Bartlett's quick reversal tops Glenbard N.
Soto goal off GK Rebac's punt earns 1-0 regional quarterfinal win
By Dave Owen
CAROL STREAM – Tightly contested playoff games can often be decided by improbable plays – and sometimes with the grace of a raging bull.
Bartlett (5-13-4) was two-for-two by that count in Monday’s 1-0 Class 3A regional quarterfinal win at Glenbard North (2-13-2).
After the Panthers had the majority of chances over the first 73-plus minutes (including a missed penalty kick 13 minutes in), Bartlett quickly turned Glenbard North’s latest threat into a Hawks’ celebration at the other end of the field.
Following a Bartlett foul right of the box, the ensuing 11-yard free kick by Glenbard North’s Erik Lopez was batted down and then grabbed in the converging crowd by Hawks goalkeeper Zac Rebac.
Rebac then boomed the ensuing punt well downfield, where Bartlett senior Oscar Soto won the 50-50 ball in a joust with the Panthers’ Ode Emena. With a 1-v.-1 chance, Soto powered home a 10-yarder in the right side of the net to put Bartlett up 1-0 with just 6:44 left.
“When I get the ball in my hands, my first reaction is always to look up the field,” said Rebac, whose role on defense and on the deciding goal earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors. “I saw that there was one person farther up, and a 1-on-1 with Oscar. I knew Oscar was very fast.
“I just used the momentum of me running, and kicked the ball. It went up there, Oscar won it with his physical strength, and he ended up getting that score.
“It was a real relief,” Rebac added, “because we didn’t have that many shots.”
Bartlett’s relief was Glenbard North’s agony.
“The goal was unfortunate,” said Panthers coach Gregg Koeller, whose announced retirement after at the coclusion of the season made Monday his final match. “I certainly felt that there was a foul there (on the Soto-Emena battle for the ball), but it is what it is.”
Soto’s third goal of 2017 was his biggest.
“Physically he can dominate in that situation,” Bartlett coach Vince Marquez said. “And he didn’t think twice when he had the opening. He just did it. I think it’s the second time he’s done that – against Naperville he had that type of moment and scored. The thing is, we hope he can do that more often.”
Offensive chances came early and often for Glenbard North.
The first huge threat came with 27:36 left in the first half, when a foul in the box set up a Best Emena penalty kick. But with Rebac diving to his left, Emena rocketed the PK shot over the net the maintain the 0-0 tie.
“When the penalty was called I was shocked because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Rebac said. “But the ref’s not going to change the call, so I just focused.
“I knew that the player (Best Emena) when we played them during the season was a dominant player, and he was going to have a good (PK). At first it seemed like he was looking mostly to the side that I dove, then at the last second he changed it. That’s what ended up causing him to send it over.”
A Bartlett counterattack in the 20th minute began with good defense 25 yards out by Hector Rebollar and Omar Chavez, and ended with a clear of a Johnny Andrade cross to the top of the box at the other end.
Glenbard North withstood two Bartlett free kicks in the 28th minute of 42 yards (Kevin Nava) and 36 yards (Anthony Garcia). Otherwise, the Panthers had the rest of the first half threats.
The best tries included Rebac’s save of an Anthony Martinez right post high bicycle kick 8-yarder 14:25 before halftime, and a Best Emena 15-yard liner just wide right after a right side run in the 36th minute.
In the final 45 seconds of the half, a block by Bartlett’s Andrew Wolf of a 35-yard free kick and a 15-yard shot over the net by the Panthers’ Fabrizio Guajardo kept up the Glenbard North heat.
“We played possession,” Koeller said. “We went to a 4-5-1 so we could control the midfield, which we did.
“We had opportunities – the missed PK hurt us, but that was early in the game. So a lot happened after that which could have changed the course of things.
“We had a couple real good chances on dead balls -- today just wasn’t going to be,” Koeller added. “I’ve been doing this a long time. You kind of get that feeling when you have that much possession and you have this many chances. You think ‘It just takes one going the other way,’ and that’s what happened with six minutes left.”
Never melting under pressure, Bartlett earned its third shutout of 2017 and second in its last three games.
“It’s communication and trust,” Rebac said as keys to the defensive success. “During the season we’ve talked and trusted each other more and been very solid in the back (allowing over three goals in a game just once all year).
“When we’re not communicating is when we’ve made mistakes. We’re just trusting our defense now, because it’s playoffs with lose and you’re out. It’s about trust and take it game by game.”
By words and actions, Wolf was a standout on the Bartlett defender corps.
“On defense we listened when we communicated,” Wolf said. “Each and every one of them, Hernan (Garcia), Austin (Cichon), Hector (Rebollar) when he was on and Kevin (Nava). They trusted me to make the right communication calls, and that’s all about trust and how the team played. We played great.”
The Bartlett offense also picked up its game early in the second half.
With 33:05 left, Garcia sent a 15-yard shot off a Chavez corner kick. Despite being screened by a Hawks player in front, Glenbard North goalkeeper Martin Argirov made the save on the low shot.
Then off a Wolf throw-in from 15 yards out with 29:20 to go, Rudy Reyes sent a header just wide right.
“A better second half on our part,” Bartlett assistant coach Vince Revak said. “We came out really flat to start the game, and luckily our defensive and offensive mistakes didn’t cost us the match. That penalty kick thank goodness didn’t go in. But we finally came to play in the second half, and used a little bit of momentum there to get that late goal.”
But until that goal, Glenbard North answered the momentum every time.
Ode Emena’s high, straight-on 28-yard free kick with 20:25 to go was denied on a reaching grab by Rebac. Then with 11:05 left, Erik Lopez lined a 21-yard free kick over the net.
A nice Cichon block of a Lopez corner kick followed with 8:25 to play. The next Panther set piece would set up the long punt that led to the physical 50-50 win and game-winning score by Soto.
“It felt great,” Soto said. “Our season wasn’t the best. It feels good to take it another step by step.”
The next step for Bartlett is Wednesday’s regional semifinal against Lake Park. But just 6:44 from that destination after Soto’s goal, it wasn’t easy.
Having dodged danger with the early penalty kick, the Hawks had a bookend moment with 2:45 to play. After Matt Tobin’s initial block of a cross attempt, Glenbard North’s Brian Dasso ensuing high send to the crease led to a collision between Rebac and Danny Le at the 10-yard-line.
Le pounced on the loose ball and scored, but the would-be tying goal was denied by an offside call.
The pressure resumed with 2:05 to go – Wolf headed away a Lopez 37-yard free kick, then Rebac made the one-hop save on Lopez’s 25-yard rebound shot.
Then with just 10 seconds left, Wolf again headed away a final 33-yard Lopez free kick from the right side to start the celebration.
“I know it means the world to all of us,” Wolf said of the win. “From the guy who played the most minutes to the least, they all helped us get to this point. It means a lot.”
Marquez similarly noted the contributions of many Hawks.
“I think the players that came off the bench middle of the first half and played almost the entire second half put the pressure on ones who should have done that (played well) from the get go,” Marquez said.
“It took us almost the entire game to get in the game. But I think once we started passing, we had that opportunity.”
Said Revak: “We don’t have a 15-goal scorer on this team. We have a lot of guys that can contribute and get those goals, assists and defensive stops that we need.”
The win added to Bartlett’s recent upturn. After a one-win 2016 and an 0-9-3 start to this fall, the Hawks are on a 4-4-1 upsurge heading into Wednesday’s regional semifinal.
“I think it was the up-and-comers last year,” Wolf said. “We had a lot of freshmen, and once they got a lot of experience they caught on to the game very well. We’re playing a lot better this year.”
Rebac was one of those 2016 freshmen on varsity. And even during a string of one-goal losses earlier this fall, he saw a difference in his team.
“We definitely changed a lot,” Rebac said. “Almost the entire team is back from last year, and all the players from last year went to the winter workouts. Everybody was working, playing their club seasons and taking it really serious.
Then in the summer league we improved tremendously from last season.
“Overall coming into the season everything looked much better – players were improving, and we trusted each other with passes and everything. And the chemistry overall has been boosted.”
Monday provided the ultimate boost.
“Now our morale is really high,” Rebac said, “and we have to keep this momentum going into Lake Park on Wednesday.”
On the Glenbard North side, a strong effort Monday went unrewarded.
“Unfortunately that (game) was our season in a nutshell,” Koeller said. “We played the better of it I think, but I wish them (Bartlett) all well. They did what they had to do to win. But it’s hard to look at our guys, especially the seniors, and tell them this is the result they deserved today. But that’s soccer, a cruel game sometimes.
“I’m just proud of how they conducted their business. They finished with class. That’s not easy when you’re 60, much less 16.”
Koeller began and ended his coaching career with class. At Glenbard East (his previous stop), the Gregg Koeller Integrity Award is given annually to a senior athlete. At Glenbard North, he left a similar mark on players and program.
“I’m very blessed,” Koeller said. “My kids grew up in this community, my wife taught at this school, we’ve lived here for 25 years. To be able to be a part of that has been good. Good people. It’s been a good run.”
As for the 2017 Panthers, Koeller was impressed by his team’s grit.
“I told them after the game, we knew before the season we were going to face challenges this year with as young as we were going to be,” Koeller said. “I was concerned with us being competitive, and we proved each and every game we were competitive. There wasn’t a game we weren’t in, and against some of the best teams in the state. These young guys cut their teeth on a really good schedule, they got thrown into the mix, and the few seniors we had provided real good stability and kept the ship going straight even up until the end.
“I told them, ‘I hope the young guys learned some good lessons this year,’ because if they did, this program is headed in the right direction.”
The same can be said for Bartlett, whose late season run has earned them a chance to play another day.
“We’ve already won four more games than the entirety of last year,” Revak said. “I think a lot of these players -- we had them last year, so they understand the importance of one game at a time.
“We’re not looking at anything but that very next game. It really puts things in perspective for the team, to realize that every single time we play could be the last time this season.”
Starting lineups
Bartlett
GK Zac Rebac
D Matt Tobin
D Austin Cichon
D Andrew Wolf
D Hector Rebollar
M Nico Gomez
M Sergio Navarrete
M Oscar Soto
M Rudy Reyes
F Hernan Garcia
F Johnny Andrade
Glenbard North
GK Martin Argirov
D Ode Emena
D Evan Scott
D Ben Solano
D Abood Nasr
M Danny Le
M Erik Lopez
M Best Emena
M Fabrizio Guajardo
F Jesse Aragon
F Brian Dasso
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Zac Rebac, so. GK, Bartlett
Scoring summary
2nd HALF
Bartlett – Soto (Rebac assist).
Soto goal off GK Rebac's punt earns 1-0 regional quarterfinal win
By Dave Owen
CAROL STREAM – Tightly contested playoff games can often be decided by improbable plays – and sometimes with the grace of a raging bull.
Bartlett (5-13-4) was two-for-two by that count in Monday’s 1-0 Class 3A regional quarterfinal win at Glenbard North (2-13-2).
After the Panthers had the majority of chances over the first 73-plus minutes (including a missed penalty kick 13 minutes in), Bartlett quickly turned Glenbard North’s latest threat into a Hawks’ celebration at the other end of the field.
Following a Bartlett foul right of the box, the ensuing 11-yard free kick by Glenbard North’s Erik Lopez was batted down and then grabbed in the converging crowd by Hawks goalkeeper Zac Rebac.
Rebac then boomed the ensuing punt well downfield, where Bartlett senior Oscar Soto won the 50-50 ball in a joust with the Panthers’ Ode Emena. With a 1-v.-1 chance, Soto powered home a 10-yarder in the right side of the net to put Bartlett up 1-0 with just 6:44 left.
“When I get the ball in my hands, my first reaction is always to look up the field,” said Rebac, whose role on defense and on the deciding goal earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors. “I saw that there was one person farther up, and a 1-on-1 with Oscar. I knew Oscar was very fast.
“I just used the momentum of me running, and kicked the ball. It went up there, Oscar won it with his physical strength, and he ended up getting that score.
“It was a real relief,” Rebac added, “because we didn’t have that many shots.”
Bartlett’s relief was Glenbard North’s agony.
“The goal was unfortunate,” said Panthers coach Gregg Koeller, whose announced retirement after at the coclusion of the season made Monday his final match. “I certainly felt that there was a foul there (on the Soto-Emena battle for the ball), but it is what it is.”
Soto’s third goal of 2017 was his biggest.
“Physically he can dominate in that situation,” Bartlett coach Vince Marquez said. “And he didn’t think twice when he had the opening. He just did it. I think it’s the second time he’s done that – against Naperville he had that type of moment and scored. The thing is, we hope he can do that more often.”
Offensive chances came early and often for Glenbard North.
The first huge threat came with 27:36 left in the first half, when a foul in the box set up a Best Emena penalty kick. But with Rebac diving to his left, Emena rocketed the PK shot over the net the maintain the 0-0 tie.
“When the penalty was called I was shocked because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Rebac said. “But the ref’s not going to change the call, so I just focused.
“I knew that the player (Best Emena) when we played them during the season was a dominant player, and he was going to have a good (PK). At first it seemed like he was looking mostly to the side that I dove, then at the last second he changed it. That’s what ended up causing him to send it over.”
A Bartlett counterattack in the 20th minute began with good defense 25 yards out by Hector Rebollar and Omar Chavez, and ended with a clear of a Johnny Andrade cross to the top of the box at the other end.
Glenbard North withstood two Bartlett free kicks in the 28th minute of 42 yards (Kevin Nava) and 36 yards (Anthony Garcia). Otherwise, the Panthers had the rest of the first half threats.
The best tries included Rebac’s save of an Anthony Martinez right post high bicycle kick 8-yarder 14:25 before halftime, and a Best Emena 15-yard liner just wide right after a right side run in the 36th minute.
In the final 45 seconds of the half, a block by Bartlett’s Andrew Wolf of a 35-yard free kick and a 15-yard shot over the net by the Panthers’ Fabrizio Guajardo kept up the Glenbard North heat.
“We played possession,” Koeller said. “We went to a 4-5-1 so we could control the midfield, which we did.
“We had opportunities – the missed PK hurt us, but that was early in the game. So a lot happened after that which could have changed the course of things.
“We had a couple real good chances on dead balls -- today just wasn’t going to be,” Koeller added. “I’ve been doing this a long time. You kind of get that feeling when you have that much possession and you have this many chances. You think ‘It just takes one going the other way,’ and that’s what happened with six minutes left.”
Never melting under pressure, Bartlett earned its third shutout of 2017 and second in its last three games.
“It’s communication and trust,” Rebac said as keys to the defensive success. “During the season we’ve talked and trusted each other more and been very solid in the back (allowing over three goals in a game just once all year).
“When we’re not communicating is when we’ve made mistakes. We’re just trusting our defense now, because it’s playoffs with lose and you’re out. It’s about trust and take it game by game.”
By words and actions, Wolf was a standout on the Bartlett defender corps.
“On defense we listened when we communicated,” Wolf said. “Each and every one of them, Hernan (Garcia), Austin (Cichon), Hector (Rebollar) when he was on and Kevin (Nava). They trusted me to make the right communication calls, and that’s all about trust and how the team played. We played great.”
The Bartlett offense also picked up its game early in the second half.
With 33:05 left, Garcia sent a 15-yard shot off a Chavez corner kick. Despite being screened by a Hawks player in front, Glenbard North goalkeeper Martin Argirov made the save on the low shot.
Then off a Wolf throw-in from 15 yards out with 29:20 to go, Rudy Reyes sent a header just wide right.
“A better second half on our part,” Bartlett assistant coach Vince Revak said. “We came out really flat to start the game, and luckily our defensive and offensive mistakes didn’t cost us the match. That penalty kick thank goodness didn’t go in. But we finally came to play in the second half, and used a little bit of momentum there to get that late goal.”
But until that goal, Glenbard North answered the momentum every time.
Ode Emena’s high, straight-on 28-yard free kick with 20:25 to go was denied on a reaching grab by Rebac. Then with 11:05 left, Erik Lopez lined a 21-yard free kick over the net.
A nice Cichon block of a Lopez corner kick followed with 8:25 to play. The next Panther set piece would set up the long punt that led to the physical 50-50 win and game-winning score by Soto.
“It felt great,” Soto said. “Our season wasn’t the best. It feels good to take it another step by step.”
The next step for Bartlett is Wednesday’s regional semifinal against Lake Park. But just 6:44 from that destination after Soto’s goal, it wasn’t easy.
Having dodged danger with the early penalty kick, the Hawks had a bookend moment with 2:45 to play. After Matt Tobin’s initial block of a cross attempt, Glenbard North’s Brian Dasso ensuing high send to the crease led to a collision between Rebac and Danny Le at the 10-yard-line.
Le pounced on the loose ball and scored, but the would-be tying goal was denied by an offside call.
The pressure resumed with 2:05 to go – Wolf headed away a Lopez 37-yard free kick, then Rebac made the one-hop save on Lopez’s 25-yard rebound shot.
Then with just 10 seconds left, Wolf again headed away a final 33-yard Lopez free kick from the right side to start the celebration.
“I know it means the world to all of us,” Wolf said of the win. “From the guy who played the most minutes to the least, they all helped us get to this point. It means a lot.”
Marquez similarly noted the contributions of many Hawks.
“I think the players that came off the bench middle of the first half and played almost the entire second half put the pressure on ones who should have done that (played well) from the get go,” Marquez said.
“It took us almost the entire game to get in the game. But I think once we started passing, we had that opportunity.”
Said Revak: “We don’t have a 15-goal scorer on this team. We have a lot of guys that can contribute and get those goals, assists and defensive stops that we need.”
The win added to Bartlett’s recent upturn. After a one-win 2016 and an 0-9-3 start to this fall, the Hawks are on a 4-4-1 upsurge heading into Wednesday’s regional semifinal.
“I think it was the up-and-comers last year,” Wolf said. “We had a lot of freshmen, and once they got a lot of experience they caught on to the game very well. We’re playing a lot better this year.”
Rebac was one of those 2016 freshmen on varsity. And even during a string of one-goal losses earlier this fall, he saw a difference in his team.
“We definitely changed a lot,” Rebac said. “Almost the entire team is back from last year, and all the players from last year went to the winter workouts. Everybody was working, playing their club seasons and taking it really serious.
Then in the summer league we improved tremendously from last season.
“Overall coming into the season everything looked much better – players were improving, and we trusted each other with passes and everything. And the chemistry overall has been boosted.”
Monday provided the ultimate boost.
“Now our morale is really high,” Rebac said, “and we have to keep this momentum going into Lake Park on Wednesday.”
On the Glenbard North side, a strong effort Monday went unrewarded.
“Unfortunately that (game) was our season in a nutshell,” Koeller said. “We played the better of it I think, but I wish them (Bartlett) all well. They did what they had to do to win. But it’s hard to look at our guys, especially the seniors, and tell them this is the result they deserved today. But that’s soccer, a cruel game sometimes.
“I’m just proud of how they conducted their business. They finished with class. That’s not easy when you’re 60, much less 16.”
Koeller began and ended his coaching career with class. At Glenbard East (his previous stop), the Gregg Koeller Integrity Award is given annually to a senior athlete. At Glenbard North, he left a similar mark on players and program.
“I’m very blessed,” Koeller said. “My kids grew up in this community, my wife taught at this school, we’ve lived here for 25 years. To be able to be a part of that has been good. Good people. It’s been a good run.”
As for the 2017 Panthers, Koeller was impressed by his team’s grit.
“I told them after the game, we knew before the season we were going to face challenges this year with as young as we were going to be,” Koeller said. “I was concerned with us being competitive, and we proved each and every game we were competitive. There wasn’t a game we weren’t in, and against some of the best teams in the state. These young guys cut their teeth on a really good schedule, they got thrown into the mix, and the few seniors we had provided real good stability and kept the ship going straight even up until the end.
“I told them, ‘I hope the young guys learned some good lessons this year,’ because if they did, this program is headed in the right direction.”
The same can be said for Bartlett, whose late season run has earned them a chance to play another day.
“We’ve already won four more games than the entirety of last year,” Revak said. “I think a lot of these players -- we had them last year, so they understand the importance of one game at a time.
“We’re not looking at anything but that very next game. It really puts things in perspective for the team, to realize that every single time we play could be the last time this season.”
Starting lineups
Bartlett
GK Zac Rebac
D Matt Tobin
D Austin Cichon
D Andrew Wolf
D Hector Rebollar
M Nico Gomez
M Sergio Navarrete
M Oscar Soto
M Rudy Reyes
F Hernan Garcia
F Johnny Andrade
Glenbard North
GK Martin Argirov
D Ode Emena
D Evan Scott
D Ben Solano
D Abood Nasr
M Danny Le
M Erik Lopez
M Best Emena
M Fabrizio Guajardo
F Jesse Aragon
F Brian Dasso
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Zac Rebac, so. GK, Bartlett
Scoring summary
2nd HALF
Bartlett – Soto (Rebac assist).