Lake Park sets up Addison Trail
Lancers use restart artistry to post 2-1 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
ADDISON — The set piece has many contributing factors: timing; art; science; and luck. Repetition and practice also get thrown into the mix. The play has a knack for creating drama and ratcheting up the unpredictable nature of the game.
Lake Park found just enough of the right combination to start its season on a beautiful note.
The Lancers scored two first half goals on restarts and held off Addison Trail’s furious rally for a 2-1 victory Monday night before a crowd of about 350 people.
“There are moments where we feel really dangerous on set plays. Just through training, the experience we have and the creative ideas of how to move our big bodies, and our players on the ball who send good service balls or crosses that make it dangerous,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said.
Addison Trail entered the game with as many questions as answers.
“We have a lot of new guys out there,” Blazers coach Ryan Dini said. “We are only returning seven players, and we are going to have some growing pains.
“Coming into the game, we said we had to limit their set pieces and we gave them way too many in the first half. They hurt us. They capitalized on them.”
Lake Park absorbed some early pressure as the teams worked to find their rhythms and establish the forward attack.
Addison Trail forward Matthew Reynaga had the first early scoring chance. He sent a looping ball from about 21 yards from the left wing that required Lancers’ keeper Andrew Swacha to make a leaping save.
First games are always difficult to gauge with the rash of new players, new connections and the drive for consistency and continuity.
The Lancers (1-0-0) fused together just the right balance of the new with the familiar.
The most significant of the newcomers was junior midfielder Francesco Cardone, a former club player who was making his high school debut.
He flashed athleticism, excellent touch on the ball and the abilities to negotiate the field against contact and find the open spaces.
“I’m a midfielder, and I love handling the ball, dribbling and going around players,” he said. “That’s the no. 1 thing about me. I also love playing as a team, combining with my players and doing one-two runs and things like that.”
His ballhandling and shot creation enabled him to get into the teeth of the Blazers’ defensive interior. That pressure resulted in a restart just inside the football field’s 40-yard line.
Working from the left hashmark from about 47 yards, Cardone blasted a deep ball that took a dangerous curve and bounce. It flummoxed Blazers’ keeper Joseph Morales.
The ball hit perfectly in front of him and skipped over the top of his reach for the stunning goal in the 24th minute.
“I knew I had to put it in,” Cardone said. “I have been practicing set pieces and plays like that.
“I got lucky, and it went in the back of the net.”
Cardone earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor for his excellent play.
Moments after the goal, he nearly created a follow-up score. He broke free in space and unleashed a howitzer off the movement from about 16 yards that pushed just wide of the frame.
“I felt like switching from club to high school was a good change for me,” Cardone said. “I really like this team. These guys are like my brothers. There’s a lot of positivity.
“Our early training has been good. We all wanted this. It’s step by step. The practices are the most important part. The practice leads up to the game. You have to work hard to move forward.”
So many moving parts are involved on set pieces, and the pieces have to break just right. The random or almost accidental is a big part of the equation.
Success also begets confidence. The Lancers were rolling, and the Blazers were retreating.
“They’re very well-coached, and you can tell they have spent a lot of time working on the set pieces,” Dini said. “That’s something we have to shore up, especially with some of the teams we have on our schedule that are similar to Lake Park.”
In the 35th minute, the Lancers struck again as senior midfielder Devin Czeremuga smashed home a header off a terrific corner service from forward Alessandro Scalera for the 2-0 lead.
“That’s just something we have been practicing a lot,” Czeremuga said. “We have been working on our set plays, and it worked out. I’d always go back post during practice, and Alessandro always knows where to play the ball.
“I knew where the header was.”
Addison Trail (0-1-0) regrouped and found its own stride and showed great urgency and purpose throughout the second half. Down two goals, the Blazers created early and consistent pressure after the break.
In the 42nd minute, junior forward Christopher Ortega made a sharp foray to the goal and was hammered from behind.
Ortega converted the resulting penalty kick that narrowed the Lake Park lead.
A game seemingly in Lake Park’s command was suddenly open.
“It was frustrating at just how fast the game can switch,” Cardone said.
Lake Park’s unsung hero was second half, senior keeper Connell Travis. Just seconds after the penalty kick goal, Addison Trail was again on the march and flooding the Lancers’ back with numbers.
Midfielder Matias Aguilar broke down the right edge and uncorked a rocket ball from about 14 yards that Travis made a spectacular denial of.
“That was a great save,” Dini said.
Lake Park defenders Oscar Sagan and Jakub Tourillott made spellbinding separate tackles that stripped the ball off near breakaways at crucial stages of the second half.
“Eighty minutes are not always going to go your way,” Crosby said. “Clearly in the second half, we had to defend a little bit. We were out of sorts.
“Addison Trail made a good run, held the ball well, and they were very creative in the attack. They made it tough on us.”
Connell finished with four saves.
The Blazers’ top returning player, midfielder Jose Leyva, was also dangerous in space, utilizing his jitterbug speed to break free and create pressure on the perimeter.
Addison Trail’s best late opportunity was a free kick from about 22 yards that Ortego gave a little too much English. The ball skipped over the top of the bar.
“Today was a 2-1 loss,” Dini said. “It was respectable. We have some young sophomores who started, and they grew today. We have to hit the target. We had a lot of shots tonight that didn’t go our way.
“We have to get more of the game flow going, which we are pretty good at. I think we are going to be in good shape. We will get better and go from here.”
A year ago, Lake Park did not post its first win until its seventh game of the season. A fast start is a great way to begin anew.
“It’s a big momentum piece for us to start the year 1-0,” Crosby said. “It puts us in the driver’s seat, and you can build some confidence and keep going forward.
“For this to be the first game and for us to get this result is huge, and it should build our confidence.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK: Andrew Swacha
D: Jakub Tourillott
D: Oscar Sagan
D: Jack Tucci
D: Lucas Boebel
MF: Shane Donnelly
MF: Devin Czeremuga
MF: Luca Solarz
MF: Francesco Cardone
MF: Nick Gironda
F: Anthony Juarez
Addison Trail
GK: Joseph Morales
D: Cristian Teran
D: Luca Fischer
D: Jason Valdez
D: Lorenzo Martinez Almaraz
MF: Jose Leyva
MF: Joel Alvarez Cruz
MF: Matias Aguilar
MF: Romano Gallo
F: Christopher Ortega
F: Christian Alcaraz
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Francesco Cardone, jr., MF, Lake Park
Scoring summary
First half
Lake Park: Francesco Cardone (free kick), 24th minute
Lake Park: Devin Czeremuga (Alessandro Scalera), 35th minute
Second half
Addison Trail: Christopher Ortega (penalty kick), 42nd minute
Lancers use restart artistry to post 2-1 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
ADDISON — The set piece has many contributing factors: timing; art; science; and luck. Repetition and practice also get thrown into the mix. The play has a knack for creating drama and ratcheting up the unpredictable nature of the game.
Lake Park found just enough of the right combination to start its season on a beautiful note.
The Lancers scored two first half goals on restarts and held off Addison Trail’s furious rally for a 2-1 victory Monday night before a crowd of about 350 people.
“There are moments where we feel really dangerous on set plays. Just through training, the experience we have and the creative ideas of how to move our big bodies, and our players on the ball who send good service balls or crosses that make it dangerous,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said.
Addison Trail entered the game with as many questions as answers.
“We have a lot of new guys out there,” Blazers coach Ryan Dini said. “We are only returning seven players, and we are going to have some growing pains.
“Coming into the game, we said we had to limit their set pieces and we gave them way too many in the first half. They hurt us. They capitalized on them.”
Lake Park absorbed some early pressure as the teams worked to find their rhythms and establish the forward attack.
Addison Trail forward Matthew Reynaga had the first early scoring chance. He sent a looping ball from about 21 yards from the left wing that required Lancers’ keeper Andrew Swacha to make a leaping save.
First games are always difficult to gauge with the rash of new players, new connections and the drive for consistency and continuity.
The Lancers (1-0-0) fused together just the right balance of the new with the familiar.
The most significant of the newcomers was junior midfielder Francesco Cardone, a former club player who was making his high school debut.
He flashed athleticism, excellent touch on the ball and the abilities to negotiate the field against contact and find the open spaces.
“I’m a midfielder, and I love handling the ball, dribbling and going around players,” he said. “That’s the no. 1 thing about me. I also love playing as a team, combining with my players and doing one-two runs and things like that.”
His ballhandling and shot creation enabled him to get into the teeth of the Blazers’ defensive interior. That pressure resulted in a restart just inside the football field’s 40-yard line.
Working from the left hashmark from about 47 yards, Cardone blasted a deep ball that took a dangerous curve and bounce. It flummoxed Blazers’ keeper Joseph Morales.
The ball hit perfectly in front of him and skipped over the top of his reach for the stunning goal in the 24th minute.
“I knew I had to put it in,” Cardone said. “I have been practicing set pieces and plays like that.
“I got lucky, and it went in the back of the net.”
Cardone earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor for his excellent play.
Moments after the goal, he nearly created a follow-up score. He broke free in space and unleashed a howitzer off the movement from about 16 yards that pushed just wide of the frame.
“I felt like switching from club to high school was a good change for me,” Cardone said. “I really like this team. These guys are like my brothers. There’s a lot of positivity.
“Our early training has been good. We all wanted this. It’s step by step. The practices are the most important part. The practice leads up to the game. You have to work hard to move forward.”
So many moving parts are involved on set pieces, and the pieces have to break just right. The random or almost accidental is a big part of the equation.
Success also begets confidence. The Lancers were rolling, and the Blazers were retreating.
“They’re very well-coached, and you can tell they have spent a lot of time working on the set pieces,” Dini said. “That’s something we have to shore up, especially with some of the teams we have on our schedule that are similar to Lake Park.”
In the 35th minute, the Lancers struck again as senior midfielder Devin Czeremuga smashed home a header off a terrific corner service from forward Alessandro Scalera for the 2-0 lead.
“That’s just something we have been practicing a lot,” Czeremuga said. “We have been working on our set plays, and it worked out. I’d always go back post during practice, and Alessandro always knows where to play the ball.
“I knew where the header was.”
Addison Trail (0-1-0) regrouped and found its own stride and showed great urgency and purpose throughout the second half. Down two goals, the Blazers created early and consistent pressure after the break.
In the 42nd minute, junior forward Christopher Ortega made a sharp foray to the goal and was hammered from behind.
Ortega converted the resulting penalty kick that narrowed the Lake Park lead.
A game seemingly in Lake Park’s command was suddenly open.
“It was frustrating at just how fast the game can switch,” Cardone said.
Lake Park’s unsung hero was second half, senior keeper Connell Travis. Just seconds after the penalty kick goal, Addison Trail was again on the march and flooding the Lancers’ back with numbers.
Midfielder Matias Aguilar broke down the right edge and uncorked a rocket ball from about 14 yards that Travis made a spectacular denial of.
“That was a great save,” Dini said.
Lake Park defenders Oscar Sagan and Jakub Tourillott made spellbinding separate tackles that stripped the ball off near breakaways at crucial stages of the second half.
“Eighty minutes are not always going to go your way,” Crosby said. “Clearly in the second half, we had to defend a little bit. We were out of sorts.
“Addison Trail made a good run, held the ball well, and they were very creative in the attack. They made it tough on us.”
Connell finished with four saves.
The Blazers’ top returning player, midfielder Jose Leyva, was also dangerous in space, utilizing his jitterbug speed to break free and create pressure on the perimeter.
Addison Trail’s best late opportunity was a free kick from about 22 yards that Ortego gave a little too much English. The ball skipped over the top of the bar.
“Today was a 2-1 loss,” Dini said. “It was respectable. We have some young sophomores who started, and they grew today. We have to hit the target. We had a lot of shots tonight that didn’t go our way.
“We have to get more of the game flow going, which we are pretty good at. I think we are going to be in good shape. We will get better and go from here.”
A year ago, Lake Park did not post its first win until its seventh game of the season. A fast start is a great way to begin anew.
“It’s a big momentum piece for us to start the year 1-0,” Crosby said. “It puts us in the driver’s seat, and you can build some confidence and keep going forward.
“For this to be the first game and for us to get this result is huge, and it should build our confidence.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK: Andrew Swacha
D: Jakub Tourillott
D: Oscar Sagan
D: Jack Tucci
D: Lucas Boebel
MF: Shane Donnelly
MF: Devin Czeremuga
MF: Luca Solarz
MF: Francesco Cardone
MF: Nick Gironda
F: Anthony Juarez
Addison Trail
GK: Joseph Morales
D: Cristian Teran
D: Luca Fischer
D: Jason Valdez
D: Lorenzo Martinez Almaraz
MF: Jose Leyva
MF: Joel Alvarez Cruz
MF: Matias Aguilar
MF: Romano Gallo
F: Christopher Ortega
F: Christian Alcaraz
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Francesco Cardone, jr., MF, Lake Park
Scoring summary
First half
Lake Park: Francesco Cardone (free kick), 24th minute
Lake Park: Devin Czeremuga (Alessandro Scalera), 35th minute
Second half
Addison Trail: Christopher Ortega (penalty kick), 42nd minute