Morton paints perfect picture at DGS
Top-ranked Mustangs open league season with 5-0 win
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE – For the first 19 minutes of Tuesday’s West Suburban Conference Gold Division opener, Downers Grove South used near flawless execution to match Morton’s blistering offense with two near-miss scoring chances of its own.
In that light, visiting Morton’s three-goal outburst to close the first half and eventual 5-0 win were a tribute to the roll that the Mustangs, ranked no. 1 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, are on.
“What always gets us going is when one person steps up, everybody steps up,” said Morton’s Jesus Perez, who had a goal and assist to build a 2-0 lead. “It’s always one goal, and then everyone starts doing what they need to do.
“I’m not saying that’s a good thing; we should be like that from the beginning.”
Downers South (0-4-0) made Morton hopes for a fast start difficult which is fitting when considering the history between the two traditional divisional powers.
“I thought despite the (final) score that we collectively defended pretty well,” DGS coach Jon Stapleton said, “especially in the first 20 minutes of the match. And we had a chance early-on to maybe go up 1-0.
“But when you make mistakes, they have the ability to capitalize, and we had two turnovers that led to goals. When you start trying to get in shape to possess the ball and build an attack and then you turn it over, it’s hard to get back in defensive shape. We got burned on that a couple of times.
“But they (Morton) are so solid,” Stapleton added. “It doesn’t take much. A little opening and they can put something on frame and be dangerous.”
Morton (4-0-2) threatened from the start, generating three corner kicks in the first six minutes of the match.
DGS’ Jony Flores, Michael Loughrin (foot block of a shot) and Ethan Kelly made nice plays in the box to deny the respective restart threats, and Kelly made a nice steal off the dribble on a Morton attacker’s rush eight minutes in.
Then in the 12th minute, Kyle Fenner’s steal off a Morton throw-in generated a counterattack and DGS’ first chance with nearly a shocking result.
Kelly’s strong throw-in from 20 out deflected to the back post, where Enrique Gonzalez unleashed an 8-yard shot that appeared destined for paydirt before a Morton defender blocked it off the line.
“Enrique’s been playing well this year,” Stapleton said. “He got a little bottled up tonight, but he had the opportunity early in the game off the long throw that someone cleared off the line.
“That might have changed things, for us to score first.”
DGS had a similar scoring bid in the 25th minute.
This time, Kelly’s even-more threatening throw-in from inside the 5-yard line produced a DGS redirect towards the goal line – where Morton’s Edgar Molina was on the spot for the shutout-saving block and clear.
But by the time that second DGS near-miss occurred, Morton’s talent-rich offense had struck twice to begin to take command of the match.
After Romario Iniguez’s 30-yard rocket went just wide left in the 17th minute, Morton’s next big chance came from closer proximity – and produced a 1-0 lead.
With 21:05 left in the first half, Perez’s strong header from the left side skipped across the top of the box. Running onto the ball, Julian Vargas launched a 20-yard drive just under the crossbar to put Morton ahead for good.
“It’s all about anticipating the play,” Vargas said, “and knowing space off the ball and knowing how to move without the ball.
“It all comes through team chemistry,” Vargas added, “and develops through how long you’ve played together. We all have the same playing style. We do a lot of wall passing, triangle passing, that just develop into that play that we got.”
Just 82 seconds later, Morton turned a great pass and perfect timing into a 2-0 lead.
Defender Saul Juarez’s powerful send from the midfield stripe sailed in the air all the way to Perez running into the box.
Getting a foot on the ball just before it landed, Perez’s midair touch redirect from 10 yards found the back of the net.
“I saw that (a chance for a left-side run) the first time so I called it out, and we got a goal out of it,” Perez said.
“To be honest I thought I was going to get it more outside the box, but he (Juarez) sent it perfectly. I came from wide (to avoid being offsides), and I was able to get to the ball.”
The goal was Perez’s first of 2019. One of Morton’s top finishers of last fall, he has taken on a different role this season.
“I’m trying to get my team involved,” Perez said. “I’m working on assists this year, and I’m being more of a captain, getting the team going.”
Perez’s key leadership role aside, his finish was a welcome sight for Morton coach Jim Bageanis.
“We needed to get Jesus going,” Bageanis said. “It was good that he got his first goal of the year tonight.”
Perez’s role in the season’s first five games had been similar to another recent Morton star.
“He’s kind of like our new Adrian Barrera,” Bageanis said. “There’s three guys keying on him at all times, and he has to draw people, kind of be off the ball a little bit and then sneak in there – like he did on that goal.”
The assist-maker on the goal was just as worthy of praise.
“Saul Juarez is solid in the back,” Bageanis said. “He solidifies the back and is a quiet leader. If he gets frustrated, the team picks up.
“You can tell by his emotion – when he gets a little emotional, everyone checks their play, and they fall back in line. He’s a little bit of an enforcer, but a silent enforcer. He gets the job done with how he looks.”
Another silent but very effective performance came in Morton’s midfield.
“Uriel Sotelo is our defensive mid, our holding mid, and he had a good game today,” Bageanis said.
“He’s always marking one of their best players, and he was distributing balls. He was all over the place today. He had a good game for us. He’s another guy that you don’t see in the stat book, but he’s all over the field for us quietly doing his job.”
On the DGS side, Kelly had his own excellent night.
Not only did he ignite two early scoring chances at the doorstep with the strong throw-ins, but he produced two first half free kicks from seemingly harmless 55-yard distances that required a reaching grab at the goal line and then chest high catch by Morton goalkeeper Andres Calderon.
And most importantly, Kelly’s defensive presence and cool under pressure broke up multiple Morton attacks into the box.
“I thought Ethan played an outstanding game,” Stapleton said. “He’s winning head balls, reading opportunities to step in and win, and passing well out of the back.
“And his leadership is one of the things that really impresses me with him. He’s been so solid helping to lead this team and keeping guys’ morale up. It’s been a tough two weeks here with this record. But he’ll be instrumental in us turning this around.”
Kelly’s confident play and optimism Tuesday bear out Stapleton’s praise.
“Every year they (Morton) are consistently a very good team,” Kelly said, “so we knew coming into this that it’s going to be a challenge.
“I’m proud of how we did. Obviously the scoreboard didn’t say the same, but I’m proud of how I played, and the team played. Compared to our first game (a 2-1 season-opening loss to Plainfield East), we’ve just been going up every game from there.”
Considering Tuesday’s opponent, the result didn’t change that upward trajectory.
“Morton’s obviously the best team that we’re probably going to be playing,” Kelly said, “so if we just continue playing better from here I think our season can end up really well. And then if we see them again in the playoffs, we’ll know their strategies and come out better than we did today.”
After playing to ties in its first two games, Morton ended three-time defending Class 3A state champion Naperville North's 47-game unbeaten streak with a 2-1 win and hasn’t cooled off.
Tuesday was no different.
Gio Alvarez came inches away from adding to the lead with 13:30 left in the first half, driving a 25-yard one-timer off the crossbar.
Then just 2:33 before halftime, Alvarez’s dribble drive up the middle and 25-yard shot just under the same crossbar provided Morton with a 3-0 halftime lead.
“As a team we have really good skill and good team chemistry,” Vargas said, “as you can tell by the amount of goals we’ve scored (now 14 in the last four games) and our progress so far.”
DGS goalkeeper Kenny Rosales’ nice save at the left post on a Giovani Torrijos 6-yard left side shot 1:05 before halftime denied another Morton scoring bid.
The hosts opened the second half well. A 15-yard shot by Gonzalez was saved by Morton keeper Calderon 1:25 into the half, then Kelly’s nice steal at the edge of the box denied a Morton threat 30 seconds later.
A Perez corner kick with 34:30 left set up an Adrian Salto shot, but a Flores partial block and Kelly clear of the box ended that bid.
DGS would have more notable moments with 29:30 to go (a Gonzalez rush and 25-yard shot deflected wide by Calderon) and 26:45 left (Kelly’s nice steal of the dribble on a Morton attacker at the top of the box).
Mustangs senior Edwin Zizumbo’s goal with 23:30 left put Morton up 4-0. Then with 6:22 to play, reserve Erick Paulino joined in when he lined home a low 15-yarder from the left side of the box.
Players like Paulino and other Morton reserves would likely start for the vast majority of high school teams and took advantage of their second half playing time Tuesday to add to the lead and seal the shutout win.
“That’s the thing we have a lot of talented guys, even on our bench,” Bageanis said. “We have depth, and we’re not afraid to put guys in.
“We can keep wear teams down a little bit, because we just keep coming with another guy that’s highly skilled.”
Reserve Julian Guzman also generated two good late chances for Morton, a 12-yard shot over the net with 15:30 to play and an 8-yard shot deflected just wide right with 12:15 left.
DGS was merely the latest victim of an elite Morton team playing at its best.
“They (Morton) have really good players,” DGS defender Ivan Torres said. “Personally I made some mistakes that cost us two goals. But I think I can grow by focusing on the mistakes I made and improving on them during practice.”
The DGS schedule continues to be challenging, with a trip to Indianapolis this weekend for the Great Midwest Classic. But high optimism remains.
“Our chemistry is better this year than in any other year that I’ve played at DGS,” Kelly said. “I thought that would be one of our strengths. The communication we have on the field is great.”
Torres agreed, but sees one area for improvement.
“Our chemistry is very high,” Torres said, “but during practice sometimes we play around and aren’t as serious, and I feel that’s something we can improve on. So that when we’re in a game, we’re on from the start. Every single game (this year) we’ve had to come back in the second half. We have to take practice and the first half more seriously.”
With most of the season still ahead and few foes the caliber of Morton, Stapleton is confident his team’s quest for a win won’t last much longer.
“It hasn’t been the start we envisioned – I’ll be the first to admit that,” he said. “But that being said, there’s been growth each game, and the kids are working hard and buying in.
“And when you’re playing number one Morton, you can walk away with a few positives to build on. That’s what we’re going to focus on, trying to get better each day.”
For Morton, its own two-tie streak to start the season is a distant memory.
“We started off kind of rough,” Perez said, “but we’ve been talking to each other a lot and picking each other up.
“Throughout the year it’s just going to be a matter of playing well, playing tough, battling from the beginning and not being overconfident because we’re one of the top (teams) in the state. We can’t take any team lightly.”
A five-goal win over its top WSC Gold rival just adds to rising long-term hopes at Morton.
“So far it’s a great team,” Vargas said, “and hopefully (in November) we’re state champs.”
Starting lineups
Morton
GK: Andres Calderon
D: Juan Hernandez
D: Adrian Salto
D: Saul Juarez
D: Juan Ramirez
M: Uriel Sotelo
M: Julian Vargas
M: Adrian Sanchez
M: Cristian Perez
F: Edwin Zizumbo
F: Jesus Perez
DGS
GK: Kenny Rosales
D: Michael Loughran
D: Ethan Kelly
D: Ivan Torres
D: Jack Storrs
M: Kyle Fenner
M: Josh Venouziou
M: Devin Boone
M: Jony Flores
M: Stefano Espinosa
F: Enrique Gonzalez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jesus Perez, jr. F, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
M- Julian Vargas (Jesus Perez), 19th min
M- Perez (Saul Juarez), 21st min
M- Gio Alvarez, 37th min
Second half
M- Edwin Zizumbo, 57th min
M- Erick Paulino, 74th min
Top-ranked Mustangs open league season with 5-0 win
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE – For the first 19 minutes of Tuesday’s West Suburban Conference Gold Division opener, Downers Grove South used near flawless execution to match Morton’s blistering offense with two near-miss scoring chances of its own.
In that light, visiting Morton’s three-goal outburst to close the first half and eventual 5-0 win were a tribute to the roll that the Mustangs, ranked no. 1 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, are on.
“What always gets us going is when one person steps up, everybody steps up,” said Morton’s Jesus Perez, who had a goal and assist to build a 2-0 lead. “It’s always one goal, and then everyone starts doing what they need to do.
“I’m not saying that’s a good thing; we should be like that from the beginning.”
Downers South (0-4-0) made Morton hopes for a fast start difficult which is fitting when considering the history between the two traditional divisional powers.
“I thought despite the (final) score that we collectively defended pretty well,” DGS coach Jon Stapleton said, “especially in the first 20 minutes of the match. And we had a chance early-on to maybe go up 1-0.
“But when you make mistakes, they have the ability to capitalize, and we had two turnovers that led to goals. When you start trying to get in shape to possess the ball and build an attack and then you turn it over, it’s hard to get back in defensive shape. We got burned on that a couple of times.
“But they (Morton) are so solid,” Stapleton added. “It doesn’t take much. A little opening and they can put something on frame and be dangerous.”
Morton (4-0-2) threatened from the start, generating three corner kicks in the first six minutes of the match.
DGS’ Jony Flores, Michael Loughrin (foot block of a shot) and Ethan Kelly made nice plays in the box to deny the respective restart threats, and Kelly made a nice steal off the dribble on a Morton attacker’s rush eight minutes in.
Then in the 12th minute, Kyle Fenner’s steal off a Morton throw-in generated a counterattack and DGS’ first chance with nearly a shocking result.
Kelly’s strong throw-in from 20 out deflected to the back post, where Enrique Gonzalez unleashed an 8-yard shot that appeared destined for paydirt before a Morton defender blocked it off the line.
“Enrique’s been playing well this year,” Stapleton said. “He got a little bottled up tonight, but he had the opportunity early in the game off the long throw that someone cleared off the line.
“That might have changed things, for us to score first.”
DGS had a similar scoring bid in the 25th minute.
This time, Kelly’s even-more threatening throw-in from inside the 5-yard line produced a DGS redirect towards the goal line – where Morton’s Edgar Molina was on the spot for the shutout-saving block and clear.
But by the time that second DGS near-miss occurred, Morton’s talent-rich offense had struck twice to begin to take command of the match.
After Romario Iniguez’s 30-yard rocket went just wide left in the 17th minute, Morton’s next big chance came from closer proximity – and produced a 1-0 lead.
With 21:05 left in the first half, Perez’s strong header from the left side skipped across the top of the box. Running onto the ball, Julian Vargas launched a 20-yard drive just under the crossbar to put Morton ahead for good.
“It’s all about anticipating the play,” Vargas said, “and knowing space off the ball and knowing how to move without the ball.
“It all comes through team chemistry,” Vargas added, “and develops through how long you’ve played together. We all have the same playing style. We do a lot of wall passing, triangle passing, that just develop into that play that we got.”
Just 82 seconds later, Morton turned a great pass and perfect timing into a 2-0 lead.
Defender Saul Juarez’s powerful send from the midfield stripe sailed in the air all the way to Perez running into the box.
Getting a foot on the ball just before it landed, Perez’s midair touch redirect from 10 yards found the back of the net.
“I saw that (a chance for a left-side run) the first time so I called it out, and we got a goal out of it,” Perez said.
“To be honest I thought I was going to get it more outside the box, but he (Juarez) sent it perfectly. I came from wide (to avoid being offsides), and I was able to get to the ball.”
The goal was Perez’s first of 2019. One of Morton’s top finishers of last fall, he has taken on a different role this season.
“I’m trying to get my team involved,” Perez said. “I’m working on assists this year, and I’m being more of a captain, getting the team going.”
Perez’s key leadership role aside, his finish was a welcome sight for Morton coach Jim Bageanis.
“We needed to get Jesus going,” Bageanis said. “It was good that he got his first goal of the year tonight.”
Perez’s role in the season’s first five games had been similar to another recent Morton star.
“He’s kind of like our new Adrian Barrera,” Bageanis said. “There’s three guys keying on him at all times, and he has to draw people, kind of be off the ball a little bit and then sneak in there – like he did on that goal.”
The assist-maker on the goal was just as worthy of praise.
“Saul Juarez is solid in the back,” Bageanis said. “He solidifies the back and is a quiet leader. If he gets frustrated, the team picks up.
“You can tell by his emotion – when he gets a little emotional, everyone checks their play, and they fall back in line. He’s a little bit of an enforcer, but a silent enforcer. He gets the job done with how he looks.”
Another silent but very effective performance came in Morton’s midfield.
“Uriel Sotelo is our defensive mid, our holding mid, and he had a good game today,” Bageanis said.
“He’s always marking one of their best players, and he was distributing balls. He was all over the place today. He had a good game for us. He’s another guy that you don’t see in the stat book, but he’s all over the field for us quietly doing his job.”
On the DGS side, Kelly had his own excellent night.
Not only did he ignite two early scoring chances at the doorstep with the strong throw-ins, but he produced two first half free kicks from seemingly harmless 55-yard distances that required a reaching grab at the goal line and then chest high catch by Morton goalkeeper Andres Calderon.
And most importantly, Kelly’s defensive presence and cool under pressure broke up multiple Morton attacks into the box.
“I thought Ethan played an outstanding game,” Stapleton said. “He’s winning head balls, reading opportunities to step in and win, and passing well out of the back.
“And his leadership is one of the things that really impresses me with him. He’s been so solid helping to lead this team and keeping guys’ morale up. It’s been a tough two weeks here with this record. But he’ll be instrumental in us turning this around.”
Kelly’s confident play and optimism Tuesday bear out Stapleton’s praise.
“Every year they (Morton) are consistently a very good team,” Kelly said, “so we knew coming into this that it’s going to be a challenge.
“I’m proud of how we did. Obviously the scoreboard didn’t say the same, but I’m proud of how I played, and the team played. Compared to our first game (a 2-1 season-opening loss to Plainfield East), we’ve just been going up every game from there.”
Considering Tuesday’s opponent, the result didn’t change that upward trajectory.
“Morton’s obviously the best team that we’re probably going to be playing,” Kelly said, “so if we just continue playing better from here I think our season can end up really well. And then if we see them again in the playoffs, we’ll know their strategies and come out better than we did today.”
After playing to ties in its first two games, Morton ended three-time defending Class 3A state champion Naperville North's 47-game unbeaten streak with a 2-1 win and hasn’t cooled off.
Tuesday was no different.
Gio Alvarez came inches away from adding to the lead with 13:30 left in the first half, driving a 25-yard one-timer off the crossbar.
Then just 2:33 before halftime, Alvarez’s dribble drive up the middle and 25-yard shot just under the same crossbar provided Morton with a 3-0 halftime lead.
“As a team we have really good skill and good team chemistry,” Vargas said, “as you can tell by the amount of goals we’ve scored (now 14 in the last four games) and our progress so far.”
DGS goalkeeper Kenny Rosales’ nice save at the left post on a Giovani Torrijos 6-yard left side shot 1:05 before halftime denied another Morton scoring bid.
The hosts opened the second half well. A 15-yard shot by Gonzalez was saved by Morton keeper Calderon 1:25 into the half, then Kelly’s nice steal at the edge of the box denied a Morton threat 30 seconds later.
A Perez corner kick with 34:30 left set up an Adrian Salto shot, but a Flores partial block and Kelly clear of the box ended that bid.
DGS would have more notable moments with 29:30 to go (a Gonzalez rush and 25-yard shot deflected wide by Calderon) and 26:45 left (Kelly’s nice steal of the dribble on a Morton attacker at the top of the box).
Mustangs senior Edwin Zizumbo’s goal with 23:30 left put Morton up 4-0. Then with 6:22 to play, reserve Erick Paulino joined in when he lined home a low 15-yarder from the left side of the box.
Players like Paulino and other Morton reserves would likely start for the vast majority of high school teams and took advantage of their second half playing time Tuesday to add to the lead and seal the shutout win.
“That’s the thing we have a lot of talented guys, even on our bench,” Bageanis said. “We have depth, and we’re not afraid to put guys in.
“We can keep wear teams down a little bit, because we just keep coming with another guy that’s highly skilled.”
Reserve Julian Guzman also generated two good late chances for Morton, a 12-yard shot over the net with 15:30 to play and an 8-yard shot deflected just wide right with 12:15 left.
DGS was merely the latest victim of an elite Morton team playing at its best.
“They (Morton) have really good players,” DGS defender Ivan Torres said. “Personally I made some mistakes that cost us two goals. But I think I can grow by focusing on the mistakes I made and improving on them during practice.”
The DGS schedule continues to be challenging, with a trip to Indianapolis this weekend for the Great Midwest Classic. But high optimism remains.
“Our chemistry is better this year than in any other year that I’ve played at DGS,” Kelly said. “I thought that would be one of our strengths. The communication we have on the field is great.”
Torres agreed, but sees one area for improvement.
“Our chemistry is very high,” Torres said, “but during practice sometimes we play around and aren’t as serious, and I feel that’s something we can improve on. So that when we’re in a game, we’re on from the start. Every single game (this year) we’ve had to come back in the second half. We have to take practice and the first half more seriously.”
With most of the season still ahead and few foes the caliber of Morton, Stapleton is confident his team’s quest for a win won’t last much longer.
“It hasn’t been the start we envisioned – I’ll be the first to admit that,” he said. “But that being said, there’s been growth each game, and the kids are working hard and buying in.
“And when you’re playing number one Morton, you can walk away with a few positives to build on. That’s what we’re going to focus on, trying to get better each day.”
For Morton, its own two-tie streak to start the season is a distant memory.
“We started off kind of rough,” Perez said, “but we’ve been talking to each other a lot and picking each other up.
“Throughout the year it’s just going to be a matter of playing well, playing tough, battling from the beginning and not being overconfident because we’re one of the top (teams) in the state. We can’t take any team lightly.”
A five-goal win over its top WSC Gold rival just adds to rising long-term hopes at Morton.
“So far it’s a great team,” Vargas said, “and hopefully (in November) we’re state champs.”
Starting lineups
Morton
GK: Andres Calderon
D: Juan Hernandez
D: Adrian Salto
D: Saul Juarez
D: Juan Ramirez
M: Uriel Sotelo
M: Julian Vargas
M: Adrian Sanchez
M: Cristian Perez
F: Edwin Zizumbo
F: Jesus Perez
DGS
GK: Kenny Rosales
D: Michael Loughran
D: Ethan Kelly
D: Ivan Torres
D: Jack Storrs
M: Kyle Fenner
M: Josh Venouziou
M: Devin Boone
M: Jony Flores
M: Stefano Espinosa
F: Enrique Gonzalez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jesus Perez, jr. F, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
M- Julian Vargas (Jesus Perez), 19th min
M- Perez (Saul Juarez), 21st min
M- Gio Alvarez, 37th min
Second half
M- Edwin Zizumbo, 57th min
M- Erick Paulino, 74th min