Tough-minded Prospect
slips past Saint Viator
Cooney goal stands up in 1-0 win
By Ken Keenan
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS -- After Prospect forward Chris Cooney missed his
second penalty kick in as many games during the first half of
Saturday's match at Saint Viator, Knights head coach Paul Elkins asked
the stellar senior if he wanted to try again, should the opportunity
arise.
Cooney didn't say no, and he also didn't miss when he found himself at the
same spot with just under 24 minutes remaining in the second half
of a 0-0 match. Shooting low to the right side, Cooney buried the ball
into the net away from Lions senior goalkeeper Kevin Napoleon for what turned out to be the game's only goal in a 1-0 Knights win.
Cooney -- who scored a school-record six goals in Prospect's
season-opening, 6-0 win over Maine East on Aug. 24 (surpassing the
previous mark of four, shared by six others, including his brother Bill, a 2012 Prospect graduate) -- missed on a PK attempt three
days later during a 2-1 loss to Downers Grove North. On Saturday,
Cooney's first PK effort banged off the crossbar with exactly five
minutes left in a rain-soaked first half.
"The last game, I was a little nervous (on the PK)," said Cooney,
Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match. "So I wanted to kick it high,
but it went a little too high. On the second one (Saturday), I knew
the team trusted me, so I went with my gut and shot right."
The sleek Prospect forward fashioned a hard-charging run to draw the first-half PK, one of several times Cooney aggressively used his speed to create dangerous chances.
Cooney drew the second PK after he was hit from behind during a
partial breakaway. Saint Viator senior defender Patrick Hickey was
issued a red card on the play, which left the Lions with only 10 players on the
field the rest of the match.
Cooney wasn't the only Knight hitting the gas pedal hard.
Throughout the match, Prospect outhustled the Lions, whether it was gaining
more 50/50 balls in the midfield, clearing the ball out of harm's way
in the back end or pushing the pace on the attack.
"I'm really most pleased with the fact that we came out ready to
compete from the opening whistle on," said Elkins, whose crew improved
to 2-1-0 with its first-ever win over the Lions in three tries.
"We did that, and got rewarded for it. We talk about defending all over
the field, and if you fight and defend all over the field, it makes
good teams like Saint Viator struggle. It's harder to play when you
don't have time and space."
Cooney said, "We all know Viator has a strong team, and the only
chance we'd have was to outhustle 'em ... to give that extra effort."
Prospect's relentless approach led to a long day for the Lions, which was made
even longer with a 30-minute lightning delay at halftime.
"Give Prospect credit -- they wanted it more," said Saint Viator head
coach Mike Taylor, whose team exited the match with an 0-2-0 record. "But we didn't play a good ballgame. I didn't get the leadership I expected, and we didn't
improve from the first game (a 3-2 loss to Lake Zurich on Aug. 26). We
were flat-footed, and we didn't play smart."
Saint Viator senior forward Tony Pineda, one of few Lions to mount any
kind of attack in the offensive third, did not disagree.
"I'm disappointed," he said. "You want to see your team come out
strong and play with intensity, and we just didn't do that today."
Teammate Miles McDonnell, a senior midfielder, said, "We weren't ready
to play, especially on our home field. We're trying to figure things
out, and we're not where we should be right now."
Prospect's steadfast 'D' was led by juniors James Estrella, Grant
Whitebloom and Scott Gumowski, and senior Patrick Walsh. Senior
midfielder Eryk Soltys was a force as well, getting to loose balls
quickly and sending long passes upfield to ball-magnet Cooney.
"We knew we had to have momentum right off the bus," Soltys said.
"That little extra hustle makes a difference out there. Once we know
the defense will clear balls ahead, we have to get those 50/50 balls
-- and if we can cut off their runs, they have no chance of coming
back."
Estrella said, "I'm not a real technical player. When there's a clear,
and I have a chance, I go for it."
"Coming in, we knew how (the Lions) play as a team, so we wanted to
keep the ball away from them as much as possible," Gumowski said.
Added Cooney: "We outpossessed them, and I think they got frustrated by that."
Barking out encouragement more often than he was called upon to make
saves, senior goalkeeper Nick Jozefowski earned the shutout.
Looking to give his squad a spark, Taylor substituted in a half-dozen
players at once in the 66th minute -- including non-starting
midfielders Alberto Kovacevic, a sophomore, and senior Patrick
Bottcher.
But that did little to counter the Knights. With 11:30 remaining,
Gumowski fed a ball to senior forward Felipe Campos, who put a shot on
Napoleon while falling. Seven minutes later, Cooney slipped through
the Lions' defense, but he lost possession near the right post. With
1:40 to go, a Walsh free kick rolled on goal.
"We're pleased with the performance, and this result," Elkins said. "I
think we need to create more chances, but if we stay together and keep
playing good 'D,' we'll be able to compete with anyone."
Regarding the Knights' 2-1-0 start, Soltys said, "It's exciting. A lot
of guys are stepping up, and we share the wealth. If we don't play
selfishly, we'll be a formidable opponent this year."
But with the season being so young, Gumowski cautioned against looking
down the road too far.
"One win isn't the end-all, so we've got to keep on the ball," he
said. "As a team, we know we have a lot to learn."
Cooney added: "Yes, the team played well today, but it's a day-to-day
grind. You have to go out and try to win every game. So we'll keep
going out with that mentality."
The optimism on the visitor's side provided a stark contrast to the home team's persepective.
"We're going back to the drawing board," Taylor said. "I told
the guys, we have to play as a team, talk, and play for each other.
Our motto is, 'You die for me, I die for you.' If we do what we're
supposed to, we'll be OK."
Starting lineups
Prospect
G: Nick Jozefowski
D: Scott Gumowski
D: Patrick Walsh
D: Grant Whitebloom
D: James Estrella
M: Dominik Limanowka
M: Eryk Soltys
M: Celso Soto
F: Yaroslav Snihur
F: Elai Kobayashi-Solomon
F: Ross LaCamera
Saint Viator
G: Kevin Napoleon
D: Kevin Teraji
D: Tom Scully
D: Patrick Hickey
D: Justin Cruz
M: Sean Lonigro
M: Miles McDonnell
M: Jonathan Moyo
M: Zaul Perez
F: Tony Pineda
F: Jack Hartman
Man of the Match: Chris Cooney, F, Prospect
Officials: Alex Klement, Igor Letuchy, Rafal Zielinskis
slips past Saint Viator
Cooney goal stands up in 1-0 win
By Ken Keenan
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS -- After Prospect forward Chris Cooney missed his
second penalty kick in as many games during the first half of
Saturday's match at Saint Viator, Knights head coach Paul Elkins asked
the stellar senior if he wanted to try again, should the opportunity
arise.
Cooney didn't say no, and he also didn't miss when he found himself at the
same spot with just under 24 minutes remaining in the second half
of a 0-0 match. Shooting low to the right side, Cooney buried the ball
into the net away from Lions senior goalkeeper Kevin Napoleon for what turned out to be the game's only goal in a 1-0 Knights win.
Cooney -- who scored a school-record six goals in Prospect's
season-opening, 6-0 win over Maine East on Aug. 24 (surpassing the
previous mark of four, shared by six others, including his brother Bill, a 2012 Prospect graduate) -- missed on a PK attempt three
days later during a 2-1 loss to Downers Grove North. On Saturday,
Cooney's first PK effort banged off the crossbar with exactly five
minutes left in a rain-soaked first half.
"The last game, I was a little nervous (on the PK)," said Cooney,
Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match. "So I wanted to kick it high,
but it went a little too high. On the second one (Saturday), I knew
the team trusted me, so I went with my gut and shot right."
The sleek Prospect forward fashioned a hard-charging run to draw the first-half PK, one of several times Cooney aggressively used his speed to create dangerous chances.
Cooney drew the second PK after he was hit from behind during a
partial breakaway. Saint Viator senior defender Patrick Hickey was
issued a red card on the play, which left the Lions with only 10 players on the
field the rest of the match.
Cooney wasn't the only Knight hitting the gas pedal hard.
Throughout the match, Prospect outhustled the Lions, whether it was gaining
more 50/50 balls in the midfield, clearing the ball out of harm's way
in the back end or pushing the pace on the attack.
"I'm really most pleased with the fact that we came out ready to
compete from the opening whistle on," said Elkins, whose crew improved
to 2-1-0 with its first-ever win over the Lions in three tries.
"We did that, and got rewarded for it. We talk about defending all over
the field, and if you fight and defend all over the field, it makes
good teams like Saint Viator struggle. It's harder to play when you
don't have time and space."
Cooney said, "We all know Viator has a strong team, and the only
chance we'd have was to outhustle 'em ... to give that extra effort."
Prospect's relentless approach led to a long day for the Lions, which was made
even longer with a 30-minute lightning delay at halftime.
"Give Prospect credit -- they wanted it more," said Saint Viator head
coach Mike Taylor, whose team exited the match with an 0-2-0 record. "But we didn't play a good ballgame. I didn't get the leadership I expected, and we didn't
improve from the first game (a 3-2 loss to Lake Zurich on Aug. 26). We
were flat-footed, and we didn't play smart."
Saint Viator senior forward Tony Pineda, one of few Lions to mount any
kind of attack in the offensive third, did not disagree.
"I'm disappointed," he said. "You want to see your team come out
strong and play with intensity, and we just didn't do that today."
Teammate Miles McDonnell, a senior midfielder, said, "We weren't ready
to play, especially on our home field. We're trying to figure things
out, and we're not where we should be right now."
Prospect's steadfast 'D' was led by juniors James Estrella, Grant
Whitebloom and Scott Gumowski, and senior Patrick Walsh. Senior
midfielder Eryk Soltys was a force as well, getting to loose balls
quickly and sending long passes upfield to ball-magnet Cooney.
"We knew we had to have momentum right off the bus," Soltys said.
"That little extra hustle makes a difference out there. Once we know
the defense will clear balls ahead, we have to get those 50/50 balls
-- and if we can cut off their runs, they have no chance of coming
back."
Estrella said, "I'm not a real technical player. When there's a clear,
and I have a chance, I go for it."
"Coming in, we knew how (the Lions) play as a team, so we wanted to
keep the ball away from them as much as possible," Gumowski said.
Added Cooney: "We outpossessed them, and I think they got frustrated by that."
Barking out encouragement more often than he was called upon to make
saves, senior goalkeeper Nick Jozefowski earned the shutout.
Looking to give his squad a spark, Taylor substituted in a half-dozen
players at once in the 66th minute -- including non-starting
midfielders Alberto Kovacevic, a sophomore, and senior Patrick
Bottcher.
But that did little to counter the Knights. With 11:30 remaining,
Gumowski fed a ball to senior forward Felipe Campos, who put a shot on
Napoleon while falling. Seven minutes later, Cooney slipped through
the Lions' defense, but he lost possession near the right post. With
1:40 to go, a Walsh free kick rolled on goal.
"We're pleased with the performance, and this result," Elkins said. "I
think we need to create more chances, but if we stay together and keep
playing good 'D,' we'll be able to compete with anyone."
Regarding the Knights' 2-1-0 start, Soltys said, "It's exciting. A lot
of guys are stepping up, and we share the wealth. If we don't play
selfishly, we'll be a formidable opponent this year."
But with the season being so young, Gumowski cautioned against looking
down the road too far.
"One win isn't the end-all, so we've got to keep on the ball," he
said. "As a team, we know we have a lot to learn."
Cooney added: "Yes, the team played well today, but it's a day-to-day
grind. You have to go out and try to win every game. So we'll keep
going out with that mentality."
The optimism on the visitor's side provided a stark contrast to the home team's persepective.
"We're going back to the drawing board," Taylor said. "I told
the guys, we have to play as a team, talk, and play for each other.
Our motto is, 'You die for me, I die for you.' If we do what we're
supposed to, we'll be OK."
Starting lineups
Prospect
G: Nick Jozefowski
D: Scott Gumowski
D: Patrick Walsh
D: Grant Whitebloom
D: James Estrella
M: Dominik Limanowka
M: Eryk Soltys
M: Celso Soto
F: Yaroslav Snihur
F: Elai Kobayashi-Solomon
F: Ross LaCamera
Saint Viator
G: Kevin Napoleon
D: Kevin Teraji
D: Tom Scully
D: Patrick Hickey
D: Justin Cruz
M: Sean Lonigro
M: Miles McDonnell
M: Jonathan Moyo
M: Zaul Perez
F: Tony Pineda
F: Jack Hartman
Man of the Match: Chris Cooney, F, Prospect
Officials: Alex Klement, Igor Letuchy, Rafal Zielinskis