Metea Valley builds momentum,
Naperville Central seeks it
Mustangs win 2-1, create 3-way tie for 2nd in DuPage Valley
By Bobby Narang
NAPERVILLE -- The last week of the regular season often leads to a mixed bag of results.
Some teams are simply playing out the string, ready for the season to end despite the potential for a restart in the playoffs.
Other teams are looking ahead to the playoffs, causing them to lose sight in the final week of the regular season. But some teams save their best games for the final week in hopes of building momentum for the playoffs.
On Tuesday night, Metea Valley fell into the third category, playing a solid 80 minutes to pull out a 2-1 victory over Naperville Central in DuPage Valley Conference action.
Conversely, the Redhawks, ranked 23rd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, stumbled. They finished with only five shots on goal in their regular-season finale.
Metea Valley built on its recent trend of beating the Redhawks, who they defeated in a previous 2-1 victory in the final game of the spring season, which was their lone league win in the shortened season.
The Mustangs (10-7-1, 3-2-0) gained the pivotal conference road victory by taking advantage off their opportunities. They scored a goal in each half to win their third-straight game heading into Thursday's regular-season finale against West Aurora.
Metea Valley opens the Class 3A playoffs as the seventh seed against no. 10 seed Oswego in a Batavia Regional semifinal Oct. 19.
“I think unfortunately what happens is this (Naperville Central game) is always our last conference game,” Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson said. “No matter what our record is, there’s a lot of buildup to it.
“The one thing we do really well is our guys work really hard. We’re dialed in. The second half tonight wasn’t anything really great, but we battled hard.
“That's where it happens, sometimes. I wouldn’t mind the schedule moved around, but it’s a big win for the guys. Naperville Central was our last game of the year for us in the spring, which was huge for us. It left us on the positive note.
“In this one, it’s a week away from playoffs. This is the type of game we need to be able to finish off and win. Our guys got a little bit of a taste of what the playoffs will be like, with loud fans, our guys up on the bench and the game was intense. That’s the positive, so the win was a bonus.
“We’ll play almost like a friendly game against West Aurora on Thursday. This was good win. The kids worked hard, and the bench supported all of our players and were up all the time.”
Naperville Central coach Troy Adams had an extensive talk with his players following the game. With the players sitting on the ground scattered in a large circle, Adams expressed frustration that the Redhawks (12-7-1, 3-2-0) concluded the regular season with their first loss since dropping a 1-0 decision to Hinsdale Central on Sept. 23.
The team’s next game is slated for Oct. 18 when they battle conference for Waubonsie Valley in a Class 3A East Aurora Regional semifinal. The Redhawks, who finished tied for second in the DuPage Valley with Metea Valley and Neuqua Valley, defeated Waubonsie Valley 3-1 in their previous meeting Sept. 7.
“(Metea Valley) played hard and physical,” Adams said. “I told our team earlier that’s been an issue, when a team is willing to match our work-rate, we haven’t been able to finish ways to score or finish games. If we aren’t willing to do small things, it’s going to be quick postseason.
“I felt we had a lot of chances today. We have a lot of issues with that mental focus and being able to be dialed in and being mentally sharp. Soccer is a game you can’t have that. Hopefully, it's an eye-opener.
“I told the team that is the third or fourth game where we had more chances and opportunities, but the other team ended up scoring more goals and did small things that we talk about doing but are just not doing. It's a mental focus and desire.”
On this night the Mustangs made noise -- not just on the scoreboard but also in the stands. With a loud pro-Metea Valley traveling group of fans in attendance on the cool night, the visitors wasted little time showing energy. Henry Moreno scored a goal in the 13th minute, dropping in a balanced header from 10 yards. Moreno, who has scored five goals this season, credited Riley McCann for a well-placed assist to set up his goal.
“We got a free kick, and Riley took it, just a beautiful cross in front of the net and the ball came right to me,” Moreno said. “It feels great to beat this team again. We played our way of soccer, not letting them have their way. Our goal is to try to win state and bring it home.”
Part of Naperville Central’s angst in the postgame stemmed from a mounting frustration during the game. Even in the loss, the Redhawks controlled the ball and attempted numerous close shots -- three hit the post and several others slid inches outside either standard.
The home team’s problem stemmed from poorly placed shots. Metea Valley goalie Oscar Mejia finished with only five saves, including just one in the first half.
Naperville Central junior forward Joey Loduca was the hard-luck player, attempting four shots that just missed their mark.
Loduca delivered two shots in a one-minute span late in the first half: one hit went wide right; and another sailed high over the net. Junior Josh Weigel capped off the frustrating night, hitting the post on his 15-yard shot with 1:48 left in regulation.
“We don't make the goalies make plays,” Adams said. “Part of that is we didn’t really have a single returning player who scored a lot of goals. We are trying to develop that, but it's hard to make happen in one season. We had to be dialed in during our shooting practices. We can’t go through the motions in practices.”
The Redhawks’ lone goal came on a nifty pass from Sean O’Reilly to Carter Adams to knot the score at 1-1 in the 35th minute. Adams dropped in a shot from 11 yards.
Metea Valley, which had an early second half goal wiped away because of an offsides call, scored the winner on senior midfielder Colin Bastianoni’s PK, his 15th goal of the season. The kick hit Naperville Central goalie Dean Scott's leg, then shot up into the top of the net in the 70th minute.
“That penalty kick felt great,” said Bastianoni, a Missouri State recruit. "It was well-deserved, because we had a ton of chances. The other team was clearly getting frustrated because they couldn't finish their shots. They were choppy and biting on our dribbles, so I knew if I took one down in the box, they would foul me.”
Bastianoni, who scored just five goals in his first three seasons, is one goal shy of equaling Metea Valley's single-season record of 16 goals shared by by James Lynch and Adam Lang.
“I have two secured games left, and I’m looking to take that record,” he said. “If you look at my previous stats from four years of varsity, I wasn’t a big scorer.
“But I came off a very successful club season with Eclipse, and I knew I had to bring the goals. I’m hoping more goals will come.
“We have a great bunch of guys on this team. We all support each other. We’re playing great. We just can’t give up set pieces. We have a strong defense and goalie. We can’t give up any set pieces. This was a great win for us.”
Naperville Central senior defender Johnny Kim, a three-year starter, said the playoffs represent a new start.
“At the end of the day we didn't start the game right, and we had to put away our chances,” Kim said. “We knew what was on the line. This is not the way we want to go into the playoffs. It adds more pressure, but we can turn it around in the playoffs.”
Naperville Central sophomore defender Patrick Berryman, a first-year starter, played the full 80 minutes in Tuesday’s game.
“It was a disappointing result,” Berryman said. “For the most part, we felt we were the better team. We had a lot of chances, but couldn’t finish them. This is disappointing, because it's that part of the season where we want to get in a groove winning a lot going into the playoffs.
“We didn't treat this game like we should have treated it. It’s a game that should’ve prepared us for a positive postseason.
“We have to finish our chances, and get in that mindset we have to put games away early, so we can go as far as we can in the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK Oscar Mejia
D Aiden Pufundt
D Julian Ordaz
D Jonathan Cerda
D Joseph Fitzgerald
MF Riley McCann
MF Colin Bastianoni
MF Bartosz Chmielewski
MF Ethan Daniel
F Henry Moreno
F Erick Mena
Naperville Central
GK Austin Waite
D Mateo Lopez
D Patrick Berryman
D Patrick Bohan
D Nathan Sharp
MF Carter Adams
MF Matt Driessens
MF Johnny Kim
MF Josh Weigel
F Nathan Kwon
F Sean O’Reilly
Chicagoland Man of the Match: Colin Bastianoni, sr. MF, Metea Valley
Scoring summary
First half
Metea Valley — Henry Moreno (Riley McCann), 13th minute
Naperville Central — Carter Adams (Sean O’Reilly), 35th minute
Second half
Metea Valley — Colin Bastianoni (penalty kick), 70th minute
Naperville Central seeks it
Mustangs win 2-1, create 3-way tie for 2nd in DuPage Valley
By Bobby Narang
NAPERVILLE -- The last week of the regular season often leads to a mixed bag of results.
Some teams are simply playing out the string, ready for the season to end despite the potential for a restart in the playoffs.
Other teams are looking ahead to the playoffs, causing them to lose sight in the final week of the regular season. But some teams save their best games for the final week in hopes of building momentum for the playoffs.
On Tuesday night, Metea Valley fell into the third category, playing a solid 80 minutes to pull out a 2-1 victory over Naperville Central in DuPage Valley Conference action.
Conversely, the Redhawks, ranked 23rd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, stumbled. They finished with only five shots on goal in their regular-season finale.
Metea Valley built on its recent trend of beating the Redhawks, who they defeated in a previous 2-1 victory in the final game of the spring season, which was their lone league win in the shortened season.
The Mustangs (10-7-1, 3-2-0) gained the pivotal conference road victory by taking advantage off their opportunities. They scored a goal in each half to win their third-straight game heading into Thursday's regular-season finale against West Aurora.
Metea Valley opens the Class 3A playoffs as the seventh seed against no. 10 seed Oswego in a Batavia Regional semifinal Oct. 19.
“I think unfortunately what happens is this (Naperville Central game) is always our last conference game,” Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson said. “No matter what our record is, there’s a lot of buildup to it.
“The one thing we do really well is our guys work really hard. We’re dialed in. The second half tonight wasn’t anything really great, but we battled hard.
“That's where it happens, sometimes. I wouldn’t mind the schedule moved around, but it’s a big win for the guys. Naperville Central was our last game of the year for us in the spring, which was huge for us. It left us on the positive note.
“In this one, it’s a week away from playoffs. This is the type of game we need to be able to finish off and win. Our guys got a little bit of a taste of what the playoffs will be like, with loud fans, our guys up on the bench and the game was intense. That’s the positive, so the win was a bonus.
“We’ll play almost like a friendly game against West Aurora on Thursday. This was good win. The kids worked hard, and the bench supported all of our players and were up all the time.”
Naperville Central coach Troy Adams had an extensive talk with his players following the game. With the players sitting on the ground scattered in a large circle, Adams expressed frustration that the Redhawks (12-7-1, 3-2-0) concluded the regular season with their first loss since dropping a 1-0 decision to Hinsdale Central on Sept. 23.
The team’s next game is slated for Oct. 18 when they battle conference for Waubonsie Valley in a Class 3A East Aurora Regional semifinal. The Redhawks, who finished tied for second in the DuPage Valley with Metea Valley and Neuqua Valley, defeated Waubonsie Valley 3-1 in their previous meeting Sept. 7.
“(Metea Valley) played hard and physical,” Adams said. “I told our team earlier that’s been an issue, when a team is willing to match our work-rate, we haven’t been able to finish ways to score or finish games. If we aren’t willing to do small things, it’s going to be quick postseason.
“I felt we had a lot of chances today. We have a lot of issues with that mental focus and being able to be dialed in and being mentally sharp. Soccer is a game you can’t have that. Hopefully, it's an eye-opener.
“I told the team that is the third or fourth game where we had more chances and opportunities, but the other team ended up scoring more goals and did small things that we talk about doing but are just not doing. It's a mental focus and desire.”
On this night the Mustangs made noise -- not just on the scoreboard but also in the stands. With a loud pro-Metea Valley traveling group of fans in attendance on the cool night, the visitors wasted little time showing energy. Henry Moreno scored a goal in the 13th minute, dropping in a balanced header from 10 yards. Moreno, who has scored five goals this season, credited Riley McCann for a well-placed assist to set up his goal.
“We got a free kick, and Riley took it, just a beautiful cross in front of the net and the ball came right to me,” Moreno said. “It feels great to beat this team again. We played our way of soccer, not letting them have their way. Our goal is to try to win state and bring it home.”
Part of Naperville Central’s angst in the postgame stemmed from a mounting frustration during the game. Even in the loss, the Redhawks controlled the ball and attempted numerous close shots -- three hit the post and several others slid inches outside either standard.
The home team’s problem stemmed from poorly placed shots. Metea Valley goalie Oscar Mejia finished with only five saves, including just one in the first half.
Naperville Central junior forward Joey Loduca was the hard-luck player, attempting four shots that just missed their mark.
Loduca delivered two shots in a one-minute span late in the first half: one hit went wide right; and another sailed high over the net. Junior Josh Weigel capped off the frustrating night, hitting the post on his 15-yard shot with 1:48 left in regulation.
“We don't make the goalies make plays,” Adams said. “Part of that is we didn’t really have a single returning player who scored a lot of goals. We are trying to develop that, but it's hard to make happen in one season. We had to be dialed in during our shooting practices. We can’t go through the motions in practices.”
The Redhawks’ lone goal came on a nifty pass from Sean O’Reilly to Carter Adams to knot the score at 1-1 in the 35th minute. Adams dropped in a shot from 11 yards.
Metea Valley, which had an early second half goal wiped away because of an offsides call, scored the winner on senior midfielder Colin Bastianoni’s PK, his 15th goal of the season. The kick hit Naperville Central goalie Dean Scott's leg, then shot up into the top of the net in the 70th minute.
“That penalty kick felt great,” said Bastianoni, a Missouri State recruit. "It was well-deserved, because we had a ton of chances. The other team was clearly getting frustrated because they couldn't finish their shots. They were choppy and biting on our dribbles, so I knew if I took one down in the box, they would foul me.”
Bastianoni, who scored just five goals in his first three seasons, is one goal shy of equaling Metea Valley's single-season record of 16 goals shared by by James Lynch and Adam Lang.
“I have two secured games left, and I’m looking to take that record,” he said. “If you look at my previous stats from four years of varsity, I wasn’t a big scorer.
“But I came off a very successful club season with Eclipse, and I knew I had to bring the goals. I’m hoping more goals will come.
“We have a great bunch of guys on this team. We all support each other. We’re playing great. We just can’t give up set pieces. We have a strong defense and goalie. We can’t give up any set pieces. This was a great win for us.”
Naperville Central senior defender Johnny Kim, a three-year starter, said the playoffs represent a new start.
“At the end of the day we didn't start the game right, and we had to put away our chances,” Kim said. “We knew what was on the line. This is not the way we want to go into the playoffs. It adds more pressure, but we can turn it around in the playoffs.”
Naperville Central sophomore defender Patrick Berryman, a first-year starter, played the full 80 minutes in Tuesday’s game.
“It was a disappointing result,” Berryman said. “For the most part, we felt we were the better team. We had a lot of chances, but couldn’t finish them. This is disappointing, because it's that part of the season where we want to get in a groove winning a lot going into the playoffs.
“We didn't treat this game like we should have treated it. It’s a game that should’ve prepared us for a positive postseason.
“We have to finish our chances, and get in that mindset we have to put games away early, so we can go as far as we can in the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK Oscar Mejia
D Aiden Pufundt
D Julian Ordaz
D Jonathan Cerda
D Joseph Fitzgerald
MF Riley McCann
MF Colin Bastianoni
MF Bartosz Chmielewski
MF Ethan Daniel
F Henry Moreno
F Erick Mena
Naperville Central
GK Austin Waite
D Mateo Lopez
D Patrick Berryman
D Patrick Bohan
D Nathan Sharp
MF Carter Adams
MF Matt Driessens
MF Johnny Kim
MF Josh Weigel
F Nathan Kwon
F Sean O’Reilly
Chicagoland Man of the Match: Colin Bastianoni, sr. MF, Metea Valley
Scoring summary
First half
Metea Valley — Henry Moreno (Riley McCann), 13th minute
Naperville Central — Carter Adams (Sean O’Reilly), 35th minute
Second half
Metea Valley — Colin Bastianoni (penalty kick), 70th minute