Waukegan uses quickness to top GBN
Bulldogs post 2-0 opening-round win in Northside showcase
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHFIELD -- The worst thing about a loss is the lingering sense of doubt. It clouds over and interrupts the normal flow and rhythm.
Coaches naturally stress doing whatever is necessary to remove the doubts and start anew. That is just what Waukegan’s athletic combination of junior midfielder Bryan Ochoa and senior forward Brandon Colunga accomplished in the opening seconds Saturday.
In a swift and stunning start the Bulldogs, ranked eighth in Chicagoland Soccer's Preseason Top 25, needed just 14 seconds to obliterate the memory of the 2-0 loss against no. 7 Evanston two nights earlier. Streaking down the left wing, Ochoa cut free and delivered a terrific cross that Colunga slightly overhit as it sailed just above the top of the bar. But the message was sent.
Colunga found himself in the mix minutes later and that set the stage for an impressive Bulldogs victory.
In a marquee showdown of top-rated programs, Waukegan junior forward Javier Davilla collaborated with Colunga on a textbook goal in the eighth minute that Waukegan exploited into a 2-0 Group A win over fifth-ranked Glenbrook North on the opening day of play in the Northside College Showcase at New Trier.
Coming off a dominant performance over Chicago Public League program Taft, Glenbrook North was floored by the athleticism and quickness of the Bulldogs.
“At the start we were definitely nervous,” Glenbrook North coach Paul Vignocchi said. “Then I thought we settled down and had some of the better part of the play. But then we had some injuries that really changed things a little bit. I was pleased with the guys who stepped in and played hard.
“In the end it just was not quite enough. They are a quality team, and it was the right result. The better team won.”
Waukegan coach Peter Valdez and his players were not available after the game. They had a special event that required their immediate departure.
The Bulldogs return four starters and several key rotation players from last year’s 16-3-3 team that reached a Class 3A sectional semifinal.
Before the game, remarking on a schedule that includes ranked programs New Trier, Naperville Central and conference rival Libertyville, Valdez said, “I anticipate us finishing above .500 and entering the IHSA state tournament with lots of experience against tough opponents.
“Our defense is going to carry us.”
On Saturday, Waukegan (2-1-0) engineered its fast start. The near goal just after the opening whistle served as a prelude for the sharp activity. Senior forward Adrian Moreno is a quick and explosive talent with a knack for making plays and influencing movement and pace. His speed with the ball is a crucial part of the Bulldogs’ attack.
In the eighth minute, Waukegan caught the Spartans on their back heels. Calunga, another senior forward, pushed the ball deep into the scoring third and had a shot ricochet off a Glenbrook North defender. He alertly pulled the ball to the side as Davilla nailed a sidewinder from about 17 yards that curled inside the near post.
Davilla earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his game-winning goal.
Glenbrook North (1-2-0) has experienced a high-water mark the last two years with consecutive Class 3A sectional final appearances. The Spartans have displayed quickness, speed and skill in immobilizing the opposition. Players like junior midfielder/forward Joey Martens have watched and waited patiently to take on an increased role.
Martens, in working with lightning-fast senior midfielder Max Marquez, showed the far reaching implications of the Spartans’ attack. Dangerous on set pieces and in the field of play, Glenbrook North has players.
Waukegan struck the crucial first blow. Glenbrook North more than held its own, in fact arguably had the better run for the next 45 to 50 minutes of action moving into the start of the second half.
In the 38th minute, Glenbrook North nearly equalized. Martens struck deep into the Bulldogs’ interior and slotted a ball on the right wing to the dynamic Marquez. His shot skipped hard and low on the ground and required a diving lunge by the Bulldogs’ athletic junior keeper Marcos Garibay to make a spectacular stop.
“We battled hard,” Martens said. “We have a couple of injuries that have definitely been hurting us. I thought we definitely put in a solid effort. It did not really come out this time, but we are going to battle back on Monday [in pool play] against Loyola.
“We are building off of each performance. We have a really young squad. We graduated a lot of people. Each game we are learning and hopefully by the end of the year and the state playoffs come around, we are going to be a complete team.”
As the team works to overcome four injured starters, Martens is the kind of creative and talented player Glenbrook North needs to develop a more dominant personality.
He recognizes as much.
“I definitely have to step up and become one of the team leaders,” Martens said. “It’s tough, because even in my case, I did not get a lot of game time last year because we had such an amazing senior class. We are still trying to figure it out.”
Garibay made five saves to nullify the Spartans’ attack. Waukegan’s best defender, junior Juan Gutierrez, was the entry point of an aggressive and disruptive backline that kept the Spartans off balance. Waukegan is not big and rangy; they are small, quick and flow quickly to the point of attack.
Waukegan put the game out of reach in the 72nd minute as senior forward Eric Rosales gathered a through-ball from senior midfielder Axel Lopez and punched home the insurance goal.
Three of the four teams in Pool A started the year ranked in the top eight of the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll.
“Having a tough schedule is never a bad thing,” Martens said. “It just teaches us what we need to work on and hopefully by the time it really matters, we are going to figure everything out.”
The Spartans’ troublesome injury situation only worsened in the smoldering heat of the second half. Marquez was forced out. Glenbrook North was already without top goal scorer George Luke.
“We have to get healthy,” Vignocchi said. “We have four or five starters out right now. The guys now who are stepping in have not had the same varsity experience. They will get it. This is going to be a teaching year for me. We are going to be watching a lot of video, and breaking things down.
“Hopefully by the end of the year, we are playing our best soccer.”
The road forward is not any easier for the Spartans. They host Loyola before returning here to play against New Trier.
Vignocchi is the first to point out the benefits of playing in the Northside College Showcase.
“There is a reason why we are playing in this tournament, and we are playing against the best teams,” he said. “Our guys can’t worry about records, or how many goals we allow and stuff like that. We have to play the right way and get better as the season goes on.
“We know where the bar is. We know where these guys are capable of going, and it’s just doing it consistently now.”
Starting lineups
Waukegan
GK: Marcos Garibay
D: Charlie Rodriguez
D: Daniel Flores
D: Juan Gutierrez
D: Miguel Tejada
MF: Alberto Mendoza
MF: Axel Lopez
MF: Leo Cabezas
F: Javier Davilla
F: Brandon Colunga
F: Eric Rosales
Glenbrook North
GK: Nick Washelesky
D: Patrick O’Brien
D: Ben Gordon
D: Nate Aronson
D: Noah Ben-Isvy
MF: Bryan Ballesteros
MF: Nico Adducci
MF: Jan Bogdan
MF: Konrad Kulesza
F: Joey Martens
F: Max Marquez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Javier Davilla, Waukegan, jr., F
Scoring summary
First half
Waukegan—Javier Davilla (Brandon Colunga), eighth minute
Second half
Waukegan—Eric Rosales (Axel Lopez), 72nd minute
Bulldogs post 2-0 opening-round win in Northside showcase
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHFIELD -- The worst thing about a loss is the lingering sense of doubt. It clouds over and interrupts the normal flow and rhythm.
Coaches naturally stress doing whatever is necessary to remove the doubts and start anew. That is just what Waukegan’s athletic combination of junior midfielder Bryan Ochoa and senior forward Brandon Colunga accomplished in the opening seconds Saturday.
In a swift and stunning start the Bulldogs, ranked eighth in Chicagoland Soccer's Preseason Top 25, needed just 14 seconds to obliterate the memory of the 2-0 loss against no. 7 Evanston two nights earlier. Streaking down the left wing, Ochoa cut free and delivered a terrific cross that Colunga slightly overhit as it sailed just above the top of the bar. But the message was sent.
Colunga found himself in the mix minutes later and that set the stage for an impressive Bulldogs victory.
In a marquee showdown of top-rated programs, Waukegan junior forward Javier Davilla collaborated with Colunga on a textbook goal in the eighth minute that Waukegan exploited into a 2-0 Group A win over fifth-ranked Glenbrook North on the opening day of play in the Northside College Showcase at New Trier.
Coming off a dominant performance over Chicago Public League program Taft, Glenbrook North was floored by the athleticism and quickness of the Bulldogs.
“At the start we were definitely nervous,” Glenbrook North coach Paul Vignocchi said. “Then I thought we settled down and had some of the better part of the play. But then we had some injuries that really changed things a little bit. I was pleased with the guys who stepped in and played hard.
“In the end it just was not quite enough. They are a quality team, and it was the right result. The better team won.”
Waukegan coach Peter Valdez and his players were not available after the game. They had a special event that required their immediate departure.
The Bulldogs return four starters and several key rotation players from last year’s 16-3-3 team that reached a Class 3A sectional semifinal.
Before the game, remarking on a schedule that includes ranked programs New Trier, Naperville Central and conference rival Libertyville, Valdez said, “I anticipate us finishing above .500 and entering the IHSA state tournament with lots of experience against tough opponents.
“Our defense is going to carry us.”
On Saturday, Waukegan (2-1-0) engineered its fast start. The near goal just after the opening whistle served as a prelude for the sharp activity. Senior forward Adrian Moreno is a quick and explosive talent with a knack for making plays and influencing movement and pace. His speed with the ball is a crucial part of the Bulldogs’ attack.
In the eighth minute, Waukegan caught the Spartans on their back heels. Calunga, another senior forward, pushed the ball deep into the scoring third and had a shot ricochet off a Glenbrook North defender. He alertly pulled the ball to the side as Davilla nailed a sidewinder from about 17 yards that curled inside the near post.
Davilla earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his game-winning goal.
Glenbrook North (1-2-0) has experienced a high-water mark the last two years with consecutive Class 3A sectional final appearances. The Spartans have displayed quickness, speed and skill in immobilizing the opposition. Players like junior midfielder/forward Joey Martens have watched and waited patiently to take on an increased role.
Martens, in working with lightning-fast senior midfielder Max Marquez, showed the far reaching implications of the Spartans’ attack. Dangerous on set pieces and in the field of play, Glenbrook North has players.
Waukegan struck the crucial first blow. Glenbrook North more than held its own, in fact arguably had the better run for the next 45 to 50 minutes of action moving into the start of the second half.
In the 38th minute, Glenbrook North nearly equalized. Martens struck deep into the Bulldogs’ interior and slotted a ball on the right wing to the dynamic Marquez. His shot skipped hard and low on the ground and required a diving lunge by the Bulldogs’ athletic junior keeper Marcos Garibay to make a spectacular stop.
“We battled hard,” Martens said. “We have a couple of injuries that have definitely been hurting us. I thought we definitely put in a solid effort. It did not really come out this time, but we are going to battle back on Monday [in pool play] against Loyola.
“We are building off of each performance. We have a really young squad. We graduated a lot of people. Each game we are learning and hopefully by the end of the year and the state playoffs come around, we are going to be a complete team.”
As the team works to overcome four injured starters, Martens is the kind of creative and talented player Glenbrook North needs to develop a more dominant personality.
He recognizes as much.
“I definitely have to step up and become one of the team leaders,” Martens said. “It’s tough, because even in my case, I did not get a lot of game time last year because we had such an amazing senior class. We are still trying to figure it out.”
Garibay made five saves to nullify the Spartans’ attack. Waukegan’s best defender, junior Juan Gutierrez, was the entry point of an aggressive and disruptive backline that kept the Spartans off balance. Waukegan is not big and rangy; they are small, quick and flow quickly to the point of attack.
Waukegan put the game out of reach in the 72nd minute as senior forward Eric Rosales gathered a through-ball from senior midfielder Axel Lopez and punched home the insurance goal.
Three of the four teams in Pool A started the year ranked in the top eight of the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll.
“Having a tough schedule is never a bad thing,” Martens said. “It just teaches us what we need to work on and hopefully by the time it really matters, we are going to figure everything out.”
The Spartans’ troublesome injury situation only worsened in the smoldering heat of the second half. Marquez was forced out. Glenbrook North was already without top goal scorer George Luke.
“We have to get healthy,” Vignocchi said. “We have four or five starters out right now. The guys now who are stepping in have not had the same varsity experience. They will get it. This is going to be a teaching year for me. We are going to be watching a lot of video, and breaking things down.
“Hopefully by the end of the year, we are playing our best soccer.”
The road forward is not any easier for the Spartans. They host Loyola before returning here to play against New Trier.
Vignocchi is the first to point out the benefits of playing in the Northside College Showcase.
“There is a reason why we are playing in this tournament, and we are playing against the best teams,” he said. “Our guys can’t worry about records, or how many goals we allow and stuff like that. We have to play the right way and get better as the season goes on.
“We know where the bar is. We know where these guys are capable of going, and it’s just doing it consistently now.”
Starting lineups
Waukegan
GK: Marcos Garibay
D: Charlie Rodriguez
D: Daniel Flores
D: Juan Gutierrez
D: Miguel Tejada
MF: Alberto Mendoza
MF: Axel Lopez
MF: Leo Cabezas
F: Javier Davilla
F: Brandon Colunga
F: Eric Rosales
Glenbrook North
GK: Nick Washelesky
D: Patrick O’Brien
D: Ben Gordon
D: Nate Aronson
D: Noah Ben-Isvy
MF: Bryan Ballesteros
MF: Nico Adducci
MF: Jan Bogdan
MF: Konrad Kulesza
F: Joey Martens
F: Max Marquez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Javier Davilla, Waukegan, jr., F
Scoring summary
First half
Waukegan—Javier Davilla (Brandon Colunga), eighth minute
Second half
Waukegan—Eric Rosales (Axel Lopez), 72nd minute