Schaub, DGN show
2nd half perseverance at Leyden
2 unanswered goals after the break give Trojans 3-1 road win
By Bill Stone
FRANKLIN PARK -- With just under 25 minutes remaining, senior Ben Schaub had a picture-perfect opportunity to put Downers Grove North ahead Thursday at Leyden.
Senior outside defender Sam Bull delivered a solid pass down the left sideline to senior Trygve Hansen, whose beautiful cross traveled directly to an unmarked Schaub in the center of the box.
Schaub headed the ball just wide of the right post.
“In that situation, it’s just like all instincts in the end, and sometimes you just mess up a little bit,” Schaub said.
“You’ve just got to move on from it and just think about the next opportunity that you get to get a shot on goal. At first, it was definitely in back of my mind but after you play for a while, you learn that mistakes like that you can’t control, and it’s in the past. You’ve just got to forget about it.”
Schaub typified the Trojans' mindset the rest of the way. He created another chance and that proved to be the game-winner in their 3-1 victory at Leyden's east campus artificial grass field in Franklin Park.
The West Suburban Conference crossover victory by the Trojans (6-2-1), no. 19 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, snapped a five-game winning streak for the 12th-ranked Eagles (7-2-0), who had three shutouts and just two goals allowed in that stretch.
With only 4:05 remaining, Schaub held firm battling for a ball in the penalty area. He drew a foul, resulting in a penalty kick that Hansen took, because Schaub injured his left ankle on the play. Just 31 seconds later, Hansen regained possession and added an insurance goal for a hat-trick.
For Schaub, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, this was just another memorable game in his first season of high school soccer. His header in the 45th minute was the first second half shot by either team after a 1-1 tie at halftime.
“I definitely enjoy the camaraderie and the battle of the game a lot. It’s definitely different, but I would say more fun than some of the soccer I’ve played in the past,” Schaub said.
“We definitely felt like we needed to slow down and go back to what we usually play like, calm on the ball. We knew when we had the time to go forward we could find gaps in their backline and be able to find goals.”
Rather than patience, Downers North easily could have reverted to panic. The Trojans were coming off Tuesday’s disappointing 7-1 loss at no. 2 Lyons, where they allowed five second half goals after falling behind 2-1 just three seconds before halftime.
On Thursday, Leyden senior forward Alan Vazquez struck for his 10th goal this season only 4:07 into play off a great through-ball assist from junior Pablo Mancha.
But Hansen tied things 19:06 before halftime and the Trojans began to shift the momentum – and then withstood a Leyden flurry of four shots on goal in the final five minutes of the half.
“Responding the way we did after going down early, it was a positive vibe coming into halftime. I think we found some positive momentum after we got the goal and then closing out the half and keeping them out of our goal again,” Downers North coach Mike Schmitt said.
“I think this group is pretty special in the way that they’ve been bouncing back. Aside from Lyons, they’ve done a tremendous job this season in terms of responding to adversity. Going down a goal they came back. This is actually maybe the second or third time this season we’ve done that. Past seasons, we haven’t had that fight or drive in us, so it’s very special and fun to watch.”
Schaub certainly has added to that potential with seven goals this season, according to Schmitt. With Hansen taking Schaub’s place to convert the penalty kick, Hansen unofficially now has a team-best eight goals.
The seniors said they don’t know their totals.
“I’m not counting,” Schaub said. “I had to go out because of my injury but in the end it’s whoever can step up and convert. It doesn’t matter.”
“It would have been nice to have him for more than one year, his senior year, but it is what it is. We’re just happy to have him out here providing some support for the squad,” Schmitt said of Schaub.
“He gets himself in good positions. He has a good touch. The way he kind of puts himself between the ball and the defender, he allowed us to get in that situation and get the penalty. He did a good job with that.”
Both teams had 14 shots Thursday. With the wind at its back the first half, Leyden led 10-6 in shots on goal and 4-2 in corner kicks but the Trojans led 8-6 in second half shots.
“We felt good about ourselves (at halftime). We knew it was going to be a tough game. Downers is a quality program. I think some of our guys know some of their guys vice versa from club,” Leyden coach Mark Valintis said.
“The wind was blowing, but I don’t think it played too much of a factor. In a lot of ways going a little into the wind, some of our more aggressive passing the wind would help die down and defenders have to judge the ball out of the air. It puts a lot of pressure on them. We had a couple of chances in the second half -- wind or no wind. I thought we had a good opportunity to take the lead before the penalty kick. Their goalie (senior Gavin Crowson) made a few nice saves; their defense made nice recoveries on a few shots we didn’t put on target.”
The Eagles showed their offensive explosiveness early. Mancha stole the ball coming behind a Downers North player near the center of the field and quickly transitioned with his through-ball to Vazquez, who barely beat a charging Crowson to the ball. Vazquez sharply maneuvered to his right and around Crowson to eventually put the opportunity away.
“Every game he’s played (minus injury), he’s scored,” Valintis said.
Besides battling intermittent gusty winds for the first half, Downers North's attack needed to adjust to an offsides trap, which yielded four infractions in the first 20 minutes on the new, spacious 75-yard wide field.
Hansen scored his equalizer in similar fast-paced fashion, intercepting the ball at the 30 and then bolting around a couple of Leyden defenders along the right side of the box to break free.
“Our midfielders figured out that they were going to step (for the traps) once they passed the ball so we just kept out going wide instead of playing it through. We took the ball down the flanks and just got it in the middle,” Hansen said.
“It was really good to create those chances. It was also awesome for our defense just to hold the ball, calm down. We really held them to not a lot of shots or really good chances. I felt like our defense really helped us in the last 70 minutes, helped just keep the ball and calm the game down so we could attack forward.”
Bull was effective offensively with his restarts on free kicks and long passes along the sidelines.
Crowson, meanwhile, upped his game after the early goal. In the 36th minute, he made a punch save after Cris Hernandez stole the ball and quickly blasted from the 25, resulting in the only corner kick of the half.
Leyden sustained the pressure, but in the 38th minute, Crowson’s right-post save thwarted Mancha from the top of the box after Mancha initiated the attack and the ball leaked back out to him.
“He’s a very solid keeper. There’s a reason why he’s been with us for four years,” Schmitt said of Crowson.
“He’s very confident. I think it was maybe just a little bit of miscommunication on the play itself (for Leyden’s goal), but then he responded well. We talked at halftime. He explained the whole situation and coming out second half with that mentality, he made some really nice saves. He came out with that mentality to bounce back and make sure he didn’t make any more mistakes.”
In the Leyden net, goalies Isael Marin and Kai Kopera each played one half. In the 25th minute, Marin deflected Andrew Janowiak’s left-wing shot to the right of the net. About a minute before the penalty kick, Kopera stopped Hansen’s direct kick from 30 yards that deflected off the Eagles’ defensive wall.
This was Leyden’s final home game but even with more than a dozen seniors, Valintis said they were not too emotional in that regard afterward.
The Eagles’ thoughts continue toward their showdown match at Morton for the WSC Gold Division title.
Leyden is the last team to win the Gold other than Morton, but that was back in 2011.
“They’ve said since there is no state title, that’s the goal they’re shooting for. It’s the goal we’re shooting for,” Valintis said.
“We’re great rivals. Our games are always competitive, close. I think there’s a lot of mutual respect between programs. I think everybody in our conference looks forward to their shot at Morton. For the last 10 years, Morton’s gone undefeated (in the Gold). It’s something awesome to look forward to in a shortened season where there’s no (or few) fans, and no tournaments. We’re lucky to be in that position.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
GK Gavin Crowson
D Sam Bull
D Brian Benton
D Kyle Miller
D Owen Lesley
M Ben Schaub
M Lucas Turk
M Ryan Wilson
M Franklin Griffin
F Colin Nuttall
F Trygve Hansen
Leyden
G Isael Marin
D Jesus Recendez
D Matt Espinoza
D Kristian Martinez
D Edgar Orozco
M Dylan Santamaria
M Alan Jacinto
M Ozzie Pacheco
M Pablo Mancha
F Alan Vazquez
F Cris Hernandez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ben Schaub, sr. M, Downers Grove North
Scoring summary
First half
Leyden — Alan Vazquez (Pablo Mancha) 5th minute (4:07)
Downers North — Trygve Hansen (unassisted) 21st minute (20:54)
Second half
Downers North — Trygve Hansen (penalty kick) 76th minute (75:55)
Downers North — Trygve Hansen (unassisted) 77th minute (76:26)
2nd half perseverance at Leyden
2 unanswered goals after the break give Trojans 3-1 road win
By Bill Stone
FRANKLIN PARK -- With just under 25 minutes remaining, senior Ben Schaub had a picture-perfect opportunity to put Downers Grove North ahead Thursday at Leyden.
Senior outside defender Sam Bull delivered a solid pass down the left sideline to senior Trygve Hansen, whose beautiful cross traveled directly to an unmarked Schaub in the center of the box.
Schaub headed the ball just wide of the right post.
“In that situation, it’s just like all instincts in the end, and sometimes you just mess up a little bit,” Schaub said.
“You’ve just got to move on from it and just think about the next opportunity that you get to get a shot on goal. At first, it was definitely in back of my mind but after you play for a while, you learn that mistakes like that you can’t control, and it’s in the past. You’ve just got to forget about it.”
Schaub typified the Trojans' mindset the rest of the way. He created another chance and that proved to be the game-winner in their 3-1 victory at Leyden's east campus artificial grass field in Franklin Park.
The West Suburban Conference crossover victory by the Trojans (6-2-1), no. 19 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, snapped a five-game winning streak for the 12th-ranked Eagles (7-2-0), who had three shutouts and just two goals allowed in that stretch.
With only 4:05 remaining, Schaub held firm battling for a ball in the penalty area. He drew a foul, resulting in a penalty kick that Hansen took, because Schaub injured his left ankle on the play. Just 31 seconds later, Hansen regained possession and added an insurance goal for a hat-trick.
For Schaub, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, this was just another memorable game in his first season of high school soccer. His header in the 45th minute was the first second half shot by either team after a 1-1 tie at halftime.
“I definitely enjoy the camaraderie and the battle of the game a lot. It’s definitely different, but I would say more fun than some of the soccer I’ve played in the past,” Schaub said.
“We definitely felt like we needed to slow down and go back to what we usually play like, calm on the ball. We knew when we had the time to go forward we could find gaps in their backline and be able to find goals.”
Rather than patience, Downers North easily could have reverted to panic. The Trojans were coming off Tuesday’s disappointing 7-1 loss at no. 2 Lyons, where they allowed five second half goals after falling behind 2-1 just three seconds before halftime.
On Thursday, Leyden senior forward Alan Vazquez struck for his 10th goal this season only 4:07 into play off a great through-ball assist from junior Pablo Mancha.
But Hansen tied things 19:06 before halftime and the Trojans began to shift the momentum – and then withstood a Leyden flurry of four shots on goal in the final five minutes of the half.
“Responding the way we did after going down early, it was a positive vibe coming into halftime. I think we found some positive momentum after we got the goal and then closing out the half and keeping them out of our goal again,” Downers North coach Mike Schmitt said.
“I think this group is pretty special in the way that they’ve been bouncing back. Aside from Lyons, they’ve done a tremendous job this season in terms of responding to adversity. Going down a goal they came back. This is actually maybe the second or third time this season we’ve done that. Past seasons, we haven’t had that fight or drive in us, so it’s very special and fun to watch.”
Schaub certainly has added to that potential with seven goals this season, according to Schmitt. With Hansen taking Schaub’s place to convert the penalty kick, Hansen unofficially now has a team-best eight goals.
The seniors said they don’t know their totals.
“I’m not counting,” Schaub said. “I had to go out because of my injury but in the end it’s whoever can step up and convert. It doesn’t matter.”
“It would have been nice to have him for more than one year, his senior year, but it is what it is. We’re just happy to have him out here providing some support for the squad,” Schmitt said of Schaub.
“He gets himself in good positions. He has a good touch. The way he kind of puts himself between the ball and the defender, he allowed us to get in that situation and get the penalty. He did a good job with that.”
Both teams had 14 shots Thursday. With the wind at its back the first half, Leyden led 10-6 in shots on goal and 4-2 in corner kicks but the Trojans led 8-6 in second half shots.
“We felt good about ourselves (at halftime). We knew it was going to be a tough game. Downers is a quality program. I think some of our guys know some of their guys vice versa from club,” Leyden coach Mark Valintis said.
“The wind was blowing, but I don’t think it played too much of a factor. In a lot of ways going a little into the wind, some of our more aggressive passing the wind would help die down and defenders have to judge the ball out of the air. It puts a lot of pressure on them. We had a couple of chances in the second half -- wind or no wind. I thought we had a good opportunity to take the lead before the penalty kick. Their goalie (senior Gavin Crowson) made a few nice saves; their defense made nice recoveries on a few shots we didn’t put on target.”
The Eagles showed their offensive explosiveness early. Mancha stole the ball coming behind a Downers North player near the center of the field and quickly transitioned with his through-ball to Vazquez, who barely beat a charging Crowson to the ball. Vazquez sharply maneuvered to his right and around Crowson to eventually put the opportunity away.
“Every game he’s played (minus injury), he’s scored,” Valintis said.
Besides battling intermittent gusty winds for the first half, Downers North's attack needed to adjust to an offsides trap, which yielded four infractions in the first 20 minutes on the new, spacious 75-yard wide field.
Hansen scored his equalizer in similar fast-paced fashion, intercepting the ball at the 30 and then bolting around a couple of Leyden defenders along the right side of the box to break free.
“Our midfielders figured out that they were going to step (for the traps) once they passed the ball so we just kept out going wide instead of playing it through. We took the ball down the flanks and just got it in the middle,” Hansen said.
“It was really good to create those chances. It was also awesome for our defense just to hold the ball, calm down. We really held them to not a lot of shots or really good chances. I felt like our defense really helped us in the last 70 minutes, helped just keep the ball and calm the game down so we could attack forward.”
Bull was effective offensively with his restarts on free kicks and long passes along the sidelines.
Crowson, meanwhile, upped his game after the early goal. In the 36th minute, he made a punch save after Cris Hernandez stole the ball and quickly blasted from the 25, resulting in the only corner kick of the half.
Leyden sustained the pressure, but in the 38th minute, Crowson’s right-post save thwarted Mancha from the top of the box after Mancha initiated the attack and the ball leaked back out to him.
“He’s a very solid keeper. There’s a reason why he’s been with us for four years,” Schmitt said of Crowson.
“He’s very confident. I think it was maybe just a little bit of miscommunication on the play itself (for Leyden’s goal), but then he responded well. We talked at halftime. He explained the whole situation and coming out second half with that mentality, he made some really nice saves. He came out with that mentality to bounce back and make sure he didn’t make any more mistakes.”
In the Leyden net, goalies Isael Marin and Kai Kopera each played one half. In the 25th minute, Marin deflected Andrew Janowiak’s left-wing shot to the right of the net. About a minute before the penalty kick, Kopera stopped Hansen’s direct kick from 30 yards that deflected off the Eagles’ defensive wall.
This was Leyden’s final home game but even with more than a dozen seniors, Valintis said they were not too emotional in that regard afterward.
The Eagles’ thoughts continue toward their showdown match at Morton for the WSC Gold Division title.
Leyden is the last team to win the Gold other than Morton, but that was back in 2011.
“They’ve said since there is no state title, that’s the goal they’re shooting for. It’s the goal we’re shooting for,” Valintis said.
“We’re great rivals. Our games are always competitive, close. I think there’s a lot of mutual respect between programs. I think everybody in our conference looks forward to their shot at Morton. For the last 10 years, Morton’s gone undefeated (in the Gold). It’s something awesome to look forward to in a shortened season where there’s no (or few) fans, and no tournaments. We’re lucky to be in that position.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
GK Gavin Crowson
D Sam Bull
D Brian Benton
D Kyle Miller
D Owen Lesley
M Ben Schaub
M Lucas Turk
M Ryan Wilson
M Franklin Griffin
F Colin Nuttall
F Trygve Hansen
Leyden
G Isael Marin
D Jesus Recendez
D Matt Espinoza
D Kristian Martinez
D Edgar Orozco
M Dylan Santamaria
M Alan Jacinto
M Ozzie Pacheco
M Pablo Mancha
F Alan Vazquez
F Cris Hernandez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ben Schaub, sr. M, Downers Grove North
Scoring summary
First half
Leyden — Alan Vazquez (Pablo Mancha) 5th minute (4:07)
Downers North — Trygve Hansen (unassisted) 21st minute (20:54)
Second half
Downers North — Trygve Hansen (penalty kick) 76th minute (75:55)
Downers North — Trygve Hansen (unassisted) 77th minute (76:26)