Frenette, Hampshire navigate past CLC
Whip-Purs win 2-1 behind captain’s brace
By Matt Misiek
CRYSTAL LAKE -- In a precursor of what was to come Tuesday afternoon, Hampshire took some time to reach its destination.
En route to the campus of Crystal Lake Central for a Fox Valley Conference contest, the bus was detoured off Route 47 just south of Route 176 due to a multi-vehicle accident.
The new approach meant that the Whip-Purs arrived after the scheduled start time of 4:30 p.m., and they got an abbreviated period of time to warm-up and get settled while a steady rain cascaded.
It was evident that the delay had an effect on the visitors. A turnover in the first minute led to a great chance for the hosts, but Tigers forward Elijah Burleson’s low-drive went just wide across the goal from the left 18. Crystal Lake Central got another opportunity to get deep in the attacking third a minute later off of another giveaway but was turned away when the Hampshire defense recovered.
But a few minutes later, senior forward Kobe Frenette and the Whip-Purs attack started clicking.
Eventually a good win came to those who waited. Hampshire generated just enough offense over the slick terrain to notch a drama-filled 2-1 Fox Valley Conference victory.
The first of Frenette’s two goals didn’t come until the 38th minute mark of the first half. However, there were many chances when he could have had added a few more to his tally.
After creating a chance with a cross that just missed senior defender Matthew Estrada close to goal in the 15th minute, Frenette whistled a 35-yard drive from the left-center, just wide of the left post, to the right of Crystal Lake Central keeper Joseph Moore in the 17th minute.
“He (Frenette) makes a big impact on our team,” said Hampshire’s Gavin Crowley. “He helps us make the big plays, tells us where to go.”
The sophomore forward set up the opening goal. Crowley found himself with all sorts of space in the left midfield and pushed ahead with a pacey dribble. He fed a through-ball to a streaking Frenette. who latched onto the ball and made no mistake with a striking into the bottom right corner of the net to put Hampshire (3-1-0, 3-1-0) on the board.
Saturday in a 3-0 win vs. Crystal Lake South, Frenette had a back-of-the-net drive called back due to offsides. The same appeal was made after the opening score Tuesday, but the flag stayed down.
“When I was running, I saw him cutting in to the right,” Crowley added. “I pointed where I was going to pass the ball, and he simply got to the ball and scored.”
The first of the two best chances that did not go in for Frenette came in the 21st minute. He was in the center of the 18 and mainly unmarked when he powered a header too high from a great cross from junior midfielder Jessie Brown.
“Kobe probably could have had another two goals with better finishing.” Hampshire head coach Rick Schuster stated. “But that is what he is supposed to be doing in the position he is playing.”
Another great opportunity came after a sublime lob from junior defender Gerardo Marquez. Frenette’s subsequent drive from the top of the 18 bounced off the crossbar.
“I got the ball and I turned. I saw Kobe running in,” Marquez explained. “I saw the two defenders in front of him but noticed a wide-open space behind the defenders. So, I tipped it right over them.”
Frenette got his brace by converting a penalty kick to the bottom left corner in the 52nd minute. The penalty was ironically drawn by last Saturday’s brace scorer Diego Colin, who started in place of forward Juan Alva. Colin was taken down in the box while preparing to shoot.
“Both of the goals were team goals,” Frenette noted. “Diego put his body on the line for that penalty kick. That was 100 percent. That is our motto that we have to work 100 percent for each play.”
Schuster gave praise to his defense and midfield for making the many chances possible on the attacking front.
“We work hard defensively to get our chances,” he said. “Our defense was reworked after our blowout loss to Jacobs, and I think we have found something that works. We have to be extremely good defensively to win games, and that is something we have to focus on this year.
“Jesse (Brown) and (midfielder) Alex Rojas had good games in the midfield. They both were strong on 50/50 balls and did a good job in slowing down the Crystal Lake Central attack.”
Frenette’s effort was not lost on Crystal Lake Central coach Jay Schwarzrock.
“I’ve seen him (Frenette) for three years now, and I’m glad he is finally a senior,” Schwarzrock joked. “We had Karson Hollander (sophomore) on him and held him initially. The whole defense did a heck of a job spying on him. But when you let him through, it’s an onion in the ointment right away.”
Crystal Lake Central (0-3-0, 0-3-0) had a great chance to tie the score in the 46th minute. Burleson had a penalty shot but hit his drive hard but wide of the left post.
“It was just a matter of focus,” Burleson said. “I got the ball, and I knew I needed to place it in the bottom left corner. It was just one of those things that happens to everyone.
“I tried to shake it off, but the first few minutes after the kick were rough. However, we were able to scrape one back, and I am proud of that.”
The Tigers halved their deficit 90 seconds after Frenette’s penalty conversion. Burleson scored with an assist not only from Hollander, but from Mother Nature when the slick conditions sent Hampshire defender Gustavo Perez to the turf and freed Burleson to slot it past Hampshire goalkeeper Kyle Schultz.
Like Burleson, coach Schwarzrock had many reasons to take pride in the effort from his Tigers.
“For some of these players, it is only their third varsity game,” Schwarzrock noted. “I saw team effort, team defense, people moving as a unit. I saw a little bit more connectivity in our passes today, putting the passes where they need to be. It’s not perfect but heading in the right direction.”
“Our vision has improved from the first game until now -- mentally improving and how we are playing with speed.”
Both teams continue the week with Fox Valley Conference games.
Crystal Lake Central’s next scheduled game is at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Cary-Grove. Hampshire will return to the MAC Center in Crystal Lake to play Prairie Ridge at 6 p.m. That game will be immediately followed by another league contest, Crystal Lake South vs. Burlington Central.
“We have a lot going on, playing Prairie Ridge on Friday and going in with a lot of confidence.” Frenette added. “If we can keep this up, we can finish top three with the goal of winning the Fox Valley Conference Tournament at the end of the season.”
Starting lineups
Crystal Lake Central
GK Joseph Moore
D Matt Pinnion
D Aiden Andrews
D Anthony Virruso
D James Durcan
MF Sebastion Hernandez
MF Evin Perez
MF Karson Hollander
MF Owen Dayon
MF Jorge Garcia
F Elijah Burleson
Hampshire
GK Kyle Schultz
D Gustavo Perez
D Nathan Ludwig
D Evan Korabik
MF Gerardo Marquez
MF Mark Schuster
MF Alex Rojas
MF Jesse Brown
F J.P. Serra
F Kobe Frenette
F Diego Colin
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Kobe Frenette, sr. , F, Hampshire
Scoring summary
First half
Hampshire – Frenette (Crowley) 37:39
Second half
Hampshire – Frenette (penalty) 53:22
Crystal Lake Central – Burleson (Hollander) 54:52
Whip-Purs win 2-1 behind captain’s brace
By Matt Misiek
CRYSTAL LAKE -- In a precursor of what was to come Tuesday afternoon, Hampshire took some time to reach its destination.
En route to the campus of Crystal Lake Central for a Fox Valley Conference contest, the bus was detoured off Route 47 just south of Route 176 due to a multi-vehicle accident.
The new approach meant that the Whip-Purs arrived after the scheduled start time of 4:30 p.m., and they got an abbreviated period of time to warm-up and get settled while a steady rain cascaded.
It was evident that the delay had an effect on the visitors. A turnover in the first minute led to a great chance for the hosts, but Tigers forward Elijah Burleson’s low-drive went just wide across the goal from the left 18. Crystal Lake Central got another opportunity to get deep in the attacking third a minute later off of another giveaway but was turned away when the Hampshire defense recovered.
But a few minutes later, senior forward Kobe Frenette and the Whip-Purs attack started clicking.
Eventually a good win came to those who waited. Hampshire generated just enough offense over the slick terrain to notch a drama-filled 2-1 Fox Valley Conference victory.
The first of Frenette’s two goals didn’t come until the 38th minute mark of the first half. However, there were many chances when he could have had added a few more to his tally.
After creating a chance with a cross that just missed senior defender Matthew Estrada close to goal in the 15th minute, Frenette whistled a 35-yard drive from the left-center, just wide of the left post, to the right of Crystal Lake Central keeper Joseph Moore in the 17th minute.
“He (Frenette) makes a big impact on our team,” said Hampshire’s Gavin Crowley. “He helps us make the big plays, tells us where to go.”
The sophomore forward set up the opening goal. Crowley found himself with all sorts of space in the left midfield and pushed ahead with a pacey dribble. He fed a through-ball to a streaking Frenette. who latched onto the ball and made no mistake with a striking into the bottom right corner of the net to put Hampshire (3-1-0, 3-1-0) on the board.
Saturday in a 3-0 win vs. Crystal Lake South, Frenette had a back-of-the-net drive called back due to offsides. The same appeal was made after the opening score Tuesday, but the flag stayed down.
“When I was running, I saw him cutting in to the right,” Crowley added. “I pointed where I was going to pass the ball, and he simply got to the ball and scored.”
The first of the two best chances that did not go in for Frenette came in the 21st minute. He was in the center of the 18 and mainly unmarked when he powered a header too high from a great cross from junior midfielder Jessie Brown.
“Kobe probably could have had another two goals with better finishing.” Hampshire head coach Rick Schuster stated. “But that is what he is supposed to be doing in the position he is playing.”
Another great opportunity came after a sublime lob from junior defender Gerardo Marquez. Frenette’s subsequent drive from the top of the 18 bounced off the crossbar.
“I got the ball and I turned. I saw Kobe running in,” Marquez explained. “I saw the two defenders in front of him but noticed a wide-open space behind the defenders. So, I tipped it right over them.”
Frenette got his brace by converting a penalty kick to the bottom left corner in the 52nd minute. The penalty was ironically drawn by last Saturday’s brace scorer Diego Colin, who started in place of forward Juan Alva. Colin was taken down in the box while preparing to shoot.
“Both of the goals were team goals,” Frenette noted. “Diego put his body on the line for that penalty kick. That was 100 percent. That is our motto that we have to work 100 percent for each play.”
Schuster gave praise to his defense and midfield for making the many chances possible on the attacking front.
“We work hard defensively to get our chances,” he said. “Our defense was reworked after our blowout loss to Jacobs, and I think we have found something that works. We have to be extremely good defensively to win games, and that is something we have to focus on this year.
“Jesse (Brown) and (midfielder) Alex Rojas had good games in the midfield. They both were strong on 50/50 balls and did a good job in slowing down the Crystal Lake Central attack.”
Frenette’s effort was not lost on Crystal Lake Central coach Jay Schwarzrock.
“I’ve seen him (Frenette) for three years now, and I’m glad he is finally a senior,” Schwarzrock joked. “We had Karson Hollander (sophomore) on him and held him initially. The whole defense did a heck of a job spying on him. But when you let him through, it’s an onion in the ointment right away.”
Crystal Lake Central (0-3-0, 0-3-0) had a great chance to tie the score in the 46th minute. Burleson had a penalty shot but hit his drive hard but wide of the left post.
“It was just a matter of focus,” Burleson said. “I got the ball, and I knew I needed to place it in the bottom left corner. It was just one of those things that happens to everyone.
“I tried to shake it off, but the first few minutes after the kick were rough. However, we were able to scrape one back, and I am proud of that.”
The Tigers halved their deficit 90 seconds after Frenette’s penalty conversion. Burleson scored with an assist not only from Hollander, but from Mother Nature when the slick conditions sent Hampshire defender Gustavo Perez to the turf and freed Burleson to slot it past Hampshire goalkeeper Kyle Schultz.
Like Burleson, coach Schwarzrock had many reasons to take pride in the effort from his Tigers.
“For some of these players, it is only their third varsity game,” Schwarzrock noted. “I saw team effort, team defense, people moving as a unit. I saw a little bit more connectivity in our passes today, putting the passes where they need to be. It’s not perfect but heading in the right direction.”
“Our vision has improved from the first game until now -- mentally improving and how we are playing with speed.”
Both teams continue the week with Fox Valley Conference games.
Crystal Lake Central’s next scheduled game is at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Cary-Grove. Hampshire will return to the MAC Center in Crystal Lake to play Prairie Ridge at 6 p.m. That game will be immediately followed by another league contest, Crystal Lake South vs. Burlington Central.
“We have a lot going on, playing Prairie Ridge on Friday and going in with a lot of confidence.” Frenette added. “If we can keep this up, we can finish top three with the goal of winning the Fox Valley Conference Tournament at the end of the season.”
Starting lineups
Crystal Lake Central
GK Joseph Moore
D Matt Pinnion
D Aiden Andrews
D Anthony Virruso
D James Durcan
MF Sebastion Hernandez
MF Evin Perez
MF Karson Hollander
MF Owen Dayon
MF Jorge Garcia
F Elijah Burleson
Hampshire
GK Kyle Schultz
D Gustavo Perez
D Nathan Ludwig
D Evan Korabik
MF Gerardo Marquez
MF Mark Schuster
MF Alex Rojas
MF Jesse Brown
F J.P. Serra
F Kobe Frenette
F Diego Colin
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Kobe Frenette, sr. , F, Hampshire
Scoring summary
First half
Hampshire – Frenette (Crowley) 37:39
Second half
Hampshire – Frenette (penalty) 53:22
Crystal Lake Central – Burleson (Hollander) 54:52