Addison Trail rally nullifies early York lead
Mora assist, goal lead Blazers to Hoffman Estates title
By Patrick Z. McGavin
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- Addison Trail started the game like a dream: beautiful pinpoint passing; off-the-ball movement; and cutting. The passes connected, the players showed grace and style.
Everything was perfect. Except the score.
In the eighth minute, York junior forward Parker Gawne made a great play to intercept a pass and play through the back in creating a one-on-one against the Blazers’ keeper Sam Sandoval.
He blasted the ball from about 12 yards inside the far post.
“The 1-0 early lead into the wind, you probably couldn’t have asked for a better start,” York coach Lukasz Majewski said. “But we also knew we had to still play the remainder of the game.”
Addison Trail's Melvin Mora was unfazed. He just saw his own brand of opportunity.
“The early goal was a mistake on our part, but I saw the board, and I noticed that we still had a lot of time left,” Mora said. I was talking with my teammates, and I just told them to keep going, because we have a lot of time to come back.”
Mora instigated the charge by creating a beautiful assist on the Blazers’ first goal and punctuated the superb performance with a remarkable 58-yard free kick goal against the wind as Addison Trail, ranked no. 12 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, defeated the 14th-rated Dukes 3-1 to capture the Class 3A regional championship Friday night at Hoffman Estates High School.
Addison Trail (17-5-0) won for the 14th time in its last 15 games -- the only blemish a 2-1 loss against no. 3 Morton. In winning their first regional title since 2016, the Blazers go home as sectional hosts Tuesday to match up with the winner of no. 5 Wheaton Academy and no. 16 Benet.
The Addison Trail Sectional has the highest number of teams, six, ranked in the final regular season Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll.
The Blazers beat the Dukes for the second time this year; they won 2-1 in Elmhurst in a West Suburban Conference crossover game.
Addison Trail also exacted some revenge. York beat the Blazers in the regional title last year at Glenbard East. They also won the regular season game.
“This is a rivalry, and a lot of our guys had a chip on their shoulders because they got us last year in the regional title game,” Addison Trail assistant coach Angel Vega said, speaking about the performance on the recommendation of coach Ryan Dini.
“Credit to [York]. They had a nice press on us in the beginning, and they wanted to rattle us. We held our composure. We really hustled. We preach to the kids the game doesn’t start with the whistle. It starts with practice. We had a great practice yesterday. The kids were focused and ready to go.”
Addison Trail also had the advantage of the gusting, and at times harsh, winds in the first half. For all of the Blazers’ early dominance, Gawne stole the show and the momentum with his early goal. The key was the Blazers’ response. They did not allow a great psychological benefit to accrue to the Dukes.
Addison Trail maintained its strong early play. In the 17th minute, Mora went to work. He cut down the left flank, made a fantastic jitter move to shake off his defender, pirouetted and crossed the ball into the box. Midfielder Alexis Delapaz held his space and got the necessary touch to finish inside the box for the equalizer.
Addison Trail had the run of play and an even score. The momentum shift reverberated, according to Mora.
“I saw some space, and I just took it,” Mora said. “I saw a guy behind me, and the only way to get him off was to juke him. I was able to do that and cross the ball, and we scored. I think after that goal, everybody got some energy. Everybody got hyped.
“It made us hustle a lot more after that.”
Melvin Mora earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match prize for his inspired play.
With that play, the York advantage dissipated.
“We were a little unfortunate in picking up a couple of injuries that rattled our line,” Majewski said. “We made a couple of mistakes on clearances, and you can’t keep giving a team like that the chances inside the box. Because they will capitalize, and that is what they did.”
The Blazers maintained the pressure and took control in the 31st minute. Forward Anthony Hernandez slotted the ball to his right as midfielder Eduardo Gomez made a perfectly timed run and volleyed home a ball from about 11 yards for the 2-1 advantage.
It was his fourth goal of the year and first game-winner.
“Anthony Hernandez just laid it off, and I saw the open shot, and I went for it,” Gomez said. “Giving up that early goal just got our intensity up. We didn’t give up, and we hustled. I talked with my team and told everybody not to give up.”
The stakes not only changed, the tactics were now formed to the circumstances. Addison Trail could afford to play back and drop the occasional midfielder and force York into moving the ball through tight spaces and cramped channels.
In games of this kind of magnitude, the psychological bears hard on the team behind in the counting.
“When you start chasing the game, then it becomes more difficult,” Majewski said. “Everything is bigger. Every missed pass, every missed shot takes its toll.”
Playing with the wind, York (14-6-0) created some tantalizing opportunities at the start of the second half. York generated two corner kicks and two free kicks through the first 12 minutes of the second half.
The best chance at a goal was a laser shot by junior midfielder Jack Musial that forced Blazers’ keeper Sam Sandoval to make a spectacular diving stop. Normally playing a 3-5-2 formation, Addison Trail dropped an extra defender.
They did not concede possession, and created several impressive counter movements to slow down the Dukes’ attack. It all came together.
In the 74th minute, Mora scored one of the year’s top goals by bombing a 58-yard free kick from the left edge that cut through the night air and handcuffed Dukes’ superb keeper Kyle Johnson for the devastating goal.
“I was looking to send it, but it just went in,” Mora said. Addison Trail has been so formidable the last two months the three-game slide that put the team at 3-4-0 two weeks into the season seems like it happened in a different era.
Mora has scored 14 goals on the season.
York’s year ended on a bittersweet note. The season was highly successful, opening the year with an impressive 2-0 win over current no. 4 New Trier and sharing the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title.
The team has many skilled players with Jack and Sam Musial, midfielders Joe Meade and Paolo Favuzzi. Josh Borzello solidified the backline. The Dukes were formidable.
They just ran into a hotter team at the wrong time.
“I thought we started off the second half with some nice chances,” Majewski said. “But unfortunately one team was able to capitalize, and that’s what they did. The result speaks for itself.
“I had a conversation with the boys after the game. The scoreboard says one thing, and it hurts. It is going to hurt for a little bit, but what I take away from this was the experience of working with these awesome young men at practice every day.
“Kyle Johnson (played) his first year here, and he has played on some very competitive club teams. And the first thing he said was this was the most fun he ever had playing soccer.”
Start lineups
Addison Trail
GK: Sam Sandoval
D: Joseph Macedo
D: Eduardo Huerta
D: Matthew Moran
MF: Louis Silva
MF: Martin Murillo
MF: Lukas Rodriguez
MF: Eduardo Gomez
MF: Alexis Delapaz
F: Anthony Hernandez
F: Melvin Mora
York
GK: Kyle Johnson
D: John Milani
D: Josh Borzello
D: Edwardo Del Carmen
MF: Joe Meade
MF: Jack Musial
MF: Jacob Kresnicka
MF: Ethan Oder
MF: Paolo Favuzzi
F: Parker Gawne
F: Sam Musial
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Melvin Mora, sr., F, Addison Trail
Scoring summary
First half
York—Parker Gawne (unassisted), eighth minute
Addison Trail—Alexis Delapaz (Melvin Mora), 17th minute
Addison Trail—Eduardo Gomez (Anthony Hernandez), 31st minute
Second half
Addison Trail—Mora (free kick), 74th minute
Mora assist, goal lead Blazers to Hoffman Estates title
By Patrick Z. McGavin
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- Addison Trail started the game like a dream: beautiful pinpoint passing; off-the-ball movement; and cutting. The passes connected, the players showed grace and style.
Everything was perfect. Except the score.
In the eighth minute, York junior forward Parker Gawne made a great play to intercept a pass and play through the back in creating a one-on-one against the Blazers’ keeper Sam Sandoval.
He blasted the ball from about 12 yards inside the far post.
“The 1-0 early lead into the wind, you probably couldn’t have asked for a better start,” York coach Lukasz Majewski said. “But we also knew we had to still play the remainder of the game.”
Addison Trail's Melvin Mora was unfazed. He just saw his own brand of opportunity.
“The early goal was a mistake on our part, but I saw the board, and I noticed that we still had a lot of time left,” Mora said. I was talking with my teammates, and I just told them to keep going, because we have a lot of time to come back.”
Mora instigated the charge by creating a beautiful assist on the Blazers’ first goal and punctuated the superb performance with a remarkable 58-yard free kick goal against the wind as Addison Trail, ranked no. 12 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, defeated the 14th-rated Dukes 3-1 to capture the Class 3A regional championship Friday night at Hoffman Estates High School.
Addison Trail (17-5-0) won for the 14th time in its last 15 games -- the only blemish a 2-1 loss against no. 3 Morton. In winning their first regional title since 2016, the Blazers go home as sectional hosts Tuesday to match up with the winner of no. 5 Wheaton Academy and no. 16 Benet.
The Addison Trail Sectional has the highest number of teams, six, ranked in the final regular season Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll.
The Blazers beat the Dukes for the second time this year; they won 2-1 in Elmhurst in a West Suburban Conference crossover game.
Addison Trail also exacted some revenge. York beat the Blazers in the regional title last year at Glenbard East. They also won the regular season game.
“This is a rivalry, and a lot of our guys had a chip on their shoulders because they got us last year in the regional title game,” Addison Trail assistant coach Angel Vega said, speaking about the performance on the recommendation of coach Ryan Dini.
“Credit to [York]. They had a nice press on us in the beginning, and they wanted to rattle us. We held our composure. We really hustled. We preach to the kids the game doesn’t start with the whistle. It starts with practice. We had a great practice yesterday. The kids were focused and ready to go.”
Addison Trail also had the advantage of the gusting, and at times harsh, winds in the first half. For all of the Blazers’ early dominance, Gawne stole the show and the momentum with his early goal. The key was the Blazers’ response. They did not allow a great psychological benefit to accrue to the Dukes.
Addison Trail maintained its strong early play. In the 17th minute, Mora went to work. He cut down the left flank, made a fantastic jitter move to shake off his defender, pirouetted and crossed the ball into the box. Midfielder Alexis Delapaz held his space and got the necessary touch to finish inside the box for the equalizer.
Addison Trail had the run of play and an even score. The momentum shift reverberated, according to Mora.
“I saw some space, and I just took it,” Mora said. “I saw a guy behind me, and the only way to get him off was to juke him. I was able to do that and cross the ball, and we scored. I think after that goal, everybody got some energy. Everybody got hyped.
“It made us hustle a lot more after that.”
Melvin Mora earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match prize for his inspired play.
With that play, the York advantage dissipated.
“We were a little unfortunate in picking up a couple of injuries that rattled our line,” Majewski said. “We made a couple of mistakes on clearances, and you can’t keep giving a team like that the chances inside the box. Because they will capitalize, and that is what they did.”
The Blazers maintained the pressure and took control in the 31st minute. Forward Anthony Hernandez slotted the ball to his right as midfielder Eduardo Gomez made a perfectly timed run and volleyed home a ball from about 11 yards for the 2-1 advantage.
It was his fourth goal of the year and first game-winner.
“Anthony Hernandez just laid it off, and I saw the open shot, and I went for it,” Gomez said. “Giving up that early goal just got our intensity up. We didn’t give up, and we hustled. I talked with my team and told everybody not to give up.”
The stakes not only changed, the tactics were now formed to the circumstances. Addison Trail could afford to play back and drop the occasional midfielder and force York into moving the ball through tight spaces and cramped channels.
In games of this kind of magnitude, the psychological bears hard on the team behind in the counting.
“When you start chasing the game, then it becomes more difficult,” Majewski said. “Everything is bigger. Every missed pass, every missed shot takes its toll.”
Playing with the wind, York (14-6-0) created some tantalizing opportunities at the start of the second half. York generated two corner kicks and two free kicks through the first 12 minutes of the second half.
The best chance at a goal was a laser shot by junior midfielder Jack Musial that forced Blazers’ keeper Sam Sandoval to make a spectacular diving stop. Normally playing a 3-5-2 formation, Addison Trail dropped an extra defender.
They did not concede possession, and created several impressive counter movements to slow down the Dukes’ attack. It all came together.
In the 74th minute, Mora scored one of the year’s top goals by bombing a 58-yard free kick from the left edge that cut through the night air and handcuffed Dukes’ superb keeper Kyle Johnson for the devastating goal.
“I was looking to send it, but it just went in,” Mora said. Addison Trail has been so formidable the last two months the three-game slide that put the team at 3-4-0 two weeks into the season seems like it happened in a different era.
Mora has scored 14 goals on the season.
York’s year ended on a bittersweet note. The season was highly successful, opening the year with an impressive 2-0 win over current no. 4 New Trier and sharing the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title.
The team has many skilled players with Jack and Sam Musial, midfielders Joe Meade and Paolo Favuzzi. Josh Borzello solidified the backline. The Dukes were formidable.
They just ran into a hotter team at the wrong time.
“I thought we started off the second half with some nice chances,” Majewski said. “But unfortunately one team was able to capitalize, and that’s what they did. The result speaks for itself.
“I had a conversation with the boys after the game. The scoreboard says one thing, and it hurts. It is going to hurt for a little bit, but what I take away from this was the experience of working with these awesome young men at practice every day.
“Kyle Johnson (played) his first year here, and he has played on some very competitive club teams. And the first thing he said was this was the most fun he ever had playing soccer.”
Start lineups
Addison Trail
GK: Sam Sandoval
D: Joseph Macedo
D: Eduardo Huerta
D: Matthew Moran
MF: Louis Silva
MF: Martin Murillo
MF: Lukas Rodriguez
MF: Eduardo Gomez
MF: Alexis Delapaz
F: Anthony Hernandez
F: Melvin Mora
York
GK: Kyle Johnson
D: John Milani
D: Josh Borzello
D: Edwardo Del Carmen
MF: Joe Meade
MF: Jack Musial
MF: Jacob Kresnicka
MF: Ethan Oder
MF: Paolo Favuzzi
F: Parker Gawne
F: Sam Musial
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Melvin Mora, sr., F, Addison Trail
Scoring summary
First half
York—Parker Gawne (unassisted), eighth minute
Addison Trail—Alexis Delapaz (Melvin Mora), 17th minute
Addison Trail—Eduardo Gomez (Anthony Hernandez), 31st minute
Second half
Addison Trail—Mora (free kick), 74th minute