Leyden ends Pepsi
in style against Streamwood
Eagles post surprising 6-0 win
LA GRANGE – Multiple examples, unexpected result.
If you saw either: A) Streamwood play Lyons at the Northside College Showcase at New Trier, or B) the first 30 minutes of the Streamwood-Leyden match at the PepsiCo Showdown at the Lyons Soccer Complex; the next numbers may cause more than a bit of a shock.
Final score: Leyden 6, Streamwood 0.
The Eagles (8-1-1) continue to emerge as one of the unsung elite teams in the area, while the defending state semifinalist Sabres (4-5-2) end the PepsiCo Showdown completely bewildered over what has happened since consecutive August 1-0 wins over Lyons and New Trier, currently ranked no. 12 and no. 24 respectively in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Just brought up from junior varsity, Leyden sophomores Mat Makowiec (two goals) and Francisco Toral (three assists) made major contributions as Leyden put on an incredible 40-minute offensive fireworks display.
The Sabres and 22nd-ranked Eagles traded chances in a scoreless battle until 4:20 remained in the 35-minute opening half.
Then after a series of passes by Makowiec, Salvador Salgado and Toral was seemingly broken up by a Streamwood clear of the box, senior David Senk fielded the loose ball and lined a 25-yard shot into the upper right hand corner of the net for a 1-0 Leyden lead.
“I think it was the goal near the end of the first half that really got us going,” Leyden coach Mark Valintis said of Senk’s finish. “That was a heck of a shot, a great goal. We had some other great chances, but that kind of told us, ‘OK guys, you can relax a little bit.’”
Preceding that score, there were six excellent scoring chances between the two sides.
Streamwood had three of them – Aldo Lozaro’s attack in on left wing required a sliding save by Leyden goalkeeper Alfredo Recendez 21:10 before halftime.
Recendez then came off his line one minute later to smother Donnie Sosa’s shot. And at the 7:45 mark, an Erie Ortiz free kick was blocked by Recendez, with the loose rebound in the crease resulting in a Sabres foul.
“In the first half it was tough because we had to adjust to their pace,” Recendez said of Streamwood. “They’re young, and they’re fast. It took us awhile to get used to their pace, but after the first goal we got it under control.”
Leyden’s early scoring threats came mainly via Albert Arabik. His liner from left wing 3:20 in went inches wide of the right post, and his sliding shot off an Esteban Hernandez corner kick 17:30 before halftime was saved by Streamwood goalkeeper Daniel Dominguez.
Eleven minutes before halftime, an Angel Lopez pass to Enrique Vargas produced a 15-yard shot barely over the net.
Then three-year varsity starter Senk put away his chance, and the Eagles started to soar.
“We talked at halftime that one goal needs to become two,” Valintis said, “and with the way our goalie and defense have been playing lately, two goals might seem like 10 goals.”
The Eagles’ lone 2015 loss came on penalty kicks earlier at the PepsiCo Showdown against Wheaton Warrenville South. Avoiding that drama became the main push.
“All of a sudden with that second goal, it’s not a one-mistake game,” Valintis said. “That’s what kind of caught us against Wheaton South last week.”
Leyden didn’t begin to pull away from the Sabres until 28:50 remained. That’s when junior midfielder Angel Lopez raced in on left wing and lined a low blast inside the right post for a 2-0 lead.
Lopez’s clutch finish and excellence controlling the midfield earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“To be honest everybody played well,” Valintis said, “but one guy I’d definitely single out would be Angel Lopez. He may not always get the goals and assists, but he is sure the engine that drives our truck.
“When he’s around the ball, good things are going to happen. We have big guys like Albert (Arabik) and Cesar (Franco) that are go-to guys. But without Angel doing what he does, it becomes a difficult time at the other end of the field.”
Streamwood, with five shutouts wins this season which number Lyons and New Trier, hardly expected the second-half defensive troubles Leyden produced.
“It’s weird – this last week of games has been horrendous,” Streamwood coach Matt Polovin said. “It’s uncharacteristic. We go from an unbelievable week of soccer, beating Lyons 1-0, and they’re going to the Pepsi Showdown championship game, and beating New Trier and Buffalo Grove, to this last week of games. I don’t know …something’s happening, and I’m still trying to pinpoint what it is.”
For Leyden, the 2-0 lead was a big relief.
“All of a sudden all the pressure goes away, and the kids play relaxed,” Valintis said. “If we could just get them to do that all the time, it would be great.”
A scoring avalanche followed. Passes by Arabik and Vargas sprung Hernandez in on the wing, and his goal put the Eagles up 3-0 just 90 seconds after Lopez had made it 2-0.
The lead became 4-0 with 17 minutes left – after Toral sent a header off the crossbar, Arabik headed the rebound into the net.
Toral also set up the 5-0 lead with a cross to Makowiecz. His header was stopped by a diving Dominguez, but Makowiecz put away the rebound for his first varsity goal with 8:10 left.
The sixth Leyden goal came either at the final horn or an instant before, as Makiewicz tipped a long Toral pass past the Streamwood goalkeeper.
“We were able to connect more in the midfield and got numbers up top,” Lopez said of the second-half explosion. “Our forward Albert got some good flicks on the ball, and we made some wonderful plays inside.”
While the flurry of goals inflated the final margin, Recendez needed to make key plays in net two minutes into the second half (corner kick grab at the post) and with 27:50 left (saving a Rafa Gil shot).
Leyden defender Damian Kosakowski blocked and cleared a Brian Benitez rush into the box with 10:05 left. A 12-yard drive just wide of the post by Streamwood’s Alex Chavez (5:40 to play) and Recendez’s catch of a Luis Segura header (1:20 to go) wrapped up the shutout for the Eagles defense.
“The whole backline is pretty much the same as last year,” Recendez said. “We’re all aware of where our abilities are and what side we play better on. So I think that helps, and the communication back there helps a lot. Me and the center back Cesar have a good connection and are always talking back and forth. I think that makes my and his job a lot easier.
“And I feel like I’ve gotten more aggressive in the box,” Recendez added. “I’m not that tall (5-foot-10) compared to other keepers so I have to be more aggressive. And I’ve become more vocal than I was. Sophomore year I wasn’t that kind of presence. Now the other team knows I’m there.”
With more halves like Saturday, the whole state may soon know Leyden is there.
“This is going to help us a lot going back into the season,” Lopez said. “We have great players on this team, and we’re going to make it far this year. We just have to believe in ourselves and that’s it.”
A lopsided margin over Streamwood puts the Eagles in rare air.
“They’re a good team because they beat New Trier and Lyons early in the year,” Recendez said of the Sabres. “I think this gives us a lot of confidence for the rest of the year.”
Meanwhile, Streamwood seeks to recapture the confidence that was sky high as September began with a 4-1 start (loss to current no. 6 Wheeling) but has now been lost in an 0-4-2 winless streak.
“We definitely do have the potential,” Polovin said of his club, which was ranked as high as fifth this season. “We have a lot of young guys who are good soccer players. It’s just trying to get them back to where we were a couple of weeks ago.
“I’m not giving up on the season, not even close. But it gets frustrating. The guys see it’s frustrating out there for themselves, and you don’t want these young kids to see this kind of soccer. We want to get back to where we were, when they felt like they were on cloud nine. It’ll get there. It’ll just take a little time.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK- Alfredo Recendez
D- Cesar Franco
D- Damian Kosakowski
D- Salvador Salgado
D- David Nunez
M- Angel Lopez
M- Esteban Hernandez
M- David Senk
M- Luis Gonzalez
F- Albert Arabik
F- Krystian Havran
Streamwood
GK- Daniel Dominguez
D- Erie Ortiz
D- Rafa Gil
D- Aaron Villegas
D- Jair Zuniga
MF- Aldo Lazaro
MF- Armondo Sanchez
MF- Edwin Rueda
MF- Ivan Gonzalez
F- Donnie Sosa
F- Bryan Mora
Man of the Match: Angel Lopez, MF, Leyden
in style against Streamwood
Eagles post surprising 6-0 win
LA GRANGE – Multiple examples, unexpected result.
If you saw either: A) Streamwood play Lyons at the Northside College Showcase at New Trier, or B) the first 30 minutes of the Streamwood-Leyden match at the PepsiCo Showdown at the Lyons Soccer Complex; the next numbers may cause more than a bit of a shock.
Final score: Leyden 6, Streamwood 0.
The Eagles (8-1-1) continue to emerge as one of the unsung elite teams in the area, while the defending state semifinalist Sabres (4-5-2) end the PepsiCo Showdown completely bewildered over what has happened since consecutive August 1-0 wins over Lyons and New Trier, currently ranked no. 12 and no. 24 respectively in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Just brought up from junior varsity, Leyden sophomores Mat Makowiec (two goals) and Francisco Toral (three assists) made major contributions as Leyden put on an incredible 40-minute offensive fireworks display.
The Sabres and 22nd-ranked Eagles traded chances in a scoreless battle until 4:20 remained in the 35-minute opening half.
Then after a series of passes by Makowiec, Salvador Salgado and Toral was seemingly broken up by a Streamwood clear of the box, senior David Senk fielded the loose ball and lined a 25-yard shot into the upper right hand corner of the net for a 1-0 Leyden lead.
“I think it was the goal near the end of the first half that really got us going,” Leyden coach Mark Valintis said of Senk’s finish. “That was a heck of a shot, a great goal. We had some other great chances, but that kind of told us, ‘OK guys, you can relax a little bit.’”
Preceding that score, there were six excellent scoring chances between the two sides.
Streamwood had three of them – Aldo Lozaro’s attack in on left wing required a sliding save by Leyden goalkeeper Alfredo Recendez 21:10 before halftime.
Recendez then came off his line one minute later to smother Donnie Sosa’s shot. And at the 7:45 mark, an Erie Ortiz free kick was blocked by Recendez, with the loose rebound in the crease resulting in a Sabres foul.
“In the first half it was tough because we had to adjust to their pace,” Recendez said of Streamwood. “They’re young, and they’re fast. It took us awhile to get used to their pace, but after the first goal we got it under control.”
Leyden’s early scoring threats came mainly via Albert Arabik. His liner from left wing 3:20 in went inches wide of the right post, and his sliding shot off an Esteban Hernandez corner kick 17:30 before halftime was saved by Streamwood goalkeeper Daniel Dominguez.
Eleven minutes before halftime, an Angel Lopez pass to Enrique Vargas produced a 15-yard shot barely over the net.
Then three-year varsity starter Senk put away his chance, and the Eagles started to soar.
“We talked at halftime that one goal needs to become two,” Valintis said, “and with the way our goalie and defense have been playing lately, two goals might seem like 10 goals.”
The Eagles’ lone 2015 loss came on penalty kicks earlier at the PepsiCo Showdown against Wheaton Warrenville South. Avoiding that drama became the main push.
“All of a sudden with that second goal, it’s not a one-mistake game,” Valintis said. “That’s what kind of caught us against Wheaton South last week.”
Leyden didn’t begin to pull away from the Sabres until 28:50 remained. That’s when junior midfielder Angel Lopez raced in on left wing and lined a low blast inside the right post for a 2-0 lead.
Lopez’s clutch finish and excellence controlling the midfield earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“To be honest everybody played well,” Valintis said, “but one guy I’d definitely single out would be Angel Lopez. He may not always get the goals and assists, but he is sure the engine that drives our truck.
“When he’s around the ball, good things are going to happen. We have big guys like Albert (Arabik) and Cesar (Franco) that are go-to guys. But without Angel doing what he does, it becomes a difficult time at the other end of the field.”
Streamwood, with five shutouts wins this season which number Lyons and New Trier, hardly expected the second-half defensive troubles Leyden produced.
“It’s weird – this last week of games has been horrendous,” Streamwood coach Matt Polovin said. “It’s uncharacteristic. We go from an unbelievable week of soccer, beating Lyons 1-0, and they’re going to the Pepsi Showdown championship game, and beating New Trier and Buffalo Grove, to this last week of games. I don’t know …something’s happening, and I’m still trying to pinpoint what it is.”
For Leyden, the 2-0 lead was a big relief.
“All of a sudden all the pressure goes away, and the kids play relaxed,” Valintis said. “If we could just get them to do that all the time, it would be great.”
A scoring avalanche followed. Passes by Arabik and Vargas sprung Hernandez in on the wing, and his goal put the Eagles up 3-0 just 90 seconds after Lopez had made it 2-0.
The lead became 4-0 with 17 minutes left – after Toral sent a header off the crossbar, Arabik headed the rebound into the net.
Toral also set up the 5-0 lead with a cross to Makowiecz. His header was stopped by a diving Dominguez, but Makowiecz put away the rebound for his first varsity goal with 8:10 left.
The sixth Leyden goal came either at the final horn or an instant before, as Makiewicz tipped a long Toral pass past the Streamwood goalkeeper.
“We were able to connect more in the midfield and got numbers up top,” Lopez said of the second-half explosion. “Our forward Albert got some good flicks on the ball, and we made some wonderful plays inside.”
While the flurry of goals inflated the final margin, Recendez needed to make key plays in net two minutes into the second half (corner kick grab at the post) and with 27:50 left (saving a Rafa Gil shot).
Leyden defender Damian Kosakowski blocked and cleared a Brian Benitez rush into the box with 10:05 left. A 12-yard drive just wide of the post by Streamwood’s Alex Chavez (5:40 to play) and Recendez’s catch of a Luis Segura header (1:20 to go) wrapped up the shutout for the Eagles defense.
“The whole backline is pretty much the same as last year,” Recendez said. “We’re all aware of where our abilities are and what side we play better on. So I think that helps, and the communication back there helps a lot. Me and the center back Cesar have a good connection and are always talking back and forth. I think that makes my and his job a lot easier.
“And I feel like I’ve gotten more aggressive in the box,” Recendez added. “I’m not that tall (5-foot-10) compared to other keepers so I have to be more aggressive. And I’ve become more vocal than I was. Sophomore year I wasn’t that kind of presence. Now the other team knows I’m there.”
With more halves like Saturday, the whole state may soon know Leyden is there.
“This is going to help us a lot going back into the season,” Lopez said. “We have great players on this team, and we’re going to make it far this year. We just have to believe in ourselves and that’s it.”
A lopsided margin over Streamwood puts the Eagles in rare air.
“They’re a good team because they beat New Trier and Lyons early in the year,” Recendez said of the Sabres. “I think this gives us a lot of confidence for the rest of the year.”
Meanwhile, Streamwood seeks to recapture the confidence that was sky high as September began with a 4-1 start (loss to current no. 6 Wheeling) but has now been lost in an 0-4-2 winless streak.
“We definitely do have the potential,” Polovin said of his club, which was ranked as high as fifth this season. “We have a lot of young guys who are good soccer players. It’s just trying to get them back to where we were a couple of weeks ago.
“I’m not giving up on the season, not even close. But it gets frustrating. The guys see it’s frustrating out there for themselves, and you don’t want these young kids to see this kind of soccer. We want to get back to where we were, when they felt like they were on cloud nine. It’ll get there. It’ll just take a little time.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK- Alfredo Recendez
D- Cesar Franco
D- Damian Kosakowski
D- Salvador Salgado
D- David Nunez
M- Angel Lopez
M- Esteban Hernandez
M- David Senk
M- Luis Gonzalez
F- Albert Arabik
F- Krystian Havran
Streamwood
GK- Daniel Dominguez
D- Erie Ortiz
D- Rafa Gil
D- Aaron Villegas
D- Jair Zuniga
MF- Aldo Lazaro
MF- Armondo Sanchez
MF- Edwin Rueda
MF- Ivan Gonzalez
F- Donnie Sosa
F- Bryan Mora
Man of the Match: Angel Lopez, MF, Leyden