Armas goal sends Lake Park past Geneva
Lancers post 3-2 road win over Vikings in DuKane league play
By Gary Larsen
GENEVA — Let’s have a round of applause for players who crash the net, those sneaky, hard-charging, opportunistic culprits who pounce on loose balls near the goalmouth and put them to bed.
Players like Lake Park’s Max Armas, whose follow-up goal off a deflection with four minutes left in regulation effectively gave his Lancers a huge 3-2 DuKane Conference win over host Geneva.
“I may not have the best-looking goals but when a teammate takes a shot, I know where the goalie is going to drop it, and I’m just there to finish it off,” Armas said. “This season I became a forward and my main focus has been trying to be in the right place at the right time.”
The right place for Lake Park on Tuesday was Geneva’s home field, for a league Conference tilt against a Vikings team on an eight-game unbeaten streak.
Lake Park (8-9-2, 3-2-1) and Geneva (11-4-2, 4-1-0) squared off on Geneva’s Senior Night, and the Lancers played the spoiler thanks to goals from Armas, Grayden McClellan and Olek Melnyk.
But the true heroes of the night for Lake Park may have been central defenders Max Panek and Anthony Magner. The two juniors helped key a quality team-wide defensive effort against an infinitely dangerous Geneva attack.
“I think Magner and Max in the last five games have been our best performers,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said. “Anthony Magner might have been our best performer in our last couple games. He’s so consistent. He reads the game real well; he covers his teammates really well. So I’ve been proud of how he’s been playing for us.”
Magner’s defensive play against a dangerous Geneva team earned him Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match honor.
Lake Park took a one-goal lead twice in the game, and twice Geneva fought back to tie the score. The scoring opened when McClellan intercepted a clearing attempt and went in alone on net, ripping it past charging Geneva keeper Osten Lockner at 12 minutes.
But Geneva is a team that knows how to attack and find goals; the Vikings scored 18 goals during their eight-game win streak.
“I think they touch every blade of grass on the field with how they play, especially in the attack,” Crosby said. “So we had to move around a lot and work together as a team, defending.”
Lake Park kept Geneva from scoring until the 30th minute, when the Vikings’s Josh Eiss took a pass from Dom Peri and swooped into the box on the left side. He got behind the defense and stretched the back netting from point-blank range.
“Josh Eiss usually comes in off the bench. But he got the start tonight on Senior Night, and he deserved it,” Geneva coach Jason Bhatta said. “Dom Peri has been really great at finding little passes behind and in-between the lines for our forwards to run on to. So that was a good combination play for them and good for Josh to score that goal.”
The half ended with that 1-1 scoreline.
Geneva opened the second half with a flurry of set piece opportunities that went for naught. Lake Park's Melnyk worked to turn the tide when he forced Lockner to make a diving stop near the post at 46 minutes.
At 50 minutes, Melnyk was not to be denied.
“It was a (throw-in), and it bounced out to me at the top of the box,” Melnyk said. “I took a bad touch but then I saw the goalie off his line, and I just shot it in. It kind of popped up, and I just volleyed it.”
Once again, Geneva found itself in the chase for an equalizer. Alex Marquardt took a swipe from distance on a shot that Lake Park keeper Kyle Czeremuga had to tip over the bar at 62 minutes followed by Ethan Hipp's good chance sent just wide at 65 minutes.
The Vikings tied the game again at 67 minutes when Jack Cannon took a touch up the endline on the right side and sent a ball towards the goalmouth. Braeden McPheron was there to bury it and knot the score at 2-2.
A game seemingly headed for a regulation tie took a turn at 77 minutes, when Lake Park’s Abel Campuzano tested Lockner and the ball squirted loose to the turf.
“When Abel took that shot, I saw my chance,” Armas said. “It’s amazing. To have a last-minute game-winner in any kind of game feels good, especially against (Geneva). I think a game like this can keep us going straight into the postseason.”
For Geneva -- ranked no. 25 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 -- a solid effort didn’t give the Vikings the result they wanted but with the conference title still in play, Bhatta was anything but discouraged Tuesday.
The Vikings play St. Charles East Thursday. The Saints are 4-0-0 in DKC play.
“We gave up some unfortunate goals in the beginning, so there was some bad, but I thought overall we played well,” Bhatta said. “We created. We were able to come back each time, and we just needed to defend better. But there wasn’t a lot of bad today.
“I thought (Marquardt) played really well. He’s kind of been in and out of getting minutes and tonight he stepped up and really showed what he’s worth. He brought energy and was able to contribute in a positive way.”
Lake Park plays Conant before ending its regular season against St. Charles East. Crosby hopes his squad maintains the effort and quality play it showed Tuesday.
He also tipped his hat to several players for their contributions against Geneva.
“(McClellan) gets the first one, and he was just a workhorse for us tonight. He was all over the field,” Crosby said. “Riccardo Ciaccio in the midfield is always just as consistent as Anthony Magner, and along with Edgar Villagran you can always rely on those guys to defend hard, keep the ball, and keep their composure at difficult points in the game.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK: Kyle Czeremuga
D: Max Panek
D: Logan Pobloske
D: Anthony Magner
D: Konrad Sagan
M: Francesco Caira
M: Olek Melnyk
M: Edgar Villagran
M: Riccardo Ciaccio
F: Grayden McClellan
F: Max Armas
Geneva
G: Osten Lockner
D: Jack Cannon
D: Mark Migliazzo
D: Braeden McPheron
D: Stuart Turnbull
M: Ethan Hipp
M: Zack Puklin
M: Shun Yonehara
M: Alex Marquardt
F: Josh Eiss
F: Matthew Fuller
Chicagoland Soccer Man of Match: Anthony Magner, jr., D, Lake Park
Scoring summary
First half
Lake Park — McLellan (UA) 12 minutes
Geneva — Eiss (Peri) 30 minutes
Second half
Lake Park — Melnyk (UA) 50 minutes
Geneva — McPheron (Cannon) 67 minutes
Lake Park — Armas (Campuzano) 77 minutes
Lancers post 3-2 road win over Vikings in DuKane league play
By Gary Larsen
GENEVA — Let’s have a round of applause for players who crash the net, those sneaky, hard-charging, opportunistic culprits who pounce on loose balls near the goalmouth and put them to bed.
Players like Lake Park’s Max Armas, whose follow-up goal off a deflection with four minutes left in regulation effectively gave his Lancers a huge 3-2 DuKane Conference win over host Geneva.
“I may not have the best-looking goals but when a teammate takes a shot, I know where the goalie is going to drop it, and I’m just there to finish it off,” Armas said. “This season I became a forward and my main focus has been trying to be in the right place at the right time.”
The right place for Lake Park on Tuesday was Geneva’s home field, for a league Conference tilt against a Vikings team on an eight-game unbeaten streak.
Lake Park (8-9-2, 3-2-1) and Geneva (11-4-2, 4-1-0) squared off on Geneva’s Senior Night, and the Lancers played the spoiler thanks to goals from Armas, Grayden McClellan and Olek Melnyk.
But the true heroes of the night for Lake Park may have been central defenders Max Panek and Anthony Magner. The two juniors helped key a quality team-wide defensive effort against an infinitely dangerous Geneva attack.
“I think Magner and Max in the last five games have been our best performers,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said. “Anthony Magner might have been our best performer in our last couple games. He’s so consistent. He reads the game real well; he covers his teammates really well. So I’ve been proud of how he’s been playing for us.”
Magner’s defensive play against a dangerous Geneva team earned him Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match honor.
Lake Park took a one-goal lead twice in the game, and twice Geneva fought back to tie the score. The scoring opened when McClellan intercepted a clearing attempt and went in alone on net, ripping it past charging Geneva keeper Osten Lockner at 12 minutes.
But Geneva is a team that knows how to attack and find goals; the Vikings scored 18 goals during their eight-game win streak.
“I think they touch every blade of grass on the field with how they play, especially in the attack,” Crosby said. “So we had to move around a lot and work together as a team, defending.”
Lake Park kept Geneva from scoring until the 30th minute, when the Vikings’s Josh Eiss took a pass from Dom Peri and swooped into the box on the left side. He got behind the defense and stretched the back netting from point-blank range.
“Josh Eiss usually comes in off the bench. But he got the start tonight on Senior Night, and he deserved it,” Geneva coach Jason Bhatta said. “Dom Peri has been really great at finding little passes behind and in-between the lines for our forwards to run on to. So that was a good combination play for them and good for Josh to score that goal.”
The half ended with that 1-1 scoreline.
Geneva opened the second half with a flurry of set piece opportunities that went for naught. Lake Park's Melnyk worked to turn the tide when he forced Lockner to make a diving stop near the post at 46 minutes.
At 50 minutes, Melnyk was not to be denied.
“It was a (throw-in), and it bounced out to me at the top of the box,” Melnyk said. “I took a bad touch but then I saw the goalie off his line, and I just shot it in. It kind of popped up, and I just volleyed it.”
Once again, Geneva found itself in the chase for an equalizer. Alex Marquardt took a swipe from distance on a shot that Lake Park keeper Kyle Czeremuga had to tip over the bar at 62 minutes followed by Ethan Hipp's good chance sent just wide at 65 minutes.
The Vikings tied the game again at 67 minutes when Jack Cannon took a touch up the endline on the right side and sent a ball towards the goalmouth. Braeden McPheron was there to bury it and knot the score at 2-2.
A game seemingly headed for a regulation tie took a turn at 77 minutes, when Lake Park’s Abel Campuzano tested Lockner and the ball squirted loose to the turf.
“When Abel took that shot, I saw my chance,” Armas said. “It’s amazing. To have a last-minute game-winner in any kind of game feels good, especially against (Geneva). I think a game like this can keep us going straight into the postseason.”
For Geneva -- ranked no. 25 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 -- a solid effort didn’t give the Vikings the result they wanted but with the conference title still in play, Bhatta was anything but discouraged Tuesday.
The Vikings play St. Charles East Thursday. The Saints are 4-0-0 in DKC play.
“We gave up some unfortunate goals in the beginning, so there was some bad, but I thought overall we played well,” Bhatta said. “We created. We were able to come back each time, and we just needed to defend better. But there wasn’t a lot of bad today.
“I thought (Marquardt) played really well. He’s kind of been in and out of getting minutes and tonight he stepped up and really showed what he’s worth. He brought energy and was able to contribute in a positive way.”
Lake Park plays Conant before ending its regular season against St. Charles East. Crosby hopes his squad maintains the effort and quality play it showed Tuesday.
He also tipped his hat to several players for their contributions against Geneva.
“(McClellan) gets the first one, and he was just a workhorse for us tonight. He was all over the field,” Crosby said. “Riccardo Ciaccio in the midfield is always just as consistent as Anthony Magner, and along with Edgar Villagran you can always rely on those guys to defend hard, keep the ball, and keep their composure at difficult points in the game.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK: Kyle Czeremuga
D: Max Panek
D: Logan Pobloske
D: Anthony Magner
D: Konrad Sagan
M: Francesco Caira
M: Olek Melnyk
M: Edgar Villagran
M: Riccardo Ciaccio
F: Grayden McClellan
F: Max Armas
Geneva
G: Osten Lockner
D: Jack Cannon
D: Mark Migliazzo
D: Braeden McPheron
D: Stuart Turnbull
M: Ethan Hipp
M: Zack Puklin
M: Shun Yonehara
M: Alex Marquardt
F: Josh Eiss
F: Matthew Fuller
Chicagoland Soccer Man of Match: Anthony Magner, jr., D, Lake Park
Scoring summary
First half
Lake Park — McLellan (UA) 12 minutes
Geneva — Eiss (Peri) 30 minutes
Second half
Lake Park — Melnyk (UA) 50 minutes
Geneva — McPheron (Cannon) 67 minutes
Lake Park — Armas (Campuzano) 77 minutes