Wheaton Warrenville S. exits
on Glenbard W. penalty kicks
Tigers' postseason sails away after 100 scoreless minutes
By Chris Walker
WHEATON -- Unlike the regular season, a high school postseason soccer game cannot end in a tie.
It’s simple. In the playoffs, someone must win and move on to the next round, while the loser bids farewell to its season.
Wheaton Warrenville South and Glenbard West played 100 minutes of scoreless soccer Saturday because neither team could find the back of the net in regulation or in either of the 10-minute overtimes, which meant the game had to be decided by penalty kicks.
The Hilltoppers won the penalty kick battle, converting all four of their chances, while the Tigers misfired on their final two attempts after Elliot Kettle and Anthony Berardi converted their first two.
After Haris Hadzic watched his bid sail high, Glenbard West senior Nathan Gaertner just needed to convert like his teammates William Lanzillo, Danny Zeboski and Steven Rojc did on their penalty kicks.
Gaertner’s kick found the back of the net, and the Hilltoppers pulled out the 1-0 victory for the Class 3A Wheaton North regional title. For delivering what proved to be the game winner and finishing a long, hard-fought battle, Gaertner was selected as Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match.
“I just go up there and take the PK at the same spot and same place I always take it,” Gaertner said. “It was nice to go up there, though, knowing if I missed it we’d still have a chance to win. I have to give credit to the other guys. They scored first, so I just had to follow after them.”
It was devastating way to end the season for the Tigers.
“In high school or the college level it can come down to a flip of a coin or a way a certain ball bounces, or like it did here with the penalties,” Kettle said. “At the end of the day, we maybe didn’t get the right flip of the coin.”
After playing 90 minutes of scoreless soccer, both teams had their stamina tested. Neither did much offensively during the 10-minute second overtime.
A corner kick with a little more than four minutes left was awarded to the Hilltoppers, but they weren’t able to transform the set play into the game’s first goal.
Then, in the final minute, Rojc had a brief opening from about 20 yards away, but his line shot found the back of a defender. Lanzillo was able to retrieve the rebound, but his quick shot was well off target, sailing high and wide left.
In the first overtime, the Hilltoppers earned two corner kicks but couldn’t do anything with them. Zeboski attempted a 35-yard shot, which was easily collected by Tigers goalkeeper Adam Mrzlak. Steven Rojc also fired from the distance, but his 32-yard attempt was also denied by Mrzlak.
The Tigers didn’t threaten much in the first overtime until they nearly stunned the Hilltoppers in the final minute.
Hadzic’s 37-yard free kick went untouched, sailing over the heads of several players from both teams, as well as out of the reach of Glenbard West goalkeeper Alex Ruckstaetter, bouncing once before skidding out of bounds just far right.
“It was really tough to break their back four down,” Glenbard West coach Guy Callipari said. “I don’t think our speed of play was on point today either and we were a little indecisive with the ball, and consequently, I think it was easy to read and easy to get in the way of certain things we were trying to do.”
Neither team was able to threaten much offensively in the first half.
Glenbard West forward Aleks Krstic had the first real chance of the game, getting a breakaway but shooting just wide left with 38:18 remaining in the half. He also would come the closest to scoring during the first 40 minutes. He collected a throw-in, displayed some nifty dribbling ability to get past a defender and fired a shot that caromed off the far post. It was just a matter of inches, but those inches kept Krstic and the Hilltoppers from celebrating early on.
Rojc had a small opening but watched his shot ricochet off a defender with 25:35 on the clock. Rojc found another potential scoring chance midway through he half when the ball was batted his way after a cross and header from two of his teammates. Rojc quickly seized the loose ball but he couldn’t get a good shot on it.
Lanzillo had a 30-yard free kick punched out by the Mrzlak with 14:41 left, and Austin Green pounced on the ball amid a scrum in front of the net but was unable to retain full possession and attempt a shot.
Wheaton Warrenville South really didn’t find itself battling against Glenbard West’s back line until late in the half. Edwin Huerta had a shot in the first 10 minutes of play, but things dried up for the Tigers until seven minutes before halftime.
That’s when they started to take control of the game, although they still were settling on attacking from long range.
Charlie Kerby, Berardi and Kettle all sent shots toward Ruckstaetter from 25 to 35 yards away but were all easily denied.
“I thought we started to take hold of the game later in the first half,” Kettle said. “We had a few chances there where I thought we were very close to getting one to go in. It felt like we were knocking on the door and that we’d get one in regulation or at least in overtime. It just didn’t come down to it, and when it comes down to PKs, it’s an even game with no advantage either way.”
The Hilltoppers nearly took advantage of Mrzlak coming too far out of the goal with 70 seconds remaining, but fortunately for the Tigers, a battle for possession allowed Mrzlak to recover and return to the net.
The Tigers then came the other away and nearly scored when the ball was lofted toward Ruckstaetter, who collided with Huerta in going for the ball. The ball trickled away, and none of the Tigers was able to secure a rebound and put a shot on goal.
Kettle had a couple of shots early in the second half, but both were collected by Ruckstaetter.
“At the end of the day, we didn’t have many looks,” Callipari said. “I thought we had a presence, but in the end, it could’ve went either way. I think they were a little more direct than us, but certainly with the speed, you expected that.”
Krstic found an opening with 23:33 left in regulation, but when the ball bounded his way, he didn’t have enough time to seize control and get off a solid shot.
The best scoring chance of the second half came from Ian Daniel and Huerta. Daniel fed a pass to Huerta, who broke ahead of two defenders and fired a bullet of a shot from 25 yards away. It appeared to be heading just inside the far post, but once again that pesky post got in the way and the game remained scoreless.
Winning a regional title has to be considered an upset as well as a surprise for the Hilltoppers. They entered the postseason with a 6-11-0 record and needed to win three games in the regional to capture the championship.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my players,” Glenbard West coach Maciej Kusmierz said. “We’ve lost in the first round a lot, and even when we’ve had some great numbers, we never seem able to go past the first round. I can’t praise enough the effort of all of our players who were on the field today.”
Despite seeing his Tigers finish at 6-13-2 when its season was decided by penalty kicks, Callipari was pleased to see them playing their best soccer of the year when it mattered most.
“The last two games we had clean sheets, so this result doesn’t mean who we are, but we’re playing some of the best soccer at the right time,” he said. “We knew we had a lot of individual talent coming in, and they finally came together at the latter part of the season. That was big for us.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Adam Mrzlak
D: Darby Anderson
D: Ian Daniel
D: Charlie Kerby
D: Chris Stamatopoulos
MF: Mark Crisostomo
MF: Haris Hadzic
MF: Elliot Kettle
MF: Javi Rosas
F Anthony Berardi
F: Edwin Huerta
Glenbard West
GK: Alex Ruckstaetter
D: Nathan Gaertner
D: Collin Hennessey
D: Ian Hirsh
D: Ben Ryne
MF: William Lanzillo
MF: Steven Rojc
MF: Spencer Rojc
MF: Danny Zeboski
F: Aleka Krstic
F: Austin Green
Man of the Match: Nathan Gaertner, Glenbard West
on Glenbard W. penalty kicks
Tigers' postseason sails away after 100 scoreless minutes
By Chris Walker
WHEATON -- Unlike the regular season, a high school postseason soccer game cannot end in a tie.
It’s simple. In the playoffs, someone must win and move on to the next round, while the loser bids farewell to its season.
Wheaton Warrenville South and Glenbard West played 100 minutes of scoreless soccer Saturday because neither team could find the back of the net in regulation or in either of the 10-minute overtimes, which meant the game had to be decided by penalty kicks.
The Hilltoppers won the penalty kick battle, converting all four of their chances, while the Tigers misfired on their final two attempts after Elliot Kettle and Anthony Berardi converted their first two.
After Haris Hadzic watched his bid sail high, Glenbard West senior Nathan Gaertner just needed to convert like his teammates William Lanzillo, Danny Zeboski and Steven Rojc did on their penalty kicks.
Gaertner’s kick found the back of the net, and the Hilltoppers pulled out the 1-0 victory for the Class 3A Wheaton North regional title. For delivering what proved to be the game winner and finishing a long, hard-fought battle, Gaertner was selected as Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match.
“I just go up there and take the PK at the same spot and same place I always take it,” Gaertner said. “It was nice to go up there, though, knowing if I missed it we’d still have a chance to win. I have to give credit to the other guys. They scored first, so I just had to follow after them.”
It was devastating way to end the season for the Tigers.
“In high school or the college level it can come down to a flip of a coin or a way a certain ball bounces, or like it did here with the penalties,” Kettle said. “At the end of the day, we maybe didn’t get the right flip of the coin.”
After playing 90 minutes of scoreless soccer, both teams had their stamina tested. Neither did much offensively during the 10-minute second overtime.
A corner kick with a little more than four minutes left was awarded to the Hilltoppers, but they weren’t able to transform the set play into the game’s first goal.
Then, in the final minute, Rojc had a brief opening from about 20 yards away, but his line shot found the back of a defender. Lanzillo was able to retrieve the rebound, but his quick shot was well off target, sailing high and wide left.
In the first overtime, the Hilltoppers earned two corner kicks but couldn’t do anything with them. Zeboski attempted a 35-yard shot, which was easily collected by Tigers goalkeeper Adam Mrzlak. Steven Rojc also fired from the distance, but his 32-yard attempt was also denied by Mrzlak.
The Tigers didn’t threaten much in the first overtime until they nearly stunned the Hilltoppers in the final minute.
Hadzic’s 37-yard free kick went untouched, sailing over the heads of several players from both teams, as well as out of the reach of Glenbard West goalkeeper Alex Ruckstaetter, bouncing once before skidding out of bounds just far right.
“It was really tough to break their back four down,” Glenbard West coach Guy Callipari said. “I don’t think our speed of play was on point today either and we were a little indecisive with the ball, and consequently, I think it was easy to read and easy to get in the way of certain things we were trying to do.”
Neither team was able to threaten much offensively in the first half.
Glenbard West forward Aleks Krstic had the first real chance of the game, getting a breakaway but shooting just wide left with 38:18 remaining in the half. He also would come the closest to scoring during the first 40 minutes. He collected a throw-in, displayed some nifty dribbling ability to get past a defender and fired a shot that caromed off the far post. It was just a matter of inches, but those inches kept Krstic and the Hilltoppers from celebrating early on.
Rojc had a small opening but watched his shot ricochet off a defender with 25:35 on the clock. Rojc found another potential scoring chance midway through he half when the ball was batted his way after a cross and header from two of his teammates. Rojc quickly seized the loose ball but he couldn’t get a good shot on it.
Lanzillo had a 30-yard free kick punched out by the Mrzlak with 14:41 left, and Austin Green pounced on the ball amid a scrum in front of the net but was unable to retain full possession and attempt a shot.
Wheaton Warrenville South really didn’t find itself battling against Glenbard West’s back line until late in the half. Edwin Huerta had a shot in the first 10 minutes of play, but things dried up for the Tigers until seven minutes before halftime.
That’s when they started to take control of the game, although they still were settling on attacking from long range.
Charlie Kerby, Berardi and Kettle all sent shots toward Ruckstaetter from 25 to 35 yards away but were all easily denied.
“I thought we started to take hold of the game later in the first half,” Kettle said. “We had a few chances there where I thought we were very close to getting one to go in. It felt like we were knocking on the door and that we’d get one in regulation or at least in overtime. It just didn’t come down to it, and when it comes down to PKs, it’s an even game with no advantage either way.”
The Hilltoppers nearly took advantage of Mrzlak coming too far out of the goal with 70 seconds remaining, but fortunately for the Tigers, a battle for possession allowed Mrzlak to recover and return to the net.
The Tigers then came the other away and nearly scored when the ball was lofted toward Ruckstaetter, who collided with Huerta in going for the ball. The ball trickled away, and none of the Tigers was able to secure a rebound and put a shot on goal.
Kettle had a couple of shots early in the second half, but both were collected by Ruckstaetter.
“At the end of the day, we didn’t have many looks,” Callipari said. “I thought we had a presence, but in the end, it could’ve went either way. I think they were a little more direct than us, but certainly with the speed, you expected that.”
Krstic found an opening with 23:33 left in regulation, but when the ball bounded his way, he didn’t have enough time to seize control and get off a solid shot.
The best scoring chance of the second half came from Ian Daniel and Huerta. Daniel fed a pass to Huerta, who broke ahead of two defenders and fired a bullet of a shot from 25 yards away. It appeared to be heading just inside the far post, but once again that pesky post got in the way and the game remained scoreless.
Winning a regional title has to be considered an upset as well as a surprise for the Hilltoppers. They entered the postseason with a 6-11-0 record and needed to win three games in the regional to capture the championship.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my players,” Glenbard West coach Maciej Kusmierz said. “We’ve lost in the first round a lot, and even when we’ve had some great numbers, we never seem able to go past the first round. I can’t praise enough the effort of all of our players who were on the field today.”
Despite seeing his Tigers finish at 6-13-2 when its season was decided by penalty kicks, Callipari was pleased to see them playing their best soccer of the year when it mattered most.
“The last two games we had clean sheets, so this result doesn’t mean who we are, but we’re playing some of the best soccer at the right time,” he said. “We knew we had a lot of individual talent coming in, and they finally came together at the latter part of the season. That was big for us.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Adam Mrzlak
D: Darby Anderson
D: Ian Daniel
D: Charlie Kerby
D: Chris Stamatopoulos
MF: Mark Crisostomo
MF: Haris Hadzic
MF: Elliot Kettle
MF: Javi Rosas
F Anthony Berardi
F: Edwin Huerta
Glenbard West
GK: Alex Ruckstaetter
D: Nathan Gaertner
D: Collin Hennessey
D: Ian Hirsh
D: Ben Ryne
MF: William Lanzillo
MF: Steven Rojc
MF: Spencer Rojc
MF: Danny Zeboski
F: Aleka Krstic
F: Austin Green
Man of the Match: Nathan Gaertner, Glenbard West