Deep Leyden downs DGN
Eagles (2-0-0) score 3-1 road win, Trojans fall in season opener
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Leyden senior midfielder Marco Villalobos was asked Tuesday about his team’s astounding offensive production in its first two games and responded shyly.
“We’re pretty good,” Villalobos said softly.
There has been nothing soft about Leyden’s play thus far. After routing Larkin 7-2 in their season opener on Monday, the Eagles came back and knocked off host Downers Grove North 3-1 on the road Tuesday at Carstens Field.
Villalobos bagged the game-winner on a 30-yard shot with 5:07 left in the first half and senior Francisco Toral, who earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors with a goal and assist, put the game away with a steal and score with 3:24 to go in the game.
The strong performance, which came on the road against a team that won 16 games last year, was not a surprise to the Eagles.
“We’ve got a lot of returning varsity players this year, and I feel like we also are a really senior-heavy team,” Toral said. “We have a really strong team.
“We’ve got a team with a lot of depth and the work we put out there is pretty much every player can do something.”
It certainly seems that way. Leyden got two goals from Eduardo Hernandez and one each from Marcel Garcia, Dan Toral, Matt Makowiec, Omar Patino and Oscar Cifuentes against Larkin.
Against Downers North, the Eagles substituted liberally. At times they brought in nine fresh players, yet they never missed a beat and used precision passing to control the midfield from the start.
“We have a very strong midfield,” Francisco Toral said. “We rotate players in. We have a lot of depth.”
That’s a luxury for Leyden coach Mark Valintis, who said it played a big role against a physical Downers Grove North side.
“We played 22 guys tonight,” Valintis said. “I think as the game wore on, especially maybe the last 10 minutes, we ran them into the ground.
“There were stretches where they dominated us for several minutes at a time, but the last 10 minutes they struggled with heavy legs. That’s part of what we want to do is get guys time. The more time they get now, the better they will be down the road.”
The Eagles (2-0-0) were good from the start against the Trojans, who were caught flat-footed in their season debut and conceded in the ninth minute on a pretty build-up. It saw Francisco Toral send a pass into the box to Villalobos, who flicked it ahead to Eduardo Hernandez at the top of the 6 for a one-timer inside the right post.
“It was the first game and we just wanted to get out there ready to play,” Downers Grove North senior Jack Richards said. “We’ve been scrimmaging ourselves and just wanted to finally get out there and play.
“Normally we just don’t come out to play at the beginning, and I think that’s what happened now. But we’ve just got to look forward to the next one on Thursday.”
The Trojans (0-1-0) did respond and got the equalizer just six minutes later when junior Braeden Gagliano ran onto a perfect feed from Richards and toe-poked a shot past Leyden goalie David Duwal inside the right post.
It was the first varsity goal for Gagliano, one of a host of new faces for the Trojans.
“That was his first touch, too,” Richards noted. “I think he’s going to be good for the team.
“In practice he’s like that, too, so it’s not surprising. He’s just going up from here.”
But the Trojans ultimately will go as far as Richards, a Division I prospect, takes them. The four-year starting midfielder was arguably the best player on the field and was unlucky not to have a hat trick.
Richards nearly scored twice on dipping free kicks. The first, a 32-yarder, was caught by a leaping Duwal with the score 1-1, and the second was a 25-yarder that barely went over the crossbar midway through the second half. Downers Grove North also had a shot hit the post four minutes after intermission.
“For the other team the threat was (Richards),” Francisco Toral said. “He’s a very talented player, but I felt like our midfield started slowly shutting him down and wearing him out and keeping him honest.”
The Eagles did that to the rest of the Trojans, too.
“We knew that they were a very competitive team; that they had a strong season last year, and they’re expecting to do the same this year,” Francisco Toral said. “It was their home field, but we kept our heads in the game and tried to do our thing and take the ‘W.’”
Villalobos did his part, tallying his first goal of the season in surprising fashion. He got the ball on the right wing and bent a 30-yard shot past Downers Grove North keeper Christopher Bull to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
“I just touched it and shot it with my left,” Villalobos said. “It curved in.”
Francisco Toral then closed it out with his first goal of the year. He stole the ball on the right wing, dribbled around Bull and rolled a shot into the empty net in the 77th minute.
It was the kind of opportunistic play which, combined with the occasional dominance in the middle, will make the Eagles tough to beat this fall.
“We did that last night against Larkin,” Valintis said. “We did that at times today; other times maybe not so much.
“We had a lot of silly giveaways but I think that had a lot to do with Downers’ physical presence and their pace.
“We’ve got 17 seniors, a lot of guys with varsity experience. The new guys to varsity are solid players and give us a lot of fresh life. They came out against a good team like Downers and they found a way to win.”
Count Downers Gro e North coach Mike Schmitt among the ranks of those impressed with Leyden.
“They were doing full line changes, like nine guys at once,” Schmitt said. “That was impressive. That was like when we used to open against Benet, a strong group to come up against for an opening game.”
Expectations remain elevated for the Trojans, though the results may come more toward the back end of the season than the front.
“I think we graduated 12 seniors and seven were starters,” Schmitt said. “So we lost a lot of talent individually. But I think a lot of the guys that came up this year are very hard-working, and we’ll have more of a team dynamic instead of more individual talent.
“I thought we did play pretty well. I think nerves got the best of us in the first 10-15 minutes and put us under a lot of pressure early on, which caused a lot of problems for us.”
It was particularly challenging for North’s back line, which is nearly brand new. Junior Nick Eshghy got significant playing time last year, but juniors Kevin Danner and Ryan Newstrom, senior Declan Kramper and freshman Samuel Bull are getting their feet wet.
“This year we’ve got a lot of young guys, especially the backline, so we’ve just got to keep talking and make sure they’re organized and win the games that we should win and fight the games that are tougher,” Richards said. “They did pretty well today.
“There were a few times where they just need to talk but besides that they looked pretty solid, and it’s exciting.”
Schmitt tabbed seniors Tyler Cree and Ryan Shanahan as key weapons for the Trojans, but Richards remains the linchpin who is expected to do much of the scoring and draw most of the attention from defenses.
“He’s a four-year starter in the center of the field and (starting) is not something everyone can do as a freshman,” Schmitt said. “He’s one of our standout players.
“He had a couple of really good looks (Tuesday) but their goalie, when you’ve got a goalie that size that can move, that’s something pretty special, and I think he did a really good job keeping Leyden in the game today.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK David Duwal
D Dennis Arreaza
D Marcelo Garcia
D Michal Suchy
D Abel Estrada
M Andy Moreno
M Marco Villalobos
M Adrian W. Flores
M Jakub Trela
F Eduardo Hernandez
F Matt Makowiec
Downers Grove North
GK Christopher Bull
D Kevin Danner
D Ryan Newstrom
D Declan Kramper
D Samuel Bull
D Nick Eshghy
M Ryan Shanahan
M Jack Richeards
M Nicholas Chapa
F Ramsey Forst
F Tyler Cree
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Francisco Toral, F, Leyden
Scoring summary
First half
Leyden – Hernandez (Villalobos, Francisco Toral) 31:25
Downers Grove North – Gagliano (Richards) 25:12
Leyden – Villalobos 5:07
Second half
Leyden – Toral 3:24
Eagles (2-0-0) score 3-1 road win, Trojans fall in season opener
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Leyden senior midfielder Marco Villalobos was asked Tuesday about his team’s astounding offensive production in its first two games and responded shyly.
“We’re pretty good,” Villalobos said softly.
There has been nothing soft about Leyden’s play thus far. After routing Larkin 7-2 in their season opener on Monday, the Eagles came back and knocked off host Downers Grove North 3-1 on the road Tuesday at Carstens Field.
Villalobos bagged the game-winner on a 30-yard shot with 5:07 left in the first half and senior Francisco Toral, who earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors with a goal and assist, put the game away with a steal and score with 3:24 to go in the game.
The strong performance, which came on the road against a team that won 16 games last year, was not a surprise to the Eagles.
“We’ve got a lot of returning varsity players this year, and I feel like we also are a really senior-heavy team,” Toral said. “We have a really strong team.
“We’ve got a team with a lot of depth and the work we put out there is pretty much every player can do something.”
It certainly seems that way. Leyden got two goals from Eduardo Hernandez and one each from Marcel Garcia, Dan Toral, Matt Makowiec, Omar Patino and Oscar Cifuentes against Larkin.
Against Downers North, the Eagles substituted liberally. At times they brought in nine fresh players, yet they never missed a beat and used precision passing to control the midfield from the start.
“We have a very strong midfield,” Francisco Toral said. “We rotate players in. We have a lot of depth.”
That’s a luxury for Leyden coach Mark Valintis, who said it played a big role against a physical Downers Grove North side.
“We played 22 guys tonight,” Valintis said. “I think as the game wore on, especially maybe the last 10 minutes, we ran them into the ground.
“There were stretches where they dominated us for several minutes at a time, but the last 10 minutes they struggled with heavy legs. That’s part of what we want to do is get guys time. The more time they get now, the better they will be down the road.”
The Eagles (2-0-0) were good from the start against the Trojans, who were caught flat-footed in their season debut and conceded in the ninth minute on a pretty build-up. It saw Francisco Toral send a pass into the box to Villalobos, who flicked it ahead to Eduardo Hernandez at the top of the 6 for a one-timer inside the right post.
“It was the first game and we just wanted to get out there ready to play,” Downers Grove North senior Jack Richards said. “We’ve been scrimmaging ourselves and just wanted to finally get out there and play.
“Normally we just don’t come out to play at the beginning, and I think that’s what happened now. But we’ve just got to look forward to the next one on Thursday.”
The Trojans (0-1-0) did respond and got the equalizer just six minutes later when junior Braeden Gagliano ran onto a perfect feed from Richards and toe-poked a shot past Leyden goalie David Duwal inside the right post.
It was the first varsity goal for Gagliano, one of a host of new faces for the Trojans.
“That was his first touch, too,” Richards noted. “I think he’s going to be good for the team.
“In practice he’s like that, too, so it’s not surprising. He’s just going up from here.”
But the Trojans ultimately will go as far as Richards, a Division I prospect, takes them. The four-year starting midfielder was arguably the best player on the field and was unlucky not to have a hat trick.
Richards nearly scored twice on dipping free kicks. The first, a 32-yarder, was caught by a leaping Duwal with the score 1-1, and the second was a 25-yarder that barely went over the crossbar midway through the second half. Downers Grove North also had a shot hit the post four minutes after intermission.
“For the other team the threat was (Richards),” Francisco Toral said. “He’s a very talented player, but I felt like our midfield started slowly shutting him down and wearing him out and keeping him honest.”
The Eagles did that to the rest of the Trojans, too.
“We knew that they were a very competitive team; that they had a strong season last year, and they’re expecting to do the same this year,” Francisco Toral said. “It was their home field, but we kept our heads in the game and tried to do our thing and take the ‘W.’”
Villalobos did his part, tallying his first goal of the season in surprising fashion. He got the ball on the right wing and bent a 30-yard shot past Downers Grove North keeper Christopher Bull to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
“I just touched it and shot it with my left,” Villalobos said. “It curved in.”
Francisco Toral then closed it out with his first goal of the year. He stole the ball on the right wing, dribbled around Bull and rolled a shot into the empty net in the 77th minute.
It was the kind of opportunistic play which, combined with the occasional dominance in the middle, will make the Eagles tough to beat this fall.
“We did that last night against Larkin,” Valintis said. “We did that at times today; other times maybe not so much.
“We had a lot of silly giveaways but I think that had a lot to do with Downers’ physical presence and their pace.
“We’ve got 17 seniors, a lot of guys with varsity experience. The new guys to varsity are solid players and give us a lot of fresh life. They came out against a good team like Downers and they found a way to win.”
Count Downers Gro e North coach Mike Schmitt among the ranks of those impressed with Leyden.
“They were doing full line changes, like nine guys at once,” Schmitt said. “That was impressive. That was like when we used to open against Benet, a strong group to come up against for an opening game.”
Expectations remain elevated for the Trojans, though the results may come more toward the back end of the season than the front.
“I think we graduated 12 seniors and seven were starters,” Schmitt said. “So we lost a lot of talent individually. But I think a lot of the guys that came up this year are very hard-working, and we’ll have more of a team dynamic instead of more individual talent.
“I thought we did play pretty well. I think nerves got the best of us in the first 10-15 minutes and put us under a lot of pressure early on, which caused a lot of problems for us.”
It was particularly challenging for North’s back line, which is nearly brand new. Junior Nick Eshghy got significant playing time last year, but juniors Kevin Danner and Ryan Newstrom, senior Declan Kramper and freshman Samuel Bull are getting their feet wet.
“This year we’ve got a lot of young guys, especially the backline, so we’ve just got to keep talking and make sure they’re organized and win the games that we should win and fight the games that are tougher,” Richards said. “They did pretty well today.
“There were a few times where they just need to talk but besides that they looked pretty solid, and it’s exciting.”
Schmitt tabbed seniors Tyler Cree and Ryan Shanahan as key weapons for the Trojans, but Richards remains the linchpin who is expected to do much of the scoring and draw most of the attention from defenses.
“He’s a four-year starter in the center of the field and (starting) is not something everyone can do as a freshman,” Schmitt said. “He’s one of our standout players.
“He had a couple of really good looks (Tuesday) but their goalie, when you’ve got a goalie that size that can move, that’s something pretty special, and I think he did a really good job keeping Leyden in the game today.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK David Duwal
D Dennis Arreaza
D Marcelo Garcia
D Michal Suchy
D Abel Estrada
M Andy Moreno
M Marco Villalobos
M Adrian W. Flores
M Jakub Trela
F Eduardo Hernandez
F Matt Makowiec
Downers Grove North
GK Christopher Bull
D Kevin Danner
D Ryan Newstrom
D Declan Kramper
D Samuel Bull
D Nick Eshghy
M Ryan Shanahan
M Jack Richeards
M Nicholas Chapa
F Ramsey Forst
F Tyler Cree
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Francisco Toral, F, Leyden
Scoring summary
First half
Leyden – Hernandez (Villalobos, Francisco Toral) 31:25
Downers Grove North – Gagliano (Richards) 25:12
Leyden – Villalobos 5:07
Second half
Leyden – Toral 3:24