Glenbrook South makes
most of quick turnaround, tops Prospect
Titans recover from league loss the night before with 3-0 win
By Bobby Narang
MT. PROSPECT — Glenbrook South keeper Jack Danby was effective in the net throughout Saturday afternoon’s game against Prospect.
The senior reserve played like a regular starter, snapping up saves and directing his backline to stop Prospect’s aggressive attack, especially in the second half. Even with a strong wind in the Knights’ favor for the final 40 minutes, Danby and his defense held.
With each save, Danby’s confidence grew. He finished with five saves and his first varsity clean-sheet to lead Glenbrook South to a 3-0 nonconference victory over the Knights at George Gattas Memorial Stadium.
Senior forward Kevin Perez, the Chicagoland Man of the Match, supplied the offensive fireworks with two second half goals.
Several minutes after the game, Danby stood with a group of teammates. He was struggling with one thing: Where to have his postgame celebration?
“I’ll probably get some Chipotle, but I’m not sure,” Danby said. “I’ll figure it out.”
In the keeper’s case, the clean-sheet was the icing on the cake. He was happy to help the Titans (5-5-3) record a bounce-back win following a 4-1 Central Suburban League South Division loss to Evanston on Friday night. Danby admitted he was shocked to learn of his first career start Saturday.
“I found out this morning at 8, when coach texted me and told me I was going to play,” Danby said. “I was pretty excited and ready for my opportunity. It felt really good to get (the shutout). The last few minutes I just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened and everybody was playing 100 percent.
“The wind was a big factor, and you had to play back a little more, so the ball doesn’t go far past you. On the goal kicks, I had to make sure everyone is ready for it to blow back.”
In the postgame huddle, Glenbrook South coach Reggie Lara joked to his players that “it was a good victory” before altering his words to note that “it was a great victory.” He said he was happy there were “no boo boos in the back.”
“I think the fact we played against Evanston 14 hours ago, I was really worried about this game,” Lara said. “I actually think this is my first varsity win at Prospect.
“We played hard today, and the ball tended to bounce in our favor more today. I’m happy we were able to execute and play really, really well.
“We became more aware of the wind in the second half, especially defensively. Jack is our backup goalkeeper. I was really happy with his saves and communication in the back. We got to play a lot of guys in the backline, and they played smart.
“We eliminated our defensive mistakes, and we’re very happy with the clean-sheet. We’re all looking forward to Glenbrook North. We’re both good teams.”
Perez said the Titans have some momentum heading into Tuesday’s 7 p.m. home game against their nearby rival.
“We went toe-to-toe with Evanston, which is a top-15 ranked team, and were able to fight back; it was an even fight on Friday,” Perez said. “This was a good way to bounce back with our rivalry game against Glenbrook North on Tuesday. It’s going to be perfect for us to set up for that.
“This isn’t our complete team yet. We can be a dangerous team when we get (injured midfielder) Luca (Piekarski) back. I think he’s the missing puzzle piece, and we can be much more dangerous.”
On the other end, Prospect (1-7-3) shuffled their lineup due to several injuries and illnesses that led to some communication errors and costly goals. The Knights battled through the adversity and heat with a strong offensive attack into the wind in the final 40 minutes.
“It was pretty evident that sickness and injuries got the best of us today,” Prospect coach Michael Andrews said. “I have enough of my team sick or injured. We knew that going in. I can’t fault the guys today, even at the end we were putting up attacking opportunities. We’re struggling physically now. We have to rest and hydrate and recover the rest of the week.
“We had chances and were experimenting a bit in the first half. I’m happy with some of the guys who came off the bench. Ryan Schneider was doing everything right in the final 20 minutes. Finn Whalen jumped in when the two keepers who normally play ahead of him were injured. I can’t fault the guys for their effort.
“We’re coming to the back half of the Mid-Suburban League. We’re going to try and grab as many points as we can to be prepared for postseason play.”
Senior Chris Morys opened up the second half for the Knights with a header that missed just wide. Teammate Adam Toporkiewicz nearly knocked in a shot in the 47th minute, but Danby dove to stop the shot. He lost control of the ball but recovered to catch it in the air while on the ground.
The Knights kept pressing. They attacked Danby with five, close shots in the final 30 minutes but came up empty. Danby had a full-extension, diving save in the 51st minute and picked up some luck when Morys’ shot hit the cross bar in the 69th minute.
Glenbrook South senior defender Jeffrey Podjasek credited Danby for playing at a high level in the net. He praised the entire team for stepping up after losing to Evanston.
“Jack played great and made some big saves,” he said. “It was definitely harder in the second half with the sun and the wind. We kept our energy high and played together and pulled it out.
“We’re hungry for more (wins). We’re excited for our next game against Glenbrook North. It was a big team victory. We all played well and cleaned up our mistakes in the back.”
The Titans sent a strong message that Friday night’s defeat was not going to have a carryover effect.
Conor Beach scored the first goal off a loose ball. He tapped a short shot inside the far post from 11 yards with 22:09 left in the first half.
Despite the wind advantage, the Titans were unable to build their lead before halftime.
Perez wiped away all the disappointment of missed chances by beating two defenders for a tap-in goal for a 2-0 lead in the 47th minute.
Three minutes later, he smacked home a free kick from 27 yards to raise his season tally to seven goals.
“I read between the lines of the two defenders and the goalie miscommunication on the first goal,” Perez said. “On the second (goal), I realized they all started separating. They left a gap on the free kick.
“I practiced free kicks all summer. I wanted to go top right but saw the goalie’s position, so I knew it was perfect for me to curve left. The moment I struck that, I knew it was gold.”
Starting lineups
Glenbrook South
GK: Jack Danby
D: Jeffrey Podjasek
D: Teddy Sturiale
D: Chris Sanchez
D: Jimmy Aglikin
MF: Alec Grenolds
MF: Ben Baczewski
MF: Daniel Cha
MF: Connor Beach
F: Adrian Potoniec
F: Kevin Perez
Prospect
GK: Ethan Erickson
D: Nicholas Casaletto
D: Matt Niemczyk
D: Samuel Heintz
D: Tymek Czerwiec
MF: Luis DeSantiago
MF: Daniel Barbaric
MF: Chris Morys
MF: Robert Morys
F: Dimitriy Hutnyk
F: Massimo Mho
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Kevin Perez, sr., F, Glenbrook South
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbrook South: Beach (unassisted), 18’
Second half
Glenbrook South: Perez (unassisted), 47
Glenbrook South: Perez (free kick), 50’
most of quick turnaround, tops Prospect
Titans recover from league loss the night before with 3-0 win
By Bobby Narang
MT. PROSPECT — Glenbrook South keeper Jack Danby was effective in the net throughout Saturday afternoon’s game against Prospect.
The senior reserve played like a regular starter, snapping up saves and directing his backline to stop Prospect’s aggressive attack, especially in the second half. Even with a strong wind in the Knights’ favor for the final 40 minutes, Danby and his defense held.
With each save, Danby’s confidence grew. He finished with five saves and his first varsity clean-sheet to lead Glenbrook South to a 3-0 nonconference victory over the Knights at George Gattas Memorial Stadium.
Senior forward Kevin Perez, the Chicagoland Man of the Match, supplied the offensive fireworks with two second half goals.
Several minutes after the game, Danby stood with a group of teammates. He was struggling with one thing: Where to have his postgame celebration?
“I’ll probably get some Chipotle, but I’m not sure,” Danby said. “I’ll figure it out.”
In the keeper’s case, the clean-sheet was the icing on the cake. He was happy to help the Titans (5-5-3) record a bounce-back win following a 4-1 Central Suburban League South Division loss to Evanston on Friday night. Danby admitted he was shocked to learn of his first career start Saturday.
“I found out this morning at 8, when coach texted me and told me I was going to play,” Danby said. “I was pretty excited and ready for my opportunity. It felt really good to get (the shutout). The last few minutes I just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened and everybody was playing 100 percent.
“The wind was a big factor, and you had to play back a little more, so the ball doesn’t go far past you. On the goal kicks, I had to make sure everyone is ready for it to blow back.”
In the postgame huddle, Glenbrook South coach Reggie Lara joked to his players that “it was a good victory” before altering his words to note that “it was a great victory.” He said he was happy there were “no boo boos in the back.”
“I think the fact we played against Evanston 14 hours ago, I was really worried about this game,” Lara said. “I actually think this is my first varsity win at Prospect.
“We played hard today, and the ball tended to bounce in our favor more today. I’m happy we were able to execute and play really, really well.
“We became more aware of the wind in the second half, especially defensively. Jack is our backup goalkeeper. I was really happy with his saves and communication in the back. We got to play a lot of guys in the backline, and they played smart.
“We eliminated our defensive mistakes, and we’re very happy with the clean-sheet. We’re all looking forward to Glenbrook North. We’re both good teams.”
Perez said the Titans have some momentum heading into Tuesday’s 7 p.m. home game against their nearby rival.
“We went toe-to-toe with Evanston, which is a top-15 ranked team, and were able to fight back; it was an even fight on Friday,” Perez said. “This was a good way to bounce back with our rivalry game against Glenbrook North on Tuesday. It’s going to be perfect for us to set up for that.
“This isn’t our complete team yet. We can be a dangerous team when we get (injured midfielder) Luca (Piekarski) back. I think he’s the missing puzzle piece, and we can be much more dangerous.”
On the other end, Prospect (1-7-3) shuffled their lineup due to several injuries and illnesses that led to some communication errors and costly goals. The Knights battled through the adversity and heat with a strong offensive attack into the wind in the final 40 minutes.
“It was pretty evident that sickness and injuries got the best of us today,” Prospect coach Michael Andrews said. “I have enough of my team sick or injured. We knew that going in. I can’t fault the guys today, even at the end we were putting up attacking opportunities. We’re struggling physically now. We have to rest and hydrate and recover the rest of the week.
“We had chances and were experimenting a bit in the first half. I’m happy with some of the guys who came off the bench. Ryan Schneider was doing everything right in the final 20 minutes. Finn Whalen jumped in when the two keepers who normally play ahead of him were injured. I can’t fault the guys for their effort.
“We’re coming to the back half of the Mid-Suburban League. We’re going to try and grab as many points as we can to be prepared for postseason play.”
Senior Chris Morys opened up the second half for the Knights with a header that missed just wide. Teammate Adam Toporkiewicz nearly knocked in a shot in the 47th minute, but Danby dove to stop the shot. He lost control of the ball but recovered to catch it in the air while on the ground.
The Knights kept pressing. They attacked Danby with five, close shots in the final 30 minutes but came up empty. Danby had a full-extension, diving save in the 51st minute and picked up some luck when Morys’ shot hit the cross bar in the 69th minute.
Glenbrook South senior defender Jeffrey Podjasek credited Danby for playing at a high level in the net. He praised the entire team for stepping up after losing to Evanston.
“Jack played great and made some big saves,” he said. “It was definitely harder in the second half with the sun and the wind. We kept our energy high and played together and pulled it out.
“We’re hungry for more (wins). We’re excited for our next game against Glenbrook North. It was a big team victory. We all played well and cleaned up our mistakes in the back.”
The Titans sent a strong message that Friday night’s defeat was not going to have a carryover effect.
Conor Beach scored the first goal off a loose ball. He tapped a short shot inside the far post from 11 yards with 22:09 left in the first half.
Despite the wind advantage, the Titans were unable to build their lead before halftime.
Perez wiped away all the disappointment of missed chances by beating two defenders for a tap-in goal for a 2-0 lead in the 47th minute.
Three minutes later, he smacked home a free kick from 27 yards to raise his season tally to seven goals.
“I read between the lines of the two defenders and the goalie miscommunication on the first goal,” Perez said. “On the second (goal), I realized they all started separating. They left a gap on the free kick.
“I practiced free kicks all summer. I wanted to go top right but saw the goalie’s position, so I knew it was perfect for me to curve left. The moment I struck that, I knew it was gold.”
Starting lineups
Glenbrook South
GK: Jack Danby
D: Jeffrey Podjasek
D: Teddy Sturiale
D: Chris Sanchez
D: Jimmy Aglikin
MF: Alec Grenolds
MF: Ben Baczewski
MF: Daniel Cha
MF: Connor Beach
F: Adrian Potoniec
F: Kevin Perez
Prospect
GK: Ethan Erickson
D: Nicholas Casaletto
D: Matt Niemczyk
D: Samuel Heintz
D: Tymek Czerwiec
MF: Luis DeSantiago
MF: Daniel Barbaric
MF: Chris Morys
MF: Robert Morys
F: Dimitriy Hutnyk
F: Massimo Mho
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Kevin Perez, sr., F, Glenbrook South
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbrook South: Beach (unassisted), 18’
Second half
Glenbrook South: Perez (unassisted), 47
Glenbrook South: Perez (free kick), 50’