Barington upsets Buffalo Grove
in Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl
By Mike Garofola
BUFFALO GROVE -- Barrington claimed its fourth league title after the nearly three-hour Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl ended in shootout against host Buffalo Grove on Thursday night at Grant Blaney Stadium.
Barrington goalkeeper Daniel Hesselbein turned away a pair of spot-kicks, assisted on the Broncos lone goal in regulation and stopped two Bison' players in 1-v-1 situations late in the second extra session to easily earn Man of the Match honors in the upset win over the Bison, ranked 13th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
"It wasn't easy tonight, but right now it feels amazing to be MSL champs," said the senior after his club lifted the big trophy after the 44th edition of the league championship.
Hesselbein’s long serve found teammate Jon Cidulka, who flicked his redirected helper to Nate Horn who netted the opener just minutes after the intermission.
Bison senior Brian Perez, who has lifted his club atop his shoulders in key victories all season long, equalized at 57 minutes with a perfectly placed penalty kick.
As overtime came to a close, Hesselbein bravely came far off his line to smother attempts from Perez and Alexis Escobar, who each broke free of the Broncos defenders as time came to a close before the shootout.
Once there, both sides bagged a pair of kicks before Hesselbein came to the rescue with his two big saves that sent the Broncos faithful into orbit.
"Buffalo Grove was clearly the best team (the) first time they beat us in the regular season, but tonight we were able to play them so much better, and to see the seven players who were on the varsity as sophomores end their journey by lifting the cup feels terrific right now," said a proud Broncos manager, Scott Steib.
Barrington, which tied for third in the league table, finished the season with a 8-3-0 overall record.
Darren Llewellyn, the manager of Buffalo Grove (10-2-0), directed a near brand-new first 11 to top the league with a 10-1-0 record and take the East Division by a game over Rolling Meadows. The Bison recorded three-consecutive overtime wins against Barrington, Fremd and Palatine, before dashing the hopes of its closest division rivals Hersey and the Mustangs.
"We played a great opponent about as well as we could,” Llewellyn said. “We obviously would have liked to see the final result go our way instead of Barrington’s.
"But this is a very young team. We started four freshmen with so many other first-year varsity players on our roster.
“This has been a fun, and highly successful season regardless of tonight."
in Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl
By Mike Garofola
BUFFALO GROVE -- Barrington claimed its fourth league title after the nearly three-hour Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl ended in shootout against host Buffalo Grove on Thursday night at Grant Blaney Stadium.
Barrington goalkeeper Daniel Hesselbein turned away a pair of spot-kicks, assisted on the Broncos lone goal in regulation and stopped two Bison' players in 1-v-1 situations late in the second extra session to easily earn Man of the Match honors in the upset win over the Bison, ranked 13th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
"It wasn't easy tonight, but right now it feels amazing to be MSL champs," said the senior after his club lifted the big trophy after the 44th edition of the league championship.
Hesselbein’s long serve found teammate Jon Cidulka, who flicked his redirected helper to Nate Horn who netted the opener just minutes after the intermission.
Bison senior Brian Perez, who has lifted his club atop his shoulders in key victories all season long, equalized at 57 minutes with a perfectly placed penalty kick.
As overtime came to a close, Hesselbein bravely came far off his line to smother attempts from Perez and Alexis Escobar, who each broke free of the Broncos defenders as time came to a close before the shootout.
Once there, both sides bagged a pair of kicks before Hesselbein came to the rescue with his two big saves that sent the Broncos faithful into orbit.
"Buffalo Grove was clearly the best team (the) first time they beat us in the regular season, but tonight we were able to play them so much better, and to see the seven players who were on the varsity as sophomores end their journey by lifting the cup feels terrific right now," said a proud Broncos manager, Scott Steib.
Barrington, which tied for third in the league table, finished the season with a 8-3-0 overall record.
Darren Llewellyn, the manager of Buffalo Grove (10-2-0), directed a near brand-new first 11 to top the league with a 10-1-0 record and take the East Division by a game over Rolling Meadows. The Bison recorded three-consecutive overtime wins against Barrington, Fremd and Palatine, before dashing the hopes of its closest division rivals Hersey and the Mustangs.
"We played a great opponent about as well as we could,” Llewellyn said. “We obviously would have liked to see the final result go our way instead of Barrington’s.
"But this is a very young team. We started four freshmen with so many other first-year varsity players on our roster.
“This has been a fun, and highly successful season regardless of tonight."