Deflected shots produce
Waubonsie-Metea draw
Teams end DuPage Valley season with 1-1 deadlock
By Dave Owen
AURORA - Metea Valley may have felt fit to be tied, but a late comeback by Waubonsie Valley had the Warriors feeling upbeat over a 1-1 draw Tuesday.
The two rivals, who are a few miles apart on Eola Road, squared off for neighborhood bragging rights in their DuPage Valley Conference finale.
And just when it appeared visiting Metea Valley’s goal three minutes into the match might hold up for a win, a Waubonsie Valley deflection off a corner kick with just 3:49 left in regulation tied the score.
Two scoreless 10-minute overtimes later, the Mustangs (8-5-6, 2-1-2 in the DVC) and Waubonsie Valley (10-5-4, 2-2-1) had wrapped up a 1-1 tie that produced a variety of emotions.
“Personally I’m super disappointed,” said Metea Valley forward Alex Krehl, whose shot that deflected in off a Warriors player produced the goal.
“I know Metea, we’re such a good team. I have high hopes for us come postseason, and we played down today. It was just not good. Personally I played bad I feel, and we all could have played better and could have gotten the win.”
Any disappointment was heightened by a familiar feeling as the Mustangs left the field. Metea is unbeaten in its last seven games, but three of those matches have ended in ties.
“We’ve tied a lot,” Krehl said. “It’s hard to tie, because every time we’ve tied I feel like we were the better team. Even some of the losses, we’ve played down and it’s been tough. We could be doing so much better than we actually are.”
Mustangs coach Josh Robinson had numbers to second that emotion.
“We’re sitting here 8-5-6,” he said, “but three of those losses are ties that went to penalties in tournaments. Realistically we have nine ties.”
The host Warriors were more content with the draw, as late-game heroics put a positive spin on their 2019 home finale.
After Noah Glorioso’s shot was blocked by a Metea Valley defender over the end line for a corner kick in the 76th minute, Javi Gonzalez’s right side corner send found Dan Morgan at the back post for a redirect and a fortunate bounce.
“(The corner kick) bounced through,” Morgan said, “and when it bounced to me I just kicked it towards the middle and hoped for the best.
“I think at the line it hit the (Metea Valley) players’ knee, but it went in. I don’t care how it goes in, as long as it does at that point.”
While both scores in the match were technically own-goals that ricocheted in off defenders, they were also tributes to being at the right place at the right time and perseverance.
“That was a little unlucky on our part that they got the deflection,” Morgan said of the early 1-0 deficit. “They started quick. But I feel like we responded well.
“The whole game we matched their effort and kept working. Even with just four minutes left we kept going for that goal.”
Usual defender Morgan moved up to forward late in the match to try to generate offense with a three-defender lineup, and it paid off.
“Dan played well defensively,” Warriors coach Jose Garcia said, “and when he pulled up for us on the goal.
“It’s one of those things where you sacrifice a defender for that attacker, and for him to get that goal as a defender is something special for him and something special for us too. Especially with this being his last game here on this field.”
Digging deep to rally against a quality foe, Morgan and the Warriors got results.
“It’s just a matter of, can they find it in themselves to get out of that hole (down 1-0 late),” Garcia said. “And today they did.”
It appeared it wouldn’t be the Warriors’ night in the early going, when Krehl created an opportunity for the Mustangs free kick.
“I got the pass down the line and got fouled,” Krehl said, “then Colin (Bastianoni) hit a great ball in (on the free kick).
“It just fell right to my foot, and I smacked it. It wasn’t a great shot, but it deflected (off a Warriors player) into the bottom corner. That’s all you have to do, just get something on it.”
Outside of the two bookend deflection goals by either side, goalkeepers Bryan Grimaldo of Waubonsie and Gandhi Cruz of Metea had the last say on every other scoring threat.
“I thought the keepers were the show today, for both teams,” Garcia said. “They both had great saves and played really well today.”
A 25-second sequence in the first half bore out Garcia’s analysis.
After Warriors forward Milan Erastus-Obilo’s right-side run was denied by a nice Cruz save at the near post, a quick Mustangs counterattack ended with a Grimaldo catch of a Jacob Tune 15-yard liner.
The second half began with Grimaldo’s catch of a low Kehl 12-yarder with 38:10 left in regulation. And the Warriors junior keeper would face multiple massive challenges later in the stanza.
With 30:25 to play, Tyler Kero’s midfield free kick was redirected in the box by Nick Sanchez – but was deflected just wide by a diving Grimaldo.
Then with 21 minutes left, Kehl’s high right-side shot was denied on a extended reach grab at the near post by Grimaldo.
The Mustangs would later test Grimaldo twice in 20 seconds.
First, an Abraham Antar corner kick into a crowd in front with 10:05 left set up another Sanchez redirect in front. But Grimaldo again was in the right spot for the catch save.
“I just try to concentrate and focus (on balls into the crowd in front),” Grimaldo said, “but I don’t like giving up my positioning to a player who will know where I’m going to go. I try to stand still and see where it goes, so then I can move my feet and get to the ball as fast as possible.”
It was all Grimaldo instinct with 9:45 to go.
Tune uncorked a high 22-yard drive left side that curled towards the upper right corner, but Grimaldo made a one-handed leaping deflection to somehow deflect the shot wide and keep the score 1-0.
“His reflexes amaze me sometimes,” Garcia said of Grimaldo.
Even before his array of saves added to the occasion, it was a special night for Grimaldo.
“I was really looking forward to this game, because I knew it would be a good matchup,” said Grimaldo. “And it’s our last regular season game, so I wanted to give it my all.
“I wanted our seniors in their last home game to get the ‘W,’ so they remember their last game here as something to reminisce about later in life. I just came out with that mentality of going hard.”
Grimaldo would get a huge boost from teammate Daniel Fritz with 5:40 to go. On a long Mustangs send, Antar beat Grimaldo to the ball left of the box and chipped a 20-yard shot towards the net.
But Fritz’s header off the goal line denied what at first appeared to be a sure goal.
Just 90 seconds later, an Adrien Mehra midfield free kick set up an 18-yard Noah Glorioso shot that deflected wide off a Metea player. The ensuing corner kick led to the Morgan shot that was deflected in, and the score was suddenly 1-1.
“Credit to Waubonsie, they played a great game,” Robinson said. “The frustration that we fell into is, again a late goal on a set piece. And we need to do a little better job of organizing ourselves in the back at the end of games. That’s our big thing.”
The Mustangs were coming off a 2-2 tie with Lemont on Saturday, again with the opponents’ equalizer coming off a late goal.
“We keep preaching the personal accountability part of handling ourselves in the box,” Robinson said. “For the most part we’ve been strong all year there, but lately we haven’t had that kind of mental strength to finish the game off. That’s happened two games in a row where we’re up late and we gave up a goal to tie the game.
“It’s finishing off a game appropriately,” Robinson added. “We do great things defensively, battle hard all game. But we have to do a little better at that mental edge of it.”
Until that late corner kick, the Metea defense and midfield had nicely dulled Waubonsie threats.
Robinson noted excellent performances all over the field.
“Nick Sanchez was on point today,” he said. “At this time of year we want kids pushing, and he just keeps getting better and better as the games go on. He’s been tremendous.
“And Matt Dovalovsky. We put him up-top, in the back, and he’s been doing great things. He’s been our guy all year. Wherever we put him he’s doing something dangerous for us.
“And Gandhi, Tyler (Kero) and Clarke (Simonich) our goalie and two center backs have been stellar all year. Kids have really stepped it up, and it’s shown all year.”
It certainly showed at many key points Tuesday.
With 31:20 to go, Glorioso’s 16-yard shot off a Morgan pass was thwarted by Cruz’s nice, high block save.
After Morgan was fouled with 14:10 left, Glorioso’s ensuing 22-yard sideline free kick into the box produced a Teague Stotlar 15-yard shot that went just wide right.
Diego Carrillo drew a foul to create another Warriors set piece threat with six minutes left. Glorioso’s 30-yard free kick connected with Stotlar for a 10-yard header, but Cruz’s catch at the left post denied that chance.
Beyond those chances, the Mustangs defense and strong midfield play by Sanchez helped keep the Warriors at bay for the first 76-plus minutes.
“I think it was kind of a back and forth (game),” Sanchez said, “but we fought hard despite the letup late.
“Our center backs have really been winning balls, and I’ve tried to help them out, making sure if they came at a ball that I’m back to cover for them. Along with everyone else on the field, they’re always working back there.”
The Warriors solved that defense with 3:49 left in regulation. Then a 28-yard Antar free kick with 1:05 to go curled just over the crossbar to send the match into a pair of 10-minute overtime sessions.
Cruz (diving cover of a Glorioso cross) and Grimaldo (save on a Krehl shot right of the net) would each make key plays to keep the score tied 1-1 through the first OT.
With 8:20 left in the second session, Cruz’s free kick from beyond midfield required a Grimaldo swat away in the box.
Grimaldo’s low catch denied a Davis Quarles run and 14-yard shot with 7:15 to go.
The two teams would then close the night with dueling set piece chances. With 2:50 left, Antar’s 30-yard free kick was blocked away from danger by Waubonsie’s Zach Stanley. Then with 1:20 to go, a Glorioso corner kick set up a Morgan 12-yard shot wide of the net.
The DVC rule that ends tie games after 100 minutes is all too familiar for Metea.
“For how many ties we’ve had all year, it is kind of frustrating,” Sanchez said. “But we have to learn from it.”
With regionals starting next week, Metea (seeded seventh in the Lockport Sectional) has one obvious area of focus.
“Marking in the box,” Sanchez said. “That’s the biggest thing we have to work on.”
Said Krehl: “In the box we’ve got to mark up. And just play hard. That’s all you can do and what you’ve got to do.”
Waubonsie is seeded fifth at Lockport, and hopes Tuesday’s late comeback and the squad’s recovery from a 1-3-1 record earlier this season are good signs.
“We need to be as strong as we have been defensively,” Morgan said. “The last two games we haven’t been as strong as we can be (including a 4-4 tie with Boylan on Saturday), but I know we have a strong defense that can hold teams out.
“And if our attackers play the way we know they can, I think we’ll be strong enough to go far in the playoffs.”
Grimaldo shares that postseason confidence.
“I think we’re going to do really good,” he said. “My goal is to win sectionals, and that’s most of my teammates’ goals. I think we can pull it off. It’s going to be great games going through the whole tournament, but I think we can fight through it.
“The big factor will be that we all work hard and fight for each other: playing for each other and not for ourselves; playing hard, going for every single ball and scoring as many goals as we can.”
Tuesday, goals off crazy bounces turned out to be the theme.
“That’s the game of soccer,” Garcia said. “Sometimes the ball bounces your way, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK Gandhi Cruz
D Clarke Simonich
D Joe Fitzgerald
D Tyler Karo
D Adam Cassleman
M Jack Maroney
M Colin Bastianoni
M Nick Sanchez
M Drew Marquardt
F Alex Krehl
F Matthew Dovalovsky
Waubonsie Valley
GK Bryan Grimaldo
D Daniel Fritz
D Adrien Mehra
D Teague Stotlar
D Dan Morgan
M Zach Stanley
M Noah Glorioso
M Brandon Garduno
M Javi Gonzalez
F Milan Erastus-Obilo
F Jorge Gallegos
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Bryan Grimaldo, jr. GK, Waubonsie Valley
Nick Sanchez, sr. M, Metea Valley
Scoring summary
First half
MV- Alex Krehl, 3’
Second half
WV- Dan Morgan, 77’
Waubonsie-Metea draw
Teams end DuPage Valley season with 1-1 deadlock
By Dave Owen
AURORA - Metea Valley may have felt fit to be tied, but a late comeback by Waubonsie Valley had the Warriors feeling upbeat over a 1-1 draw Tuesday.
The two rivals, who are a few miles apart on Eola Road, squared off for neighborhood bragging rights in their DuPage Valley Conference finale.
And just when it appeared visiting Metea Valley’s goal three minutes into the match might hold up for a win, a Waubonsie Valley deflection off a corner kick with just 3:49 left in regulation tied the score.
Two scoreless 10-minute overtimes later, the Mustangs (8-5-6, 2-1-2 in the DVC) and Waubonsie Valley (10-5-4, 2-2-1) had wrapped up a 1-1 tie that produced a variety of emotions.
“Personally I’m super disappointed,” said Metea Valley forward Alex Krehl, whose shot that deflected in off a Warriors player produced the goal.
“I know Metea, we’re such a good team. I have high hopes for us come postseason, and we played down today. It was just not good. Personally I played bad I feel, and we all could have played better and could have gotten the win.”
Any disappointment was heightened by a familiar feeling as the Mustangs left the field. Metea is unbeaten in its last seven games, but three of those matches have ended in ties.
“We’ve tied a lot,” Krehl said. “It’s hard to tie, because every time we’ve tied I feel like we were the better team. Even some of the losses, we’ve played down and it’s been tough. We could be doing so much better than we actually are.”
Mustangs coach Josh Robinson had numbers to second that emotion.
“We’re sitting here 8-5-6,” he said, “but three of those losses are ties that went to penalties in tournaments. Realistically we have nine ties.”
The host Warriors were more content with the draw, as late-game heroics put a positive spin on their 2019 home finale.
After Noah Glorioso’s shot was blocked by a Metea Valley defender over the end line for a corner kick in the 76th minute, Javi Gonzalez’s right side corner send found Dan Morgan at the back post for a redirect and a fortunate bounce.
“(The corner kick) bounced through,” Morgan said, “and when it bounced to me I just kicked it towards the middle and hoped for the best.
“I think at the line it hit the (Metea Valley) players’ knee, but it went in. I don’t care how it goes in, as long as it does at that point.”
While both scores in the match were technically own-goals that ricocheted in off defenders, they were also tributes to being at the right place at the right time and perseverance.
“That was a little unlucky on our part that they got the deflection,” Morgan said of the early 1-0 deficit. “They started quick. But I feel like we responded well.
“The whole game we matched their effort and kept working. Even with just four minutes left we kept going for that goal.”
Usual defender Morgan moved up to forward late in the match to try to generate offense with a three-defender lineup, and it paid off.
“Dan played well defensively,” Warriors coach Jose Garcia said, “and when he pulled up for us on the goal.
“It’s one of those things where you sacrifice a defender for that attacker, and for him to get that goal as a defender is something special for him and something special for us too. Especially with this being his last game here on this field.”
Digging deep to rally against a quality foe, Morgan and the Warriors got results.
“It’s just a matter of, can they find it in themselves to get out of that hole (down 1-0 late),” Garcia said. “And today they did.”
It appeared it wouldn’t be the Warriors’ night in the early going, when Krehl created an opportunity for the Mustangs free kick.
“I got the pass down the line and got fouled,” Krehl said, “then Colin (Bastianoni) hit a great ball in (on the free kick).
“It just fell right to my foot, and I smacked it. It wasn’t a great shot, but it deflected (off a Warriors player) into the bottom corner. That’s all you have to do, just get something on it.”
Outside of the two bookend deflection goals by either side, goalkeepers Bryan Grimaldo of Waubonsie and Gandhi Cruz of Metea had the last say on every other scoring threat.
“I thought the keepers were the show today, for both teams,” Garcia said. “They both had great saves and played really well today.”
A 25-second sequence in the first half bore out Garcia’s analysis.
After Warriors forward Milan Erastus-Obilo’s right-side run was denied by a nice Cruz save at the near post, a quick Mustangs counterattack ended with a Grimaldo catch of a Jacob Tune 15-yard liner.
The second half began with Grimaldo’s catch of a low Kehl 12-yarder with 38:10 left in regulation. And the Warriors junior keeper would face multiple massive challenges later in the stanza.
With 30:25 to play, Tyler Kero’s midfield free kick was redirected in the box by Nick Sanchez – but was deflected just wide by a diving Grimaldo.
Then with 21 minutes left, Kehl’s high right-side shot was denied on a extended reach grab at the near post by Grimaldo.
The Mustangs would later test Grimaldo twice in 20 seconds.
First, an Abraham Antar corner kick into a crowd in front with 10:05 left set up another Sanchez redirect in front. But Grimaldo again was in the right spot for the catch save.
“I just try to concentrate and focus (on balls into the crowd in front),” Grimaldo said, “but I don’t like giving up my positioning to a player who will know where I’m going to go. I try to stand still and see where it goes, so then I can move my feet and get to the ball as fast as possible.”
It was all Grimaldo instinct with 9:45 to go.
Tune uncorked a high 22-yard drive left side that curled towards the upper right corner, but Grimaldo made a one-handed leaping deflection to somehow deflect the shot wide and keep the score 1-0.
“His reflexes amaze me sometimes,” Garcia said of Grimaldo.
Even before his array of saves added to the occasion, it was a special night for Grimaldo.
“I was really looking forward to this game, because I knew it would be a good matchup,” said Grimaldo. “And it’s our last regular season game, so I wanted to give it my all.
“I wanted our seniors in their last home game to get the ‘W,’ so they remember their last game here as something to reminisce about later in life. I just came out with that mentality of going hard.”
Grimaldo would get a huge boost from teammate Daniel Fritz with 5:40 to go. On a long Mustangs send, Antar beat Grimaldo to the ball left of the box and chipped a 20-yard shot towards the net.
But Fritz’s header off the goal line denied what at first appeared to be a sure goal.
Just 90 seconds later, an Adrien Mehra midfield free kick set up an 18-yard Noah Glorioso shot that deflected wide off a Metea player. The ensuing corner kick led to the Morgan shot that was deflected in, and the score was suddenly 1-1.
“Credit to Waubonsie, they played a great game,” Robinson said. “The frustration that we fell into is, again a late goal on a set piece. And we need to do a little better job of organizing ourselves in the back at the end of games. That’s our big thing.”
The Mustangs were coming off a 2-2 tie with Lemont on Saturday, again with the opponents’ equalizer coming off a late goal.
“We keep preaching the personal accountability part of handling ourselves in the box,” Robinson said. “For the most part we’ve been strong all year there, but lately we haven’t had that kind of mental strength to finish the game off. That’s happened two games in a row where we’re up late and we gave up a goal to tie the game.
“It’s finishing off a game appropriately,” Robinson added. “We do great things defensively, battle hard all game. But we have to do a little better at that mental edge of it.”
Until that late corner kick, the Metea defense and midfield had nicely dulled Waubonsie threats.
Robinson noted excellent performances all over the field.
“Nick Sanchez was on point today,” he said. “At this time of year we want kids pushing, and he just keeps getting better and better as the games go on. He’s been tremendous.
“And Matt Dovalovsky. We put him up-top, in the back, and he’s been doing great things. He’s been our guy all year. Wherever we put him he’s doing something dangerous for us.
“And Gandhi, Tyler (Kero) and Clarke (Simonich) our goalie and two center backs have been stellar all year. Kids have really stepped it up, and it’s shown all year.”
It certainly showed at many key points Tuesday.
With 31:20 to go, Glorioso’s 16-yard shot off a Morgan pass was thwarted by Cruz’s nice, high block save.
After Morgan was fouled with 14:10 left, Glorioso’s ensuing 22-yard sideline free kick into the box produced a Teague Stotlar 15-yard shot that went just wide right.
Diego Carrillo drew a foul to create another Warriors set piece threat with six minutes left. Glorioso’s 30-yard free kick connected with Stotlar for a 10-yard header, but Cruz’s catch at the left post denied that chance.
Beyond those chances, the Mustangs defense and strong midfield play by Sanchez helped keep the Warriors at bay for the first 76-plus minutes.
“I think it was kind of a back and forth (game),” Sanchez said, “but we fought hard despite the letup late.
“Our center backs have really been winning balls, and I’ve tried to help them out, making sure if they came at a ball that I’m back to cover for them. Along with everyone else on the field, they’re always working back there.”
The Warriors solved that defense with 3:49 left in regulation. Then a 28-yard Antar free kick with 1:05 to go curled just over the crossbar to send the match into a pair of 10-minute overtime sessions.
Cruz (diving cover of a Glorioso cross) and Grimaldo (save on a Krehl shot right of the net) would each make key plays to keep the score tied 1-1 through the first OT.
With 8:20 left in the second session, Cruz’s free kick from beyond midfield required a Grimaldo swat away in the box.
Grimaldo’s low catch denied a Davis Quarles run and 14-yard shot with 7:15 to go.
The two teams would then close the night with dueling set piece chances. With 2:50 left, Antar’s 30-yard free kick was blocked away from danger by Waubonsie’s Zach Stanley. Then with 1:20 to go, a Glorioso corner kick set up a Morgan 12-yard shot wide of the net.
The DVC rule that ends tie games after 100 minutes is all too familiar for Metea.
“For how many ties we’ve had all year, it is kind of frustrating,” Sanchez said. “But we have to learn from it.”
With regionals starting next week, Metea (seeded seventh in the Lockport Sectional) has one obvious area of focus.
“Marking in the box,” Sanchez said. “That’s the biggest thing we have to work on.”
Said Krehl: “In the box we’ve got to mark up. And just play hard. That’s all you can do and what you’ve got to do.”
Waubonsie is seeded fifth at Lockport, and hopes Tuesday’s late comeback and the squad’s recovery from a 1-3-1 record earlier this season are good signs.
“We need to be as strong as we have been defensively,” Morgan said. “The last two games we haven’t been as strong as we can be (including a 4-4 tie with Boylan on Saturday), but I know we have a strong defense that can hold teams out.
“And if our attackers play the way we know they can, I think we’ll be strong enough to go far in the playoffs.”
Grimaldo shares that postseason confidence.
“I think we’re going to do really good,” he said. “My goal is to win sectionals, and that’s most of my teammates’ goals. I think we can pull it off. It’s going to be great games going through the whole tournament, but I think we can fight through it.
“The big factor will be that we all work hard and fight for each other: playing for each other and not for ourselves; playing hard, going for every single ball and scoring as many goals as we can.”
Tuesday, goals off crazy bounces turned out to be the theme.
“That’s the game of soccer,” Garcia said. “Sometimes the ball bounces your way, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK Gandhi Cruz
D Clarke Simonich
D Joe Fitzgerald
D Tyler Karo
D Adam Cassleman
M Jack Maroney
M Colin Bastianoni
M Nick Sanchez
M Drew Marquardt
F Alex Krehl
F Matthew Dovalovsky
Waubonsie Valley
GK Bryan Grimaldo
D Daniel Fritz
D Adrien Mehra
D Teague Stotlar
D Dan Morgan
M Zach Stanley
M Noah Glorioso
M Brandon Garduno
M Javi Gonzalez
F Milan Erastus-Obilo
F Jorge Gallegos
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Bryan Grimaldo, jr. GK, Waubonsie Valley
Nick Sanchez, sr. M, Metea Valley
Scoring summary
First half
MV- Alex Krehl, 3’
Second half
WV- Dan Morgan, 77’