Steamwood takes command
after Lake Park loses focus
Sabres erase 2-goal deficit with 4-straight strikes in 4-3 win
By Steve Nemeth
STREAMWOOD --- Ignore the violent aspect of the idiom “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword,” and it can be applied to Lake Park’s nonconference loss Saturday at Streamwood.
Dominating play early on, things looked easy for the visiting Lancers while they built a two-goal lead.
But just as easily as that advantage came together, Lake Park lost focus and the host Sabres sliced that deficit to shreds before holding on for a 4-3 nonconference victory.
It was a meeting between two teams trying to compensate for absences with altered lineups and roles while hoping to build momentum for their remaining league play and postseasons.
For Streamwood, the come-from-behind victory marked the fourth time this season the Sabres have evened their ledger. Their 6-6-3 record is emblematic of struggling to stay healthy and successfully finish chances.
Lake Park --- now 6-7-2 --- went from being in charge of the match to giving up four-consecutive goals in the last 16 minutes of the opening half.
“Giving up four goals like that is inexcusable,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby stated. “If we could simply give up one goal a match, we’d have won 90 percent of the time.”
Since being shut out in the August 27 season opener, the Lancers average 3.7 goals per outing. And yet this latest setback marks the third-straight match they’ve fallen short (0-2-1). It is all the more frustrating considering how simply they built an enviable lead.
There was only 7:22 elapsed when Lancers standout Grayden McClellan worked a classic give-and-go with teammate Oleksandr Melnyk allowing him to cut to the middle and park a 14-yarder past Streamwood goalie Eduardo Del Rio. The Sabres’ back-up keeper has nearly amassed as many minutes as Antonio Herrera, Streamwood’s netminder for the season’s first eight matches.
“We’ve worked together so much that it’s like second nature,” McClellan said. “The three of us (McClellan, Melnyk, and Max Armas) can anticipate making runs to score when any of us possess the ball.”
Streamwood coach Matt Polovin and Leo Magana both received yellow cards and the Sabres’ frustrations continued when Angel Diaz finally put a shot on frame that Lake Park goalie Kyle Czeremuga handled with ease.
The Lancers doubled their advantage at 21:39 when Edgar Villagran set up McClellan on the right side for an 18-yarder. Those two strikes boosted McClellan’s season total to eight (matching Armas). It was Villagran’s fourth assist while Melynk’s earlier set-up was his third. Everyone on the Lancers roster trails McClellan's team-best eight helpers.
But just over two minutes later, Streamwood tri-captain Edwin Peralta took a feed from Alejandro Morales and launched an absolute cracker from 33 yards. The shot ricocheted off the left post and in.
“We were badly in need of some momentum. It was like everyone stopped playing with purpose,” Peralta noted. “As a captain I felt it was necessary to get us back in the game. I believe that goal boosted our confidence and got us a second and third, plus more confidence.
“My shot was basically what Polovin preaches over and over in practice or in every game; drive it low, hard, and into a corner,” Peralta explained after netting his fifth goal of the year. Starting the rally and adding two assists made him the choice for Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
The surge in energy paid off in less that four minutes as Morales made a textbook cross which Angel Diaz finished from 10 yards in the middle. It was the first of two assists that bumped Morales’ total set-ups to five.
“Seeing Alejandro take it to the end line I just tried to position myself where I could be wide open,” Diaz said. “That pass was perfect, and I had no trouble putting it away.”
Streamwood’s third goal was a result of Peralta finding Joel Sandoval whose touch nearly got away from him. However, he stayed after it and managed to dislodge it as Czeremuga tried to cover the ball. The end result was an empty netter from eight yards left of center.
That strategy of not quitting on the play worked again for the Sabres as the first-half clock was in countdown mode. Peralta toe-poked the ball to where Diaz could blast home a 12-yarder for a 4-2 lead with a mere 0:00.5 remaining. As soon as play resumed, the horn sounded.
“Pee Wee (i.e., Peralta) kept fighting for the ball and knocked it into the open where I could just boot it straight in,” Diaz said after boosting his goal tally to six with a second two-goal performance. Peralta’s assist tally rose to four for the year.
An unsung hero for Streamwood as usual was Jose Ibarra, a 2018 Chicagoland Soccer All-State defender. The junior tri-captain made certain the Sabres’ defense held firm as Polovin opted to put Jonathon Castillo in net. He was elevated to the varsity back-up role making him the fourth sophomore on a roster which already includes five freshmen, three of whom are now seeing time as starters.
Lake Park began the second half trying to regain its offensive touch. McClellan was on the left wing and had heat on a shot that missed the far right post. Melynk took the ball down a sideline and played a cross through the goal box that went begging for a re-direct.
The Lancers had a golden opportunity with 11:23 still remaining in regulation thanks to a Streamwood tripping foul. Armas’ penalty kick was blocked by Castillo, who then had the presence of mind to scramble back to his feet in time to stop the Lancers’ rebound putback attempt. A little over two minutes elapsed when reserve Antonio Bartlett’s had a potential first goal negated by an offsides whistle. There was 7:23 still to play when Castillo punched away a dangerous service by the Lancers.
With 3:03 remaining, Lake Park had another corner kick, and Jakub Zych was unlucky with a shot that caromed off the crossbar. Making his varsity debut in goal, Castillo’s youth finally caught up to the sophomore when he misjudged his positioning and handled the ball just outside the penalty box. The resulting yellow card had Del Rio return for the final 1:05 starting with a 20-yard direct kick from the right by Melnyk. The Lancer senior placed his strike perfectly inside the far left post. His eighth goal made it 4-3 opening the door a crack.
However, Streamwood got the ball to a corner and ran out the clock.
“An obvious lesson for us it not to get too comfortable with any lead,” McClellan said. “With any kind of lead you have to get your level up even more; because a good team isn’t going to just sit back, they’ll push to get goals.”
Crosby had the same view of what unfolded.
“It’s not about pointing fingers or what player is at fault. As a team we have to stop leaking goals on defense. Good teams are always going to attack and create opportunities,” Crosby said. “We need to be more committed to winning the ball back, not get lazy on defense or overcommit. While we executed early in the first half, we obviously were nowhere near as smooth on defense the rest of the way. And once you’re behind, then you’re chasing the game instead of dictating play.”
Even with the disappointing outcome, Crosby noted some efforts worthy of praise.
“Antonio (Bavaro) came on in the second half and showed how eager he was to win. The run he made was a quality effort that was unfortunately wiped off by an offsides whistle. Olek once again showed how good of a box-to-box midfielder he is,” Crosby said. “And Anthony (Magner) was equally determined to win the game. As a center back he was aggressive in sniffing out plays and showed a lot of heart.”
That was something Streamwood’s Polovin agreed with.
“Their center back, number 13, was all over the place. He was doing the job of four different defensive positions at times,” Polovin said. “I still consider Jose (Ibarra) the best defender in the state, and Pee Wee (Peralta) is a top player, but there were three standouts on the field and their 13 was the third in my book.
“Once Pee Wee scored you could see a look of frustration on Lake Park’s faces. When we got the equalizer, they got a little sloppy at times. But that’s why I’m always telling our team the next minutes after a score are so important,” Polovin added.
Polovin was also pleased with the manner in which Streamwood made overlapping runs and continuously put pressure on the Lake Park goal to close out the first half.
“Joel (Sandoval) was like a one-man wrecking crew. He sliced through some defenders and stayed with it to get around their keeper and have a wide-open shot,” Polovin noted. “He definitely helps our midfield play out with his quickness and ability to get to the ball. Our fourth goal took a lot of steam out of Lake Park. They didn’t give up by any means, but it made it a tougher hill to climb.”
Both teams now return to conference competition. Lake Park, the co-defending champions in the DuKane Conference, need to rebound from the sting of a 2-1 loss at Glenbard North which leveled the Lancers’ league record at 1-1-1. A Tuesday home date with Wheaton Warrenville South is followed by a Thursday visit to fellow 2018 co-chmp Wheaton North. Both of those matches have 6:30 p.m. starts.
Streamwood has a pair of Upstate Eight Conference affairs against fellow U-46 district programs. The Sabres (2-1-1 in the UEC), are at Bartlett on Monday (4:30 p.m.) and at Larkin on Wednesday (6:30 p.m.).
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Kyle Czeremuga
D Edgar Villagran
D Max Panek
D Anthony Magner
D Logan Pobloske
M Konrad Sagan
M Francesco Ciara
M Oleksandr Melynk
M Ricardo Ciaccio
F Grayden McClellan
F Max Armas
Streamwood
GK Eduardo Del Rio
D Josh Taboada
D Jose Ibarra
D Brian Caldera
D Aaron Taboada
M Joel Sandoval
M Leo Magana
M Edwin Peralta
M Aldo Jimenez
F Alejandro Morales
F Angel Diaz
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Edwin “Pee Wee” Peralta, sr. M, Streamwood
Referees: Guy Ross (center), Euzebiusz Napierald, Patrick Anelli
Game summary
Streamwood 4, Lake Park 3
Lake Park 2 1 --- 3 (6-7-2)
Streamwood 4 0 --- 4 (6-6-3)
Scoring
First half
LP --- McClellan give and go cut to middle for 14-yarder (Melynk assist) 7:22 gone
LP --- McClellan 18-yarder from right side (Villagran assist), 21:39
S --- Peralta 33-yard cracker from right of center (Morales assist), 24:02 gone
S --- Diaz 10-yard finish in middle off a crossing pass (Morales assist), 28:44 gone
S --- Sandoval dribbles by keeper for empty net strike (Peralta assist), 38:21 gone
S --- Diaz 12-yarder from right of center off scramble (Peralta assist), 39:59.5 gone
Second half
LP --- Melnyk 20-yard direct kick from right (unassisted), 78:55 gone
Shots
LP 6 – 10 --- 16
S 9 – 5 --- 14
Shots on goal
LP 4 – 5 --- 9
S 6 – 2 --- 8
Saves (goalie)
LP 2 (Czeremuga) – 2 --- 4
S 2 (Del Rio ) – 4 (Castillo 4 / Del Rio 0) 4 --- 6
Corner kicks
LP 1 – 4 --- 5
S 1 – 0 --- 1
Offsides
LP 1 – 2 --- 3
S 0 – 0 --- 0
after Lake Park loses focus
Sabres erase 2-goal deficit with 4-straight strikes in 4-3 win
By Steve Nemeth
STREAMWOOD --- Ignore the violent aspect of the idiom “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword,” and it can be applied to Lake Park’s nonconference loss Saturday at Streamwood.
Dominating play early on, things looked easy for the visiting Lancers while they built a two-goal lead.
But just as easily as that advantage came together, Lake Park lost focus and the host Sabres sliced that deficit to shreds before holding on for a 4-3 nonconference victory.
It was a meeting between two teams trying to compensate for absences with altered lineups and roles while hoping to build momentum for their remaining league play and postseasons.
For Streamwood, the come-from-behind victory marked the fourth time this season the Sabres have evened their ledger. Their 6-6-3 record is emblematic of struggling to stay healthy and successfully finish chances.
Lake Park --- now 6-7-2 --- went from being in charge of the match to giving up four-consecutive goals in the last 16 minutes of the opening half.
“Giving up four goals like that is inexcusable,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby stated. “If we could simply give up one goal a match, we’d have won 90 percent of the time.”
Since being shut out in the August 27 season opener, the Lancers average 3.7 goals per outing. And yet this latest setback marks the third-straight match they’ve fallen short (0-2-1). It is all the more frustrating considering how simply they built an enviable lead.
There was only 7:22 elapsed when Lancers standout Grayden McClellan worked a classic give-and-go with teammate Oleksandr Melnyk allowing him to cut to the middle and park a 14-yarder past Streamwood goalie Eduardo Del Rio. The Sabres’ back-up keeper has nearly amassed as many minutes as Antonio Herrera, Streamwood’s netminder for the season’s first eight matches.
“We’ve worked together so much that it’s like second nature,” McClellan said. “The three of us (McClellan, Melnyk, and Max Armas) can anticipate making runs to score when any of us possess the ball.”
Streamwood coach Matt Polovin and Leo Magana both received yellow cards and the Sabres’ frustrations continued when Angel Diaz finally put a shot on frame that Lake Park goalie Kyle Czeremuga handled with ease.
The Lancers doubled their advantage at 21:39 when Edgar Villagran set up McClellan on the right side for an 18-yarder. Those two strikes boosted McClellan’s season total to eight (matching Armas). It was Villagran’s fourth assist while Melynk’s earlier set-up was his third. Everyone on the Lancers roster trails McClellan's team-best eight helpers.
But just over two minutes later, Streamwood tri-captain Edwin Peralta took a feed from Alejandro Morales and launched an absolute cracker from 33 yards. The shot ricocheted off the left post and in.
“We were badly in need of some momentum. It was like everyone stopped playing with purpose,” Peralta noted. “As a captain I felt it was necessary to get us back in the game. I believe that goal boosted our confidence and got us a second and third, plus more confidence.
“My shot was basically what Polovin preaches over and over in practice or in every game; drive it low, hard, and into a corner,” Peralta explained after netting his fifth goal of the year. Starting the rally and adding two assists made him the choice for Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
The surge in energy paid off in less that four minutes as Morales made a textbook cross which Angel Diaz finished from 10 yards in the middle. It was the first of two assists that bumped Morales’ total set-ups to five.
“Seeing Alejandro take it to the end line I just tried to position myself where I could be wide open,” Diaz said. “That pass was perfect, and I had no trouble putting it away.”
Streamwood’s third goal was a result of Peralta finding Joel Sandoval whose touch nearly got away from him. However, he stayed after it and managed to dislodge it as Czeremuga tried to cover the ball. The end result was an empty netter from eight yards left of center.
That strategy of not quitting on the play worked again for the Sabres as the first-half clock was in countdown mode. Peralta toe-poked the ball to where Diaz could blast home a 12-yarder for a 4-2 lead with a mere 0:00.5 remaining. As soon as play resumed, the horn sounded.
“Pee Wee (i.e., Peralta) kept fighting for the ball and knocked it into the open where I could just boot it straight in,” Diaz said after boosting his goal tally to six with a second two-goal performance. Peralta’s assist tally rose to four for the year.
An unsung hero for Streamwood as usual was Jose Ibarra, a 2018 Chicagoland Soccer All-State defender. The junior tri-captain made certain the Sabres’ defense held firm as Polovin opted to put Jonathon Castillo in net. He was elevated to the varsity back-up role making him the fourth sophomore on a roster which already includes five freshmen, three of whom are now seeing time as starters.
Lake Park began the second half trying to regain its offensive touch. McClellan was on the left wing and had heat on a shot that missed the far right post. Melynk took the ball down a sideline and played a cross through the goal box that went begging for a re-direct.
The Lancers had a golden opportunity with 11:23 still remaining in regulation thanks to a Streamwood tripping foul. Armas’ penalty kick was blocked by Castillo, who then had the presence of mind to scramble back to his feet in time to stop the Lancers’ rebound putback attempt. A little over two minutes elapsed when reserve Antonio Bartlett’s had a potential first goal negated by an offsides whistle. There was 7:23 still to play when Castillo punched away a dangerous service by the Lancers.
With 3:03 remaining, Lake Park had another corner kick, and Jakub Zych was unlucky with a shot that caromed off the crossbar. Making his varsity debut in goal, Castillo’s youth finally caught up to the sophomore when he misjudged his positioning and handled the ball just outside the penalty box. The resulting yellow card had Del Rio return for the final 1:05 starting with a 20-yard direct kick from the right by Melnyk. The Lancer senior placed his strike perfectly inside the far left post. His eighth goal made it 4-3 opening the door a crack.
However, Streamwood got the ball to a corner and ran out the clock.
“An obvious lesson for us it not to get too comfortable with any lead,” McClellan said. “With any kind of lead you have to get your level up even more; because a good team isn’t going to just sit back, they’ll push to get goals.”
Crosby had the same view of what unfolded.
“It’s not about pointing fingers or what player is at fault. As a team we have to stop leaking goals on defense. Good teams are always going to attack and create opportunities,” Crosby said. “We need to be more committed to winning the ball back, not get lazy on defense or overcommit. While we executed early in the first half, we obviously were nowhere near as smooth on defense the rest of the way. And once you’re behind, then you’re chasing the game instead of dictating play.”
Even with the disappointing outcome, Crosby noted some efforts worthy of praise.
“Antonio (Bavaro) came on in the second half and showed how eager he was to win. The run he made was a quality effort that was unfortunately wiped off by an offsides whistle. Olek once again showed how good of a box-to-box midfielder he is,” Crosby said. “And Anthony (Magner) was equally determined to win the game. As a center back he was aggressive in sniffing out plays and showed a lot of heart.”
That was something Streamwood’s Polovin agreed with.
“Their center back, number 13, was all over the place. He was doing the job of four different defensive positions at times,” Polovin said. “I still consider Jose (Ibarra) the best defender in the state, and Pee Wee (Peralta) is a top player, but there were three standouts on the field and their 13 was the third in my book.
“Once Pee Wee scored you could see a look of frustration on Lake Park’s faces. When we got the equalizer, they got a little sloppy at times. But that’s why I’m always telling our team the next minutes after a score are so important,” Polovin added.
Polovin was also pleased with the manner in which Streamwood made overlapping runs and continuously put pressure on the Lake Park goal to close out the first half.
“Joel (Sandoval) was like a one-man wrecking crew. He sliced through some defenders and stayed with it to get around their keeper and have a wide-open shot,” Polovin noted. “He definitely helps our midfield play out with his quickness and ability to get to the ball. Our fourth goal took a lot of steam out of Lake Park. They didn’t give up by any means, but it made it a tougher hill to climb.”
Both teams now return to conference competition. Lake Park, the co-defending champions in the DuKane Conference, need to rebound from the sting of a 2-1 loss at Glenbard North which leveled the Lancers’ league record at 1-1-1. A Tuesday home date with Wheaton Warrenville South is followed by a Thursday visit to fellow 2018 co-chmp Wheaton North. Both of those matches have 6:30 p.m. starts.
Streamwood has a pair of Upstate Eight Conference affairs against fellow U-46 district programs. The Sabres (2-1-1 in the UEC), are at Bartlett on Monday (4:30 p.m.) and at Larkin on Wednesday (6:30 p.m.).
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Kyle Czeremuga
D Edgar Villagran
D Max Panek
D Anthony Magner
D Logan Pobloske
M Konrad Sagan
M Francesco Ciara
M Oleksandr Melynk
M Ricardo Ciaccio
F Grayden McClellan
F Max Armas
Streamwood
GK Eduardo Del Rio
D Josh Taboada
D Jose Ibarra
D Brian Caldera
D Aaron Taboada
M Joel Sandoval
M Leo Magana
M Edwin Peralta
M Aldo Jimenez
F Alejandro Morales
F Angel Diaz
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Edwin “Pee Wee” Peralta, sr. M, Streamwood
Referees: Guy Ross (center), Euzebiusz Napierald, Patrick Anelli
Game summary
Streamwood 4, Lake Park 3
Lake Park 2 1 --- 3 (6-7-2)
Streamwood 4 0 --- 4 (6-6-3)
Scoring
First half
LP --- McClellan give and go cut to middle for 14-yarder (Melynk assist) 7:22 gone
LP --- McClellan 18-yarder from right side (Villagran assist), 21:39
S --- Peralta 33-yard cracker from right of center (Morales assist), 24:02 gone
S --- Diaz 10-yard finish in middle off a crossing pass (Morales assist), 28:44 gone
S --- Sandoval dribbles by keeper for empty net strike (Peralta assist), 38:21 gone
S --- Diaz 12-yarder from right of center off scramble (Peralta assist), 39:59.5 gone
Second half
LP --- Melnyk 20-yard direct kick from right (unassisted), 78:55 gone
Shots
LP 6 – 10 --- 16
S 9 – 5 --- 14
Shots on goal
LP 4 – 5 --- 9
S 6 – 2 --- 8
Saves (goalie)
LP 2 (Czeremuga) – 2 --- 4
S 2 (Del Rio ) – 4 (Castillo 4 / Del Rio 0) 4 --- 6
Corner kicks
LP 1 – 4 --- 5
S 1 – 0 --- 1
Offsides
LP 1 – 2 --- 3
S 0 – 0 --- 0