Brooks' header lifts Metea Valley to win
Mustangs rally for 2-1 win over HInsdale C. in ranked battle
By Chris Walker
AURORA – The game often slows down for the most talented players.
These truly gifted players perform at a different level -- they are able to anticipate what could happen and then react to make it happen.
With a little more than 12 minutes remaining, the game slowed down for Metea Valley senior Jaylen Brooks in Thursday’s nonconference game against visiting Hinsdale Central, ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Preseason Top 25. His header off an Erik Severson helper rallied the 11th-ranked Mustangs to a 2-1 victory.
“I saw it, and it was like slow-motion,” Brooks said. “I kind of just met it with my head and put it in the corner.”
Being the go-to-guy during such situations isn’t entirely new for Brooks who redirected Severson's feed, though it’s not something he’s been asked to do all four of his years as a Mustang. For netting the game-winner, Brooks was named the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
“Last year I kind of took that role, because sophomore and freshman year, I was smaller than everyone, well maybe not smaller, but a little shorter,” he said. “Once we got James (Lynch) with the long throw-ins last year, kind of on set pieces, I’ve been that target they try to hit in the middle. I try to get my head on it, and if I don’t score someone usually gets a flick on it and gets it into the net.”
Hinsdale Central (1-1-0) struck first with 25:44 remaining in the second half when the Mustangs failed to clear a corner kick that rattled around inside the penalty area and ultimately was pounced on by Hinsdale Central’s J.P. Lteif.
“I saw the ball come to me and pretty much said to myself, ‘Ok, here’s the ball,’” Lteif said. “It seemed like I had so much time to watch the ball, and I just flicked it toward the net. It felt good getting that first one on the season to get us going.”
It didn’t get the Red Devils going for long though.
Metea Valley (1-0-1) pulled even about two minutes later when James Lynch buried a shot from in-close.
“I like to be poised with the ball,” Lynch said. “It’s something I pride myself on. I don’t freak out when I get it like some players do. It’s nice to have confidence.”
The momentum that the Red Devils had enjoyed after Lteif scored quickly vanished when Lynch delivered the equalizer.
“It’s tough scoring first and then giving up one, and then we conceded another one on top of that,” Lteif said. “You definitely want to keep your lead, but it was a good learning moment for us. We need to focus on some things. We exposed some things we need to work on to get better, but (Metea Valley) played really well. They had good energy and moved the ball really well.”
The Red Devils had nearly taken a 2-1 lead several minutes later as Lteif sent the ball in to Aidan White, whose shot was thwarted by Metea Valley goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz. The ball squirted loose, but the Mustangs defense recovered to block Ashton Wilson's rebound opportunity.
That was arguably the biggest moment where a dangerous situation dissipated quickly thanks to clutch play from Metea Valley’s backline.
Metea Valley senior defender Tony Sanchez said being prepared for Hinsdale Central was the first step to making things difficult for the Red Devils.
“We knew coming in that they were going to put up a good fight, because they’re always very organized,” he said. “We knew we’d have to try to break them. They’re a great team and will have a great season. This can only make us stronger, and both teams will benefit from this game.”
The strategy was basically an all-in one for the Mustangs when things would get especially tough on the defensive end.
“When it started getting chaotic, the midfielders and the backline were all committed to winning the ball,” Sanchez said. “We always won it, and that made it better. It relieved all of our pressure, so it was our will and our commitment to win those balls that gave us a better opportunity to clear it.”
And that kept them within striking distance all afternoon, well before their offense kicked into gear.
“(Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson) does a great job and keeps his guys organized,” Hinsdale Central coach Michael Wiggins said. “His guys competed and did a great job. It’s a credit to them to come back like the way they did.”
Wiggins was worried that there would be a letdown after Lteif scored to give the Red Devils the lead, and he was right.
“I was concerned,” he said. “I did like how we got after it early, and J.P. did a great job on that goal. Obviously, the letdown is something to address, but at this point I think it is what it is.
“We’ve got a lot of guys moving in and out of the lineup now and we’re trying to get a good feel of where guys are settling in. I’m a little disappointed. I didn’t think we played a game worthy of losing, but credit to them for getting the goals that they got.”
Not that Metea Valley intends on falling behind and having to rally all season long, but the Mustangs aren’t a team that panics. They didn’t do it last year, and many players are back from that squad.
“Last season we were known as a team that would go down early and come back late in the game,” Brooks said. “We have a lot of players from last season and as a program, we never give up. There was never a moment where I felt like I was going to lose this game. When they scored, I didn’t feel good, but felt like now the team has to play better and has to push for those two goals, and we got them.”
Having players who had experienced those situations before was evident.
“Every single player that was on the field today has some experience at some point and even the kids that haven’t had done it in practice,” Brooks said. “Our experience from last year has rubbed off on them, giving them confidence at times when they need it. The depth on this team is as good as the players that are returning.”
All told, this was an early season meeting between a pair of teams that both have the kind of talented rosters to have a lot of success this fall.
“It was two evenly matched teams trying to figure things out,” Wiggins said. “We needed to do a good job when they had pressure on us and weather that storm and at the same time we had to take advantage of the chances when we could and go after them. I liked some of things that we did and we’ll continue to build on that.”
Metea Valley will look to do the same as it begins play in the inaugural St. Charles Tournament on Monday against Elgin at St. Charles East with games also scheduled against Downers Grove North and the host Saints during a busy week of action.
Starting lineups
Hinsdale Central
GK: Nathan Goliak
D: Maxwell Ewing
D: Gavin Schwarz
D: Trevor Tompkins
D: Ethan Valeo
MF: Ian Becker
MF: Ryan Counts
MF: Nicolas Maritz
MF: Kareem Touleimat
MF: John-Paul Lteif
F: Aidan White
Metea Valley
GK: Gandi Cruz
D: Tony Sanchez
D: Erik Severson
D: Clarke Simonich
D: Andrew Wang
MF: Matthew Berry
MF: Joey Donovan
MF: Evan Lang
F: Jaylen Brooks
F: James Lynch
F: Dominic Capezzuto
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jaylen Brooks, sr., F, Metea Valley
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
Hinsdale Central: J.P. Lteif (u/a) 55th minute
Metea Valley: James Lynch (Jaylen Brooks) 57th minute
Metea Valley: Jayden Brooks (Erik Severson), 68th minute
Mustangs rally for 2-1 win over HInsdale C. in ranked battle
By Chris Walker
AURORA – The game often slows down for the most talented players.
These truly gifted players perform at a different level -- they are able to anticipate what could happen and then react to make it happen.
With a little more than 12 minutes remaining, the game slowed down for Metea Valley senior Jaylen Brooks in Thursday’s nonconference game against visiting Hinsdale Central, ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Preseason Top 25. His header off an Erik Severson helper rallied the 11th-ranked Mustangs to a 2-1 victory.
“I saw it, and it was like slow-motion,” Brooks said. “I kind of just met it with my head and put it in the corner.”
Being the go-to-guy during such situations isn’t entirely new for Brooks who redirected Severson's feed, though it’s not something he’s been asked to do all four of his years as a Mustang. For netting the game-winner, Brooks was named the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
“Last year I kind of took that role, because sophomore and freshman year, I was smaller than everyone, well maybe not smaller, but a little shorter,” he said. “Once we got James (Lynch) with the long throw-ins last year, kind of on set pieces, I’ve been that target they try to hit in the middle. I try to get my head on it, and if I don’t score someone usually gets a flick on it and gets it into the net.”
Hinsdale Central (1-1-0) struck first with 25:44 remaining in the second half when the Mustangs failed to clear a corner kick that rattled around inside the penalty area and ultimately was pounced on by Hinsdale Central’s J.P. Lteif.
“I saw the ball come to me and pretty much said to myself, ‘Ok, here’s the ball,’” Lteif said. “It seemed like I had so much time to watch the ball, and I just flicked it toward the net. It felt good getting that first one on the season to get us going.”
It didn’t get the Red Devils going for long though.
Metea Valley (1-0-1) pulled even about two minutes later when James Lynch buried a shot from in-close.
“I like to be poised with the ball,” Lynch said. “It’s something I pride myself on. I don’t freak out when I get it like some players do. It’s nice to have confidence.”
The momentum that the Red Devils had enjoyed after Lteif scored quickly vanished when Lynch delivered the equalizer.
“It’s tough scoring first and then giving up one, and then we conceded another one on top of that,” Lteif said. “You definitely want to keep your lead, but it was a good learning moment for us. We need to focus on some things. We exposed some things we need to work on to get better, but (Metea Valley) played really well. They had good energy and moved the ball really well.”
The Red Devils had nearly taken a 2-1 lead several minutes later as Lteif sent the ball in to Aidan White, whose shot was thwarted by Metea Valley goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz. The ball squirted loose, but the Mustangs defense recovered to block Ashton Wilson's rebound opportunity.
That was arguably the biggest moment where a dangerous situation dissipated quickly thanks to clutch play from Metea Valley’s backline.
Metea Valley senior defender Tony Sanchez said being prepared for Hinsdale Central was the first step to making things difficult for the Red Devils.
“We knew coming in that they were going to put up a good fight, because they’re always very organized,” he said. “We knew we’d have to try to break them. They’re a great team and will have a great season. This can only make us stronger, and both teams will benefit from this game.”
The strategy was basically an all-in one for the Mustangs when things would get especially tough on the defensive end.
“When it started getting chaotic, the midfielders and the backline were all committed to winning the ball,” Sanchez said. “We always won it, and that made it better. It relieved all of our pressure, so it was our will and our commitment to win those balls that gave us a better opportunity to clear it.”
And that kept them within striking distance all afternoon, well before their offense kicked into gear.
“(Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson) does a great job and keeps his guys organized,” Hinsdale Central coach Michael Wiggins said. “His guys competed and did a great job. It’s a credit to them to come back like the way they did.”
Wiggins was worried that there would be a letdown after Lteif scored to give the Red Devils the lead, and he was right.
“I was concerned,” he said. “I did like how we got after it early, and J.P. did a great job on that goal. Obviously, the letdown is something to address, but at this point I think it is what it is.
“We’ve got a lot of guys moving in and out of the lineup now and we’re trying to get a good feel of where guys are settling in. I’m a little disappointed. I didn’t think we played a game worthy of losing, but credit to them for getting the goals that they got.”
Not that Metea Valley intends on falling behind and having to rally all season long, but the Mustangs aren’t a team that panics. They didn’t do it last year, and many players are back from that squad.
“Last season we were known as a team that would go down early and come back late in the game,” Brooks said. “We have a lot of players from last season and as a program, we never give up. There was never a moment where I felt like I was going to lose this game. When they scored, I didn’t feel good, but felt like now the team has to play better and has to push for those two goals, and we got them.”
Having players who had experienced those situations before was evident.
“Every single player that was on the field today has some experience at some point and even the kids that haven’t had done it in practice,” Brooks said. “Our experience from last year has rubbed off on them, giving them confidence at times when they need it. The depth on this team is as good as the players that are returning.”
All told, this was an early season meeting between a pair of teams that both have the kind of talented rosters to have a lot of success this fall.
“It was two evenly matched teams trying to figure things out,” Wiggins said. “We needed to do a good job when they had pressure on us and weather that storm and at the same time we had to take advantage of the chances when we could and go after them. I liked some of things that we did and we’ll continue to build on that.”
Metea Valley will look to do the same as it begins play in the inaugural St. Charles Tournament on Monday against Elgin at St. Charles East with games also scheduled against Downers Grove North and the host Saints during a busy week of action.
Starting lineups
Hinsdale Central
GK: Nathan Goliak
D: Maxwell Ewing
D: Gavin Schwarz
D: Trevor Tompkins
D: Ethan Valeo
MF: Ian Becker
MF: Ryan Counts
MF: Nicolas Maritz
MF: Kareem Touleimat
MF: John-Paul Lteif
F: Aidan White
Metea Valley
GK: Gandi Cruz
D: Tony Sanchez
D: Erik Severson
D: Clarke Simonich
D: Andrew Wang
MF: Matthew Berry
MF: Joey Donovan
MF: Evan Lang
F: Jaylen Brooks
F: James Lynch
F: Dominic Capezzuto
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jaylen Brooks, sr., F, Metea Valley
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
Hinsdale Central: J.P. Lteif (u/a) 55th minute
Metea Valley: James Lynch (Jaylen Brooks) 57th minute
Metea Valley: Jayden Brooks (Erik Severson), 68th minute