Late East Aurora goal dampens Streamwood's Homecoming fire
Visitors curb some of the event's excitement with 2-2 tie
By Jared Birchfield
STREAMWOOD – Enthusiasm for Streamwood’s post-match Homecoming bonfire was doused to a degree Wednesday night after East Aurora singed the Sabres with a late goal.
Jayden Patino struck with 3:32 left to play to knot the Upstate Eight Conference contest at 2-2.
Prior to the Tomcats’ goal, Streamwood led the match for long stretches.
“They have to close out the game. You cannot give up a lead that late in the game,” Streamwood coach Matt Polovin said of his team. “(Patino) probably had one chance the whole game, and he took advantage of it. We needed to be better defensively. We had a little lapse back there, and that’s all it took.
“He took a wicked shot; it had a little deflection, and we end up tied. And the guys are disappointed, and they should be.”
East Aurora, on the other hand, was fairly happy about the result.
“Playing against a very good team and very strong team, it felt good to come out with a tie,” East Aurora assistant coach Obed Mendoza said. “They’re feeling OK. I hope we can carry it on for the rest of the season and especially into the postseason, which is our focus now.”
Mendoza filled in for head coach Nathan Parry, who missed the match due to illness.
Streamwood (8-6-4, 3-2-2) grabbed their first lead in the fourth minute on A.J. Sabanovic’s 13th goal of the season. The sophomore corralled a cross sent across the front of the net from Michael Garcia and knocked it home from the left corner of the goal box.
“It was a nice cross from Mike,” Sabanovic said. “I was there at the right time, and I just slotted it in. That really gave us the momentum toward the second half.”
East Aurora (10-5-3, 2-4-1) scored its first equalizer at the 22:02 mark of the final half. Issac Escobar took Javier Aguirre’s feed and put it past Streamwood keeper Jason Ramirez (five saves).
The 1-1 stalemate lasted less than two minutes.
A far-side Jairo Sanchez corner kick ended with a score. Sabanovic sent the serve to teammate Brian Huerta, who in turn, headed it into the back of the net.
“We got lucky,” said Sabanovic. “I came in, and I headed it back to Brian, and he scored.”
The 60th-minute tally held up for more than 17 minutes.
That’s when Patino’s shot from about 25 yards hit a Streamwood defender and went over Ramirez’s head into the goal.
“Jay (Umana) gave me a good ball. I didn’t know if I should pass it or shoot it,” said Patino. “I shot it and it went right in. I just have the desire to score, and I got the goal.”
Streamwood’s coach was left to shake his head.
“With the multiple, multiple opportunities that we had to score, we could have really put them away. That was disappointing,” Polovin said. “We got behind their defenders so many times. That’s kind of our crutch this season for some reason. We’re getting more chances than we probably want. It was just putting them in the back of the net.
“We have guys that can do it. We have guys that are excellent players and excellent finishers,” Polovin continued. “It just seems like in games like tonight, they just disappear when we need them to step up and be those big guys and finish those easy chances.”
East Aurora wanted to atone for a lopsided loss Sept. 30 to conference foe Larkin.
“The kids kept playing. They realized that we had to turn it up. We had to switch what we’ve what we have been doing before. We were having a few bad games, and they are conscious about it,” Mendoza said. “We’re coming from a 6-1 loss at home, and it was pretty bad, This was something very different. We were pretty upset. The boys turned that being upset into practice and work.”
The Tomcats also had to patch up a major personnel issue.
“In addition to our coach being down, our first goalkeeper (Efrain Rosales) is not playing,” Mendoza said. “We had to use two different goalkeepers: Alejandro Cervantes (10 saves); and Alexis Guevara (five saves).”
Polovin gave his defense a passing grade with the highest marks reserved for Marcos Gutierrez.
“Defense overall did very well. Marcos is one of the top defenders in the state. He’s so great. All the other guys did well. E. J. (Satsatin) hurt his toe, so I had to sub him out unfortunately,” said the Sabres coach. “The guys that were in there for the most part did a great job until the last couple of minutes of the game. They know that’s not acceptable at this part of the season.
“We’ll learn from it and come out strong on Saturday against Fenton.”
Gutierrez does see room for improvement.
“I feel like a big part of way the match ended was on us,” the junior said. “At the end, we were playing more long ball. We missed a few chances to finish and that played a big part.
“They had a chance, and that’s what made the tie. I’m hoping for the few games that are left, that we get a few wins, come out strong and get ready for the regional.”
Polovin lauded his squad’s midfield play, especially Garcia’s work.
“Our midfield play was unbelievable. Michael is easily one of the top midfielders in this state. I’ve seen all the top teams, and no one compares to him in the middle of the field,” Polovin said.
“He’s dynamic. He’s technical, and he’s so fast. He was beating five or six defenders with ease. With Jairo (Sanchez) and Brian (Huerta), it’s a very solid threesome in the middle of the field.”
Garcia and Sabanovic shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of Match honor for their performances.
Streamwood has two regular-season matches left before the start of the postseason. The Sabres are seeded second in the Class 3A Hampshire Sectional. Elgin, which is ranked first in Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, is the top seed.
Streamwood opens tournament play on Oct. 18 against Hononegah but in much difference circumstances than last year.
“Last year, we were the 14th seed, which was my lowest seed ever, and they were the fifth,” Polovin said. “The tables have kind of turned. We’re the number two seed, and they are 14. Whatever it is, you can’t take any team lightly. Seeding means nothing.”
The Streamwood coach is confident his team will rise to the occasion.
“You’ve got to come out, you got to play strong and finish your chances and defend. And if we do that, we will win, no problem,” he said. “If we play like we did at the end of tonight, it could be a long game. The guys will be ready. They are up for it.”
Starting lineups
East Aurora
GK: Alejandro Cervantes
D: J.P. Carranza
D: Isaac Escobar
D: Jose Sosa
D: Omar Gutierrez
M: Javier Aguirre
M: David Martinez
M: Erick Magallon
M: Samuel Camacho
F: Jay Umana
F: Oziel Gallegos
Streamwood
GK: Jason Ramirez
D: E.J. Satsatin
D: Marcos Gutierrez
D: Alex Alcala
D: Diogo Magana
M: Michael Garcia
M: Bryan Huerta
M: Jairo Sanchez
F: Hugo Marquez
F: Andy Mendoza
F: A.J. Sabanovic
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
A.J. Sabanovic, soph., F, Streamwood;
Michael Garcia, sr, MF, Streamwood
Scoring summary
First half
Streamwood – A.J. Sabanovic (Michael Garcia) 4’
Second half
EA – Issac Escobar (Javier Aguirre) 58’
Streamwood – Bryan Huerta (A.J. Sabanovic) 60’
EA – Jayden Patino (Jay Umana) 77’
Visitors curb some of the event's excitement with 2-2 tie
By Jared Birchfield
STREAMWOOD – Enthusiasm for Streamwood’s post-match Homecoming bonfire was doused to a degree Wednesday night after East Aurora singed the Sabres with a late goal.
Jayden Patino struck with 3:32 left to play to knot the Upstate Eight Conference contest at 2-2.
Prior to the Tomcats’ goal, Streamwood led the match for long stretches.
“They have to close out the game. You cannot give up a lead that late in the game,” Streamwood coach Matt Polovin said of his team. “(Patino) probably had one chance the whole game, and he took advantage of it. We needed to be better defensively. We had a little lapse back there, and that’s all it took.
“He took a wicked shot; it had a little deflection, and we end up tied. And the guys are disappointed, and they should be.”
East Aurora, on the other hand, was fairly happy about the result.
“Playing against a very good team and very strong team, it felt good to come out with a tie,” East Aurora assistant coach Obed Mendoza said. “They’re feeling OK. I hope we can carry it on for the rest of the season and especially into the postseason, which is our focus now.”
Mendoza filled in for head coach Nathan Parry, who missed the match due to illness.
Streamwood (8-6-4, 3-2-2) grabbed their first lead in the fourth minute on A.J. Sabanovic’s 13th goal of the season. The sophomore corralled a cross sent across the front of the net from Michael Garcia and knocked it home from the left corner of the goal box.
“It was a nice cross from Mike,” Sabanovic said. “I was there at the right time, and I just slotted it in. That really gave us the momentum toward the second half.”
East Aurora (10-5-3, 2-4-1) scored its first equalizer at the 22:02 mark of the final half. Issac Escobar took Javier Aguirre’s feed and put it past Streamwood keeper Jason Ramirez (five saves).
The 1-1 stalemate lasted less than two minutes.
A far-side Jairo Sanchez corner kick ended with a score. Sabanovic sent the serve to teammate Brian Huerta, who in turn, headed it into the back of the net.
“We got lucky,” said Sabanovic. “I came in, and I headed it back to Brian, and he scored.”
The 60th-minute tally held up for more than 17 minutes.
That’s when Patino’s shot from about 25 yards hit a Streamwood defender and went over Ramirez’s head into the goal.
“Jay (Umana) gave me a good ball. I didn’t know if I should pass it or shoot it,” said Patino. “I shot it and it went right in. I just have the desire to score, and I got the goal.”
Streamwood’s coach was left to shake his head.
“With the multiple, multiple opportunities that we had to score, we could have really put them away. That was disappointing,” Polovin said. “We got behind their defenders so many times. That’s kind of our crutch this season for some reason. We’re getting more chances than we probably want. It was just putting them in the back of the net.
“We have guys that can do it. We have guys that are excellent players and excellent finishers,” Polovin continued. “It just seems like in games like tonight, they just disappear when we need them to step up and be those big guys and finish those easy chances.”
East Aurora wanted to atone for a lopsided loss Sept. 30 to conference foe Larkin.
“The kids kept playing. They realized that we had to turn it up. We had to switch what we’ve what we have been doing before. We were having a few bad games, and they are conscious about it,” Mendoza said. “We’re coming from a 6-1 loss at home, and it was pretty bad, This was something very different. We were pretty upset. The boys turned that being upset into practice and work.”
The Tomcats also had to patch up a major personnel issue.
“In addition to our coach being down, our first goalkeeper (Efrain Rosales) is not playing,” Mendoza said. “We had to use two different goalkeepers: Alejandro Cervantes (10 saves); and Alexis Guevara (five saves).”
Polovin gave his defense a passing grade with the highest marks reserved for Marcos Gutierrez.
“Defense overall did very well. Marcos is one of the top defenders in the state. He’s so great. All the other guys did well. E. J. (Satsatin) hurt his toe, so I had to sub him out unfortunately,” said the Sabres coach. “The guys that were in there for the most part did a great job until the last couple of minutes of the game. They know that’s not acceptable at this part of the season.
“We’ll learn from it and come out strong on Saturday against Fenton.”
Gutierrez does see room for improvement.
“I feel like a big part of way the match ended was on us,” the junior said. “At the end, we were playing more long ball. We missed a few chances to finish and that played a big part.
“They had a chance, and that’s what made the tie. I’m hoping for the few games that are left, that we get a few wins, come out strong and get ready for the regional.”
Polovin lauded his squad’s midfield play, especially Garcia’s work.
“Our midfield play was unbelievable. Michael is easily one of the top midfielders in this state. I’ve seen all the top teams, and no one compares to him in the middle of the field,” Polovin said.
“He’s dynamic. He’s technical, and he’s so fast. He was beating five or six defenders with ease. With Jairo (Sanchez) and Brian (Huerta), it’s a very solid threesome in the middle of the field.”
Garcia and Sabanovic shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of Match honor for their performances.
Streamwood has two regular-season matches left before the start of the postseason. The Sabres are seeded second in the Class 3A Hampshire Sectional. Elgin, which is ranked first in Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, is the top seed.
Streamwood opens tournament play on Oct. 18 against Hononegah but in much difference circumstances than last year.
“Last year, we were the 14th seed, which was my lowest seed ever, and they were the fifth,” Polovin said. “The tables have kind of turned. We’re the number two seed, and they are 14. Whatever it is, you can’t take any team lightly. Seeding means nothing.”
The Streamwood coach is confident his team will rise to the occasion.
“You’ve got to come out, you got to play strong and finish your chances and defend. And if we do that, we will win, no problem,” he said. “If we play like we did at the end of tonight, it could be a long game. The guys will be ready. They are up for it.”
Starting lineups
East Aurora
GK: Alejandro Cervantes
D: J.P. Carranza
D: Isaac Escobar
D: Jose Sosa
D: Omar Gutierrez
M: Javier Aguirre
M: David Martinez
M: Erick Magallon
M: Samuel Camacho
F: Jay Umana
F: Oziel Gallegos
Streamwood
GK: Jason Ramirez
D: E.J. Satsatin
D: Marcos Gutierrez
D: Alex Alcala
D: Diogo Magana
M: Michael Garcia
M: Bryan Huerta
M: Jairo Sanchez
F: Hugo Marquez
F: Andy Mendoza
F: A.J. Sabanovic
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
A.J. Sabanovic, soph., F, Streamwood;
Michael Garcia, sr, MF, Streamwood
Scoring summary
First half
Streamwood – A.J. Sabanovic (Michael Garcia) 4’
Second half
EA – Issac Escobar (Javier Aguirre) 58’
Streamwood – Bryan Huerta (A.J. Sabanovic) 60’
EA – Jayden Patino (Jay Umana) 77’