Forward march gains 3rd place for Saints
St. Charles East blanks Maine South 4-0 in inaugural tourney
By Steve Nemeth
ST. CHARLES --- After St. Charles East had to hold its breath to squeeze out a win Friday, coach Vince DiNuzzo’s analysis must have hit home.
In Saturday’s third place match of the inaugural St. Charles Soccer Tournament, the Saints virtually breezed to a 4-0 whitewash of Maine South.
After holding off repeated Metea Valley comeback tries in a 2-1 thriller to complete Orange Group play, DiNuzzo lamented East’s inability to find a third or fourth goal.
That wasn’t the case Saturday.
The Saints (3-2-0) – who scored after a mere 1:01 versus Metea – needed a little more time, 2:11 to be exact, to claim a 1-0 lead against Maine South (1-3-2). However, unlike the tangle with the Mustangs when East yielded an equalizer within a minute, the score stayed the same to halftime.
On Friday, it took a little over six minutes to get a second goal after which the Saints got a little complacent.
On Saturday, East needed just two minutes and 20 seconds to double its lead and then only 37 more seconds to make it 3-0 for the virtual nail in the coffin.
“No doubt those two quick goals turned the game in their favor,” Maine South coach Dan States said.
“Unlike yesterday, today we showed our ability to get the third and fourth goal, plus we demonstrated the strength to keep an opponent out of sync,” DiNuzzo happily noted.
Standing out as a linchpin was junior midfielder Brandan Adams, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
“What he did doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but it showed up in the score,” DiNuzzo maintained. “His work rate often initiated our offense and from a defensive standpoint, he calmed us down a few times when we showed signs of panic. He has made a huge jump from his sophomore year to being a junior. I’d say he has been our most consistent player thus far this season.”
The role of being East’s most consistent scorer belongs to Truitt Battin, who accounted for the Saints’ first and third goals upping his season tally to six.
Battin got East ahead just 2:11 after the opening whistle when he simply bombed a 45-yard direct free kick inside the far right post.
The Saints remained aggressive and a couple minutes later Maine South goalie Vita Abbinanti kept the gap from widening when he snagged Luke Schnitker’s header off a corner kick. Just under seven minutes in, Battin sent one off the right post that left the Hawks’ goal vibrating.
It took until midway through the opening half for Maine South to find some footing. East keeper Zach Doerr avoided one threat by rising high to catch a corner kick. The Hawks’ Alex Olson had a header go wide left and then had a cross that just eluded the foot of on-rushing teammate Weston Buchar.
With 2:24 to go before intermission, Battin had a 29-yard free kick skim off the top of the crossbar.
Maine South’s optimal scoring chance came just over a minute into the second half when Sam McGinnis was left unmarked in the middle, however, Doerr made a proverbial Pat Foley-esque “big save”.
It became more notable because at the 42:20, Battin fed Luke Schnitker for a 10-yard strike. That was Schnitker’s second goal in two days and Battin’s second assist for the year. Then 37 seconds later, Renato Avendano’s through-ball sprang Battin on the left side. The senior midfielder essentially blasted a fall-away 14-yarder to make it 3-0.
“It took us awhile to do some good things, but we started to get the ball out wide and cross to create some opportunities,” Maine South’s State’s said. “Unfortunately we didn’t get the finish, and no doubt those two quick goals turned the game in their favor. Those were examples of when our defense was a little too porous. We’ll learn, especially to mark better.”
While the Hawks registered 14 of their 15 overall shots after halftime, the end result was that East still had better overall numbers. The Saints had a 17-15 edge in overall attempts and a 10-8 advantage for shots on goal, and led in corner kicks 5-4.
East completed the scoring with 15:38 left in regulation as Schnitker fed George Maridis.
“Whenever I can I try to place one far post. If you don’t score, ideally a teammate is there crashing the net or the keeper possibly gives up a rebound,” Schnitker explained. “I believe we’ve got more senior leadership going for us this year.”
For the Saints defense and Doerr in goal, it was the first shutout of the season.
“We always aim for a shutout, and it’s satisfying to get one,” Doerr said. “It is a reward for the defense. I’ll admit I may be a little nervous at the start, but the first touch and especially the first stop boosts my confidence. Then I gain more confidence especially as I get more saves.”
“Getting a clean sheet today was good,” DiNuzzo prior to repeating the breakthrough in adding to the lead. “We looked better in back, but we still feel we’re not quite where we want to be.”
While third place wasn’t what the Saints were aiming for, they’ve got back-to-back victories and three out of their last four matches are wins with the loss the result of a shootout. St. Charles East hopes to carry that momentum forward when it hosts its DuKane Conference debut against Glenbard North at 4:30 Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Maine South
GK Vita Abbinanti
D Charlie Ryan
D Michael Byron
D Neil Lewis
D Jack Dombro
M Will Burgis
M Alex Melcher
M John Rozynek
M Alex Walega
F Giuliano Corazzina
F Alex Olson
St. Charles East
GK Zach Doerr
D Geoff Unterberg
D Ryan Champine
D Ulises Cabellero
DM Grayson Bille
DM Alejandro Mancera
DM Brandan Adams
DM Renato Avendano
OM Truitt Battin
OM Luke Schnitker
F Sebastian Carranza
Man of the Match: Brandan Adams, St. Charles East, Jr. M in 4-0 win over Maine South (9-1-18)
Inaugural St. Charles Soccer Tournament
Contested at St. Charles North
St. Charles East 4, Maine South 0 (third place)
Maine South00---01-3-2
St. Charles East13----43-2-0
Scoring Summary:
SCE – Battin 45-yard direct free kick (unassisted) 2:11 gone
SCE – Schnitker 10-yard finish of a set-up (Battin assist), 42:20 gone
SCE – Battin 14-yard falling away blast from left wing (Avendano assist), 42:57 gone
SCE – Maridis eight-yard touch shot off cross (Schnitker assist), 64:22 gone
Overall Shots: MS 1 – 14 --- 15, SCE 9 – 8 --- 17
Shots on Goal: MS 0 – 8 --- 8, SCE 5 – 5 --- 10
Goalie Saves: MS (Abbinanti) 4 – 2 --- 6, SCE (Doerr) 0 – 8 --- 8
Corner Kicks: MS 1 – 3 ---4, SCE 4 – 1 --- 5
Offside: MS 1 – 0 --- 1, SCE 0 – 0 --- 0
St. Charles East blanks Maine South 4-0 in inaugural tourney
By Steve Nemeth
ST. CHARLES --- After St. Charles East had to hold its breath to squeeze out a win Friday, coach Vince DiNuzzo’s analysis must have hit home.
In Saturday’s third place match of the inaugural St. Charles Soccer Tournament, the Saints virtually breezed to a 4-0 whitewash of Maine South.
After holding off repeated Metea Valley comeback tries in a 2-1 thriller to complete Orange Group play, DiNuzzo lamented East’s inability to find a third or fourth goal.
That wasn’t the case Saturday.
The Saints (3-2-0) – who scored after a mere 1:01 versus Metea – needed a little more time, 2:11 to be exact, to claim a 1-0 lead against Maine South (1-3-2). However, unlike the tangle with the Mustangs when East yielded an equalizer within a minute, the score stayed the same to halftime.
On Friday, it took a little over six minutes to get a second goal after which the Saints got a little complacent.
On Saturday, East needed just two minutes and 20 seconds to double its lead and then only 37 more seconds to make it 3-0 for the virtual nail in the coffin.
“No doubt those two quick goals turned the game in their favor,” Maine South coach Dan States said.
“Unlike yesterday, today we showed our ability to get the third and fourth goal, plus we demonstrated the strength to keep an opponent out of sync,” DiNuzzo happily noted.
Standing out as a linchpin was junior midfielder Brandan Adams, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
“What he did doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but it showed up in the score,” DiNuzzo maintained. “His work rate often initiated our offense and from a defensive standpoint, he calmed us down a few times when we showed signs of panic. He has made a huge jump from his sophomore year to being a junior. I’d say he has been our most consistent player thus far this season.”
The role of being East’s most consistent scorer belongs to Truitt Battin, who accounted for the Saints’ first and third goals upping his season tally to six.
Battin got East ahead just 2:11 after the opening whistle when he simply bombed a 45-yard direct free kick inside the far right post.
The Saints remained aggressive and a couple minutes later Maine South goalie Vita Abbinanti kept the gap from widening when he snagged Luke Schnitker’s header off a corner kick. Just under seven minutes in, Battin sent one off the right post that left the Hawks’ goal vibrating.
It took until midway through the opening half for Maine South to find some footing. East keeper Zach Doerr avoided one threat by rising high to catch a corner kick. The Hawks’ Alex Olson had a header go wide left and then had a cross that just eluded the foot of on-rushing teammate Weston Buchar.
With 2:24 to go before intermission, Battin had a 29-yard free kick skim off the top of the crossbar.
Maine South’s optimal scoring chance came just over a minute into the second half when Sam McGinnis was left unmarked in the middle, however, Doerr made a proverbial Pat Foley-esque “big save”.
It became more notable because at the 42:20, Battin fed Luke Schnitker for a 10-yard strike. That was Schnitker’s second goal in two days and Battin’s second assist for the year. Then 37 seconds later, Renato Avendano’s through-ball sprang Battin on the left side. The senior midfielder essentially blasted a fall-away 14-yarder to make it 3-0.
“It took us awhile to do some good things, but we started to get the ball out wide and cross to create some opportunities,” Maine South’s State’s said. “Unfortunately we didn’t get the finish, and no doubt those two quick goals turned the game in their favor. Those were examples of when our defense was a little too porous. We’ll learn, especially to mark better.”
While the Hawks registered 14 of their 15 overall shots after halftime, the end result was that East still had better overall numbers. The Saints had a 17-15 edge in overall attempts and a 10-8 advantage for shots on goal, and led in corner kicks 5-4.
East completed the scoring with 15:38 left in regulation as Schnitker fed George Maridis.
“Whenever I can I try to place one far post. If you don’t score, ideally a teammate is there crashing the net or the keeper possibly gives up a rebound,” Schnitker explained. “I believe we’ve got more senior leadership going for us this year.”
For the Saints defense and Doerr in goal, it was the first shutout of the season.
“We always aim for a shutout, and it’s satisfying to get one,” Doerr said. “It is a reward for the defense. I’ll admit I may be a little nervous at the start, but the first touch and especially the first stop boosts my confidence. Then I gain more confidence especially as I get more saves.”
“Getting a clean sheet today was good,” DiNuzzo prior to repeating the breakthrough in adding to the lead. “We looked better in back, but we still feel we’re not quite where we want to be.”
While third place wasn’t what the Saints were aiming for, they’ve got back-to-back victories and three out of their last four matches are wins with the loss the result of a shootout. St. Charles East hopes to carry that momentum forward when it hosts its DuKane Conference debut against Glenbard North at 4:30 Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Maine South
GK Vita Abbinanti
D Charlie Ryan
D Michael Byron
D Neil Lewis
D Jack Dombro
M Will Burgis
M Alex Melcher
M John Rozynek
M Alex Walega
F Giuliano Corazzina
F Alex Olson
St. Charles East
GK Zach Doerr
D Geoff Unterberg
D Ryan Champine
D Ulises Cabellero
DM Grayson Bille
DM Alejandro Mancera
DM Brandan Adams
DM Renato Avendano
OM Truitt Battin
OM Luke Schnitker
F Sebastian Carranza
Man of the Match: Brandan Adams, St. Charles East, Jr. M in 4-0 win over Maine South (9-1-18)
Inaugural St. Charles Soccer Tournament
Contested at St. Charles North
St. Charles East 4, Maine South 0 (third place)
Maine South00---01-3-2
St. Charles East13----43-2-0
Scoring Summary:
SCE – Battin 45-yard direct free kick (unassisted) 2:11 gone
SCE – Schnitker 10-yard finish of a set-up (Battin assist), 42:20 gone
SCE – Battin 14-yard falling away blast from left wing (Avendano assist), 42:57 gone
SCE – Maridis eight-yard touch shot off cross (Schnitker assist), 64:22 gone
Overall Shots: MS 1 – 14 --- 15, SCE 9 – 8 --- 17
Shots on Goal: MS 0 – 8 --- 8, SCE 5 – 5 --- 10
Goalie Saves: MS (Abbinanti) 4 – 2 --- 6, SCE (Doerr) 0 – 8 --- 8
Corner Kicks: MS 1 – 3 ---4, SCE 4 – 1 --- 5
Offside: MS 1 – 0 --- 1, SCE 0 – 0 --- 0