Adams brace leads BG past Fremd
Bison collect 2-0 win, 3 MSL points; Sempoch earns clean-sheet
By Ken Keenan
BUFFALO GROVE -- Debunking the myth that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, Buffalo Grove senior midfielder Kyle Adams bolted past the Fremd defense for a pair of flashy goals Thursday night, leading the host Bison to a 2-0 win in Mid-Suburban League play.
The speedy, tenacious Adams struck first with 25:36 remaining in the opening session, tracking a long ball from senior forward Daniel Vidal and charging ahead before tucking the ball past Vikings senior goalkeeper Jack Taraszka from in-close on the right side for a 1-0 Buffalo Grove lead. Adams, Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match, made it 2-0 in the 35th minute when he appeared out of nowhere to snag a cross from senior mid Manny Mazariegos before unleashing a left-footed blast from 20 yards that beat Taraszka inside the left post.
"I try to body-up defenders and use my speed on 'em," said Adams, who set the tone with a wide-angle try in the first minute that missed wide-left and a similar effort in the 8th minute that Taraszka snagged at the near post.
"Kyle (Adams) is a hard worker, and both goals came off hard work," said Bison head coach Brad Abel, whose squad improved to 5-4-0 overall and 2-1-0 in MSL play with the win.
Buffalo Grove junior defender Brian Hanus, a solid presence in back all match -- especially with Fremd pressing hard in the final 20 minutes -- offered additional praise for his attack-minded teammate.
"Kyle is great leader on and off the field," Hanus said. "It's great to have someone up front who has an edge. We can rely on him to win the game."
Fremd (2-5-0, 0-3-0) created a handful of chances in the first half. Senior forward Angel Virgos sent a hard, low shot from in front that Bison senior keeper Daniel Sempoch stopped with a nice diving save to his right in the 7th minute. A one-timer on the doorstep from sophomore forward Josh Bennett was nabbed by Sempoch 45 seconds before the break. Those were among the exceptions -- the Vikings played on their heels for most of the first 40 minutes, and then some.
"I liked the energy in the second 20 minutes of the second half," said Vikings skipper Steve Keller. "But we still played too nonchalant -- not a lot of thought in what we were doing out there. We have to do a better job clearing. And 1-v.-1, Buffalo Grove was better.
"I was pleased with (senior defender) Max Clark and (senior mid) Dalton Rogers. Those two brought the effort. But not a lot of positives tonight. We found a way to bite ourselves in the foot."
Clark admitted that the Vikings could have done a better job of matching Buffalo Grove's intensity early on, at the same time tipping his cap to the victors for continually pressing the issue.
"(The Bison) were right in our face, but there's no sugarcoating it," Clark said. "You need passion and drive, and we played like kids in the backyard. You need the whole team to push forward, and we didn't have that."
Added Fremd sophomore defender Cole Jackson: "We showed up in the second half ... moved the ball well and got some opportunities. But you have to play hard the whole time. You have to work hard to finish your chances."
Holding the 2-0 lead, Buffalo Grove kept the heat on early in the second half. Six minutes in, Adams concluded a long run by firing wide from 15 yards on the right side. Then he crossed a ball in the 51st minute to freshman midfielder Alexis Escobar, whose attempt was deflected wide.
With 28:15 remaining, Bison senior mid Samalat Turesbekov uncorked a 25-yard blast that sailed wide-left. A minute later, Escobar fed Turesbekov for a 15-yard try that trickled wide-right.
"I thought we came out strong, and we tried to finish off the game strong," Adams said.
Added Vidal: "We were playing our game -- push and play hard, and win the 50/50's."
Hanus said, "I think we came out stronger mentally and physically -- never give up and play hard."
Fremd started to turn the tide with a series of solid possessions, beginning around the 57-minute mark. Settling a Clark pass from the right side, sophomore middie Jake Schoffstall cracked a 10-yard shot over the crossbar with 21:30 to go, and senior mid Matt Austin was stopped by Sempoch from 20 yards with 18:25 left.
Sempoch also foiled a header by Clark in the 64th minute, and the Bison keeper had the answer for 15-yard try by senior forward Angel Virgos with 12:20 left as well.
"We had to weather the storm toward the end, but anytime you beat Fremd is a good result," Abel said. "It's a nice win for us. The intensity was there. You could have the best tactical approach, but if you don't win the 1-v.-1, it doesn't work."
Added lightning-rod Adams: "It's always a grind-it-out game with Fremd. It's good to get the win. It's conference play now, and we're starting to piece it together."
Starting lineups:
Fremd
G: Jack Taraszka
D: Ben Cuthbert
D: Cole Jackson
D: Max Clark
M: Dalton Rogers
M: Kaelan Conway
M: Matt Austin
M: Max Mayer
M: Jake Schoffstall
F: Russell Beaupre
F: Angel Virgos
Buffalo Grove
G: Daniel Sempoch
D: Marcin Czaplinski
D: Christian Kozaczka
D: Jack Keady
D: Brian Hanus
M: Manny Mazariegos
M: Ryan Kim
M: Alex Berk
M: Kyle Adams
M: Michael Botello
F: Jonathan Peici
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Kyle Adams, sr., MF, Buffalo Grove
Officials: Mariusz Folta, Christopher Weiland, Peter Stavropoulos
Scoring summary
1. Buffalo Grove: Kyle Adams (assisted by Daniel Vidal) in 15th minute
2. Buffalo Grove: Kyle Adams (assisted by Manny Mazariegos) in 35th minute
Bison collect 2-0 win, 3 MSL points; Sempoch earns clean-sheet
By Ken Keenan
BUFFALO GROVE -- Debunking the myth that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, Buffalo Grove senior midfielder Kyle Adams bolted past the Fremd defense for a pair of flashy goals Thursday night, leading the host Bison to a 2-0 win in Mid-Suburban League play.
The speedy, tenacious Adams struck first with 25:36 remaining in the opening session, tracking a long ball from senior forward Daniel Vidal and charging ahead before tucking the ball past Vikings senior goalkeeper Jack Taraszka from in-close on the right side for a 1-0 Buffalo Grove lead. Adams, Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match, made it 2-0 in the 35th minute when he appeared out of nowhere to snag a cross from senior mid Manny Mazariegos before unleashing a left-footed blast from 20 yards that beat Taraszka inside the left post.
"I try to body-up defenders and use my speed on 'em," said Adams, who set the tone with a wide-angle try in the first minute that missed wide-left and a similar effort in the 8th minute that Taraszka snagged at the near post.
"Kyle (Adams) is a hard worker, and both goals came off hard work," said Bison head coach Brad Abel, whose squad improved to 5-4-0 overall and 2-1-0 in MSL play with the win.
Buffalo Grove junior defender Brian Hanus, a solid presence in back all match -- especially with Fremd pressing hard in the final 20 minutes -- offered additional praise for his attack-minded teammate.
"Kyle is great leader on and off the field," Hanus said. "It's great to have someone up front who has an edge. We can rely on him to win the game."
Fremd (2-5-0, 0-3-0) created a handful of chances in the first half. Senior forward Angel Virgos sent a hard, low shot from in front that Bison senior keeper Daniel Sempoch stopped with a nice diving save to his right in the 7th minute. A one-timer on the doorstep from sophomore forward Josh Bennett was nabbed by Sempoch 45 seconds before the break. Those were among the exceptions -- the Vikings played on their heels for most of the first 40 minutes, and then some.
"I liked the energy in the second 20 minutes of the second half," said Vikings skipper Steve Keller. "But we still played too nonchalant -- not a lot of thought in what we were doing out there. We have to do a better job clearing. And 1-v.-1, Buffalo Grove was better.
"I was pleased with (senior defender) Max Clark and (senior mid) Dalton Rogers. Those two brought the effort. But not a lot of positives tonight. We found a way to bite ourselves in the foot."
Clark admitted that the Vikings could have done a better job of matching Buffalo Grove's intensity early on, at the same time tipping his cap to the victors for continually pressing the issue.
"(The Bison) were right in our face, but there's no sugarcoating it," Clark said. "You need passion and drive, and we played like kids in the backyard. You need the whole team to push forward, and we didn't have that."
Added Fremd sophomore defender Cole Jackson: "We showed up in the second half ... moved the ball well and got some opportunities. But you have to play hard the whole time. You have to work hard to finish your chances."
Holding the 2-0 lead, Buffalo Grove kept the heat on early in the second half. Six minutes in, Adams concluded a long run by firing wide from 15 yards on the right side. Then he crossed a ball in the 51st minute to freshman midfielder Alexis Escobar, whose attempt was deflected wide.
With 28:15 remaining, Bison senior mid Samalat Turesbekov uncorked a 25-yard blast that sailed wide-left. A minute later, Escobar fed Turesbekov for a 15-yard try that trickled wide-right.
"I thought we came out strong, and we tried to finish off the game strong," Adams said.
Added Vidal: "We were playing our game -- push and play hard, and win the 50/50's."
Hanus said, "I think we came out stronger mentally and physically -- never give up and play hard."
Fremd started to turn the tide with a series of solid possessions, beginning around the 57-minute mark. Settling a Clark pass from the right side, sophomore middie Jake Schoffstall cracked a 10-yard shot over the crossbar with 21:30 to go, and senior mid Matt Austin was stopped by Sempoch from 20 yards with 18:25 left.
Sempoch also foiled a header by Clark in the 64th minute, and the Bison keeper had the answer for 15-yard try by senior forward Angel Virgos with 12:20 left as well.
"We had to weather the storm toward the end, but anytime you beat Fremd is a good result," Abel said. "It's a nice win for us. The intensity was there. You could have the best tactical approach, but if you don't win the 1-v.-1, it doesn't work."
Added lightning-rod Adams: "It's always a grind-it-out game with Fremd. It's good to get the win. It's conference play now, and we're starting to piece it together."
Starting lineups:
Fremd
G: Jack Taraszka
D: Ben Cuthbert
D: Cole Jackson
D: Max Clark
M: Dalton Rogers
M: Kaelan Conway
M: Matt Austin
M: Max Mayer
M: Jake Schoffstall
F: Russell Beaupre
F: Angel Virgos
Buffalo Grove
G: Daniel Sempoch
D: Marcin Czaplinski
D: Christian Kozaczka
D: Jack Keady
D: Brian Hanus
M: Manny Mazariegos
M: Ryan Kim
M: Alex Berk
M: Kyle Adams
M: Michael Botello
F: Jonathan Peici
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Kyle Adams, sr., MF, Buffalo Grove
Officials: Mariusz Folta, Christopher Weiland, Peter Stavropoulos
Scoring summary
1. Buffalo Grove: Kyle Adams (assisted by Daniel Vidal) in 15th minute
2. Buffalo Grove: Kyle Adams (assisted by Manny Mazariegos) in 35th minute