Downers Grove South overcomes adversity, breaks through versus Oswego East
Mustangs prevail 2-1, end 2-game losing streak
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Downers Grove South had gone through its share of struggles during the first two weeks of the season.
It was nothing some good food couldn’t fix.
“The past two weeks have been a lot of adversity – injuries, red cards, yellow cards,” Downers South senior midfielder Julian Lopez said. “Over the weekend in Indiana, a lot of guys got sick, so this whole week we were just fighting back.
“Friday after practice we had a good team dinner. I think that really helped the morale of the team. This morning I saw everybody’s faces, and we were just ready to go.
“Everybody worked like dogs out there today, so I was really happy with the team performance.”
The outcome was good, too. Striker Paul Kruszewski scored two goals, goalkeeper Andrik Vidaurri made six saves and the Mustangs held strong defensively despite playing a man down for the final 12 minutes to edge previously unbeaten Oswego East 2-1 Saturday.
It was a result few could have foreseen after the Mustangs (3-3-0) lost to Hinsdale Central 3-0 on Tuesday. But a lot of spaghetti and salad at the team dinner provided needed fortification.
“It was good carbs, good food,” Lopez said. “That might have helped today.”
It certainly helped the Mustangs slog through a match played in 84-degree heat against an Oswego East team that came in riding a three-game winning streak. Downers Grove South even scored the first goal against the run of play.
“It just shows that even though we get scored on sometimes and we go through adversity, we’re always fighting,” Lopez said. “Our backline has been phenomenal this whole year, and our striker (Kruszewski) has always been fighting for those goals. He’s going to get some more.”
Kruszewski broke the ice with 21:10 left in the first half. Jorge Alcantara’s long free kick from the right side went into the box and bounced off the head of a defender to Kruszewski, who volleyed into the lower right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
It was a deflating turn of events for the visiting Wolves (3-1-1), who had controlled the action up until that point. Oswego East made Vidaurri, who earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor, collect five of his six saves in the opening 30 minutes, including diving stops on a drive by M.J. Hoffman and headers from Drew Karg and Celesmar Herrera.
Oswego East had three other near-misses. Josh Lopez blocked a clearing attempt by Vidaurri in the fourth minute but was unable to poke the ball in before Vidaurri smothered it.
ZeDaniel Parodis-Yu just missed the left post with a shot from the right side of the box, and Jack Walter sent a one-timer from close range over the crossbar.
“We had chances,” Oswego East coach Steve Szymanski said. “We didn’t finish them.
“We were pounding the ball down their throat in the first half. I think in the first 30 minutes we dominated the play, but we put shots over the crossbar, we hit a post really hard.”
That strike came with 10:00 left before intermission. Israel Torres broke around the right end and ripped a shot that eluded Vidaurri and hit the right post.
The ball then bounced off the back of Vidaurri’s head and was headed into the goal until defender Ryan Linde cleared it off the line.
With Vidaurri out of the game until the next whistle, Parodis-Yu scored on a long-range shot at the 9:28 mark to tie the game.
“The ball hit the post,” Vidaurri said. “It bounced back and hit me in the back of the head, but I was all right. A goalie needs luck.”
Vidaurri returned a couple minutes later and was not severely tested after that. His teammates made sure of that even after the Mustangs had to play shorthanded after Kruszewski was ejected for taunting after scoring the go-ahead goal. That came on a rebound after Oswego East goalkeeper Adam Tobias made a great diving save from point-blank range on Danny Smazil.
“I think the team really bounced back from our loss to Hinsdale Central,” Vidaurri said. “We worked really hard in practice, and we were so motivated for this game.
“I’m so proud of these guys, because even after the red card we played 110 percent. These guys do not give up, and that’s what a team needs.
“I think this win really boosts our morale, and I think we can take a lot out of this victory. This momentum will carry on during conference play.”
Downers Grove South coach Jon Stapleton, whose team opens West Suburban Conference Gold Division play on Wednesday with a trip to Leyden, was pleased with how the Mustangs held together, particularly in the second half.
“I felt we played well in possession,” Stapleton said. “We didn’t generate as many opportunities as we would have liked, but the heat had something to do with that for both sides. It makes it hard to make those runs.
“But overall, I thought we played hard, and it was a good win for our group.”
DuPablo Parodis-Yu said the reason for Oswego East’s defeat was clear.
“They kept possession well,” Parodis-Yu said. “They were able to keep a level head.
“They only had two opportunities but they finished them. We didn’t finish our opportunities, and that’s why we lost.”
Parodis-Yu is one of only six seniors on an inexperienced roster that includes nine sophomores.
“The first loss is always tough,” Parodis-Yu said. “Hopefully this is a lesson for the younger guys, so they know how it feels to lose. Hopefully we will get better from this.”
Szymanski said he was a little disappointed with the result but remains upbeat.
“We’ve got some growing up to do,” Szymanski said. “We’ll get there.”
Starting lineups
Oswego East
GK: Javier Ruiz
D: Drew Karg
D: Diego Godinez
D: Cale Pankiewicz
D: Celesmar Herrera
M: Landon Kangas
M: Dylan Drendel
M: Israel Torres
M: Jack Walter
F: DuPablo Parodis-Yu
F: Josh Lopez
Downers Grove South
GK: Andrik Vidaurri
D: Michael Mendoza
D: Emiliano Lagunas
D: Matt Crowley
D: Andrew Cimbalista
M: Julian Lopez
M: Jonathan Venouziou
M: Karol Niziolek
F: Paul Kruszewski
F: Alex Benkart
F: Aleck Galvez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Andrik Vidaurri, sr., GK, Downers Grove South
Scoring summary
First half
Downers Grove South – Paul Kruszewski (Jorge Alcantara) 21:10 remaining
Oswego East – DuPablo Parodis-Yu 9:28 remaining
Second half
Downers Grove South – Kruszewski 12:06 remaining
Mustangs prevail 2-1, end 2-game losing streak
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Downers Grove South had gone through its share of struggles during the first two weeks of the season.
It was nothing some good food couldn’t fix.
“The past two weeks have been a lot of adversity – injuries, red cards, yellow cards,” Downers South senior midfielder Julian Lopez said. “Over the weekend in Indiana, a lot of guys got sick, so this whole week we were just fighting back.
“Friday after practice we had a good team dinner. I think that really helped the morale of the team. This morning I saw everybody’s faces, and we were just ready to go.
“Everybody worked like dogs out there today, so I was really happy with the team performance.”
The outcome was good, too. Striker Paul Kruszewski scored two goals, goalkeeper Andrik Vidaurri made six saves and the Mustangs held strong defensively despite playing a man down for the final 12 minutes to edge previously unbeaten Oswego East 2-1 Saturday.
It was a result few could have foreseen after the Mustangs (3-3-0) lost to Hinsdale Central 3-0 on Tuesday. But a lot of spaghetti and salad at the team dinner provided needed fortification.
“It was good carbs, good food,” Lopez said. “That might have helped today.”
It certainly helped the Mustangs slog through a match played in 84-degree heat against an Oswego East team that came in riding a three-game winning streak. Downers Grove South even scored the first goal against the run of play.
“It just shows that even though we get scored on sometimes and we go through adversity, we’re always fighting,” Lopez said. “Our backline has been phenomenal this whole year, and our striker (Kruszewski) has always been fighting for those goals. He’s going to get some more.”
Kruszewski broke the ice with 21:10 left in the first half. Jorge Alcantara’s long free kick from the right side went into the box and bounced off the head of a defender to Kruszewski, who volleyed into the lower right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
It was a deflating turn of events for the visiting Wolves (3-1-1), who had controlled the action up until that point. Oswego East made Vidaurri, who earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor, collect five of his six saves in the opening 30 minutes, including diving stops on a drive by M.J. Hoffman and headers from Drew Karg and Celesmar Herrera.
Oswego East had three other near-misses. Josh Lopez blocked a clearing attempt by Vidaurri in the fourth minute but was unable to poke the ball in before Vidaurri smothered it.
ZeDaniel Parodis-Yu just missed the left post with a shot from the right side of the box, and Jack Walter sent a one-timer from close range over the crossbar.
“We had chances,” Oswego East coach Steve Szymanski said. “We didn’t finish them.
“We were pounding the ball down their throat in the first half. I think in the first 30 minutes we dominated the play, but we put shots over the crossbar, we hit a post really hard.”
That strike came with 10:00 left before intermission. Israel Torres broke around the right end and ripped a shot that eluded Vidaurri and hit the right post.
The ball then bounced off the back of Vidaurri’s head and was headed into the goal until defender Ryan Linde cleared it off the line.
With Vidaurri out of the game until the next whistle, Parodis-Yu scored on a long-range shot at the 9:28 mark to tie the game.
“The ball hit the post,” Vidaurri said. “It bounced back and hit me in the back of the head, but I was all right. A goalie needs luck.”
Vidaurri returned a couple minutes later and was not severely tested after that. His teammates made sure of that even after the Mustangs had to play shorthanded after Kruszewski was ejected for taunting after scoring the go-ahead goal. That came on a rebound after Oswego East goalkeeper Adam Tobias made a great diving save from point-blank range on Danny Smazil.
“I think the team really bounced back from our loss to Hinsdale Central,” Vidaurri said. “We worked really hard in practice, and we were so motivated for this game.
“I’m so proud of these guys, because even after the red card we played 110 percent. These guys do not give up, and that’s what a team needs.
“I think this win really boosts our morale, and I think we can take a lot out of this victory. This momentum will carry on during conference play.”
Downers Grove South coach Jon Stapleton, whose team opens West Suburban Conference Gold Division play on Wednesday with a trip to Leyden, was pleased with how the Mustangs held together, particularly in the second half.
“I felt we played well in possession,” Stapleton said. “We didn’t generate as many opportunities as we would have liked, but the heat had something to do with that for both sides. It makes it hard to make those runs.
“But overall, I thought we played hard, and it was a good win for our group.”
DuPablo Parodis-Yu said the reason for Oswego East’s defeat was clear.
“They kept possession well,” Parodis-Yu said. “They were able to keep a level head.
“They only had two opportunities but they finished them. We didn’t finish our opportunities, and that’s why we lost.”
Parodis-Yu is one of only six seniors on an inexperienced roster that includes nine sophomores.
“The first loss is always tough,” Parodis-Yu said. “Hopefully this is a lesson for the younger guys, so they know how it feels to lose. Hopefully we will get better from this.”
Szymanski said he was a little disappointed with the result but remains upbeat.
“We’ve got some growing up to do,” Szymanski said. “We’ll get there.”
Starting lineups
Oswego East
GK: Javier Ruiz
D: Drew Karg
D: Diego Godinez
D: Cale Pankiewicz
D: Celesmar Herrera
M: Landon Kangas
M: Dylan Drendel
M: Israel Torres
M: Jack Walter
F: DuPablo Parodis-Yu
F: Josh Lopez
Downers Grove South
GK: Andrik Vidaurri
D: Michael Mendoza
D: Emiliano Lagunas
D: Matt Crowley
D: Andrew Cimbalista
M: Julian Lopez
M: Jonathan Venouziou
M: Karol Niziolek
F: Paul Kruszewski
F: Alex Benkart
F: Aleck Galvez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Andrik Vidaurri, sr., GK, Downers Grove South
Scoring summary
First half
Downers Grove South – Paul Kruszewski (Jorge Alcantara) 21:10 remaining
Oswego East – DuPablo Parodis-Yu 9:28 remaining
Second half
Downers Grove South – Kruszewski 12:06 remaining