Streamwood downs Elgin
to avoid regional stumble
'We took care of business,' Sabres coach says of 2-0 win
By Steve Nemeth
STREAMWOOD -- Streamwood coach Matt Polovin admitted feeling a little uneasy as he viewed some of Tuesday’s Class 3A regional results with lower seeds such as Buffalo Grove, Richards, and Schaumburg surprising higher seeds.
Of the 53 Tuesday Class 3A winners, 16 were lower seeds.
Plus there was the specter of 2013, when Streamwood hosted a regional and the 18th-rated Sabres were stunned by South Elgin. Polovin’s frustration wasn’t eased that night when the upsets continued in that second semifinal -- Larkin won a penalty kick shootout to hand ninth-ranked Dundee-Crown its only loss of the year.
But back in the present, a pair of first-half goals and the resulting 2-0 victory over Elgin on Wednesday made Polovin much more relaxed while watching the night’s second semifinal of the Class 3A Streamwood Regional. Larkin, once again the three seed, defeated two-seed Dundee-Crown – this year by a 2-1 tally.
“We took care of business; 2-0 is a nice win over a very scrappy Elgin team,” Polovin said. “Some of the guys on the team last year still had the demons in their heads, including me. (This year) we tried to simply play our game: good possession, movement off the ball, a little more two- or three-touch soccer.
“I always wish we’d finish more opportunities, but the ultimate goal was to be in the championship match, and we are.”
Having avoided Elgin avenging a regular-season setback, Streamwood (13-5-2) can now concentrate on Saturday’s 3 p.m. championship match against a Larkin unit that battled the Sabres to a 0-0 deadlock.
The Royals, on the other hand, would welcome a little déjà vu.
A year ago, Larkin turned a sub-.500 record and the initial upset of Dundee-Crown into a run to the supersectional, where eventual fourth-place finisher Lake Park ended its fairy tale surge.
In addition to serving as an encore to a 2-1 regular-season victory over the Chargers (12-9-1), Wednesday’s Larkin success gives the Royals an 8-10-5 ledger, plus a four-match unbeaten (3-0-1) streak heading into Saturday’s title showdown.
Streamwood’s advance got started 9:47 into the contest, when Blerim Shabani slipped a pass to Donnie Sosa for an eight-yard score from just right of center. That was Shabani’s sixth assist and Sosa’s seventh goal and second match winner.
“It was the same exact play we combined on a few games ago,” Sosa noted. “He fed me the ball perfectly, and I was able to one-touch it to the bottom corner past their keeper. We’re starting to get more chances by building our attacks from good passes into open spaces.”
At the opposite end, Streamwood goalie Sergio Blanco made a couple of saves and had some good fortune when Joel Chavez’s header sailed wide left in the 22nd minute and again when Clairain Ajayi couldn’t get to a cross that would have meant an equalizer 11 minutes prior to intermission.
The Maroons got their own piece of good luck with 6:58 left in the opening half, when Alan Camarena’s shot was saved off the goal line by Elgin defender Anthony Rodriguez.
But there was nothing Elgin goalie Edgar Rodriguez or his defenders could do when Camarena netted his team-best 22nd goal of the season. The senior standout was just off the goal line on the right side of the penalty box and used enough spin and velocity to carom a 24-yard direct free kick off the inside of the far left post for a 2-0 lead, 2:07 prior to halftime.
“We’re always practicing free kicks from different places, and the (goal) looked wide open to me,” Camarena explained. “A 1-0 lead was not enough, but a second goal gave us more confidence.”
Camarena recorded his second hat trick of the year in the earlier 3-1 win over Elgin, and the double-team defense on him Wednesday created the open space that led to the Sabres’ initial goal. Figure in the quality of his own strike with being a constant threat from either wing as a shooter or a passer, and Camarena earned Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honors.
The second half began with Elgin’s Richard Sosa getting a breakaway opportunity, only to miss wide right. It was the first in a series of plays that produced groans but no goals during the final 40 minutes.
Streamwood's Camarena had a stellar through-ball to the Sabres’ Sosa, only to have Elgin’s goalie rush out for a stop, and teammate Rafael Gil had a slow roller elude the Maroon keeper, only to tap the far right post.
A minute later, Elgin’s Sosa left the right post ringing with a blast.
Streamwood's Edwin Rueda almost added another for the Sabres, but his shot hit the top crossbar.
Afterward, Elgin was either denied by Blanco or had shots sail wide.
“We didn't convert our chances even though we've been playing much better the last two weeks,” Elgin coach Dave Borg said. “We put two of those in and it’s a game, but that's the difference between a No. 1 seed and a No. 4.”
Blanco’s eighth clean sheet for Streamwood ended the Maroons season at 7-12-3.
Starting lineups
Elgin
G Edgar Rodriguez
D John Zielonka
D Anthony Rodriguez
D Clairain Ajayi
D Ulisses Dominguez
M Zachary Erickson
M Eduardo Zavala
M Daniel Geory
M Richard Sosa
F Juan Flores
F Joel Chavez
Streamwood
G Sergio Blanco
D Aaron Villegas
D Erie Ortiz
D Mike Delaney
D Christian Balbino
M Ivan Gonzalez
M Edwin Rueda
M Jasminko Dizdarevic
F Donnie Sosa
F Alan Camarena
F Blerim Shabani
Man of the Match: Alan Camarena, Streamwood
Referees: Jim Joyes, Dave Rubini, Carlos Herrera
to avoid regional stumble
'We took care of business,' Sabres coach says of 2-0 win
By Steve Nemeth
STREAMWOOD -- Streamwood coach Matt Polovin admitted feeling a little uneasy as he viewed some of Tuesday’s Class 3A regional results with lower seeds such as Buffalo Grove, Richards, and Schaumburg surprising higher seeds.
Of the 53 Tuesday Class 3A winners, 16 were lower seeds.
Plus there was the specter of 2013, when Streamwood hosted a regional and the 18th-rated Sabres were stunned by South Elgin. Polovin’s frustration wasn’t eased that night when the upsets continued in that second semifinal -- Larkin won a penalty kick shootout to hand ninth-ranked Dundee-Crown its only loss of the year.
But back in the present, a pair of first-half goals and the resulting 2-0 victory over Elgin on Wednesday made Polovin much more relaxed while watching the night’s second semifinal of the Class 3A Streamwood Regional. Larkin, once again the three seed, defeated two-seed Dundee-Crown – this year by a 2-1 tally.
“We took care of business; 2-0 is a nice win over a very scrappy Elgin team,” Polovin said. “Some of the guys on the team last year still had the demons in their heads, including me. (This year) we tried to simply play our game: good possession, movement off the ball, a little more two- or three-touch soccer.
“I always wish we’d finish more opportunities, but the ultimate goal was to be in the championship match, and we are.”
Having avoided Elgin avenging a regular-season setback, Streamwood (13-5-2) can now concentrate on Saturday’s 3 p.m. championship match against a Larkin unit that battled the Sabres to a 0-0 deadlock.
The Royals, on the other hand, would welcome a little déjà vu.
A year ago, Larkin turned a sub-.500 record and the initial upset of Dundee-Crown into a run to the supersectional, where eventual fourth-place finisher Lake Park ended its fairy tale surge.
In addition to serving as an encore to a 2-1 regular-season victory over the Chargers (12-9-1), Wednesday’s Larkin success gives the Royals an 8-10-5 ledger, plus a four-match unbeaten (3-0-1) streak heading into Saturday’s title showdown.
Streamwood’s advance got started 9:47 into the contest, when Blerim Shabani slipped a pass to Donnie Sosa for an eight-yard score from just right of center. That was Shabani’s sixth assist and Sosa’s seventh goal and second match winner.
“It was the same exact play we combined on a few games ago,” Sosa noted. “He fed me the ball perfectly, and I was able to one-touch it to the bottom corner past their keeper. We’re starting to get more chances by building our attacks from good passes into open spaces.”
At the opposite end, Streamwood goalie Sergio Blanco made a couple of saves and had some good fortune when Joel Chavez’s header sailed wide left in the 22nd minute and again when Clairain Ajayi couldn’t get to a cross that would have meant an equalizer 11 minutes prior to intermission.
The Maroons got their own piece of good luck with 6:58 left in the opening half, when Alan Camarena’s shot was saved off the goal line by Elgin defender Anthony Rodriguez.
But there was nothing Elgin goalie Edgar Rodriguez or his defenders could do when Camarena netted his team-best 22nd goal of the season. The senior standout was just off the goal line on the right side of the penalty box and used enough spin and velocity to carom a 24-yard direct free kick off the inside of the far left post for a 2-0 lead, 2:07 prior to halftime.
“We’re always practicing free kicks from different places, and the (goal) looked wide open to me,” Camarena explained. “A 1-0 lead was not enough, but a second goal gave us more confidence.”
Camarena recorded his second hat trick of the year in the earlier 3-1 win over Elgin, and the double-team defense on him Wednesday created the open space that led to the Sabres’ initial goal. Figure in the quality of his own strike with being a constant threat from either wing as a shooter or a passer, and Camarena earned Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honors.
The second half began with Elgin’s Richard Sosa getting a breakaway opportunity, only to miss wide right. It was the first in a series of plays that produced groans but no goals during the final 40 minutes.
Streamwood's Camarena had a stellar through-ball to the Sabres’ Sosa, only to have Elgin’s goalie rush out for a stop, and teammate Rafael Gil had a slow roller elude the Maroon keeper, only to tap the far right post.
A minute later, Elgin’s Sosa left the right post ringing with a blast.
Streamwood's Edwin Rueda almost added another for the Sabres, but his shot hit the top crossbar.
Afterward, Elgin was either denied by Blanco or had shots sail wide.
“We didn't convert our chances even though we've been playing much better the last two weeks,” Elgin coach Dave Borg said. “We put two of those in and it’s a game, but that's the difference between a No. 1 seed and a No. 4.”
Blanco’s eighth clean sheet for Streamwood ended the Maroons season at 7-12-3.
Starting lineups
Elgin
G Edgar Rodriguez
D John Zielonka
D Anthony Rodriguez
D Clairain Ajayi
D Ulisses Dominguez
M Zachary Erickson
M Eduardo Zavala
M Daniel Geory
M Richard Sosa
F Juan Flores
F Joel Chavez
Streamwood
G Sergio Blanco
D Aaron Villegas
D Erie Ortiz
D Mike Delaney
D Christian Balbino
M Ivan Gonzalez
M Edwin Rueda
M Jasminko Dizdarevic
F Donnie Sosa
F Alan Camarena
F Blerim Shabani
Man of the Match: Alan Camarena, Streamwood
Referees: Jim Joyes, Dave Rubini, Carlos Herrera