Wheaton N. gets revenge on Glenbard N.
Falcons find scoring touch in 4-0 league win, avenge regional loss
By A.J. Schmitz
WHEATON - Wheaton North took their home field Thursday night with a mission: exact revenge against their opponent; Glenbard North knocked them out of the IHSA playoffs last season in the first round.
Mission accomplished.
The Falcons (2-1-0) shut out the Panthers in a 4-0 victory that saw the home side erupt out of the gate with a level of intensity characterized by fast-paced and intelligent ball movement.
“We’ve been working on our two-touch,” Wheaton North head coach, Rob Stassen said. “When you get a team chasing the ball around, you work with their patience. Let them chase, let one person slip out and expose that gap that was left behind.”
Within the first 15 minutes, Glenbard North’s senior goalkeeper Martin Argirov was tested multiple times but successfully fended off the aggressive Wheaton North start. At four minutes, he prevented an early Falcons goal by collecting a close-range header bound for the back of the net.
“The first 20 minutes, we did a great job. We were moving the ball well, [but] there were some frustrations,” Stassen said. “We got seven shots on goal or around the goal and nothing would slip.”
Wheaton Noth drew a number of fouls and received four free kicks from within striking distance during that span. The first sailed over the defensive wall and smacked the crossbar at three minutes. Senior midfielder Erik Rozanski took all of Wheaton North’s free kicks and each came dangerously close to ending up in the back of the net.
“I felt we came out very flat in the first 15 minutes,” said Glenbard North head coach Spero Mandakas, “We were lucky for it to only be 1-0 at the time.”
Wheaton North’s first goal came at 16 minutes when senior forward Jarrett Baumgartner lobbed a precise cross over the box to senior defenseman Tristan Mackay, who met the ball with a one-touch bullet into the top of the net for his first goal of the season.
The score seemed to awaken the visitors, who began to create and take more chances that asked questions of Wheaton North’s junior goalkeeper Sam Wakeman. Glenbard North’s best chance came in the 20th minute off a corner kick. The serve was received by an open Panther at the far-post. Luckily for Wakeman, the shot, which otherwise would have stained his clean-sheet, went over the crossbar.
Regardless of the off-target shot, Glenbard North started to become a threat.
Wheaton North answered the Panthers’ renewed aggression with more of their own. At 27 minutes, Falcons senior midfielder Graham Stephenson forced a quick turnover in Panthers’ end and immediately took advantage. He lofted a beautiful shot into the top right corner from 30 yards.
“It definitely helped that we were able to break them down through our speed of play,” said Stephenson, who referred to his team’s performance as a whole, but which was clearly shown through his individual effort on the counter-attack.
Glenbard North held off their hosts’ attacks for the rest of the first half but faced an uphill battle with the 2-0 halftime deficit.
After the break, the tide changed for Glenbard North.
“We had a little more urgency,” Mandakas noted. “We were able to possess the ball and find some quality chances in the final third.”
Wheaton North’s Wakeman started to be tested a little more regularly and had to stay on his toes to keep up with an increased work load. At 43 minutes, he stopped a creatively ambitious long-range attempt from Glenbard North senior midfielder Gabriel Jurado.
He made an enormous diving save at 54 minutes from a rebound shot after a free kick.
“They put us under a lot of pressure,” Stassen said. “They settled down, weren’t chasing the ball so much and stayed compact. It made it difficult for us.”
But the Falcons took the need to adjust their game play in stride.
Just as Glenbard North appeared ready to capitalize on an opportunity and narrow the margin, Stephenson helped convert a counter-attack into his second goal of the night. He curved a shot from an impressive angle that hit the far post and bounced into the back of the net.
“Their third goal in the 60th minute was a little deflating,” Mandakas said. “I felt we had the better of the play in that half.”
It did not, however, devastate the Panthers morale.
Glenbard North (1-3-0) attempted to break into the scoring column once again at 66 minutes, and almost did. On perhaps their best opportunity of the game, once again off a corner kick, Wheaton North had a difficult time clearing a ball that just couldn’t be brought down from the air. Coming within mere inches of the goal line, the Falcons defense finally managed to get a head to it and ultimately clear it away from the line of danger.
After a stoppage of play less than a minute later due to a minor injury, Wheaton North took advantage of the game’s break in flow. Rozanski was found wide open at 70 minutes directly in front of the net. He finally got his name on the score-sheet after a night of repeated attempts and closed out the scoring.
Rozanski credited the win to “playing every minute and winning every ball. Obviously, the goals come with that, and it really worked out for us today.”
Asked what he wanted his team to take from the game, Stassen replied, “To put more balls in the back of the net! That’s always been our problem: creating opportunities. So that’s what we’ve been working on, building opportunities from the back.”
Glenbard North freshman midfielder Jorge Roman was a thorn in the side of Wheaton North’s backline.
“We really do have a strong team,” he said. “We just need some more movement, more quickness and to take more shots.”
The Panthers hope to have added those traits well before the schools meet again April 6 in Carol Stream.
Wheaton North will stay in conference whey it takes on Lake Park at home Saturday after the first scheduled game between the teams was postponed March 16. Glenbard North will head to Aurora for a nonconference game at Waubonsie Valley on the same day.
Starting lineups
Glenbard North
GK: Martin Argirov
D: Mark Szklarczyk
D: Ren Santillan
D: John Salazar
M: Lucas Tran
M: Raul Pasillas
M: Jorge Roman
M: Christopher Arroyo
M: Gabriel Jurado
F: Nathaniel Enriquez
F: Azael Velazquez
Wheaton North
GK: Sam Wakeman
D: Tristan Mackay
D: Noah Froebe
D: Tim Dulzer
D: Kyle Schauer
M: Caleb Hodel
M: Erik Rozanski
M: Graham Stephenson
M: Gyan Patel
F: Jarrett Baumgartner
F: Ethan Martinez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Graham Stephenson, sr., MF, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton North: Tristan Mackay (Jarrett Baumgartner) 16 minutes
Wheaton North: Graham Stephenson (UA) 27 minutes
Second half
Wheaton North: Stephenson (Erik Rozanski) 60 minutes
Wheaton North: Rozanski (J.J. Lee) 70 minutes
Falcons find scoring touch in 4-0 league win, avenge regional loss
By A.J. Schmitz
WHEATON - Wheaton North took their home field Thursday night with a mission: exact revenge against their opponent; Glenbard North knocked them out of the IHSA playoffs last season in the first round.
Mission accomplished.
The Falcons (2-1-0) shut out the Panthers in a 4-0 victory that saw the home side erupt out of the gate with a level of intensity characterized by fast-paced and intelligent ball movement.
“We’ve been working on our two-touch,” Wheaton North head coach, Rob Stassen said. “When you get a team chasing the ball around, you work with their patience. Let them chase, let one person slip out and expose that gap that was left behind.”
Within the first 15 minutes, Glenbard North’s senior goalkeeper Martin Argirov was tested multiple times but successfully fended off the aggressive Wheaton North start. At four minutes, he prevented an early Falcons goal by collecting a close-range header bound for the back of the net.
“The first 20 minutes, we did a great job. We were moving the ball well, [but] there were some frustrations,” Stassen said. “We got seven shots on goal or around the goal and nothing would slip.”
Wheaton Noth drew a number of fouls and received four free kicks from within striking distance during that span. The first sailed over the defensive wall and smacked the crossbar at three minutes. Senior midfielder Erik Rozanski took all of Wheaton North’s free kicks and each came dangerously close to ending up in the back of the net.
“I felt we came out very flat in the first 15 minutes,” said Glenbard North head coach Spero Mandakas, “We were lucky for it to only be 1-0 at the time.”
Wheaton North’s first goal came at 16 minutes when senior forward Jarrett Baumgartner lobbed a precise cross over the box to senior defenseman Tristan Mackay, who met the ball with a one-touch bullet into the top of the net for his first goal of the season.
The score seemed to awaken the visitors, who began to create and take more chances that asked questions of Wheaton North’s junior goalkeeper Sam Wakeman. Glenbard North’s best chance came in the 20th minute off a corner kick. The serve was received by an open Panther at the far-post. Luckily for Wakeman, the shot, which otherwise would have stained his clean-sheet, went over the crossbar.
Regardless of the off-target shot, Glenbard North started to become a threat.
Wheaton North answered the Panthers’ renewed aggression with more of their own. At 27 minutes, Falcons senior midfielder Graham Stephenson forced a quick turnover in Panthers’ end and immediately took advantage. He lofted a beautiful shot into the top right corner from 30 yards.
“It definitely helped that we were able to break them down through our speed of play,” said Stephenson, who referred to his team’s performance as a whole, but which was clearly shown through his individual effort on the counter-attack.
Glenbard North held off their hosts’ attacks for the rest of the first half but faced an uphill battle with the 2-0 halftime deficit.
After the break, the tide changed for Glenbard North.
“We had a little more urgency,” Mandakas noted. “We were able to possess the ball and find some quality chances in the final third.”
Wheaton North’s Wakeman started to be tested a little more regularly and had to stay on his toes to keep up with an increased work load. At 43 minutes, he stopped a creatively ambitious long-range attempt from Glenbard North senior midfielder Gabriel Jurado.
He made an enormous diving save at 54 minutes from a rebound shot after a free kick.
“They put us under a lot of pressure,” Stassen said. “They settled down, weren’t chasing the ball so much and stayed compact. It made it difficult for us.”
But the Falcons took the need to adjust their game play in stride.
Just as Glenbard North appeared ready to capitalize on an opportunity and narrow the margin, Stephenson helped convert a counter-attack into his second goal of the night. He curved a shot from an impressive angle that hit the far post and bounced into the back of the net.
“Their third goal in the 60th minute was a little deflating,” Mandakas said. “I felt we had the better of the play in that half.”
It did not, however, devastate the Panthers morale.
Glenbard North (1-3-0) attempted to break into the scoring column once again at 66 minutes, and almost did. On perhaps their best opportunity of the game, once again off a corner kick, Wheaton North had a difficult time clearing a ball that just couldn’t be brought down from the air. Coming within mere inches of the goal line, the Falcons defense finally managed to get a head to it and ultimately clear it away from the line of danger.
After a stoppage of play less than a minute later due to a minor injury, Wheaton North took advantage of the game’s break in flow. Rozanski was found wide open at 70 minutes directly in front of the net. He finally got his name on the score-sheet after a night of repeated attempts and closed out the scoring.
Rozanski credited the win to “playing every minute and winning every ball. Obviously, the goals come with that, and it really worked out for us today.”
Asked what he wanted his team to take from the game, Stassen replied, “To put more balls in the back of the net! That’s always been our problem: creating opportunities. So that’s what we’ve been working on, building opportunities from the back.”
Glenbard North freshman midfielder Jorge Roman was a thorn in the side of Wheaton North’s backline.
“We really do have a strong team,” he said. “We just need some more movement, more quickness and to take more shots.”
The Panthers hope to have added those traits well before the schools meet again April 6 in Carol Stream.
Wheaton North will stay in conference whey it takes on Lake Park at home Saturday after the first scheduled game between the teams was postponed March 16. Glenbard North will head to Aurora for a nonconference game at Waubonsie Valley on the same day.
Starting lineups
Glenbard North
GK: Martin Argirov
D: Mark Szklarczyk
D: Ren Santillan
D: John Salazar
M: Lucas Tran
M: Raul Pasillas
M: Jorge Roman
M: Christopher Arroyo
M: Gabriel Jurado
F: Nathaniel Enriquez
F: Azael Velazquez
Wheaton North
GK: Sam Wakeman
D: Tristan Mackay
D: Noah Froebe
D: Tim Dulzer
D: Kyle Schauer
M: Caleb Hodel
M: Erik Rozanski
M: Graham Stephenson
M: Gyan Patel
F: Jarrett Baumgartner
F: Ethan Martinez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Graham Stephenson, sr., MF, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton North: Tristan Mackay (Jarrett Baumgartner) 16 minutes
Wheaton North: Graham Stephenson (UA) 27 minutes
Second half
Wheaton North: Stephenson (Erik Rozanski) 60 minutes
Wheaton North: Rozanski (J.J. Lee) 70 minutes