Berardi’s hat trick boosts
Wheaton Warrenville South
Tigers regroup to beat Washington in Showdown opener
By Derek Wolff
LA GRANGE -- After giving up the tying goal late in the second half, Wheaton Warrenville South was back in familiar territory Saturday after a string of disappointments in its last couple of matches.
Enter Anthony Berardi.
Already sitting on a two-goal performance, Berardi lifted the Tigers to victory in their Pepsi Showdown opener, netting the hat trick and game-winner with five minutes left in regulation to give his side the 3-2 win over Washington.
Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari was relieved to see his side pull out the victory after looking like the game was headed the opposite direction when Washington forward Luis Ortega tied the match 2-2 in the 69th minute. Callipari gave credit to the opposition.
“Obviously, we needed a little bit of a confidence builder so certainly playing against a team of that quality and coming away with the result was important,” Callipari said. “I thought we played exceptionally well in our last two outings but without result. It’s a matter of closing a game and finishing it, and I’m glad they responded well when we gave one up with 10 to go.
"I thought we were going to have our heads down; our shoulders drooped a little bit. I think they felt that we had some quality opportunities. We just didn’t hit the face of the goal, and if we kept on plugging away they might find one and they did at the end of it all. A great response by them to keep their head up when they could have said, here we go again, but they didn’t. That’s great to see them rewarded for their effort.”
The win for the Tigers came against top competition. Washington is the defending Division 2A state champions.
Tigers captain Elliot Kettle said the win should give his side confidence as it progresses through the tournament.
“Obviously, being 2A state champions last year they have some quality players,” Kettle said. “It’s good for us to have this challenge as we work through the Pepsi Showdown and into conference play. I think it’s a great challenge, great game, great to get the win as well. Fun to score some goals for Berardi.”
Washington took the early lead in the 18th minute after some close calls in its defensive end when sophomore Oscar Padilla knocked in a loose ball after a scramble at the net.
The Tigers tied it up three minutes later with an equally gritty goal when Berardi, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, received a pass from Mark Crisostomo inside the 18 and shot it on target. With the ball going in, Washington defender Josue Navarro tried to kick it off the line but wound up kicking it in.
After heading to halftime tied at 1-1, Berardi gave his side its first lead of the day in the 47th minute with a beautiful chip goal from 20 yards out.
“I just looked up and the goalie was off his line, so instead of trying to take an actual shot I just tried to chip it over and put it in the net,” Berardi said. “I missed a couple of sitters this year, so it was nice to get a few goals today. It’s good that we finally won again, since we’ve been in a little bit of a winning drought even though we’ve played pretty good the last couple of games.”
For Washington, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow, especially with the knowledge that about half the team’s starters did not attend the game because they were taking the ACT on Saturday.
Still, Washington coach Alvaro Perez was measured in his responses and said his side would be able to learn and grow from the loss, particularly the younger junior varsity players who were given a chance to play due to the circumstances.
“I know we didn’t get the score, but I’m proud of the following fact,” Perez said. “I need for these boys to now understand that they need to be humble, regardless of the circumstances. They did what they did a year ago, but nothing is given. You have to earn it regardless. The younger guys, they’ve been asking for their moment, and this was it. This is what they did. More than anything else, it’s about them being humble.”
Junior midfielder Miguel Rodriguez said it would be a learning experience and that while his side should have won, they would move forward and make adjustments.
“To be honest, it was a tough loss since we know we just won a big accomplishment last year,” Rodriguez said. “We don’t really expect this but, you know, expect the unexpected. We worked hard this whole season not to lose, but whatever comes out of it we have to keep moving forward. We have a lot of big games coming up and will do what we have to do. Every game you have to play your hardest. We played really hard today and should have gotten the outcome, but it happens.”
The match was very physical at times and cards easily could have been produced on a number of occasions for both sides. Btut the referees, acutely aware of the 25-yellow-card rule for the season, wisely allowed the teams to play on.
However, Washington midfielder Brian Romo was assessed a red card after the final whistle for language usage, something he had been warned about by both the officials and his teammates earlier in the game.
Starting lineups
Washington
G-Jose Lopez
D-Diego Larios
D-Rogelio Catalan
D-Josue Navarro
M-Carlos Martinez
M-Luis Hernandez
M-Brian Romo
M-Oscar Padilla
M-Miguel Rodriguez
F-Luis Ortega
F-Alberto Solis
Wheaton Warrenville South
G-Adam Mrslak
D-Luis Cruz
D-Ian Daniel
D-Chris Stamatopoulos
M-Anthony Berardi
M-Haris Hadzic
M-Elliot Kettle
M-Jack Schlegel
M-Mark Crisostomo
M-Carlos Rojas
F-Mike Bennett
Referees: Ray Zaragoza, Manuel Mantiel, Alfonso Navarro
Man of the Match: Anthony Berardi, Wheaton Warrenville South
Wheaton Warrenville South
Tigers regroup to beat Washington in Showdown opener
By Derek Wolff
LA GRANGE -- After giving up the tying goal late in the second half, Wheaton Warrenville South was back in familiar territory Saturday after a string of disappointments in its last couple of matches.
Enter Anthony Berardi.
Already sitting on a two-goal performance, Berardi lifted the Tigers to victory in their Pepsi Showdown opener, netting the hat trick and game-winner with five minutes left in regulation to give his side the 3-2 win over Washington.
Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari was relieved to see his side pull out the victory after looking like the game was headed the opposite direction when Washington forward Luis Ortega tied the match 2-2 in the 69th minute. Callipari gave credit to the opposition.
“Obviously, we needed a little bit of a confidence builder so certainly playing against a team of that quality and coming away with the result was important,” Callipari said. “I thought we played exceptionally well in our last two outings but without result. It’s a matter of closing a game and finishing it, and I’m glad they responded well when we gave one up with 10 to go.
"I thought we were going to have our heads down; our shoulders drooped a little bit. I think they felt that we had some quality opportunities. We just didn’t hit the face of the goal, and if we kept on plugging away they might find one and they did at the end of it all. A great response by them to keep their head up when they could have said, here we go again, but they didn’t. That’s great to see them rewarded for their effort.”
The win for the Tigers came against top competition. Washington is the defending Division 2A state champions.
Tigers captain Elliot Kettle said the win should give his side confidence as it progresses through the tournament.
“Obviously, being 2A state champions last year they have some quality players,” Kettle said. “It’s good for us to have this challenge as we work through the Pepsi Showdown and into conference play. I think it’s a great challenge, great game, great to get the win as well. Fun to score some goals for Berardi.”
Washington took the early lead in the 18th minute after some close calls in its defensive end when sophomore Oscar Padilla knocked in a loose ball after a scramble at the net.
The Tigers tied it up three minutes later with an equally gritty goal when Berardi, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, received a pass from Mark Crisostomo inside the 18 and shot it on target. With the ball going in, Washington defender Josue Navarro tried to kick it off the line but wound up kicking it in.
After heading to halftime tied at 1-1, Berardi gave his side its first lead of the day in the 47th minute with a beautiful chip goal from 20 yards out.
“I just looked up and the goalie was off his line, so instead of trying to take an actual shot I just tried to chip it over and put it in the net,” Berardi said. “I missed a couple of sitters this year, so it was nice to get a few goals today. It’s good that we finally won again, since we’ve been in a little bit of a winning drought even though we’ve played pretty good the last couple of games.”
For Washington, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow, especially with the knowledge that about half the team’s starters did not attend the game because they were taking the ACT on Saturday.
Still, Washington coach Alvaro Perez was measured in his responses and said his side would be able to learn and grow from the loss, particularly the younger junior varsity players who were given a chance to play due to the circumstances.
“I know we didn’t get the score, but I’m proud of the following fact,” Perez said. “I need for these boys to now understand that they need to be humble, regardless of the circumstances. They did what they did a year ago, but nothing is given. You have to earn it regardless. The younger guys, they’ve been asking for their moment, and this was it. This is what they did. More than anything else, it’s about them being humble.”
Junior midfielder Miguel Rodriguez said it would be a learning experience and that while his side should have won, they would move forward and make adjustments.
“To be honest, it was a tough loss since we know we just won a big accomplishment last year,” Rodriguez said. “We don’t really expect this but, you know, expect the unexpected. We worked hard this whole season not to lose, but whatever comes out of it we have to keep moving forward. We have a lot of big games coming up and will do what we have to do. Every game you have to play your hardest. We played really hard today and should have gotten the outcome, but it happens.”
The match was very physical at times and cards easily could have been produced on a number of occasions for both sides. Btut the referees, acutely aware of the 25-yellow-card rule for the season, wisely allowed the teams to play on.
However, Washington midfielder Brian Romo was assessed a red card after the final whistle for language usage, something he had been warned about by both the officials and his teammates earlier in the game.
Starting lineups
Washington
G-Jose Lopez
D-Diego Larios
D-Rogelio Catalan
D-Josue Navarro
M-Carlos Martinez
M-Luis Hernandez
M-Brian Romo
M-Oscar Padilla
M-Miguel Rodriguez
F-Luis Ortega
F-Alberto Solis
Wheaton Warrenville South
G-Adam Mrslak
D-Luis Cruz
D-Ian Daniel
D-Chris Stamatopoulos
M-Anthony Berardi
M-Haris Hadzic
M-Elliot Kettle
M-Jack Schlegel
M-Mark Crisostomo
M-Carlos Rojas
F-Mike Bennett
Referees: Ray Zaragoza, Manuel Mantiel, Alfonso Navarro
Man of the Match: Anthony Berardi, Wheaton Warrenville South