Oak Park and River Forest blanks
Glenbard West for 6th-straight win
Bogard collects 3 goals, assist to lead Huskies to 5-0 win
By Curt Herron
OAK PARK – Sometimes it’s obvious things are clicking.
Oak Park and River Forest jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead over Glenbard West, which had won six of its last eight matches, lost to only ranked teams in that span and surrendered a little more than a goal a game.
Didn't matter.
The Huskies went on to a 5-0 win Thursday in their West Suburban Conference Silver Division finale Thursday at historic Oak Park Stadium.
Junior Easton Bogard set up senior Colin Hayes for the Huskies' first goal and then scored their next three tallies. The first came on a free kick and the others two came via penalties, all of which came after he had been fouled. Hayes notched the final tally with a long attempt that snuck in just before time expired.
Bogard, who was the obvious choice for Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, just missed scoring at least three more times: coming close on a header just before the break; lining a free kick just wide of the mark; and posting another near-miss at the hour.
Besides being a constant scoring threat, the 2021 Chicagoland Soccer first team all-stater made a variety of great passes to teammates to set the tone for the Huskies' ball movement all over the field.
"We definitely put in a lot of hard work this week," Bogard said. "We've been working on our speed of play and limiting touches the past couple of weeks, and you can tell that it's translated to the field very well. We really commit to keeping the ball in possession, and we try to pride ourselves by being the best in the state.
"The beauty of playing possession is that you should be able to swap around. Switching positions doesn't really matter, because we all commit to passing the ball together.
“What I most like about our team is that we just adapt to each other as we keep moving, and we're doing a good job of progressing through games."
After their dominating all-around performance, coach Jason Fried's Huskies (12-3-0, 4-2-x), who are ranked 10th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, have now won six in a row and have outscored those opponents by a 31-2 margin.
Previously, Oak Park and River Forest was ranked second in the poll behind Lyons after getting off to a 5-0-0 start. But the Huskies dropped to 12th after going 1-3-0 during a stretch where they lost one-goal decisions to York and Hinsdale Central to open conference play and then on penalties to Naperville Central in the BodyArmor bracket semifinal.
As a result of getting more players healthy and moving some individuals to other spots in order to strengthen the team, the Huskies head into their final two matches of the regular-season, hosting Evanston on Monday and Highland Park on Thursday, feeling very optimistic about their fortunes in the state playoffs.
The team is the third-seed in the Class 3A Glenbrook South Sectional. Central Suburban League South Division frontrunners -- undefeated second place finisher New Trier, seeded first, and champion Evanston seeded second -- head the group.
That makes Monday's match all the more intriguing. If the seeds hold, the two will meet again in the sectional semifinals on October 25 in Glenview.
Oak Park and River Forest plays at the Leyden Regional, where Maine South lies in wait. Evanston hosts a regional that includes Loyola and Lane.
The Huskies sure look ready for the bright lights after their impressive win against a squad that came into Thursday's game hot.
"They're a really good team," Fried said of Glenbard West. "We're working on playing faster and faster each day. When our players won the ball, it just wasn't just to win it but to win it and take it where we wanted to go. In the last three weeks of practice, the boys have really been working hard.
"And they're playing at a higher tempo in practice and really applying what we're talking about. As coaches, we're trying to give them more details individually. And to all of the kids' credit, they listen and are trying to apply it. That's all you can ask for. Every kid has really stepped it up, and it doesn't matter if you're a starter or not. Now we just have to keep it rolling."
The loss was the worst of the season for coach Phil Wicyk's Hilltoppers (10-8-0, 2-2), who had previous four-goal losses to ranked Plainfield North and Stevenson but had found their stride of late. Glenbard West entered the game off its first conference setback two days earlier when it lost 2-1 in overtime at home to Hinsdale Central.
Glenbard West ran into another league buzzsaw on Saturday morning and fell at home 3-0 to York.
Oak Park and River Forest began to apply pressure in the early going with two of its midfielders leading the way. Senior Isaac Cummings was denied on a short shot by Hilltoppers senior goalie Alan Holowinski, and senior Jadyn Hsieh-Bailey sent in a liner that was deflected away by a defender.
The Huskies broke the seal in the 10th minute when Bogard sent a cross into the box, and Hayes put in a close-range attempt. It was a great start for a team that lost to York and Hinsdale Central to open league play but then won its next four matches, which included Tuesday's victory at Lyons on penalties.
"In our first two conference games, we really didn't come out to play," Hayes said. "Against York we played good, but not good enough and didn't score the goals that we needed. Against Hinsdale Central we weren't aggressive. But now, we're picking up our pace throughout the season.
"Nasir (Cruz) is stepping up in the midfield and playing really good. In our first games, Easton was injured, but now he's back and scoring three or four goals a game and impacting things. We play so well together. We pass together as a team, and try not to dribble all by ourselves, and combo through the midfield and continue to attack."
Shortly after the midpoint of the opening half, Glenbard West junior Eduardo Vargas placed the first of several threatening free kicks in front of net, but the effort was cleared by a Huskies defender.
Then in the 27th minute, Bogard was fouled just outside of the box. After Hayes deferred to him on the free kick, Bogard placed one in the opposite corner of the net to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
Not long after junior Charlie Maguire sent in a long free kick that was headed away by a Hilltoppers defender, Bogard was fouled in the box as he drove toward the net. He put in the resulting penalty in the 38th minute to give the hosts their 3-0 halftime advantage.
Maguire's move to defense has solidified an area that was already strong for the Huskies, who recorded their eighth shutout. Seniors Tukura Hess and Ezra Plotkin and junior Isaac Felder join Maguire along a backline that has allowed just 11 goals in the team's 15 matches.
"Our defense has been playing really well," Maguire said. "I've accepted my role back there ... and the offense is on fire right now. All that we can do is keep out the goals and let them play. This is a really tough conference, but we finally caught our stride right before playoffs, and we've got to keep rolling.
"We've had some unfortunate injuries, but I think that everyone is coming back at the right time. We're just looking at the playoffs now, and we have to execute in the playoffs. We're really starting to connect as a team, and I feel that it's at the right moment. We really play for each other, and we communicate well on the field. "
Oak Park and River Forest threatened again in the opening minute of the second half when sophomore Bryce Richards sent a corner kick inside and Hsieh-Bailey headed it to the keeper.
Then in the 44th minute, the Hilltoppers once again fouled Bogard in the box, and he calmly stepped up to the line. After a brief hesitation, he placed the ball in the desired spot for another successful penalty to make it 4-0.
Vargas ranks as one of the bright lights for Glenbard West. He sent in numerous threatening restarts, which included a pair of long free kicks in the final half. The first was hauled in by junior goalkeeper Christian Dussias; the second went just over the net.
Shortly after the last of Bogard's close calls around the hour mark, Hilltoppers sophomore Johan Palacios sent in a shot that was deflected by Hess.
Junior Luke Sorensen threatened with an attempt before Glenbard West junior Joey Zerr sent in two shots in the late going to try to prevent the shutout.
While the Hilltoppers fought to the end in search of a goal, it was the Huskies who collected another score in the match's waning moments.
Just before the referee blew the final whistle, Hayes sent a shot toward the net which the keeper was unable to handle and resulted in his second goal of the evening.
Starting lineups
Glenbard West
GK: Alan Holowinski
D: Luke Benson
D: Jack Barrientes
D: Kyle Conoscenti
D: Andrew Fanter
MF: Cody Bochenski
MF: Scott Vainikos
MF: Eduardo Vargas
MF: Jose Gonzalez
F: Sam Wright
F: Benji Zander
Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Christian Dussias
D: Tukura Hess
D: Isaac Felder
D: Charlie Maguire
D: Ezra Plotkin
MF: Bryce Richards
MF: Isaac Cummings
MF: Jadyn Hsieh-Bailey
MF: Nasir Cruz
F: Colin Hayes
F: Easton Bogard
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Easton Bogard, jr., F, Oak Park and River Forest
Scoring summary
First half
OPRF: Colin Hayes (Easton Bogard), 10'
OPRF: Bogard, FK, 27'
OPRF: Bogard, PK, 38'
Second half
OPRF: Bogard, PK, 44'
OPRF: Hayes, 80'
Glenbard West for 6th-straight win
Bogard collects 3 goals, assist to lead Huskies to 5-0 win
By Curt Herron
OAK PARK – Sometimes it’s obvious things are clicking.
Oak Park and River Forest jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead over Glenbard West, which had won six of its last eight matches, lost to only ranked teams in that span and surrendered a little more than a goal a game.
Didn't matter.
The Huskies went on to a 5-0 win Thursday in their West Suburban Conference Silver Division finale Thursday at historic Oak Park Stadium.
Junior Easton Bogard set up senior Colin Hayes for the Huskies' first goal and then scored their next three tallies. The first came on a free kick and the others two came via penalties, all of which came after he had been fouled. Hayes notched the final tally with a long attempt that snuck in just before time expired.
Bogard, who was the obvious choice for Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, just missed scoring at least three more times: coming close on a header just before the break; lining a free kick just wide of the mark; and posting another near-miss at the hour.
Besides being a constant scoring threat, the 2021 Chicagoland Soccer first team all-stater made a variety of great passes to teammates to set the tone for the Huskies' ball movement all over the field.
"We definitely put in a lot of hard work this week," Bogard said. "We've been working on our speed of play and limiting touches the past couple of weeks, and you can tell that it's translated to the field very well. We really commit to keeping the ball in possession, and we try to pride ourselves by being the best in the state.
"The beauty of playing possession is that you should be able to swap around. Switching positions doesn't really matter, because we all commit to passing the ball together.
“What I most like about our team is that we just adapt to each other as we keep moving, and we're doing a good job of progressing through games."
After their dominating all-around performance, coach Jason Fried's Huskies (12-3-0, 4-2-x), who are ranked 10th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, have now won six in a row and have outscored those opponents by a 31-2 margin.
Previously, Oak Park and River Forest was ranked second in the poll behind Lyons after getting off to a 5-0-0 start. But the Huskies dropped to 12th after going 1-3-0 during a stretch where they lost one-goal decisions to York and Hinsdale Central to open conference play and then on penalties to Naperville Central in the BodyArmor bracket semifinal.
As a result of getting more players healthy and moving some individuals to other spots in order to strengthen the team, the Huskies head into their final two matches of the regular-season, hosting Evanston on Monday and Highland Park on Thursday, feeling very optimistic about their fortunes in the state playoffs.
The team is the third-seed in the Class 3A Glenbrook South Sectional. Central Suburban League South Division frontrunners -- undefeated second place finisher New Trier, seeded first, and champion Evanston seeded second -- head the group.
That makes Monday's match all the more intriguing. If the seeds hold, the two will meet again in the sectional semifinals on October 25 in Glenview.
Oak Park and River Forest plays at the Leyden Regional, where Maine South lies in wait. Evanston hosts a regional that includes Loyola and Lane.
The Huskies sure look ready for the bright lights after their impressive win against a squad that came into Thursday's game hot.
"They're a really good team," Fried said of Glenbard West. "We're working on playing faster and faster each day. When our players won the ball, it just wasn't just to win it but to win it and take it where we wanted to go. In the last three weeks of practice, the boys have really been working hard.
"And they're playing at a higher tempo in practice and really applying what we're talking about. As coaches, we're trying to give them more details individually. And to all of the kids' credit, they listen and are trying to apply it. That's all you can ask for. Every kid has really stepped it up, and it doesn't matter if you're a starter or not. Now we just have to keep it rolling."
The loss was the worst of the season for coach Phil Wicyk's Hilltoppers (10-8-0, 2-2), who had previous four-goal losses to ranked Plainfield North and Stevenson but had found their stride of late. Glenbard West entered the game off its first conference setback two days earlier when it lost 2-1 in overtime at home to Hinsdale Central.
Glenbard West ran into another league buzzsaw on Saturday morning and fell at home 3-0 to York.
Oak Park and River Forest began to apply pressure in the early going with two of its midfielders leading the way. Senior Isaac Cummings was denied on a short shot by Hilltoppers senior goalie Alan Holowinski, and senior Jadyn Hsieh-Bailey sent in a liner that was deflected away by a defender.
The Huskies broke the seal in the 10th minute when Bogard sent a cross into the box, and Hayes put in a close-range attempt. It was a great start for a team that lost to York and Hinsdale Central to open league play but then won its next four matches, which included Tuesday's victory at Lyons on penalties.
"In our first two conference games, we really didn't come out to play," Hayes said. "Against York we played good, but not good enough and didn't score the goals that we needed. Against Hinsdale Central we weren't aggressive. But now, we're picking up our pace throughout the season.
"Nasir (Cruz) is stepping up in the midfield and playing really good. In our first games, Easton was injured, but now he's back and scoring three or four goals a game and impacting things. We play so well together. We pass together as a team, and try not to dribble all by ourselves, and combo through the midfield and continue to attack."
Shortly after the midpoint of the opening half, Glenbard West junior Eduardo Vargas placed the first of several threatening free kicks in front of net, but the effort was cleared by a Huskies defender.
Then in the 27th minute, Bogard was fouled just outside of the box. After Hayes deferred to him on the free kick, Bogard placed one in the opposite corner of the net to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
Not long after junior Charlie Maguire sent in a long free kick that was headed away by a Hilltoppers defender, Bogard was fouled in the box as he drove toward the net. He put in the resulting penalty in the 38th minute to give the hosts their 3-0 halftime advantage.
Maguire's move to defense has solidified an area that was already strong for the Huskies, who recorded their eighth shutout. Seniors Tukura Hess and Ezra Plotkin and junior Isaac Felder join Maguire along a backline that has allowed just 11 goals in the team's 15 matches.
"Our defense has been playing really well," Maguire said. "I've accepted my role back there ... and the offense is on fire right now. All that we can do is keep out the goals and let them play. This is a really tough conference, but we finally caught our stride right before playoffs, and we've got to keep rolling.
"We've had some unfortunate injuries, but I think that everyone is coming back at the right time. We're just looking at the playoffs now, and we have to execute in the playoffs. We're really starting to connect as a team, and I feel that it's at the right moment. We really play for each other, and we communicate well on the field. "
Oak Park and River Forest threatened again in the opening minute of the second half when sophomore Bryce Richards sent a corner kick inside and Hsieh-Bailey headed it to the keeper.
Then in the 44th minute, the Hilltoppers once again fouled Bogard in the box, and he calmly stepped up to the line. After a brief hesitation, he placed the ball in the desired spot for another successful penalty to make it 4-0.
Vargas ranks as one of the bright lights for Glenbard West. He sent in numerous threatening restarts, which included a pair of long free kicks in the final half. The first was hauled in by junior goalkeeper Christian Dussias; the second went just over the net.
Shortly after the last of Bogard's close calls around the hour mark, Hilltoppers sophomore Johan Palacios sent in a shot that was deflected by Hess.
Junior Luke Sorensen threatened with an attempt before Glenbard West junior Joey Zerr sent in two shots in the late going to try to prevent the shutout.
While the Hilltoppers fought to the end in search of a goal, it was the Huskies who collected another score in the match's waning moments.
Just before the referee blew the final whistle, Hayes sent a shot toward the net which the keeper was unable to handle and resulted in his second goal of the evening.
Starting lineups
Glenbard West
GK: Alan Holowinski
D: Luke Benson
D: Jack Barrientes
D: Kyle Conoscenti
D: Andrew Fanter
MF: Cody Bochenski
MF: Scott Vainikos
MF: Eduardo Vargas
MF: Jose Gonzalez
F: Sam Wright
F: Benji Zander
Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Christian Dussias
D: Tukura Hess
D: Isaac Felder
D: Charlie Maguire
D: Ezra Plotkin
MF: Bryce Richards
MF: Isaac Cummings
MF: Jadyn Hsieh-Bailey
MF: Nasir Cruz
F: Colin Hayes
F: Easton Bogard
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Easton Bogard, jr., F, Oak Park and River Forest
Scoring summary
First half
OPRF: Colin Hayes (Easton Bogard), 10'
OPRF: Bogard, FK, 27'
OPRF: Bogard, PK, 38'
Second half
OPRF: Bogard, PK, 44'
OPRF: Hayes, 80'