Nava 'trick' for Elgin
no treat for Glenbard East
Junior's 3 2nd half goals help Maroons keep control in Upstate 8
By Bobby Narang
WEST CHICAGO — Glenbard East's Cooper Wooldridge immediately put his head down and started walking to the far post. He was a sophomore goalkeeper on a mission.
Right after the Rams’ halftime meeting ended, Wooldridge had a long walk to the northern goal. He started his 60-yard trek by taking a straight path along the sidelines before veering to his right onto the field to prepare for a tense final 40 minutes against Elgin.
At that point after 40 minutes of solid play, the Rams were in prime position to pull off a headline upset over the top-ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The Maroons entered the Upstate Eight Conference Showcase, which featured numerous league teams playing conference games Saturday in West Chicago, with one of their best teams in recent years.
But the Rams held firm, keeping high-scoring Elgin off the board for the first half.
In particular, the Rams did a sterling job keeping Elgin striker Eduardo Nava, a ridiculously talented next-level player, from finding the back of the net.
Wooldridge admitted he was anxious for the start of the second half to start, especially with the Rams clinging to a 1-0 lead following an early goal by Zach Pfister.
“It was pretty weird, because we came into this little nervous, but we showed ourselves in the first half,” Wooldridge said. “Going into that second half, I was pretty confident we were going to do good. We knew we had played well in the first half.”
Eight-plus minutes into the second half, the Rams experienced the Eduardo Nava effect. Just under 12 minutes later, Glenbard East had deja vu, then experienced it again four minutes after that before the scoring machinee exited the game for several minutes due to an ankle injury.
Nava showed why he’s considered an elite talent in the state with a hat-trick in the second half to propel the Maroons to a 4-1 victory over the Rams.
Glenbard East coach Josh Adler heaped praise on Nava, along with noting his players battled for 80 minutes, against the Maroons (13-0-3, 5-0-1). The Rams (6-4-2, 3-1-2) entered the game riding some momentum after beating Streamwood 2-1 on Wednesday.
“For the first 40, we held our own,” Adler said. “I wouldn’t say we had the better of the possession, but we found a way to counter and capitalize and got into a little bit of a better rhythm after the first 15 minutes.
“The first 10 minutes of the second half, I thought we were alright, but (Nava) finds his way a bit, gets some spaces and knocks in a few balls and that changes the complexity of the game really quickly.
“(Nava) got a lot of opportunities, even in the first half. He was finding his seams and getting opportunities. Sooner or later, they’re going to put the ball in the back of the net.
“Cooper is starting to come into his own. He’s starting to do a good job of commanding the box, and making his reads and playing the angles well and coming off the line. As a sophomore, … he’s being more comfortable in his play and trusting his backline. Our guys showed they can compete. I was pleased with the effort.”
Nava, a junior, said he wasn’t sure about how many goals he’s scored this season, nor the number of multiple-goal games he’s recorded. Instead, Nava focused on his return to the pitch after missing Elgin’s 3-0 win over West Chicago on Wednesday.
Nava picked up a red card in the final minutes of Elgin’s 2-0 victory over Streamwood on Monday, which forced him to sit out the West Chicago game.
“It felt pretty good (playing),” Nava said. “The first half I wasn’t as good as I usually am, but I came back in the second half to help bring my team up like we should’ve been in the first half. The second half was (big), because it helped bring my team up.”
Nava, a big, strong and physical player, said the Rams played strong in the first half. He joked his pre-game drink of choice didn’t kick in until the second half.
“We were really nervous in the first half,” Nava said. “They were on us. We had a good talk at halftime, and came really hard in the first five minutes. It was a tough game. I woke up this morning, but thought it was too early for this. I got ready and had a Red Bull. It didn’t help me in the first half, but definitely helped me in the second half — a lot.
“It was bad to sit out the West Chicago game. I wanted to play, but my teammates had me and scored three goals to win that game.”
Elgin first-year coach Jimmy Romano preferred to stay away from mentioning the delayed start and early game caused his team to play sluggish in the first half. He credited his team for bouncing back with an inspired effort for the final 40 minutes.
The game was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. but was delayed because there were no officials on hand. The teams had to wait until 9:38 a.m. to start the game. Four minutes later, the game had to be stopped while a third official arrived and sprinted to the main sidelines.
“Our guys are focused, no matter what,” Romano said. “Even though we went down 1-0, we were playing well. We had so many great chances. It just didn’t go our way in the first half.
“Eduardo bounced back. He had four or five quality opportunities in the first half. At halftime, he knew he was going to get those chances again. The guys were lifting him up at halftime.
“He’s a goal scorer. He’s going to find a way to score. He’s resilient, the way he bounces back. We don’t care how we win. We know the only team that can beat ourselves is ourselves. We know we’re a phenomenal team and can beat anyone, but also can lose.
“Our guys have been sharp all season long and been consistent and playing phenomenal soccer. They’re humble and disciplined. Eduardo Nava is the best striker in the state, hands down.”
Nava, who earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor for the second time this season, helped wake up the weary Maroons with his parade of goals according to Elgin’s Geo Catalan, a senior midfielder.
“We came in ready to play and thought we had a good warmup. Unfortunately the refs weren’t here and we got out of our rhythm,” Catalan said. “It took us some time to adjust. We paid the price for it with a goal against us. We woke up at halftime and decided to hit the jets, and we played well.
“We’ve seen our talent all year. We’ve played well. We play well together and play as one. Our ceiling is to make it very far, and state is very achievable. (Eduardo) is a monster, a great finisher. He makes runs for us, opens up things for other players. He’s a great all-around player.”
Even in defeat, Wooldridge showed his big-play potential in the net against the top-ranked Maroons. He tallied three of his five saves in the first half. He displayed quick reflexes and hands, closing out a strong first half in the net by snagging a hard-hit header from Nava in the 39th minute.
Wooldridge said Nava’s first goal immediately deflated the Rams. Nava set himself on the right side and nailed a shot from 22 yards into the far opposite post to tie the game at 1-1 with 31:56 left.
“We had a mentality change after the first goal and kind of hung our heads,” Wooldridge said. “I think we played really well and were communicating really well.
“We just needed to step on (Nava) a bit faster. He had too much time on the ball, which allowed him to take a touch and shoot. Overall, we did good in the back, and have some things to work on.”
Nava gave the Maroons a 2-1 edge when he took a pass from Catalan, had time to gather his feet and knocked in a sizzling shot inside the far post. Nava capped off his big second half by hitting a close shot that was saved by Wooldridge but bounced right back to his right foot, allowing him to reset and drill his third goal into the net for a 3-1 lead at the 17:27 mark of the second half.
Early in the first half, Pfister and Glenbard East caught the Maroons’ backline napping, when he scored on a well-placed ball with 22:38 remaining until halftime. Pfister’s goal shocked the heavy pro-Elgin crowd and marked just the fifth goal scored all season against the Maroons. Pfister dribbled on the right side, found an opening and hit a shot inside the far post.
“You have to give Josue much credit for the assist on that goal,” Pfister said. “I saw Josue pick up the ball on the middle of the field. My coach has been telling me to make runs across the field. That’s exactly what I did, and luckily the ball went into the net.
"We had a solid first half. We just made a few mental mistakes and started to hang our heads. We have to capitalize on those chances we had. We have to be better.”
Glenbard East senior midfielder Edgar Duenas agreed with Pfister’s assessment. The Rams were played strong in the first half, holding possession for minutes and putting shots on goal..
“I feel like their middle was really strong but we held our ground,” he said. “We played strong in the first half and kept pushing. After the first goal they scored, everyone got down on each other. We had our chances, even in the second half. We missed a lot.”
Glenbard East senior defender Marcos Chavez said he saw some positives in the loss.
“They have a strong attack,” Chavez said. “Starting off, we knew they were going to be a direct and fast and powerful team, especially (Nava). I feel like our defense was doing a good job in the first half, but we struggled with communication. After that first goal, the communication happened to get worse.
“I feel we had some good aspects in our defensive play in the first half. We have to clean up communication and work on our mindset, especially after going down a goal.”
Starting lineups
Elgin
GK: Kleber Rodriguez
D: German Lara
D: Geovanny Aviles
D: Julian Orozco
D: Edgar Perez
MF: Omar Saldana
MF: Geo Catalan
MF: Aaron Saldana
F: Miguel Navarro
F: Eduardo Nava
F: Erick Ortiz
Glenbard East
GK: Cooper Wooldf
D: Lukas Czapla
D: Marcos Chavez
D: Fernando Bernal
D: Jose Roman
MF: David Hernandez
MF: Jacob Sarabia
MF: Edgar Duenas
MF: Josh Maida
F: Zach Pfister
F: Jon Weltin
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Eduardo Nava, jr., F, Elgin
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbard East: Pfister (Roman), 18’
Second half
Elgin: Nava (Navarro), 49’
Elgin: Nava (Catalan), 60’
Elgin: Nava (unassisted), 63’
Elgin: Perez (Ajayi), 79’
no treat for Glenbard East
Junior's 3 2nd half goals help Maroons keep control in Upstate 8
By Bobby Narang
WEST CHICAGO — Glenbard East's Cooper Wooldridge immediately put his head down and started walking to the far post. He was a sophomore goalkeeper on a mission.
Right after the Rams’ halftime meeting ended, Wooldridge had a long walk to the northern goal. He started his 60-yard trek by taking a straight path along the sidelines before veering to his right onto the field to prepare for a tense final 40 minutes against Elgin.
At that point after 40 minutes of solid play, the Rams were in prime position to pull off a headline upset over the top-ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The Maroons entered the Upstate Eight Conference Showcase, which featured numerous league teams playing conference games Saturday in West Chicago, with one of their best teams in recent years.
But the Rams held firm, keeping high-scoring Elgin off the board for the first half.
In particular, the Rams did a sterling job keeping Elgin striker Eduardo Nava, a ridiculously talented next-level player, from finding the back of the net.
Wooldridge admitted he was anxious for the start of the second half to start, especially with the Rams clinging to a 1-0 lead following an early goal by Zach Pfister.
“It was pretty weird, because we came into this little nervous, but we showed ourselves in the first half,” Wooldridge said. “Going into that second half, I was pretty confident we were going to do good. We knew we had played well in the first half.”
Eight-plus minutes into the second half, the Rams experienced the Eduardo Nava effect. Just under 12 minutes later, Glenbard East had deja vu, then experienced it again four minutes after that before the scoring machinee exited the game for several minutes due to an ankle injury.
Nava showed why he’s considered an elite talent in the state with a hat-trick in the second half to propel the Maroons to a 4-1 victory over the Rams.
Glenbard East coach Josh Adler heaped praise on Nava, along with noting his players battled for 80 minutes, against the Maroons (13-0-3, 5-0-1). The Rams (6-4-2, 3-1-2) entered the game riding some momentum after beating Streamwood 2-1 on Wednesday.
“For the first 40, we held our own,” Adler said. “I wouldn’t say we had the better of the possession, but we found a way to counter and capitalize and got into a little bit of a better rhythm after the first 15 minutes.
“The first 10 minutes of the second half, I thought we were alright, but (Nava) finds his way a bit, gets some spaces and knocks in a few balls and that changes the complexity of the game really quickly.
“(Nava) got a lot of opportunities, even in the first half. He was finding his seams and getting opportunities. Sooner or later, they’re going to put the ball in the back of the net.
“Cooper is starting to come into his own. He’s starting to do a good job of commanding the box, and making his reads and playing the angles well and coming off the line. As a sophomore, … he’s being more comfortable in his play and trusting his backline. Our guys showed they can compete. I was pleased with the effort.”
Nava, a junior, said he wasn’t sure about how many goals he’s scored this season, nor the number of multiple-goal games he’s recorded. Instead, Nava focused on his return to the pitch after missing Elgin’s 3-0 win over West Chicago on Wednesday.
Nava picked up a red card in the final minutes of Elgin’s 2-0 victory over Streamwood on Monday, which forced him to sit out the West Chicago game.
“It felt pretty good (playing),” Nava said. “The first half I wasn’t as good as I usually am, but I came back in the second half to help bring my team up like we should’ve been in the first half. The second half was (big), because it helped bring my team up.”
Nava, a big, strong and physical player, said the Rams played strong in the first half. He joked his pre-game drink of choice didn’t kick in until the second half.
“We were really nervous in the first half,” Nava said. “They were on us. We had a good talk at halftime, and came really hard in the first five minutes. It was a tough game. I woke up this morning, but thought it was too early for this. I got ready and had a Red Bull. It didn’t help me in the first half, but definitely helped me in the second half — a lot.
“It was bad to sit out the West Chicago game. I wanted to play, but my teammates had me and scored three goals to win that game.”
Elgin first-year coach Jimmy Romano preferred to stay away from mentioning the delayed start and early game caused his team to play sluggish in the first half. He credited his team for bouncing back with an inspired effort for the final 40 minutes.
The game was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. but was delayed because there were no officials on hand. The teams had to wait until 9:38 a.m. to start the game. Four minutes later, the game had to be stopped while a third official arrived and sprinted to the main sidelines.
“Our guys are focused, no matter what,” Romano said. “Even though we went down 1-0, we were playing well. We had so many great chances. It just didn’t go our way in the first half.
“Eduardo bounced back. He had four or five quality opportunities in the first half. At halftime, he knew he was going to get those chances again. The guys were lifting him up at halftime.
“He’s a goal scorer. He’s going to find a way to score. He’s resilient, the way he bounces back. We don’t care how we win. We know the only team that can beat ourselves is ourselves. We know we’re a phenomenal team and can beat anyone, but also can lose.
“Our guys have been sharp all season long and been consistent and playing phenomenal soccer. They’re humble and disciplined. Eduardo Nava is the best striker in the state, hands down.”
Nava, who earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor for the second time this season, helped wake up the weary Maroons with his parade of goals according to Elgin’s Geo Catalan, a senior midfielder.
“We came in ready to play and thought we had a good warmup. Unfortunately the refs weren’t here and we got out of our rhythm,” Catalan said. “It took us some time to adjust. We paid the price for it with a goal against us. We woke up at halftime and decided to hit the jets, and we played well.
“We’ve seen our talent all year. We’ve played well. We play well together and play as one. Our ceiling is to make it very far, and state is very achievable. (Eduardo) is a monster, a great finisher. He makes runs for us, opens up things for other players. He’s a great all-around player.”
Even in defeat, Wooldridge showed his big-play potential in the net against the top-ranked Maroons. He tallied three of his five saves in the first half. He displayed quick reflexes and hands, closing out a strong first half in the net by snagging a hard-hit header from Nava in the 39th minute.
Wooldridge said Nava’s first goal immediately deflated the Rams. Nava set himself on the right side and nailed a shot from 22 yards into the far opposite post to tie the game at 1-1 with 31:56 left.
“We had a mentality change after the first goal and kind of hung our heads,” Wooldridge said. “I think we played really well and were communicating really well.
“We just needed to step on (Nava) a bit faster. He had too much time on the ball, which allowed him to take a touch and shoot. Overall, we did good in the back, and have some things to work on.”
Nava gave the Maroons a 2-1 edge when he took a pass from Catalan, had time to gather his feet and knocked in a sizzling shot inside the far post. Nava capped off his big second half by hitting a close shot that was saved by Wooldridge but bounced right back to his right foot, allowing him to reset and drill his third goal into the net for a 3-1 lead at the 17:27 mark of the second half.
Early in the first half, Pfister and Glenbard East caught the Maroons’ backline napping, when he scored on a well-placed ball with 22:38 remaining until halftime. Pfister’s goal shocked the heavy pro-Elgin crowd and marked just the fifth goal scored all season against the Maroons. Pfister dribbled on the right side, found an opening and hit a shot inside the far post.
“You have to give Josue much credit for the assist on that goal,” Pfister said. “I saw Josue pick up the ball on the middle of the field. My coach has been telling me to make runs across the field. That’s exactly what I did, and luckily the ball went into the net.
"We had a solid first half. We just made a few mental mistakes and started to hang our heads. We have to capitalize on those chances we had. We have to be better.”
Glenbard East senior midfielder Edgar Duenas agreed with Pfister’s assessment. The Rams were played strong in the first half, holding possession for minutes and putting shots on goal..
“I feel like their middle was really strong but we held our ground,” he said. “We played strong in the first half and kept pushing. After the first goal they scored, everyone got down on each other. We had our chances, even in the second half. We missed a lot.”
Glenbard East senior defender Marcos Chavez said he saw some positives in the loss.
“They have a strong attack,” Chavez said. “Starting off, we knew they were going to be a direct and fast and powerful team, especially (Nava). I feel like our defense was doing a good job in the first half, but we struggled with communication. After that first goal, the communication happened to get worse.
“I feel we had some good aspects in our defensive play in the first half. We have to clean up communication and work on our mindset, especially after going down a goal.”
Starting lineups
Elgin
GK: Kleber Rodriguez
D: German Lara
D: Geovanny Aviles
D: Julian Orozco
D: Edgar Perez
MF: Omar Saldana
MF: Geo Catalan
MF: Aaron Saldana
F: Miguel Navarro
F: Eduardo Nava
F: Erick Ortiz
Glenbard East
GK: Cooper Wooldf
D: Lukas Czapla
D: Marcos Chavez
D: Fernando Bernal
D: Jose Roman
MF: David Hernandez
MF: Jacob Sarabia
MF: Edgar Duenas
MF: Josh Maida
F: Zach Pfister
F: Jon Weltin
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Eduardo Nava, jr., F, Elgin
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbard East: Pfister (Roman), 18’
Second half
Elgin: Nava (Navarro), 49’
Elgin: Nava (Catalan), 60’
Elgin: Nava (unassisted), 63’
Elgin: Perez (Ajayi), 79’