Addison Trail jumps all over DGS
Blazers enjoy 4 goal outburst in 10-minute span, earn 6-2 victory
By Chris Walker
DOWNERS GROVE – Even the top soccer teams aren’t always going to be at their best, and those who have struggled are going to occasionally see reasons to be optimistic, even if those moments can turn out to be scarce.
During a 10-minute span during Tuesday’s West Suburban Conference Gold Division game at Downers Grove South, Addison Trail (11-3-2) looked as good as anyone in the state, showcasing a relentless attack that netted four goals to quickly put away the Mustangs en route to a 6-2 victory.
“We usually don’t play well here so yesterday our guys were very attentive in practice,” Addison Trail coach Ryan Dini said. “We were able to scout them and take away some things they don’t do well. They’re a team that always plays well, with a great coach. It’s been a while since we’ve won here.”
Anthony Hernandez is certainly playing well these days. He earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match accolades by recording a hat-trick. Perhaps most impressive was the fact that Hernandez found the back of the net three times before the midway point of the first half.
“The first goal gave us the energy we needed. and we started pressing hard. We just went off from there,” Hernandez said. “As soon as you score two goals you feel the moment right away and just want to keep going and attack and attack. They’re not going to win the ball from us, and that’s how we go on from there."
Hernandez first converted with 27:50 remaining after receiving a ball from senior midfielder Jason Mejia.
“It was a great start,” Hernandez said. “My wing passed it perfectly, and we were making all the right passes. Once I got it I just made a move, and I scored.”
While on the subject of moves, one had to see Hernandez’s nifty footwork on his second goal to truly appreciate it. He outmaneuvered a Downers Grove South defender to create an opening for his shot. The play originated from senior midfielder Leo Acosta, who hammered a shot off a defender that ultimately was snagged by Hernandez on the other side of the box.
A few minutes later, junior forward Brian Flores scored on a ball from senior defender Martin Murillo.
“We’ve been just telling the boys to step it up,” Murillo said. “Never give in to them.”
Whether or not that go-for-the-jugular approach is what the Blazers have adhered to all season long as one of their keys to success, or if it’s helping them turn up their game in the past couple weeks doesn’t matter as long as they can continue to play winning soccer and overcome a late season funk of sorts.
“It’s been up and down for the past two weeks, but we came back strong together,” Murillo said. “We’ve come back successful, and we’re just going to go from there.”
Acknowledging that he disappointed himself for getting red-carded and feels remorseful about it, Murillo also showed the signs of a kid who is thankful to be back home on the soccer field and better because of the learning experience prior to it.
“Since I got the red card against Glenbard West, I had a hard last two weeks,” Murillo said. “I’ve been just happy to play again and direct the backline. That’s what I have to do during the game. We keep telling the guys to step it up and don’t give them anything.”
Hernandez completed his hat trick with 17:41 still remaining in the first half.
In just 10:09 the game went from 0-0 to 4-0.
“It all started in the locker room or even in practice the day of or the day before today,” Hernandez said. “It all carries into the game. We were coming off a tie last game (2-2 versus Neuqua Valley on Oct. 5) and needed to stay focused. We told the guys to make sure we keep our focus and don’t lose your head.”
The Blazers played like a team on a mission, which makes sense. They needed a victory to stay in the conference race.
Addison Trail, which dropped into the honorable mention section of the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, will look to teach those so-called soccer pundits a thing or two about how well they really know teams when they travel to no. 2 Morton on Thursday for a game that likely will decide the West Suburban Conference Gold Division champion.
“We’re confident, and it’s soccer so anything can happen,” Dini said. “We’re just excited for the opportunity and then we have Mt. Carmel on Saturday. So two of the top three teams in the state back-to-back. We’re looking forward to the challenge, especially with the playoffs coming up.”
During last year’s meeting against Morton, Addison Trail lost 2-1 but led 1-0 at halftime.
“It’s important to us, especially with them being undefeated in conference pretty much the last seven or eight years,” Dini said. “We’re hungry, and we have nothing to lose. So we’re looking forward to that game.”
Said Hernandez: “We’re going in with huge confidence after this big win and looking to go and get another win.”
Murillo concurred.
“We made a statement today to Morton that we could play with them,” Murillo said. “We are going to come out strong.”
After rallying from a 3-0 halftime deficit to tie crosstown rival Downers Grove North last Thursday and dropping a 2-1 decision to Glenbard East on Saturday, Downers Grove South was looking to get a big victory and stay alive in the conference title hunt. That hope was extinguished during Addison Trail’s 10-minute scoring outburst.
“We’ve had a few games like that, and that was obviously what broke us,” Mustangs coach Jon Stapleton said. “The first one I couldn’t really tell if it was an own-goal on a long throw-in, but the second one was such quality that it kind of broke our spirit a little bit.”
Unlike football or basketball where a coach can immediately call a timeout when things go awry, a soccer coach doesn’t have that luxury. Without a doubt, Stapleton would’ve loved to have a TO so he could meet with his troops and reset things.
“We have to wait until halftime,” he said. “You have to find ways to manage your emotions because there is no timeout or chance to reground as a team. But Addison was the better team for sure. They were quicker to the ball and a little more aggressive. Even after they got the first one and then the second one, they were still hungry for more.”
Downers Grove South (5-9-1, 3-2) scored with 22:54 left in the game to break the shutout.
Kyle Fenner’s perfectly executed header off of a corner kick from Jony Flores made it 4-1.
“Kyle’s been doing that consistently for us so it was nice to see him find the back of the net,” Stapleton said. “For that matter, in the big picture of things, we had a chance to see some kids play in a competitive varsity environment and see our future a little bit.
“When we went down 4-0 we went with a younger lineup and gave them a chance to play. It may not help us necessarily this year, but we saw some positives. Overall it wasn’t that we didn’t play hard, but it just wasn’t collective. I felt the spirit of the team was broken with those (four) goals.”
Junior James Rappel added a goal with 7:27 left for the Mustangs, but the Blazers kept the pace, getting a goal from Mert Ahmed and then one from Pablo Duran in the final minute.
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK Kenny Rosales
D Michael Loughran
D Ethan Kelly
D Peter Pierropoulos
D Jack Storrs
M Jony Flores
M Devin Boone
M Kyle Fenner
M Nick Opacian
M Josh Venouziou
F Enrique Gonzalez
Addison Trail
GK Ernesto Padua
D Jose Vega
D Angel Gomez
D Ray Fischer
D Brian Hernandez
D Martin Murillo
M Leo Acosta
M Uriel Rojo
M Pablo Duran
M Juan Jimenez
F Anthony Hernandez
Chicagoland soccer Man of the Match: Anthony Hernandez, jr., F, Addison Trail
Scoring summary
Addison Trail 6, Downers Grove South 2
AT 4 2 - 6
DGS 0 2 - 2
First half
Addison Trail – Anthony Hernandez (Jason Mejia) 27:50
Addison Trail – Anthony Hernandez (Leo Acosta) 26:55
Addison Trail – Brian Flores (Martin Murillo) 24:46
Addison Trail – Anthony Hernandez (u/a) 17:41
Second half
Downers Grove South – Kyle Fenner (Jony Flores) 22:54
Addison Trail – Mert Ahmed (Leo Acosta) 8:02
Downers Grove South – James Rappel (u/a) 7:27
Addison Trail – Pablo Duran (u/a) 0:21
Blazers enjoy 4 goal outburst in 10-minute span, earn 6-2 victory
By Chris Walker
DOWNERS GROVE – Even the top soccer teams aren’t always going to be at their best, and those who have struggled are going to occasionally see reasons to be optimistic, even if those moments can turn out to be scarce.
During a 10-minute span during Tuesday’s West Suburban Conference Gold Division game at Downers Grove South, Addison Trail (11-3-2) looked as good as anyone in the state, showcasing a relentless attack that netted four goals to quickly put away the Mustangs en route to a 6-2 victory.
“We usually don’t play well here so yesterday our guys were very attentive in practice,” Addison Trail coach Ryan Dini said. “We were able to scout them and take away some things they don’t do well. They’re a team that always plays well, with a great coach. It’s been a while since we’ve won here.”
Anthony Hernandez is certainly playing well these days. He earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match accolades by recording a hat-trick. Perhaps most impressive was the fact that Hernandez found the back of the net three times before the midway point of the first half.
“The first goal gave us the energy we needed. and we started pressing hard. We just went off from there,” Hernandez said. “As soon as you score two goals you feel the moment right away and just want to keep going and attack and attack. They’re not going to win the ball from us, and that’s how we go on from there."
Hernandez first converted with 27:50 remaining after receiving a ball from senior midfielder Jason Mejia.
“It was a great start,” Hernandez said. “My wing passed it perfectly, and we were making all the right passes. Once I got it I just made a move, and I scored.”
While on the subject of moves, one had to see Hernandez’s nifty footwork on his second goal to truly appreciate it. He outmaneuvered a Downers Grove South defender to create an opening for his shot. The play originated from senior midfielder Leo Acosta, who hammered a shot off a defender that ultimately was snagged by Hernandez on the other side of the box.
A few minutes later, junior forward Brian Flores scored on a ball from senior defender Martin Murillo.
“We’ve been just telling the boys to step it up,” Murillo said. “Never give in to them.”
Whether or not that go-for-the-jugular approach is what the Blazers have adhered to all season long as one of their keys to success, or if it’s helping them turn up their game in the past couple weeks doesn’t matter as long as they can continue to play winning soccer and overcome a late season funk of sorts.
“It’s been up and down for the past two weeks, but we came back strong together,” Murillo said. “We’ve come back successful, and we’re just going to go from there.”
Acknowledging that he disappointed himself for getting red-carded and feels remorseful about it, Murillo also showed the signs of a kid who is thankful to be back home on the soccer field and better because of the learning experience prior to it.
“Since I got the red card against Glenbard West, I had a hard last two weeks,” Murillo said. “I’ve been just happy to play again and direct the backline. That’s what I have to do during the game. We keep telling the guys to step it up and don’t give them anything.”
Hernandez completed his hat trick with 17:41 still remaining in the first half.
In just 10:09 the game went from 0-0 to 4-0.
“It all started in the locker room or even in practice the day of or the day before today,” Hernandez said. “It all carries into the game. We were coming off a tie last game (2-2 versus Neuqua Valley on Oct. 5) and needed to stay focused. We told the guys to make sure we keep our focus and don’t lose your head.”
The Blazers played like a team on a mission, which makes sense. They needed a victory to stay in the conference race.
Addison Trail, which dropped into the honorable mention section of the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, will look to teach those so-called soccer pundits a thing or two about how well they really know teams when they travel to no. 2 Morton on Thursday for a game that likely will decide the West Suburban Conference Gold Division champion.
“We’re confident, and it’s soccer so anything can happen,” Dini said. “We’re just excited for the opportunity and then we have Mt. Carmel on Saturday. So two of the top three teams in the state back-to-back. We’re looking forward to the challenge, especially with the playoffs coming up.”
During last year’s meeting against Morton, Addison Trail lost 2-1 but led 1-0 at halftime.
“It’s important to us, especially with them being undefeated in conference pretty much the last seven or eight years,” Dini said. “We’re hungry, and we have nothing to lose. So we’re looking forward to that game.”
Said Hernandez: “We’re going in with huge confidence after this big win and looking to go and get another win.”
Murillo concurred.
“We made a statement today to Morton that we could play with them,” Murillo said. “We are going to come out strong.”
After rallying from a 3-0 halftime deficit to tie crosstown rival Downers Grove North last Thursday and dropping a 2-1 decision to Glenbard East on Saturday, Downers Grove South was looking to get a big victory and stay alive in the conference title hunt. That hope was extinguished during Addison Trail’s 10-minute scoring outburst.
“We’ve had a few games like that, and that was obviously what broke us,” Mustangs coach Jon Stapleton said. “The first one I couldn’t really tell if it was an own-goal on a long throw-in, but the second one was such quality that it kind of broke our spirit a little bit.”
Unlike football or basketball where a coach can immediately call a timeout when things go awry, a soccer coach doesn’t have that luxury. Without a doubt, Stapleton would’ve loved to have a TO so he could meet with his troops and reset things.
“We have to wait until halftime,” he said. “You have to find ways to manage your emotions because there is no timeout or chance to reground as a team. But Addison was the better team for sure. They were quicker to the ball and a little more aggressive. Even after they got the first one and then the second one, they were still hungry for more.”
Downers Grove South (5-9-1, 3-2) scored with 22:54 left in the game to break the shutout.
Kyle Fenner’s perfectly executed header off of a corner kick from Jony Flores made it 4-1.
“Kyle’s been doing that consistently for us so it was nice to see him find the back of the net,” Stapleton said. “For that matter, in the big picture of things, we had a chance to see some kids play in a competitive varsity environment and see our future a little bit.
“When we went down 4-0 we went with a younger lineup and gave them a chance to play. It may not help us necessarily this year, but we saw some positives. Overall it wasn’t that we didn’t play hard, but it just wasn’t collective. I felt the spirit of the team was broken with those (four) goals.”
Junior James Rappel added a goal with 7:27 left for the Mustangs, but the Blazers kept the pace, getting a goal from Mert Ahmed and then one from Pablo Duran in the final minute.
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK Kenny Rosales
D Michael Loughran
D Ethan Kelly
D Peter Pierropoulos
D Jack Storrs
M Jony Flores
M Devin Boone
M Kyle Fenner
M Nick Opacian
M Josh Venouziou
F Enrique Gonzalez
Addison Trail
GK Ernesto Padua
D Jose Vega
D Angel Gomez
D Ray Fischer
D Brian Hernandez
D Martin Murillo
M Leo Acosta
M Uriel Rojo
M Pablo Duran
M Juan Jimenez
F Anthony Hernandez
Chicagoland soccer Man of the Match: Anthony Hernandez, jr., F, Addison Trail
Scoring summary
Addison Trail 6, Downers Grove South 2
AT 4 2 - 6
DGS 0 2 - 2
First half
Addison Trail – Anthony Hernandez (Jason Mejia) 27:50
Addison Trail – Anthony Hernandez (Leo Acosta) 26:55
Addison Trail – Brian Flores (Martin Murillo) 24:46
Addison Trail – Anthony Hernandez (u/a) 17:41
Second half
Downers Grove South – Kyle Fenner (Jony Flores) 22:54
Addison Trail – Mert Ahmed (Leo Acosta) 8:02
Downers Grove South – James Rappel (u/a) 7:27
Addison Trail – Pablo Duran (u/a) 0:21