Oak Forest strikes fast,
then holds off Lemont
Bengals prevail in big South Suburban Blue showdown
By Curt Herron
OAK FOREST – Here’s the game plan: score a goal in the opening minutes and then rely on a good defensive performance and a quality effort from your goaltender.
In the strong and balanced South Suburban Conference, that strategy will be successful on a lot of evenings. Such was the case in the Thursday night Blue Division showdown between the top two teams in the division a year ago, champion Lemont and runnerup Oak Forest.
The Bengals got an early goal from senior Ian Plancarte off an assist from junior Alex Stacy. Then they featured the play of senior defenders Miguel Zavala, Michael Speaker, Nolan Price and Giovanni Cabrera and junior Brandan Stacy who teamed with sophomore goalkeeper Adam Jedrzejczyk to stop everything that Lemont sent their way.
The payoff was a 1-0 home victory.
The Bengals (7-2-2, 3-1-1) capitalized on their first solid opportunity in the match. Plancarte put in a shot from close range in the third minute for his team-high seventh goal and 15th point. Alex Stacy was credited his team-best fourth assist.
"It was a good feeling because we knew that this team was going to be good, so anything that we could get at the beginning of the game could help us for the rest of the game," Plancarte said. "It showed that it was the only thing that we needed, and we played composed the rest of the game. It's a good feeling when you have good defenders like Miguel and the good keeper that we have.
"We've just been playing as a team, and we couldn't let the other team get in our heads. Once they get in our heads, we start losing track of the ball. So we just have to stay composed and play together. I like that we can play good against anyone."
While veteran coach Rick Prangen was pleased by his team's play for much of the match, he wasn't happy with the way Lemont (7-3-2, 3-2-2) performed at the outset.
"We weren't ready to play in the first 10 minutes of the game, and it showed. That's where the goal came from," Prangen said. "After that, I thought that we pretty much had the run of play. Their keeper made a really good save in the first half. We were in one time and that should probably have been in the back of the net. And a corner kick head ball was cleared off the line. But that's how the game is. It can be cruel like that, because you do more things right than the other side and still lose. And that's what we did today.
"It was a big game; and I don't think our guys showed up for the start of a big game, and that's unfortunate. After that, I thought that their response was good, and they worked hard to try to get back into it. When you play a tight game on a smaller field that's artificial and the team is organized, it's hard to break them down, and they have a very good keeper.
"In the last couple of games we've been on the margin where we've had to be perfect. So, we need to find ways to execute our chances a little better. The guys are disappointed, and I'm disappointed. But there are a lot of conference games, and a lot of things can happen."
This shutout was the fifth for the Bengals and fourth for Jedrzejczyk.
Oak Forest has allowed just one goal in four other matches and yielded three on two occasions to give it a total of 10 goals allowed in its 11 matches.
Getting an early lead in a showdown on their home turf with the defending division champions was a huge boost for the Bengals, who have a lot of confidence in their defense.
"Scoring early was really big for us," Zavala said. "Lemont is one of top teams in the conference, so we knew that we had to play hard. We play hard every year against them and last year we tied them. So, we were expecting that a good team was coming to play, and we came out hard and worked and put one on the board early. That gave us the energy and the momentum throughout the game.
"Our conference is really competitive and most of the teams are solid and most of them have been growing every year. Everybody wants to beat us, but we come out and play hard and do our game. We know that a lot of teams want to come after us, but we're ready. We're going to come to play, work hard and play our game.
"Most of the time the energy starts in the back and from the keeper, it goes up, because we see everything, especially me and Adam, since we're the last men back. I think that Adam and I have really good communication, and today we talked a lot.
“And I have to give props to Nolan and Michael, too, they played a really good game and listened to me. We all communicated, and we had a great game. I'm really happy with how we played. I like the way that we play. We all love the sport, and we all come to work hard. Our starting 11 and our bench players, we're one team. We're all really technical and are very good players."
Some other first half threats for the Bengals saw Alex Stacy send in a corner kick that was headed away by sophomore Billy Eliadis, a close attempt by Plancarte that was deflected by junior goalkeeper Amir Biba and a shot from the side from Price that was also hauled in by Lemont's keeper.
Lemont had several opportunities during the opening half but Jedrzejczyk was able to turn away a pair of tries from senior Lukas Rabianski, shots by freshman Brett Tucker and senior Marek Skotnicki and a corner kick from Eliadis. A header by Skotnicki off of another corner from Eliadis was cleared by a Bengals defender.
Based on their recent performances on defense and with the return of their goalkeeper from an injury, scoring goals against Oak Forest will be a challenge for many teams.
"My left back, Brandan, just moved to that new position and has been playing amazingly there. It's been very impressive," Jedrzejczyk said. "And Miguel and I communicate a lot which is very welcome. I always trust my defenders a lot, but if they make a mistake, I'm there to help out. You always have to go into everything feeling confident, because if you don't have confidence, you're going to get scored on a lot.
"It makes it very difficult, because a lot of these teams we saw last year lost a lot of seniors. So they're going to be a whole different team, but we're ready for that and come in 100 percent in every single game.
“Coach (Kieran) Byrne tells us to never judge your opponent, so that's what we do. Coach Byrne always tells us to worry about ourselves and not the other teams, because when we're worrying about ourselves, we'll play 100 percent in every single game. We just have to focus on ourselves.
“I love that we treat each other as family, that we're always communicating and that we're always going into every game 100 percent. We're like a brotherhood in every single game."
Like Oak Forest, Lemont has performed well on defense this season, allowing just seven goals while recording six shutouts. It has gone 3-1-1 in its last five SSC matches, recording four shutouts, including a 1-0 home win over Bremen on September 10 and allowing only the early goal to the Bengals.
Even though Lemont has been creating opportunities, it has scored just six goals in its seven matches against SSC teams, and it failed to score for the second match in a row.
In the final half, Eliadis had an early attempt cleared by Speaker. Shortly after Bengals coach Byrne exited the field following two yellow cards, Rabianski sent in a shot that was headed away by Brandan Stacy.
Lemont threatened in the late stages with senior Adam Briestensky and sophomore Tyler Chrisman both being denied by Jedrzejczyk. The Bengals applied late pressure when senior Marcos Sandoval Lucas had a shot deflected by senior Ben Kittridge before Biba pulled in a free kick from Brandan Stacy and a shot from sophomore Lennon Flores.
In the division standings, Lemont has 11 points with four matches to go, Oak Forest has 10 points and still has six more matches to play and Bremen (4-3-1) has 13 points with three matches left after falling 4-0 to Shepard on Thursday.
Oak Forest will face a number of squads that are battling for the Red Division title. They play at Richards on Sept. 27 and at Shepard on Oct. 8. Oak Forest hosts Oak Lawn on Oct. 1 and Eisenhower on Oct. 11.
Lemont plays Red Division contenders Richards on Sept. 29 and at Eisenhower on October 13.
Bremen hosts Oak Lawn on Sept. 27 and plays in a big Blue Division tilt at Oak Forest on October 4.
Oak Forest has a busy week coming up. Besides the Richards and Oak Lawn games, they host Evergreen Park on Thursday.
Lemont hosts Downers Grove North on Saturday, and Reavis on Sept. 27. After the Richards match, it faces Tinley Park on Oct. 1.
Starting lineups
Lemont
GK: Amir Biba
D: Adam Briestensky
D: Aidan Ontiveros
D: Lucas Urban
D: Ben Kittridge
MF: Billy Eliadis
MF: Ali Nabulsi
MF: Marek Skotnicki
MF: Alex Gaberek
F: Tyler Chrisman
F: Lukas Rabianski
Oak Forest
GK: Adam Jedrzejczyk
D: Michael Speaker
D: Nolan Price
D: Brandan Stacy
D: Miguel Zavala
MF: Alex Stacy
MF: Lennon Flores
MF: Marcos Sandoval Lucas
MF: Ian Evans
F: Ian Plancarte
F: Jhan Ruiz
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Adam Jedrzejczyk, so., GK, Oak Forest
Miguel Zavala, sr., D, Oak Forest
Scoring summary
First half
Oak Forest: Ian Plancarte (Alex Stacy), 3'
Second half
No scoring
then holds off Lemont
Bengals prevail in big South Suburban Blue showdown
By Curt Herron
OAK FOREST – Here’s the game plan: score a goal in the opening minutes and then rely on a good defensive performance and a quality effort from your goaltender.
In the strong and balanced South Suburban Conference, that strategy will be successful on a lot of evenings. Such was the case in the Thursday night Blue Division showdown between the top two teams in the division a year ago, champion Lemont and runnerup Oak Forest.
The Bengals got an early goal from senior Ian Plancarte off an assist from junior Alex Stacy. Then they featured the play of senior defenders Miguel Zavala, Michael Speaker, Nolan Price and Giovanni Cabrera and junior Brandan Stacy who teamed with sophomore goalkeeper Adam Jedrzejczyk to stop everything that Lemont sent their way.
The payoff was a 1-0 home victory.
The Bengals (7-2-2, 3-1-1) capitalized on their first solid opportunity in the match. Plancarte put in a shot from close range in the third minute for his team-high seventh goal and 15th point. Alex Stacy was credited his team-best fourth assist.
"It was a good feeling because we knew that this team was going to be good, so anything that we could get at the beginning of the game could help us for the rest of the game," Plancarte said. "It showed that it was the only thing that we needed, and we played composed the rest of the game. It's a good feeling when you have good defenders like Miguel and the good keeper that we have.
"We've just been playing as a team, and we couldn't let the other team get in our heads. Once they get in our heads, we start losing track of the ball. So we just have to stay composed and play together. I like that we can play good against anyone."
While veteran coach Rick Prangen was pleased by his team's play for much of the match, he wasn't happy with the way Lemont (7-3-2, 3-2-2) performed at the outset.
"We weren't ready to play in the first 10 minutes of the game, and it showed. That's where the goal came from," Prangen said. "After that, I thought that we pretty much had the run of play. Their keeper made a really good save in the first half. We were in one time and that should probably have been in the back of the net. And a corner kick head ball was cleared off the line. But that's how the game is. It can be cruel like that, because you do more things right than the other side and still lose. And that's what we did today.
"It was a big game; and I don't think our guys showed up for the start of a big game, and that's unfortunate. After that, I thought that their response was good, and they worked hard to try to get back into it. When you play a tight game on a smaller field that's artificial and the team is organized, it's hard to break them down, and they have a very good keeper.
"In the last couple of games we've been on the margin where we've had to be perfect. So, we need to find ways to execute our chances a little better. The guys are disappointed, and I'm disappointed. But there are a lot of conference games, and a lot of things can happen."
This shutout was the fifth for the Bengals and fourth for Jedrzejczyk.
Oak Forest has allowed just one goal in four other matches and yielded three on two occasions to give it a total of 10 goals allowed in its 11 matches.
Getting an early lead in a showdown on their home turf with the defending division champions was a huge boost for the Bengals, who have a lot of confidence in their defense.
"Scoring early was really big for us," Zavala said. "Lemont is one of top teams in the conference, so we knew that we had to play hard. We play hard every year against them and last year we tied them. So, we were expecting that a good team was coming to play, and we came out hard and worked and put one on the board early. That gave us the energy and the momentum throughout the game.
"Our conference is really competitive and most of the teams are solid and most of them have been growing every year. Everybody wants to beat us, but we come out and play hard and do our game. We know that a lot of teams want to come after us, but we're ready. We're going to come to play, work hard and play our game.
"Most of the time the energy starts in the back and from the keeper, it goes up, because we see everything, especially me and Adam, since we're the last men back. I think that Adam and I have really good communication, and today we talked a lot.
“And I have to give props to Nolan and Michael, too, they played a really good game and listened to me. We all communicated, and we had a great game. I'm really happy with how we played. I like the way that we play. We all love the sport, and we all come to work hard. Our starting 11 and our bench players, we're one team. We're all really technical and are very good players."
Some other first half threats for the Bengals saw Alex Stacy send in a corner kick that was headed away by sophomore Billy Eliadis, a close attempt by Plancarte that was deflected by junior goalkeeper Amir Biba and a shot from the side from Price that was also hauled in by Lemont's keeper.
Lemont had several opportunities during the opening half but Jedrzejczyk was able to turn away a pair of tries from senior Lukas Rabianski, shots by freshman Brett Tucker and senior Marek Skotnicki and a corner kick from Eliadis. A header by Skotnicki off of another corner from Eliadis was cleared by a Bengals defender.
Based on their recent performances on defense and with the return of their goalkeeper from an injury, scoring goals against Oak Forest will be a challenge for many teams.
"My left back, Brandan, just moved to that new position and has been playing amazingly there. It's been very impressive," Jedrzejczyk said. "And Miguel and I communicate a lot which is very welcome. I always trust my defenders a lot, but if they make a mistake, I'm there to help out. You always have to go into everything feeling confident, because if you don't have confidence, you're going to get scored on a lot.
"It makes it very difficult, because a lot of these teams we saw last year lost a lot of seniors. So they're going to be a whole different team, but we're ready for that and come in 100 percent in every single game.
“Coach (Kieran) Byrne tells us to never judge your opponent, so that's what we do. Coach Byrne always tells us to worry about ourselves and not the other teams, because when we're worrying about ourselves, we'll play 100 percent in every single game. We just have to focus on ourselves.
“I love that we treat each other as family, that we're always communicating and that we're always going into every game 100 percent. We're like a brotherhood in every single game."
Like Oak Forest, Lemont has performed well on defense this season, allowing just seven goals while recording six shutouts. It has gone 3-1-1 in its last five SSC matches, recording four shutouts, including a 1-0 home win over Bremen on September 10 and allowing only the early goal to the Bengals.
Even though Lemont has been creating opportunities, it has scored just six goals in its seven matches against SSC teams, and it failed to score for the second match in a row.
In the final half, Eliadis had an early attempt cleared by Speaker. Shortly after Bengals coach Byrne exited the field following two yellow cards, Rabianski sent in a shot that was headed away by Brandan Stacy.
Lemont threatened in the late stages with senior Adam Briestensky and sophomore Tyler Chrisman both being denied by Jedrzejczyk. The Bengals applied late pressure when senior Marcos Sandoval Lucas had a shot deflected by senior Ben Kittridge before Biba pulled in a free kick from Brandan Stacy and a shot from sophomore Lennon Flores.
In the division standings, Lemont has 11 points with four matches to go, Oak Forest has 10 points and still has six more matches to play and Bremen (4-3-1) has 13 points with three matches left after falling 4-0 to Shepard on Thursday.
Oak Forest will face a number of squads that are battling for the Red Division title. They play at Richards on Sept. 27 and at Shepard on Oct. 8. Oak Forest hosts Oak Lawn on Oct. 1 and Eisenhower on Oct. 11.
Lemont plays Red Division contenders Richards on Sept. 29 and at Eisenhower on October 13.
Bremen hosts Oak Lawn on Sept. 27 and plays in a big Blue Division tilt at Oak Forest on October 4.
Oak Forest has a busy week coming up. Besides the Richards and Oak Lawn games, they host Evergreen Park on Thursday.
Lemont hosts Downers Grove North on Saturday, and Reavis on Sept. 27. After the Richards match, it faces Tinley Park on Oct. 1.
Starting lineups
Lemont
GK: Amir Biba
D: Adam Briestensky
D: Aidan Ontiveros
D: Lucas Urban
D: Ben Kittridge
MF: Billy Eliadis
MF: Ali Nabulsi
MF: Marek Skotnicki
MF: Alex Gaberek
F: Tyler Chrisman
F: Lukas Rabianski
Oak Forest
GK: Adam Jedrzejczyk
D: Michael Speaker
D: Nolan Price
D: Brandan Stacy
D: Miguel Zavala
MF: Alex Stacy
MF: Lennon Flores
MF: Marcos Sandoval Lucas
MF: Ian Evans
F: Ian Plancarte
F: Jhan Ruiz
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Adam Jedrzejczyk, so., GK, Oak Forest
Miguel Zavala, sr., D, Oak Forest
Scoring summary
First half
Oak Forest: Ian Plancarte (Alex Stacy), 3'
Second half
No scoring