Seniors shine in Waubonsie Valley win
Garduno, Fritz score in 3-1 Senior Night win over Lemont
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – Daniel Fritz had been waiting for this moment his entire high school career.
When he was an underclassman, the Waubonsie Valley forward would watch how the seniors basked in the glow of Senior Night festivities and dreamed of what would happen when he was a senior.
That moment arrived Wednesday and Fritz made it a memorable one, scoring the final goal in the Warriors’ 3-1 victory over Lemont in the second round of the WarStang Invitational.
“Two years ago, we had a senior, Mitch Mueller, who had a game-winner right over there on Senior Night,” Fritz said. “So (I was) just taking (a lesson) from him.
“I learned a lot from the seniors, both last year and sophomore year. So to be able to kind of lead these younger guys, too, and show them how to play and how to win, is a very nice feeling.”
Fellow senior Brandon Garduno scored on Waubonsie Valley’s first shot of the game, and Fritz followed suit by converting his team’s first attempt of the second half.
Noah Glorioso sent a corner kick in from the right side and Fritz got hold of a secondary ball just outside the left post. Fritz then beat a defender into the 6 and roofed a shot inside the left post with 38:16 remaining, giving the Warriors (10-5-2) a two-goal cushion.
“It was great,” Fritz said. “At halftime we were talking about we just want to start blowing them out and try to get two or three.
“One’s good enough, but to score on Senior Night means a lot because of all these past few years we’ve been working up to this one moment. I’ve always been thinking about this and to be able to score on this night is some amazing stuff.”
As good as it was, Fritz’s goal wasn’t the most amazing of the game. That honor went to Garduno’s strike, a left-footed, 17-yard volley that snuck past Lemont goalie Kenny Benoit and inside the left post to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead with 11:50 to go in the first half.
It was the first goal of the season for Garduno, a senior defender who also can be dangerous in the attack.
“He’s very versatile player,” Waubonsie Valley coach Jose Garcia said. “The goal that he got today was an amazing goal.
“I saw it from the back. It was a great left-footed shot and perfect placement. Good for him that he finally got what he deserved with that goal.”
Glorioso and Jorge Gallegos assisted on Garduno’s goal.
“I was looking for the opportunity to go up, help the team out and then whatever I could do on defense,” Garduno said. “Noah got it up to Jorge, Jorge got a flick on it, and I was just there to finish it.
“It meant a lot. I’ve been waiting for it.”
Lemont (8-3-6) didn’t muster much offense but the Indians did get the equalizer with 3:09 remaining in the first half on a counterattack. Enis Ugljanin got behind the Waubonsie Valley defense on the right side, carried the ball into the box and crossed to an unmarked Alex Gonzalez, who blasted a 10-yard shot into the goal to tie it 1-1.
The Warriors wasted little time retaking the lead, going in front 80 seconds later when junior Diego Carillo scored off a feed from Glorioso. It was Carillo’s fourth goal in the past three games and second game-winner.
After Fritz scored early in the second half, both teams were quiet. The Indians did get seven corner kicks after intermission but were unable to generate any dangerous opportunities with them.
That spoke to the play of Garduno and fellow defenders Brando Bloedorn and Ayush Gaur. The latter pair started due to red card suspensions after Monday’s incident-marred 2-2 tie with Batavia that was called in the 52nd minute.
“I think everyone stepped it up today,” Garcia said. “It was a whole team effort, and that’s something that we were looking forward to.
“I think everyone got involved today and to see that was great. We’re doing really well, and hopefully we can continue that.”
The win over Lemont kept Waubonsie’s hopes of winning its own tournament alive but there are more important considerations.
“It gives us a bit of confidence,” Fritz said. “We had a bit of trouble in the past few days.
“We went through a little bit of a rough patch so to be able to get our heads straight yesterday at practice and to get the win today means a lot.”
The Warriors’ next win will be their 50th under Garcia. They need two more wins to equal their highest victory total in Garcia’s six-year tenure. Five more would secure their best season since 2005.
“We just have a good set of boys,” Garduno said. “Everyone brings in different energy.
“We all help each other out. We’re always there for each other.”
Garcia is pleased with the Warriors’ performance this season and was thrilled to see the seniors step up on their designated night.
“I think it was a great experience for them and to get the win out of it I think is awesome,” Garcia said. “I’m really proud of what they’ve accomplished so far. We’ve got a couple more games in here so hopefully they can keep that confidence going.”
Starting lineups
Lemont
GK Kenny Benoit
D James Locascio
D Peter Borzecki
D Johnny Chraca
M Andrius Alinkevicius
M Adam Hornik
F Richard Myalik
F Alex Gonzalez
F Sebastian Kowalczyk
F Enis Ugljanin
F Daniel Zuniga
Waubonsie Valley
GK Bryan Grimaldo
D Brandon Garduno
D Brandon Bloedorn
D Ayush Gaur
M Jorge Gallegos
M Freddy Paniagua
M Zachary Yench
M Noah Glorioso
F Milan Erastus-Obilo
F Daniel Fritz
F Jerry Perez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Brandon Garduno, sr., D, Waubonsie Valley
Scoring summary
First half
Waubonsie Valley – Brandon Garduno (Jorge Gallegos, Noah Glorioso) 11:50
Lemont – Alex Gonzalez, (Enis Ugljanin) 3:09
Waubonsie Valley – Diego Carillo (Glorioso) 1:49
Second half
Waubonsie Valley – Daniel Fritz 38:16
Garduno, Fritz score in 3-1 Senior Night win over Lemont
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – Daniel Fritz had been waiting for this moment his entire high school career.
When he was an underclassman, the Waubonsie Valley forward would watch how the seniors basked in the glow of Senior Night festivities and dreamed of what would happen when he was a senior.
That moment arrived Wednesday and Fritz made it a memorable one, scoring the final goal in the Warriors’ 3-1 victory over Lemont in the second round of the WarStang Invitational.
“Two years ago, we had a senior, Mitch Mueller, who had a game-winner right over there on Senior Night,” Fritz said. “So (I was) just taking (a lesson) from him.
“I learned a lot from the seniors, both last year and sophomore year. So to be able to kind of lead these younger guys, too, and show them how to play and how to win, is a very nice feeling.”
Fellow senior Brandon Garduno scored on Waubonsie Valley’s first shot of the game, and Fritz followed suit by converting his team’s first attempt of the second half.
Noah Glorioso sent a corner kick in from the right side and Fritz got hold of a secondary ball just outside the left post. Fritz then beat a defender into the 6 and roofed a shot inside the left post with 38:16 remaining, giving the Warriors (10-5-2) a two-goal cushion.
“It was great,” Fritz said. “At halftime we were talking about we just want to start blowing them out and try to get two or three.
“One’s good enough, but to score on Senior Night means a lot because of all these past few years we’ve been working up to this one moment. I’ve always been thinking about this and to be able to score on this night is some amazing stuff.”
As good as it was, Fritz’s goal wasn’t the most amazing of the game. That honor went to Garduno’s strike, a left-footed, 17-yard volley that snuck past Lemont goalie Kenny Benoit and inside the left post to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead with 11:50 to go in the first half.
It was the first goal of the season for Garduno, a senior defender who also can be dangerous in the attack.
“He’s very versatile player,” Waubonsie Valley coach Jose Garcia said. “The goal that he got today was an amazing goal.
“I saw it from the back. It was a great left-footed shot and perfect placement. Good for him that he finally got what he deserved with that goal.”
Glorioso and Jorge Gallegos assisted on Garduno’s goal.
“I was looking for the opportunity to go up, help the team out and then whatever I could do on defense,” Garduno said. “Noah got it up to Jorge, Jorge got a flick on it, and I was just there to finish it.
“It meant a lot. I’ve been waiting for it.”
Lemont (8-3-6) didn’t muster much offense but the Indians did get the equalizer with 3:09 remaining in the first half on a counterattack. Enis Ugljanin got behind the Waubonsie Valley defense on the right side, carried the ball into the box and crossed to an unmarked Alex Gonzalez, who blasted a 10-yard shot into the goal to tie it 1-1.
The Warriors wasted little time retaking the lead, going in front 80 seconds later when junior Diego Carillo scored off a feed from Glorioso. It was Carillo’s fourth goal in the past three games and second game-winner.
After Fritz scored early in the second half, both teams were quiet. The Indians did get seven corner kicks after intermission but were unable to generate any dangerous opportunities with them.
That spoke to the play of Garduno and fellow defenders Brando Bloedorn and Ayush Gaur. The latter pair started due to red card suspensions after Monday’s incident-marred 2-2 tie with Batavia that was called in the 52nd minute.
“I think everyone stepped it up today,” Garcia said. “It was a whole team effort, and that’s something that we were looking forward to.
“I think everyone got involved today and to see that was great. We’re doing really well, and hopefully we can continue that.”
The win over Lemont kept Waubonsie’s hopes of winning its own tournament alive but there are more important considerations.
“It gives us a bit of confidence,” Fritz said. “We had a bit of trouble in the past few days.
“We went through a little bit of a rough patch so to be able to get our heads straight yesterday at practice and to get the win today means a lot.”
The Warriors’ next win will be their 50th under Garcia. They need two more wins to equal their highest victory total in Garcia’s six-year tenure. Five more would secure their best season since 2005.
“We just have a good set of boys,” Garduno said. “Everyone brings in different energy.
“We all help each other out. We’re always there for each other.”
Garcia is pleased with the Warriors’ performance this season and was thrilled to see the seniors step up on their designated night.
“I think it was a great experience for them and to get the win out of it I think is awesome,” Garcia said. “I’m really proud of what they’ve accomplished so far. We’ve got a couple more games in here so hopefully they can keep that confidence going.”
Starting lineups
Lemont
GK Kenny Benoit
D James Locascio
D Peter Borzecki
D Johnny Chraca
M Andrius Alinkevicius
M Adam Hornik
F Richard Myalik
F Alex Gonzalez
F Sebastian Kowalczyk
F Enis Ugljanin
F Daniel Zuniga
Waubonsie Valley
GK Bryan Grimaldo
D Brandon Garduno
D Brandon Bloedorn
D Ayush Gaur
M Jorge Gallegos
M Freddy Paniagua
M Zachary Yench
M Noah Glorioso
F Milan Erastus-Obilo
F Daniel Fritz
F Jerry Perez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Brandon Garduno, sr., D, Waubonsie Valley
Scoring summary
First half
Waubonsie Valley – Brandon Garduno (Jorge Gallegos, Noah Glorioso) 11:50
Lemont – Alex Gonzalez, (Enis Ugljanin) 3:09
Waubonsie Valley – Diego Carillo (Glorioso) 1:49
Second half
Waubonsie Valley – Daniel Fritz 38:16