Wheaton Academy on McCloud nine
after win over Wheaton North
Falcons keep Seager scoreless for 1st time in 2015, but fall 1-0
By Chris Walker
WHEATON – Wheaton North's plan was to stop Wheaton Academy forward Ty Seager.
They did and shut the Northwestern-bound forward out of the scoring column for the first time this season. But the Falcons learned that shutting down a team’s primary scoring threat doesn’t necessarily result in a victory, especially when there’s quite a bit of talent around him.
Wheaton North made it an extremely difficult evening for Seager on Thursday, but as they’ve learned time and time again this year, all it takes is a single goal to lose a game. This time it came from the foot of Elias McCloud.
The junior upped third-ranked Wheaton Academy's unbeaten streak to 22 games in a 1-0 win.
“You can’t take (Seager) out of the game, but we tried to neutralize him,” Falcons coach Rob Stassen said. “He’s one of the best players, if not the best player, in the state, and I thought our guys did a fantastic job. I don’t think he really touched the ball, apart from when he brought it up from his own 20(-yard line). (Defender) Nico (Bibergal) really did a phenomenal job.”
While Bibergal led the defensive effort, he got a lot of help from his fellow defensive starters, senior Jake MacAdam and juniors Michael Pfaff and Jake Mendez.
They wore Seager all night long.
"The minute we lost the ball we dropped from a 4-5-1 to a 5-4-1 and drop our center mids and get right on him," Stassen said. "We'd get in his shorts and stay there. Every time Ty got the ball and tried to turn it, there was Nico. I think he was only able to turn the ball two or three times and see the goal."
Wheaton Academy (6-0-1) broke the scoreless game with 9:13 remaining in the second half when McCloud connected on a pass from senior Jacob Kapitaniuk.
McCloud was named Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match for his effort.
“Kap (Kapitaniuk) had the ball at the left, and he always picks his head up so I started screaming at him,” McCloud said. “I was a little louder than usual, and he picked his head up and played me the ball. I took a touch past a defender, saw an opening and hit it in.”
Kapitaniuk, a starter and key player on last year’s Class 2A state champion squad, said the Warriors never panicked Thursday and knew that they would eventually score. When it would come was the key question, and they almost ran out of time.
“We knew we’d get tough competition from Wheaton North so it was nice to come out with this result, especially because their high pressure kind of slowed us down a bit,” he said. “We kept swinging it wide and then finally found Elias, who found the bottom corner, which was exactly what we needed.”
Wheaton North (1-5-1) showed off some offensive weaponry throughout the evening, but once again was shutout. They are scoreless in their five losses and have only scored three goals this season.
Junior Aniel Patel found a crease with 25:55 left in the second half, but Wheaton Academy keeper Nathaniel Song easily gathered in his shot.
Senior Jon Duncan took a free kick from 30-yards out midway through the second half, but his one-hopper went right at Song who easily fielded it to keep the game tied at 0-0.
Just a couple minutes before McCloud broke the tie, the Falcons nearly scored when sophomore Jake Dzarnowski attempted a header to beat Song, but he sent it a little bit too high over the crossbar.
“It’s tough because we got knocked off by (Wheaton Warrenville) South by a fantastic shot on Tuesday and then came back and had another tough rivalry game here tonight,” Stassen said. “Our big thing (on defense) has been that when people are shooting we’re not getting in front of the ball, and we’re just letting a free shot come through.
"Tonight, that wasn’t the case. I think we really only had one clear shot go through the entire game and that was the one that went in. It was the one time we slipped and didn’t jump in front of the ball, you know.”
Stassen was pleased that his team played with so much poise, especially through the strong play of a starting midfield of Jorge Petino, Carlos Saavedra, Joseph Simon, as well as Duncan and Dzarnowski.
“The first half it took us a while to get into the game. We were pretty amped up,” Stassen said. “In the second half we calmed down and once we got our feet wet, we realized we could play with them. That gave them the confidence they needed.
“That was the best game of soccer I’ve seen in a long time,” he continued. “They (Wheaton Academy) are absolutely fantastic, and we played with them. Our ball movement wasn’t great today, but that wasn’t the focus. Our focus was to shut them down as much as we could.”
Shutting down Seager has become a primary concern for any opponent these past two seasons. You undoubtedly have to figure out a game plan, and execute it beautifully, if you stand a chance of battling the Warriors for a full 80 minutes.
This is a talent that simply doesn’t come around very often. How many high school kids help a team win a state title by scoring 39 goals and 15 assists? How many also then come back the following season and help the team to a great start with 12 goals and a top 10 national preseason ranking?
“I imagine we’ll run into that style of play again where they send a few more numbers in and we’ll have to find a way to combine in a quicker fashion to put the ball away,” Brooke said. “We created a lot of shots, but they were particularly right outside the box, so now it’s about getting those on frame and finishing like Elias did.”
As the Warriors now prepare for the PepsiCo Showdown with their opener against Kelly on Saturday morning, they already have one big accomplishment this season – beating local rivals Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South to retain the Wheaton Cup. While it’s not the team’s biggest goal every year, it’s still one they will enjoy – at least until this weekend.
“It’s always excellent to come out with two wins against Wheaton North and Wheaton (Warrenville) South,” Kapitaniuk said. “It’s always tough because you know it can go either way.”
Going either way is something the Falcons have to be wondering about after dropping their fourth game this year by a 1-0 score.
“Our plan was to play our game and stick to it, and to not get upset about what they’re doing,” Stassen said. “It almost worked. We got very close.”
Close isn’t good enough though and Stassen knows his kids, as well as other teams, fans and the press, may overly focus on their lack of wins, rather than their continued development on the pitch.
“The fact is that we’re now 1-5-1 which is a difficult pill to swallow when we easily could be 3-2-1 or 4-1-1,” he said. “We haven’t been absolutely outplayed by anybody, but that’s just the way it falls sometimes. The guys have done a fantastic job of bouncing back and staying positive, and they realize you can’t expect change and success immediately overnight.”
Success continues for the Warriors despite a revamped lineup this season. Once again, they were tested and prevailed.
“We like having some of these games like this one early, as well as against Geneva, Wheaton Warrenville South and West Chicago to try to stretch us,” Brooke said. “It’s not just for the players but for our staff to get to know our personnel and see who can step up for us in different situations.
“You can build off of history, I guess, or the success that’s happened, but you have to also create your own season and they’re doing that now.”
Kapitaniuk now looks to his left and right and no longer sees guys like Grant Rougas, Jha’Lon Johnson, Reid Culberson and Michael Carver. Like most of last year’s team, they’ve graduated and are now away at college. So, while many of his teammates may be new this year, or playing bigger roles, he’s seeing them deliver. It didn’t take long for them to adapt.
“I think some people would think we’d be down this year because of what we graduated, but I think everyone has stepped up,” he said. “Underclassmen have stepped into new roles they’ve been put into and me and Ty and the other seniors have looked to lead the team and usher them into the style we believe in at Wheaton Academy.”
So it’s still so far, so good for the Warriors, while the Falcons continue to get closer and closer to finding those elusive wins.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
GK: Nathan Song
D: Sam Bergquist
D: Luis Rocha
D: Timothy Steininger
D: Christian Ziesemer
MF: Isaac Anthony
MF: Jacob Kapitaniuk
MF: Elias McCloud
MF: Simon Spivey
MF: Ethan Stoneman
F: Ty Seager
Wheaton North
GK: Connor Reece
D: Nicholas Bibergal
D: Jake McAdam
D: Jake Mendez
D: Michael Plaff
MF: Joe Duncan
MF: Jake Dzarnowski
MF: Jorge Petino
MF: Carlos Saaverda
MF: Joseph Simon
F: Cooper Winckler
Man of the Match: Elias McCloud, MF, Wheaton Academy
after win over Wheaton North
Falcons keep Seager scoreless for 1st time in 2015, but fall 1-0
By Chris Walker
WHEATON – Wheaton North's plan was to stop Wheaton Academy forward Ty Seager.
They did and shut the Northwestern-bound forward out of the scoring column for the first time this season. But the Falcons learned that shutting down a team’s primary scoring threat doesn’t necessarily result in a victory, especially when there’s quite a bit of talent around him.
Wheaton North made it an extremely difficult evening for Seager on Thursday, but as they’ve learned time and time again this year, all it takes is a single goal to lose a game. This time it came from the foot of Elias McCloud.
The junior upped third-ranked Wheaton Academy's unbeaten streak to 22 games in a 1-0 win.
“You can’t take (Seager) out of the game, but we tried to neutralize him,” Falcons coach Rob Stassen said. “He’s one of the best players, if not the best player, in the state, and I thought our guys did a fantastic job. I don’t think he really touched the ball, apart from when he brought it up from his own 20(-yard line). (Defender) Nico (Bibergal) really did a phenomenal job.”
While Bibergal led the defensive effort, he got a lot of help from his fellow defensive starters, senior Jake MacAdam and juniors Michael Pfaff and Jake Mendez.
They wore Seager all night long.
"The minute we lost the ball we dropped from a 4-5-1 to a 5-4-1 and drop our center mids and get right on him," Stassen said. "We'd get in his shorts and stay there. Every time Ty got the ball and tried to turn it, there was Nico. I think he was only able to turn the ball two or three times and see the goal."
Wheaton Academy (6-0-1) broke the scoreless game with 9:13 remaining in the second half when McCloud connected on a pass from senior Jacob Kapitaniuk.
McCloud was named Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match for his effort.
“Kap (Kapitaniuk) had the ball at the left, and he always picks his head up so I started screaming at him,” McCloud said. “I was a little louder than usual, and he picked his head up and played me the ball. I took a touch past a defender, saw an opening and hit it in.”
Kapitaniuk, a starter and key player on last year’s Class 2A state champion squad, said the Warriors never panicked Thursday and knew that they would eventually score. When it would come was the key question, and they almost ran out of time.
“We knew we’d get tough competition from Wheaton North so it was nice to come out with this result, especially because their high pressure kind of slowed us down a bit,” he said. “We kept swinging it wide and then finally found Elias, who found the bottom corner, which was exactly what we needed.”
Wheaton North (1-5-1) showed off some offensive weaponry throughout the evening, but once again was shutout. They are scoreless in their five losses and have only scored three goals this season.
Junior Aniel Patel found a crease with 25:55 left in the second half, but Wheaton Academy keeper Nathaniel Song easily gathered in his shot.
Senior Jon Duncan took a free kick from 30-yards out midway through the second half, but his one-hopper went right at Song who easily fielded it to keep the game tied at 0-0.
Just a couple minutes before McCloud broke the tie, the Falcons nearly scored when sophomore Jake Dzarnowski attempted a header to beat Song, but he sent it a little bit too high over the crossbar.
“It’s tough because we got knocked off by (Wheaton Warrenville) South by a fantastic shot on Tuesday and then came back and had another tough rivalry game here tonight,” Stassen said. “Our big thing (on defense) has been that when people are shooting we’re not getting in front of the ball, and we’re just letting a free shot come through.
"Tonight, that wasn’t the case. I think we really only had one clear shot go through the entire game and that was the one that went in. It was the one time we slipped and didn’t jump in front of the ball, you know.”
Stassen was pleased that his team played with so much poise, especially through the strong play of a starting midfield of Jorge Petino, Carlos Saavedra, Joseph Simon, as well as Duncan and Dzarnowski.
“The first half it took us a while to get into the game. We were pretty amped up,” Stassen said. “In the second half we calmed down and once we got our feet wet, we realized we could play with them. That gave them the confidence they needed.
“That was the best game of soccer I’ve seen in a long time,” he continued. “They (Wheaton Academy) are absolutely fantastic, and we played with them. Our ball movement wasn’t great today, but that wasn’t the focus. Our focus was to shut them down as much as we could.”
Shutting down Seager has become a primary concern for any opponent these past two seasons. You undoubtedly have to figure out a game plan, and execute it beautifully, if you stand a chance of battling the Warriors for a full 80 minutes.
This is a talent that simply doesn’t come around very often. How many high school kids help a team win a state title by scoring 39 goals and 15 assists? How many also then come back the following season and help the team to a great start with 12 goals and a top 10 national preseason ranking?
“I imagine we’ll run into that style of play again where they send a few more numbers in and we’ll have to find a way to combine in a quicker fashion to put the ball away,” Brooke said. “We created a lot of shots, but they were particularly right outside the box, so now it’s about getting those on frame and finishing like Elias did.”
As the Warriors now prepare for the PepsiCo Showdown with their opener against Kelly on Saturday morning, they already have one big accomplishment this season – beating local rivals Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South to retain the Wheaton Cup. While it’s not the team’s biggest goal every year, it’s still one they will enjoy – at least until this weekend.
“It’s always excellent to come out with two wins against Wheaton North and Wheaton (Warrenville) South,” Kapitaniuk said. “It’s always tough because you know it can go either way.”
Going either way is something the Falcons have to be wondering about after dropping their fourth game this year by a 1-0 score.
“Our plan was to play our game and stick to it, and to not get upset about what they’re doing,” Stassen said. “It almost worked. We got very close.”
Close isn’t good enough though and Stassen knows his kids, as well as other teams, fans and the press, may overly focus on their lack of wins, rather than their continued development on the pitch.
“The fact is that we’re now 1-5-1 which is a difficult pill to swallow when we easily could be 3-2-1 or 4-1-1,” he said. “We haven’t been absolutely outplayed by anybody, but that’s just the way it falls sometimes. The guys have done a fantastic job of bouncing back and staying positive, and they realize you can’t expect change and success immediately overnight.”
Success continues for the Warriors despite a revamped lineup this season. Once again, they were tested and prevailed.
“We like having some of these games like this one early, as well as against Geneva, Wheaton Warrenville South and West Chicago to try to stretch us,” Brooke said. “It’s not just for the players but for our staff to get to know our personnel and see who can step up for us in different situations.
“You can build off of history, I guess, or the success that’s happened, but you have to also create your own season and they’re doing that now.”
Kapitaniuk now looks to his left and right and no longer sees guys like Grant Rougas, Jha’Lon Johnson, Reid Culberson and Michael Carver. Like most of last year’s team, they’ve graduated and are now away at college. So, while many of his teammates may be new this year, or playing bigger roles, he’s seeing them deliver. It didn’t take long for them to adapt.
“I think some people would think we’d be down this year because of what we graduated, but I think everyone has stepped up,” he said. “Underclassmen have stepped into new roles they’ve been put into and me and Ty and the other seniors have looked to lead the team and usher them into the style we believe in at Wheaton Academy.”
So it’s still so far, so good for the Warriors, while the Falcons continue to get closer and closer to finding those elusive wins.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
GK: Nathan Song
D: Sam Bergquist
D: Luis Rocha
D: Timothy Steininger
D: Christian Ziesemer
MF: Isaac Anthony
MF: Jacob Kapitaniuk
MF: Elias McCloud
MF: Simon Spivey
MF: Ethan Stoneman
F: Ty Seager
Wheaton North
GK: Connor Reece
D: Nicholas Bibergal
D: Jake McAdam
D: Jake Mendez
D: Michael Plaff
MF: Joe Duncan
MF: Jake Dzarnowski
MF: Jorge Petino
MF: Carlos Saaverda
MF: Joseph Simon
F: Cooper Winckler
Man of the Match: Elias McCloud, MF, Wheaton Academy