Early bird Hersey soars
in victory over Barrington
Goal in first 10 minutes stands up for Huskies
By Patrick Z. McGavin
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS — Soccer is a game of rhythm and flow. Players are creatures of habit, and they like to develop and follow specific routines. The upshot was Hersey was ready to play, Barrington was not quite at its best.
The normal early evening start time was altered to late afternoon to accommodate the Huskies' homecoming schedule.
"It's a weird time," Barrington star senior midfielder Giles Phillips said of the 4:30 start. "Normally with a later game, we have time to go home. I personally often take a nap before the game, recharge after school, and today we didn't have that chance."
Instead of the team that has struggled in its two losses and five ties to overcome slow starts, Hersey was sharp, fluid and ready to make a stand. That changed everything.
Hersey senior forward Brent Killian masterfully split two defenders, reached a cross from Saul Casillas and punched home a short ball inside the near post in the 10th minute as the Huskies rode to the 1-0 victory over the Broncos here Thursday.
"Right at the start, we had a lot of high pressure," Killian said. "I got a great ball from my teammate. Saul won the ball on the sideline, and he played a great ball. I was able to finish."
Hersey (11-2-5, 5-1-4) has been a hard team on which to get a solid read. The Huskies have shown the ability to play with any team in the state at times, such as their draw with powerhouse Morton early in the year. The Huskies are hard to score on, blessed with a singular defender in Campbell White, who forms a devastating five-man back.
Conversely, everything has to break just right at the offensive end. The early goal against Barrington demonstrated the best of both worlds.
"We're usually a team that takes us a while to score," Killian said. "We were able to sit back and not worry about overtime, 20 minutes extra, where our legs were tired and we were looking for a win."
Change of pace
Soccer, it goes without saying, is a strange game. "It's frustrating," Barrington coach Scott Steib said tersely. "I don't understand not showing up for games ready to play."
Phillips said the Broncos were out of rhythm from their warmup, the source of the team's flat start. About the only consistent quality is the team's inconsistency. "We fluctuate between coming out really strong, or like today, coming out flat," Phillips said.
The Hersey score certainly caught Barrington's attention. For much of the balance of the first half, Barrington (13-7, 6-4 Mid-Suburban West) had the better play, more consistent possession time. Hans Pallan, a big and physical midfielder, used his 6-3 frame to shed defenders and create some space, working some nice balls with the smaller, quicker Brian Tapia.
The difficulty was in sustaining something. Too often Barrington moved backwards or sideways. Steib was often heard admonishing his Broncos in the first half, "Go forward." By flooding the back, Hersey cut off angles and forced Barrington to split tight windows.
Barrington just could not muster a consistent offensive threat in the final scoring third. "We kept posession much more than they did," Phillips said. "We have to be able to make more chances. I don't think we had many shots on target, and you can't score goals unless you take the shots."
Staying aggressive
Senior Hersey forward Luis Rosado got banged up in the sixth minute, and he required medical attention. He came back, signifying a more aggressive and determined approach to the game. Coming off a 1-1 double-overtime draw with Buffalo Grove, Hersey realized they could not continue to sit back and wait for a chance to unfold.
"We always want to be the aggressive team from the start," Rosado said. "The past couple of games, in the first 10 minutes, we were playing more defensively and we were not as aggressive. This game we came out blazing."
Hersey knew it could not stand down. The Huskies kept the Broncos at bay. Still, they could not get complacent. In the 42nd minute Killian generated another strong scoring chance when he again advanced the ball down the left edge and blasted a shot from about 17 yards out with his left foot. But Broncos keeper Alex Ruffalo made a superb diving deflection.
Later in the match, Rosado had a shot from the right edge blocked by Ruffalo. The larger point held. Hersey looked to stay on top and not concede anything. They played to extend the lead rather than protect it.
"It would have been nice to get some other goals, but we played well the whole night," Killian said. "Our defense held the middle pretty well, and on the long throws or crosses we were able to clear the ball out."
Final thrust
Barrington did not go down without a fight. In the 65th minute, Phillips controlled a service ball, but his back was to the goal and he could not get the necessary torque to get around on the ball. The moment was a microcosm of how things played out.
"I was off balance and I couldn't take the shot there," he said. "I could't get my foot around to try and get a shot on goal, so I played it off."
Peyton Mohr had a brief opening, only for the ball to get submarined under him. He could not get off a shot. "Some of the guys are working hard and some are working hard sometimes," Steib said. "I don't know. We just looked flat."
Starting lineups
Barrington
GK: Alex Ruffolo
D: Tyler Anderson
D: Shawn Owen
D: Nash Pirie
D: Jason Frenk
D: Hans Pallan
MF: Luke Sellers
MF: Zach Carbonara
MF: Casey Slingo
MF: Giles Phillips
F: Austin Grzebieniak
Hersey
GK: Adam Szymaszek
D: Campbell White
D: Jordan Rustemeyer
D: Zach Bolin
D: Jackson Hargett
D: Joe Bertucci
MF: George Boyle
MF: Tim Griffin
MF: Jack Orlandi
F: Luis Rosado
F: Brent Killian
Officials: Andy Sawcki, Boguslaw Rosinski, Dana Joras
Man of the Match: Brent Killian, Hersey
in victory over Barrington
Goal in first 10 minutes stands up for Huskies
By Patrick Z. McGavin
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS — Soccer is a game of rhythm and flow. Players are creatures of habit, and they like to develop and follow specific routines. The upshot was Hersey was ready to play, Barrington was not quite at its best.
The normal early evening start time was altered to late afternoon to accommodate the Huskies' homecoming schedule.
"It's a weird time," Barrington star senior midfielder Giles Phillips said of the 4:30 start. "Normally with a later game, we have time to go home. I personally often take a nap before the game, recharge after school, and today we didn't have that chance."
Instead of the team that has struggled in its two losses and five ties to overcome slow starts, Hersey was sharp, fluid and ready to make a stand. That changed everything.
Hersey senior forward Brent Killian masterfully split two defenders, reached a cross from Saul Casillas and punched home a short ball inside the near post in the 10th minute as the Huskies rode to the 1-0 victory over the Broncos here Thursday.
"Right at the start, we had a lot of high pressure," Killian said. "I got a great ball from my teammate. Saul won the ball on the sideline, and he played a great ball. I was able to finish."
Hersey (11-2-5, 5-1-4) has been a hard team on which to get a solid read. The Huskies have shown the ability to play with any team in the state at times, such as their draw with powerhouse Morton early in the year. The Huskies are hard to score on, blessed with a singular defender in Campbell White, who forms a devastating five-man back.
Conversely, everything has to break just right at the offensive end. The early goal against Barrington demonstrated the best of both worlds.
"We're usually a team that takes us a while to score," Killian said. "We were able to sit back and not worry about overtime, 20 minutes extra, where our legs were tired and we were looking for a win."
Change of pace
Soccer, it goes without saying, is a strange game. "It's frustrating," Barrington coach Scott Steib said tersely. "I don't understand not showing up for games ready to play."
Phillips said the Broncos were out of rhythm from their warmup, the source of the team's flat start. About the only consistent quality is the team's inconsistency. "We fluctuate between coming out really strong, or like today, coming out flat," Phillips said.
The Hersey score certainly caught Barrington's attention. For much of the balance of the first half, Barrington (13-7, 6-4 Mid-Suburban West) had the better play, more consistent possession time. Hans Pallan, a big and physical midfielder, used his 6-3 frame to shed defenders and create some space, working some nice balls with the smaller, quicker Brian Tapia.
The difficulty was in sustaining something. Too often Barrington moved backwards or sideways. Steib was often heard admonishing his Broncos in the first half, "Go forward." By flooding the back, Hersey cut off angles and forced Barrington to split tight windows.
Barrington just could not muster a consistent offensive threat in the final scoring third. "We kept posession much more than they did," Phillips said. "We have to be able to make more chances. I don't think we had many shots on target, and you can't score goals unless you take the shots."
Staying aggressive
Senior Hersey forward Luis Rosado got banged up in the sixth minute, and he required medical attention. He came back, signifying a more aggressive and determined approach to the game. Coming off a 1-1 double-overtime draw with Buffalo Grove, Hersey realized they could not continue to sit back and wait for a chance to unfold.
"We always want to be the aggressive team from the start," Rosado said. "The past couple of games, in the first 10 minutes, we were playing more defensively and we were not as aggressive. This game we came out blazing."
Hersey knew it could not stand down. The Huskies kept the Broncos at bay. Still, they could not get complacent. In the 42nd minute Killian generated another strong scoring chance when he again advanced the ball down the left edge and blasted a shot from about 17 yards out with his left foot. But Broncos keeper Alex Ruffalo made a superb diving deflection.
Later in the match, Rosado had a shot from the right edge blocked by Ruffalo. The larger point held. Hersey looked to stay on top and not concede anything. They played to extend the lead rather than protect it.
"It would have been nice to get some other goals, but we played well the whole night," Killian said. "Our defense held the middle pretty well, and on the long throws or crosses we were able to clear the ball out."
Final thrust
Barrington did not go down without a fight. In the 65th minute, Phillips controlled a service ball, but his back was to the goal and he could not get the necessary torque to get around on the ball. The moment was a microcosm of how things played out.
"I was off balance and I couldn't take the shot there," he said. "I could't get my foot around to try and get a shot on goal, so I played it off."
Peyton Mohr had a brief opening, only for the ball to get submarined under him. He could not get off a shot. "Some of the guys are working hard and some are working hard sometimes," Steib said. "I don't know. We just looked flat."
Starting lineups
Barrington
GK: Alex Ruffolo
D: Tyler Anderson
D: Shawn Owen
D: Nash Pirie
D: Jason Frenk
D: Hans Pallan
MF: Luke Sellers
MF: Zach Carbonara
MF: Casey Slingo
MF: Giles Phillips
F: Austin Grzebieniak
Hersey
GK: Adam Szymaszek
D: Campbell White
D: Jordan Rustemeyer
D: Zach Bolin
D: Jackson Hargett
D: Joe Bertucci
MF: George Boyle
MF: Tim Griffin
MF: Jack Orlandi
F: Luis Rosado
F: Brent Killian
Officials: Andy Sawcki, Boguslaw Rosinski, Dana Joras
Man of the Match: Brent Killian, Hersey