Big save helps Naperville N.
wear down Downers Grove South
Welch's stop, 4 second half goals propel Huskies to 5-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Downers Grove South midfielder Kurt Bennett was told about Tommy Welch’s game-changing save; he heard it was incredible.
Bennett was flat on his back when his bicycle kick from point-blank range was turned away by Welch six minutes into the second half of Monday night’s season opener.
Welch, a 2016 Chicagoland Soccer and IHSSCA all-stater, fully extended to his left to make the play which preserved Naperville North’s 1-0 lead.
Jack Barry scored a minute later and the defending state champion and Chicagoland Soccer preseason no. 1 Huskies added three insurance goals in the final five minutes to ease to a 5-0 victory.
“To be honest I didn’t even see the save,” Bennett said. “I hit the ball, and I didn’t know where it went.
“My teammates were like, ‘What a save!’ I turned around and the keeper had the ball in his hands.
“Everyone was telling me he is a great keeper. He’s got insane reflexes.”
Of that there is no doubt. Welch, who has several Division I scholarship offers for basketball, is one of the state’s top keepers, though he usually doesn’t have to make many saves.
The junior made only two against the Mustangs, but his stop on Bennett was a turning point that left even Naperville North coach Jim Konrad shaking his head.
“The kid (is going) to get a goal of a lifetime and Tommy steals it,” Konrad said. “It’s not fair.
“I laugh at Tom because he’s a basketball kid. Obviously he’s a Division I kid. He’s got a ton of offers, and he’s going to be super successful in that. But man, he could be a pro soccer player if he chose that path, because he is so gifted.
“The shocking thing about him is he’s such a wonderful kid. A kid like that could really have a big head, but he’s just so humble and kind, and he’s a joy to be around. I’m thrilled when he makes a great save.”
Probably more thrilled than Welch himself.
“It was a good shot, but in that time it’s all about reactions, and you don’t think about it,” Welch said. “You kind of just react, so it was just preparation that made that save.
“I guess it was a big point because we were trying to be the aggressors all game, so if that goes in, they get a little more confident. But luckily I made the save and we continued to put the pressure on and got a few goals.”
That happened almost immediately. The Huskies converted on a set piece with 32:31 remaining when Ethan Harvey’s free kick from 45 yards out bounced off a head in the box and went straight to Barry, who scored to make it 2-0.
After that it was all Huskies, though the inexperienced Mustangs managed to stay within striking distance until Patrick Koenig, George Ladas and Ty Konrad converted Naperville North’s final three shots which Konrad concluded with :08 left.
“I feel (Welch’s save) was a turning point,” Bennett said. “If we did score I think we would have had a little momentum, and we could have held them and kept our shape and composure. And then later in the game maybe that outcome wouldn’t have happened.”
Downers Grove South coach Jon Stapleton agreed.
“It was a tremendous save by their keeper,” Stapleton said. “If that goes in, maybe it changes the complexion of the game.
“Ultimately I think the scoreline might not reflect (the closeness of the game) fully. They’re very good, and they dominated a lot of the possession, but we’re a young team, and there’s some things we can take away positively despite the score.
“It was a great first game for us to see a team of this caliber. It kind of paints us a picture of what it is going to take, and hopefully we can learn and grow from it.”
The experienced Huskies don’t have a lot of players with much room left to grow, but one of them is Koenig, who bagged two goals in his Naperville North debut.
The sophomore forward, who scored 17 goals for Minooka last season, got the game-winner at the 15:29 mark of the first half when he beat Downers South goalie Parker Smith high inside the right post with a 30-yard poke from the left wing.
“It was more of a cross but it was just trying to get the ball central,” Koenig said. “I guess I caught the goalie off his line a little bit. It wasn’t expected to go in, but it did.”
Koenig didn’t know what to expect when he joined the Huskies, but it certainly wasn’t a starting nod in the season opener.
“I didn’t know how much I was going to play, because there were two seniors ahead of me that were returning players who had played all (last) year,” Koenig said. “It’s just a big shock to me.”
Koenig later scored on a penalty kick to make it 3-0 with 5:28 remaining in the second half, capping a debut that could not have gone any better.
“No, honestly, I was really nervous coming into this,” Koenig said. “I didn’t know what to expect but thought I had to come out here and just do what I do and help my team out.”
Jim Konrad wasn’t surprised to see Koenig do so.
“It was good to break the ice and get a goal, especially for a kid that’s new to the varsity team,” Konrad said. “It got us going.
“Patrick does a nice job of striking the ball. Any time he whips a serve in it’s going to be dangerous and you see that happen so often in soccer where a kid just plays a ball in.
“The goalkeeper is fantastic for Downers South. It just caught him back post, and he (Koenig) couldn’t have put the ball in any better.”
Koenig’s teammates are glad to have him on board. He could pick up some of the scoring slack as the Huskies seek to replace tremendous production of the graduated Chris Sullivan, who tallied 19 goals in each of the past two seasons.
“We welcomed him with open arms and he produced, so we’re happy to have him,” Welch said. “He’s part of the family now.”
Downers Grove South, which has just four returning players with significant varsity experience, is still in the process of jelling. That group includes Bennett, one of many players who made his varsity debut.
“I feel I learned that our defensive shape is really, really good, that we learned how to defend real well, but our attacking and our midfield needs a little more intensity and a little more accuracy,” Bennett said. “That’s what we’ll have to work on in practice.”
Stapleton was encouraged by what he saw from the rookies.
“Collectively defensively, maybe up until the last 15-20 minutes, I thought we played pretty well,” Stapleton said. “We were forced to defend a lot.
“As the game went on you could see us become a little more comfortable in possession. The speed of play is different than practice, and then you put (us against) a team of this caliber and they start to realize what it takes to move the ball against the tougher teams.
“Our kids didn’t give up. Even late in the game there was an effort that was still there. I was proud of the effort they gave down the stretch to the final whistle.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Tommy Welch
D Ethan Harvey
D Mitch Konrad
D Colin Iverson
D Matt Bilardello
M Cesar Recendez
M Will Ritzmann
M Jack Barry
F Jack Hill
F Patrick Koenig
F Ty Konrad
Downers Grove South
GK Parker Smith
D Max Schmidt-Bailey
D Peter Pierropoulos
D Michael Beube
D Adam Chaplin
M Alex Flores
M Eric Torres
M Erick Gonzalez
M James David
F Hristijan Veceski
F Enrique Gonzalez
Chicagoland MVP of the Match – Tommy Welch, GK, Naperville North
Scoring Summary
First half
Naperville North – Koenig, 15:39
Second half
Naperville North – Barry 32:31
Naperville North – Koenig (PK) 5:17
Naperville North – George Ladas 3:28
Naperville North – Ty Konrad :08
wear down Downers Grove South
Welch's stop, 4 second half goals propel Huskies to 5-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Downers Grove South midfielder Kurt Bennett was told about Tommy Welch’s game-changing save; he heard it was incredible.
Bennett was flat on his back when his bicycle kick from point-blank range was turned away by Welch six minutes into the second half of Monday night’s season opener.
Welch, a 2016 Chicagoland Soccer and IHSSCA all-stater, fully extended to his left to make the play which preserved Naperville North’s 1-0 lead.
Jack Barry scored a minute later and the defending state champion and Chicagoland Soccer preseason no. 1 Huskies added three insurance goals in the final five minutes to ease to a 5-0 victory.
“To be honest I didn’t even see the save,” Bennett said. “I hit the ball, and I didn’t know where it went.
“My teammates were like, ‘What a save!’ I turned around and the keeper had the ball in his hands.
“Everyone was telling me he is a great keeper. He’s got insane reflexes.”
Of that there is no doubt. Welch, who has several Division I scholarship offers for basketball, is one of the state’s top keepers, though he usually doesn’t have to make many saves.
The junior made only two against the Mustangs, but his stop on Bennett was a turning point that left even Naperville North coach Jim Konrad shaking his head.
“The kid (is going) to get a goal of a lifetime and Tommy steals it,” Konrad said. “It’s not fair.
“I laugh at Tom because he’s a basketball kid. Obviously he’s a Division I kid. He’s got a ton of offers, and he’s going to be super successful in that. But man, he could be a pro soccer player if he chose that path, because he is so gifted.
“The shocking thing about him is he’s such a wonderful kid. A kid like that could really have a big head, but he’s just so humble and kind, and he’s a joy to be around. I’m thrilled when he makes a great save.”
Probably more thrilled than Welch himself.
“It was a good shot, but in that time it’s all about reactions, and you don’t think about it,” Welch said. “You kind of just react, so it was just preparation that made that save.
“I guess it was a big point because we were trying to be the aggressors all game, so if that goes in, they get a little more confident. But luckily I made the save and we continued to put the pressure on and got a few goals.”
That happened almost immediately. The Huskies converted on a set piece with 32:31 remaining when Ethan Harvey’s free kick from 45 yards out bounced off a head in the box and went straight to Barry, who scored to make it 2-0.
After that it was all Huskies, though the inexperienced Mustangs managed to stay within striking distance until Patrick Koenig, George Ladas and Ty Konrad converted Naperville North’s final three shots which Konrad concluded with :08 left.
“I feel (Welch’s save) was a turning point,” Bennett said. “If we did score I think we would have had a little momentum, and we could have held them and kept our shape and composure. And then later in the game maybe that outcome wouldn’t have happened.”
Downers Grove South coach Jon Stapleton agreed.
“It was a tremendous save by their keeper,” Stapleton said. “If that goes in, maybe it changes the complexion of the game.
“Ultimately I think the scoreline might not reflect (the closeness of the game) fully. They’re very good, and they dominated a lot of the possession, but we’re a young team, and there’s some things we can take away positively despite the score.
“It was a great first game for us to see a team of this caliber. It kind of paints us a picture of what it is going to take, and hopefully we can learn and grow from it.”
The experienced Huskies don’t have a lot of players with much room left to grow, but one of them is Koenig, who bagged two goals in his Naperville North debut.
The sophomore forward, who scored 17 goals for Minooka last season, got the game-winner at the 15:29 mark of the first half when he beat Downers South goalie Parker Smith high inside the right post with a 30-yard poke from the left wing.
“It was more of a cross but it was just trying to get the ball central,” Koenig said. “I guess I caught the goalie off his line a little bit. It wasn’t expected to go in, but it did.”
Koenig didn’t know what to expect when he joined the Huskies, but it certainly wasn’t a starting nod in the season opener.
“I didn’t know how much I was going to play, because there were two seniors ahead of me that were returning players who had played all (last) year,” Koenig said. “It’s just a big shock to me.”
Koenig later scored on a penalty kick to make it 3-0 with 5:28 remaining in the second half, capping a debut that could not have gone any better.
“No, honestly, I was really nervous coming into this,” Koenig said. “I didn’t know what to expect but thought I had to come out here and just do what I do and help my team out.”
Jim Konrad wasn’t surprised to see Koenig do so.
“It was good to break the ice and get a goal, especially for a kid that’s new to the varsity team,” Konrad said. “It got us going.
“Patrick does a nice job of striking the ball. Any time he whips a serve in it’s going to be dangerous and you see that happen so often in soccer where a kid just plays a ball in.
“The goalkeeper is fantastic for Downers South. It just caught him back post, and he (Koenig) couldn’t have put the ball in any better.”
Koenig’s teammates are glad to have him on board. He could pick up some of the scoring slack as the Huskies seek to replace tremendous production of the graduated Chris Sullivan, who tallied 19 goals in each of the past two seasons.
“We welcomed him with open arms and he produced, so we’re happy to have him,” Welch said. “He’s part of the family now.”
Downers Grove South, which has just four returning players with significant varsity experience, is still in the process of jelling. That group includes Bennett, one of many players who made his varsity debut.
“I feel I learned that our defensive shape is really, really good, that we learned how to defend real well, but our attacking and our midfield needs a little more intensity and a little more accuracy,” Bennett said. “That’s what we’ll have to work on in practice.”
Stapleton was encouraged by what he saw from the rookies.
“Collectively defensively, maybe up until the last 15-20 minutes, I thought we played pretty well,” Stapleton said. “We were forced to defend a lot.
“As the game went on you could see us become a little more comfortable in possession. The speed of play is different than practice, and then you put (us against) a team of this caliber and they start to realize what it takes to move the ball against the tougher teams.
“Our kids didn’t give up. Even late in the game there was an effort that was still there. I was proud of the effort they gave down the stretch to the final whistle.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Tommy Welch
D Ethan Harvey
D Mitch Konrad
D Colin Iverson
D Matt Bilardello
M Cesar Recendez
M Will Ritzmann
M Jack Barry
F Jack Hill
F Patrick Koenig
F Ty Konrad
Downers Grove South
GK Parker Smith
D Max Schmidt-Bailey
D Peter Pierropoulos
D Michael Beube
D Adam Chaplin
M Alex Flores
M Eric Torres
M Erick Gonzalez
M James David
F Hristijan Veceski
F Enrique Gonzalez
Chicagoland MVP of the Match – Tommy Welch, GK, Naperville North
Scoring Summary
First half
Naperville North – Koenig, 15:39
Second half
Naperville North – Barry 32:31
Naperville North – Koenig (PK) 5:17
Naperville North – George Ladas 3:28
Naperville North – Ty Konrad :08