New look at Wheaton North
starting to take shape
Improving Falcons tie York 1-1 to end 3-game losing streak
By Patrick Z. McGavin
ROSELLE — A soccer season still new and filled with possibility means never staying the same. You either improve or you get worse. Improvement is measured in what is seen, like victories, and what is felt, the more intangible quality of watching a team coming together, learning their roles and understanding the larger directives of the coach.
Rob Stassen is shaking up the culture at Wheaton North. The longtime former girls coach at Chicago Catholic League program St. Ignatius, Stassen was a late hire to take over the Falcons. He has already put his imprint on the team.
"Coach is good, the other players are good," midfielder Joseph Simon said. "We just need to start getting things to work for us."
The measure of the Falcons' improvement was evident everywhere against York in the final day of the Norm Hillner Classic on Saturday morning at the east campus of Lake Park.
"This was the first time this year we had multiple shots against a goalkeeper, and he had to make a lot of stops," Stassen said.
Simon broke through with a goal in the 34th minute and the Falcons demonstrated improved ball possession and offensive creativity until a late goal by the Dukes prevented the outright win, and the teams settled for the 1-1 draw.
Despite watching his side surrender a goal to York's senior midfielder Lucas Frantzis in the 76th minute, Stassen saw much to be satisfied with in effort, discipline and resolve.
"The way we have been playing, this has been probably the best game for us," he said.
The team's only one-sided loss was a 5-0 whitewash against Conant in the tournament.
Otherwise, Wheaton North showed incremental and steady growth almost moment to moment, game by game, falling to Lake Park and St. Francis by scores of 1-0.
Now is the time for experimentation and finding out what works.
"We basically tried to change our way of playing," Stassen said.
The coach altered the formation, switching to a 1-5-4 that emphasizes greater movement and sharing of the ball.
"We're trying to play two-touch and keep the ball moving and trying to play for 80 minutes, one minute at a time," he said. "Today we played 79-and-a-half minutes. We're getting there. We started off playing only 40 minutes."
Wheaton North (1-3-1) moved the ball well and found seams in the Dukes' back that they were allowed to exploit, but York had greater chances at the start. Falcons' keeper Connor Reece was stellar in the back, stopping four shots in the first half.
"York's a good team, and they had a chance to go up on us," Stassen said.
Wheaton North drew first blood in the 34th minute. Jorge Petino worked the ball in the middle and slotted a ball that Simon alertly controlled and finished with a left-footed blast that curled under the outstretched body of Dukes' keeper Nicholas Sasanelli.
"We had nice movement. I found the right pass, and I turned and shot," said Simon of his first goal of the year.
The Chicagoland Soccer man of the match was the team's most dangerous threat throughout the contest.
At the start of the second half Simon forced York on its heels with a variety of shots, generated both in the field of play and off a couple of set pieces. Petino was also dynamite in open space, using his speed to get to the edges and finishing with authority.
"Their keeper made some great stops, and you can't really do much about that," Stassen said.
As the Falcons found their consistency, their work rate accelerated.
"We were a little shaky at first, but then we started getting better once we started playing and getting confidence," Simon said. "We played good at times, not so good at other times.
"They ended up capitalizing when we were not so good."
But the positive signs were everywhere.
Midfielder Jon Duncan smashed a deflected ball that was pulled just wide of the near post. Cooper Winckler also helped push the attack forward. Wheaton North faced a team also eager to set its season right. The Dukes (0-2-2) were pointing for their first win. York also adjusted its formation in moving to a 3-4-4.
They were able to generate numbers and generate a consistent attack. In the 76th minute, The equalizer came after forward Peter Barabolak deflected a ball off of two Falcons' defenders that Frantzis, a senior midfielder, controlled on the right flank.
"Since we switched our formation a couple of days ago we've started to get a lot more chances," Frantzis said.
"The two centerbacks and Peter collided and the ball came to me, and I ran up there and shot it and it went in top left."
York coach Lukasz Majewski said the tie, though perhaps bittersweet, also demonstrated improvement by his side.
"We're struggling finding the net and putting it away," he said. "We have had opportunities and we haven't been able to find the back of the net. This is a young team, inexperienced in some areas, and we're still trying to work things out."
Likewise, Stassen only touched on the bright moments.
"We have new players playing new positions," he said. "Players that had been starters for the last few years are now not starting. We made some adjustments today because the way we'd been playing had not been working.
"They rolled with it."
With each game, Wheaton North moves closer to playing the way its new coach envisions.
"This was the first time this year we kept our composure," he said. "I think as a team, I could not have been happier. I could not have been prouder."
Starting lineups
York
GK: Nicholas Sasanelli
D: Seamus Ward
D: Aiden Richards
D: Alexander Vujovic
D: Edgar Roman
M: Joseph Reinhofer
M: Logan Wurst
M: Lucas Frantzis
F: David Knurek
F: Peter Barabolak
F: Gordon Johnson
Wheaton North
GK: Connor Reece
D: Michael Pfaff
D: Jake MacAdam
D: Nicholas Bibergall
D: Jake Mendez
M: Joseph Simon
M: Jon Duncan
M: Jake Dzarnowski
M: Jorge Petino
M: Carlos Saavedra
F: Cooper Winckler
Man of the match: Joseph Simon, MF, Wheaton North
starting to take shape
Improving Falcons tie York 1-1 to end 3-game losing streak
By Patrick Z. McGavin
ROSELLE — A soccer season still new and filled with possibility means never staying the same. You either improve or you get worse. Improvement is measured in what is seen, like victories, and what is felt, the more intangible quality of watching a team coming together, learning their roles and understanding the larger directives of the coach.
Rob Stassen is shaking up the culture at Wheaton North. The longtime former girls coach at Chicago Catholic League program St. Ignatius, Stassen was a late hire to take over the Falcons. He has already put his imprint on the team.
"Coach is good, the other players are good," midfielder Joseph Simon said. "We just need to start getting things to work for us."
The measure of the Falcons' improvement was evident everywhere against York in the final day of the Norm Hillner Classic on Saturday morning at the east campus of Lake Park.
"This was the first time this year we had multiple shots against a goalkeeper, and he had to make a lot of stops," Stassen said.
Simon broke through with a goal in the 34th minute and the Falcons demonstrated improved ball possession and offensive creativity until a late goal by the Dukes prevented the outright win, and the teams settled for the 1-1 draw.
Despite watching his side surrender a goal to York's senior midfielder Lucas Frantzis in the 76th minute, Stassen saw much to be satisfied with in effort, discipline and resolve.
"The way we have been playing, this has been probably the best game for us," he said.
The team's only one-sided loss was a 5-0 whitewash against Conant in the tournament.
Otherwise, Wheaton North showed incremental and steady growth almost moment to moment, game by game, falling to Lake Park and St. Francis by scores of 1-0.
Now is the time for experimentation and finding out what works.
"We basically tried to change our way of playing," Stassen said.
The coach altered the formation, switching to a 1-5-4 that emphasizes greater movement and sharing of the ball.
"We're trying to play two-touch and keep the ball moving and trying to play for 80 minutes, one minute at a time," he said. "Today we played 79-and-a-half minutes. We're getting there. We started off playing only 40 minutes."
Wheaton North (1-3-1) moved the ball well and found seams in the Dukes' back that they were allowed to exploit, but York had greater chances at the start. Falcons' keeper Connor Reece was stellar in the back, stopping four shots in the first half.
"York's a good team, and they had a chance to go up on us," Stassen said.
Wheaton North drew first blood in the 34th minute. Jorge Petino worked the ball in the middle and slotted a ball that Simon alertly controlled and finished with a left-footed blast that curled under the outstretched body of Dukes' keeper Nicholas Sasanelli.
"We had nice movement. I found the right pass, and I turned and shot," said Simon of his first goal of the year.
The Chicagoland Soccer man of the match was the team's most dangerous threat throughout the contest.
At the start of the second half Simon forced York on its heels with a variety of shots, generated both in the field of play and off a couple of set pieces. Petino was also dynamite in open space, using his speed to get to the edges and finishing with authority.
"Their keeper made some great stops, and you can't really do much about that," Stassen said.
As the Falcons found their consistency, their work rate accelerated.
"We were a little shaky at first, but then we started getting better once we started playing and getting confidence," Simon said. "We played good at times, not so good at other times.
"They ended up capitalizing when we were not so good."
But the positive signs were everywhere.
Midfielder Jon Duncan smashed a deflected ball that was pulled just wide of the near post. Cooper Winckler also helped push the attack forward. Wheaton North faced a team also eager to set its season right. The Dukes (0-2-2) were pointing for their first win. York also adjusted its formation in moving to a 3-4-4.
They were able to generate numbers and generate a consistent attack. In the 76th minute, The equalizer came after forward Peter Barabolak deflected a ball off of two Falcons' defenders that Frantzis, a senior midfielder, controlled on the right flank.
"Since we switched our formation a couple of days ago we've started to get a lot more chances," Frantzis said.
"The two centerbacks and Peter collided and the ball came to me, and I ran up there and shot it and it went in top left."
York coach Lukasz Majewski said the tie, though perhaps bittersweet, also demonstrated improvement by his side.
"We're struggling finding the net and putting it away," he said. "We have had opportunities and we haven't been able to find the back of the net. This is a young team, inexperienced in some areas, and we're still trying to work things out."
Likewise, Stassen only touched on the bright moments.
"We have new players playing new positions," he said. "Players that had been starters for the last few years are now not starting. We made some adjustments today because the way we'd been playing had not been working.
"They rolled with it."
With each game, Wheaton North moves closer to playing the way its new coach envisions.
"This was the first time this year we kept our composure," he said. "I think as a team, I could not have been happier. I could not have been prouder."
Starting lineups
York
GK: Nicholas Sasanelli
D: Seamus Ward
D: Aiden Richards
D: Alexander Vujovic
D: Edgar Roman
M: Joseph Reinhofer
M: Logan Wurst
M: Lucas Frantzis
F: David Knurek
F: Peter Barabolak
F: Gordon Johnson
Wheaton North
GK: Connor Reece
D: Michael Pfaff
D: Jake MacAdam
D: Nicholas Bibergall
D: Jake Mendez
M: Joseph Simon
M: Jon Duncan
M: Jake Dzarnowski
M: Jorge Petino
M: Carlos Saavedra
F: Cooper Winckler
Man of the match: Joseph Simon, MF, Wheaton North