Batavia and Plainfield C.
fit to be tied by nature
Bulldogs, Wildcats battle to 47-minute draw
By Steve Nemeth
BATAVIA -- Host Batavia and Plainfield Central both scored a goal before intermission, but Mother Nature prevailed in the second half.
After the two sides fidgeted through a 30-minute weather delay in the safety of a hallway outside Batavia’s fieldhouse, officials thought the lightning had cleared the area. Unfortunately, as the teams returned to the field to warm up for the final 33:02 of the second half, another flash across the sky meant the 1-1 deadlock became the official outcome of Thursday’s nonconference game.
It was the type of outcome that either side could spin positively.
For the Bulldogs (0-2-1), the draw included their first goal of 2015 and meant avoiding a three-game skid.
“It should help our confidence,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “We needed to build toward a win after those first two, and we had more positives to build upon.”
For the visiting Wildcats (3-0-2), an unbeaten start continues, as does the reality of scoring on every opponent to date.
“It’s early in the year, but this was the first time we trailed, and we showed we can respond,” Plainfield Central coach Kevin Fitzgerald added.
With a family obligation delaying Gianfrancesco’s arrival, assistant Ryan Kuhn had the Bulldogs aiming for a quick start. They accomplished that 3:56 into the match when sophomore Brandon Knapp’s cross was turned into a goal by senior Luke Laurich.
“I saw Brandon take the ball down toward the end line, and he played a great ball into the 6-yard box for me to work with,” Laurich explained. “With their keeper starting to come out, I gave a little fake to freeze him so I could work into position to slot the ball into an empty net. We’ve got a lot of season ahead of us, but after our first two games, it was most important that we focus on getting a first goal.”
Understanding the significance of Batavia’s need for a quality start and then making it happen made Laurich the pick for Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match accolade.
Batavia began the year losing at Neuqua Valley with a sophomore goalie, and despite having senior Jimmy Perreault back in net for game two against East Aurora, the Bulldogs couldn’t find the back of the goal and felll short 1-0.
“We had several energetic practices and needed to carry those into this match. Part of that was practicing our crosses and finishing,” Knapp said. “When I noticed Luke running into the middle, it was all about giving him a chance to work with the ball. Being on the assist end of a play is just as gratifying, knowing you were a part of a score.”
Just over eight minutes later, Plainfield Central had a threat by Max Woodward from the left side, but Perreault made a solid save.
Unfortunately for Batavia, that wasn’t possible with 26:37 left before intermission as Woodward initiated the Wildcat equalizer. The junior combined with Josh De Avila to set up Edgar Cardenas for a diving 7-yard header.
“When Edgar gave me the pass, I knew he would make an overlapping run, and I saw that Josh (De Avila) was in position to feed him,” Woodward noted.
Cardenas described his fourth goal of the year, saying, “When Josh got the ball on the outside, I was near the back post but repositioned myself toward the front post for a better chance to score. Diving for the header was what it took to score, so that’s what I did.”
With 6:20 remaining before halftime, De Avila had a left-side blast that Perreault once again stopped cold. With 3:53 showing, Batavia’s Erik Faessler had a curving cross that required Plainfield Central goalie Shane Badertscher to make a tip save. Just over a minute before the break, Woodward had a left wing blast carom off the field goal crossbar.
The second half began with Perreault rising high to snare a dangerous corner kick, and minutes later he rushed out to stop a breakaway threat. But then came a flash of lightning deemed too close for comfort.
“Luke, Erik, Matt (Allen) and Nathan (Carey) have been leading by example with their experience and attitude,” Gianfrancesco said. “They’ve kept things positive and continue to put the emphasis on the next practice, the next match, and not dwell on anything that’s already happened. Once again, that’s part of building toward a win.”
Batavia has a pair of home dates (Sept. 5 with Oswego and Sept. 9 with West Chicago) before venturing south for the Morton Invitational, a quality tournament in which the Bulldogs finished second last year. Batavia beat Romeoville and sectional finalist Edwardsville en route to a championship showdown with Rochester that finished in a 0-0 deadlock. However, the Class 2A Elite Eight squad got the first-place trophy thanks to a 6-5 penalty kick shootout result.
After a road test at Bolingbrook, Plainfield Central hopes to add to a 1-0 Southwest Prairie Conference start with a Tuesday showdown against league powerhouse Plainfield North.
“We believe anyone can win our conference, so we’ve worked really hard. Several of us have played together on a travel club, so our chemistry is as strong as ever,” Cardenas said.
Fitzgerald stated, “We schedule Batavia knowing they’re a good, well-coached and physically strong team that will help us improve. This may not have been our best soccer, but we continued to battle and play together as a team. A good example of that today was Phil Garcia off the bench. He’s given us an outstanding effort everywhere on the field. He’s adjusted to any position and done well no matter what’s asked of him. He’s probably going to be in the starting lineup real soon.”
Starting lineups
Plainfield Central
G Shane Badertscher
D Jose Cardenas
D Ish Contreras
D Gustavo Sanchez
D Matt Geib
M Edgar Cardenas
M Ricky Garcia
M Josh De Avila
M Jared Petrovic
F Joel Sanchez
F Max Woodward
Batavia
G Jimmy Perreault
D Bruno Siegel
D Trevor Hockings
D Bryant Kintz
D Daniel Zagoren
M Davis DiBiase
M Nathan Carey
M Matt Allen
M Brandon Knapp
F Erik Faessler
F Luke Laurich
Man of the Match: Luke Laurich, F, Batavia
Referees: Mike Montani (center), Glenn Sogge, Guy Ross
fit to be tied by nature
Bulldogs, Wildcats battle to 47-minute draw
By Steve Nemeth
BATAVIA -- Host Batavia and Plainfield Central both scored a goal before intermission, but Mother Nature prevailed in the second half.
After the two sides fidgeted through a 30-minute weather delay in the safety of a hallway outside Batavia’s fieldhouse, officials thought the lightning had cleared the area. Unfortunately, as the teams returned to the field to warm up for the final 33:02 of the second half, another flash across the sky meant the 1-1 deadlock became the official outcome of Thursday’s nonconference game.
It was the type of outcome that either side could spin positively.
For the Bulldogs (0-2-1), the draw included their first goal of 2015 and meant avoiding a three-game skid.
“It should help our confidence,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “We needed to build toward a win after those first two, and we had more positives to build upon.”
For the visiting Wildcats (3-0-2), an unbeaten start continues, as does the reality of scoring on every opponent to date.
“It’s early in the year, but this was the first time we trailed, and we showed we can respond,” Plainfield Central coach Kevin Fitzgerald added.
With a family obligation delaying Gianfrancesco’s arrival, assistant Ryan Kuhn had the Bulldogs aiming for a quick start. They accomplished that 3:56 into the match when sophomore Brandon Knapp’s cross was turned into a goal by senior Luke Laurich.
“I saw Brandon take the ball down toward the end line, and he played a great ball into the 6-yard box for me to work with,” Laurich explained. “With their keeper starting to come out, I gave a little fake to freeze him so I could work into position to slot the ball into an empty net. We’ve got a lot of season ahead of us, but after our first two games, it was most important that we focus on getting a first goal.”
Understanding the significance of Batavia’s need for a quality start and then making it happen made Laurich the pick for Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match accolade.
Batavia began the year losing at Neuqua Valley with a sophomore goalie, and despite having senior Jimmy Perreault back in net for game two against East Aurora, the Bulldogs couldn’t find the back of the goal and felll short 1-0.
“We had several energetic practices and needed to carry those into this match. Part of that was practicing our crosses and finishing,” Knapp said. “When I noticed Luke running into the middle, it was all about giving him a chance to work with the ball. Being on the assist end of a play is just as gratifying, knowing you were a part of a score.”
Just over eight minutes later, Plainfield Central had a threat by Max Woodward from the left side, but Perreault made a solid save.
Unfortunately for Batavia, that wasn’t possible with 26:37 left before intermission as Woodward initiated the Wildcat equalizer. The junior combined with Josh De Avila to set up Edgar Cardenas for a diving 7-yard header.
“When Edgar gave me the pass, I knew he would make an overlapping run, and I saw that Josh (De Avila) was in position to feed him,” Woodward noted.
Cardenas described his fourth goal of the year, saying, “When Josh got the ball on the outside, I was near the back post but repositioned myself toward the front post for a better chance to score. Diving for the header was what it took to score, so that’s what I did.”
With 6:20 remaining before halftime, De Avila had a left-side blast that Perreault once again stopped cold. With 3:53 showing, Batavia’s Erik Faessler had a curving cross that required Plainfield Central goalie Shane Badertscher to make a tip save. Just over a minute before the break, Woodward had a left wing blast carom off the field goal crossbar.
The second half began with Perreault rising high to snare a dangerous corner kick, and minutes later he rushed out to stop a breakaway threat. But then came a flash of lightning deemed too close for comfort.
“Luke, Erik, Matt (Allen) and Nathan (Carey) have been leading by example with their experience and attitude,” Gianfrancesco said. “They’ve kept things positive and continue to put the emphasis on the next practice, the next match, and not dwell on anything that’s already happened. Once again, that’s part of building toward a win.”
Batavia has a pair of home dates (Sept. 5 with Oswego and Sept. 9 with West Chicago) before venturing south for the Morton Invitational, a quality tournament in which the Bulldogs finished second last year. Batavia beat Romeoville and sectional finalist Edwardsville en route to a championship showdown with Rochester that finished in a 0-0 deadlock. However, the Class 2A Elite Eight squad got the first-place trophy thanks to a 6-5 penalty kick shootout result.
After a road test at Bolingbrook, Plainfield Central hopes to add to a 1-0 Southwest Prairie Conference start with a Tuesday showdown against league powerhouse Plainfield North.
“We believe anyone can win our conference, so we’ve worked really hard. Several of us have played together on a travel club, so our chemistry is as strong as ever,” Cardenas said.
Fitzgerald stated, “We schedule Batavia knowing they’re a good, well-coached and physically strong team that will help us improve. This may not have been our best soccer, but we continued to battle and play together as a team. A good example of that today was Phil Garcia off the bench. He’s given us an outstanding effort everywhere on the field. He’s adjusted to any position and done well no matter what’s asked of him. He’s probably going to be in the starting lineup real soon.”
Starting lineups
Plainfield Central
G Shane Badertscher
D Jose Cardenas
D Ish Contreras
D Gustavo Sanchez
D Matt Geib
M Edgar Cardenas
M Ricky Garcia
M Josh De Avila
M Jared Petrovic
F Joel Sanchez
F Max Woodward
Batavia
G Jimmy Perreault
D Bruno Siegel
D Trevor Hockings
D Bryant Kintz
D Daniel Zagoren
M Davis DiBiase
M Nathan Carey
M Matt Allen
M Brandon Knapp
F Erik Faessler
F Luke Laurich
Man of the Match: Luke Laurich, F, Batavia
Referees: Mike Montani (center), Glenn Sogge, Guy Ross