Metea V. celebrates Senior Night in style
Class of '18 tallies 3 goals in 5-1 win over Hinsdale South
By Dave Owen
AURORA -- Senior Night at Metea Valley was a time to celebrate the contributions of longtime varsity standouts Ryan Barry, Ethan Williams, Ethan Ytterberg and Alfonso Castillo.
Their usual strong play helped the Mustangs (11-7-1) to a dominant second half and a 5-1 win over Hinsdale South (1-15-0) in round two of the Warrior Invitational. But the match had its own special significance for fellow seniors Jakob Dovalovsky and Conor Smyth.
Dovalovsky’s header goal off a James Lynch corner kick with 30:20 left in the match put the Mustangs up 3-1, and marked his first varsity goal on an already unique night.
“This is my first year on varsity, and just being with this great group of people is amazing,” Dovalovsky said. “We all work with each other and for each other. It’s great to see us come together and win games like this.”
Said Mustangs coach Josh Robinson: “Jakob’s a great story. Williams, Ytterberg and Castillo have been with me for three years. They were sophomores, juniors and seniors on varsity. And Ryan (Barry) has been with us all four years.
“Jakub just made it this year, and he’s been a huge contributor. He has tons of energy and plays so hard and fast, works hard. To get the finish that he deserved was awesome for him. He just works – he outworks kids all the time. We’re really proud of him.”
Smyth was even newer to the Metea Valley varsity, and capped his night with an assist on a Dominic Capezzuto goal with 20.2 seconds left. On a Castillo send to an open back post, Smyth’s tough angle shot deflected to Capezzuto for a drive into a vacant net.
“Conor’s been a four-year player in the program,” Robinson said. “We brought him up from JV today, and he’s going to stay with us at the varsity level, because he’s earned that spot.
“That’s what we hope we’re about here. We’re a program that builds and supports and backs each other up. I’m just really excited and proud today.”
Mustangs pride was on display almost from the start. Just 46 seconds into the match, a Matthew Berry send from about 40 yards out hit Evan Lang sprinting up the middle. Lang’s putaway inside the right post gave Metea Valley an instant 1-0 lead.
The Mustangs kept up the heat in the next eight minutes, with quality chances barely wide or over the net by Barry, Jaylen Brooks and Castillo (the latter a 6-yard Castillo header just over the crossbar off a Brooks cross with 31:10 left in the half).
Then in the 18th minute, another burst up the middle meant another Mustangs score.
This time, sophomore midfielder Joey Donovan’s touch pass found Lynch racing up the middle. Lynch finished for a 2-0 lead with 23:27 left in the half – a momentum lift that lasted all of two minutes.
Talented Hinsdale South senior Karel Ondra had already sent a powerful 70-yard free kick that required a reaching save on a high bounce from Metea Valley goalkeeper Kevin Branch.
With a much closer 30-yard free kick after a foul with 21:21 left in the half, Ondra drove a high rocket off the crossbar and in to shave the Mustangs lead to 2-1.
Ondra wasn’t done. After a handful of Mustangs chances the rest of the half went unfulfilled (including shots just wide of the net by Berry and Shareef Amor and a Brooks deflection just wide of a Lynch throw-in), Ondra’s next free kick meant more danger.
On a 35-yard re-start from the right side 1:20 before halftime, his skipping one-hop drive spun free of Brooks, who nicely dove back onto the loose ball just before it reached the goal line.
Having outplayed the Hornets but come inches from being in a halftime tie, Metea Valley held a Senior Night ceremony – and was rejuvenated.
“At halftime I think something that helped us was just the atmosphere that we had when we brought the seniors out to their parents,” Dovalovsky said. “It just brought us up and made us feel at home, and it just gave us more confidence and energy to start the half off strong.”
Robinson’s halftime message had a senior theme to it.
“He said we needed to play for the seniors,” said junior standout Lynch. “We weren’t doing as well as we wanted to in the first half.”
Lynch certainly did his part to seal the win.
Already with a first half goal, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match sent two perfect corner kicks in 52 seconds to quickly turn a tight 2-1 lead into a comfortable 4-1 advantage.
Dovalovsky’s header in front made it 3-1. Then after Lang blocked a Hinsdale South clear attempt and had his shot deflected wide for a corner kick, Lynch struck again.
With 30:20 left, Lynch’s corner kick found another unmarked teammate sprinting to the crease. This time it was Castillo with a point-blank putaway, and the Mustangs were on their way.
“I just tried to put it near the goalie,” Lynch said of his precision corner kicks, “so someone could get in there in case they messed up, and they’d beat them there.”
Said Robinson: “That’s what he (Lynch) does. He plays a great ball and gives us chances. He can put a ball in that gives us an opportunity every time, and those boys did a great job finishing.”
For Hinsdale South, injuries and lack of experience became evident at a key time.
“From my starting 11 (in the season opener) we have six players,” Hornets coach Danny Makaric said. “We have three freshmen, four sophomores and only two seniors. This is the first game of the season for one starter (Alexander Tsiu), our central defender went out in the second game of the season, and our center mid had a concussion and has had five weeks off.
“But it was not a bad game,” Makaric added. “We just made mistakes on the corner kicks because we don’t have experience in the back. Those were keys to the game.
“We’re struggling. We’re too young for this physical ball, and it costs us.”
While set pieces sent the Mustangs on the road to victory, the Mustangs defense limited Hinsdale South’s chance to rally.
On an Ondra 35-yard free kick with 16:20 to go, Williams nicely headed the drive upfield to prevent any trouble this time.
“Really it just came down to refocusing ourselves mentally,” Williams said of the defense’s performance. “They didn’t have many chances in the run of play. When we lost our focus and gave up fouls, that was the only time we were really in danger.”
A three-year varsity standout for the Mustangs, Williams’ Senior Night thoughts focused on praise for the underclassmen.
“It’s just really heartening to see the younger guys give their all for us tonight, giving everything they have,” Williams said. “And it shows in the results. It’s fantastic that they care about us.”
Hinsdale South’s last threat came with 15:30 left, a Ryan Kuhlman shot off the left post set up by a long Ondra send.
Beyond that moment, the second half was all Metea Valley.
Another Lynch corner kick with 13:15 to go also nearly produced results -- Liam Duffy connected on the run for a point-blank redirect, only to be denied by a great save at the post by Hinsdale South goalkeeper Bryan Alcantara.
A Capezzuto midair header redirect of a Dovalovsky pass was also saved by Alcantara with 10:25 left. Then the Castillo-created chance in the final seconds put away by Capezzuto capped a special night for the Mustangs.
“Everything Alfonso does is the intangibles,” Robinson said. “The amount of tracking and work that he does to win balls -- he wears people down and does great things.
“He probably should be starting, but he loves his role coming off the bench. He likes coming in and changing the tempo. If the tempo’s down, he can bring it back up. He likes being that catalyst.”
All of the Mustangs’ seniors have been catalysts for a 2017 season of huge improvements from a 4-11-4 finish last fall.
“We wanted to highlight them (the seniors) in so many ways,” Robinson said “Last year with the struggles we had, we spent a lot of time in winter and spring out-of-season talking about what we can do to get back on track. And I give them all the credit in the world for focusing themselves and taking that time out to rethink goals.
“It was all non-soccer stuff. It was culturally how do we become a unit again. That’s been a huge credit to them. So coming out today it was awesome to be able to celebrate with them and get them all in.
“It was great to get Alfonso Castillo a goal (his third of 2017), Jakob a goal, Conor Smyth an assist,” Robinson added. “Guys that have done so much to contribute so much to the program. To be able to highlight and showcase that today was special and fantastic.”
Robinson further detailed the turnaround the seniors helped produce.
“The seniors last year were an amazing group of kids,” Robinson said. “Our downfalls had nothing to do with them and everything to do with the general culture of what we were doing. We weren’t a team or unit, just fragments of different groups of kids. We didn’t do them a fair service.
“That was part of the (offseason) conversation with these boys,” Robinson added, “to make sure we do ourselves right. And they’re doing that. They’re picking it up.”
To pick it up another notch and make a strong postseason run, the Mustangs see several key factors.
“I think it’s really just working on our touch, and knowing when it’s safe to make a good pass or when to clear,” Williams said. “Just a lot of focus – not giving up any silly mistakes in the back is what we really need to focus on to be successful.”
Said Dovalovsky: “I just feel like we need the keep the ball simple, and make sure if you have no options, make sure you do the right thing rather than give the ball up. Keeping possession and playing simple is what will help us throughout the playoffs.”
Tested all season by a tough DuPage Valley Conference schedule, Metea Valley hopes the Senior Night party is just a preview of celebrations to come.
“Those guys (the seniors) have done so much for the program and have been around for so long,” Robinson said. “Now we have a great Senior Night.
“We’ve been playing a great brand of soccer, and now can we do something (in the postseason).”
The answer comes soon. Wednesday provided a very good sign.
Starting lineups:
Hinsdale South
GK Bryan Alcantara
D Alexander Tsiu
D Adam Krupa
D Abbas Asharif
D Adan Amaro
M Jack Metcalf
M Jad Alkhudari
M Karel Ondra
M Jose Domingas
F Ryan Kuhlman
F Allen Kozlica
Metea Valley
GK Kevin Branch
D Anthony Sanchez
D Ethan Ytterberg
D Ethan Williams
D Jakob Dovalovsky
M Matthew Berry
M Evan Lang
M James Lynch
M Ryan Barry
F Shareef Amor
F Alfonso Castillo
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: James Lynch, jr. M, Metea Valley.
Scoring summary
1st HALF: MV – Lang (Berry); MV – Lynch (Donovan); HS – Ondra (unassisted).
2nd HALF: MV – Dovalovsky (Lynch); MV – Castillo (Lynch); MV – Capezzuto (Smyth).
Class of '18 tallies 3 goals in 5-1 win over Hinsdale South
By Dave Owen
AURORA -- Senior Night at Metea Valley was a time to celebrate the contributions of longtime varsity standouts Ryan Barry, Ethan Williams, Ethan Ytterberg and Alfonso Castillo.
Their usual strong play helped the Mustangs (11-7-1) to a dominant second half and a 5-1 win over Hinsdale South (1-15-0) in round two of the Warrior Invitational. But the match had its own special significance for fellow seniors Jakob Dovalovsky and Conor Smyth.
Dovalovsky’s header goal off a James Lynch corner kick with 30:20 left in the match put the Mustangs up 3-1, and marked his first varsity goal on an already unique night.
“This is my first year on varsity, and just being with this great group of people is amazing,” Dovalovsky said. “We all work with each other and for each other. It’s great to see us come together and win games like this.”
Said Mustangs coach Josh Robinson: “Jakob’s a great story. Williams, Ytterberg and Castillo have been with me for three years. They were sophomores, juniors and seniors on varsity. And Ryan (Barry) has been with us all four years.
“Jakub just made it this year, and he’s been a huge contributor. He has tons of energy and plays so hard and fast, works hard. To get the finish that he deserved was awesome for him. He just works – he outworks kids all the time. We’re really proud of him.”
Smyth was even newer to the Metea Valley varsity, and capped his night with an assist on a Dominic Capezzuto goal with 20.2 seconds left. On a Castillo send to an open back post, Smyth’s tough angle shot deflected to Capezzuto for a drive into a vacant net.
“Conor’s been a four-year player in the program,” Robinson said. “We brought him up from JV today, and he’s going to stay with us at the varsity level, because he’s earned that spot.
“That’s what we hope we’re about here. We’re a program that builds and supports and backs each other up. I’m just really excited and proud today.”
Mustangs pride was on display almost from the start. Just 46 seconds into the match, a Matthew Berry send from about 40 yards out hit Evan Lang sprinting up the middle. Lang’s putaway inside the right post gave Metea Valley an instant 1-0 lead.
The Mustangs kept up the heat in the next eight minutes, with quality chances barely wide or over the net by Barry, Jaylen Brooks and Castillo (the latter a 6-yard Castillo header just over the crossbar off a Brooks cross with 31:10 left in the half).
Then in the 18th minute, another burst up the middle meant another Mustangs score.
This time, sophomore midfielder Joey Donovan’s touch pass found Lynch racing up the middle. Lynch finished for a 2-0 lead with 23:27 left in the half – a momentum lift that lasted all of two minutes.
Talented Hinsdale South senior Karel Ondra had already sent a powerful 70-yard free kick that required a reaching save on a high bounce from Metea Valley goalkeeper Kevin Branch.
With a much closer 30-yard free kick after a foul with 21:21 left in the half, Ondra drove a high rocket off the crossbar and in to shave the Mustangs lead to 2-1.
Ondra wasn’t done. After a handful of Mustangs chances the rest of the half went unfulfilled (including shots just wide of the net by Berry and Shareef Amor and a Brooks deflection just wide of a Lynch throw-in), Ondra’s next free kick meant more danger.
On a 35-yard re-start from the right side 1:20 before halftime, his skipping one-hop drive spun free of Brooks, who nicely dove back onto the loose ball just before it reached the goal line.
Having outplayed the Hornets but come inches from being in a halftime tie, Metea Valley held a Senior Night ceremony – and was rejuvenated.
“At halftime I think something that helped us was just the atmosphere that we had when we brought the seniors out to their parents,” Dovalovsky said. “It just brought us up and made us feel at home, and it just gave us more confidence and energy to start the half off strong.”
Robinson’s halftime message had a senior theme to it.
“He said we needed to play for the seniors,” said junior standout Lynch. “We weren’t doing as well as we wanted to in the first half.”
Lynch certainly did his part to seal the win.
Already with a first half goal, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match sent two perfect corner kicks in 52 seconds to quickly turn a tight 2-1 lead into a comfortable 4-1 advantage.
Dovalovsky’s header in front made it 3-1. Then after Lang blocked a Hinsdale South clear attempt and had his shot deflected wide for a corner kick, Lynch struck again.
With 30:20 left, Lynch’s corner kick found another unmarked teammate sprinting to the crease. This time it was Castillo with a point-blank putaway, and the Mustangs were on their way.
“I just tried to put it near the goalie,” Lynch said of his precision corner kicks, “so someone could get in there in case they messed up, and they’d beat them there.”
Said Robinson: “That’s what he (Lynch) does. He plays a great ball and gives us chances. He can put a ball in that gives us an opportunity every time, and those boys did a great job finishing.”
For Hinsdale South, injuries and lack of experience became evident at a key time.
“From my starting 11 (in the season opener) we have six players,” Hornets coach Danny Makaric said. “We have three freshmen, four sophomores and only two seniors. This is the first game of the season for one starter (Alexander Tsiu), our central defender went out in the second game of the season, and our center mid had a concussion and has had five weeks off.
“But it was not a bad game,” Makaric added. “We just made mistakes on the corner kicks because we don’t have experience in the back. Those were keys to the game.
“We’re struggling. We’re too young for this physical ball, and it costs us.”
While set pieces sent the Mustangs on the road to victory, the Mustangs defense limited Hinsdale South’s chance to rally.
On an Ondra 35-yard free kick with 16:20 to go, Williams nicely headed the drive upfield to prevent any trouble this time.
“Really it just came down to refocusing ourselves mentally,” Williams said of the defense’s performance. “They didn’t have many chances in the run of play. When we lost our focus and gave up fouls, that was the only time we were really in danger.”
A three-year varsity standout for the Mustangs, Williams’ Senior Night thoughts focused on praise for the underclassmen.
“It’s just really heartening to see the younger guys give their all for us tonight, giving everything they have,” Williams said. “And it shows in the results. It’s fantastic that they care about us.”
Hinsdale South’s last threat came with 15:30 left, a Ryan Kuhlman shot off the left post set up by a long Ondra send.
Beyond that moment, the second half was all Metea Valley.
Another Lynch corner kick with 13:15 to go also nearly produced results -- Liam Duffy connected on the run for a point-blank redirect, only to be denied by a great save at the post by Hinsdale South goalkeeper Bryan Alcantara.
A Capezzuto midair header redirect of a Dovalovsky pass was also saved by Alcantara with 10:25 left. Then the Castillo-created chance in the final seconds put away by Capezzuto capped a special night for the Mustangs.
“Everything Alfonso does is the intangibles,” Robinson said. “The amount of tracking and work that he does to win balls -- he wears people down and does great things.
“He probably should be starting, but he loves his role coming off the bench. He likes coming in and changing the tempo. If the tempo’s down, he can bring it back up. He likes being that catalyst.”
All of the Mustangs’ seniors have been catalysts for a 2017 season of huge improvements from a 4-11-4 finish last fall.
“We wanted to highlight them (the seniors) in so many ways,” Robinson said “Last year with the struggles we had, we spent a lot of time in winter and spring out-of-season talking about what we can do to get back on track. And I give them all the credit in the world for focusing themselves and taking that time out to rethink goals.
“It was all non-soccer stuff. It was culturally how do we become a unit again. That’s been a huge credit to them. So coming out today it was awesome to be able to celebrate with them and get them all in.
“It was great to get Alfonso Castillo a goal (his third of 2017), Jakob a goal, Conor Smyth an assist,” Robinson added. “Guys that have done so much to contribute so much to the program. To be able to highlight and showcase that today was special and fantastic.”
Robinson further detailed the turnaround the seniors helped produce.
“The seniors last year were an amazing group of kids,” Robinson said. “Our downfalls had nothing to do with them and everything to do with the general culture of what we were doing. We weren’t a team or unit, just fragments of different groups of kids. We didn’t do them a fair service.
“That was part of the (offseason) conversation with these boys,” Robinson added, “to make sure we do ourselves right. And they’re doing that. They’re picking it up.”
To pick it up another notch and make a strong postseason run, the Mustangs see several key factors.
“I think it’s really just working on our touch, and knowing when it’s safe to make a good pass or when to clear,” Williams said. “Just a lot of focus – not giving up any silly mistakes in the back is what we really need to focus on to be successful.”
Said Dovalovsky: “I just feel like we need the keep the ball simple, and make sure if you have no options, make sure you do the right thing rather than give the ball up. Keeping possession and playing simple is what will help us throughout the playoffs.”
Tested all season by a tough DuPage Valley Conference schedule, Metea Valley hopes the Senior Night party is just a preview of celebrations to come.
“Those guys (the seniors) have done so much for the program and have been around for so long,” Robinson said. “Now we have a great Senior Night.
“We’ve been playing a great brand of soccer, and now can we do something (in the postseason).”
The answer comes soon. Wednesday provided a very good sign.
Starting lineups:
Hinsdale South
GK Bryan Alcantara
D Alexander Tsiu
D Adam Krupa
D Abbas Asharif
D Adan Amaro
M Jack Metcalf
M Jad Alkhudari
M Karel Ondra
M Jose Domingas
F Ryan Kuhlman
F Allen Kozlica
Metea Valley
GK Kevin Branch
D Anthony Sanchez
D Ethan Ytterberg
D Ethan Williams
D Jakob Dovalovsky
M Matthew Berry
M Evan Lang
M James Lynch
M Ryan Barry
F Shareef Amor
F Alfonso Castillo
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: James Lynch, jr. M, Metea Valley.
Scoring summary
1st HALF: MV – Lang (Berry); MV – Lynch (Donovan); HS – Ondra (unassisted).
2nd HALF: MV – Dovalovsky (Lynch); MV – Castillo (Lynch); MV – Capezzuto (Smyth).