Deerfield needs penalties
to down pesky Oswego
Warriors put shootout experience to good use
By Derek Wolff
LA GRANGE — In was an afternoon filled with upsets, but ninth-seeded Deerfield looked like it was in good shape -- the Warriors were dominant for most of their match with Oswego. But there was one thing missing; the Warriors couldn’t score.
Playful banter in the crowd turned to frantic moments as the daylight faded. After 90 minutes of play, neither side had made a dent in the teams’ opening match of the 2015 PepsiCo Showdown.
Then the penalties started, and Deerfield, ranked no. 22 in the Chicagoland Soccer poll, finally caught a break.
After Warriors midfielder A.J. Simo converted his shot in the first round, Oswego’s Truman Crafts sent one high over the Deerfield crossbar.
Up 3-1 later in the shootout, goalkeeper Zack Zusman sealed the deal with his second-consecutive stop to deliver the win, 0-0, 3-1 on penalties.
Senior midfielder and Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Nick Klabjan scored what turned out to be the game-winner in the third round with a right-footed strike that landed safely in the bottom-left corner of the net.
“I was really calm, no pressure,” Klabjan said. “I’ve been in this situation before. I kept eying the right side, trying to stutter-step it a little bit, slowly walk up to it.”
Deerfield’s elation was heartbreak for Oswego (1-5-0), whose physicality and static play at the back routinely turned away the Warriors' persistent thrusts into the defensive third.
“Unfortunately in the sport of soccer it’s the greatest way to win and the hardest way to lose,” said Panthers coach Brian Falli. “I give our guys plenty of credit. We played 90 minutes with the No. 9 seed, and Deerfield’s a great team.”
Warriors coach Elliott Hurtig joked that he’d like to see a team in Illinois that was more prepared to participate in a penalty shootout after what his side has been through in the past few months.
The Warriors (5-1-1) participated in PKs in Lake Forest's North Shore Shootout and went to PKs in four-of-five games in a summer tournament in Iowa.
Hurtig was relieved to get the win but said his squad needs to stay focused and missed plenty of opportunities to win in regulation.
“Honestly, I think we know that we’ve got a very good, skilled team," Hurtig said. "But we kind of assume because we’re so technically strong that we can just take the field and that will take care of itself, and we’ll possess and then finish.
“The problem is we have lapses where we’re not playing with the focus that we need, and I thought that was felt really strongly in today’s game. I thought we struggled with how to beat the press that Oswego was doing on us.
"We weren’t very creative; the chances that we had, especially in the first half, I thought we for sure should have put away two and we missed them both.”
Throughout regulation, it just seemed like a matter of time before Deerfield broke the deadlock. Forward Colin Hinds broke into the 18 in the 18th minute, playing a chip shot that looked like it was going to give the Warriors the early lead.
But Oswego goalkeeper Nick Kearns made a fantastic save, reaching out to get a finger or two on the ball to tip it over the crossbar.
Deerfield had another A-plus chance in the 29th minute right in front of goal.
Steven Shore rifled a cross from the right side into the 18, connecting with a streaking Simo about 2 feet away from the goal line.
Simo’s diving header seemingly had no space to miss, but it bounded over the crossbar to keep the score level.
The second half produced more scoring chances for Deerfield as well as several stoppages for injuries and a pair of Oswego yellow cards.
As the game dragged on, an understanding that it could all come down to penalties hit home with the Warriors, Klabjan said.
“Sometimes in the game of soccer, not always the best team wins,” Klabjan said. “Today it was (almost) like that. We deserved it, and we’re moving on.”
Falli credited his side with hanging in and said Oswego gained valuable experience for later in the season.
“We didn’t crack,” Falli said. “Both sides played great, but unfortunately it’s a 0-0 tie that goes to PKs.
“It’s a learning experience, especially preparing for conference and the state tournament. PKs are part of that, so definitely this was our first taste of it. We’ll move on and learn from this.”
Starting lineups
Oswego
GK Nick Kearns
D Jesse Corneliusen
D Grant Swanigan
D Steven Strange
D Nathan Montgomery
M Blake Biery
M JC Mora
M Luke Moran
F Ryan Baumann
F Alfredo Brenes
F Mitch Kearby
Deerfield
GK Zack Zusman
D Ari Patterson
D Evan Gerke
D Michael Such
D Will Schmetterer
M A.J. Simo
M Nick Klabjan
M Matt Record
F Steven Shore
F Eli Perez
F Matt Grady
Man of the Match: Nick Klabjan, MF, Deerfield
to down pesky Oswego
Warriors put shootout experience to good use
By Derek Wolff
LA GRANGE — In was an afternoon filled with upsets, but ninth-seeded Deerfield looked like it was in good shape -- the Warriors were dominant for most of their match with Oswego. But there was one thing missing; the Warriors couldn’t score.
Playful banter in the crowd turned to frantic moments as the daylight faded. After 90 minutes of play, neither side had made a dent in the teams’ opening match of the 2015 PepsiCo Showdown.
Then the penalties started, and Deerfield, ranked no. 22 in the Chicagoland Soccer poll, finally caught a break.
After Warriors midfielder A.J. Simo converted his shot in the first round, Oswego’s Truman Crafts sent one high over the Deerfield crossbar.
Up 3-1 later in the shootout, goalkeeper Zack Zusman sealed the deal with his second-consecutive stop to deliver the win, 0-0, 3-1 on penalties.
Senior midfielder and Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Nick Klabjan scored what turned out to be the game-winner in the third round with a right-footed strike that landed safely in the bottom-left corner of the net.
“I was really calm, no pressure,” Klabjan said. “I’ve been in this situation before. I kept eying the right side, trying to stutter-step it a little bit, slowly walk up to it.”
Deerfield’s elation was heartbreak for Oswego (1-5-0), whose physicality and static play at the back routinely turned away the Warriors' persistent thrusts into the defensive third.
“Unfortunately in the sport of soccer it’s the greatest way to win and the hardest way to lose,” said Panthers coach Brian Falli. “I give our guys plenty of credit. We played 90 minutes with the No. 9 seed, and Deerfield’s a great team.”
Warriors coach Elliott Hurtig joked that he’d like to see a team in Illinois that was more prepared to participate in a penalty shootout after what his side has been through in the past few months.
The Warriors (5-1-1) participated in PKs in Lake Forest's North Shore Shootout and went to PKs in four-of-five games in a summer tournament in Iowa.
Hurtig was relieved to get the win but said his squad needs to stay focused and missed plenty of opportunities to win in regulation.
“Honestly, I think we know that we’ve got a very good, skilled team," Hurtig said. "But we kind of assume because we’re so technically strong that we can just take the field and that will take care of itself, and we’ll possess and then finish.
“The problem is we have lapses where we’re not playing with the focus that we need, and I thought that was felt really strongly in today’s game. I thought we struggled with how to beat the press that Oswego was doing on us.
"We weren’t very creative; the chances that we had, especially in the first half, I thought we for sure should have put away two and we missed them both.”
Throughout regulation, it just seemed like a matter of time before Deerfield broke the deadlock. Forward Colin Hinds broke into the 18 in the 18th minute, playing a chip shot that looked like it was going to give the Warriors the early lead.
But Oswego goalkeeper Nick Kearns made a fantastic save, reaching out to get a finger or two on the ball to tip it over the crossbar.
Deerfield had another A-plus chance in the 29th minute right in front of goal.
Steven Shore rifled a cross from the right side into the 18, connecting with a streaking Simo about 2 feet away from the goal line.
Simo’s diving header seemingly had no space to miss, but it bounded over the crossbar to keep the score level.
The second half produced more scoring chances for Deerfield as well as several stoppages for injuries and a pair of Oswego yellow cards.
As the game dragged on, an understanding that it could all come down to penalties hit home with the Warriors, Klabjan said.
“Sometimes in the game of soccer, not always the best team wins,” Klabjan said. “Today it was (almost) like that. We deserved it, and we’re moving on.”
Falli credited his side with hanging in and said Oswego gained valuable experience for later in the season.
“We didn’t crack,” Falli said. “Both sides played great, but unfortunately it’s a 0-0 tie that goes to PKs.
“It’s a learning experience, especially preparing for conference and the state tournament. PKs are part of that, so definitely this was our first taste of it. We’ll move on and learn from this.”
Starting lineups
Oswego
GK Nick Kearns
D Jesse Corneliusen
D Grant Swanigan
D Steven Strange
D Nathan Montgomery
M Blake Biery
M JC Mora
M Luke Moran
F Ryan Baumann
F Alfredo Brenes
F Mitch Kearby
Deerfield
GK Zack Zusman
D Ari Patterson
D Evan Gerke
D Michael Such
D Will Schmetterer
M A.J. Simo
M Nick Klabjan
M Matt Record
F Steven Shore
F Eli Perez
F Matt Grady
Man of the Match: Nick Klabjan, MF, Deerfield