Metea Valley and Jacobs come up empty
Teams focus on positives after 0-0 deadlock
By Bill McLean
ALGONQUIN — Where there’s a nil, there’s … another one.
Metea Valley, ranked 22nd in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason poll, and host Jacobs found ways to accept a 0-0 soccer stalemate on a sunny, warm afternoon Thursday.
“It took us an hour to drive here,” Mustangs coach Josh Robinson said three days after his Mustangs tied Streamwood’s Sabres 1-1 in their season opener.
“But it was worth it. I’m not happy with the tie, but we played hard. And we got to play on a beautiful field against an ultra-competitive program.”
Metea Valley senior right back Matthew Dovalovsky — a target forward a year ago, as well as a spot starter — played brilliantly on defense, thwarting numerous Golden Eagles scoring chances, including a pair in a two-minute span in the first half.
He’d take a 0-0 tie over an easy 7-0 defeat of an overmatched foe any day.
“We want to be tested early in the season,” insisted Dovalovsky, who battled admirably for 20 minutes in a playoff contest last fall after Metea Valley’s starting right back exited with an injury. “We want to play competitive teams.”
Jacobs senior striker Johnny O’Connor is as competitive as they come and then some. The tireless 5-foot-7 dynamo looks like he’s been playing the sport since his second day on Earth, and maybe longer. His combination of speed and savvy spells danger for opponents with his every touch.
“Very technical,” Jacobs coach Colin Brice said of O’Connor, who score once and delivered three assists in the Golden Eagles’ season-opening 6-3 defeat of Grant on Wednesday. “He’s a workhorse, and he’s solid, both with his right leg and left.”
Brice called Metea Valley’s club a “quality side.” He wants his side’s conditioning to reach that level soon.
“But I liked some of the things we did offensively,” he said.
Get used to Dovalovsky on ‘D’, soccer aficionados. The Mustangs essentially started his transition from up-top to the back in summer matches; Robinson deployed him there and kept him there.
“I’m all for it, playing defense,” the team-first, me-last Dovalovsky said with a pitch-wide smile. “I want to be that versatile player for us, that guy who’s able to help the team at any position. Why not? Who wouldn’t want to do that?”
Metea Valley senior midfielder Abraham Antar blasted a lengthy shot from about 40 yards near the midpoint of the first half, earning a, “That’s quality, Abe!” bark from Robinson.
Jacobs senior keeper Preston Krahl collected a pair of first half saves on consecutive Metea Valley possessions (19th and 21st minutes), with Mustangs junior reserve Mark Thurow booting both shots. Krahl now hasn’t allowed a tally in 60 minutes in the young season; he played only the first half in the opener, when junior midfielder Liam Armstrong struck for a team-high two goals vs. Grant’s Bulldogs.
“We played pretty well in the first half,” O’Connor said of the match with Metea Valley (0-0-2). “That’s a very good team, physical and tactical, but we need to finish.”
Jacobs (1-0-1) produced a pretty sequence near the end of the first half, thanks to deft connections involving O’Connor, senior reserve midfielder Abraham Gomez and junior midfielder Tarek Shah.
The start of the second half featured a slick siding save in heavy traffic from Krahl. His counterpart, Mustangs senior keeper Gandhi Cruz, bolted to his right to stop a Jacobs fastball at the 16-minute mark.
With just under 10 minutes left in the match, Jacobs senior midfielder Alex Nicastro — filling in at center back for the host school — did all he could to enliven his teammates. Noticing a lull, he yelled “Let’s go to work! Wake up!”
“I like Alex’s sheer work ethic,” Brice said.
Alas, the home side’s scoreboard operator wouldn’t have to lift a finger four days before Labor Day.
Speaking of Monday, both teams will both play a rare holiday date.
Metea Valley opens the St. Charles Invitational Orange Pool against Maine South at noon at St. Charles East.
Jacobs meets Lake Zurich at noon in opening Red Division play at Barrington.
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK: Gandhi Cruz
D: Matthew Dovalovsky
D: Justin Hines
D: Clarke Simonich
D Tyler Kero
MF: Colin Bastianoni
MF: Joey Donovan
MF: Abraham Antar
MF: Nick Sanchez
F: Davis Quarles
F: Alex Krehl
Jacobs
GK: Preston Krahl
D: Aaron Henning
D: P.J. Hopkins
D: Sam Colucci
MF: Shotaro Seto
MF: Tarek Shah
MF: Alex Nicastro
MF: Liam Armstrong
MF: Sam Rainer
F: Johnny O’Connor
F: Ruben Zarate
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Matthew Dovalovsky, sr., D, Metea Valley
Johnny O’Connor, sr., F, Jacobs
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
Center referee: Dave Ganshaw
Teams focus on positives after 0-0 deadlock
By Bill McLean
ALGONQUIN — Where there’s a nil, there’s … another one.
Metea Valley, ranked 22nd in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason poll, and host Jacobs found ways to accept a 0-0 soccer stalemate on a sunny, warm afternoon Thursday.
“It took us an hour to drive here,” Mustangs coach Josh Robinson said three days after his Mustangs tied Streamwood’s Sabres 1-1 in their season opener.
“But it was worth it. I’m not happy with the tie, but we played hard. And we got to play on a beautiful field against an ultra-competitive program.”
Metea Valley senior right back Matthew Dovalovsky — a target forward a year ago, as well as a spot starter — played brilliantly on defense, thwarting numerous Golden Eagles scoring chances, including a pair in a two-minute span in the first half.
He’d take a 0-0 tie over an easy 7-0 defeat of an overmatched foe any day.
“We want to be tested early in the season,” insisted Dovalovsky, who battled admirably for 20 minutes in a playoff contest last fall after Metea Valley’s starting right back exited with an injury. “We want to play competitive teams.”
Jacobs senior striker Johnny O’Connor is as competitive as they come and then some. The tireless 5-foot-7 dynamo looks like he’s been playing the sport since his second day on Earth, and maybe longer. His combination of speed and savvy spells danger for opponents with his every touch.
“Very technical,” Jacobs coach Colin Brice said of O’Connor, who score once and delivered three assists in the Golden Eagles’ season-opening 6-3 defeat of Grant on Wednesday. “He’s a workhorse, and he’s solid, both with his right leg and left.”
Brice called Metea Valley’s club a “quality side.” He wants his side’s conditioning to reach that level soon.
“But I liked some of the things we did offensively,” he said.
Get used to Dovalovsky on ‘D’, soccer aficionados. The Mustangs essentially started his transition from up-top to the back in summer matches; Robinson deployed him there and kept him there.
“I’m all for it, playing defense,” the team-first, me-last Dovalovsky said with a pitch-wide smile. “I want to be that versatile player for us, that guy who’s able to help the team at any position. Why not? Who wouldn’t want to do that?”
Metea Valley senior midfielder Abraham Antar blasted a lengthy shot from about 40 yards near the midpoint of the first half, earning a, “That’s quality, Abe!” bark from Robinson.
Jacobs senior keeper Preston Krahl collected a pair of first half saves on consecutive Metea Valley possessions (19th and 21st minutes), with Mustangs junior reserve Mark Thurow booting both shots. Krahl now hasn’t allowed a tally in 60 minutes in the young season; he played only the first half in the opener, when junior midfielder Liam Armstrong struck for a team-high two goals vs. Grant’s Bulldogs.
“We played pretty well in the first half,” O’Connor said of the match with Metea Valley (0-0-2). “That’s a very good team, physical and tactical, but we need to finish.”
Jacobs (1-0-1) produced a pretty sequence near the end of the first half, thanks to deft connections involving O’Connor, senior reserve midfielder Abraham Gomez and junior midfielder Tarek Shah.
The start of the second half featured a slick siding save in heavy traffic from Krahl. His counterpart, Mustangs senior keeper Gandhi Cruz, bolted to his right to stop a Jacobs fastball at the 16-minute mark.
With just under 10 minutes left in the match, Jacobs senior midfielder Alex Nicastro — filling in at center back for the host school — did all he could to enliven his teammates. Noticing a lull, he yelled “Let’s go to work! Wake up!”
“I like Alex’s sheer work ethic,” Brice said.
Alas, the home side’s scoreboard operator wouldn’t have to lift a finger four days before Labor Day.
Speaking of Monday, both teams will both play a rare holiday date.
Metea Valley opens the St. Charles Invitational Orange Pool against Maine South at noon at St. Charles East.
Jacobs meets Lake Zurich at noon in opening Red Division play at Barrington.
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK: Gandhi Cruz
D: Matthew Dovalovsky
D: Justin Hines
D: Clarke Simonich
D Tyler Kero
MF: Colin Bastianoni
MF: Joey Donovan
MF: Abraham Antar
MF: Nick Sanchez
F: Davis Quarles
F: Alex Krehl
Jacobs
GK: Preston Krahl
D: Aaron Henning
D: P.J. Hopkins
D: Sam Colucci
MF: Shotaro Seto
MF: Tarek Shah
MF: Alex Nicastro
MF: Liam Armstrong
MF: Sam Rainer
F: Johnny O’Connor
F: Ruben Zarate
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Matthew Dovalovsky, sr., D, Metea Valley
Johnny O’Connor, sr., F, Jacobs
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
Center referee: Dave Ganshaw