Inspired OPRF strikes fast, holds off Lyons
2 early goals power Huskies to important 4-2 WSC Silver victory
By Dave Owen
OAK PARK -- It was off the bus and straight into a raging fire for Lyons on Tuesday at Oak Park and River Forest High School.
The 20th-ranked host Huskies (9-2-0, 2-0-0) were on the attack from the start in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division battle and produced a penalty kick chance in the second minute. And while the Andrew Barkidijija PK hit the post, the hosts shook off that potential momentum setback like it was a feather.
Brody Bliss scored off a Barkidijija assist three minutes later, and Sam Menzies’ goal in the 11th minute (also assisted by Barkidijija) provided added fuel. The Huskies proceeded to ride their early 2-0 surge to an eventual 4-2 win, positioning themselves well in a wide-open WSC Silver race.
“Especially after last year, losing in penalties (at Lyons), which ended up costing us conference, we never forgot about that,” Barkidijija said.
“I think the response after my missed penalty (kick) was really important. We rallied right away. We didn’t look back on the choke. We just responded two goals right away, and then we never looked back.”
While Barkidijija chose harsh words for his PK strike off the metal, his role in all four goals (three assists, plus a free kick send off a Lyons defender and in for an own-goal that made the score 3-0) more than made up for any issues on his early chance.
“Right when it (the PK) happened we said, ‘This can go either way,’” OPRF coach Jason Fried said. “It was a great shot, hit the post, and we actually started playing harder after that happened. That shows these guys have great character, a fantastic group of guys. As coaches we couldn’t be prouder the way they reacted.”
And while the ninth-ranked Lions (8-4-1, 1-1-0) roared back with strong play over the last 60 minutes of the match, OPRF had an answer to every test.
“We had some rough moments later throughout the whole game,” Barkidijija said. “LT, credit to them, never gave up getting two goals back. But we held our own, and I’m really proud of the boys the way they cleared the backline. It was a great performance defensively especially.”
At the offensive end, Bliss had goals in each half that were huge momentum strikes – starting with his early putaway off a Barkidijija cross that put the Huskies ahead 1-0.
“They gave me space, and our midfield was controlling the game at the start,” Bliss said. “That opened up a lot of space for the forwards, and I just got a ball across the middle (from Barkidijija). I was there, and I was able to set the tone.”
Then after Lyons had drawn within 3-1 with 24:36 left on an Eric Gradilla goal and continued to blitz the OPRF end (including forcing a great diving save by goalkeeper Kel Felton on a Skip Locke 12-yard drive two minutes later), Bliss had a huge response.
Off a Barkidijija send up the left side, apparent miscommunication in the Lyons defense gave Bliss a 1-v.-1 chance. He powered home his shot from 10 yards out to create a 4-1 lead with 22 minutes to go.
“To our credit, we pushed forward and got a goal,” Lyons coach Paul Labbato said. “And when that goal went in to make it 3-1, I felt that momentum could have pushed us. But they countered immediately, got a fourth goal and that was tough. I don’t know what happened there.”
It was the hustle and a nose for the net that produced the game’s clinching goal for Bliss, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
“I thought at first Matt Hawthorne was getting there, and I started giving up on it,” said Bliss, who has eight goals this season. “Then I saw that the defenders weren’t going for it, so I used my speed and got there.
“Hawthorne, our center forward, was kind of a decoy, and I used that, and I was there.”
Bliss was there when needed all night, and missed a hat-trick by inches when he lined his 2-on-1 break chance off the right post with 14:15 to go.
“Brody had a fantastic game,” Fried said. “He got that first goal, and he was the guy who came back, a great pass by ‘Barky’ on that second one, and he put the ball away. That was not an easy ball to put away on the foot, and it changes the tide.
“Brody showed up huge with big moments today, and he’s only a junior who keeps getting better and better. It’s fantastic.”
In between Bliss’ first and second goals, the game was a wild back-and-forth battle.
With OPRF up 1-0, a loose ball in the box ended with Sam Menzies’ goal to double the lead with the game barely 10 minutes old.
“Barky distributed it out (off the loose ball), they (the Lyons defenders) went to the weak side, and Sam put it in,” Fried said.
“One thing we’ve done really well this year compared to last year is, when the whistle blows (to start the match), we actually play. We did that today, and that was the fastest I’ve ever seen them play.
“They did a lot of things -– two-touch soccer, moving the ball around, going to the weak side where it was open, playing away from pressure,” Fried added. “That made us look even faster. Let the ball do the work, possess to get a high-chance opportunity, and we had like four of them in the first 12 minutes.”
For Lyons, it was a roller-coaster ride that began horribly, got better, then flipped the Lions upside down again late.
“I think we didn’t come to play in the first 10 minutes, and that set the tone,” Labbato said. “And I hate to say it, the first 10 minutes of the second half we gave up some easy (chances).
“They (OPRF) are good. We knew that coming in. You have to match their intensity the entire half, because I thought after the first two goals we had most of the ball and most of the chances. They hardly took a shot for 25-30 minutes, but nothing came of that to get us back in the game. And then they come out and get one in the second half, which kind of puts it away.”
That third Huskies goal in the 10th minute of the second half seemed to do just that, making the score 3-0 and sending the vociferous Oak Park and River Forest home crowd into a full frenzy.
After Menzies was fouled, Barkidijija’s ensuing 26-yard free kick meant for a Menzies or Eric Gusloff redirect in front instead skimmed off a Lyons player and into the net.
“I saw the space in the middle – I wasn’t going for the own-goal, that’s for sure,” said Barkidijija (nine goals, 10 assists this season). “I tried to drive it down the middle for a reason, that anything can happen, any weird bounce. And unfortunately for them it was an unlucky play, but luck went our way.”
Said Fried: “Barky’s been doing that all year, creating a lot for us. And another guy that I think goes unnoticed is (midfielder) Bobby Iwashima. He lights out changes games for us, a great player.
“He plays really strong, is smart, always in the right place, and he does a great job moving away from pressure. He plays simple but really effective, and he makes all the guys around him better.”
The Huskies also fed off the electricity of the loud and large crowd.
“We were excited for this game for awhile,” Barkidijija said. “We knew there would be a lot of fans here, and our fans would be hyped for this game. The fans (of OPRF and Lyons) were chirping back and forth. That made the game more intense.”
The Lions’ fans had their first chance to really crow in the 16th minute of the second half. Off passes by Charlie Hall and Joey Fitzgerald, Locke’s cross from the right side found Gradilla racing towards the back post for his fourth goal of 2017.
“Once the ball got hit out wide to Skip, I thought I’d make my diagonal run,” Gradilla said. “I was just hoping to be at the right place. right time, and thankfully I was. I got a good touch and put it in the side netting.
“At first we were just a little nervous maybe and weren’t playing the way we usually play. Our touches were a little off. But I feel those two (OPRF) goals to me were a reminder to step it up, get those touches down and keep playing. And we scored two.”
Down 4-1 later, the Lions again refused to go quietly. Off a Gradilla throw-in from 15 yards, Charlie Clarke’s header across the crease to the right post was punched home by Sam DeBoer to make the score 4-2 with 19:33 left.
But with plenty of time left to further close the gap – and continued chances – the Lions’ threats were thwarted by goalkeeper Felton and the OPRF defense.
Felton was active all night racing off his line and into the scrum in the box. One fearless play produced a leaping grab over Clarke of a 55-yard Adam McGahay free kick with 8:45 to play.
He followed with another high grab of a 41-yard Locke free kick at 7:10 to go. Then on Lyon’s last quality set piece of the night, Felton made a catch at the left post of McGahay’s 34-yard free kick with 5:10 left.
“Kel (Felton) did a great job coming out,” Fried said. “They (Lyons) are so dangerous on those crosses, and especially in the first half he took away everything. When a team like that gets enough crosses they’re going to score on you, but luckily we had enough goals to overcome that.
“I thought Mason (Jai Hsieh-Bailey) at our outside right did a good job defensively recovering back, and also making some great runs in the attack. And Tommy Pasternak and Eric Gusloff played fantastic as our center backs. They won so much out of the air. They controlled the back and were so smart.
“And to win a game like this,” Fried added, “every person that steps on the field has to do their job.”
Among late-game defender/midfield plays, Gusloff headed away an Lyons free kick with 15:40 left. And it was Iwashima’s block and strong clear of a Lyons corner kick that set up Bliss’ counterattack shot off the post.
When the dust settled, a great OPRF start and a relentless 40-minute rush by Lyons had ended with a huge OPRF win.
“It shows how good Lyons is that after 15-20 minutes of that first half, they came back, slowed us down, controlled the ball on us and started winning 50-50 balls,” Fried said.
“At halftime I said, ‘Guys, they’re not going to roll over -- there’s no way, a team that good. If you don’t come back and play 40 minutes in the second half, you lose this game.’ I’m proud of them because I thought they came out and played a better overall second half, a more complete 40 minutes compared to the first half.”
Heading into an emotional Friday rivalry match with Hinsdale Central, Lyons showed great resiliency Tuesday.
“A lot of guys did really well,” Labbato said. “Nick Jacobs is continually doing well at center back and working hard, and I thought a sophomore Mike Niedermeyer gave us a lot of spark when we got down 2-0. He was doing a lot of good things (including an offensive zone steal to set up a great chance) and played really well.
“It’s just hard to match their (OPRF’s) intensity. If everybody’s not matching that intensity, it all goes down a little bit.”
And the Huskies are especially formidable at home.
“We never win on this field,” Labbato said. “It’s not a handful of times, but with a finger or two you can count us coming in here and getting a win. Hats off to them. They play really well here. They have a good crowd behind them, and they kind of use that momentum. And they’re very skilled too.
“They (OPRF) have a good recipe to go deep in the high school playoffs. I think we do too. We just have to clean up some mistakes. Those mistakes are killing us.”
Those playoffs are foremost on the Lions’ minds.
“I think nerves got to us today, and we just didn’t start the way I thought we should have,” Gradilla said. “Conference is kind of just getting us ready for state. Seeding doesn’t even matter as long as we get where we need to be, which is the state finals.”
The Huskies were cooking Tuesday, but know many tests are coming fast.
“We were getting ready for this game from the start of the season, knowing it was going to be a tough game,” Barkidijija said. “I’m just very proud of the boys and the way they came out.
“But going forward we can’t slow down. We have a big game Thursday against DGN, a big game Saturday with Fenwick (for Oak Park bragging rights), then Glenbard West next Tuesday. We have a stretch of games in front of us that we hope to carry this momentum.”
That momentum to date has the Huskies very much in the WSC Silver title chase.
“A good win, but we have to keep getting better,” Fried said. “It’s a very good conference (race) this year, anybody can win it. If these guys keep playing the way they are, they give themselves a good shot.”
Bliss had the game’s biggest goals, and the last word.
“It’s a huge win,” he said. “LT’s always a very good team, and to beat them is a huge confidence boost for us going forward. Hopefully we keep playing well.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK Matt Vear
D Jason Lichtenaur
D Sam DeBoer
D Nick Jacobs
D Quinn Frazer
M Charlie Hall
M Skip Locke
M Charlie Clarke
M Phil Panopoulos
F Eric Gradilla
F Adam McGahay
OPRF
GK Kel Felton
D Jai Hseih-Bailey
D Tommy Pasternak
D Eric Gusloff
D Nick Humbert
M Bobby Iwashima
M Andrew Barkidjija
M Sam Menzies
M James Maguire
F Brody Bliss
F Matt Hawthorne
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Brody Bliss, jr. F, Oak Park and River Forest
Scoring summary
1st HALF
OPRF: Bliss (Barkidijija assist); OPRF: Menzies (Barkidijija)
2nd HALF
OPRF: own goal Lyons (on Barkidijija free kick); Lyons: Gradilla (Locke); OPRF: Bliss (Barkidjija); Lyons: DeBoer (Clarke)
2 early goals power Huskies to important 4-2 WSC Silver victory
By Dave Owen
OAK PARK -- It was off the bus and straight into a raging fire for Lyons on Tuesday at Oak Park and River Forest High School.
The 20th-ranked host Huskies (9-2-0, 2-0-0) were on the attack from the start in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division battle and produced a penalty kick chance in the second minute. And while the Andrew Barkidijija PK hit the post, the hosts shook off that potential momentum setback like it was a feather.
Brody Bliss scored off a Barkidijija assist three minutes later, and Sam Menzies’ goal in the 11th minute (also assisted by Barkidijija) provided added fuel. The Huskies proceeded to ride their early 2-0 surge to an eventual 4-2 win, positioning themselves well in a wide-open WSC Silver race.
“Especially after last year, losing in penalties (at Lyons), which ended up costing us conference, we never forgot about that,” Barkidijija said.
“I think the response after my missed penalty (kick) was really important. We rallied right away. We didn’t look back on the choke. We just responded two goals right away, and then we never looked back.”
While Barkidijija chose harsh words for his PK strike off the metal, his role in all four goals (three assists, plus a free kick send off a Lyons defender and in for an own-goal that made the score 3-0) more than made up for any issues on his early chance.
“Right when it (the PK) happened we said, ‘This can go either way,’” OPRF coach Jason Fried said. “It was a great shot, hit the post, and we actually started playing harder after that happened. That shows these guys have great character, a fantastic group of guys. As coaches we couldn’t be prouder the way they reacted.”
And while the ninth-ranked Lions (8-4-1, 1-1-0) roared back with strong play over the last 60 minutes of the match, OPRF had an answer to every test.
“We had some rough moments later throughout the whole game,” Barkidijija said. “LT, credit to them, never gave up getting two goals back. But we held our own, and I’m really proud of the boys the way they cleared the backline. It was a great performance defensively especially.”
At the offensive end, Bliss had goals in each half that were huge momentum strikes – starting with his early putaway off a Barkidijija cross that put the Huskies ahead 1-0.
“They gave me space, and our midfield was controlling the game at the start,” Bliss said. “That opened up a lot of space for the forwards, and I just got a ball across the middle (from Barkidijija). I was there, and I was able to set the tone.”
Then after Lyons had drawn within 3-1 with 24:36 left on an Eric Gradilla goal and continued to blitz the OPRF end (including forcing a great diving save by goalkeeper Kel Felton on a Skip Locke 12-yard drive two minutes later), Bliss had a huge response.
Off a Barkidijija send up the left side, apparent miscommunication in the Lyons defense gave Bliss a 1-v.-1 chance. He powered home his shot from 10 yards out to create a 4-1 lead with 22 minutes to go.
“To our credit, we pushed forward and got a goal,” Lyons coach Paul Labbato said. “And when that goal went in to make it 3-1, I felt that momentum could have pushed us. But they countered immediately, got a fourth goal and that was tough. I don’t know what happened there.”
It was the hustle and a nose for the net that produced the game’s clinching goal for Bliss, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
“I thought at first Matt Hawthorne was getting there, and I started giving up on it,” said Bliss, who has eight goals this season. “Then I saw that the defenders weren’t going for it, so I used my speed and got there.
“Hawthorne, our center forward, was kind of a decoy, and I used that, and I was there.”
Bliss was there when needed all night, and missed a hat-trick by inches when he lined his 2-on-1 break chance off the right post with 14:15 to go.
“Brody had a fantastic game,” Fried said. “He got that first goal, and he was the guy who came back, a great pass by ‘Barky’ on that second one, and he put the ball away. That was not an easy ball to put away on the foot, and it changes the tide.
“Brody showed up huge with big moments today, and he’s only a junior who keeps getting better and better. It’s fantastic.”
In between Bliss’ first and second goals, the game was a wild back-and-forth battle.
With OPRF up 1-0, a loose ball in the box ended with Sam Menzies’ goal to double the lead with the game barely 10 minutes old.
“Barky distributed it out (off the loose ball), they (the Lyons defenders) went to the weak side, and Sam put it in,” Fried said.
“One thing we’ve done really well this year compared to last year is, when the whistle blows (to start the match), we actually play. We did that today, and that was the fastest I’ve ever seen them play.
“They did a lot of things -– two-touch soccer, moving the ball around, going to the weak side where it was open, playing away from pressure,” Fried added. “That made us look even faster. Let the ball do the work, possess to get a high-chance opportunity, and we had like four of them in the first 12 minutes.”
For Lyons, it was a roller-coaster ride that began horribly, got better, then flipped the Lions upside down again late.
“I think we didn’t come to play in the first 10 minutes, and that set the tone,” Labbato said. “And I hate to say it, the first 10 minutes of the second half we gave up some easy (chances).
“They (OPRF) are good. We knew that coming in. You have to match their intensity the entire half, because I thought after the first two goals we had most of the ball and most of the chances. They hardly took a shot for 25-30 minutes, but nothing came of that to get us back in the game. And then they come out and get one in the second half, which kind of puts it away.”
That third Huskies goal in the 10th minute of the second half seemed to do just that, making the score 3-0 and sending the vociferous Oak Park and River Forest home crowd into a full frenzy.
After Menzies was fouled, Barkidijija’s ensuing 26-yard free kick meant for a Menzies or Eric Gusloff redirect in front instead skimmed off a Lyons player and into the net.
“I saw the space in the middle – I wasn’t going for the own-goal, that’s for sure,” said Barkidijija (nine goals, 10 assists this season). “I tried to drive it down the middle for a reason, that anything can happen, any weird bounce. And unfortunately for them it was an unlucky play, but luck went our way.”
Said Fried: “Barky’s been doing that all year, creating a lot for us. And another guy that I think goes unnoticed is (midfielder) Bobby Iwashima. He lights out changes games for us, a great player.
“He plays really strong, is smart, always in the right place, and he does a great job moving away from pressure. He plays simple but really effective, and he makes all the guys around him better.”
The Huskies also fed off the electricity of the loud and large crowd.
“We were excited for this game for awhile,” Barkidijija said. “We knew there would be a lot of fans here, and our fans would be hyped for this game. The fans (of OPRF and Lyons) were chirping back and forth. That made the game more intense.”
The Lions’ fans had their first chance to really crow in the 16th minute of the second half. Off passes by Charlie Hall and Joey Fitzgerald, Locke’s cross from the right side found Gradilla racing towards the back post for his fourth goal of 2017.
“Once the ball got hit out wide to Skip, I thought I’d make my diagonal run,” Gradilla said. “I was just hoping to be at the right place. right time, and thankfully I was. I got a good touch and put it in the side netting.
“At first we were just a little nervous maybe and weren’t playing the way we usually play. Our touches were a little off. But I feel those two (OPRF) goals to me were a reminder to step it up, get those touches down and keep playing. And we scored two.”
Down 4-1 later, the Lions again refused to go quietly. Off a Gradilla throw-in from 15 yards, Charlie Clarke’s header across the crease to the right post was punched home by Sam DeBoer to make the score 4-2 with 19:33 left.
But with plenty of time left to further close the gap – and continued chances – the Lions’ threats were thwarted by goalkeeper Felton and the OPRF defense.
Felton was active all night racing off his line and into the scrum in the box. One fearless play produced a leaping grab over Clarke of a 55-yard Adam McGahay free kick with 8:45 to play.
He followed with another high grab of a 41-yard Locke free kick at 7:10 to go. Then on Lyon’s last quality set piece of the night, Felton made a catch at the left post of McGahay’s 34-yard free kick with 5:10 left.
“Kel (Felton) did a great job coming out,” Fried said. “They (Lyons) are so dangerous on those crosses, and especially in the first half he took away everything. When a team like that gets enough crosses they’re going to score on you, but luckily we had enough goals to overcome that.
“I thought Mason (Jai Hsieh-Bailey) at our outside right did a good job defensively recovering back, and also making some great runs in the attack. And Tommy Pasternak and Eric Gusloff played fantastic as our center backs. They won so much out of the air. They controlled the back and were so smart.
“And to win a game like this,” Fried added, “every person that steps on the field has to do their job.”
Among late-game defender/midfield plays, Gusloff headed away an Lyons free kick with 15:40 left. And it was Iwashima’s block and strong clear of a Lyons corner kick that set up Bliss’ counterattack shot off the post.
When the dust settled, a great OPRF start and a relentless 40-minute rush by Lyons had ended with a huge OPRF win.
“It shows how good Lyons is that after 15-20 minutes of that first half, they came back, slowed us down, controlled the ball on us and started winning 50-50 balls,” Fried said.
“At halftime I said, ‘Guys, they’re not going to roll over -- there’s no way, a team that good. If you don’t come back and play 40 minutes in the second half, you lose this game.’ I’m proud of them because I thought they came out and played a better overall second half, a more complete 40 minutes compared to the first half.”
Heading into an emotional Friday rivalry match with Hinsdale Central, Lyons showed great resiliency Tuesday.
“A lot of guys did really well,” Labbato said. “Nick Jacobs is continually doing well at center back and working hard, and I thought a sophomore Mike Niedermeyer gave us a lot of spark when we got down 2-0. He was doing a lot of good things (including an offensive zone steal to set up a great chance) and played really well.
“It’s just hard to match their (OPRF’s) intensity. If everybody’s not matching that intensity, it all goes down a little bit.”
And the Huskies are especially formidable at home.
“We never win on this field,” Labbato said. “It’s not a handful of times, but with a finger or two you can count us coming in here and getting a win. Hats off to them. They play really well here. They have a good crowd behind them, and they kind of use that momentum. And they’re very skilled too.
“They (OPRF) have a good recipe to go deep in the high school playoffs. I think we do too. We just have to clean up some mistakes. Those mistakes are killing us.”
Those playoffs are foremost on the Lions’ minds.
“I think nerves got to us today, and we just didn’t start the way I thought we should have,” Gradilla said. “Conference is kind of just getting us ready for state. Seeding doesn’t even matter as long as we get where we need to be, which is the state finals.”
The Huskies were cooking Tuesday, but know many tests are coming fast.
“We were getting ready for this game from the start of the season, knowing it was going to be a tough game,” Barkidijija said. “I’m just very proud of the boys and the way they came out.
“But going forward we can’t slow down. We have a big game Thursday against DGN, a big game Saturday with Fenwick (for Oak Park bragging rights), then Glenbard West next Tuesday. We have a stretch of games in front of us that we hope to carry this momentum.”
That momentum to date has the Huskies very much in the WSC Silver title chase.
“A good win, but we have to keep getting better,” Fried said. “It’s a very good conference (race) this year, anybody can win it. If these guys keep playing the way they are, they give themselves a good shot.”
Bliss had the game’s biggest goals, and the last word.
“It’s a huge win,” he said. “LT’s always a very good team, and to beat them is a huge confidence boost for us going forward. Hopefully we keep playing well.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK Matt Vear
D Jason Lichtenaur
D Sam DeBoer
D Nick Jacobs
D Quinn Frazer
M Charlie Hall
M Skip Locke
M Charlie Clarke
M Phil Panopoulos
F Eric Gradilla
F Adam McGahay
OPRF
GK Kel Felton
D Jai Hseih-Bailey
D Tommy Pasternak
D Eric Gusloff
D Nick Humbert
M Bobby Iwashima
M Andrew Barkidjija
M Sam Menzies
M James Maguire
F Brody Bliss
F Matt Hawthorne
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Brody Bliss, jr. F, Oak Park and River Forest
Scoring summary
1st HALF
OPRF: Bliss (Barkidijija assist); OPRF: Menzies (Barkidijija)
2nd HALF
OPRF: own goal Lyons (on Barkidijija free kick); Lyons: Gradilla (Locke); OPRF: Bliss (Barkidjija); Lyons: DeBoer (Clarke)