Leyden breaks into win column
against Downers Grove South
Eagles post 1-0 home victory in teams’ league opener
By Mike Garofola
NORTHLAKE -- Leyden earned its first win of the season, and put a nearly 200-minute scoreless streak behind it by beating visiting Downers Grove South at the Eagles’ West Campus stadium.
"The boys fought hard tonight against a team that is always well-coached by Jon (Stapleton, Mustangs manager), who has his guys prepared to play every time. To get a win, in our conference opener against Downers Grove South was very good for us," said Eagles manager Mark Valintis, whose club will now embark on a busy four-game week when play begins for the Streamwood Fall Classic.
"We really needed this win tonight," admitted senior captain, Avi Flores, the Eagles fine central defender. He shared Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his terrific work on this wonderful fall Wednesday evening with Downers Grove South captain Julian Lopez.
"We had so much trouble scoring this season so far, and we've been in nearly every game,” Flores continued. “To win a really close game against a good opponent is a very good thing for a team like we have, that is so young and inexperienced."
Flores relishes the responsibilities of mentor and leader to his partners in the back.
"Yadier (DeLaCruz), Stefano (Andrino) and Fabian Rodriguez, who are all sophomores, have worked hard. I really like their energy and heart," continued Flores, who plays his club soccer for the Eclipse and is currently keeping his options open for college next fall. “I feel like it's my job to be a strong leader to them, because they are the future.”
Downers Grove South (3-4-0, 0-1-x), was a scrappy bunch all throughout the night, managing the less than perfect grass field. The pitch was extremely dry due to building construction on the north end of the stadium, that forced the shutdown of the water supply.
"We practiced on grass in advance of this game, knowing it might be a little bit of a challenge for the guys,” said Stapleton. “But I thought we did pretty well with the conditions, knowing (Leyden) would have a slight advantage here.
"We missed having (injured senior forward Paul Kruszewski, who is so dynamic, but the other guys stepped in to fill in during his absence. We just could not put one or two in even though we created chances, especially in the last part of the second half."
Leyden (1-4-2, 1-0-x) had the brighter start of the two clubs. Outside midfielder, Brandon Delgado provided pace and quality service from the left side during the early stages.
However, Downers Grove South came to life after 10 minutes, inspired by Alex Benkart, who forced defenders Flores and Rodriguez to squeeze the Mustangs senior off the ball to stop a potential 1-v-1 with Eagles keeper Daniel Llanos.
The first quality chance fell to the Mustangs when Karol Niziolek steered his free kick from just outside the box in the direction of the back post. If not for Llanos' full-extension effort, the visitors could have earned the opener in the 13th minute.
The visitors continued to enjoy most of the play following the near-miss, with left back Victor Carrasco joining the attack on a consistent basis to add numbers.
Carrasco and Benkart stretched Leyden in their end and forced another tackle from Flores. In the middle of the park, Jorge Alcantara, Lopez and Niziolek were winning most of the air and ground battles.
"We started slow, then picked things up for a while," said Lopez, who played the six for Stapleton. “Then (Leyden) had a lot of the play during the last half of the first half.
“The second half was more wide-open. We were all over them in the last 10 minutes. We have to put a solid 80 minutes together in order to win these types of games.”
"We did a lot of good things out there tonight but were not as consistent as we need to be,” said Stapleton. “We must be more sharp and dangerous in the final third, in order to finish the chances we create."
Leyden junior Oliver Salgado made a clever run to the end line and put a lovely serve into the box, but it was parried out of harm’s way in the 19th minute. It was followed shortly thereafter by Angel Perez going close.
Downers Grove South weathered the attack from the home side for close to a quarter hour. It was accomplished due to their ability to get numbers back and clog the middle of the park, forcing Leyden to play to its wing players.
"I thought as a team, we defended pretty well the game. We can always be better, but our play in the midfield was solid," said Lopez.
The Mustangs’ Brandon Delgado entered from the left after collecting a ball from Diego Negrete and skewed his effort on frame in the 34th minute. On the other end, Carrasco tried his luck after his enterprising run up the left side, only to see his attempt saved by Llanos.
Moments later, Leyden broke through. Danny Guevara was left unmarked 14 yards away from Andrik Vidaurri, and the Mustangs keeper had no chance as the senior finished with a sublime header two minutes before the intermission.
"Diego (Negrete) gave me a great ball, there was no way I could miss from that close and being all alone," said Guevera with a wry smile.
"We needed this win so bad tonight with so many new guys on our roster, who have all been playing so hard. It was (like) we all needed this to get us going in the right direction after being close in most of our games so far," continued Guevara, who was not in Valintis' first 11, but came off the bench to provide strong pace and energy to the Eagles attack when called upon.
The home side used its late first half goal to inspire a wonderful start to the second period. The Eagles kept their guests in their own end through the first 15 minutes of the new half.
A pair of corners, one bended towards the back post by Ariel Diaz that Vidaurri played smartly, jumpstarted the Eagles attack which fashioned a series of half-chances on frame leading up to the hour.
"The guys were playing with more confidence after the break, getting more guys involved with the ball, playing it wide and just playing the way I know we're capable of," said a pleased Valintis.
Ariel Diaz rattled the bar with his 20-yard free kick in the 47th minute.
An early, near-perfect ball from Flores found Negrete, which required a strong tackle by Downers Grove South senior Matt Crowley to dash the hopes of another good opportunity.
Moments later, Delgado unloaded a wicked cracker that hit the bottom of the bar before spilling out of the area to save the Mustangs from chasing two goals in the final half hour.
"We have to finish our chances, it's just that simple," said Valintis.
Soon, Downers Grove South remedied its lack of offense.
"We had a few problems in that second half until we got back to finding our guys in the middle with Alcantra, Niziolek and Lopez leading the way," said Stapleton.
A brave decision by Llanos to come off his line may have saved the day for the home side. The Leyden keeper’s quick reaction addressed Redion Neritani, who at full speed broke free and in on goal. Llanos turned away the Mustangs junior in the 51st minute.
The sophomore collected a half-chance off a free kick from Alcantra just before the hour, before doing the same on a free kick from the far touchline minutes later by Lopez.
Stapleton pushed numbers forwards for the final 10 minutes with 4-2-4 formation, while the Eagles countered with a 4-2-3-1 look.
Flores and his young backline mates held on during the frantic finish. Downers Grove South sent several balls into the box and created a handful of free kicks, and deep throws. The Mustangs got a header from Lopez that Flores parried away, and a late chance from Danny Smazil in the 80th minute.
"(They) put so much pressure on us near the end, but I thought we did our best to keep them out of our net to get the win," said a proud Flores.
"(We) finish some of the chances we had, and maybe we walk out of here with a win, but it was a good effort,” said the Mustangs’ Lopez. “I know this team is capable of having a great season as long as we stay focused and continue to work hard."
Next up for Downers Grove South (3-4-0, 0-1-1) is a Saturday home contest against Glenbard East.
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South (4-5-1)
G- Andrik Vidaurri
D- Victor Carrasco
D- Matt Crowley
D- Andrew Cimbalista
D- Michael Mendoza
MF- Julian Lopez
MF- Jonathan Venouziou
MF- Karol Niziolek
MF- Jorge Alcantara
MF- Aleck Galvez
F- Alex Benkart
Leyden (4-5-1)
G- Daniel Llanos
D- Yadier DeLaCruz
D- Avi Flores
D- Fabian Rodriguez
D- Stefano Andrino
MF- Diego Negrete
MF- Oliver Salgado
MF- Daniel Mendez
MF- Rafa Nozka
MF- Brandon Delgado
F- Julio Cabrero
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Avi Flores, sr., D, Leyden;
Julian Lopez, sr., MF, Downers Grove South
Referee: Justin O'Brien
Scoring summary
First half
Leyden: Guevara (Negrete), 38'
Second half
No scoring
Statistics
Shots on goal
Downers Grove South: 6
Leyden: 7
Shots off
Downers Grove South: 4
Leyden: 4
Offsides
Downers Grove South: 3
Leyden: 0
Corner kicks
Downers Grove South: 0
Leyden: 1
Fouls
Downers Grove South: 8
Leyden: 8
against Downers Grove South
Eagles post 1-0 home victory in teams’ league opener
By Mike Garofola
NORTHLAKE -- Leyden earned its first win of the season, and put a nearly 200-minute scoreless streak behind it by beating visiting Downers Grove South at the Eagles’ West Campus stadium.
"The boys fought hard tonight against a team that is always well-coached by Jon (Stapleton, Mustangs manager), who has his guys prepared to play every time. To get a win, in our conference opener against Downers Grove South was very good for us," said Eagles manager Mark Valintis, whose club will now embark on a busy four-game week when play begins for the Streamwood Fall Classic.
"We really needed this win tonight," admitted senior captain, Avi Flores, the Eagles fine central defender. He shared Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his terrific work on this wonderful fall Wednesday evening with Downers Grove South captain Julian Lopez.
"We had so much trouble scoring this season so far, and we've been in nearly every game,” Flores continued. “To win a really close game against a good opponent is a very good thing for a team like we have, that is so young and inexperienced."
Flores relishes the responsibilities of mentor and leader to his partners in the back.
"Yadier (DeLaCruz), Stefano (Andrino) and Fabian Rodriguez, who are all sophomores, have worked hard. I really like their energy and heart," continued Flores, who plays his club soccer for the Eclipse and is currently keeping his options open for college next fall. “I feel like it's my job to be a strong leader to them, because they are the future.”
Downers Grove South (3-4-0, 0-1-x), was a scrappy bunch all throughout the night, managing the less than perfect grass field. The pitch was extremely dry due to building construction on the north end of the stadium, that forced the shutdown of the water supply.
"We practiced on grass in advance of this game, knowing it might be a little bit of a challenge for the guys,” said Stapleton. “But I thought we did pretty well with the conditions, knowing (Leyden) would have a slight advantage here.
"We missed having (injured senior forward Paul Kruszewski, who is so dynamic, but the other guys stepped in to fill in during his absence. We just could not put one or two in even though we created chances, especially in the last part of the second half."
Leyden (1-4-2, 1-0-x) had the brighter start of the two clubs. Outside midfielder, Brandon Delgado provided pace and quality service from the left side during the early stages.
However, Downers Grove South came to life after 10 minutes, inspired by Alex Benkart, who forced defenders Flores and Rodriguez to squeeze the Mustangs senior off the ball to stop a potential 1-v-1 with Eagles keeper Daniel Llanos.
The first quality chance fell to the Mustangs when Karol Niziolek steered his free kick from just outside the box in the direction of the back post. If not for Llanos' full-extension effort, the visitors could have earned the opener in the 13th minute.
The visitors continued to enjoy most of the play following the near-miss, with left back Victor Carrasco joining the attack on a consistent basis to add numbers.
Carrasco and Benkart stretched Leyden in their end and forced another tackle from Flores. In the middle of the park, Jorge Alcantara, Lopez and Niziolek were winning most of the air and ground battles.
"We started slow, then picked things up for a while," said Lopez, who played the six for Stapleton. “Then (Leyden) had a lot of the play during the last half of the first half.
“The second half was more wide-open. We were all over them in the last 10 minutes. We have to put a solid 80 minutes together in order to win these types of games.”
"We did a lot of good things out there tonight but were not as consistent as we need to be,” said Stapleton. “We must be more sharp and dangerous in the final third, in order to finish the chances we create."
Leyden junior Oliver Salgado made a clever run to the end line and put a lovely serve into the box, but it was parried out of harm’s way in the 19th minute. It was followed shortly thereafter by Angel Perez going close.
Downers Grove South weathered the attack from the home side for close to a quarter hour. It was accomplished due to their ability to get numbers back and clog the middle of the park, forcing Leyden to play to its wing players.
"I thought as a team, we defended pretty well the game. We can always be better, but our play in the midfield was solid," said Lopez.
The Mustangs’ Brandon Delgado entered from the left after collecting a ball from Diego Negrete and skewed his effort on frame in the 34th minute. On the other end, Carrasco tried his luck after his enterprising run up the left side, only to see his attempt saved by Llanos.
Moments later, Leyden broke through. Danny Guevara was left unmarked 14 yards away from Andrik Vidaurri, and the Mustangs keeper had no chance as the senior finished with a sublime header two minutes before the intermission.
"Diego (Negrete) gave me a great ball, there was no way I could miss from that close and being all alone," said Guevera with a wry smile.
"We needed this win so bad tonight with so many new guys on our roster, who have all been playing so hard. It was (like) we all needed this to get us going in the right direction after being close in most of our games so far," continued Guevara, who was not in Valintis' first 11, but came off the bench to provide strong pace and energy to the Eagles attack when called upon.
The home side used its late first half goal to inspire a wonderful start to the second period. The Eagles kept their guests in their own end through the first 15 minutes of the new half.
A pair of corners, one bended towards the back post by Ariel Diaz that Vidaurri played smartly, jumpstarted the Eagles attack which fashioned a series of half-chances on frame leading up to the hour.
"The guys were playing with more confidence after the break, getting more guys involved with the ball, playing it wide and just playing the way I know we're capable of," said a pleased Valintis.
Ariel Diaz rattled the bar with his 20-yard free kick in the 47th minute.
An early, near-perfect ball from Flores found Negrete, which required a strong tackle by Downers Grove South senior Matt Crowley to dash the hopes of another good opportunity.
Moments later, Delgado unloaded a wicked cracker that hit the bottom of the bar before spilling out of the area to save the Mustangs from chasing two goals in the final half hour.
"We have to finish our chances, it's just that simple," said Valintis.
Soon, Downers Grove South remedied its lack of offense.
"We had a few problems in that second half until we got back to finding our guys in the middle with Alcantra, Niziolek and Lopez leading the way," said Stapleton.
A brave decision by Llanos to come off his line may have saved the day for the home side. The Leyden keeper’s quick reaction addressed Redion Neritani, who at full speed broke free and in on goal. Llanos turned away the Mustangs junior in the 51st minute.
The sophomore collected a half-chance off a free kick from Alcantra just before the hour, before doing the same on a free kick from the far touchline minutes later by Lopez.
Stapleton pushed numbers forwards for the final 10 minutes with 4-2-4 formation, while the Eagles countered with a 4-2-3-1 look.
Flores and his young backline mates held on during the frantic finish. Downers Grove South sent several balls into the box and created a handful of free kicks, and deep throws. The Mustangs got a header from Lopez that Flores parried away, and a late chance from Danny Smazil in the 80th minute.
"(They) put so much pressure on us near the end, but I thought we did our best to keep them out of our net to get the win," said a proud Flores.
"(We) finish some of the chances we had, and maybe we walk out of here with a win, but it was a good effort,” said the Mustangs’ Lopez. “I know this team is capable of having a great season as long as we stay focused and continue to work hard."
Next up for Downers Grove South (3-4-0, 0-1-1) is a Saturday home contest against Glenbard East.
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South (4-5-1)
G- Andrik Vidaurri
D- Victor Carrasco
D- Matt Crowley
D- Andrew Cimbalista
D- Michael Mendoza
MF- Julian Lopez
MF- Jonathan Venouziou
MF- Karol Niziolek
MF- Jorge Alcantara
MF- Aleck Galvez
F- Alex Benkart
Leyden (4-5-1)
G- Daniel Llanos
D- Yadier DeLaCruz
D- Avi Flores
D- Fabian Rodriguez
D- Stefano Andrino
MF- Diego Negrete
MF- Oliver Salgado
MF- Daniel Mendez
MF- Rafa Nozka
MF- Brandon Delgado
F- Julio Cabrero
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Avi Flores, sr., D, Leyden;
Julian Lopez, sr., MF, Downers Grove South
Referee: Justin O'Brien
Scoring summary
First half
Leyden: Guevara (Negrete), 38'
Second half
No scoring
Statistics
Shots on goal
Downers Grove South: 6
Leyden: 7
Shots off
Downers Grove South: 4
Leyden: 4
Offsides
Downers Grove South: 3
Leyden: 0
Corner kicks
Downers Grove South: 0
Leyden: 1
Fouls
Downers Grove South: 8
Leyden: 8