10-minute DGS surge
turns tables on Leyden
Mustangs rally from halftime deficit to 3-1 win
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE – Welcome to the increasingly unpredictable world of West Suburban Conference Gold Division soccer.
With Leyden ahead 1-0 and having just narrowly missed on two great scoring bids in succession to open the second half, what would be expected to happen next in the Tuesday evening contest at Downers Grove South?
If you guessed three DGS goals in the next 10 minutes, you win.
And in what has been a relatively bizarre early season for both traditional west suburban powers, the Mustangs (2-6-0, 1-1-0) emerged from the latest wild chapter of 2019 with a 3-1 win over the Eagles (2-6-1, 1-1-0).
“We were just mad (down 1-0),” DGS senior Enrique Gonzalez said. “We’ve been losing a lot and no one likes to lose, so we wanted to change our focus, come back and win this game.”
With two-thirds of the season still ahead, the unusual challenges both sides have faced was a pregame source of bemusement.
“(DGS coach) Jon (Stapleton) and I were laughing about it before the game,” Leyden coach Mark Valintis said. “These are not the seasons both of us usually have, but somebody’s going to walk out of here happy tonight.
“It was him.”
Leyden had the reasons to smile in the first half.
After the teams traded chances in the first four minutes on shots just wide by Leyden’s Pablo Mancha and DGS’ Enrique Gonzalez (who made an offensive-end steal to set up his 25-yard try), the Eagles turned opportunism into a 1-0 lead.
Alan Vazquez’s initial 20-yard shot was blocked by DGS’ Ethan Kelly, but Vazquez would get a second chance.
Ozzie Pacheco’s ensuing high 30-yard send back into the box spun loose from high-reaching Mustangs goalkeeper Chris Gory six yards out. Vazquez was on the spot to loop a rebound header under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead.
“I was following the play, and I saw that the goalie let go of the ball,” Vazquez said. “I tried my best to continue playing, and luckily I finished the shot.”
The Mustangs trailed 1-0 on the scoreboard, but were hardly in the dumps.
“From the first half, we were down but it was just a small, silly mistake,” DGS senior Blazo Jovicevic said. “We knew we could win this game. And we just put in the hard work in the second half, and we came out on top.”
Said Stapleton: “It still takes one (goal) to win, so it wasn’t that different a situation. Go out there and pick it up, and we did. That was great to see.”
But before the Mustangs made an incredible reverse of fortune, they had to withstand another storm in their defensive end.
With 34:15 left, a Leyden send from midfield hit Vazquez racing in. DGS second-half goalkeeper Kenny Rosales came off his line for a sliding deflection of the 15-yard shot. But as in the first half, more danger lay in the second try.
After winning control outside, Mancha’s ensuing 30-yard shot was denied by Rosales’ leaping tip at the crossbar -- the ball tantalizingly rolled along the bar for a moment before rolling over the net on the right side.
“We had a chance before their first goal to get that in and make it 2-0,” Valintis said, “and I thought that would have changed the complexion of the game. But we didn’t finish our chances, and they did.”
And those DGS finishes would come soon and often.
“It’s been more mental than physical with us this year,” Gonzalez said. “Every time we got scored on, people put their heads down. We wanted to change that.”
After a Steven Ruiz header try off a Kelly throw-in with 32 minutes left went over the crossbar, the Mustangs were back on the doorstep in waves for a heads-up finish just 40 seconds later.
Sophomore Josh Venouziou initiated the play with a 50-50 ball win in the offensive zone and was soon rewarded.
Gonzalez’s run in and shot near the right post was blocked off the line by Leyden’s Vazquez, but Venouziou was there for the rebound putaway in front to tie the game 1-1 with 31:17 left.
“It was all a flash,” Gonzalez said. “I think I just cut it in, they blocked me and then Josh came and hit it in for his first varsity goal. That was exciting.”
DGS would soon add to its excitement.
Off a Gonzalez 35-yard free kick with 25:30 left, Jovicevic’s left-post touch would result in a save by Leyden’s Kajetan Kopera.
But while the Eagles dodged that strike, two more DGS bolts of lightning were coming soon.
Under a minute later with 24:43 to go, a Jovicevic and Gonzalez attack produced a DGS corner kick. Jony Flores’ ensuing send from the left corner found Fenner free at the back post for his fourth goal of 2019 and a 2-1 Mustangs lead.
“Jony just put a good ball in, and I had good space and put it in,”Fenner said.
It took just 19 seconds for DGS to score again.
Gonzalez’s send from the right sideline about 40 yards out connected with Jovicevic sprinting towards the left post.
Jovicevic was able to reach the ball and chip a perfect spinning 10-yard shot over the Leyden goalkeeper and just under the crossbar inside the left post.
“I saw the play going on and was calling for the ball,” Jovicevic said. “I was making my run, and Enrique curved the ball.
“I was sprinting really fast, because it was a hard ball to get. And at the last second I got the curve on my left foot, and it just chipped over and went in.”
Said Gonzalez: “I think it’s insane. We just needed two goals, and a third one that fast to put the game away was kind of surreal.”
A slight change in strategy at halftime helped generate those amazing offensive results.
“We changed our positioning of our midfield,” Jovicevic said, “and went for more of four at the top so that we could go forward more.
“And that’s exactly what we did. We got everyone up-top, we got three runs on the outside and they all led to goals.”
Stapleton credited both the switch and his players’ disciplined approach to the recovery fro their first half adversity.
“The overall emphasis (of the formation change) was just trying to get their backline under pressure,” Stapleton said, “whether how we press or giving them the freedom to be a little more direct at times. And it obviously paid off in terms of the second half.
“Josh with that hustle goal – that’s his first goal on varsity so that’s exciting for him. Kyle with the head ball was huge back to back, and then Blazo’s goal was a great find and finish.
“It was not a lot of rah rah (speeches at the half),” Stapleton added, “but just a matter of ‘We’ve been in this position. Let’s trust in ourselves and see if we can go out and get the result.’”
Tuesday’s result has become agonizingly familiar for Leyden.
The Eagles have played well for much of the year, only to see short lapses often tilt the final score against them.
“Fifteen minutes, and it’s a shame that it happened,” Valintis said. “But you have to give credit to Downers They came out in the second half, and in those first 15 minutes when they got their three goals they won every 50-50 ball. They were faster to the ball; they just outhustled us. And they executed beautifully.
“You give a good team some space and time and a little bit of hope, and all of a sudden they get one and it turns into three. That’s been the story of our season.
“It’s the same thing we’ve been saying,” Valintis added, “back to the drawing board to figure out what we can do next. We’ve been trying things left and right, and we’ll continue to try.”
Said Leyden’s Vazquez: “I feel like the other team outhustled us (in the second half). We were the better team most of the game, but we have to work harder and improve as a team and come back stronger next game.
“I feel like all these good teams we’ve played are good preparation for the playoffs,” Vazquez added. “It’s going to help us as a team. Hopefully we can start a winning streak next game. I’m proud of my team, but I think we can play better and work harder.”
Having rapidly constructed a 3-1 lead Tuesday, DGS made it stand up.
With 14:50 left, Ivan Herrera’s block denied a Vazquez 20-yard shot. Then one minute later, Devin Boone’s sliding block of a Jesus Recendez cross snuffed out another Leyden threat.
A long pass upfield by Jack Storrs sprung Jovicevic for a left side rush and cross through the crease with 12:40 left.
But what Storrs did as a defender loomed even larger in the late going.
“Jack Storrs on the outside defensively played great,” Stapleton said. “We asked a lot of him and Kyle (Fenner), especially in the second half. Kyle got the goal, and he’s been so solid defensively. And Jack did a nice job too of stopping their attack whenever the ball went wide.
“And Ethan and Michael (Loughran) our two center backs were keeping shape, winning head balls and doing the dirty work in front of the goal.”
Rosales’ catch of an Ozzie Pacheco 26-yard send from the right sideline with 9:30 left would be the DGS goalkeeper’s last touch of the ball for seven minutes.
On that final Leyden bid with 2:30 to go, Storrs blocked a Vazquez shot, followed by Rosales’ grab of Cristopher Hernandez’s 18-yard rebound try.
Minutes later, DGS was celebrating its second win in three games and a huge lift in confidence from an explosive second half rally.
“You get the win Saturday morning (in the Great Midwest Classic),” Stapleton said, “and within seven hours you also have a loss. Now we have an opportunity to sort of enjoy this.
“We’re not going to relish it, but it does feel good. You feel that the work we’re putting in is paying off. That was good to see.”
Mustangs players share that opinion.
“Things are developing good,” Jovicevic said. “The whole team is getting better each game we play. At the beginning (of the season) it was a little bit off, but we’re just getting better and better as we go. We’re learning how to play as a team together, and now we’re starting to win.”
Notching DGS’ first win over Leyden since 2015 was also a nice reward.
“It’s very good,” Jovicevic said. “We knew they were a good team. We came out tonight not caring about anything but just wanting to win the game.”
Playing the likes of no. 1-ranked Morton and top Indiana teams hasn’t demoralized the Mustangs. And now the squad hopes to reap the rewards of their early season lessons.
“We’ve just been working in practice and trying to play more as a team,” Fenner said. “And we’ve played a lot of good teams, so we’ve just learning from them and stuff like that.
“I think we’re all pretty excited,” Fenner added. “We said before the game that we were going to win five in a row, and hopefully we can continue towards that.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK Kajetan Kopera
D Kacper Nowaczyk
D Edgar Orozco
D Jesus Recendez
M Jakub Dabek
M Alan Jacinto
M Matthew Espinoza
M Pablo Mancha
M Ozzie Pacheco
F Carlos Duarte
F Alan Vazquez
DGS
GK Chris Gory
D Michael Loughran
D Ethan Kelly
D Jack Storrs
D Kyle Fenner
M Josh Venouziou
M Stefano Espinosa
M Jony Flores
M Devin Boone
F Enrique Gonzalez
F Blazo Jovicevic
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Enrique Gonzalez, sr. F, DGS
Scoring summary
First half
L- Alan Vazquez (rebound), 33’
Second half
DGS- Josh Venouziou (rebound), 49’
DGS- Kyle Fenner (Jony Flores), 56’
DGS- Blazo Jovicevic (Enrique Gonzalez), 56’
turns tables on Leyden
Mustangs rally from halftime deficit to 3-1 win
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE – Welcome to the increasingly unpredictable world of West Suburban Conference Gold Division soccer.
With Leyden ahead 1-0 and having just narrowly missed on two great scoring bids in succession to open the second half, what would be expected to happen next in the Tuesday evening contest at Downers Grove South?
If you guessed three DGS goals in the next 10 minutes, you win.
And in what has been a relatively bizarre early season for both traditional west suburban powers, the Mustangs (2-6-0, 1-1-0) emerged from the latest wild chapter of 2019 with a 3-1 win over the Eagles (2-6-1, 1-1-0).
“We were just mad (down 1-0),” DGS senior Enrique Gonzalez said. “We’ve been losing a lot and no one likes to lose, so we wanted to change our focus, come back and win this game.”
With two-thirds of the season still ahead, the unusual challenges both sides have faced was a pregame source of bemusement.
“(DGS coach) Jon (Stapleton) and I were laughing about it before the game,” Leyden coach Mark Valintis said. “These are not the seasons both of us usually have, but somebody’s going to walk out of here happy tonight.
“It was him.”
Leyden had the reasons to smile in the first half.
After the teams traded chances in the first four minutes on shots just wide by Leyden’s Pablo Mancha and DGS’ Enrique Gonzalez (who made an offensive-end steal to set up his 25-yard try), the Eagles turned opportunism into a 1-0 lead.
Alan Vazquez’s initial 20-yard shot was blocked by DGS’ Ethan Kelly, but Vazquez would get a second chance.
Ozzie Pacheco’s ensuing high 30-yard send back into the box spun loose from high-reaching Mustangs goalkeeper Chris Gory six yards out. Vazquez was on the spot to loop a rebound header under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead.
“I was following the play, and I saw that the goalie let go of the ball,” Vazquez said. “I tried my best to continue playing, and luckily I finished the shot.”
The Mustangs trailed 1-0 on the scoreboard, but were hardly in the dumps.
“From the first half, we were down but it was just a small, silly mistake,” DGS senior Blazo Jovicevic said. “We knew we could win this game. And we just put in the hard work in the second half, and we came out on top.”
Said Stapleton: “It still takes one (goal) to win, so it wasn’t that different a situation. Go out there and pick it up, and we did. That was great to see.”
But before the Mustangs made an incredible reverse of fortune, they had to withstand another storm in their defensive end.
With 34:15 left, a Leyden send from midfield hit Vazquez racing in. DGS second-half goalkeeper Kenny Rosales came off his line for a sliding deflection of the 15-yard shot. But as in the first half, more danger lay in the second try.
After winning control outside, Mancha’s ensuing 30-yard shot was denied by Rosales’ leaping tip at the crossbar -- the ball tantalizingly rolled along the bar for a moment before rolling over the net on the right side.
“We had a chance before their first goal to get that in and make it 2-0,” Valintis said, “and I thought that would have changed the complexion of the game. But we didn’t finish our chances, and they did.”
And those DGS finishes would come soon and often.
“It’s been more mental than physical with us this year,” Gonzalez said. “Every time we got scored on, people put their heads down. We wanted to change that.”
After a Steven Ruiz header try off a Kelly throw-in with 32 minutes left went over the crossbar, the Mustangs were back on the doorstep in waves for a heads-up finish just 40 seconds later.
Sophomore Josh Venouziou initiated the play with a 50-50 ball win in the offensive zone and was soon rewarded.
Gonzalez’s run in and shot near the right post was blocked off the line by Leyden’s Vazquez, but Venouziou was there for the rebound putaway in front to tie the game 1-1 with 31:17 left.
“It was all a flash,” Gonzalez said. “I think I just cut it in, they blocked me and then Josh came and hit it in for his first varsity goal. That was exciting.”
DGS would soon add to its excitement.
Off a Gonzalez 35-yard free kick with 25:30 left, Jovicevic’s left-post touch would result in a save by Leyden’s Kajetan Kopera.
But while the Eagles dodged that strike, two more DGS bolts of lightning were coming soon.
Under a minute later with 24:43 to go, a Jovicevic and Gonzalez attack produced a DGS corner kick. Jony Flores’ ensuing send from the left corner found Fenner free at the back post for his fourth goal of 2019 and a 2-1 Mustangs lead.
“Jony just put a good ball in, and I had good space and put it in,”Fenner said.
It took just 19 seconds for DGS to score again.
Gonzalez’s send from the right sideline about 40 yards out connected with Jovicevic sprinting towards the left post.
Jovicevic was able to reach the ball and chip a perfect spinning 10-yard shot over the Leyden goalkeeper and just under the crossbar inside the left post.
“I saw the play going on and was calling for the ball,” Jovicevic said. “I was making my run, and Enrique curved the ball.
“I was sprinting really fast, because it was a hard ball to get. And at the last second I got the curve on my left foot, and it just chipped over and went in.”
Said Gonzalez: “I think it’s insane. We just needed two goals, and a third one that fast to put the game away was kind of surreal.”
A slight change in strategy at halftime helped generate those amazing offensive results.
“We changed our positioning of our midfield,” Jovicevic said, “and went for more of four at the top so that we could go forward more.
“And that’s exactly what we did. We got everyone up-top, we got three runs on the outside and they all led to goals.”
Stapleton credited both the switch and his players’ disciplined approach to the recovery fro their first half adversity.
“The overall emphasis (of the formation change) was just trying to get their backline under pressure,” Stapleton said, “whether how we press or giving them the freedom to be a little more direct at times. And it obviously paid off in terms of the second half.
“Josh with that hustle goal – that’s his first goal on varsity so that’s exciting for him. Kyle with the head ball was huge back to back, and then Blazo’s goal was a great find and finish.
“It was not a lot of rah rah (speeches at the half),” Stapleton added, “but just a matter of ‘We’ve been in this position. Let’s trust in ourselves and see if we can go out and get the result.’”
Tuesday’s result has become agonizingly familiar for Leyden.
The Eagles have played well for much of the year, only to see short lapses often tilt the final score against them.
“Fifteen minutes, and it’s a shame that it happened,” Valintis said. “But you have to give credit to Downers They came out in the second half, and in those first 15 minutes when they got their three goals they won every 50-50 ball. They were faster to the ball; they just outhustled us. And they executed beautifully.
“You give a good team some space and time and a little bit of hope, and all of a sudden they get one and it turns into three. That’s been the story of our season.
“It’s the same thing we’ve been saying,” Valintis added, “back to the drawing board to figure out what we can do next. We’ve been trying things left and right, and we’ll continue to try.”
Said Leyden’s Vazquez: “I feel like the other team outhustled us (in the second half). We were the better team most of the game, but we have to work harder and improve as a team and come back stronger next game.
“I feel like all these good teams we’ve played are good preparation for the playoffs,” Vazquez added. “It’s going to help us as a team. Hopefully we can start a winning streak next game. I’m proud of my team, but I think we can play better and work harder.”
Having rapidly constructed a 3-1 lead Tuesday, DGS made it stand up.
With 14:50 left, Ivan Herrera’s block denied a Vazquez 20-yard shot. Then one minute later, Devin Boone’s sliding block of a Jesus Recendez cross snuffed out another Leyden threat.
A long pass upfield by Jack Storrs sprung Jovicevic for a left side rush and cross through the crease with 12:40 left.
But what Storrs did as a defender loomed even larger in the late going.
“Jack Storrs on the outside defensively played great,” Stapleton said. “We asked a lot of him and Kyle (Fenner), especially in the second half. Kyle got the goal, and he’s been so solid defensively. And Jack did a nice job too of stopping their attack whenever the ball went wide.
“And Ethan and Michael (Loughran) our two center backs were keeping shape, winning head balls and doing the dirty work in front of the goal.”
Rosales’ catch of an Ozzie Pacheco 26-yard send from the right sideline with 9:30 left would be the DGS goalkeeper’s last touch of the ball for seven minutes.
On that final Leyden bid with 2:30 to go, Storrs blocked a Vazquez shot, followed by Rosales’ grab of Cristopher Hernandez’s 18-yard rebound try.
Minutes later, DGS was celebrating its second win in three games and a huge lift in confidence from an explosive second half rally.
“You get the win Saturday morning (in the Great Midwest Classic),” Stapleton said, “and within seven hours you also have a loss. Now we have an opportunity to sort of enjoy this.
“We’re not going to relish it, but it does feel good. You feel that the work we’re putting in is paying off. That was good to see.”
Mustangs players share that opinion.
“Things are developing good,” Jovicevic said. “The whole team is getting better each game we play. At the beginning (of the season) it was a little bit off, but we’re just getting better and better as we go. We’re learning how to play as a team together, and now we’re starting to win.”
Notching DGS’ first win over Leyden since 2015 was also a nice reward.
“It’s very good,” Jovicevic said. “We knew they were a good team. We came out tonight not caring about anything but just wanting to win the game.”
Playing the likes of no. 1-ranked Morton and top Indiana teams hasn’t demoralized the Mustangs. And now the squad hopes to reap the rewards of their early season lessons.
“We’ve just been working in practice and trying to play more as a team,” Fenner said. “And we’ve played a lot of good teams, so we’ve just learning from them and stuff like that.
“I think we’re all pretty excited,” Fenner added. “We said before the game that we were going to win five in a row, and hopefully we can continue towards that.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK Kajetan Kopera
D Kacper Nowaczyk
D Edgar Orozco
D Jesus Recendez
M Jakub Dabek
M Alan Jacinto
M Matthew Espinoza
M Pablo Mancha
M Ozzie Pacheco
F Carlos Duarte
F Alan Vazquez
DGS
GK Chris Gory
D Michael Loughran
D Ethan Kelly
D Jack Storrs
D Kyle Fenner
M Josh Venouziou
M Stefano Espinosa
M Jony Flores
M Devin Boone
F Enrique Gonzalez
F Blazo Jovicevic
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Enrique Gonzalez, sr. F, DGS
Scoring summary
First half
L- Alan Vazquez (rebound), 33’
Second half
DGS- Josh Venouziou (rebound), 49’
DGS- Kyle Fenner (Jony Flores), 56’
DGS- Blazo Jovicevic (Enrique Gonzalez), 56’