Fremd's Kinsella Cup streak runneth over
Vikings edge Palatine 2-1 on 2nd OT Golden Goal to keep prize
By Bill McLean
PALATINE — Ryan Sapiente was hopping happy.
The Fremd sophomore midfielder, who had sustained a painful bone bruise to his left foot in the 72nd minute, tabled his winces and hopped as rapidly as he possibly could to join his team’s joyous scrum in midfield after Tuesday’s Kinsella Cup rivalry match on Palatine’s home pitch.
The Vikings had abruptly won the taut battle on a scorching, 23-yard free kick from senior defender Jake Schoffstall in the second minute of the second, 10-minute overtime session.
Schoffstall’s clinching shot in the 2-1 thriller traveled at least 60 mph — or 59 mph faster than the speed Sapiente could muster in his laborious post-match journey.
“It’s always a mentally exhausting game,” Fremd coach Steve Keller said of the annual crosstown clash, which Fremd won 5-0 last fall. “There’s a lot more to it. It’s friends playing friends, going for the Cup.
“I’m proud of our guys for hanging in there. But it was not a good performance by us. A win’s a win; we’ll take it. We found a way.”
Fremd (9-1-4, 8-0-2), ranked no. 10 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, won the Cup for the fourth-straight time. The triumph on a gorgeous, mild Tuesday at Chic Anderson Stadium also secured the Mid-Suburban League West Division’s top spot and its automatic Soccer Bowl berth.
The Vikings, the reigning MSL Cup runnerup, faces the MSL East champion for league bragging rights on Oct. 16.
“Palatine played an amazing game; I was super impressed with how well their team competed,” said Fremd senior midfielder Russell Beaupre, whose throw-in in the 15th minute set up the first tally.
The opener went in the scorebook as an own-goal. After Schoffstall’s header first pinged off the crossbar, it hit Pirates senior goalkeeper Johnathon Moreno after he turned to face the goal and try to catch the rebound. The ball caromed off the keeper and into the net for the opening goal.
The Pirates answered 12 minutes later, with sophomore defender Ray Navarrete — the home side’s youngest starter — delivering a sweet assist to reserve senior forward Hugo Tierrablanca, who curled around and zipped behind Fremd’s backline to knot the game at 1.
Schoffstall drew a penalty and attempted the ensuing penalty kick in the 65th minute. Following a lengthy delay to get the right time on the scoreboard clock, and after Schoffstall requested a ball switch with a ball boy, the 6-foot, 180-pounder prepared to blast away.
Schoffstall’s shot found a diving Moreno’s arms.
“Great save by Johnathon,” said 29th-year Palatine coach Willie Filian, whose game crew slipped to 5-8-2, 4-6-0. “We dodged that good chance. But you can’t give a freakish athlete like Schoffstall a second chance to win it, and that’s what happened in the second OT.”
The decider started some five yards from the top of the 18-yard box. Beaupre and Fremd senior forward Josh Bennett — with their backs to the goal — shielded the ball from Moreno.
Palatine formed a small wall of three Pirates.
“Good ploy,” Filian said of the pre-free-kick positioning by Beaupre and Bennett.
Beaupre and Bennett parted, and Schoffstall then ripped a shot to the upper-left corner of the goal.
Win to Fremd, suddenly.
“He got all of it,” said Filian, whose club had lost 2-0 to New Trier the previous night. “He got us.
“I was worried we’d have heavy legs after chasing New Trier like we did. Not so. We held firm tonight, outworked Fremd for most of the second half, I thought, and parts of the first OT. All in all, I’m proud, very proud, of how we played.”
Fremd’s lone loss — 2-1, on Aug. 30 — came at the feet of Notre Dame (Peoria) in the second match of the season at the Tradition Classic at DePauw University in Indiana.
Beaupre’s assessment of his team?
“We haven’t peaked yet,” said the midfielder/throw-in designee, who whipped his first throw-in at the age of 11 or 12.
The keys to effective throw-ins?
“Shoulders and abs,” said Beaupre, whose intentional ground-ball throw-in preceded the penalty that Schoffstall drew and resulted in the match’s lone PK attempt.
Once again, Fremd proved head and shoulders above the rest of the MSL West.
The Vikings, the no. 4 seed in the Class 3A Libertyville Sectional, host Prospect on its Senior Night at 7 p.m. Thursday. They open the playoffs against 13th-seeded Lake Zurich in a Stevenson Regional
semifinal Oct. 13.
Palatine, officially a dangerous no. 16 sectional seed, visits Hersey for a 6:30 p.m. match Thursday. The Pirates host 17th-seeded Waukegan in a playoff play-in match Oct. 19.
Footnotes
Vikings junior backup keeper Joey Gillespie entered the Kinsella Cup match for injured senior starter Artur Cholewa near the end of the first OT and remained in goal for the only 92 seconds of the second extra session. … Four of Fremd’s 14 matches this fall reached a second OT. Fremd is 2-0-2 in the
extended contests. … Keller, on the warm temperature and clear skies before the start of the Kinsella Cup Tuesday afternoon at Palatine: “Good golfing weather.” He golfed with friends on Sunday. “My strengths?” Keller asked. “Depends on the day.” Keller’s drives stood out in the recent outing. … Palatine honored its seniors before the Kinsella Cup kickoff. Filian, at times, was as entertaining as a seasoned comedian at Zanies as he shared the thoughts and aspirations of his seniors with the spectators and occasionally added hilarious commentary. But the Pirates’ longtime coach was serious
when he said, “[Midfielder] Jonny Flores wants to become the world’s greatest accountant.” … Filian, on talented, exciting Pirates junior midfielder/forward Aaron Bustamante: “Crafty, fast. And he can run forever.” … One of the assistant referees for the Kinsella Cup match was former Lincoln-Way North
goalkeeper Michelle Balcerzak, who played two soccer seasons at Carthage (Wis.) College. She now lives in the city and is an associate brand manager for Bosch Power Tools. … Fremd still would have captured the MSL West division title with either a tie or a loss in Tuesday’s Kinsella Cup because division
contender Barrington lost 1-0 to Wheeling on Tuesday. Fremd tied visiting Barrington 0-0 on Sept. 17.
Starting lineups
Fremd
GK: Artur Cholewa
D: Jake Schoffstall
D: Cole Jackson
D: Kaelan Conway
D: Andrew Clark
M: Russell Beaupre
M: John Kating
M Nick Austin
M: C.J. Williams
F: Josh Bennett
F: Eli Schoffstall
Palatine
GK: Johnathon Moreno
D: Kevin Reynolds
D: Bryan Lucero
D: Ray Navarrete
M: Matt Geisel
M: James Hawran
M: Connor Aikman
M: Arian Mejia
F: Omar Marin
F: Wiktor Pajak
F: Aaron Bustamante
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jake Schoffstall, sr., D, Fremd
Referees: Oscar Padilla (center); Vedad Sarancic; Michelle Balcerzak
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd — Own-goal after Jake Schoffstall header, 15’
Palatine — Hugo Tierrablanca (Navarrete), 27’
Second half
No scoring
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
Jake Schoffstall (FK), 92’
Vikings edge Palatine 2-1 on 2nd OT Golden Goal to keep prize
By Bill McLean
PALATINE — Ryan Sapiente was hopping happy.
The Fremd sophomore midfielder, who had sustained a painful bone bruise to his left foot in the 72nd minute, tabled his winces and hopped as rapidly as he possibly could to join his team’s joyous scrum in midfield after Tuesday’s Kinsella Cup rivalry match on Palatine’s home pitch.
The Vikings had abruptly won the taut battle on a scorching, 23-yard free kick from senior defender Jake Schoffstall in the second minute of the second, 10-minute overtime session.
Schoffstall’s clinching shot in the 2-1 thriller traveled at least 60 mph — or 59 mph faster than the speed Sapiente could muster in his laborious post-match journey.
“It’s always a mentally exhausting game,” Fremd coach Steve Keller said of the annual crosstown clash, which Fremd won 5-0 last fall. “There’s a lot more to it. It’s friends playing friends, going for the Cup.
“I’m proud of our guys for hanging in there. But it was not a good performance by us. A win’s a win; we’ll take it. We found a way.”
Fremd (9-1-4, 8-0-2), ranked no. 10 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, won the Cup for the fourth-straight time. The triumph on a gorgeous, mild Tuesday at Chic Anderson Stadium also secured the Mid-Suburban League West Division’s top spot and its automatic Soccer Bowl berth.
The Vikings, the reigning MSL Cup runnerup, faces the MSL East champion for league bragging rights on Oct. 16.
“Palatine played an amazing game; I was super impressed with how well their team competed,” said Fremd senior midfielder Russell Beaupre, whose throw-in in the 15th minute set up the first tally.
The opener went in the scorebook as an own-goal. After Schoffstall’s header first pinged off the crossbar, it hit Pirates senior goalkeeper Johnathon Moreno after he turned to face the goal and try to catch the rebound. The ball caromed off the keeper and into the net for the opening goal.
The Pirates answered 12 minutes later, with sophomore defender Ray Navarrete — the home side’s youngest starter — delivering a sweet assist to reserve senior forward Hugo Tierrablanca, who curled around and zipped behind Fremd’s backline to knot the game at 1.
Schoffstall drew a penalty and attempted the ensuing penalty kick in the 65th minute. Following a lengthy delay to get the right time on the scoreboard clock, and after Schoffstall requested a ball switch with a ball boy, the 6-foot, 180-pounder prepared to blast away.
Schoffstall’s shot found a diving Moreno’s arms.
“Great save by Johnathon,” said 29th-year Palatine coach Willie Filian, whose game crew slipped to 5-8-2, 4-6-0. “We dodged that good chance. But you can’t give a freakish athlete like Schoffstall a second chance to win it, and that’s what happened in the second OT.”
The decider started some five yards from the top of the 18-yard box. Beaupre and Fremd senior forward Josh Bennett — with their backs to the goal — shielded the ball from Moreno.
Palatine formed a small wall of three Pirates.
“Good ploy,” Filian said of the pre-free-kick positioning by Beaupre and Bennett.
Beaupre and Bennett parted, and Schoffstall then ripped a shot to the upper-left corner of the goal.
Win to Fremd, suddenly.
“He got all of it,” said Filian, whose club had lost 2-0 to New Trier the previous night. “He got us.
“I was worried we’d have heavy legs after chasing New Trier like we did. Not so. We held firm tonight, outworked Fremd for most of the second half, I thought, and parts of the first OT. All in all, I’m proud, very proud, of how we played.”
Fremd’s lone loss — 2-1, on Aug. 30 — came at the feet of Notre Dame (Peoria) in the second match of the season at the Tradition Classic at DePauw University in Indiana.
Beaupre’s assessment of his team?
“We haven’t peaked yet,” said the midfielder/throw-in designee, who whipped his first throw-in at the age of 11 or 12.
The keys to effective throw-ins?
“Shoulders and abs,” said Beaupre, whose intentional ground-ball throw-in preceded the penalty that Schoffstall drew and resulted in the match’s lone PK attempt.
Once again, Fremd proved head and shoulders above the rest of the MSL West.
The Vikings, the no. 4 seed in the Class 3A Libertyville Sectional, host Prospect on its Senior Night at 7 p.m. Thursday. They open the playoffs against 13th-seeded Lake Zurich in a Stevenson Regional
semifinal Oct. 13.
Palatine, officially a dangerous no. 16 sectional seed, visits Hersey for a 6:30 p.m. match Thursday. The Pirates host 17th-seeded Waukegan in a playoff play-in match Oct. 19.
Footnotes
Vikings junior backup keeper Joey Gillespie entered the Kinsella Cup match for injured senior starter Artur Cholewa near the end of the first OT and remained in goal for the only 92 seconds of the second extra session. … Four of Fremd’s 14 matches this fall reached a second OT. Fremd is 2-0-2 in the
extended contests. … Keller, on the warm temperature and clear skies before the start of the Kinsella Cup Tuesday afternoon at Palatine: “Good golfing weather.” He golfed with friends on Sunday. “My strengths?” Keller asked. “Depends on the day.” Keller’s drives stood out in the recent outing. … Palatine honored its seniors before the Kinsella Cup kickoff. Filian, at times, was as entertaining as a seasoned comedian at Zanies as he shared the thoughts and aspirations of his seniors with the spectators and occasionally added hilarious commentary. But the Pirates’ longtime coach was serious
when he said, “[Midfielder] Jonny Flores wants to become the world’s greatest accountant.” … Filian, on talented, exciting Pirates junior midfielder/forward Aaron Bustamante: “Crafty, fast. And he can run forever.” … One of the assistant referees for the Kinsella Cup match was former Lincoln-Way North
goalkeeper Michelle Balcerzak, who played two soccer seasons at Carthage (Wis.) College. She now lives in the city and is an associate brand manager for Bosch Power Tools. … Fremd still would have captured the MSL West division title with either a tie or a loss in Tuesday’s Kinsella Cup because division
contender Barrington lost 1-0 to Wheeling on Tuesday. Fremd tied visiting Barrington 0-0 on Sept. 17.
Starting lineups
Fremd
GK: Artur Cholewa
D: Jake Schoffstall
D: Cole Jackson
D: Kaelan Conway
D: Andrew Clark
M: Russell Beaupre
M: John Kating
M Nick Austin
M: C.J. Williams
F: Josh Bennett
F: Eli Schoffstall
Palatine
GK: Johnathon Moreno
D: Kevin Reynolds
D: Bryan Lucero
D: Ray Navarrete
M: Matt Geisel
M: James Hawran
M: Connor Aikman
M: Arian Mejia
F: Omar Marin
F: Wiktor Pajak
F: Aaron Bustamante
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jake Schoffstall, sr., D, Fremd
Referees: Oscar Padilla (center); Vedad Sarancic; Michelle Balcerzak
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd — Own-goal after Jake Schoffstall header, 15’
Palatine — Hugo Tierrablanca (Navarrete), 27’
Second half
No scoring
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
Jake Schoffstall (FK), 92’