Glenbrook North can't stop hot Maine West
Spartans fall behind early, drop 4-1 decision to CSL North foe
By Ken Keenan
DES PLAINES -- High-flying Maine West jumped on visiting Glenbrook North early and then held off a late Spartans' charge to post a 4-1 victory in Central Suburban League North Division action Monday night.
The speedy Warriors opened a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes and increased the margin to 3-0 barely two minutes into the second half. A goal by Glenbrook North junior forward George Luke in the 50th minute cut the lead to 3-1, and the revitalized Spartans created a bevy of chances over the next 12 minutes.
But a goal by Maine West senior midfielder Jason Ybarra in the 71st minute sealed the deal for the Warriors. Ybarra, who added two assists, earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
"Putting ourselves in a hole like that, we have to a better job defending," said Glenbrook North head coach Paul Vignocchi, whose squad fell to 4-5-2 overall and 1-2-0 in conference play with the loss. "We can't concede early goals. It's a growing year for our kids, but I was disappointed how we came out. You can't give up an early goal and play from behind."
Maine West (7-2-1, 2-0-1), which is tied for the division lead with Highland Park, put the Spartans behind the eight-ball in the 3rd minute. After a Warriors corner kick resulted in a blocked shot, Ybarra slide the ball to junior midfielder Dominik Jablonski, who beat Glenbrook North junior goalkeeper Nick Washelesky from short range with a low shot to the right.
Using an effective run 'n' gun attacking style, Maine West upped the margin to 2-0 with 25:32 remaining in the first half. Ybarra started the play, sending a ball to Jablonski, who then fed senior mid Emerson Herrera on the left side. Zooming ahead of the pack, Herrera fired in stride from a sharp angle and beat Washelesky inside the far post.
"We have to come out harder, not with a complacent mindset," said Spartans junior mid Joey Martens, who assisted on his team's lone goal. "We have to grow and learn to play at the varsity level. We have to learn what it takes to go the whole 80 minutes, so it's not always an uphill battle."
Added Luke: "I think we came out sleepy. We seemed tired ... fatigued."
The Spartans had a few chances to climb out of the hole, beginning with a wide-angle try by senior defender Patrick O'Brien from 15 yards on the left side that Maine West freshman keeper Kevin Dabrowski smothered at the near post in the 23rd minute. Eight minutes later, Martens collected a ball in front and unleashed a quick shot that Dabrowski stopped with a diving, one-handed save.
With 5:15 to go in the opening session, Luke barely missed nipping the crossbar with a high blast from 20 yards on the right side. In the final minute of the first half, Spartans sophomore mid Kyle Brown missed from 15 yards following a deflected corner by junior mid Nico Adducci.
Maine West didn't take its foot off the gas pedal after the break. The Warriors made it 3-0 when Herrera gathered a pass from Ybarra and broke free on the left side before freezing Washelesky with a nifty deke and then nipping the ball into the cage low to the right.
"We try long balls first -- or dribble and pass back," Herrera said. "I just see space and take it. Getting a couple early goals, you get that confidence up and keep it the whole game."
After a free kick by Martens from a wide angle on the left side was headed wide-right by Glenbrook North senior defender Ben Gordon in the 47th minute, Luke buried his header attempt three minutes later. A long pass by Gordon found Martens, who curled in front and then crossed the ball to Luke for the finishing touch.
Numerous chances followed, including a tip try by Adducci that barely missed wide-right with 26 minutes to go, as well as a left-footed shot by Luke on a bouncing ball that Dabrowski nabbed with 24:30 showing. A header by junior mid David Schueler missed wide in the 57th minute.
"As soon as we got the goal, we realized what it would take to beat them," Martens said. "But again, we're still learning what it takes to play consistently for 80 minutes."
Added Luke: "We're definitely a momentum team. When we put our heads together, we can beat any team."
The Spartans had a couple more looks, but Martens missed wide-right from a tough angle in-close with 20:45 left, and his 45-yard free kick two minutes later was nabbed in a crowd by Dabrowski.
"They got a little momentum after the first goal, but they left gaps for our forwards to take advantage of," Ybarra said.
Ybarra then concluded the scoring with 9:55 to go, beating Washelesky with a quick strike inside the far post from the left side following a free kick by Herrera.
"The third goal was the back-breaker," Vignocchi said. "We kept fighting. We had some opportunities after our one goal, but hats off to Maine West for closing it out."
Maine West head coach Al Matan said: "At 3-1, it looked like (Glenbrook North) would get another. But we played smart. For the most part, it was a complete game for us. We haven't beaten GBN in five years, so it's a monkey off our back. Paul (Vignocchi) always brings a great team. They never give up."
Starting lineups
Glenbrook North
G: Nick Washelesky
D: Patrick O'Brien
D: Ben Gordon
D: Sam Sullivan
D: Nate Aronson
M: Joey Martens
M: David Schueler
M: Konrad Kulesza
M: Nico Adducci
M: Jan Bogdan
F: George Luke
Maine West
G: Kevin Dabrowski
D: David Dohse
D: Julio Pereznegron
D: Bobbie Kulanda
D: Mason Robbins
M: Jason Ybarra
M: Justin Scholler
M: Dominik Jablonski
M: Angel Contreras
M: Emerson Herrera
F: Cristian Correa
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jason Ybarra, sr., M, Maine West
Officials: Brett Strale, Damian Blasberg, Muhamed Abdel Rahim
Scoring summary
First half
Maine West: Dominik Jablonski (Jason Ybarra), 3rd minute
Maine West: Emerson Herrera (Jablonski), 15th minute
Second half
Maine West: Herrera (Ybarra), 42nd minute
Glenbrook North: George Luke (Joey Martens), 50th minute
Maine West: Ybarra (Herrera), 71st minute
Spartans fall behind early, drop 4-1 decision to CSL North foe
By Ken Keenan
DES PLAINES -- High-flying Maine West jumped on visiting Glenbrook North early and then held off a late Spartans' charge to post a 4-1 victory in Central Suburban League North Division action Monday night.
The speedy Warriors opened a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes and increased the margin to 3-0 barely two minutes into the second half. A goal by Glenbrook North junior forward George Luke in the 50th minute cut the lead to 3-1, and the revitalized Spartans created a bevy of chances over the next 12 minutes.
But a goal by Maine West senior midfielder Jason Ybarra in the 71st minute sealed the deal for the Warriors. Ybarra, who added two assists, earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
"Putting ourselves in a hole like that, we have to a better job defending," said Glenbrook North head coach Paul Vignocchi, whose squad fell to 4-5-2 overall and 1-2-0 in conference play with the loss. "We can't concede early goals. It's a growing year for our kids, but I was disappointed how we came out. You can't give up an early goal and play from behind."
Maine West (7-2-1, 2-0-1), which is tied for the division lead with Highland Park, put the Spartans behind the eight-ball in the 3rd minute. After a Warriors corner kick resulted in a blocked shot, Ybarra slide the ball to junior midfielder Dominik Jablonski, who beat Glenbrook North junior goalkeeper Nick Washelesky from short range with a low shot to the right.
Using an effective run 'n' gun attacking style, Maine West upped the margin to 2-0 with 25:32 remaining in the first half. Ybarra started the play, sending a ball to Jablonski, who then fed senior mid Emerson Herrera on the left side. Zooming ahead of the pack, Herrera fired in stride from a sharp angle and beat Washelesky inside the far post.
"We have to come out harder, not with a complacent mindset," said Spartans junior mid Joey Martens, who assisted on his team's lone goal. "We have to grow and learn to play at the varsity level. We have to learn what it takes to go the whole 80 minutes, so it's not always an uphill battle."
Added Luke: "I think we came out sleepy. We seemed tired ... fatigued."
The Spartans had a few chances to climb out of the hole, beginning with a wide-angle try by senior defender Patrick O'Brien from 15 yards on the left side that Maine West freshman keeper Kevin Dabrowski smothered at the near post in the 23rd minute. Eight minutes later, Martens collected a ball in front and unleashed a quick shot that Dabrowski stopped with a diving, one-handed save.
With 5:15 to go in the opening session, Luke barely missed nipping the crossbar with a high blast from 20 yards on the right side. In the final minute of the first half, Spartans sophomore mid Kyle Brown missed from 15 yards following a deflected corner by junior mid Nico Adducci.
Maine West didn't take its foot off the gas pedal after the break. The Warriors made it 3-0 when Herrera gathered a pass from Ybarra and broke free on the left side before freezing Washelesky with a nifty deke and then nipping the ball into the cage low to the right.
"We try long balls first -- or dribble and pass back," Herrera said. "I just see space and take it. Getting a couple early goals, you get that confidence up and keep it the whole game."
After a free kick by Martens from a wide angle on the left side was headed wide-right by Glenbrook North senior defender Ben Gordon in the 47th minute, Luke buried his header attempt three minutes later. A long pass by Gordon found Martens, who curled in front and then crossed the ball to Luke for the finishing touch.
Numerous chances followed, including a tip try by Adducci that barely missed wide-right with 26 minutes to go, as well as a left-footed shot by Luke on a bouncing ball that Dabrowski nabbed with 24:30 showing. A header by junior mid David Schueler missed wide in the 57th minute.
"As soon as we got the goal, we realized what it would take to beat them," Martens said. "But again, we're still learning what it takes to play consistently for 80 minutes."
Added Luke: "We're definitely a momentum team. When we put our heads together, we can beat any team."
The Spartans had a couple more looks, but Martens missed wide-right from a tough angle in-close with 20:45 left, and his 45-yard free kick two minutes later was nabbed in a crowd by Dabrowski.
"They got a little momentum after the first goal, but they left gaps for our forwards to take advantage of," Ybarra said.
Ybarra then concluded the scoring with 9:55 to go, beating Washelesky with a quick strike inside the far post from the left side following a free kick by Herrera.
"The third goal was the back-breaker," Vignocchi said. "We kept fighting. We had some opportunities after our one goal, but hats off to Maine West for closing it out."
Maine West head coach Al Matan said: "At 3-1, it looked like (Glenbrook North) would get another. But we played smart. For the most part, it was a complete game for us. We haven't beaten GBN in five years, so it's a monkey off our back. Paul (Vignocchi) always brings a great team. They never give up."
Starting lineups
Glenbrook North
G: Nick Washelesky
D: Patrick O'Brien
D: Ben Gordon
D: Sam Sullivan
D: Nate Aronson
M: Joey Martens
M: David Schueler
M: Konrad Kulesza
M: Nico Adducci
M: Jan Bogdan
F: George Luke
Maine West
G: Kevin Dabrowski
D: David Dohse
D: Julio Pereznegron
D: Bobbie Kulanda
D: Mason Robbins
M: Jason Ybarra
M: Justin Scholler
M: Dominik Jablonski
M: Angel Contreras
M: Emerson Herrera
F: Cristian Correa
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jason Ybarra, sr., M, Maine West
Officials: Brett Strale, Damian Blasberg, Muhamed Abdel Rahim
Scoring summary
First half
Maine West: Dominik Jablonski (Jason Ybarra), 3rd minute
Maine West: Emerson Herrera (Jablonski), 15th minute
Second half
Maine West: Herrera (Ybarra), 42nd minute
Glenbrook North: George Luke (Joey Martens), 50th minute
Maine West: Ybarra (Herrera), 71st minute