Lane ties motivated Von Steuben
Teams share top spot in CPL Premier Division after 1-1 draw
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Few things sharpen the senses or stir motivation like the memory and disappointment of defeat. Von Steuben had two different, though bitter, experiences with Lane a year ago.
During conference play, Lane star forward Alex Mezyk scored three goals in nine minutes in leading the Indians to a dominant 4-0 victory.
“They just literally beat us up on our own home field,” Von Steuben coach Vedad Sarancic said. The Indians compounded the hurt in a Class 3A regional semifinal. The Panthers played their best game of the year and took the heavily favored Indians to the brink.
“In the state game, we had them, and they won in the last minute and 34 seconds on a missed ball that went into the box, and they converted,” Sarancic said.
“So we remembered those two games.”
Playing one of their best games of the year, Von Steuben demonstrated a fiery intensity and cool passion in fighting through a one-goal deficit to record a contested equalizer on a penalty kick by forward Rambert Ramos in the 67th minute that yielded a 1-1 draw Monday night at Lane Stadium.
The Chicago Public League does not play overtime in conference play. With no. 25 Solorio’s upset loss to Kelly, Lane (6-3-3, 2-0-2) and Von Steuben (7-1-5, 2-0-2) are locked atop the Premier Division standings with eight points. The league also does not employ a center official and uses two side officials who work their respective positions.
“From my position I didn’t think it was a penalty kick,” Lane coach Andrew Ricks said. “I don’t like to criticize the referees, and [the official closest to the play] told me he was three yards away from it. I didn’t agree with that, but you know, maybe they should have scored something sooner. The final was probably a fair result. They played with a lot of energy; so did we considering the amount of games that we have had.”
Lane, Solorio, Young, Kelly and Washington are coming off a rigorous PepsiCo Showdown schedule of playing four games in a week. The immediate results, Ricks said, should not be a surprise. “The fatigue was evident on our part,” Ricks said.
Von Steuben played with exceptional poise and a sense of purpose. The Panthers created some very impressive opportunities in the opening movement of the game. In the 15th minute, forward Carlos Reynoso got free inside the Indians box only for Lane standout defender Arnel Sinanagic to make a spectacular recovery for the block save.
The early back-and-forth was riveting.
“In the first half we had quite a few good chances, and they made some great sliding tackles that stopped those opportunities,” Sarancic said. “The same thing with them. It looked like they had a goal, and my guy came in and made a great sliding stop. It was an exciting game to be a part of. I give a lot of credit to the Lane guys. They are a good team, but I also think we showed that we are also a good team.”
Lane nullified Von Steuben’s early play with some sharp passing and an aggressive forward attack of its own. Senior midfielder Marcin Kieta had two shots push just wide of the post. The Indians fused their scoring pieces and finally broke the Panthers down during a remarkable sequence in the 38th minute. Off a through-ball, Mezyk made a great break for a one-on-one with Panthers’ keeper Carlos Martinez.
Mezyk beat Martinez to the ball for the header that appeared destined to score only for Panthers’ midfielder Juan Valencia to come from the opposite side on a mad scramble and make a diving clearance. Kieta stayed with the play, controlling the ball and delivering a cross inside the box to junior Cathal O’Connor.
O’Connor scored his third goal of the year with the superb one-touch finish.
“Marcin played the cross, and I just took it down and put it into the goal,” he said. Lane has demonstrated a fine, if precarious, ability of protecting one-goal leads. Lane’s previous four victories were by a single goal.
“It makes the game more interesting,” Kieta said. “It was unfortunate the penalty kick we gave up. That comes from us. We cannot put ourselves in that situation. We need to put one, two, or three more goals past them. We should have been ahead of them from the beginning.”
Ricks echoed the point.
“We didn’t finish our chances,” he said. “I felt we had more clear-cut opportunities than they did, but we didn’t finish them. We get in behind on the keeper, and we kick it right into the abdomen of the keeper. We had plenty of chances, to play around the keeper, and we didn’t do it.”
Both keepers played very well. Martinez had five saves for the Panthers. Lane’s Fabian Venegas registered six stops. Like many tight soccer games, luck or chance also proves providential. Mezyk hit the post on a ball early in the second half. Kieta again had a left-footed blast curve just right.
To its credit, Von Steuben was an agent of that fortune.
“This year we have the attitude of trying to win every ball possible,” Sarancic said. “It’s not just that it’s we are playing Lane. I think it shows that they just don’t want to lose. Our record shows that.”
Von Steuben created some strong pressure and build-up that culminated with Ramos being clipped from behind on the right edge just inside the box that resulted in the penalty kick attempt. The natural left-footer cooly smashed the ball into the left corner for his sixth goal on the year.
The sophomore is an electric player who put considerable pressure on the Indians. He had an early free kick just outside the box interrupted by the Lane wall. He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his consistent play and hard pressure.
“I really don’t think before I shoot,” he said. “We were playing in their stadium, so we had to show them that we came to play. I tell the other players to always keep your head up, because there is no point to play with your head down. Then you are just giving them the game. I just told everyone to play fast and play simple, and then we will get the game going. We just have to get the game going forward, and we will find the net.”
Lane had some decent chances in the final portion. The Indians are now thinking ahead, to a crucial home game against Washington on Wednesday. Lane expects to have elite midfielder Brandon Rivera back. He has missed the last three games after suffering an ankle injury against Metea Valley last Tuesday.
“We have to clean it up,” Kieta said. “That is something we are going to work on in training with commitment: to making tackles; making the first or second touch; and being aggressive. I think that is what we are missing right now. Now it is crunch time, and we are just trying to get the guys back healthy as quickly as possible.
“Right now we are just trying to mesh everything together.”
Starting lineups
Von Steuben
GK: Carlos Martinez
D: Jose Piox
D: Cesar Mejia
D: Erick Sicard
D: Sebastian Tovar
MF: Gabriel Edstrom
MF: Dane Hoare
MF: Juan Valencia
F: Ricardo Luna
F: Martin Hernandez
F: Carlos Reynoso
Lane
GK: Fabian Venegas
D: Jack Ericikson
D: Arnel Sinanagic
D: Greg Golba
D: Zach Rogers
MF: Michael McMahon
MF: David de la Fuente
MF: Cathal O’Connor
MF: Omar Divanovic
MF: Marcin Kieta
F: Alex Mezyk
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Rambert Ramos, Von Steuben, so., MF
Scoring summary
First half
Lane—Cathal O’Connor (Marcin Kieta), 38th minute
Second half
Von Steuben—Rambert Ramos (penalty kick), 67th minute
Teams share top spot in CPL Premier Division after 1-1 draw
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Few things sharpen the senses or stir motivation like the memory and disappointment of defeat. Von Steuben had two different, though bitter, experiences with Lane a year ago.
During conference play, Lane star forward Alex Mezyk scored three goals in nine minutes in leading the Indians to a dominant 4-0 victory.
“They just literally beat us up on our own home field,” Von Steuben coach Vedad Sarancic said. The Indians compounded the hurt in a Class 3A regional semifinal. The Panthers played their best game of the year and took the heavily favored Indians to the brink.
“In the state game, we had them, and they won in the last minute and 34 seconds on a missed ball that went into the box, and they converted,” Sarancic said.
“So we remembered those two games.”
Playing one of their best games of the year, Von Steuben demonstrated a fiery intensity and cool passion in fighting through a one-goal deficit to record a contested equalizer on a penalty kick by forward Rambert Ramos in the 67th minute that yielded a 1-1 draw Monday night at Lane Stadium.
The Chicago Public League does not play overtime in conference play. With no. 25 Solorio’s upset loss to Kelly, Lane (6-3-3, 2-0-2) and Von Steuben (7-1-5, 2-0-2) are locked atop the Premier Division standings with eight points. The league also does not employ a center official and uses two side officials who work their respective positions.
“From my position I didn’t think it was a penalty kick,” Lane coach Andrew Ricks said. “I don’t like to criticize the referees, and [the official closest to the play] told me he was three yards away from it. I didn’t agree with that, but you know, maybe they should have scored something sooner. The final was probably a fair result. They played with a lot of energy; so did we considering the amount of games that we have had.”
Lane, Solorio, Young, Kelly and Washington are coming off a rigorous PepsiCo Showdown schedule of playing four games in a week. The immediate results, Ricks said, should not be a surprise. “The fatigue was evident on our part,” Ricks said.
Von Steuben played with exceptional poise and a sense of purpose. The Panthers created some very impressive opportunities in the opening movement of the game. In the 15th minute, forward Carlos Reynoso got free inside the Indians box only for Lane standout defender Arnel Sinanagic to make a spectacular recovery for the block save.
The early back-and-forth was riveting.
“In the first half we had quite a few good chances, and they made some great sliding tackles that stopped those opportunities,” Sarancic said. “The same thing with them. It looked like they had a goal, and my guy came in and made a great sliding stop. It was an exciting game to be a part of. I give a lot of credit to the Lane guys. They are a good team, but I also think we showed that we are also a good team.”
Lane nullified Von Steuben’s early play with some sharp passing and an aggressive forward attack of its own. Senior midfielder Marcin Kieta had two shots push just wide of the post. The Indians fused their scoring pieces and finally broke the Panthers down during a remarkable sequence in the 38th minute. Off a through-ball, Mezyk made a great break for a one-on-one with Panthers’ keeper Carlos Martinez.
Mezyk beat Martinez to the ball for the header that appeared destined to score only for Panthers’ midfielder Juan Valencia to come from the opposite side on a mad scramble and make a diving clearance. Kieta stayed with the play, controlling the ball and delivering a cross inside the box to junior Cathal O’Connor.
O’Connor scored his third goal of the year with the superb one-touch finish.
“Marcin played the cross, and I just took it down and put it into the goal,” he said. Lane has demonstrated a fine, if precarious, ability of protecting one-goal leads. Lane’s previous four victories were by a single goal.
“It makes the game more interesting,” Kieta said. “It was unfortunate the penalty kick we gave up. That comes from us. We cannot put ourselves in that situation. We need to put one, two, or three more goals past them. We should have been ahead of them from the beginning.”
Ricks echoed the point.
“We didn’t finish our chances,” he said. “I felt we had more clear-cut opportunities than they did, but we didn’t finish them. We get in behind on the keeper, and we kick it right into the abdomen of the keeper. We had plenty of chances, to play around the keeper, and we didn’t do it.”
Both keepers played very well. Martinez had five saves for the Panthers. Lane’s Fabian Venegas registered six stops. Like many tight soccer games, luck or chance also proves providential. Mezyk hit the post on a ball early in the second half. Kieta again had a left-footed blast curve just right.
To its credit, Von Steuben was an agent of that fortune.
“This year we have the attitude of trying to win every ball possible,” Sarancic said. “It’s not just that it’s we are playing Lane. I think it shows that they just don’t want to lose. Our record shows that.”
Von Steuben created some strong pressure and build-up that culminated with Ramos being clipped from behind on the right edge just inside the box that resulted in the penalty kick attempt. The natural left-footer cooly smashed the ball into the left corner for his sixth goal on the year.
The sophomore is an electric player who put considerable pressure on the Indians. He had an early free kick just outside the box interrupted by the Lane wall. He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his consistent play and hard pressure.
“I really don’t think before I shoot,” he said. “We were playing in their stadium, so we had to show them that we came to play. I tell the other players to always keep your head up, because there is no point to play with your head down. Then you are just giving them the game. I just told everyone to play fast and play simple, and then we will get the game going. We just have to get the game going forward, and we will find the net.”
Lane had some decent chances in the final portion. The Indians are now thinking ahead, to a crucial home game against Washington on Wednesday. Lane expects to have elite midfielder Brandon Rivera back. He has missed the last three games after suffering an ankle injury against Metea Valley last Tuesday.
“We have to clean it up,” Kieta said. “That is something we are going to work on in training with commitment: to making tackles; making the first or second touch; and being aggressive. I think that is what we are missing right now. Now it is crunch time, and we are just trying to get the guys back healthy as quickly as possible.
“Right now we are just trying to mesh everything together.”
Starting lineups
Von Steuben
GK: Carlos Martinez
D: Jose Piox
D: Cesar Mejia
D: Erick Sicard
D: Sebastian Tovar
MF: Gabriel Edstrom
MF: Dane Hoare
MF: Juan Valencia
F: Ricardo Luna
F: Martin Hernandez
F: Carlos Reynoso
Lane
GK: Fabian Venegas
D: Jack Ericikson
D: Arnel Sinanagic
D: Greg Golba
D: Zach Rogers
MF: Michael McMahon
MF: David de la Fuente
MF: Cathal O’Connor
MF: Omar Divanovic
MF: Marcin Kieta
F: Alex Mezyk
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Rambert Ramos, Von Steuben, so., MF
Scoring summary
First half
Lane—Cathal O’Connor (Marcin Kieta), 38th minute
Second half
Von Steuben—Rambert Ramos (penalty kick), 67th minute