LP’s Swacha holds Wheaton N. to 1-1 draw
Lancer sophomore's PK save among 11 in sparkling varsity debut
By Bill McLean
WHEATON — Andrew Swacha was an 8-year-old field player in soccer when he got sick and tired of running up and down pitches.
But Swacha — now a Lake Park sophomore — did not want to run away from the sport. So he sprinted toward the more sedentary position of goalkeeper.
The decision certainly sat well with all who are affiliated with Lake Park boys soccer on Saturday. Swacha, in his first varsity start in goal, saved the day numerous times for his team including a huge penalty kick save in the 71st minute.
Seven minutes after the visitors had knotted the game on an own goal, Wheaton North senior midfielder Erik Rozanski prepared for the PK. As he struck the ball, Swacha, timed his tilt to his left perfectly and knocked the rapid shot away with both hands. He defected the rebound moments later to preserve the Lancers’ 1-1 tie in a DuKane Conference matchup.
“Found out this morning that I’d get to start,” Swacha said after his 11-save performance in sunny, warm conditions.
“Andrew,” LP coach Sean Crosby said, “is a great member of our program. He truly earned this moment, after working hard and supporting our senior keeper [Kyle Czeremuga].”
Lake Park and Wheaton North had been scheduled to meet for the first time this spring on March 16 in Roselle but bad weather forced a postponement.
Saturday’s matinee featured the reigning DuKane Conference champion (Wheaton North, way back in 2019) and the conference’s 2018 champion (Lake Park).
“Two phenomenal programs,” Wheaton North coach Rob Stassen said.
Lake Park (1-2-1 overall and in conference was coming off a 4-1 loss to St. Charles North on Thursday. Wheaton North (2-1-1) was savoring its impressive 4-0 defeat of Glenbard North on the same night.
On Saturday, Wheaton North went up 1-0 after a nifty feed from Rozanski, who found senior forward Jarrett Baumgartner to poke home a shot from close range in the 17th minute.
Baumgartner, who nearly scored in the second minute, saw his next scoring opportunity go wide and later his 14th-minute dangerous cross skitter to the left of Swacha. The home crowd anticipated an easy goal.
Hope, alas, turned to a mild form of anguish when Lake Park’s defense kept the real estate in front of its keeper Falcon-free.
The Lancers got a solid chance in the seventh minute when senior midfielder Anthony Bartlett intercepted a pass and hammered a shot shortly thereafter. Falcons junior keeper Sam Wakeman made a save to preserve the 1-0 advantage.
Swacha made his final save of the first half right before the horn sounded, foiling a try by Wheaton North reserve sophomore midfielder Diego Evangelista, who had gathered a pass from Rozanski.
Lake Park displayed considerably more energy throughout the second 40 minutes of the clash. Lancers sophomore midfielder Nico Bartlett might be the most competitive soccer player in the Class of 2023. Or in Illinois. Or maybe in the U.S. The son of former soccer player Steven and a former volleyball player/trackster Sabina, Bartlett used his combination of speed and toughness to win 50/50 balls, disrupt numerous Falcons transitions and create scoring chances.
“Nico,” Crosby said, “is not afraid. He’s aggressive and confident, and he demands the ball. It also helps that he’s an all-around athlete.”
Lake Park received an unintentional assist from Wheaton North in the 64th minute when an own-goal knotted the game at 1. Lancers senior midfielder Jakub Zych got credit for the goal because of his proximity to the inadvertent score.
Bartlett praised his team’s defense for the tie against a formidable foe.
“Our defense,” he noted, “communicated better than it had [in the team’s first three matches].”
Swacha spoke — no, shouted — often, as good keepers should. He was part traffic cop, part Mr. Encouragement in his varsity debut.
“Stay calm! Stay calm!” Swacha yelled to his mates with a little more than five minutes remaining.
Wheaton North’s final corner kick came in the 77th minute. Lake Park senior defender and co-captain Anthony Magner alertly cleaned up chaos in front of Swacha with a clear in the 79th minute.
“That was a heart-banger,” Crosby said to Stassen as the two coaches bumped fists between the benches afterward.
“That was a frustrating one,” Stassen said moments later. “We talk constantly, reminding our team, ‘Play 80 minutes, play 80 minutes, play 80 minutes.’ But I’m glad we were able to learn a lesson and still come away with a tie.
“Lake Park’s goalkeeper,” he added, “played an amazing game.”
Crosby, despite being masked up, couldn’t hide his contentedness and pride for his boys’ sustained effort after halftime. He sounded more like a winning coach than one who had to settle for a DuKane draw.
“Boy, we were flying around there, weren’t we?” he said. “And we were doing that on tired legs, box to box. Our midfielders, especially our wings, never stopped hustling, never stopped working. I also noticed more confidence in our play in the second half.”
Wheaton North’s Baumgartner made a similar observation.
“[Lake Park’s Lancers] pushed and pushed and pushed,” he said. “It was back and forth, back and forth.
“We just didn’t have the energy we needed to have in the second half.”
Next up for Wheaton North is a home date with Wheaton Warrenville South on Tuesday, beginning at 7 p.m.; Lake Park entertains Glenbard North on the same date at the same time.
Footnotes: Wheaton North boys soccer coach and PE teacher Stassen grew up in England and started playing soccer as a back, before battling as a midfielder/forward. “I played at age 2, or since I could walk,” Stassen said after Saturday afternoon’s 1-1 stalemate with Lake Park. … Wheaton North senior midfielder Gyan Patel planned to spend time with his brother, former Falcons forward Aniel Patel, after Saturday’s game. Aniel attends the University of Illinois-Chicago. … Lake Park and Wheaton North aren’t ranked in Chicagoland Soccer’s latest Top 25, but they and 13 other squads earned “Look Out For” status. DuKane Conference members Glenbard North and Wheaton Warrenville South also sit just outside the Top 25. The DuKane sides in the rankings are St. Charles North (no. 8, with a 4-1 record), St. Charles East (no. 9, 4-1-1) and Geneva (no. 10, 3-1-2).
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Andrew Swacha
D Francesco Caira
D Max Panek
D Anthony Magner
D Logan Pobloske
M Jakub Zych
M Nico Bartlett
M Anthony Bartlett
M Edgar Villagran
F Jason Salwach
F Chris Payan
Wheaton North
GK Sam Wakeman
D Kyle Schauer
D Tim Dulzer
D Noah Froebe
D: Tristan MacKay
M Caleb Hodel
M Erik Rozanski
M Graham Stephenson
M: Gyan Patel
F Ethan Martinez
F Jarrett Baumgartner
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Andrew Swacha, so., GK, Lake Park;
Jarrett Baumgartner, sr., F, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
WN — Baumgartner (Rozanski), 17’
Second half
LP — own goal credited to Zych, 64’
Lancer sophomore's PK save among 11 in sparkling varsity debut
By Bill McLean
WHEATON — Andrew Swacha was an 8-year-old field player in soccer when he got sick and tired of running up and down pitches.
But Swacha — now a Lake Park sophomore — did not want to run away from the sport. So he sprinted toward the more sedentary position of goalkeeper.
The decision certainly sat well with all who are affiliated with Lake Park boys soccer on Saturday. Swacha, in his first varsity start in goal, saved the day numerous times for his team including a huge penalty kick save in the 71st minute.
Seven minutes after the visitors had knotted the game on an own goal, Wheaton North senior midfielder Erik Rozanski prepared for the PK. As he struck the ball, Swacha, timed his tilt to his left perfectly and knocked the rapid shot away with both hands. He defected the rebound moments later to preserve the Lancers’ 1-1 tie in a DuKane Conference matchup.
“Found out this morning that I’d get to start,” Swacha said after his 11-save performance in sunny, warm conditions.
“Andrew,” LP coach Sean Crosby said, “is a great member of our program. He truly earned this moment, after working hard and supporting our senior keeper [Kyle Czeremuga].”
Lake Park and Wheaton North had been scheduled to meet for the first time this spring on March 16 in Roselle but bad weather forced a postponement.
Saturday’s matinee featured the reigning DuKane Conference champion (Wheaton North, way back in 2019) and the conference’s 2018 champion (Lake Park).
“Two phenomenal programs,” Wheaton North coach Rob Stassen said.
Lake Park (1-2-1 overall and in conference was coming off a 4-1 loss to St. Charles North on Thursday. Wheaton North (2-1-1) was savoring its impressive 4-0 defeat of Glenbard North on the same night.
On Saturday, Wheaton North went up 1-0 after a nifty feed from Rozanski, who found senior forward Jarrett Baumgartner to poke home a shot from close range in the 17th minute.
Baumgartner, who nearly scored in the second minute, saw his next scoring opportunity go wide and later his 14th-minute dangerous cross skitter to the left of Swacha. The home crowd anticipated an easy goal.
Hope, alas, turned to a mild form of anguish when Lake Park’s defense kept the real estate in front of its keeper Falcon-free.
The Lancers got a solid chance in the seventh minute when senior midfielder Anthony Bartlett intercepted a pass and hammered a shot shortly thereafter. Falcons junior keeper Sam Wakeman made a save to preserve the 1-0 advantage.
Swacha made his final save of the first half right before the horn sounded, foiling a try by Wheaton North reserve sophomore midfielder Diego Evangelista, who had gathered a pass from Rozanski.
Lake Park displayed considerably more energy throughout the second 40 minutes of the clash. Lancers sophomore midfielder Nico Bartlett might be the most competitive soccer player in the Class of 2023. Or in Illinois. Or maybe in the U.S. The son of former soccer player Steven and a former volleyball player/trackster Sabina, Bartlett used his combination of speed and toughness to win 50/50 balls, disrupt numerous Falcons transitions and create scoring chances.
“Nico,” Crosby said, “is not afraid. He’s aggressive and confident, and he demands the ball. It also helps that he’s an all-around athlete.”
Lake Park received an unintentional assist from Wheaton North in the 64th minute when an own-goal knotted the game at 1. Lancers senior midfielder Jakub Zych got credit for the goal because of his proximity to the inadvertent score.
Bartlett praised his team’s defense for the tie against a formidable foe.
“Our defense,” he noted, “communicated better than it had [in the team’s first three matches].”
Swacha spoke — no, shouted — often, as good keepers should. He was part traffic cop, part Mr. Encouragement in his varsity debut.
“Stay calm! Stay calm!” Swacha yelled to his mates with a little more than five minutes remaining.
Wheaton North’s final corner kick came in the 77th minute. Lake Park senior defender and co-captain Anthony Magner alertly cleaned up chaos in front of Swacha with a clear in the 79th minute.
“That was a heart-banger,” Crosby said to Stassen as the two coaches bumped fists between the benches afterward.
“That was a frustrating one,” Stassen said moments later. “We talk constantly, reminding our team, ‘Play 80 minutes, play 80 minutes, play 80 minutes.’ But I’m glad we were able to learn a lesson and still come away with a tie.
“Lake Park’s goalkeeper,” he added, “played an amazing game.”
Crosby, despite being masked up, couldn’t hide his contentedness and pride for his boys’ sustained effort after halftime. He sounded more like a winning coach than one who had to settle for a DuKane draw.
“Boy, we were flying around there, weren’t we?” he said. “And we were doing that on tired legs, box to box. Our midfielders, especially our wings, never stopped hustling, never stopped working. I also noticed more confidence in our play in the second half.”
Wheaton North’s Baumgartner made a similar observation.
“[Lake Park’s Lancers] pushed and pushed and pushed,” he said. “It was back and forth, back and forth.
“We just didn’t have the energy we needed to have in the second half.”
Next up for Wheaton North is a home date with Wheaton Warrenville South on Tuesday, beginning at 7 p.m.; Lake Park entertains Glenbard North on the same date at the same time.
Footnotes: Wheaton North boys soccer coach and PE teacher Stassen grew up in England and started playing soccer as a back, before battling as a midfielder/forward. “I played at age 2, or since I could walk,” Stassen said after Saturday afternoon’s 1-1 stalemate with Lake Park. … Wheaton North senior midfielder Gyan Patel planned to spend time with his brother, former Falcons forward Aniel Patel, after Saturday’s game. Aniel attends the University of Illinois-Chicago. … Lake Park and Wheaton North aren’t ranked in Chicagoland Soccer’s latest Top 25, but they and 13 other squads earned “Look Out For” status. DuKane Conference members Glenbard North and Wheaton Warrenville South also sit just outside the Top 25. The DuKane sides in the rankings are St. Charles North (no. 8, with a 4-1 record), St. Charles East (no. 9, 4-1-1) and Geneva (no. 10, 3-1-2).
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Andrew Swacha
D Francesco Caira
D Max Panek
D Anthony Magner
D Logan Pobloske
M Jakub Zych
M Nico Bartlett
M Anthony Bartlett
M Edgar Villagran
F Jason Salwach
F Chris Payan
Wheaton North
GK Sam Wakeman
D Kyle Schauer
D Tim Dulzer
D Noah Froebe
D: Tristan MacKay
M Caleb Hodel
M Erik Rozanski
M Graham Stephenson
M: Gyan Patel
F Ethan Martinez
F Jarrett Baumgartner
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Andrew Swacha, so., GK, Lake Park;
Jarrett Baumgartner, sr., F, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
WN — Baumgartner (Rozanski), 17’
Second half
LP — own goal credited to Zych, 64’