Lane's struggles against
early deficits continue
Can't overcome 8th-minute goal from Plainfield Central
By Dave Owen
Slow starts continue to produce frustrating finishes for Lane.
Plainfield Central scored just under eight minutes into Saturday’s PepsiCo Showdown match. And while Lane regrouped with a solid offensive and defensive second half, the early damage proved to be a familiar challenge in an eventual 1-0 loss.
Lane (1-5-3) has suffered four losses by one goal this season.
“The majority of our games have been like that, like a 1-0 difference,” Lane midfielder Nestor Aviles said. “And we always have a slow start. The team has to start better. We tend to start late – after (opponents) score we pick things up, and it shouldn’t be like that.”
Saturday’s early deficit was especially frustrating. Off a Lane corner kick just one minute earlier, Patryk Fejkiel’s shot towards an open far post was blocked.
Plainfield Central answered with an attack up left wing and a pass to the far post. Simeon Adesina got a head on the high cross, which bounced high into the far left corner of the net to put his team up 1-0.
“It’s a little bit of the story of our season,” Lane coach Andrew Ricks said. “At 1-0 I thought it was a game that could have gone either way.
“Right before they scored the goal we had a chance on a great cross, and we couldn’t finish. They come down and finish theirs. You don’t finish your opportunities, and games turn out 1-0 (in favor of) them.”
First half chances were in Plainfield Central’s favor. But a solid defensive unit led by senior Cesar Garza kept the game close. Garza leapt high to head away a dangerous cross in the 11th minute, moments after a nice blocked shot by Ricky Delgado.
Another great Wildcat chance came with 10:15 left in the half. After Ryan Donnell’s initial cross was cleared, freshman Zach Bargas sent a high 15-yard chip shot that glanced off the right post and out.
That clang off the post rang like an alarm clock for Lane. The Indians closed the first half with multiple chances, and had an edge in play over the last 40 minutes.
“I just felt like we were connecting passes better in the second half,” Lane forward Owen Finn said. “I was able to get into more open spaces and control the ball and get it on my feet, instead of just having us blast it up and dump and chase type of play.”
Lane’s offense had begun to find its footing 15:30 before halftime. After making a short corner kick inbound to David de la Fuente, Charlie Bauer received a return pass and rocketed a pass to the right post that just missed connection with Kevin Mienta as the ball went barely wide of net.
The best threat came 8:30 before halftime, when Aviles sent a nice ball to Finn sprinting 1-on-1 down the middle. Finn sent an eventual 15-yar shot just wide of the post.
Alex Rydberg capped the half with a nice steal from dangerous Wildcat forward Max Woodward at the 30-yard line. That play epitomized a strong defensive day for Lane.
“I thought Cesar (Garza) the captain covered a lot of ground, won a lot of balls and started the attack,” Ricks said. “He and also our left defender Alex Rydberg were really defending well, covering a lot of ground and jumpstarting the attack.”
Garza stood out throughout the match, but the rough opening minutes were foremost in his postgame thoughts.
“It’s something we’ve been doing throughout the whole season – we kind of slack off at the beginning, and towards the end that’s when we pick it up,” he said.
“I have no idea why we always do that. As a captain I try to motivate everybody from the beginning, but it kind of clicks on once a goal is scored on us. In my opinion, that’s too late.”
Both goalkeepers were tested late. Lane’s Fernando Salas came up huge with 7:50 left, making a nice hand two-hand block of Woodward’s 10-yard liner from left of the frame.
Salas also made saves in the final 12 minutes on 25-yard shots by Woodward and Ish Contreras. Garza’s nice left wing steal from Woodward with 5:40 left denied another threat.
Lane’s offense battled literally to the end. The final 35 seconds featured Shane Badertscher saves on a 20-yard Keane Thompson try, then a low 25-yard shot on goal by Steven Bajich with 10 seconds left.
Alex Mezyk deflected a Mienta corner kick wide left with 13:30 left on another of a myriad of Lane chances in the second half. Badertscher also grabbed a de la Fuente cross to the post with 16:20 to play.
The early deficit aside, the inability to answer became the main source of frustration for Lane.
“Personally I don’t think it was one of my best games,” Aviles said. “I’m usually a playmaker, I’m usually the one looking to get the ball up top. I hope I can do that the rest of the games and create a lot of goals.”
Finn faced a double-team much of the second half, limiting his chances.
“We need to score, that’s basically it,” Finn said. “We have to be able to connect, be strong, and just talk overall as a team.
“We were not connecting well (early) and overall just not playing our best. Right away they got the goal, and that set us up to have to dig ourselves out of a hole.”
Regardless of the mid-September record, Lane’s October goals remain high.
“We’re defending city champs, and we’re hoping to take that again,” Aviles said. “And we just want to show these other schools that even though we have not such a good record, we can still win the city. These games definitely help us improve and hopefully prepare us.”
Garza is seeing improvement.
“We’re definitely learning from this,” he said. “We were losing by two goals before and now it’s only one, and we’re getting more ties.
“I think we’re just going to pick it up from here. Coaches and everybody tell us and we agree, if we build chemistry that’s the most important thing because we only have like four seniors.
“Communication I think is the major thing that’s holding us back,” Garza added. “We’re building chemistry as a team, so it’s going to get there.”
Starting lineups
Lane
GK- Fernando Salas
D- Cesar Garza
D- Alex Rydberg
D- Charlie Bauer
D-Zach Rogers
M- Ricky Delgado
M- Alex Mezyk
M- Nestor Aviles
M- Patryk Fejkiel
F- Kevin Mienta
F- Owen Finn
Plainfield Central
GK- Shane Badertscher
D- Gustavo Sanchez
D- Ish Contreras
D- Ryan Donnell
D- Phil Garcia
M- Josh De Avila
M- Edgar Cardenas
M- Zach Bargas
M- Matt Geib
F- Max Woodward
F- Simeon Adesina
Man of the Match: Cesar Garza, D, Lane
early deficits continue
Can't overcome 8th-minute goal from Plainfield Central
By Dave Owen
Slow starts continue to produce frustrating finishes for Lane.
Plainfield Central scored just under eight minutes into Saturday’s PepsiCo Showdown match. And while Lane regrouped with a solid offensive and defensive second half, the early damage proved to be a familiar challenge in an eventual 1-0 loss.
Lane (1-5-3) has suffered four losses by one goal this season.
“The majority of our games have been like that, like a 1-0 difference,” Lane midfielder Nestor Aviles said. “And we always have a slow start. The team has to start better. We tend to start late – after (opponents) score we pick things up, and it shouldn’t be like that.”
Saturday’s early deficit was especially frustrating. Off a Lane corner kick just one minute earlier, Patryk Fejkiel’s shot towards an open far post was blocked.
Plainfield Central answered with an attack up left wing and a pass to the far post. Simeon Adesina got a head on the high cross, which bounced high into the far left corner of the net to put his team up 1-0.
“It’s a little bit of the story of our season,” Lane coach Andrew Ricks said. “At 1-0 I thought it was a game that could have gone either way.
“Right before they scored the goal we had a chance on a great cross, and we couldn’t finish. They come down and finish theirs. You don’t finish your opportunities, and games turn out 1-0 (in favor of) them.”
First half chances were in Plainfield Central’s favor. But a solid defensive unit led by senior Cesar Garza kept the game close. Garza leapt high to head away a dangerous cross in the 11th minute, moments after a nice blocked shot by Ricky Delgado.
Another great Wildcat chance came with 10:15 left in the half. After Ryan Donnell’s initial cross was cleared, freshman Zach Bargas sent a high 15-yard chip shot that glanced off the right post and out.
That clang off the post rang like an alarm clock for Lane. The Indians closed the first half with multiple chances, and had an edge in play over the last 40 minutes.
“I just felt like we were connecting passes better in the second half,” Lane forward Owen Finn said. “I was able to get into more open spaces and control the ball and get it on my feet, instead of just having us blast it up and dump and chase type of play.”
Lane’s offense had begun to find its footing 15:30 before halftime. After making a short corner kick inbound to David de la Fuente, Charlie Bauer received a return pass and rocketed a pass to the right post that just missed connection with Kevin Mienta as the ball went barely wide of net.
The best threat came 8:30 before halftime, when Aviles sent a nice ball to Finn sprinting 1-on-1 down the middle. Finn sent an eventual 15-yar shot just wide of the post.
Alex Rydberg capped the half with a nice steal from dangerous Wildcat forward Max Woodward at the 30-yard line. That play epitomized a strong defensive day for Lane.
“I thought Cesar (Garza) the captain covered a lot of ground, won a lot of balls and started the attack,” Ricks said. “He and also our left defender Alex Rydberg were really defending well, covering a lot of ground and jumpstarting the attack.”
Garza stood out throughout the match, but the rough opening minutes were foremost in his postgame thoughts.
“It’s something we’ve been doing throughout the whole season – we kind of slack off at the beginning, and towards the end that’s when we pick it up,” he said.
“I have no idea why we always do that. As a captain I try to motivate everybody from the beginning, but it kind of clicks on once a goal is scored on us. In my opinion, that’s too late.”
Both goalkeepers were tested late. Lane’s Fernando Salas came up huge with 7:50 left, making a nice hand two-hand block of Woodward’s 10-yard liner from left of the frame.
Salas also made saves in the final 12 minutes on 25-yard shots by Woodward and Ish Contreras. Garza’s nice left wing steal from Woodward with 5:40 left denied another threat.
Lane’s offense battled literally to the end. The final 35 seconds featured Shane Badertscher saves on a 20-yard Keane Thompson try, then a low 25-yard shot on goal by Steven Bajich with 10 seconds left.
Alex Mezyk deflected a Mienta corner kick wide left with 13:30 left on another of a myriad of Lane chances in the second half. Badertscher also grabbed a de la Fuente cross to the post with 16:20 to play.
The early deficit aside, the inability to answer became the main source of frustration for Lane.
“Personally I don’t think it was one of my best games,” Aviles said. “I’m usually a playmaker, I’m usually the one looking to get the ball up top. I hope I can do that the rest of the games and create a lot of goals.”
Finn faced a double-team much of the second half, limiting his chances.
“We need to score, that’s basically it,” Finn said. “We have to be able to connect, be strong, and just talk overall as a team.
“We were not connecting well (early) and overall just not playing our best. Right away they got the goal, and that set us up to have to dig ourselves out of a hole.”
Regardless of the mid-September record, Lane’s October goals remain high.
“We’re defending city champs, and we’re hoping to take that again,” Aviles said. “And we just want to show these other schools that even though we have not such a good record, we can still win the city. These games definitely help us improve and hopefully prepare us.”
Garza is seeing improvement.
“We’re definitely learning from this,” he said. “We were losing by two goals before and now it’s only one, and we’re getting more ties.
“I think we’re just going to pick it up from here. Coaches and everybody tell us and we agree, if we build chemistry that’s the most important thing because we only have like four seniors.
“Communication I think is the major thing that’s holding us back,” Garza added. “We’re building chemistry as a team, so it’s going to get there.”
Starting lineups
Lane
GK- Fernando Salas
D- Cesar Garza
D- Alex Rydberg
D- Charlie Bauer
D-Zach Rogers
M- Ricky Delgado
M- Alex Mezyk
M- Nestor Aviles
M- Patryk Fejkiel
F- Kevin Mienta
F- Owen Finn
Plainfield Central
GK- Shane Badertscher
D- Gustavo Sanchez
D- Ish Contreras
D- Ryan Donnell
D- Phil Garcia
M- Josh De Avila
M- Edgar Cardenas
M- Zach Bargas
M- Matt Geib
F- Max Woodward
F- Simeon Adesina
Man of the Match: Cesar Garza, D, Lane