Fremd, Schoffstall finally solve Hersey
Vikings win 2-0 over Huskies in MSL showdown
By Gary Larsen
PALATINE -- Fremd coach Steve Keller challenged his players at halftime of Friday’s game against visiting Hersey, after his Vikings applied a lion’s share of attacking pressure but failed to find a legitimate scoring chance.
To further compound Fremd’s frustration, Hersey had two quality scoring chances despite spending much of a scoreless first half in a defensive crouch.
“We could have been down 2-0, and it was like we didn’t want to score,” Keller said.
“There wasn’t that urgency in the attacking third to get it done. That’s what halftime was about: ‘I don’t know what else to say to you guys. We’ve said it all. You just need to take care of it.’”
Fremd’s Eli Schoffstall took that challenge personally.
“After the halftime speech I was angry with myself,” Schoffstall said. “I wasn’t myself in the first half. We weren’t playing our best, and it showed. In the second half, we just wanted to make (Keller) happy and come out stronger.”
Fans’ eyes couldn’t help but follow Schoffstall in the second half, as the sophomore spent a lot of quality time with the ball.
Schoffstall assisted on teammate Russell Beaupre’s goal and then scored one himself to give Fremd (8-1-4, 7-0-2) a 2-0 win over Hersey (7-5-1, 5-4-0) in the Mid-Suburban League game. The important win put the Vikings back above Barrington on the league table.
Schoffstall won a ball in the corner and found Beaupre near the top of the box in the game’s 53rd minute. Beaupre saw a seam and blistered a shot that stretched the back netting from 16 yards.
At 70 minutes, Schoffstall bent a beauty of a shot from 23 yards that curled under the bar. “I just saw space, and I heard everyone saying to shoot,” Schoffstall said. “I just took my chance, and it went in.”
Schoffstall’s second half play earned him Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match honor.
Through 40 minutes, Hersey did everything right in the face of Fremd’s attack. The Huskies had only given up two goals in their previous five games thanks to the backline play of David Naborski, Nathan Solarski, Tommy Steger, Cade Milligan and keeper Reece Delahanty.
Fremd sent a good number of corner kicks and long Beaupre throw-ins to the Huskies’ goalmouth, and Solarski got his head on them first more often than not.
“Like coach (Mike Rusniak) says, you have to win everything in the air,” Solarski said. “Even if you just tip a ball, the outcome can change.”
Rusniak has seen his backline evolve into one tough unit as the season has worn on.
“It really bothers them when they get scored on,” Rusniak said. “They have an edge to them, and I’ve been really impressed with how they’ve played. They’ve battled and kept us in games.
“They don’t like to give up the easy ones. At Hersey our bread and butter is our defense, and we’ve always tried to not let the easy ones get in.”
The Huskies also hit a crossbar in the first half, and Fremd’s Jake Schoffstall had to clear a ball off his own goal line.
Keller tipped his hat to Hersey’s defense after the game, but also bemoaned his boys’ inability to find a truly dangerous shot through 40 minutes.
“We pass up too many shots, because we want the perfect shot, I guess,” Keller said. “You have to test goalies. Even from farther out we had some opportunities to take some chances on frame, and we looked to pass. Maybe we’re too unselfish. There are times when you need to be selfish.”
Eli Schoffstall and Fremd striker Josh Bennett found a good dose of healthy selfishness in the second half, as both took on defenders with regularity.
Defensively for Fremd, keeper Artur Cholewa did his part, leaving his line aggressively whenever called upon.
“Artur came out and owned his box a little bit, and he yelled when guys were complaining a little bit too much,” Keller said. “That’s what we need from him, and that’s what he did.
“I was pleased with Artur in the second half, obviously Eli, and I thought C.J. Williams played a strong game. The effort and work rate is there, but we have to shore it up.”
Cholewa agreed.
“Defensively, we got very lucky that they weren’t able to score,” he said. “In the second half we did a better job communicating, and our forwards were able to get past some of their defenders and create good crosses and shots.”
Fremd and Barrington are battling it out for the top spot in the Mid-Suburban League table. The Vikings have a game in hand with Prospect and Palatine left to play before the MSL Soccer Bowl and cross-over games.
With the post-season looming, Hersey's defense is playing well. The Huskies will need to find more finishing, however, and Hersey midfielder Ronan Wilcox will figure prominently the rest of the way.
“Ronan is so smooth on the ball. He’s a pleasure to watch,” Rusniak said. “When you watch him in real-time he doesn’t look nearly as fast as when you see him on film.
"It’s incredible how fast he can move and he really does dictate a lot of what happens on our side, offensively and defensively. He’s mature beyond his years, a phenomenal leader, and he takes losses very, very hard. He’s a competitor.”
Rusniak also applauded the play of Solarski, outside midfielder Oscar Garcia Bello and striker Eric Wowra.
“Oscar at outside mid played really hard, and Eric Wowra started up-top today because our normal striker is hurt,” Rusniak said. “Eric is such a versatile player. He’s dynamic, and he can make plays wherever we put him.”
Hersey is chasing Buffalo Grove for the right to represent the East Division in the Soccer Bowl. In a quick turnaround, the Huskies tied Maine West 0-0 Saturday, and have Hoffman Estates, Palatine and Evanston remaining on its regular-season schedule.
Starting lineups
Hersey
GK: Reece Delahanty
D: Tommy Steger
D: Nathan Solarski
D: David Naborski
D: Cade Milligan
M: Blake Johnson
M: Ronan Wilcox
M: Simon Hemenway
M: Oscar Garcia Bello
M: Sam Schuffler
F: Eric Wowra
Fremd
GK: Artur Cholewa
D: Jake Schoffstall
D: Andrew Clark
D: Cole Jackson
D: CJ Williams
M: John Kating
M: Russell Beaupre
M: Kaelan Conway
M: Nick Austin
F: Eli Schoffstall
F: Josh Bennett
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Eli Schoffstall, so., F, Fremd
Scoring summary
FIrst half
No scoring
Second half
Fremd: Beaupre (E. Schoffstall) 53 minutes
Fremd: Schoffstall (UA) 70 minutes
Vikings win 2-0 over Huskies in MSL showdown
By Gary Larsen
PALATINE -- Fremd coach Steve Keller challenged his players at halftime of Friday’s game against visiting Hersey, after his Vikings applied a lion’s share of attacking pressure but failed to find a legitimate scoring chance.
To further compound Fremd’s frustration, Hersey had two quality scoring chances despite spending much of a scoreless first half in a defensive crouch.
“We could have been down 2-0, and it was like we didn’t want to score,” Keller said.
“There wasn’t that urgency in the attacking third to get it done. That’s what halftime was about: ‘I don’t know what else to say to you guys. We’ve said it all. You just need to take care of it.’”
Fremd’s Eli Schoffstall took that challenge personally.
“After the halftime speech I was angry with myself,” Schoffstall said. “I wasn’t myself in the first half. We weren’t playing our best, and it showed. In the second half, we just wanted to make (Keller) happy and come out stronger.”
Fans’ eyes couldn’t help but follow Schoffstall in the second half, as the sophomore spent a lot of quality time with the ball.
Schoffstall assisted on teammate Russell Beaupre’s goal and then scored one himself to give Fremd (8-1-4, 7-0-2) a 2-0 win over Hersey (7-5-1, 5-4-0) in the Mid-Suburban League game. The important win put the Vikings back above Barrington on the league table.
Schoffstall won a ball in the corner and found Beaupre near the top of the box in the game’s 53rd minute. Beaupre saw a seam and blistered a shot that stretched the back netting from 16 yards.
At 70 minutes, Schoffstall bent a beauty of a shot from 23 yards that curled under the bar. “I just saw space, and I heard everyone saying to shoot,” Schoffstall said. “I just took my chance, and it went in.”
Schoffstall’s second half play earned him Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match honor.
Through 40 minutes, Hersey did everything right in the face of Fremd’s attack. The Huskies had only given up two goals in their previous five games thanks to the backline play of David Naborski, Nathan Solarski, Tommy Steger, Cade Milligan and keeper Reece Delahanty.
Fremd sent a good number of corner kicks and long Beaupre throw-ins to the Huskies’ goalmouth, and Solarski got his head on them first more often than not.
“Like coach (Mike Rusniak) says, you have to win everything in the air,” Solarski said. “Even if you just tip a ball, the outcome can change.”
Rusniak has seen his backline evolve into one tough unit as the season has worn on.
“It really bothers them when they get scored on,” Rusniak said. “They have an edge to them, and I’ve been really impressed with how they’ve played. They’ve battled and kept us in games.
“They don’t like to give up the easy ones. At Hersey our bread and butter is our defense, and we’ve always tried to not let the easy ones get in.”
The Huskies also hit a crossbar in the first half, and Fremd’s Jake Schoffstall had to clear a ball off his own goal line.
Keller tipped his hat to Hersey’s defense after the game, but also bemoaned his boys’ inability to find a truly dangerous shot through 40 minutes.
“We pass up too many shots, because we want the perfect shot, I guess,” Keller said. “You have to test goalies. Even from farther out we had some opportunities to take some chances on frame, and we looked to pass. Maybe we’re too unselfish. There are times when you need to be selfish.”
Eli Schoffstall and Fremd striker Josh Bennett found a good dose of healthy selfishness in the second half, as both took on defenders with regularity.
Defensively for Fremd, keeper Artur Cholewa did his part, leaving his line aggressively whenever called upon.
“Artur came out and owned his box a little bit, and he yelled when guys were complaining a little bit too much,” Keller said. “That’s what we need from him, and that’s what he did.
“I was pleased with Artur in the second half, obviously Eli, and I thought C.J. Williams played a strong game. The effort and work rate is there, but we have to shore it up.”
Cholewa agreed.
“Defensively, we got very lucky that they weren’t able to score,” he said. “In the second half we did a better job communicating, and our forwards were able to get past some of their defenders and create good crosses and shots.”
Fremd and Barrington are battling it out for the top spot in the Mid-Suburban League table. The Vikings have a game in hand with Prospect and Palatine left to play before the MSL Soccer Bowl and cross-over games.
With the post-season looming, Hersey's defense is playing well. The Huskies will need to find more finishing, however, and Hersey midfielder Ronan Wilcox will figure prominently the rest of the way.
“Ronan is so smooth on the ball. He’s a pleasure to watch,” Rusniak said. “When you watch him in real-time he doesn’t look nearly as fast as when you see him on film.
"It’s incredible how fast he can move and he really does dictate a lot of what happens on our side, offensively and defensively. He’s mature beyond his years, a phenomenal leader, and he takes losses very, very hard. He’s a competitor.”
Rusniak also applauded the play of Solarski, outside midfielder Oscar Garcia Bello and striker Eric Wowra.
“Oscar at outside mid played really hard, and Eric Wowra started up-top today because our normal striker is hurt,” Rusniak said. “Eric is such a versatile player. He’s dynamic, and he can make plays wherever we put him.”
Hersey is chasing Buffalo Grove for the right to represent the East Division in the Soccer Bowl. In a quick turnaround, the Huskies tied Maine West 0-0 Saturday, and have Hoffman Estates, Palatine and Evanston remaining on its regular-season schedule.
Starting lineups
Hersey
GK: Reece Delahanty
D: Tommy Steger
D: Nathan Solarski
D: David Naborski
D: Cade Milligan
M: Blake Johnson
M: Ronan Wilcox
M: Simon Hemenway
M: Oscar Garcia Bello
M: Sam Schuffler
F: Eric Wowra
Fremd
GK: Artur Cholewa
D: Jake Schoffstall
D: Andrew Clark
D: Cole Jackson
D: CJ Williams
M: John Kating
M: Russell Beaupre
M: Kaelan Conway
M: Nick Austin
F: Eli Schoffstall
F: Josh Bennett
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Eli Schoffstall, so., F, Fremd
Scoring summary
FIrst half
No scoring
Second half
Fremd: Beaupre (E. Schoffstall) 53 minutes
Fremd: Schoffstall (UA) 70 minutes