Corazzina bros. lead Maine S. over GBN
Soph., senior forwards score in 2-1 upset win over no. 8 Spartans
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHBROOK -- The nature of luck is very peculiar. “You make your own luck,” is a natural sentiment, but not necessarily accurate to all situations and certainly not to the play of Glenbrook North.
The Spartans did everything imaginable in the typical presupposition of what winning teams achieve. They created tempo, cast their own rhythm and often dictated how the game was played and on whose terms.
Maine South was hardly a passive witness to it all. The Hawks played a physical and aggressive game. Defender Szymon Laczak orchestrated a furious and sustained wall as Maine South sought to disrupt everything the Spartans tried to achieve.
In the end, it worked.
“It was not our night,” Glenbrook North coach Paul Vignocchi said.
The no. 8 Spartans played valiantly in the face of adversity and hardship but no. 19 Maine South stole the show as brothers Giuliano and Alessandro Corazzina scored a goal each and the Hawks withstood a furious rally to escape with the 2-1 victory in a Central Suburban League cross-over game Tuesday night.
In the 15th minute, Glenbrook North's elite center back, Mason Rose, hit the turf hard after being clipped from behind and was virtually motionless on the ground. The game was halted for more than a half-hour as medical personnel tended to him. He was eventually removed from the field by stretcher.
“It was very tough for us to watch him because Mason is one of our leaders on the field,” senior forward Deng Deng Kur said. “He is a very vocal player for us, and we rely on him a lot for communication. Losing him was really tough, because he is one of our best center backs.”
Just seconds after the game resumed, Glenbrook North maintained its strong play as midfielder Max Marquez performed a quick wheel route with his back to the goal and fired a low howitzer of a ball that smashed off the near post. A short time later, midfielder Matt Metzger got loose on the left flank and pushed across the field and delivered his own shot from distance.
That ball repelled off the crossbar.
“I was proud of the guys and the way they played,” Vignocchi said. “As far as chances go I thought we had the better chances. We had some bad luck today.”
Eleven months ago, the Spartans ripped the Hawks 3-0 in the championship of the Central Suburban League on the same field. That result was not a point of emphasis, Maine South coach Dan States said.
“I am sure there might have been kids who reflected on that game, but it is not something we talked about,” States said. “This year is different. They have a great team. They are very well coached. We know when we play it is going to be a tight game.”
Maine South (5-2-0) has lost only to Libertyville, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, and Rock Island, ranked No. 2 in Chicagoland Soccer’s Illinois 10 poll for the best teams outside Chicago. The Rocks defeated Maine South in the championship of the Quincy Tournament. The combination of the two early tough losses and the memory of the last encounter figured in the match.
“We needed this game after a couple of tough losses,” Maine South midfielder Szymon Glab said.
The Corazzina brothers altered the equation. Maine South looked to exploit the counter to offset the Spartans’ aggressive forward push. At the midway juncture of the first half, Giuliano Corazzina, a reserve sophomore forward, stepped into the void. He paid close attention and benefitted from his observations.
“I was just learning from my mistakes as the match went on -- to come back, drop in and not go down the line as much or go in a straight line,” Giuliano Corazzina said. “I had to learn how to cut in.”
In the 19th minute, Giuliano Corazzina gathered a throw-in on the left wing from about 17 yards. He brought the ball down and fired a tough, unorthodox shot that rose high in the air, came down at a tough angle and handcuffed Spartans’ keeper Daniel Spencer for the opening goal.
The score changed everything. Glenbrook North’s momentum melted, and the Hawks (5-2-0) had the upper advantage.
“That goal boostered our momentum a lot, because we knew they were very good,” Glab said. “Giuliano made a great shot there, and we kept our heads up and our poise against their pressure.”
For the balance of the first half and the start of the second half, Glenbrook North (4-2-1) controlled every objective metric, like shots on goal and possession time, but it was rendered largely irrelevant. Maine South had the only statistic that mattered, the lead.
“We were able to do a few things in terms of what we wanted to do as far as our transitions,” States said. “They paid off in terms of some of the goals, but there was a lot we were not able to do because of what (Glenbrook North) was doing as a team.”
Maine South keeper Joe Gabel registered nine saves. He was immaculate, elevating to punch away shots. Three times Glenbrook North generated corner kicks and deployed multiple bodies in the box. The ball hung tantalizingly, either in the air or even twice hit the ground, but the windows were too narrow or tight to penetrate.
“They had the better chances, but we just had to keep our heads up and not let that bring us down or it would have cost us the game,” Giuliano Corazzina said. “They were a hard team to play against, but we were able to overcome them.”
The sophomore was the principal reason. He was named the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match for his outstanding play. He also set up his older brother’s goal in the 52nd minute that provided a necessary cushion. Maine South defender Szymon Laczak, the team’s long free kick specialist, sent a ball into the box that was deflected off a Spartans’ defender; Giuliano played it back to his brother marking the end of his run.
Alessandro Corazzina blasted the ball from about 12 yards out inside the near post for the 2-0 Hawks’ advantage.
That score held until the 78th minute when the Spartans finally broke through. Midfielder Sahil Modi got to the end line and delivered a cross to a streaking Kur who finished deep inside the box.
Glenbrook North was charged by the goal and had one final chance. Just moments after the breakthrough goal, the Spartans regained possession and pushed deep into Maine South territory when Metzger was fouled.
Kur lined up on the free kick from about 26 yards.
“I was trying to hit it on the ground, hoping it might give one of my teammates a chance to hit it in if it went long,” Deng said.
His hard smash veered just left of the post. Glenbrook North fought until the final whistle as Marquez leapt to attempt a reverse bicycle kick as Gabel grabbed the loose ball.
“The game just did not go our way,” Kur said. “We got a little lucky at the end. They gave us a little bit of relief. We just had nothing going our way. The keeper was saved by the post and the crossbar.”
Starting lineups
Maine South
GK: Joe Gabel
D: Michael Byron
D: Szymon Laczak
D: Tommy Hinds
MF: Ryan Bull
MF: Will Burgis
MF: Szymon Glab
MF: Jack Dombro
MF: Michael Bahu
F: Alex Walega
F: Alessandro Corazzina
Glenbrook North
GK: Daniel Spencer
D: Sam Aronson
D: Mason Rose
D: Evan Goldberg
D: Ben Gordon
MF: Max Marquez
MF: Matt Metzger
MF: Robbie Fraser
MF; Sahil Modi
MF: George Luke
F: Deng Deng Kur
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Giuliano Corazzina, so., F, Maine South
Scoring summary
First half
Maine South—Giuliano Corazzina, 19th minute
Second half
Maine South—Alessandro Corazzina (Giuliano Corazzina), 52nd minute
Glenbrook North—Deng Deng Kur (Sahil Modi), 78th minute
Soph., senior forwards score in 2-1 upset win over no. 8 Spartans
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHBROOK -- The nature of luck is very peculiar. “You make your own luck,” is a natural sentiment, but not necessarily accurate to all situations and certainly not to the play of Glenbrook North.
The Spartans did everything imaginable in the typical presupposition of what winning teams achieve. They created tempo, cast their own rhythm and often dictated how the game was played and on whose terms.
Maine South was hardly a passive witness to it all. The Hawks played a physical and aggressive game. Defender Szymon Laczak orchestrated a furious and sustained wall as Maine South sought to disrupt everything the Spartans tried to achieve.
In the end, it worked.
“It was not our night,” Glenbrook North coach Paul Vignocchi said.
The no. 8 Spartans played valiantly in the face of adversity and hardship but no. 19 Maine South stole the show as brothers Giuliano and Alessandro Corazzina scored a goal each and the Hawks withstood a furious rally to escape with the 2-1 victory in a Central Suburban League cross-over game Tuesday night.
In the 15th minute, Glenbrook North's elite center back, Mason Rose, hit the turf hard after being clipped from behind and was virtually motionless on the ground. The game was halted for more than a half-hour as medical personnel tended to him. He was eventually removed from the field by stretcher.
“It was very tough for us to watch him because Mason is one of our leaders on the field,” senior forward Deng Deng Kur said. “He is a very vocal player for us, and we rely on him a lot for communication. Losing him was really tough, because he is one of our best center backs.”
Just seconds after the game resumed, Glenbrook North maintained its strong play as midfielder Max Marquez performed a quick wheel route with his back to the goal and fired a low howitzer of a ball that smashed off the near post. A short time later, midfielder Matt Metzger got loose on the left flank and pushed across the field and delivered his own shot from distance.
That ball repelled off the crossbar.
“I was proud of the guys and the way they played,” Vignocchi said. “As far as chances go I thought we had the better chances. We had some bad luck today.”
Eleven months ago, the Spartans ripped the Hawks 3-0 in the championship of the Central Suburban League on the same field. That result was not a point of emphasis, Maine South coach Dan States said.
“I am sure there might have been kids who reflected on that game, but it is not something we talked about,” States said. “This year is different. They have a great team. They are very well coached. We know when we play it is going to be a tight game.”
Maine South (5-2-0) has lost only to Libertyville, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, and Rock Island, ranked No. 2 in Chicagoland Soccer’s Illinois 10 poll for the best teams outside Chicago. The Rocks defeated Maine South in the championship of the Quincy Tournament. The combination of the two early tough losses and the memory of the last encounter figured in the match.
“We needed this game after a couple of tough losses,” Maine South midfielder Szymon Glab said.
The Corazzina brothers altered the equation. Maine South looked to exploit the counter to offset the Spartans’ aggressive forward push. At the midway juncture of the first half, Giuliano Corazzina, a reserve sophomore forward, stepped into the void. He paid close attention and benefitted from his observations.
“I was just learning from my mistakes as the match went on -- to come back, drop in and not go down the line as much or go in a straight line,” Giuliano Corazzina said. “I had to learn how to cut in.”
In the 19th minute, Giuliano Corazzina gathered a throw-in on the left wing from about 17 yards. He brought the ball down and fired a tough, unorthodox shot that rose high in the air, came down at a tough angle and handcuffed Spartans’ keeper Daniel Spencer for the opening goal.
The score changed everything. Glenbrook North’s momentum melted, and the Hawks (5-2-0) had the upper advantage.
“That goal boostered our momentum a lot, because we knew they were very good,” Glab said. “Giuliano made a great shot there, and we kept our heads up and our poise against their pressure.”
For the balance of the first half and the start of the second half, Glenbrook North (4-2-1) controlled every objective metric, like shots on goal and possession time, but it was rendered largely irrelevant. Maine South had the only statistic that mattered, the lead.
“We were able to do a few things in terms of what we wanted to do as far as our transitions,” States said. “They paid off in terms of some of the goals, but there was a lot we were not able to do because of what (Glenbrook North) was doing as a team.”
Maine South keeper Joe Gabel registered nine saves. He was immaculate, elevating to punch away shots. Three times Glenbrook North generated corner kicks and deployed multiple bodies in the box. The ball hung tantalizingly, either in the air or even twice hit the ground, but the windows were too narrow or tight to penetrate.
“They had the better chances, but we just had to keep our heads up and not let that bring us down or it would have cost us the game,” Giuliano Corazzina said. “They were a hard team to play against, but we were able to overcome them.”
The sophomore was the principal reason. He was named the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match for his outstanding play. He also set up his older brother’s goal in the 52nd minute that provided a necessary cushion. Maine South defender Szymon Laczak, the team’s long free kick specialist, sent a ball into the box that was deflected off a Spartans’ defender; Giuliano played it back to his brother marking the end of his run.
Alessandro Corazzina blasted the ball from about 12 yards out inside the near post for the 2-0 Hawks’ advantage.
That score held until the 78th minute when the Spartans finally broke through. Midfielder Sahil Modi got to the end line and delivered a cross to a streaking Kur who finished deep inside the box.
Glenbrook North was charged by the goal and had one final chance. Just moments after the breakthrough goal, the Spartans regained possession and pushed deep into Maine South territory when Metzger was fouled.
Kur lined up on the free kick from about 26 yards.
“I was trying to hit it on the ground, hoping it might give one of my teammates a chance to hit it in if it went long,” Deng said.
His hard smash veered just left of the post. Glenbrook North fought until the final whistle as Marquez leapt to attempt a reverse bicycle kick as Gabel grabbed the loose ball.
“The game just did not go our way,” Kur said. “We got a little lucky at the end. They gave us a little bit of relief. We just had nothing going our way. The keeper was saved by the post and the crossbar.”
Starting lineups
Maine South
GK: Joe Gabel
D: Michael Byron
D: Szymon Laczak
D: Tommy Hinds
MF: Ryan Bull
MF: Will Burgis
MF: Szymon Glab
MF: Jack Dombro
MF: Michael Bahu
F: Alex Walega
F: Alessandro Corazzina
Glenbrook North
GK: Daniel Spencer
D: Sam Aronson
D: Mason Rose
D: Evan Goldberg
D: Ben Gordon
MF: Max Marquez
MF: Matt Metzger
MF: Robbie Fraser
MF; Sahil Modi
MF: George Luke
F: Deng Deng Kur
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Giuliano Corazzina, so., F, Maine South
Scoring summary
First half
Maine South—Giuliano Corazzina, 19th minute
Second half
Maine South—Alessandro Corazzina (Giuliano Corazzina), 52nd minute
Glenbrook North—Deng Deng Kur (Sahil Modi), 78th minute