Patient Wheaton North tops Glenbard North
East-west possession game pays off with 3-1 DVC win
By Ken Keenan
WHEATON -- After suffering a gut-wrenching, 1-0 loss to Lake Park on Tuesday, Wheaton North responded in fine fashion two days later with a decisive 3-1 win over visiting Glenbard North in DuPage Valley Conference action.
Prior to the tilt with the Panthers, Falcons head coach Rob Stassen was still lamenting a bevy of missed chances against the Lancers, including at least 9 shots on goal and a couple more that met iron. Utilizing a patient, east-west possession game against Glenbard North, Wheaton North expanded a 1-0 halftime lead with a pair of tallies in the second session before the visitors broke the shutout in the late going.
"We needed this one -- it was a bounce-back game after Lake Park," said Stassen, whose squad improved to 4-9-2 overall and 2-2-1 in DVC play with the win. "This meant everything for our minds and hearts. It's nice to play well and get the result."
Wheaton North junior forward Alex Beausoleil, who scored the Falcons' first and third goal en route to earning Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors, said, "This game, we were able to put the ball away. It's a good feeling."
Glenbard North nearly took an early lead when senior forward Fabrizio Guajardo took a pass from fellow senior forward Abood Nasr and rifled a 15-yard shot that Falcons' senior goalkeeper Harrison Thomspon denied with a leaping stop just 30 seconds into the match. Less than a minute later, Thompson saved a wide-angle try by Panthers' senior midfielder Best Emena.
But the Falcons quickly settled down, frustrating the Panthers with long, multi-touch possessions in the midfield while looking to spring forwards on through-balls in the attacking third. The strategy paid off when junior forward Jack Morrissey sent a long ball to Beausoleil, who turned and fired a 20-yard rocket into the top right corner for a 1-0 lead with 11:37 remaining in the first half.
"We like to switch back and forth and play over-the-top balls into space and take it to the goal," said rock-solid Wheaton North defender Andrew Ogilvie.
Added Patel: "We try to tire out the other team and get through-balls."
Continuing that approach, Wheaton North increased the margin to 2-0 less than 2 minutes into the second half when junior mid Ajay Patel finished from 30 yards after settling a pass from Morrissey. The lead bulged to 3-0 with 5:50 left in the match on Beausoleil's second goal. A nifty tip pass from junior forward Joe Gaither found a wide-open Beausoleil, who easily slipped a slow roller from the right side past a charging Argirov.
"We've got a great possession game -- sustain, sustain and then pounce," Stassen said. "But the backline was strong as well. We put the two games together (Thursday night). When we're all firing together, we're a talented team."
The Panthers finally dented the twine with 4:19 left when aggressive senior defender Danny Le took a nice feed from senior mid Erik Lopez and bolted past the Falcons' 'D' to beat Thompson. Glenbard North skipper Gregg Koeller said that Le wasn't even penciled into the lineup due to a severe quad bruise but was able to play after spending extra time in the training room.
"He couldn't even walk (Wednesday)," said Koeller, who saw his club fall to 2-8-2, 0-6-0 with the loss. "I said, 'That's a high school soccer player.' It's the epitome of what I want to see: gutsy."
Le said, "It's a DVC game, and I didn't want to let my teammates down. We got some momentum back with the goal. Erik (Lopez) found me in the middle and played a nice through-ball."
Lopez was Glenbard North's biggest threat on the attack, unleashing a low, 35-yard blast that Thompson nabbed in the 64th minute and putting a shot on goal from a tough angle in the 70th minute as well. But chances were limited for the Panthers due to Wheaton North's slow-down tactics with the ball.
"It was light pressure, back up ... light pressure, back up -- and they caught us on a couple of long balls," Lopez said. "But we never put our heads down. We kept our battle up."
Koeller said, "We're right there. We made a mistake or two, and (the Falcons) took advantage of our mistakes. They were trying to goad us into chasing, but they didn't wear us out. We're game fit. Maybe (the long possessions) took a little air out or was a momentum-buster, but we weren't physically tired.
"(Wheaton North) got us on a counter. That stuff happens. But I still firmly believe that we can play with anyone in our (IHSA) sectional. The worm will turn."
With the playoffs approaching, the Falcons -- 1-1-1 since snapping a 4-game losing skid -- see light at the end of the tunnel as well.
"We're hitting our stride at the right time," Stassen said. "We're looking forward to the postseason."
Added Patel: "At the start of the year, we were a little disorganized. We've kinda cleaned up our game, and now we're more confident."
Ogilvie said, " Our team chemistry is coming together. Through the tough losses -- like Lake Park -- we're getting stronger and gaining more confidence in one another going into the playoffs."
Starting lineups
Glenbard North
G: Martin Argirov
D: Ode Emena
D: Evan Scott
D: Danny Le
D: Ben Solano
M: Best Emena
M: Erik Lopez
M: Jesse Aragon
M: Anthony Martinez
F: Abood Nasar
F: Fabrizio Guajardo
Wheaton North
G: Harrison Thompson
D: Carlos Saavedra
D: Jack Mancuso
D: Jack Tegart
D: Nathan Heyen
M: Ajay Patel
M: Jack Dzarnowski
M: Jorge Patino
F: Joe Gaither
F: Jack Morrissey
F: Lael Mondragon
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Beausoleil, jr., F, Wheaton North
Officials: Bruce Bode, Boris Vukovic, Scott Lichtfuss
Scoring summary:
1. Wheaton North: Alex Beausoleil (assisted by Jack Morrissey) in 29th minute
2. Wheaton North: Ajay Patel (assisted by Jack Morrissey) in 47th minute
3. Wheaton North: Alex Beausoleil (assisted by Joe Gaither) in 74th minute
4. Glenbard North: Danny Le (assisted by Erik Lopez) in 76th minute
East-west possession game pays off with 3-1 DVC win
By Ken Keenan
WHEATON -- After suffering a gut-wrenching, 1-0 loss to Lake Park on Tuesday, Wheaton North responded in fine fashion two days later with a decisive 3-1 win over visiting Glenbard North in DuPage Valley Conference action.
Prior to the tilt with the Panthers, Falcons head coach Rob Stassen was still lamenting a bevy of missed chances against the Lancers, including at least 9 shots on goal and a couple more that met iron. Utilizing a patient, east-west possession game against Glenbard North, Wheaton North expanded a 1-0 halftime lead with a pair of tallies in the second session before the visitors broke the shutout in the late going.
"We needed this one -- it was a bounce-back game after Lake Park," said Stassen, whose squad improved to 4-9-2 overall and 2-2-1 in DVC play with the win. "This meant everything for our minds and hearts. It's nice to play well and get the result."
Wheaton North junior forward Alex Beausoleil, who scored the Falcons' first and third goal en route to earning Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors, said, "This game, we were able to put the ball away. It's a good feeling."
Glenbard North nearly took an early lead when senior forward Fabrizio Guajardo took a pass from fellow senior forward Abood Nasr and rifled a 15-yard shot that Falcons' senior goalkeeper Harrison Thomspon denied with a leaping stop just 30 seconds into the match. Less than a minute later, Thompson saved a wide-angle try by Panthers' senior midfielder Best Emena.
But the Falcons quickly settled down, frustrating the Panthers with long, multi-touch possessions in the midfield while looking to spring forwards on through-balls in the attacking third. The strategy paid off when junior forward Jack Morrissey sent a long ball to Beausoleil, who turned and fired a 20-yard rocket into the top right corner for a 1-0 lead with 11:37 remaining in the first half.
"We like to switch back and forth and play over-the-top balls into space and take it to the goal," said rock-solid Wheaton North defender Andrew Ogilvie.
Added Patel: "We try to tire out the other team and get through-balls."
Continuing that approach, Wheaton North increased the margin to 2-0 less than 2 minutes into the second half when junior mid Ajay Patel finished from 30 yards after settling a pass from Morrissey. The lead bulged to 3-0 with 5:50 left in the match on Beausoleil's second goal. A nifty tip pass from junior forward Joe Gaither found a wide-open Beausoleil, who easily slipped a slow roller from the right side past a charging Argirov.
"We've got a great possession game -- sustain, sustain and then pounce," Stassen said. "But the backline was strong as well. We put the two games together (Thursday night). When we're all firing together, we're a talented team."
The Panthers finally dented the twine with 4:19 left when aggressive senior defender Danny Le took a nice feed from senior mid Erik Lopez and bolted past the Falcons' 'D' to beat Thompson. Glenbard North skipper Gregg Koeller said that Le wasn't even penciled into the lineup due to a severe quad bruise but was able to play after spending extra time in the training room.
"He couldn't even walk (Wednesday)," said Koeller, who saw his club fall to 2-8-2, 0-6-0 with the loss. "I said, 'That's a high school soccer player.' It's the epitome of what I want to see: gutsy."
Le said, "It's a DVC game, and I didn't want to let my teammates down. We got some momentum back with the goal. Erik (Lopez) found me in the middle and played a nice through-ball."
Lopez was Glenbard North's biggest threat on the attack, unleashing a low, 35-yard blast that Thompson nabbed in the 64th minute and putting a shot on goal from a tough angle in the 70th minute as well. But chances were limited for the Panthers due to Wheaton North's slow-down tactics with the ball.
"It was light pressure, back up ... light pressure, back up -- and they caught us on a couple of long balls," Lopez said. "But we never put our heads down. We kept our battle up."
Koeller said, "We're right there. We made a mistake or two, and (the Falcons) took advantage of our mistakes. They were trying to goad us into chasing, but they didn't wear us out. We're game fit. Maybe (the long possessions) took a little air out or was a momentum-buster, but we weren't physically tired.
"(Wheaton North) got us on a counter. That stuff happens. But I still firmly believe that we can play with anyone in our (IHSA) sectional. The worm will turn."
With the playoffs approaching, the Falcons -- 1-1-1 since snapping a 4-game losing skid -- see light at the end of the tunnel as well.
"We're hitting our stride at the right time," Stassen said. "We're looking forward to the postseason."
Added Patel: "At the start of the year, we were a little disorganized. We've kinda cleaned up our game, and now we're more confident."
Ogilvie said, " Our team chemistry is coming together. Through the tough losses -- like Lake Park -- we're getting stronger and gaining more confidence in one another going into the playoffs."
Starting lineups
Glenbard North
G: Martin Argirov
D: Ode Emena
D: Evan Scott
D: Danny Le
D: Ben Solano
M: Best Emena
M: Erik Lopez
M: Jesse Aragon
M: Anthony Martinez
F: Abood Nasar
F: Fabrizio Guajardo
Wheaton North
G: Harrison Thompson
D: Carlos Saavedra
D: Jack Mancuso
D: Jack Tegart
D: Nathan Heyen
M: Ajay Patel
M: Jack Dzarnowski
M: Jorge Patino
F: Joe Gaither
F: Jack Morrissey
F: Lael Mondragon
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Beausoleil, jr., F, Wheaton North
Officials: Bruce Bode, Boris Vukovic, Scott Lichtfuss
Scoring summary:
1. Wheaton North: Alex Beausoleil (assisted by Jack Morrissey) in 29th minute
2. Wheaton North: Ajay Patel (assisted by Jack Morrissey) in 47th minute
3. Wheaton North: Alex Beausoleil (assisted by Joe Gaither) in 74th minute
4. Glenbard North: Danny Le (assisted by Erik Lopez) in 76th minute