Jimenez strikes twice
to lead WW South past Larkin
Junior makes Larkin pay for defensive miscues
By Matt Le Cren
LA GRANGE – Wheaton Warrenville South understandably lacked a little confidence after losing five-of-its-last six matches.
Danny Jimenez changed that when he scored 22 seconds into Saturday’s consolation pool match against Larkin at the PepsiCo Showdown at Lyons Soccer Complex.
Though there were a few dicey moments, Tigers (4-6-1) went on to earn a 2-1 victory and finish the prestigious tournament with a 2-2 record.
“I guess [scoring that early] boosts your confidence,” Jimenez said. “It makes you feel a lot better, makes you want to play harder because you know the other team isn’t doing so well.”
Jimenez, a junior, scored both goals for the Tigers and was named Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. It was his first two-goal game of the season.
The first strike came when Tigers midfielder Mark Crisostomo sent a long ball into the box that a Larkin defender appeared to have under control, only to lose it and have Jimenez rush in and beat Larkin goalie Leo Perez with a 12-yard roller inside the right post.
“I was actually very surprised,” said Jimenez, who now has three goals this season. “I didn’t think [the defender] was going to whiff the ball. The defender just whiffed it, and I had a breakaway.”
The Tigers controlled most of the action in the first half. In the second half Larkin (2-7-2) struck first.
The Royals tied the game two minutes into the second half when Hector Mendoza got loose in the box and ran onto a pass from Ricardo Nava for a quick finish.
Wheaton Warrenville South wasted little time with its response. Jimenez again took advantage of shaky defensive work one minute later.
“Anthony Berardi headed it up, the guy whiffed again and I was inside the box and hit it with the outside of my right foot,” Jimenez said.
That finished the scoring but not the action. The Royals, an inexperienced team that has six freshmen and four sophomores, arguably outplayed the Tigers after that, sustaining pressure for long stretches.
But Wheaton Warrenville South’s back line of Jack Schlegel, Darby Anderson Ian Daniel and Haris Hadzic held firm when it had to, blocking several shots, and Tigers’ goalie Adam Mrzlak did the rest, finishing with seven saves, including diving stops in the 58th, 59th and 73rd minutes on Mendoza.
“I thought given our play in the first half we were in good shape,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “You kind of saw us unraveling a little bit toward the latter part of the first half, just too much space and time, not willing to do the work and get numbers behind the ball.
“They were playing a little bit more direct, and when they do that we’re always subject to mistakes. The ground’s a little hard, the ball is a little lively and anything can happen, so when you get a bad touch, they can capitalize on those things. Consequently, they did.
"You look at our two goals it was kind of similar. They were in good position, kind of lost their way a little bit, allowed us in behind and Danny made two nice touches to goal, kept his head about himself.”
So did the defense.
“We were giving up some opportunities but we always recovered from that,” Mrzlak said. “That stopped them from getting any other chances on goal.”
The quick retaliation after Larkin got the equalizer also helped.
“It felt really good because knowing that we were up, we could play a little more defensively and keep possession of the ball because we had the lead,” Mrzlak said.
It was the third-straight, one-goal loss and fifth of the season for Larkin, which was seeded eighth in the 32-team bracket.
The Tigers, though, came in unseeded but knocked off No. 14 Washington, the reigning Class 2A state champions, in the opening round to become one of just four unseeded teams to advance to the second round.
Wheaton Warrenville South then lost to No. 3 seed Lyons 2-0 in the second round and dropped a 3-1 decision to Streamwood.
“I think it really boosts our confidence,” Mrzlak said. “Before, we’ve been down on ourselves but after this win we’re going to keep going up from here.”
Jimenez agreed.
“The first round was a really good win for us especially since they were last year’s state champs,” Jimenez said. “The next two that we lost I have to say were unfortunate, especially the game against Streamwood. I felt like we were a lot better team than them, but they just seemed to finish their chances.
“I think this [win] is a really good game for us, boosts our confidence a lot.”
Callipari has 10 seniors on his roster but not all of them have a lot of varsity experience. The Tigers have just seven returning players, so a .500 record in such a prestigious tournament is encouraging.
“You look at our record here and the teams that we’ve played, a lot of teams of quality,” Callipari said. “It’s a tough schedule. It is a good snapshot to look at what we’re capable of doing, and they’ve just got to start believing in themselves.
“They’re still new to the level and speed of play and the physicality of the game. If you make mistakes, [you pay].
“You’ve got to play clean, and you’ve got to play quickly, and you’ve got to work hard. If you can do those three things on a consistent basis you’ll always have a chance to be there at the end, and today we did that.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Adam Mrzlak
D Jack Schlegel
D Darby Anderson
D Ian Daniel
D Haris Hadzic
M Mark Crisostomo
M Jon Salgado
M Javi Rosas
M Ellito Kettle
F Danny Jimenez
F Anthony Berardi
Larkin
GK Leo Perez
D Moises Raya
D Johnny Bahena
D Chris Plantz
D Chris Alvarez
M Diego Ramirez
M Sammy Rodriguez
M Freddy Jungo
F Ricardo Nava
F Hector Mendoza
F Randy Rodriguez
Man of the Match: Danny Jimenez, Wheaton Warrenville South.
to lead WW South past Larkin
Junior makes Larkin pay for defensive miscues
By Matt Le Cren
LA GRANGE – Wheaton Warrenville South understandably lacked a little confidence after losing five-of-its-last six matches.
Danny Jimenez changed that when he scored 22 seconds into Saturday’s consolation pool match against Larkin at the PepsiCo Showdown at Lyons Soccer Complex.
Though there were a few dicey moments, Tigers (4-6-1) went on to earn a 2-1 victory and finish the prestigious tournament with a 2-2 record.
“I guess [scoring that early] boosts your confidence,” Jimenez said. “It makes you feel a lot better, makes you want to play harder because you know the other team isn’t doing so well.”
Jimenez, a junior, scored both goals for the Tigers and was named Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. It was his first two-goal game of the season.
The first strike came when Tigers midfielder Mark Crisostomo sent a long ball into the box that a Larkin defender appeared to have under control, only to lose it and have Jimenez rush in and beat Larkin goalie Leo Perez with a 12-yard roller inside the right post.
“I was actually very surprised,” said Jimenez, who now has three goals this season. “I didn’t think [the defender] was going to whiff the ball. The defender just whiffed it, and I had a breakaway.”
The Tigers controlled most of the action in the first half. In the second half Larkin (2-7-2) struck first.
The Royals tied the game two minutes into the second half when Hector Mendoza got loose in the box and ran onto a pass from Ricardo Nava for a quick finish.
Wheaton Warrenville South wasted little time with its response. Jimenez again took advantage of shaky defensive work one minute later.
“Anthony Berardi headed it up, the guy whiffed again and I was inside the box and hit it with the outside of my right foot,” Jimenez said.
That finished the scoring but not the action. The Royals, an inexperienced team that has six freshmen and four sophomores, arguably outplayed the Tigers after that, sustaining pressure for long stretches.
But Wheaton Warrenville South’s back line of Jack Schlegel, Darby Anderson Ian Daniel and Haris Hadzic held firm when it had to, blocking several shots, and Tigers’ goalie Adam Mrzlak did the rest, finishing with seven saves, including diving stops in the 58th, 59th and 73rd minutes on Mendoza.
“I thought given our play in the first half we were in good shape,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “You kind of saw us unraveling a little bit toward the latter part of the first half, just too much space and time, not willing to do the work and get numbers behind the ball.
“They were playing a little bit more direct, and when they do that we’re always subject to mistakes. The ground’s a little hard, the ball is a little lively and anything can happen, so when you get a bad touch, they can capitalize on those things. Consequently, they did.
"You look at our two goals it was kind of similar. They were in good position, kind of lost their way a little bit, allowed us in behind and Danny made two nice touches to goal, kept his head about himself.”
So did the defense.
“We were giving up some opportunities but we always recovered from that,” Mrzlak said. “That stopped them from getting any other chances on goal.”
The quick retaliation after Larkin got the equalizer also helped.
“It felt really good because knowing that we were up, we could play a little more defensively and keep possession of the ball because we had the lead,” Mrzlak said.
It was the third-straight, one-goal loss and fifth of the season for Larkin, which was seeded eighth in the 32-team bracket.
The Tigers, though, came in unseeded but knocked off No. 14 Washington, the reigning Class 2A state champions, in the opening round to become one of just four unseeded teams to advance to the second round.
Wheaton Warrenville South then lost to No. 3 seed Lyons 2-0 in the second round and dropped a 3-1 decision to Streamwood.
“I think it really boosts our confidence,” Mrzlak said. “Before, we’ve been down on ourselves but after this win we’re going to keep going up from here.”
Jimenez agreed.
“The first round was a really good win for us especially since they were last year’s state champs,” Jimenez said. “The next two that we lost I have to say were unfortunate, especially the game against Streamwood. I felt like we were a lot better team than them, but they just seemed to finish their chances.
“I think this [win] is a really good game for us, boosts our confidence a lot.”
Callipari has 10 seniors on his roster but not all of them have a lot of varsity experience. The Tigers have just seven returning players, so a .500 record in such a prestigious tournament is encouraging.
“You look at our record here and the teams that we’ve played, a lot of teams of quality,” Callipari said. “It’s a tough schedule. It is a good snapshot to look at what we’re capable of doing, and they’ve just got to start believing in themselves.
“They’re still new to the level and speed of play and the physicality of the game. If you make mistakes, [you pay].
“You’ve got to play clean, and you’ve got to play quickly, and you’ve got to work hard. If you can do those three things on a consistent basis you’ll always have a chance to be there at the end, and today we did that.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Adam Mrzlak
D Jack Schlegel
D Darby Anderson
D Ian Daniel
D Haris Hadzic
M Mark Crisostomo
M Jon Salgado
M Javi Rosas
M Ellito Kettle
F Danny Jimenez
F Anthony Berardi
Larkin
GK Leo Perez
D Moises Raya
D Johnny Bahena
D Chris Plantz
D Chris Alvarez
M Diego Ramirez
M Sammy Rodriguez
M Freddy Jungo
F Ricardo Nava
F Hector Mendoza
F Randy Rodriguez
Man of the Match: Danny Jimenez, Wheaton Warrenville South.