Fremd wins Soccer Cup
with 80th-minute strike against Elk Grove
Akashi wears hero's laurels in 1-0 Mid-Suburban title win
By Mike Garofola
ELK GROVE -- With a moment of brilliance, Leo Akashi dashed Elk Grove’s dream of its first Soccer Cup when the Fremd senior stunned the big Thursday night crowd at Robert E. Haskell Stadium with his 80th-minute, game-winning wonder goal.
Akashi beat the Grenadiers and the clock when he ran onto a superb cross from teammate Will Mayer and used a redirected one-timer to dismiss the home team with just seven seconds remaining to give the Vikings their 10th league championship and bring the 47th MSL Soccer Cup to a stunning end.
"This was such a tough game for all of us. I knew if I would have the chance to score a goal for us I just had to so we could win this game and the MSL Cup," said Akashi, who was still overcome with a combination of joy and relief long after he and his teammates lifted the big trophy for the second-consecutive season and third time in the last four MSL Soccer Cup affairs.
"Leo is always there when we need him," said Mayer. "When I saw (him) running toward the near post, I knew he could get on the end of the ball."
Mayer played with his usual heart, energy and desire in a classic contest between two clubs who deserved to be in the longest-running league championship series in the state.
"Even though a lot of us played in the 3A state final last year, I know, for me at least, I was stressed this game. It had so much play back and forth," said Vikings senior Joey Rodino, a key figure for manager Steve Keller. He was outstanding at the six against a rampant and technically gifted Elk Grove (10-5-3) attack that had the advantage in possession with its ability to switch the field and connect passes at a high rate.
"(Elk Grove) was so talented with the ball at their feet and can play an impressive style of possession soccer,” Keller said. “They kept the ball a lot of the time and could have just as easily won this game instead of us. If they continue to play like they did tonight, they could have a very good run in the postseason ahead of them."
"In my 48 years of soccer, this is easily the best and most talented Elk Grove team that I've seen," added said former head coach, current Vikings assistant and 2006 IHSSCA Hall-of-Famer Gerardo Pagnani, who was on hand in 2010 when the Vikings defeated Elk Grove 3-1 in the Grenadiers first MSL Soccer Cup appearance.
"That is definitely high praise from a man whom I have a great deal of respect for, and from a person who has seen way more soccer than any of us," said Elk Grove manager Alex Stavropoulos. “It's something that I will be sure to share with the guys when we get together tomorrow.
"I cannot tell you how proud of my team right now.
"They did everything tonight except put one into the back of the net. They played their best 80 minutes of soccer on both sides of the ball, created some great chances and played one of the great programs in our conference about as well as you could."
Fremd (12-6-2) entered this contest as the favorite, thanks in part to closing out its league schedule with an eight-game winning streak. The Vikings found their form after a slow start.
"We really struggled at the start of the season,” said keeper Robby Remian. “We just could not find our rhythm, and (Keller) was still trying to put the right pieces in place.”
Remian and Elk Grove’s dynamic senior up-top Chris Gonzalez shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor from a list of several under consideration.
Remian performed perfectly in the center stage spotlight when his fearless point-blank save at 18 minutes on Elk Grove junior Kacper Kubala kept the home side from not only grabbing an early advantage but also a huge momentum swing.
"Just another amazing save from Robby, which we've all come to expect from him,” said Rodino. “Who knows, if they score then, maybe the outcome of this game is different."
"Robby has made important saves this year,” said Keller. “We obviously are not the same team defensively as we were a year ago. So that early save when he came off his line helped set the tone."
"He was in charge of his box all night long and made some critical plays to relieve pressure or help keep the ball out of his net. (It's) comforting to have him in there as a safety blanket for our team."
"Both keepers were phenomenal tonight," said Stavropoulos. “Their guy made a couple of huge saves. So much so that my four-year-old son told me afterward 'That Vikings' goalie was really good daddy.'
"I was also very proud of our own keeper, Jhonathan Celis, who did a great job coming off his line to cut off opportunities before guys from Fremd were able to get a shot off.
"To see how much that young man, who is just a sophomore, has grown during these two months (has) been one of the highlights of the season for me."
Celis stopped an attempt from Nicky Sapiente on the tail end of some nice combination work from Kyle Grasse, out of the back, and Akashi. Then, as Stavropoulos pointed out, the Grenadiers keeper did well coming off his line to persuade an effort from Kosta Alex to go wide.
Alex, Akashi, Owen Winegar,and especially Mayer were at the heart of several charges forward in the Vikings attack. Mayer’s nonstop motor kept Elk Grove on high alert whenever he was on the ball.
"This was a big game,” Mayer said. “We wanted to win and bring another conference championship back home. We all had to go out and give everything we had tonight."
Mayer made three Grenadiers miss him up the left side with speed, power and a bit of trickery before unloading a wicked blast on frame that Celis held on to for dear life. Akashi was right there hoping and waiting for a rebound attempt.
This exchange occurred two minutes before Remian came to the rescue on the Kubala chance.
Remian showed his strength and bravery when he came off his line to punch away a searing free kick from Jared Aguirre, one of a handful of well-struck restarts on the night from the Elk Grove junior.
It was at this point the attack of the Grenadiers began to come to life. Except for a header on frame from Mayer off Kosta and Winegar helpers at 28 minutes, the home side enjoyed most of the play.
Armando Limon, Jonny Monjaraz and Kubala pulled strings in the center of the park, while the pace, speed, deft touch and crafty play up-top from Gonzalez keep Fremd at the ready.
"(Chris) who is normally in the middle for us, was dangerous all night long. Aguirre, Limon, Adam Kingery and of course Aaron Vazquez played so well all night for us," said Stavropoulos.
"… No. 14 (Gonzalez), was tough to defend, quick, clever and capable of creating some of their best chances on the night,” said Keller. “Along with their guys in the middle, they controlled a lot of the game and had us chasing."
Vazquez handled things in the center of the Grenadiers backline with composure throughout the game. His ability to win in the air or on the floor while delivering several potent balls out of the back was impressive.
"We created many opportunities to score through our combination plays, which was great for us. We played as a team really well, which I was very proud of," began Gonzalez, who wears the captain’s armband along with Vazquez.
"Even though we didn't get the result, the effort we gave is something we should all be proud of. It's something that will gives us fuel to use to make a strong postseason run."
Gonzalez went wide twice before the break. On the other end, Mayer burst through and into the box, and if not for a tackle from Vazquez might have had Celis all to himself.
Remian was at it again, turning a potential goal off the foot of Gonzalez up, and off the underside of the woodwork in the 31st minute. The follow-up by Cesar Vargas went just wide of the near post.
"(Keller) didn't have much to say to us at the half, but we did switch to a 4-4-2 for the second half with me at the bottom of the diamond," explained Rodino.
"Michael (Leonczuk) played a great game alongside Ronan (Allord) as one of our central defenders, and made some big blocks and tackles. It was probably his best game of the year. Ronan was amazing also."
Elk Grove came out of the break on its collective front foot. Kingery, Josh Torres and then Kubala each went close.
The Grenadiers faithful thought for sure Chris Aparicio was tripped up when he bolted into the box. However, referee Vitaly Hantsevich disagreed and quickly waved play to continue.
Hantsevich and his assistants, John Anderson, and Adrian Werbecki, turned in a marvelous 80 minutes of officiating to help make this an exciting final.
The play began to tilt in favor of the West Division champions after Akashi dragged the ball away from a pair of defenders and with a quick touch rattled the bar in the 62nd minute.
The near-goal energized the Vikings and set the stage for a wild and frantic final quarter hour. Each side knew the opener might be the game-winner.
Remian sent another Aguirre free kick out of his box with a thunderous punch. Leonczuk blocked another close-range attempt before Grasse went the other way and pushed a shot wide after an enterprising run up the left side.
Fremd got a flying header inside the box from Alex after Mayer initiated the play just two minutes from time. Akashi’s game-winner waited in the wings.
"It was not an easy game out there to play tonight,” Akashi said. “Both teams were playing really hard, fast and physical soccer. I was so happy to score the goal to help us win the game."
"We were all coming forward at the end,” Rodino said. “I think Mayer kind of surprised them with his strong run up the right side to expose them. When I saw him play the ball into Leo, I just knew he was the one guy on our team to put the ball into the back of the net."
"No. 9 (Mayer) was just torching us on our right side in the first half," began Stavropoulos. “So we moved Angel (Aparicio) over in the second half, and we did a much better job of slowing him down.
"Then, Steve (Keller) switched from high (one central, two wide) to two up-top. I never like my two center backs defending 1-v-1, so we dropped Armando (Limon) back to maintain a one-man advantage."
"We moved a few other guys around as the game went on. In the end, it was that one last great chance they put in to end what I feel was an exciting and amazing final."
"It was a very tough game that could have gone either way," said Vazquez. “But I could not have been more proud of my team and how we all played in such a big game.
"Unfortunately, we did not get the result we wanted, but we fought until the final whistle and now have that extra motivation heading into regionals next week.
"We've accomplished so much this year by winning the division for only the second time in our history, having six players named all-conference, and seeing coach win (East Division) Coach of the Year."
"This game had a little bit of everything, and both sides had chances. Either team could have won tonight," said Keller.
"For us, I thought we defended well for most of the night. I liked the effort on both sides of the ball and the way we played a bit more our brains compared to our previous games.
"I saw a focus that may have been lacking at points in the season. It was a good win all the way around, and I’m very happy for the players.
"Elk Grove and Alex should be proud of their effort. I wish them luck in the postseason."
Next up for the seventh-seeded Grenadiers is their regional opener against host and 10th-seeded Glenbard East (9-4-2) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Lombard.
Host Fremd, a no. 5 seed, takes on 12th-seeded Mundelein (8-5-7) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Fremd (4-4-2)
G- Robby Remian
D- Kyle Grasse
D- Ronan Allord
D- Michael Leonczuk
D- Genki Wakayama
MF- Joey Rodino
MF- Owen Winegar
MF- Nicky Sapiente
MF- Will Mayer
F- Kosta Alex
F- Leo Akashi
Elk Grove (4-3-3)
G- Jhonathan Celis
D- Angel Aparicio
D- AaronVazquez
D- Jared Aguirre
D- Chris Aparicio
MF- Armando Limon
MF- Kacper Kubala
MF- Jonny Monjaraz
F- Josh Torres
F- Chris Gonzalez
F- Adam Kingery
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Chris Gonzalez, sr., F, Elk Grove;
Robby Remian, sr., GK, Fremd
Officials: Vitaly Hantsevich (referee); Adrian Werbecki (assistant); John Anderson (assistant)
Scoring summary
First half
No goals scored
Second half
Fremd: Akashi (Meyer) 80'
Statistics
Shots on goal
Fremd: 8
Elk Grove: 8
Shots off
Fremd: 9
Elk Grove: 9
Offsides
Fremd: 2
Elk Grove: 1
Corner kicks
Fremd: 3
Elk Grove: 3
Fouls
Fremd: 11
Elk Grove: 8
Blocked shots
Fremd: 5
Elk Grove: 3
with 80th-minute strike against Elk Grove
Akashi wears hero's laurels in 1-0 Mid-Suburban title win
By Mike Garofola
ELK GROVE -- With a moment of brilliance, Leo Akashi dashed Elk Grove’s dream of its first Soccer Cup when the Fremd senior stunned the big Thursday night crowd at Robert E. Haskell Stadium with his 80th-minute, game-winning wonder goal.
Akashi beat the Grenadiers and the clock when he ran onto a superb cross from teammate Will Mayer and used a redirected one-timer to dismiss the home team with just seven seconds remaining to give the Vikings their 10th league championship and bring the 47th MSL Soccer Cup to a stunning end.
"This was such a tough game for all of us. I knew if I would have the chance to score a goal for us I just had to so we could win this game and the MSL Cup," said Akashi, who was still overcome with a combination of joy and relief long after he and his teammates lifted the big trophy for the second-consecutive season and third time in the last four MSL Soccer Cup affairs.
"Leo is always there when we need him," said Mayer. "When I saw (him) running toward the near post, I knew he could get on the end of the ball."
Mayer played with his usual heart, energy and desire in a classic contest between two clubs who deserved to be in the longest-running league championship series in the state.
"Even though a lot of us played in the 3A state final last year, I know, for me at least, I was stressed this game. It had so much play back and forth," said Vikings senior Joey Rodino, a key figure for manager Steve Keller. He was outstanding at the six against a rampant and technically gifted Elk Grove (10-5-3) attack that had the advantage in possession with its ability to switch the field and connect passes at a high rate.
"(Elk Grove) was so talented with the ball at their feet and can play an impressive style of possession soccer,” Keller said. “They kept the ball a lot of the time and could have just as easily won this game instead of us. If they continue to play like they did tonight, they could have a very good run in the postseason ahead of them."
"In my 48 years of soccer, this is easily the best and most talented Elk Grove team that I've seen," added said former head coach, current Vikings assistant and 2006 IHSSCA Hall-of-Famer Gerardo Pagnani, who was on hand in 2010 when the Vikings defeated Elk Grove 3-1 in the Grenadiers first MSL Soccer Cup appearance.
"That is definitely high praise from a man whom I have a great deal of respect for, and from a person who has seen way more soccer than any of us," said Elk Grove manager Alex Stavropoulos. “It's something that I will be sure to share with the guys when we get together tomorrow.
"I cannot tell you how proud of my team right now.
"They did everything tonight except put one into the back of the net. They played their best 80 minutes of soccer on both sides of the ball, created some great chances and played one of the great programs in our conference about as well as you could."
Fremd (12-6-2) entered this contest as the favorite, thanks in part to closing out its league schedule with an eight-game winning streak. The Vikings found their form after a slow start.
"We really struggled at the start of the season,” said keeper Robby Remian. “We just could not find our rhythm, and (Keller) was still trying to put the right pieces in place.”
Remian and Elk Grove’s dynamic senior up-top Chris Gonzalez shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor from a list of several under consideration.
Remian performed perfectly in the center stage spotlight when his fearless point-blank save at 18 minutes on Elk Grove junior Kacper Kubala kept the home side from not only grabbing an early advantage but also a huge momentum swing.
"Just another amazing save from Robby, which we've all come to expect from him,” said Rodino. “Who knows, if they score then, maybe the outcome of this game is different."
"Robby has made important saves this year,” said Keller. “We obviously are not the same team defensively as we were a year ago. So that early save when he came off his line helped set the tone."
"He was in charge of his box all night long and made some critical plays to relieve pressure or help keep the ball out of his net. (It's) comforting to have him in there as a safety blanket for our team."
"Both keepers were phenomenal tonight," said Stavropoulos. “Their guy made a couple of huge saves. So much so that my four-year-old son told me afterward 'That Vikings' goalie was really good daddy.'
"I was also very proud of our own keeper, Jhonathan Celis, who did a great job coming off his line to cut off opportunities before guys from Fremd were able to get a shot off.
"To see how much that young man, who is just a sophomore, has grown during these two months (has) been one of the highlights of the season for me."
Celis stopped an attempt from Nicky Sapiente on the tail end of some nice combination work from Kyle Grasse, out of the back, and Akashi. Then, as Stavropoulos pointed out, the Grenadiers keeper did well coming off his line to persuade an effort from Kosta Alex to go wide.
Alex, Akashi, Owen Winegar,and especially Mayer were at the heart of several charges forward in the Vikings attack. Mayer’s nonstop motor kept Elk Grove on high alert whenever he was on the ball.
"This was a big game,” Mayer said. “We wanted to win and bring another conference championship back home. We all had to go out and give everything we had tonight."
Mayer made three Grenadiers miss him up the left side with speed, power and a bit of trickery before unloading a wicked blast on frame that Celis held on to for dear life. Akashi was right there hoping and waiting for a rebound attempt.
This exchange occurred two minutes before Remian came to the rescue on the Kubala chance.
Remian showed his strength and bravery when he came off his line to punch away a searing free kick from Jared Aguirre, one of a handful of well-struck restarts on the night from the Elk Grove junior.
It was at this point the attack of the Grenadiers began to come to life. Except for a header on frame from Mayer off Kosta and Winegar helpers at 28 minutes, the home side enjoyed most of the play.
Armando Limon, Jonny Monjaraz and Kubala pulled strings in the center of the park, while the pace, speed, deft touch and crafty play up-top from Gonzalez keep Fremd at the ready.
"(Chris) who is normally in the middle for us, was dangerous all night long. Aguirre, Limon, Adam Kingery and of course Aaron Vazquez played so well all night for us," said Stavropoulos.
"… No. 14 (Gonzalez), was tough to defend, quick, clever and capable of creating some of their best chances on the night,” said Keller. “Along with their guys in the middle, they controlled a lot of the game and had us chasing."
Vazquez handled things in the center of the Grenadiers backline with composure throughout the game. His ability to win in the air or on the floor while delivering several potent balls out of the back was impressive.
"We created many opportunities to score through our combination plays, which was great for us. We played as a team really well, which I was very proud of," began Gonzalez, who wears the captain’s armband along with Vazquez.
"Even though we didn't get the result, the effort we gave is something we should all be proud of. It's something that will gives us fuel to use to make a strong postseason run."
Gonzalez went wide twice before the break. On the other end, Mayer burst through and into the box, and if not for a tackle from Vazquez might have had Celis all to himself.
Remian was at it again, turning a potential goal off the foot of Gonzalez up, and off the underside of the woodwork in the 31st minute. The follow-up by Cesar Vargas went just wide of the near post.
"(Keller) didn't have much to say to us at the half, but we did switch to a 4-4-2 for the second half with me at the bottom of the diamond," explained Rodino.
"Michael (Leonczuk) played a great game alongside Ronan (Allord) as one of our central defenders, and made some big blocks and tackles. It was probably his best game of the year. Ronan was amazing also."
Elk Grove came out of the break on its collective front foot. Kingery, Josh Torres and then Kubala each went close.
The Grenadiers faithful thought for sure Chris Aparicio was tripped up when he bolted into the box. However, referee Vitaly Hantsevich disagreed and quickly waved play to continue.
Hantsevich and his assistants, John Anderson, and Adrian Werbecki, turned in a marvelous 80 minutes of officiating to help make this an exciting final.
The play began to tilt in favor of the West Division champions after Akashi dragged the ball away from a pair of defenders and with a quick touch rattled the bar in the 62nd minute.
The near-goal energized the Vikings and set the stage for a wild and frantic final quarter hour. Each side knew the opener might be the game-winner.
Remian sent another Aguirre free kick out of his box with a thunderous punch. Leonczuk blocked another close-range attempt before Grasse went the other way and pushed a shot wide after an enterprising run up the left side.
Fremd got a flying header inside the box from Alex after Mayer initiated the play just two minutes from time. Akashi’s game-winner waited in the wings.
"It was not an easy game out there to play tonight,” Akashi said. “Both teams were playing really hard, fast and physical soccer. I was so happy to score the goal to help us win the game."
"We were all coming forward at the end,” Rodino said. “I think Mayer kind of surprised them with his strong run up the right side to expose them. When I saw him play the ball into Leo, I just knew he was the one guy on our team to put the ball into the back of the net."
"No. 9 (Mayer) was just torching us on our right side in the first half," began Stavropoulos. “So we moved Angel (Aparicio) over in the second half, and we did a much better job of slowing him down.
"Then, Steve (Keller) switched from high (one central, two wide) to two up-top. I never like my two center backs defending 1-v-1, so we dropped Armando (Limon) back to maintain a one-man advantage."
"We moved a few other guys around as the game went on. In the end, it was that one last great chance they put in to end what I feel was an exciting and amazing final."
"It was a very tough game that could have gone either way," said Vazquez. “But I could not have been more proud of my team and how we all played in such a big game.
"Unfortunately, we did not get the result we wanted, but we fought until the final whistle and now have that extra motivation heading into regionals next week.
"We've accomplished so much this year by winning the division for only the second time in our history, having six players named all-conference, and seeing coach win (East Division) Coach of the Year."
"This game had a little bit of everything, and both sides had chances. Either team could have won tonight," said Keller.
"For us, I thought we defended well for most of the night. I liked the effort on both sides of the ball and the way we played a bit more our brains compared to our previous games.
"I saw a focus that may have been lacking at points in the season. It was a good win all the way around, and I’m very happy for the players.
"Elk Grove and Alex should be proud of their effort. I wish them luck in the postseason."
Next up for the seventh-seeded Grenadiers is their regional opener against host and 10th-seeded Glenbard East (9-4-2) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Lombard.
Host Fremd, a no. 5 seed, takes on 12th-seeded Mundelein (8-5-7) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Fremd (4-4-2)
G- Robby Remian
D- Kyle Grasse
D- Ronan Allord
D- Michael Leonczuk
D- Genki Wakayama
MF- Joey Rodino
MF- Owen Winegar
MF- Nicky Sapiente
MF- Will Mayer
F- Kosta Alex
F- Leo Akashi
Elk Grove (4-3-3)
G- Jhonathan Celis
D- Angel Aparicio
D- AaronVazquez
D- Jared Aguirre
D- Chris Aparicio
MF- Armando Limon
MF- Kacper Kubala
MF- Jonny Monjaraz
F- Josh Torres
F- Chris Gonzalez
F- Adam Kingery
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Chris Gonzalez, sr., F, Elk Grove;
Robby Remian, sr., GK, Fremd
Officials: Vitaly Hantsevich (referee); Adrian Werbecki (assistant); John Anderson (assistant)
Scoring summary
First half
No goals scored
Second half
Fremd: Akashi (Meyer) 80'
Statistics
Shots on goal
Fremd: 8
Elk Grove: 8
Shots off
Fremd: 9
Elk Grove: 9
Offsides
Fremd: 2
Elk Grove: 1
Corner kicks
Fremd: 3
Elk Grove: 3
Fouls
Fremd: 11
Elk Grove: 8
Blocked shots
Fremd: 5
Elk Grove: 3