New names lead Naperville Central
past Waubonsie Valley
Unheralded seniors Johnson, Venardi score in 3-2 road win
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – To quote an Eric Church lyric "Most days in life don’t stand out, but life is for those days that do."
Tuesday certainly stood out for Mitchell Johnson and Mikey Venardi.
The unheralded Naperville Central seniors both scored their first varsity goals as the Redhawks broke out of a scoring slump with a 3-2 DuPage Valley Conference victory over host Waubonsie Valley.
Venardi, a midfielder, tallied the game-tying goal while Johnson, a defender, notched what turned out to be the game-winner five minutes later as the Redhawks (8-3-4, 1-1-2) scored on three-straight shots during a first-half flurry that also saw the Warriors score on back-to-back shots.
It was a stunning turn of events for the Redhawks. Naperville Central played without four injured starters and had won only one of its last five matches, a span that saw them produce only two goals. The visitors earned a road win over a Waubonsie Valley side that had won seven-consecutive games including the Plainfield Classic title before losing to Elgin 5-1 last week.
“It really felt good,” Johnson said. “It was a solid team effort all the way around.
“It was one of the better games we’ve played in a while. We really came together this game and decided we were tired of getting shut out.”
Venardi made sure the Redhawks got on the scoreboard when he tied the game 1-1 13:42 to go in the first half, six minutes after Freddy Paniagua broke the ice for the Waubonsie Valley (8-5-1, 2-2-0) on a cutback shot from the left side of the box that rolled in off the inside of the right post.
Naperville Central senior Owen Jarrell sent a 27-yard free kick from outside the right side of the box in to Venardi, who redirected the ball with the side of his head past Waubonsie goalie Bryan Grimaldo and into the upper left corner.
“I was just thinking where everyone was going to go and what we practiced in training on where to go for situations like that,” Venardi said. “I think (scoring his first varsity goal) was really good. It doesn’t really matter who scores as long as the team wins.”
The Redhawks could not have won without the contributions of Venardi and Johnson, first-year varsity players who have worked their way up through the program without much fanfare.
They pair didn’t start this match despite the Redhawks missing injured captain Rohan Bhargava, Mitch Becker, Will Morgan, and James Kim. Naperville Central’s defense was particularly depleted, forcing coach Troy Adams to start junior Patrick Longhitano, sophomores Seth Lendzion and Mateo Lopez and freshman Josh Wiegel in the back. Only Lendzion is a regular starter.
Sophomore Johnny Kim and freshman Eric Sonnenscien also were fill-in starters for the Redhawks, who are relying on the depth provided by the likes of Venardi and Johnson.
“You talk about kids rising to the occasion,” Adams said. “They are seniors that have been great parts of the program.
“They haven’t gotten a ton of minutes. They’ve done the right things. They help us tremendously prepare for games, and they help us tremendously when we need them (on the field).
“We know this is what the component of a team is. When you get called upon, can you rise to the occasion? They both did an outstanding job, getting a goal, their work rate was phenomenal. All the little things, ittle things lead to goals.”
The Redhawks have struggled to score lately and had won only one of their previous five games but they scored their first two in a 33-second span on Tuesday and all three within five minutes to equal their season-high output.
Naperville Central’s second goal came when Jarrell did one of the little things right, namely not taking anything for granted. Roman Krupka sent a seemingly harmless shot from distance in on Grimaldo, but the ball had so much spin on it that Grimaldo lost the handle on it.
Jarrell, who was waiting a few yards away, quickly booted the loose ball into the net at the 13:09 mark.
Then it was Johnson’s turn. Lendzion launched a throw-in from the right wing into the middle of the box, where the ball bounced several times before the Warriors blocked a shot. But Johnson volleyed home the rebound to make it 3-1 with 8:04 remaining in the half.
Though both sides had plenty of scoring chances in the ensuing 48 minutes, Johnson’s goal held up as the game-winner. Whatever happens from here on out, he will have that memory as a highlight of a career spent toiling on the lower levels and in the shadows after he reached the varsity.
“It’s just dedication,” Johnson said. “Yes, obviously everyone wants to make (varsity), but sometimes you’re put on a (lower) team. And you’ve just got to keep playing and working hard, doing the best you can to show the coaches what you’ve got and hope that you get your chance.”
The Warriors, who have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, had chances to rally for what would have been an exciting victory. They pulled within 3-2 on goal from Zach Stanley with 4:05 to go before intermission.
Noah Glorioso led a 2-on-2 counterattack and eluded a defender in the right side of the box before sliding a pass to Stanley, who was unguarded just outside the left post. Naperville Central goalie Caden Redpath had no chance on Stanley’s 12-yard shot.
Grimaldo kept the Warriors in it with two great saves in the second half. He lunged to his right to stop Krupka’s 18-yard liner with 32:50 left and 16 minutes later made a reflex save to knock Jarrell’s point-blank volley over the crossbar.
Waubonsie Valley enjoyed a 6-3 shot advantage after the break and earned six corner kicks, five of which came in the final six minutes. But they all went for naught.
A Glorioso cross from the left wing found an open Daniel Fritz in front with 25:30 left, but Fritz put his shot over the crossbar. Three minutes later, Milan Erastus-Obilo’s drive from the right side of the area missed the right post.
Naperville Central goalie Ethan Gentile, who relieved Redpath at halftime, made the Redhawks’ only goalkeeper save of the night with 7:45 to go when he stopped a shot from Glorioso.
The Warriors’ Javy Gonzalez missed a header wide right off a corner kick with 4:10 left, and Naperville Central defender Ben Tietjen booted a ball off the goal line following another corner kick with 2:05 to play. That was the second non-goalie save of the game for the Redhawks Lendzion blocked an Erastus-Obilo effort in the third minute of the game. Longhitano also played a key role in that sequence as he cut off Erastus-Obilo after he had gotten past Redpath. That allowed Lendzion to get in position to block the shot.
“We did hang on the last 5 but the rest of the time we had lots of nice opportunities,” Adams said. “We could not put it in the goal.”
The fact that the offense was dangerous throughout give hope that the recent struggles may be a thing of the past.
“The kids are working hard,” Adams said. “We talk about work rate being the key, and I think when you look at this game, the kids were able to work and work and work.
“We shifted formation for this game to start and then at halftime shifted again. So the ability for the kids to adapt and accept and move forward with it speaks volumes about who they are as players.”
Indeed, while there may be little difference in talent level between the Warriors and the Redhawks, it was the visitors who were a little more desperate for a win.
“I think (the difference) was work rate,” Johnson said. “We worked harder this game than I think probably any other game this season.
“We really wanted to get after it this game and get our first conference win.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK Caden Redpath
D Seth Lendzion
D Patrick Longhitano
D Josh Wiegel
D Mateo Lopez
M Owen Jarrell
M Eric Sonnenscien
M Nico Couropmitree
F Dylan Kahn
F Roman Krupka
F Johnny Kim
Waubonsie Valley
GK Bryan Grimaldo
D Adrien Mehra
D Teague Stotlar
D Brandon Garduno
D Dan Morgan
M Noah Glorioso
M Javy Gonzalez
M Zach Stanley
M Jorge Gallegos
F Milan Erastus-Obilo
F Daniel Fritz
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Mitchell Johnson, sr., D, Naperville Central
Scoring summary
First half
Waubonsie Valley – Freddy Paniagua 19:24
Naperville Central – Mikey Venardi (Owen Jarrell) 13:42
Naperville Central – Jarrell 13:09
Naperville Central – Mitchell Johnson 8:04
Waubonsie Valley – Zach Stanley (Noah Glorioso) 4:05
Second half
No scoring
past Waubonsie Valley
Unheralded seniors Johnson, Venardi score in 3-2 road win
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – To quote an Eric Church lyric "Most days in life don’t stand out, but life is for those days that do."
Tuesday certainly stood out for Mitchell Johnson and Mikey Venardi.
The unheralded Naperville Central seniors both scored their first varsity goals as the Redhawks broke out of a scoring slump with a 3-2 DuPage Valley Conference victory over host Waubonsie Valley.
Venardi, a midfielder, tallied the game-tying goal while Johnson, a defender, notched what turned out to be the game-winner five minutes later as the Redhawks (8-3-4, 1-1-2) scored on three-straight shots during a first-half flurry that also saw the Warriors score on back-to-back shots.
It was a stunning turn of events for the Redhawks. Naperville Central played without four injured starters and had won only one of its last five matches, a span that saw them produce only two goals. The visitors earned a road win over a Waubonsie Valley side that had won seven-consecutive games including the Plainfield Classic title before losing to Elgin 5-1 last week.
“It really felt good,” Johnson said. “It was a solid team effort all the way around.
“It was one of the better games we’ve played in a while. We really came together this game and decided we were tired of getting shut out.”
Venardi made sure the Redhawks got on the scoreboard when he tied the game 1-1 13:42 to go in the first half, six minutes after Freddy Paniagua broke the ice for the Waubonsie Valley (8-5-1, 2-2-0) on a cutback shot from the left side of the box that rolled in off the inside of the right post.
Naperville Central senior Owen Jarrell sent a 27-yard free kick from outside the right side of the box in to Venardi, who redirected the ball with the side of his head past Waubonsie goalie Bryan Grimaldo and into the upper left corner.
“I was just thinking where everyone was going to go and what we practiced in training on where to go for situations like that,” Venardi said. “I think (scoring his first varsity goal) was really good. It doesn’t really matter who scores as long as the team wins.”
The Redhawks could not have won without the contributions of Venardi and Johnson, first-year varsity players who have worked their way up through the program without much fanfare.
They pair didn’t start this match despite the Redhawks missing injured captain Rohan Bhargava, Mitch Becker, Will Morgan, and James Kim. Naperville Central’s defense was particularly depleted, forcing coach Troy Adams to start junior Patrick Longhitano, sophomores Seth Lendzion and Mateo Lopez and freshman Josh Wiegel in the back. Only Lendzion is a regular starter.
Sophomore Johnny Kim and freshman Eric Sonnenscien also were fill-in starters for the Redhawks, who are relying on the depth provided by the likes of Venardi and Johnson.
“You talk about kids rising to the occasion,” Adams said. “They are seniors that have been great parts of the program.
“They haven’t gotten a ton of minutes. They’ve done the right things. They help us tremendously prepare for games, and they help us tremendously when we need them (on the field).
“We know this is what the component of a team is. When you get called upon, can you rise to the occasion? They both did an outstanding job, getting a goal, their work rate was phenomenal. All the little things, ittle things lead to goals.”
The Redhawks have struggled to score lately and had won only one of their previous five games but they scored their first two in a 33-second span on Tuesday and all three within five minutes to equal their season-high output.
Naperville Central’s second goal came when Jarrell did one of the little things right, namely not taking anything for granted. Roman Krupka sent a seemingly harmless shot from distance in on Grimaldo, but the ball had so much spin on it that Grimaldo lost the handle on it.
Jarrell, who was waiting a few yards away, quickly booted the loose ball into the net at the 13:09 mark.
Then it was Johnson’s turn. Lendzion launched a throw-in from the right wing into the middle of the box, where the ball bounced several times before the Warriors blocked a shot. But Johnson volleyed home the rebound to make it 3-1 with 8:04 remaining in the half.
Though both sides had plenty of scoring chances in the ensuing 48 minutes, Johnson’s goal held up as the game-winner. Whatever happens from here on out, he will have that memory as a highlight of a career spent toiling on the lower levels and in the shadows after he reached the varsity.
“It’s just dedication,” Johnson said. “Yes, obviously everyone wants to make (varsity), but sometimes you’re put on a (lower) team. And you’ve just got to keep playing and working hard, doing the best you can to show the coaches what you’ve got and hope that you get your chance.”
The Warriors, who have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, had chances to rally for what would have been an exciting victory. They pulled within 3-2 on goal from Zach Stanley with 4:05 to go before intermission.
Noah Glorioso led a 2-on-2 counterattack and eluded a defender in the right side of the box before sliding a pass to Stanley, who was unguarded just outside the left post. Naperville Central goalie Caden Redpath had no chance on Stanley’s 12-yard shot.
Grimaldo kept the Warriors in it with two great saves in the second half. He lunged to his right to stop Krupka’s 18-yard liner with 32:50 left and 16 minutes later made a reflex save to knock Jarrell’s point-blank volley over the crossbar.
Waubonsie Valley enjoyed a 6-3 shot advantage after the break and earned six corner kicks, five of which came in the final six minutes. But they all went for naught.
A Glorioso cross from the left wing found an open Daniel Fritz in front with 25:30 left, but Fritz put his shot over the crossbar. Three minutes later, Milan Erastus-Obilo’s drive from the right side of the area missed the right post.
Naperville Central goalie Ethan Gentile, who relieved Redpath at halftime, made the Redhawks’ only goalkeeper save of the night with 7:45 to go when he stopped a shot from Glorioso.
The Warriors’ Javy Gonzalez missed a header wide right off a corner kick with 4:10 left, and Naperville Central defender Ben Tietjen booted a ball off the goal line following another corner kick with 2:05 to play. That was the second non-goalie save of the game for the Redhawks Lendzion blocked an Erastus-Obilo effort in the third minute of the game. Longhitano also played a key role in that sequence as he cut off Erastus-Obilo after he had gotten past Redpath. That allowed Lendzion to get in position to block the shot.
“We did hang on the last 5 but the rest of the time we had lots of nice opportunities,” Adams said. “We could not put it in the goal.”
The fact that the offense was dangerous throughout give hope that the recent struggles may be a thing of the past.
“The kids are working hard,” Adams said. “We talk about work rate being the key, and I think when you look at this game, the kids were able to work and work and work.
“We shifted formation for this game to start and then at halftime shifted again. So the ability for the kids to adapt and accept and move forward with it speaks volumes about who they are as players.”
Indeed, while there may be little difference in talent level between the Warriors and the Redhawks, it was the visitors who were a little more desperate for a win.
“I think (the difference) was work rate,” Johnson said. “We worked harder this game than I think probably any other game this season.
“We really wanted to get after it this game and get our first conference win.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK Caden Redpath
D Seth Lendzion
D Patrick Longhitano
D Josh Wiegel
D Mateo Lopez
M Owen Jarrell
M Eric Sonnenscien
M Nico Couropmitree
F Dylan Kahn
F Roman Krupka
F Johnny Kim
Waubonsie Valley
GK Bryan Grimaldo
D Adrien Mehra
D Teague Stotlar
D Brandon Garduno
D Dan Morgan
M Noah Glorioso
M Javy Gonzalez
M Zach Stanley
M Jorge Gallegos
F Milan Erastus-Obilo
F Daniel Fritz
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Mitchell Johnson, sr., D, Naperville Central
Scoring summary
First half
Waubonsie Valley – Freddy Paniagua 19:24
Naperville Central – Mikey Venardi (Owen Jarrell) 13:42
Naperville Central – Jarrell 13:09
Naperville Central – Mitchell Johnson 8:04
Waubonsie Valley – Zach Stanley (Noah Glorioso) 4:05
Second half
No scoring