DGS falls to Fenton 4-2 in wide-open affair
Speedy soph Jaramillo paces Bison with hat-trick
By Ken Keenan
BENSENVILLE -- After twice fighting back to even the score against Fenton Tuesday night, Downers Grove South was done in by a pair of long bombs in the late going and fell to the Bison by a 4-2 count in nonconference play at Redmond Park.
With the match knotted at 2-2, Fenton junior defender Konrad Madej sent a rising, 40-yard shot in the 72nd minute that slipped in just under the crossbar to make it 3-2. Three minutes later, roadrunner-like sophomore forward Ivan Jaramillo followed suit, netting his third goal of the game with a 30-yard floater that drifted over the head of Mustangs junior goalkeeper Kenny Rosales.
"I thought both teams played very hard, but a couple of mistakes on our part made the difference," said Downers Grove South head coach Jon Stapleton. "We could have communicated better on defense. Our goalkeeper was put on an island. To (Fenton's) credit, they finished those chances."
Jaramillo, who opened the scoring in the 7th minute and tallied again with 23:54 left in the first half to give his team a 2-1 lead at the break, was named Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
The Mustangs (5-8-3) had a couple of good looks early on, including a fine chance for senior midfielder Jack Daly in the 4th minute. After settling a cross from the right side by senior mid Kurt Bennett, Daly turned in front and fired just over the crossbar.
But the Bison (10-7-0) drew first blood when Jaramillo corralled the rebound of a pop-up shot by senior mid Branny Salas and pounded the ball in from close range with 33:15 to go in the opening session.
Downers Grove South quickly responded with a pair of solid tries, but Fenton freshman keeper Daniel Villanueva had the answer for both: a 25-yard, wide-angle shot from the left side by Daly and a 35-yard strike from the left side by senior mid Mauricio Becerra.
But Villanueva didn't have the answer during a crazy scramble in the 11th minute. With the Mustangs crashing the net en masse, Becerra pounced on a deflected ball and sneaked around a defender on the left side before burying a shot past Villanueva. Sophomore forward Aaron Venouziou earned the assist.
Fenton regained the lead six minutes later when Jaramillo struck again, this time on a wicked, left-footed strike from a sharp angle on the left side that beat Rosales inside the far post. Salas again notched the helper.
"I know how (Jaramillo) plays, and he knows how I play since we were young," Salas said. "He's like my little brother. I love him so much. I'm happy when he scores."
Added Ruiz: "They feed off each other. They find each other and know each other's runs. Ivan (Jaramillo), he's finding the back of the net. With his ability to change speed, he gets by defenders so quick. Next thing you know, he's off and running."
The Mustangs roared back, tying the score three minutes into the second half on a goal by senior midfielder Alex Flores, who chipped the ball in from short distance after gathering a throw-in by senior defender Michael Beube.
"We were really pumped after that tying goal," Beube said.
Flores had another chance in the 47th minute, but his close-in try from the left side deflected off the far post. With 24:50 remaining, Mustangs junior forward Enrique Gonzalez tracked a long ball sent by Becerra and uncorked a left-footed rocket that missed wide-left.
In the 65th minute, a Downers Grove South corner kick resulted in a strong head attempt by junior defender Ethan Kelly that Villanueva handled, and the Bison keeper also made the save on a deflected free kick by Gonzalez with 11 minutes showing. Two minutes later, Gonzalez concluded a tough, 40-yard run with a left-footed blast that missed wide-left.
Fenton's Madej then dropped his bomb into the top left corner with 8:33 to go for the go-ahead goal, and Jaramillo secured the hat-trick with his sailing pop-up with exactly 5 minutes to go.
"I saw the keeper coming out," Jaramillo said. "That was my chance, and I took it."
Bison senior mid Ismael Ibarez assisted on both tallies, sending long balls to set the table for the hovering strikes.
"Their defense liked to to play a high line ... tried to get through-balls," Daly said. "You create pressure with speed, and they were trying to catch our defense off guard."
Looking to cut the deficit, Gonzalez battled to to get off a spinning shot from the far right side that Villanueva nabbed in the 78th minute, and Becerra fed Daly for a one-timer on the doorstep that sailed over the bar with merely 30 seconds left.
"I don't question our effort, it just seems we don't know how to finish," Stapleton said. "We came back to tie it, but we're lacking that ability to finish the job. That's the only disappointing thing. Our guys are frustrated because our expectations are higher than our performance shows.
"But this game was a good opportunity to prepare for the playoffs. It was exciting."
Downers Grove South will face Riverside-Brookfield in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 3A Morton Regional at 7 p.m. Oct. 16.
"We need to get rid of mental lapses, on both sides of the field, and be ready to play at all times -- the beginning, the middle and the end," Daly said.
Added Venouziou: "We've got to keep a stronger state of mind, and keep enjoying each other as a team."
Meanwhile, Fenton will take on Steinmetz at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 16 in the first round of the Bison's own Class AA regional at Redmond Park.
"This game against (Downers Grove South), both sides played hard," Ruiz said. "This gets us in the rhythm ... gives us some momentum for the playoffs."
Added Jaramillo: "We want to keep going and win regionals -- and go to State."
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
G: Kenny Rosales
D: Alex Wielgosz
D: Steve Mucha
D: Ethan Kelly
D: Michael Loughran
M: Mauricio Becerra
M: Stefano Espinosa
M: Alex Flores
M: Jack Daly
M: Kurt Bennett
F: Aaron Venouziou
Fenton
G: Daniel Villanueva
D: Matthew Plizga
D: Konrad Madej
D: Ulises Ponce
D: Brandon Arias
M: Ethan Rojas
M: Branny Salas
M: Abraham Sanchez
M: Ismael Ibarez
M: Rolman Tello Lopez
F: Ivan Jaramillo
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ivan Jaramillo, so., F, Fenton
Officials: David Dickson, Brett Richter, Bob Lahey
Scoring summary
First half
Fenton: Ivan Jaramillo (Branny Salas), 7th minute
Downers Grove South: Mauricio Becerra (Aaron Venouziou), 11th minute
Fenton: Jaramillo (Salas), 16th minute
Second half
Downers Grove South: Alex Flores (Michael Beube), 43rd minute
Fenton: Sebastian Palacios (Ismael Ibarez), 72nd minute
Fenton: Jaramillo (Ibarez), 75th minute
Speedy soph Jaramillo paces Bison with hat-trick
By Ken Keenan
BENSENVILLE -- After twice fighting back to even the score against Fenton Tuesday night, Downers Grove South was done in by a pair of long bombs in the late going and fell to the Bison by a 4-2 count in nonconference play at Redmond Park.
With the match knotted at 2-2, Fenton junior defender Konrad Madej sent a rising, 40-yard shot in the 72nd minute that slipped in just under the crossbar to make it 3-2. Three minutes later, roadrunner-like sophomore forward Ivan Jaramillo followed suit, netting his third goal of the game with a 30-yard floater that drifted over the head of Mustangs junior goalkeeper Kenny Rosales.
"I thought both teams played very hard, but a couple of mistakes on our part made the difference," said Downers Grove South head coach Jon Stapleton. "We could have communicated better on defense. Our goalkeeper was put on an island. To (Fenton's) credit, they finished those chances."
Jaramillo, who opened the scoring in the 7th minute and tallied again with 23:54 left in the first half to give his team a 2-1 lead at the break, was named Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
The Mustangs (5-8-3) had a couple of good looks early on, including a fine chance for senior midfielder Jack Daly in the 4th minute. After settling a cross from the right side by senior mid Kurt Bennett, Daly turned in front and fired just over the crossbar.
But the Bison (10-7-0) drew first blood when Jaramillo corralled the rebound of a pop-up shot by senior mid Branny Salas and pounded the ball in from close range with 33:15 to go in the opening session.
Downers Grove South quickly responded with a pair of solid tries, but Fenton freshman keeper Daniel Villanueva had the answer for both: a 25-yard, wide-angle shot from the left side by Daly and a 35-yard strike from the left side by senior mid Mauricio Becerra.
But Villanueva didn't have the answer during a crazy scramble in the 11th minute. With the Mustangs crashing the net en masse, Becerra pounced on a deflected ball and sneaked around a defender on the left side before burying a shot past Villanueva. Sophomore forward Aaron Venouziou earned the assist.
Fenton regained the lead six minutes later when Jaramillo struck again, this time on a wicked, left-footed strike from a sharp angle on the left side that beat Rosales inside the far post. Salas again notched the helper.
"I know how (Jaramillo) plays, and he knows how I play since we were young," Salas said. "He's like my little brother. I love him so much. I'm happy when he scores."
Added Ruiz: "They feed off each other. They find each other and know each other's runs. Ivan (Jaramillo), he's finding the back of the net. With his ability to change speed, he gets by defenders so quick. Next thing you know, he's off and running."
The Mustangs roared back, tying the score three minutes into the second half on a goal by senior midfielder Alex Flores, who chipped the ball in from short distance after gathering a throw-in by senior defender Michael Beube.
"We were really pumped after that tying goal," Beube said.
Flores had another chance in the 47th minute, but his close-in try from the left side deflected off the far post. With 24:50 remaining, Mustangs junior forward Enrique Gonzalez tracked a long ball sent by Becerra and uncorked a left-footed rocket that missed wide-left.
In the 65th minute, a Downers Grove South corner kick resulted in a strong head attempt by junior defender Ethan Kelly that Villanueva handled, and the Bison keeper also made the save on a deflected free kick by Gonzalez with 11 minutes showing. Two minutes later, Gonzalez concluded a tough, 40-yard run with a left-footed blast that missed wide-left.
Fenton's Madej then dropped his bomb into the top left corner with 8:33 to go for the go-ahead goal, and Jaramillo secured the hat-trick with his sailing pop-up with exactly 5 minutes to go.
"I saw the keeper coming out," Jaramillo said. "That was my chance, and I took it."
Bison senior mid Ismael Ibarez assisted on both tallies, sending long balls to set the table for the hovering strikes.
"Their defense liked to to play a high line ... tried to get through-balls," Daly said. "You create pressure with speed, and they were trying to catch our defense off guard."
Looking to cut the deficit, Gonzalez battled to to get off a spinning shot from the far right side that Villanueva nabbed in the 78th minute, and Becerra fed Daly for a one-timer on the doorstep that sailed over the bar with merely 30 seconds left.
"I don't question our effort, it just seems we don't know how to finish," Stapleton said. "We came back to tie it, but we're lacking that ability to finish the job. That's the only disappointing thing. Our guys are frustrated because our expectations are higher than our performance shows.
"But this game was a good opportunity to prepare for the playoffs. It was exciting."
Downers Grove South will face Riverside-Brookfield in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 3A Morton Regional at 7 p.m. Oct. 16.
"We need to get rid of mental lapses, on both sides of the field, and be ready to play at all times -- the beginning, the middle and the end," Daly said.
Added Venouziou: "We've got to keep a stronger state of mind, and keep enjoying each other as a team."
Meanwhile, Fenton will take on Steinmetz at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 16 in the first round of the Bison's own Class AA regional at Redmond Park.
"This game against (Downers Grove South), both sides played hard," Ruiz said. "This gets us in the rhythm ... gives us some momentum for the playoffs."
Added Jaramillo: "We want to keep going and win regionals -- and go to State."
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
G: Kenny Rosales
D: Alex Wielgosz
D: Steve Mucha
D: Ethan Kelly
D: Michael Loughran
M: Mauricio Becerra
M: Stefano Espinosa
M: Alex Flores
M: Jack Daly
M: Kurt Bennett
F: Aaron Venouziou
Fenton
G: Daniel Villanueva
D: Matthew Plizga
D: Konrad Madej
D: Ulises Ponce
D: Brandon Arias
M: Ethan Rojas
M: Branny Salas
M: Abraham Sanchez
M: Ismael Ibarez
M: Rolman Tello Lopez
F: Ivan Jaramillo
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ivan Jaramillo, so., F, Fenton
Officials: David Dickson, Brett Richter, Bob Lahey
Scoring summary
First half
Fenton: Ivan Jaramillo (Branny Salas), 7th minute
Downers Grove South: Mauricio Becerra (Aaron Venouziou), 11th minute
Fenton: Jaramillo (Salas), 16th minute
Second half
Downers Grove South: Alex Flores (Michael Beube), 43rd minute
Fenton: Sebastian Palacios (Ismael Ibarez), 72nd minute
Fenton: Jaramillo (Ibarez), 75th minute