Fremd emphatically retains Kinsella Cup
Vikings' explosive 1st half attack sinks Palatine 5-0
By Mike Garofola
PALATINE -- It is the Manchester and London derbies, of Palatine -- the Kinsella Cup.
The big local clash between two sides from the same town to decide who holds ownership of the big trophy for the next year happened Saturday in the 24th annual match dedicated to the late Jimmy Kinsella, who along with Bill Hughes were co-founders of the Celtic Soccer Club in 1968.
This 80-minute affair at Hildebrandt Field provided plenty of thrills if you were supporting the green jerseys of the home-sided Vikings who produced a couple of cracking goals, and plenty of exciting attacking soccer to outclass visiting Palatine (2-6-5, 1-4-2) during a 5-0 victory.
The impressive victory helps the Vikings continue their recent dominating form in the Kinsella Cup series. Fremd has now has claimed three straight and 13 overall. There have been four draws in the series.
"With all of us having so many friends on Palatine, or having played with some of those guys at Celtic, this is always a game we always look forward to," said junior Josh Bennett. "And to come out to get a big win like this over our crosstown rivals, plus get another three points is a big deal for us."
Bennett got an 'A' for his effort in this match, thanks in part to his pace and work rate up and down the right flank that constantly broke down the Pirates defense, He continually pumped quality passes into the box and made himself available for passes.
"Josh had a great game for us," said manager, Steve Keller. "He did exactly what we asked him to do, and you saw how determined he was to make his mark on the game today."
For that high-level effort Bennett received the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
"We have really turned the corner as a team ever since that 1-0 loss to Naperville North last Saturday," began Bennett.
"Up until then, we were playing well enough to win. But that game and the effort that we put out showed we can play with one of the best, if not the best team in the state. Now we're all playing much better (even) though we all know there's still room for improvement."
This has been a big week for the Vikings (8-3-1, 6-0-1), who after this victory sit atop the Mid-Suburban League table with 19 points and have built an impressive seven-point lead over their closest West Division competitors Hoffman Estates and Barrington.
After a 3-0 road win at Conant on Tuesday, Fremd won what looks like a precursor to the MSL Soccer Cup with a 3-1 home win over East Division leading Buffalo Grove.
"There's a lot of soccer still to be played," said Keller. "But this was a very good first half of soccer from the guys today who established things early, scored a couple of pretty goals, and continued to improve on the little things, which is something we are constantly working on during training."
The Vikings will travel to Barrington on Tuesday where another three points will put the club one step closer to its first appearance in the league championship game since 2014.
"That's the best side we've played this season," says Palatine manager Willie Filian.
"They have it all. They can attack from all areas; they can hold the ball very well and their ability to tackle, defend and to give a quality work rate makes them the best in my opinion. Plus their second unit is probably better than many first 11s around the area."
The Pirates were likely the victim of the finest first 40 minutes of the season by the Vikings who opened with purpose, pace and power and played with a much higher tempo than their guests. In the early stages the Pirates could do nothing but sit back and absorb as much pressure as they could without breaking under the sheer weight of the Fremd attack.
The high-pressing game of forwards Joey Beaupre and Dorian Lesiuk caused all sorts of problems for Filian's men, as did the control of the midfield by Anthony Tambellini, whose awareness and technique with the ball allowed the Vikings to enjoy, at the very least, 80 percent of the possession in the first half.
"We were very efficient in the first half," said Bennett.
"The effort was real good, and so was the build-up in our attack. All of us applied ourselves at a pretty high rate which showed up in the way we finished our chances today."
The Vikings deservedly went ahead at 5 minutes when Connor Sapiente ran past a pair of Pirates up the left side before playing a lovely ball to Bennett. The beautiful one-timer that followed beat keeper Kyle Varela, who had no chance on Bennett's perfectly placed effort.
The home side took a page out of the Pirates long-standing dead-ball and set-piece tactical playbook when it created five deep throws (most delivered by Beaupre) and another four corners to help keep the visitors on their back foot.
Varela, in between the sticks for senior D.J. Gutierrez, showed well despite the constant presence of the Vikings in and around the area.
The young keeper turned away three quality chances in the first 10 minutes, the best of which was against a Tambellini attempt. On another he elevated to turn around a Bennett corner.
The Vikings also did a wonderful job of winning first and second balls in the first quarter hour, claiming eight-of-10 challenges.
"We play a 4-4-2 formation, but with Vince (Daidone) kind of playing just in front of our back three of me and (Kaelen) Conway on the outside and (Jake) Schoffstall as our center back," said Cole Jackson.
"Vince cleans up all of the balls in front of us with his tackling to help our unit become a real brick wall to our opponents. But we still work in training on getting better with all of the little things to make us that way."
Another long heave from Beaupre, who gets 30 yards-plus on his deep throws, nearly led to the Vikings second goal when Connor Sapiente redirected his toss.
If not for getting wrong-footed on the Sapiente helper, Bennett would have bagged his second of the game.
Jake Schoffstall, who comes forward for most every dead-ball situation in the box, made an impact when the home side doubled its advantage. He finished at the back post after a superb left-footed bending corner from Scesniak which appeared to be curliing just inside the far corner of the net.
Palatine lost two players to injury at the same time when outside back Hugo Tierrablanca and reserve Konrad Zygier went out for the rest of the day in the 18th minute.
But thanks in part to some strong work from Bryan Lucero, who came on for one of his fallen mates, along with Kevin Reynolds and Aaron Spaletto the visitors managed to keep the Vikings from adding to the lead despite plenty of one-way traffic.
The Vikings second unit that so impressed Filian had a chance to shine when Keller brought on seven new field players on the half hour. The Vikings mentor left only Schoffstall, Jackson and Scesniak on the pitch to offer support and guidance.
It wasn't long before this new unit made an imprint on the game when another Scesniak corner found the new and unmarked arrival John Kating in the box.
The senior steered in his closer-range effort with a methodical finish to send the Vikings into the break with a three-goal advantage.
"Both our first and second units played very well in the first half, but I felt we were not as clean and sharp in the second half, despite putting two more on the scoreboard," began Keller.
"A lot of the play in the second half was in our end, and we got a little sloppy and nearly conceded a goal or two. We were fortunate to keep the shutout for Artur (Cholewa) in the end."
The Vikings keeper and his backline mates Conway, Jackson, Shoffstall and Aidan Johnston, who earned minutes with the second unit, earned its ninth overall clean-sheet on the season. The Vikings have not allowed a goal in the MSL this season.
Aaron Bustamante, Connor Aikman, Jorge Corona and Matt Geisel led a second half uprising for the Pirates, who took advantage of the strong wind at their back and some creative play from this quartet to force more defensive play from the Vikings after the break.
Fremd's Jackson ended a well-executed retrieving mission with a sharp tackle of Geisel, who ran onto a terrific early ball from Aikman inside the box. Moments later, it was come crafty work from Palatine's Bustamante and Aikman that allowed Corona to go close.
Fremd proved to be the more potent side despite the Pirates newfound life. The Vikings added another to the scoreline with brilliant work from Kating and Eli Schoffstall. The sequence ended with the freshman Schoffstall sending his attempt through a crowd, and past Varela, who likely did not see the floor-level drive until the last second.
Sophomore Nick Austin found his way through to end the scoring in the 74th minute.
"In this, our 13th game of the season, we now started our 11th different lineup," said a Filian. "You can see what one of our problems has been, but that's not to take anything away from Steve's guys, because they deserved the result they earned.
"We've had 5-6 guys we've counted on the entire year, and that's been it thus far.
"Fremd, if they stay healthy and continue to improve, will be a very difficult opponent for everyone they face."
"After Naperville North, we went on to get great results against Conant, then Buffalo Grove and now today, which makes Tuesday's game at Barrington really big for us," said Bennett. "I know we'll be ready for that game because getting another three points against them will put us in good shape in the division."
Starting lineups
Palatine (4-4-2)
G- Kyle Varela
D- Hugo Tierrablanca
D- Kevin Reynolds
D- Brian Sobkowiak
D- Aaron Spaletto
M- Patrick Rajchel
M- Aaron Bustamonte
M- Connor Aikman
M- William Braznell
F- Matt Geisel
F- Wiktor Pajak
FREMD (3-1-4-2)
G- Artur Cholewa
D- Cole Jackson
D- Jake Schoffstall
D- Kaelan Conway
M- Vince Daidone
M- Jake Scesniak
M- Anthony Tambellini
M- Connor Sapiente
M- Josh Bennett
F- Joe Beaupre
F- Dorian Lesiuk
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Josh Bennett, jr., MF, Fremd
Referee: Adrian Werbecki
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd: Bennett (Sapiente) 5'
Fremd: J. Schoffstall (Scesniak) 15'
Fremd: Kadin (Scesniak) 32'
Second half
Fremd: E. Schoffstall (Kading) 63'
Fremd: Austin (U/A) 74'
Vikings' explosive 1st half attack sinks Palatine 5-0
By Mike Garofola
PALATINE -- It is the Manchester and London derbies, of Palatine -- the Kinsella Cup.
The big local clash between two sides from the same town to decide who holds ownership of the big trophy for the next year happened Saturday in the 24th annual match dedicated to the late Jimmy Kinsella, who along with Bill Hughes were co-founders of the Celtic Soccer Club in 1968.
This 80-minute affair at Hildebrandt Field provided plenty of thrills if you were supporting the green jerseys of the home-sided Vikings who produced a couple of cracking goals, and plenty of exciting attacking soccer to outclass visiting Palatine (2-6-5, 1-4-2) during a 5-0 victory.
The impressive victory helps the Vikings continue their recent dominating form in the Kinsella Cup series. Fremd has now has claimed three straight and 13 overall. There have been four draws in the series.
"With all of us having so many friends on Palatine, or having played with some of those guys at Celtic, this is always a game we always look forward to," said junior Josh Bennett. "And to come out to get a big win like this over our crosstown rivals, plus get another three points is a big deal for us."
Bennett got an 'A' for his effort in this match, thanks in part to his pace and work rate up and down the right flank that constantly broke down the Pirates defense, He continually pumped quality passes into the box and made himself available for passes.
"Josh had a great game for us," said manager, Steve Keller. "He did exactly what we asked him to do, and you saw how determined he was to make his mark on the game today."
For that high-level effort Bennett received the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
"We have really turned the corner as a team ever since that 1-0 loss to Naperville North last Saturday," began Bennett.
"Up until then, we were playing well enough to win. But that game and the effort that we put out showed we can play with one of the best, if not the best team in the state. Now we're all playing much better (even) though we all know there's still room for improvement."
This has been a big week for the Vikings (8-3-1, 6-0-1), who after this victory sit atop the Mid-Suburban League table with 19 points and have built an impressive seven-point lead over their closest West Division competitors Hoffman Estates and Barrington.
After a 3-0 road win at Conant on Tuesday, Fremd won what looks like a precursor to the MSL Soccer Cup with a 3-1 home win over East Division leading Buffalo Grove.
"There's a lot of soccer still to be played," said Keller. "But this was a very good first half of soccer from the guys today who established things early, scored a couple of pretty goals, and continued to improve on the little things, which is something we are constantly working on during training."
The Vikings will travel to Barrington on Tuesday where another three points will put the club one step closer to its first appearance in the league championship game since 2014.
"That's the best side we've played this season," says Palatine manager Willie Filian.
"They have it all. They can attack from all areas; they can hold the ball very well and their ability to tackle, defend and to give a quality work rate makes them the best in my opinion. Plus their second unit is probably better than many first 11s around the area."
The Pirates were likely the victim of the finest first 40 minutes of the season by the Vikings who opened with purpose, pace and power and played with a much higher tempo than their guests. In the early stages the Pirates could do nothing but sit back and absorb as much pressure as they could without breaking under the sheer weight of the Fremd attack.
The high-pressing game of forwards Joey Beaupre and Dorian Lesiuk caused all sorts of problems for Filian's men, as did the control of the midfield by Anthony Tambellini, whose awareness and technique with the ball allowed the Vikings to enjoy, at the very least, 80 percent of the possession in the first half.
"We were very efficient in the first half," said Bennett.
"The effort was real good, and so was the build-up in our attack. All of us applied ourselves at a pretty high rate which showed up in the way we finished our chances today."
The Vikings deservedly went ahead at 5 minutes when Connor Sapiente ran past a pair of Pirates up the left side before playing a lovely ball to Bennett. The beautiful one-timer that followed beat keeper Kyle Varela, who had no chance on Bennett's perfectly placed effort.
The home side took a page out of the Pirates long-standing dead-ball and set-piece tactical playbook when it created five deep throws (most delivered by Beaupre) and another four corners to help keep the visitors on their back foot.
Varela, in between the sticks for senior D.J. Gutierrez, showed well despite the constant presence of the Vikings in and around the area.
The young keeper turned away three quality chances in the first 10 minutes, the best of which was against a Tambellini attempt. On another he elevated to turn around a Bennett corner.
The Vikings also did a wonderful job of winning first and second balls in the first quarter hour, claiming eight-of-10 challenges.
"We play a 4-4-2 formation, but with Vince (Daidone) kind of playing just in front of our back three of me and (Kaelen) Conway on the outside and (Jake) Schoffstall as our center back," said Cole Jackson.
"Vince cleans up all of the balls in front of us with his tackling to help our unit become a real brick wall to our opponents. But we still work in training on getting better with all of the little things to make us that way."
Another long heave from Beaupre, who gets 30 yards-plus on his deep throws, nearly led to the Vikings second goal when Connor Sapiente redirected his toss.
If not for getting wrong-footed on the Sapiente helper, Bennett would have bagged his second of the game.
Jake Schoffstall, who comes forward for most every dead-ball situation in the box, made an impact when the home side doubled its advantage. He finished at the back post after a superb left-footed bending corner from Scesniak which appeared to be curliing just inside the far corner of the net.
Palatine lost two players to injury at the same time when outside back Hugo Tierrablanca and reserve Konrad Zygier went out for the rest of the day in the 18th minute.
But thanks in part to some strong work from Bryan Lucero, who came on for one of his fallen mates, along with Kevin Reynolds and Aaron Spaletto the visitors managed to keep the Vikings from adding to the lead despite plenty of one-way traffic.
The Vikings second unit that so impressed Filian had a chance to shine when Keller brought on seven new field players on the half hour. The Vikings mentor left only Schoffstall, Jackson and Scesniak on the pitch to offer support and guidance.
It wasn't long before this new unit made an imprint on the game when another Scesniak corner found the new and unmarked arrival John Kating in the box.
The senior steered in his closer-range effort with a methodical finish to send the Vikings into the break with a three-goal advantage.
"Both our first and second units played very well in the first half, but I felt we were not as clean and sharp in the second half, despite putting two more on the scoreboard," began Keller.
"A lot of the play in the second half was in our end, and we got a little sloppy and nearly conceded a goal or two. We were fortunate to keep the shutout for Artur (Cholewa) in the end."
The Vikings keeper and his backline mates Conway, Jackson, Shoffstall and Aidan Johnston, who earned minutes with the second unit, earned its ninth overall clean-sheet on the season. The Vikings have not allowed a goal in the MSL this season.
Aaron Bustamante, Connor Aikman, Jorge Corona and Matt Geisel led a second half uprising for the Pirates, who took advantage of the strong wind at their back and some creative play from this quartet to force more defensive play from the Vikings after the break.
Fremd's Jackson ended a well-executed retrieving mission with a sharp tackle of Geisel, who ran onto a terrific early ball from Aikman inside the box. Moments later, it was come crafty work from Palatine's Bustamante and Aikman that allowed Corona to go close.
Fremd proved to be the more potent side despite the Pirates newfound life. The Vikings added another to the scoreline with brilliant work from Kating and Eli Schoffstall. The sequence ended with the freshman Schoffstall sending his attempt through a crowd, and past Varela, who likely did not see the floor-level drive until the last second.
Sophomore Nick Austin found his way through to end the scoring in the 74th minute.
"In this, our 13th game of the season, we now started our 11th different lineup," said a Filian. "You can see what one of our problems has been, but that's not to take anything away from Steve's guys, because they deserved the result they earned.
"We've had 5-6 guys we've counted on the entire year, and that's been it thus far.
"Fremd, if they stay healthy and continue to improve, will be a very difficult opponent for everyone they face."
"After Naperville North, we went on to get great results against Conant, then Buffalo Grove and now today, which makes Tuesday's game at Barrington really big for us," said Bennett. "I know we'll be ready for that game because getting another three points against them will put us in good shape in the division."
Starting lineups
Palatine (4-4-2)
G- Kyle Varela
D- Hugo Tierrablanca
D- Kevin Reynolds
D- Brian Sobkowiak
D- Aaron Spaletto
M- Patrick Rajchel
M- Aaron Bustamonte
M- Connor Aikman
M- William Braznell
F- Matt Geisel
F- Wiktor Pajak
FREMD (3-1-4-2)
G- Artur Cholewa
D- Cole Jackson
D- Jake Schoffstall
D- Kaelan Conway
M- Vince Daidone
M- Jake Scesniak
M- Anthony Tambellini
M- Connor Sapiente
M- Josh Bennett
F- Joe Beaupre
F- Dorian Lesiuk
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Josh Bennett, jr., MF, Fremd
Referee: Adrian Werbecki
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd: Bennett (Sapiente) 5'
Fremd: J. Schoffstall (Scesniak) 15'
Fremd: Kadin (Scesniak) 32'
Second half
Fremd: E. Schoffstall (Kading) 63'
Fremd: Austin (U/A) 74'