CLS starts new journey
with solid win over Woodstock North
Gators shake off early-game rust with 5 2nd half goals
By Matt Misiek
WOODSTOCK – If you are sitting on the examination table at a doctor’s office due to lower-back pain, he or she may ask you to turn and cough to see if that will help them diagnose the cause of the trouble.
Since 2015 at Crystal Lake South, coach Brian Allen has been able to turn and see a Coughlin on the field. In contrast, that was a symptom of excellent soccer health for his Gators.
First there was Ryan, a four-year midfielder from 2015 to 2018 who played a vital role in the midfield and his playing career at Carroll College. Younger brother Tom followed the family tradition with a stellar career from 2018 to 2021 and has now taken his midfield prowess to the Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Besides sharing in the memorable 2018 Class AA state championship run together with the Gators, the Coughlins not only garnered numerous Chicagoland Soccer, IHSSCA and Fox Valley Conference accolades, but they left a huge mark on the Gators recent run of success and big cleats future generations to fill.
Monday’s game against Woodstock North was the first time in eight years that Allen didn’t put a starting checkmark on the roster next to that particular last name.
“We’ve been blessed with great people, great families, great players, great groups,” Allen explained. “I think this group is no exception. What is exciting about this group is that they are ready to create their own legacy and history. They are ready to put their mark on the program.”
The 2022 edition of the Gators cleared the opening hurdle in the new era with a sound 6-0 victory.
Brendan Lewis provided an immediate impact on the new season. The junior was on the field regularly the past two seasons but will be counted on to keep the midfield tradition of excellence going.
After Crystal Lake South (1-0-0), ranked no. 22 in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason poll, missed out on a few close chances early in the match, Lewis got the offense started. From deep inside the 18 on the right, he flicked a deep throw from defender Andrew Smart to the streaking Nolan Getzinger, who finished an easy tap-in in the 16th minute for the only goal in the first half.
“We ran that play a bit earlier, and it went over my head,” Lewis said. “We were able to get another chance, and I set up a little farther back. I got the flick on, and Nolan got the finish.”
Lewis, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, scored his first varsity goal in the 61st minute, smashing home a drive from 20 yards into the bottom left corner past Woodstock North keeper Dylan Flores.
“It was amazing,” he noted of his first goal. “All of my teammates rushed over and it was awesome.”
“Last year, Brendan (Lewis) was just the quiet guy in the back looking to anchor the backline,” Allen explained. “Now, he is getting more confidence going forward, more skill on the ball and paying attention to details.
“He missed a detail that we would have liked off-the-field, but we had a talk before the game. He made up for it with this growth moment on the field and seeing those details.”
Getzinger, also a junior and currently the third in the Getzinger family to play for the Gators (following brothers Nikolas and Tyler), notched the assist on Lewis’ goal. After sophomore forward Ali Ahmed was bundled over in the penalty box by Woodstock North’s Nil Amoo in the 44th minute, Getzinger made no mistake with the ensuing penalty kick. Flores went the wrong way while the ball settled in the bottom left corner.
As good as Getzinger played, he could have had a number of goals early on close chances, including a one-on-one with the keeper that he skied over the bar in the 19th minute.
“In the first half I missed some opportunities that I cannot be missing in some bigger upcoming games,” Getzinger said. “The second half we came out as a team and put them away.”
Allen continues to marvel at the endurance Getzinger came into the season with and what he showed in the season-opener.
“I told Nolan at the beginning of the year that his fitness level was off the charts,” Allen added. “I want to continue seeing that even if he misses a chance early, he’s able to create another and another and another chance for someone else later. These first games you are not going to be perfect. If you are perfect the first game, the only way to go is down.”
Crystal Lake South’s second goal came from sophomore midfielder Nick Prus only 104 seconds into the second half. He and junior Garrett Hess pressured Woodstock North’s backline into a turnover inside their 18, and Prus poked it past Flores.
Mason Ross and Ahmed rounded out the scoring with two goals within 12 seconds of each other in the 71st minute.
Woodstock North (0-1-0) was not able to gain much entry into their attacking third the majority of the game and pressure. Gators keeper Logan Vargas needed only one save for the clean-sheet.
A good, early chance for the Thunder came on a counter in the 3rd minute for midfielder Enrique Casteneda, but it brought up the offsides flag.
“This game showed us what type of competition will be ahead for us this season,” Woodstock North coach John Sullivan explained. “That’s a multi-time state-placing team that we played, and we have a lot of players where this was their first varsity soccer game. We have a lot to learn, but we are looking ahead.”
Sullivan got an outstanding effort from Flores in goal. Flores (seven saves) had a solid stretch right before halftime, coming out and acrobatically punching away a corner and then saving a low shot from Gators forward Ari Chingakham to keep the game close into the halftime break.
“We did have a lot of communication in the first 15 minutes, and that was strong,” Flores noted. “However toward the end of the first half and in the second half, there was not a lot of talking. As a keeper, you always focus on the next shot, the next ball and you can never dwell on the past.
“The result was not what we wanted, but we are looking forward to the next game against Harvard.”
“He’s real solid for us; really an asset to have him on our team,” Sullivan said of Flores. “You can’t save everything if you are being peppered with shots. We just need to keep improving our team and our defense.”
For Crystal Lake South and Allen, there were many noteworthy performances in the opener.
“The defense meshed very well together with a freshman, Pierce Johnson, complementing senior Josh Washington,” Allen said. “Smart was absolutely fantastic outside going up and down, whipping balls in and making it uncomfortable for their players.”
“Woodstock North has skill and speed. If you take a play off or two, they are going to be dangerous against a lot of teams. I think the way we handled it may get overlooked, because we created so many chances. However, we also limited the chances they would have been able to create.”
Starting lineups
Woodstock North
GK Dylan Flores
D Nil Amoo
D Tyler Fink
D Tyler Ward
D Nibret Freundl
MF Enrique Casteneda
MF Aaron Rendon
MF Samuel Foster
MF Guillermo Ramirez
F Jakob Idle
F Cole Morrison
Crystal Lake South
GK Logan Vargas
D Pierce Johnson
D Josh Washington
D Blake Marunde
D Andrew Smart
MF Hayden Stone
MF Nick Prus
MF Kevin Cardoso
MF Garrett Hess
F Ali Ahmed
F Nolan Getzinger
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Brendan Lewis, jr., MF, Crystal Lake South
Referees: center, Rick Naatz; AR1, Tim Jackson; AR2, Jack Casey
Scoring summary
First half
CLS – Getzinger (Lewis, Smart) – 15:47
Second half
CLS – Prus (Hess) – 41:44
CLS – Getzinger (penalty kick) – 44:33
CLS – Lewis (Getzinger) – 60:42
CLS – Ross (Ahmed) – 70:01
CLS – Ahmed (unassisted) – 70:13
with solid win over Woodstock North
Gators shake off early-game rust with 5 2nd half goals
By Matt Misiek
WOODSTOCK – If you are sitting on the examination table at a doctor’s office due to lower-back pain, he or she may ask you to turn and cough to see if that will help them diagnose the cause of the trouble.
Since 2015 at Crystal Lake South, coach Brian Allen has been able to turn and see a Coughlin on the field. In contrast, that was a symptom of excellent soccer health for his Gators.
First there was Ryan, a four-year midfielder from 2015 to 2018 who played a vital role in the midfield and his playing career at Carroll College. Younger brother Tom followed the family tradition with a stellar career from 2018 to 2021 and has now taken his midfield prowess to the Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Besides sharing in the memorable 2018 Class AA state championship run together with the Gators, the Coughlins not only garnered numerous Chicagoland Soccer, IHSSCA and Fox Valley Conference accolades, but they left a huge mark on the Gators recent run of success and big cleats future generations to fill.
Monday’s game against Woodstock North was the first time in eight years that Allen didn’t put a starting checkmark on the roster next to that particular last name.
“We’ve been blessed with great people, great families, great players, great groups,” Allen explained. “I think this group is no exception. What is exciting about this group is that they are ready to create their own legacy and history. They are ready to put their mark on the program.”
The 2022 edition of the Gators cleared the opening hurdle in the new era with a sound 6-0 victory.
Brendan Lewis provided an immediate impact on the new season. The junior was on the field regularly the past two seasons but will be counted on to keep the midfield tradition of excellence going.
After Crystal Lake South (1-0-0), ranked no. 22 in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason poll, missed out on a few close chances early in the match, Lewis got the offense started. From deep inside the 18 on the right, he flicked a deep throw from defender Andrew Smart to the streaking Nolan Getzinger, who finished an easy tap-in in the 16th minute for the only goal in the first half.
“We ran that play a bit earlier, and it went over my head,” Lewis said. “We were able to get another chance, and I set up a little farther back. I got the flick on, and Nolan got the finish.”
Lewis, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, scored his first varsity goal in the 61st minute, smashing home a drive from 20 yards into the bottom left corner past Woodstock North keeper Dylan Flores.
“It was amazing,” he noted of his first goal. “All of my teammates rushed over and it was awesome.”
“Last year, Brendan (Lewis) was just the quiet guy in the back looking to anchor the backline,” Allen explained. “Now, he is getting more confidence going forward, more skill on the ball and paying attention to details.
“He missed a detail that we would have liked off-the-field, but we had a talk before the game. He made up for it with this growth moment on the field and seeing those details.”
Getzinger, also a junior and currently the third in the Getzinger family to play for the Gators (following brothers Nikolas and Tyler), notched the assist on Lewis’ goal. After sophomore forward Ali Ahmed was bundled over in the penalty box by Woodstock North’s Nil Amoo in the 44th minute, Getzinger made no mistake with the ensuing penalty kick. Flores went the wrong way while the ball settled in the bottom left corner.
As good as Getzinger played, he could have had a number of goals early on close chances, including a one-on-one with the keeper that he skied over the bar in the 19th minute.
“In the first half I missed some opportunities that I cannot be missing in some bigger upcoming games,” Getzinger said. “The second half we came out as a team and put them away.”
Allen continues to marvel at the endurance Getzinger came into the season with and what he showed in the season-opener.
“I told Nolan at the beginning of the year that his fitness level was off the charts,” Allen added. “I want to continue seeing that even if he misses a chance early, he’s able to create another and another and another chance for someone else later. These first games you are not going to be perfect. If you are perfect the first game, the only way to go is down.”
Crystal Lake South’s second goal came from sophomore midfielder Nick Prus only 104 seconds into the second half. He and junior Garrett Hess pressured Woodstock North’s backline into a turnover inside their 18, and Prus poked it past Flores.
Mason Ross and Ahmed rounded out the scoring with two goals within 12 seconds of each other in the 71st minute.
Woodstock North (0-1-0) was not able to gain much entry into their attacking third the majority of the game and pressure. Gators keeper Logan Vargas needed only one save for the clean-sheet.
A good, early chance for the Thunder came on a counter in the 3rd minute for midfielder Enrique Casteneda, but it brought up the offsides flag.
“This game showed us what type of competition will be ahead for us this season,” Woodstock North coach John Sullivan explained. “That’s a multi-time state-placing team that we played, and we have a lot of players where this was their first varsity soccer game. We have a lot to learn, but we are looking ahead.”
Sullivan got an outstanding effort from Flores in goal. Flores (seven saves) had a solid stretch right before halftime, coming out and acrobatically punching away a corner and then saving a low shot from Gators forward Ari Chingakham to keep the game close into the halftime break.
“We did have a lot of communication in the first 15 minutes, and that was strong,” Flores noted. “However toward the end of the first half and in the second half, there was not a lot of talking. As a keeper, you always focus on the next shot, the next ball and you can never dwell on the past.
“The result was not what we wanted, but we are looking forward to the next game against Harvard.”
“He’s real solid for us; really an asset to have him on our team,” Sullivan said of Flores. “You can’t save everything if you are being peppered with shots. We just need to keep improving our team and our defense.”
For Crystal Lake South and Allen, there were many noteworthy performances in the opener.
“The defense meshed very well together with a freshman, Pierce Johnson, complementing senior Josh Washington,” Allen said. “Smart was absolutely fantastic outside going up and down, whipping balls in and making it uncomfortable for their players.”
“Woodstock North has skill and speed. If you take a play off or two, they are going to be dangerous against a lot of teams. I think the way we handled it may get overlooked, because we created so many chances. However, we also limited the chances they would have been able to create.”
Starting lineups
Woodstock North
GK Dylan Flores
D Nil Amoo
D Tyler Fink
D Tyler Ward
D Nibret Freundl
MF Enrique Casteneda
MF Aaron Rendon
MF Samuel Foster
MF Guillermo Ramirez
F Jakob Idle
F Cole Morrison
Crystal Lake South
GK Logan Vargas
D Pierce Johnson
D Josh Washington
D Blake Marunde
D Andrew Smart
MF Hayden Stone
MF Nick Prus
MF Kevin Cardoso
MF Garrett Hess
F Ali Ahmed
F Nolan Getzinger
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Brendan Lewis, jr., MF, Crystal Lake South
Referees: center, Rick Naatz; AR1, Tim Jackson; AR2, Jack Casey
Scoring summary
First half
CLS – Getzinger (Lewis, Smart) – 15:47
Second half
CLS – Prus (Hess) – 41:44
CLS – Getzinger (penalty kick) – 44:33
CLS – Lewis (Getzinger) – 60:42
CLS – Ross (Ahmed) – 70:01
CLS – Ahmed (unassisted) – 70:13