NV uses Chisnell tally to tie Batavia
Varsity rookie scores in 2nd-straight game for Wildcats in 1-1 draw
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Jaison Chisnell’s varsity soccer career has gotten off to a pretty auspicious start.
The Neuqua Valley junior forward has played a couple games, and he already has a couple of goals.
The latest came Wednesday during an entertaining end-to-end game against visiting Batavia. Chisnell alertly scored on a rebound to pull Neuqua level in the 54th minute and the nonconference match ended in a 1-1 tie.
Not surprisingly, Chisnell did not expect to make such an impact so quickly.
“No, not at all,” said Chisnell, who also scored in Monday’s season-opening 2-0 win over Plainfield North. “I guess I’m just there at the right time.”
That was certainly the case against Batavia, which led 1-0 when the Wildcats (1-0-1) were awarded a free kick about 45 yards from the Bulldogs’ net.
Senior David Kuhn sent the ball high into the middle of the Batavia box, where Batavia goalkeeper Jacob Mefford came out to punch it away. But the ball landed at the feet of Chisnell, who had the presence of mind to sent a roller through traffic and inside the right post with 26:42 left in the second half.
The ball took a while to travel the 15 yards into the net, leaving Neuqua Valley coach Arnoldo Gonzalez wondering where it was going.
“It was a great reaction,” Gonzalez said. “I think the that ball rolled for quite some time.
“I was like, ‘Is it going in or out?’ It hit the net and I said, ‘OK, it’s in.’”
For all the end-to-end action, that was the only thing that went in for the Wildcats. The Bulldogs (0-1-1) were similarly stymied, though they scored on a similar play from nearly the same spot at almost the same mark of the first half.
Gunner Knox heaved a long throw-in from the left wing into the box. Neuqua goalkeeper Luke Molnar came out to play the ball but missed it as senior Ian Wood rose up and headed it in from 12 yards out with 26:26 remaining in the opening half.
“We’ve been practicing that for a while,” Wood said. “Finally, we converted on it.”
Look for the Bulldogs to use Knox’s strong throws as a weapon frequently this fall.
“He does have an insane throw,” Wood said. “We just got to convert on those when we have it.”
That was the problem for both teams, who had no trouble getting down the field but had a devil of a time finishing chances. Neither side was effective on corner kicks or most of their free kicks, with the Wildcats squandering several chances from just outside the 18.
“It was pretty open,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “I don’t know as a coach if you like that.
“As a fan you do; that’s what you want to see. Unfortunately, we didn’t see some (more) goals, but we were creating a couple chances.
Both coaches agreed that Neuqua had the upper hand early before Batavia took control temporarily after intermission. The match evolved into a series of attacks and stolen passes toward the end.
“I would say we played well for the first 10-15 minutes,” Gonzalez said. “We were actually possessing and knocking balls around.
“The rest of the half we were losing every single ball. We were not aggressive, they were connecting passes and were the better team in the first half.
“Second half we picked it up in terms of being first to the ball, being more aggressive and showing a little more intensity and mobility. We created more opportunities but still continued to lose the ball.
“We lost maybe 60 percent of our passes. Passing was not our thing today.”
Chisnell didn’t disagree.
“In the first half we got off to a good start, but then we kind of played sloppy,” he said. “They scored on us and everyone’s hopes were getting down. So I think when I equalized, it really brought everyone back up and we started to play well again. It was intense in the end.”
Indeed, the Wildcats applied more pressure in the final minutes and had the only good scoring chance, forcing a corner kick with 1:05 remaining. Ryan Matthews sent the serve in from the right and Mefford punched it away to the opposite side.
Chisnell tracked it down and had an opening in the upper 90 but sent a rocket from the top corner of the 18 just high and wide of the left post.
“I thought it was back and forth,” Wood said. “At one point, they would have the ball a lot and then we would.
“Overall I think we both had good effort, good composure, and I think we just need to put in that extra (effort).”
Both teams are still getting in game shape. Batavia was playing the second of back-to-back days and showed well in rebounding from Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to Wheaton Academy.
“We played last night so less than 24 hours you’re back at it again, and so I think we did pretty good with that,” Gianfrancesco said. “We played 18 guys (today).
“There’s definitely some positives. We’ve got to work on a few things but it’s progressing.”
Neuqua, with a roster chock full of first-year varsity players and only a few returning names, has to get acclimated to the faster pace of play.
“We have to work on some fitness,” Chisnell said. “We’re getting tired a little too early, I think.
“Getting through those running sessions in the afternoon after games and after practices will really help us out.
“We can work on our set pieces a little bit more. I know our corners and free kicks were a little sloppy, but I think as practice goes on and the season continues we’ll get better and better.”
Wood is similarly confident about Batavia’s chances and feels a sense of urgency. Of the 20 players on Batavia roster, 16 of them are seniors and many are long and strong, which could give the Bulldogs an advantage on set pieces.
“We have tall guys so those set pieces are important for us,” Wood said. “I think we’re going to do pretty good.
“We’ve all been playing together and have really good chemistry.”
Players like Chisnell don’t have the same varsity experience as guys like Wood, but he’s adapting quickly.
“I usually train with these guys in the summer so we’ve got a little chemistry there, but it’s good having new talent and new players make new connections,” Chisnell said. “(The older players) have got all the varsity wisdom so I’m glad to be on the team this year.”
Starting lineups
Batavia
GK Jacob Mefford
D Quinn Carlson
D Ian Wood
D Miguel Garcia
D Jason Nichols
M Gunner Knox
M Adler Palos
M Eddie Torres
F Joe Grendzinski
F Nathan Marquardt
F William Carter Craney
Neuqua Valley
GK Luke Molnar
D Kevin Wu
D Jose Navarro
D Mac Lehman
D Brandon Szabo
M Tom Bludgen
MAnthony Safo
M Ryan Matthews
M Ben Head
F David Kuhn
F Jack Georgi
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Jaison Chisnell, jr., F, Neuqua Valley
Scoring summary
First half
Batavia – Ian Wood (Gunner Knox) 26:26
Second Half
Neuqua Valley – Jaison Chisnell 26:42
Varsity rookie scores in 2nd-straight game for Wildcats in 1-1 draw
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Jaison Chisnell’s varsity soccer career has gotten off to a pretty auspicious start.
The Neuqua Valley junior forward has played a couple games, and he already has a couple of goals.
The latest came Wednesday during an entertaining end-to-end game against visiting Batavia. Chisnell alertly scored on a rebound to pull Neuqua level in the 54th minute and the nonconference match ended in a 1-1 tie.
Not surprisingly, Chisnell did not expect to make such an impact so quickly.
“No, not at all,” said Chisnell, who also scored in Monday’s season-opening 2-0 win over Plainfield North. “I guess I’m just there at the right time.”
That was certainly the case against Batavia, which led 1-0 when the Wildcats (1-0-1) were awarded a free kick about 45 yards from the Bulldogs’ net.
Senior David Kuhn sent the ball high into the middle of the Batavia box, where Batavia goalkeeper Jacob Mefford came out to punch it away. But the ball landed at the feet of Chisnell, who had the presence of mind to sent a roller through traffic and inside the right post with 26:42 left in the second half.
The ball took a while to travel the 15 yards into the net, leaving Neuqua Valley coach Arnoldo Gonzalez wondering where it was going.
“It was a great reaction,” Gonzalez said. “I think the that ball rolled for quite some time.
“I was like, ‘Is it going in or out?’ It hit the net and I said, ‘OK, it’s in.’”
For all the end-to-end action, that was the only thing that went in for the Wildcats. The Bulldogs (0-1-1) were similarly stymied, though they scored on a similar play from nearly the same spot at almost the same mark of the first half.
Gunner Knox heaved a long throw-in from the left wing into the box. Neuqua goalkeeper Luke Molnar came out to play the ball but missed it as senior Ian Wood rose up and headed it in from 12 yards out with 26:26 remaining in the opening half.
“We’ve been practicing that for a while,” Wood said. “Finally, we converted on it.”
Look for the Bulldogs to use Knox’s strong throws as a weapon frequently this fall.
“He does have an insane throw,” Wood said. “We just got to convert on those when we have it.”
That was the problem for both teams, who had no trouble getting down the field but had a devil of a time finishing chances. Neither side was effective on corner kicks or most of their free kicks, with the Wildcats squandering several chances from just outside the 18.
“It was pretty open,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “I don’t know as a coach if you like that.
“As a fan you do; that’s what you want to see. Unfortunately, we didn’t see some (more) goals, but we were creating a couple chances.
Both coaches agreed that Neuqua had the upper hand early before Batavia took control temporarily after intermission. The match evolved into a series of attacks and stolen passes toward the end.
“I would say we played well for the first 10-15 minutes,” Gonzalez said. “We were actually possessing and knocking balls around.
“The rest of the half we were losing every single ball. We were not aggressive, they were connecting passes and were the better team in the first half.
“Second half we picked it up in terms of being first to the ball, being more aggressive and showing a little more intensity and mobility. We created more opportunities but still continued to lose the ball.
“We lost maybe 60 percent of our passes. Passing was not our thing today.”
Chisnell didn’t disagree.
“In the first half we got off to a good start, but then we kind of played sloppy,” he said. “They scored on us and everyone’s hopes were getting down. So I think when I equalized, it really brought everyone back up and we started to play well again. It was intense in the end.”
Indeed, the Wildcats applied more pressure in the final minutes and had the only good scoring chance, forcing a corner kick with 1:05 remaining. Ryan Matthews sent the serve in from the right and Mefford punched it away to the opposite side.
Chisnell tracked it down and had an opening in the upper 90 but sent a rocket from the top corner of the 18 just high and wide of the left post.
“I thought it was back and forth,” Wood said. “At one point, they would have the ball a lot and then we would.
“Overall I think we both had good effort, good composure, and I think we just need to put in that extra (effort).”
Both teams are still getting in game shape. Batavia was playing the second of back-to-back days and showed well in rebounding from Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to Wheaton Academy.
“We played last night so less than 24 hours you’re back at it again, and so I think we did pretty good with that,” Gianfrancesco said. “We played 18 guys (today).
“There’s definitely some positives. We’ve got to work on a few things but it’s progressing.”
Neuqua, with a roster chock full of first-year varsity players and only a few returning names, has to get acclimated to the faster pace of play.
“We have to work on some fitness,” Chisnell said. “We’re getting tired a little too early, I think.
“Getting through those running sessions in the afternoon after games and after practices will really help us out.
“We can work on our set pieces a little bit more. I know our corners and free kicks were a little sloppy, but I think as practice goes on and the season continues we’ll get better and better.”
Wood is similarly confident about Batavia’s chances and feels a sense of urgency. Of the 20 players on Batavia roster, 16 of them are seniors and many are long and strong, which could give the Bulldogs an advantage on set pieces.
“We have tall guys so those set pieces are important for us,” Wood said. “I think we’re going to do pretty good.
“We’ve all been playing together and have really good chemistry.”
Players like Chisnell don’t have the same varsity experience as guys like Wood, but he’s adapting quickly.
“I usually train with these guys in the summer so we’ve got a little chemistry there, but it’s good having new talent and new players make new connections,” Chisnell said. “(The older players) have got all the varsity wisdom so I’m glad to be on the team this year.”
Starting lineups
Batavia
GK Jacob Mefford
D Quinn Carlson
D Ian Wood
D Miguel Garcia
D Jason Nichols
M Gunner Knox
M Adler Palos
M Eddie Torres
F Joe Grendzinski
F Nathan Marquardt
F William Carter Craney
Neuqua Valley
GK Luke Molnar
D Kevin Wu
D Jose Navarro
D Mac Lehman
D Brandon Szabo
M Tom Bludgen
MAnthony Safo
M Ryan Matthews
M Ben Head
F David Kuhn
F Jack Georgi
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Jaison Chisnell, jr., F, Neuqua Valley
Scoring summary
First half
Batavia – Ian Wood (Gunner Knox) 26:26
Second Half
Neuqua Valley – Jaison Chisnell 26:42