Carmel takes 4th at North Shore Shootout
Corsairs fall 3-1 to tough Zion-Benton squad Saturday
By Mike Garofola
LAKE FOREST -- Zion-Benton's 3-1 win over Carmel on Saturday morning gave notice that the Zee-Bees can play some soccer. For Corsairs coach Ray Krawzak it was further proof his squad has some work ahead of them.
Tournament play at the week long North Shore Shootout ended under sunny skies at Lake Forest's West Campus with the Zee-Bees (2-1-0) taking home the third place trophy after a well-deserved victory.
After dominating most of the proceedings in the first half, Cliff Pontillo's club bagged two late goals before the break, then added another minutes into the second period to insure victory.
"I really like the team we have this fall," said Pontillo, whose Zee-Bees were 2-3-2 in the soccer-rich North Suburban Conference last season and hope to climb up the standings this season.
"I honestly feel our conference is one of the best around beginning with state power Libertyville," continued the affable Pontillo.
"We've got great coaches. There's plenty of talent up and down the rosters of all of the teams. And we feel, if we continue to put the time in, we could enjoy a terrific season and make some noise in and around our league."
For the aforementioned Krawzak, now in his eighth season in charge of the Corsairs program, his approach is the reality that you cannot go from zero to sixty in a day, or even a week.
"It's early, and we all know that. I know the guys are disappointed with today's result and the week," Krawzak said. "But we've got to move a little slow right now as we sort things out, experiment a little, and get everybody on the same page."
Both he and his lone three-year veteran Ian McKernan look back to the 2017 Corsairs club that went on to share the East Suburban Catholic Conference title, went 15-3-1 overall and had a marvelous senior group led by Rob Rao (playing at DePaul), Henry Barnes, Brett Cloe and Austin Ehren to name a few.
"We're still recovering from that graduation year," Krawzak said.
"The were a hard-playing, tough bunch of guys who never thought they would lose and would do whatever it took (not) to."
"That was a real-talented team," said McKernan, the lone sophomore on the '17 squad that outscored its ESCC opponents 32-3, which included a 4-0 pasting of long time rival Saint Viator, the program where Krawzak played and starred.
"Last year there was another pretty good group of seniors also, so losing so much experience for two years is one of our problems right now."
The Corsairs beat host Lake Forest in kicks to open the tournament, then fell to second place Highland Park the next out. They opened the third place contest with five in the back, one of whom was sophomore, Ben LaMora.
"We brought two sophomores (the other, Erik Miller) with us, because we need some size on our roster, but both guys belong here regardless of that," said Krawzak.
The opening 10-12 minutes were encouraging for the Corsairs, who maintained balance and organization from the middle on back as they kept the Z-B attack under control for the most part.
However, when the Zee-Bees began to introduce their outside backs into the attack and the trio of Miguel Solis, Oscar Montejano and Isaac Sotelo found their form, it soon became apparant the Corsairs would defend far more than they would have liked.
"We have some guys who can attack, and attack with speed," said Pontillo. "Today you saw, with us playing three up-top, we could push the tempo and dictate the play."
Tim Harvey, in the Corsairs first 11 between the sticks to give captain Camden Krautsack some time off, was up to the task on his first, real test.
That's when Sotelo unleashed a wicked attempt off a Z-B corner in the 7th minute.
On the other end of the field, Harvey's counterpart Ricardo Colin did well to haul down a dangerous looping ball sent into the six-yard box from Aidan Day five minutes later, but that would be all the Corsairs attack could muster for the next quarter hour.
Zion-Benton's front-runners, Solis, Montejano and Sotelo, were dangerous together and alone, running hard at the Corsairs backline. In the counterattack, they produced several half- and near-chances on frame.
Carmel's new defensive strategy held up early.
"We experimented with five in the back in the first half," said Krawzak. "And for today, at least, it didn't work well against a team that was fast, moved the ball quick, and got numbers forward so quickly."
The Corsairs backline, led by senior Tim Milner, did all it could to weather the storm, but with the combined energy and pace of the Zion-Benton midfield adding more pressure, it became clear it would be only a matter of time before their opponents would find the back of the net.
"Again, it's not an excuse, but there's not a lot of experience out there," said Krawzak. "So we're kind of learning on the fly a little bit, and in doing so, being exposed in our own end."
The breakthrough nearly came in the 18th minute when Sotelo was at it again. His work in the win led him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
The junior worked himself free long enough to smash a 20-yard drive towards the corner of the net, only to see Harvey get a glove on it before it crashed off the bar.
Four corners, three free kicks and most of the possession followed, and when it appeared the Corsairs would keep this contest goal-less at the intermission, two late strikes did them in.
Harvey nearly stopped Osmar Barajas with another glove save, only to have the pace-filled strike nestle into the back of the net.
Two minutes later at 36 minutes, Miguel Solis converted his spot-kick. This one also eluded Harvey's outstretched glove.
"It was a pretty good first half for us, a strong finish to take the lead into the break," Pontillo said. "But I wasn't happy with the silly fouls we committed; (those) will hurt us when it really counts."
It was all Zion-Benton after the intermission -- it appeared the Zee-Bees strong finish at the end of the first half left the Corsairs gas tank near empty.
"We looked a little tired after a while,," said Krawzak."We played hard nonetheless, but we also have to learn to play through the tough times."
Zion-Benton increased its advantage to three goals at 47 minutes when Raul Soto scored.
At 75 minutes, Carmel fought back for a Tyler Kelly goal on a Milner helper.
"We didn't spend much time in the preseason as a group, so one of the things you see missing is chemistry," begins Matt Grzesiak, who wore the captain's armband for the Corsairs Saturday.
"(That) is so important for any team, and especially one like ours that doesn't have a lot of varsity experience.
"Right now, we have to continue to work hard, find a way to play through our midfielders and keep everything positive, especially early on."
Krawzak agreed.
"We obviously have to be tougher, and learn to play hard, tough soccer and find a way to dig deeper," he said.
"We'll continue to work on our fitness and doing all the little things correctly. I can honestly say, with this group, I know we'll get better as time goes on."
Next up for the Corsairs is Grayslake North (0-2-1) for a home match Thursday. Zion-Benton begins play in the Sanchez Memorial at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday against reigning Class 2A state champion Crystal Lake South.
Starting lineups
Carmel (5-3-2)
G- Tim Harvey
D- Riley Pierson
D- Avery Krautsack
D- Tim Milner
D- Ben LaMora
D- Ben Moseley
M- Aidan Day
M- Ian McKernan
M- Erik Miller
F- Aidan Harrison
F- Matt Grzesiak
Zion-Benton (4-3-3)
G- Roberto Colin
D- Hez Brown
D- Luis Flores
D- Jared Melchor
D- Anthony Crespo
M- Osmar Barajas
M- Zach Paxson
M- Zeke Brown
F- Isaac Sotelo
F- Miguel Solis
F- Oscar Montejano
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Isaac Sotelo, jr., F, Zion-Benton
Scoring summary
First half
Zion-Benton: Barajas (Montejano, Solis) 34'
Zion-Benton: Solis (PK) 36'
Second half
Zion-Benton: Soto (U/A) 47'
Carmel: Kelly (Milner) 75'
Corsairs fall 3-1 to tough Zion-Benton squad Saturday
By Mike Garofola
LAKE FOREST -- Zion-Benton's 3-1 win over Carmel on Saturday morning gave notice that the Zee-Bees can play some soccer. For Corsairs coach Ray Krawzak it was further proof his squad has some work ahead of them.
Tournament play at the week long North Shore Shootout ended under sunny skies at Lake Forest's West Campus with the Zee-Bees (2-1-0) taking home the third place trophy after a well-deserved victory.
After dominating most of the proceedings in the first half, Cliff Pontillo's club bagged two late goals before the break, then added another minutes into the second period to insure victory.
"I really like the team we have this fall," said Pontillo, whose Zee-Bees were 2-3-2 in the soccer-rich North Suburban Conference last season and hope to climb up the standings this season.
"I honestly feel our conference is one of the best around beginning with state power Libertyville," continued the affable Pontillo.
"We've got great coaches. There's plenty of talent up and down the rosters of all of the teams. And we feel, if we continue to put the time in, we could enjoy a terrific season and make some noise in and around our league."
For the aforementioned Krawzak, now in his eighth season in charge of the Corsairs program, his approach is the reality that you cannot go from zero to sixty in a day, or even a week.
"It's early, and we all know that. I know the guys are disappointed with today's result and the week," Krawzak said. "But we've got to move a little slow right now as we sort things out, experiment a little, and get everybody on the same page."
Both he and his lone three-year veteran Ian McKernan look back to the 2017 Corsairs club that went on to share the East Suburban Catholic Conference title, went 15-3-1 overall and had a marvelous senior group led by Rob Rao (playing at DePaul), Henry Barnes, Brett Cloe and Austin Ehren to name a few.
"We're still recovering from that graduation year," Krawzak said.
"The were a hard-playing, tough bunch of guys who never thought they would lose and would do whatever it took (not) to."
"That was a real-talented team," said McKernan, the lone sophomore on the '17 squad that outscored its ESCC opponents 32-3, which included a 4-0 pasting of long time rival Saint Viator, the program where Krawzak played and starred.
"Last year there was another pretty good group of seniors also, so losing so much experience for two years is one of our problems right now."
The Corsairs beat host Lake Forest in kicks to open the tournament, then fell to second place Highland Park the next out. They opened the third place contest with five in the back, one of whom was sophomore, Ben LaMora.
"We brought two sophomores (the other, Erik Miller) with us, because we need some size on our roster, but both guys belong here regardless of that," said Krawzak.
The opening 10-12 minutes were encouraging for the Corsairs, who maintained balance and organization from the middle on back as they kept the Z-B attack under control for the most part.
However, when the Zee-Bees began to introduce their outside backs into the attack and the trio of Miguel Solis, Oscar Montejano and Isaac Sotelo found their form, it soon became apparant the Corsairs would defend far more than they would have liked.
"We have some guys who can attack, and attack with speed," said Pontillo. "Today you saw, with us playing three up-top, we could push the tempo and dictate the play."
Tim Harvey, in the Corsairs first 11 between the sticks to give captain Camden Krautsack some time off, was up to the task on his first, real test.
That's when Sotelo unleashed a wicked attempt off a Z-B corner in the 7th minute.
On the other end of the field, Harvey's counterpart Ricardo Colin did well to haul down a dangerous looping ball sent into the six-yard box from Aidan Day five minutes later, but that would be all the Corsairs attack could muster for the next quarter hour.
Zion-Benton's front-runners, Solis, Montejano and Sotelo, were dangerous together and alone, running hard at the Corsairs backline. In the counterattack, they produced several half- and near-chances on frame.
Carmel's new defensive strategy held up early.
"We experimented with five in the back in the first half," said Krawzak. "And for today, at least, it didn't work well against a team that was fast, moved the ball quick, and got numbers forward so quickly."
The Corsairs backline, led by senior Tim Milner, did all it could to weather the storm, but with the combined energy and pace of the Zion-Benton midfield adding more pressure, it became clear it would be only a matter of time before their opponents would find the back of the net.
"Again, it's not an excuse, but there's not a lot of experience out there," said Krawzak. "So we're kind of learning on the fly a little bit, and in doing so, being exposed in our own end."
The breakthrough nearly came in the 18th minute when Sotelo was at it again. His work in the win led him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
The junior worked himself free long enough to smash a 20-yard drive towards the corner of the net, only to see Harvey get a glove on it before it crashed off the bar.
Four corners, three free kicks and most of the possession followed, and when it appeared the Corsairs would keep this contest goal-less at the intermission, two late strikes did them in.
Harvey nearly stopped Osmar Barajas with another glove save, only to have the pace-filled strike nestle into the back of the net.
Two minutes later at 36 minutes, Miguel Solis converted his spot-kick. This one also eluded Harvey's outstretched glove.
"It was a pretty good first half for us, a strong finish to take the lead into the break," Pontillo said. "But I wasn't happy with the silly fouls we committed; (those) will hurt us when it really counts."
It was all Zion-Benton after the intermission -- it appeared the Zee-Bees strong finish at the end of the first half left the Corsairs gas tank near empty.
"We looked a little tired after a while,," said Krawzak."We played hard nonetheless, but we also have to learn to play through the tough times."
Zion-Benton increased its advantage to three goals at 47 minutes when Raul Soto scored.
At 75 minutes, Carmel fought back for a Tyler Kelly goal on a Milner helper.
"We didn't spend much time in the preseason as a group, so one of the things you see missing is chemistry," begins Matt Grzesiak, who wore the captain's armband for the Corsairs Saturday.
"(That) is so important for any team, and especially one like ours that doesn't have a lot of varsity experience.
"Right now, we have to continue to work hard, find a way to play through our midfielders and keep everything positive, especially early on."
Krawzak agreed.
"We obviously have to be tougher, and learn to play hard, tough soccer and find a way to dig deeper," he said.
"We'll continue to work on our fitness and doing all the little things correctly. I can honestly say, with this group, I know we'll get better as time goes on."
Next up for the Corsairs is Grayslake North (0-2-1) for a home match Thursday. Zion-Benton begins play in the Sanchez Memorial at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday against reigning Class 2A state champion Crystal Lake South.
Starting lineups
Carmel (5-3-2)
G- Tim Harvey
D- Riley Pierson
D- Avery Krautsack
D- Tim Milner
D- Ben LaMora
D- Ben Moseley
M- Aidan Day
M- Ian McKernan
M- Erik Miller
F- Aidan Harrison
F- Matt Grzesiak
Zion-Benton (4-3-3)
G- Roberto Colin
D- Hez Brown
D- Luis Flores
D- Jared Melchor
D- Anthony Crespo
M- Osmar Barajas
M- Zach Paxson
M- Zeke Brown
F- Isaac Sotelo
F- Miguel Solis
F- Oscar Montejano
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Isaac Sotelo, jr., F, Zion-Benton
Scoring summary
First half
Zion-Benton: Barajas (Montejano, Solis) 34'
Zion-Benton: Solis (PK) 36'
Second half
Zion-Benton: Soto (U/A) 47'
Carmel: Kelly (Milner) 75'