Lemont scores in 12 seconds,
then cruises past Glenbard South
Visitors win 3-0 to earn first regional title since 2015
By Bobby Narang
GLEN ELLYN -- Lemont almost scored before the opening whistle Friday at the Class AA Glenbard South Regional championship game.
The visitors took the lead 12 seconds in, and doubled their advantage in the fourth minute. Lemont’s smoking start took the starch out of host Glenbard South.
Fifth-seeded Lemont scored another before intermission to post a 3-0 win in the Class AA Glenbard South Regional championship game.
The host Raiders, the no. 2 seed in Hinsdale South's B sub-sectional, struggled all game to create quality scoring opportunities against Lemont’s strong and athletic backline.
By beating Glenbard South, Lemont coach Rick Prangen and his program returned to familiar territory at this time of the season. Under Prangen, Lemont (9-6-5) won its 12th regional championship since 2006, with their only seasons without a regional crown coming in 2012, 2015 and 2016 to go with the pandemic-affected, playoff-less 2020-21 season.
Lemont, which does not currently have a school nicknamed after its school board dropped an indigenous moniker before the school year, posted its best season in 2007. That edition posted a 22-3 mark but fell 4-2 to Boylan in the Class AA state quarterfinals.
The team is eager to add its newest plaque to the school trophy case.
“It’s a great feeling, every time you win a regional,” Prangen said. “The coaching staff might have won 12 titles (since 2006), this is just a couple for these guys.
“This is the first year since 2015, where we had a team win conference and regional in the same season. That’s a big deal.
“I’m really proud for our seniors. They’ve elevated it. We’re moving on in the playoffs, so this is a great, great feeling. It was a great experience today. Nothing can buy this feeling. It’s an awesome feeling.”
On a cool and crisp late afternoon, Glenbard South (8-13-1) rarely threatened to score in front of a large crowd of supporters.
Lemont sophomore goalie Amir Biba collected three of his four saves in the second half. The best came on a dive to stop a dangerous shot from Glenbard South’s Esteban Godinez in the 59th minute.
Richard Myalik led the way for the visitors. He placed a header perfectly to put Harris in a spot to score.
After factoring in every score and finishing with a goal and two assists, Myalik was an easy choice for Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“On the first goal, we listened to our coaches’ tactics, and it happened to work out,” Myalik said. “I had a lot of trust in my teammates, and they had trust in me. Everything worked really well for us today.”
Harris said his goal came on a signature Lemont play.
“That’s our kickoff … the coaches want us to do it every time,” he said. “When that ball came to me off Richard’s head, I got past the defense. All I had to do was put it in.
“That first chance gave us momentum. We had to have the mentality on the road to grind out the game. We played well here on Tuesday, so we were used to the field. It was almost like our home in the playoffs.”
Glenbard South never recovered from the shocking start.
“We got off to a terrible start, just a deer in the headlights,” Glenbard South coach Adam Szyszko said. “They ran a kickoff play, like we run, but they scored 12 seconds in. That’s not the start you want from a regional championship.”
Harris said winning a regional title was sweet for the seniors after the lack of a playoff in the boys shortened, substitute spring season. The coronavirus caused the cancellation of the regular fall campaign.
“This is crazy, especially for us seniors,” Harris said. “Our freshman year, we won a regional. Our sophomore year, we win another regional, but the senior year regional title is special to continue a tradition. I hope it continues with the younger kids on the team and they can move forward and win more regionals.
“We just have to continue to play sharp, play our game and not get comfortable. We won a regional, but we want more. It does feel good to win a regional, but we want to get farther and win more games. We want to win a sectional, win a supersectional and get to the state final. We have to grind it out for the next couple of weeks, to see what happens.”
Prangen said Harris took advantage of an excellent opportunity to spark Lemont early in the road game.
“It was on a kickoff, played a long ball up, flicked on and the runner got behind (the defense) right away,” Prangen said. “The best thing you can say about any forward is they finish their first chance. That was Will’s first chance of the game, and he finished it. Adam also finished his first chance on the third goal, so we did really well.”
Glenbard South senior defender Jorge Najera said Lemont’s first goal drained any energy the Raiders had coming into the game.
“We haven’t really had that happen to us, so we were surprised at that goal,” Najera said. “The ball came near me, but it happened so fast that none of us expected that to happen.
“They got those three goals so fast. (Lemont) is the biggest team we’ve faced all year. Their strikers were all six feet tall.
“It was tough to lose like this, but we tried to play hard and our best. I thought we could’ve done better this season. We had some really good players, but it’s soccer. You can’t predict things.”
Less than four minutes later, Myalik was on the other end, scoring a goal on a header off a corner kick from Tyler Chrisman. Myalik, a senior midfielder, was perfectly positioned at the far post and put the shot home from five yards for a 2-0 lead.
Prangen said his team’s experience and chemistry was evident in grabbing the early lead on the road against the higher-seeded Raiders. Lemont reached the regional title game by notching a 2-1 win over Nazareth.
“We have 10 seniors on the squad, so it’s a deep senior class,” Prangen said. “A couple of guys, like Peter Borzecki and Adam Hornik have been with us since freshman year. We also have some good size.
“I think the best thing that happened was last year in the spring we didn’t have any seniors, so these guys got to play. It was basically a preparation for this fall. We pretty much had a good idea what we had coming back. It’s worked out pretty well for us.”
In the 37th minute, Myalik was back to his old tricks, sending in a slow pass to a streaking Hornik. The senior midfielder chased down Myalik’s pass and sent in a roller to the far post from 22 yards for the game’s final goal.
“I got the ball from Richard, and I just saw the goal. I knew I had to score, just had to shoot it,” Hornik said. “I felt we already had a lot of momentum, but I felt that third goal gave us more momentum and sealed the game. It helped us complete the game.
“All we had to do was defend to finish off the game.
We’ve really developed and played together a long time, since the spring. Basically, this is the same team we’ve been playing with the whole year.
“You could see our experience today. We just have to stay focused, keep playing together and keep a positive manner moving forward.”
In its playoff opener, Glenbard South posted a 2-0 semifinal win over Hinsdale South to end a six-game losing skid. They couldn’t duplicate that success against a bigger and stronger Lemont team.
Glenbard South senior midfielder Joseph Kim, a first-year varsity player, said it was a disappointing way to end the season.
“(Lemont) was lined deep, and it was tough to get shots through them,” Kim said. “We just needed to start strong, but we didn’t. We tried really hard in the second half, but we couldn’t get one to go through.”
Szyszko said his seniors deserved a better ending, but they had several big moments throughout the season.
“I’m proud of our seniors,” he said. “Our goalkeeper, Matt Drinane, has been a three-year starter. He will be tough to replace. Joseph Kim worked so hard. Hector Gonzalez was class on the ball. Aryan Sandoval was a three-year varsity player. Noah Ball came out and played hard.
“We talked about Lemont’s size and physicality. We were hoping to be faster and a bit speeder on the ball, but that didn’t happen. Once you get behind, you start chasing. I’m disappointed, but I’m proud of them.”
Lemont now waits to see whether sub-sectional top-seeded Boylan or no. 4-seed Kaneland wins the Burlington Central Regional on Saturday.
The next step is a Hinsdale South Sectional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Lemont
GK Amir Biba
D Adam Briestensky
D Aidan Ontiveros
D Peter Borzecki
D Lucas Urban
MF Richard Myalik
MF Ben Kittridge
MF Marek Skotnicki
MF Adam Hornik
F Will Harris
F Tyler Chisman
Glenbard South
GK Matt Drinane
D Jorge Najera
D Jacob Lichtenheld
D Noah Ball
MF Joseph Kim
MF Aryan Sandoval
MF Tevaris Neidecker
MF Estaban Godinez
MF Hector Gonalez
F Tres Moore
F David Page
Chicagoland Player of the Match: Richard Myalik, sr., MF, Lemont
Scoring summary
First half
Lemont — Will Harris (Richard Myalik), 1st minute
Lemont —Myalik (Tyler Chrisman), 4th minute
Lemont — Adam Hornik (Myalik), 37th minute
Second half
No scoring
then cruises past Glenbard South
Visitors win 3-0 to earn first regional title since 2015
By Bobby Narang
GLEN ELLYN -- Lemont almost scored before the opening whistle Friday at the Class AA Glenbard South Regional championship game.
The visitors took the lead 12 seconds in, and doubled their advantage in the fourth minute. Lemont’s smoking start took the starch out of host Glenbard South.
Fifth-seeded Lemont scored another before intermission to post a 3-0 win in the Class AA Glenbard South Regional championship game.
The host Raiders, the no. 2 seed in Hinsdale South's B sub-sectional, struggled all game to create quality scoring opportunities against Lemont’s strong and athletic backline.
By beating Glenbard South, Lemont coach Rick Prangen and his program returned to familiar territory at this time of the season. Under Prangen, Lemont (9-6-5) won its 12th regional championship since 2006, with their only seasons without a regional crown coming in 2012, 2015 and 2016 to go with the pandemic-affected, playoff-less 2020-21 season.
Lemont, which does not currently have a school nicknamed after its school board dropped an indigenous moniker before the school year, posted its best season in 2007. That edition posted a 22-3 mark but fell 4-2 to Boylan in the Class AA state quarterfinals.
The team is eager to add its newest plaque to the school trophy case.
“It’s a great feeling, every time you win a regional,” Prangen said. “The coaching staff might have won 12 titles (since 2006), this is just a couple for these guys.
“This is the first year since 2015, where we had a team win conference and regional in the same season. That’s a big deal.
“I’m really proud for our seniors. They’ve elevated it. We’re moving on in the playoffs, so this is a great, great feeling. It was a great experience today. Nothing can buy this feeling. It’s an awesome feeling.”
On a cool and crisp late afternoon, Glenbard South (8-13-1) rarely threatened to score in front of a large crowd of supporters.
Lemont sophomore goalie Amir Biba collected three of his four saves in the second half. The best came on a dive to stop a dangerous shot from Glenbard South’s Esteban Godinez in the 59th minute.
Richard Myalik led the way for the visitors. He placed a header perfectly to put Harris in a spot to score.
After factoring in every score and finishing with a goal and two assists, Myalik was an easy choice for Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“On the first goal, we listened to our coaches’ tactics, and it happened to work out,” Myalik said. “I had a lot of trust in my teammates, and they had trust in me. Everything worked really well for us today.”
Harris said his goal came on a signature Lemont play.
“That’s our kickoff … the coaches want us to do it every time,” he said. “When that ball came to me off Richard’s head, I got past the defense. All I had to do was put it in.
“That first chance gave us momentum. We had to have the mentality on the road to grind out the game. We played well here on Tuesday, so we were used to the field. It was almost like our home in the playoffs.”
Glenbard South never recovered from the shocking start.
“We got off to a terrible start, just a deer in the headlights,” Glenbard South coach Adam Szyszko said. “They ran a kickoff play, like we run, but they scored 12 seconds in. That’s not the start you want from a regional championship.”
Harris said winning a regional title was sweet for the seniors after the lack of a playoff in the boys shortened, substitute spring season. The coronavirus caused the cancellation of the regular fall campaign.
“This is crazy, especially for us seniors,” Harris said. “Our freshman year, we won a regional. Our sophomore year, we win another regional, but the senior year regional title is special to continue a tradition. I hope it continues with the younger kids on the team and they can move forward and win more regionals.
“We just have to continue to play sharp, play our game and not get comfortable. We won a regional, but we want more. It does feel good to win a regional, but we want to get farther and win more games. We want to win a sectional, win a supersectional and get to the state final. We have to grind it out for the next couple of weeks, to see what happens.”
Prangen said Harris took advantage of an excellent opportunity to spark Lemont early in the road game.
“It was on a kickoff, played a long ball up, flicked on and the runner got behind (the defense) right away,” Prangen said. “The best thing you can say about any forward is they finish their first chance. That was Will’s first chance of the game, and he finished it. Adam also finished his first chance on the third goal, so we did really well.”
Glenbard South senior defender Jorge Najera said Lemont’s first goal drained any energy the Raiders had coming into the game.
“We haven’t really had that happen to us, so we were surprised at that goal,” Najera said. “The ball came near me, but it happened so fast that none of us expected that to happen.
“They got those three goals so fast. (Lemont) is the biggest team we’ve faced all year. Their strikers were all six feet tall.
“It was tough to lose like this, but we tried to play hard and our best. I thought we could’ve done better this season. We had some really good players, but it’s soccer. You can’t predict things.”
Less than four minutes later, Myalik was on the other end, scoring a goal on a header off a corner kick from Tyler Chrisman. Myalik, a senior midfielder, was perfectly positioned at the far post and put the shot home from five yards for a 2-0 lead.
Prangen said his team’s experience and chemistry was evident in grabbing the early lead on the road against the higher-seeded Raiders. Lemont reached the regional title game by notching a 2-1 win over Nazareth.
“We have 10 seniors on the squad, so it’s a deep senior class,” Prangen said. “A couple of guys, like Peter Borzecki and Adam Hornik have been with us since freshman year. We also have some good size.
“I think the best thing that happened was last year in the spring we didn’t have any seniors, so these guys got to play. It was basically a preparation for this fall. We pretty much had a good idea what we had coming back. It’s worked out pretty well for us.”
In the 37th minute, Myalik was back to his old tricks, sending in a slow pass to a streaking Hornik. The senior midfielder chased down Myalik’s pass and sent in a roller to the far post from 22 yards for the game’s final goal.
“I got the ball from Richard, and I just saw the goal. I knew I had to score, just had to shoot it,” Hornik said. “I felt we already had a lot of momentum, but I felt that third goal gave us more momentum and sealed the game. It helped us complete the game.
“All we had to do was defend to finish off the game.
We’ve really developed and played together a long time, since the spring. Basically, this is the same team we’ve been playing with the whole year.
“You could see our experience today. We just have to stay focused, keep playing together and keep a positive manner moving forward.”
In its playoff opener, Glenbard South posted a 2-0 semifinal win over Hinsdale South to end a six-game losing skid. They couldn’t duplicate that success against a bigger and stronger Lemont team.
Glenbard South senior midfielder Joseph Kim, a first-year varsity player, said it was a disappointing way to end the season.
“(Lemont) was lined deep, and it was tough to get shots through them,” Kim said. “We just needed to start strong, but we didn’t. We tried really hard in the second half, but we couldn’t get one to go through.”
Szyszko said his seniors deserved a better ending, but they had several big moments throughout the season.
“I’m proud of our seniors,” he said. “Our goalkeeper, Matt Drinane, has been a three-year starter. He will be tough to replace. Joseph Kim worked so hard. Hector Gonzalez was class on the ball. Aryan Sandoval was a three-year varsity player. Noah Ball came out and played hard.
“We talked about Lemont’s size and physicality. We were hoping to be faster and a bit speeder on the ball, but that didn’t happen. Once you get behind, you start chasing. I’m disappointed, but I’m proud of them.”
Lemont now waits to see whether sub-sectional top-seeded Boylan or no. 4-seed Kaneland wins the Burlington Central Regional on Saturday.
The next step is a Hinsdale South Sectional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Lemont
GK Amir Biba
D Adam Briestensky
D Aidan Ontiveros
D Peter Borzecki
D Lucas Urban
MF Richard Myalik
MF Ben Kittridge
MF Marek Skotnicki
MF Adam Hornik
F Will Harris
F Tyler Chisman
Glenbard South
GK Matt Drinane
D Jorge Najera
D Jacob Lichtenheld
D Noah Ball
MF Joseph Kim
MF Aryan Sandoval
MF Tevaris Neidecker
MF Estaban Godinez
MF Hector Gonalez
F Tres Moore
F David Page
Chicagoland Player of the Match: Richard Myalik, sr., MF, Lemont
Scoring summary
First half
Lemont — Will Harris (Richard Myalik), 1st minute
Lemont —Myalik (Tyler Chrisman), 4th minute
Lemont — Adam Hornik (Myalik), 37th minute
Second half
No scoring