Young's goal surge continues
against Amundsen
Dolphins roll into city quarterfinals with 5-1 win
By Bobby Narang
CHICAGO — All season long, Young suffered from a steady theme that hindered its progress.
Even with a talented group of athletic, aggressive players on a deep roster, the Dolphins were stung by their inability to score.
Before the start of the Chicago Public League playoffs Monday, the Dolphins had scored 22 goals in 14 games. They had five games with one goal or less, which included a shutout loss to New Trier and scoreless draws against Loyola and Lane.
The Dolphins’ tough schedule certainly played a factor in the accounting, but with the city and state playoffs looming, the importance of building momentum was a key point of emphasis.
Through two city playoff games, the Dolphins have re-energized to build traction toward a strong finish to October and perhaps beyond.
After beating Kennedy 6-1 in the first round of the playoffs, the Dolphins scored three first half goals en route to a 5-1 win over Amundsen in the round of 16 Wednesday night. The Dolphins (10-3-3) move forward to play at Lane at 7 p.m. Saturday in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Lane defeated Von Steuben 3-0 on Wednesday to set up the rematch.
This year marked a new format in the city playoffs. Instead of the former group play that filtered into quarterfinals, this is a knockout tournament that started with a field of 32 teams.
Young coach Nick Maksa said his team’s recent strong play is a good sign for the rest of the season.
“If you have seen our scores all season, we really haven’t scored that much,” Maksa said. “It’s kind of nice to start clicking at the right time. We still have to stay after it. We can’t be happy with two wins. We’ll get back to work Thursday.
“I’m definitely happy how the last two games have gone offensively. We’ve been starving for goals, and now they’re coming left and right and the guys don’t know what to do. It’s been fun watching them have a good time and putting the ball in the back of the net.
“It’s just fun to watch the group now. It’s fun to see them playing well and jelling. We seem to be hitting a level. We know we’re not done. It’s better to be going up in the tournament instead of down. We’re enjoying ourselves right now. We have a stiff test awaiting us on Saturday. We better get ready for that.”
Young spread the wealth on the scoring list and didn’t rely on one player to gobble up goals. Five different players tallied for the Dolphins.
Young junior defender Garen Petrulis said the comfortable victory helped take the sting out of some tough early season losses.
“They kind of brought it to us in the first couple of minutes, so getting that first goal was a big weight off our shoulders off a set piece,” Petrulis said. “We’ve played tough against some good suburban schools. It’s just a matter of putting the ball in the back of the net. We’ve struggled to score a lot of times, then make one mistake defensively and end up losing the game.
"If we’re tight defensively and put some goals in the back of the net, I think we can take city and maybe a regional and a sectional. ... We’ve had the chances, so seeing the ball go in the back of the net is a confidence boost I’m sure for the guys up-top.”
Young junior forward Cesar Lopez had his birthday wish answered Wednesday. He scored the first goal of the game by smacking a high-bouncing ball that came to him off a throw-in in the 18th minute.
Immediately after giving the Dolphins a 1-0 lead, several teammates started yelling “Birthday boy” to him.
Lopez said it was the first goal of his soccer career on his birthday. He turned 17.
“I was looking to score,” Lopez said. “It was the best birthday gift I could ask for. I was excited knowing I could put my team ahead, and it would just go from there. It came off a throw-in ... and I placed it. I’ve been on a goal-drought all season, so it was great to help my team win. I haven’t scored in maybe three or four games. That goal felt really good.”
Young senior defender Diego Delgado doubled the lead with 12:58 remaining until halftime.
“It felt good to actually put one in instead of assisting,” Delgado said. “Cesar’s goal gave us all energy. We were glad he could put one in on his birthday. This shows our potential. We can blow out a team. We can win city and go even further from there. We need to be all focused in the game and play our game.”
Junior forward Cole Hockman extended the lead to 3-0 when he scored on a penalty kick with 2:57 left before intermission. He knocked in the shot to his right.
“We’ve been practicing penalty kicks a lot in practice,” Hockman said. “We have a lot of good penalty-takers. I had the confidence, so I took it. We’ve been working hard in practice and focusing on what we need to do as a team and take care of business. We’re playing really well. Our backline has been solid all year.”
Maksa said he was ecstatic about the Dolphins’ ability to convert set pieces. They were dangerous on throw-ins and free kicks all game. They were especially effective on headers in the box.
“Today, we were more dangerous on set pieces than we’ve been all year,” Maksa said. “We kind of refocused on that in the last couple of weeks in practice.
“Our delivery hasn’t been there. We’ve kind of been lazy on runs and stuff like that. The guys really committed to that in the last couple of weeks, and it finally paid off today. It’s hard to score in the run of play. You can make all the right moves and be wide open, but then shoot it straight at the keeper.
“We have to take advantage of all our opportunities. Amundsen really surprised us today. They’re tricky on the ball, well-coached and overload the midfield. It took us longer to figure that out. We were much better in the second half. I wouldn’t want to play them in the first round of the state tournament.”
Amundsen's Santi Rodriguez picked up a fan — and a goal — in Wednesday’s defeat. The junior was a shining light in defeat. The Viking scored on a shot from 33 yards in the 61st minute to cut the deficit to 3-1. His well-placed shot curved to the right and found space inside the far post.
“(Rodriguez) is a phenomenal player,” said a smiling Maksa. “He’s amazing. I love watching him. I actually caught myself watching him.”
Maksa singled out the play of senior midfielder Nikhil Bapat and junior forward Cesar Lopez for their strong play over the last few games.
“I’ve kind of challenged them the last month,” he said. “They weren’t quite giving me the level I was used to. Those two guys the last few games have been phenomenal. They’ve really stepped it up. As a coach, you really appreciate when guys take criticism and then go out and prove you wrong. It’s really nice to see them playing well again.”
Amundsen coach Jessy Bustillos said the Vikings (7-5-0) have lacked structure all season, which showed against the physical and aggressive Dolphins. He called Santi a game-changing player for his program.
“We couldn’t create a quality chance in the final third," he said. "I think in the first half it could’ve been a different game without those throw-ins by them. Hats off to their coach for having that. That was a game-changer, those little flicks.
“Santi scored on a great goal. He’s a fantastic player. He’s so strong, but you don’t notice it by looking at him. When he gets on the ball, he’s a magician. (Young) has a lot of speed and strength. They got up quick and were very effective when they got up.”
Starting lineups
Amundsen
GK: James Skinner
D: Jorge Dorante
D: Kevin Roman
D: Abdul Ajrulah
D: Andrew Sickler
MF: Sebastian Herrera
MF: Emmanuel Lopez
MF: Lucas Posada
MF: Matthew Saucedo
F: Santi Rodriguez
F: Janio Chaca
Young
GK: Jackson Sprenger
D: Sascha Frias-Kaehler
D: Diego Delgado
D: Alejandro Goldstein
D: Nate Chmielowicz
MF: Garen Petrulis
MF: Nikhil Bapat
MF: Reese Kruschke
F: Cesar Lopez
F: Szymon Szkodon
F: MJ Hicks
Chicagoland Man of the Match:
Cesar Lopez, jr., F, Young
Scoring summary
First half
Young: Lopez (Kruschke), 18’
Young: Delgado (Hockman), 28’
Young: Hockman (penalty kick), 37’
Second half
Amundsen: Rodriguez (free kick), 61’
Young: Kruschke (unassisted), 66’
Young: Frias-Kaehler (Hockman), 73’
against Amundsen
Dolphins roll into city quarterfinals with 5-1 win
By Bobby Narang
CHICAGO — All season long, Young suffered from a steady theme that hindered its progress.
Even with a talented group of athletic, aggressive players on a deep roster, the Dolphins were stung by their inability to score.
Before the start of the Chicago Public League playoffs Monday, the Dolphins had scored 22 goals in 14 games. They had five games with one goal or less, which included a shutout loss to New Trier and scoreless draws against Loyola and Lane.
The Dolphins’ tough schedule certainly played a factor in the accounting, but with the city and state playoffs looming, the importance of building momentum was a key point of emphasis.
Through two city playoff games, the Dolphins have re-energized to build traction toward a strong finish to October and perhaps beyond.
After beating Kennedy 6-1 in the first round of the playoffs, the Dolphins scored three first half goals en route to a 5-1 win over Amundsen in the round of 16 Wednesday night. The Dolphins (10-3-3) move forward to play at Lane at 7 p.m. Saturday in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Lane defeated Von Steuben 3-0 on Wednesday to set up the rematch.
This year marked a new format in the city playoffs. Instead of the former group play that filtered into quarterfinals, this is a knockout tournament that started with a field of 32 teams.
Young coach Nick Maksa said his team’s recent strong play is a good sign for the rest of the season.
“If you have seen our scores all season, we really haven’t scored that much,” Maksa said. “It’s kind of nice to start clicking at the right time. We still have to stay after it. We can’t be happy with two wins. We’ll get back to work Thursday.
“I’m definitely happy how the last two games have gone offensively. We’ve been starving for goals, and now they’re coming left and right and the guys don’t know what to do. It’s been fun watching them have a good time and putting the ball in the back of the net.
“It’s just fun to watch the group now. It’s fun to see them playing well and jelling. We seem to be hitting a level. We know we’re not done. It’s better to be going up in the tournament instead of down. We’re enjoying ourselves right now. We have a stiff test awaiting us on Saturday. We better get ready for that.”
Young spread the wealth on the scoring list and didn’t rely on one player to gobble up goals. Five different players tallied for the Dolphins.
Young junior defender Garen Petrulis said the comfortable victory helped take the sting out of some tough early season losses.
“They kind of brought it to us in the first couple of minutes, so getting that first goal was a big weight off our shoulders off a set piece,” Petrulis said. “We’ve played tough against some good suburban schools. It’s just a matter of putting the ball in the back of the net. We’ve struggled to score a lot of times, then make one mistake defensively and end up losing the game.
"If we’re tight defensively and put some goals in the back of the net, I think we can take city and maybe a regional and a sectional. ... We’ve had the chances, so seeing the ball go in the back of the net is a confidence boost I’m sure for the guys up-top.”
Young junior forward Cesar Lopez had his birthday wish answered Wednesday. He scored the first goal of the game by smacking a high-bouncing ball that came to him off a throw-in in the 18th minute.
Immediately after giving the Dolphins a 1-0 lead, several teammates started yelling “Birthday boy” to him.
Lopez said it was the first goal of his soccer career on his birthday. He turned 17.
“I was looking to score,” Lopez said. “It was the best birthday gift I could ask for. I was excited knowing I could put my team ahead, and it would just go from there. It came off a throw-in ... and I placed it. I’ve been on a goal-drought all season, so it was great to help my team win. I haven’t scored in maybe three or four games. That goal felt really good.”
Young senior defender Diego Delgado doubled the lead with 12:58 remaining until halftime.
“It felt good to actually put one in instead of assisting,” Delgado said. “Cesar’s goal gave us all energy. We were glad he could put one in on his birthday. This shows our potential. We can blow out a team. We can win city and go even further from there. We need to be all focused in the game and play our game.”
Junior forward Cole Hockman extended the lead to 3-0 when he scored on a penalty kick with 2:57 left before intermission. He knocked in the shot to his right.
“We’ve been practicing penalty kicks a lot in practice,” Hockman said. “We have a lot of good penalty-takers. I had the confidence, so I took it. We’ve been working hard in practice and focusing on what we need to do as a team and take care of business. We’re playing really well. Our backline has been solid all year.”
Maksa said he was ecstatic about the Dolphins’ ability to convert set pieces. They were dangerous on throw-ins and free kicks all game. They were especially effective on headers in the box.
“Today, we were more dangerous on set pieces than we’ve been all year,” Maksa said. “We kind of refocused on that in the last couple of weeks in practice.
“Our delivery hasn’t been there. We’ve kind of been lazy on runs and stuff like that. The guys really committed to that in the last couple of weeks, and it finally paid off today. It’s hard to score in the run of play. You can make all the right moves and be wide open, but then shoot it straight at the keeper.
“We have to take advantage of all our opportunities. Amundsen really surprised us today. They’re tricky on the ball, well-coached and overload the midfield. It took us longer to figure that out. We were much better in the second half. I wouldn’t want to play them in the first round of the state tournament.”
Amundsen's Santi Rodriguez picked up a fan — and a goal — in Wednesday’s defeat. The junior was a shining light in defeat. The Viking scored on a shot from 33 yards in the 61st minute to cut the deficit to 3-1. His well-placed shot curved to the right and found space inside the far post.
“(Rodriguez) is a phenomenal player,” said a smiling Maksa. “He’s amazing. I love watching him. I actually caught myself watching him.”
Maksa singled out the play of senior midfielder Nikhil Bapat and junior forward Cesar Lopez for their strong play over the last few games.
“I’ve kind of challenged them the last month,” he said. “They weren’t quite giving me the level I was used to. Those two guys the last few games have been phenomenal. They’ve really stepped it up. As a coach, you really appreciate when guys take criticism and then go out and prove you wrong. It’s really nice to see them playing well again.”
Amundsen coach Jessy Bustillos said the Vikings (7-5-0) have lacked structure all season, which showed against the physical and aggressive Dolphins. He called Santi a game-changing player for his program.
“We couldn’t create a quality chance in the final third," he said. "I think in the first half it could’ve been a different game without those throw-ins by them. Hats off to their coach for having that. That was a game-changer, those little flicks.
“Santi scored on a great goal. He’s a fantastic player. He’s so strong, but you don’t notice it by looking at him. When he gets on the ball, he’s a magician. (Young) has a lot of speed and strength. They got up quick and were very effective when they got up.”
Starting lineups
Amundsen
GK: James Skinner
D: Jorge Dorante
D: Kevin Roman
D: Abdul Ajrulah
D: Andrew Sickler
MF: Sebastian Herrera
MF: Emmanuel Lopez
MF: Lucas Posada
MF: Matthew Saucedo
F: Santi Rodriguez
F: Janio Chaca
Young
GK: Jackson Sprenger
D: Sascha Frias-Kaehler
D: Diego Delgado
D: Alejandro Goldstein
D: Nate Chmielowicz
MF: Garen Petrulis
MF: Nikhil Bapat
MF: Reese Kruschke
F: Cesar Lopez
F: Szymon Szkodon
F: MJ Hicks
Chicagoland Man of the Match:
Cesar Lopez, jr., F, Young
Scoring summary
First half
Young: Lopez (Kruschke), 18’
Young: Delgado (Hockman), 28’
Young: Hockman (penalty kick), 37’
Second half
Amundsen: Rodriguez (free kick), 61’
Young: Kruschke (unassisted), 66’
Young: Frias-Kaehler (Hockman), 73’