Naperville Central's Granato finds
his place against Plainfield South
Redhawks lineup takes shape in 2-0 triumph
By Bill Stone
PLAINFIELD -- Naperville Central junior starter Joe Granato is among several varsity newcomers getting an opportunity to make major contributions this soccer season.
So far, the question for him has been at which position.
“I usually rotate from outside (defensive) back to the center back and then defensive center mid(field),” Granato said. “That’s where we’re feeling me out a little bit.”
On Thursday, Granato was in the right position at the perfect time to initiate the first goal in the Redhawks’ 2-0 victory at Plainfield South.
Granato, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, also contributed to a defensive shutout shared by goalies Joe Kallikadan and Wesley Sprague, who made critical and dramatic saves in the second half.
In their season opener Monday, the Redhawks (1-1) lost 5-0 at Morton. The Cougars (1-1) took their opener against Lincoln-Way Central 3-1.
“We did a lot of defensive work after that (Morton) game, something that we were struggling on a little bit. (And) I thought our attacking was a lot better in this game for sure,” Granato said.
Sophomore midfielder Zack Kokes scored off Granato’s pass with 8:36 left in the first half. Wide-open senior midfielder Kyle Forest scored with 26:52 left after senior Chris Schwaiger pushed sophomore Nate Zain’s cross from left wing through the crease to the far post.
Kokes was among five Naperville Central substitutes to play in the first half. He and Granato, who started at outside left defender, happened to come in as subs together in the 27th minute.
The Redhawks return just four starters from last year’s 13-2-6 regional championship team.
“We’ve talked that it’s about people competing for spots and what do you do when you get your 10, 15 minutes. Did you move up? Did you do something positive?” Naperville Central coach Troy Adams said. “That idea is going to hold through for the whole year, I think.
"We’ll have guys sliding in and out of the starting lineup based on how they’re playing and doing what’s asked of them. It’s a little different than years past, where we’ve had a little more of a stable, set lineup.”
Plainfield South, 14-4-1 in 2014, also saw strides against a stronger opponent, especially considering that senior Chase Cleasby is the lone returning starter. A third-year varsity player, Cleasby has moved from center defender to center midfield. Cleasby briefly returned to the back line the latter half of the first half.
“I just take a new leadership role because there are a whole bunch of new defenders," Cleasby said. "I’m helping out at midfield, moving the ball from side to side and helping out the team.
“I think we’re just molding well as a team. We’re getting better possession-wise, and all of the boys are getting used to the varsity-level style of play. We have a lot of new players.”
After three shots in the first half and none on goal, the Cougars nearly tied the game in the 50th minute when senior co-captain Rocky Del Real broke free for a left-footed blast from the top of the box.
Sprague, a junior, charged out high and stopped the point-blank attempt. Senior midfielder Noah Canlas then pounced on the rebound just before Del Real could recoil.
“(Sprague) made two big saves that I can remember,” Plainfield South coach David Brown said. “It’s a game of momentum. They capitalized on theirs, and we didn’t get it done when we finally broke them down and had some good chances.”
Granato helped the Redhawks cash in on a momentary defensive lapse moments after two more subs entered just before a throw-in.
After a give-and-go with Schwaiger, Granato wedged the ball through the defensive line to meet Kokes’ diagonal run from left wing. Kokes got the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Quentin Rose (9 saves), who also made several impressive stops.
“I saw Zack and Kyle Crawford both making diagonal runs, so I’m like, ‘Why not try playing it to both, slide it right through and hopefully one of them will get it,’ ” Granato said.
“I thought (the pass) was to Kyle," Kokes said. "I was shoulder to shoulder with one of the center backs, and I was pushing him off and put it away."
About a minute before Sprague’s huge save, Granato nearly gave the Redhawks a 2-0 lead. After Canlas’ corner kick was cleared out by the Cougars’ Kyle Klonicki, the ball came to Granato, whose 30-yard blast was pushed by Rose barely over the crossbar.
“A great save. Most players can’t really save that,” Granato said. “I had a couple of shots at the (junior varsity last year) that were exactly like that, where the ball rises up and then dips right under the crossbar. I had three goals that way from about 30, 25 yards.”
Plainfield South coach Brown is confident in his new keeper.
“We know what we’re going to get from (Rose) all year," Brown said. "He’s going to be a rock-solid goalie for us.”
In 2014, Granato saw “about 10 minutes” of varsity action during a stretch in which some varsity players were unable to compete. Most of the season, he and Kokes were junior varsity teammates in the midfield.
“It’s pretty intense (on varsity), but it’s really fun,” Kokes said. “I like all of these guys on this team. This is the level you want to play at.”
Besides his big save, Sprague also displayed his varsity chops in the 62nd minute. He stopped senior Rey Uriostegui’s explosive run down left wing and shot when the rebound bounced off the post. Sprague also thwarted Klonicki’s strong throw-ins.
“(Sprague is) working hard in practice, and he’ll get some different opportunities behind Joe,” Adams said. “I’ve told coaches I have nine goalies in the program, and it’s great for us. It’s hard for them because we probably have a lot of goalies that a lot programs would love to have starting varsity.”
The Redhawks controlled most of the first half, with Schwaiger playing the lone forward and five midfielders alternating between attack and defense. Granato’s assist came while playing midfield after senior Jack Eagan relieved him on the defensive outside.
The starting defense of junior Griffin Geisler and seniors John Rudolph, Colin Bradley-Leon and Granato helped senior returnee Kallikadan enjoy a relatively calm 40 minutes. Eagan, junior Frank DeStefano and senior Bryan Olefsky also played significant minutes on the back line.
“The first half was much better defensively than the second half. We maybe ran a little bit out of juice. (And) we had a couple of injuries,” Adams said. “We did a very good job today on getting pressure but being under control. And today was a huge improvement on communication. We didn’t have guys running free all over the place.”
The goal by an unmarked Forest lent significant breathing room amid controversy. Several Plainfield South fans vocalized that they believed Forest’s shot rose and struck his right arm before going into the net. The ruling official was to the right side of the play.
“The goal was a little bit controversial, but we can’t worry about what the refs call," Brown said. "He’s pretty much wide open on the back post, whether his hand or leg or whatever he put it in with.
“I think there are a lot of positives for us to take away from the game. The first half I don’t know if we created as much as we wanted to, but I thought for the most part we defended well. Their goal was really the only chance where they seemed to have broken us down a little bit in the first half.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK – Joe Kallikadan
D – Griffin Geisler
D – John Rudolph
D – Colin Bradley-Leon
D – Joe Granato
M – Noah Canlas
M – Taha Din
M – Nate Zain
M – Jimmy Kalkofen
M – Kyle Forest
F – Chris Schwaiger
Plainfield South
GK – Quentin Rose
D – Jeff Mickow
D – Jair Moreno
D – Ryan Childs
D – Kyle Klonicki
M – Chase Cleasby
M – Wyatt Gallt
M – Juan Guzman
M – Dominick Christiansen
F – Rey Uriostegui
F – Rocky Del Real
Man of the Match – Joe Granato, Naperville Central
his place against Plainfield South
Redhawks lineup takes shape in 2-0 triumph
By Bill Stone
PLAINFIELD -- Naperville Central junior starter Joe Granato is among several varsity newcomers getting an opportunity to make major contributions this soccer season.
So far, the question for him has been at which position.
“I usually rotate from outside (defensive) back to the center back and then defensive center mid(field),” Granato said. “That’s where we’re feeling me out a little bit.”
On Thursday, Granato was in the right position at the perfect time to initiate the first goal in the Redhawks’ 2-0 victory at Plainfield South.
Granato, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, also contributed to a defensive shutout shared by goalies Joe Kallikadan and Wesley Sprague, who made critical and dramatic saves in the second half.
In their season opener Monday, the Redhawks (1-1) lost 5-0 at Morton. The Cougars (1-1) took their opener against Lincoln-Way Central 3-1.
“We did a lot of defensive work after that (Morton) game, something that we were struggling on a little bit. (And) I thought our attacking was a lot better in this game for sure,” Granato said.
Sophomore midfielder Zack Kokes scored off Granato’s pass with 8:36 left in the first half. Wide-open senior midfielder Kyle Forest scored with 26:52 left after senior Chris Schwaiger pushed sophomore Nate Zain’s cross from left wing through the crease to the far post.
Kokes was among five Naperville Central substitutes to play in the first half. He and Granato, who started at outside left defender, happened to come in as subs together in the 27th minute.
The Redhawks return just four starters from last year’s 13-2-6 regional championship team.
“We’ve talked that it’s about people competing for spots and what do you do when you get your 10, 15 minutes. Did you move up? Did you do something positive?” Naperville Central coach Troy Adams said. “That idea is going to hold through for the whole year, I think.
"We’ll have guys sliding in and out of the starting lineup based on how they’re playing and doing what’s asked of them. It’s a little different than years past, where we’ve had a little more of a stable, set lineup.”
Plainfield South, 14-4-1 in 2014, also saw strides against a stronger opponent, especially considering that senior Chase Cleasby is the lone returning starter. A third-year varsity player, Cleasby has moved from center defender to center midfield. Cleasby briefly returned to the back line the latter half of the first half.
“I just take a new leadership role because there are a whole bunch of new defenders," Cleasby said. "I’m helping out at midfield, moving the ball from side to side and helping out the team.
“I think we’re just molding well as a team. We’re getting better possession-wise, and all of the boys are getting used to the varsity-level style of play. We have a lot of new players.”
After three shots in the first half and none on goal, the Cougars nearly tied the game in the 50th minute when senior co-captain Rocky Del Real broke free for a left-footed blast from the top of the box.
Sprague, a junior, charged out high and stopped the point-blank attempt. Senior midfielder Noah Canlas then pounced on the rebound just before Del Real could recoil.
“(Sprague) made two big saves that I can remember,” Plainfield South coach David Brown said. “It’s a game of momentum. They capitalized on theirs, and we didn’t get it done when we finally broke them down and had some good chances.”
Granato helped the Redhawks cash in on a momentary defensive lapse moments after two more subs entered just before a throw-in.
After a give-and-go with Schwaiger, Granato wedged the ball through the defensive line to meet Kokes’ diagonal run from left wing. Kokes got the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Quentin Rose (9 saves), who also made several impressive stops.
“I saw Zack and Kyle Crawford both making diagonal runs, so I’m like, ‘Why not try playing it to both, slide it right through and hopefully one of them will get it,’ ” Granato said.
“I thought (the pass) was to Kyle," Kokes said. "I was shoulder to shoulder with one of the center backs, and I was pushing him off and put it away."
About a minute before Sprague’s huge save, Granato nearly gave the Redhawks a 2-0 lead. After Canlas’ corner kick was cleared out by the Cougars’ Kyle Klonicki, the ball came to Granato, whose 30-yard blast was pushed by Rose barely over the crossbar.
“A great save. Most players can’t really save that,” Granato said. “I had a couple of shots at the (junior varsity last year) that were exactly like that, where the ball rises up and then dips right under the crossbar. I had three goals that way from about 30, 25 yards.”
Plainfield South coach Brown is confident in his new keeper.
“We know what we’re going to get from (Rose) all year," Brown said. "He’s going to be a rock-solid goalie for us.”
In 2014, Granato saw “about 10 minutes” of varsity action during a stretch in which some varsity players were unable to compete. Most of the season, he and Kokes were junior varsity teammates in the midfield.
“It’s pretty intense (on varsity), but it’s really fun,” Kokes said. “I like all of these guys on this team. This is the level you want to play at.”
Besides his big save, Sprague also displayed his varsity chops in the 62nd minute. He stopped senior Rey Uriostegui’s explosive run down left wing and shot when the rebound bounced off the post. Sprague also thwarted Klonicki’s strong throw-ins.
“(Sprague is) working hard in practice, and he’ll get some different opportunities behind Joe,” Adams said. “I’ve told coaches I have nine goalies in the program, and it’s great for us. It’s hard for them because we probably have a lot of goalies that a lot programs would love to have starting varsity.”
The Redhawks controlled most of the first half, with Schwaiger playing the lone forward and five midfielders alternating between attack and defense. Granato’s assist came while playing midfield after senior Jack Eagan relieved him on the defensive outside.
The starting defense of junior Griffin Geisler and seniors John Rudolph, Colin Bradley-Leon and Granato helped senior returnee Kallikadan enjoy a relatively calm 40 minutes. Eagan, junior Frank DeStefano and senior Bryan Olefsky also played significant minutes on the back line.
“The first half was much better defensively than the second half. We maybe ran a little bit out of juice. (And) we had a couple of injuries,” Adams said. “We did a very good job today on getting pressure but being under control. And today was a huge improvement on communication. We didn’t have guys running free all over the place.”
The goal by an unmarked Forest lent significant breathing room amid controversy. Several Plainfield South fans vocalized that they believed Forest’s shot rose and struck his right arm before going into the net. The ruling official was to the right side of the play.
“The goal was a little bit controversial, but we can’t worry about what the refs call," Brown said. "He’s pretty much wide open on the back post, whether his hand or leg or whatever he put it in with.
“I think there are a lot of positives for us to take away from the game. The first half I don’t know if we created as much as we wanted to, but I thought for the most part we defended well. Their goal was really the only chance where they seemed to have broken us down a little bit in the first half.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK – Joe Kallikadan
D – Griffin Geisler
D – John Rudolph
D – Colin Bradley-Leon
D – Joe Granato
M – Noah Canlas
M – Taha Din
M – Nate Zain
M – Jimmy Kalkofen
M – Kyle Forest
F – Chris Schwaiger
Plainfield South
GK – Quentin Rose
D – Jeff Mickow
D – Jair Moreno
D – Ryan Childs
D – Kyle Klonicki
M – Chase Cleasby
M – Wyatt Gallt
M – Juan Guzman
M – Dominick Christiansen
F – Rey Uriostegui
F – Rocky Del Real
Man of the Match – Joe Granato, Naperville Central