Galush rescues Marmion
Backup keeper keeps West Chicago at bay in 1-1 tie
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA -- As the three match officials gathered their gear, the consensus was they had worked “a sectional-level game.”
That only inaccuracy in that assessment was that a sectional-level event could not have ended in a 1-1 draw as was the case for Saturday’s nonconference tangle between West Chicago and host Marmion.
The unanimous opinion among coaches and players was that Marmion goalie Danny Galush was the reason the Cadets’ current unbeaten streak for home matches is now up to 15 straight. Figured to be the back-up to Matt Fletcher, who was the starting goalie for the past two seasons but is sidelined indefinitely by a knee injury, Galush proved to be more than just the “next man up,” he was clearly Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match.
The bulk of his nine saves not only came in the second half, but the most notable occurred over the last 8:22 during which Marmion had to play short-handed following a second yellow card issued to Brian Miller. That was the fuel that turned the red-hot second half intensity into a blaze of back-and-forth play.
“Hats off to (Galush), if not for him I believe we would’ve won,” West Chicago coach Jose Villa said.
“Danny stepped up big time,” insisted Marmion teammate Nick Grant. “The main positive for us becomes remaining unbeaten at home.”
No question Marmion (now 0-0-2 for 2015) has a tradition of homefield success. The Cadets were on an unverified string of 22-straight home matches without a loss until the Oct. 10, 2012, regular-season finale against Wheaton Academy. The visiting Warriors won a 2-1 overtime showdown between 7-0 teams to decide that year’s Suburban Christian Conference title and serves as the last Marmion home loss.
Ironically, the 2013 home opener was also a 1-1 tie with West Chicago, which began the current streak. Add that year’s 5-0-1 standard to last season’s perfect 8-0 mark, plus the latest 1-1 deadlock for 15-consecutive games heading into the Sept. 10 Chicago Catholic League opener versus Providence.
Marmion had the first two notable attacks, the first was a West Chicago defensive clear just over a minute in and with less than two minutes played, a Benjamin Garcia header that sailed over the goal. Then came a solid five-minute downpour which added to a field already drenched and slick from rain throughout the day.
The visiting Wildcats had a pair of blasts by Luis “Poncho” Correa stopped by Galush, the latter coming off a cross that found Correa open in the middle. That drew the first of many cheers of relief from the Cadet bench.
But there was 15:52 elapsed when Sean Miller’s textbook cross led to Grant’s finish for a 1-0 Marmion lead.
“I got the ball down the sideline where it was a little muddy but back to beat the defender and saw Nick racing to open space,” Miller said. “As nice as it is to connect in practice, it feels so much greater in a game. It’s when an assist is as great as a goal if it’s helping the team.”
“Sean is known for his strength, speed and tenacity,” Grant said. “He wanted the ball more than the defender, so I knew my job was to get in the middle where he’d put the pass. So much of that score was all Sean.”
With 12:44 remaining before intermission, West Chicago’s Eduardo Suarez managed to aim a direct free kick through a gap in a Marmion defensive wall and Galush blocked the knuckling attempt only to have Josh Guercio pounce on the rebound.
“With the wet grass I thought there was a chance for a rebound, so I got goal side hoping for the ricochet, saw an opening by the near post and just parked it home,” Guercio explained. “Today we all came to play. We were ready and played with the kind of energy we didn’t have in our previous two matches.”
The third-straight road game led to West Chicago’s 0-2-1 record after starting with a one-sided 7-2 defeat at St. Charles East and a 3-0 setback at Wheaton Academy.
“The biggest positive today was we had many opportunities to win this one,” Villa insisted. “A huge turnaround from those two games where we didn’t play with any passion or energy.”
The Wildcats were far more aggressive in the second half producing 14 of their 20 overall attempts and seven-of-11 shots on goal. Marmion finished with 12 overall tries, four of which were on net. West Chicago also boasted a 10-2 edge in corner kicks.
There was 19:08 left in regulation when Correa had a breakaway for 1 v. 1 on which Galush would have earned Blackhawks announcer Pat Foley’s most emphatic “big save” proclamation. A series of West Chicago tries were either rejected by Galush or his defenders. The junior goalie even had a dramatic leg drag block on a Wildcat effort that was whistled offside.
With 13:29 remaining, a Brian Miller throw-in to brother Sean for a head flick necessitated a punch save by Wildcat goalie Anthony Garcia. Just over six minutes left saw Galush rush out of the box to avert a West Chicago attack and then Matt Lagman ended another threat inside the penalty box with a defensive clear.
But there was only 3:21 showing on the lock when Galush had a highlight reel-worthy tip save on a Suarez laser.
“I was much more motivated than the season opener (a 0-0 tie at Plainfield East) because of us being unbeaten at home,” Galush said. “I definitely didn’t want to let the team down.”
Sean Miller added: “Danny was tough down the stretch. The game was so intense, but the last 10 minutes was another level. There was plenty of back and forth attacks, but they really got after us down the stretch.”
“No question Danny surprised us big time,” Marmion coach Ricky Del Toro said. “We knew he had the talent, but he seemed to lack some confidence. Tonight we proved what a competitor he is, and hopefully it boosts his confidence. His kicks are definitely spot on.”
Although happy to see the home unbeaten streak continue, Del Toro saw plenty of room for improvement.
“That first goal was the type of thing we’ve worked on consistently in practice with Sean, Nick and Quinn (Gratz). We need to find more of those type of opportunities in games,” Del Toro said. “In the second half we seemed to lose a little bit of confidence and went into a defensive mode.
“The first 10 minutes we knocked the ball around pretty well, and Dolan (Hunt) was a key. Last year he was an outside back. This summer he moved to center back. Now he’s playing a defensive mid, and I love what he’s doing,” Del Toro added. “I know Nick (Grant) has the speed and the technique to be a bigger factor offensively. He’s shown that in practice, we need to see that transferred to games consistently.
Starting lineups
West Chicago
G Anthony Garcia
D Josh Guercio
D Oscar Romero
D Renato Bonilla
D Chris Medina
M Sesar Nieves
M Eduardo Suarez
M Danny Cuautle
M Misael Duran
F Luis “Pancho” Correa
F Johanny Rojas
Marmion
G Danny Galush
D Benjamin Garcia
D Brian Miller
D Joe Duffield
D Matt Lagman
M Tim Wheeler
M Dolan Hunt
M Quinn Turcich
F Sean Miller
F Nick Grant
F Quinn Gratz
Man of the Match: Danny Galush, GK, Marmion
Officials: Victor Herrera (center), Dylan Kramer, Bret Richter
Backup keeper keeps West Chicago at bay in 1-1 tie
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA -- As the three match officials gathered their gear, the consensus was they had worked “a sectional-level game.”
That only inaccuracy in that assessment was that a sectional-level event could not have ended in a 1-1 draw as was the case for Saturday’s nonconference tangle between West Chicago and host Marmion.
The unanimous opinion among coaches and players was that Marmion goalie Danny Galush was the reason the Cadets’ current unbeaten streak for home matches is now up to 15 straight. Figured to be the back-up to Matt Fletcher, who was the starting goalie for the past two seasons but is sidelined indefinitely by a knee injury, Galush proved to be more than just the “next man up,” he was clearly Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match.
The bulk of his nine saves not only came in the second half, but the most notable occurred over the last 8:22 during which Marmion had to play short-handed following a second yellow card issued to Brian Miller. That was the fuel that turned the red-hot second half intensity into a blaze of back-and-forth play.
“Hats off to (Galush), if not for him I believe we would’ve won,” West Chicago coach Jose Villa said.
“Danny stepped up big time,” insisted Marmion teammate Nick Grant. “The main positive for us becomes remaining unbeaten at home.”
No question Marmion (now 0-0-2 for 2015) has a tradition of homefield success. The Cadets were on an unverified string of 22-straight home matches without a loss until the Oct. 10, 2012, regular-season finale against Wheaton Academy. The visiting Warriors won a 2-1 overtime showdown between 7-0 teams to decide that year’s Suburban Christian Conference title and serves as the last Marmion home loss.
Ironically, the 2013 home opener was also a 1-1 tie with West Chicago, which began the current streak. Add that year’s 5-0-1 standard to last season’s perfect 8-0 mark, plus the latest 1-1 deadlock for 15-consecutive games heading into the Sept. 10 Chicago Catholic League opener versus Providence.
Marmion had the first two notable attacks, the first was a West Chicago defensive clear just over a minute in and with less than two minutes played, a Benjamin Garcia header that sailed over the goal. Then came a solid five-minute downpour which added to a field already drenched and slick from rain throughout the day.
The visiting Wildcats had a pair of blasts by Luis “Poncho” Correa stopped by Galush, the latter coming off a cross that found Correa open in the middle. That drew the first of many cheers of relief from the Cadet bench.
But there was 15:52 elapsed when Sean Miller’s textbook cross led to Grant’s finish for a 1-0 Marmion lead.
“I got the ball down the sideline where it was a little muddy but back to beat the defender and saw Nick racing to open space,” Miller said. “As nice as it is to connect in practice, it feels so much greater in a game. It’s when an assist is as great as a goal if it’s helping the team.”
“Sean is known for his strength, speed and tenacity,” Grant said. “He wanted the ball more than the defender, so I knew my job was to get in the middle where he’d put the pass. So much of that score was all Sean.”
With 12:44 remaining before intermission, West Chicago’s Eduardo Suarez managed to aim a direct free kick through a gap in a Marmion defensive wall and Galush blocked the knuckling attempt only to have Josh Guercio pounce on the rebound.
“With the wet grass I thought there was a chance for a rebound, so I got goal side hoping for the ricochet, saw an opening by the near post and just parked it home,” Guercio explained. “Today we all came to play. We were ready and played with the kind of energy we didn’t have in our previous two matches.”
The third-straight road game led to West Chicago’s 0-2-1 record after starting with a one-sided 7-2 defeat at St. Charles East and a 3-0 setback at Wheaton Academy.
“The biggest positive today was we had many opportunities to win this one,” Villa insisted. “A huge turnaround from those two games where we didn’t play with any passion or energy.”
The Wildcats were far more aggressive in the second half producing 14 of their 20 overall attempts and seven-of-11 shots on goal. Marmion finished with 12 overall tries, four of which were on net. West Chicago also boasted a 10-2 edge in corner kicks.
There was 19:08 left in regulation when Correa had a breakaway for 1 v. 1 on which Galush would have earned Blackhawks announcer Pat Foley’s most emphatic “big save” proclamation. A series of West Chicago tries were either rejected by Galush or his defenders. The junior goalie even had a dramatic leg drag block on a Wildcat effort that was whistled offside.
With 13:29 remaining, a Brian Miller throw-in to brother Sean for a head flick necessitated a punch save by Wildcat goalie Anthony Garcia. Just over six minutes left saw Galush rush out of the box to avert a West Chicago attack and then Matt Lagman ended another threat inside the penalty box with a defensive clear.
But there was only 3:21 showing on the lock when Galush had a highlight reel-worthy tip save on a Suarez laser.
“I was much more motivated than the season opener (a 0-0 tie at Plainfield East) because of us being unbeaten at home,” Galush said. “I definitely didn’t want to let the team down.”
Sean Miller added: “Danny was tough down the stretch. The game was so intense, but the last 10 minutes was another level. There was plenty of back and forth attacks, but they really got after us down the stretch.”
“No question Danny surprised us big time,” Marmion coach Ricky Del Toro said. “We knew he had the talent, but he seemed to lack some confidence. Tonight we proved what a competitor he is, and hopefully it boosts his confidence. His kicks are definitely spot on.”
Although happy to see the home unbeaten streak continue, Del Toro saw plenty of room for improvement.
“That first goal was the type of thing we’ve worked on consistently in practice with Sean, Nick and Quinn (Gratz). We need to find more of those type of opportunities in games,” Del Toro said. “In the second half we seemed to lose a little bit of confidence and went into a defensive mode.
“The first 10 minutes we knocked the ball around pretty well, and Dolan (Hunt) was a key. Last year he was an outside back. This summer he moved to center back. Now he’s playing a defensive mid, and I love what he’s doing,” Del Toro added. “I know Nick (Grant) has the speed and the technique to be a bigger factor offensively. He’s shown that in practice, we need to see that transferred to games consistently.
Starting lineups
West Chicago
G Anthony Garcia
D Josh Guercio
D Oscar Romero
D Renato Bonilla
D Chris Medina
M Sesar Nieves
M Eduardo Suarez
M Danny Cuautle
M Misael Duran
F Luis “Pancho” Correa
F Johanny Rojas
Marmion
G Danny Galush
D Benjamin Garcia
D Brian Miller
D Joe Duffield
D Matt Lagman
M Tim Wheeler
M Dolan Hunt
M Quinn Turcich
F Sean Miller
F Nick Grant
F Quinn Gratz
Man of the Match: Danny Galush, GK, Marmion
Officials: Victor Herrera (center), Dylan Kramer, Bret Richter