Go left, young man; Augustyn’s decision leads Benet past Downers Grove South
Senior bags lone goal, Redwings take 4th-straight regional crown
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Defenders have a hard time figuring out Benet striker Ryan Augustyn.
Will he go to his left or to his right?
It’s a great question, one that Augustyn has a hard time answering himself, because often he doesn’t know what he’s going to do.
“I’ve always been back and forth between the right and left, and it’s something that has really helped me,” Augustyn said. “When I was younger. Everyone asked me, ‘Are you right-footed or left-footed?’
“I couldn’t tell them because I liked using both. So that was nice.”
Well, it hasn’t been nice for Benet opponents. And just because Augustyn doesn’t know what he’s going to do, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
For the record, Augustyn is right-footed. But he often plays on the left wing for the Redwings (14-4-1).
“It’s good for deception, because in a 1-v-1 situation they can show you right or left,” Augustyn said. “It’s all so fast.
“At that point, it’s instinct. It’s how much you’ve practiced that over and over and over again."
Muscle memory takes over in the heat of the attack.
“It’s a lot of instinct because you have to think so quick,” Augustyn said. “It’s almost like hockey. You’ve got to have certain moves that you’re ready to do if you want to go left.”
Augustyn's choice to go to his left was the right move. He was ready when the time came Friday. The senior ran onto a lead pass from midfielder Nico Picha and saw only one Downers Grove South defender between him and the goal as he raced up the left wing.
“He showed me his left, so I was like, ‘All right, I’ll take it left,’” Augustyn said. “I got a good hit on it.”
Augustyn got around the defender and ripped a left-footed shot top shelf from 15 yards with 15:35 left in the first half of the Class 3A Downers Grove South Regional championship game.
It was all the scoring third-seeded Benet got – or needed – in a 1-0 victory over the sixth-seeded Mustangs.
“I’m glad it came out that way,” Augustyn said of his goal. “It’s hard to slow down and let all those practice hours come out, but that’s what happened.”
Benet coach Sean Wesley was glad to see it.
“It was really good,” Wesley said. “Funny for a right-footed player, it seems like.
“We always talk about doing it right. He’s doing it right, and when it’s on his left foot he has a tendency to do it right more often. He puts it on frame and keeps his head down.”
It doesn’t seem to matter whether Augustyn plays on the left wing or the right wing. He’s done both, often in the same game, and creates headaches for defenses whichever side he’s on and whichever way he chooses to move.
“He’s dangerous for us,” Wesley said. “We don’t have too many left-footed players on the team, so for a guy who is a natural righty to be able to play that way and keep the ball is great.”
Augustyn’s strike was the decisive offensive moment in a match that produced little offense and became increasingly physical, especially in the second half.
In the end the Redwings, who are ranked 17th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, had enough to stay alive. They advance to play second-seeded and no. 4 Morton (20-2-0) in the Hinsdale Central Sectional semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“Tonight, you have to give Benet credit defensively,” Downers Grove South coach Jon Stapleton said. “We weren’t able to generate tons of chances.
“That being said, I thought our defense kept us in the game.”
Indeed, the two sides combined for a mere five shots on frame. The Mustangs (9-10-1) got only two shots, both from star senior midfielder Julian Lopez. They were launched against Benet’s granite backline led by Nick Roe, Owen McGarry, Jack Kuelthau and Matthew Benka.
Lopez’s first shot, a 30-yarder in the ninth minute, missed high. His second was a 50-yard free kick which was parried away by backup goalkeeper Drew Connell with 85 seconds left in the game.
“I think we allowed only one shot on goal. It came against our backup goalie, and he makes a big save, a gigantic save for us,” Wesley said. “So that was really good.”
Connell was really good in a game he never thought he would play in. The junior was forced to come off the bench cold when senior starter Evan Lucas received a yellow card for dissent with 9:04 remaining in regulation.
Lucas could have gone back into the game at the next substitution, but Wesley opted to stay with Connell.
“It definitely caught me off guard,” Connell said. “I didn’t think that was going to happen at all.
“There was definitely nerves, but as soon as I got in there, I knew that I was going to have to do something to step up there.”
Connell’s time came with 1:25 to go when the Mustangs were awarded a free kick on the left side of midfield. Lopez launched a superb free kick that was ticketed for the top shelf.
Connell came out, went up and punched the ball high up in the air. It came down far to his left and Roe knocked it out of danger.
“That was a great play,” Lopez said. “I thought I was going to my main striker, no. 9 Paul (Kruszewski), but I saw the green shirt come out of nowhere and punch it.”
“If I wouldn’t have gotten my hands on that, that would have either gone through my face or right into the net,” Connell said. “I had to make sure I got my hands there.
“I was unfortunate not catching it, but Nick Roe was right there and had a nice clear.”
Connell, who also plays baseball, hasn’t seen much action this season. That will change in 2023.
“Drew is an unbelievable athlete,” Wesley said. “He just happens to be behind a senior, this year, that’s all.
“I think (assistant coach) Matt (Klosterman) is really excited to have him in the program next year. It was a massive moment for a high school kid.
“You never know who has to step up during playoffs.”
Lopez has stepped up throughout the season for Downers Grove South. Members of both teams lauded his play, and Stapleton is sad to see him graduate.
“He’s talented and a special kid,” Stapleton said. “You talk about Julian and you talk about him as a player, and people don’t have the luxury of seeing him every day as a person.
“He’s phenomenal.”
Wesley concurred.
“He was really fun to watch,” Wesley said. “He’s a genius the way he sees space and his timing is really, really good. I’m happy that he’s playing in college.”
Lopez not only was a goal-scorer and playmaker for the Mustangs. He also excelled defensively, as evidenced by his brilliant slide tackle to knock the ball away from Picha to prevent a scoring chance in the second half.
His high school career – along with those of 16 of his teammates – ended with a valiant effort on the home field.
“It was a great game,” Lopez said. “I thought coming into it we were pretty matched up
“It was a good battle, but with these types of games it’s just moments. They had their moment. We couldn’t create our moment, but that’s the game.
“We’ve been on both sides of it. We’ve got to respect it.”
Stapleton certainly respects the effort the Mustangs put forth.
“You can see what it means to them, especially the seniors,” Stapleton said as the Mustangs gave each other hugs. “I thought they did leave it all out on the field. They gave it their all.”
For that, Lopez is grateful.
“We definitely got our rhythm toward the end of the year, which is good,” Lopez said. “Obviously, we couldn’t produce today, but I’m still proud of the boys.
“We played really hard. We played very good teams throughout the whole year, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Augustyn, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, was asked if his goal was the most significant one of his career.
“I hope not,” he said. “I hope my biggest one is the game-winner in the state final.
“But as of right now, yes, by far, it’s the most important goal.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK: Evan Lucas
D: Matthew Benka
D: Jack Kuelthau
D: Owen McGarry
D: Nick Roe
D: Jack Walsh
M: Nico Picha
M: Peter Hepburn
F: Brayden Fagbemi
F: Drew Fieldman
F: Ryan Augystyn
Downers Grove South
GK: Andrik Vidaurri
D: Michael Mendoza
D: Emiliano Lagunas
D: Victor Carrasco
D: Matt Crowley
M: Karol Niziolek
M: Julian Lopez
M: Jorge Alcantara
M: Jonathan Venouziou
M: Aleck Galvez
F: Paul Kruszewski
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ryan Augustyn, sr., F, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet: Ryan Augustyn (Nico Picha)15:35 remaining
Second half
No scoring
Senior bags lone goal, Redwings take 4th-straight regional crown
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Defenders have a hard time figuring out Benet striker Ryan Augustyn.
Will he go to his left or to his right?
It’s a great question, one that Augustyn has a hard time answering himself, because often he doesn’t know what he’s going to do.
“I’ve always been back and forth between the right and left, and it’s something that has really helped me,” Augustyn said. “When I was younger. Everyone asked me, ‘Are you right-footed or left-footed?’
“I couldn’t tell them because I liked using both. So that was nice.”
Well, it hasn’t been nice for Benet opponents. And just because Augustyn doesn’t know what he’s going to do, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
For the record, Augustyn is right-footed. But he often plays on the left wing for the Redwings (14-4-1).
“It’s good for deception, because in a 1-v-1 situation they can show you right or left,” Augustyn said. “It’s all so fast.
“At that point, it’s instinct. It’s how much you’ve practiced that over and over and over again."
Muscle memory takes over in the heat of the attack.
“It’s a lot of instinct because you have to think so quick,” Augustyn said. “It’s almost like hockey. You’ve got to have certain moves that you’re ready to do if you want to go left.”
Augustyn's choice to go to his left was the right move. He was ready when the time came Friday. The senior ran onto a lead pass from midfielder Nico Picha and saw only one Downers Grove South defender between him and the goal as he raced up the left wing.
“He showed me his left, so I was like, ‘All right, I’ll take it left,’” Augustyn said. “I got a good hit on it.”
Augustyn got around the defender and ripped a left-footed shot top shelf from 15 yards with 15:35 left in the first half of the Class 3A Downers Grove South Regional championship game.
It was all the scoring third-seeded Benet got – or needed – in a 1-0 victory over the sixth-seeded Mustangs.
“I’m glad it came out that way,” Augustyn said of his goal. “It’s hard to slow down and let all those practice hours come out, but that’s what happened.”
Benet coach Sean Wesley was glad to see it.
“It was really good,” Wesley said. “Funny for a right-footed player, it seems like.
“We always talk about doing it right. He’s doing it right, and when it’s on his left foot he has a tendency to do it right more often. He puts it on frame and keeps his head down.”
It doesn’t seem to matter whether Augustyn plays on the left wing or the right wing. He’s done both, often in the same game, and creates headaches for defenses whichever side he’s on and whichever way he chooses to move.
“He’s dangerous for us,” Wesley said. “We don’t have too many left-footed players on the team, so for a guy who is a natural righty to be able to play that way and keep the ball is great.”
Augustyn’s strike was the decisive offensive moment in a match that produced little offense and became increasingly physical, especially in the second half.
In the end the Redwings, who are ranked 17th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, had enough to stay alive. They advance to play second-seeded and no. 4 Morton (20-2-0) in the Hinsdale Central Sectional semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“Tonight, you have to give Benet credit defensively,” Downers Grove South coach Jon Stapleton said. “We weren’t able to generate tons of chances.
“That being said, I thought our defense kept us in the game.”
Indeed, the two sides combined for a mere five shots on frame. The Mustangs (9-10-1) got only two shots, both from star senior midfielder Julian Lopez. They were launched against Benet’s granite backline led by Nick Roe, Owen McGarry, Jack Kuelthau and Matthew Benka.
Lopez’s first shot, a 30-yarder in the ninth minute, missed high. His second was a 50-yard free kick which was parried away by backup goalkeeper Drew Connell with 85 seconds left in the game.
“I think we allowed only one shot on goal. It came against our backup goalie, and he makes a big save, a gigantic save for us,” Wesley said. “So that was really good.”
Connell was really good in a game he never thought he would play in. The junior was forced to come off the bench cold when senior starter Evan Lucas received a yellow card for dissent with 9:04 remaining in regulation.
Lucas could have gone back into the game at the next substitution, but Wesley opted to stay with Connell.
“It definitely caught me off guard,” Connell said. “I didn’t think that was going to happen at all.
“There was definitely nerves, but as soon as I got in there, I knew that I was going to have to do something to step up there.”
Connell’s time came with 1:25 to go when the Mustangs were awarded a free kick on the left side of midfield. Lopez launched a superb free kick that was ticketed for the top shelf.
Connell came out, went up and punched the ball high up in the air. It came down far to his left and Roe knocked it out of danger.
“That was a great play,” Lopez said. “I thought I was going to my main striker, no. 9 Paul (Kruszewski), but I saw the green shirt come out of nowhere and punch it.”
“If I wouldn’t have gotten my hands on that, that would have either gone through my face or right into the net,” Connell said. “I had to make sure I got my hands there.
“I was unfortunate not catching it, but Nick Roe was right there and had a nice clear.”
Connell, who also plays baseball, hasn’t seen much action this season. That will change in 2023.
“Drew is an unbelievable athlete,” Wesley said. “He just happens to be behind a senior, this year, that’s all.
“I think (assistant coach) Matt (Klosterman) is really excited to have him in the program next year. It was a massive moment for a high school kid.
“You never know who has to step up during playoffs.”
Lopez has stepped up throughout the season for Downers Grove South. Members of both teams lauded his play, and Stapleton is sad to see him graduate.
“He’s talented and a special kid,” Stapleton said. “You talk about Julian and you talk about him as a player, and people don’t have the luxury of seeing him every day as a person.
“He’s phenomenal.”
Wesley concurred.
“He was really fun to watch,” Wesley said. “He’s a genius the way he sees space and his timing is really, really good. I’m happy that he’s playing in college.”
Lopez not only was a goal-scorer and playmaker for the Mustangs. He also excelled defensively, as evidenced by his brilliant slide tackle to knock the ball away from Picha to prevent a scoring chance in the second half.
His high school career – along with those of 16 of his teammates – ended with a valiant effort on the home field.
“It was a great game,” Lopez said. “I thought coming into it we were pretty matched up
“It was a good battle, but with these types of games it’s just moments. They had their moment. We couldn’t create our moment, but that’s the game.
“We’ve been on both sides of it. We’ve got to respect it.”
Stapleton certainly respects the effort the Mustangs put forth.
“You can see what it means to them, especially the seniors,” Stapleton said as the Mustangs gave each other hugs. “I thought they did leave it all out on the field. They gave it their all.”
For that, Lopez is grateful.
“We definitely got our rhythm toward the end of the year, which is good,” Lopez said. “Obviously, we couldn’t produce today, but I’m still proud of the boys.
“We played really hard. We played very good teams throughout the whole year, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Augustyn, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, was asked if his goal was the most significant one of his career.
“I hope not,” he said. “I hope my biggest one is the game-winner in the state final.
“But as of right now, yes, by far, it’s the most important goal.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK: Evan Lucas
D: Matthew Benka
D: Jack Kuelthau
D: Owen McGarry
D: Nick Roe
D: Jack Walsh
M: Nico Picha
M: Peter Hepburn
F: Brayden Fagbemi
F: Drew Fieldman
F: Ryan Augystyn
Downers Grove South
GK: Andrik Vidaurri
D: Michael Mendoza
D: Emiliano Lagunas
D: Victor Carrasco
D: Matt Crowley
M: Karol Niziolek
M: Julian Lopez
M: Jorge Alcantara
M: Jonathan Venouziou
M: Aleck Galvez
F: Paul Kruszewski
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ryan Augustyn, sr., F, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet: Ryan Augustyn (Nico Picha)15:35 remaining
Second half
No scoring