Metea V. outshines North Stars for trophy
Mustangs use 2 OTs to beat St. Charles North
By Steve Nemeth
ST. CHARLES – There were several good reasons for Metea Valley not to rush to the bus for the trip home after Saturday’s second annual St. Charles Invitational championship match.
Yes the Mustangs had a trophy to haul with them, and there was also some understandable fatigue from earning a 2-1 double overtime victory over tourney co-host St. Charles North.
But there was also polite consideration for senior Joey Donovan navigating on crutches thanks to cast on his left leg, assistant coach Rachel Bostick stepping carefully on a walking boot, plus Jack Maroney wishing for relief from the well-padded arm cast that was undoubtedly heavier and even more annoyingly itchy from the sweat equity Metea used to build its current three-match win streak.
Besides, why not linger a little bit to savor the perseverance the Mustangs exhibited.
When the eight-school event began on Labor Day with group play, there was cause for pessimism. While Donovan scored his second goal in three matches, the senior tri-captain got injured before Maine South scored a late goal and pulled off a victory based on a 3-2 shootout advantage.
It was the second time Metea was unable to preserve a 1-0 lead and the Mustangs – now 3-2-1 – were saddled with an unwanted 0-1-2 record.
However a turnaround began with a 1-0 victory over the other invitational co-host, St. Charles East. Not only did the Mustangs make that narrow margin stand up, they took down the only tourney squad – at no. 20 – with a spot in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
That was followed by a 6-1 thumping of Plainfield Central and suddenly Metea emerged as the Orange Group qualifier for the invitational championship to face Blue Group winner and undefeated St. Charles North – now 5-1-0.
Pardon the Mustangs for an uneasy feeling of negative déjà vu. Yet another one-goal lead was erased in the final and unlike group play where the teams went immediately to a shootout, the championship game rules called for overtime. The opposition was on its home turf and was the fourth schools among their first six foes who played in a 2018 regional final.
But when the first 10 minutes of additional play ended, the deadlock remained. And even after Alex Krehl found Davis Quarles open on the left wing and the senior midfielder drilled his shot inside the far right post, Metea still had 7:23 of defensive work needed.
Considering how slowly that time appeared to trickle down, it was no wonder any sense of urgency didn’t figure into the after-match cool-down period for Metea.
Perhaps it was Quarles’ peripheral vision that saw Donovan crutching across the field following a team photo with the trophy. “It really stinks that he got injured and is out for the season, especially since it’s his senior year,” Quarles said. “We’ve used that to motivate us.
“It felt like we caught our stride (in the win over East) and have been playing really well after that. The rest of the tournament certainly has been very good for us,” Quarles added.
In the championship showdown each team's goalkeeper displayed their talents. Shortly after the opening whistle, North senior Nolan Sinnaeve cranked a shot from the left side giving Metea keeper Ghandi Cruz an early save. Luke Persenico had a pair of free kicks on frame that also required stops by Cruz.
At the other end of the field, the Mustangs’ Matthew Dovalovsky worked goal-ward off the end line to the right to test North keeper Bobby Curran. While the senior goalie was up to that challenge, the North Stars as a team weren’t as successful soon after. They failed the soccer gods’ pop quiz which asks “When can you relax on the field?” Answer: not until you hear a whistle or a horn.
A foul just outside the penalty box led to a clock stoppage, seconds being put back, and a free kick to the left of the goal for Metea, which amounted to a shortened corner kick. Abraham Antar gained an assist serving the ball into the scrum in front of the goal and Nick Sanchez tapped the ball home from four yards stopping the clock with :01.5 seconds before the halftime horn.
“The timing of that mistake definitely hurt a lot,” North junior Jared Sinnaeve said.
Not being critical, assigning blame or making excuses, but simply making an observation, Curran agreed: “We’re giving up a lot of fouls and stuff that cost us. Other than that we’ve been pretty solid defensively, but we need to limit fouls.”
In contrast to the many positive thoughts North boss Eric Willson had, it wasn’t the closest the veteran coach came to expressing any frustration.
“We talked before the game about defending together, tracking off the ball movement, more of a team effort in order to defend wisely. I think early in a season, there are a lot of learning moments for a team, like not giving up a foul in a dangerous area,” Willson said. “I’d rather have those mistakes more so now rather than the end of the year when your trying to make your playoff life last longer.
“I was really pleased with how we came out in the second half for a number of reasons. I thought we were a different team than the beginning when we were somewhat lifeless. We came back with energy, more execution and defended better,” Willson said. “We battled to find an equalizer and kept after a win, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Unfortunately for the North Stars, this was the second-straight year they came up short in the title match of the event he and East coach Vince DiNuzzo want to see gain in stature.
“We’re not happy with the result, but you tip your cap to Metea,” Willson added. “They put together a really nice tournament against some quality teams.”
Both sides had attacks and counterattacks including a corner kick play with 27:37 left in regulation when Metea’s Jacob Tune sent the ball to Krehl for a header that caromed off the crossbar and right post.
Four minutes later it was the North Stars pressing forward when Thomas Weber knocked home a loose ball from eight yards.
“Colin (Nelson) went up for it and won the header, and it just fell right to me,” Weber recounted. “It wasn’t a great goal, but it came at a great time for us. Overall we brought out more energy in the second half and kept it into overtime. Unfortunately we did concede a goal.”
The Mustangs had an unsung hero in the first portion of overtime. North had an absolute rocket shot that Metea defender Tyler Kero took squarely to the chest. Whereas mere mortals would have been floored, Kero just momentarily staggered before regaining his breath and sending the ball upfield.
As if overtime didn’t reflect how even the match was, shots on goal were eight apiece with North having a 15-14 advantage for overall attempts, plus a 7-4 lead for corner kicks. Nevertheless it came down to Metea’s overtime collaboration.
“I saw Davis running across, and I knew he’d put it away if I got it to him,” Krehl said. “It was so nice to see him slot it into the bottom corner.”
It was also a matter of relief for Mustangs coach Josh Robinson.
“We’ve done a really good job of getting a first goal, and then keep teams to zero or one, but it’s been whether we could get that second one,” Robinson noted. “We hit the post twice (in the 1-0 win) against East.”
It was also a good example of perseverance by Quarles himself. After not getting much power on a previous attempt, it was like a second chance.
“With time running out you look to shoot as soon as you get it. This time when I took it out wide I did a better job at hitting the far post,” Quarles said. “Goals in practice are fun, but scoring in a game is exciting. But getting a game-winner, there’s nothing like it.”
Of course both teams now have a similar fate ahead of them: starting conference play against a ranked foe.
Metea begins DuPage Valley Conference play Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. visit to a Naperville Central crew that was rated no. 16 in the first week of the Chciagoland Soccer Top 25. St. Charles North also has a Tuesday 6:30 p.m. trek to make for its DuKane Conference opener against honorble mention squad Wheaton North.
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK: Ghandi Cruz
D Joseph FItzgerald
D Tyler Kero
D Nick Sanchez
D Matthew Dovalovsky
M Clarke Simonich
M Davis Quarles
M Nick Sanchez
M Alex Krehl
F Colin Bastianoni
F Drew Marquardt
St. Charles North
GK: Bobby Curran
D Colin Nelson
D John Kirby
D Xander Jao
D Andrew Kraft
M Luke Persenico
M Jared Sinnaeve
M Gabriel D’Amico
M Sam Strader
F Thomas Weber
F Nolan Sinnaeve
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Davis Quarles, sr. M, Metea Valley
Referees: Jeff Goodlove (center), Tim Jackson, Jim Franklin
Game summary
Metea Valley 2, St. Charles North 1
Metea Valley 1 0 0 1 --- 2 (3-1-2)
St. Charles N. 0 1 0 0 --- 1 (5-1-0)
Scoring
First half
MV --- Sanchez four-yard tap-in off free kick (Antar assist), 39:58.5 gone
Second Half
SCN --- Weber eight-yard finish from scramble (Nelson assist), 56:55 gone
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
MV --- Quarles 21-yarder from left side inside right post (Krehl assist), 92:37 gone
Overall shots
MV 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 --- 14
SCN 7 – 6 – 3 – 0 --- 15
Shots on goal
MV 3 – 2 – 1 – 2 --- 8
SCN 5 – 2 – 1 – 0 --- 8
Saves (player)
MV (Cruz) 5 – 1 – 1 (MV defender) – 0 --- 7
SCN (Curran) 3 – 1 – 1 – 1 --- 6
Corner kicks
MV 0 – 3 – 1 – 0 --- 4
SCN 4 – 2 – 1 – 0 --- 7
Mustangs use 2 OTs to beat St. Charles North
By Steve Nemeth
ST. CHARLES – There were several good reasons for Metea Valley not to rush to the bus for the trip home after Saturday’s second annual St. Charles Invitational championship match.
Yes the Mustangs had a trophy to haul with them, and there was also some understandable fatigue from earning a 2-1 double overtime victory over tourney co-host St. Charles North.
But there was also polite consideration for senior Joey Donovan navigating on crutches thanks to cast on his left leg, assistant coach Rachel Bostick stepping carefully on a walking boot, plus Jack Maroney wishing for relief from the well-padded arm cast that was undoubtedly heavier and even more annoyingly itchy from the sweat equity Metea used to build its current three-match win streak.
Besides, why not linger a little bit to savor the perseverance the Mustangs exhibited.
When the eight-school event began on Labor Day with group play, there was cause for pessimism. While Donovan scored his second goal in three matches, the senior tri-captain got injured before Maine South scored a late goal and pulled off a victory based on a 3-2 shootout advantage.
It was the second time Metea was unable to preserve a 1-0 lead and the Mustangs – now 3-2-1 – were saddled with an unwanted 0-1-2 record.
However a turnaround began with a 1-0 victory over the other invitational co-host, St. Charles East. Not only did the Mustangs make that narrow margin stand up, they took down the only tourney squad – at no. 20 – with a spot in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
That was followed by a 6-1 thumping of Plainfield Central and suddenly Metea emerged as the Orange Group qualifier for the invitational championship to face Blue Group winner and undefeated St. Charles North – now 5-1-0.
Pardon the Mustangs for an uneasy feeling of negative déjà vu. Yet another one-goal lead was erased in the final and unlike group play where the teams went immediately to a shootout, the championship game rules called for overtime. The opposition was on its home turf and was the fourth schools among their first six foes who played in a 2018 regional final.
But when the first 10 minutes of additional play ended, the deadlock remained. And even after Alex Krehl found Davis Quarles open on the left wing and the senior midfielder drilled his shot inside the far right post, Metea still had 7:23 of defensive work needed.
Considering how slowly that time appeared to trickle down, it was no wonder any sense of urgency didn’t figure into the after-match cool-down period for Metea.
Perhaps it was Quarles’ peripheral vision that saw Donovan crutching across the field following a team photo with the trophy. “It really stinks that he got injured and is out for the season, especially since it’s his senior year,” Quarles said. “We’ve used that to motivate us.
“It felt like we caught our stride (in the win over East) and have been playing really well after that. The rest of the tournament certainly has been very good for us,” Quarles added.
In the championship showdown each team's goalkeeper displayed their talents. Shortly after the opening whistle, North senior Nolan Sinnaeve cranked a shot from the left side giving Metea keeper Ghandi Cruz an early save. Luke Persenico had a pair of free kicks on frame that also required stops by Cruz.
At the other end of the field, the Mustangs’ Matthew Dovalovsky worked goal-ward off the end line to the right to test North keeper Bobby Curran. While the senior goalie was up to that challenge, the North Stars as a team weren’t as successful soon after. They failed the soccer gods’ pop quiz which asks “When can you relax on the field?” Answer: not until you hear a whistle or a horn.
A foul just outside the penalty box led to a clock stoppage, seconds being put back, and a free kick to the left of the goal for Metea, which amounted to a shortened corner kick. Abraham Antar gained an assist serving the ball into the scrum in front of the goal and Nick Sanchez tapped the ball home from four yards stopping the clock with :01.5 seconds before the halftime horn.
“The timing of that mistake definitely hurt a lot,” North junior Jared Sinnaeve said.
Not being critical, assigning blame or making excuses, but simply making an observation, Curran agreed: “We’re giving up a lot of fouls and stuff that cost us. Other than that we’ve been pretty solid defensively, but we need to limit fouls.”
In contrast to the many positive thoughts North boss Eric Willson had, it wasn’t the closest the veteran coach came to expressing any frustration.
“We talked before the game about defending together, tracking off the ball movement, more of a team effort in order to defend wisely. I think early in a season, there are a lot of learning moments for a team, like not giving up a foul in a dangerous area,” Willson said. “I’d rather have those mistakes more so now rather than the end of the year when your trying to make your playoff life last longer.
“I was really pleased with how we came out in the second half for a number of reasons. I thought we were a different team than the beginning when we were somewhat lifeless. We came back with energy, more execution and defended better,” Willson said. “We battled to find an equalizer and kept after a win, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Unfortunately for the North Stars, this was the second-straight year they came up short in the title match of the event he and East coach Vince DiNuzzo want to see gain in stature.
“We’re not happy with the result, but you tip your cap to Metea,” Willson added. “They put together a really nice tournament against some quality teams.”
Both sides had attacks and counterattacks including a corner kick play with 27:37 left in regulation when Metea’s Jacob Tune sent the ball to Krehl for a header that caromed off the crossbar and right post.
Four minutes later it was the North Stars pressing forward when Thomas Weber knocked home a loose ball from eight yards.
“Colin (Nelson) went up for it and won the header, and it just fell right to me,” Weber recounted. “It wasn’t a great goal, but it came at a great time for us. Overall we brought out more energy in the second half and kept it into overtime. Unfortunately we did concede a goal.”
The Mustangs had an unsung hero in the first portion of overtime. North had an absolute rocket shot that Metea defender Tyler Kero took squarely to the chest. Whereas mere mortals would have been floored, Kero just momentarily staggered before regaining his breath and sending the ball upfield.
As if overtime didn’t reflect how even the match was, shots on goal were eight apiece with North having a 15-14 advantage for overall attempts, plus a 7-4 lead for corner kicks. Nevertheless it came down to Metea’s overtime collaboration.
“I saw Davis running across, and I knew he’d put it away if I got it to him,” Krehl said. “It was so nice to see him slot it into the bottom corner.”
It was also a matter of relief for Mustangs coach Josh Robinson.
“We’ve done a really good job of getting a first goal, and then keep teams to zero or one, but it’s been whether we could get that second one,” Robinson noted. “We hit the post twice (in the 1-0 win) against East.”
It was also a good example of perseverance by Quarles himself. After not getting much power on a previous attempt, it was like a second chance.
“With time running out you look to shoot as soon as you get it. This time when I took it out wide I did a better job at hitting the far post,” Quarles said. “Goals in practice are fun, but scoring in a game is exciting. But getting a game-winner, there’s nothing like it.”
Of course both teams now have a similar fate ahead of them: starting conference play against a ranked foe.
Metea begins DuPage Valley Conference play Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. visit to a Naperville Central crew that was rated no. 16 in the first week of the Chciagoland Soccer Top 25. St. Charles North also has a Tuesday 6:30 p.m. trek to make for its DuKane Conference opener against honorble mention squad Wheaton North.
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK: Ghandi Cruz
D Joseph FItzgerald
D Tyler Kero
D Nick Sanchez
D Matthew Dovalovsky
M Clarke Simonich
M Davis Quarles
M Nick Sanchez
M Alex Krehl
F Colin Bastianoni
F Drew Marquardt
St. Charles North
GK: Bobby Curran
D Colin Nelson
D John Kirby
D Xander Jao
D Andrew Kraft
M Luke Persenico
M Jared Sinnaeve
M Gabriel D’Amico
M Sam Strader
F Thomas Weber
F Nolan Sinnaeve
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Davis Quarles, sr. M, Metea Valley
Referees: Jeff Goodlove (center), Tim Jackson, Jim Franklin
Game summary
Metea Valley 2, St. Charles North 1
Metea Valley 1 0 0 1 --- 2 (3-1-2)
St. Charles N. 0 1 0 0 --- 1 (5-1-0)
Scoring
First half
MV --- Sanchez four-yard tap-in off free kick (Antar assist), 39:58.5 gone
Second Half
SCN --- Weber eight-yard finish from scramble (Nelson assist), 56:55 gone
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
MV --- Quarles 21-yarder from left side inside right post (Krehl assist), 92:37 gone
Overall shots
MV 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 --- 14
SCN 7 – 6 – 3 – 0 --- 15
Shots on goal
MV 3 – 2 – 1 – 2 --- 8
SCN 5 – 2 – 1 – 0 --- 8
Saves (player)
MV (Cruz) 5 – 1 – 1 (MV defender) – 0 --- 7
SCN (Curran) 3 – 1 – 1 – 1 --- 6
Corner kicks
MV 0 – 3 – 1 – 0 --- 4
SCN 4 – 2 – 1 – 0 --- 7