Barrington extra happy
after regulation win at Hersey
Late Gascho goal earns 1-0 victory after consecutive 2 OT ties
By Bill McLean
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS — Scott Steib has nothing against Arlington Heights.
Barrington’s soccer coach just didn’t feel like spending more than 80 minutes watching his Broncos battle host Hersey in their home suburb Thursday night. Barrington had played in consecutive 100-minute, double-overtime ties with Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows — in a four-day stretch — before its Mid-Suburban League test at Roland R. Goins Stadium.
“I had to give Jeremiah [Gascho] a hug and thank him for what he did for us tonight,” Steib said after the senior midfielder blasted a goal from near the penalty spot in the 77th minute of Barrington’s 1-0 victory.
“I’m thrilled,” a smiling Steib added, “about not having to stay in Arlington Heights for another 30 minutes or so.”
Barrington, ranked no. 20 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, improved to 8-1-2, 5-0-2 in the MSL, while Hersey — which had defeated Barrington in their last two meetings — slipped to 6-2-1, 5-1-0.
Broncos senior reserve forward Chris Kilayko had something to do with OT avoidance, too. He dribbled swiftly along a sideline for about 15 yards before cutting abruptly to his left and dribbling about five more yards to complete a breathless L-shaped journey.
Someone near Barrington’s bench — maybe a coach, maybe a player — uttered, “I love this, I love this, I love this,” as Kilayko created the late chance with resolve and urgency.
Kilayko then delivered the sweetest cross of the pleasant fall night, to a ready, willing and capable Gascho. Gascho’s laser shot beat Huskies senior goalkeeper Joe Lens (seven saves), who owned a miniscule 0.62 GAA through Hersey’s first eight games.
The reedy, savvy Kilayko picked a mighty fine time to fatten his assist total from zero to one in ’21.
“Chris,” Steib, “has those long legs going for him, but he’s also got speed. You could say his length is deceptive.”
Barrington senior midfielder Jonathan Li grinned as he recounted Kilayko’s pivotal contribution afterward.
“He’s on the ball, then boom! He’s gone,” Li said. “What he did for us tonight was invaluable.”
What Li did Thursday night left Steib shaking his head. In awe.
“Jon Li played unbelievably good soccer,” Steib said of Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match. “He was in control, shifty and efficient all night.”
The Huskies’ defense was dogged, courageous and sturdy pretty much all night against a band of visitors that dominated time of possession with a potent blend of artistry and aggressiveness.
Hersey senior quad-captain Andrew Hamilton is listed as a forward on the roster but got deployed at right back by Huskies coach Michael Rusniak on Thursday night. Hamilton, sporting a bulky cast around his left hand to protect a broken bone, performed as if he’d been a quality defender since before he learned the alphabet.
“Andrew,” Rusniak said, “was going to be a forward until we realized how strong of a defender he is. He’s done an outstanding job for us back there. Our ‘D’ unit is fun to watch. It’s also been a rock for us. Our ‘D’ takes pressure off our attack players.”
Hersey junior back Alex Masztek also played a significant role in keeping the host’s net tranquil for most of the night.
“We showed intensity tonight, something we had to do against a team that likes to possess, play around,” Masztek said. “We gave it our all.”
“We’re fierce,” added Hamilton, who suffered his hand injury in Hersey’s 1-0 defeat of host Hoffman Estates on Sept. 14.
Steib got impressive efforts from his backs, as well. Ryan Chang, Matthew Christensen, Mathew Klujian and Kyle Wanca played stout ‘D’. Christensen also displayed finesse in transition, lofting a pair of lengthy first half services — separated by about a minute — that were both accurate and elegant.
“Another great ball,” Steib shouted after Christensen’s second delivery, launched near midfield, descended toward the middle of Hersey’s box and put the Huskies on high alert in the 37th minute.
Barrington junior goalkeeper Alex Hackney (two saves, both in the second half) collected the shutout.
“Hersey is a team that’s always hard to play for us,” said Steib, whose spring 2021 club lost 1-0 to Hersey on March 18, some 18 months after Barrington’s 2019 edition fell 2-0 to Hersey. “We take this game seriously, every season. I thought we played an intelligent brand of soccer tonight. We had to, because Hersey concentrates on defense.
“It’s hard,” he continued, “to take on a team that focuses on defense as much as Hersey’s side does.”
It’s also not easy to contain a team that likes to keep the ball at its collective foot for a minute shy of an eon each match.
“Barrington moves the ball well,” Rusniak said. “Its offense has a nice rhythm.”
Barrington gets a break to rest before it hosts Schaumburg on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m.; Hersey, a honorable mention team in the Chicagoland Soccer ranking, hosts no. 19 Lake Zurich at 9 a.m. Saturday and resumes MSL play Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. at no. 5 Rolling Meadows.
Footnotes
Hersey junior Reese Stengren, son of Barrington girls soccer coach Ryan Stengren, started at forward against the Broncos Thursday night. His father, a 1990 Hersey graduate and former Huskies midfielder/forward, stood along the Broncos’ sideline. He was conflicted. “This is weird,” Ryan admitted at halftime. “I’m so used to watching Barrington, and tonight I see my son competing on the same field in a different uniform. Weird. I want Barrington to do well; I want my son to do well.” The elder Stengren guided the Fillies to a fourth place finish at the Class 3A state tournament in the spring. His 2017 and ’18 squads captured state titles. … Steib, on Reese Stengren: “Technical — very good on the ball. Very good player.” … Rusniak, on Reese Stengren: “Very, very dynamic. His engine does not stop. Reese works incredibly hard.” … Barrington senior midfielder Kieren Londergan stood out in the first half Thursday night, darting several times with the ball at his feet and finding openings against Hersey’s dandy ‘D’ to extend possessions. … Rusniak, on his Huskies after their tough loss Thursday: “They’re more resilient than I thought they would be.”
Starting lineups
Barrington
GK Alex Hackney
D Matthew Christensen
D Mathew Klujian
D Ryan Chang
D Kyle Wanca
MF Frankie Caballero
MF Jonathan Li
MF Jeremiah Gascho
MF David Gomez
F Jack Peterson
F Kieren Londergan
Hersey
GK Joe Lens
D Andrew Hamilton
D Alex Masztek
D Matt Carlson
D Charlie Shiffman
MF Danny Duray
MF Elliot Suto
MF Simon Hemenway
F Alex Ganekov
F Reese Stengren
F Adrian Szumski
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jonathan Li, sr., MF, Barrington
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Barrington — Gascho (Chris Kilayko), 78’
after regulation win at Hersey
Late Gascho goal earns 1-0 victory after consecutive 2 OT ties
By Bill McLean
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS — Scott Steib has nothing against Arlington Heights.
Barrington’s soccer coach just didn’t feel like spending more than 80 minutes watching his Broncos battle host Hersey in their home suburb Thursday night. Barrington had played in consecutive 100-minute, double-overtime ties with Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows — in a four-day stretch — before its Mid-Suburban League test at Roland R. Goins Stadium.
“I had to give Jeremiah [Gascho] a hug and thank him for what he did for us tonight,” Steib said after the senior midfielder blasted a goal from near the penalty spot in the 77th minute of Barrington’s 1-0 victory.
“I’m thrilled,” a smiling Steib added, “about not having to stay in Arlington Heights for another 30 minutes or so.”
Barrington, ranked no. 20 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, improved to 8-1-2, 5-0-2 in the MSL, while Hersey — which had defeated Barrington in their last two meetings — slipped to 6-2-1, 5-1-0.
Broncos senior reserve forward Chris Kilayko had something to do with OT avoidance, too. He dribbled swiftly along a sideline for about 15 yards before cutting abruptly to his left and dribbling about five more yards to complete a breathless L-shaped journey.
Someone near Barrington’s bench — maybe a coach, maybe a player — uttered, “I love this, I love this, I love this,” as Kilayko created the late chance with resolve and urgency.
Kilayko then delivered the sweetest cross of the pleasant fall night, to a ready, willing and capable Gascho. Gascho’s laser shot beat Huskies senior goalkeeper Joe Lens (seven saves), who owned a miniscule 0.62 GAA through Hersey’s first eight games.
The reedy, savvy Kilayko picked a mighty fine time to fatten his assist total from zero to one in ’21.
“Chris,” Steib, “has those long legs going for him, but he’s also got speed. You could say his length is deceptive.”
Barrington senior midfielder Jonathan Li grinned as he recounted Kilayko’s pivotal contribution afterward.
“He’s on the ball, then boom! He’s gone,” Li said. “What he did for us tonight was invaluable.”
What Li did Thursday night left Steib shaking his head. In awe.
“Jon Li played unbelievably good soccer,” Steib said of Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match. “He was in control, shifty and efficient all night.”
The Huskies’ defense was dogged, courageous and sturdy pretty much all night against a band of visitors that dominated time of possession with a potent blend of artistry and aggressiveness.
Hersey senior quad-captain Andrew Hamilton is listed as a forward on the roster but got deployed at right back by Huskies coach Michael Rusniak on Thursday night. Hamilton, sporting a bulky cast around his left hand to protect a broken bone, performed as if he’d been a quality defender since before he learned the alphabet.
“Andrew,” Rusniak said, “was going to be a forward until we realized how strong of a defender he is. He’s done an outstanding job for us back there. Our ‘D’ unit is fun to watch. It’s also been a rock for us. Our ‘D’ takes pressure off our attack players.”
Hersey junior back Alex Masztek also played a significant role in keeping the host’s net tranquil for most of the night.
“We showed intensity tonight, something we had to do against a team that likes to possess, play around,” Masztek said. “We gave it our all.”
“We’re fierce,” added Hamilton, who suffered his hand injury in Hersey’s 1-0 defeat of host Hoffman Estates on Sept. 14.
Steib got impressive efforts from his backs, as well. Ryan Chang, Matthew Christensen, Mathew Klujian and Kyle Wanca played stout ‘D’. Christensen also displayed finesse in transition, lofting a pair of lengthy first half services — separated by about a minute — that were both accurate and elegant.
“Another great ball,” Steib shouted after Christensen’s second delivery, launched near midfield, descended toward the middle of Hersey’s box and put the Huskies on high alert in the 37th minute.
Barrington junior goalkeeper Alex Hackney (two saves, both in the second half) collected the shutout.
“Hersey is a team that’s always hard to play for us,” said Steib, whose spring 2021 club lost 1-0 to Hersey on March 18, some 18 months after Barrington’s 2019 edition fell 2-0 to Hersey. “We take this game seriously, every season. I thought we played an intelligent brand of soccer tonight. We had to, because Hersey concentrates on defense.
“It’s hard,” he continued, “to take on a team that focuses on defense as much as Hersey’s side does.”
It’s also not easy to contain a team that likes to keep the ball at its collective foot for a minute shy of an eon each match.
“Barrington moves the ball well,” Rusniak said. “Its offense has a nice rhythm.”
Barrington gets a break to rest before it hosts Schaumburg on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m.; Hersey, a honorable mention team in the Chicagoland Soccer ranking, hosts no. 19 Lake Zurich at 9 a.m. Saturday and resumes MSL play Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. at no. 5 Rolling Meadows.
Footnotes
Hersey junior Reese Stengren, son of Barrington girls soccer coach Ryan Stengren, started at forward against the Broncos Thursday night. His father, a 1990 Hersey graduate and former Huskies midfielder/forward, stood along the Broncos’ sideline. He was conflicted. “This is weird,” Ryan admitted at halftime. “I’m so used to watching Barrington, and tonight I see my son competing on the same field in a different uniform. Weird. I want Barrington to do well; I want my son to do well.” The elder Stengren guided the Fillies to a fourth place finish at the Class 3A state tournament in the spring. His 2017 and ’18 squads captured state titles. … Steib, on Reese Stengren: “Technical — very good on the ball. Very good player.” … Rusniak, on Reese Stengren: “Very, very dynamic. His engine does not stop. Reese works incredibly hard.” … Barrington senior midfielder Kieren Londergan stood out in the first half Thursday night, darting several times with the ball at his feet and finding openings against Hersey’s dandy ‘D’ to extend possessions. … Rusniak, on his Huskies after their tough loss Thursday: “They’re more resilient than I thought they would be.”
Starting lineups
Barrington
GK Alex Hackney
D Matthew Christensen
D Mathew Klujian
D Ryan Chang
D Kyle Wanca
MF Frankie Caballero
MF Jonathan Li
MF Jeremiah Gascho
MF David Gomez
F Jack Peterson
F Kieren Londergan
Hersey
GK Joe Lens
D Andrew Hamilton
D Alex Masztek
D Matt Carlson
D Charlie Shiffman
MF Danny Duray
MF Elliot Suto
MF Simon Hemenway
F Alex Ganekov
F Reese Stengren
F Adrian Szumski
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jonathan Li, sr., MF, Barrington
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Barrington — Gascho (Chris Kilayko), 78’