Naperville N. tops MV for 26th DVC title
Huskies edge Mustangs 1-0 on Smith's 2nd half penalty kick
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – Naperville North owns the whole alphabet.
Zach Smith scored on a penalty kick in the second half and Tom Welch made two tough saves to help the Huskies edge host Metea Valley in the de facto DuPage Valley Conference championship game Tuesday night.
It is the 26th DVC title for Naperville North (18-0-0, 4-0-0), which extended its winning streak to 37 games while snapping the nine-game winning streak of Metea.
The Mustangs (12-5-2, 2-1-1) would have won their first league crown with a victory or shared it with the Huskies had the match ended in a tie. Instead, they settled for sharing second place with Naperville Central.
“I guess it’s one of the milestones that we’re trying to achieve this season,” Smith said. “Obviously, (we’ve won) back-to-back state championships, and we’re going for another one like every other team that’s out here. But I guess it’s another step on the way toward that, and we keep rolling.”
Indeed, the Huskies continue to fend off every challenge, however stiff. It was yet another one-goal win and one not achieved without controversy or luck.
Metea Valley nearly took the lead with less than 10 seconds left in the first half. Matthew Berry sent a 50-yard free kick into the Naperville North box. James Lynch got a clean header off but the ball struck the crossbar.
The other decisive play that swung the game the Huskies’ way came with 23:06 remaining in the second half off, not surprisingly, a long throw-in from Christian Romano.
Naperville North didn’t get as many opportunities for throws as it usually does, but Romano was dangerous with all of the ones he did uncork. Metea goalie Gandhi Cruz, who was outstanding again with a five-save performance, turned away all of them.
But the last throw proved problematic. It came from the left wing and went nearly to the far post. Gandhi leaped in traffic and swatted it out of the way, but as he came down he got tangled up with Smith, whom he literally shrugged off.
Smith wound up in the back of the net, and Cruz was whistled for a foul and given a yellow card. By rule, Cruz had to come out for one play and Smith buried the ensuing penalty kick past backup Ryan Heger.
“That’s not your typical (penalty call),” Smith said. “'Goalie threw you into the net? OK.’”
While it was clear Gandhi had no intention of harming Smith, the call was justified because Smith was fouled after the ball had left the area.
“(Romano) threw the ball,” Smith said. “He just whipped it over, and I went up to jump for it, and as (Cruz) punched it he just turned and wrapped me around my shoulders and threw me back into the net. So I guess that’s what (the referee) saw.”
Cruz said it was just natural instinct to get Smith off of him.
“He was backing up to me, so I couldn’t really see,” Cruz said. “I got the ball away from the long throw, and he was falling into me.”
After the call, there was no doubt who would take the penalty for North.
“It was my call, so I kind of stepped up, did my thing,” Smith said. “It wasn’t really a second thought to it.”
It was clear that Gandhi was not going to give up any second chances. The junior was splendid in taking control of his box and rushed out of the area a couple of times to clear balls out of danger.
He even stopped what so many teams have not – North’s bread-and-butter play where Romano heaves a throw as far as he can and the 6-foot-4 Colin Iverson flicks a header inside the far post.
The Huskies have scored on that countless times and nearly did so again midway through the first half, but Gandhi sprawled to his right to make a great diving stop and gave no rebound.
Gandhi came up huge again two minutes into the second half when Ty Konrad raced to the right end line and centered a pass into space in front.
Nata Rojas, who along with Smith and Cesar Recendez had an entertaining game-long battle in the midfield with Metea’s Berry, Evan Lang and Colin Bastianoni, rushed in and struck a solid shot from point-blank range, but Gandhi lunged to his right for the save, and again there was no rebound.
“He might have been the most impactful player on the pitch today with some of the saves he made, so credit to him,” Metea coach Josh Robinson said. “(The penalty kick) was an unfortunate circumstance for him, because he’s such a caring kid. He’ll want to take responsibility for it, and he shouldn’t.”
Indeed, the game came down to one or two plays in which luck played a role. North had an edge in terms of building an attack, but Metea had some quality chances and the 6-foot-8 Welch made two excellent diving saves, including one on a terrific volley from Lang with 13:22 to go in the second half to keep the Mustangs off the board.
“It’s a fortunate thing,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “We get the PK to finish it; they ring one off the crossbar.
“We knew from the end of last year that they were going to be a team that would be just as good as us. They proved it tonight.
“That’s a dangerous team. Their midfield guys are excellent, their backs played well today, and obviously they have a fantastic keeper. They’re the complete deal. They’re a great team.”
But there is one thing the Mustangs don’t have and that’s a player with as strong a throw-in as Romano, who continues to improve as the season goes on.
“We keep on practicing it,” Romano said. “When we’re going through the run of play we’ll do throw-ins and continue to working on the angle.
“We’ve been working on the angle of my throw-ins, trying to put some weight behind it and make it more driven than it already is.”
Outsiders, of course, will say the best way to deny Romano the chance to create havoc is not to kick the ball out of bounds within 40 yards of your own goal. But that’s easier said than done.
“It’s a real challenge to defend that and obviously with Ty up-top, you can’t help but give us throw-ins and corner kicks,” Jim Konrad said. “We’re in that end, because of Ty, and Ali and Patrick did a great job today, too.
“So you’re stuck. Do you let Ty take you on and you kick it out of bounds and now we’re whipping the ball in umpteen times? Obviously, that’s been a big part of our success.
“I’d like to see us be even more dangerous on those but props to the boys. DVC champions for the 26th time. Super proud of that.”
Yet the Huskies’ celebration was muted. They know that they could see the Mustangs again in the sectional final and will have a chore just getting past Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central in their own regional, so this narrow win showed how precarious their advantage is.
“I feel this game really humbled us,” Romano said. “We need to step back and rework plays, and we can’t get ahead of ourselves.
“We’re not going to win a game just by playing it. We have to work hard every minute.
“We’ve got to be sure that we’re on our game every minute, every second of every game because if we slip up once, then we’re screwed.”
Smith, the transfer from Kaneland who completed his first year in the DVC, agreed.
“It’s possible we could see these guys again, and I think the next time we see them it needs to be a lot better than this,” Smith said. “They had one go off the crossbar, and if that goes in and we don’t get a PK, it doesn’t go our way.
“Obviously, there’s always a little bit of luck when you get a PK, and that’s how you end up winning the game.”
That’s why the Mustangs were disappointed but not upset with the narrow loss.
“(It was a) great game,” Cruz said. “It’s a great experience just knowing that we’re one of the contenders to win one of the best conferences in the state and went against one of the best teams in the state.
“Just to put up a great fight against them is a great feeling for our team, knowing where we came from. Two years ago (we won) four games. Now we’re competing against pretty much the best team in the state.”
Even though the Mustangs’ saw their impressive winning streak ended, they may be peaking at the right time. Because seeded was done when they were 6-4-2, they are seeded sixth in the Geneva Sectional, but most people think they are the second best team in that field.
"I think we’re at a great place right now in our team,” Gandhi said. “We need to keep improving. That’s all we care about.”
If the Mustangs do get better, watch out. More fun is on the way.
“You love coaching in games like this,” Robinson said. “It was awesome.
“Congrats to Jim and (North assistant coach) Steve (Goletz) on wining the DVC. The most frustrating thing is how class of an act that they are all the time. So when they keep beating me and (Metea assistant) Chris (Whaley) it’s frustrating because they are the best guys in the business.
“Yeah, you want to win but at the same time, the kids do it with class, and they do it with class. It’s almost aggravating. It’s like, ‘I wish you guys weren’t so darn nice and so darn good people because then I could be mad at you.’”
So a rematch in the sectional final would be must-see soccer. It’s not a given, of course, that either team makes it that far. North has arguably the toughest regional in the area and Metea must get past third-seeded Oswego to get out of regionals.
“We’re doing really good things but we’ve got to focus on one game at a time,” Robinson said. “Regionals aren’t handed to you in this sectional.
“There’s certain sectionals where regionals are handed to you. Not this one. If you win a regional here, you’ve earned it, and it’s special.”
Jim Konrad isn’t thinking about a rematch yet, either.
“We’ll see,” he said. “We both have to get through some tough teams to get there. I just hope we survive.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Tom Welch
D Colin Iverson
D Cam Ferus
D Christian Romano
D Myles Barry
M Cesar Recendez
M Nata Rojas
M Zach Smith
F Ali Khorfan
F Patrick Koenig
F Ty Konrad
Metea Valley
GK Gandhi Cruz
D Tony Sanchez
D Andrew Wang
D Spencer Collins
D Owen Andeson
M Evan Lang
M Matthew Berry
M Colin Bastianoni
F Jaylen Brooks
F James Lynch
F Shareef Amor
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Christian Romano, jr., D, Naperville North.
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Naperville North – Zach Smith (PK) 23:06
Huskies edge Mustangs 1-0 on Smith's 2nd half penalty kick
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – Naperville North owns the whole alphabet.
Zach Smith scored on a penalty kick in the second half and Tom Welch made two tough saves to help the Huskies edge host Metea Valley in the de facto DuPage Valley Conference championship game Tuesday night.
It is the 26th DVC title for Naperville North (18-0-0, 4-0-0), which extended its winning streak to 37 games while snapping the nine-game winning streak of Metea.
The Mustangs (12-5-2, 2-1-1) would have won their first league crown with a victory or shared it with the Huskies had the match ended in a tie. Instead, they settled for sharing second place with Naperville Central.
“I guess it’s one of the milestones that we’re trying to achieve this season,” Smith said. “Obviously, (we’ve won) back-to-back state championships, and we’re going for another one like every other team that’s out here. But I guess it’s another step on the way toward that, and we keep rolling.”
Indeed, the Huskies continue to fend off every challenge, however stiff. It was yet another one-goal win and one not achieved without controversy or luck.
Metea Valley nearly took the lead with less than 10 seconds left in the first half. Matthew Berry sent a 50-yard free kick into the Naperville North box. James Lynch got a clean header off but the ball struck the crossbar.
The other decisive play that swung the game the Huskies’ way came with 23:06 remaining in the second half off, not surprisingly, a long throw-in from Christian Romano.
Naperville North didn’t get as many opportunities for throws as it usually does, but Romano was dangerous with all of the ones he did uncork. Metea goalie Gandhi Cruz, who was outstanding again with a five-save performance, turned away all of them.
But the last throw proved problematic. It came from the left wing and went nearly to the far post. Gandhi leaped in traffic and swatted it out of the way, but as he came down he got tangled up with Smith, whom he literally shrugged off.
Smith wound up in the back of the net, and Cruz was whistled for a foul and given a yellow card. By rule, Cruz had to come out for one play and Smith buried the ensuing penalty kick past backup Ryan Heger.
“That’s not your typical (penalty call),” Smith said. “'Goalie threw you into the net? OK.’”
While it was clear Gandhi had no intention of harming Smith, the call was justified because Smith was fouled after the ball had left the area.
“(Romano) threw the ball,” Smith said. “He just whipped it over, and I went up to jump for it, and as (Cruz) punched it he just turned and wrapped me around my shoulders and threw me back into the net. So I guess that’s what (the referee) saw.”
Cruz said it was just natural instinct to get Smith off of him.
“He was backing up to me, so I couldn’t really see,” Cruz said. “I got the ball away from the long throw, and he was falling into me.”
After the call, there was no doubt who would take the penalty for North.
“It was my call, so I kind of stepped up, did my thing,” Smith said. “It wasn’t really a second thought to it.”
It was clear that Gandhi was not going to give up any second chances. The junior was splendid in taking control of his box and rushed out of the area a couple of times to clear balls out of danger.
He even stopped what so many teams have not – North’s bread-and-butter play where Romano heaves a throw as far as he can and the 6-foot-4 Colin Iverson flicks a header inside the far post.
The Huskies have scored on that countless times and nearly did so again midway through the first half, but Gandhi sprawled to his right to make a great diving stop and gave no rebound.
Gandhi came up huge again two minutes into the second half when Ty Konrad raced to the right end line and centered a pass into space in front.
Nata Rojas, who along with Smith and Cesar Recendez had an entertaining game-long battle in the midfield with Metea’s Berry, Evan Lang and Colin Bastianoni, rushed in and struck a solid shot from point-blank range, but Gandhi lunged to his right for the save, and again there was no rebound.
“He might have been the most impactful player on the pitch today with some of the saves he made, so credit to him,” Metea coach Josh Robinson said. “(The penalty kick) was an unfortunate circumstance for him, because he’s such a caring kid. He’ll want to take responsibility for it, and he shouldn’t.”
Indeed, the game came down to one or two plays in which luck played a role. North had an edge in terms of building an attack, but Metea had some quality chances and the 6-foot-8 Welch made two excellent diving saves, including one on a terrific volley from Lang with 13:22 to go in the second half to keep the Mustangs off the board.
“It’s a fortunate thing,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “We get the PK to finish it; they ring one off the crossbar.
“We knew from the end of last year that they were going to be a team that would be just as good as us. They proved it tonight.
“That’s a dangerous team. Their midfield guys are excellent, their backs played well today, and obviously they have a fantastic keeper. They’re the complete deal. They’re a great team.”
But there is one thing the Mustangs don’t have and that’s a player with as strong a throw-in as Romano, who continues to improve as the season goes on.
“We keep on practicing it,” Romano said. “When we’re going through the run of play we’ll do throw-ins and continue to working on the angle.
“We’ve been working on the angle of my throw-ins, trying to put some weight behind it and make it more driven than it already is.”
Outsiders, of course, will say the best way to deny Romano the chance to create havoc is not to kick the ball out of bounds within 40 yards of your own goal. But that’s easier said than done.
“It’s a real challenge to defend that and obviously with Ty up-top, you can’t help but give us throw-ins and corner kicks,” Jim Konrad said. “We’re in that end, because of Ty, and Ali and Patrick did a great job today, too.
“So you’re stuck. Do you let Ty take you on and you kick it out of bounds and now we’re whipping the ball in umpteen times? Obviously, that’s been a big part of our success.
“I’d like to see us be even more dangerous on those but props to the boys. DVC champions for the 26th time. Super proud of that.”
Yet the Huskies’ celebration was muted. They know that they could see the Mustangs again in the sectional final and will have a chore just getting past Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central in their own regional, so this narrow win showed how precarious their advantage is.
“I feel this game really humbled us,” Romano said. “We need to step back and rework plays, and we can’t get ahead of ourselves.
“We’re not going to win a game just by playing it. We have to work hard every minute.
“We’ve got to be sure that we’re on our game every minute, every second of every game because if we slip up once, then we’re screwed.”
Smith, the transfer from Kaneland who completed his first year in the DVC, agreed.
“It’s possible we could see these guys again, and I think the next time we see them it needs to be a lot better than this,” Smith said. “They had one go off the crossbar, and if that goes in and we don’t get a PK, it doesn’t go our way.
“Obviously, there’s always a little bit of luck when you get a PK, and that’s how you end up winning the game.”
That’s why the Mustangs were disappointed but not upset with the narrow loss.
“(It was a) great game,” Cruz said. “It’s a great experience just knowing that we’re one of the contenders to win one of the best conferences in the state and went against one of the best teams in the state.
“Just to put up a great fight against them is a great feeling for our team, knowing where we came from. Two years ago (we won) four games. Now we’re competing against pretty much the best team in the state.”
Even though the Mustangs’ saw their impressive winning streak ended, they may be peaking at the right time. Because seeded was done when they were 6-4-2, they are seeded sixth in the Geneva Sectional, but most people think they are the second best team in that field.
"I think we’re at a great place right now in our team,” Gandhi said. “We need to keep improving. That’s all we care about.”
If the Mustangs do get better, watch out. More fun is on the way.
“You love coaching in games like this,” Robinson said. “It was awesome.
“Congrats to Jim and (North assistant coach) Steve (Goletz) on wining the DVC. The most frustrating thing is how class of an act that they are all the time. So when they keep beating me and (Metea assistant) Chris (Whaley) it’s frustrating because they are the best guys in the business.
“Yeah, you want to win but at the same time, the kids do it with class, and they do it with class. It’s almost aggravating. It’s like, ‘I wish you guys weren’t so darn nice and so darn good people because then I could be mad at you.’”
So a rematch in the sectional final would be must-see soccer. It’s not a given, of course, that either team makes it that far. North has arguably the toughest regional in the area and Metea must get past third-seeded Oswego to get out of regionals.
“We’re doing really good things but we’ve got to focus on one game at a time,” Robinson said. “Regionals aren’t handed to you in this sectional.
“There’s certain sectionals where regionals are handed to you. Not this one. If you win a regional here, you’ve earned it, and it’s special.”
Jim Konrad isn’t thinking about a rematch yet, either.
“We’ll see,” he said. “We both have to get through some tough teams to get there. I just hope we survive.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Tom Welch
D Colin Iverson
D Cam Ferus
D Christian Romano
D Myles Barry
M Cesar Recendez
M Nata Rojas
M Zach Smith
F Ali Khorfan
F Patrick Koenig
F Ty Konrad
Metea Valley
GK Gandhi Cruz
D Tony Sanchez
D Andrew Wang
D Spencer Collins
D Owen Andeson
M Evan Lang
M Matthew Berry
M Colin Bastianoni
F Jaylen Brooks
F James Lynch
F Shareef Amor
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Christian Romano, jr., D, Naperville North.
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Naperville North – Zach Smith (PK) 23:06