Maytum, Steenbergen goals
rally Glenbrook South past Maine South
2-1 result ends Titans 3-game losing streak
By Mike Garofola
GLENVIEW -- In the world of soccer technology, there are products on the market that can track technical and tactical metrics, such as ball touches (left and right foot, passing efficiency, and, of course, numbers of steps when playing, among other things.
If Owen Beumer had one of those devices attached to his Glenbrook South shirt yesterday afternoon at John David Stadium, the metrics on the junior would have been out of this world.
The Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match was an 80-minute, box-to-box warrior for manager Reggie Lara's club - providing the type of work ethic, and work rate to inspire the Titans to come back and defeat visiting Maine South 2-1 in a CSL South contest in Glenview.
"Owen is our best two-way player, who is fit, and has a motor, energy, and pace is infectious, and he was a big reason for us getting a big win today against a very good opponent in Maine South," said a proud Lara, whose lads earned their first win in the division following back-to-back losses to Glenbrook North and New Trier (11-0-0, 3-0-0) Chicagoland Soccer's No. 1 rated team this week.
"(That's) just I like to play," said Beumer, when complimented by this reporter for his effort on this sunny, windy day Saturday at his home park.
"I'm the type of player who likes to help control the middle for us, tackle, defend, distribute, help in our attack - and just play both sides of the ball the best that I can," continued Beumer, who registered countless tackles and interceptions to help disrupt a Maine South (5-2-2, 0-2-1) attack which features several dangerous men on its roster.
"We were solid defensively as a team, and especially along the back today when we needed it most," chimed in Bennett Steenbergen, himself a pest up top for the Titans (4-4-0, 1-2-0) as well the goal-scoring hero with his game winner coming six minutes after teammate Drew Maytum equalized for the home side.
"(Maine South) got that first goal just after the half, and they had a strong wind at their backs which made them even more dangerous, but our guys in the back did their job, and when we were able to get score our first one, I felt like we had a very good chance of winning this game," continued Steenbergen.
For the sun-kissed Titans faithful, it was their time to enjoy a well deserved victory by the favorite players - one in which Beumer, Steenbergen and their manager was most needed.
"Oh yeah, this was a game we needed to win," echoed Beaumer and Steenbergen.
"Our first two losses to GBN and New Trier were tough to take, so, today, we knew we had to put those games behind and get back to winning," said Steenbergen.
"I really thought the effort was there against both GBN and New Trier - with GBN, in the end, our decision making wasn't were it should have been, and with New Trier, we played well, but they are the No. 1 team, and there is a reason for that," added Lara.
In advance of the contest, Lara was concerned for the skill, athletism, and overall talent in which Maine South possess.
The Hawks many weapons in its arsenal, among them: John Cronnolly, Stefan Iricanin, Jackson Wambach, David Skorupa, and others - all of whom made their mark throughout the afternoon, particularly in the second half when Cronnolly's opener in the 44th minute appeared to provide a much needed spark for the visitors.
"When John got us on the scoreboard early, I kind of figured it was exactly what we needed to give us the type of inspiration and push to lead us to another goal or two, but it never materialized," said Hawks manager, Dan States.
"It was a hard fought, physical match out there today - and when we connected, and we were able to get in the final third, we had our chances (but) we just were not as sharp as we needed to be in order to finish those chances."
States' men had the wind it their faces during the opening period, and with Titans backline inching up closer to the midline because of the gusty winds - it appeared as if the home side had ten players in the attack.
Both keepers were called up during the first quarter hour: Tommy Prokos took a sitter away from Steenbergen at 6 minutes, while his counterpart, Collin Morse challenged off his line to stop Cronnelly from catching up to an early ball sent into his box.
With little time on the ball, tackling ferocious, and each 50-50, or second ball challenged with
zest - chances would usually come out of nowhere - which kept each defensive unit on the alert at all times.
Sophomore Stefan Zelenovic, who gave the Hawks quality minutes of the bench on this day helped create a couple of deep throws, and corner - which Morse saved a close range attempt in a crowd by Ryne Downing.
The two best chances of the half fell to Zelenovic when he ran onto a ball before unloading a well struck left-footer from near point blank range - with Morse making the key save in the 35th minute.
Just before the intermission, Steenbergen went over the bar, which was followed thereafter by a Zarko Pavlovic effort on frame after tri-captain, David Sohn helped set up his teammate.
'There was a lot of back-and-forth all throughout the game - we each had some good chances, but it was basically a tight defensive game all day long," offered Beumer.
GBS could do nothing on the Cronnolly goal which came about after a nifty helper from the outside of the right foot from Stefan Iricanin that helped set Cronnolly free.
Both sides, playing on the counter-attack as time and space were denied to enjoy real possession, lacked the ruthlessness needed in order to finish in the back of each others net - but it was a lively combination that led to the Titans first goal at 57 minutes.
That's when Sohn, once again, would initiate play in the final third - giving way to Xander Hwang, whose outstanding work to get time and space allowed the junior to connect with Maytum for his header that went high into the roof.
"We had communication issues on their first goal, and for that matter, both goals today, so that's something we had better clean up before we play New Trier on Tuesday," admitted States.
The Hawks came right back after the GBS equalizer - nearly taking the lead once more when David Skorupa and Iricanin set free Zelenovic at the back post - only to see his attempt go wide.
Drew Burgis, in for Prokos between the sticks in the second half, was fearless in his challenge of the line to corral an early ball in which Stefan Souleles nearly caught up to.
Steenbergen would strike in the 63rd minute, but it was some wonderful build-up work from
Pavlovic, then Keating that allowed the junior to finish in close.
Despite pressured from a pair of Hawks' - Pavlovic turned away from the pressure to find himself with enough time to link up with Keating, who tricked his way to the endline before delivering his helper to Steenberger, who would slot under Burgis through a crowd.
"It might have been our best build up of the day - with Keating doing some great work to get the ball to me inside the six," said Steenbergen.
Morse would haul in a trio of well paced, on frame freekicks during a frantic last ten minutes - one of which from Matt Skorupa, which the GBS did well to catch with the sun in his eyes, and the extra pace on the ball thanks to a gusting wind.
In the closing moments - Matt Skorupa went just wide during a scrum in close - allowing the Titans' to exhale and celebrate victory.
"We have to play better on both sides of the ball, be cleaner in our own end, and finish chances that we create (look) at GBS, they had two terrific chances and scored on both," States would say afterwards.
"Maine South is a very good team - so this was a great win for us, and like I said, one that we all really needed badly," said Beumer.
"I am really proud of these guys," began Lara.
"They never quit, they play and compete hard, whether in a game, or at training - it's just something they like to do because they love the game, and love being part of a team (playing) for each other."
First 11
Maine South
(4-3-3)
G- Tommy Prokos
D- Jack Winkler
D- Matt Skorupa
D- Ryne Downing
D- Aidan Hansen
M- Andrew Mashni
M- Jackson Wambach
M- Michael Kondilis
F- David Skorupa
F- Stefan Iricanin
F- John Cronnolly
Glenbrook South
(4-3-3)
G- Collin Morse
D- Dominik Danko
D- Drew Maytum
D- David Sohn
D- Danny Peters
M- Adrian Potoniec
M- Owen Beumer
M- Zarko Pavlovic
F- Bennett Steenbergen
F- Stefan Souleles
F- Jeffrey Keating
Scoring
Glenbrook South
Maytum (Hwang) 57'
Steenbergen (Keating, Pavlovic) 63'
Maine South
Cronnolly (Iricanin) 44'
Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Game
Owen Beumer (Glenbrook South, Jr, MF
Referee
Rich Gaetti.
Maytum, Steenbergen rally GBS past Maine S.
By Mike Garofola
GLENVIEW -- In the world of soccer technology, there are products on the market that can track technical and tactical metrics like ball touches (left and right foot), passing efficiency and the numbers of steps when playing.
If Owen Beumer had one of those devices attached to his Glenbrook South shirt Saturday afternoon at John David Stadium, the metrics on the junior would have been out of this world.
The Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match was an 80-minute, box-to-box warrior for manager Reggie Lara's club and providing the type of work ethic and work rate to inspire the Titans to come back and defeat visiting and 12th-ranked Maine South 2-1 in a Central Suburban League South Division home contest.
"Owen is our best two-way player. His motor, energy and pace are infectious, and he was a big reason for us getting a big win today against a very good opponent in Maine South," said a proud Lara, whose lads earned their first win in the division following back-to-back losses to Glenbrook North (5-3-2, 1-2-0) and New Trier (11-0-0, 3-0-0), Chicagoland Soccer's no. 1 rated team.
"(That's) just how I like to play," said Beumer on the sunny and windy day. "I'm the type of player who likes to help control the middle for us, tackle, defend, distribute, help in our attack - and just play both sides of the ball the best that I can.
He registered countless tackles and interceptions to help disrupt a Maine South (5-2-2, 0-2-1) attack which featured several dangerous young men on its roster.
"We were solid defensively as a team and especially along the back today when we needed it most," added Bennett Steenbergen, himself a pest up-top for the Titans (4-4-0, 1-2-0) as well the goal-scoring hero with his game-winner six minutes after teammate Drew Maytum equalized for the home side.
"(Maine South) got that first goal just after the half, and they had a strong wind at their backs which made them even more dangerous. But our guys in the back did their job, and when we were able to get score our first one, I felt like we had a very good chance of winning this game," continued Steenbergen.
Beumer and Steenbergen agree it was a game the Titans needed to win.
"Our first two losses to GBN and New Trier were tough to take. Today, we knew we had to put those games behind and get back to winning," said Steenbergen.
"I really thought the effort was there against both GBN and New Trier," said Lara. “With GBN in the end, our decision-making wasn't where it should have been; and with New Trier we played well, but they are the no. 1 team, and there is a reason for that.
In advance of Saturday’s contest, Lara was wary of the skill, athleticism and overall talent that Maine South possesses.
The Hawks have many weapons in their arsenal, among them: John Cronnolly, Stefan Iricanin, Jackson Wambach and David Skorupa. They made their mark throughout the afternoon, particularly in the second half when Cronnolly's opener in the 44th minute appeared to provide a much-needed spark for the visitors.
"When John got us on the scoreboard early, I kind of figured it was exactly what we needed to give us inspiration and push to lead us to another goal or two, but it never materialized," said Hawks manager Dan States.
"It was a hard-fought, physical match out there today. When we connected, and we were able to get in the final third, we had our chances. We just were not as sharp as we needed to be in order to finish those chances."
States' men had the wind in their faces during the opening period. With Glenbrook South’s backline inching up closer to the midline because of the gusty winds, it appeared as if the home side had 10 players in the attack.
Both keepers were called to action during the first quarter hour. Maine South’s Tommy Prokos took a sitter away from Steenbergen at six minutes, while his counterpart Colin Morse challenged off his line to stop Cronnolly from catching up to an early ball sent into the box.
With little time on the ball, ferocious tackling and each 50/50 or second ball challenged with zest, chances usually came out of nowhere. That kept each defensive unit on alert at all times.
Sophomore Stefan Zelenovic gave Maine South quality minutes off the bench and helped create a couple of deep throws and corners. One required Morse to save a close-range attempt in a crowd by Ryne Downing.
The best chance of the half fell to Zelenovic when he ran onto a ball before unloading a well struck left-footer from near point-blank range that Morse made a key save on in the 35th minute.
Just before the intermission, Glenbrook South’s Steenbergen went over the bar and was followed by Zarko Pavlovic’s effort on frame after tri-captain David Sohn helped set up his teammate.
'There was a lot of back-and-forth all throughout the game. We each had some good chances, but it was basically a tight defensive game all day long," offered Beumer.
Glenbrook South could do nothing on the Cronnolly goal which came about after a nifty helper from the outside off the right foot of Iricanin, who helped set Cronnolly free.
Both sides played on the counterattack because time and space were denied which prevented any real possession.
A lively combination led to Glenbrook South’s first goal at 57 minutes.
That's when Sohn once again initiated play in the final third. He gave way to Xander Hwang, whose outstanding work bought time and allowed the junior to connect with Maytum for his header that went high into the roof.
"We had communication issues on their first goal, and for that matter, both goals today,” said States. That's something we had better clean up before we play New Trier on Tuesday,"
Maine South came right back after the Glenbrook South equalizer and nearly took the lead once more when Skorupa and Iricanin set free Zelenovic at the back post only to see his attempt go wide.
Drew Burgis, who played keeper in the second half for Maine South, was fearless in his challenge off his line when he corralled an early ball in which Stefan Souleles nearly caught up to.
Glenbrook South’s Steenbergen broke the tie in in the 63rd minute after some wonderful build-up work from Pavlovic and then Keating that allowed the junior to finish in-close.
Despite pressure from a pair of Hawks, Pavlovic turned away to find enough time to link up with Keating, who tricked his way to the end line before delivering his helper to Steenberger, who slotted his shot under Burgis through a crowd.
"It might have been our best build-up of the day with Keating doing some great work to get the ball to me inside the six," said Steenbergen.
Glenbrook South’s Morse hauled in a trio of well-paced, on-frame free kicks during a frantic last 10 minutes. He caught a dangerous effort from Matt Skorupa with the sun in his eyes and extra pace on the ball thanks to a gusting wind.
In the closing moments, Matt Skorupa went just wide during a scrum in-close, allowing the Titans to exhale and celebrate victory.
"We have to play better on both sides of the ball, be cleaner in our own end and finish chances that we create," States said afterward. “(Look) at GBS, they had two terrific chances and scored on both.”
"Maine South is a very good team," said Beumer. “This was a great win for us, and like I said, one that we all really needed badly.”
Lara concluded: "I am really proud of these guys.
"They never quit, they play and compete hard, whether in a game, or at training. It's just something they like to do, because they love the game and love being part of a team (playing) for each other."
Starting lineups
Maine South (4-3-3)
G- Tommy Prokos
D- Jack Winkler
D- Matt Skorupa
D- Ryne Downing
D- Aidan Hansen
M- Andrew Mashni
M- Jackson Wambach
M- Michael Kondilis
F- David Skorupa
F- Stefan Iricanin
F- John Cronnolly
Glenbrook South (4-3-3)
G- Colin Morse
D- Dominik Danko
D- Drew Maytum
D- David Sohn
D- Danny Peters
M- Adrian Potoniec
M- Owen Beumer
M- Zarko Pavlovic
F- Bennett Steenbergen
F- Stefan Souleles
F- Jeffrey Keating
Chicagoland Man of the Match: Owen Beumer, jr., MF, Glenbrook South
Referee: Rich Gaetti
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Maine South: Cronnolly (Iricanin) 44'
Glenbrook South: Maytum (Hwang) 57'
Glenbrook South: Steenbergen (Keating, Pavlovic) 63'
rally Glenbrook South past Maine South
2-1 result ends Titans 3-game losing streak
By Mike Garofola
GLENVIEW -- In the world of soccer technology, there are products on the market that can track technical and tactical metrics, such as ball touches (left and right foot, passing efficiency, and, of course, numbers of steps when playing, among other things.
If Owen Beumer had one of those devices attached to his Glenbrook South shirt yesterday afternoon at John David Stadium, the metrics on the junior would have been out of this world.
The Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match was an 80-minute, box-to-box warrior for manager Reggie Lara's club - providing the type of work ethic, and work rate to inspire the Titans to come back and defeat visiting Maine South 2-1 in a CSL South contest in Glenview.
"Owen is our best two-way player, who is fit, and has a motor, energy, and pace is infectious, and he was a big reason for us getting a big win today against a very good opponent in Maine South," said a proud Lara, whose lads earned their first win in the division following back-to-back losses to Glenbrook North and New Trier (11-0-0, 3-0-0) Chicagoland Soccer's No. 1 rated team this week.
"(That's) just I like to play," said Beumer, when complimented by this reporter for his effort on this sunny, windy day Saturday at his home park.
"I'm the type of player who likes to help control the middle for us, tackle, defend, distribute, help in our attack - and just play both sides of the ball the best that I can," continued Beumer, who registered countless tackles and interceptions to help disrupt a Maine South (5-2-2, 0-2-1) attack which features several dangerous men on its roster.
"We were solid defensively as a team, and especially along the back today when we needed it most," chimed in Bennett Steenbergen, himself a pest up top for the Titans (4-4-0, 1-2-0) as well the goal-scoring hero with his game winner coming six minutes after teammate Drew Maytum equalized for the home side.
"(Maine South) got that first goal just after the half, and they had a strong wind at their backs which made them even more dangerous, but our guys in the back did their job, and when we were able to get score our first one, I felt like we had a very good chance of winning this game," continued Steenbergen.
For the sun-kissed Titans faithful, it was their time to enjoy a well deserved victory by the favorite players - one in which Beumer, Steenbergen and their manager was most needed.
"Oh yeah, this was a game we needed to win," echoed Beaumer and Steenbergen.
"Our first two losses to GBN and New Trier were tough to take, so, today, we knew we had to put those games behind and get back to winning," said Steenbergen.
"I really thought the effort was there against both GBN and New Trier - with GBN, in the end, our decision making wasn't were it should have been, and with New Trier, we played well, but they are the No. 1 team, and there is a reason for that," added Lara.
In advance of the contest, Lara was concerned for the skill, athletism, and overall talent in which Maine South possess.
The Hawks many weapons in its arsenal, among them: John Cronnolly, Stefan Iricanin, Jackson Wambach, David Skorupa, and others - all of whom made their mark throughout the afternoon, particularly in the second half when Cronnolly's opener in the 44th minute appeared to provide a much needed spark for the visitors.
"When John got us on the scoreboard early, I kind of figured it was exactly what we needed to give us the type of inspiration and push to lead us to another goal or two, but it never materialized," said Hawks manager, Dan States.
"It was a hard fought, physical match out there today - and when we connected, and we were able to get in the final third, we had our chances (but) we just were not as sharp as we needed to be in order to finish those chances."
States' men had the wind it their faces during the opening period, and with Titans backline inching up closer to the midline because of the gusty winds - it appeared as if the home side had ten players in the attack.
Both keepers were called up during the first quarter hour: Tommy Prokos took a sitter away from Steenbergen at 6 minutes, while his counterpart, Collin Morse challenged off his line to stop Cronnelly from catching up to an early ball sent into his box.
With little time on the ball, tackling ferocious, and each 50-50, or second ball challenged with
zest - chances would usually come out of nowhere - which kept each defensive unit on the alert at all times.
Sophomore Stefan Zelenovic, who gave the Hawks quality minutes of the bench on this day helped create a couple of deep throws, and corner - which Morse saved a close range attempt in a crowd by Ryne Downing.
The two best chances of the half fell to Zelenovic when he ran onto a ball before unloading a well struck left-footer from near point blank range - with Morse making the key save in the 35th minute.
Just before the intermission, Steenbergen went over the bar, which was followed thereafter by a Zarko Pavlovic effort on frame after tri-captain, David Sohn helped set up his teammate.
'There was a lot of back-and-forth all throughout the game - we each had some good chances, but it was basically a tight defensive game all day long," offered Beumer.
GBS could do nothing on the Cronnolly goal which came about after a nifty helper from the outside of the right foot from Stefan Iricanin that helped set Cronnolly free.
Both sides, playing on the counter-attack as time and space were denied to enjoy real possession, lacked the ruthlessness needed in order to finish in the back of each others net - but it was a lively combination that led to the Titans first goal at 57 minutes.
That's when Sohn, once again, would initiate play in the final third - giving way to Xander Hwang, whose outstanding work to get time and space allowed the junior to connect with Maytum for his header that went high into the roof.
"We had communication issues on their first goal, and for that matter, both goals today, so that's something we had better clean up before we play New Trier on Tuesday," admitted States.
The Hawks came right back after the GBS equalizer - nearly taking the lead once more when David Skorupa and Iricanin set free Zelenovic at the back post - only to see his attempt go wide.
Drew Burgis, in for Prokos between the sticks in the second half, was fearless in his challenge of the line to corral an early ball in which Stefan Souleles nearly caught up to.
Steenbergen would strike in the 63rd minute, but it was some wonderful build-up work from
Pavlovic, then Keating that allowed the junior to finish in close.
Despite pressured from a pair of Hawks' - Pavlovic turned away from the pressure to find himself with enough time to link up with Keating, who tricked his way to the endline before delivering his helper to Steenberger, who would slot under Burgis through a crowd.
"It might have been our best build up of the day - with Keating doing some great work to get the ball to me inside the six," said Steenbergen.
Morse would haul in a trio of well paced, on frame freekicks during a frantic last ten minutes - one of which from Matt Skorupa, which the GBS did well to catch with the sun in his eyes, and the extra pace on the ball thanks to a gusting wind.
In the closing moments - Matt Skorupa went just wide during a scrum in close - allowing the Titans' to exhale and celebrate victory.
"We have to play better on both sides of the ball, be cleaner in our own end, and finish chances that we create (look) at GBS, they had two terrific chances and scored on both," States would say afterwards.
"Maine South is a very good team - so this was a great win for us, and like I said, one that we all really needed badly," said Beumer.
"I am really proud of these guys," began Lara.
"They never quit, they play and compete hard, whether in a game, or at training - it's just something they like to do because they love the game, and love being part of a team (playing) for each other."
First 11
Maine South
(4-3-3)
G- Tommy Prokos
D- Jack Winkler
D- Matt Skorupa
D- Ryne Downing
D- Aidan Hansen
M- Andrew Mashni
M- Jackson Wambach
M- Michael Kondilis
F- David Skorupa
F- Stefan Iricanin
F- John Cronnolly
Glenbrook South
(4-3-3)
G- Collin Morse
D- Dominik Danko
D- Drew Maytum
D- David Sohn
D- Danny Peters
M- Adrian Potoniec
M- Owen Beumer
M- Zarko Pavlovic
F- Bennett Steenbergen
F- Stefan Souleles
F- Jeffrey Keating
Scoring
Glenbrook South
Maytum (Hwang) 57'
Steenbergen (Keating, Pavlovic) 63'
Maine South
Cronnolly (Iricanin) 44'
Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Game
Owen Beumer (Glenbrook South, Jr, MF
Referee
Rich Gaetti.
Maytum, Steenbergen rally GBS past Maine S.
By Mike Garofola
GLENVIEW -- In the world of soccer technology, there are products on the market that can track technical and tactical metrics like ball touches (left and right foot), passing efficiency and the numbers of steps when playing.
If Owen Beumer had one of those devices attached to his Glenbrook South shirt Saturday afternoon at John David Stadium, the metrics on the junior would have been out of this world.
The Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match was an 80-minute, box-to-box warrior for manager Reggie Lara's club and providing the type of work ethic and work rate to inspire the Titans to come back and defeat visiting and 12th-ranked Maine South 2-1 in a Central Suburban League South Division home contest.
"Owen is our best two-way player. His motor, energy and pace are infectious, and he was a big reason for us getting a big win today against a very good opponent in Maine South," said a proud Lara, whose lads earned their first win in the division following back-to-back losses to Glenbrook North (5-3-2, 1-2-0) and New Trier (11-0-0, 3-0-0), Chicagoland Soccer's no. 1 rated team.
"(That's) just how I like to play," said Beumer on the sunny and windy day. "I'm the type of player who likes to help control the middle for us, tackle, defend, distribute, help in our attack - and just play both sides of the ball the best that I can.
He registered countless tackles and interceptions to help disrupt a Maine South (5-2-2, 0-2-1) attack which featured several dangerous young men on its roster.
"We were solid defensively as a team and especially along the back today when we needed it most," added Bennett Steenbergen, himself a pest up-top for the Titans (4-4-0, 1-2-0) as well the goal-scoring hero with his game-winner six minutes after teammate Drew Maytum equalized for the home side.
"(Maine South) got that first goal just after the half, and they had a strong wind at their backs which made them even more dangerous. But our guys in the back did their job, and when we were able to get score our first one, I felt like we had a very good chance of winning this game," continued Steenbergen.
Beumer and Steenbergen agree it was a game the Titans needed to win.
"Our first two losses to GBN and New Trier were tough to take. Today, we knew we had to put those games behind and get back to winning," said Steenbergen.
"I really thought the effort was there against both GBN and New Trier," said Lara. “With GBN in the end, our decision-making wasn't where it should have been; and with New Trier we played well, but they are the no. 1 team, and there is a reason for that.
In advance of Saturday’s contest, Lara was wary of the skill, athleticism and overall talent that Maine South possesses.
The Hawks have many weapons in their arsenal, among them: John Cronnolly, Stefan Iricanin, Jackson Wambach and David Skorupa. They made their mark throughout the afternoon, particularly in the second half when Cronnolly's opener in the 44th minute appeared to provide a much-needed spark for the visitors.
"When John got us on the scoreboard early, I kind of figured it was exactly what we needed to give us inspiration and push to lead us to another goal or two, but it never materialized," said Hawks manager Dan States.
"It was a hard-fought, physical match out there today. When we connected, and we were able to get in the final third, we had our chances. We just were not as sharp as we needed to be in order to finish those chances."
States' men had the wind in their faces during the opening period. With Glenbrook South’s backline inching up closer to the midline because of the gusty winds, it appeared as if the home side had 10 players in the attack.
Both keepers were called to action during the first quarter hour. Maine South’s Tommy Prokos took a sitter away from Steenbergen at six minutes, while his counterpart Colin Morse challenged off his line to stop Cronnolly from catching up to an early ball sent into the box.
With little time on the ball, ferocious tackling and each 50/50 or second ball challenged with zest, chances usually came out of nowhere. That kept each defensive unit on alert at all times.
Sophomore Stefan Zelenovic gave Maine South quality minutes off the bench and helped create a couple of deep throws and corners. One required Morse to save a close-range attempt in a crowd by Ryne Downing.
The best chance of the half fell to Zelenovic when he ran onto a ball before unloading a well struck left-footer from near point-blank range that Morse made a key save on in the 35th minute.
Just before the intermission, Glenbrook South’s Steenbergen went over the bar and was followed by Zarko Pavlovic’s effort on frame after tri-captain David Sohn helped set up his teammate.
'There was a lot of back-and-forth all throughout the game. We each had some good chances, but it was basically a tight defensive game all day long," offered Beumer.
Glenbrook South could do nothing on the Cronnolly goal which came about after a nifty helper from the outside off the right foot of Iricanin, who helped set Cronnolly free.
Both sides played on the counterattack because time and space were denied which prevented any real possession.
A lively combination led to Glenbrook South’s first goal at 57 minutes.
That's when Sohn once again initiated play in the final third. He gave way to Xander Hwang, whose outstanding work bought time and allowed the junior to connect with Maytum for his header that went high into the roof.
"We had communication issues on their first goal, and for that matter, both goals today,” said States. That's something we had better clean up before we play New Trier on Tuesday,"
Maine South came right back after the Glenbrook South equalizer and nearly took the lead once more when Skorupa and Iricanin set free Zelenovic at the back post only to see his attempt go wide.
Drew Burgis, who played keeper in the second half for Maine South, was fearless in his challenge off his line when he corralled an early ball in which Stefan Souleles nearly caught up to.
Glenbrook South’s Steenbergen broke the tie in in the 63rd minute after some wonderful build-up work from Pavlovic and then Keating that allowed the junior to finish in-close.
Despite pressure from a pair of Hawks, Pavlovic turned away to find enough time to link up with Keating, who tricked his way to the end line before delivering his helper to Steenberger, who slotted his shot under Burgis through a crowd.
"It might have been our best build-up of the day with Keating doing some great work to get the ball to me inside the six," said Steenbergen.
Glenbrook South’s Morse hauled in a trio of well-paced, on-frame free kicks during a frantic last 10 minutes. He caught a dangerous effort from Matt Skorupa with the sun in his eyes and extra pace on the ball thanks to a gusting wind.
In the closing moments, Matt Skorupa went just wide during a scrum in-close, allowing the Titans to exhale and celebrate victory.
"We have to play better on both sides of the ball, be cleaner in our own end and finish chances that we create," States said afterward. “(Look) at GBS, they had two terrific chances and scored on both.”
"Maine South is a very good team," said Beumer. “This was a great win for us, and like I said, one that we all really needed badly.”
Lara concluded: "I am really proud of these guys.
"They never quit, they play and compete hard, whether in a game, or at training. It's just something they like to do, because they love the game and love being part of a team (playing) for each other."
Starting lineups
Maine South (4-3-3)
G- Tommy Prokos
D- Jack Winkler
D- Matt Skorupa
D- Ryne Downing
D- Aidan Hansen
M- Andrew Mashni
M- Jackson Wambach
M- Michael Kondilis
F- David Skorupa
F- Stefan Iricanin
F- John Cronnolly
Glenbrook South (4-3-3)
G- Colin Morse
D- Dominik Danko
D- Drew Maytum
D- David Sohn
D- Danny Peters
M- Adrian Potoniec
M- Owen Beumer
M- Zarko Pavlovic
F- Bennett Steenbergen
F- Stefan Souleles
F- Jeffrey Keating
Chicagoland Man of the Match: Owen Beumer, jr., MF, Glenbrook South
Referee: Rich Gaetti
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Maine South: Cronnolly (Iricanin) 44'
Glenbrook South: Maytum (Hwang) 57'
Glenbrook South: Steenbergen (Keating, Pavlovic) 63'