Morton speed, restarts
frustrate Downers South
Mustangs' unbeaten streak ends at 12 with 2-0 loss
By Dave Owen
BERWYN -- Perfection finally ended for Downers Grove South with Tuesday’s 2-0 loss at Morton, but the Mustangs earned a spot in the school record books.
“It’s Sept. 30 and it’s our first loss,” said Downers South coach Jon Stapleton. “They tied a 31-year program record with a 12-game unbeaten streak. The 1983 team that went Downstate had a 12 (game streak). The ’04 (state championship) team had an 11 and a nine.
“So when we talk about making a mark on this program, I think they did that. Now we have a chance to start a new (streak). That’s the way we’re going to look at it.”
Downers South (9-1-3, 2-1 in the WSC Gold) had pushed through a series of injuries all season to remain the last undefeated Chicagoland Soccer squad.
But Tuesday, host Morton (15-1-2, 3-0) finally solved the Mustangs and took control of the conference title race.
Downers South had great chances early – Nick Rohl broke in on right wing twice in the first 11 minutes for shots inside 18 yards, only to be denied each time on saves by Morton goalkeeper Ian Chacon.
With 27:16 left in the first half, Morton’s own speed and athleticism produced the ultimate deciding goal. Mario Romero nicely sidestepped a defender and sent a 12-yard shot just wide of the frame, but Romero went to the ground on a push and a foul was called. Romero drove in the ensuing penalty kick for a 1-0 lead.
“I saw the defender was going to get his foot in, I put my foot in and he hit me,” Romero said. “I felt the touch and fell down.”
Romero earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his high-speed efforts all night. One could argue that an Emmy nomination for drawing a penalty kick on the goal is possible.
“I thought in the first half we had opportunities,” Stapleton said, “but that PK call kind of took us out of the game a little bit unfortunately. If they (officials) see it that way (as a foul), that happens and what are you going to do.”
Downers South did what it could to come back. Goalkeeper Sam Dumford made a great save on a Leo Delgado shot with 25:55 left, then the Mustangs’ offense responded.
Eric Diaz lined an 18-yard blast just over the net, then Rohl sped in again on the right side for his third and best chance of the night 22:40 before halftime. Chacon again raced off his line to make a sliding kick save of the 16-yard shot.
“I thought our kids kept their composure, especially after the PK, and just kind of kept playing,” Stapleton said. “Nick Rohl had a great chance early in the match that would have tied it at 1. We had a lot of positives.”
Another of those was the extra effort all night by defenders like Andrew Dobosenski and Matt Buczko.
Buczko played with a heavily padded hand brace to protect a broken finger suffered Saturday against Fenton, but he wasn’t slowed down at all. He raced in from the side to deny a point-blank chance with 13:45 left in the half.
Dobosenski had an incredible two-minute stretch midway through the first half: a steal at midfield, a diving header just inside midfield to start a counterattack, then yet another midfield steal and long ball.
Fellow standout defender Kyle Harty then kept tight defense on quick Morton midfielder Edgar Garcia to force a 12-yard shot wide, and Peter Becht (blocked initial shot) and Buczko (clear) combined to deny another first-half threat. Joe Caldarazzo ably filled in for injured midfielder Peter Fish.
For Dobosenski, limiting Morton's chances was a team effort.
“We worked in practice specifically for Morton and a defensive play,” he said. “When one (Morton) player runs all the way across, you have to make sure you alternate them across – once one person got out of position, you had to trust a teammate to step up.
“You couldn’t follow (Morton players) around because their speed will kill you every time. They have crazy agility. They’ll get past you easily, so you have to use everybody you can and play almost a zone.”
Downers South’s plan excelled at denying Morton chances through the flow of play. But restarts were another challenge.
Two straight Morton corner kicks in the 33rd minute were dangerous and eventually productive. With 7:01 left, Jorge Mercado’s corner to the front was headed in by defender Rafael Herrera for a 2-0 lead.
For a Downers South defense that had allowed five goals all year, the two on Tuesday were still nothing to hand their heads about.
“The positive for us is that we didn’t give up a goal in the run of play,” Stapleton said. “There was the PK and then the corner kick. That being said, we have to manage those things better.”
Downers South managed to deny Morton the rest of the night in an even second half. Dumford’s great sliding save of Garcia’s 15-yard shot with 33:05 left stopped a big Morton chance, and defender Griffin Overbeck later made a nice one-on-one play to deny a Garcia chance in the box.
Dobosenski turned defense into offense, following a steal with a long run up the middle of the field that eventually required an Edgar Olaguez clear of the box.
Downers South produced good chances late by Alexander Escamilla (a 24-yard shot just wide off a nice Diaz feed), Harty (a 20-yard one-timer over the net with 7:25 to go) and Jason Galik (a 23-yard free kick chipped wide right with 1:30 left).
“We knew they had a couple dangerous forwards up top,” Morton coach Mike Caruso said, “and I thought Diego Lopez at center back did a great job with his size, and Edgar Olaguez in the back. Ian made a couple of big saves in the first half that kept them at zero. That was a difference maker to have it 2-0 at halftime.”
Garcia echoed his coach’s concerns about Downers South forwards Rohl and Diaz.
“We were trying to shut down their top forwards because they were doing a lot of the work,” Garcia said, “but we were well composed and well strategized to make sure they didn’t go through us.
“It’s probably the toughest game we’ll have in conference. Now hopefully we’ll keep going.”
Downers South also plans to fight onward, now with a little extra motivation.
“Everybody knows how it feels to lose now,” Dobosenski said. “It’s such a crappy feeling. I don’t think anybody wants to do it again, so we’ll all put in 110 percent effort I’m sure because we don’t want to feel like this again.”
Downers South’s response to a tough first half was a good sign going forward to the critical October playoff stretch.
“Our guys played hard even late in the match,” Stapleton said. “I know they (Morton) possessed a lot of the second half, but I wouldn’t say they were too dangerous.
“We asked these guys early in the year to compete and play for each other, and they’ve done that. The calendar turns to October and it’s another challenge for us – how we rebound from this. Even at halftime down 2-0, let’s learn from it.”
Fresh off winning the Pepsi Showdown, Morton likely won the WSC Gold championship with Tuesday’s result.
“This was a huge win,” Romero said. “Coach said before this game this would probably decide conference. Downers Grove South is a good team. They have good players, but thank God we came out with a win.”
And the 2014 portion of the Morton-Downers South soccer rivalry may not even be over.
“We may see them again the playoffs,” Caruso said. “I know we got two goals tonight, but by no means will we overlook them if we play them again in that sectional.”
“We very well could see them in a sectional if we get through,” Stapleton said, “and that would be great to get a second opportunity. Our kids would relish that.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
G-Sam Dumford
D-Griffin Overbeck
D-Andrew Dobosenski
D-Kyle Harty
D-Matt Buczko
M-Peter Becht
M-Hunter Thoren
M-Joe Caldarazzo
M-Jason Galik
F-Eric Diaz
F-Nick Rohl
Morton
G-Ian Chacon
D-Rafael Herrera
D-Diego Aguilar
D-Diego Lopez
D-Edgar Olaguez
M-Mario Romero
M-Edgar Garcia
M-Leo Delgado
M-Ronnie Rivera
F-Jorge Mercado
F-Steven Tovar
Man of the Match: Mario Romero, Morton
Officials: Michael Szpilski, Paul Linzinberg, Jim Edgeburge
frustrate Downers South
Mustangs' unbeaten streak ends at 12 with 2-0 loss
By Dave Owen
BERWYN -- Perfection finally ended for Downers Grove South with Tuesday’s 2-0 loss at Morton, but the Mustangs earned a spot in the school record books.
“It’s Sept. 30 and it’s our first loss,” said Downers South coach Jon Stapleton. “They tied a 31-year program record with a 12-game unbeaten streak. The 1983 team that went Downstate had a 12 (game streak). The ’04 (state championship) team had an 11 and a nine.
“So when we talk about making a mark on this program, I think they did that. Now we have a chance to start a new (streak). That’s the way we’re going to look at it.”
Downers South (9-1-3, 2-1 in the WSC Gold) had pushed through a series of injuries all season to remain the last undefeated Chicagoland Soccer squad.
But Tuesday, host Morton (15-1-2, 3-0) finally solved the Mustangs and took control of the conference title race.
Downers South had great chances early – Nick Rohl broke in on right wing twice in the first 11 minutes for shots inside 18 yards, only to be denied each time on saves by Morton goalkeeper Ian Chacon.
With 27:16 left in the first half, Morton’s own speed and athleticism produced the ultimate deciding goal. Mario Romero nicely sidestepped a defender and sent a 12-yard shot just wide of the frame, but Romero went to the ground on a push and a foul was called. Romero drove in the ensuing penalty kick for a 1-0 lead.
“I saw the defender was going to get his foot in, I put my foot in and he hit me,” Romero said. “I felt the touch and fell down.”
Romero earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his high-speed efforts all night. One could argue that an Emmy nomination for drawing a penalty kick on the goal is possible.
“I thought in the first half we had opportunities,” Stapleton said, “but that PK call kind of took us out of the game a little bit unfortunately. If they (officials) see it that way (as a foul), that happens and what are you going to do.”
Downers South did what it could to come back. Goalkeeper Sam Dumford made a great save on a Leo Delgado shot with 25:55 left, then the Mustangs’ offense responded.
Eric Diaz lined an 18-yard blast just over the net, then Rohl sped in again on the right side for his third and best chance of the night 22:40 before halftime. Chacon again raced off his line to make a sliding kick save of the 16-yard shot.
“I thought our kids kept their composure, especially after the PK, and just kind of kept playing,” Stapleton said. “Nick Rohl had a great chance early in the match that would have tied it at 1. We had a lot of positives.”
Another of those was the extra effort all night by defenders like Andrew Dobosenski and Matt Buczko.
Buczko played with a heavily padded hand brace to protect a broken finger suffered Saturday against Fenton, but he wasn’t slowed down at all. He raced in from the side to deny a point-blank chance with 13:45 left in the half.
Dobosenski had an incredible two-minute stretch midway through the first half: a steal at midfield, a diving header just inside midfield to start a counterattack, then yet another midfield steal and long ball.
Fellow standout defender Kyle Harty then kept tight defense on quick Morton midfielder Edgar Garcia to force a 12-yard shot wide, and Peter Becht (blocked initial shot) and Buczko (clear) combined to deny another first-half threat. Joe Caldarazzo ably filled in for injured midfielder Peter Fish.
For Dobosenski, limiting Morton's chances was a team effort.
“We worked in practice specifically for Morton and a defensive play,” he said. “When one (Morton) player runs all the way across, you have to make sure you alternate them across – once one person got out of position, you had to trust a teammate to step up.
“You couldn’t follow (Morton players) around because their speed will kill you every time. They have crazy agility. They’ll get past you easily, so you have to use everybody you can and play almost a zone.”
Downers South’s plan excelled at denying Morton chances through the flow of play. But restarts were another challenge.
Two straight Morton corner kicks in the 33rd minute were dangerous and eventually productive. With 7:01 left, Jorge Mercado’s corner to the front was headed in by defender Rafael Herrera for a 2-0 lead.
For a Downers South defense that had allowed five goals all year, the two on Tuesday were still nothing to hand their heads about.
“The positive for us is that we didn’t give up a goal in the run of play,” Stapleton said. “There was the PK and then the corner kick. That being said, we have to manage those things better.”
Downers South managed to deny Morton the rest of the night in an even second half. Dumford’s great sliding save of Garcia’s 15-yard shot with 33:05 left stopped a big Morton chance, and defender Griffin Overbeck later made a nice one-on-one play to deny a Garcia chance in the box.
Dobosenski turned defense into offense, following a steal with a long run up the middle of the field that eventually required an Edgar Olaguez clear of the box.
Downers South produced good chances late by Alexander Escamilla (a 24-yard shot just wide off a nice Diaz feed), Harty (a 20-yard one-timer over the net with 7:25 to go) and Jason Galik (a 23-yard free kick chipped wide right with 1:30 left).
“We knew they had a couple dangerous forwards up top,” Morton coach Mike Caruso said, “and I thought Diego Lopez at center back did a great job with his size, and Edgar Olaguez in the back. Ian made a couple of big saves in the first half that kept them at zero. That was a difference maker to have it 2-0 at halftime.”
Garcia echoed his coach’s concerns about Downers South forwards Rohl and Diaz.
“We were trying to shut down their top forwards because they were doing a lot of the work,” Garcia said, “but we were well composed and well strategized to make sure they didn’t go through us.
“It’s probably the toughest game we’ll have in conference. Now hopefully we’ll keep going.”
Downers South also plans to fight onward, now with a little extra motivation.
“Everybody knows how it feels to lose now,” Dobosenski said. “It’s such a crappy feeling. I don’t think anybody wants to do it again, so we’ll all put in 110 percent effort I’m sure because we don’t want to feel like this again.”
Downers South’s response to a tough first half was a good sign going forward to the critical October playoff stretch.
“Our guys played hard even late in the match,” Stapleton said. “I know they (Morton) possessed a lot of the second half, but I wouldn’t say they were too dangerous.
“We asked these guys early in the year to compete and play for each other, and they’ve done that. The calendar turns to October and it’s another challenge for us – how we rebound from this. Even at halftime down 2-0, let’s learn from it.”
Fresh off winning the Pepsi Showdown, Morton likely won the WSC Gold championship with Tuesday’s result.
“This was a huge win,” Romero said. “Coach said before this game this would probably decide conference. Downers Grove South is a good team. They have good players, but thank God we came out with a win.”
And the 2014 portion of the Morton-Downers South soccer rivalry may not even be over.
“We may see them again the playoffs,” Caruso said. “I know we got two goals tonight, but by no means will we overlook them if we play them again in that sectional.”
“We very well could see them in a sectional if we get through,” Stapleton said, “and that would be great to get a second opportunity. Our kids would relish that.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
G-Sam Dumford
D-Griffin Overbeck
D-Andrew Dobosenski
D-Kyle Harty
D-Matt Buczko
M-Peter Becht
M-Hunter Thoren
M-Joe Caldarazzo
M-Jason Galik
F-Eric Diaz
F-Nick Rohl
Morton
G-Ian Chacon
D-Rafael Herrera
D-Diego Aguilar
D-Diego Lopez
D-Edgar Olaguez
M-Mario Romero
M-Edgar Garcia
M-Leo Delgado
M-Ronnie Rivera
F-Jorge Mercado
F-Steven Tovar
Man of the Match: Mario Romero, Morton
Officials: Michael Szpilski, Paul Linzinberg, Jim Edgeburge