Prospect's Szymon says loads with foot
Knights keeper Mocarski exhausts Palatine in 3-1 win
PALATINE — On a muggy, buggy night, Prospect senior goalkeeper Szymon Mocarski bothered Palatine more than any other factor in a Mid-Suburban League boys soccer clash Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-2, linebacker-ish Knight, a tri-captain (with senior midfielder Bryan Morrison and a senior defender/midfielder Jonny Keane), summoned both his toughness on saves — including a pair on back-to-back corner kick sequences late in the second half — and his impressive leg strength throughout Prospect’s 3-1 victory at Chic Anderson Stadium.
“He’s not just big,” 29th-year Palatine coach Willie Filian, his head shaking, said. “His releases, his punts and kicks, they travel 15-20 yards beyond midfield. I’m telling you, that wears out a team, wears out the guy who constantly has to get underneath those and head those.”
Mocarski nearly lost his voice in the first half. The keeper yelled “Challenge!” more than half a dozen times to his mates, who seemed a bit out of sorts in the first 40 minutes, letting Palatine’s Pirates control most of the action with their direct style of play.
The Knights appeared part frustrated, part concerned.
“We needed to adjust,” Knights third-year varsity coach Michael Andrews admitted. “Palatine plays high pressure, with a lot of energy. Those opening 15-20 minutes, Palatine produced some scary moments for us.”
Palatine (1-2-2, 0-1 in the MSL) led 1-0 at the break.
“We were more aggressive in the second half,” a relieved and grateful Mocarski said.
“We no longer played their game in the second half,” chimed Prospect junior midfielder Declan Flanagan after Prospect improved to 3-2-1 (1-1-0). “We can do this, score more than we did in the first half, with more focus. We’ve had some ups and downs this season, and we all know we’ll have more ups than downs as long as we stay focused.”
Flanagan isn’t a captain, but he sure played and sounded like one Tuesday night. After a sub came in for him in the second half, the highly animated Knight spoke passionately with teammates and coaches, voicing his thoughts on the adjustments that needed to unfold on the pitch in order for his club to seize momentum from the hosts.
The vocal junior let his right foot do the talking on a corner kick in the 67th minute of the second half, and it would have won any kind of debate — hands (make that, feet) down. The ball found a wide-open, charging Krystian Potapa near the far post. Potapa, a senior midfielder, headed the beautiful delivery past Pirates keeper Johnathon Moreno to cap the Knights’ scoring Tuesday night.
“Declan played under control, came up big for us in the second half,” Andrews said. “And his vision is phenomenal.”
What Palatine fans saw — and loved — in the first half: junior midfielder Aaron Bustamante displaying a series of slick moves moments before the Pirates’ lone goal. He drew as many oohs as he did aahs from the bleacher dwellers, before Palatine senior forward Hugo Tierrablanca assisted on junior forward Wiktor Pajak’s tally in the 15th minute.
“He’s a fast, skillful player,” Filian said of Bustamante. “Last year he was our most skilled player. Aaron has all the tools.”
Prospect had something to feel good about in the 48th minute, thanks to a couple of reserves. Sophomore defender Ari Kemperas fed the ball to sophomore forward Steven Lopez, who quick-stepped once and from about 15 yards booted a left-footed groundball underneath the reach of Moreno.
“It went in. It was a goal,” Flanagan said. “It counted.
“We needed that.”
Prospect scored its second goal off a turnover 15 minutes later, a hustling Jakub Niemiec the recipient of a pass from junior reserve forward Alejandro Martinez.
“We made mistakes in the back in the second half after we outworked them in the first,” Filian said. “We fell off. Fitness was an issue; we kind of ran out of gas. Prospect continued to grind, continued to play, continued to work hard.
“We had our chances. Their players did better with theirs.”
A player named Szymon Mocarski played a major role in bettering the Pirates.
“Szymon,” Andrews said, “is fearless and athletic.”
Both sides resume MSL action this week. Prospect welcomes Hoffman Estates for its homecoming match Sept. 13 at 4:45 p.m.; Palatine visits Rolling Meadows Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Footnotes
Prospect boys soccer coach Michael Andrews played prep ball at Saint Viator before continuing his career as a center back at. One of his Lions teammates was Jarrett Payton, whose father you might have heard of. Hall of Famer Walter Payton gained a few rushing yards for the Chicago Bears from 1975-87. Andrews was a senior when Jarrett was a freshman at the Arlington Heights school. Jarrett, 38, shifted to football in college (running back, at the University of Miami) and played for the Tennessee Titans in 2005. Andrews coached freshman soccer at Prospect for 16 seasons before taking over as varsity boss in 2017. … Andrews, before the match at Palatine Tuesday night: “We’ve got a lot of experience in the center of the field; I’ve been impressed with the experienced guys there, the way they’re winning balls and staying under control. Our new guys in the back have been giving us nice energy.” … Palatine coach Willie Filian, before his club’s Mid-Suburban League opener vs. Prospect: “We have some depth, as long as we stay healthy. Our backline is solid, looks good. We’re having a little trouble scoring goals.” … Hugo Tierrablanca’s assist on Palatine’s goal Tuesday night was his first of the season. … Quirky but true: Palatine’s boys soccer home match versus Prospect Tuesday night was the first of six-consecutive Tuesday contests at Chic Anderson Stadium. The Pirates are scheduled to welcome Schaumburg, Barrington, Conant, Fremd and a to-be-determined MSL crossover opponent from Sept. 17-Oct. 15. … Andrews praised Prospect senior tri-captain Jonny Keane after Tuesday’s date at Palatine, saying, “He did a great job after starting at center mid and dropping to center back. He played under control in the second half, just like Declan [Flanagan] did.” … Andrews, on Knights senior midfielder Krystian Potapa’s goal off a corner kick Tuesday night: “Fantastic header. He’s very good in the air. Nothing flashy.”
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK: Szymon Mocarski
D: Mason Willie
D: Gavin Kafkakis
D: Colin Sand
D: Rick Lytle
MF: Krystian Potapa
MF: Declan Flanagan
MF: Jonny Keane
F: Aedon Wesselink
F: Jakub Niemiec
F: Bryan Morrison
Palatine
GK: Johnathon Moreno
D: Kevin Reynolds
D: Bryan Lucero
D: Patrick Rajchel
MF: Matt Geisel
MF: Aaron Bustamante
MF: Connor Aikman
MF: James Hawran
F: Tommy Swanson
F: Wiktor Pajak
F: Hugo Tierrablanca
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Szymon Mocarski, sr., GK, Prospect; Declan Flanagan, jr., MF, Prospect
Officials: Oscar Padilla (referee), Peter Stavropoulos, Vedad Sarancic
Scoring summary
First half
Palatine — Pajak (Tierrablanca), 15’
Second half
Prospect — Steven Lopez (Ari Kemperas), 48’
Prospect — Niemiec (Alejandro Martinez), 63’
Prospect — Potapa (Flanagan), 67
Knights keeper Mocarski exhausts Palatine in 3-1 win
PALATINE — On a muggy, buggy night, Prospect senior goalkeeper Szymon Mocarski bothered Palatine more than any other factor in a Mid-Suburban League boys soccer clash Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-2, linebacker-ish Knight, a tri-captain (with senior midfielder Bryan Morrison and a senior defender/midfielder Jonny Keane), summoned both his toughness on saves — including a pair on back-to-back corner kick sequences late in the second half — and his impressive leg strength throughout Prospect’s 3-1 victory at Chic Anderson Stadium.
“He’s not just big,” 29th-year Palatine coach Willie Filian, his head shaking, said. “His releases, his punts and kicks, they travel 15-20 yards beyond midfield. I’m telling you, that wears out a team, wears out the guy who constantly has to get underneath those and head those.”
Mocarski nearly lost his voice in the first half. The keeper yelled “Challenge!” more than half a dozen times to his mates, who seemed a bit out of sorts in the first 40 minutes, letting Palatine’s Pirates control most of the action with their direct style of play.
The Knights appeared part frustrated, part concerned.
“We needed to adjust,” Knights third-year varsity coach Michael Andrews admitted. “Palatine plays high pressure, with a lot of energy. Those opening 15-20 minutes, Palatine produced some scary moments for us.”
Palatine (1-2-2, 0-1 in the MSL) led 1-0 at the break.
“We were more aggressive in the second half,” a relieved and grateful Mocarski said.
“We no longer played their game in the second half,” chimed Prospect junior midfielder Declan Flanagan after Prospect improved to 3-2-1 (1-1-0). “We can do this, score more than we did in the first half, with more focus. We’ve had some ups and downs this season, and we all know we’ll have more ups than downs as long as we stay focused.”
Flanagan isn’t a captain, but he sure played and sounded like one Tuesday night. After a sub came in for him in the second half, the highly animated Knight spoke passionately with teammates and coaches, voicing his thoughts on the adjustments that needed to unfold on the pitch in order for his club to seize momentum from the hosts.
The vocal junior let his right foot do the talking on a corner kick in the 67th minute of the second half, and it would have won any kind of debate — hands (make that, feet) down. The ball found a wide-open, charging Krystian Potapa near the far post. Potapa, a senior midfielder, headed the beautiful delivery past Pirates keeper Johnathon Moreno to cap the Knights’ scoring Tuesday night.
“Declan played under control, came up big for us in the second half,” Andrews said. “And his vision is phenomenal.”
What Palatine fans saw — and loved — in the first half: junior midfielder Aaron Bustamante displaying a series of slick moves moments before the Pirates’ lone goal. He drew as many oohs as he did aahs from the bleacher dwellers, before Palatine senior forward Hugo Tierrablanca assisted on junior forward Wiktor Pajak’s tally in the 15th minute.
“He’s a fast, skillful player,” Filian said of Bustamante. “Last year he was our most skilled player. Aaron has all the tools.”
Prospect had something to feel good about in the 48th minute, thanks to a couple of reserves. Sophomore defender Ari Kemperas fed the ball to sophomore forward Steven Lopez, who quick-stepped once and from about 15 yards booted a left-footed groundball underneath the reach of Moreno.
“It went in. It was a goal,” Flanagan said. “It counted.
“We needed that.”
Prospect scored its second goal off a turnover 15 minutes later, a hustling Jakub Niemiec the recipient of a pass from junior reserve forward Alejandro Martinez.
“We made mistakes in the back in the second half after we outworked them in the first,” Filian said. “We fell off. Fitness was an issue; we kind of ran out of gas. Prospect continued to grind, continued to play, continued to work hard.
“We had our chances. Their players did better with theirs.”
A player named Szymon Mocarski played a major role in bettering the Pirates.
“Szymon,” Andrews said, “is fearless and athletic.”
Both sides resume MSL action this week. Prospect welcomes Hoffman Estates for its homecoming match Sept. 13 at 4:45 p.m.; Palatine visits Rolling Meadows Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Footnotes
Prospect boys soccer coach Michael Andrews played prep ball at Saint Viator before continuing his career as a center back at. One of his Lions teammates was Jarrett Payton, whose father you might have heard of. Hall of Famer Walter Payton gained a few rushing yards for the Chicago Bears from 1975-87. Andrews was a senior when Jarrett was a freshman at the Arlington Heights school. Jarrett, 38, shifted to football in college (running back, at the University of Miami) and played for the Tennessee Titans in 2005. Andrews coached freshman soccer at Prospect for 16 seasons before taking over as varsity boss in 2017. … Andrews, before the match at Palatine Tuesday night: “We’ve got a lot of experience in the center of the field; I’ve been impressed with the experienced guys there, the way they’re winning balls and staying under control. Our new guys in the back have been giving us nice energy.” … Palatine coach Willie Filian, before his club’s Mid-Suburban League opener vs. Prospect: “We have some depth, as long as we stay healthy. Our backline is solid, looks good. We’re having a little trouble scoring goals.” … Hugo Tierrablanca’s assist on Palatine’s goal Tuesday night was his first of the season. … Quirky but true: Palatine’s boys soccer home match versus Prospect Tuesday night was the first of six-consecutive Tuesday contests at Chic Anderson Stadium. The Pirates are scheduled to welcome Schaumburg, Barrington, Conant, Fremd and a to-be-determined MSL crossover opponent from Sept. 17-Oct. 15. … Andrews praised Prospect senior tri-captain Jonny Keane after Tuesday’s date at Palatine, saying, “He did a great job after starting at center mid and dropping to center back. He played under control in the second half, just like Declan [Flanagan] did.” … Andrews, on Knights senior midfielder Krystian Potapa’s goal off a corner kick Tuesday night: “Fantastic header. He’s very good in the air. Nothing flashy.”
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK: Szymon Mocarski
D: Mason Willie
D: Gavin Kafkakis
D: Colin Sand
D: Rick Lytle
MF: Krystian Potapa
MF: Declan Flanagan
MF: Jonny Keane
F: Aedon Wesselink
F: Jakub Niemiec
F: Bryan Morrison
Palatine
GK: Johnathon Moreno
D: Kevin Reynolds
D: Bryan Lucero
D: Patrick Rajchel
MF: Matt Geisel
MF: Aaron Bustamante
MF: Connor Aikman
MF: James Hawran
F: Tommy Swanson
F: Wiktor Pajak
F: Hugo Tierrablanca
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Szymon Mocarski, sr., GK, Prospect; Declan Flanagan, jr., MF, Prospect
Officials: Oscar Padilla (referee), Peter Stavropoulos, Vedad Sarancic
Scoring summary
First half
Palatine — Pajak (Tierrablanca), 15’
Second half
Prospect — Steven Lopez (Ari Kemperas), 48’
Prospect — Niemiec (Alejandro Martinez), 63’
Prospect — Potapa (Flanagan), 67