5 is magic number for CLS vs. Wauconda
Gators roll to Sanchez tourney crown with convincing shutout win
By Matt Misiek
WAUCONDA- The number five is associated with many fabulous aspects of life and popular culture.
In the holiday classic “The 12 Days of Christmas,” the fifth day and five gold rings get the most attention. More recently, Lou Bega’s biggest hit was “Mambo No. 5.”
When talking college basketball you hear the term “The Fabulous Five” referring to the great Kentucky Wildcats of 1947-1948 and “The Fab Five” of the Michigan Wolverines teams of the early 1990s.
Well, Crystal Lake South made sure the fabulous number shined Saturday afternoon in the final of the Adam Sanchez Memorial Tournament at Wauconda High School against the host Bulldogs.
A quick start set the tone early for the Gators and paved the way for a 5-0 victory. The victory clinched the second tournament title for Crystal Lake South in the past three tournaments.
Their performance also continued their fabulous start to the season, staying perfect at 5-0-0.
“We love this tournament because we get to see three different styles of play,” said Crystal Lake South head coach Brian Allen, who also referred to tourney victories over Zion-Benton (4-1 last Tuesday) and the program’s first-ever victory over Palatine (2-1 last Wednesday).
The Gators, ranked 25th in this week’s Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, always stress the importance of the first five minutes of each game. The third minute saw a great combination play from seniors Sam Bahnfleth and Tom Coughlin. Bahnfleth took a pass from Coughlin 30 yards from goal and returned the favor on Coughlin’s crisp run into the left 18. Coughlin made no mistake with his left foot, striking low to the right portion to goal past Wauconda keeper Christian Melchor.
“I know Tom (Coughlin) is amazing at finishing,” Bahnfleth quickly added. “I got the ball at the feet and sent him through and luckily, he was able to finish early in front of the defenders.”
The score remained a one-goal difference until the 19th minute, when Gators left forward Michal Dejworek took over and changed the flow of the game. He got on the end of a Bahnfleth flick-on and launched a 30-yard laser from the left side to the top left corner that Melchor had no chance to stop.
Dejworek, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, kept the foot on the gas pedal a few minutes later. Again, along the left side, he started a magnificent run on the ball from midfield all the way to the end line. From there located Bahnfleth (7 goals, 4 assists total on season) inside the left side of the six for an easy low shot to make it 3-0 Gators.
“Basically, we keep the energy up the whole entire game after we score,” Dejworek (one goal, 6 assists on the season) said of his and the team’s performance. “Keep the intensity like it is 0-0 and when you see a chance, go green. That is what we did, going green the entire time.”
“Mike played insane today,” Bahnfleth exclaimed. “He was everywhere on that side of the field. He was outstanding with his runs today and getting the ball into the middle.”
The backline of the Gators was outstanding all day as well, paced by center back Tomasz Slawek. The senior was consistently around the ball, clearing the area with a purpose. He also put power behind free kicks from distance. Slawek scored on a 37-yard free kick from the center of the field in the 49th minute and forced several saves from Melchor.
Slawek shared the story behind his goal celebration.
“I scored a goal against Zion-Benton as well this week,” he said. “When this one went in, Tom (Coughlin) came up and suggested a move. So I did it.”
“As a backline, we played solid all week,” Slawek noted. “We gave up goals in the first two tourney games. We strive for zeroes, that’s what we pride ourselves on, but if you get a goal, that is it. We are not going to allow any more.
“Today, it was big on the communication, calling out the runners. They (Wauconda) were a team that wanted to counter. We were able to shut it down. Wauconda didn’t get too many looks, maybe one in the first half.”
Coughlin finished the goal scoring in the 65th minute. He notched his second after latching onto a Nolan Getzinger through-header 25 yards from goal and weaved through the Bulldogs defenders inside the 18 before a low effort into the bottom-left corner.
Coach Allen knows he has a solid core of seniors. Coughlin, Bahnfleth, Dejworek and Slawek have experience from the past state tournament runs of 2018 (champion) and 2019 (runnerup). Slawek is the next up for a program with a tradition of solid keepers.
“I can’t say enough about this senior group,” Allen added. “They have set a high bar to work toward. They are going to make this team go. When one of them is not playing well, they pick each other up. They sorted it out quick and made us even more dynamic.”
“I am also proud of the younger players,” Allen continued. “They stepped up today. Even our bench players today showed us some stuff.”
Wauconda (1-1-2) did get some good looks at the Gators goal throughout the game. The best opportunity came in the 33rd minute. Senior forward Austin Fink was able to get a good cross from the left into the 18 where sophomore forward Eddie Gonzalez got a clean header, but the ball went just wide of the far post, to the right of Gators sophomore keeper Chris Slawek.
“We have a good set of plays on free kicks,” Fink said. “ I was able to get the ball wide and was able to execute that cross over to Eddie. He got a good header on it.”
He is the same Austin Fink who kicked for the Bulldogs varsity football squad Friday evening in their 20-0 victory over Riverside-Brookfield. He hit 2-of-3 field goal attempts and 2-2 on extra points.
Fink also was celebrating his 18th birthday Saturday. Before going to join his family by a birthday banner that was placed on Ray Porten field, he diplomatically answered a question about which he prefers, soccer or football.
“I like them both,” Fink smiled. “You have to take them with equal love. I have been playing soccer since I was a toddler and just picked up football last spring. Like I said, to be successful in both, you have to take both really seriously.”
A light-hearted moment was also shared during the game between coaching staffs. Three years ago, coach Allen instituted a successful set-piece play against the Bulldogs in the 2018 Sanchez tourney final, which the Gators won 4-1. Since then, whenever the opportunity arises to use the play, he refers to it as “Wauconda.”
Allen called the play out as an option, but Wauconda coach Tim Miller and staff were ready and adjusted the defense accordingly, causing a funny exchange between the coaching staffs.
For Miller and Wauconda, going forward in the season needs to include a few more things.
“I think we were really inconsistent in the tourney,” Miller said, referring to the team’s 1-1 draw with McHenry this past Wednesday after their 4-0 win over North Chicago last Tuesday. “We really have to connect better in the middle. When we lose possession, we are going to put ourselves in a bad spot defensively. We are not winning the 50/50 opportunities and that funnels back into our defensive end.”
For Coughlin (6 goals, 3 assists this season), who has been in the mix for the Gators’ success since his freshman year, the senior shared what he feels will be most important as he works towards the end of his prep career.
“Honestly, the goal for me is to grow with this team as much as possible,” Coughlin explained. “I have been playing with my teammates for as long as I can remember.
“To go as far as we can but make a lot more memories along the way. I know a lot of these guys want to play soccer beyond high school, and we all just want to continuously get better after every game.”
Starting lineups
Wauconda
GK Christian Melchor
D Dylan Brannick
D Juan Duron
D Jacob Kotapka
D Karsten Ternes
MF Dalton Sperle
MF Francisco Cabral
MF Freddy Barnshaw
MF Eddie Cirilo
F Eddie Gonzalez
F Austin Fink
Crystal Lake South
GK Chris Slawek
D Dayton Murphy
D Josh Washington
D Tomasz Slawek
D Andrew Smart
MF Brendan Lewis
MF Tom Coughlin
MF Nolan Getzinger
F Michal Dejworek
F Sam Bahnfleth
F Matt Horvath
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Michal Dejworek, sr., F, sCrystal Lake South
Referees: center, John Guild; AR1, Mark Clark; AR2, Demetre Sarikoudis
Scoring summary
First half
CLS – Coughlin (Bahnfleth) – 2:14
CLS – Dejworek (Bahnfleth) – 18:37
CLS – Bahnfleth (Dejworek) – 24:33
Second half
CLS – T. Slawek (unassisted) – 48:33
CLS- Coughlin (Getzinger) – 64:39
Gators roll to Sanchez tourney crown with convincing shutout win
By Matt Misiek
WAUCONDA- The number five is associated with many fabulous aspects of life and popular culture.
In the holiday classic “The 12 Days of Christmas,” the fifth day and five gold rings get the most attention. More recently, Lou Bega’s biggest hit was “Mambo No. 5.”
When talking college basketball you hear the term “The Fabulous Five” referring to the great Kentucky Wildcats of 1947-1948 and “The Fab Five” of the Michigan Wolverines teams of the early 1990s.
Well, Crystal Lake South made sure the fabulous number shined Saturday afternoon in the final of the Adam Sanchez Memorial Tournament at Wauconda High School against the host Bulldogs.
A quick start set the tone early for the Gators and paved the way for a 5-0 victory. The victory clinched the second tournament title for Crystal Lake South in the past three tournaments.
Their performance also continued their fabulous start to the season, staying perfect at 5-0-0.
“We love this tournament because we get to see three different styles of play,” said Crystal Lake South head coach Brian Allen, who also referred to tourney victories over Zion-Benton (4-1 last Tuesday) and the program’s first-ever victory over Palatine (2-1 last Wednesday).
The Gators, ranked 25th in this week’s Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, always stress the importance of the first five minutes of each game. The third minute saw a great combination play from seniors Sam Bahnfleth and Tom Coughlin. Bahnfleth took a pass from Coughlin 30 yards from goal and returned the favor on Coughlin’s crisp run into the left 18. Coughlin made no mistake with his left foot, striking low to the right portion to goal past Wauconda keeper Christian Melchor.
“I know Tom (Coughlin) is amazing at finishing,” Bahnfleth quickly added. “I got the ball at the feet and sent him through and luckily, he was able to finish early in front of the defenders.”
The score remained a one-goal difference until the 19th minute, when Gators left forward Michal Dejworek took over and changed the flow of the game. He got on the end of a Bahnfleth flick-on and launched a 30-yard laser from the left side to the top left corner that Melchor had no chance to stop.
Dejworek, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, kept the foot on the gas pedal a few minutes later. Again, along the left side, he started a magnificent run on the ball from midfield all the way to the end line. From there located Bahnfleth (7 goals, 4 assists total on season) inside the left side of the six for an easy low shot to make it 3-0 Gators.
“Basically, we keep the energy up the whole entire game after we score,” Dejworek (one goal, 6 assists on the season) said of his and the team’s performance. “Keep the intensity like it is 0-0 and when you see a chance, go green. That is what we did, going green the entire time.”
“Mike played insane today,” Bahnfleth exclaimed. “He was everywhere on that side of the field. He was outstanding with his runs today and getting the ball into the middle.”
The backline of the Gators was outstanding all day as well, paced by center back Tomasz Slawek. The senior was consistently around the ball, clearing the area with a purpose. He also put power behind free kicks from distance. Slawek scored on a 37-yard free kick from the center of the field in the 49th minute and forced several saves from Melchor.
Slawek shared the story behind his goal celebration.
“I scored a goal against Zion-Benton as well this week,” he said. “When this one went in, Tom (Coughlin) came up and suggested a move. So I did it.”
“As a backline, we played solid all week,” Slawek noted. “We gave up goals in the first two tourney games. We strive for zeroes, that’s what we pride ourselves on, but if you get a goal, that is it. We are not going to allow any more.
“Today, it was big on the communication, calling out the runners. They (Wauconda) were a team that wanted to counter. We were able to shut it down. Wauconda didn’t get too many looks, maybe one in the first half.”
Coughlin finished the goal scoring in the 65th minute. He notched his second after latching onto a Nolan Getzinger through-header 25 yards from goal and weaved through the Bulldogs defenders inside the 18 before a low effort into the bottom-left corner.
Coach Allen knows he has a solid core of seniors. Coughlin, Bahnfleth, Dejworek and Slawek have experience from the past state tournament runs of 2018 (champion) and 2019 (runnerup). Slawek is the next up for a program with a tradition of solid keepers.
“I can’t say enough about this senior group,” Allen added. “They have set a high bar to work toward. They are going to make this team go. When one of them is not playing well, they pick each other up. They sorted it out quick and made us even more dynamic.”
“I am also proud of the younger players,” Allen continued. “They stepped up today. Even our bench players today showed us some stuff.”
Wauconda (1-1-2) did get some good looks at the Gators goal throughout the game. The best opportunity came in the 33rd minute. Senior forward Austin Fink was able to get a good cross from the left into the 18 where sophomore forward Eddie Gonzalez got a clean header, but the ball went just wide of the far post, to the right of Gators sophomore keeper Chris Slawek.
“We have a good set of plays on free kicks,” Fink said. “ I was able to get the ball wide and was able to execute that cross over to Eddie. He got a good header on it.”
He is the same Austin Fink who kicked for the Bulldogs varsity football squad Friday evening in their 20-0 victory over Riverside-Brookfield. He hit 2-of-3 field goal attempts and 2-2 on extra points.
Fink also was celebrating his 18th birthday Saturday. Before going to join his family by a birthday banner that was placed on Ray Porten field, he diplomatically answered a question about which he prefers, soccer or football.
“I like them both,” Fink smiled. “You have to take them with equal love. I have been playing soccer since I was a toddler and just picked up football last spring. Like I said, to be successful in both, you have to take both really seriously.”
A light-hearted moment was also shared during the game between coaching staffs. Three years ago, coach Allen instituted a successful set-piece play against the Bulldogs in the 2018 Sanchez tourney final, which the Gators won 4-1. Since then, whenever the opportunity arises to use the play, he refers to it as “Wauconda.”
Allen called the play out as an option, but Wauconda coach Tim Miller and staff were ready and adjusted the defense accordingly, causing a funny exchange between the coaching staffs.
For Miller and Wauconda, going forward in the season needs to include a few more things.
“I think we were really inconsistent in the tourney,” Miller said, referring to the team’s 1-1 draw with McHenry this past Wednesday after their 4-0 win over North Chicago last Tuesday. “We really have to connect better in the middle. When we lose possession, we are going to put ourselves in a bad spot defensively. We are not winning the 50/50 opportunities and that funnels back into our defensive end.”
For Coughlin (6 goals, 3 assists this season), who has been in the mix for the Gators’ success since his freshman year, the senior shared what he feels will be most important as he works towards the end of his prep career.
“Honestly, the goal for me is to grow with this team as much as possible,” Coughlin explained. “I have been playing with my teammates for as long as I can remember.
“To go as far as we can but make a lot more memories along the way. I know a lot of these guys want to play soccer beyond high school, and we all just want to continuously get better after every game.”
Starting lineups
Wauconda
GK Christian Melchor
D Dylan Brannick
D Juan Duron
D Jacob Kotapka
D Karsten Ternes
MF Dalton Sperle
MF Francisco Cabral
MF Freddy Barnshaw
MF Eddie Cirilo
F Eddie Gonzalez
F Austin Fink
Crystal Lake South
GK Chris Slawek
D Dayton Murphy
D Josh Washington
D Tomasz Slawek
D Andrew Smart
MF Brendan Lewis
MF Tom Coughlin
MF Nolan Getzinger
F Michal Dejworek
F Sam Bahnfleth
F Matt Horvath
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Michal Dejworek, sr., F, sCrystal Lake South
Referees: center, John Guild; AR1, Mark Clark; AR2, Demetre Sarikoudis
Scoring summary
First half
CLS – Coughlin (Bahnfleth) – 2:14
CLS – Dejworek (Bahnfleth) – 18:37
CLS – Bahnfleth (Dejworek) – 24:33
Second half
CLS – T. Slawek (unassisted) – 48:33
CLS- Coughlin (Getzinger) – 64:39