By Dave Owen
ELMWOOD PARK -- If opening night is any indication, Willowbrook soccer fans would be wise to stay until the final buzzer this fall.
Trailing 2-0 at halftime Tuesday at Elmwood Park, the Warriors faced the added hurdle of being limited to nine field players after a red card ejection 17 minutes into the match.
Down a player and two goals? No worries.
Goals three minutes apart by Saul Hernandez (penalty kick) and Aaron Johnson tied the score 2-2 with 27:16 left to play. Then Mike Rogalski scored on a great individual effort in the box with 14:29 to play as the Warriors opened 2014 with an improbable 3-2 comeback win over the Tigers (0-1).
After the offense surged, goalkeeper Asmir Perviz sealed the win with a great catch as time expired of a point-blank header by Elmwood Park’s Lukasz Mordarski.
But long before the exciting finish, Willowbrook coach Peter Ginter set the tone for the comeback with a halftime speech of equal parts strategy and philosophy.
“I told them, ‘When the chips are down is when it’s time to step up and show character to overcome difficulties,’ ” Ginter said. “That’s what life is all about.
“Mike Rogalski had to play more defensive, and he’s our center mid,” Ginter said of the halftime adjustments. “Then I had Lucas Betts playing in a defensive mid position, and he’s normally an outside mid.
“We’ve talked about making these types of adjustments – we call it ‘Plan B’ when we’re protecting a lead, so we practice playing not in our normal positions. Today they had a big test of that, and they reacted very well to it.”
A big test was an understatement.
After Hernandez’s rush in on goal 90 seconds into the match was denied on a nice defensive play by Elmwood Park’s Aleksander Grabowski, the Tigers controlled most of the first half.
Elmwood Park’s Conrad Malinowski was fouled on his burst deep into the box in the 14th minute, setting up a penalty kick goal by the Tigers’ Matthew Ziuzia. A red card on Willowbrook defender Anthony Pieroni three minutes later left the Warriors shorthanded the rest of the night.
Elmwood Park cashed in again off a restart with 3:57 left in the half.
After Conrad Malinowski was tripped just outside the box, Lukasz Malinowski lined a low 25-yard direct kick inside the left post to make the score 2-0.
Though demoralized, the Warriors were anything but defeated.
The amazing comeback
Coming off a one-win season of solid play but many close losses in 2013, the Warriors could have seen their opening half of 2014 as more of the same.
But the tone changed after the break.
“It was all coach Ginter’s speech,” Willowbrook senior Aaron Johnson said. “He got us a little pumped, we came out strong, got the PK and everything was going good after that.”
The energy of two early Warrior chances were matched at the other end of the field. Warrior goalkeeper Perviz’s leaping tip just over the crossbar of a Lukasz Mordarski 38-yard direct kick with 32:30 left denied the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
“Their keeper definitely kept them in it,” Elmwood Park coach Marty Blake said. “It could have easily been 4-0 in the first half.”
Less than two minutes later, Johnson was pushed down in the box on Kristian Johansson’s 41-yard direct kick. Hernandez put away the ensuing PK and the score was 2-1 with 30:06 left.
“Like I told our guys at the half, the most dangerous lead is a 2-0 lead,” Blake said. “They’re going to come out in the first 10 minutes and storm the front. They’re a good team, well coached. I thought we bunkered it down for a little bit. We were trying to work a counter game. After the PK it kind of spiraled there.”
Another wave of Willowbrook attackers tied the game 2-2 with 27:16 to go. Betts drove in on left wing and sent a cross into the box, where Johnson fielded a deflection of Hernandez’s shot and blasted a point-blank attempt into the net.
“We just came out stronger,” Rogalski said. “We had a couple of chances at the beginning of the second half, and after the penalty we knew if we get this in, we’re rolling. Saul took the PK, then Aaron had a great goal, and the defense played three in the back and did a great job. It was just amazing.”
The amazing comeback continued – Johnson sprung Hernandez for a 1-on-1 chance and an 18-yard shot just over the net with 18:50 left, then Rogalski’s shot off a Benny Heredia pass was deflected inches over the crossbar with 16:55 to go.
There would be no near-miss on Rogalski’s next big chance with 14:29 left. He fielded a throw-in, coolly maneuvered inside the box and lined an 8-yard blast off an Elmwood Park defender and in for the 3-2 lead.
“Kristian Johansson threw it in on a long throw-in,” Rogalski said. “I just made a few moves, flipped it up and then there was a deflection.
“It was amazing how we scored three goals down 2-0 with a man down. We’ve had a bad couple of seasons in the past, and to come back like that ... we’re really happy.”
Being a man down put added pressure on all the Warriors, but they clearly responded. Johnson was one of many heroes, both with his role in offensive rushes and with some key plays to spark transition chances (including his nice block and steal of Kevin Munoz’s attack to the top of the box with 7:15 left).
“It was very tiring (with 10 players), but we made it work,” Johnson said. “(Assistant) coach (Eddie) De La Cruz told us even though we have a man down, we just have to work harder than they could. And we did exactly that.”
Ginter said: “Aaron was all over offensively and defensively, great at scoring chances and scored a goal himself."
The coach had plenty of other Warriors to praise for their extra effort.
“I was very happy with Mike Rogalski’s play both offensively and defensively,” he said. “I wasn’t sure about how our outside fullbacks would play – Gideon we knew brings the ball up nice, but didn’t know how he’d play defensively. He and Stasiu outside I thought both played very well.
“Saul’s our top striker, and he has a good instinct for the ball and is really tough. He’s going to be a good one for us, and Benny Heredia played a great game on the outside. He and Saul are both sophomores and complement each other very well.”
The Warriors battled literally to the end to insure the victory. Ali Saleh made a nice sliding steal at midfield with 4:25 left, but the biggest threat came at the end.
A foul with 10 seconds left set up a 25-yard free kick from the right side by Elmwood Park's Milosz Mordarski. The perfect cross connected with his brother Lukasz in front, but Purviz caught the would-be, game-tying header as time expired.
“We play to the end,” said the Tigers' Ziuzia. “We don’t give up.”
Neither did Willowbrook, which hopes its big half can be a springboard to an improved season.
“This boosts our confidence up, knowing we can come back from down 2-0,” Johnson said.
“Once we get players back in regular positions, we’ll be a much better team,” Ginter said. “Today we struggled, but then we overcame difficulties and came from behind. It was a great character win for us.”
Elmwood Park’s perspective
While the second half produced a jubilant start to 2014 for Willowbrook, Elmwood Park saw a great first half result in a frustrating finish.
“I thought we were dominating up top in the first half,” senior co-captain Ziuzia said. “We had a lot of good movement with the ball, a strong defense, and up to the half we were doing great up 2-nil.
“It was really momentum after that first (Willowbrook) goal – they got excited, the momentum shifted and they were hungry for the ball. We got really tired – I think stamina is one of our issues. That’s what led to our downfall and the turn in the game.”
Blake hopes the nonconference setback can be a lesson that pays off for his team as the season goes on.
“We’re still a very young team, with a lot of sophomores and two seniors that I consistently play,” Blake said. “Games reveal a lot about a team – when it’s going well, we’re high. For young guys, they’re winning and then they’re down, and they don’t know how to come back. So that’s a learning process.
“We possessed it in the first half, and when we did turn it over we pressed immediately. They put in the work in the summer, and there are a lot of promising things coming up in our conference.”
Ziuzia has similar optimism looking ahead.
“As long as we keep working hard and moving the ball, our offense will be scoring plenty of goals,” he said.
Starting lineups
Willowbrook
GK: Asmir Perviz; D: Gideon Karasek, Stasiu Szudrowicz, Anthony Pieroni; MF: Arkadiusz Szlachta, Aaron Johnson, Lucas Betts, Kristian Johansson, Benny Heredia; F: Saul Hernandez, Mike Rogalski. Head coach Peter Ginter.
Elmwood Park
GK: Mario Muhaj; D: Aleksander Grabowski, Kevin Munoz, Dawid Tapa, Marcos Araque; MF: Konrad Malinowski, Eddy Fernandez, Emanuel Chudy; F: Milosz Mordarski, Matthew Ziuzia, Lukasz Mordarski. Head coach Martin Blake.
Man of the Match: Aaron Johnson, Willowbrook
ELMWOOD PARK -- If opening night is any indication, Willowbrook soccer fans would be wise to stay until the final buzzer this fall.
Trailing 2-0 at halftime Tuesday at Elmwood Park, the Warriors faced the added hurdle of being limited to nine field players after a red card ejection 17 minutes into the match.
Down a player and two goals? No worries.
Goals three minutes apart by Saul Hernandez (penalty kick) and Aaron Johnson tied the score 2-2 with 27:16 left to play. Then Mike Rogalski scored on a great individual effort in the box with 14:29 to play as the Warriors opened 2014 with an improbable 3-2 comeback win over the Tigers (0-1).
After the offense surged, goalkeeper Asmir Perviz sealed the win with a great catch as time expired of a point-blank header by Elmwood Park’s Lukasz Mordarski.
But long before the exciting finish, Willowbrook coach Peter Ginter set the tone for the comeback with a halftime speech of equal parts strategy and philosophy.
“I told them, ‘When the chips are down is when it’s time to step up and show character to overcome difficulties,’ ” Ginter said. “That’s what life is all about.
“Mike Rogalski had to play more defensive, and he’s our center mid,” Ginter said of the halftime adjustments. “Then I had Lucas Betts playing in a defensive mid position, and he’s normally an outside mid.
“We’ve talked about making these types of adjustments – we call it ‘Plan B’ when we’re protecting a lead, so we practice playing not in our normal positions. Today they had a big test of that, and they reacted very well to it.”
A big test was an understatement.
After Hernandez’s rush in on goal 90 seconds into the match was denied on a nice defensive play by Elmwood Park’s Aleksander Grabowski, the Tigers controlled most of the first half.
Elmwood Park’s Conrad Malinowski was fouled on his burst deep into the box in the 14th minute, setting up a penalty kick goal by the Tigers’ Matthew Ziuzia. A red card on Willowbrook defender Anthony Pieroni three minutes later left the Warriors shorthanded the rest of the night.
Elmwood Park cashed in again off a restart with 3:57 left in the half.
After Conrad Malinowski was tripped just outside the box, Lukasz Malinowski lined a low 25-yard direct kick inside the left post to make the score 2-0.
Though demoralized, the Warriors were anything but defeated.
The amazing comeback
Coming off a one-win season of solid play but many close losses in 2013, the Warriors could have seen their opening half of 2014 as more of the same.
But the tone changed after the break.
“It was all coach Ginter’s speech,” Willowbrook senior Aaron Johnson said. “He got us a little pumped, we came out strong, got the PK and everything was going good after that.”
The energy of two early Warrior chances were matched at the other end of the field. Warrior goalkeeper Perviz’s leaping tip just over the crossbar of a Lukasz Mordarski 38-yard direct kick with 32:30 left denied the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
“Their keeper definitely kept them in it,” Elmwood Park coach Marty Blake said. “It could have easily been 4-0 in the first half.”
Less than two minutes later, Johnson was pushed down in the box on Kristian Johansson’s 41-yard direct kick. Hernandez put away the ensuing PK and the score was 2-1 with 30:06 left.
“Like I told our guys at the half, the most dangerous lead is a 2-0 lead,” Blake said. “They’re going to come out in the first 10 minutes and storm the front. They’re a good team, well coached. I thought we bunkered it down for a little bit. We were trying to work a counter game. After the PK it kind of spiraled there.”
Another wave of Willowbrook attackers tied the game 2-2 with 27:16 to go. Betts drove in on left wing and sent a cross into the box, where Johnson fielded a deflection of Hernandez’s shot and blasted a point-blank attempt into the net.
“We just came out stronger,” Rogalski said. “We had a couple of chances at the beginning of the second half, and after the penalty we knew if we get this in, we’re rolling. Saul took the PK, then Aaron had a great goal, and the defense played three in the back and did a great job. It was just amazing.”
The amazing comeback continued – Johnson sprung Hernandez for a 1-on-1 chance and an 18-yard shot just over the net with 18:50 left, then Rogalski’s shot off a Benny Heredia pass was deflected inches over the crossbar with 16:55 to go.
There would be no near-miss on Rogalski’s next big chance with 14:29 left. He fielded a throw-in, coolly maneuvered inside the box and lined an 8-yard blast off an Elmwood Park defender and in for the 3-2 lead.
“Kristian Johansson threw it in on a long throw-in,” Rogalski said. “I just made a few moves, flipped it up and then there was a deflection.
“It was amazing how we scored three goals down 2-0 with a man down. We’ve had a bad couple of seasons in the past, and to come back like that ... we’re really happy.”
Being a man down put added pressure on all the Warriors, but they clearly responded. Johnson was one of many heroes, both with his role in offensive rushes and with some key plays to spark transition chances (including his nice block and steal of Kevin Munoz’s attack to the top of the box with 7:15 left).
“It was very tiring (with 10 players), but we made it work,” Johnson said. “(Assistant) coach (Eddie) De La Cruz told us even though we have a man down, we just have to work harder than they could. And we did exactly that.”
Ginter said: “Aaron was all over offensively and defensively, great at scoring chances and scored a goal himself."
The coach had plenty of other Warriors to praise for their extra effort.
“I was very happy with Mike Rogalski’s play both offensively and defensively,” he said. “I wasn’t sure about how our outside fullbacks would play – Gideon we knew brings the ball up nice, but didn’t know how he’d play defensively. He and Stasiu outside I thought both played very well.
“Saul’s our top striker, and he has a good instinct for the ball and is really tough. He’s going to be a good one for us, and Benny Heredia played a great game on the outside. He and Saul are both sophomores and complement each other very well.”
The Warriors battled literally to the end to insure the victory. Ali Saleh made a nice sliding steal at midfield with 4:25 left, but the biggest threat came at the end.
A foul with 10 seconds left set up a 25-yard free kick from the right side by Elmwood Park's Milosz Mordarski. The perfect cross connected with his brother Lukasz in front, but Purviz caught the would-be, game-tying header as time expired.
“We play to the end,” said the Tigers' Ziuzia. “We don’t give up.”
Neither did Willowbrook, which hopes its big half can be a springboard to an improved season.
“This boosts our confidence up, knowing we can come back from down 2-0,” Johnson said.
“Once we get players back in regular positions, we’ll be a much better team,” Ginter said. “Today we struggled, but then we overcame difficulties and came from behind. It was a great character win for us.”
Elmwood Park’s perspective
While the second half produced a jubilant start to 2014 for Willowbrook, Elmwood Park saw a great first half result in a frustrating finish.
“I thought we were dominating up top in the first half,” senior co-captain Ziuzia said. “We had a lot of good movement with the ball, a strong defense, and up to the half we were doing great up 2-nil.
“It was really momentum after that first (Willowbrook) goal – they got excited, the momentum shifted and they were hungry for the ball. We got really tired – I think stamina is one of our issues. That’s what led to our downfall and the turn in the game.”
Blake hopes the nonconference setback can be a lesson that pays off for his team as the season goes on.
“We’re still a very young team, with a lot of sophomores and two seniors that I consistently play,” Blake said. “Games reveal a lot about a team – when it’s going well, we’re high. For young guys, they’re winning and then they’re down, and they don’t know how to come back. So that’s a learning process.
“We possessed it in the first half, and when we did turn it over we pressed immediately. They put in the work in the summer, and there are a lot of promising things coming up in our conference.”
Ziuzia has similar optimism looking ahead.
“As long as we keep working hard and moving the ball, our offense will be scoring plenty of goals,” he said.
Starting lineups
Willowbrook
GK: Asmir Perviz; D: Gideon Karasek, Stasiu Szudrowicz, Anthony Pieroni; MF: Arkadiusz Szlachta, Aaron Johnson, Lucas Betts, Kristian Johansson, Benny Heredia; F: Saul Hernandez, Mike Rogalski. Head coach Peter Ginter.
Elmwood Park
GK: Mario Muhaj; D: Aleksander Grabowski, Kevin Munoz, Dawid Tapa, Marcos Araque; MF: Konrad Malinowski, Eddy Fernandez, Emanuel Chudy; F: Milosz Mordarski, Matthew Ziuzia, Lukasz Mordarski. Head coach Martin Blake.
Man of the Match: Aaron Johnson, Willowbrook