Barrington’s style, substance solves GBN Gomez goals deliver 2-0 Classic win over Glenbrook North
By Bill McLean
BARRINGTON — As Barrington senior midfielder David Gomez drew water from a cooler in the second half of a Barrington Classic game against Glenbrook North on Tuesday night, a boisterous, fun-loving fan from the home student section yelled, “I like your cleats.”
Gomez, shod in light-blue-and-white kicks with pink laces, turned toward the cluster of rabid supporters in the stadium’s bleachers and replied, “Thank you.”
Bet that fan loved Gomez’s pair of goals even more in Barrington’s 2-0 victory in the second round of the eight-team tournament. Gomez, who opted not to play soccer as a junior this past spring, tallied a goal in each half against the Spartans, hiking his total to three in the young season.
“David is a quality player, one of our best players,” said Broncos coach Scott Steib, whose club — ranked no. 14 in Chicagoland Soccer’s Top 25 — improved to 3-0-0 overall and 2-0-0 in Barrington Classic games. “But this team has depth. We don’t have that one guy, that superstar who carries the torch for us.
“Every kid on this team,” he added, “has a hand on the torch.”
Gomez’s right foot gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. After gathering a 50/50 delivery from senior midfielder Jeremiah Gascho, Gomez nearly collided with Glenbrook North senior goalkeeper Jakub Murzyn (six saves) near the top of the box. Gomez then slipped behind the aggressive keeper, dribbled and found the net.
“(Murzyn) hesitated a little bit as he went for that 50/50 ball,” Spartans coach Paul Vignocchi said. “That was a learning experience; we’ll take learning experiences at this point in the season. Barrington has a quality side, fast and athletic and well-coached.
“What I liked about our side was how hard we played. We competed hard for 80 minutes.”
Gomez struck for his second goal in the 44th minute, following a superb cross from speedy senior defender Ryan Chang. Chang lofted the lengthy assist from a spot near a sideline. Gomez controlled the service in the middle of the box by jumping slightly, the ball glancing off his right leg. The senior then smoothly settled the ball on terra firma before booting it past Murzyn.
“I always look for David,” Chang said.
Glenbrook North (1-3-1, 0-2-0 in Barrington Classic action) thwarted a slew of dangerous sequences in the final 36 minutes. Spartans coaches lauded senior center-back and third-year varsity starter Jack Redland for his inspired play against Barrington’s dynamic attackers.
Redland admitted afterward that his junior season in the spring fell short of his expectations. He has more than made up for that in the early going — as a player and as a leader.
“I’m trying to be the best leader I can be for this team,” Redland said. “And I’m an old-school leader. I hold people accountable. I yell, but when I yell it’s constructive criticism, and isn’t that the best kind of criticism?”
Steib expressed disapproval of his boys’ efforts in the first 15 minutes of Tuesday night’s contest, which began under light rain.
“Our first touches were a little poor at the beginning,” the coach said. “We did get settled, fortunately. That was nice to see. As I watched us at the start, I kept thinking and saying, ‘Hey, what are we doing?’ We needed to focus better, and we did that.
“Three games in, we’re on a path, a good path. I like where we’re heading; I like our direction. But look at the calendar. It’s still only August.”
Glenbrook North generated its best second half chance in the 47th minute, thanks to hustle and work from junior midfielder Miles Wolder and senior forward Trotter Benson, who collected a well-placed pass from Wolder and blasted a shot wide from about 15 yards.
Barrington junior goalkeeper Iker Villagomez (two saves) got the shutout.
Barrington’s student fans deserve a shout-out because the full-throated contingent, between 15-20, showed up on a Tuesday night and cheered from minute 1 to minute 80, entertaining everybody else in the stadium. Their chants were clean and clever. And they even sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with 7 minutes remaining, since soccer doesn’t have a seventh-inning stretch.
Barrington faces Lake Zurich — where Oregon native Steib coached for five years before taking over at Barrington 22 years ago — in round three of the Barrington Classic on Thursday at 7 p.m. The winner of that Red Division match will face the top team from the Black Division for the Classic title on Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m.
Glenbrook North battles Taft on Thursday at 5 p.m. in another Red Division third-rounder.
Schools in the Classic’s Black Division are Conant, Jacobs, Streamwood and Boylan.
Footnotes
Barrington senior forward Ben Yaney did not play against Glenbrook North because of an ankle injury that is not believed to be serious. Yaney scored a goal in each of Barrington’s first two victories, including a 1-0 defeat of host Hoffman Estates in the Broncos Mid-Suburban League opener on Aug. 26. …Benson, Glenbrook North’s lone starting forward in Vignocchi’s lineup, suffered a knee injury in the 48th minute. … Steib, on his spring 2021 team vs. his fall 2021 team. “Not one All-American (in the spring), but we had guys with a lot of varsity experience (seven seniors, each a third-year varsity starter).” His fall crew features 13 seniors. “Very good players,” Steib added. “But many of them were stuck behind our very good seniors in the spring. We’re in good shape. I like our chemistry, our character, our total buy-in, our culture.” … Barrington’s Gomez and Chang were put on the spot after Tuesday night’s victory. Each was asked to describe the Broncos in one word. “Energetic,” Gomez said. “Gritty,” Chang said. Not a bad combination. … Gomez’s stats after three games: three goals, one assist. He provided the assist, via a corner kick, in Barrington’s 1-0 win over Hoffman Estates.
Glenbrook North
GK Jakub Murzyn
D Alex Link
D Daniel Ashirov
D Brady Rassin
D Jack Redland
M Steven Rhee
M Wes Fagin
M Ian Lee
M Miles Wolder
M Sam Lappin
F Trotter Benson
Barrington
GK Iker Villagomez
D Mathew Klujian
D Ryan Chang
D Kyle Wanca
D Adam Walocha
M Jack Peterson
M Jonathan Li
M Jeremiah Gascho
M David Gomez
M Frankie Caballero
F Lexi Salazar
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: David Gomez, sr., MF, Barrington
Scoring summary
First half
Barrington — Gomez (Gascho), 27’
Second half
Barrington — Gomez (Chang), 44’
By Bill McLean
BARRINGTON — As Barrington senior midfielder David Gomez drew water from a cooler in the second half of a Barrington Classic game against Glenbrook North on Tuesday night, a boisterous, fun-loving fan from the home student section yelled, “I like your cleats.”
Gomez, shod in light-blue-and-white kicks with pink laces, turned toward the cluster of rabid supporters in the stadium’s bleachers and replied, “Thank you.”
Bet that fan loved Gomez’s pair of goals even more in Barrington’s 2-0 victory in the second round of the eight-team tournament. Gomez, who opted not to play soccer as a junior this past spring, tallied a goal in each half against the Spartans, hiking his total to three in the young season.
“David is a quality player, one of our best players,” said Broncos coach Scott Steib, whose club — ranked no. 14 in Chicagoland Soccer’s Top 25 — improved to 3-0-0 overall and 2-0-0 in Barrington Classic games. “But this team has depth. We don’t have that one guy, that superstar who carries the torch for us.
“Every kid on this team,” he added, “has a hand on the torch.”
Gomez’s right foot gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. After gathering a 50/50 delivery from senior midfielder Jeremiah Gascho, Gomez nearly collided with Glenbrook North senior goalkeeper Jakub Murzyn (six saves) near the top of the box. Gomez then slipped behind the aggressive keeper, dribbled and found the net.
“(Murzyn) hesitated a little bit as he went for that 50/50 ball,” Spartans coach Paul Vignocchi said. “That was a learning experience; we’ll take learning experiences at this point in the season. Barrington has a quality side, fast and athletic and well-coached.
“What I liked about our side was how hard we played. We competed hard for 80 minutes.”
Gomez struck for his second goal in the 44th minute, following a superb cross from speedy senior defender Ryan Chang. Chang lofted the lengthy assist from a spot near a sideline. Gomez controlled the service in the middle of the box by jumping slightly, the ball glancing off his right leg. The senior then smoothly settled the ball on terra firma before booting it past Murzyn.
“I always look for David,” Chang said.
Glenbrook North (1-3-1, 0-2-0 in Barrington Classic action) thwarted a slew of dangerous sequences in the final 36 minutes. Spartans coaches lauded senior center-back and third-year varsity starter Jack Redland for his inspired play against Barrington’s dynamic attackers.
Redland admitted afterward that his junior season in the spring fell short of his expectations. He has more than made up for that in the early going — as a player and as a leader.
“I’m trying to be the best leader I can be for this team,” Redland said. “And I’m an old-school leader. I hold people accountable. I yell, but when I yell it’s constructive criticism, and isn’t that the best kind of criticism?”
Steib expressed disapproval of his boys’ efforts in the first 15 minutes of Tuesday night’s contest, which began under light rain.
“Our first touches were a little poor at the beginning,” the coach said. “We did get settled, fortunately. That was nice to see. As I watched us at the start, I kept thinking and saying, ‘Hey, what are we doing?’ We needed to focus better, and we did that.
“Three games in, we’re on a path, a good path. I like where we’re heading; I like our direction. But look at the calendar. It’s still only August.”
Glenbrook North generated its best second half chance in the 47th minute, thanks to hustle and work from junior midfielder Miles Wolder and senior forward Trotter Benson, who collected a well-placed pass from Wolder and blasted a shot wide from about 15 yards.
Barrington junior goalkeeper Iker Villagomez (two saves) got the shutout.
Barrington’s student fans deserve a shout-out because the full-throated contingent, between 15-20, showed up on a Tuesday night and cheered from minute 1 to minute 80, entertaining everybody else in the stadium. Their chants were clean and clever. And they even sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with 7 minutes remaining, since soccer doesn’t have a seventh-inning stretch.
Barrington faces Lake Zurich — where Oregon native Steib coached for five years before taking over at Barrington 22 years ago — in round three of the Barrington Classic on Thursday at 7 p.m. The winner of that Red Division match will face the top team from the Black Division for the Classic title on Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m.
Glenbrook North battles Taft on Thursday at 5 p.m. in another Red Division third-rounder.
Schools in the Classic’s Black Division are Conant, Jacobs, Streamwood and Boylan.
Footnotes
Barrington senior forward Ben Yaney did not play against Glenbrook North because of an ankle injury that is not believed to be serious. Yaney scored a goal in each of Barrington’s first two victories, including a 1-0 defeat of host Hoffman Estates in the Broncos Mid-Suburban League opener on Aug. 26. …Benson, Glenbrook North’s lone starting forward in Vignocchi’s lineup, suffered a knee injury in the 48th minute. … Steib, on his spring 2021 team vs. his fall 2021 team. “Not one All-American (in the spring), but we had guys with a lot of varsity experience (seven seniors, each a third-year varsity starter).” His fall crew features 13 seniors. “Very good players,” Steib added. “But many of them were stuck behind our very good seniors in the spring. We’re in good shape. I like our chemistry, our character, our total buy-in, our culture.” … Barrington’s Gomez and Chang were put on the spot after Tuesday night’s victory. Each was asked to describe the Broncos in one word. “Energetic,” Gomez said. “Gritty,” Chang said. Not a bad combination. … Gomez’s stats after three games: three goals, one assist. He provided the assist, via a corner kick, in Barrington’s 1-0 win over Hoffman Estates.
Glenbrook North
GK Jakub Murzyn
D Alex Link
D Daniel Ashirov
D Brady Rassin
D Jack Redland
M Steven Rhee
M Wes Fagin
M Ian Lee
M Miles Wolder
M Sam Lappin
F Trotter Benson
Barrington
GK Iker Villagomez
D Mathew Klujian
D Ryan Chang
D Kyle Wanca
D Adam Walocha
M Jack Peterson
M Jonathan Li
M Jeremiah Gascho
M David Gomez
M Frankie Caballero
F Lexi Salazar
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: David Gomez, sr., MF, Barrington
Scoring summary
First half
Barrington — Gomez (Gascho), 27’
Second half
Barrington — Gomez (Chang), 44’