Glenbrook North finds
perfect spot against Highland Park
Lee goal secures 1-0 nonconference victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHBROOK — Though numbers are said never to lie, they certainly can deceive.
That was the case with Glenbrook North. By any metric the Spartans dominated against Highland Park on Thursday night.
The home team generated six corner kick opportunities in the first 16 minutes. They enjoyed, conservatively, 80 percent of the possession time.
They were not empty possessions. They were just unfulfilled.
“I felt like from the beginning we had so many chances, but we couldn’t find the goal,” midfielder Ian Lee said.
“We kept missing shots. We had good passes, development; and we built opportunities.”
However, Highland Park keeper Alec Peters loomed large.
He certainly earned the school nickname of a giant — a large presence in front of the goal. He made shots vaporize.
“Either punching or deflecting the ball away, he really gave us a chance to stay in the game,” Highland Park coach Blake Novotny said.
“Even with all the chances they had where he didn’t get a hand on it or it went wide, they saw the big saves earlier, and that influenced their shot-making.”
At 6-foot-3, Peters has the size to command the box and the range and technical abilities to impact a game even so disproportionately played.
“I like to be really aggressive when I get the opportunity,” Peters said. “I like being the leader back there.
“I also like having the people around me know what’s going on.”
Though the math overwhelmingly favored Glenbrook North, one great keeper threw the numbers out of balance.
In the end, however, Lee was perfectly positioned for to put the only number on the scoreboard that mattered.
“It was the perfect chance,” Lee said.
“The ball was right at me, and there were no defenders around. I had to put it in.”
The junior's left-footed blast from about 12 yards off a corner in the 66th minute gave the Spartans the 1-0 victory.
Highland Park’s Peters had an outsized direction to the flow of the game. He finished with 11 saves, including two spectacular stops of Spartans’ star forward Vinny Sabbione in the first half.
Peters’ hold on the collective imagination of the Spartans played out before the game's only goal.
After forward Brady Spiggos was tripped from behind inside the box in the 64th minute, Sabbione lined up for the penalty kick.
He blasted the ball with prolific force, except it sailed high and well over the bar.
“I probably went for a bit too much power,” Sabbione admitted.
It substantiated Peters' role in the match. Even outmanned and outgunned, his tremendous activity, quickness and ability to repel seemingly every Spartans’ chance had a psychological result on the Glenbrook North players and how they approached their shot-taking.
“If you’re playing against a quality keeper, you think you have to put it in the upper 90, or you are not likely to score,” Novotny said.
“On the penalty he probably overhit it, because he saw really good goalkeeping.”
In the 66th minute, Sabbione exacted his own brand of justice.
Off another corner opportunity from the left edge, he opted for a hurried attack before the Giants’ defense could form.
If most corner chances are designed to optimize flooding the box with offensive players, Glenbrook North took a different approach.
Opting for the quick look provided the groundwork for the goal.
“I saw Sam Lapin open in the middle, and I was trying to find him,” Sabbione said.
“He was able to get it back to Ian, and it was a great goal.”
The victory marks the latest development in a year of change and transition for the Spartans (5-2-1).
Longtime coach Paul Vignocchi stepped away from the head coaching position after last season, which allowed the ascension of his top assistant Paul Gibbs.
Vignocchi remains on the staff as an assistant coach.
After Gibbs and Vignocchi had to leave before the conclusion of the game, assistant coach Rob Demano directed the team in the second half.
“Finishing our chances has not really been an issue with us this season,” he said.
“We missed a lot of chances. We weren’t ruthless enough. I thought we were creating good chances, and we were getting in good position. I told them just to keep doing what they’re doing.”
Sabbione made his mark during the abbreviated pandemic spring season as a sophomore.
After taking his junior season off to play club, he is back. His captivating blend of size, skill and speed makes him a deeply compelling force.
His shot creativity and athleticism at the top of the attack.
“It’s not like Vinny to miss a penalty kick like he did,” Demano said. “I told him to forget it and not let the pressure get to him.”
Glenbrook North flashed tremendous offensive promise during the run of play, and its ability to generate recurrent set piece chances.
Defender Chase Peterson is brilliant on throws. Twice Peters had to make spectacular leaping grabs or deflections to nullify that considerable advantage.
Spartans’ midfielder Steven Rhee was another two-way threat. He was dynamic in space and thrilling as a corner specialist.
During the second half, he nearly bent in a corner kick that Peters again stymied with a terrific reaction.
“I was just trying to make as many runs as possible, and shoot as many shots as I could get off,” Rhee said.
“It was a little unlucky that I wasn’t able to get any goals for the team tonight.”
Highland Park (3-6-0) is also finding its stride and developing an offensive identity.
The Giants’ primarily generated opportunities through the counter as a strategic offset to the Spartans monopolizing the ball.
“I think we’re developing right now,” Novotny said. “A couple of guys came through injuries. We still have two really important seniors who haven’t played much this season.
“Both of them are defenders, and they will bring some experience back to the group. We’ve taken some lumps in the past year or so. I think we have a lot of good soccer left in us.”
Both teams could point to positive actions.
Highland Park reversed a recent stretch of blowouts. The Giants hung tough and fought valiantly.
“We’ve had a tough season,” Peters said. “We have struggled in the back, and there were a lot of gaps we were giving up.
“We really focused on that, and communicating in the back and not letting those through-balls get to us.”
Sometimes it just takes one shot.
Lee delivered that.
He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match for his game-winning strike.
Glenbrook North made the necessary play.
“Sometimes you need somebody who is going to be brave and get on the end of a cross,” Demano said.
“Sometimes you need to put yourself in that position where you create luck for yourself. Fair play to Blake and his boys. They never stopped running.”
Starting lineups
Highland Park
GK: Alec Peters
D: Pachita Marban
D: Vincent Rosheger
D: Ethan Love
D: Brian Benitez
MF: Erick Chavez
MF: Emiliano Guzman-Vega
MF: Gustavo Salavar
MF: Josue Mendez-Barralaga
F: Jake Derfel
F: Eric Slavin
Glenbrook North
GK: Max Bachenheimer
D: Jordan Elliott
D: Tal Yedlin
D: Ethan Klinghofer
D: Chase Peterson
MF: Steven Rhee
MF: Chris Sanchez
MF: Tomas Sabbione
MF: Sam Lapin
MF: Ian Lee
F: Vinny Sabbione
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ian Lee, jr., MF, Glenbrook North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Glenbrook North—Ian Lee (Sam Lapin), 66th minute
perfect spot against Highland Park
Lee goal secures 1-0 nonconference victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHBROOK — Though numbers are said never to lie, they certainly can deceive.
That was the case with Glenbrook North. By any metric the Spartans dominated against Highland Park on Thursday night.
The home team generated six corner kick opportunities in the first 16 minutes. They enjoyed, conservatively, 80 percent of the possession time.
They were not empty possessions. They were just unfulfilled.
“I felt like from the beginning we had so many chances, but we couldn’t find the goal,” midfielder Ian Lee said.
“We kept missing shots. We had good passes, development; and we built opportunities.”
However, Highland Park keeper Alec Peters loomed large.
He certainly earned the school nickname of a giant — a large presence in front of the goal. He made shots vaporize.
“Either punching or deflecting the ball away, he really gave us a chance to stay in the game,” Highland Park coach Blake Novotny said.
“Even with all the chances they had where he didn’t get a hand on it or it went wide, they saw the big saves earlier, and that influenced their shot-making.”
At 6-foot-3, Peters has the size to command the box and the range and technical abilities to impact a game even so disproportionately played.
“I like to be really aggressive when I get the opportunity,” Peters said. “I like being the leader back there.
“I also like having the people around me know what’s going on.”
Though the math overwhelmingly favored Glenbrook North, one great keeper threw the numbers out of balance.
In the end, however, Lee was perfectly positioned for to put the only number on the scoreboard that mattered.
“It was the perfect chance,” Lee said.
“The ball was right at me, and there were no defenders around. I had to put it in.”
The junior's left-footed blast from about 12 yards off a corner in the 66th minute gave the Spartans the 1-0 victory.
Highland Park’s Peters had an outsized direction to the flow of the game. He finished with 11 saves, including two spectacular stops of Spartans’ star forward Vinny Sabbione in the first half.
Peters’ hold on the collective imagination of the Spartans played out before the game's only goal.
After forward Brady Spiggos was tripped from behind inside the box in the 64th minute, Sabbione lined up for the penalty kick.
He blasted the ball with prolific force, except it sailed high and well over the bar.
“I probably went for a bit too much power,” Sabbione admitted.
It substantiated Peters' role in the match. Even outmanned and outgunned, his tremendous activity, quickness and ability to repel seemingly every Spartans’ chance had a psychological result on the Glenbrook North players and how they approached their shot-taking.
“If you’re playing against a quality keeper, you think you have to put it in the upper 90, or you are not likely to score,” Novotny said.
“On the penalty he probably overhit it, because he saw really good goalkeeping.”
In the 66th minute, Sabbione exacted his own brand of justice.
Off another corner opportunity from the left edge, he opted for a hurried attack before the Giants’ defense could form.
If most corner chances are designed to optimize flooding the box with offensive players, Glenbrook North took a different approach.
Opting for the quick look provided the groundwork for the goal.
“I saw Sam Lapin open in the middle, and I was trying to find him,” Sabbione said.
“He was able to get it back to Ian, and it was a great goal.”
The victory marks the latest development in a year of change and transition for the Spartans (5-2-1).
Longtime coach Paul Vignocchi stepped away from the head coaching position after last season, which allowed the ascension of his top assistant Paul Gibbs.
Vignocchi remains on the staff as an assistant coach.
After Gibbs and Vignocchi had to leave before the conclusion of the game, assistant coach Rob Demano directed the team in the second half.
“Finishing our chances has not really been an issue with us this season,” he said.
“We missed a lot of chances. We weren’t ruthless enough. I thought we were creating good chances, and we were getting in good position. I told them just to keep doing what they’re doing.”
Sabbione made his mark during the abbreviated pandemic spring season as a sophomore.
After taking his junior season off to play club, he is back. His captivating blend of size, skill and speed makes him a deeply compelling force.
His shot creativity and athleticism at the top of the attack.
“It’s not like Vinny to miss a penalty kick like he did,” Demano said. “I told him to forget it and not let the pressure get to him.”
Glenbrook North flashed tremendous offensive promise during the run of play, and its ability to generate recurrent set piece chances.
Defender Chase Peterson is brilliant on throws. Twice Peters had to make spectacular leaping grabs or deflections to nullify that considerable advantage.
Spartans’ midfielder Steven Rhee was another two-way threat. He was dynamic in space and thrilling as a corner specialist.
During the second half, he nearly bent in a corner kick that Peters again stymied with a terrific reaction.
“I was just trying to make as many runs as possible, and shoot as many shots as I could get off,” Rhee said.
“It was a little unlucky that I wasn’t able to get any goals for the team tonight.”
Highland Park (3-6-0) is also finding its stride and developing an offensive identity.
The Giants’ primarily generated opportunities through the counter as a strategic offset to the Spartans monopolizing the ball.
“I think we’re developing right now,” Novotny said. “A couple of guys came through injuries. We still have two really important seniors who haven’t played much this season.
“Both of them are defenders, and they will bring some experience back to the group. We’ve taken some lumps in the past year or so. I think we have a lot of good soccer left in us.”
Both teams could point to positive actions.
Highland Park reversed a recent stretch of blowouts. The Giants hung tough and fought valiantly.
“We’ve had a tough season,” Peters said. “We have struggled in the back, and there were a lot of gaps we were giving up.
“We really focused on that, and communicating in the back and not letting those through-balls get to us.”
Sometimes it just takes one shot.
Lee delivered that.
He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match for his game-winning strike.
Glenbrook North made the necessary play.
“Sometimes you need somebody who is going to be brave and get on the end of a cross,” Demano said.
“Sometimes you need to put yourself in that position where you create luck for yourself. Fair play to Blake and his boys. They never stopped running.”
Starting lineups
Highland Park
GK: Alec Peters
D: Pachita Marban
D: Vincent Rosheger
D: Ethan Love
D: Brian Benitez
MF: Erick Chavez
MF: Emiliano Guzman-Vega
MF: Gustavo Salavar
MF: Josue Mendez-Barralaga
F: Jake Derfel
F: Eric Slavin
Glenbrook North
GK: Max Bachenheimer
D: Jordan Elliott
D: Tal Yedlin
D: Ethan Klinghofer
D: Chase Peterson
MF: Steven Rhee
MF: Chris Sanchez
MF: Tomas Sabbione
MF: Sam Lapin
MF: Ian Lee
F: Vinny Sabbione
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ian Lee, jr., MF, Glenbrook North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Glenbrook North—Ian Lee (Sam Lapin), 66th minute