Moore too much for Deerfield to overcome
Hustle play, corner and goal leads Highland Park over Warriors
By Patrick Z. McGavin
HIGHLAND PARK -- Eager to score after his team endured four shutouts in its previous six games, Deerfield forward Ari Wainer completed a textbook sequence.
Making a run to the near post, Wainer was perfectly positioned for the rebound ball of a Nick Prus shot in the 50th minute. Timing is everything. In this instance, his was exquisite and right on.
Highland Park keeper Ethan Fineman made a nice block of the original ball. Wainer did the rest and pounded home the rebound in the 50th minute that elevated the Warriors’ spirits.
“I really thought when the score was 1-1, we were going to get another goal,” Deerfield coach Elliott Hurtig said. “We talked about this before the game. We have to be able to take care of our box, and we failed to clear a ball and that really hurt us.”
Deerfield’s quest to turn its fortunes around got jammed as Highland Park midfielder Dario Castillo scored his first goal of the year off a set piece in the Giants’ 3-1 victory in Central Suburban North play here Thursday night.
Junior midfielder Ronin Moore was the catalyst of the Giants’ victory. He set up the scoring sequence with a hustle play on the left wing as he drove the ball toward the endline and created a deflection off a Deerfield defender that set up the corner kick.
Moore earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his standout play.
“Our team was really moving the all and doing really well to find the opening spaces,” Moore said. “When I got the ball I was just trying to create a chance for somebody. They obviously had a great play, the defender tackled me and we got the corner.
“Everybody on our team is pretty good with serving. We usually just switch it up. Whoever wants it we are confident in everybody.”
Serving from the left edge, Moore drove the ball into the danger zone as it kicked around and bounced off several players.
Castillo pounced on his opportunity.
“It was just deflected, and I was just looking for the ball and it landed in the middle and I was able to tap it in,” Castillo said. “Once I got the opportunity I knew I was able to shoot it inside the goal there. I got my shot off.
“They had two defenders on one our players, and I saw [Deerfield keeper Ryan Grady] caught up in the air, and I knew there would be an open opportunity.”
Moore put the game out of reach in the 64th minute. Forcing a turnover, he controlled the loose ball and drilled a shot from about 17 yards that handcuffed Grady, who was returning to his natural role as keeper for the first time in nearly two months. Grady had surgery in early August to repair a broken bone in his right hand.
“I am still rusty out there, and getting my rhythm back,” Grady said. “Otherwise, that is a play I make every time.”
Grady flashed his superb athleticism and range at the start of the second half with a spectacular diving stop off a rocket ball from the Giants’ midfielder Ivan Roldan. He had just one day of training, on Wednesday, in the goal.
His timing is a work in progress. That was evident in the play leading up to the only score in the first half.
Grady stopped a hard ball only to see it slip from his fingers. As he made a play for the ball, he collided with a Highland Park runner and was called for a foul.
Highland Park midfielder Joey Schwartz converted the penalty kick in the 27th minute.
Highland Park (6-2-2, 1-0-1) has now surpassed its entire win total of a year ago when the youthful Giants finished 5-15-1.
“I thought that Highland Park team was really talented,” Hurtig said. “They moved the ball well. They had two really good midfielders in [Joey] Schwartz and No. 8 [Moore]. That No. 6 [midfielder Mason Kimbarovsky] was also really good, too.I thought where we struggled at the beginning was finding our shape and balance.
“I thought we started moving the ball really well and got into our shape.”
Deerfield (2-5-1, 0-1-1) is better than its record. After the difficult start, the Warriors settled in and controlled a great deal of the flow. They just suffered from bad luck. In the first half, junior midfielder Jude Tatham scissored between two Highland Park defenders and had the advantage on a terrific through ball for an apparent breakaway. The slick surface caused him to slip.
In the Warriors’ best first half scoring chance, midfielder Nikita Bankevich drilled a beautiful free kick from about 25 yards out from the left wing that smashed off the bar.
“Until they scored, we did not really have the play the way we wanted or the advantage the way we wanted,” Highland Park coach Blake Novotny said. “I think the first half played into their style, a game of intensity versus a game of control.
“I think we played with intensity and control after they scored their goal.”
Interestingly, Highland Park has played some if its best soccer of the year in the face of adversity. On its conference opener Tuesday against Maine West, the Giants fell behind a stunning 4-0 in the first 15 minutes of the game.
They stormed back to play out a 4-4 draw.
“It seems like we need to get slugged until we really start playing,” Novotny said. “It’s not really a good strategy of giving up goals as incentive to start playing well.”
Except for a couple of stretches, Deerfield held its own and played some of the best soccer of the year. Forwards Wainer and Tim Frankel created pressure at the top with their runs. Tatham and Bankevich showed precision and touch operating in the middle.
“I thought for the most part we played great soccer with controlling the air and controlling our tackles,” Hurtig said. “On the second [Highland Park] goal the ball was right there in the box and we just struggled to clear it. We missed on the clearance.
“I think if a couple of breaks go our way and it was a totally different game.”
Starting lineups
Deerfield
GK: Ryan Grady
D: Ko Vandeneijkhoff
D: Jack Hammontree
D: Ben Taxman
D: Nolan Horgan
MF: Eric Kenney
MF: Adam Odzer
MF: Jude Tatham
MF: Nikita Bankevich
F: Tim Frankel
F: Ari Wainer
Highland Park
GK: Ethan Fineman
D: Aaron Bach
D: Matt Holleman
D: Luke Illes
D: Chris Mateos
MF: Mason Kimbarovsky
MF: Ronin Moore
MF: Joey Schwartz
MF: Alex Forman
MF: Ivan Roldan
F: Luke Zucker
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ronin Moore, jr., MF, Highland Park
Scoring summary
First half
Highland Park—Joey Schwartz (penalty kick), 27th minute
Second half
Deerfield—Ari Wainer (rebound), 50th minute
Highland Park—Dario Castillo (unassisted), 57th minute
Highland Park—Ronin Moore (unassisted), 64th minute
Hustle play, corner and goal leads Highland Park over Warriors
By Patrick Z. McGavin
HIGHLAND PARK -- Eager to score after his team endured four shutouts in its previous six games, Deerfield forward Ari Wainer completed a textbook sequence.
Making a run to the near post, Wainer was perfectly positioned for the rebound ball of a Nick Prus shot in the 50th minute. Timing is everything. In this instance, his was exquisite and right on.
Highland Park keeper Ethan Fineman made a nice block of the original ball. Wainer did the rest and pounded home the rebound in the 50th minute that elevated the Warriors’ spirits.
“I really thought when the score was 1-1, we were going to get another goal,” Deerfield coach Elliott Hurtig said. “We talked about this before the game. We have to be able to take care of our box, and we failed to clear a ball and that really hurt us.”
Deerfield’s quest to turn its fortunes around got jammed as Highland Park midfielder Dario Castillo scored his first goal of the year off a set piece in the Giants’ 3-1 victory in Central Suburban North play here Thursday night.
Junior midfielder Ronin Moore was the catalyst of the Giants’ victory. He set up the scoring sequence with a hustle play on the left wing as he drove the ball toward the endline and created a deflection off a Deerfield defender that set up the corner kick.
Moore earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his standout play.
“Our team was really moving the all and doing really well to find the opening spaces,” Moore said. “When I got the ball I was just trying to create a chance for somebody. They obviously had a great play, the defender tackled me and we got the corner.
“Everybody on our team is pretty good with serving. We usually just switch it up. Whoever wants it we are confident in everybody.”
Serving from the left edge, Moore drove the ball into the danger zone as it kicked around and bounced off several players.
Castillo pounced on his opportunity.
“It was just deflected, and I was just looking for the ball and it landed in the middle and I was able to tap it in,” Castillo said. “Once I got the opportunity I knew I was able to shoot it inside the goal there. I got my shot off.
“They had two defenders on one our players, and I saw [Deerfield keeper Ryan Grady] caught up in the air, and I knew there would be an open opportunity.”
Moore put the game out of reach in the 64th minute. Forcing a turnover, he controlled the loose ball and drilled a shot from about 17 yards that handcuffed Grady, who was returning to his natural role as keeper for the first time in nearly two months. Grady had surgery in early August to repair a broken bone in his right hand.
“I am still rusty out there, and getting my rhythm back,” Grady said. “Otherwise, that is a play I make every time.”
Grady flashed his superb athleticism and range at the start of the second half with a spectacular diving stop off a rocket ball from the Giants’ midfielder Ivan Roldan. He had just one day of training, on Wednesday, in the goal.
His timing is a work in progress. That was evident in the play leading up to the only score in the first half.
Grady stopped a hard ball only to see it slip from his fingers. As he made a play for the ball, he collided with a Highland Park runner and was called for a foul.
Highland Park midfielder Joey Schwartz converted the penalty kick in the 27th minute.
Highland Park (6-2-2, 1-0-1) has now surpassed its entire win total of a year ago when the youthful Giants finished 5-15-1.
“I thought that Highland Park team was really talented,” Hurtig said. “They moved the ball well. They had two really good midfielders in [Joey] Schwartz and No. 8 [Moore]. That No. 6 [midfielder Mason Kimbarovsky] was also really good, too.I thought where we struggled at the beginning was finding our shape and balance.
“I thought we started moving the ball really well and got into our shape.”
Deerfield (2-5-1, 0-1-1) is better than its record. After the difficult start, the Warriors settled in and controlled a great deal of the flow. They just suffered from bad luck. In the first half, junior midfielder Jude Tatham scissored between two Highland Park defenders and had the advantage on a terrific through ball for an apparent breakaway. The slick surface caused him to slip.
In the Warriors’ best first half scoring chance, midfielder Nikita Bankevich drilled a beautiful free kick from about 25 yards out from the left wing that smashed off the bar.
“Until they scored, we did not really have the play the way we wanted or the advantage the way we wanted,” Highland Park coach Blake Novotny said. “I think the first half played into their style, a game of intensity versus a game of control.
“I think we played with intensity and control after they scored their goal.”
Interestingly, Highland Park has played some if its best soccer of the year in the face of adversity. On its conference opener Tuesday against Maine West, the Giants fell behind a stunning 4-0 in the first 15 minutes of the game.
They stormed back to play out a 4-4 draw.
“It seems like we need to get slugged until we really start playing,” Novotny said. “It’s not really a good strategy of giving up goals as incentive to start playing well.”
Except for a couple of stretches, Deerfield held its own and played some of the best soccer of the year. Forwards Wainer and Tim Frankel created pressure at the top with their runs. Tatham and Bankevich showed precision and touch operating in the middle.
“I thought for the most part we played great soccer with controlling the air and controlling our tackles,” Hurtig said. “On the second [Highland Park] goal the ball was right there in the box and we just struggled to clear it. We missed on the clearance.
“I think if a couple of breaks go our way and it was a totally different game.”
Starting lineups
Deerfield
GK: Ryan Grady
D: Ko Vandeneijkhoff
D: Jack Hammontree
D: Ben Taxman
D: Nolan Horgan
MF: Eric Kenney
MF: Adam Odzer
MF: Jude Tatham
MF: Nikita Bankevich
F: Tim Frankel
F: Ari Wainer
Highland Park
GK: Ethan Fineman
D: Aaron Bach
D: Matt Holleman
D: Luke Illes
D: Chris Mateos
MF: Mason Kimbarovsky
MF: Ronin Moore
MF: Joey Schwartz
MF: Alex Forman
MF: Ivan Roldan
F: Luke Zucker
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ronin Moore, jr., MF, Highland Park
Scoring summary
First half
Highland Park—Joey Schwartz (penalty kick), 27th minute
Second half
Deerfield—Ari Wainer (rebound), 50th minute
Highland Park—Dario Castillo (unassisted), 57th minute
Highland Park—Ronin Moore (unassisted), 64th minute