Consistantly aggressive
Metea Valley downs Wheaton North
Mustangs don't dial it down and see results
By Dave Surico
WHEATON -- By competing on its practice field, Metea Valley has become better competing off of it.
The Mustangs won for the fourth time in its last five matches and captured their second-straight DuPage Valley Conference game with a 3-0 road win Thursday against Wheaton North.
Coach Josh Robinson has noticed the change in his side.
"Guys are hungry to compete against each other and fight for playing time," said Robinson. "I think some of them are to the point where it's like 'Hey I'm gonna compete to stay on the field.' So everybody's game is getting elevated, which is awesome.
"We've had more 80-minute complete performances over the past two weeks -- been really, really proud of the boys. We're using 20-22 guys; we used everybody today."
After Wheaton North started with a solid possessing sequence, Metea Valley started to push forward.
The Mustangs were rewarded when a Wheaton North foul provided a free kick at the near sideline 29 yards out.
Senior midfielder Michael Adams put in on autopilot from there.
"Everytime I put a ball into the box, I'm aiming for Brandon (Howard)," he said. "Just having his presence in the box with him being so tall, he's an easy target. We just try to pick him out every time and let him do his thing."
The 6-foot-2 defender did. He put himself in a good spot and, strangely, found himself ignored.
"Cross in from Michael, nobody was on me so I just chipped it over the goalie with a header," said Howard. "I usually start far post, and they're usually looking for me. I just saw a chance, took it, and I got it."
The right back angled his shot from about 6 yards out to the near post for the 17th-minute goal.
Wheaton North showed a burst of energy in search of the equalizer.
The Falcons came closest on a Joe Simon 15-yard throw-in that found Jon Duncan. While facing the throw, the forward flicked a in-close header off the back of his head that required a reaction save from Metea Valley senior keeper Joey Coryell. Wheaton North's first shot of the game came in the 23rd minute.
Another try followed on similarly solid throw-in, this time from Jake MacAdam. The ball was put in a dangerous spot but found no connection.
The hosts' backline had a good evening. Michael Pfaff broke up a dangerous pass in the middle and then blocked a shot in the 35th minute. Armand Torrez was equally effective throughout the night.
Down only 1-0 at the half, Wheaton North was still in the hunt. That was briefly until misfortune came calling in the form of the other half of Metea Valley's oversized defensive right side, 6-foot-2 Ryan Donovan.
In the 45th minute and 45-yards out on the near sideline, the senior lofted a ball into the box. Wheaton North keeper Connor Reece paid too much attention to the ball too late, and it sailed over his head for an unexpected insurance goal.
"I wasn't really trying to score," Donovan said. "I was more trying to put it in there for my team to try to get a head on it. You always want to put it on target just in case something like that happens, and it did. So you take it, and you go with it."
Again Wheaton North tried to answer with a quick response. Two defenders squeezed Duncan as he drove down the middle of the box, but Metea Valley keeper Coryell came out to stuff the senior's shot.
"I kept working and the two guys were trying to pinch me between them," Duncan said. "But I got between them, and I tried to lean back and get it over the keeper. I didn't get quite under it enough."
Metea Valley ended the scoring with another unusual goal. On a throw-in from the 25 yards out, Donovan heaved the ball deep into the box. It bounced around before it appeared to go off keeper Reece in the 59th minute.
"We've been unfortunate not to get those gritty, luck goals," Robinson said. "We got ... two today."
The win moved Metea Valley to 5-6-0 overall and 2-2-0 in the DuPage Valley Conference. The win meant the Mustangs kept their focus a 1-0 win against Naperville Central on Tuesday. It was a significant score against one of the area's top team in Metea Valley's first year in its new conference.
"We were very pumped after that game," said Howard. "Coming into this game we had a lot of energy, which got us the 'W.' So we're 2-0 this week, hoping to continue that to 3-0 on Saturday (at 11 a.m. at DVC undefeated co-leader and 5th-ranked Glenbard North). I don't think we've had this confidence this season, we had a pretty bad start. So I think this confidence is really good for us, and I hope it will keep giving us some wins."
Wheaton North's record is a bit deceiving. It's 3-9-1 mark includes losses to a quartet of ranked teams: Naperville North, Wheaton Academy, Lake Park and St. Francis. For now the Falcons continue to await the moment when their players mesh under the new system installed by coach Rob Stassen.
The first-year leader knows his team can get there, but it will take work. Numerous players from different clubs has not helped the cause.
"We're tring to be more cohesive, two-touch, pass-and-move, keep the ball moving, keep your feet moving," he said. "Some are buying in, some aren't. And when we go a goal down, it takes them a while to get back in. ... They've shown they can do it against a very well put together and well disciplined team (Metea Valley), but it's about doing it for 80 minutes and that's been our issue from the beginning. But we're coming around."
There have been signs of success, just not in the win column.
"The results don't show it, but I think we're starting to connect more and playing better together," said Pfaff. "Our goal is (success in) the postseason, as we've said from the start with a new coach and now a new style of play. We knew it was going to take a while to get used to it. And I think we're starting to build it, but it's taking a while.
"We're trying to help each other as much as we can, and I think right now it's hard to get super confident when we're losing a bunch of games. But we've got to keep on helping each other."
The Falcons are trying to find that final, major piece of the puzzle.
"There were definitely a bunch of bright spots that we had in terms of possession," said sophomore midfielder Jake Dzarnowski. "I'd just say it was the final ball that we weren't really connecting to get the shot off on target. We got the build-up play in the first two-thirds, but the final third it just wasn't connecting.
"We get the wind knocked out of our sails a bit, but we ... want to get the wins. Our team really wants to win so we just kept playing hard."
Duncan led a players-only meeting after the game.
"We're a team with potential, trying to figure it out," he said. "We've got a lot of new guys. We're trying to figure out our best style of play and what fits us most. We're learning together, we're growing together and we're gonna be a team when we put it together."
Starting lineup
Metea Valley
GK: Joey Coryell
D: Ryan Donovan
D: Brandon Howard
D: Ethan Williams
M: Esteban Castillo
M: Michael Adams
M: Nathan Barrett
M: Jacob Kellogg
M: Michael Lothridge
M: John Lynch
F: Dominic Duffy
Wheaton North
GK: Connor Reece
D: Armand Torrez
D: Jake McAdam
D: Michael Pfaff
M: Jorge Petino
M: Jake Dzarnowski
M: Nicholas Bibergall
M: Carlos Saavedra
F: Joseph Simon
F: Jon Duncan
F: Cooper Winckler
Man of the Match: Ryan Donovan, D, Metea Valley
Metea Valley downs Wheaton North
Mustangs don't dial it down and see results
By Dave Surico
WHEATON -- By competing on its practice field, Metea Valley has become better competing off of it.
The Mustangs won for the fourth time in its last five matches and captured their second-straight DuPage Valley Conference game with a 3-0 road win Thursday against Wheaton North.
Coach Josh Robinson has noticed the change in his side.
"Guys are hungry to compete against each other and fight for playing time," said Robinson. "I think some of them are to the point where it's like 'Hey I'm gonna compete to stay on the field.' So everybody's game is getting elevated, which is awesome.
"We've had more 80-minute complete performances over the past two weeks -- been really, really proud of the boys. We're using 20-22 guys; we used everybody today."
After Wheaton North started with a solid possessing sequence, Metea Valley started to push forward.
The Mustangs were rewarded when a Wheaton North foul provided a free kick at the near sideline 29 yards out.
Senior midfielder Michael Adams put in on autopilot from there.
"Everytime I put a ball into the box, I'm aiming for Brandon (Howard)," he said. "Just having his presence in the box with him being so tall, he's an easy target. We just try to pick him out every time and let him do his thing."
The 6-foot-2 defender did. He put himself in a good spot and, strangely, found himself ignored.
"Cross in from Michael, nobody was on me so I just chipped it over the goalie with a header," said Howard. "I usually start far post, and they're usually looking for me. I just saw a chance, took it, and I got it."
The right back angled his shot from about 6 yards out to the near post for the 17th-minute goal.
Wheaton North showed a burst of energy in search of the equalizer.
The Falcons came closest on a Joe Simon 15-yard throw-in that found Jon Duncan. While facing the throw, the forward flicked a in-close header off the back of his head that required a reaction save from Metea Valley senior keeper Joey Coryell. Wheaton North's first shot of the game came in the 23rd minute.
Another try followed on similarly solid throw-in, this time from Jake MacAdam. The ball was put in a dangerous spot but found no connection.
The hosts' backline had a good evening. Michael Pfaff broke up a dangerous pass in the middle and then blocked a shot in the 35th minute. Armand Torrez was equally effective throughout the night.
Down only 1-0 at the half, Wheaton North was still in the hunt. That was briefly until misfortune came calling in the form of the other half of Metea Valley's oversized defensive right side, 6-foot-2 Ryan Donovan.
In the 45th minute and 45-yards out on the near sideline, the senior lofted a ball into the box. Wheaton North keeper Connor Reece paid too much attention to the ball too late, and it sailed over his head for an unexpected insurance goal.
"I wasn't really trying to score," Donovan said. "I was more trying to put it in there for my team to try to get a head on it. You always want to put it on target just in case something like that happens, and it did. So you take it, and you go with it."
Again Wheaton North tried to answer with a quick response. Two defenders squeezed Duncan as he drove down the middle of the box, but Metea Valley keeper Coryell came out to stuff the senior's shot.
"I kept working and the two guys were trying to pinch me between them," Duncan said. "But I got between them, and I tried to lean back and get it over the keeper. I didn't get quite under it enough."
Metea Valley ended the scoring with another unusual goal. On a throw-in from the 25 yards out, Donovan heaved the ball deep into the box. It bounced around before it appeared to go off keeper Reece in the 59th minute.
"We've been unfortunate not to get those gritty, luck goals," Robinson said. "We got ... two today."
The win moved Metea Valley to 5-6-0 overall and 2-2-0 in the DuPage Valley Conference. The win meant the Mustangs kept their focus a 1-0 win against Naperville Central on Tuesday. It was a significant score against one of the area's top team in Metea Valley's first year in its new conference.
"We were very pumped after that game," said Howard. "Coming into this game we had a lot of energy, which got us the 'W.' So we're 2-0 this week, hoping to continue that to 3-0 on Saturday (at 11 a.m. at DVC undefeated co-leader and 5th-ranked Glenbard North). I don't think we've had this confidence this season, we had a pretty bad start. So I think this confidence is really good for us, and I hope it will keep giving us some wins."
Wheaton North's record is a bit deceiving. It's 3-9-1 mark includes losses to a quartet of ranked teams: Naperville North, Wheaton Academy, Lake Park and St. Francis. For now the Falcons continue to await the moment when their players mesh under the new system installed by coach Rob Stassen.
The first-year leader knows his team can get there, but it will take work. Numerous players from different clubs has not helped the cause.
"We're tring to be more cohesive, two-touch, pass-and-move, keep the ball moving, keep your feet moving," he said. "Some are buying in, some aren't. And when we go a goal down, it takes them a while to get back in. ... They've shown they can do it against a very well put together and well disciplined team (Metea Valley), but it's about doing it for 80 minutes and that's been our issue from the beginning. But we're coming around."
There have been signs of success, just not in the win column.
"The results don't show it, but I think we're starting to connect more and playing better together," said Pfaff. "Our goal is (success in) the postseason, as we've said from the start with a new coach and now a new style of play. We knew it was going to take a while to get used to it. And I think we're starting to build it, but it's taking a while.
"We're trying to help each other as much as we can, and I think right now it's hard to get super confident when we're losing a bunch of games. But we've got to keep on helping each other."
The Falcons are trying to find that final, major piece of the puzzle.
"There were definitely a bunch of bright spots that we had in terms of possession," said sophomore midfielder Jake Dzarnowski. "I'd just say it was the final ball that we weren't really connecting to get the shot off on target. We got the build-up play in the first two-thirds, but the final third it just wasn't connecting.
"We get the wind knocked out of our sails a bit, but we ... want to get the wins. Our team really wants to win so we just kept playing hard."
Duncan led a players-only meeting after the game.
"We're a team with potential, trying to figure it out," he said. "We've got a lot of new guys. We're trying to figure out our best style of play and what fits us most. We're learning together, we're growing together and we're gonna be a team when we put it together."
Starting lineup
Metea Valley
GK: Joey Coryell
D: Ryan Donovan
D: Brandon Howard
D: Ethan Williams
M: Esteban Castillo
M: Michael Adams
M: Nathan Barrett
M: Jacob Kellogg
M: Michael Lothridge
M: John Lynch
F: Dominic Duffy
Wheaton North
GK: Connor Reece
D: Armand Torrez
D: Jake McAdam
D: Michael Pfaff
M: Jorge Petino
M: Jake Dzarnowski
M: Nicholas Bibergall
M: Carlos Saavedra
F: Joseph Simon
F: Jon Duncan
F: Cooper Winckler
Man of the Match: Ryan Donovan, D, Metea Valley