Barrington needs overtime
to nip Rolling Meadows
Broncos recover after blowing two-goal lead
By Ken Keenan
ROLLING MEADOWS -- A 2-0 lead over host Rolling Meadows appeared to be safe for Barrington in Mid-Suburban League crossover action on Tuesday, but the Mustangs charged back to knot the score with a pair of second-half goals before the Broncos struck gold in overtime to post a 3-2 win.
Barrington junior midfielder Ryan Lauderback tallied the game winner. Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match buried a shot from close range with 4:59 left in the first sudden-death session after a throw-in by junior defender Hans Pallan found senior defender Ian Ford, who earned the assist.
"We came out in overtime with a purpose," Lauderback said. "We definitely responded positively after (Rolling Meadows) scored two goals."
The Broncos nabbed a 1-0 advantage in the 27th minute when a Pallan throw-in was controlled by senior midfielder Giles Phillips, who fed senior forward Kyle Owen for a tap-in.
Barrington made it 2-0 on a goal by Shawn Owen with 3:35 remaining in the first half. The senior midfielder delivered a solid right-footed shot in close after accepting a well-placed corner kick from senior midfielder Casy Slingo.
"I thought we played great in the first half -- we had a bunch of chances," said Barrington head coach Scott Steib, whose team finished the conference slate at 8-4-0 and takes a 15-7-0 mark into IHSA postseason play. "It seemed like (Meadows) picked up the intensity in the second half -- you could see it coming -- and we got away from moving the ball. That's a good team, so we're pleased to come in and wiggle out a win."
Rolling Meadows cut the deficit to 2-1 on a rising, 35-yard laser beam of a free kick by senior midfielder Brett Gibson in the 57th minute, and then tied the match at 2-2 with 11:38 to go in the second half on a crafty, sliding shot by junior forward Jacob Koutas.
"It took us a little bit to find a rhythm and confidence," said Mustangs coach Peter Mikulak, who watched his club fall to 9-7-2 overall and finish at 6-4-2 in league play. "Then we had better passes, 50-50 balls, and we won a few more balls in the midfield to take the pressure off the defense. The first goal gave us a lot of energy, and then Kou (Glaser) put that one off the crossbar (in the 72nd minute). We certainly played better in the second half."
Koutas said the Mustangs discussed their slow start at halftime and took Mikulak's challenge to "strive for greatness with effort and skill" to heart.
"We talked about giving effort during the play and getting together as a collective group, and the hustle was there," Koutas said.
Lauderback admitted, "Rolling Meadows brought the momentum in the second half -- we were on our heels."
Steib's halftime speech included a question: "I said, 'What would you be thinking about if this was flipped?' And Meadows showed pride, and we had a hard time matching it. They focused, so give them credit for getting back into it. It's rare to see a team control a whole match."
A slow-starting match saw Barrington pick up the pace midway through the first half. Shortly before the initial goal, sophomore defender Nash Pirie rushed the left side to deliver a ball that was headed out in traffic before it reached Mustangs senior goalkeeper Willie Mrofcza, and Shawn Owen unleashed a 70-yard free kick that resulted in a chance with 9:55 to go before the break.
Two minutes later, Slingo had a nice chance that was kicked out of the crease by Rolling Meadows senior defender Enrique Avellaneda; in the 34th minute, Phillips headed a corner kick just over the crossbar.
The Mustangs' first good opportunity in the second half came when Gibson found Avellaneda for a wicked 20-yard shot that sailed wide right in the 46th minute. Barely a minute passed before Koutas worked his way close to the Barrington goal before losing the ball, and the relentless play of senior defender Jessie Perez in the midfield area kept Rolling Meadows on the attack for a spell in the 50th minute.
Shawn Owen's rocket off the crossbar came with 8:10 to go in regulation. The Mustangs kept applying pressure down the stretch, though Pallan headed a ball over the head of Mrofcza in the final seconds.
Barrington had the better of the play throughout OT, with Pallan rebounding his own header in close to no avail with 6:40 left, followed by a header on net by Phillips about a minute before Lauderback's goal ended the match.
"I believe it's good to have a tight game right before the playoffs, especially to win in overtime," Lauderback said.
"We have to keep the momentum going into the playoffs," added Kyle Owen.
Steib concluded, "We want to go into the playoffs with momentum, so -- psychologically -- this could be a good thing for us."
The Broncos will host Stevenson at 5 p.m. Oct. 21 in a regional opener, while the Mustangs take on Addison Trail in the Elk Grove Regional at 7 p.m. Oct. 22.
Starting lineups
Barrington
GK: Alex Ruffolo
D: Tyler Anderson
D: Jason Frenk
D: Hans Pallan
D: Nash Pirie
MF: Giles Phillips
MF: Casey Slingo
MF: Brian Tapia
MF: Shawn Owen
F: Kyle Owen
F: Austin Grzebieniak
Rolling Meadows
GK: Willie Mrofcza
D: A.J. Aluquin
D: Benny Massi
D: Enrique Avellaneda
D: Jessie Perez
MF: Brett Gibson
MF: Andy Rueger
MF: Kou Glaser
MF: Jose Cruz
F: Sal D'Acquisto
F: Jacob Koutas
Man of the Match: Ryan Lauderback, Barrington
Officials: Roman Wojtan, Mike Wojtan, Zdzislaw Kujawa
to nip Rolling Meadows
Broncos recover after blowing two-goal lead
By Ken Keenan
ROLLING MEADOWS -- A 2-0 lead over host Rolling Meadows appeared to be safe for Barrington in Mid-Suburban League crossover action on Tuesday, but the Mustangs charged back to knot the score with a pair of second-half goals before the Broncos struck gold in overtime to post a 3-2 win.
Barrington junior midfielder Ryan Lauderback tallied the game winner. Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match buried a shot from close range with 4:59 left in the first sudden-death session after a throw-in by junior defender Hans Pallan found senior defender Ian Ford, who earned the assist.
"We came out in overtime with a purpose," Lauderback said. "We definitely responded positively after (Rolling Meadows) scored two goals."
The Broncos nabbed a 1-0 advantage in the 27th minute when a Pallan throw-in was controlled by senior midfielder Giles Phillips, who fed senior forward Kyle Owen for a tap-in.
Barrington made it 2-0 on a goal by Shawn Owen with 3:35 remaining in the first half. The senior midfielder delivered a solid right-footed shot in close after accepting a well-placed corner kick from senior midfielder Casy Slingo.
"I thought we played great in the first half -- we had a bunch of chances," said Barrington head coach Scott Steib, whose team finished the conference slate at 8-4-0 and takes a 15-7-0 mark into IHSA postseason play. "It seemed like (Meadows) picked up the intensity in the second half -- you could see it coming -- and we got away from moving the ball. That's a good team, so we're pleased to come in and wiggle out a win."
Rolling Meadows cut the deficit to 2-1 on a rising, 35-yard laser beam of a free kick by senior midfielder Brett Gibson in the 57th minute, and then tied the match at 2-2 with 11:38 to go in the second half on a crafty, sliding shot by junior forward Jacob Koutas.
"It took us a little bit to find a rhythm and confidence," said Mustangs coach Peter Mikulak, who watched his club fall to 9-7-2 overall and finish at 6-4-2 in league play. "Then we had better passes, 50-50 balls, and we won a few more balls in the midfield to take the pressure off the defense. The first goal gave us a lot of energy, and then Kou (Glaser) put that one off the crossbar (in the 72nd minute). We certainly played better in the second half."
Koutas said the Mustangs discussed their slow start at halftime and took Mikulak's challenge to "strive for greatness with effort and skill" to heart.
"We talked about giving effort during the play and getting together as a collective group, and the hustle was there," Koutas said.
Lauderback admitted, "Rolling Meadows brought the momentum in the second half -- we were on our heels."
Steib's halftime speech included a question: "I said, 'What would you be thinking about if this was flipped?' And Meadows showed pride, and we had a hard time matching it. They focused, so give them credit for getting back into it. It's rare to see a team control a whole match."
A slow-starting match saw Barrington pick up the pace midway through the first half. Shortly before the initial goal, sophomore defender Nash Pirie rushed the left side to deliver a ball that was headed out in traffic before it reached Mustangs senior goalkeeper Willie Mrofcza, and Shawn Owen unleashed a 70-yard free kick that resulted in a chance with 9:55 to go before the break.
Two minutes later, Slingo had a nice chance that was kicked out of the crease by Rolling Meadows senior defender Enrique Avellaneda; in the 34th minute, Phillips headed a corner kick just over the crossbar.
The Mustangs' first good opportunity in the second half came when Gibson found Avellaneda for a wicked 20-yard shot that sailed wide right in the 46th minute. Barely a minute passed before Koutas worked his way close to the Barrington goal before losing the ball, and the relentless play of senior defender Jessie Perez in the midfield area kept Rolling Meadows on the attack for a spell in the 50th minute.
Shawn Owen's rocket off the crossbar came with 8:10 to go in regulation. The Mustangs kept applying pressure down the stretch, though Pallan headed a ball over the head of Mrofcza in the final seconds.
Barrington had the better of the play throughout OT, with Pallan rebounding his own header in close to no avail with 6:40 left, followed by a header on net by Phillips about a minute before Lauderback's goal ended the match.
"I believe it's good to have a tight game right before the playoffs, especially to win in overtime," Lauderback said.
"We have to keep the momentum going into the playoffs," added Kyle Owen.
Steib concluded, "We want to go into the playoffs with momentum, so -- psychologically -- this could be a good thing for us."
The Broncos will host Stevenson at 5 p.m. Oct. 21 in a regional opener, while the Mustangs take on Addison Trail in the Elk Grove Regional at 7 p.m. Oct. 22.
Starting lineups
Barrington
GK: Alex Ruffolo
D: Tyler Anderson
D: Jason Frenk
D: Hans Pallan
D: Nash Pirie
MF: Giles Phillips
MF: Casey Slingo
MF: Brian Tapia
MF: Shawn Owen
F: Kyle Owen
F: Austin Grzebieniak
Rolling Meadows
GK: Willie Mrofcza
D: A.J. Aluquin
D: Benny Massi
D: Enrique Avellaneda
D: Jessie Perez
MF: Brett Gibson
MF: Andy Rueger
MF: Kou Glaser
MF: Jose Cruz
F: Sal D'Acquisto
F: Jacob Koutas
Man of the Match: Ryan Lauderback, Barrington
Officials: Roman Wojtan, Mike Wojtan, Zdzislaw Kujawa