Wheaton N tops MV, ends DVC win drought
Beausoleil header in 2nd OT earns first league win since 2015
By Dave Owen
WHEATON - Wheaton North’s stay in the DuPage Valley Conference desert ended with an opposite image -- the view of game-winning goal scorer Alex Beausolieil soaked at midfield after being doused with the Gatorade bucket. And it was no mirage.
Beausoleil’s second goal of the game with 4:53 left in the second overtime gave the Falcons (3-8-1, 1-1-1) a 2-1 win over Metea Valley (5-6-1, 2-2-0).
Bigger picture, it marked the Falcons’ first conference win since 2015, a long test of facing elite competition, often playing well but earning no reward in a 0-9-1 stetch.
Until Thursday.
“Compared to last year, we’ve won a game in the DVC,” Beausoleil said. “The team’s ecstatic. It’s really the goal to inspire more people to keep playing, and continue with the program. It’s a great feeling.”
Wheaton North kept playing after a scare in the opening seconds (a shot off the post 35 seconds in by Metea Valley’s James Lynch) and took a 1-0 lead into the half on a highlight-film goal by Beausoleil.
Then after an Evan Lang goal off a James Lynch assist in the first four minutes of the second half drew Metea Valley into a 1-1 tie, 51 minutes of ensuing scoreless soccer ended with a scramble near the net – and a Wheaton North party.
Off a Joe Gaither throw-in and a Jack Morrissey pass towards the end line right, Jack Mancuso won a loose ball and found Morrissey near the right post. Morrissey’s ensuing cross was headed in by Beausoleil for a great capper to his huge night.
“Our winger Joe got it through to Jack Morrissey,” Beausoleil said, “and even Jack Mancuso the right back coming up the field continuously fighting for the ball and not giving up on it -- that allowed the goal to get created.
“Morrissey got the ball in a good position, turned, crossed the ball in, and it was just a simple header for me. All the work was done by them.”
For coach Rob Stassen, the game-winner was a case of practice makes perfect.
“His header was perfect, and we’ve been really working on getting to the outside,” he said. “We got to actually see some of the passing patterns we’ve been working on in practice, and all of a sudden to actually do it in a game. It’s like, ‘It did work.’ I couldn’t be more proud of them. To win against good competition and see them all smiling. It’s a big relief.”
While the drama of Beausoleil’s winning goal proved biggest in importance, his perfectly placed first half goal was YouTube worthy.
Taking a pass from Gaither 22 yards out, Beausoleil’s creativity turned a seemingly harmless back-to-the-goal possession into an amazing finish perfectly tucked into the upper corner of the net.
“That (goal) was beautiful,” Stassen said. “Back to goal, turned on his right foot and bent it right to the top right corner. He’s a straight killer, he has a nose for goals.
“Recently his confidence has been down. That’s the first time he’s seen the goal, back to goal, turned and hit it. And that was picture perfect. He didn’t think about it, he just knew where the goal was and went for it.
“That was the confidence he needed,” Stassen added. “And this is the first time I’ve seen him actually smile and enjoy a game in the past few weeks. At Pepsi he went six goals in three games and still wasn’t smiling. Now he’s scoring two goals against quality competition, and this is where it counts. This is a different class.”
Beausoleil summed up both his amazing first half goal and the impact it had on momentum.
“Honestly it was an out-of-body experience, just awesome,” he said. “And it was a great goal for the team. It brought our confidence up, and we needed to get that first goal or else it could have led to a bad game for us.
“But once we got that, it just led to us playing 100 percent the whole game.”
The impact of first half events on the night was also clear to the Metea Valley side.
“We just talked (after the game) about how where we lost the game was in the first half,” Mustangs coach Josh Robinson said. “It wasn’t in how hard we played in the second half and overtime.
“The game is so tight,” he added. “Thirty seconds in we hit the post, or maybe we walk out of here (with a win) because we’re confident in doing it. They stay in the game and get a goal which was great, then we come out in the second half and get it back. And then it’s a fight. It was a fun fight to watch – amazing. The kids battled. Credit to them.”
Down 1-0, Metea Valley needed an all-out effort in the 33rd minute by goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz to keep it that way.
After a nice sideline move past a defender by Sunday Moo started the attack, Beausoleil’s 10-yard drive off an Ajay Patel pass was denied by Cruz’s flying swat away at the right post.
At the other end, Wheaton North goalkeeper Harrison Thompson faced a steady stream of chances. His catch save on Lynch’s 12-yard shot 4:50 before halftime was one of his 14 saves on the night (to eight by Cruz).
But just 3:36 into the second half, the Mustangs solved the Falcons’ strong goalkeeper and defense.
Lynch made a nice steal inside midfield and fed Lang on a right-side rush. Lang’s drive into the upper left corner tied the game 1-1, and was part of an increased second half offensive push by Metea Valley.
“We had a game earlier in the year that was similar,” Lynch said, “where we didn’t play as well as we would have liked to in the first half. They (Wheaton North) just reminded us of that. So in the second half we came out, played hard and got a goal.”
But Thompson and the Falcons would repel all ensuing threats.
“It was a great effort by our defense,” Thompson said. “They (Metea Valley) were good at attacking. They just sent wave after wave, and I thought our defense did well.
“We covered each other when we made mistakes, we didn’t get down when we made mistakes, and we just really bounced back. Especially after their goal. That was the best we’ve bounced back after a goal this season, and it worked out for us.”
Stassen also noted his team’s resiliency and refusal to waver under pressure.
“This is the first time we’ve been scored on and haven’t crumbled,” he said. “It didn’t seem to affect us. They (Metea Valley) put the pressure on – that’s a phenomenal team, phenomenally coached, well put together. And we allowed them back in which was difficult, but we didn’t lose our concentration or get upset. We went right back to playing our game.”
A Beausoleil drive with 34:55 left was denied by Mustangs defenders Anthony Sanchez and Ethan Williams. Then the Falcons defense was tested in the next two minutes – a Jaylen Brooks shot wide right, then Thompson’s save on a 10-yard shot by senior forward Alfonso Castillo.
“We tell our younger guys to watch Alfonso Castillo when he plays,” Robinson said, “because he comes off the bench for us every time just working and working. We’re so proud of the effort he gives every game.
“And we had some guys play tons of minutes – James Lynch, Matt Berry. And our center backs are solid – they played a full game. That’s tough. Ethan Williams and Tony Sanchez were great.”
Wheaton North had its own corps of heroes.
“Alex was firing today -- he was lights out,” Stassen said. “Jorge (Petino) and Jake Dzarnowski in the middle, the two of them really hunkered down.
“And it’s nice with this group that we bring people off the bench and don’t drop. Lael Mondragon has just come up from JV 1, and he came in up-top and is a straight hustler. It was great to see him putting some nice shots on.
“And Ajay Patel at the outside mid worked solid. I could easily give him Player of the Game even if he didn’t get the stats.”
The back-and-forth bids to break the 1-1 tie continued. Wheaton North missed by inches with 27:55 left, when Patel lined a 28-yard shot high off the post.
Then it was the Mustangs’ turn. Three minutes later, Castillo’s 15-yarder from the right side was denied on a low catch by Thompson.
With 19:30 to go in regulation, Thompson’s diving save at the left post stopped a Shareef Amor 10-yarder – followed three minutes later by a Davis Quarles 25-yarder just over the net.
Regulation ended with a continued edge in chances for the Mustangs – a Lang shot off the side of the net with 11:30 left, then two Ryan Barry chances. First, Barry redirected a corner kick over the net with 6:30 to go, then had his header off a Lynch throw-in with 1:05 left deflected just over the crossbar by a leaping Thompson.
For the Falcons, withstanding the pressure was all part of their approach to recent hard luck in the DVC.
“Whenever we make a mistake, one thing I like saying is ‘Next ball. Just keep playing, don’t worry about the mistake,’” Beausoleil said. “The only time you should be thinking about it (a mistake) is when you’re learning from it. Otherwise let it go. Keep playing, move on to the next game. It’s all next everything.
“At first it was a little disappointing (when Metea tied it), but we kept our heads up, kept fighting, and it ended up working out in the end.”
The first overtime began with a Cruz save on Beausoleil’s 23-yard shot at 7:25, followed by another big Thompson save. A Lynch throw-in 10 yards out deflected to Ethan Ytterberg far post, whose 6-yard redirect was swatted wide of the net by Thompson to preserve the 1-1 tie.
The Falcons had the last word of the first OT, and then the night.
Petino’s 8-yard shot off a Gaither corner kick was saved by Cruz with 25 seconds left in the first OT.
Then after a Dzarnowski block denied a potential Mustangs attack early in the second overtime, Beausoleil’s header goal ended the night’s battle – and the Falcons’ long wait for a DVC win.
“This win is so big for us,” Thompson said. “It’s a huge confidence booster. It shows us that we can compete in this conference, and we shouldn’t be taken lightly because Metea’s a big school, a good team. It’s just amazing coming away with this win.”
Said Stassen: “This was a win we needed. We’re 1-1-1 in conference, and we were 0-8 last year. It’s a phenomenal team – I love these guys.”
As if to epitomize the difficulty of competing in the DVC, Robinson recapped Metea Valley’s recent road.
“We go beat Neuqua, then Neuqua beats Waubonsie, then we go beat (previously undefeated league leader) Naperville Central (4-1 Tuesday), and now we lose to Wheaton North. Every game is a grind,” Robinson said. “It’s what makes (the DVC) fun.
“I was talking to Rob before the game about what we have in the DVC, that they’re going to a new conference and we’re sticking around. These are the games we’re going to miss.
“It was a blast to play tonight. It’s just that you’re not on the right end of it – that’s the bummer.”
Especially coming off a huge win Tuesday.
“We came ready to play Naperville Central -- we were so engaged,” Robinson said. “This game we weren’t so engaged and took time getting into it. Then we responded amazingly. That’s what we walk away with, we responded well but can we do that for a full game.”
Said Lynch: “We need to come out stronger in the first half, and we can’t miss early chances like I did (hitting the post).”
For Wheaton North, extending Thursday’s ecstasy to upcoming matches is the goal.
“We needed this so bad,” Stassen said. “We’ve had one of those seasons where we have a good team, we’re playing well, but either our forwards are shooting or our goalkeepers are ‘no,’ or our goalkeepers are playing well and our shooters are not.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the guys today. They dug in. We had yet to play a game where we played the entire time and won. So it’s nice to put both ends together, and against a fantastic, talented team we played that never gave up.”
Having cleared a huge hurdle, the Falcons aren’t done yet.
“We just need a few games to get rolling,” Stassen said. “We’ll walk into Lake Park on Tuesday, hopefully our confidence is high and we’re ready to go.
“This is our bridge right here,” Stassen added. “Now we’re ready to go and try to take over the island.”
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK Gandhi Cruz
D Anthony Sanchez
D Eric Severson
D Ethan Williams
D Ethan Ytterberg
M Matthew Berry
M Davis Quarles
M Evan Lang
M Dominic Capezzuto
F Jaylen Brooks
F James Lynch
Wheaton North
GK Harry Thompson
D Carlos Saavedra
D Jack Mancuso
D Jack Tegart
D Nathan Heyen
M Jorge Petino
M Jake Dzarnowski
M Ajay Patel
M Jack Morrissey
F Joe Gaither
F Alex Beausoleil
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Beausoleil, jr. F, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
1st HALF
WN – Beausoleil (Gaither)
2nd HALF
MV – Lang (Lynch)
2nd OT
Beausoleil (Morrissey)
Beausoleil header in 2nd OT earns first league win since 2015
By Dave Owen
WHEATON - Wheaton North’s stay in the DuPage Valley Conference desert ended with an opposite image -- the view of game-winning goal scorer Alex Beausolieil soaked at midfield after being doused with the Gatorade bucket. And it was no mirage.
Beausoleil’s second goal of the game with 4:53 left in the second overtime gave the Falcons (3-8-1, 1-1-1) a 2-1 win over Metea Valley (5-6-1, 2-2-0).
Bigger picture, it marked the Falcons’ first conference win since 2015, a long test of facing elite competition, often playing well but earning no reward in a 0-9-1 stetch.
Until Thursday.
“Compared to last year, we’ve won a game in the DVC,” Beausoleil said. “The team’s ecstatic. It’s really the goal to inspire more people to keep playing, and continue with the program. It’s a great feeling.”
Wheaton North kept playing after a scare in the opening seconds (a shot off the post 35 seconds in by Metea Valley’s James Lynch) and took a 1-0 lead into the half on a highlight-film goal by Beausoleil.
Then after an Evan Lang goal off a James Lynch assist in the first four minutes of the second half drew Metea Valley into a 1-1 tie, 51 minutes of ensuing scoreless soccer ended with a scramble near the net – and a Wheaton North party.
Off a Joe Gaither throw-in and a Jack Morrissey pass towards the end line right, Jack Mancuso won a loose ball and found Morrissey near the right post. Morrissey’s ensuing cross was headed in by Beausoleil for a great capper to his huge night.
“Our winger Joe got it through to Jack Morrissey,” Beausoleil said, “and even Jack Mancuso the right back coming up the field continuously fighting for the ball and not giving up on it -- that allowed the goal to get created.
“Morrissey got the ball in a good position, turned, crossed the ball in, and it was just a simple header for me. All the work was done by them.”
For coach Rob Stassen, the game-winner was a case of practice makes perfect.
“His header was perfect, and we’ve been really working on getting to the outside,” he said. “We got to actually see some of the passing patterns we’ve been working on in practice, and all of a sudden to actually do it in a game. It’s like, ‘It did work.’ I couldn’t be more proud of them. To win against good competition and see them all smiling. It’s a big relief.”
While the drama of Beausoleil’s winning goal proved biggest in importance, his perfectly placed first half goal was YouTube worthy.
Taking a pass from Gaither 22 yards out, Beausoleil’s creativity turned a seemingly harmless back-to-the-goal possession into an amazing finish perfectly tucked into the upper corner of the net.
“That (goal) was beautiful,” Stassen said. “Back to goal, turned on his right foot and bent it right to the top right corner. He’s a straight killer, he has a nose for goals.
“Recently his confidence has been down. That’s the first time he’s seen the goal, back to goal, turned and hit it. And that was picture perfect. He didn’t think about it, he just knew where the goal was and went for it.
“That was the confidence he needed,” Stassen added. “And this is the first time I’ve seen him actually smile and enjoy a game in the past few weeks. At Pepsi he went six goals in three games and still wasn’t smiling. Now he’s scoring two goals against quality competition, and this is where it counts. This is a different class.”
Beausoleil summed up both his amazing first half goal and the impact it had on momentum.
“Honestly it was an out-of-body experience, just awesome,” he said. “And it was a great goal for the team. It brought our confidence up, and we needed to get that first goal or else it could have led to a bad game for us.
“But once we got that, it just led to us playing 100 percent the whole game.”
The impact of first half events on the night was also clear to the Metea Valley side.
“We just talked (after the game) about how where we lost the game was in the first half,” Mustangs coach Josh Robinson said. “It wasn’t in how hard we played in the second half and overtime.
“The game is so tight,” he added. “Thirty seconds in we hit the post, or maybe we walk out of here (with a win) because we’re confident in doing it. They stay in the game and get a goal which was great, then we come out in the second half and get it back. And then it’s a fight. It was a fun fight to watch – amazing. The kids battled. Credit to them.”
Down 1-0, Metea Valley needed an all-out effort in the 33rd minute by goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz to keep it that way.
After a nice sideline move past a defender by Sunday Moo started the attack, Beausoleil’s 10-yard drive off an Ajay Patel pass was denied by Cruz’s flying swat away at the right post.
At the other end, Wheaton North goalkeeper Harrison Thompson faced a steady stream of chances. His catch save on Lynch’s 12-yard shot 4:50 before halftime was one of his 14 saves on the night (to eight by Cruz).
But just 3:36 into the second half, the Mustangs solved the Falcons’ strong goalkeeper and defense.
Lynch made a nice steal inside midfield and fed Lang on a right-side rush. Lang’s drive into the upper left corner tied the game 1-1, and was part of an increased second half offensive push by Metea Valley.
“We had a game earlier in the year that was similar,” Lynch said, “where we didn’t play as well as we would have liked to in the first half. They (Wheaton North) just reminded us of that. So in the second half we came out, played hard and got a goal.”
But Thompson and the Falcons would repel all ensuing threats.
“It was a great effort by our defense,” Thompson said. “They (Metea Valley) were good at attacking. They just sent wave after wave, and I thought our defense did well.
“We covered each other when we made mistakes, we didn’t get down when we made mistakes, and we just really bounced back. Especially after their goal. That was the best we’ve bounced back after a goal this season, and it worked out for us.”
Stassen also noted his team’s resiliency and refusal to waver under pressure.
“This is the first time we’ve been scored on and haven’t crumbled,” he said. “It didn’t seem to affect us. They (Metea Valley) put the pressure on – that’s a phenomenal team, phenomenally coached, well put together. And we allowed them back in which was difficult, but we didn’t lose our concentration or get upset. We went right back to playing our game.”
A Beausoleil drive with 34:55 left was denied by Mustangs defenders Anthony Sanchez and Ethan Williams. Then the Falcons defense was tested in the next two minutes – a Jaylen Brooks shot wide right, then Thompson’s save on a 10-yard shot by senior forward Alfonso Castillo.
“We tell our younger guys to watch Alfonso Castillo when he plays,” Robinson said, “because he comes off the bench for us every time just working and working. We’re so proud of the effort he gives every game.
“And we had some guys play tons of minutes – James Lynch, Matt Berry. And our center backs are solid – they played a full game. That’s tough. Ethan Williams and Tony Sanchez were great.”
Wheaton North had its own corps of heroes.
“Alex was firing today -- he was lights out,” Stassen said. “Jorge (Petino) and Jake Dzarnowski in the middle, the two of them really hunkered down.
“And it’s nice with this group that we bring people off the bench and don’t drop. Lael Mondragon has just come up from JV 1, and he came in up-top and is a straight hustler. It was great to see him putting some nice shots on.
“And Ajay Patel at the outside mid worked solid. I could easily give him Player of the Game even if he didn’t get the stats.”
The back-and-forth bids to break the 1-1 tie continued. Wheaton North missed by inches with 27:55 left, when Patel lined a 28-yard shot high off the post.
Then it was the Mustangs’ turn. Three minutes later, Castillo’s 15-yarder from the right side was denied on a low catch by Thompson.
With 19:30 to go in regulation, Thompson’s diving save at the left post stopped a Shareef Amor 10-yarder – followed three minutes later by a Davis Quarles 25-yarder just over the net.
Regulation ended with a continued edge in chances for the Mustangs – a Lang shot off the side of the net with 11:30 left, then two Ryan Barry chances. First, Barry redirected a corner kick over the net with 6:30 to go, then had his header off a Lynch throw-in with 1:05 left deflected just over the crossbar by a leaping Thompson.
For the Falcons, withstanding the pressure was all part of their approach to recent hard luck in the DVC.
“Whenever we make a mistake, one thing I like saying is ‘Next ball. Just keep playing, don’t worry about the mistake,’” Beausoleil said. “The only time you should be thinking about it (a mistake) is when you’re learning from it. Otherwise let it go. Keep playing, move on to the next game. It’s all next everything.
“At first it was a little disappointing (when Metea tied it), but we kept our heads up, kept fighting, and it ended up working out in the end.”
The first overtime began with a Cruz save on Beausoleil’s 23-yard shot at 7:25, followed by another big Thompson save. A Lynch throw-in 10 yards out deflected to Ethan Ytterberg far post, whose 6-yard redirect was swatted wide of the net by Thompson to preserve the 1-1 tie.
The Falcons had the last word of the first OT, and then the night.
Petino’s 8-yard shot off a Gaither corner kick was saved by Cruz with 25 seconds left in the first OT.
Then after a Dzarnowski block denied a potential Mustangs attack early in the second overtime, Beausoleil’s header goal ended the night’s battle – and the Falcons’ long wait for a DVC win.
“This win is so big for us,” Thompson said. “It’s a huge confidence booster. It shows us that we can compete in this conference, and we shouldn’t be taken lightly because Metea’s a big school, a good team. It’s just amazing coming away with this win.”
Said Stassen: “This was a win we needed. We’re 1-1-1 in conference, and we were 0-8 last year. It’s a phenomenal team – I love these guys.”
As if to epitomize the difficulty of competing in the DVC, Robinson recapped Metea Valley’s recent road.
“We go beat Neuqua, then Neuqua beats Waubonsie, then we go beat (previously undefeated league leader) Naperville Central (4-1 Tuesday), and now we lose to Wheaton North. Every game is a grind,” Robinson said. “It’s what makes (the DVC) fun.
“I was talking to Rob before the game about what we have in the DVC, that they’re going to a new conference and we’re sticking around. These are the games we’re going to miss.
“It was a blast to play tonight. It’s just that you’re not on the right end of it – that’s the bummer.”
Especially coming off a huge win Tuesday.
“We came ready to play Naperville Central -- we were so engaged,” Robinson said. “This game we weren’t so engaged and took time getting into it. Then we responded amazingly. That’s what we walk away with, we responded well but can we do that for a full game.”
Said Lynch: “We need to come out stronger in the first half, and we can’t miss early chances like I did (hitting the post).”
For Wheaton North, extending Thursday’s ecstasy to upcoming matches is the goal.
“We needed this so bad,” Stassen said. “We’ve had one of those seasons where we have a good team, we’re playing well, but either our forwards are shooting or our goalkeepers are ‘no,’ or our goalkeepers are playing well and our shooters are not.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the guys today. They dug in. We had yet to play a game where we played the entire time and won. So it’s nice to put both ends together, and against a fantastic, talented team we played that never gave up.”
Having cleared a huge hurdle, the Falcons aren’t done yet.
“We just need a few games to get rolling,” Stassen said. “We’ll walk into Lake Park on Tuesday, hopefully our confidence is high and we’re ready to go.
“This is our bridge right here,” Stassen added. “Now we’re ready to go and try to take over the island.”
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK Gandhi Cruz
D Anthony Sanchez
D Eric Severson
D Ethan Williams
D Ethan Ytterberg
M Matthew Berry
M Davis Quarles
M Evan Lang
M Dominic Capezzuto
F Jaylen Brooks
F James Lynch
Wheaton North
GK Harry Thompson
D Carlos Saavedra
D Jack Mancuso
D Jack Tegart
D Nathan Heyen
M Jorge Petino
M Jake Dzarnowski
M Ajay Patel
M Jack Morrissey
F Joe Gaither
F Alex Beausoleil
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Beausoleil, jr. F, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
1st HALF
WN – Beausoleil (Gaither)
2nd HALF
MV – Lang (Lynch)
2nd OT
Beausoleil (Morrissey)