Leyden turns it up, tunes out AT
Vazquez nets brace, Eagles keep league hopes alive after 4-1 win
By Mike Garofola
ADDISON -- A simply magnificent display of attacking football earned Leyden a well-deserved 4-1 road victory Thursday night at Addison Trail.
It was a night of delight for the Eagles, who are ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Leyden overcame a sluggish beginning to make a powerful statement about its West Suburban Conference Gold Division ambitions. With the win, they stayed level with rival Morton at 4-0-0 in division play.
"This was a big game for us. We knew if we want to play Morton on the final day of the season for the division, (we) had to win this game," said Leyden forward Alan Vazquez.
Vazquez, who earned Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honor for his play, enjoyed an outstanding evening of soccer. He scored twice and created a handful of other chances for himself and his mates. The senior’s effort was infectious for his club and a constant thorn in the side for Addison Trail.
"Addison Trail is always has a real good team," said Vazquez, whose brace gave him 43-career goals. “They do this year also. So, we knew we had to come in and play our best in order to win the game.”
However, Leyden’s start was not indicative of the finish.
"We didn't come out very well tonight," said the three-sport Eagles star Mat Espinoza, who is the Eagles point guard on the hard court and a third baseman and catcher on the diamond. “We played nervous in that first 10 minutes, not playing our game which includes possession, quick touches, and playing to feet. We were in trouble in the early part of the game.”
Manager Mark Valintis stationed his four-year veteran in the midfield last season but now has him deployed in the middle of an outstanding Eagles backline.
Alan Jacinto ended the visitors’ tardy start with the opener at 14 minutes.
"Scoring the first goal in any game in big, but with the way we started the game it was even bigger for us to get (Jacinto's) goal," Espinoza said.
"It's not an excuse, and in no way discredits a great Addison Trail team, but we looked off our game at the start," began Valintis.
"I don't know if it was because we're on spring break, and the guys were just sitting around all day, or the anxiousness of playing Ryan's (Dini, Addison Trail manager) team. They always give us a tough battle. Or the fact of how important it was to get a positive result, but we struggled from the opening whistle.”
Addison Trail felt it had a hand in how the early going went.
"We had a great start tonight; exactly the type of start you want to have against an opponent like Leyden," began Dini. "But it sure didn't last long.
"Quite frankly, this is the type of game and opponent you worry about.
"They have put 4-5 goals up on their opponents of late; they have some really dangerous players to attack with. When we lost Angel (Gomez), one of our captains who is an impressive leader and terrific center back (twice in this game) and missed a PK, you kind of knew it might not be your night."
Plenty of high pressure up-top from the Blazers (4-3-1, 3-2-0) quartet of Mert Ahmed, Brian Flores, Adrian Guzman, and Anthony Hernandez kept the Eagles in their own end for nearly a quarter hour.
"(They) did put us under a lot at the start," said Valintis. “We were not winning balls in the midfield which didn't help.”
Despite the rough start, the defense didn’t yield. The unit has conceded just seven goals in seven games.
“Jesus (Recendez) and Edgar (Orozco) have been unheralded keys to our success and terrific distributors from their spots as our outside backs,” Valintis said. "And it really helps to have Espinoza and Krystian (Martinez) as the center backs."
Jacinto thumped in the Eagles first goal from in-close after Ozzie Pacheo's bending effort went off the gloves of keeper Mateo Gomez.
Two minutes later, the visitors doubled their advantage when a well-played, quick one-two combination from Dylan Santamaria and Pablo Mancho allowed the aforementioned Vazquez to unload a wicked angled shot from the right side into the far inside netting.
"Mancha gave me a great ball, and when I saw the keeper go towards the right post, it left a hole going the other way to shoot at," recounted Vazquez.
With the Eagles (6-1-0, 4-0-0) now brimming with confidence, they added to the lead. An exchange between Recendez and Flores on a short corner ended with Javier Solis' diving header in the back of the net.
The spree left Addison Trail reeling.
"It's really too bad we didn't finish some of our chances during our strong start tonight," said Blazers senior Alex Sandoval, who played the eight for Dini and provides the type of high-energy work rate that good clubs need.
"We really began to struggle after their first goal, but I thought when we pulled one back before the half it would carry into the second half. It did for a while, but that's not enough against a good team like Leyden.”
Addison Trail had chances to draw closer long before Nico Parente made it 3-1 in the 33rd minute. The regrets included a missed PK attempt just moments after the Solis strike and minutes ahead of the Parente goal.
"Anthony (Hernandez) has never, ever missed a PK for us in his three years on the varsity, but I guess it was one of those nights," bemoaned Dini.
"I thought Nico's goal before the half might energize us coming out of the break, but we didn't sustain our play after some initial pressure and most of the second half belonged to Leyden."
Play became a little chippy at times with both sides sensing the next goal could make our break the night for either club. But after the referee started to book players on both sides during a 10-minute span, things began to settle down.
Leyden’s Pacheo went close. Hernandez did the same for the Blazers. Near the hour mark, Valintis and his longtime assistant and former Palatine High School star Jimmy Rossetti switched to a 4-4-2 formation from a 4-3-3, and things began to open up for the visitors. The activity shut down the home side’s advances.
"We talked about the switch at the break. We knew AT would come out very strong, so dropping another man into the middle to defend more would benefit us greatly," said Valintis.
"From that point when we switched formations, we did a great job of handling their attack, but also counter-attacked quickly, which created some great chances for us."
Leyden had already taken control long before Vazquez tripled the visitors’ advantage five minutes from time with a brilliant finish. The senior’s eighth goal of the season was a 25-yard cracker on the turn that hit the bar and bounded over the end line.
"I was in a 1-v-1 situation, and my right foot kind of came in handy then," smiled Vazquez.
"This is a great rivalry we have with Ryan. There's a lot of respect between the both of us, and our two programs," began Valintis.
"Having no. 10 (Gomez) out for them hurt Ryan's team, but they never gave in, and played us hard for 80 minutes."
"Alan worked hard all night and was rewarded with his two goals. Solis gives us another dimension when he's out there, Mancha has been outstanding all throughout as our central target, while Cris (Hernandez) always seems to find space to get some scoring chances for himself.
"It took a total team effort tonight to beat Addison Trail, Now we'll take a couple of days off during this holiday weekend, and get ourselves ready for Hinsdale South next week.”
Dini, his staff and his 17th-ranked club will look to regroup and regain its form. The Blazes play the Provisos, East and West, next week.
"We expected Leyden to be fast and very skilled on the ball, and we saw it tonight,” Dini said. “Most times when we play it’s a one-goal result or overtime.
"They've been scoring a lot of late and had only one loss coming in. They made it tough on us tonight and deserved the win."
First 11
Leyden (4-3-3)
G- Isael Marin
D- Jesus Recendez
D- Matt Espinoza
D- Krystian Martinez
D- Edgar Orozco
M- Dylan Santamaria
M- Alan Jacinto
M- Ozzie Pacheo
F- Alan Vazquez
F- Cris Hernandez
F- Pablo Mancha
Addison Trail (4-2-3-1)
G- Mateo Gomez
D- Michael Gamboa
D- Angel Gomez
D- David Peters
D- Uriel Bibiano
M- Alex Sandoval
M- Eric Garcia
M- Mert Ahmed
M- Brian Flores
M- Adrian Guzman
F- Angel Hernandez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alan Vazquez, sr., F, Leyden
Referee: Lee Hwang
Scoring summary
First half
Leyden: Jacinto (Pacheo) 14'
Leyden: Vazquez (Mancha, Santamaria) 16'
Leyden: Solis (Flores, Recendez) 23'
Addison Trail: Parente (Hernandez, Sandoval) 33'
Second half
Leyden: Vazquez (U/A) 75'
Vazquez nets brace, Eagles keep league hopes alive after 4-1 win
By Mike Garofola
ADDISON -- A simply magnificent display of attacking football earned Leyden a well-deserved 4-1 road victory Thursday night at Addison Trail.
It was a night of delight for the Eagles, who are ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Leyden overcame a sluggish beginning to make a powerful statement about its West Suburban Conference Gold Division ambitions. With the win, they stayed level with rival Morton at 4-0-0 in division play.
"This was a big game for us. We knew if we want to play Morton on the final day of the season for the division, (we) had to win this game," said Leyden forward Alan Vazquez.
Vazquez, who earned Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honor for his play, enjoyed an outstanding evening of soccer. He scored twice and created a handful of other chances for himself and his mates. The senior’s effort was infectious for his club and a constant thorn in the side for Addison Trail.
"Addison Trail is always has a real good team," said Vazquez, whose brace gave him 43-career goals. “They do this year also. So, we knew we had to come in and play our best in order to win the game.”
However, Leyden’s start was not indicative of the finish.
"We didn't come out very well tonight," said the three-sport Eagles star Mat Espinoza, who is the Eagles point guard on the hard court and a third baseman and catcher on the diamond. “We played nervous in that first 10 minutes, not playing our game which includes possession, quick touches, and playing to feet. We were in trouble in the early part of the game.”
Manager Mark Valintis stationed his four-year veteran in the midfield last season but now has him deployed in the middle of an outstanding Eagles backline.
Alan Jacinto ended the visitors’ tardy start with the opener at 14 minutes.
"Scoring the first goal in any game in big, but with the way we started the game it was even bigger for us to get (Jacinto's) goal," Espinoza said.
"It's not an excuse, and in no way discredits a great Addison Trail team, but we looked off our game at the start," began Valintis.
"I don't know if it was because we're on spring break, and the guys were just sitting around all day, or the anxiousness of playing Ryan's (Dini, Addison Trail manager) team. They always give us a tough battle. Or the fact of how important it was to get a positive result, but we struggled from the opening whistle.”
Addison Trail felt it had a hand in how the early going went.
"We had a great start tonight; exactly the type of start you want to have against an opponent like Leyden," began Dini. "But it sure didn't last long.
"Quite frankly, this is the type of game and opponent you worry about.
"They have put 4-5 goals up on their opponents of late; they have some really dangerous players to attack with. When we lost Angel (Gomez), one of our captains who is an impressive leader and terrific center back (twice in this game) and missed a PK, you kind of knew it might not be your night."
Plenty of high pressure up-top from the Blazers (4-3-1, 3-2-0) quartet of Mert Ahmed, Brian Flores, Adrian Guzman, and Anthony Hernandez kept the Eagles in their own end for nearly a quarter hour.
"(They) did put us under a lot at the start," said Valintis. “We were not winning balls in the midfield which didn't help.”
Despite the rough start, the defense didn’t yield. The unit has conceded just seven goals in seven games.
“Jesus (Recendez) and Edgar (Orozco) have been unheralded keys to our success and terrific distributors from their spots as our outside backs,” Valintis said. "And it really helps to have Espinoza and Krystian (Martinez) as the center backs."
Jacinto thumped in the Eagles first goal from in-close after Ozzie Pacheo's bending effort went off the gloves of keeper Mateo Gomez.
Two minutes later, the visitors doubled their advantage when a well-played, quick one-two combination from Dylan Santamaria and Pablo Mancho allowed the aforementioned Vazquez to unload a wicked angled shot from the right side into the far inside netting.
"Mancha gave me a great ball, and when I saw the keeper go towards the right post, it left a hole going the other way to shoot at," recounted Vazquez.
With the Eagles (6-1-0, 4-0-0) now brimming with confidence, they added to the lead. An exchange between Recendez and Flores on a short corner ended with Javier Solis' diving header in the back of the net.
The spree left Addison Trail reeling.
"It's really too bad we didn't finish some of our chances during our strong start tonight," said Blazers senior Alex Sandoval, who played the eight for Dini and provides the type of high-energy work rate that good clubs need.
"We really began to struggle after their first goal, but I thought when we pulled one back before the half it would carry into the second half. It did for a while, but that's not enough against a good team like Leyden.”
Addison Trail had chances to draw closer long before Nico Parente made it 3-1 in the 33rd minute. The regrets included a missed PK attempt just moments after the Solis strike and minutes ahead of the Parente goal.
"Anthony (Hernandez) has never, ever missed a PK for us in his three years on the varsity, but I guess it was one of those nights," bemoaned Dini.
"I thought Nico's goal before the half might energize us coming out of the break, but we didn't sustain our play after some initial pressure and most of the second half belonged to Leyden."
Play became a little chippy at times with both sides sensing the next goal could make our break the night for either club. But after the referee started to book players on both sides during a 10-minute span, things began to settle down.
Leyden’s Pacheo went close. Hernandez did the same for the Blazers. Near the hour mark, Valintis and his longtime assistant and former Palatine High School star Jimmy Rossetti switched to a 4-4-2 formation from a 4-3-3, and things began to open up for the visitors. The activity shut down the home side’s advances.
"We talked about the switch at the break. We knew AT would come out very strong, so dropping another man into the middle to defend more would benefit us greatly," said Valintis.
"From that point when we switched formations, we did a great job of handling their attack, but also counter-attacked quickly, which created some great chances for us."
Leyden had already taken control long before Vazquez tripled the visitors’ advantage five minutes from time with a brilliant finish. The senior’s eighth goal of the season was a 25-yard cracker on the turn that hit the bar and bounded over the end line.
"I was in a 1-v-1 situation, and my right foot kind of came in handy then," smiled Vazquez.
"This is a great rivalry we have with Ryan. There's a lot of respect between the both of us, and our two programs," began Valintis.
"Having no. 10 (Gomez) out for them hurt Ryan's team, but they never gave in, and played us hard for 80 minutes."
"Alan worked hard all night and was rewarded with his two goals. Solis gives us another dimension when he's out there, Mancha has been outstanding all throughout as our central target, while Cris (Hernandez) always seems to find space to get some scoring chances for himself.
"It took a total team effort tonight to beat Addison Trail, Now we'll take a couple of days off during this holiday weekend, and get ourselves ready for Hinsdale South next week.”
Dini, his staff and his 17th-ranked club will look to regroup and regain its form. The Blazes play the Provisos, East and West, next week.
"We expected Leyden to be fast and very skilled on the ball, and we saw it tonight,” Dini said. “Most times when we play it’s a one-goal result or overtime.
"They've been scoring a lot of late and had only one loss coming in. They made it tough on us tonight and deserved the win."
First 11
Leyden (4-3-3)
G- Isael Marin
D- Jesus Recendez
D- Matt Espinoza
D- Krystian Martinez
D- Edgar Orozco
M- Dylan Santamaria
M- Alan Jacinto
M- Ozzie Pacheo
F- Alan Vazquez
F- Cris Hernandez
F- Pablo Mancha
Addison Trail (4-2-3-1)
G- Mateo Gomez
D- Michael Gamboa
D- Angel Gomez
D- David Peters
D- Uriel Bibiano
M- Alex Sandoval
M- Eric Garcia
M- Mert Ahmed
M- Brian Flores
M- Adrian Guzman
F- Angel Hernandez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alan Vazquez, sr., F, Leyden
Referee: Lee Hwang
Scoring summary
First half
Leyden: Jacinto (Pacheo) 14'
Leyden: Vazquez (Mancha, Santamaria) 16'
Leyden: Solis (Flores, Recendez) 23'
Addison Trail: Parente (Hernandez, Sandoval) 33'
Second half
Leyden: Vazquez (U/A) 75'