Lockport lifted by PepsiCo
Showdown experience
Hopes matches with top teams bodes well for final run
By Steve Millar
LA GRANGE -- Lockport went into the PepsiCo Showdown reeling a bit. They exit the tournament having found a new sense of confidence.
It’s a confidence that wasn’t diminished Saturday at the Lyons Soccer Complex, eventhough the Porters fell 4-0 to Morton, the tournament’s top seed and the No. 3 ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“This tournament was a big step for us,” Lockport senior Jack Dilger said. “Beating Streamwood and Lake Zurich was huge. It’s a lot of motivation for our guys. They were excited about those wins. Now we can move forward knowing these were the best teams we’ll play all year. Even though we lost (Saturday), I think our guys are still confident going forward after this tournament.”
After a series of frustrating ties, the Porters let a 2-0 halftime lead slip away in a 4-2 loss to Romeoville in their last game before the tournament began.
The four games that followed in tournament play could prove to be a major turning point for Lockport’s season.
The unseeded Porters stunned third-seeded Streamwood and Lake Zurich, winning both after 0-0 ties in penalty kick shootouts.
Libertyville finally ended the Cinderella run with a 2-0 quarterfinal win, and Lockport (4-3-3) finished the tournament 2-2.
“I think it’s good for the boys to see the benchmark, see what the top teams are about,” Lockport coach Chris Beal said. “If you can step up into that arena and play with some of these top teams, it’s going to set us up well for the rest of the season. There are no teams left on our schedule that are as good as these teams. Going 2-2 in this tournament is exciting.”
Saturday, Beal liked the way his team initially responded after an early setback.
In the second minute, Baltazar Duran, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, put Morton (11-2) ahead, firing a quick shot from 35 yards out that beat Lockport goalkeeper Jakub Krawczyk (3 saves) to the near post.
“We were thinking a lot about taking shots from the outside area, so I wanted to take the first shot,” Duran said. “I took it and ended up scoring. After we lost (to Deerfield in the quarterfinals), we didn’t want to go home with another loss. We just tried our best to play our game.”
The Porters kept the Mustangs off the scoreboard for the remainder of the first half and created a couple chances offensively.
Jose Magallanes fired high on a shot from 30 yards in the 24th minute.
In the 31st minute, the Porters’ David Kordaczka made a run down the right sideline and sent a cross into the box. Morton goalkeeper Billy Castro tried to intercept it, but bobbled it. Tom Calderaro pounced on the loose ball, but fired just wide. That would turn out to be Lockport’s best scoring chance of the day.
“The first goal was very frustrating because we talked about it before the game, ‘Let’s keep things tight, especially the first 15-20 minutes. Keep our shape, keep our discipline, don’t concede early.’ But even after that, we were matching them. They have some obvious quality and their penetration through the final third is excellent, but I think we matched them. We held in there for the first half against one of the top teams in the state, and I was quite proud of that.”
Duran delivered a backbreaker, though, scoring again just over seven minutes into the second half as he sped by a defender down the left side of the box and chipped a shot over a charging Krawczyk.
“I like to use my speed and skill,” Duran said. “It came out good.”
Leo Delgado and Adan Carriedo added goals in the final 15 minutes for the Mustangs.
“We just had to regroup ourselves in this game after we took a tough loss,” Delgado said. “When we got that first goal so early in the game, it boosted our confidence, especially after not scoring last game. It helped us get our heads up high.”
After conceding the second goal, Lockport shifted things around in an attempt to generate offense. So the fact that the defense broke down a bit at that point didn’t necessarily disappoint Beal. He was, however, upset with his team’s attitude late.
“We didn’t have the same intensity, and we didn’t stay as disciplined,” he said. “We got our heads down, which is something we can’t accept.”
Nonetheless, the Porters will take mostly positive feelings out of the game, and the tournament overall.
“I thought we played a good first half,” Dilger said. “We were down 1-0 early, but bounced back. The second half, they got a couple goals on us, and we started moving things around. We didn’t really fall apart, but they were outworking us a bit. You’ve got to give them respect. They’re one of the best teams in the state, and we hung in with them as much as we could.”
Dilger had a strong game throughout. Typically a midfielder, he started the game as the team’s lone forward before shifting back to the midfield in the second half.
“I started up top, then they put me back in the midfield to try and get on the ball more,” Dilger said. “I like playing all different positions, moving around, seeing all different parts of the field and getting on the ball as much as I can. It’s tiring, but it’s fun.”
Dilger is certainly not the only Porter to play multiple positions of late. Beal has shifted his lineup and formation frequently this season.
“We’ve been moving players around,” Beal said. “This has been a very intriguing season. Things have changed a lot more this season than in previous seasons. We’re still probably looking for our ultimate 11 and our ultimate system. It’s still a work in progress.”
Progress, though, has certainly been made. Now, the Porters are looking for more offense after four-straight scoreless outings.
“We had a couple good chances with balls through,” Dilger said. “We just couldn’t finish them. Everyone’s working hard. The goals will come for us.”
Starting lineups
Lockport
GK: Jakub Krawczyk
D: Brian Moore
D: Kezie Nwachukwu
D: Thomas Inczauskis
D: Charles Garcia
M: Tom Calderaro
M: Drake Silver
M: David Villa
M: Jose Magallanes
M: Nick Kowalczyk
F: Jack Dilger
Morton
GK: Billy Castro
D: Juan Salas
D: Diego Lopez
D: Rodrigo Gutierrez
M: Christian Tovar
M: Danny Sanchez
M: Adan Carriedo
M: Rigo Lozano
M: Baltazar Duran
F: Malik Jones
M: Leo Delgado
Man of the Match: Baltazar Duran, MF, Morton
Showdown experience
Hopes matches with top teams bodes well for final run
By Steve Millar
LA GRANGE -- Lockport went into the PepsiCo Showdown reeling a bit. They exit the tournament having found a new sense of confidence.
It’s a confidence that wasn’t diminished Saturday at the Lyons Soccer Complex, eventhough the Porters fell 4-0 to Morton, the tournament’s top seed and the No. 3 ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“This tournament was a big step for us,” Lockport senior Jack Dilger said. “Beating Streamwood and Lake Zurich was huge. It’s a lot of motivation for our guys. They were excited about those wins. Now we can move forward knowing these were the best teams we’ll play all year. Even though we lost (Saturday), I think our guys are still confident going forward after this tournament.”
After a series of frustrating ties, the Porters let a 2-0 halftime lead slip away in a 4-2 loss to Romeoville in their last game before the tournament began.
The four games that followed in tournament play could prove to be a major turning point for Lockport’s season.
The unseeded Porters stunned third-seeded Streamwood and Lake Zurich, winning both after 0-0 ties in penalty kick shootouts.
Libertyville finally ended the Cinderella run with a 2-0 quarterfinal win, and Lockport (4-3-3) finished the tournament 2-2.
“I think it’s good for the boys to see the benchmark, see what the top teams are about,” Lockport coach Chris Beal said. “If you can step up into that arena and play with some of these top teams, it’s going to set us up well for the rest of the season. There are no teams left on our schedule that are as good as these teams. Going 2-2 in this tournament is exciting.”
Saturday, Beal liked the way his team initially responded after an early setback.
In the second minute, Baltazar Duran, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, put Morton (11-2) ahead, firing a quick shot from 35 yards out that beat Lockport goalkeeper Jakub Krawczyk (3 saves) to the near post.
“We were thinking a lot about taking shots from the outside area, so I wanted to take the first shot,” Duran said. “I took it and ended up scoring. After we lost (to Deerfield in the quarterfinals), we didn’t want to go home with another loss. We just tried our best to play our game.”
The Porters kept the Mustangs off the scoreboard for the remainder of the first half and created a couple chances offensively.
Jose Magallanes fired high on a shot from 30 yards in the 24th minute.
In the 31st minute, the Porters’ David Kordaczka made a run down the right sideline and sent a cross into the box. Morton goalkeeper Billy Castro tried to intercept it, but bobbled it. Tom Calderaro pounced on the loose ball, but fired just wide. That would turn out to be Lockport’s best scoring chance of the day.
“The first goal was very frustrating because we talked about it before the game, ‘Let’s keep things tight, especially the first 15-20 minutes. Keep our shape, keep our discipline, don’t concede early.’ But even after that, we were matching them. They have some obvious quality and their penetration through the final third is excellent, but I think we matched them. We held in there for the first half against one of the top teams in the state, and I was quite proud of that.”
Duran delivered a backbreaker, though, scoring again just over seven minutes into the second half as he sped by a defender down the left side of the box and chipped a shot over a charging Krawczyk.
“I like to use my speed and skill,” Duran said. “It came out good.”
Leo Delgado and Adan Carriedo added goals in the final 15 minutes for the Mustangs.
“We just had to regroup ourselves in this game after we took a tough loss,” Delgado said. “When we got that first goal so early in the game, it boosted our confidence, especially after not scoring last game. It helped us get our heads up high.”
After conceding the second goal, Lockport shifted things around in an attempt to generate offense. So the fact that the defense broke down a bit at that point didn’t necessarily disappoint Beal. He was, however, upset with his team’s attitude late.
“We didn’t have the same intensity, and we didn’t stay as disciplined,” he said. “We got our heads down, which is something we can’t accept.”
Nonetheless, the Porters will take mostly positive feelings out of the game, and the tournament overall.
“I thought we played a good first half,” Dilger said. “We were down 1-0 early, but bounced back. The second half, they got a couple goals on us, and we started moving things around. We didn’t really fall apart, but they were outworking us a bit. You’ve got to give them respect. They’re one of the best teams in the state, and we hung in with them as much as we could.”
Dilger had a strong game throughout. Typically a midfielder, he started the game as the team’s lone forward before shifting back to the midfield in the second half.
“I started up top, then they put me back in the midfield to try and get on the ball more,” Dilger said. “I like playing all different positions, moving around, seeing all different parts of the field and getting on the ball as much as I can. It’s tiring, but it’s fun.”
Dilger is certainly not the only Porter to play multiple positions of late. Beal has shifted his lineup and formation frequently this season.
“We’ve been moving players around,” Beal said. “This has been a very intriguing season. Things have changed a lot more this season than in previous seasons. We’re still probably looking for our ultimate 11 and our ultimate system. It’s still a work in progress.”
Progress, though, has certainly been made. Now, the Porters are looking for more offense after four-straight scoreless outings.
“We had a couple good chances with balls through,” Dilger said. “We just couldn’t finish them. Everyone’s working hard. The goals will come for us.”
Starting lineups
Lockport
GK: Jakub Krawczyk
D: Brian Moore
D: Kezie Nwachukwu
D: Thomas Inczauskis
D: Charles Garcia
M: Tom Calderaro
M: Drake Silver
M: David Villa
M: Jose Magallanes
M: Nick Kowalczyk
F: Jack Dilger
Morton
GK: Billy Castro
D: Juan Salas
D: Diego Lopez
D: Rodrigo Gutierrez
M: Christian Tovar
M: Danny Sanchez
M: Adan Carriedo
M: Rigo Lozano
M: Baltazar Duran
F: Malik Jones
M: Leo Delgado
Man of the Match: Baltazar Duran, MF, Morton