Late tally lifts Naperville C. over Lake Park
Zain scores in final minute; Redhawks in hunt for league title
By Ken Keenan
ROSELLE -- Just when it seemed a sure bet that overtime would be required to settle a scoreless tie between host Lake Park and Naperville Central in rain-soaked DuPage Valley Conference action Tuesday night, Nate Zain bucked the odds and scored on a rebound with 56 seconds remaining to give the Redhawks a 1-0 win.
Zain, a senior midfielder, finished from in close after Lake Park emergency goalkeeper Daniel Nocek dove to punch away a hard, low strike by Naperville Central junior mid Ivan Dosen. Nocek, a defender by trade, was forced into action when Lancers' starting keeper Christian Lekki left the contest with a bruised forehead following a collision in the box with dangerous Redhawks' senior forward Ryan Coleman in the 77th minute.
"I ran out to the ball, and I got my head stepped on," said Lekki, a junior. "I didn't want to come out, but you have to come off (the field) when you go down. I trust (Nocek) in there, but the hardest part for a goalkeeper is a bouncing ball coming in fast. It's hard to judge."
Lake Park head coach Sean Crosby said, "Danny (Nocek) did a great job to get it out of the frame, but (the Redhawks) crashed and got it in. I feel bad for Danny. He did he did a good job spraying the ball away, but the advantage there is to the attackers."
Zain, Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match, said, "The ball skipped on goal, and I was in the right place at the right time to put (the rebound) in. Not ideal conditions to play in, but we got it done. It's a big win."
Naperville Central head coach Troy Adams said he told his players to, "hit it so it skips" when addressing the slick conditions on Lake Park's all-grass, soccer-only field on the East Campus, and termed Dosen's initial shot "an impossible ball to read."
The Redhawks' skipper added: "We had a lot of opportunities. We just couldn't find the goal. But we'll take wins any way we can get 'em. I told the guys, 'You can't control the weather or the ref or the opponent, but you can control your attitude.'"
Naperville Central, ranked 13th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, improved to 12-4-3 overall and 6-1-1 in DVC after its regular season finale. The win kept the Redhawks in the running for the league title, which depends on the outcome of the Naperville North at Neuqua Valley game Thursday. Naperville Central will win the conference if Neuqua Valley upsets 2nd-ranked Naperville North. A tie means a shared title; a Naperville North win gives the Huskies their fourth-straight crown.
With one match left before the IHSA postseason begins, Lake Park fell to 9-7-3, 3-5-0.
Lekki, who returned to guard the cage following Zain's goal, said, "It's a little painful to lose this one, because it was so late in the game. Other than that, we did a good job. I think we did really well against a very good team. We played as a unit -- a lot of communication. I was talking to my defense and was ready for anything."
Lekki needed to be on his toes against the attack-minded Redhawks -- especially ball-magnet Coleman, who created a slew of chances in tandem with Zain, Dosen, junior defenders Jimmy Kalkofen and Cameron Strang, and others.
Taking a long ball in stride from Kalkofen in the 11th minute, Coleman nipped a shot just past the far post from the right side. Coleman also bounced a 25-yard sizzler that Lekki handled in the 22nd minute, rifled another 25-yard try that missed wide-right with 12:40 left before intermission, uncorked a quick, left-footed shot that sailed wide-left in the 31st minute, and hammered a shot wide-left to conclude a long run down the right side in the 38th minute.
"He's a great forward," Crosby said of Coleman. "He can be shifty, and that made it tough on the backline. Zain is a great player, too. They kept us busy."
Lekki nabbed a 40-yard scooter by Dosen in the 27th minute, shortly after watching Redhawks' sophomore mid Owen Jarrell step around three defenders before firing wide-right from a deep angle on the left side.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't get an early goal," Kalkofen said. "In this weather, every touch you have to be more on point."
Lake Park's best opportunities in the first half came on a 30-yard shot by junior mid Franco Presta that Naperville Central junior keeper Ethan Conners stopped in the 13th minute, a left-footed, curling strike by Presta from a wide angle on the right side that Conners rejected in the 17th minute, and a 40-yard bomb by senior mid Chris Nasiadka that zoomed wide-right seconds before the horn sounded to signal the break.
"We thought it would be sloppy or ugly with the (wet) conditions, but both teams were getting chances," Crosby said. "It was a very evenly matched game. Our guys battled, their guys battled -- not the ugly scrum you'd think with this weather. It was a like a half-court basketball game -- very much back and forth."
The two teams traded chances in the opening minutes of the second half, with Lekki snuffing a 20-yard try by Kalkofen, followed by Conners' answer for a 30-yard blast by Nocek at the other end.
With 30:40 left in regulation, Lekki nabbed a 35-yard, left-footed strike by Redhawks' sophomore midfielder Nico Couropmitree. Three minutes later, a multi-touch possession for Lake Park ended when junior mid Matteo Costa cut to the right and delivered a wide-angle shot that missed high.
Coleman launched a 30-yard, left-footed missile that missed wide-left with 20:35 left, and he crossed a ball to Dosen for a sneaky, 20-yard shot that missed wide-right with 16:10 to go.
In turn, Lancers' senior mid Sebastian Glodz fired wide-left from a sharp angle on the right side in the 70th minute, and Lake Park junior mid Andrew Eliopoulos missed high from 35 yards with 8:25 showing on the clock.
"I'm proud of the way we played," Crosby said. "We lost in the last minute, but it could have gone either way. Unfortunately, it went their way. But it was a great tune-up for the playoffs."
Exiting the wet pitch with victory in tow after the hard-fought battle, Adams agreed with Crosby's assessment.
"At the end of the day, this is a game that should prepare us for the playoffs," the Redhawks' skipper said. "These are the kinds of games you'll have in the state tourney."
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
G: Ethan Conners
D: Jimmy Kalkofen
D: Jake Crawford
D: Tanner Greenhagen
D: Rokas Stadalninkas
D: Cameron Strang
M: Nico Couropmitree
M: Owen Jarrell
M: Nate Zain
M: Rohan Bhargava
F: Ryan Coleman
Lake Park
G: Christian Lekki
D: Daniel Nocek
D: Tom Zakic
D: Sebastian Augustyn
D: Max Ellenbecker
M: Andrew Eliopoulos
M: Sebastian Glodz
M: Matteo Costa
M: Chris Nasiadka
M: Franco Presta
F: Jesus Juarez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nate Zain, sr., M, Naperville Central
Scoring summary
Second half
1. Naperville Central: Nate Zain (assisted by Ivan Dosen), 80th minute
Zain scores in final minute; Redhawks in hunt for league title
By Ken Keenan
ROSELLE -- Just when it seemed a sure bet that overtime would be required to settle a scoreless tie between host Lake Park and Naperville Central in rain-soaked DuPage Valley Conference action Tuesday night, Nate Zain bucked the odds and scored on a rebound with 56 seconds remaining to give the Redhawks a 1-0 win.
Zain, a senior midfielder, finished from in close after Lake Park emergency goalkeeper Daniel Nocek dove to punch away a hard, low strike by Naperville Central junior mid Ivan Dosen. Nocek, a defender by trade, was forced into action when Lancers' starting keeper Christian Lekki left the contest with a bruised forehead following a collision in the box with dangerous Redhawks' senior forward Ryan Coleman in the 77th minute.
"I ran out to the ball, and I got my head stepped on," said Lekki, a junior. "I didn't want to come out, but you have to come off (the field) when you go down. I trust (Nocek) in there, but the hardest part for a goalkeeper is a bouncing ball coming in fast. It's hard to judge."
Lake Park head coach Sean Crosby said, "Danny (Nocek) did a great job to get it out of the frame, but (the Redhawks) crashed and got it in. I feel bad for Danny. He did he did a good job spraying the ball away, but the advantage there is to the attackers."
Zain, Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match, said, "The ball skipped on goal, and I was in the right place at the right time to put (the rebound) in. Not ideal conditions to play in, but we got it done. It's a big win."
Naperville Central head coach Troy Adams said he told his players to, "hit it so it skips" when addressing the slick conditions on Lake Park's all-grass, soccer-only field on the East Campus, and termed Dosen's initial shot "an impossible ball to read."
The Redhawks' skipper added: "We had a lot of opportunities. We just couldn't find the goal. But we'll take wins any way we can get 'em. I told the guys, 'You can't control the weather or the ref or the opponent, but you can control your attitude.'"
Naperville Central, ranked 13th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, improved to 12-4-3 overall and 6-1-1 in DVC after its regular season finale. The win kept the Redhawks in the running for the league title, which depends on the outcome of the Naperville North at Neuqua Valley game Thursday. Naperville Central will win the conference if Neuqua Valley upsets 2nd-ranked Naperville North. A tie means a shared title; a Naperville North win gives the Huskies their fourth-straight crown.
With one match left before the IHSA postseason begins, Lake Park fell to 9-7-3, 3-5-0.
Lekki, who returned to guard the cage following Zain's goal, said, "It's a little painful to lose this one, because it was so late in the game. Other than that, we did a good job. I think we did really well against a very good team. We played as a unit -- a lot of communication. I was talking to my defense and was ready for anything."
Lekki needed to be on his toes against the attack-minded Redhawks -- especially ball-magnet Coleman, who created a slew of chances in tandem with Zain, Dosen, junior defenders Jimmy Kalkofen and Cameron Strang, and others.
Taking a long ball in stride from Kalkofen in the 11th minute, Coleman nipped a shot just past the far post from the right side. Coleman also bounced a 25-yard sizzler that Lekki handled in the 22nd minute, rifled another 25-yard try that missed wide-right with 12:40 left before intermission, uncorked a quick, left-footed shot that sailed wide-left in the 31st minute, and hammered a shot wide-left to conclude a long run down the right side in the 38th minute.
"He's a great forward," Crosby said of Coleman. "He can be shifty, and that made it tough on the backline. Zain is a great player, too. They kept us busy."
Lekki nabbed a 40-yard scooter by Dosen in the 27th minute, shortly after watching Redhawks' sophomore mid Owen Jarrell step around three defenders before firing wide-right from a deep angle on the left side.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't get an early goal," Kalkofen said. "In this weather, every touch you have to be more on point."
Lake Park's best opportunities in the first half came on a 30-yard shot by junior mid Franco Presta that Naperville Central junior keeper Ethan Conners stopped in the 13th minute, a left-footed, curling strike by Presta from a wide angle on the right side that Conners rejected in the 17th minute, and a 40-yard bomb by senior mid Chris Nasiadka that zoomed wide-right seconds before the horn sounded to signal the break.
"We thought it would be sloppy or ugly with the (wet) conditions, but both teams were getting chances," Crosby said. "It was a very evenly matched game. Our guys battled, their guys battled -- not the ugly scrum you'd think with this weather. It was a like a half-court basketball game -- very much back and forth."
The two teams traded chances in the opening minutes of the second half, with Lekki snuffing a 20-yard try by Kalkofen, followed by Conners' answer for a 30-yard blast by Nocek at the other end.
With 30:40 left in regulation, Lekki nabbed a 35-yard, left-footed strike by Redhawks' sophomore midfielder Nico Couropmitree. Three minutes later, a multi-touch possession for Lake Park ended when junior mid Matteo Costa cut to the right and delivered a wide-angle shot that missed high.
Coleman launched a 30-yard, left-footed missile that missed wide-left with 20:35 left, and he crossed a ball to Dosen for a sneaky, 20-yard shot that missed wide-right with 16:10 to go.
In turn, Lancers' senior mid Sebastian Glodz fired wide-left from a sharp angle on the right side in the 70th minute, and Lake Park junior mid Andrew Eliopoulos missed high from 35 yards with 8:25 showing on the clock.
"I'm proud of the way we played," Crosby said. "We lost in the last minute, but it could have gone either way. Unfortunately, it went their way. But it was a great tune-up for the playoffs."
Exiting the wet pitch with victory in tow after the hard-fought battle, Adams agreed with Crosby's assessment.
"At the end of the day, this is a game that should prepare us for the playoffs," the Redhawks' skipper said. "These are the kinds of games you'll have in the state tourney."
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
G: Ethan Conners
D: Jimmy Kalkofen
D: Jake Crawford
D: Tanner Greenhagen
D: Rokas Stadalninkas
D: Cameron Strang
M: Nico Couropmitree
M: Owen Jarrell
M: Nate Zain
M: Rohan Bhargava
F: Ryan Coleman
Lake Park
G: Christian Lekki
D: Daniel Nocek
D: Tom Zakic
D: Sebastian Augustyn
D: Max Ellenbecker
M: Andrew Eliopoulos
M: Sebastian Glodz
M: Matteo Costa
M: Chris Nasiadka
M: Franco Presta
F: Jesus Juarez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nate Zain, sr., M, Naperville Central
Scoring summary
Second half
1. Naperville Central: Nate Zain (assisted by Ivan Dosen), 80th minute