Big strike leads to Downers Grove draw
DGS' Gonzalez hits 35-yard bomb to tie DGN 1-1 in annual tussle
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South may not be setting the world on fire this fall.
That doesn’t mean they can’t spark their respective fans into a full-throated roar.
Such was the case again Thursday night at Downers Grove North's Carstens Field.
Brilliant goalkeeping by Downers Grove North sophomore Gavin Crowson allowed the host Trojans to negate Downers Grove South’s superior offensive play, but it wasn’t enough to secure a victory.
Downers South junior Enrique Gonzalez scored on a spectacular 35-yard shot from the left wing midway through the second half as the Mustangs rallied for a 1-1 tie.
“These games are always intense and always at a high level, regardless of what our (records) seem to show,” Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt said. “Both teams always show up for this game.
“I was really hoping for a result on either side just so it was not another tie.”
Indeed, ties are nothing new when these teams play, especially at Carstens Field. Schmitt’s coaching record against the Mustangs is now 0-0-3 in home games.
The result allowed both teams some satisfaction considering they’ve been heading in opposite directions lately. The Trojans (6-6-4) are winless in their last seven games, while the Mustangs (4-6-2) are 1-1-1 in their last three matches after a slow start. That includes an impressive 4-1 win over then no. 8 York and a 2-1 loss to co-West Suburban Conference Gold Division leader Proviso East.
“We seem to be playing a little better,” Downers South coach Jon Stapleton said. “Even in (the Proviso) match, we played well; we just didn’t get the result.
“Tonight I thought we had good possession and opportunities. Inconsistency has been our trend, but this is good.”
The Mustangs have been inconsistent but one player who has been anything but is Gonzalez, who celebrated his 17th birthday in style with a memorable equalizer, after which he raced to the sideline and was mobbed by his teammates.
The shot of the game came moments after Crowson made the save of the game, lunging to his right to stop Alex Flores on a penalty kick.
“On the PK, Alex’s stance was not really open,” Crowson said. “His run-up was pretty square to the ball, which is harder for him to open up his hip to place it to my left.
“So I had a really good feeling he was going to place it to my right, took two steps, saw it coming and attacked the ball.”
Crowson’s effort knocked the ball into the corner and a defender tried to clear it up the sideline.
But Gonzalez intercepted the pass and wasted no time unleashing a rocket through traffic that bounced just inside the far post past the diving Crowson with 23:50 remaining.
“Enrique comes to play every day,” Stapleton said. “He plays hard, he plays with passion and intensity, and I think situationally he’s a very smart player, too.
“When that ball popped free, he knew that they were pushing up from a PK, and they may not have been in good position. The keeper may have relaxed for just a second and (Gonzalez) put something on frame and gave us a chance. Boy, it was a great strike.”
On that, everyone agrees. Crowson, who made seven saves and was named Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, made a valiant effort but felt he could have done more.
“I was pretty screened by (defenders) Adam (Kukielski) and (Nick) Eshghy on the right and one of my wingers,” Crowson said. “My coach was saying it knuckled pretty hard.
“I saw it right when it appeared. I dove a little early. I should have taken two steps instead of one, but it was a good shot. Props to the attacker.”
Gonzalez didn’t think when he saw Downers Grove North’s clearing attempt coming. He just acted.
“After the ball came to me, I wanted the shot,” Gonzalez said. “It was my moment, and I got it.
“We were down after we missed the penalty, so we needed a goal back. I tried to do it for our team, and I got a goal out of it. I was so happy I came to the bench and celebrated.”
Gonzalez knows that you can’t celebrate if you don’t score and you can’t score if you don’t shoot. If he things he has a cler shot, he won’t hesitate to pull the trigger, even if he’s far from the goal.
“Always put it on goal,” Gonzalez said. “After you get the ball like that inside (the attacking third) you have to take a shot and see what happens.”
Of course, it’s a fine line between forcing the goalkeeper or defenders to make a play and being too selfish by risking a low-percentage shot. But Stapleton doesn’t worry about that with Gonzalez.
“There’s a mix to it,” Stapleton said. “You want to make sure that you’re keeping the keeper honest and testing him, and there are other times where you should look for a better shot.
“But in that instance, in that moment, it was smart thinking on his part. They just saved a PK and all of a sudden another ball is coming right at you. With the way Enrique can hit one, (he has the green light).”
Gonzalez was unlucky in the first half as Crowson got some help from his woodwork to hold the Mustangs at bay.
In the 24th minute, Gonzalez curved a 22-yard free kick off the left post and five minutes later Jack Daly chipped a 12-yard shot off the crossbar.
But the key sequence of the opening half came in the last minute, when the Mustangs launched a 62-yard free kick deep into the box to Kelly, whose header from outside the right post was on frame.
Crowson made a kick save to thwart that shot, but the ball went right back to Kelly, whose rebound also was denied by Crowson. A defender then cleared the ball up the field and the Trojans eventually were awarded a free kick 45 yards from Downers South’s net.
Samuel Bull’s serve went into the middle of the box, where it went off someone’s head just outside the 6. Braeden Gagliano got a shot off but it was turned aside by Downers South goalie Kenny Rosales.
Eshghy, though, was there to knock home the rebound to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead with 11 seconds left in the half.
A play like that just before intermission is usually a gut punch for the team on the receiving end, but the Mustangs proved to be resilient.
“(The reaction) meant a lot because we gave up a goal when we shouldn’t,” Gonzalez said. “It was a bad goal. But we had to come back, get the momentum and keep our heads up and play hard.”
Stapleton was pleased to see his team do just that.
“I thought our team played really, really well,” Stapleton said. “Obviously, the goal late before halftime could have really derailed us and that was kind of the challenge to our kids.
“We’ve had some ups and downs, and we’ve had some adversity. We talked about here’s a chance to respond, and I thought our kids really did.”
The Mustangs learned their lesson, but the Trojans also got something out of it. They were disappointed not to win a game in which they had the lead, something that has happened to them before.
“This is the fourth game we’ve lost the lead,” Crowson said. “(We lost) two conference games in overtime, so this is nothing new for us.”
In North’s last nine games, three have ended in ties and the other six have been one-goal decisions, four of which have been losses.
“We need to get ready for playoffs because a game like this, when we’re up, we have to keep the lead because if we give it up (in the playoffs), it’s season over," Crowson said. “We need to practice these situations in training, build up a soccer IQ, be smarter on the ball, don’t take as many risks when we have the lead, stuff like that.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK Kenny Rosales
D Michael Beube
D Alexander Wielgosz
D Steven Mucha
D Ethan Kelly
M Maury Becerra
M Stefano Espinosa
M Enrique Gonzalez
M Alexander Flores
M Jack Daly
M Kurt Bennett
Downers Grove North
GK Gavin Crowson
D Ryan Newstrom
D Will Thomas
D Nick Eshghy
D Adam Kukielski
M Peter Bednar
M Samuel Bull
M Connor Chapa
M Victor Antonyuk
F Braeden Gagliano
F Ramsey Forst
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Gavin Crowson, so., GK, Downers Grove North
Scoring summary
First half
Downers North – Nick Eshghy :11
Second half
Downers South – Enrique Gonzalez 23:50
DGS' Gonzalez hits 35-yard bomb to tie DGN 1-1 in annual tussle
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South may not be setting the world on fire this fall.
That doesn’t mean they can’t spark their respective fans into a full-throated roar.
Such was the case again Thursday night at Downers Grove North's Carstens Field.
Brilliant goalkeeping by Downers Grove North sophomore Gavin Crowson allowed the host Trojans to negate Downers Grove South’s superior offensive play, but it wasn’t enough to secure a victory.
Downers South junior Enrique Gonzalez scored on a spectacular 35-yard shot from the left wing midway through the second half as the Mustangs rallied for a 1-1 tie.
“These games are always intense and always at a high level, regardless of what our (records) seem to show,” Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt said. “Both teams always show up for this game.
“I was really hoping for a result on either side just so it was not another tie.”
Indeed, ties are nothing new when these teams play, especially at Carstens Field. Schmitt’s coaching record against the Mustangs is now 0-0-3 in home games.
The result allowed both teams some satisfaction considering they’ve been heading in opposite directions lately. The Trojans (6-6-4) are winless in their last seven games, while the Mustangs (4-6-2) are 1-1-1 in their last three matches after a slow start. That includes an impressive 4-1 win over then no. 8 York and a 2-1 loss to co-West Suburban Conference Gold Division leader Proviso East.
“We seem to be playing a little better,” Downers South coach Jon Stapleton said. “Even in (the Proviso) match, we played well; we just didn’t get the result.
“Tonight I thought we had good possession and opportunities. Inconsistency has been our trend, but this is good.”
The Mustangs have been inconsistent but one player who has been anything but is Gonzalez, who celebrated his 17th birthday in style with a memorable equalizer, after which he raced to the sideline and was mobbed by his teammates.
The shot of the game came moments after Crowson made the save of the game, lunging to his right to stop Alex Flores on a penalty kick.
“On the PK, Alex’s stance was not really open,” Crowson said. “His run-up was pretty square to the ball, which is harder for him to open up his hip to place it to my left.
“So I had a really good feeling he was going to place it to my right, took two steps, saw it coming and attacked the ball.”
Crowson’s effort knocked the ball into the corner and a defender tried to clear it up the sideline.
But Gonzalez intercepted the pass and wasted no time unleashing a rocket through traffic that bounced just inside the far post past the diving Crowson with 23:50 remaining.
“Enrique comes to play every day,” Stapleton said. “He plays hard, he plays with passion and intensity, and I think situationally he’s a very smart player, too.
“When that ball popped free, he knew that they were pushing up from a PK, and they may not have been in good position. The keeper may have relaxed for just a second and (Gonzalez) put something on frame and gave us a chance. Boy, it was a great strike.”
On that, everyone agrees. Crowson, who made seven saves and was named Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, made a valiant effort but felt he could have done more.
“I was pretty screened by (defenders) Adam (Kukielski) and (Nick) Eshghy on the right and one of my wingers,” Crowson said. “My coach was saying it knuckled pretty hard.
“I saw it right when it appeared. I dove a little early. I should have taken two steps instead of one, but it was a good shot. Props to the attacker.”
Gonzalez didn’t think when he saw Downers Grove North’s clearing attempt coming. He just acted.
“After the ball came to me, I wanted the shot,” Gonzalez said. “It was my moment, and I got it.
“We were down after we missed the penalty, so we needed a goal back. I tried to do it for our team, and I got a goal out of it. I was so happy I came to the bench and celebrated.”
Gonzalez knows that you can’t celebrate if you don’t score and you can’t score if you don’t shoot. If he things he has a cler shot, he won’t hesitate to pull the trigger, even if he’s far from the goal.
“Always put it on goal,” Gonzalez said. “After you get the ball like that inside (the attacking third) you have to take a shot and see what happens.”
Of course, it’s a fine line between forcing the goalkeeper or defenders to make a play and being too selfish by risking a low-percentage shot. But Stapleton doesn’t worry about that with Gonzalez.
“There’s a mix to it,” Stapleton said. “You want to make sure that you’re keeping the keeper honest and testing him, and there are other times where you should look for a better shot.
“But in that instance, in that moment, it was smart thinking on his part. They just saved a PK and all of a sudden another ball is coming right at you. With the way Enrique can hit one, (he has the green light).”
Gonzalez was unlucky in the first half as Crowson got some help from his woodwork to hold the Mustangs at bay.
In the 24th minute, Gonzalez curved a 22-yard free kick off the left post and five minutes later Jack Daly chipped a 12-yard shot off the crossbar.
But the key sequence of the opening half came in the last minute, when the Mustangs launched a 62-yard free kick deep into the box to Kelly, whose header from outside the right post was on frame.
Crowson made a kick save to thwart that shot, but the ball went right back to Kelly, whose rebound also was denied by Crowson. A defender then cleared the ball up the field and the Trojans eventually were awarded a free kick 45 yards from Downers South’s net.
Samuel Bull’s serve went into the middle of the box, where it went off someone’s head just outside the 6. Braeden Gagliano got a shot off but it was turned aside by Downers South goalie Kenny Rosales.
Eshghy, though, was there to knock home the rebound to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead with 11 seconds left in the half.
A play like that just before intermission is usually a gut punch for the team on the receiving end, but the Mustangs proved to be resilient.
“(The reaction) meant a lot because we gave up a goal when we shouldn’t,” Gonzalez said. “It was a bad goal. But we had to come back, get the momentum and keep our heads up and play hard.”
Stapleton was pleased to see his team do just that.
“I thought our team played really, really well,” Stapleton said. “Obviously, the goal late before halftime could have really derailed us and that was kind of the challenge to our kids.
“We’ve had some ups and downs, and we’ve had some adversity. We talked about here’s a chance to respond, and I thought our kids really did.”
The Mustangs learned their lesson, but the Trojans also got something out of it. They were disappointed not to win a game in which they had the lead, something that has happened to them before.
“This is the fourth game we’ve lost the lead,” Crowson said. “(We lost) two conference games in overtime, so this is nothing new for us.”
In North’s last nine games, three have ended in ties and the other six have been one-goal decisions, four of which have been losses.
“We need to get ready for playoffs because a game like this, when we’re up, we have to keep the lead because if we give it up (in the playoffs), it’s season over," Crowson said. “We need to practice these situations in training, build up a soccer IQ, be smarter on the ball, don’t take as many risks when we have the lead, stuff like that.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK Kenny Rosales
D Michael Beube
D Alexander Wielgosz
D Steven Mucha
D Ethan Kelly
M Maury Becerra
M Stefano Espinosa
M Enrique Gonzalez
M Alexander Flores
M Jack Daly
M Kurt Bennett
Downers Grove North
GK Gavin Crowson
D Ryan Newstrom
D Will Thomas
D Nick Eshghy
D Adam Kukielski
M Peter Bednar
M Samuel Bull
M Connor Chapa
M Victor Antonyuk
F Braeden Gagliano
F Ramsey Forst
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Gavin Crowson, so., GK, Downers Grove North
Scoring summary
First half
Downers North – Nick Eshghy :11
Second half
Downers South – Enrique Gonzalez 23:50