Early goal keeps Hersey
perfect, Hinsdale S. winless
Huskies' tough defense holds Hornets at bay
By Derek Wolff
DARIEN — Sometimes a soccer match boils down to one player being in just the right spot at just the right time.
That was the case Thursday night just four minutes into the game when Hersey striker Luis Rosado coolly controlled a high ball off a bounce and finished into the back of the net.
Hinsdale South goalkeeper Alex Carpenter came out into the middle of the 18-yard box and attempted to catch a ball in the air but got the timing wrong and slid past it as it caromed off the turf. With the net wide open, Rosado seized his good fortune and converted the only goal of the evening.
“I saw a ball in the air, and to be honest I thought the goalie had it,” said Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match. “But then I saw it bounced underneath his legs, and I just saw the opportunity and I took it.”
Hinsdale South fell to 0-3 on the season in the process. The Hornets opened the match with a 3-5-2 formation and experimented with a few players out of position, hoping the new tactics would provide a scoring boost.
But after a dormant first half, the host team changed back to its more traditional 4-4-2, which improved its form in the middle and offensive thirds of the field. The Hornets pressured Hersey’s back line for most of the second half but found that chances to equalize were few and far between.
Hinsdale South coach James VanDenburgh was frustrated with his side's transition game and inability to convert defense to offense.
“It’s got to start with our defense,” VanDenburgh said. “When you can’t connect passes, it doesn’t really matter what your offensive game plan is. Our passing needs to improve.”
Still, VanDenburgh knows his team was a lot closer to producing a favorable result against Hersey than in its two previous games against Wheaton Warrenville South and Morton.
“It wasn’t pretty tonight and tough to take a loss,” he said. “That was the difference, one simple mistake, and they capitalized on it. We didn’t get that lucky break. I felt like we didn’t really have anything going for us, but the intensity was there throughout the whole game.”
With goals coming at a premium for the Hornets, midfielder Michael Noble said they need to focus on the fundamentals moving forward.
“We need to work on possession, the one-touch game and runs off the ball to kind of create scoring opportunities,” Noble said.
For Hersey, Thursday’s 1-0 victory marked its third-straight win of an unblemished early season. Coach Darren Llewellyn opted for a 4-4-2 formation to open the match but changed it throughout the course of the game to adapt to Hinsdale South’s pressure.
The strategy has been paying dividends so far, but Llewellyn thought his side could have done more in the offensive third after scoring the early goal.
“On the attack we’re getting runs, but we’re not really getting people in the box and we’re not generating possession up here, which is hopefully what will happen,” Llewellyn said.
On the defensive side the Huskies were largely able to keep the Hornets at bay and prevented any real scoring opportunities. Llewellyn was again pleased but found areas that need improvement.
“I’m happy with the effort,” he said. “We didn’t give up a lot defensively, and we had good shape. We made some dumb mistakes, though, some missed balls and just miss-kicking them, but that happens. Other than that we didn’t really break down.”
The Huskies have put themselves in a good position moving forward despite the fact that the players are relatively young and haven’t played together much.
Defender Campbell White said the familiarity has been building so far in the early goings.
“We’re all just coming together,” Campbell said. “We’re a new team, so everyone’s just getting to know each other and figuring out our tendencies and everything and starting to gel.”
Hersey will next take on Morton on Saturday, which drubbed Brother Rice 5-0 on Thursday. A win would put the Huskies in the title match.
Hinsdale South will play Brother Rice at noon. Both games are at Centennial Field.
Starting lineups
Hersey
G-Adam Szymaszek
D-Campbell White
D-Jordan Rustemeyer
D-Jackson Hargett
D-Joe Bertucci
M-Lukas Wilke
M-Christian Castro
M-George Boyle
M-Tim Griffin
F-Luis Rosado
F-Adam Hauser
Hinsdale South
G-Alex Carpenter
D-Lucas Carlson
D-Mykolas Meilus
D-Austin West
M-Daniel Jaworski
M-Michael Noble
M-Homer Garcia
M-Paul Figus
M-Karel Ondra
F-Alex Raatz
F-Christopher Metcalf
Man of the Match: Luis Rosado, Hersey
perfect, Hinsdale S. winless
Huskies' tough defense holds Hornets at bay
By Derek Wolff
DARIEN — Sometimes a soccer match boils down to one player being in just the right spot at just the right time.
That was the case Thursday night just four minutes into the game when Hersey striker Luis Rosado coolly controlled a high ball off a bounce and finished into the back of the net.
Hinsdale South goalkeeper Alex Carpenter came out into the middle of the 18-yard box and attempted to catch a ball in the air but got the timing wrong and slid past it as it caromed off the turf. With the net wide open, Rosado seized his good fortune and converted the only goal of the evening.
“I saw a ball in the air, and to be honest I thought the goalie had it,” said Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match. “But then I saw it bounced underneath his legs, and I just saw the opportunity and I took it.”
Hinsdale South fell to 0-3 on the season in the process. The Hornets opened the match with a 3-5-2 formation and experimented with a few players out of position, hoping the new tactics would provide a scoring boost.
But after a dormant first half, the host team changed back to its more traditional 4-4-2, which improved its form in the middle and offensive thirds of the field. The Hornets pressured Hersey’s back line for most of the second half but found that chances to equalize were few and far between.
Hinsdale South coach James VanDenburgh was frustrated with his side's transition game and inability to convert defense to offense.
“It’s got to start with our defense,” VanDenburgh said. “When you can’t connect passes, it doesn’t really matter what your offensive game plan is. Our passing needs to improve.”
Still, VanDenburgh knows his team was a lot closer to producing a favorable result against Hersey than in its two previous games against Wheaton Warrenville South and Morton.
“It wasn’t pretty tonight and tough to take a loss,” he said. “That was the difference, one simple mistake, and they capitalized on it. We didn’t get that lucky break. I felt like we didn’t really have anything going for us, but the intensity was there throughout the whole game.”
With goals coming at a premium for the Hornets, midfielder Michael Noble said they need to focus on the fundamentals moving forward.
“We need to work on possession, the one-touch game and runs off the ball to kind of create scoring opportunities,” Noble said.
For Hersey, Thursday’s 1-0 victory marked its third-straight win of an unblemished early season. Coach Darren Llewellyn opted for a 4-4-2 formation to open the match but changed it throughout the course of the game to adapt to Hinsdale South’s pressure.
The strategy has been paying dividends so far, but Llewellyn thought his side could have done more in the offensive third after scoring the early goal.
“On the attack we’re getting runs, but we’re not really getting people in the box and we’re not generating possession up here, which is hopefully what will happen,” Llewellyn said.
On the defensive side the Huskies were largely able to keep the Hornets at bay and prevented any real scoring opportunities. Llewellyn was again pleased but found areas that need improvement.
“I’m happy with the effort,” he said. “We didn’t give up a lot defensively, and we had good shape. We made some dumb mistakes, though, some missed balls and just miss-kicking them, but that happens. Other than that we didn’t really break down.”
The Huskies have put themselves in a good position moving forward despite the fact that the players are relatively young and haven’t played together much.
Defender Campbell White said the familiarity has been building so far in the early goings.
“We’re all just coming together,” Campbell said. “We’re a new team, so everyone’s just getting to know each other and figuring out our tendencies and everything and starting to gel.”
Hersey will next take on Morton on Saturday, which drubbed Brother Rice 5-0 on Thursday. A win would put the Huskies in the title match.
Hinsdale South will play Brother Rice at noon. Both games are at Centennial Field.
Starting lineups
Hersey
G-Adam Szymaszek
D-Campbell White
D-Jordan Rustemeyer
D-Jackson Hargett
D-Joe Bertucci
M-Lukas Wilke
M-Christian Castro
M-George Boyle
M-Tim Griffin
F-Luis Rosado
F-Adam Hauser
Hinsdale South
G-Alex Carpenter
D-Lucas Carlson
D-Mykolas Meilus
D-Austin West
M-Daniel Jaworski
M-Michael Noble
M-Homer Garcia
M-Paul Figus
M-Karel Ondra
F-Alex Raatz
F-Christopher Metcalf
Man of the Match: Luis Rosado, Hersey