Batavia's Horlock stands up to Metea Valley
Keeper makes 11 saves in 1-1 War-Stang Invitational draw
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – Batavia goalkeeper Ryan Horlock stood on the side of the field, awaiting an ice bag from the trainer.
“I got kicked in the shin in the first half,” Horlock said. “But it’s just a little bruise. It’s good.”
Horlock has been a busy man all season for the Bulldogs, at times beat up but always at the ready.
He was at his best again Wednesday night, making 11 saves as Batavia held off a furious second half effort by tournament co-host Metea Valley and pulled out a 1-1 tie in the War-Stang Invitational.
“He’s been having a really good year for us,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “He’s kept us in a lot of games.
“Having him back there, if we can score some goals and defend well in front, that’s a recipe for hopefully something pretty good.”
The Bulldogs (3-9-4) have struggled this season, but they now have a two-game unbeaten streak in the War-Stang. It’s their first of the season albeit sans any victories.
“Better to start it now, right?” Gianfrancesco said. “Hopefully we can continue that.”
In a match featuring two teams that have battled mightily to get results, both sides showed a lot of grit and flashes of potential.
Horlock, though, stood out. Metea Valley (4-11-3) took 18 shots, 14 of which came in the second half, but the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match was up to the task.
“I always like to focus and then just think about the next one, try to improve the team, because I know that we have a good group of kids,” Horlock said. “Getting these results means a lot.”
It was the second consecutive 1-1 invitational draw secured by the Bulldogs, who tied Lemont on Monday. Batavia shares third with Lemont after two matches of the three-round tournament. Metea Valley and Maine South are tied for the lead with a win and tie apiece.
Batavia had the better of the play in the first half, gradually wearing down Metea Valley’s defense, and were rewarded by converting a restart with 5:41 remaining.
Alexander Marshall forced a corner kick when he uncorked a 30-yard shot that required Metea Valley goalkeeper Orlando Velazquez to make a diving effort to tip it around the post.
The serve went to the near side, where Ryan Wirsing headed it off the right post. The ball caromed through the crease to fellow defender Owen Stahl, who headed it under the crossbar.
Stahl also had Batavia’s goal in Monday’s game.
“It was fun to see my center back, Owen Stahl, get on the scoresheet. I don’t think he scored all three years he’s been here, and now he’s scored back-to-back,” Horlock said.
“It’s always fun to see him happy, because he missed a good portion of the season with an ankle injury.
“It was two good finishes in back-to-back games.”
Alas, it was Batavia’s only finish. The Bulldogs came up empty on a few other chances. Velazquez finished with five saves, including nice efforts to deny Eder Sanchez and Nicholas Evangelista in the second half.
“We could have had a couple more (goals),” Gianfrancesco said. “That’s the difference between a win and a tie, or a win and a loss, if you finish your chances. It’s a very finite game at the varsity level.”
The Bulldogs, though, know they have a talented stopper between the pipes in Horlock, who has kept the team in nearly every game. Only three of Batavia’s losses have been lopsided.
“He’s been busy all year, and he’s been doing a great job,” Gianfrancesco said. “Now that we’re getting organized and getting some people back from injuries, I think that’s helping us solidify a little bit better in front of him.”
Horlock’s sterling showing drew praise from the Bulldogs’ opponent too.
“I don’t know a ton about him, but Mark said he’s done fantastic,” Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson said. “It’s simple things like he distributes really, really well.
“That saves their day when he can drive a ball 70 yards. It takes some pressure off them.
“He made some big saves. I think what was quality for him is he sets himself in the right spot.
“He doesn’t have to make a ton of diving saves, because he’s so organized. He understood his angles well.
“Some people were like, ‘Oh, we’re shooting at him.’ No, he’s angled well.”
Metea Valley defender Tony Cuautle also gave props to Horlock.
“He did a great job,” Cuautle said. “I feel like every goalie deserves a lot of respect, because a lot of pressure is on them.”
Metea Valley put plenty of pressure on Horlock, particularly after intermission. But Cuautle was the only player able to get a ball past him.
Cuautle took a pass from Arjo Basu and ripped a 27-yard left-footed shot past a diving Horlock and inside the left post to get the Mustangs even with 27:04 to go. It was Cuautle’s second goal of the season.
“We’ve been giving him a hard time, because he hadn’t scored a ‘real’ goal all year,” Robinson said. “He had a free kick that he claims was a shot, but it was probably a cross.”
This one was a no-doubter.
“Brilliant blast,” Robinson said. “But it was a result of hard work and guys knocking the ball around well and a little bit of want.”
Robinson has wanted to see that hunger all season. It’s been there in spurts.
“We just started to find each other more and people actually wanted it this time,” Cuautle said. “We’re starting to find our space.
“I feel my teammates are very hard-working. It’s there, but all of us just have to combine to find our chemistry. We’ll get there soon.”
They might have got there in this match if not for Horlock, who stopped eight shots in the second half, including tries by Michael Senese, Erick Mena and Cameron Leys, who had one header hit the right post.
“I feel like we do deserve the win,” Cuautle said. “If we work a little harder and we put our minds to it, we will get the results we want.”
Nobody wants to see the Mustangs get those results more than Robinson, who emphasizes the need to bring the lumber throughout the game, not just in stretches.
“They’re great kids, and we want the best for them,” Robinson said. “We won’t ever quit on them.
“Even though the results haven’t been there, it’s really easy to walk away saying, ‘Good battle.’ We battled awesome in the second half, but we didn’t show up in the first half.”
Eighty minutes of the kind pf soccer the Mustangs displayed in the second 40 minutes Wednesday is possible, and necessary.
“We’ve seen it,” Robinson said. “It was there. It was awesome. It was fun to watch. It was enjoyable.
“But we told them if you did that in the first half, you probably would have walked out of here with the result you wanted.”
Starting lineups
Batavia
GK: Ryan Horlock
D: Ryan Wirsing
D: Nicholas Evangelista
D: Luke Petersen
M: Eder Sanchez
M: Nathan Feller
M: Brokk Olberg
M: John Smeraglinolo
M: Xaiver Justice
F: Joshua Black
F: Michael Ruffo
Metea Valley
GK: Orlando Velazquez
D: Julian Ordaz
D: Tony Cuautle
D: Arjo Basu
D: Cameron Leys
D: Josh Forden
M: Daniel Wilkinson
M: Anthony Hildreth
M: Michael Senese
M: Cole Hatfield
F: Erick Mena
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ryan Horlock, sr., GK, Batavia
Scoring summary
First half
Batavia: Owen Stahl, 5:41 remaining
Second half
MV: Tony Cuautle (Arjo Basu), 27:04 remaining
Keeper makes 11 saves in 1-1 War-Stang Invitational draw
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – Batavia goalkeeper Ryan Horlock stood on the side of the field, awaiting an ice bag from the trainer.
“I got kicked in the shin in the first half,” Horlock said. “But it’s just a little bruise. It’s good.”
Horlock has been a busy man all season for the Bulldogs, at times beat up but always at the ready.
He was at his best again Wednesday night, making 11 saves as Batavia held off a furious second half effort by tournament co-host Metea Valley and pulled out a 1-1 tie in the War-Stang Invitational.
“He’s been having a really good year for us,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “He’s kept us in a lot of games.
“Having him back there, if we can score some goals and defend well in front, that’s a recipe for hopefully something pretty good.”
The Bulldogs (3-9-4) have struggled this season, but they now have a two-game unbeaten streak in the War-Stang. It’s their first of the season albeit sans any victories.
“Better to start it now, right?” Gianfrancesco said. “Hopefully we can continue that.”
In a match featuring two teams that have battled mightily to get results, both sides showed a lot of grit and flashes of potential.
Horlock, though, stood out. Metea Valley (4-11-3) took 18 shots, 14 of which came in the second half, but the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match was up to the task.
“I always like to focus and then just think about the next one, try to improve the team, because I know that we have a good group of kids,” Horlock said. “Getting these results means a lot.”
It was the second consecutive 1-1 invitational draw secured by the Bulldogs, who tied Lemont on Monday. Batavia shares third with Lemont after two matches of the three-round tournament. Metea Valley and Maine South are tied for the lead with a win and tie apiece.
Batavia had the better of the play in the first half, gradually wearing down Metea Valley’s defense, and were rewarded by converting a restart with 5:41 remaining.
Alexander Marshall forced a corner kick when he uncorked a 30-yard shot that required Metea Valley goalkeeper Orlando Velazquez to make a diving effort to tip it around the post.
The serve went to the near side, where Ryan Wirsing headed it off the right post. The ball caromed through the crease to fellow defender Owen Stahl, who headed it under the crossbar.
Stahl also had Batavia’s goal in Monday’s game.
“It was fun to see my center back, Owen Stahl, get on the scoresheet. I don’t think he scored all three years he’s been here, and now he’s scored back-to-back,” Horlock said.
“It’s always fun to see him happy, because he missed a good portion of the season with an ankle injury.
“It was two good finishes in back-to-back games.”
Alas, it was Batavia’s only finish. The Bulldogs came up empty on a few other chances. Velazquez finished with five saves, including nice efforts to deny Eder Sanchez and Nicholas Evangelista in the second half.
“We could have had a couple more (goals),” Gianfrancesco said. “That’s the difference between a win and a tie, or a win and a loss, if you finish your chances. It’s a very finite game at the varsity level.”
The Bulldogs, though, know they have a talented stopper between the pipes in Horlock, who has kept the team in nearly every game. Only three of Batavia’s losses have been lopsided.
“He’s been busy all year, and he’s been doing a great job,” Gianfrancesco said. “Now that we’re getting organized and getting some people back from injuries, I think that’s helping us solidify a little bit better in front of him.”
Horlock’s sterling showing drew praise from the Bulldogs’ opponent too.
“I don’t know a ton about him, but Mark said he’s done fantastic,” Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson said. “It’s simple things like he distributes really, really well.
“That saves their day when he can drive a ball 70 yards. It takes some pressure off them.
“He made some big saves. I think what was quality for him is he sets himself in the right spot.
“He doesn’t have to make a ton of diving saves, because he’s so organized. He understood his angles well.
“Some people were like, ‘Oh, we’re shooting at him.’ No, he’s angled well.”
Metea Valley defender Tony Cuautle also gave props to Horlock.
“He did a great job,” Cuautle said. “I feel like every goalie deserves a lot of respect, because a lot of pressure is on them.”
Metea Valley put plenty of pressure on Horlock, particularly after intermission. But Cuautle was the only player able to get a ball past him.
Cuautle took a pass from Arjo Basu and ripped a 27-yard left-footed shot past a diving Horlock and inside the left post to get the Mustangs even with 27:04 to go. It was Cuautle’s second goal of the season.
“We’ve been giving him a hard time, because he hadn’t scored a ‘real’ goal all year,” Robinson said. “He had a free kick that he claims was a shot, but it was probably a cross.”
This one was a no-doubter.
“Brilliant blast,” Robinson said. “But it was a result of hard work and guys knocking the ball around well and a little bit of want.”
Robinson has wanted to see that hunger all season. It’s been there in spurts.
“We just started to find each other more and people actually wanted it this time,” Cuautle said. “We’re starting to find our space.
“I feel my teammates are very hard-working. It’s there, but all of us just have to combine to find our chemistry. We’ll get there soon.”
They might have got there in this match if not for Horlock, who stopped eight shots in the second half, including tries by Michael Senese, Erick Mena and Cameron Leys, who had one header hit the right post.
“I feel like we do deserve the win,” Cuautle said. “If we work a little harder and we put our minds to it, we will get the results we want.”
Nobody wants to see the Mustangs get those results more than Robinson, who emphasizes the need to bring the lumber throughout the game, not just in stretches.
“They’re great kids, and we want the best for them,” Robinson said. “We won’t ever quit on them.
“Even though the results haven’t been there, it’s really easy to walk away saying, ‘Good battle.’ We battled awesome in the second half, but we didn’t show up in the first half.”
Eighty minutes of the kind pf soccer the Mustangs displayed in the second 40 minutes Wednesday is possible, and necessary.
“We’ve seen it,” Robinson said. “It was there. It was awesome. It was fun to watch. It was enjoyable.
“But we told them if you did that in the first half, you probably would have walked out of here with the result you wanted.”
Starting lineups
Batavia
GK: Ryan Horlock
D: Ryan Wirsing
D: Nicholas Evangelista
D: Luke Petersen
M: Eder Sanchez
M: Nathan Feller
M: Brokk Olberg
M: John Smeraglinolo
M: Xaiver Justice
F: Joshua Black
F: Michael Ruffo
Metea Valley
GK: Orlando Velazquez
D: Julian Ordaz
D: Tony Cuautle
D: Arjo Basu
D: Cameron Leys
D: Josh Forden
M: Daniel Wilkinson
M: Anthony Hildreth
M: Michael Senese
M: Cole Hatfield
F: Erick Mena
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ryan Horlock, sr., GK, Batavia
Scoring summary
First half
Batavia: Owen Stahl, 5:41 remaining
Second half
MV: Tony Cuautle (Arjo Basu), 27:04 remaining