Streaking Addison Trail surprises York
Acosta 2nd half brace spark Blazers to 2-1 WSC cross-over win
By Ken Keenan
ELMHURST -- Two titans of the West Suburban Conference met in a cross-over clash and possible playoff preview Thursday night at York -- the result was a thrilling 2-1 win for Addison Trail over the host Dukes.
Blazers senior midfielder Julio Acosta was the hero, scoring his second goal of the match with merely 1:55 remaining in the second half to provide the winning margin. Acosta, who notched his first tally in the 54th minute to knot the score at 1-1, was named Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
The victory was Addison Trail's eighth in a row, improving the Blazers to 11-4-0 overall. Head coach Ryan Dini's squad also hold a 3-0-0 mark in WSC Gold Division play.
"It was a weird game," Dini said. "You don't want to show too much if we're going to see (York) in the playoffs. You just try to play well and stay healthy. But they're a good team ... solid, a tough opponent, and a lot of the guys know each other from club (soccer). So it's a good rivalry."
York is the third seed and Addison Trail the sixth in the Blazers' sectional. Depending on the regional assignments, the teams could meet in a regional final. Neither team is a regional host.
York, ranked no. 18 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, fell to 9-4-0 overall. The Dukes (2-1-0 in WSC Silver play) entered the match on the heels of a shootout win against sixth-ranked Lyons two days prior, and held a 1-0 lead over Addison Trail after 40 minutes on an early goal by junior forward Parker Gawne.
"The intensity was there," said Dukes head coach Lukasz Majewski. "There's mutual respect. But it's a nice little rivalry between the two schools. Addison Trail is a good team with a lot of individual talent, not easily contained. There's a good chance we'll see them in the playoffs."
The Dukes looked to be in control early on, and they grabbed a 1-0 lead when Gawne finished a give-and-go with speedy junior forward Joe Meade with 32:20 to go in the opening session. Taking a return feed from Meade in-close, Gawne beat Blazers senior keeper Sam Sandoval with a low shot to the left side.
"I thought about shooting, but I saw (Gawne) make a good run for the easy finish," Meade said.
In the 10th minute, a multi-touch sequence for York ended with Gawne finding junior midfielder Jack Musial for a 20-yard shot that missed wide-left, and Dukes junior mid Paolo Favuzzi missed to the left with a 40-yard blast four minutes later.
"The first half, we definitely moved the ball the way we wanted to," Majewski said.
Added Meade: "I thought we dominated the first half."
York had two more opportunities in the first half, both on long free kicks by senior defender Edwardo DelCarmen. Sandoval nabbed DelCarmen's first try on the fly in the 24th minute and watched the second attempt sail wide-right with 13:10 to go before the break.
Dukes senior keeper Kyle Johnson was called to duty in the 22nd minute, stopping a hard, 15-yard shot by Blazers sophomore forward Anthony Hernandez. In the 30th minute, Addison Trail senior mid Melvin Mora spun his way around three defenders and fired wide-left from 40 yards.
Addison Trail roared out of the gate to start the second half and nearly scored in the 41st minute when a cross in the box by Hernandez deflected off a Dukes defender and banged off the crossbar. A steal by Blazers senior mid Eduardo Gomez in the 42nd minute led to a 15-yard strike by Mora that missed high, and the York defense collectively blocked a solid, 25-yard free kick from the left side by Addison Trail junior defender Martin Murillo with 36:40 showing.
Soon after, York's Musial unleashed a sneaky, low shot in traffic that Sandoval handled. In the 52nd minute, Sandoval calmly nabbed a 30-yard pop-up shot by York junior mid Ethan Oder.
Acosta then tied the match with 26:56 remaining. After taking a pass from Gomez, Blazers senior mid Alexis Delapaz cut in and dished to Acosta, who settled the ball before firing it in from close range.
The Blazers had another good look three minutes later when Mora sliced through and fired wide-right from 20 yards. With 20:10 to go, Addison Trail junior defender Ernesto Padua sent a bending, 50-yard free kick that Johnson juggled and held. Less than a minute later, a long run down the left side by Mora ended with a wide-angle try that hit the side of the net.
"Both teams were going at it, and we picked it up in the second half," Acosta said.
Added Dini: "We're a better second half team so far this year. I'm proud of the way the team came back."
Added Sandoval: "At halftime, we talked about coming out with everything we had. Thankfully, we got the result."
Acosta made sure of that when he broke free down the left side after taking a pass from Hernandez and used his left foot to beat Johnson from a sharp angle about 10 yards away.
"I sprinted with all my force downfield and was able to put it in the back of the net," Acosta said.
Sandoval did his part to keep York from adding a second goal, especially with a superb, diving save to his right to rob Meade just 25 second before Acosta potted the game-winner. The Blazers keeper also stoned Parker in the 73rd minute with a sparkling toe save on a spinning shot in front, followed by nice stop on a 25-yard rocket by Meade.
In the final seconds, Sandoval smothered a last-ditch DelCarmen free kick to seal the deal.
"I never want to concede anything," Sandoval said. "I like to stay cool and calm. Our defense and midfield helped me a lot tonight. It was a nice win. I liked the intensity. That prepares us for the playoffs."
Looking ahead as well, Majewski discussed the importance of maintaining focus for the entire 80 minutes of a match, something he believed the Dukes lacked in the final 40 against Addison Trail.
"We didn't show up in the second half," he said. "We did none of the things we talked about at halftime. If we want to consider ourselves a team to make a deep playoff run, that was not the case in the second half. The result tonight matters very little. I'm more disappointed and discouraged with our play in the second half.
Majewski continued: "The message at halftime was simple: know your assignments, know your responsibilities and take care of them. You can't play half a game and say, 'We're good.' You can't hit the snooze button. The pressure will intensify in the playoffs and every second counts."
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
G: Sam Sandoval
D: Martin Murillo
D: Eduardo Huerta
D: Joseph Macedo
D: Ernesto Padua
M: Julio Acosta
M: Lukas Rodriguez
M: Eduardo Gomez
M: Melvin Mora
F: Luis Silva
F: Anthony Hernandez
York
G: Kyle Johnson
D: Jonathan Milani
D: Jacob Kresnicka
D: Josh Borzello
D: Edwardo DelCarmen
M: Jack Musial
M: Ethan Oder
M: Paolo Favuzzi
M: Andrew Pygon
F: Parker Gawne
F: Joe Meade
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Julio Acosta, sr., M, Addison Trail
Officials: John Jakobze, Brett Richter, Krzysztof Bajorek
Scoring summary
First half
York: Parker Gawne (Joe Meade),8th minute
Second half
Addison Trail: Julio Acosta (Alexis Delapaz), 54th minute
Addison Trail: Acosta (Anthony Hernandez), 79th minute
Acosta 2nd half brace spark Blazers to 2-1 WSC cross-over win
By Ken Keenan
ELMHURST -- Two titans of the West Suburban Conference met in a cross-over clash and possible playoff preview Thursday night at York -- the result was a thrilling 2-1 win for Addison Trail over the host Dukes.
Blazers senior midfielder Julio Acosta was the hero, scoring his second goal of the match with merely 1:55 remaining in the second half to provide the winning margin. Acosta, who notched his first tally in the 54th minute to knot the score at 1-1, was named Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
The victory was Addison Trail's eighth in a row, improving the Blazers to 11-4-0 overall. Head coach Ryan Dini's squad also hold a 3-0-0 mark in WSC Gold Division play.
"It was a weird game," Dini said. "You don't want to show too much if we're going to see (York) in the playoffs. You just try to play well and stay healthy. But they're a good team ... solid, a tough opponent, and a lot of the guys know each other from club (soccer). So it's a good rivalry."
York is the third seed and Addison Trail the sixth in the Blazers' sectional. Depending on the regional assignments, the teams could meet in a regional final. Neither team is a regional host.
York, ranked no. 18 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, fell to 9-4-0 overall. The Dukes (2-1-0 in WSC Silver play) entered the match on the heels of a shootout win against sixth-ranked Lyons two days prior, and held a 1-0 lead over Addison Trail after 40 minutes on an early goal by junior forward Parker Gawne.
"The intensity was there," said Dukes head coach Lukasz Majewski. "There's mutual respect. But it's a nice little rivalry between the two schools. Addison Trail is a good team with a lot of individual talent, not easily contained. There's a good chance we'll see them in the playoffs."
The Dukes looked to be in control early on, and they grabbed a 1-0 lead when Gawne finished a give-and-go with speedy junior forward Joe Meade with 32:20 to go in the opening session. Taking a return feed from Meade in-close, Gawne beat Blazers senior keeper Sam Sandoval with a low shot to the left side.
"I thought about shooting, but I saw (Gawne) make a good run for the easy finish," Meade said.
In the 10th minute, a multi-touch sequence for York ended with Gawne finding junior midfielder Jack Musial for a 20-yard shot that missed wide-left, and Dukes junior mid Paolo Favuzzi missed to the left with a 40-yard blast four minutes later.
"The first half, we definitely moved the ball the way we wanted to," Majewski said.
Added Meade: "I thought we dominated the first half."
York had two more opportunities in the first half, both on long free kicks by senior defender Edwardo DelCarmen. Sandoval nabbed DelCarmen's first try on the fly in the 24th minute and watched the second attempt sail wide-right with 13:10 to go before the break.
Dukes senior keeper Kyle Johnson was called to duty in the 22nd minute, stopping a hard, 15-yard shot by Blazers sophomore forward Anthony Hernandez. In the 30th minute, Addison Trail senior mid Melvin Mora spun his way around three defenders and fired wide-left from 40 yards.
Addison Trail roared out of the gate to start the second half and nearly scored in the 41st minute when a cross in the box by Hernandez deflected off a Dukes defender and banged off the crossbar. A steal by Blazers senior mid Eduardo Gomez in the 42nd minute led to a 15-yard strike by Mora that missed high, and the York defense collectively blocked a solid, 25-yard free kick from the left side by Addison Trail junior defender Martin Murillo with 36:40 showing.
Soon after, York's Musial unleashed a sneaky, low shot in traffic that Sandoval handled. In the 52nd minute, Sandoval calmly nabbed a 30-yard pop-up shot by York junior mid Ethan Oder.
Acosta then tied the match with 26:56 remaining. After taking a pass from Gomez, Blazers senior mid Alexis Delapaz cut in and dished to Acosta, who settled the ball before firing it in from close range.
The Blazers had another good look three minutes later when Mora sliced through and fired wide-right from 20 yards. With 20:10 to go, Addison Trail junior defender Ernesto Padua sent a bending, 50-yard free kick that Johnson juggled and held. Less than a minute later, a long run down the left side by Mora ended with a wide-angle try that hit the side of the net.
"Both teams were going at it, and we picked it up in the second half," Acosta said.
Added Dini: "We're a better second half team so far this year. I'm proud of the way the team came back."
Added Sandoval: "At halftime, we talked about coming out with everything we had. Thankfully, we got the result."
Acosta made sure of that when he broke free down the left side after taking a pass from Hernandez and used his left foot to beat Johnson from a sharp angle about 10 yards away.
"I sprinted with all my force downfield and was able to put it in the back of the net," Acosta said.
Sandoval did his part to keep York from adding a second goal, especially with a superb, diving save to his right to rob Meade just 25 second before Acosta potted the game-winner. The Blazers keeper also stoned Parker in the 73rd minute with a sparkling toe save on a spinning shot in front, followed by nice stop on a 25-yard rocket by Meade.
In the final seconds, Sandoval smothered a last-ditch DelCarmen free kick to seal the deal.
"I never want to concede anything," Sandoval said. "I like to stay cool and calm. Our defense and midfield helped me a lot tonight. It was a nice win. I liked the intensity. That prepares us for the playoffs."
Looking ahead as well, Majewski discussed the importance of maintaining focus for the entire 80 minutes of a match, something he believed the Dukes lacked in the final 40 against Addison Trail.
"We didn't show up in the second half," he said. "We did none of the things we talked about at halftime. If we want to consider ourselves a team to make a deep playoff run, that was not the case in the second half. The result tonight matters very little. I'm more disappointed and discouraged with our play in the second half.
Majewski continued: "The message at halftime was simple: know your assignments, know your responsibilities and take care of them. You can't play half a game and say, 'We're good.' You can't hit the snooze button. The pressure will intensify in the playoffs and every second counts."
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
G: Sam Sandoval
D: Martin Murillo
D: Eduardo Huerta
D: Joseph Macedo
D: Ernesto Padua
M: Julio Acosta
M: Lukas Rodriguez
M: Eduardo Gomez
M: Melvin Mora
F: Luis Silva
F: Anthony Hernandez
York
G: Kyle Johnson
D: Jonathan Milani
D: Jacob Kresnicka
D: Josh Borzello
D: Edwardo DelCarmen
M: Jack Musial
M: Ethan Oder
M: Paolo Favuzzi
M: Andrew Pygon
F: Parker Gawne
F: Joe Meade
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Julio Acosta, sr., M, Addison Trail
Officials: John Jakobze, Brett Richter, Krzysztof Bajorek
Scoring summary
First half
York: Parker Gawne (Joe Meade),8th minute
Second half
Addison Trail: Julio Acosta (Alexis Delapaz), 54th minute
Addison Trail: Acosta (Anthony Hernandez), 79th minute