Huskies nip Titans in season opener
Late goal snaps tie
By Ken Keenan
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS -- In a nail-biting season opener between Hersey and Glenbrook South, the host Huskies nipped the Titans 2-1 on a late goal by sophomore midfielder Alex Filian with 10:09 left. Filian was assisted by senior defender Adam Hauser to snap a 1-1 tie.
The Huskies took a 1-0 lead when senior forward Luis Rosado scored via a header off a beautiful corner kick by senior midfielder George Boyle in the 11th minute. Glenbrook South knotted the match at 1-1 when sophomore midfielder Grady Bruch headed a ball into the left side of the net after a cross from junior defender Patrick Wdowikowski in the 67th minute.
"We played with grit, like the football team says," Hersey coach Darren Llewellyn said. "We wanted to set a tone for who we are. It was all heart ... maintaining composure."
Huskies senior defender and team captain Campbell White, who earned Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honors, anchored a four-man wall that kept the Titans at bay until Bruch buried the equalizer.
"We like to keep four back with our outsides high, so it is a wall in that aspect," said White, who cleared ball after ball throughout the match. "We try to keep everything out of the middle."
It stayed that way until Bruch's tally knotted things up for Glenbrook South.
"The equalizer lifted our spirits a lot -- the 1-0 deficit was demoralizing and we lost some fire, but the goal fired us back up," Titans sophomore forward Kai Erber said. "It was a good fight until the end."
First-year Glenbrook South head coach Seong Ha, who also coaches the Titans' girls squad, simply tipped his cap to the winners after all was said and done.
"The one thing that stands out is the physicality, grit and determination Hersey showed throughout the match," Ha said. "Their desire and engagement on 50-50 balls -- that was the intangible. Credit Hersey; they took care of their opportunities, and got the goal to get it to 2-1. We're young, but it's Game 1, and there are 19 more matches. We'll learn from this, and use it as a steppingstone."
Hersey's Rosado utilized blazing speed to produce other scoring chances, especially when he split two defenders in the final two minutes of the first half before blasting a shot over the crossbar.
"My speed is very useful for me -- it's what I'm supposed to do up top," Rosado said. "There's a little frustration when someone's on you, but you just have to play hard and make your runs."
Prior to the match, both coaches indicated that the 2014 opener would serve as a sounding board for the long campaign ahead. Each squad is relatively young. Last season, the Huskies finished 14-4-3 after falling2-1 in a regional final to host Lake Forest in two overtimes. The Titans lost by the same score in regulation to Maine South in the Glenbrook North Regional.
"We lost 17 seniors from last year, so I think the first thing this year is to develop chemistry, leadership and communication," Ha said.
"We're kind of young," Llewellyn said. "We have a bunch of seniors, but not a lot of varsity experience. I'm not sure what we're going to do this year, but we'll throw them out there and test the waters."
Hersey's starting lineup featured Rosado, Filian, White, Boyle, junior goalkeeper Brett Harris, sophomore midfielder Christian Castro, senior midfielder Tim Griffin, senior forward Brent Killian, senior defender Jordan Rustemeyer, senior defender Jackson Hargett and senior midfielder Joe Bertucci.
Glenbrook South started Erber, Bruch, Wdowikowski, junior goalkeeper Perry Adamopoulos, junior defender Inaki Bascaran, senior midfielder/forward Brian Tener, junior midfielder/forward Javier Ayala,, junior defender Henry Tarbox,, senior defender Frankie Feiter, sophomore midfielder Danny Cleary and senior defender Daniel Bernstein.
The match was officiated by Michael G. Davros, Kevin Spitz and Rick Graeti.
Late goal snaps tie
By Ken Keenan
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS -- In a nail-biting season opener between Hersey and Glenbrook South, the host Huskies nipped the Titans 2-1 on a late goal by sophomore midfielder Alex Filian with 10:09 left. Filian was assisted by senior defender Adam Hauser to snap a 1-1 tie.
The Huskies took a 1-0 lead when senior forward Luis Rosado scored via a header off a beautiful corner kick by senior midfielder George Boyle in the 11th minute. Glenbrook South knotted the match at 1-1 when sophomore midfielder Grady Bruch headed a ball into the left side of the net after a cross from junior defender Patrick Wdowikowski in the 67th minute.
"We played with grit, like the football team says," Hersey coach Darren Llewellyn said. "We wanted to set a tone for who we are. It was all heart ... maintaining composure."
Huskies senior defender and team captain Campbell White, who earned Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honors, anchored a four-man wall that kept the Titans at bay until Bruch buried the equalizer.
"We like to keep four back with our outsides high, so it is a wall in that aspect," said White, who cleared ball after ball throughout the match. "We try to keep everything out of the middle."
It stayed that way until Bruch's tally knotted things up for Glenbrook South.
"The equalizer lifted our spirits a lot -- the 1-0 deficit was demoralizing and we lost some fire, but the goal fired us back up," Titans sophomore forward Kai Erber said. "It was a good fight until the end."
First-year Glenbrook South head coach Seong Ha, who also coaches the Titans' girls squad, simply tipped his cap to the winners after all was said and done.
"The one thing that stands out is the physicality, grit and determination Hersey showed throughout the match," Ha said. "Their desire and engagement on 50-50 balls -- that was the intangible. Credit Hersey; they took care of their opportunities, and got the goal to get it to 2-1. We're young, but it's Game 1, and there are 19 more matches. We'll learn from this, and use it as a steppingstone."
Hersey's Rosado utilized blazing speed to produce other scoring chances, especially when he split two defenders in the final two minutes of the first half before blasting a shot over the crossbar.
"My speed is very useful for me -- it's what I'm supposed to do up top," Rosado said. "There's a little frustration when someone's on you, but you just have to play hard and make your runs."
Prior to the match, both coaches indicated that the 2014 opener would serve as a sounding board for the long campaign ahead. Each squad is relatively young. Last season, the Huskies finished 14-4-3 after falling2-1 in a regional final to host Lake Forest in two overtimes. The Titans lost by the same score in regulation to Maine South in the Glenbrook North Regional.
"We lost 17 seniors from last year, so I think the first thing this year is to develop chemistry, leadership and communication," Ha said.
"We're kind of young," Llewellyn said. "We have a bunch of seniors, but not a lot of varsity experience. I'm not sure what we're going to do this year, but we'll throw them out there and test the waters."
Hersey's starting lineup featured Rosado, Filian, White, Boyle, junior goalkeeper Brett Harris, sophomore midfielder Christian Castro, senior midfielder Tim Griffin, senior forward Brent Killian, senior defender Jordan Rustemeyer, senior defender Jackson Hargett and senior midfielder Joe Bertucci.
Glenbrook South started Erber, Bruch, Wdowikowski, junior goalkeeper Perry Adamopoulos, junior defender Inaki Bascaran, senior midfielder/forward Brian Tener, junior midfielder/forward Javier Ayala,, junior defender Henry Tarbox,, senior defender Frankie Feiter, sophomore midfielder Danny Cleary and senior defender Daniel Bernstein.
The match was officiated by Michael G. Davros, Kevin Spitz and Rick Graeti.