Hinsdale Central flips script
on Downers Grove South
Rojas, Red Devils keep scoring in 4-2 victory
By Derek Wolff
HINSDALE — Rigoberto Rojas didn’t play for Hinsdale Central when the Red Devils won the IHSA 3A State Championship last season.
The 6-foot-3 senior striker has made up ground quickly to start the 2015 campaign, adding two more goals including the game-winner on Thursday night in Hinsdale Central’s 4-2 victory over Downers Grove South (2-2). The Red Devils moved to 4-0 with the win.
Tied at 2-2 at the half in both teams’ second game in the Red Devil Cup, Rojas found separation on a through ball over the top in the 43rd minute, beating two defenders to the ball and burying it at the near post past Mustangs goalkeeper Gabe Roselieb for his eighth goal of the season.
“I made a run and followed it,” said Rojas, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match. “I thought the guy was going to get it, but he didn’t, so I just kept working hard and got the shot.”
Midfielder Jake Semba put the game away in the 73rd minute, taking a ball up the right side before slipping a spinning ball in at the far post to make it 4-2.
“Credit to Downers, they had nice tactics,” said Red Devils coach Mike Wiggins. “They had two things, really; they had the counter and they had the dead ball that put them at 2-2. I think with the way they were setting up, that’s exactly what they needed.
"Their game plan was working; the problem was, we were feeding into it. I don’t think there’s anything we didn’t expect.”
Wiggins praised his counterpart and former assistant coach Jon Stapleton and the rest of the Downers Grove South coaching staff for preparing the Mustangs and presenting Hinsdale Central with a style it hadn’t faced this season.
“They were very physical. They were aggressive, and that was really the first time we’ve seen that this year,” Wiggins said. “That’s exactly why we have them on our schedule. We know we’re getting a team that’s skillful, that’s physical, that gives a good strong test of what a state finals-type team is going to bring in a competitive tournament.”
The first half started with Central possessing the momentum early, but the script had flipped by halftime.
The Red Devils took the lead immediately after the opening kickoff, earning a free kick at the 30-yard line, where Louis St. John set up defender Daniel Lillard on the right side of the 18.
The Mustangs countered in the fifth minute when Andrew Pierreopoulos lobbed in a through ball for a racing Dylan Mobley, who beat Ethan Gama with a rocket shot to the upper-90 on the near post.
Rojas broke through for his seventh goal of the season in the 14th on another set-piece play. St. John received a corner on the right side of the 18, then played a nice volley in for Rojas, whose right-footed strike broke the deadlock. The pair played together for the Fire Academy the past two seasons.
“We have good chemistry between me and (Louis) and the guys in the midfield,” Rojas said. “We’ve been playing together a long time.”
The Red Devils controlled the pace of play for most of the first half, limited the Mustangs to their own defensive third almost exclusively.
But midfielder Peter Becht got creative in the 33rd minute and scored the equalizer from 53 yards out on a lofty free kick that handcuffed Gama to make it 2-2.
“It’s a tough ball,” Wiggins said. “Any time you have a ball coming into traffic and you’ve got at least four guys converging on him, and I’m not even talking about our guys trying to defend it, that’s a tough spot.
“When you look at that, it makes it 2-2 but there’s still, in terms of the flow of the play and what we’re trying to do with our system, we’re still feeling OK.”
Stapleton credited his team with refocusing after the early goal against and fighting on in the second half.
“We didn’t do anything differently, honestly,” Stapleton said. “I think we settled in after that goal in the first minute. I think that put us on our heels a little bit; that was part of it.
"Our kids believed they could play with them. I think they demonstrated that tonight, but that early goal stung us a little bit. We had to get back and believe in what we were trying to do tonight, and I think we eventually did that.
“Later on in the match (Hinsdale Central) brought an extra defender back because we were getting enough pressure on them, so I was really proud with how we executed the game plan we had put together and how the kids played and responded.”
Gama recovered nicely from the Becht goal to have a strong second half for the Red Devils, stoning Mobley on a shot from point-blank range in the 55th minute.
Mobley had another opportunity in the 70th, dribbling in on the right side of the 18 after taking a through ball from the middle.
This time, Gama came off his line, and dived out to steal the ball and prevent a shot-on that could have been the equalizer.
He did the same thing in the 76th with the Red Devils up by two goals, preventing the last scoring chance the Mustangs had on the night.
Central has scored 21 goals in four games but hadn’t been tested until tonight, St. John said.
“This was the first competition for us, so we came into it with everything we had,” St. John said. “They were a tough opponent, well coached, so we’re glad we got the result.
“(Wiggins) puts us up with tough opponents. We came into this with a state-playoff mentality. Working hard through this tournament is sort of a setup for the state playoffs, so it’s an example of what we’re going to have to work toward later in the season.”
The Mustangs still have one game remaining in the tournament and came away from the loss with a new sense of purpose, Stapleton said.
“Central’s a great team, and that’s the challenge we want,” he said. “We talked to our guys about the growth process. I think we learned a lot about ourselves individually and as a team, and that’s how you mature as a team and get better.
“We lost the game. We’re not into moral victories, but I think we learned a lot about ourselves going forward. That’s why you play good teams, good competition. That’s how you learn, get better. We were forced to do things at a faster pace tonight and execute better than we have all season.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK Sam Dumford
M Luis Marquez
M Peter Becht
MAndrew Pierropoulos
F Garrett Burns
F Dylan Mobley
F Nick Rohl
D Griffin Overbeck
D Peter Carr
D Ryan Strelau
D Anthony Masello
Hinsdale Central
GK Ethan Gama
M Jimmy Walker
D Nick Silva
D Max Snodgrass
D Daniel Lillard
F Rigoberto Rojas
M Stephen Coan
F Bryan Loebig
M James Mathew
M Louis St. John
M Jake Semba
Man of the Match: Rigoberto Rojas, F, Hinsdale Central
on Downers Grove South
Rojas, Red Devils keep scoring in 4-2 victory
By Derek Wolff
HINSDALE — Rigoberto Rojas didn’t play for Hinsdale Central when the Red Devils won the IHSA 3A State Championship last season.
The 6-foot-3 senior striker has made up ground quickly to start the 2015 campaign, adding two more goals including the game-winner on Thursday night in Hinsdale Central’s 4-2 victory over Downers Grove South (2-2). The Red Devils moved to 4-0 with the win.
Tied at 2-2 at the half in both teams’ second game in the Red Devil Cup, Rojas found separation on a through ball over the top in the 43rd minute, beating two defenders to the ball and burying it at the near post past Mustangs goalkeeper Gabe Roselieb for his eighth goal of the season.
“I made a run and followed it,” said Rojas, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match. “I thought the guy was going to get it, but he didn’t, so I just kept working hard and got the shot.”
Midfielder Jake Semba put the game away in the 73rd minute, taking a ball up the right side before slipping a spinning ball in at the far post to make it 4-2.
“Credit to Downers, they had nice tactics,” said Red Devils coach Mike Wiggins. “They had two things, really; they had the counter and they had the dead ball that put them at 2-2. I think with the way they were setting up, that’s exactly what they needed.
"Their game plan was working; the problem was, we were feeding into it. I don’t think there’s anything we didn’t expect.”
Wiggins praised his counterpart and former assistant coach Jon Stapleton and the rest of the Downers Grove South coaching staff for preparing the Mustangs and presenting Hinsdale Central with a style it hadn’t faced this season.
“They were very physical. They were aggressive, and that was really the first time we’ve seen that this year,” Wiggins said. “That’s exactly why we have them on our schedule. We know we’re getting a team that’s skillful, that’s physical, that gives a good strong test of what a state finals-type team is going to bring in a competitive tournament.”
The first half started with Central possessing the momentum early, but the script had flipped by halftime.
The Red Devils took the lead immediately after the opening kickoff, earning a free kick at the 30-yard line, where Louis St. John set up defender Daniel Lillard on the right side of the 18.
The Mustangs countered in the fifth minute when Andrew Pierreopoulos lobbed in a through ball for a racing Dylan Mobley, who beat Ethan Gama with a rocket shot to the upper-90 on the near post.
Rojas broke through for his seventh goal of the season in the 14th on another set-piece play. St. John received a corner on the right side of the 18, then played a nice volley in for Rojas, whose right-footed strike broke the deadlock. The pair played together for the Fire Academy the past two seasons.
“We have good chemistry between me and (Louis) and the guys in the midfield,” Rojas said. “We’ve been playing together a long time.”
The Red Devils controlled the pace of play for most of the first half, limited the Mustangs to their own defensive third almost exclusively.
But midfielder Peter Becht got creative in the 33rd minute and scored the equalizer from 53 yards out on a lofty free kick that handcuffed Gama to make it 2-2.
“It’s a tough ball,” Wiggins said. “Any time you have a ball coming into traffic and you’ve got at least four guys converging on him, and I’m not even talking about our guys trying to defend it, that’s a tough spot.
“When you look at that, it makes it 2-2 but there’s still, in terms of the flow of the play and what we’re trying to do with our system, we’re still feeling OK.”
Stapleton credited his team with refocusing after the early goal against and fighting on in the second half.
“We didn’t do anything differently, honestly,” Stapleton said. “I think we settled in after that goal in the first minute. I think that put us on our heels a little bit; that was part of it.
"Our kids believed they could play with them. I think they demonstrated that tonight, but that early goal stung us a little bit. We had to get back and believe in what we were trying to do tonight, and I think we eventually did that.
“Later on in the match (Hinsdale Central) brought an extra defender back because we were getting enough pressure on them, so I was really proud with how we executed the game plan we had put together and how the kids played and responded.”
Gama recovered nicely from the Becht goal to have a strong second half for the Red Devils, stoning Mobley on a shot from point-blank range in the 55th minute.
Mobley had another opportunity in the 70th, dribbling in on the right side of the 18 after taking a through ball from the middle.
This time, Gama came off his line, and dived out to steal the ball and prevent a shot-on that could have been the equalizer.
He did the same thing in the 76th with the Red Devils up by two goals, preventing the last scoring chance the Mustangs had on the night.
Central has scored 21 goals in four games but hadn’t been tested until tonight, St. John said.
“This was the first competition for us, so we came into it with everything we had,” St. John said. “They were a tough opponent, well coached, so we’re glad we got the result.
“(Wiggins) puts us up with tough opponents. We came into this with a state-playoff mentality. Working hard through this tournament is sort of a setup for the state playoffs, so it’s an example of what we’re going to have to work toward later in the season.”
The Mustangs still have one game remaining in the tournament and came away from the loss with a new sense of purpose, Stapleton said.
“Central’s a great team, and that’s the challenge we want,” he said. “We talked to our guys about the growth process. I think we learned a lot about ourselves individually and as a team, and that’s how you mature as a team and get better.
“We lost the game. We’re not into moral victories, but I think we learned a lot about ourselves going forward. That’s why you play good teams, good competition. That’s how you learn, get better. We were forced to do things at a faster pace tonight and execute better than we have all season.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK Sam Dumford
M Luis Marquez
M Peter Becht
MAndrew Pierropoulos
F Garrett Burns
F Dylan Mobley
F Nick Rohl
D Griffin Overbeck
D Peter Carr
D Ryan Strelau
D Anthony Masello
Hinsdale Central
GK Ethan Gama
M Jimmy Walker
D Nick Silva
D Max Snodgrass
D Daniel Lillard
F Rigoberto Rojas
M Stephen Coan
F Bryan Loebig
M James Mathew
M Louis St. John
M Jake Semba
Man of the Match: Rigoberto Rojas, F, Hinsdale Central