Niles North strikes quickly to down Deerfield
Early goal sets tone, Warriors fall 4-1
By Bobby Narang
DEERFIELD — For the second-straight season, Deerfield and Niles North prepared to meet up for a key Central Suburban League North Division game. And for the second-straight season, the weather played a factor.
A year ago, the Warriors had their road game against the Vikings called with 27:13 remaining in the second half because of lightning. The game went in the books as a 0-0 tie.
Tuesday night did not go as well for Deerfield.
This time, the game was delayed 45 minutes after heavy lightning hit the area several minutes before the scheduled 6:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Warriors would’ve preferred a similar outcome to last season’s result, but Niles North (10-1-3, 1-0-2) saw the opportunity for a quality conference road victory and took it. The Vikings scored three goals in the first half to cruise to a 4-1 triumph over the Warriors.
Deerfield’s Ryder Coleman’s penalty kick in the 69th minute allowed the Warriors (4-7-1, 0-2-1) to avoid the shutout.
The forward said the delay brought back memories from last season’s game against the Vikings. It also affected his pregame routine.
“I was like, ‘Wow, Niles North a delay for the second year in a row,’” Coleman said. “I didn’t think we would wind up playing because of the amount of lightning so close to game time.
“I was kind of at a loss. I didn’t know how to mentally prepare. It’s so hard for me to mentally prepare when I’m not sure if I’m 100 percent going to be playing a game.
“Once I found out we were playing, I was locked in.
“We have to be focused 80 minutes. We made these small mental mistakes that led to goals. That’s what has been killing us.”
Deerfield coach Ryan Crane liked the way his team fought until the end of the game, but he preferred a better start.
“You have to roll with the changes, and credit to them because they started off strong,” Crane said. “We didn’t. We gave up an early goal off a set piece. We talked about how that can’t happen.
“They followed that up with another goal in quick succession. I don’t feel like we were mentally locked in for the start of the game.
“That hurt us against a quality opponent like Niles North. They’re always going to work hard and put pressure on you. You can’t have any lapses of judgement.”
The coach did find a bright spot, however.
“The last 20 minutes was a great stretch for us,” he said.
Strong play from Niles North’s Trey Zakeri caused the Warriors problems. After sitting out last season with a knee injury, the junior midfielder flashed his potential in Tuesday’s victory. His aggressiveness and eager attitude fueled the Vikings’ fast start and helped inspire his teammates.
He scored two goals in the first half, sandwiched around a netter from Quinn Graham, to deliver a comfortable cushion with 9:10 remaining in the first half.
Zakeri said he’s cherished playing soccer following a long offseason dealing with rehab.
“I was cleared to start practicing at the start of 2022, but wasn’t cleared to start playing until March in games,” he said. “Coach has been telling me to push up more forward and be more offensive. It has definitely helped out. I had to change my mindset, to play that ball and to run forward and mentally check into the game.”
Soon after the series of lightning bolts left the area, Zakeri supplied his own electricity with a goal less than two minutes into the game. He smacked a header into the net via an assist from Anthony Sticlaru from seven yards for his first goal of the season.
“On the throw-in, I got up there,” he said. “I tried to hit it into the front post. Luckily the ball came to me, and I hit it off the side of my head.”
With 9:10 left, Zakeri doubled his goal output for the season and padded the lead off a corner kick.
“A lot of times that ball will go in front of the goal, so I stayed back in case it went back and to my luck it did,” he said. “I saw the goalie come out in front and hit to the back post.”
Niles North senior captain and midfielder Kyle Pham said the Vikings’ first conference victory could provide a mid-season jolt. The Vikings tied with Vernon Hills and Maine West in their first two league games.
“This is huge to get back on the winning streak, because we’ve been working so hard,” Pham said. “We’ve had an unlucky string with injuries, so it’s good to be back on the winning streak and having some guys back.
“We settled down and moved the ball and controlled the game. We have crazy potential and just have to keep working toward it.”
Deerfield attempted to battle back but just couldn’t connect passes nor convert on quality shots for most of the game. Coleman sent in a screamer of a shot that was saved by Niles North goalie Colin Schnabel in the 57th minute.
Senior forward Cole Gawin was kept off the score sheet despite a high energy level and shot attempts that were saved in the 43rd and 56th minutes.
Niles North junior midfielder Ismet Bojku built his team’s lead to 4-0 with a goal in the 67th minute.
Coleman broke up the shutout when he knocked in a penalty kick to his left with 11:37 remaining. Schnabel deflected the attempt, but the ball flew inside the near post for the senior’s ninth goal of the season.
“I put my hips to the right to try and fake the goal keeper into diving to the right and then shooting to the left,” Coleman said. “He guessed right, but it still just happened to slip through.”
Crane pointed to the return of junior defender Carlos Pacheco as a positive sign for the second half of the season. Pacheco suffered a concussion against Hoffman Estates in his first career varsity game. He missed the next 10 matches before returning to the pitch Tuesday.
“Carlos got a nasty concussion the first game of the season,” Crane said. “He did a great job during tryouts, so we were really excited to see what he would give us. To not have him for a long stretch really hurt us. I thought tonight he gave us a ton of energy and passion on top of the skill he brings.
“We talked about that last 20 minutes … a great stretch, especially when we got that goal. If things are going well, there’s no reason why we can’t be fighting for 80 minutes. For the most part, we did that tonight. That’s a good Niles North team.”
Meanwhile, Pacheco, a reserve, said he was happy to contribute to the Warriors following his long layoff.
“It feels nice to be back,” he said. “My first varsity game didn’t go as planned. Even though we had a tough loss to a conference opponent, it was nice to get back out on the pitch. Getting back in the vibe with the program and training with all the coaches and players was nice.
“I’m really tired, because I hadn’t played a soccer game in a while. I just tried to rely on my mentality and keep pushing myself in the game.”
Niles North coach Filip Cejovic and his players were all smiles following the well-earned victory at a tough venue. Cejovic said the return of defenders Daniel Sticlaru and Vasilis Callas bolstered the backline. He also praised Zakeri for his solid effort.
“Beating Deerfield is always a tall task, but beating them here is a completely other beast,” Cejovic said laughing. “Deerfield is a very well coached and organized squad.
“We had a couple of players come back today. We really felt their inspiration. We really missed them, which allowed us to go back to our normal rotation.
“Trey is one of the most industrious players we’ve had. He seems to be getting stronger with every game, and seemed to hit his stride in conference play.
“The boys came out with a proper attitude and approach. We have tried to change the culture where we really want to believe we can get to a point where we’re maybe expecting to win. I can’t say that’s the case when we come to Deerfield.
“But I was happy they came out strong and played quality soccer against a good opponent. We’ve had a nice season so far. We’re hopeful the last conference game we play against Maine East is meaningful and the two draws we had don’t put us too far behind in the race.”
Starting lineups
Niles North
GK: Colin Schnabel
D: Spanya Odisho
D: Daniel Sticlaru
D: Vasilis Callas
D: Johan Lazo
MF: Trey Zakeri
MF: Kyle Pham
MF: Daniel Escobedo
MF: Irfan Sarvan
F: Quinn Graham
F: Anthony Sticlaru
Deerfield
GK: Xander Yang
D: Chase Goldsmith
D: James Weiner
D: Justin Blumenthal
D: Matthew Neumann
MF: Jason Nieder
MF: Nathan Garcia
MF: Aidan O’Connor
MF: Addison Simon
F: Cristian Carani
F: Ryder Coleman
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Trey Zakeri, jr., MF, Niles North
Scoring summary
First half
Niles North: Zakeri (Anthony Sticlaru), 2’
Niles North: Graham (Sarvan), 11’
Niles North: Zakeri (Anthony Sticlaru), 31’
Second half
Niles North: Bojku (Lazo), 57’
Deerfield: Coleman (penalty kick), 69’
Early goal sets tone, Warriors fall 4-1
By Bobby Narang
DEERFIELD — For the second-straight season, Deerfield and Niles North prepared to meet up for a key Central Suburban League North Division game. And for the second-straight season, the weather played a factor.
A year ago, the Warriors had their road game against the Vikings called with 27:13 remaining in the second half because of lightning. The game went in the books as a 0-0 tie.
Tuesday night did not go as well for Deerfield.
This time, the game was delayed 45 minutes after heavy lightning hit the area several minutes before the scheduled 6:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Warriors would’ve preferred a similar outcome to last season’s result, but Niles North (10-1-3, 1-0-2) saw the opportunity for a quality conference road victory and took it. The Vikings scored three goals in the first half to cruise to a 4-1 triumph over the Warriors.
Deerfield’s Ryder Coleman’s penalty kick in the 69th minute allowed the Warriors (4-7-1, 0-2-1) to avoid the shutout.
The forward said the delay brought back memories from last season’s game against the Vikings. It also affected his pregame routine.
“I was like, ‘Wow, Niles North a delay for the second year in a row,’” Coleman said. “I didn’t think we would wind up playing because of the amount of lightning so close to game time.
“I was kind of at a loss. I didn’t know how to mentally prepare. It’s so hard for me to mentally prepare when I’m not sure if I’m 100 percent going to be playing a game.
“Once I found out we were playing, I was locked in.
“We have to be focused 80 minutes. We made these small mental mistakes that led to goals. That’s what has been killing us.”
Deerfield coach Ryan Crane liked the way his team fought until the end of the game, but he preferred a better start.
“You have to roll with the changes, and credit to them because they started off strong,” Crane said. “We didn’t. We gave up an early goal off a set piece. We talked about how that can’t happen.
“They followed that up with another goal in quick succession. I don’t feel like we were mentally locked in for the start of the game.
“That hurt us against a quality opponent like Niles North. They’re always going to work hard and put pressure on you. You can’t have any lapses of judgement.”
The coach did find a bright spot, however.
“The last 20 minutes was a great stretch for us,” he said.
Strong play from Niles North’s Trey Zakeri caused the Warriors problems. After sitting out last season with a knee injury, the junior midfielder flashed his potential in Tuesday’s victory. His aggressiveness and eager attitude fueled the Vikings’ fast start and helped inspire his teammates.
He scored two goals in the first half, sandwiched around a netter from Quinn Graham, to deliver a comfortable cushion with 9:10 remaining in the first half.
Zakeri said he’s cherished playing soccer following a long offseason dealing with rehab.
“I was cleared to start practicing at the start of 2022, but wasn’t cleared to start playing until March in games,” he said. “Coach has been telling me to push up more forward and be more offensive. It has definitely helped out. I had to change my mindset, to play that ball and to run forward and mentally check into the game.”
Soon after the series of lightning bolts left the area, Zakeri supplied his own electricity with a goal less than two minutes into the game. He smacked a header into the net via an assist from Anthony Sticlaru from seven yards for his first goal of the season.
“On the throw-in, I got up there,” he said. “I tried to hit it into the front post. Luckily the ball came to me, and I hit it off the side of my head.”
With 9:10 left, Zakeri doubled his goal output for the season and padded the lead off a corner kick.
“A lot of times that ball will go in front of the goal, so I stayed back in case it went back and to my luck it did,” he said. “I saw the goalie come out in front and hit to the back post.”
Niles North senior captain and midfielder Kyle Pham said the Vikings’ first conference victory could provide a mid-season jolt. The Vikings tied with Vernon Hills and Maine West in their first two league games.
“This is huge to get back on the winning streak, because we’ve been working so hard,” Pham said. “We’ve had an unlucky string with injuries, so it’s good to be back on the winning streak and having some guys back.
“We settled down and moved the ball and controlled the game. We have crazy potential and just have to keep working toward it.”
Deerfield attempted to battle back but just couldn’t connect passes nor convert on quality shots for most of the game. Coleman sent in a screamer of a shot that was saved by Niles North goalie Colin Schnabel in the 57th minute.
Senior forward Cole Gawin was kept off the score sheet despite a high energy level and shot attempts that were saved in the 43rd and 56th minutes.
Niles North junior midfielder Ismet Bojku built his team’s lead to 4-0 with a goal in the 67th minute.
Coleman broke up the shutout when he knocked in a penalty kick to his left with 11:37 remaining. Schnabel deflected the attempt, but the ball flew inside the near post for the senior’s ninth goal of the season.
“I put my hips to the right to try and fake the goal keeper into diving to the right and then shooting to the left,” Coleman said. “He guessed right, but it still just happened to slip through.”
Crane pointed to the return of junior defender Carlos Pacheco as a positive sign for the second half of the season. Pacheco suffered a concussion against Hoffman Estates in his first career varsity game. He missed the next 10 matches before returning to the pitch Tuesday.
“Carlos got a nasty concussion the first game of the season,” Crane said. “He did a great job during tryouts, so we were really excited to see what he would give us. To not have him for a long stretch really hurt us. I thought tonight he gave us a ton of energy and passion on top of the skill he brings.
“We talked about that last 20 minutes … a great stretch, especially when we got that goal. If things are going well, there’s no reason why we can’t be fighting for 80 minutes. For the most part, we did that tonight. That’s a good Niles North team.”
Meanwhile, Pacheco, a reserve, said he was happy to contribute to the Warriors following his long layoff.
“It feels nice to be back,” he said. “My first varsity game didn’t go as planned. Even though we had a tough loss to a conference opponent, it was nice to get back out on the pitch. Getting back in the vibe with the program and training with all the coaches and players was nice.
“I’m really tired, because I hadn’t played a soccer game in a while. I just tried to rely on my mentality and keep pushing myself in the game.”
Niles North coach Filip Cejovic and his players were all smiles following the well-earned victory at a tough venue. Cejovic said the return of defenders Daniel Sticlaru and Vasilis Callas bolstered the backline. He also praised Zakeri for his solid effort.
“Beating Deerfield is always a tall task, but beating them here is a completely other beast,” Cejovic said laughing. “Deerfield is a very well coached and organized squad.
“We had a couple of players come back today. We really felt their inspiration. We really missed them, which allowed us to go back to our normal rotation.
“Trey is one of the most industrious players we’ve had. He seems to be getting stronger with every game, and seemed to hit his stride in conference play.
“The boys came out with a proper attitude and approach. We have tried to change the culture where we really want to believe we can get to a point where we’re maybe expecting to win. I can’t say that’s the case when we come to Deerfield.
“But I was happy they came out strong and played quality soccer against a good opponent. We’ve had a nice season so far. We’re hopeful the last conference game we play against Maine East is meaningful and the two draws we had don’t put us too far behind in the race.”
Starting lineups
Niles North
GK: Colin Schnabel
D: Spanya Odisho
D: Daniel Sticlaru
D: Vasilis Callas
D: Johan Lazo
MF: Trey Zakeri
MF: Kyle Pham
MF: Daniel Escobedo
MF: Irfan Sarvan
F: Quinn Graham
F: Anthony Sticlaru
Deerfield
GK: Xander Yang
D: Chase Goldsmith
D: James Weiner
D: Justin Blumenthal
D: Matthew Neumann
MF: Jason Nieder
MF: Nathan Garcia
MF: Aidan O’Connor
MF: Addison Simon
F: Cristian Carani
F: Ryder Coleman
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Trey Zakeri, jr., MF, Niles North
Scoring summary
First half
Niles North: Zakeri (Anthony Sticlaru), 2’
Niles North: Graham (Sarvan), 11’
Niles North: Zakeri (Anthony Sticlaru), 31’
Second half
Niles North: Bojku (Lazo), 57’
Deerfield: Coleman (penalty kick), 69’