Waubonsie Valley seniors celebrate
their night with win over DeKalb
Cullen’s throw-ins spark Warriors' 4-2 victory over Barbs
By Chris R. Walker
AURORA – Waubonsie Valley is one of the coolest places to play high school soccer in the state.
The Warriors players congregate in a shed, a handful of lucky fans find space for their backsides on a couch, everyone is able keep their bellies full and whistles wet thanks to a concession stand and the boys and girls programs are blessed to have a soccer-specific pitch without the annoying football field visuals.
On Tuesday, 13 Waubonsie Valley players were recognized on an unforgettable Senior Night. It was delayed due to stormy weather, but ended with a post-game celebration after the Warriors rallied past DeKalb 4-2 in a DuPage Valley Conference game.
“I was a little nervous for the first 10 to 15 minutes of the game,” Warriors coach Jose Garcia said. “But it’s Senior Night, and it’s not about the score. It’s about getting these boys out here and experiencing what it’s like to play on this pitch, because it’s going to be one of the last few times they’re going to play on here.
“We wanted to make it a special night for them, and I think we did.”
DeKalb (5-5-1, 1-2-0) did an admirable job playing the party-pooper in the early going, scoring just five minutes into the action after Kendall Gilkey found Ben Fleming.
“I got it from my right side,” Fleming said. “Our coach preaches staying wide, and I did that. We played it straight across the ground on the box, and I put it into the goal with my left.”
Just 32 seconds later the Barbs stunned the Warriors when Landon Weishaar put in his own rebound with 34:35 still remaining in the first half for a 2-0 lead.
“We had a good start to the match,” Barbs coach P.J. Hamilton said. “We were finding some pieces that we needed to find and we took advantage of the opportunities in front of the goal.
“Unfortunately, we took an uppercut and didn’t bounce back right away. We kind of got caught on our heels. It’s a good learning moment for us.”
That uppercut was a combination of Michael Cullen’s impressive throw-ins and a quick goal from Amiel Nichani just 22 seconds after DeKalb’s second score.
“We knew we had to come in with a lot of energy to flip the game,” Nichani said. “I just saw Mikey (Cullen) throw a beautiful ball to me. It’s what we do a lot, and I just chipped it over the keeper.”
After the 54-second scoring-spree, the teams tightened things up. The match remained 2-1 until the Warriors scored a gorgeous game-tying goal from Angel Gallegos that opened the floodgates.
Gallegos, who collected his first high school hat-trick in a 3-0 nonconference home victory against Bolingbrook, tied the game after burying a free kick with 7:50 remaining in the first half.
“Our first lineup is all solid players, but they have to get used to the game. Once we subbed in our starting lineup we started really fighting for it,” Gallegos said. “Our energy got up after Amiel (Nichani) scored. Then we started playing our hearts out, and I got the free kick.”
Earlier in the game, from about 25 yards, Gallegos sailed a free kick over the cross bar. This time, several yards closer, he recalled how DeKalb defended his attempt and used that knowledge to tie the game.
“I saw their players and where the wall was. I didn’t see the goalkeeper,” he said. “So I thought if I power-shoot it to that side, he’s not going to save it. I had to try something to tie it up. As soon as I shot it, I knew it was going in.”
This time he kept his shot way below the crossbar.
“It’s one of those rare things where I was blessed to get another free kick, and this one was right there. I shot it right down at the bottom of the corner,” he said. “I always try to improve from my mistakes. I know that (the other try) was higher, so I tried to keep this one lower. It worked.”
So did Cullen’s powerful throw-ins, He unleashed a pair to close out the first half that allowed Waubonsie Valley to double up the Barbs.
First, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match found Tate Deasy for the go-ahead header with 3:56 left.
“I was letting others take (throws) so we could play quick, but we’ve got big center backs like Tate (Deasy) and Cade (Valek). If I can get the ball put in there we’ve got a better chance of scoring,” Cullen said.
“We’re still trying to figure things out. The big thing (tonight) was just the confidence. They got into our space in the first few minutes, and we couldn’t adjust quickly enough, especially the weak sides. But once we got the ball on their half and caused some chaos, it got them uncomfortable; and we put pressure on them.”
That constant pressure in a tight space helped the Warriors sneak in their final goal of the game.
With just 1:08 left in the first half, another Cullen throw-in found a Warrior. Senior Stephen Thomas won a battle against DeKalb goalkeeper Justin Lira and Cullen’s lofted toss found a way to squeeze past the goal line.
“We call it (Cullen’s throws) our ‘cheat code,’” Garcia said. “I don’t think it’s a cheat code anymore because everyone has started to figure it out,” Garcia said. “But if it keeps working, we’ll keep using it. We have great targets in the middle in the box, so it’s been so far, so good.”
Waubonsie Valley (6-7-1, 2-1-0) was unable to add to its lead in the second half, and DeKalb couldn’t slice into its deficit after the teams found the back of the net six times in under 39 first half minutes.
The Warriors maintained their current roll with their fourth victory in the past five matches.
DeKalb looked at positives it can take from the match.
“We embraced the challenge that we discussed at halftime,” Hamilton said. “Good soccer is when you play a complete 80 minutes, and we’ll learn from this.
“You never want to have a moral victory, but this is a good step for us to learn about jumping back when you get down. I try to take a positive from everything we do. Kudos to (our players’ effort in) the second half. I thought our guys responded to the challenge. I wish we could’ve gotten one (more) and made it a little interesting.”
The Barbs almost got that with 6:25 left, but Miguel Berrocal’s shot was redirected by a Waubonsie Valley defender. The Warriors limited DeKalb’s chances throughout the second half.
“A ton of credit goes to (Waubonsie Valley),” Hamilton said. “They were hungry, and they took advantage of their opportunities. We struggled in some facets that we’ll review and take as growth moments and move forward.
“They capitalized on their chances, so kudos to them. We’re going to learn from it and move on. Our biggest thing is to continue to get healthy each and every day.”
Waubonsie Valley their seniors and the victory with some post-game festivities on the pitch that included plenty of food and drink as well as laughter and smiles.
Hours earlier they crammed in the shed, hoping the weather would clear and allow Senior Night to take place, while keeping things lively with loud music and each other’s company.
“Since it was really hot, they canceled JV1, and I thought ‘Oh, no, they’re going to cancel ours,’” Gallegos said. “We were bummed. Then, when the rain stopped and we realized we were going to go play, we got all happy again.”
Nichani said the Warriors simply had to be patient with things beyond their control while controlling the things they could.
“We tried to make sure we were still all hyped and all that by having fun, playing music in the shed and just hoping to not get rescheduled,” he said. “Once we saw the clean skies, we were very happy.”
“At the start of the season we were a little bit slow, but we fixed it. We started moving the ball and getting really better, and now we’re into a groove.”
Cullen found himself reminiscing a bit while waiting out the weather. He can’t believe his run as a Warrior is almost over.
“It’s crazy that this is senior year,” he said. “It’s crazy to see that most of these kids, the 13 seniors, were on freshman A, and we were doing the same plays and having that chemistry. It’s going to be sad when we go.”
Garcia agrees.
“This senior class has shown a lot of courage, shown a lot of grit to come out here and then really show the younger classmen what it really means to be an upperclassmen,” he said. “They’ve shown a lot of respect to the coaches and each other. I think the climate of the team has never been better.
“The senior class is going to be sorely missed. This is a fun group, great kids and great families. It will be sad when they don’t come back.”
The game started approximately 50 minutes late due to a rash of severe weather that came through the Aurora area around 6 o’clock. The afternoon’s JV game had already been postponed due to the heat index and high temperatures at kickoff.
Starting lineups
DeKalb
GK: Justin Lira
D: Jack Ager
D: Seth Hess
D: Josh DeLosSantos
MF: Matt Tuszynski
MF: Kendall Gilkey
MF: Tyler Diedrich
MF: Ben Fleming
MF: Jackson Harms
F: Landon Weishaar
F: Diego Rivas
Waubonsie Valley
GK: Ben Burlingame
FP: Luke Bebar
FP: Nick Cerrilli
FP: Michael Cullen
FP: Tate Deasy
FP: Matthew Garcia
FP: Akin Incekara
FP: Yahir Rodriguez
FP: Shivam Shah
FP: Michael Spano
FP: Stephen Thomas
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Michael Cullen, sr., MF, Waubonsie Valley
Scoring summary
First half
DeKalb - Ben Fleming (Kendall Gilkey), 4:53
DeKalb - Landon Weishaar (own rebound), 5:25
Waubonsie Valley - Amiel Nichani (Michael Cullen), 5:47
Waubonsie Valley - Angel Gallegos (free kick), 32:10
Waubonsie Valley - Tate Deasy (Michael Cullen), 36:04
Waubonsie Valley - Stephen Thomas (Michalel Cullen), 38:53
Second half
No scoring
their night with win over DeKalb
Cullen’s throw-ins spark Warriors' 4-2 victory over Barbs
By Chris R. Walker
AURORA – Waubonsie Valley is one of the coolest places to play high school soccer in the state.
The Warriors players congregate in a shed, a handful of lucky fans find space for their backsides on a couch, everyone is able keep their bellies full and whistles wet thanks to a concession stand and the boys and girls programs are blessed to have a soccer-specific pitch without the annoying football field visuals.
On Tuesday, 13 Waubonsie Valley players were recognized on an unforgettable Senior Night. It was delayed due to stormy weather, but ended with a post-game celebration after the Warriors rallied past DeKalb 4-2 in a DuPage Valley Conference game.
“I was a little nervous for the first 10 to 15 minutes of the game,” Warriors coach Jose Garcia said. “But it’s Senior Night, and it’s not about the score. It’s about getting these boys out here and experiencing what it’s like to play on this pitch, because it’s going to be one of the last few times they’re going to play on here.
“We wanted to make it a special night for them, and I think we did.”
DeKalb (5-5-1, 1-2-0) did an admirable job playing the party-pooper in the early going, scoring just five minutes into the action after Kendall Gilkey found Ben Fleming.
“I got it from my right side,” Fleming said. “Our coach preaches staying wide, and I did that. We played it straight across the ground on the box, and I put it into the goal with my left.”
Just 32 seconds later the Barbs stunned the Warriors when Landon Weishaar put in his own rebound with 34:35 still remaining in the first half for a 2-0 lead.
“We had a good start to the match,” Barbs coach P.J. Hamilton said. “We were finding some pieces that we needed to find and we took advantage of the opportunities in front of the goal.
“Unfortunately, we took an uppercut and didn’t bounce back right away. We kind of got caught on our heels. It’s a good learning moment for us.”
That uppercut was a combination of Michael Cullen’s impressive throw-ins and a quick goal from Amiel Nichani just 22 seconds after DeKalb’s second score.
“We knew we had to come in with a lot of energy to flip the game,” Nichani said. “I just saw Mikey (Cullen) throw a beautiful ball to me. It’s what we do a lot, and I just chipped it over the keeper.”
After the 54-second scoring-spree, the teams tightened things up. The match remained 2-1 until the Warriors scored a gorgeous game-tying goal from Angel Gallegos that opened the floodgates.
Gallegos, who collected his first high school hat-trick in a 3-0 nonconference home victory against Bolingbrook, tied the game after burying a free kick with 7:50 remaining in the first half.
“Our first lineup is all solid players, but they have to get used to the game. Once we subbed in our starting lineup we started really fighting for it,” Gallegos said. “Our energy got up after Amiel (Nichani) scored. Then we started playing our hearts out, and I got the free kick.”
Earlier in the game, from about 25 yards, Gallegos sailed a free kick over the cross bar. This time, several yards closer, he recalled how DeKalb defended his attempt and used that knowledge to tie the game.
“I saw their players and where the wall was. I didn’t see the goalkeeper,” he said. “So I thought if I power-shoot it to that side, he’s not going to save it. I had to try something to tie it up. As soon as I shot it, I knew it was going in.”
This time he kept his shot way below the crossbar.
“It’s one of those rare things where I was blessed to get another free kick, and this one was right there. I shot it right down at the bottom of the corner,” he said. “I always try to improve from my mistakes. I know that (the other try) was higher, so I tried to keep this one lower. It worked.”
So did Cullen’s powerful throw-ins, He unleashed a pair to close out the first half that allowed Waubonsie Valley to double up the Barbs.
First, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match found Tate Deasy for the go-ahead header with 3:56 left.
“I was letting others take (throws) so we could play quick, but we’ve got big center backs like Tate (Deasy) and Cade (Valek). If I can get the ball put in there we’ve got a better chance of scoring,” Cullen said.
“We’re still trying to figure things out. The big thing (tonight) was just the confidence. They got into our space in the first few minutes, and we couldn’t adjust quickly enough, especially the weak sides. But once we got the ball on their half and caused some chaos, it got them uncomfortable; and we put pressure on them.”
That constant pressure in a tight space helped the Warriors sneak in their final goal of the game.
With just 1:08 left in the first half, another Cullen throw-in found a Warrior. Senior Stephen Thomas won a battle against DeKalb goalkeeper Justin Lira and Cullen’s lofted toss found a way to squeeze past the goal line.
“We call it (Cullen’s throws) our ‘cheat code,’” Garcia said. “I don’t think it’s a cheat code anymore because everyone has started to figure it out,” Garcia said. “But if it keeps working, we’ll keep using it. We have great targets in the middle in the box, so it’s been so far, so good.”
Waubonsie Valley (6-7-1, 2-1-0) was unable to add to its lead in the second half, and DeKalb couldn’t slice into its deficit after the teams found the back of the net six times in under 39 first half minutes.
The Warriors maintained their current roll with their fourth victory in the past five matches.
DeKalb looked at positives it can take from the match.
“We embraced the challenge that we discussed at halftime,” Hamilton said. “Good soccer is when you play a complete 80 minutes, and we’ll learn from this.
“You never want to have a moral victory, but this is a good step for us to learn about jumping back when you get down. I try to take a positive from everything we do. Kudos to (our players’ effort in) the second half. I thought our guys responded to the challenge. I wish we could’ve gotten one (more) and made it a little interesting.”
The Barbs almost got that with 6:25 left, but Miguel Berrocal’s shot was redirected by a Waubonsie Valley defender. The Warriors limited DeKalb’s chances throughout the second half.
“A ton of credit goes to (Waubonsie Valley),” Hamilton said. “They were hungry, and they took advantage of their opportunities. We struggled in some facets that we’ll review and take as growth moments and move forward.
“They capitalized on their chances, so kudos to them. We’re going to learn from it and move on. Our biggest thing is to continue to get healthy each and every day.”
Waubonsie Valley their seniors and the victory with some post-game festivities on the pitch that included plenty of food and drink as well as laughter and smiles.
Hours earlier they crammed in the shed, hoping the weather would clear and allow Senior Night to take place, while keeping things lively with loud music and each other’s company.
“Since it was really hot, they canceled JV1, and I thought ‘Oh, no, they’re going to cancel ours,’” Gallegos said. “We were bummed. Then, when the rain stopped and we realized we were going to go play, we got all happy again.”
Nichani said the Warriors simply had to be patient with things beyond their control while controlling the things they could.
“We tried to make sure we were still all hyped and all that by having fun, playing music in the shed and just hoping to not get rescheduled,” he said. “Once we saw the clean skies, we were very happy.”
“At the start of the season we were a little bit slow, but we fixed it. We started moving the ball and getting really better, and now we’re into a groove.”
Cullen found himself reminiscing a bit while waiting out the weather. He can’t believe his run as a Warrior is almost over.
“It’s crazy that this is senior year,” he said. “It’s crazy to see that most of these kids, the 13 seniors, were on freshman A, and we were doing the same plays and having that chemistry. It’s going to be sad when we go.”
Garcia agrees.
“This senior class has shown a lot of courage, shown a lot of grit to come out here and then really show the younger classmen what it really means to be an upperclassmen,” he said. “They’ve shown a lot of respect to the coaches and each other. I think the climate of the team has never been better.
“The senior class is going to be sorely missed. This is a fun group, great kids and great families. It will be sad when they don’t come back.”
The game started approximately 50 minutes late due to a rash of severe weather that came through the Aurora area around 6 o’clock. The afternoon’s JV game had already been postponed due to the heat index and high temperatures at kickoff.
Starting lineups
DeKalb
GK: Justin Lira
D: Jack Ager
D: Seth Hess
D: Josh DeLosSantos
MF: Matt Tuszynski
MF: Kendall Gilkey
MF: Tyler Diedrich
MF: Ben Fleming
MF: Jackson Harms
F: Landon Weishaar
F: Diego Rivas
Waubonsie Valley
GK: Ben Burlingame
FP: Luke Bebar
FP: Nick Cerrilli
FP: Michael Cullen
FP: Tate Deasy
FP: Matthew Garcia
FP: Akin Incekara
FP: Yahir Rodriguez
FP: Shivam Shah
FP: Michael Spano
FP: Stephen Thomas
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Michael Cullen, sr., MF, Waubonsie Valley
Scoring summary
First half
DeKalb - Ben Fleming (Kendall Gilkey), 4:53
DeKalb - Landon Weishaar (own rebound), 5:25
Waubonsie Valley - Amiel Nichani (Michael Cullen), 5:47
Waubonsie Valley - Angel Gallegos (free kick), 32:10
Waubonsie Valley - Tate Deasy (Michael Cullen), 36:04
Waubonsie Valley - Stephen Thomas (Michalel Cullen), 38:53
Second half
No scoring