Batavia discovers revenge
is sweet vs. Neuqua Valley
Bulldogs avenge UEC crossover loss and end Wildcats' season
By Chris Walker
AURORA – He did it as a freshman. Could he also do it as a senior?
It was three years ago, almost to the day, when Ian Larson, just a freshman who began his first high school season playing at the lower levels, had a pair of assists to lift Batavia to a 2-1 victory over Waubonsie Valley for the team’s first regional title since 1995.
On Saturday night, Larson gave the Bulldogs their first regional title since that one in 2011, scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Neuqua Valley in the Class 3A Metea Valley regional.
“This was obviously a big win for us,” Larson said. “Coming in, we knew how strong they were, especially having lost to them. In the first half it went both ways, and neither team was able to settle in and do what they wanted. But once we got that first goal, we knew we could get more.”
Batavia (18-2-3) broke the scoreless tie in the 60th minute after Kevin Collins was taken down just outside of the penalty area.
“I don’t know what happened because I had so much adrenaline going,” Collins said. “I was looking to cut back and go to my left foot and see if someone was making a back post run or take a shot. I felt something hit me in my legs and I went down.”
Larson took his time setting up for the 21-yard free kick, and his patience proved rewarding. He used his left foot to perfectly curl in what would hold up as the game winner.
“They put four or five into the wall, and I figured the keeper would be screened and I could test his reflexes,” Larson said. “So I just put it hard and low.”
While holding up a regional plaque was monumental for Larson, he also now has another Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match T-shirt to don at his leisure.
“He put away his chances,” Neuqua Valley coach Skip Begley said. “I think you saw the real Batavia team tonight. They were well organized and stopped the few chances we had, and they made the most of a few of theirs.”
Falling behind by a goal in a soccer game can really bury a team, but it’s even more devastating when it happens with only 20 minutes remaining, especially when it occurs in a win-or-go-home playoff game.
“It’s tough because you have two sides that are working equally hard at both ends and one side finally converts one of their chances,” Neuqua Valley senior Reed Kurtenbach said. “That’s difficult to overcome. We did what we could and pushed our numbers to try to get a goal, but that also cost us two goals. It doesn’t make a difference, though. You might as well try to win because whether you go out 1-0 or 3-0 it’s the same.”
Neuqua Valley (14-8-0) had beaten Batavia 3-1 on Oct. 14 in the Upstate Eight Conference crossover championship. It should be noted that the Bulldogs were not at full strength in that game, although that doesn’t take away from the fact that the Wildcats dominated most of that match while receiving a hat trick from Ryan Ross.
The Bulldogs made sure that Ross was unable to replicate his big night from earlier this month. They did a phenomenal job of limiting his touches.
“That was the focus for tonight and that was Nick Konopacki and Joe Jorgensen,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “That was 2v1 and communication and step on him when we had the chance, and that obviously was those two guys.”
While those two certainly bottled up Ross in the back, it was the effort in the midfield that allowed Batavia to keep the ball away from Neuqua Valley's standout striker.
“Those guys in front did a great job of not getting balls served in there,” Gianfrancesco added. “(Adam) Heinz, (Kevin) Collins, Luke (Laurich) and Eric (Faessler). Those guys closed their mids down so they couldn’t get the ball into him, so they stopped him. That was our preventative defense.”
Gianfrancesco was able to use the latest technology and the Internet to motivate the Bulldogs. He shared the Naperville Community Television, Channel 17, clip from the 3-1 loss to Neuqua Valley with the entire team.
“I think it’s always motivation when you get to play a team a second time, and with us that Naperville channel had a 3 1/2-minute clip of the game, so all my guys got to see that on Friday and watched that over and over with Ross scoring three goals. We hadn’t allowed three goals all season, so I think that helped us refocus and get ready.”
Collins agreed.
“I talked to a bunch of my teammates, and we all felt that was the best thing that could’ve happened to us,” he said. “We could’ve lost before that but we kept getting wins even though we weren’t playing well. We wanted to get revenge in a sense, but more importantly we wanted to bring the old us back, the team that played well for the full 80 minutes. I think we did that (on Saturday).”
On the flip side, the Wildcats didn’t look as sharp as they did when they previously met the Bulldogs, nor during their relatively strong finish to the regular season.
“We just were not in sync tonight,” Neuqua Valley coach Skip Begley said. “Not sure what it was, but you see it all the time in the playoffs. Their guy converted and played well, and we struggled.”
In the end, that previous matchup against the Bulldogs didn’t really benefit the Wildcats.
“I told a lot of people that a 3-1 game on a 52-yard-wide field on a rainy night with other kids in the game meant nothing compared to tonight,” Begley said. “The real Batavia team tonight didn’t allow us many chances and was well organized in back. We never really tested their keeper.”
The Wildcats were a senior-heavy team, so this final loss will sting even more, but shouldn’t take away from their strong campaign.
“You see this throughout the state and you saw it happen to St. Charles East (on Friday),” Begley said. “That’s was a (No. 1. vs. No. 8) and this was a (No. 2 vs. No. 7), so it’s tough. It’s always rough to see the end for a nice group of high school kids.”
Still, Begley was pleased with the accomplishments the Wildcats made all season.
“They won 14 games and the conference. They had a nice run at the end of the season, and I think you always want to play some of your best soccer at the end, and they did,” he said. “I think if you asked most of them, they’d probably say we didn’t click tonight. We got out of our game a bit and let the officials and circumstances get to us. We have to be better at controlling our emotions, but all in all, I’m happy with the kids and the effort, but just not the result.”
Batavia moves on to take on Benet on Wednesday as the ridiculously difficult Class 3A Bolingbrook Sectional is now down to only four teams, with Naperville Central and Naperville North ready to clash in Tuesday’s first semifinal.
Batavia and Benet haven’t played this season, but Gianfrancesco was able to scout them earlier on Saturday when the Red Wings edged Geneva 2-1.
“I think if we keep playing the way we’re playing, we’ve got a good chance because we’ve got multiple guys that can create for us,” he said. “If Ian gets his chances, he’ll put them away, and we also have other guys who have shown they can finish, so it should be a good one.”
At least for Sunday, and maybe a bit of Monday and Tuesday, the Bulldogs can enjoy their regional title, although there’s no doubt they’ll be working hard in preparing for Benet and slowing down their well-regarded striker Kyle Kenagy.
“It’s always fun to win a regional, but there’s always that next game,” Collins said. “We’ve got to be prepared for Benet. They’re a good team, but we’re also a good team. It should be a good game.”
If the Bulldogs can overcome the Red Wings, they’ll play for a sectional title, something the school hasn’t won since 1993.
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK: Brady Moody
D: Joel Algrem
D: Reed Kurtenbach
D: Max Plesh
D: Jack Schoonenberg
MF: Kas Baladi
MF: Jacob Graham
MF: Xavi Ortiz
MF: Doug Smith
F: Austin Flatt
F: Ryan Ross
Batavia
GK: Jonathan Faraone
D: Nick Konopacki
D: Mason Parlatore
D: Daniel Zagoren
MF: Erik Faessler
MF: Adam Heinz
MF: Ian Larson
MF: Luke Laurich
MF: Brandon Yunker
F: Kevin Collins
F: Joe Jorgensen
Man of the Match: Ian Larson, Batavia
Officials: John Flynn Jr., Scott Lichtfuss, Mel Sinnook
is sweet vs. Neuqua Valley
Bulldogs avenge UEC crossover loss and end Wildcats' season
By Chris Walker
AURORA – He did it as a freshman. Could he also do it as a senior?
It was three years ago, almost to the day, when Ian Larson, just a freshman who began his first high school season playing at the lower levels, had a pair of assists to lift Batavia to a 2-1 victory over Waubonsie Valley for the team’s first regional title since 1995.
On Saturday night, Larson gave the Bulldogs their first regional title since that one in 2011, scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Neuqua Valley in the Class 3A Metea Valley regional.
“This was obviously a big win for us,” Larson said. “Coming in, we knew how strong they were, especially having lost to them. In the first half it went both ways, and neither team was able to settle in and do what they wanted. But once we got that first goal, we knew we could get more.”
Batavia (18-2-3) broke the scoreless tie in the 60th minute after Kevin Collins was taken down just outside of the penalty area.
“I don’t know what happened because I had so much adrenaline going,” Collins said. “I was looking to cut back and go to my left foot and see if someone was making a back post run or take a shot. I felt something hit me in my legs and I went down.”
Larson took his time setting up for the 21-yard free kick, and his patience proved rewarding. He used his left foot to perfectly curl in what would hold up as the game winner.
“They put four or five into the wall, and I figured the keeper would be screened and I could test his reflexes,” Larson said. “So I just put it hard and low.”
While holding up a regional plaque was monumental for Larson, he also now has another Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match T-shirt to don at his leisure.
“He put away his chances,” Neuqua Valley coach Skip Begley said. “I think you saw the real Batavia team tonight. They were well organized and stopped the few chances we had, and they made the most of a few of theirs.”
Falling behind by a goal in a soccer game can really bury a team, but it’s even more devastating when it happens with only 20 minutes remaining, especially when it occurs in a win-or-go-home playoff game.
“It’s tough because you have two sides that are working equally hard at both ends and one side finally converts one of their chances,” Neuqua Valley senior Reed Kurtenbach said. “That’s difficult to overcome. We did what we could and pushed our numbers to try to get a goal, but that also cost us two goals. It doesn’t make a difference, though. You might as well try to win because whether you go out 1-0 or 3-0 it’s the same.”
Neuqua Valley (14-8-0) had beaten Batavia 3-1 on Oct. 14 in the Upstate Eight Conference crossover championship. It should be noted that the Bulldogs were not at full strength in that game, although that doesn’t take away from the fact that the Wildcats dominated most of that match while receiving a hat trick from Ryan Ross.
The Bulldogs made sure that Ross was unable to replicate his big night from earlier this month. They did a phenomenal job of limiting his touches.
“That was the focus for tonight and that was Nick Konopacki and Joe Jorgensen,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “That was 2v1 and communication and step on him when we had the chance, and that obviously was those two guys.”
While those two certainly bottled up Ross in the back, it was the effort in the midfield that allowed Batavia to keep the ball away from Neuqua Valley's standout striker.
“Those guys in front did a great job of not getting balls served in there,” Gianfrancesco added. “(Adam) Heinz, (Kevin) Collins, Luke (Laurich) and Eric (Faessler). Those guys closed their mids down so they couldn’t get the ball into him, so they stopped him. That was our preventative defense.”
Gianfrancesco was able to use the latest technology and the Internet to motivate the Bulldogs. He shared the Naperville Community Television, Channel 17, clip from the 3-1 loss to Neuqua Valley with the entire team.
“I think it’s always motivation when you get to play a team a second time, and with us that Naperville channel had a 3 1/2-minute clip of the game, so all my guys got to see that on Friday and watched that over and over with Ross scoring three goals. We hadn’t allowed three goals all season, so I think that helped us refocus and get ready.”
Collins agreed.
“I talked to a bunch of my teammates, and we all felt that was the best thing that could’ve happened to us,” he said. “We could’ve lost before that but we kept getting wins even though we weren’t playing well. We wanted to get revenge in a sense, but more importantly we wanted to bring the old us back, the team that played well for the full 80 minutes. I think we did that (on Saturday).”
On the flip side, the Wildcats didn’t look as sharp as they did when they previously met the Bulldogs, nor during their relatively strong finish to the regular season.
“We just were not in sync tonight,” Neuqua Valley coach Skip Begley said. “Not sure what it was, but you see it all the time in the playoffs. Their guy converted and played well, and we struggled.”
In the end, that previous matchup against the Bulldogs didn’t really benefit the Wildcats.
“I told a lot of people that a 3-1 game on a 52-yard-wide field on a rainy night with other kids in the game meant nothing compared to tonight,” Begley said. “The real Batavia team tonight didn’t allow us many chances and was well organized in back. We never really tested their keeper.”
The Wildcats were a senior-heavy team, so this final loss will sting even more, but shouldn’t take away from their strong campaign.
“You see this throughout the state and you saw it happen to St. Charles East (on Friday),” Begley said. “That’s was a (No. 1. vs. No. 8) and this was a (No. 2 vs. No. 7), so it’s tough. It’s always rough to see the end for a nice group of high school kids.”
Still, Begley was pleased with the accomplishments the Wildcats made all season.
“They won 14 games and the conference. They had a nice run at the end of the season, and I think you always want to play some of your best soccer at the end, and they did,” he said. “I think if you asked most of them, they’d probably say we didn’t click tonight. We got out of our game a bit and let the officials and circumstances get to us. We have to be better at controlling our emotions, but all in all, I’m happy with the kids and the effort, but just not the result.”
Batavia moves on to take on Benet on Wednesday as the ridiculously difficult Class 3A Bolingbrook Sectional is now down to only four teams, with Naperville Central and Naperville North ready to clash in Tuesday’s first semifinal.
Batavia and Benet haven’t played this season, but Gianfrancesco was able to scout them earlier on Saturday when the Red Wings edged Geneva 2-1.
“I think if we keep playing the way we’re playing, we’ve got a good chance because we’ve got multiple guys that can create for us,” he said. “If Ian gets his chances, he’ll put them away, and we also have other guys who have shown they can finish, so it should be a good one.”
At least for Sunday, and maybe a bit of Monday and Tuesday, the Bulldogs can enjoy their regional title, although there’s no doubt they’ll be working hard in preparing for Benet and slowing down their well-regarded striker Kyle Kenagy.
“It’s always fun to win a regional, but there’s always that next game,” Collins said. “We’ve got to be prepared for Benet. They’re a good team, but we’re also a good team. It should be a good game.”
If the Bulldogs can overcome the Red Wings, they’ll play for a sectional title, something the school hasn’t won since 1993.
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK: Brady Moody
D: Joel Algrem
D: Reed Kurtenbach
D: Max Plesh
D: Jack Schoonenberg
MF: Kas Baladi
MF: Jacob Graham
MF: Xavi Ortiz
MF: Doug Smith
F: Austin Flatt
F: Ryan Ross
Batavia
GK: Jonathan Faraone
D: Nick Konopacki
D: Mason Parlatore
D: Daniel Zagoren
MF: Erik Faessler
MF: Adam Heinz
MF: Ian Larson
MF: Luke Laurich
MF: Brandon Yunker
F: Kevin Collins
F: Joe Jorgensen
Man of the Match: Ian Larson, Batavia
Officials: John Flynn Jr., Scott Lichtfuss, Mel Sinnook