2nd half passion drives
Deerfield past Maine East
Coach's halftime speech fires up troops for 1-0 CSL North win
By Bobby Narang
Deerfield coach Elliott Hurtig paused for a brief second before grinning with a slight nod of accomplishment following Tuesday's game against Maine East.
After watching his team plod through a sluggish first half without much of an offensive attack or sense of urgency in the Central Suburban League North Division opener for both teams, Hurtig decided to deliver a memorable halftime speech to awaken his team.
“We started off a bit slow in the second half but amped it up after halftime because our coach told us we have step up our game and play harder like we want to win this game,” Deerfield junior forward Cole Gawin said. “Our coaches are really good at lifting us up when we're down, so it’s great to have a pep talk to get us stronger and ready to play.”
Hurtig said he wanted to send a message to his players, mainly pointing out to play with purpose in every minute of action, especially coming off last season’s shortened champaign that did not include a playoff due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think we were lucky to come out at halftime at 0-0,” Hurtig said. “The guys woke up the second half. The thing I emphasized at halftime is, to be out here and playing is a special thing, just to be a part of this program, to be out there and playing the game you love. I told the guys that we were playing like it’s just another game at the park, not meaningful for us. I wanted them to know these are the games that they will always remember."
The Warriors heard the message, playing with a renewed energy and seizing opportunities for shots. They finally came through with a late goal to pull out a 1-0 victory over Maine East at Adams Field.
Off a free kick, Deerfield junior midfielder Ryder Coleman managed to find a small crease in the box amid a large crowd and knocking in the winner in the 72nd minute. Coleman immediately went into celebration mode and impacted his coach, who surveyed the post-goal scene.
“It was nice when we scored the goal, I told the team after the game that I was moved after I saw Ryder’s reaction after he scored the goal,” Hurtig said. “The look on his face was priceless. He had so much joy. And seeing all the guys running around, it literally gave me tingles because of all the passion and enjoyment.
“That’s why we play, for moments like that. That was the gist of my (halftime) speech. We have to play like we want to be playing our best soccer.
“They knew we didn't play well in the first half. We had to shift things in the second half. It was a big win. We weren’t playing our best but managed to get a scrappy goal.
“Maine East was putting pressure on us at the end. They were connecting passes in the last 10 minutes, so it was nice to hold on. I thought we made a good change when we put Ryder on the back of our midfield. Ryder was able to settle things down for us in the second half. He played great. Overall, it was a great energy game for us in the second half.”
The Warriors (4-3-0, 1-0-0) gained a solid victory in conference action despite limited chances for most of the game. Maine East junior goalie Emin Zec finished with just one save; the Warriors sent many close-in headers over the post.
Maine East senior defender Jose Gutierrez, a captain, said his team paid for their lone mistake.
“It was a good game between two good teams,” Gutierrez said. “We started off strong in the beginning, but Deerfield kept its composure all the way to the end of the game.
“They came out wanting to win the game in the second half. That was the difference.
“It was just an unlucky goal. They did a good job running on the goal, bothering our goalie and made him lose his focus. But that's something that happens.
“I was the last man, almost got the ball before the goal. I just missed making contact with it. (Coleman) did a good job, and it was hard to defend.”
The Blue Demons (2-3-1, 0-1-0) have dropped three of their last four games and missed a chance to start the conference season on a good note. Deerfield goalie Ryan Toback finished with four saves to earn the shutout.
“This is why the game can be cruel,” Maine East coach Jeff Bishop said. “We did everything but score. We played well, possessed the ball, especially in the first half. We had one error.
“The second half Deerfield came out with way more intensity than we had. They had us on our heels. We tried to switch things up, got things back on control, but this has been the story of our season.
“We’re scoring like one goal a game. We’re doing well in the back, not giving up any goals, but we haven’t been able to finish opportunities.
“I thought we did everything we needed to do to win, so it hurts not coming away with a win. It’s always tough to come here to play.”
Early in the match, Coleman nearly scored a goal on a header, but came away empty. Deerfield nearly notched their first goal in the opening minutes of the second half on a great pass from James Weiner to Nathan Garcia.
Coleman ended the scoreless stretch, when he managed to take advantage of his positioning to score his second goal of the season.
When Zec came out off his line to attempt to catch the high-arching free kick, he couldn’t control the ball. That allowed the ball to hit the ground and Coleman found it with 8:14 remaining.
“Addison played the ball in, and I saw the keeper come out. I thought he was going to catch it, but still continued my run,” Coleman said. “It kind of went through his gloves, and I saw the ball bounce right over my foot. There was no other way I could score other than throwing my body on the ground.
“We had so many chances in the second half. I was so mad that we hadn’t scored yet. That goal was so relieving because this was one of more important games of the season. Every point matters in conference.”
Coleman wasn’t the only Deerfield player in the right place at the right time. Junior defender Justin Blumenthal saved the shutout with a sliding, right-footed kick-out of a loose ball that was headed for the netting.
The stunning, 48th-minute play was the game’s top defensive moment.
“The ball got kicked to their striker, and he got a breakaway, but his touch was little big,” Blumenthal said of the play. “Our keeper was able to direct it away, but it was directed toward the goal. I just tried to sprint my hardest to get to the ball. Shutouts are great. We had a lot of composure as a team, and were lifted and more unified as a team in the second half.”
Maine East midfielder Emanuel Montes, a three-year varsity player, said it was a frustrating and painful loss. The Blue Demons had a shot hit the top of the post in the 13th minute and a shot sail over the post a minute later in their six-shot first half.
“We weren’t able to take advantage of our chances,” Montes said. “They took the one chance they had, and we couldn’t finish. That kept them in the game.
“(Deerfield) is a very good and composed team. They know how to move the ball and pressure. They got to us. We have to keep fighting and working on our finishes. We have to play better, take our chances and finish.”
Starting lineups
Maine East
GK Emin Zec
D Jose Gutierrez
D Daniel Gluzkin
D Henry Maddox
D Edgar Estrada
M Edwin Manzano
M Emanuel Montes
M Andrew Kong
M Joshua Vazquez
F Youssef Atia
F Joey Vertino
Deerfield
GK Ryan Toback
D Justin Blumenthal
D James Weiner
D Ethan Helfand
D Noah Weil
M Ryder Coleman
M Ari Shamberg
M Addison Simon
M Nathan Garcia
F Peter Straus
F Cole Gawin
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ryder Coleman, jr., MF, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Deerfield: Ryder Coleman (Addison Simon), 72nd minute
Deerfield past Maine East
Coach's halftime speech fires up troops for 1-0 CSL North win
By Bobby Narang
Deerfield coach Elliott Hurtig paused for a brief second before grinning with a slight nod of accomplishment following Tuesday's game against Maine East.
After watching his team plod through a sluggish first half without much of an offensive attack or sense of urgency in the Central Suburban League North Division opener for both teams, Hurtig decided to deliver a memorable halftime speech to awaken his team.
“We started off a bit slow in the second half but amped it up after halftime because our coach told us we have step up our game and play harder like we want to win this game,” Deerfield junior forward Cole Gawin said. “Our coaches are really good at lifting us up when we're down, so it’s great to have a pep talk to get us stronger and ready to play.”
Hurtig said he wanted to send a message to his players, mainly pointing out to play with purpose in every minute of action, especially coming off last season’s shortened champaign that did not include a playoff due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think we were lucky to come out at halftime at 0-0,” Hurtig said. “The guys woke up the second half. The thing I emphasized at halftime is, to be out here and playing is a special thing, just to be a part of this program, to be out there and playing the game you love. I told the guys that we were playing like it’s just another game at the park, not meaningful for us. I wanted them to know these are the games that they will always remember."
The Warriors heard the message, playing with a renewed energy and seizing opportunities for shots. They finally came through with a late goal to pull out a 1-0 victory over Maine East at Adams Field.
Off a free kick, Deerfield junior midfielder Ryder Coleman managed to find a small crease in the box amid a large crowd and knocking in the winner in the 72nd minute. Coleman immediately went into celebration mode and impacted his coach, who surveyed the post-goal scene.
“It was nice when we scored the goal, I told the team after the game that I was moved after I saw Ryder’s reaction after he scored the goal,” Hurtig said. “The look on his face was priceless. He had so much joy. And seeing all the guys running around, it literally gave me tingles because of all the passion and enjoyment.
“That’s why we play, for moments like that. That was the gist of my (halftime) speech. We have to play like we want to be playing our best soccer.
“They knew we didn't play well in the first half. We had to shift things in the second half. It was a big win. We weren’t playing our best but managed to get a scrappy goal.
“Maine East was putting pressure on us at the end. They were connecting passes in the last 10 minutes, so it was nice to hold on. I thought we made a good change when we put Ryder on the back of our midfield. Ryder was able to settle things down for us in the second half. He played great. Overall, it was a great energy game for us in the second half.”
The Warriors (4-3-0, 1-0-0) gained a solid victory in conference action despite limited chances for most of the game. Maine East junior goalie Emin Zec finished with just one save; the Warriors sent many close-in headers over the post.
Maine East senior defender Jose Gutierrez, a captain, said his team paid for their lone mistake.
“It was a good game between two good teams,” Gutierrez said. “We started off strong in the beginning, but Deerfield kept its composure all the way to the end of the game.
“They came out wanting to win the game in the second half. That was the difference.
“It was just an unlucky goal. They did a good job running on the goal, bothering our goalie and made him lose his focus. But that's something that happens.
“I was the last man, almost got the ball before the goal. I just missed making contact with it. (Coleman) did a good job, and it was hard to defend.”
The Blue Demons (2-3-1, 0-1-0) have dropped three of their last four games and missed a chance to start the conference season on a good note. Deerfield goalie Ryan Toback finished with four saves to earn the shutout.
“This is why the game can be cruel,” Maine East coach Jeff Bishop said. “We did everything but score. We played well, possessed the ball, especially in the first half. We had one error.
“The second half Deerfield came out with way more intensity than we had. They had us on our heels. We tried to switch things up, got things back on control, but this has been the story of our season.
“We’re scoring like one goal a game. We’re doing well in the back, not giving up any goals, but we haven’t been able to finish opportunities.
“I thought we did everything we needed to do to win, so it hurts not coming away with a win. It’s always tough to come here to play.”
Early in the match, Coleman nearly scored a goal on a header, but came away empty. Deerfield nearly notched their first goal in the opening minutes of the second half on a great pass from James Weiner to Nathan Garcia.
Coleman ended the scoreless stretch, when he managed to take advantage of his positioning to score his second goal of the season.
When Zec came out off his line to attempt to catch the high-arching free kick, he couldn’t control the ball. That allowed the ball to hit the ground and Coleman found it with 8:14 remaining.
“Addison played the ball in, and I saw the keeper come out. I thought he was going to catch it, but still continued my run,” Coleman said. “It kind of went through his gloves, and I saw the ball bounce right over my foot. There was no other way I could score other than throwing my body on the ground.
“We had so many chances in the second half. I was so mad that we hadn’t scored yet. That goal was so relieving because this was one of more important games of the season. Every point matters in conference.”
Coleman wasn’t the only Deerfield player in the right place at the right time. Junior defender Justin Blumenthal saved the shutout with a sliding, right-footed kick-out of a loose ball that was headed for the netting.
The stunning, 48th-minute play was the game’s top defensive moment.
“The ball got kicked to their striker, and he got a breakaway, but his touch was little big,” Blumenthal said of the play. “Our keeper was able to direct it away, but it was directed toward the goal. I just tried to sprint my hardest to get to the ball. Shutouts are great. We had a lot of composure as a team, and were lifted and more unified as a team in the second half.”
Maine East midfielder Emanuel Montes, a three-year varsity player, said it was a frustrating and painful loss. The Blue Demons had a shot hit the top of the post in the 13th minute and a shot sail over the post a minute later in their six-shot first half.
“We weren’t able to take advantage of our chances,” Montes said. “They took the one chance they had, and we couldn’t finish. That kept them in the game.
“(Deerfield) is a very good and composed team. They know how to move the ball and pressure. They got to us. We have to keep fighting and working on our finishes. We have to play better, take our chances and finish.”
Starting lineups
Maine East
GK Emin Zec
D Jose Gutierrez
D Daniel Gluzkin
D Henry Maddox
D Edgar Estrada
M Edwin Manzano
M Emanuel Montes
M Andrew Kong
M Joshua Vazquez
F Youssef Atia
F Joey Vertino
Deerfield
GK Ryan Toback
D Justin Blumenthal
D James Weiner
D Ethan Helfand
D Noah Weil
M Ryder Coleman
M Ari Shamberg
M Addison Simon
M Nathan Garcia
F Peter Straus
F Cole Gawin
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ryder Coleman, jr., MF, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Deerfield: Ryder Coleman (Addison Simon), 72nd minute