Riverside-Brookfield takes flight
against Elmwood Park
Ferguson, Tovar lead Bulldogs to 4-0 win in conference opener
By Patrick Z. McGavin
ELMWOOD PARK — Hunter Ferguson saw his midfielder Manny Tovar make a sharp run down the right flank.
He knew his most effective movement was not left or right. It was straight up. Once airborne, Ferguson had the hang time of a basketball player.
“It felt like I was up there forever,” he said.
Tovar put the ball in the air, and the Riverside-Brookfield forward did the rest by smashing home a header from about three yards in the ninth minute for the decisive early action.
Ferguson added another, and Tovar created three assists as the Bulldogs cruised past Elmwood Park 4-0 in their Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division opener Tuesday night.
“I saw Manny coming down the wing, and I just knew he was going to put it in the air, and I just drifted back,” Ferguson said. “I noticed the center back was a little bit undersized compared to me, and I knew the ball was coming back post.
“It was a beautiful ball.”
Early goals and early leads can yield a fast and unbroken confidence. The Bulldogs (2-5-0, 1-0-0) used it for a complete, all-around performance.
“We were coming off a tough (6-0) loss against Stagg on Friday, and teams like this we have to put them away really quickly,” Ferguson said.
“We can’t let them even think they can play with us.”
The Tovar-to-Ferguson connection also symbolized a physical dominance Elmwood Park (1-3-1, 0-1-0) could never reach.
“I think the big difference between the two of us is there is an aggressiveness in the air that we don’t have,” Elmwood Park coach Martin Blake said.
“They were dominant in the air against us today.”
Elmwood Park actually had the best early scoring threat, a free kick by forward Nezar Derevianyi just outside the top of the box that skidded just left of the near post.
That was the closest Elmwood Park came to the lead.
Otherwise, the night belonged to the Bulldogs, specifically the playmaking of Tovar, and the shot creation and finishing touch of Ferguson.
“This is how we have been practicing it and building up from the back,” Tovar said. “That was really our emphasis this week, and we showed it out on the field.
“The center backs trusted the midfielders. We trusted them, and it worked out really nice. We could see the flashes of our potential. This week we have improved really nicely. It’s starting to come together.”
Tovar flashed a strong and elusive first step, using his ballhandling and quickness off the dribble to create a near-constant state of pressure. The early connection of Tovar and Ferguson was just the start.
Riverside-Brookfield built off its early runs and utilized combination play and quick touches to work the final scoring third. Midfielder Max Swicionis made excellent runs off of Tovar.
Everything connected. The pressure leading to corner kicks and free kicks kept Elmwood Park under near-constant assault.
The opportunities played out in the Bulldogs’ favor.
“We have been working on our set pieces and attacking the ball in the air,” Tovar said. “I felt like that was an issue last season. We won a lot of balls today.
“We have a hard-working midfield working together. We did a great job attacking the balls in the air. We use our center backs with Massimo Franceschina, because he’s tall, and we can get more chances like that.”
Riverside-Brookfield maintained the pressure, working sharp combinations that delivered in the 19th minute. The principles were the same.
Off a corner, Tovar again played the ball into the middle of the box, redirected by the 6-foot-3 Franceschina. The shot was punched out and went to Tovar, whose shot was deflected. The ball was finished on the rebound at the back post by midfielder Dante Moscosa for the 2-0 lead.
“It was good intensity, and we started off fresh right from the get go,” Riverside-Brookfield coach Ivek Halic said. “We were able to see the entire game out.
“We’re feeling everybody out, creating that chemistry, building everything out, moving the ball well. At times, we had two-touch, three-touch, and we looked very dangerous in the attack.”
Elmwood Park was down three starters according to Blake. That only deepened the proverbial hole the Tigers tried to climb out of.
The accumulated pressure and the ability to switch the ball quickly from side to side gave Riverrside-Brookfield a convincing advantage.
“We were missing three starters, including our sweeper and that explained some of our disorganization in the back,” Blake said. “That’s not an excuse.
“R-B does a great job. Their coach does a great job. No matter the skill set, he has a form and a set that he plays. Kudos to them.”
The Bulldogs punctuated their scintillating first half performance with a couple of fantastic plays at both ends. In the 27th minute, keeper Aidan Hernandez stopped a point-blank shot that preserved the two-goal advantage.
In the 34th minute, Tomas Kunickas blasted home a header off a beautiful ball from Swicionis for a 3-0 lead.
“Especially at the end of the first half, I thought we had some nice builds,” Blake said. “When you go down three goals in one half, you are looking at bringing in other guys and giving them the experience and the minutes and trying to earn some playing time.”
Ferguson flashed his superb athleticism and finishing strength early in the second half by taking a through-ball from Tovar and blasting home a rocket ball from about 14 yards that closed out the scoring.
Both of Riverside-Brookfield’s victories have come via a 4-0 margin; the earlier result came against Nazareth.
Hunter Ferguson earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor for his two goals. Tovar was also exceptional with his three assists.
“We played great, and we moved the ball in the beginning. We just have to start off strong every single game,” Ferguson said.
“We learned from our mistakes, and we are growing every single day from practice. We have a young team, a young core, our midfield is back, our left and right backs are young. These younger guys are going to get their confidence up, and we are going to be steamrolling teams.”
Keeper Nick Gilberto took over for the final 10 minutes for Riverside-Brookfield.
He secured the shutout with a nice stop off a free kick in the 74th minute.
Hernandez left pitch with five saves, including one made on his back in the second half.
“My backline, they’re young and they’re good with the experienced players like (senior) Omar (Vidales). I think they (Elmwood Park) only had like three or four breakaways. All I have to do is stay big, because I know my defense is going to be there for me.”
Riverside-Brookfield is trending in the right direction, going 2-2-0 since losing three games at the Windy City Ram Classic.
Those defeats brought urgency and clarity.
“I think it was the best thing that could have happened to us,” Hernandez said. “We came out, and we learned from our mistakes and started playing the way our coaches want us. We’re making it simple; we are combining on everything. We’re talking and communicating and moving the ball around.
“We’re finally getting there.”
Starting lineups
Riverside-Brookfield
GK: Aidan Hernandez
D: Liam Hickey
D: Omar Vidales
D: Massimo Franceschina
D: Mak Scheuerman
MF: Manny Tovar
MF: Max Swicionis
MF: Diego Villegas
F: Noah Berndt
F: David Carrillo
F: Hunter Ferguson
Elmwood Park
GK: Esteban Galeano
D: Ervin Vasquez
D: Angel Cortez
D: Jacob Jimenez
D: Ray Manjarrez
MF: Sebastian Maldonado
MF: Osvaldo Lopez
MF: Jose Manjarrez
F: Jose Aguilar
F: Nezar Derevianyi
F: Pablo Morales
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Hunter Ferguson, sr., F, Riverside-Brookfield
Scoring summary
First half
Riverside-Brookfield—Hunter Ferguson (Manny Tovar), ninth minute
Riverside-Brookfield—Dante Moscosa (Tovar), 19th minute
Riverside-Brookfield—Tomas Kunickas (Max Swicionis), 34th minute
Second half
Riverside-Brookfield—Ferguson (Tovar), 49th minute
against Elmwood Park
Ferguson, Tovar lead Bulldogs to 4-0 win in conference opener
By Patrick Z. McGavin
ELMWOOD PARK — Hunter Ferguson saw his midfielder Manny Tovar make a sharp run down the right flank.
He knew his most effective movement was not left or right. It was straight up. Once airborne, Ferguson had the hang time of a basketball player.
“It felt like I was up there forever,” he said.
Tovar put the ball in the air, and the Riverside-Brookfield forward did the rest by smashing home a header from about three yards in the ninth minute for the decisive early action.
Ferguson added another, and Tovar created three assists as the Bulldogs cruised past Elmwood Park 4-0 in their Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division opener Tuesday night.
“I saw Manny coming down the wing, and I just knew he was going to put it in the air, and I just drifted back,” Ferguson said. “I noticed the center back was a little bit undersized compared to me, and I knew the ball was coming back post.
“It was a beautiful ball.”
Early goals and early leads can yield a fast and unbroken confidence. The Bulldogs (2-5-0, 1-0-0) used it for a complete, all-around performance.
“We were coming off a tough (6-0) loss against Stagg on Friday, and teams like this we have to put them away really quickly,” Ferguson said.
“We can’t let them even think they can play with us.”
The Tovar-to-Ferguson connection also symbolized a physical dominance Elmwood Park (1-3-1, 0-1-0) could never reach.
“I think the big difference between the two of us is there is an aggressiveness in the air that we don’t have,” Elmwood Park coach Martin Blake said.
“They were dominant in the air against us today.”
Elmwood Park actually had the best early scoring threat, a free kick by forward Nezar Derevianyi just outside the top of the box that skidded just left of the near post.
That was the closest Elmwood Park came to the lead.
Otherwise, the night belonged to the Bulldogs, specifically the playmaking of Tovar, and the shot creation and finishing touch of Ferguson.
“This is how we have been practicing it and building up from the back,” Tovar said. “That was really our emphasis this week, and we showed it out on the field.
“The center backs trusted the midfielders. We trusted them, and it worked out really nice. We could see the flashes of our potential. This week we have improved really nicely. It’s starting to come together.”
Tovar flashed a strong and elusive first step, using his ballhandling and quickness off the dribble to create a near-constant state of pressure. The early connection of Tovar and Ferguson was just the start.
Riverside-Brookfield built off its early runs and utilized combination play and quick touches to work the final scoring third. Midfielder Max Swicionis made excellent runs off of Tovar.
Everything connected. The pressure leading to corner kicks and free kicks kept Elmwood Park under near-constant assault.
The opportunities played out in the Bulldogs’ favor.
“We have been working on our set pieces and attacking the ball in the air,” Tovar said. “I felt like that was an issue last season. We won a lot of balls today.
“We have a hard-working midfield working together. We did a great job attacking the balls in the air. We use our center backs with Massimo Franceschina, because he’s tall, and we can get more chances like that.”
Riverside-Brookfield maintained the pressure, working sharp combinations that delivered in the 19th minute. The principles were the same.
Off a corner, Tovar again played the ball into the middle of the box, redirected by the 6-foot-3 Franceschina. The shot was punched out and went to Tovar, whose shot was deflected. The ball was finished on the rebound at the back post by midfielder Dante Moscosa for the 2-0 lead.
“It was good intensity, and we started off fresh right from the get go,” Riverside-Brookfield coach Ivek Halic said. “We were able to see the entire game out.
“We’re feeling everybody out, creating that chemistry, building everything out, moving the ball well. At times, we had two-touch, three-touch, and we looked very dangerous in the attack.”
Elmwood Park was down three starters according to Blake. That only deepened the proverbial hole the Tigers tried to climb out of.
The accumulated pressure and the ability to switch the ball quickly from side to side gave Riverrside-Brookfield a convincing advantage.
“We were missing three starters, including our sweeper and that explained some of our disorganization in the back,” Blake said. “That’s not an excuse.
“R-B does a great job. Their coach does a great job. No matter the skill set, he has a form and a set that he plays. Kudos to them.”
The Bulldogs punctuated their scintillating first half performance with a couple of fantastic plays at both ends. In the 27th minute, keeper Aidan Hernandez stopped a point-blank shot that preserved the two-goal advantage.
In the 34th minute, Tomas Kunickas blasted home a header off a beautiful ball from Swicionis for a 3-0 lead.
“Especially at the end of the first half, I thought we had some nice builds,” Blake said. “When you go down three goals in one half, you are looking at bringing in other guys and giving them the experience and the minutes and trying to earn some playing time.”
Ferguson flashed his superb athleticism and finishing strength early in the second half by taking a through-ball from Tovar and blasting home a rocket ball from about 14 yards that closed out the scoring.
Both of Riverside-Brookfield’s victories have come via a 4-0 margin; the earlier result came against Nazareth.
Hunter Ferguson earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor for his two goals. Tovar was also exceptional with his three assists.
“We played great, and we moved the ball in the beginning. We just have to start off strong every single game,” Ferguson said.
“We learned from our mistakes, and we are growing every single day from practice. We have a young team, a young core, our midfield is back, our left and right backs are young. These younger guys are going to get their confidence up, and we are going to be steamrolling teams.”
Keeper Nick Gilberto took over for the final 10 minutes for Riverside-Brookfield.
He secured the shutout with a nice stop off a free kick in the 74th minute.
Hernandez left pitch with five saves, including one made on his back in the second half.
“My backline, they’re young and they’re good with the experienced players like (senior) Omar (Vidales). I think they (Elmwood Park) only had like three or four breakaways. All I have to do is stay big, because I know my defense is going to be there for me.”
Riverside-Brookfield is trending in the right direction, going 2-2-0 since losing three games at the Windy City Ram Classic.
Those defeats brought urgency and clarity.
“I think it was the best thing that could have happened to us,” Hernandez said. “We came out, and we learned from our mistakes and started playing the way our coaches want us. We’re making it simple; we are combining on everything. We’re talking and communicating and moving the ball around.
“We’re finally getting there.”
Starting lineups
Riverside-Brookfield
GK: Aidan Hernandez
D: Liam Hickey
D: Omar Vidales
D: Massimo Franceschina
D: Mak Scheuerman
MF: Manny Tovar
MF: Max Swicionis
MF: Diego Villegas
F: Noah Berndt
F: David Carrillo
F: Hunter Ferguson
Elmwood Park
GK: Esteban Galeano
D: Ervin Vasquez
D: Angel Cortez
D: Jacob Jimenez
D: Ray Manjarrez
MF: Sebastian Maldonado
MF: Osvaldo Lopez
MF: Jose Manjarrez
F: Jose Aguilar
F: Nezar Derevianyi
F: Pablo Morales
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Hunter Ferguson, sr., F, Riverside-Brookfield
Scoring summary
First half
Riverside-Brookfield—Hunter Ferguson (Manny Tovar), ninth minute
Riverside-Brookfield—Dante Moscosa (Tovar), 19th minute
Riverside-Brookfield—Tomas Kunickas (Max Swicionis), 34th minute
Second half
Riverside-Brookfield—Ferguson (Tovar), 49th minute