Hersey, Glenbrook North ride
roller coaster in season opener
Huskies, Spartans trade comebacks en route to 3-3 tie
By Ken Keenan
NORTHBROOK -- An action-packed season opener between Hersey and host Glenbrook North ended with the Huskies and Spartans battling to a 3-3 draw Monday night.
The see-saw affair saw Hersey nab an early 2-0 lead, followed by three-consecutive goals by the home team before the Huskies notched the tying marker late in the second half.
The game was part of the Central Suburban League-Mid-Suburban League Challenge, the annual dust-up between the two 12-team conferences.
"It was a fantastic first game," said Hersey head coach Mike Rusniak. "Being able to play with anyone in this conference (the Central Suburban League), that's one of the best ways to start the season. You can work on the kinks, and some development, and get the first-game jitters out.
"The kids really battled. They weren't satisfied. Both teams ... absolutely competitive. It was a dogfight. Overall, I'm proud of how well we did."
Spartans skipper Paul Vignocchi was equally pleased with his team's competitiveness to erase the two-goal deficit and nab a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.
"It was kind of a playoff atmosphere," Vignocchi said. "We had two good shots -- two excellent strikes to make it 2-2 -- and then we took the lead at halftime to give us momentum going into the second half. Hersey's goals ... mistakes gave them their goals, so my big focus is getting better defensively. But the season is a journey, not a sprint."
However, Hersey sprinted to a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute when junior midfielder Eric Worwa took a feed from junior forward Pat Bujak and fired a low shot from 15 yards on the right side past Glenbrook North sophomore goalkeeper Jakub Murzyn inside the far post.
The Huskies upped the lead to 2-0 with 26:25 remaining in the opening session on a goal by Bujak, who finished a superb cross from junior mid Ronan Wilcox (Chicagoland Soccer's Co-Man of the Match along with Glenbrook North senior mid Nico Adducci) with a short strike to Murzyn's right.
Five minutes later, Spartans senior forward Konrad Kulesza cut the lead in half with a left-footed, 30-yard blast from a deep angle on the right side that banged high off the far post and into the back of the net as Huskies junior keeper Reece Delahanty helplessly looked on.
Glenbrook North knotted the match at 2-2 when Adducci curled a rising shot from the left side into the top right corner with 3:58 to go before the break.
Soon after, Kulesza dished to junior mid Lucas Kovorik for a left-footed shot from 15 yards that missed high, and Spartans senior mid Joey Martens also sailed a strike over the crossbar from 25 yards with 30 seconds showing in the first half.
A fierce collision led to the go-ahead goal for Glenbrook North, scored by Martens on a penalty kick after the horn sounded to signal halftime. With the clock winding down, Kulesza charged ahead in pursuit of a long ball as Hersey keeper Delahanty did the same.
After the two players collided at the edge of the box, Kulesza clutched his right knee in pain while Delahanty departed via a yellow card. Martens then lined up the ensuing PK try and scored top-left to give Glenbrook North a 3-2 advantage.
"After it was 2-0, we really settled down and took over," said Adducci, a steady contributor on the attack throughout the match. "We were going at 'em, especially in the midfield."
Vignocchi said that Adducci, "controlled the midfield very well. He did a great job, both he and Bujak. Other guys had good performances, too."
The Spartans came out roaring in the second half, creating at least five quality chances in a 15-minute stretch. First, junior mid Gabe Nayman sent a try wide-right from 15 yards on the right side in the 44th minute. Two minutes later, Delahanty stopped Nayman's left-footed effort from the same distance.
With 32:30 left in the second session, Glenbrook North senior mid George Luke scissor-kicked a shot in close that hit the crossbar. Just over a minute later, Delahanty made a juggling save to spoil a long try by Martens, and he also had the answer for a solid strike by Kulesza with 25:10 to go.
Hersey's best chances early in the second half came on a bouncing, 35-yard shot by Wilcox that skipped wide-right in the 54th minute and a try by Worwa from a wide angle that Murzyn snuffed in the 55th minute.
The Huskies then caught a break in the 67th minute when a handball call on Glenbrook North gave Wilcox a free look from 20 yards. Wilcox buried the direct kick to tie the match at 3-3.
After play resumed, Wilcox sent a corner kick that Murzyn nabbed with 11:30 left, and Wilcox then set up Martens for a try that missed wide-right in the 71st minute. Wilcox also unleashed a 40-yard sizzler that Murzyn stopped with 7:05 left.
"So smooth, every time on the field," Rusniak said of Wilcox. "He's on one side of the field, and before you know it he's on the other side of the field. He's strong and aware, and he makes other players around him better."
The Spartans had one last chance to break the deadlock, but a 40-yard free kick by Martens in the waning second was slapped away by Delahanty.
"The first game, you want win to start off on a good note," Adducci said. "We didn't want to take the loss."
Added Martens: "Early nerves, but we responded. We held our composure, kept our heads high and got back into the game like we knew we would."
Hersey's Bujak said, "Our heads dropped at 2-2, and then it was 3-2. But we fought back in the end. It was a good comeback."
Added Wilcox: "We want to start strong, so a loss is not what we wanted. We wanted to win, but a tie is not the end of the world."
Starting lineups
Hersey
G: Reece Delahanty
D: Tommy Steger
D: Cade Milligan
D: David Nadborski
D: Nathan Solarski
M: Eric Worwa
M: Blake Johnson
M: Simon Hemenway
M: Ronan Wilcox
F: Pat Bujak
F: Anthony Scafidi
Glenbrook North
G: Jakub Murzyn
D: Kyle Brown
D: Peyton Bernstein
D: David Schueler
D: Scott Phadnis
M: Joey Martens
M: George Luke
M: Yusuf Shaaban
M: Nico Adducci
M: Jan Bogdan
F: Konrad Kulesza
Co-Men of the Match: Ronan Wilcox, jr., MF, Hersey
Nico Adducci, sr., MF, Glenbrook North
Scoring summary
First half
Hersey: Eric Worwa (assisted by Pat Bujak) in 4th minute
Hersey: Pat Bujak (assisted by Ronan Wilcox) in 14th minute
Glenbrook North: Konrad Kulesza (unassisted) in 19th minute
Glenbrook North: Nico Adducci (unassisted) in 37th minute
Glenbrook North Joey Martens (PK) in 40th minute
Second half
Hersey: Wilcox (unassisted) in 67th minute
roller coaster in season opener
Huskies, Spartans trade comebacks en route to 3-3 tie
By Ken Keenan
NORTHBROOK -- An action-packed season opener between Hersey and host Glenbrook North ended with the Huskies and Spartans battling to a 3-3 draw Monday night.
The see-saw affair saw Hersey nab an early 2-0 lead, followed by three-consecutive goals by the home team before the Huskies notched the tying marker late in the second half.
The game was part of the Central Suburban League-Mid-Suburban League Challenge, the annual dust-up between the two 12-team conferences.
"It was a fantastic first game," said Hersey head coach Mike Rusniak. "Being able to play with anyone in this conference (the Central Suburban League), that's one of the best ways to start the season. You can work on the kinks, and some development, and get the first-game jitters out.
"The kids really battled. They weren't satisfied. Both teams ... absolutely competitive. It was a dogfight. Overall, I'm proud of how well we did."
Spartans skipper Paul Vignocchi was equally pleased with his team's competitiveness to erase the two-goal deficit and nab a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.
"It was kind of a playoff atmosphere," Vignocchi said. "We had two good shots -- two excellent strikes to make it 2-2 -- and then we took the lead at halftime to give us momentum going into the second half. Hersey's goals ... mistakes gave them their goals, so my big focus is getting better defensively. But the season is a journey, not a sprint."
However, Hersey sprinted to a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute when junior midfielder Eric Worwa took a feed from junior forward Pat Bujak and fired a low shot from 15 yards on the right side past Glenbrook North sophomore goalkeeper Jakub Murzyn inside the far post.
The Huskies upped the lead to 2-0 with 26:25 remaining in the opening session on a goal by Bujak, who finished a superb cross from junior mid Ronan Wilcox (Chicagoland Soccer's Co-Man of the Match along with Glenbrook North senior mid Nico Adducci) with a short strike to Murzyn's right.
Five minutes later, Spartans senior forward Konrad Kulesza cut the lead in half with a left-footed, 30-yard blast from a deep angle on the right side that banged high off the far post and into the back of the net as Huskies junior keeper Reece Delahanty helplessly looked on.
Glenbrook North knotted the match at 2-2 when Adducci curled a rising shot from the left side into the top right corner with 3:58 to go before the break.
Soon after, Kulesza dished to junior mid Lucas Kovorik for a left-footed shot from 15 yards that missed high, and Spartans senior mid Joey Martens also sailed a strike over the crossbar from 25 yards with 30 seconds showing in the first half.
A fierce collision led to the go-ahead goal for Glenbrook North, scored by Martens on a penalty kick after the horn sounded to signal halftime. With the clock winding down, Kulesza charged ahead in pursuit of a long ball as Hersey keeper Delahanty did the same.
After the two players collided at the edge of the box, Kulesza clutched his right knee in pain while Delahanty departed via a yellow card. Martens then lined up the ensuing PK try and scored top-left to give Glenbrook North a 3-2 advantage.
"After it was 2-0, we really settled down and took over," said Adducci, a steady contributor on the attack throughout the match. "We were going at 'em, especially in the midfield."
Vignocchi said that Adducci, "controlled the midfield very well. He did a great job, both he and Bujak. Other guys had good performances, too."
The Spartans came out roaring in the second half, creating at least five quality chances in a 15-minute stretch. First, junior mid Gabe Nayman sent a try wide-right from 15 yards on the right side in the 44th minute. Two minutes later, Delahanty stopped Nayman's left-footed effort from the same distance.
With 32:30 left in the second session, Glenbrook North senior mid George Luke scissor-kicked a shot in close that hit the crossbar. Just over a minute later, Delahanty made a juggling save to spoil a long try by Martens, and he also had the answer for a solid strike by Kulesza with 25:10 to go.
Hersey's best chances early in the second half came on a bouncing, 35-yard shot by Wilcox that skipped wide-right in the 54th minute and a try by Worwa from a wide angle that Murzyn snuffed in the 55th minute.
The Huskies then caught a break in the 67th minute when a handball call on Glenbrook North gave Wilcox a free look from 20 yards. Wilcox buried the direct kick to tie the match at 3-3.
After play resumed, Wilcox sent a corner kick that Murzyn nabbed with 11:30 left, and Wilcox then set up Martens for a try that missed wide-right in the 71st minute. Wilcox also unleashed a 40-yard sizzler that Murzyn stopped with 7:05 left.
"So smooth, every time on the field," Rusniak said of Wilcox. "He's on one side of the field, and before you know it he's on the other side of the field. He's strong and aware, and he makes other players around him better."
The Spartans had one last chance to break the deadlock, but a 40-yard free kick by Martens in the waning second was slapped away by Delahanty.
"The first game, you want win to start off on a good note," Adducci said. "We didn't want to take the loss."
Added Martens: "Early nerves, but we responded. We held our composure, kept our heads high and got back into the game like we knew we would."
Hersey's Bujak said, "Our heads dropped at 2-2, and then it was 3-2. But we fought back in the end. It was a good comeback."
Added Wilcox: "We want to start strong, so a loss is not what we wanted. We wanted to win, but a tie is not the end of the world."
Starting lineups
Hersey
G: Reece Delahanty
D: Tommy Steger
D: Cade Milligan
D: David Nadborski
D: Nathan Solarski
M: Eric Worwa
M: Blake Johnson
M: Simon Hemenway
M: Ronan Wilcox
F: Pat Bujak
F: Anthony Scafidi
Glenbrook North
G: Jakub Murzyn
D: Kyle Brown
D: Peyton Bernstein
D: David Schueler
D: Scott Phadnis
M: Joey Martens
M: George Luke
M: Yusuf Shaaban
M: Nico Adducci
M: Jan Bogdan
F: Konrad Kulesza
Co-Men of the Match: Ronan Wilcox, jr., MF, Hersey
Nico Adducci, sr., MF, Glenbrook North
Scoring summary
First half
Hersey: Eric Worwa (assisted by Pat Bujak) in 4th minute
Hersey: Pat Bujak (assisted by Ronan Wilcox) in 14th minute
Glenbrook North: Konrad Kulesza (unassisted) in 19th minute
Glenbrook North: Nico Adducci (unassisted) in 37th minute
Glenbrook North Joey Martens (PK) in 40th minute
Second half
Hersey: Wilcox (unassisted) in 67th minute