DGS ends DGN's rivalry win streak
Mustangs 1st to claim Downers Cup with 2-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE -- Downers Grove South coach Jon Stapleton and Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt conceived of the Downers Cup trophy in 2018 as a way to enliven the rivalry between the District 99 schools.
The travelling trophy was unveiled in 2019.
In 2021, somebody was finally able to take it home with them.
Seniors Jerry Smazil and Giovanni Torrijos scored goals and goalkeepers Zach Johnson and Andrik Vidaurri combined for five saves as host Downers Grove South beat their crosstown foes from the north 2-0 Thursday night.
It was the Mustangs’ first win over the Trojans since 2015. They are the first Downers Grove team to lift the trophy -- the first battle for the cup ended in a draw in 2019.
Downers Grove North won the rivalry game in the spring, but the coaches decided prior to the season not to award the trophy, because they didn’t know if fans would be allowed to attend the match.
“It’s a nice little addition to the rivalry and tradition,” Stapleton said. “It makes it more fun.”
Downers Grove South (6-5-1) definitely had more fun Thursday. The result continued a recent trend that has seen the Mustangs win four-straight games. They entered the game off a huge victory Tuesday in PKs over 13th-ranked Addison Trail, which was previously undefeated in the conference. The win moved the Mustangs to 4-0 in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division, where they stand with top-ranked Morton as the only unblemished teams in the league.
Downers Grove South has a shot at winning the title if it can beat Hinsdale South on the road Oct. 7 and upset Morton at home Oct. 12.
“This is a huge confidence boost,” Torrijos said. “We started off really rough this season.
“I feel like this is going to be a huge step forward for us for the next games. I know we face Morton in two weeks.
“The boys are hyped. Can’t wait to get out there, especially with the momentum we have. I can’t see any team that would stand a chance against us, to be quite honest. We’re on a roll.”
That might be a little overexuberance on the part of Torrijos, but the enthusiasm is understandable given his team’s recent run of play. The Mustangs backline of Michael Mendoza, Max Paschall, Matt Crowley and Victor Carrasco allowed the Trojans (4-11-0) only three shots.
Johnson made the Mustangs only difficult save, which came on a 25-yard liner from Tomislav Petkovski with 1:45 to go in the game.
“I think there were some tired legs out there,” Stapleton said. “You could see it on both sides.
“I know they played a tough conference game at Oak Park on Tuesday, and we had a hard game against Addison Trail. I think it was a little more defensive-minded; there weren’t tons of chances. We were able to capitalize.”
Smazil was the first to do so. He took a lead pass from Josh Venouziou in the left side of the box and beat Downers Grove North goalkeeper Jospeh Kapsch to the far post at the 23:07 mark of the first half.
It was Smazil’s fifth goal of the season and second in as many games since returning from an ankle injury. He also bagged one against Addison Trail.
“I played it to Josh, Josh played a beautiful ball into me,” Smazil said. “Just 1-on-1 with the keeper and in my head, I was like, ‘Just put it away.’
“So I aimed for the bottom right corner as best I could. It was awesome.”
The Mustangs think it is awesome to have Smazil back in the lineup. He missed the Oswego East game early in the season due to COVID protocols and was out for two weeks with the sprained ankle, which still hasn’t fully healed.
“It’s a little better,” Smazil said. “I’m still sore, and there’s nothing I can really do about that.
“I’m just trying to play through it, get as many minutes as I possibly can because I love playing. I’ve been itching to play, so it was awesome to play against Addison Trail and then playing tonight. The atmosphere, the fans, this is what you live for.
“As a high school player, you love this stuff.”
Torrijos loves the grit and determination Smazil brings to the field. It sets an example for the rest of the squad.
“Jerry is as tough as it gets,” Torrijos said. “If you hit him once, he’s going to get right back up and go at it again.
“It’s going to be hard to keep him out. He’s going to keep coming.”
Though neither team had fresh legs and good opportunities were hard to come by, the Mustangs kept coming and Torrijos broke through with the insurance goal, his first goal of the season, with 32:22 remaining in the second half.
Carrasco sent a pass from the left wing across the top of the circle, where it was touched briefly by a defender but still made its way to Torrijos. He spun into the box and buried a shot from 16 yards.
“Victor passed it to me, and I just cut it to the right and finished,” Torrijos said. “It was pretty big for us to come out strong, especially since we were only up one. It’s better to get the lead in the beginning of the half so you can just calm it down the rest of the game, not make simple mistakes.”
Downers Grove South came into the game with the older, more experienced team and better recent form. But Torrijos said something else made the difference.
“To me it was more of a battle of the fittest, because we were all dead from Tuesday’s game,” Torrijos said. “I know all the starters went out there today, gave it their best, worked their (tails) off. I really appreciate them for not giving up.”
Downers Grove North didn’t give up, either, battling all the way to the end, but Schmitt agreed with Torrijos.
“The defenses played pretty well on both sides,” Schmitt said. “They did a little better.
“It was just the energy, and the quality that we didn’t have enough of today; and they did. So, it was unfortunate in the result.”
Schmitt was pleased with the play of Petkovski, Nick O’Shea and Bradley Szydlowski, but it wasn’t enough against a team on the upswing.
“It’s tough coming up against a team coming into this kind of game with a lot of confidence,” Schmitt said. “Tuesday was a big win for them against Addison Trail.
“They came in with a lot of confidence and energy, and they were ready to play. We were stuttering a little bit. We were still trying to figure some things out.
“They worked harder than us today and had more quality than us today.
“Their build-up play was really nice. They created a lot of space and exploited it pretty well and had a couple clinical finishes.”
Schmitt said the Trojans are a work in progress.
“Heading into the playoffs in a couple weeks, we’re hoping we can fine-tune some stuff and turn the corner,” Schmitt said. “We’re taking some steps.”
So are the Mustangs, who will get to display the Downers Cup in their trophy case for the next 12 months.
“Just like Hinsdale South with the (Southern) Bell (travelling trophy), it adds that little oomph,” Smazil said. “It’s like this thing that you treasure.
“I’m so proud of the boys. We worked our butts off today.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
GK Joseph Kapsch
D Kyle Miller
D Jose Perez
D Owen Lesley
D Jake Rohde
D Bradley Szydlowski
M Riley Botha
M James Harkness
M Adam Jonowiak
M Nicholas O’Shea
F Jack Ryan
Downers Grove South
GK Zach Johnson
D Michael Mendoza
D Max Paschall
D Matt Crowley
D Victor Carrasco
M Giovanni Torrijos
M Julian Lopez
M Dardan Sylejmani
M Nick Opacian
F Josh Venouziou
F Jerry Smazil
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jerry Smazil, sr., F, Downers Grove South
Scoring summary
First half
DGS – Jerry Smazil (Josh Venouziou) 23:07 remaining
Second half
DGS – Giovanni Torrijos (unassisted) 32:22 remaining
Mustangs 1st to claim Downers Cup with 2-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE -- Downers Grove South coach Jon Stapleton and Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt conceived of the Downers Cup trophy in 2018 as a way to enliven the rivalry between the District 99 schools.
The travelling trophy was unveiled in 2019.
In 2021, somebody was finally able to take it home with them.
Seniors Jerry Smazil and Giovanni Torrijos scored goals and goalkeepers Zach Johnson and Andrik Vidaurri combined for five saves as host Downers Grove South beat their crosstown foes from the north 2-0 Thursday night.
It was the Mustangs’ first win over the Trojans since 2015. They are the first Downers Grove team to lift the trophy -- the first battle for the cup ended in a draw in 2019.
Downers Grove North won the rivalry game in the spring, but the coaches decided prior to the season not to award the trophy, because they didn’t know if fans would be allowed to attend the match.
“It’s a nice little addition to the rivalry and tradition,” Stapleton said. “It makes it more fun.”
Downers Grove South (6-5-1) definitely had more fun Thursday. The result continued a recent trend that has seen the Mustangs win four-straight games. They entered the game off a huge victory Tuesday in PKs over 13th-ranked Addison Trail, which was previously undefeated in the conference. The win moved the Mustangs to 4-0 in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division, where they stand with top-ranked Morton as the only unblemished teams in the league.
Downers Grove South has a shot at winning the title if it can beat Hinsdale South on the road Oct. 7 and upset Morton at home Oct. 12.
“This is a huge confidence boost,” Torrijos said. “We started off really rough this season.
“I feel like this is going to be a huge step forward for us for the next games. I know we face Morton in two weeks.
“The boys are hyped. Can’t wait to get out there, especially with the momentum we have. I can’t see any team that would stand a chance against us, to be quite honest. We’re on a roll.”
That might be a little overexuberance on the part of Torrijos, but the enthusiasm is understandable given his team’s recent run of play. The Mustangs backline of Michael Mendoza, Max Paschall, Matt Crowley and Victor Carrasco allowed the Trojans (4-11-0) only three shots.
Johnson made the Mustangs only difficult save, which came on a 25-yard liner from Tomislav Petkovski with 1:45 to go in the game.
“I think there were some tired legs out there,” Stapleton said. “You could see it on both sides.
“I know they played a tough conference game at Oak Park on Tuesday, and we had a hard game against Addison Trail. I think it was a little more defensive-minded; there weren’t tons of chances. We were able to capitalize.”
Smazil was the first to do so. He took a lead pass from Josh Venouziou in the left side of the box and beat Downers Grove North goalkeeper Jospeh Kapsch to the far post at the 23:07 mark of the first half.
It was Smazil’s fifth goal of the season and second in as many games since returning from an ankle injury. He also bagged one against Addison Trail.
“I played it to Josh, Josh played a beautiful ball into me,” Smazil said. “Just 1-on-1 with the keeper and in my head, I was like, ‘Just put it away.’
“So I aimed for the bottom right corner as best I could. It was awesome.”
The Mustangs think it is awesome to have Smazil back in the lineup. He missed the Oswego East game early in the season due to COVID protocols and was out for two weeks with the sprained ankle, which still hasn’t fully healed.
“It’s a little better,” Smazil said. “I’m still sore, and there’s nothing I can really do about that.
“I’m just trying to play through it, get as many minutes as I possibly can because I love playing. I’ve been itching to play, so it was awesome to play against Addison Trail and then playing tonight. The atmosphere, the fans, this is what you live for.
“As a high school player, you love this stuff.”
Torrijos loves the grit and determination Smazil brings to the field. It sets an example for the rest of the squad.
“Jerry is as tough as it gets,” Torrijos said. “If you hit him once, he’s going to get right back up and go at it again.
“It’s going to be hard to keep him out. He’s going to keep coming.”
Though neither team had fresh legs and good opportunities were hard to come by, the Mustangs kept coming and Torrijos broke through with the insurance goal, his first goal of the season, with 32:22 remaining in the second half.
Carrasco sent a pass from the left wing across the top of the circle, where it was touched briefly by a defender but still made its way to Torrijos. He spun into the box and buried a shot from 16 yards.
“Victor passed it to me, and I just cut it to the right and finished,” Torrijos said. “It was pretty big for us to come out strong, especially since we were only up one. It’s better to get the lead in the beginning of the half so you can just calm it down the rest of the game, not make simple mistakes.”
Downers Grove South came into the game with the older, more experienced team and better recent form. But Torrijos said something else made the difference.
“To me it was more of a battle of the fittest, because we were all dead from Tuesday’s game,” Torrijos said. “I know all the starters went out there today, gave it their best, worked their (tails) off. I really appreciate them for not giving up.”
Downers Grove North didn’t give up, either, battling all the way to the end, but Schmitt agreed with Torrijos.
“The defenses played pretty well on both sides,” Schmitt said. “They did a little better.
“It was just the energy, and the quality that we didn’t have enough of today; and they did. So, it was unfortunate in the result.”
Schmitt was pleased with the play of Petkovski, Nick O’Shea and Bradley Szydlowski, but it wasn’t enough against a team on the upswing.
“It’s tough coming up against a team coming into this kind of game with a lot of confidence,” Schmitt said. “Tuesday was a big win for them against Addison Trail.
“They came in with a lot of confidence and energy, and they were ready to play. We were stuttering a little bit. We were still trying to figure some things out.
“They worked harder than us today and had more quality than us today.
“Their build-up play was really nice. They created a lot of space and exploited it pretty well and had a couple clinical finishes.”
Schmitt said the Trojans are a work in progress.
“Heading into the playoffs in a couple weeks, we’re hoping we can fine-tune some stuff and turn the corner,” Schmitt said. “We’re taking some steps.”
So are the Mustangs, who will get to display the Downers Cup in their trophy case for the next 12 months.
“Just like Hinsdale South with the (Southern) Bell (travelling trophy), it adds that little oomph,” Smazil said. “It’s like this thing that you treasure.
“I’m so proud of the boys. We worked our butts off today.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
GK Joseph Kapsch
D Kyle Miller
D Jose Perez
D Owen Lesley
D Jake Rohde
D Bradley Szydlowski
M Riley Botha
M James Harkness
M Adam Jonowiak
M Nicholas O’Shea
F Jack Ryan
Downers Grove South
GK Zach Johnson
D Michael Mendoza
D Max Paschall
D Matt Crowley
D Victor Carrasco
M Giovanni Torrijos
M Julian Lopez
M Dardan Sylejmani
M Nick Opacian
F Josh Venouziou
F Jerry Smazil
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jerry Smazil, sr., F, Downers Grove South
Scoring summary
First half
DGS – Jerry Smazil (Josh Venouziou) 23:07 remaining
Second half
DGS – Giovanni Torrijos (unassisted) 32:22 remaining