New model Ford (Frazer) leads
Oswego East over DG North
Senior F hitting on all cylinders, leads Wolves to 2-1 win
By Matt Le Cren
PLAINFIELD – Presenting the new Ford Frazer, on display at a soccer stadium near you.
The 2018 model is a step up in class, combining speed and elegance in a sporty, high-performance package.
No, that’s not a TV ad for a new car.
It’s merely a succinct summation of Oswego East’s breakout soccer star.
Senior forward Ford Frazer has been lighting up the scoreboard this fall. Fast as well as furious, he has scored nine of his team’s 18 goals.
The latest two came Saturday night at Plainfield East, when Frazer lifted Oswego East to a dramatic 2-1 victory over Downers Grove North on the opening day of the inaugural Plainfield Classic.
“He had a great sophomore year, and then last year he was a little disappointed with his play,” Oswego East coach Steve Szymanski said. “This year he said he’s going to come out and lead the way. He’s been doing that, so it has been nice to see.”
Indeed, Frazer has been consistently deadly, scoring at least a point in each game. He has notched a goal in all but one match for the Wolves (5-1-2), who extended their unbeaten streak to seven games with the comeback victory over the Trojans.
“That’s just my mindset this season -- put one in the back of the net each game or help assist on one for each game,” Frazer said. “Whatever I can do to help this team win, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Frazer certainly has a flair for the dramatic. He completed his second brace of the season with 1:24 to go in the second half, which was played mostly at breakneck speed.
Senior defender Zach Lass triggered the decisive play, winning a ball on the left side and launching a long ball in front to Frazer, who headed it off the hand of Downers North goalkeeper Gavin Crowson from point-blank range and into the net.
That prompted Frazer to make a mad dash back up the sidelines in front of the fans. The emotion was understandable.
“It was uncomparable,” Lass said. “We battled that entire second half.
“We battled the entire game. We thought we deserved to win, and we did. All the emotions come out, it’s unreal.”
The second half especially featured end-to-end action, with one counterattack after another producing thrilling moments. The game-winning goal was no different, as it seemingly came from nowhere.
Lass knew exactly what he was going to try when he won the ball.
“I took a touch forward,” Lass said. “I saw Ford throw his little finger up, and I’ve been playing with him long enough to know (that if) I play the ball into him, he will finish it.”
That’s exactly what happened.
“They were taller than us, but I think we were quicker than them. I think we were smarter than them, and I saw that Zach got a great touch on it,” Frazer said. “He’s been playing great balls the entire day. I figured, you know what, I’m going to go up and hope he puts one in, and I can do whatever I can to get a touch on it.
“I was hoping to get a rebound off of it or just get it towards the net. Luckily it went in for me.”
But luck had little to do with it.
“He’s had a couple game-winners (this year), but that was a pretty fun one,” Szymanski said. “He’s been working his butt off out there.
“The way he’s working, he’s going to find some more of those this year.”
Indeed, Frazer is making a habit of making things tough for defenses. He squeezed off six shots against the Trojans, including East’s first three during an evenly played first half.
Crowson, who had five of his six saves in the second half, was up to the challenge, preserving North’s 1-0 lead with a spectacular diving save on Frazer’s power header at the 10:45 mark of the first half.
The Trojans tied Plainfield South 1-1 earlier in the day and so were at a bit of a disadvantage against the Wolves, who played just one game Saturday. But they went in front in the 18th minute. Senior Braeden Gagliano converted a 10-yard shot from the middle of the box, shooting the ball just under the crossbar with 22:27 remaining.
North had a chance to double its lead with 2:51 to go when Akhil Kodumuri was tripped just outside the right top corner of the penalty box. Samuel Bull’s left-footed free kick from 21 yards bent around the two-man wall but sailed just wide of the left post.
The Wolves nearly tied it on a counterattack in the waning seconds. Nolan Laczynski beat the charging Crowson with a shot from the left wing, but North defender Nick Eshghy booted the ball out of danger just before it crossed the goal line with 10 ticks left before intermission.
The near-miss seemed to energize the Wolves, who had the wind at their back in the second half and outshot the Trojans 11-2.
The action was back-and-forth, though, as if the game was being played on a teeter-totter. The most head-spinning moment produced the tying goal with 36:02 left.
Downers Grove North counterattacked, only to be denied by East’s defense. The Wolves quickly went back the other way, with Kyle Blasingame sprinting up the middle of the field through traffic and feeding Andre Casas on the left wing.
Casas took the ball to the end line and centered to Frazer, who converted the one-timer.
After that, the Wolves had most of the scoring opportunities. Crowson made three saves on headers, two off the noggin of freshman Kellen Klosterman and one from Lass.
Frazer was the instigator of all three plays, one with a cross and two on long throw-ins, so perhaps it was appropriate that he bagged the game-winner. Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt applauded the effort.
“It was a really good ball in, and he got a touch on it,” Schmitt said. “In that situation, all he really needs to do is get a touch. Our goalie did everything he probably could do with such a quick reaction. Even got hands on it, it just (wasn’t enough), unfortunately.”
It was an unfortunate ending to a long day for the Trojans, who had a five-game unbeaten streak snapped. Did playing twice in less than 10 hours play a role?
“A little bit,” Schmitt said. “We didn’t do ourselves any favors by not playing too well this morning. It made us play the starters a little bit more than we wanted to.”
But Schmitt gave the victors their due.
“That’s a really good team,” Schmitt said. “With their work rate they made us work harder and kind of took a lot out of us.”
The Trojans have little time to stew about the loss. They return to Plainfield East to face the host Bengals on Monday, then welcome Oak Park and River Forest to Carstens Field for aon Tuesday.
But the Wolves hope the joy of Saturday’s win lingers a while.
“It’s good to see where our minds are when we do go down (a goal),” Lass said. “It’s good to see everyone is willing to fight back and that’s exactly what we did today.
“It’s a great boost to your motivation. We know we can do it again.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
GK Gavin Crowson
D Adam Kukielski
D Nick Eshghy
D Ryan Newstrom
D Brian Benton
M Trygve Hansen
M Connor Chapa
M Alessandro Karrow
F Samuel Bull
F Braeden Gagliano
F Nicholas Chapa
Oswego East
GK Nathan Huerter
D Juan Manrique
D Joey Bavol
D Zach Lass
D David Bombrys
M Kellen Klosterman
M Enrique Montano
M Kyle Blasingame
M Dimitri Huitron
F Andre Casas
F Ford Frazer
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Ford Frazer, sr., F, Oswego East
Scoring summary
First half
DGN – Braeden Gagliano 22:27
Second half
OE – Ford Frazer (Andre Casas) 36:02
OE – Frazer (Zach Lass) 1:24
Oswego East over DG North
Senior F hitting on all cylinders, leads Wolves to 2-1 win
By Matt Le Cren
PLAINFIELD – Presenting the new Ford Frazer, on display at a soccer stadium near you.
The 2018 model is a step up in class, combining speed and elegance in a sporty, high-performance package.
No, that’s not a TV ad for a new car.
It’s merely a succinct summation of Oswego East’s breakout soccer star.
Senior forward Ford Frazer has been lighting up the scoreboard this fall. Fast as well as furious, he has scored nine of his team’s 18 goals.
The latest two came Saturday night at Plainfield East, when Frazer lifted Oswego East to a dramatic 2-1 victory over Downers Grove North on the opening day of the inaugural Plainfield Classic.
“He had a great sophomore year, and then last year he was a little disappointed with his play,” Oswego East coach Steve Szymanski said. “This year he said he’s going to come out and lead the way. He’s been doing that, so it has been nice to see.”
Indeed, Frazer has been consistently deadly, scoring at least a point in each game. He has notched a goal in all but one match for the Wolves (5-1-2), who extended their unbeaten streak to seven games with the comeback victory over the Trojans.
“That’s just my mindset this season -- put one in the back of the net each game or help assist on one for each game,” Frazer said. “Whatever I can do to help this team win, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Frazer certainly has a flair for the dramatic. He completed his second brace of the season with 1:24 to go in the second half, which was played mostly at breakneck speed.
Senior defender Zach Lass triggered the decisive play, winning a ball on the left side and launching a long ball in front to Frazer, who headed it off the hand of Downers North goalkeeper Gavin Crowson from point-blank range and into the net.
That prompted Frazer to make a mad dash back up the sidelines in front of the fans. The emotion was understandable.
“It was uncomparable,” Lass said. “We battled that entire second half.
“We battled the entire game. We thought we deserved to win, and we did. All the emotions come out, it’s unreal.”
The second half especially featured end-to-end action, with one counterattack after another producing thrilling moments. The game-winning goal was no different, as it seemingly came from nowhere.
Lass knew exactly what he was going to try when he won the ball.
“I took a touch forward,” Lass said. “I saw Ford throw his little finger up, and I’ve been playing with him long enough to know (that if) I play the ball into him, he will finish it.”
That’s exactly what happened.
“They were taller than us, but I think we were quicker than them. I think we were smarter than them, and I saw that Zach got a great touch on it,” Frazer said. “He’s been playing great balls the entire day. I figured, you know what, I’m going to go up and hope he puts one in, and I can do whatever I can to get a touch on it.
“I was hoping to get a rebound off of it or just get it towards the net. Luckily it went in for me.”
But luck had little to do with it.
“He’s had a couple game-winners (this year), but that was a pretty fun one,” Szymanski said. “He’s been working his butt off out there.
“The way he’s working, he’s going to find some more of those this year.”
Indeed, Frazer is making a habit of making things tough for defenses. He squeezed off six shots against the Trojans, including East’s first three during an evenly played first half.
Crowson, who had five of his six saves in the second half, was up to the challenge, preserving North’s 1-0 lead with a spectacular diving save on Frazer’s power header at the 10:45 mark of the first half.
The Trojans tied Plainfield South 1-1 earlier in the day and so were at a bit of a disadvantage against the Wolves, who played just one game Saturday. But they went in front in the 18th minute. Senior Braeden Gagliano converted a 10-yard shot from the middle of the box, shooting the ball just under the crossbar with 22:27 remaining.
North had a chance to double its lead with 2:51 to go when Akhil Kodumuri was tripped just outside the right top corner of the penalty box. Samuel Bull’s left-footed free kick from 21 yards bent around the two-man wall but sailed just wide of the left post.
The Wolves nearly tied it on a counterattack in the waning seconds. Nolan Laczynski beat the charging Crowson with a shot from the left wing, but North defender Nick Eshghy booted the ball out of danger just before it crossed the goal line with 10 ticks left before intermission.
The near-miss seemed to energize the Wolves, who had the wind at their back in the second half and outshot the Trojans 11-2.
The action was back-and-forth, though, as if the game was being played on a teeter-totter. The most head-spinning moment produced the tying goal with 36:02 left.
Downers Grove North counterattacked, only to be denied by East’s defense. The Wolves quickly went back the other way, with Kyle Blasingame sprinting up the middle of the field through traffic and feeding Andre Casas on the left wing.
Casas took the ball to the end line and centered to Frazer, who converted the one-timer.
After that, the Wolves had most of the scoring opportunities. Crowson made three saves on headers, two off the noggin of freshman Kellen Klosterman and one from Lass.
Frazer was the instigator of all three plays, one with a cross and two on long throw-ins, so perhaps it was appropriate that he bagged the game-winner. Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt applauded the effort.
“It was a really good ball in, and he got a touch on it,” Schmitt said. “In that situation, all he really needs to do is get a touch. Our goalie did everything he probably could do with such a quick reaction. Even got hands on it, it just (wasn’t enough), unfortunately.”
It was an unfortunate ending to a long day for the Trojans, who had a five-game unbeaten streak snapped. Did playing twice in less than 10 hours play a role?
“A little bit,” Schmitt said. “We didn’t do ourselves any favors by not playing too well this morning. It made us play the starters a little bit more than we wanted to.”
But Schmitt gave the victors their due.
“That’s a really good team,” Schmitt said. “With their work rate they made us work harder and kind of took a lot out of us.”
The Trojans have little time to stew about the loss. They return to Plainfield East to face the host Bengals on Monday, then welcome Oak Park and River Forest to Carstens Field for aon Tuesday.
But the Wolves hope the joy of Saturday’s win lingers a while.
“It’s good to see where our minds are when we do go down (a goal),” Lass said. “It’s good to see everyone is willing to fight back and that’s exactly what we did today.
“It’s a great boost to your motivation. We know we can do it again.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
GK Gavin Crowson
D Adam Kukielski
D Nick Eshghy
D Ryan Newstrom
D Brian Benton
M Trygve Hansen
M Connor Chapa
M Alessandro Karrow
F Samuel Bull
F Braeden Gagliano
F Nicholas Chapa
Oswego East
GK Nathan Huerter
D Juan Manrique
D Joey Bavol
D Zach Lass
D David Bombrys
M Kellen Klosterman
M Enrique Montano
M Kyle Blasingame
M Dimitri Huitron
F Andre Casas
F Ford Frazer
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Ford Frazer, sr., F, Oswego East
Scoring summary
First half
DGN – Braeden Gagliano 22:27
Second half
OE – Ford Frazer (Andre Casas) 36:02
OE – Frazer (Zach Lass) 1:24