Rolling Meadows, trimmer GK Orozco, earn slimmed-down win over Glenbrook North
Mustangs GK saved best saves for last in storm-shortened win
By Bill McLean
ROLLING MEADOWS — Ramon Orozco lost some weight in the offseason but gained something delicious in the season-opener Tuesday night — a win.
Rolling Meadows’ 6-foot-2 senior goalie, down to 190 pounds after shedding 10, came up huge, stopping several shots in the waning minutes of the first half to preserve his club’s 1-0 lead versus visiting Glenbrook North at Robert A. Hoese Field.
That ended up being the final score. A thunderstorm and lightning show sent humans scurrying for cover moments after the 40th minute. School administrators thought about waiting 30 minutes before determining the viability of resuming action, but a torrential downpour and ominous bolts scrapped that thought in a nanosecond.
Or maybe whatever is half of that.
“Call ourselves lucky, to get a win that way,” a somewhat relieved Rolling Meadows coach Brett Olson said after his Mustangs — ranked no. 31 in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason poll — used a rebound goal from junior forward Wilson Espino in the 27th minute to notch the nonconference triumph.
“Glenbrook North kept coming at us hard, really hard, there at the end. We needed Ramon to play like a senior tonight, and he did exactly that. He’s grown a little, matured physically, and he’s improved his agility. And he’s been getting competition from our freshman backup (Marceli Okonski), who’s pushing for playing time. I’m no longer thinking we’ll have to be worried about goalkeeping after this season.”
A third-year varsity starter in goal, Orozco made five saves in the abbreviated contest, including a pair separated by seconds following a corner kick.
The keeper lauded his defense afterward, beginning with the effort from senior center-back and former central midfielder Diego Tapia. Orozco also tipped his figurative hat to senior co-captains Aidan O’Brien and Luke Bieda and classmate Iliya Kachakov.
The ever-alert Bieda cleared several threats from Spartans at spots in the deep end of the box. One in the 33rd minute landed in the midfield and wound up at the feet of a sprinting Espino near the final third.
It was poetry in transition.
“New formation in the back … and a very good formation,” said Orozco, who helped Rolling Meadows go 8-3 in the spring and earn the no. 25 spot in Chicagoland Soccer’s Final 50 poll. “My teammates did a good job in front of me. Our whole team, it’s got great chemistry. And the older guys are bonding well with the new ones.”
Orozco (pronounced O-rose-co) lost weight to become nimbler and more effective while diving for saves. He’s looking to drop more pounds (“5-10,” he said) before all is said and dieted. He said his mind got sharper too since the end of his junior season, which shifted from the fall to the spring because of the pandemic.
“I’m more aggressive when I compete,” said Orozco, who, in his varsity debut against Buffalo Grove in 2019, played 20 minutes in a loss and then beat Lake Zurich for his first win with the parent club shorty thereafter.
“I also feel more in control with my handling of shots. Communication—that’s always key from the goalkeeper position.”
Espino beat Spartans junior keeper Jakub Murzyn (three saves) after a turnover in the midfield triggered the most productive rush of the night. Espino blasted a shot on goal from about 10 yards. Murzyn made an impressive save, but the ball caromed right back to an opportunistic Espino, who hammered shot no. 2 — from about eight yards this time — past Murzyn.
“He worked there, stuck with it,” Olson said of Espino’s game-decider. “We’ll move him around a bit this season. He just missed making all-conference (Mid-Suburban League) in the spring. Wilson is bigger and stronger this year, and healthier—knock on wood.”
Glenbrook North responded gamely to the tough-to-stomach tally. The Spartans applied heat via more than a few late free kicks and corner kicks. The visitors launched four corners in the final three minutes of the season-opening clash for both squads.
“I was a little disappointed in the way we came out and gave the ball away,” Spartans coach Paul Vignocchi admitted as he exited the stadium under a barrage of raindrops. “Maybe some of that had to do with first-game nerves. That’s a great team, Rolling Meadows, with dangerous players up-top.”
Glenbrook North sophomore midfielder and varsity rookie Sam Lappin played with the kind of poise most fourth-year varsity seniors own. He took good care of the ball while navigating around Mustangs and distributed the ball smoothly.
“Doesn’t make mistakes,” Vignocchi said of one of his three sophomore starters (with defender Ian Lee and defender/midfielder Steven Rhee). “Our best player on the field tonight.”
The game was part of the annual season-opening Central Suburban League/Mid-Suburban League Challenge, a match-up between members of the 12-team leagues. The northern group took the prize this season with a 3-2 advantage in wins. There were three ties and four games scrapped due to Mother Nature.
Rolling Meadows (1-0-0) hosts Buffalo Grove, ranked no. 43 in First 50, at 4:30 p.m. Friday in a Mid-Suburban League East Division game.
Glenbrook North (0-1-0) hosts Von Steuben at 6:30 p.m. Thursday before it entertains Maine East in an Central Suburban League crossover Saturday at 11 a.m.
Footnotes
Tuesday night’s shortened Glenbrook North-Rolling Meadows game was played without ball boys. The threat of a storm might have had something to do with the MIA lads. … Rolling Meadows senior midfielder/forward and co-captain Gage Lockley, speedy and talent-soaked, recorded the Mustangs’ first shot on goal of the 2021 season in the third minute Tuesday. He won a 50/50 ball to set up the chance. Lockley will certainly make foes and opposing coaches fret all fall. … Olson appreciated the minutes logged by senior substitute Ben Gilgor, a midfielder/forward who settled a throw-in from Bieda in the 21st minute and curled a well-struck shot into the arms of Murzyn. “Ben,” Olson said, “had a nice impact for us.”
Starting lineups
Glenbrook North
GK Jakub Murzyn
D Alex Link
D Jack Redland
D Steven Rhee
D Tal Yedlin
M Griffin Yoss
M Sam Lappin
M Ian Lee
F Miles Wolder
F Wes Fagin
F Trotter Benson
Rolling Meadows
GK Ramon Orozco
D Diego Tapia
D Luke Bieda
D Aidan O’Brien
D Iliya Kachakov
M Gage Lockley
M Andrew Flores
M Joe Salemi
M Oscar Chlopek
F Wilson Espino
F Brayan Botello
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ramon Orozco, sr., GK, Rolling Meadows
Scoring summary
First half
Rolling Meadows — Espino (UA), 27’
Second half
Cancelled due to weather
Mustangs GK saved best saves for last in storm-shortened win
By Bill McLean
ROLLING MEADOWS — Ramon Orozco lost some weight in the offseason but gained something delicious in the season-opener Tuesday night — a win.
Rolling Meadows’ 6-foot-2 senior goalie, down to 190 pounds after shedding 10, came up huge, stopping several shots in the waning minutes of the first half to preserve his club’s 1-0 lead versus visiting Glenbrook North at Robert A. Hoese Field.
That ended up being the final score. A thunderstorm and lightning show sent humans scurrying for cover moments after the 40th minute. School administrators thought about waiting 30 minutes before determining the viability of resuming action, but a torrential downpour and ominous bolts scrapped that thought in a nanosecond.
Or maybe whatever is half of that.
“Call ourselves lucky, to get a win that way,” a somewhat relieved Rolling Meadows coach Brett Olson said after his Mustangs — ranked no. 31 in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason poll — used a rebound goal from junior forward Wilson Espino in the 27th minute to notch the nonconference triumph.
“Glenbrook North kept coming at us hard, really hard, there at the end. We needed Ramon to play like a senior tonight, and he did exactly that. He’s grown a little, matured physically, and he’s improved his agility. And he’s been getting competition from our freshman backup (Marceli Okonski), who’s pushing for playing time. I’m no longer thinking we’ll have to be worried about goalkeeping after this season.”
A third-year varsity starter in goal, Orozco made five saves in the abbreviated contest, including a pair separated by seconds following a corner kick.
The keeper lauded his defense afterward, beginning with the effort from senior center-back and former central midfielder Diego Tapia. Orozco also tipped his figurative hat to senior co-captains Aidan O’Brien and Luke Bieda and classmate Iliya Kachakov.
The ever-alert Bieda cleared several threats from Spartans at spots in the deep end of the box. One in the 33rd minute landed in the midfield and wound up at the feet of a sprinting Espino near the final third.
It was poetry in transition.
“New formation in the back … and a very good formation,” said Orozco, who helped Rolling Meadows go 8-3 in the spring and earn the no. 25 spot in Chicagoland Soccer’s Final 50 poll. “My teammates did a good job in front of me. Our whole team, it’s got great chemistry. And the older guys are bonding well with the new ones.”
Orozco (pronounced O-rose-co) lost weight to become nimbler and more effective while diving for saves. He’s looking to drop more pounds (“5-10,” he said) before all is said and dieted. He said his mind got sharper too since the end of his junior season, which shifted from the fall to the spring because of the pandemic.
“I’m more aggressive when I compete,” said Orozco, who, in his varsity debut against Buffalo Grove in 2019, played 20 minutes in a loss and then beat Lake Zurich for his first win with the parent club shorty thereafter.
“I also feel more in control with my handling of shots. Communication—that’s always key from the goalkeeper position.”
Espino beat Spartans junior keeper Jakub Murzyn (three saves) after a turnover in the midfield triggered the most productive rush of the night. Espino blasted a shot on goal from about 10 yards. Murzyn made an impressive save, but the ball caromed right back to an opportunistic Espino, who hammered shot no. 2 — from about eight yards this time — past Murzyn.
“He worked there, stuck with it,” Olson said of Espino’s game-decider. “We’ll move him around a bit this season. He just missed making all-conference (Mid-Suburban League) in the spring. Wilson is bigger and stronger this year, and healthier—knock on wood.”
Glenbrook North responded gamely to the tough-to-stomach tally. The Spartans applied heat via more than a few late free kicks and corner kicks. The visitors launched four corners in the final three minutes of the season-opening clash for both squads.
“I was a little disappointed in the way we came out and gave the ball away,” Spartans coach Paul Vignocchi admitted as he exited the stadium under a barrage of raindrops. “Maybe some of that had to do with first-game nerves. That’s a great team, Rolling Meadows, with dangerous players up-top.”
Glenbrook North sophomore midfielder and varsity rookie Sam Lappin played with the kind of poise most fourth-year varsity seniors own. He took good care of the ball while navigating around Mustangs and distributed the ball smoothly.
“Doesn’t make mistakes,” Vignocchi said of one of his three sophomore starters (with defender Ian Lee and defender/midfielder Steven Rhee). “Our best player on the field tonight.”
The game was part of the annual season-opening Central Suburban League/Mid-Suburban League Challenge, a match-up between members of the 12-team leagues. The northern group took the prize this season with a 3-2 advantage in wins. There were three ties and four games scrapped due to Mother Nature.
Rolling Meadows (1-0-0) hosts Buffalo Grove, ranked no. 43 in First 50, at 4:30 p.m. Friday in a Mid-Suburban League East Division game.
Glenbrook North (0-1-0) hosts Von Steuben at 6:30 p.m. Thursday before it entertains Maine East in an Central Suburban League crossover Saturday at 11 a.m.
Footnotes
Tuesday night’s shortened Glenbrook North-Rolling Meadows game was played without ball boys. The threat of a storm might have had something to do with the MIA lads. … Rolling Meadows senior midfielder/forward and co-captain Gage Lockley, speedy and talent-soaked, recorded the Mustangs’ first shot on goal of the 2021 season in the third minute Tuesday. He won a 50/50 ball to set up the chance. Lockley will certainly make foes and opposing coaches fret all fall. … Olson appreciated the minutes logged by senior substitute Ben Gilgor, a midfielder/forward who settled a throw-in from Bieda in the 21st minute and curled a well-struck shot into the arms of Murzyn. “Ben,” Olson said, “had a nice impact for us.”
Starting lineups
Glenbrook North
GK Jakub Murzyn
D Alex Link
D Jack Redland
D Steven Rhee
D Tal Yedlin
M Griffin Yoss
M Sam Lappin
M Ian Lee
F Miles Wolder
F Wes Fagin
F Trotter Benson
Rolling Meadows
GK Ramon Orozco
D Diego Tapia
D Luke Bieda
D Aidan O’Brien
D Iliya Kachakov
M Gage Lockley
M Andrew Flores
M Joe Salemi
M Oscar Chlopek
F Wilson Espino
F Brayan Botello
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ramon Orozco, sr., GK, Rolling Meadows
Scoring summary
First half
Rolling Meadows — Espino (UA), 27’
Second half
Cancelled due to weather