Improved Elk Grove continues perfect start
Hungry seniors key Grenadiers' 3-1 win over Zion-Benton
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE -- Though many of the faces remain the same, it's a whole new ballgame at Elk Grove this season. The Grenadiers are off to a perfect 2-0-0 start after managing only four wins and a pair of draws in 18 matches a year ago.
After opening the 2015 campaign Tuesday with a 3-2 road victory over Maine West in the Central Suburban League/Mid-Suburban League Challenge, Elk Grove made it two straight, smacking down Zion-Benton 3-1 in an action-packed Grenadiers home opener Thursday night.
"Last year, we were all kind of new to each other," said Elk Grove senior forward/attacking midfielder Edgar Soto, who assisted on Elk Grove's third goal. That iinsurance marker was scored by sophomore forward Dylan Ingebrigsten late in the match. "This year, with the more experience we have, we know what it's like to play together out there."
Working in tandem with senior midfielder Oscar Suarez -- Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match -- Soto was a whirling dervish with the ball at his feet, creating countless chances by combining pure speed with an aggressive mentality. Suarez employed a similar mind-set, pushing the pace with solid free kicks and accurate throw-ins when he wasn't working a 1-2 punch with Soto on the attack.
"We're seniors, so we have to give it our all every game," Soto said. "There's no more 'next year' for us."
Senior defender Connor Emmerich was a standout as well, using all of his 6-foot-2 frame to lead the way in the back end in limiting the Zee-Bees to only a handful of good scoring opportunities. Joining Emmerich at the Department of Defense were senior starters Jerry Benitez and Noe Centeno, and sophomore Misa Contreras -- as well as
senior Chris Guadarrama and juniors Memo Contreras and Markos Christoforou off the bench.
"We've been working with some good combinations on the back line," Emmerich said. "I think we have a good combination of speed and height back there. It feels good to be 2-0. Our confidence is high right now. We have a more experienced team this year, so I think we know we can do it."
The Grenadiers struck first, grabbing a 1-0 lead with 3:22 left in the first half when Suarez corralled a long ball -- sent by Memo Contreras -- and popped it in from 15 yards out over the head of Zion-Benton junior goalkeeper Mike Mendez. Five minutes into the second half, Elk Grove upped the advantage to 2-0 on a goal by junior midfielder Alexis
Tijerin, whose quick shot surprised Mendez following a Zee-Bees clearing attempt.
"They were giving us a lot of space, so we took some chances (with long balls)," Suarez said.
Added Elk Grove head coach Rob Shepard: "That wasn't really our game plan, and we can't fall in love with that. But we were forcing them to make some decisions because of it."
Just over a minute after Tijerin's tally, Zion-Benton cut the lead in half on a beautiful header by junior defender Kevin Castaneda, who expertly redirected a snazzy, bending, left-to-right free kick free by senior midfielder Matt Rojel past Elk Grove senior keeper Pablo Ortiz.
"(Rojel) knows how to send it to me, and I was able to sneak in past the defense," said Castaneda, whose team was playing in its first game of the season. "As soon as we scored, we started believing in ourselves again."
Ingebrigsten -- who started in net but was replaced by Ortiz midway through the first half -- concluded the scoring with 10:02 remaining in the second half. After another of Elk Grove's numerous long balls resulted in a free kick by Suarez, Soto retrieved a loose ball and fed Ingebrigsten, who scored from about 20 yards out.
"In the first half, (Zion-Benton) didn't have many chances. Then they got the goal -- and a little hope -- and we had to buckle down on defense," Emmerich said.
Zion-Benton coach Cliff Pontillo said, "I thought we were pushed around the first half. We couldn't control the middle of the field, so we needed to step up and play a little
stronger.
"We scored that goal and had a 10-minute period to tie it, but we were kind of
stagnant for a while in the offensive third. It was our first game of the year, so we'll look at tape and make adjustments. We'll talk about starting a little better and getting into that last third."
Prior to Elk Grove's second goal, Zee-Bees sophomore forward Bryant Cataneda fired a shot over the top of the net in the 44th minute. And with his team down 3-1, Casteneda nearly made it 2-for-2 on headers on a wide attempt with 19:30 left in the match. Casteneda was foiled on yet another header when he bounced one just wide in the 67th minute.
A nifty passing sequence, in which five Zee-Bees touched the ball at least eight times, resulted in a try by Rodriguez that was calmly cleared out of danger by Emmerich with 3:35 showing.
Elk Grove's best chances in the second half came on a whistling rocket by Ingebrigsten that sailed wide left in the 56th minute and a header by Misa Contreras with 22:10 to go that gently nipped the crossbar.
"I think Elk Grove is a very skilled team," Pontillo said. "They move the ball exceptionally well, they work hard and they're very physical. It was a very good test for us ... a good way for us to measure ourselves."
As the current campaign continues to unfold, Elk Grove hopes to get used to hearing such compliments.
"We have a lot of the same parts as last year -- and a sour taste," Shepard said. "But the guys put in the work over summer, and there's been a little growing up, too. When Z-B scored, we didn't fall apart. It's all about how you handle adversity, and tonight we handled it great.
"We still have to organize some stuff, but the passion and energy are there. Now we know what it's like to taste some success. Now it's about going back to practice and never being satisfied. It's about (asking), 'How do we get better every single
day?' That's what we need to do to keep this going."
Starting lineups
Zion-Benton
G: Mike Mendez
D: Eric Hernandez
D: Luis Martinez
D: Caleb Ibbara
D: Kevin Casteneda
M: Juan Munoz
M: Alex Rodriguez
M: Matt Rojel
M: Darian Rodriguez
F: Jorge Vasquez
F: Bryant Cateneda
Elk Grove
G: Dylan Ingebrigsten
D: Jerry Benitez
D: Noe Centeno
D: Misa Contreras
D: Connor Emmerich
M: Joey Weber
M: Oscar Suarez
M: Ronaldo Olague
M: Ivan Perez
F: Edgar Soto
F: Adolofo Rascon
Man of the Match: Oscar Suarez, MF, Elk Grove
Officials: George Ghawi, Michael Wojtan, Roman Wojtan
Hungry seniors key Grenadiers' 3-1 win over Zion-Benton
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE -- Though many of the faces remain the same, it's a whole new ballgame at Elk Grove this season. The Grenadiers are off to a perfect 2-0-0 start after managing only four wins and a pair of draws in 18 matches a year ago.
After opening the 2015 campaign Tuesday with a 3-2 road victory over Maine West in the Central Suburban League/Mid-Suburban League Challenge, Elk Grove made it two straight, smacking down Zion-Benton 3-1 in an action-packed Grenadiers home opener Thursday night.
"Last year, we were all kind of new to each other," said Elk Grove senior forward/attacking midfielder Edgar Soto, who assisted on Elk Grove's third goal. That iinsurance marker was scored by sophomore forward Dylan Ingebrigsten late in the match. "This year, with the more experience we have, we know what it's like to play together out there."
Working in tandem with senior midfielder Oscar Suarez -- Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match -- Soto was a whirling dervish with the ball at his feet, creating countless chances by combining pure speed with an aggressive mentality. Suarez employed a similar mind-set, pushing the pace with solid free kicks and accurate throw-ins when he wasn't working a 1-2 punch with Soto on the attack.
"We're seniors, so we have to give it our all every game," Soto said. "There's no more 'next year' for us."
Senior defender Connor Emmerich was a standout as well, using all of his 6-foot-2 frame to lead the way in the back end in limiting the Zee-Bees to only a handful of good scoring opportunities. Joining Emmerich at the Department of Defense were senior starters Jerry Benitez and Noe Centeno, and sophomore Misa Contreras -- as well as
senior Chris Guadarrama and juniors Memo Contreras and Markos Christoforou off the bench.
"We've been working with some good combinations on the back line," Emmerich said. "I think we have a good combination of speed and height back there. It feels good to be 2-0. Our confidence is high right now. We have a more experienced team this year, so I think we know we can do it."
The Grenadiers struck first, grabbing a 1-0 lead with 3:22 left in the first half when Suarez corralled a long ball -- sent by Memo Contreras -- and popped it in from 15 yards out over the head of Zion-Benton junior goalkeeper Mike Mendez. Five minutes into the second half, Elk Grove upped the advantage to 2-0 on a goal by junior midfielder Alexis
Tijerin, whose quick shot surprised Mendez following a Zee-Bees clearing attempt.
"They were giving us a lot of space, so we took some chances (with long balls)," Suarez said.
Added Elk Grove head coach Rob Shepard: "That wasn't really our game plan, and we can't fall in love with that. But we were forcing them to make some decisions because of it."
Just over a minute after Tijerin's tally, Zion-Benton cut the lead in half on a beautiful header by junior defender Kevin Castaneda, who expertly redirected a snazzy, bending, left-to-right free kick free by senior midfielder Matt Rojel past Elk Grove senior keeper Pablo Ortiz.
"(Rojel) knows how to send it to me, and I was able to sneak in past the defense," said Castaneda, whose team was playing in its first game of the season. "As soon as we scored, we started believing in ourselves again."
Ingebrigsten -- who started in net but was replaced by Ortiz midway through the first half -- concluded the scoring with 10:02 remaining in the second half. After another of Elk Grove's numerous long balls resulted in a free kick by Suarez, Soto retrieved a loose ball and fed Ingebrigsten, who scored from about 20 yards out.
"In the first half, (Zion-Benton) didn't have many chances. Then they got the goal -- and a little hope -- and we had to buckle down on defense," Emmerich said.
Zion-Benton coach Cliff Pontillo said, "I thought we were pushed around the first half. We couldn't control the middle of the field, so we needed to step up and play a little
stronger.
"We scored that goal and had a 10-minute period to tie it, but we were kind of
stagnant for a while in the offensive third. It was our first game of the year, so we'll look at tape and make adjustments. We'll talk about starting a little better and getting into that last third."
Prior to Elk Grove's second goal, Zee-Bees sophomore forward Bryant Cataneda fired a shot over the top of the net in the 44th minute. And with his team down 3-1, Casteneda nearly made it 2-for-2 on headers on a wide attempt with 19:30 left in the match. Casteneda was foiled on yet another header when he bounced one just wide in the 67th minute.
A nifty passing sequence, in which five Zee-Bees touched the ball at least eight times, resulted in a try by Rodriguez that was calmly cleared out of danger by Emmerich with 3:35 showing.
Elk Grove's best chances in the second half came on a whistling rocket by Ingebrigsten that sailed wide left in the 56th minute and a header by Misa Contreras with 22:10 to go that gently nipped the crossbar.
"I think Elk Grove is a very skilled team," Pontillo said. "They move the ball exceptionally well, they work hard and they're very physical. It was a very good test for us ... a good way for us to measure ourselves."
As the current campaign continues to unfold, Elk Grove hopes to get used to hearing such compliments.
"We have a lot of the same parts as last year -- and a sour taste," Shepard said. "But the guys put in the work over summer, and there's been a little growing up, too. When Z-B scored, we didn't fall apart. It's all about how you handle adversity, and tonight we handled it great.
"We still have to organize some stuff, but the passion and energy are there. Now we know what it's like to taste some success. Now it's about going back to practice and never being satisfied. It's about (asking), 'How do we get better every single
day?' That's what we need to do to keep this going."
Starting lineups
Zion-Benton
G: Mike Mendez
D: Eric Hernandez
D: Luis Martinez
D: Caleb Ibbara
D: Kevin Casteneda
M: Juan Munoz
M: Alex Rodriguez
M: Matt Rojel
M: Darian Rodriguez
F: Jorge Vasquez
F: Bryant Cateneda
Elk Grove
G: Dylan Ingebrigsten
D: Jerry Benitez
D: Noe Centeno
D: Misa Contreras
D: Connor Emmerich
M: Joey Weber
M: Oscar Suarez
M: Ronaldo Olague
M: Ivan Perez
F: Edgar Soto
F: Adolofo Rascon
Man of the Match: Oscar Suarez, MF, Elk Grove
Officials: George Ghawi, Michael Wojtan, Roman Wojtan