Resilient St. Charles North
ignores disappointment
Follows morning quarterfinal Pepsi loss with win over Fenwick
By Derek Wolff
LA GRANGE — Fresh off the heels of a stinging 3-1 quarterfinal loss to host Lyons, St. Charles North could have just packed it in against a rested Fenwick side in its final game of the Pepsi Showdown.
The result was the polar opposite.
Brandon Stricker and Peter Willis scored in the opening 20 minutes and those markers were enough for the North Stars (7-3-2) to gain their third victory in four tries to close out the tournament.
Postponements with their quarterfinal matchup against Lyons on Thursday and Friday carried over until Saturday morning, where the loss set North up for a date with the Friars.
North Stars coach Eric Willson said it was important to set the tone early on and have a positive mindset entering the game.
“We talked before the game and felt like, for us, this was the most important game in our season,” Willson said. “It was really important that we did not come out flat, that we wanted to get a win and finish this tournament 3-1 and really build some momentum heading into a tough week for us with St. Charles East and Leyden next week.
“We really felt like this game was really important for us to play to our ability, and I was very happy with our first half performance.”
Stricker got the scoring started in the 8th minute off a corner kick.
Fenwick goalkeeper Kyle Gruszka made a phenomenal save to deny North Stars midfielder Ryan Olson a point-blank goal, setting up a corner for Alex Amro from the left side.
Amro’s serve seemingly was on a path directly toward Gruszka, who leapt to claim the ball.
But it sailed right through his hands to an open Stricker at the back post, who’s header found the empty net.
The score was the first of the season for the senior defender.
“Alex, he finds you back side, and I just happened to be open,” Stricker said. “It was nice.”
Ten minutes later, Willis doubled the lead with a rocket of a shot from about 20-yards out.
The sophomore forward took a ball at the edge of the box, made a touch to his right around a defender to find some space and crushed a ball into the top corner, giving Gruszka no chance on the play.
It was otherwise an all-star day for the Fenwick goalkeeper, whose efforts alone kept the North Stars at two goals for the match in one that easily could have been 5-0.
Gruszka robbed midfielder Luke Denson’s headed effort in the 35th minute to keep it 2-0 with an outstanding diving save just before halftime.
It was Denson’s again in the 40th minute with a right-footed attempt that resulted in anther gorgeous diving save that thrilled the Fenwick faithful and kept the junior snakebitten.
IN the second half, Fenwick defender Jay Militello was sent off after receiving his second yellow card of the day and resulting in the soft red.
That added to a frustrating day for the Fenwick offense which repeatedly was turned back by the solid North Stars backline, including Stricker and Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match Garrett Morgando.
The North Stars recovered for their morning disappointment to earn their fifth shutout of the season with the victory over Fenwick.
“After a rough game against Lyons our confidence is there,” Morgando said. “We all believe in each other, we trust each other.”
Willson said North’s history of focused defensive play and prowess helped tremendously to earn a positive Pepsi experience.
“All tournament long they’ve really performed well,” Willson said, speaking about the defense. “Overall, I thought we did an excellent job on the backline. They’re starting to jell together, and it takes some time so these guys are playing really well right now.”
Fenwick’s opportunities to get on the board were few and far between, but the best chance came in the 64th minute, but senior midfielder Connor Scarlatis’s free kick outside the box went just wide of the near post.
Gruszka continued to shine as the match drew to a close, stopping another effort that looked like it would put the North Stars up, 3-0, in the 73rd minute off a shot from Amro.
The win felt like vindication to the North Stars after traversing time and space to play the quarterfinal with Lyons.
“I’m extremely proud of my team right now,” Stricker said. “To have to play a game that took three days is unbelievable. We’ve traveled an hour every time. I’m proud of how far we’ve come, and we’ve still got a long season ahead of us.”
North’s attention will now shift towards rival St. Charles East in a home game Tuesday night.
The Saints have had the better results in recent years, but that won’t deter North, which is coming off a series of fine performances.
“We go out and play,’ Morgando said. “We don’t care who we play. We’re not scared of anyone.”
Starting lineups
Fenwick
GK Kyle Gruszka
D Greig Dimalig
D Pat Coffey
D Ryan Kupiec
D Jay Militello
M Joe Scanlon
M Matt Benko
M Luke Wolff
M Jack Hill
F Erik Luthringshausen
F Jack Hosty
St. Charles North
GK Zack Norton
D Brandon Stricker
D Garrett Morgando
D Carter Held
M Luke Denson
M Alex Amro
M Ryan Olson
M Blake Tierney
F Dylan Mientus
F Jonathan Acevedo
F Peter Willis
Man of the Match: Garrett Morgando, D, St. Charles North
ignores disappointment
Follows morning quarterfinal Pepsi loss with win over Fenwick
By Derek Wolff
LA GRANGE — Fresh off the heels of a stinging 3-1 quarterfinal loss to host Lyons, St. Charles North could have just packed it in against a rested Fenwick side in its final game of the Pepsi Showdown.
The result was the polar opposite.
Brandon Stricker and Peter Willis scored in the opening 20 minutes and those markers were enough for the North Stars (7-3-2) to gain their third victory in four tries to close out the tournament.
Postponements with their quarterfinal matchup against Lyons on Thursday and Friday carried over until Saturday morning, where the loss set North up for a date with the Friars.
North Stars coach Eric Willson said it was important to set the tone early on and have a positive mindset entering the game.
“We talked before the game and felt like, for us, this was the most important game in our season,” Willson said. “It was really important that we did not come out flat, that we wanted to get a win and finish this tournament 3-1 and really build some momentum heading into a tough week for us with St. Charles East and Leyden next week.
“We really felt like this game was really important for us to play to our ability, and I was very happy with our first half performance.”
Stricker got the scoring started in the 8th minute off a corner kick.
Fenwick goalkeeper Kyle Gruszka made a phenomenal save to deny North Stars midfielder Ryan Olson a point-blank goal, setting up a corner for Alex Amro from the left side.
Amro’s serve seemingly was on a path directly toward Gruszka, who leapt to claim the ball.
But it sailed right through his hands to an open Stricker at the back post, who’s header found the empty net.
The score was the first of the season for the senior defender.
“Alex, he finds you back side, and I just happened to be open,” Stricker said. “It was nice.”
Ten minutes later, Willis doubled the lead with a rocket of a shot from about 20-yards out.
The sophomore forward took a ball at the edge of the box, made a touch to his right around a defender to find some space and crushed a ball into the top corner, giving Gruszka no chance on the play.
It was otherwise an all-star day for the Fenwick goalkeeper, whose efforts alone kept the North Stars at two goals for the match in one that easily could have been 5-0.
Gruszka robbed midfielder Luke Denson’s headed effort in the 35th minute to keep it 2-0 with an outstanding diving save just before halftime.
It was Denson’s again in the 40th minute with a right-footed attempt that resulted in anther gorgeous diving save that thrilled the Fenwick faithful and kept the junior snakebitten.
IN the second half, Fenwick defender Jay Militello was sent off after receiving his second yellow card of the day and resulting in the soft red.
That added to a frustrating day for the Fenwick offense which repeatedly was turned back by the solid North Stars backline, including Stricker and Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match Garrett Morgando.
The North Stars recovered for their morning disappointment to earn their fifth shutout of the season with the victory over Fenwick.
“After a rough game against Lyons our confidence is there,” Morgando said. “We all believe in each other, we trust each other.”
Willson said North’s history of focused defensive play and prowess helped tremendously to earn a positive Pepsi experience.
“All tournament long they’ve really performed well,” Willson said, speaking about the defense. “Overall, I thought we did an excellent job on the backline. They’re starting to jell together, and it takes some time so these guys are playing really well right now.”
Fenwick’s opportunities to get on the board were few and far between, but the best chance came in the 64th minute, but senior midfielder Connor Scarlatis’s free kick outside the box went just wide of the near post.
Gruszka continued to shine as the match drew to a close, stopping another effort that looked like it would put the North Stars up, 3-0, in the 73rd minute off a shot from Amro.
The win felt like vindication to the North Stars after traversing time and space to play the quarterfinal with Lyons.
“I’m extremely proud of my team right now,” Stricker said. “To have to play a game that took three days is unbelievable. We’ve traveled an hour every time. I’m proud of how far we’ve come, and we’ve still got a long season ahead of us.”
North’s attention will now shift towards rival St. Charles East in a home game Tuesday night.
The Saints have had the better results in recent years, but that won’t deter North, which is coming off a series of fine performances.
“We go out and play,’ Morgando said. “We don’t care who we play. We’re not scared of anyone.”
Starting lineups
Fenwick
GK Kyle Gruszka
D Greig Dimalig
D Pat Coffey
D Ryan Kupiec
D Jay Militello
M Joe Scanlon
M Matt Benko
M Luke Wolff
M Jack Hill
F Erik Luthringshausen
F Jack Hosty
St. Charles North
GK Zack Norton
D Brandon Stricker
D Garrett Morgando
D Carter Held
M Luke Denson
M Alex Amro
M Ryan Olson
M Blake Tierney
F Dylan Mientus
F Jonathan Acevedo
F Peter Willis
Man of the Match: Garrett Morgando, D, St. Charles North