Addison Trail, Lake Park battle to draw
Juarez nets 1st half PK for AT, Costa's goal yields 1-1 result
By Ken Keenan
ROSELLE -- Combining speed and grit, Lake Park created a boatload of chances against visiting Addison Trail in the 2017 season opener for both teams Tuesday night. But the Lancers didn't find the net until the late going, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Led by a trio of attack-minded midfielders -- juniors Matteo Costa and Franco Presta, and senior Sebastian Glodz, along with junior forward Jesus Juarez -- the veteran Lake Park crew (nine seniors, 10 juniors) set the pace with strong possessions and hard runs through the middle. Solid defensive play by the Blazers, especially the work of senior goalkeeper Jean Avila, kept the Lancers off the scoreboard for nearly 65 minutes.
Trailing 1-0 -- on a penalty kick by shifty Addison Trail senior mid Martin Juarez with 11:24 left in the first half -- Lake Park netted the equalizer on a tap-in by Costa (assisted by Presta) with 15:39 showing on the second half clock. Jesus Juarez started the play by sending a 15-yard free kick toward the goal line.
Costa, Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match, had a slew of opportunities, including a re-direct on the doorstep that sailed just over the crossbar with 4:25 remaining. He also was robbed by Avila's bat-away save at the left post on a waist-high, 25-yard strike in the 24th minute, and fired high from the left side in-close a minute later.
"Costa was really getting his nose in there," said Lake Park head coach Sean Crosby. "He fought hard, and he was involved in a lot of the attacking opportunities."
Costa said, "Since Addison Trail is kind of a rival, we wanted to come out strong and finish. The key was getting the ball, moving the ball to midfield and then keeping the ball."
The Blazers, ranked no. 16 in the Chicagoland Soccer Preseason Top 25 after finishing 22-2-0 in 2016, certainly weren't surprised that the Lancers came flying out of the gate.
"We told our guys, there's definitely a target on our back this year," said Addison Trail head coach Ryan Dini. "We knew it would be a tough game. But we have only four guys returning from last year's team, so we're still playing around with positioning. But I like what I saw for a first game. It was two great schools going at it -- a little playoff intensity. We wanted the victory, but we'll take the tie on the road."
Addison Trail junior defender Matthew Moran, who was stellar in the back third all game, said, "Everybody wants to beat us after last year. (The Lancers) were shooting a lot at the goal (Tuesday night)."
Avila, whose solid effort included successive stops on Costa during a wild scramble in the 7th minute, said, "There was a lot of extra pressure, especially in the first half. But I knew it was going to be a tough game."
Dini said, "Our defense was solid ... goalkeeping was solid. But we have to create in the offensive third. If we can put the ball in the net, we'll be a tough team to beat."
On the Lake Park side, Crosby was pleased with the sense of urgency his troops displayed throughout the match, and expects more of the same as the season unfolds.
"Everyone was hungry," he said. "We wanted to win the first game, and the guys came out with the focus to do that. They set a tone right from the get-go. We approached the game like training. Win the ball, get it back quickly when we lose it and put pressure on the defense.
"We've got significant strength through the midfield this year. We can find a connection in the midfield, break down defenses and move the ball up the field. We also have awesome leadership with the experience level we have. Experience is a huge strength of ours."
Prior to Addison Trail's PK tally, the Lancers had an unusual opportunity when they were awarded an indirect free kick deep in the box after a goalie pass-back. Glodz lined up the try, but the Blazers' wall of 'D' snuffed the short kick.
"It was awkward ... too close," observed Presta.
Soon after, Martin Juarez nailed his PK try, scoring high into the top right corner past Lake Park junior keeper Christian Lekki. Juarez earned the open look after sending a long ball to senior midfielder Christian Garcia, who was tackled in the box.
"I love to shoot right side on top," Juarez said. "It was good to take advantage of the penalty."
The goal also seemed to take a little wind out of the Lancers' sails. Less than three minutes after breaking the ice, the Blazers had a chance to make it 2-0 when senior mid Christian Garcia settled a long ball from Martin Juarez and fired a rocket wide-right from the left side.
"Mentally, we started slowing down a bit after their goal," admitted Costa. "But then we got the tying goal, and I think it picked up our pace. We kept fighting, and that kept leading to chances. We wanted to keep going for it."
Jesus Juarez said, "We got motivated to get one more after the tie."
Added Presta: "The tying goal was a total boost. It seemed like just a matter of time to put another one in. We had our chances. Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way."
Crosby said it was important for his team to bounce back from the PK, whether the Lancers tied the score or not.
"How you respond is a big focus -- there's no sense weighing your head about it," he said. "You have to keep your head and composure -- not quit. It was great to see that mentality. It's an awesome group to coach. There's a desire to compete and a will to win.
"It was great to get the tying goal, but we still had the hunger to win."
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
G: Jean Avila
D: Matthew Moran
D: Marco Flores
D: Axel Bibiano
D: Eduardo Huerta
M: Osbaldo Murillo
M: Christian Garcia
M: Martin Juarez
M: Melvin Mora
M: Luis Silva
F: Lukas Rodriguez
Lake Park
G: Christian Lekki
D: Daniel Nocek
D: Tom Zakic
D: Sebastian Augustyn
D: Max Ellenbecker
M: Andrew Eliopoulos
M: Sebastian Glodz
M: Brent Hatfield
M: Matteo Costa
M: Franco Presta
F: Jesus Juarez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Matteo Costa, Lake Park, jr., MF
Officials: Krzysztof Bajorek, Ken Woodhouse, Bob Karcz
Juarez nets 1st half PK for AT, Costa's goal yields 1-1 result
By Ken Keenan
ROSELLE -- Combining speed and grit, Lake Park created a boatload of chances against visiting Addison Trail in the 2017 season opener for both teams Tuesday night. But the Lancers didn't find the net until the late going, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Led by a trio of attack-minded midfielders -- juniors Matteo Costa and Franco Presta, and senior Sebastian Glodz, along with junior forward Jesus Juarez -- the veteran Lake Park crew (nine seniors, 10 juniors) set the pace with strong possessions and hard runs through the middle. Solid defensive play by the Blazers, especially the work of senior goalkeeper Jean Avila, kept the Lancers off the scoreboard for nearly 65 minutes.
Trailing 1-0 -- on a penalty kick by shifty Addison Trail senior mid Martin Juarez with 11:24 left in the first half -- Lake Park netted the equalizer on a tap-in by Costa (assisted by Presta) with 15:39 showing on the second half clock. Jesus Juarez started the play by sending a 15-yard free kick toward the goal line.
Costa, Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match, had a slew of opportunities, including a re-direct on the doorstep that sailed just over the crossbar with 4:25 remaining. He also was robbed by Avila's bat-away save at the left post on a waist-high, 25-yard strike in the 24th minute, and fired high from the left side in-close a minute later.
"Costa was really getting his nose in there," said Lake Park head coach Sean Crosby. "He fought hard, and he was involved in a lot of the attacking opportunities."
Costa said, "Since Addison Trail is kind of a rival, we wanted to come out strong and finish. The key was getting the ball, moving the ball to midfield and then keeping the ball."
The Blazers, ranked no. 16 in the Chicagoland Soccer Preseason Top 25 after finishing 22-2-0 in 2016, certainly weren't surprised that the Lancers came flying out of the gate.
"We told our guys, there's definitely a target on our back this year," said Addison Trail head coach Ryan Dini. "We knew it would be a tough game. But we have only four guys returning from last year's team, so we're still playing around with positioning. But I like what I saw for a first game. It was two great schools going at it -- a little playoff intensity. We wanted the victory, but we'll take the tie on the road."
Addison Trail junior defender Matthew Moran, who was stellar in the back third all game, said, "Everybody wants to beat us after last year. (The Lancers) were shooting a lot at the goal (Tuesday night)."
Avila, whose solid effort included successive stops on Costa during a wild scramble in the 7th minute, said, "There was a lot of extra pressure, especially in the first half. But I knew it was going to be a tough game."
Dini said, "Our defense was solid ... goalkeeping was solid. But we have to create in the offensive third. If we can put the ball in the net, we'll be a tough team to beat."
On the Lake Park side, Crosby was pleased with the sense of urgency his troops displayed throughout the match, and expects more of the same as the season unfolds.
"Everyone was hungry," he said. "We wanted to win the first game, and the guys came out with the focus to do that. They set a tone right from the get-go. We approached the game like training. Win the ball, get it back quickly when we lose it and put pressure on the defense.
"We've got significant strength through the midfield this year. We can find a connection in the midfield, break down defenses and move the ball up the field. We also have awesome leadership with the experience level we have. Experience is a huge strength of ours."
Prior to Addison Trail's PK tally, the Lancers had an unusual opportunity when they were awarded an indirect free kick deep in the box after a goalie pass-back. Glodz lined up the try, but the Blazers' wall of 'D' snuffed the short kick.
"It was awkward ... too close," observed Presta.
Soon after, Martin Juarez nailed his PK try, scoring high into the top right corner past Lake Park junior keeper Christian Lekki. Juarez earned the open look after sending a long ball to senior midfielder Christian Garcia, who was tackled in the box.
"I love to shoot right side on top," Juarez said. "It was good to take advantage of the penalty."
The goal also seemed to take a little wind out of the Lancers' sails. Less than three minutes after breaking the ice, the Blazers had a chance to make it 2-0 when senior mid Christian Garcia settled a long ball from Martin Juarez and fired a rocket wide-right from the left side.
"Mentally, we started slowing down a bit after their goal," admitted Costa. "But then we got the tying goal, and I think it picked up our pace. We kept fighting, and that kept leading to chances. We wanted to keep going for it."
Jesus Juarez said, "We got motivated to get one more after the tie."
Added Presta: "The tying goal was a total boost. It seemed like just a matter of time to put another one in. We had our chances. Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way."
Crosby said it was important for his team to bounce back from the PK, whether the Lancers tied the score or not.
"How you respond is a big focus -- there's no sense weighing your head about it," he said. "You have to keep your head and composure -- not quit. It was great to see that mentality. It's an awesome group to coach. There's a desire to compete and a will to win.
"It was great to get the tying goal, but we still had the hunger to win."
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
G: Jean Avila
D: Matthew Moran
D: Marco Flores
D: Axel Bibiano
D: Eduardo Huerta
M: Osbaldo Murillo
M: Christian Garcia
M: Martin Juarez
M: Melvin Mora
M: Luis Silva
F: Lukas Rodriguez
Lake Park
G: Christian Lekki
D: Daniel Nocek
D: Tom Zakic
D: Sebastian Augustyn
D: Max Ellenbecker
M: Andrew Eliopoulos
M: Sebastian Glodz
M: Brent Hatfield
M: Matteo Costa
M: Franco Presta
F: Jesus Juarez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Matteo Costa, Lake Park, jr., MF
Officials: Krzysztof Bajorek, Ken Woodhouse, Bob Karcz