65-yard goal leaves Prospect fit to be tied
Niles North's Improbable 80th-minute goal yields 2-2 draw
By Patrick Z. McGavin
MOUNT PROSPECT -- The start of any new season is always the ultimate blank slate. The early training and repetition gives way to a suddenly faster and more unpredictable set of patterns and fast action.
It is a jolting experience, from all sides. As such, early games are Rorschach tests that intertwine different forms of perception. Soccer is a bit different than most sports because it is not binary, either winning or losing. The game is more shaded and open to interpretation.
Results tend to overshadow everything else, and sometimes contradict what actually unfolded between the teams. Niles North arrived here with a slight advantage by getting in a 1-0 victory over Chicago Public League program Marine Leadership.
Part of what made the clash between the Vikings and Knights feel particularly tense was how quickly the normal lines dissolved. Appropriate to the storms Monday night, the game was jolting in how quickly momentum transferred from one side to the other.
Typically of early season games, everything was unsettled.
“For people that came to watch, they saw some good soccer tonight,” Niles North coach Filip Cejovic said. “Both teams really tried to play hard. They are a very physical, fast, aggressive, fit and well-coached team.”
In a riveting and well-played game, Niles North junior defender Rogello Urquiza punctuated an incident-packed game with a stunning closing sequence as he smashed a 65-yard free kick that took a wicked bounce for an improbable 80th-minute goal for the 2-2 draw in the CSL/MSL Challenge game Tuesday night.
“I knew we had a couple of minutes left, and we had to get some people into the box,” Urquiza said. “I am usually the long free kick specialist on the team. And fortunate for us their keeper let it through, and it was a nice goal.”
The goal came with just 57 seconds remaining. The game featured two ties and a lead change. Both teams exhibited excellent and high bursts of energy. They alternated stretches of standout play. Vikings’ keeper Sami Abdul helped preserve the draw by stopping a penalty kick in the 45th minute.
“I was very pleased with my team to get a strong result on the road, especially after playing the second half of a back-to-back game,” Cejovic said. “It was great for our kids to have a game like this, and not to lose our composure. [Prospect] is going to rival some of the teams from our conference. Playing in a game like this is going to help us down the line.
“We showed how we are capable of playing, playing from the back, moving the ball quickly from side to side, passing it along. I thought this was a very attractive game.”
Prospect (0-0-1) had a great deal to be excited about. The pace and tempo of the game was explosive off the jump. The Knights generated their first shot on goal in the opening passages. Forward Patrick Limanowka played a hard ball that required an athletic denial by Abdul.
The moment crystallized the seriousness of both sides.
“The counterattack was really working for us,” Prospect sophomore midfielder Declan Flanagan said. He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the match distinction for his superb play. He assisted both of the Knights’ goals.
“We have some things we have to touch up on, but for the most part we did what we have been training for. I thought, offensively, we were really fluid tonight. We are very optimistic about the season, and right now, we have a lot of energy. Even in those moments when we do get down, we can’t stay that way.”
Skilled with the ball and creative in space, Flanagan showed a striking ability to play the ball ahead and find open seams in the Vikings’ defensive interior. “I do what I need to for the team,” he said. “That is all I can ask for.”
Niles North (1-0-1) also had to adapt to a bigger, more skilled and more physical opponent.
“This was definitely a much better team, much more physical,” Urquiza said. “I thought we did a good job of keeping our head in the game, and we stayed focused. We fought until the end, and that is what you want.”
The end of the first half saw some excellent play and high-skill performance. Niles North parlayed its strong pressure into the opening goal. After a series of back-and-forth forays, the Vikings attacked the final third with gusto. Midfielder Zain Jamal fired a ball from about 17 yards that hit off the crossbar.
Midfielder Liam Perreault controlled the rebound ball and quickly, intuitively smashed his shot inside the far post with a follow-up ball from about 12 yards in the 33rd minute.
“I felt like we had some really good team play to get the ball moving quickly that created some really good opportunities,” Perreault said. “When I had the chance to take it, I just shot. We got two to go in tonight, and I felt like it was the result of our ability to really possess the ball and move it well and not just kick it around.”
Prospect answered persuasively. Niles North had caught their attention.
“When I saw that we were down, I tried to get more energy and connect more passes and help us win,” forward Peyton Myers said.
Moments after the Vikings’ tally, Prospect struck with an impressive flury. The quick changeover from end to end underlined vulnerabilities in the backline of each side. The game was high-risk, high-reward in that sense. In the 36th minute, Flanagan broke down the left flank and the Knights aggressively flooded the box.
Forward Alex Predescu timed his run beautifully and got the necessary final touch in the 36th minute for the Knights’ opening goal of the year.
“The counter was working and that was how we had to play,” Flanagan said. “If they leave it open we have to take advantage.”
The second half echoed much of the first half. Abdul, an athletic keeper who made several highlight reel stops. He maintained the tie with his brilliant denial of Limanowka on the penalty kick in the 45th minute. Prospect was largely unfazed by the dramatic turn of events.
In the 51st minute, Flanagan again flashed his dangerous playmaking talents by cutting through the Vikings’ interior and forcing Abdul out of the box. His through-ball took advantage of Abdul off his line and Myers finished in the open net for the Knights’ advantage.
Abdul ended up with seven saves for the Vikings. His counterpart, Szymon Mocarski, was also active and sharp. Prospect coach Michael Andrews saw much to recommend in his team’s performance.
“I told the guys it was a learning experience against a good team,” he said. “We can look back at this game and analyze both the things we did well and work on correcting the negatives, like giving up a goal at the end of the game.
“That goal was a combination of a communications error and some other factors. As a team defense, we know we cannot allow the ball in that instance to drop. Whenever any sort of free kick is happening, as a defense, we cannot allow the ball to bounce like that.”
The only disconcerting part, Roberts said, was his team’s propensity for unnecessary fouls that yielded the Vikings’ free kicks. In the broader picture, the game was all right.
“I like the spirit of this team,” Roberts said. “We went down and we fought to get back. We did not lose our composure. Now we just have to get ready for Fremd on Friday.”
Starting lineups
Niles North
GK: Sami Abdul
D: Jensen Blum
D: Eden Allahverdy
D: Rogello Urquiza
MF: Zain Jamal
MF: Liam Perreault
MF: Jimmy Boudakh
MF: Elliot Allahverdy
F: Philip Krause
F: Jesse Anamoo
F: Jalen Success
Prospect
GK: Szymon Mocarski
D: Jacob Keil
D: Edmund Conroy
D: Jonny Keane
D: Bryan Morrison
MF: Joey Boduch
MF: Declan Flanagan
MF: Tengis Tylga
F: Patrick Limanowka
F: Alex Predescu
F: Peyton Myers
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the match: Declan Flanagan, Prospect, so., MF
Scoring summary
First half
Niles North—Liam Perreault (Zain Jamal), 33rd minute
Prospect—Alex Predescu (Declan Flanagan), 36th minute
Second half
Prospect—Peyton Myers (Flanagan), 51st minute
Niles North—Rogello Urquiza (unassisted), 80th minute
Niles North's Improbable 80th-minute goal yields 2-2 draw
By Patrick Z. McGavin
MOUNT PROSPECT -- The start of any new season is always the ultimate blank slate. The early training and repetition gives way to a suddenly faster and more unpredictable set of patterns and fast action.
It is a jolting experience, from all sides. As such, early games are Rorschach tests that intertwine different forms of perception. Soccer is a bit different than most sports because it is not binary, either winning or losing. The game is more shaded and open to interpretation.
Results tend to overshadow everything else, and sometimes contradict what actually unfolded between the teams. Niles North arrived here with a slight advantage by getting in a 1-0 victory over Chicago Public League program Marine Leadership.
Part of what made the clash between the Vikings and Knights feel particularly tense was how quickly the normal lines dissolved. Appropriate to the storms Monday night, the game was jolting in how quickly momentum transferred from one side to the other.
Typically of early season games, everything was unsettled.
“For people that came to watch, they saw some good soccer tonight,” Niles North coach Filip Cejovic said. “Both teams really tried to play hard. They are a very physical, fast, aggressive, fit and well-coached team.”
In a riveting and well-played game, Niles North junior defender Rogello Urquiza punctuated an incident-packed game with a stunning closing sequence as he smashed a 65-yard free kick that took a wicked bounce for an improbable 80th-minute goal for the 2-2 draw in the CSL/MSL Challenge game Tuesday night.
“I knew we had a couple of minutes left, and we had to get some people into the box,” Urquiza said. “I am usually the long free kick specialist on the team. And fortunate for us their keeper let it through, and it was a nice goal.”
The goal came with just 57 seconds remaining. The game featured two ties and a lead change. Both teams exhibited excellent and high bursts of energy. They alternated stretches of standout play. Vikings’ keeper Sami Abdul helped preserve the draw by stopping a penalty kick in the 45th minute.
“I was very pleased with my team to get a strong result on the road, especially after playing the second half of a back-to-back game,” Cejovic said. “It was great for our kids to have a game like this, and not to lose our composure. [Prospect] is going to rival some of the teams from our conference. Playing in a game like this is going to help us down the line.
“We showed how we are capable of playing, playing from the back, moving the ball quickly from side to side, passing it along. I thought this was a very attractive game.”
Prospect (0-0-1) had a great deal to be excited about. The pace and tempo of the game was explosive off the jump. The Knights generated their first shot on goal in the opening passages. Forward Patrick Limanowka played a hard ball that required an athletic denial by Abdul.
The moment crystallized the seriousness of both sides.
“The counterattack was really working for us,” Prospect sophomore midfielder Declan Flanagan said. He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the match distinction for his superb play. He assisted both of the Knights’ goals.
“We have some things we have to touch up on, but for the most part we did what we have been training for. I thought, offensively, we were really fluid tonight. We are very optimistic about the season, and right now, we have a lot of energy. Even in those moments when we do get down, we can’t stay that way.”
Skilled with the ball and creative in space, Flanagan showed a striking ability to play the ball ahead and find open seams in the Vikings’ defensive interior. “I do what I need to for the team,” he said. “That is all I can ask for.”
Niles North (1-0-1) also had to adapt to a bigger, more skilled and more physical opponent.
“This was definitely a much better team, much more physical,” Urquiza said. “I thought we did a good job of keeping our head in the game, and we stayed focused. We fought until the end, and that is what you want.”
The end of the first half saw some excellent play and high-skill performance. Niles North parlayed its strong pressure into the opening goal. After a series of back-and-forth forays, the Vikings attacked the final third with gusto. Midfielder Zain Jamal fired a ball from about 17 yards that hit off the crossbar.
Midfielder Liam Perreault controlled the rebound ball and quickly, intuitively smashed his shot inside the far post with a follow-up ball from about 12 yards in the 33rd minute.
“I felt like we had some really good team play to get the ball moving quickly that created some really good opportunities,” Perreault said. “When I had the chance to take it, I just shot. We got two to go in tonight, and I felt like it was the result of our ability to really possess the ball and move it well and not just kick it around.”
Prospect answered persuasively. Niles North had caught their attention.
“When I saw that we were down, I tried to get more energy and connect more passes and help us win,” forward Peyton Myers said.
Moments after the Vikings’ tally, Prospect struck with an impressive flury. The quick changeover from end to end underlined vulnerabilities in the backline of each side. The game was high-risk, high-reward in that sense. In the 36th minute, Flanagan broke down the left flank and the Knights aggressively flooded the box.
Forward Alex Predescu timed his run beautifully and got the necessary final touch in the 36th minute for the Knights’ opening goal of the year.
“The counter was working and that was how we had to play,” Flanagan said. “If they leave it open we have to take advantage.”
The second half echoed much of the first half. Abdul, an athletic keeper who made several highlight reel stops. He maintained the tie with his brilliant denial of Limanowka on the penalty kick in the 45th minute. Prospect was largely unfazed by the dramatic turn of events.
In the 51st minute, Flanagan again flashed his dangerous playmaking talents by cutting through the Vikings’ interior and forcing Abdul out of the box. His through-ball took advantage of Abdul off his line and Myers finished in the open net for the Knights’ advantage.
Abdul ended up with seven saves for the Vikings. His counterpart, Szymon Mocarski, was also active and sharp. Prospect coach Michael Andrews saw much to recommend in his team’s performance.
“I told the guys it was a learning experience against a good team,” he said. “We can look back at this game and analyze both the things we did well and work on correcting the negatives, like giving up a goal at the end of the game.
“That goal was a combination of a communications error and some other factors. As a team defense, we know we cannot allow the ball in that instance to drop. Whenever any sort of free kick is happening, as a defense, we cannot allow the ball to bounce like that.”
The only disconcerting part, Roberts said, was his team’s propensity for unnecessary fouls that yielded the Vikings’ free kicks. In the broader picture, the game was all right.
“I like the spirit of this team,” Roberts said. “We went down and we fought to get back. We did not lose our composure. Now we just have to get ready for Fremd on Friday.”
Starting lineups
Niles North
GK: Sami Abdul
D: Jensen Blum
D: Eden Allahverdy
D: Rogello Urquiza
MF: Zain Jamal
MF: Liam Perreault
MF: Jimmy Boudakh
MF: Elliot Allahverdy
F: Philip Krause
F: Jesse Anamoo
F: Jalen Success
Prospect
GK: Szymon Mocarski
D: Jacob Keil
D: Edmund Conroy
D: Jonny Keane
D: Bryan Morrison
MF: Joey Boduch
MF: Declan Flanagan
MF: Tengis Tylga
F: Patrick Limanowka
F: Alex Predescu
F: Peyton Myers
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the match: Declan Flanagan, Prospect, so., MF
Scoring summary
First half
Niles North—Liam Perreault (Zain Jamal), 33rd minute
Prospect—Alex Predescu (Declan Flanagan), 36th minute
Second half
Prospect—Peyton Myers (Flanagan), 51st minute
Niles North—Rogello Urquiza (unassisted), 80th minute