Barrington's Jackowski is golden
versus Rolling Meadows
Junior breaks personal scoring slump in 1st OT for 3-2 win
By Bobby Narang
ROLLING MEADOWS — Barrington’s Philip Jackowski wasn’t expecting to become a key part of Tuesday’s halftime message.
The Broncos needed a spark in the Mid-Suburban League game against Rolling Meadows. Barrington coach Scott Steib pointed to no. 7 — Jackowski.
After the Broncos entered the 10-minute intermission trailing 1-0 to the host Mustangs, Jackowski received a few stern and motivational words from Steib.
The Broncos are trying to break out of a middling run. Last week they defeated Hoffman Estates 4-1 on Sept. 27 and then traveled to the Great River Classic in Burlington, Ia., where they stuggled against Class AA teams ranked in the Illinois 10 poll. Fourth-ranked Normal West topped the Broncos 3-2 on Sept. 29 and no. 9 Morton (Ill.) fought to a scoreless tie on Sept. 30.
After the overtime win, Steib pointed to Jackowski's scoring potential as a positive heading into the final week and half of the regular-season and then the Class 3A playoffs. The starting junior forward had not scored a goal since a 4-3 defeat to Conant in overtime on Sept. 3.
“He had a 10-game stretch without a goal,” Steib said of Jackowski. “He’s a good player, but he’s been little snake-bitten, also missing the frame and other stuff. I told him that ‘You need a goal tonight.’ The little drought has to end. We’re near the playoffs. He always has that in him, but it’s been a while.”
Jackowski said he felt the urgency in Steib’s voice at halftime.
“At halftime, coach came to me and said, ‘You have to break the streak today,’” Jackowski said. “I wasn’t sure what to think. I knew I had to challenge myself, to find a moment where I can get the ball off and get a good strike.”
Jackowski made his coach proud in dramatic fashion against the Mustangs.
Less than three minutes into the first overtime, Jackowski sent a cannon shot from 19 yards into the back of the net for a golden goal, lifting Barrington to an inspiring 3-2 comeback win over Mid-Suburban League foe Rolling Meadows at Robert A. Hoese Field.
With the win, the Broncos climbed back over the .500 mark. The Mustangs (10-6-0, 4-4-0 MSL East) have now lost three of their last four games.
Jackowski, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, will certainly always remember his fourth goal of the season. It was a cathartic goal.
Once the ball hit the net, Jackowski sprinted toward the corner on the north end of the field celebrating the golden goal — and the end of his drought — with a big group of teammates. Jackowski said he saw an opening for the possible game-winner.
“I saw the ball go to Jack Peterson and saw another player and then me. I was begging for it, and Kian Cullen laid it off to me, I just knew I was going to shoot it when I took that first touch,” Jackowski said. “I just wanted to power it. It felt amazing. I’ve had a couple of nice goals, but to win in overtime and a golden goal is just amazing.
“I’ve been in a drought. ... I was able to find a good moment and get off a good strike. This win is great for us. We haven’t been scoring a lot of goals, so to come in here and score three against a good team means a lot for us.”
Barrington senior Mathew Klujian, who scored a goal early in the second half to tie the game at 1-1, said he was shocked by the suddenness of Jackowski’s goal. The Broncos nearly scored with 8:02 left in the first overtime on Cullen’s header, but Rolling Meadows goalie Marceli Okonski snagged the save. Okonski fought off a strong Barrington attack in the second half, when he tallyied nine of his 12 saves.
“That was unbelievable,” Klujian said of Jackowski’s winner. “I was on the other side of the field, and thought he had such a bad angle. I wasn’t sure it was going to go in or not. We all went crazy. This was a nice win to come here on their field.”
The late-afternoon matchup of familiar foes had a strange vibe throughout the 82-plus minutes of intense action. Four second-half injuries led to long delays.
Rolling Meadows coach Brett Olson pointed out postgame that the Broncos and Mustangs might see each other in a league cross-over match and then for sure in a semifinal of the Barrington Regional at 7 p.m. Oct. 18.
“We might play them next Tuesday depending how things finish up on Thursday,” Olson said. “We could play on three-consecutive Tuesdays. We’ll see how that goes.
“There’s plenty of film for both to watch. We both will make adjustments. They earned their goals. That overtime goal was one of the best ones we’ve had against us all year.
“They penalized us for two bad mistakes. Marceli Okonski didn’t have the greatest game. He was busy, but he made a couple of mistakes. We have to bounce back. We’ll watch film. We’re headed in the wrong direction toward the end of the season.”
The Mustangs were on the verge of building some momentum for the playoffs due to a strong first half of the season -- after 10 games they were 10-2-0.
Against Barrington, senior Francisco Ramirez was at the forefront of strong early play, almost scoring on three shots in the first 24 minutes. With 12:50 left, Joe Salemi netted a goal off a rebound via a close shot from Ramirez for a 1-0 lead.
Ramirez shook off a defender with a few stellar 1-v-1 moves and freed himself for a shot that deflected off the post but came back to Salemi, who connected.
Barrington (7-6-4, 3-1-2) took a 2-1 on Adam Walocha’s chip shot near the goal line with 12:55 left.
It only took 11 seconds later for the Mustangs to shock the crowd with a goal from Eltayeb Mahmoud who finished into an empty net after poor communication between the Broncos.
“I just saw the goalie was off his line and tried to stay composed,” Mahmoud said of his third goal of the season. “I saw the ball headed to me and saw so much space in the goal, and I lobbed it.
“We played well in the first half and have to play our game more. They had a lot of set pieces in the second half. We have to mark up. They had a lot of energy in the last 10 minutes.”
Rolling Meadows senior defender Mat Winkelman said the Broncos played with more gusto in the final stages of the game.
“I think they had a great shot,” he said. “There’s nothing we could do. They finished outside. I think our energy came down a little bit. We have a couple of bruises. We have to keep our energy throughout the game.
“When things come together for us, our ball movement is really good. We move the ball side to side really quick. We’re a speedy and technical team. We have to think about what to do better when we see them in the playoffs.”
Ramirez, whose nickname is “Paco,” suffered a foot injury with 4:22 left in regulation. Olson said he’s not sure about the senior's availability. The forward has scored four goals and recorded six assists this season.
“I thought our defense played well, and it took some time for them just to adjust,” Olson said. “Joe Salemi did a good job of controlling things in the middle. He had some space, more than he’s used to. On his goal, it was a good play. Joe crashed the net. We gave up two of our softer goals of the year, but we bounced back and scored on a misplay by their keeper.
“This was Eltayeb’s first start in the center midfield after how he played Saturday against Lake Zurich. He’s going to continue to stay here. He makes a difference. I liked how our backline played. We will be on a bigger field for the playoffs. That will be another adjustment, and Barrington is tough on their home field.”
Despite the inspirational victory, Steib had an extended postgame chat with his players on improving on all facets of the game to prepare for the playoffs.
“I thought we looked really good,” Steib said. “We’re so close to being pretty good and actually a good team. We didn’t sulk. I’m frustrated with some of our tactics, but this is a great group of guys. They have great work ethic and character. They just need to be more polished.
“That was a great goal to end on.”
Starting lineups
Barrington
GK: Iker Villagomez
D: Mathew Klujian
D: Logan Cidulka
D: Mattie Vitale
D: Adam Walocha
MF: Alexis Salazar
MF: Nico Hausser
MF: Ali Saber
F: Jack Peterson
F: Kian Cullen
F: Philip Jackowski
Rolling Meadows
GK: Marceli Okonski
D: Alex Berg
D: Alex Chlopek
D: Kalvin Lagunas
D: Mathew Winkelman
MF: Yeray Alavez
MF: Eltayeb Mahmoud
MF: Brian Diaz
MF: Oscar Chlopek
F: Joe Salemi
F: Paco Ramirez
Chicagoland Man of the Match:
Philip Jackowski, jr., MF, Barrington
Scoring summary
First half
Rolling Meadows: Salemi (unassisted), 28’
Second half
Barrington: Klujian (Peterson), 47’
Barrington: Walocha (unassisted), 68’
Rolling Meadows: Mahmoud (unassisted), 68’
First overtime
Barrington: Jackowski (Cullen), 83’
versus Rolling Meadows
Junior breaks personal scoring slump in 1st OT for 3-2 win
By Bobby Narang
ROLLING MEADOWS — Barrington’s Philip Jackowski wasn’t expecting to become a key part of Tuesday’s halftime message.
The Broncos needed a spark in the Mid-Suburban League game against Rolling Meadows. Barrington coach Scott Steib pointed to no. 7 — Jackowski.
After the Broncos entered the 10-minute intermission trailing 1-0 to the host Mustangs, Jackowski received a few stern and motivational words from Steib.
The Broncos are trying to break out of a middling run. Last week they defeated Hoffman Estates 4-1 on Sept. 27 and then traveled to the Great River Classic in Burlington, Ia., where they stuggled against Class AA teams ranked in the Illinois 10 poll. Fourth-ranked Normal West topped the Broncos 3-2 on Sept. 29 and no. 9 Morton (Ill.) fought to a scoreless tie on Sept. 30.
After the overtime win, Steib pointed to Jackowski's scoring potential as a positive heading into the final week and half of the regular-season and then the Class 3A playoffs. The starting junior forward had not scored a goal since a 4-3 defeat to Conant in overtime on Sept. 3.
“He had a 10-game stretch without a goal,” Steib said of Jackowski. “He’s a good player, but he’s been little snake-bitten, also missing the frame and other stuff. I told him that ‘You need a goal tonight.’ The little drought has to end. We’re near the playoffs. He always has that in him, but it’s been a while.”
Jackowski said he felt the urgency in Steib’s voice at halftime.
“At halftime, coach came to me and said, ‘You have to break the streak today,’” Jackowski said. “I wasn’t sure what to think. I knew I had to challenge myself, to find a moment where I can get the ball off and get a good strike.”
Jackowski made his coach proud in dramatic fashion against the Mustangs.
Less than three minutes into the first overtime, Jackowski sent a cannon shot from 19 yards into the back of the net for a golden goal, lifting Barrington to an inspiring 3-2 comeback win over Mid-Suburban League foe Rolling Meadows at Robert A. Hoese Field.
With the win, the Broncos climbed back over the .500 mark. The Mustangs (10-6-0, 4-4-0 MSL East) have now lost three of their last four games.
Jackowski, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, will certainly always remember his fourth goal of the season. It was a cathartic goal.
Once the ball hit the net, Jackowski sprinted toward the corner on the north end of the field celebrating the golden goal — and the end of his drought — with a big group of teammates. Jackowski said he saw an opening for the possible game-winner.
“I saw the ball go to Jack Peterson and saw another player and then me. I was begging for it, and Kian Cullen laid it off to me, I just knew I was going to shoot it when I took that first touch,” Jackowski said. “I just wanted to power it. It felt amazing. I’ve had a couple of nice goals, but to win in overtime and a golden goal is just amazing.
“I’ve been in a drought. ... I was able to find a good moment and get off a good strike. This win is great for us. We haven’t been scoring a lot of goals, so to come in here and score three against a good team means a lot for us.”
Barrington senior Mathew Klujian, who scored a goal early in the second half to tie the game at 1-1, said he was shocked by the suddenness of Jackowski’s goal. The Broncos nearly scored with 8:02 left in the first overtime on Cullen’s header, but Rolling Meadows goalie Marceli Okonski snagged the save. Okonski fought off a strong Barrington attack in the second half, when he tallyied nine of his 12 saves.
“That was unbelievable,” Klujian said of Jackowski’s winner. “I was on the other side of the field, and thought he had such a bad angle. I wasn’t sure it was going to go in or not. We all went crazy. This was a nice win to come here on their field.”
The late-afternoon matchup of familiar foes had a strange vibe throughout the 82-plus minutes of intense action. Four second-half injuries led to long delays.
Rolling Meadows coach Brett Olson pointed out postgame that the Broncos and Mustangs might see each other in a league cross-over match and then for sure in a semifinal of the Barrington Regional at 7 p.m. Oct. 18.
“We might play them next Tuesday depending how things finish up on Thursday,” Olson said. “We could play on three-consecutive Tuesdays. We’ll see how that goes.
“There’s plenty of film for both to watch. We both will make adjustments. They earned their goals. That overtime goal was one of the best ones we’ve had against us all year.
“They penalized us for two bad mistakes. Marceli Okonski didn’t have the greatest game. He was busy, but he made a couple of mistakes. We have to bounce back. We’ll watch film. We’re headed in the wrong direction toward the end of the season.”
The Mustangs were on the verge of building some momentum for the playoffs due to a strong first half of the season -- after 10 games they were 10-2-0.
Against Barrington, senior Francisco Ramirez was at the forefront of strong early play, almost scoring on three shots in the first 24 minutes. With 12:50 left, Joe Salemi netted a goal off a rebound via a close shot from Ramirez for a 1-0 lead.
Ramirez shook off a defender with a few stellar 1-v-1 moves and freed himself for a shot that deflected off the post but came back to Salemi, who connected.
Barrington (7-6-4, 3-1-2) took a 2-1 on Adam Walocha’s chip shot near the goal line with 12:55 left.
It only took 11 seconds later for the Mustangs to shock the crowd with a goal from Eltayeb Mahmoud who finished into an empty net after poor communication between the Broncos.
“I just saw the goalie was off his line and tried to stay composed,” Mahmoud said of his third goal of the season. “I saw the ball headed to me and saw so much space in the goal, and I lobbed it.
“We played well in the first half and have to play our game more. They had a lot of set pieces in the second half. We have to mark up. They had a lot of energy in the last 10 minutes.”
Rolling Meadows senior defender Mat Winkelman said the Broncos played with more gusto in the final stages of the game.
“I think they had a great shot,” he said. “There’s nothing we could do. They finished outside. I think our energy came down a little bit. We have a couple of bruises. We have to keep our energy throughout the game.
“When things come together for us, our ball movement is really good. We move the ball side to side really quick. We’re a speedy and technical team. We have to think about what to do better when we see them in the playoffs.”
Ramirez, whose nickname is “Paco,” suffered a foot injury with 4:22 left in regulation. Olson said he’s not sure about the senior's availability. The forward has scored four goals and recorded six assists this season.
“I thought our defense played well, and it took some time for them just to adjust,” Olson said. “Joe Salemi did a good job of controlling things in the middle. He had some space, more than he’s used to. On his goal, it was a good play. Joe crashed the net. We gave up two of our softer goals of the year, but we bounced back and scored on a misplay by their keeper.
“This was Eltayeb’s first start in the center midfield after how he played Saturday against Lake Zurich. He’s going to continue to stay here. He makes a difference. I liked how our backline played. We will be on a bigger field for the playoffs. That will be another adjustment, and Barrington is tough on their home field.”
Despite the inspirational victory, Steib had an extended postgame chat with his players on improving on all facets of the game to prepare for the playoffs.
“I thought we looked really good,” Steib said. “We’re so close to being pretty good and actually a good team. We didn’t sulk. I’m frustrated with some of our tactics, but this is a great group of guys. They have great work ethic and character. They just need to be more polished.
“That was a great goal to end on.”
Starting lineups
Barrington
GK: Iker Villagomez
D: Mathew Klujian
D: Logan Cidulka
D: Mattie Vitale
D: Adam Walocha
MF: Alexis Salazar
MF: Nico Hausser
MF: Ali Saber
F: Jack Peterson
F: Kian Cullen
F: Philip Jackowski
Rolling Meadows
GK: Marceli Okonski
D: Alex Berg
D: Alex Chlopek
D: Kalvin Lagunas
D: Mathew Winkelman
MF: Yeray Alavez
MF: Eltayeb Mahmoud
MF: Brian Diaz
MF: Oscar Chlopek
F: Joe Salemi
F: Paco Ramirez
Chicagoland Man of the Match:
Philip Jackowski, jr., MF, Barrington
Scoring summary
First half
Rolling Meadows: Salemi (unassisted), 28’
Second half
Barrington: Klujian (Peterson), 47’
Barrington: Walocha (unassisted), 68’
Rolling Meadows: Mahmoud (unassisted), 68’
First overtime
Barrington: Jackowski (Cullen), 83’