Fremd strikes late at Barrington
to keep pace in league race
Alex goal 6 minutes from time delivers 1-0 victory
By Mike Garofola
BARRINGTON -- Fremd is back in the Mid-Suburban League West Division title chase but getting there wasn't easy.
A late strike from Kosta Alex gave the Vikings a stunning win at Barrington Community Stadium early Saturday evening and brought coach Steve Keller’s group closer to division-leading Conant with two weeks remaining in league play.
"It was kind of ugly out there today, but we worked hard to get the win. Now, with three-straight conference victories, we have a chance in our division," said Alex, whose superb back-post move allowed him to run on to a brilliant serve from Leo Akashi. He drove his one-timer high into the upper-right corner six minutes from time.
The three points upped Fremd’s total to 12 and established them as the primary challenger to Conant, which stands three points clear in the table. At this juncture, Palatine seems to be the only remaining challenger with 10 points.
"We've been very inconsistent this season, today was not any different," began Keller.
"What I liked today was our grit, energy and the way we battled, especially late in the game to help us get the game-winner from Kosta."
The Vikings (6-5-2, 4-2-0) who earlier in the week took wins over East Division-leader Rolling Meadows and Wheeling, face another three-game challenge with Prospect, then cross-town rival Palatine on Thursday in the annual Kinsella Cup, before a contest with Elk Grove, which has won four league matches in a row.
"This was a see-saw game throughout. Either team could have come away with the victory," Keller said.
"We've had more exciting and better-played games with Scott (Steib, Barrington manager), but the way things have gone in the MSL this season, I am not surprised with the way this game went today."
"What you saw out there today from us has been the way we've played nearly all season long," lamented Steib, whose club is now 1-3-2 in the West Division.
"I don't remember in my 24 years, including our 2009 season when we lost 15 games, having such a scoring drought," continued Steib.
"We cannot find the back of the net at all. When we create chances, we just do not finish those chances."
A quick history check from the Broncos comprehensive team website (https://varsity.barringtonsoccer.org) shows after its first 13 games of the 2009 season Barrington scored nine goals and held a 3-9-1 record. This season the Broncos have scored 14 goals in the same span for a 5-5-3 overall record.
In their last five games, Steib’s club is 1-3-1 with just two goals collected and five allowed.
"(It's) not for a lack of effort on our behalf, but we can be so much better at all parts of our game. Especially in the final third where we're just not clean or sharp enough to finish our chances," offered junior Philip Jackowski, who saw the ball he put into the net in the 45th-minute waved off by a late-rising offsides flag.
"I was, maybe by a yard or less. It was the correct call," said the forthright Jackowski.
While this 80-minute affair saw both sides turn the ball over frequently in the middle of the park and struggle in passing-completion rate, it was the fearless display from both keepers that took the spotlight. Each made several brave saves to help keep their side in the game.
Both young men were confident when rising to push well-driven corners out of harm’s way and in 50/50 challenges on early balls send into their respective boxes.
Robby Remian, a 2021 Chicagoland Soccer all-stater, was called into action in the eighth minute. His reaction save on Jack Peterson's snap-shot from 14 yards prevented a goal. Twice, the senior came far off his line without hesitation to turn away Peterson in the 49th minute and Jackowski in the 64th.
Iker Villagomez, who made a lifetime memory when he joined the offense and scored an 80th-minute equalizer Thursday against Palatine, enjoyed a sensational day as well with a pair of point-blank saves to keep things level.
"Both keepers came through today, Iker was great for us," said Jackowski.
Barrington senior Mathew Klujian, who shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor with Remian was a key figure along the backline as well a masterful supplier of countless cross-field serves. On several occasions he created glorious chances for the home side while helping to pin the Vikings inside their own end.
During the first half alone, Klujian disrupted seven forays in his area with crisp tackling and won six balls in the air.
"Mathew is a terrific player for us. He does so many things really well,” said Steib. “And with Mattie (Vitale) nearly back to 100 percent fit, we can move (Klujian) on the outside along the back where he can jump into the play and give us another attacker who can serve, shoot and create for us out there."
The 6-foot-4 Vitale, who played 30 minutes against Palatine and 40 versus Fremd, will be a welcome addition in the Broncos set plays, which until now have fired a lot of blanks. That part of the attack has traditionally been a hallmark for the program.
After the Broncos Alexis Salazar missed on his chance in the 26th minute when he had Remian all to himself, Fremd’s attack came alive at the half hour.
Cruz McDermott, Genki Wakayama and Akashi were at the heart of three-consecutive deep throws by the visitors. That began a sequence in which the Vikings kept the pressure on just before intermission. Stuck in the run was a Peterson full bicycle-effort for Barrington that was saved by Remian.
"We were not a very good team in the first half," said Akashi. “But we came back out after the half and played much better soccer. Too bad I missed my wide open chance to give us the lead.”
The senior, who scored eight times last fall for the Class 3A state runnerup, could have bagged the opener. He was sent in on Villagomez, whose ambitious challenge off his line opened up his net for the on-charging Akashi, who dragged his shot wide.
Just before that 49th-minute drama, Klujian unloaded an inch perfect left-footed cross to an open back post, which found nary a soul wearing the Broncos black shirt.
Peterson had a half chance saved by Remian, while Will Mayer, Sapiente and Akashi started to become more engaged just after the hour.
Mayer in particular with his blistering pace and nonstop motor, especially when he roared up the left side, began to present problems for the Broncos.
The senior took a lovely ball from Owen Winegar up the left side and turned into the Broncos box. There an alert Vitale slid over and tackled the Vikings three-year veteran.
Then Mayer turned around a pair of challengers before forcing Villagomez into action when he hauled a dangerous ball to the spot.
"We really went after the first goal in the last 10-15 minutes of the game, and it was a lot of hard work by a bunch of guys that helped us get it," Kosta Alex.
When his teammate (Akashi) shed a Broncos player on the left flank, Alex knew where he should be. When the senior ran to the back post, he received the helper for his game-winner.
"Leo is great in 1-v-1 opportunities, (he'll) beat almost anyone in that situation. So I had to get to that back post in order to have a chance to score," smiled Alex.
Barrington was unable to muster anything of a serious nature on frame for the final six minutes, and when the final whistle ended this affair, the Vikings bench leapt up to congratulate their mates who finished off the victory.
"It wasn't pretty for sure, but again, the boys fought hard to get the job done when we needed them to," said Keller in closing.
Barrington will go back to the drawing board.
"We were unlucky on a couple of our chances," began Jackowski. “I thought played well at times, but it's a difficult result for us.
"The mood of the team right now is that of disappointment, but we'll get back at it. We’ll go after our next game with the best effort that we can."
Next up for the Broncos is Senior Night on Tuesday when they host Hoffman Estates.
Starting lineups
Fremd (4-4-2)
G- Robby Remian
D- Genki Wakayama
D- Ronan Allord
D- Michael Leonczuk
D- Zen Wang
MF- Joey Rodino
MF- Owen Winegar
MF- Will Mayer
MF- Nicky Sapiente
F- Kosta Alex
F- Leo Akashi
Barrington (4-4-2)
G- Iker Villagomez
D- Adam Walocha
D- Mathew Klujian
D- Logan Cidulka
D- Paco Hernandez
MF- Alex Salazar
MF- Max Miller
MF- Omar Rodriguez
MF- Ali Saber
F- Jack Peterson
F- Philip Jackowski
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Mathew Klujian, sr., D, Barrington;
Robby Remian, sr., FK, Fremd
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Fremd: Alex (Akashi), 74'
Game statistics
Shots on goal
Fremd: 8
Barrington: 5
Shots off
Fremd: 5
Barrington: 5
Corner kicks
Fremd: 5
Barrington: 4
Offsides
Fremd: 2
Barrington: 2
Fouls
Fremd: 5
Barrington: 7
Yellow cards
Fremd: 0
Barrington: 3
to keep pace in league race
Alex goal 6 minutes from time delivers 1-0 victory
By Mike Garofola
BARRINGTON -- Fremd is back in the Mid-Suburban League West Division title chase but getting there wasn't easy.
A late strike from Kosta Alex gave the Vikings a stunning win at Barrington Community Stadium early Saturday evening and brought coach Steve Keller’s group closer to division-leading Conant with two weeks remaining in league play.
"It was kind of ugly out there today, but we worked hard to get the win. Now, with three-straight conference victories, we have a chance in our division," said Alex, whose superb back-post move allowed him to run on to a brilliant serve from Leo Akashi. He drove his one-timer high into the upper-right corner six minutes from time.
The three points upped Fremd’s total to 12 and established them as the primary challenger to Conant, which stands three points clear in the table. At this juncture, Palatine seems to be the only remaining challenger with 10 points.
"We've been very inconsistent this season, today was not any different," began Keller.
"What I liked today was our grit, energy and the way we battled, especially late in the game to help us get the game-winner from Kosta."
The Vikings (6-5-2, 4-2-0) who earlier in the week took wins over East Division-leader Rolling Meadows and Wheeling, face another three-game challenge with Prospect, then cross-town rival Palatine on Thursday in the annual Kinsella Cup, before a contest with Elk Grove, which has won four league matches in a row.
"This was a see-saw game throughout. Either team could have come away with the victory," Keller said.
"We've had more exciting and better-played games with Scott (Steib, Barrington manager), but the way things have gone in the MSL this season, I am not surprised with the way this game went today."
"What you saw out there today from us has been the way we've played nearly all season long," lamented Steib, whose club is now 1-3-2 in the West Division.
"I don't remember in my 24 years, including our 2009 season when we lost 15 games, having such a scoring drought," continued Steib.
"We cannot find the back of the net at all. When we create chances, we just do not finish those chances."
A quick history check from the Broncos comprehensive team website (https://varsity.barringtonsoccer.org) shows after its first 13 games of the 2009 season Barrington scored nine goals and held a 3-9-1 record. This season the Broncos have scored 14 goals in the same span for a 5-5-3 overall record.
In their last five games, Steib’s club is 1-3-1 with just two goals collected and five allowed.
"(It's) not for a lack of effort on our behalf, but we can be so much better at all parts of our game. Especially in the final third where we're just not clean or sharp enough to finish our chances," offered junior Philip Jackowski, who saw the ball he put into the net in the 45th-minute waved off by a late-rising offsides flag.
"I was, maybe by a yard or less. It was the correct call," said the forthright Jackowski.
While this 80-minute affair saw both sides turn the ball over frequently in the middle of the park and struggle in passing-completion rate, it was the fearless display from both keepers that took the spotlight. Each made several brave saves to help keep their side in the game.
Both young men were confident when rising to push well-driven corners out of harm’s way and in 50/50 challenges on early balls send into their respective boxes.
Robby Remian, a 2021 Chicagoland Soccer all-stater, was called into action in the eighth minute. His reaction save on Jack Peterson's snap-shot from 14 yards prevented a goal. Twice, the senior came far off his line without hesitation to turn away Peterson in the 49th minute and Jackowski in the 64th.
Iker Villagomez, who made a lifetime memory when he joined the offense and scored an 80th-minute equalizer Thursday against Palatine, enjoyed a sensational day as well with a pair of point-blank saves to keep things level.
"Both keepers came through today, Iker was great for us," said Jackowski.
Barrington senior Mathew Klujian, who shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor with Remian was a key figure along the backline as well a masterful supplier of countless cross-field serves. On several occasions he created glorious chances for the home side while helping to pin the Vikings inside their own end.
During the first half alone, Klujian disrupted seven forays in his area with crisp tackling and won six balls in the air.
"Mathew is a terrific player for us. He does so many things really well,” said Steib. “And with Mattie (Vitale) nearly back to 100 percent fit, we can move (Klujian) on the outside along the back where he can jump into the play and give us another attacker who can serve, shoot and create for us out there."
The 6-foot-4 Vitale, who played 30 minutes against Palatine and 40 versus Fremd, will be a welcome addition in the Broncos set plays, which until now have fired a lot of blanks. That part of the attack has traditionally been a hallmark for the program.
After the Broncos Alexis Salazar missed on his chance in the 26th minute when he had Remian all to himself, Fremd’s attack came alive at the half hour.
Cruz McDermott, Genki Wakayama and Akashi were at the heart of three-consecutive deep throws by the visitors. That began a sequence in which the Vikings kept the pressure on just before intermission. Stuck in the run was a Peterson full bicycle-effort for Barrington that was saved by Remian.
"We were not a very good team in the first half," said Akashi. “But we came back out after the half and played much better soccer. Too bad I missed my wide open chance to give us the lead.”
The senior, who scored eight times last fall for the Class 3A state runnerup, could have bagged the opener. He was sent in on Villagomez, whose ambitious challenge off his line opened up his net for the on-charging Akashi, who dragged his shot wide.
Just before that 49th-minute drama, Klujian unloaded an inch perfect left-footed cross to an open back post, which found nary a soul wearing the Broncos black shirt.
Peterson had a half chance saved by Remian, while Will Mayer, Sapiente and Akashi started to become more engaged just after the hour.
Mayer in particular with his blistering pace and nonstop motor, especially when he roared up the left side, began to present problems for the Broncos.
The senior took a lovely ball from Owen Winegar up the left side and turned into the Broncos box. There an alert Vitale slid over and tackled the Vikings three-year veteran.
Then Mayer turned around a pair of challengers before forcing Villagomez into action when he hauled a dangerous ball to the spot.
"We really went after the first goal in the last 10-15 minutes of the game, and it was a lot of hard work by a bunch of guys that helped us get it," Kosta Alex.
When his teammate (Akashi) shed a Broncos player on the left flank, Alex knew where he should be. When the senior ran to the back post, he received the helper for his game-winner.
"Leo is great in 1-v-1 opportunities, (he'll) beat almost anyone in that situation. So I had to get to that back post in order to have a chance to score," smiled Alex.
Barrington was unable to muster anything of a serious nature on frame for the final six minutes, and when the final whistle ended this affair, the Vikings bench leapt up to congratulate their mates who finished off the victory.
"It wasn't pretty for sure, but again, the boys fought hard to get the job done when we needed them to," said Keller in closing.
Barrington will go back to the drawing board.
"We were unlucky on a couple of our chances," began Jackowski. “I thought played well at times, but it's a difficult result for us.
"The mood of the team right now is that of disappointment, but we'll get back at it. We’ll go after our next game with the best effort that we can."
Next up for the Broncos is Senior Night on Tuesday when they host Hoffman Estates.
Starting lineups
Fremd (4-4-2)
G- Robby Remian
D- Genki Wakayama
D- Ronan Allord
D- Michael Leonczuk
D- Zen Wang
MF- Joey Rodino
MF- Owen Winegar
MF- Will Mayer
MF- Nicky Sapiente
F- Kosta Alex
F- Leo Akashi
Barrington (4-4-2)
G- Iker Villagomez
D- Adam Walocha
D- Mathew Klujian
D- Logan Cidulka
D- Paco Hernandez
MF- Alex Salazar
MF- Max Miller
MF- Omar Rodriguez
MF- Ali Saber
F- Jack Peterson
F- Philip Jackowski
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Mathew Klujian, sr., D, Barrington;
Robby Remian, sr., FK, Fremd
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Fremd: Alex (Akashi), 74'
Game statistics
Shots on goal
Fremd: 8
Barrington: 5
Shots off
Fremd: 5
Barrington: 5
Corner kicks
Fremd: 5
Barrington: 4
Offsides
Fremd: 2
Barrington: 2
Fouls
Fremd: 5
Barrington: 7
Yellow cards
Fremd: 0
Barrington: 3