Lane makes most of chances vs. Young
Indians force crucial errors that lead to 3-0 league win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Soccer has its own logic and meaning, and it rarely means the same thing twice. It changes all the time, often moment to moment. The saying says “Possession is nine-tenths of the law.” But in soccer, ownership of the ball is a hardly a predictor of success.
The larger point is what you do with that time.
To a bystander watching the newest iteration of the Lane and Young rivalry, it looked like Young was the team with the upper hand given the advantage of time and possession the Dolphins held over the Indians.
“We dominated possession, probably looked to be the better team from afar, but goals matter in this game. And the team that scores the majority of them wins the game,” Young coach Ian McCarthy said.
Lane, ranked seventh in Chicagoland Soccer's preseason poll, made Young pay for every mistake, and star Alex Mezyk demonstrated why he is the city’s top player with two goals as the Indians took a 3-0 win in the opening game of Chicago Public League Premier Division play Wednesday at McKinley Park on the Southwest Side.
“Three mistakes are their three goals,” McCarthy said. “Not to say they did not do some nice stuff.
"Our center back did not take the ball out of the air, and the keeper there, I am not sure what he did, he just [lost] the ball there -- two goals to [Mezyk]. They play with the mentality of a champion. They are going to take what we give them, and we are waiting for somebody to give us something, and that is not going to happen.”
At 6-foot-2, Mezyk is a physical, powerful player. He led the Indians to a city title last year and was named a dual Chicagoland Soccer and IHSSCA all-stater. In 2016 he moved between the middle and up-top. Two games into the season, he is playing forward and has already scored four goals for the Indians (2-0-0, 1-0-0).
Mezyk earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his effort in the win.
“I am feeling good,” Mezyk said. “I am feeling comfortable up-top. Most likely I will be playing here most of the season. I am going for as many goals as I can get on the season and as many wins as we get. I got an assist when we played Kennedy [Monday].
“If I can get a pass and set up a goal, that is fine. They controlled a lot of the game. When we started to press, they lost the ball, and that is how I scored. They were lacking somebody to finish it.”
Young (0-2-0, 0-1-0) must have felt snakebitten. After suffering a 5-0 loss against no. 14 Lyons to start its season Monday, the Dolphins looked to make amends and live up to the promise McCarthy has staked out for them. Young improved and played confident and sharp stretches against the Indians.
Junior Jake Gerenraich, a rangy midfielder, looked very impressive, controlling the middle of the attack and denying Lane any significant opportunities. Josue Espinoza, a senior midfielder, makes a strong counterpart to Gerenraich. They dictated pace and governed the style of play.
“I feel like we did dominate the game, but we just could not finish,” Espinoza. “They capitalized on our mistakes, and we did not capitalize or force mistakes at their end. We have three or four first-timers with us, and they can definitely play with us. But right now they might still be working off the nerves.”
Young’s edge was squandered in a moment. In the 22nd minute, Lane midfielder David delaFuente forced a turnover deep in the Dolphins’ backend on the left wing. He stole the ball, worked the endline and served a ball to junior midfielder Cathal O’Connor on the right wing.
O’Connor blasted the ball inside the near post for the stunning turn of events.
“I forgot who won the ball, but somebody got the ball loose at our feet, the ball came to me, I tapped it through the legs of their right back, got a touch toward the box hoping to get somebody there, and Cathal happened to come up through the back,” delaFuente said.
“They possessed the ball very well at the beginning. I feel we managed to break them down,” he continued. “We ended up switching from two center midfielders to three and that helped us fight back in the midfield and win the ball a little more. From there we managed to get the ball moving occasionally, get the ball up a lot more, and it went from there.”
O’Connor said he grew four inches last year. The junior has gone from a lower-level player to a varsity starter. He has a scored in each of the Indians’ first two games.
“We are still getting our feel for things,” he said. “We have a lot of new guys, but also a lot of older guys. I think we got a lot of good things in store. We have very defined leaders, good leadership on this team and I think we are ready to go far this year.
"Last year I was a lot smaller in frame. I have been working on my touch. I think I am ready this year. It’s really exciting. It’s a little nerve wracking at times, but once you get in there, it’s a great offense to be part of.”
Young has a good mix of returning players and talented newcomers getting their first exposure to varsity play. The early learning curve has been steep and the competition tough.
The Dolphins demonstrated skills that back up why McCarthy is so high on this particular group of players. Senior midfielder Evan Wimberly, quick and explosive, showed the ability to get to the edge and create vulnerability on the defensive perimeter.
Sophomore defender Alex Espino smashed a ball from distance early in the second half that required a strong play by Lane senior keeper Fabian Venegas. Young generated four corner kicks, the best scoring chance was a header by Espinoza that Venegas handled.
“The first half they were taking it to us, they were possessing the ball, we did not have the right formation,” Lane coach Andrew Ricks said. “We made an adjustment in the field. They did not have a lot of chances. They had some good half-chances, I’d say. They were going hard.
“I think our talent showed up in those finishing chances.”
Lane recorded the crucial second goal in the 54th minute as Venegas blasted a punt that Young failed to clear. It took a bounce that resulted in a one-on-one encounter between Mezyk and Young keeper Dixon O’Bannion.
“It was a 50-50. It could have been dangerous, but I was able to beat him to the ball and headed it over him, and it went in,” Mezyk said.
Mezyk and O'Bannion tangled up again late in the game. In the 78th minute, Mezyk pressured the keeper in his box and ripped the ball away for the easy score and finishing touch on Lane’s victory.
“I was dictating the press, and I saw him go to one side,” Mezyk said. “He switched legs, almost tripped on the ball, and I got the ball.”
Pure talent breached all the other intangibles.
“If [Mezyk] were on our team and finishing, he’d score five goals for us in that game,” McCarthy said. “You hope somebody is asleep, but unfortunately, today [Mezyk] was wide awake and chasing down every mistake that we gave them.”
Starting lineups
Lane
GK: Fabian Venegas
D: Greg Golba
D: Zach Rogers
D: Arnel Sinanagic
D: Jack Erickson
MF: Brandon Rivera
MF: David de la Fuente
MF: Cathal O’Connor
MF: Dennis Dervisevic
F: Drew Kelner
F: Alex Mezyk
Young
GK: Dixon O’Bannion
D: Jonathan Perez
D: Reed Schaefer
D: Christian Rice
D: Alex Espino
MF: Evan Wimberly
MF: Esme McCarthy
MF:Jake Gerenraich
MF: Gabriel Regalado
MF: Josue Espinoza
F: Aidan Chapman
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Mezyk, Lane, sr., F
Scoring summary
First half
22nd minute Lane: Cathal O’Connor (David delaFuente)
52nd minute Lane: Alex Mezyk (Fabian Venegas)
78th minute Lane: Mezyk
Indians force crucial errors that lead to 3-0 league win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Soccer has its own logic and meaning, and it rarely means the same thing twice. It changes all the time, often moment to moment. The saying says “Possession is nine-tenths of the law.” But in soccer, ownership of the ball is a hardly a predictor of success.
The larger point is what you do with that time.
To a bystander watching the newest iteration of the Lane and Young rivalry, it looked like Young was the team with the upper hand given the advantage of time and possession the Dolphins held over the Indians.
“We dominated possession, probably looked to be the better team from afar, but goals matter in this game. And the team that scores the majority of them wins the game,” Young coach Ian McCarthy said.
Lane, ranked seventh in Chicagoland Soccer's preseason poll, made Young pay for every mistake, and star Alex Mezyk demonstrated why he is the city’s top player with two goals as the Indians took a 3-0 win in the opening game of Chicago Public League Premier Division play Wednesday at McKinley Park on the Southwest Side.
“Three mistakes are their three goals,” McCarthy said. “Not to say they did not do some nice stuff.
"Our center back did not take the ball out of the air, and the keeper there, I am not sure what he did, he just [lost] the ball there -- two goals to [Mezyk]. They play with the mentality of a champion. They are going to take what we give them, and we are waiting for somebody to give us something, and that is not going to happen.”
At 6-foot-2, Mezyk is a physical, powerful player. He led the Indians to a city title last year and was named a dual Chicagoland Soccer and IHSSCA all-stater. In 2016 he moved between the middle and up-top. Two games into the season, he is playing forward and has already scored four goals for the Indians (2-0-0, 1-0-0).
Mezyk earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his effort in the win.
“I am feeling good,” Mezyk said. “I am feeling comfortable up-top. Most likely I will be playing here most of the season. I am going for as many goals as I can get on the season and as many wins as we get. I got an assist when we played Kennedy [Monday].
“If I can get a pass and set up a goal, that is fine. They controlled a lot of the game. When we started to press, they lost the ball, and that is how I scored. They were lacking somebody to finish it.”
Young (0-2-0, 0-1-0) must have felt snakebitten. After suffering a 5-0 loss against no. 14 Lyons to start its season Monday, the Dolphins looked to make amends and live up to the promise McCarthy has staked out for them. Young improved and played confident and sharp stretches against the Indians.
Junior Jake Gerenraich, a rangy midfielder, looked very impressive, controlling the middle of the attack and denying Lane any significant opportunities. Josue Espinoza, a senior midfielder, makes a strong counterpart to Gerenraich. They dictated pace and governed the style of play.
“I feel like we did dominate the game, but we just could not finish,” Espinoza. “They capitalized on our mistakes, and we did not capitalize or force mistakes at their end. We have three or four first-timers with us, and they can definitely play with us. But right now they might still be working off the nerves.”
Young’s edge was squandered in a moment. In the 22nd minute, Lane midfielder David delaFuente forced a turnover deep in the Dolphins’ backend on the left wing. He stole the ball, worked the endline and served a ball to junior midfielder Cathal O’Connor on the right wing.
O’Connor blasted the ball inside the near post for the stunning turn of events.
“I forgot who won the ball, but somebody got the ball loose at our feet, the ball came to me, I tapped it through the legs of their right back, got a touch toward the box hoping to get somebody there, and Cathal happened to come up through the back,” delaFuente said.
“They possessed the ball very well at the beginning. I feel we managed to break them down,” he continued. “We ended up switching from two center midfielders to three and that helped us fight back in the midfield and win the ball a little more. From there we managed to get the ball moving occasionally, get the ball up a lot more, and it went from there.”
O’Connor said he grew four inches last year. The junior has gone from a lower-level player to a varsity starter. He has a scored in each of the Indians’ first two games.
“We are still getting our feel for things,” he said. “We have a lot of new guys, but also a lot of older guys. I think we got a lot of good things in store. We have very defined leaders, good leadership on this team and I think we are ready to go far this year.
"Last year I was a lot smaller in frame. I have been working on my touch. I think I am ready this year. It’s really exciting. It’s a little nerve wracking at times, but once you get in there, it’s a great offense to be part of.”
Young has a good mix of returning players and talented newcomers getting their first exposure to varsity play. The early learning curve has been steep and the competition tough.
The Dolphins demonstrated skills that back up why McCarthy is so high on this particular group of players. Senior midfielder Evan Wimberly, quick and explosive, showed the ability to get to the edge and create vulnerability on the defensive perimeter.
Sophomore defender Alex Espino smashed a ball from distance early in the second half that required a strong play by Lane senior keeper Fabian Venegas. Young generated four corner kicks, the best scoring chance was a header by Espinoza that Venegas handled.
“The first half they were taking it to us, they were possessing the ball, we did not have the right formation,” Lane coach Andrew Ricks said. “We made an adjustment in the field. They did not have a lot of chances. They had some good half-chances, I’d say. They were going hard.
“I think our talent showed up in those finishing chances.”
Lane recorded the crucial second goal in the 54th minute as Venegas blasted a punt that Young failed to clear. It took a bounce that resulted in a one-on-one encounter between Mezyk and Young keeper Dixon O’Bannion.
“It was a 50-50. It could have been dangerous, but I was able to beat him to the ball and headed it over him, and it went in,” Mezyk said.
Mezyk and O'Bannion tangled up again late in the game. In the 78th minute, Mezyk pressured the keeper in his box and ripped the ball away for the easy score and finishing touch on Lane’s victory.
“I was dictating the press, and I saw him go to one side,” Mezyk said. “He switched legs, almost tripped on the ball, and I got the ball.”
Pure talent breached all the other intangibles.
“If [Mezyk] were on our team and finishing, he’d score five goals for us in that game,” McCarthy said. “You hope somebody is asleep, but unfortunately, today [Mezyk] was wide awake and chasing down every mistake that we gave them.”
Starting lineups
Lane
GK: Fabian Venegas
D: Greg Golba
D: Zach Rogers
D: Arnel Sinanagic
D: Jack Erickson
MF: Brandon Rivera
MF: David de la Fuente
MF: Cathal O’Connor
MF: Dennis Dervisevic
F: Drew Kelner
F: Alex Mezyk
Young
GK: Dixon O’Bannion
D: Jonathan Perez
D: Reed Schaefer
D: Christian Rice
D: Alex Espino
MF: Evan Wimberly
MF: Esme McCarthy
MF:Jake Gerenraich
MF: Gabriel Regalado
MF: Josue Espinoza
F: Aidan Chapman
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Mezyk, Lane, sr., F
Scoring summary
First half
22nd minute Lane: Cathal O’Connor (David delaFuente)
52nd minute Lane: Alex Mezyk (Fabian Venegas)
78th minute Lane: Mezyk