Tie on big stage
OK by St. Charles N., Leyden
Chance to play at Toyota Park an unforgettable experience
By Dave Surico
BRIDGEVIEW -- One of the best things about high school soccer is that it's about more than wins and losses.
That was demonstrated Saturday morning when Leyden and St. Charles North squared off at Toyota Park, the home of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire.
"It was more about the experience than the product today," said Leyden coach Mark Valintis. The day had added significance for the Eagle headman because he squared off against St. Charles North coach Eric Willson, his old Eastern Illinois soccer teammate.
"It's more about giving the kids the opportunity. It doesn't matter win or lose," Valintis continued. "This is going to be a memory for everybody. So I guess coming out on a tie, both sides are happy."
The Panther alum on the other side of midfield concurred.
"It was exciting for the boys to be out on that field," Willson said. "That was the special part of this whole event. It was fun to see them running around out there."
It took St. Charles North a long while to get going in the game -- it looked like they were trying to get their heads around the fact they were playing in the Fires' 20,000-seat stadium.
"We were just overwhelmed by all the excitement of playing at Toyota Park," said defender Brandon Stricker. "We weren't here to play right away. So as soon as we realized that we're here for a high school game, we started picking up the intensity."
While the North Stars were stuck in neutral, Leyden fired right up and was first to most every ball.
"We came out of the gates real well," said Valintis. "We practiced quite a bit this week working on a wide field, so our guys were a little used to it. "
After minutes of eventless play, Leyden recorded the first significant scoring threat.
After Miguel Mireles was fouled, Christian Sosnowski took the restart near the right sideline 13 yards out. He found Mireles at the far post and the 6-foot senior put his head on the ball and just missed outside the standard in the 10th minute.
Leyden kept the pressure on and capitalized on a defensive miscue a minute later. After a St. Charles North defender put the ball over the endline after a header from David Senk, server Sosnowski gave it another try -- this time from the far corner.
Attentive junior Cesar Franco found the ball at the near post and headed it down and past keeper Kevin Sabres into the far lower corner for a 1-0 Eagles lead.
"We practice where our runs should go," said Franco, who scored his second goal of the season. "I saw him cross the ball, and it coming first post. I went in anticipating, and I skinned it right to the goal."
Sosnowski found his man on the scoring play.
"We practice set pieces all the time," he said. "There are usually 3-4 guys who make different runs.
"This time I was looking for Cesar. He made a great run and flicked it in far post. That's how we practice it. It was a perfect play."
St. Charles North's inability to link passes began to stop after the second 20 minutes began.
Matt Ernst came off the bench and soon found himself standing over the ball for a corner kick from the far side.
His excellent serve created a pinball game in the box that went off Leyden keeper Acevedo twice and a Leyden defender before the North Stars put the ball out of bounds with an open net beckoning.
The play left St. Charles North coach Eric Willson covering his face with his left hand and the North Starts without a tie game in the 24th minute.
Meanwhile, first half keeper Kevin Sabres kept his team in the game with a diving save of Mireles ground attempt just inside the far post in the 32nd minute.
North ratcheted up its best pressure of the game moments later. Zach Mitchell was in a dangerous spot in the box in the 35th minute before he was bodied off the ball.
A Leyden foul led to a free kick from 23 yards out, and this time the North Stars would not be denied. Ryan Olson put a hard ball on the ground that was netted by Dylan Mientus in the 36th minute.
"I knew Ryan Olson liked to hit it near post, because he's got a strong free kick. Since I don't get a lot of playing time, I knew I had to take the best of my opportunity" said Mientus.
"After he hit it, I followed it up and got a deflection on it. I chose to run on near post depending on what side it's from, because I feel like I'm strong on the ball when I go in for a free kick.
"Based on what he's done before, I knew chances were that the keeper wouldn't be able to hold onto it because he's got a strong right foot. I know Olson well, and I knew when he looked up he was going to hit it there."
The sophomore's first high school goal knotted the match. When he tells the story down the road, he may have to convince some people that he isn't exaggerating about its location.
North created a bit of excitement in the 39th minute when a flick of a Nick Graham's restart was bobbled by Leyden keeper Alfredo Recendez, who frantically grabbed the ball with Lorenzo Estrada lurking nearby.
Leyden tried to regain its lost momentum to start the second half, and started well again.
Erik Rodriguez forced new North keeper Zack Norton off his line to grab a cross. Then a give-and-go between Sal Salgado and Sosnowski, preceded a shot on goal from Elvis Castaneda.
Next, Angel Lopez made Norton race off his line to keep the ball away from him in an eventful first eight minutes of the half for the Eagles.
In the 49th minute, an offside call kept Leyden from taking the lead. Sosnowski and Franco combined on another restart-header combination, but the loose ball that David Senk deposited in the net was negated by a flag on the far sideline.
Leyden kept pushing. Castaneda followed with a shot over from 30 yards, and a hard, low shot from Sosnowski just went wide at 51 minutes.
St. Charles North kept up its physical presence to help keep quick Leyden at bay.
Another potential Leyden game-winner went awry at 51 minutes and proved there are no sure things in high school soccer.
Hector Herrera sent the ball down the left side to Lopez, who found Victor Flores wide open inside the near post from about 12 yards.
The unlucky senior had Norton helpless, but the slot he chose led to the left post in the 57th minute.
The result caught teammate Franco by surprise.
"I was already running to him (to congratulate him)," he said. "And then I see him hit the post, and I was like 'Oh, wow.'"
Sosnowski followed with 23-yard restart that he bent from right of goal to the upper 90 on the oppostite side that forced Norton to make a nice save.
Play evened out before the teams combined for a big finale in the big house.
Leyden's Sosnowski tried to send Lopez in with a pretty through-ball in the 79th minute, but again Norton slid to nullify the attempt as the Eagle crowd roared and then began to cheer "Let's go Leyden."
Not to be outdone, St. Charles North made its play in the final minute. The North Stars countered, and Chris Watson centered a pass to a solo Estrada.
As the senior settled the ball, Leyden keeper Alfredo Recendez charged before making a stone-cold stop from about eight yards.
Estrada doesn't have to worry what his coach thought of the play.
"He's scored a good number of goals for us, and he'll score more," Willson said. "I think nine times out of 10 he puts that in the back of the net. The keeper made an aggressive, good play on that ball. He (Estrada) will tell you he should have scored. ... Next chance, I'm sure he'll score."
Right back Stricker had a strong game for St. Charles North, and withstood numerous forays on the right flank from the quick Leyden attackers.
"This year I've worked on my confidence and as soon as someone comes on my side, I feel like no one's getting by me," said the first-year, junior defender. "I have that confidence, and it keeps on growing as the season progresses.
"I'm working on my headers and getting the ball out of the air, because I'm going to get benched if I don't. I had to step up big for this team, and I think so far I've been able to do that."
Leyden's Sosnowski earned Man of the Match honors for his strong play in the middle throughout the contest. Besides his assist, he created numerous chances for the Eagles and urged his mates to match his relentless work rate.
"I'm used to playing 80 minutes. Coach trusts me to stay on the field, becuase I'm a captain and I have the responsilbilty of getting the guys to work hard.
"Today I think we played pretty good. They were pretty physical, but for the most part we matched up pretty good with them. We won most of the 50-50s. It was a pretty tight game."
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK: Alfredo Recendez
D: Cesar Franco
D: Christian Rubio
D: Hector Herrera
D: Elvis Castaneda
MF: David Senk
MF: Christian Sosnowski
MF: Sal Salgado
MF: Angel Lopez
MF: Mario Vasquez
F: Miguel Mireles
St. Charles North
GK: Kevin Sabres
D: Brandon Stricker
D: Garrett Morgando
D: Nick Graham
MF: Hanson Hagemann
MF: Alex Amro
MF: Ryan Olson
MF: Zack Morgando
MF: Luke Denson
F: Lorenzo Estrada
F: Chris Watson
Man of the Match: Christian Sosnowski, Leyden.
Officials: David Kintz (center); Jim Franklin; James Sowa.
OK by St. Charles N., Leyden
Chance to play at Toyota Park an unforgettable experience
By Dave Surico
BRIDGEVIEW -- One of the best things about high school soccer is that it's about more than wins and losses.
That was demonstrated Saturday morning when Leyden and St. Charles North squared off at Toyota Park, the home of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire.
"It was more about the experience than the product today," said Leyden coach Mark Valintis. The day had added significance for the Eagle headman because he squared off against St. Charles North coach Eric Willson, his old Eastern Illinois soccer teammate.
"It's more about giving the kids the opportunity. It doesn't matter win or lose," Valintis continued. "This is going to be a memory for everybody. So I guess coming out on a tie, both sides are happy."
The Panther alum on the other side of midfield concurred.
"It was exciting for the boys to be out on that field," Willson said. "That was the special part of this whole event. It was fun to see them running around out there."
It took St. Charles North a long while to get going in the game -- it looked like they were trying to get their heads around the fact they were playing in the Fires' 20,000-seat stadium.
"We were just overwhelmed by all the excitement of playing at Toyota Park," said defender Brandon Stricker. "We weren't here to play right away. So as soon as we realized that we're here for a high school game, we started picking up the intensity."
While the North Stars were stuck in neutral, Leyden fired right up and was first to most every ball.
"We came out of the gates real well," said Valintis. "We practiced quite a bit this week working on a wide field, so our guys were a little used to it. "
After minutes of eventless play, Leyden recorded the first significant scoring threat.
After Miguel Mireles was fouled, Christian Sosnowski took the restart near the right sideline 13 yards out. He found Mireles at the far post and the 6-foot senior put his head on the ball and just missed outside the standard in the 10th minute.
Leyden kept the pressure on and capitalized on a defensive miscue a minute later. After a St. Charles North defender put the ball over the endline after a header from David Senk, server Sosnowski gave it another try -- this time from the far corner.
Attentive junior Cesar Franco found the ball at the near post and headed it down and past keeper Kevin Sabres into the far lower corner for a 1-0 Eagles lead.
"We practice where our runs should go," said Franco, who scored his second goal of the season. "I saw him cross the ball, and it coming first post. I went in anticipating, and I skinned it right to the goal."
Sosnowski found his man on the scoring play.
"We practice set pieces all the time," he said. "There are usually 3-4 guys who make different runs.
"This time I was looking for Cesar. He made a great run and flicked it in far post. That's how we practice it. It was a perfect play."
St. Charles North's inability to link passes began to stop after the second 20 minutes began.
Matt Ernst came off the bench and soon found himself standing over the ball for a corner kick from the far side.
His excellent serve created a pinball game in the box that went off Leyden keeper Acevedo twice and a Leyden defender before the North Stars put the ball out of bounds with an open net beckoning.
The play left St. Charles North coach Eric Willson covering his face with his left hand and the North Starts without a tie game in the 24th minute.
Meanwhile, first half keeper Kevin Sabres kept his team in the game with a diving save of Mireles ground attempt just inside the far post in the 32nd minute.
North ratcheted up its best pressure of the game moments later. Zach Mitchell was in a dangerous spot in the box in the 35th minute before he was bodied off the ball.
A Leyden foul led to a free kick from 23 yards out, and this time the North Stars would not be denied. Ryan Olson put a hard ball on the ground that was netted by Dylan Mientus in the 36th minute.
"I knew Ryan Olson liked to hit it near post, because he's got a strong free kick. Since I don't get a lot of playing time, I knew I had to take the best of my opportunity" said Mientus.
"After he hit it, I followed it up and got a deflection on it. I chose to run on near post depending on what side it's from, because I feel like I'm strong on the ball when I go in for a free kick.
"Based on what he's done before, I knew chances were that the keeper wouldn't be able to hold onto it because he's got a strong right foot. I know Olson well, and I knew when he looked up he was going to hit it there."
The sophomore's first high school goal knotted the match. When he tells the story down the road, he may have to convince some people that he isn't exaggerating about its location.
North created a bit of excitement in the 39th minute when a flick of a Nick Graham's restart was bobbled by Leyden keeper Alfredo Recendez, who frantically grabbed the ball with Lorenzo Estrada lurking nearby.
Leyden tried to regain its lost momentum to start the second half, and started well again.
Erik Rodriguez forced new North keeper Zack Norton off his line to grab a cross. Then a give-and-go between Sal Salgado and Sosnowski, preceded a shot on goal from Elvis Castaneda.
Next, Angel Lopez made Norton race off his line to keep the ball away from him in an eventful first eight minutes of the half for the Eagles.
In the 49th minute, an offside call kept Leyden from taking the lead. Sosnowski and Franco combined on another restart-header combination, but the loose ball that David Senk deposited in the net was negated by a flag on the far sideline.
Leyden kept pushing. Castaneda followed with a shot over from 30 yards, and a hard, low shot from Sosnowski just went wide at 51 minutes.
St. Charles North kept up its physical presence to help keep quick Leyden at bay.
Another potential Leyden game-winner went awry at 51 minutes and proved there are no sure things in high school soccer.
Hector Herrera sent the ball down the left side to Lopez, who found Victor Flores wide open inside the near post from about 12 yards.
The unlucky senior had Norton helpless, but the slot he chose led to the left post in the 57th minute.
The result caught teammate Franco by surprise.
"I was already running to him (to congratulate him)," he said. "And then I see him hit the post, and I was like 'Oh, wow.'"
Sosnowski followed with 23-yard restart that he bent from right of goal to the upper 90 on the oppostite side that forced Norton to make a nice save.
Play evened out before the teams combined for a big finale in the big house.
Leyden's Sosnowski tried to send Lopez in with a pretty through-ball in the 79th minute, but again Norton slid to nullify the attempt as the Eagle crowd roared and then began to cheer "Let's go Leyden."
Not to be outdone, St. Charles North made its play in the final minute. The North Stars countered, and Chris Watson centered a pass to a solo Estrada.
As the senior settled the ball, Leyden keeper Alfredo Recendez charged before making a stone-cold stop from about eight yards.
Estrada doesn't have to worry what his coach thought of the play.
"He's scored a good number of goals for us, and he'll score more," Willson said. "I think nine times out of 10 he puts that in the back of the net. The keeper made an aggressive, good play on that ball. He (Estrada) will tell you he should have scored. ... Next chance, I'm sure he'll score."
Right back Stricker had a strong game for St. Charles North, and withstood numerous forays on the right flank from the quick Leyden attackers.
"This year I've worked on my confidence and as soon as someone comes on my side, I feel like no one's getting by me," said the first-year, junior defender. "I have that confidence, and it keeps on growing as the season progresses.
"I'm working on my headers and getting the ball out of the air, because I'm going to get benched if I don't. I had to step up big for this team, and I think so far I've been able to do that."
Leyden's Sosnowski earned Man of the Match honors for his strong play in the middle throughout the contest. Besides his assist, he created numerous chances for the Eagles and urged his mates to match his relentless work rate.
"I'm used to playing 80 minutes. Coach trusts me to stay on the field, becuase I'm a captain and I have the responsilbilty of getting the guys to work hard.
"Today I think we played pretty good. They were pretty physical, but for the most part we matched up pretty good with them. We won most of the 50-50s. It was a pretty tight game."
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK: Alfredo Recendez
D: Cesar Franco
D: Christian Rubio
D: Hector Herrera
D: Elvis Castaneda
MF: David Senk
MF: Christian Sosnowski
MF: Sal Salgado
MF: Angel Lopez
MF: Mario Vasquez
F: Miguel Mireles
St. Charles North
GK: Kevin Sabres
D: Brandon Stricker
D: Garrett Morgando
D: Nick Graham
MF: Hanson Hagemann
MF: Alex Amro
MF: Ryan Olson
MF: Zack Morgando
MF: Luke Denson
F: Lorenzo Estrada
F: Chris Watson
Man of the Match: Christian Sosnowski, Leyden.
Officials: David Kintz (center); Jim Franklin; James Sowa.