0 in league play with the win. "But I'm most pleased with the defensive effort. It's one of the areas we've been lacking. Tonight, guys were winning little battles ... anticipating the play."
Despite allowing a handful of chances, the young Grenadiers (only three senior starters) hung with the Vikings in the early going.
But after Fremd senior forward Angel Virgos finished a nice touch-pass from senior midfielder Matt Austin with a tap-in past charging Elk Grove sophomore goalkeeper Sean Martinez in the 22nd minute for a 1-0 lead, the visitors never looked back.
"After the first goal, we settled down and things started to fall in place," Keller said. "We were dangerous. Once we scored, finishing became better."
Fremd forward Max Clark nicely finished a corner kick by sophomore mid Russell Beaupre with a header past Martinez in the 51st minute to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, lanky sophomore mid Jake Schoffstall finished a sweet pass from Austin with a tap-in on the doorstep to give Fremd a 3-0 lead.
"Angel (Virgos) got that first goal and we stayed solid after that," Austin said. "We kept the ball more and had a lot of good runs. We broke 'em down pretty well."
Added Virgos: "The first goal gave us momentum to keep scoring more."
The Vikings had a handful of scoring opportunities shortly before halftime as well, including a sneaky try by senior defender Ben Cuthbert that Martinez dove to smother in the 37th minute, and a left-footed shot off the left post by junior mid Jake Scesniak in the 39th minute.
Shortly after Austin danced through the Grenadiers' defense to feed senior forward Vania Martin for a short blast that missed wide-right in the 59th minute, Martinez vacated the Elk Grove net with an injury and was replaced by sophomore Jose Del Real.
Austin didn't wait long to test the new keeper, bouncing a shot on goal with 19:25 remaining.
"He has excellent technique with the ball," Keller said of Austin. "Some of the balls he played tonight -- very dangerous."
Continuing to push the pace, Fremd increased the bulge to 4-0 with 11:40 left on another header by Schoffstall, this time after a corner by Martin.
"We kept attacking ... getting corners and making runs in," Schoffstall said. "It felt good to keep scoring goals."
Schoffstall nearly returned the favor with 3:50 to go, sending a free kick to Martin for a 30-yard strike that sailed wide-left. Merely 14 seconds elapsed before junior midfielder Connor Sapiente book-ended the onslaught by popping in a 40-yard floater over the head of a surprised Del Real.
"It was a frustrating game," said Elk Grove senior defender Angel Cruz, who set up sophomore mid Hector Torres for a 40-yard rocket that missed wide-left in the 70th minute. "After the first goal, Fremd stepped up the pressure. But I feel we could have responded better. We were forced to just blast the ball out of there."
Sweat-soaked Elk Grove junior defender Daniel Rumpel, a workhorse on the backline all match, said, "You start to feel the pressure rising and rising. But you've got to keep your head up. We're a young team -- a little inexperienced. Every game, we're learning."
First-year Grenadiers head coach Alex Stavropoulos was gracious in defeat, at the same time lamenting a bit of a slide concerning his team's focus.
"I'll definitely tip my hat to Fremd, but we did not stick to our formula and strategy," said Stavropoulos, whose club left the pitch at 1-5-2, 0-4-1 after suffering the conference loss. "It was a combination of Fremd definitely getting confidence with the first goal, and -- unfortunately -- we didn't react the way we have in past games. But the boys recognized that, and we'll use this as a learning opportunity. We'll watch film and see how things can break down.
"We need to learn -- that's the key word. With young players, when you hit hard times, that's the most important time to pick your heads up. Accept the moment, recognize it and put it to use."
Meanwhile, the Vikings hope to use the victory as a springboard to more success, with the 2017 season already at the halfway mark.
"We take the pedal off the metal sometimes with a lead," Keller said. "But (vs. Elk Grove) we increased our smarts and tactics, and we stayed solid defensively. A conference win is always good. Now we've got to replicate that."
Starting lineups
Fremd
G: Jack Taraszka
D: Kaelan Conway
D: Ben Cuthbert
D: Cole Jackson
M: Dalton Rogers
M: Russell Beaupre
M: Matt Austin
M:Max Mayer
M: Jake Schoffstall
F: Angel Virgos
F: Max Clark
Elk Grove
G: Sean Martinez
D: Daniel Rumpel
D: Angel Cruz
D: Nazar Peron
D: Adi Keserovic
M: Paul Jonas
M: Misa Contreras
M: Hector Torres
M: Eliseo Palacios
M: Gerardo Lazcano-Llanos
F: Michael Mencias
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Matt Austin, sr., M, Fremd
Officials: Harry Anestopoulos, Suren Karapetyan, Mike Valsamis
Scoring summary
First half
1. Fremd: Angel Virgos (assisted by Matt Austin) in 22nd minute
Second half
2. Fremd: Matt Austin (assisted by Russell Beaupre) in 51st minute
3. Fremd: Jake Schoffstall (assisted by Matt Austin) in 54th minute
4. Fremd: Jake Schoffstall (assisted by Vania Martin) in 69th minute
5. Fremd: Connor Sapiente (unassisted) in 77th minute