Taft, Mather find promise in league finale
Encouraging play from both sides results in 1-1 draw
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Soccer is relentless and cruel, beautiful and unforgiving.
Two teams seeking a turn in fortunes met on the final day of regular season play here at Norwood Park determined to find some solace of respect and satisfaction.
Mather was out for the most difficult of objects, a victory.
“Unfortunately soccer is a game that comes down to how many goals you score,” Mather first-year coach Ernesto Aguinaga-Hernandez said. “Not just with this game, but we dominated other games, and unfortunately the score does not swing our way.”
Taft was celebrating Senior Night. The Eagles’ notoriously pockmarked and rough-hewn natural surface is one of the most difficult fields to negotiate. Symbolically, construction on a new turf field is underway with the adjacent space cordoned off. A day meant to celebrate the four-year players was also a way to seek out a brighter future.
Taft struck first as senior forward Benjamin Granados blasted home a volley off a corner kick by sophomore midfielder Brandon Tovar as the Eagles scored the second-minute goal.
Mather junior forward Kilmar Alvarez answered in the 52nd minute by sending home a left-footed rocket ball that cut inside the near post and resulted in a 1-1 draw in Chicago Public League Premier Division North play Tuesday afternoon.
“I think because of the first early goal, the momentum did swing in their favor,” Aguinaga-Hernandez said. “We found ourselves playing catch up. That is a very difficult way to play, especially when you concede in the first five minutes. I was very pleased with my seniors. Their leadership showed.”
Alvarez created some bright moments throughout for the Rangers (0-9-2, 0-5-1). Quick and explosive in space, he put the Eagles on notice throughout the second half. Taft held the lead for 50 minutes of play.
Mather had the edge throughout the opening stanza of the second half.
“It was tough,” Alvarez said. “We were looking and trying to score in that situation there, and finally we did it. Throughout the whole match, I thought we had the better play. and we were dominating them. But it came down to our finishing. We could not finish that well.
“The pitch was tough to play on.”
The Eagles (2-10-1, 1-4-1) are just two years removed from reaching the city tournament final. This year has been marked by strong and encouraging play undermined by final results.
“I think when you lose a lot of close games like we have, it takes a mental toll, especially on teenage boys,” Taft coach Jeff Lucco said. “As a coach, I have felt it, and I know the players have as well.
“We have not scored many gritty goals the way we did, with Ben scoring off the corner from Brandon. I think we were excited by the goal, but I also think at that point we expected to win. Our field is always an issue. They were playing direct. The kid [Alvarez] who scored for them, he was very good, fast and of bigger stature, a good touch and a lethal left foot.
“They beat us in that instance because the kid was a better individual player than our defender. We make too many mistakes and small errors for even one goal.”
Lucco juggled his normal lineup to accommodate some of his seniors. The fast start was somewhat uncharacteristic. Tovar’s emergence in the second half of the season has been a bright spot.
“Aside from a 10- or 12-minute stretch we played hard today,” Lucco said. “We played better. As a team we have gotten better. I think a lot of that has been Brandon Tovar. I was really hard on him at the start of the season. He has responded really well. He was clearly the best player on our team, and he has been effective in games even when the team has not been.”
Tovar and Kilmar Alvarez shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match award.
Lanky and long, Granados has scored two goals this year. Both have been set up by Tovar.
“We have good chemistry,” Granados said. “We had a strong start, but then at the end we started to lose it, and they tied it up. Once they did that, I felt like we lost our motivation. I feel like we had possession most of the game. We had a lot of opportunities that we just did not finish.
“Everybody is frustrated that we just have not been able to win.”
Mather's Alvarez and forward Mushota Kakenta created strong pressure in the second half. They are experienced players. The most promising response was Mather not folding under the pressure or submitting to the early adversity.
“We were able to dominate that second half,” Aguinaga-Hernandez said. “In that second half it was a completely different game. I was very pleased because normally in the second half is when we have our lapse. With them stepping up and being able to dominate the game, with the exception of the goal, I was very pleased with everything else.”
Mather appeared on the verge on two separate occasions of pulling ahead as Alvarez worked from his preferred left side where he had favorable angles to put shots away. Both times the ball sliced left and off-frame.
“We just tried our best and tried to score, but it was hard,” Alvarez said.
Taft generated some compelling chances in the final 20 minutes. Tovar was particularly good on corner kicks. Forwards Jakub Lapinski and Christopher Reynoso also created deep drives against the Rangers’ backline.
Since beating Lincoln Park 2-0 on September 5th, Taft suffered three consecutive 1-0 defeats, a 2-1 loss and a 3-1 setback.
“Our biggest problem has been scoring,” Lucco said. “We had eight games and conceded just six goals, but we still went 1-7-0 in those games. We have tried everything. We don’t get shots off enough. When you don’t score, you press really hard to get the perfect play. We are not even able to get scrappy or lucky goals.”
Taft has a recent history of getting hot during the city tournament. City soccer officials have introduced new formats this season. The Premier Divison grew conference into North and South divisions.
Taft and Mather now move to a new 32-team World Cup format replacing the former city tournament. The bracket is going to be announced Wednesday evening.
The teams are going to be grouped into eight four-team pools. The top two teams from each pool advance to a single-elimination 16-team bracket. The bottom two teams move to a special Chicago Cup format featuring the city programs not in the original 32-team draw.
“The season is a learning process,” Lucco said. “Maybe I am delusional, but as a coach, I always think we are going to win. We are not as bad as our record, and we are not as good as we thought we’d be. We are somewhere in between, and we are learning to fully realize our potential.”
Starting lineups
Mather
GK: Javier Adame
D: Haris Cirkic
D: Jonathan DeLaCruz
D: Kosta Drossos
D: Ghazwan Hamza
MF: Berkan Gundogdu
MF: Quincy Gauthier
MF: Jesus Rodriguez
MF: Luis Funes
F: Kilmar Alvarez
F: Mushota Kakenta
Taft
GK: Pablo Rueda
D: Jose Aguilera
D: Motea Nasser
D: Michael Ruiz
D: Dominik Cieply
D: Paul Murray
MF: Andy Perez
MF: Amer Al Jundi
M: Kaiden Brinson
M: Brandon Tovar
F: Benjamin Granados
Chciagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Brandon Tovar, soph., MF, Taft
Kilmar Alvarez, jr., F, Mather
Scoring summary
First half
Taft—Benjamin Granados (Brandon Tovar), second minute
Second half
Mather—Kilmar Alvarez (unassisted), 52nd minute
Encouraging play from both sides results in 1-1 draw
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Soccer is relentless and cruel, beautiful and unforgiving.
Two teams seeking a turn in fortunes met on the final day of regular season play here at Norwood Park determined to find some solace of respect and satisfaction.
Mather was out for the most difficult of objects, a victory.
“Unfortunately soccer is a game that comes down to how many goals you score,” Mather first-year coach Ernesto Aguinaga-Hernandez said. “Not just with this game, but we dominated other games, and unfortunately the score does not swing our way.”
Taft was celebrating Senior Night. The Eagles’ notoriously pockmarked and rough-hewn natural surface is one of the most difficult fields to negotiate. Symbolically, construction on a new turf field is underway with the adjacent space cordoned off. A day meant to celebrate the four-year players was also a way to seek out a brighter future.
Taft struck first as senior forward Benjamin Granados blasted home a volley off a corner kick by sophomore midfielder Brandon Tovar as the Eagles scored the second-minute goal.
Mather junior forward Kilmar Alvarez answered in the 52nd minute by sending home a left-footed rocket ball that cut inside the near post and resulted in a 1-1 draw in Chicago Public League Premier Division North play Tuesday afternoon.
“I think because of the first early goal, the momentum did swing in their favor,” Aguinaga-Hernandez said. “We found ourselves playing catch up. That is a very difficult way to play, especially when you concede in the first five minutes. I was very pleased with my seniors. Their leadership showed.”
Alvarez created some bright moments throughout for the Rangers (0-9-2, 0-5-1). Quick and explosive in space, he put the Eagles on notice throughout the second half. Taft held the lead for 50 minutes of play.
Mather had the edge throughout the opening stanza of the second half.
“It was tough,” Alvarez said. “We were looking and trying to score in that situation there, and finally we did it. Throughout the whole match, I thought we had the better play. and we were dominating them. But it came down to our finishing. We could not finish that well.
“The pitch was tough to play on.”
The Eagles (2-10-1, 1-4-1) are just two years removed from reaching the city tournament final. This year has been marked by strong and encouraging play undermined by final results.
“I think when you lose a lot of close games like we have, it takes a mental toll, especially on teenage boys,” Taft coach Jeff Lucco said. “As a coach, I have felt it, and I know the players have as well.
“We have not scored many gritty goals the way we did, with Ben scoring off the corner from Brandon. I think we were excited by the goal, but I also think at that point we expected to win. Our field is always an issue. They were playing direct. The kid [Alvarez] who scored for them, he was very good, fast and of bigger stature, a good touch and a lethal left foot.
“They beat us in that instance because the kid was a better individual player than our defender. We make too many mistakes and small errors for even one goal.”
Lucco juggled his normal lineup to accommodate some of his seniors. The fast start was somewhat uncharacteristic. Tovar’s emergence in the second half of the season has been a bright spot.
“Aside from a 10- or 12-minute stretch we played hard today,” Lucco said. “We played better. As a team we have gotten better. I think a lot of that has been Brandon Tovar. I was really hard on him at the start of the season. He has responded really well. He was clearly the best player on our team, and he has been effective in games even when the team has not been.”
Tovar and Kilmar Alvarez shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match award.
Lanky and long, Granados has scored two goals this year. Both have been set up by Tovar.
“We have good chemistry,” Granados said. “We had a strong start, but then at the end we started to lose it, and they tied it up. Once they did that, I felt like we lost our motivation. I feel like we had possession most of the game. We had a lot of opportunities that we just did not finish.
“Everybody is frustrated that we just have not been able to win.”
Mather's Alvarez and forward Mushota Kakenta created strong pressure in the second half. They are experienced players. The most promising response was Mather not folding under the pressure or submitting to the early adversity.
“We were able to dominate that second half,” Aguinaga-Hernandez said. “In that second half it was a completely different game. I was very pleased because normally in the second half is when we have our lapse. With them stepping up and being able to dominate the game, with the exception of the goal, I was very pleased with everything else.”
Mather appeared on the verge on two separate occasions of pulling ahead as Alvarez worked from his preferred left side where he had favorable angles to put shots away. Both times the ball sliced left and off-frame.
“We just tried our best and tried to score, but it was hard,” Alvarez said.
Taft generated some compelling chances in the final 20 minutes. Tovar was particularly good on corner kicks. Forwards Jakub Lapinski and Christopher Reynoso also created deep drives against the Rangers’ backline.
Since beating Lincoln Park 2-0 on September 5th, Taft suffered three consecutive 1-0 defeats, a 2-1 loss and a 3-1 setback.
“Our biggest problem has been scoring,” Lucco said. “We had eight games and conceded just six goals, but we still went 1-7-0 in those games. We have tried everything. We don’t get shots off enough. When you don’t score, you press really hard to get the perfect play. We are not even able to get scrappy or lucky goals.”
Taft has a recent history of getting hot during the city tournament. City soccer officials have introduced new formats this season. The Premier Divison grew conference into North and South divisions.
Taft and Mather now move to a new 32-team World Cup format replacing the former city tournament. The bracket is going to be announced Wednesday evening.
The teams are going to be grouped into eight four-team pools. The top two teams from each pool advance to a single-elimination 16-team bracket. The bottom two teams move to a special Chicago Cup format featuring the city programs not in the original 32-team draw.
“The season is a learning process,” Lucco said. “Maybe I am delusional, but as a coach, I always think we are going to win. We are not as bad as our record, and we are not as good as we thought we’d be. We are somewhere in between, and we are learning to fully realize our potential.”
Starting lineups
Mather
GK: Javier Adame
D: Haris Cirkic
D: Jonathan DeLaCruz
D: Kosta Drossos
D: Ghazwan Hamza
MF: Berkan Gundogdu
MF: Quincy Gauthier
MF: Jesus Rodriguez
MF: Luis Funes
F: Kilmar Alvarez
F: Mushota Kakenta
Taft
GK: Pablo Rueda
D: Jose Aguilera
D: Motea Nasser
D: Michael Ruiz
D: Dominik Cieply
D: Paul Murray
MF: Andy Perez
MF: Amer Al Jundi
M: Kaiden Brinson
M: Brandon Tovar
F: Benjamin Granados
Chciagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Brandon Tovar, soph., MF, Taft
Kilmar Alvarez, jr., F, Mather
Scoring summary
First half
Taft—Benjamin Granados (Brandon Tovar), second minute
Second half
Mather—Kilmar Alvarez (unassisted), 52nd minute