Glenbard South finishes great,
but too late to catch Proviso East
Raiders fall 2-1 despite man advantage in nonconference match
By Dave Owen
GLEN ELLYN -- One man down doesn’t always mean a team is down and out.
Naperville North won a 1990 supersectional game with a 10-vs.-11 disadvantage for most of the night following a red card, one of the first of many examples where a shorthanded team digs deeper to turn adversity into glory.
Thursday at Glenbard South, Proviso East added its name to that list of teams beating the odds.
After a second yellow card on a player with 32:57 left in a 0-0 game, the Pirates had to steer through the rest of the match one-man down.
Steer they did. A set piece goal with 25:59 left and a great individual dribble attack from midfield and finish by Diego Quintero with 15:35 to go put Proviso East (2-4-0) ahead 2-0.
And despite a furious late push by the Raiders (2-4-2) that produced a Phinees Kula goal with 8:53 remaining and numerous other excellent chances, Proviso East escaped with a 2-1 win.
Glenbard South entered the match off a 2-0 Upstate Eight Conference-opening loss the previous night at Fenton, but neither coach Adam Szyszko nor his players used that as a factor in Thursday night’s outcome.
“I rotated I think eight guys in the first half, so subs got minutes (after the Fenton game),” he said. “Then we stayed with core guys in the second half.
“I don't think that (fatigue) had anything to do with it. A conference game last night, and maybe a little bit of a trap game here where your emotions get let down a little bit.
“We had a 30-minute man-up advantage, and we didn't capitalize. I think we were sleepwalking through 60 minutes of this game, and we finally woke up the last 20.
“And like I told the team (after the game), you can't, at the varsity level, play for 10 or 15 minutes. You have to play for 80. We didn't do that tonight and credit to Proviso. They did.”
The Pirates had to put in extra effort during the 80 minutes. And with good defensive discipline and just enough opportunism, they succeeded.
“From my standpoint, I didn’t need an attacker (after the red card),” Pirates coach Antonio Gonzalez said, “so I just had them all drop back (on defense) and then attack more as a team (on corner kicks). We shifted, made a couple changes, and it worked for us.
“It was a hard game. Glenbard South is a tough team. They passed the ball very well. But the mentality that my boys have, to tell them 'Don't give up; make sure you win those 50-50 balls. And if you lose it or get shaken off the ball, pick yourself up and go get it.'”
Quintero was a huge factor for the Pirates. He summed up the players’ viewpoint after the red card came.
“We had to keep our heads up,” he said. “Even though we were at a disadvantage we kept our heads up throughout the whole game. And we got a positive result.”
Proviso East had the game’s first chance four minutes in But Raiders goalkeeper Sean Miller grabbed the header off a corner kick.
A counterattack generated Glenbard South’s first good chance in the seventh minute. A clear upfield of a Pirates throw-in set up a Kula run and send toward the box. Mitchell Erickson sent a 20-yard liner wide left.
The rest of the scoreless first half featured more Raiders’ defense turning into offense.
In the 14th minute, Erickson made a midfield steal and was fouled. Jacob Lichtenheld’s ensuing 52-yard free kick reached Kula, whose redirect was saved by Proviso East keeper Chris McMillion at the right post.
One minute later, McMillion was tested again when he had to swat wide a Esteban Godinez 18-yard shot that was set up by a Yusuf Afzal corner kick.
Lichtenheld had a block at the 18 of a Quintero shot in the 23rd minute and another header ball away in the 32nd minute to deny a potential Pirates 1-v-1 chance.
Plays like that prevented either team from finding its offensive footing in the first 40 minutes, a theme that would trouble the Raiders much of the night.
“You just learn to be clinical and controlled,” Kula said. “When you have your chances, put them away.
“We had plenty of chances. We should have finished them in the first half and second half, especially playing with a man up. We should play with more confidence, and even if we're missing shots we just have to keep shooting and be more clinical next time.”
Proviso East had the first chance after the break, a 28-yard free kick from the right side with 38:40 left that goalkeeper Miller initially blocked and then chased down right of the net.
Six minutes later, a run upfield by Erickson in pursuit of a long Godinez send seemed to set things up nicely for the Raiders. Erickson was fouled on his run, and a second yellow card on that infraction created a nearly second half-long man advantage.
Afzal’s 27-yard free kick after the foul was headed wide in a crowd near the left post.
And with the exception of a great chance with 18:20 left (Erickson’s 20-yard liner deflected over the crossbar by leaping Pirates second half goalkeeper
Kenneth Hinojosa), the 18 minutes after the red card was issued went anything but the Raiders’ way.
The first sign of trouble came with 27:50 left on a 28-yard Pirates shot wide left.
The next Proviso East chance resulted in a corner kick, and a Hiram Mendoza 6-yard header from in front that put the Pirates up 1-0.
“We had a defender play a ball that probably should have gone out on the sideline,” Szyszko said. “And it gave them a corner kick, and they capitalized.”
The Raiders had the next two good chances. First, a combination of Andrew Pressley to Erickson to Tres Moore ended with a Moore 25-yard shot wide with 20:40 left.
After the game, Szyszko noted Moore’s play as an early season highlight for the Raiders.
“Tres Moore has been doing a nice job,” he said. “He gives a great effort.
“He played striker for us the last two years, but we put him back as a holding midfielder this year. The first couple games he was a duck out of water. He didn't know what to do and where to be. But he battles, and he plays hard. He brings a lot of intensity.”
Two minutes after Moore’s chance came the Erickson shot that was swatted over the bar. He created the chance with a great individual effort; he turned twice to elude defenders near the box and launched a nice shot.
Off the ensuing Afzal corner kick, Erickson followed with another good bid to score. But his 14-yard shot was saved by Hinojosa.
“We just had to get really aggressive and do our best to get shots on goal and get our best chances to go in,” Erickson said. “I felt like with the rush of adrenalin, I feel like I play better under that.”
But just as Erickson was starting to create steady havoc, Quintero changed the complexion of the game in the blink of an eye with 15:35 left.
Off a Glenbard South offensive zone throw-in, Pirates defender Jovany Oviedo powered a long send up the left sideline to Quintero near midfield.
Quintero did the rest with an incredible individual effort, dribbling all the way up the left wing and powering a low 12-yard shot inside the right post.
“It's all about the teamwork,” Quintero said. “We were down a man and still managed to get up 2-0.”
And as for his great individual effort?
“It's all about opportunities,” he said. “If you don't take the ones you have, you're never going to make it.”
Quintero’s glory was a hard hit to the Raiders.
“Their second one we were just trying to get a goal, and I think we just let them counter and get one,” Erickson said. “We were tired. They had a lot of energy. They're really fast, and they just got one in.”
But the Pirates second goal lit a fire under the Raiders, who made a great push in the final 15 minutes to nearly erase the deficit.
The first good chance came with 12:45 left, when Nick Miranda’s cross set up a David Page 8-yard shot just wide of the left post.
Then as the clock dipped under 10 minutes, a Tres Moore steal near midfield initiated a Erickson and Miranda attack and an eventual throw-in near the Pirates goal.
Erickson’s ensuing toss found Kula in the crowd deep in the box, where he fought off two defenders to get off a low 8-yard shot just inside the left post and cut the deficit to 2-1.
“Mitch just told me to get by the near post,” Kula said of his first goal of 2022. “I went there, and their man followed me. As soon as I turned, I tried to get my body in front of them (the defenders). I did that, he (the goalkeeper) fell to the ground, and it was an open goal.”
Kula almost struck again with 7:15 to go. Off a Raiders corner kick, Diesel Oleksak’s initial shot was blocked. But Kula again battled away for the loose ball in front but his eventual shot went wide right for a goal kick.
“It was so close on the corner kick too,” Kula said.
“It's something we definitely work on in practice, to get inside the mixer. Every time the ball’s bouncing around, make sure you get a foot in.
“The second one we were unlucky, but the first one definitely paid off. As soon as the ball is lifted and you're in the middle of box, you just have to be ready.”
Glenbard South’s offense remained ready and able in their frenetic bid to tie.
With 5:40 to play, passes by Page and Godinez set up Miranda for a cross that the suddenly very busy Hinojosa came out to grab at the six.
Two more chances came in a 15-second span: an Erickson 50-50 win and 30-yard shot Hinojosa saved at 3:35, then a Godinez 25-yarder grabbed with 3:20 to go.
The threats continued almost to the end. With 1:10 left, a Raiders throw-in set up Miranda for a 15-yard liner that went just over the upper right corner of the net.
Then with 30 seconds to go, a Lichtenheld midfield send to Miranda right set up an eventual Afzal 22-yarder saved by Hinojosa.
With the ensuing goalie punt, the Pirates maintained possession in their offensive half for the final seconds, finally ending the Raiders’ comeback bid.
“All credit to Proviso,” Szyszko said. “They played hard, and they have some players who can play. Number 10 (Quintero) is a helluva player. And 4 (defender Carlos Mancilla) is a helluva player.
“They deserve it. We didn't play hard enough to win.”
Said Quintero: ”Obviously we're glad to win, but we have to keep on going. Just because we got a win doesn't mean we're the best. We still have games coming up.”
Glenbard South also looks to better days ahead, after a tough stretch of two games in 26 hours. Thursday should be part a lesson learned, and a good sign from their late game fight.
“Once they got the red card, we needed to start pushing really hard,” Erickson said. “We should have pushed the whole first half too. Proviso East had a good game, but we should have just went harder.
“And I think communication is a key. We started off strong, and we just let it slide a bit.
“We just have to stay really aggressive (going forward).”
Starting lineups
Proviso East
GK: Chris McMillion
D: Carlos Mancilla
D: Angel Sanchez
D: Jayden Montes
D: Kevin Vega
M: Diego Quintero
M: Armando Vazquez
M: Jesus Ocegueda
M: Joel Rivera
F: Nicholas Torres
F: Gael Zaragoza
Glenbard South
GK: Sean Miller
D: Andrew Pressley
D: Ryan Hopkins
D: Jacob Lichtenheld
D: Patricio Garza
M: Andrew Park
M: David Page
M: Yusuf Afzal
M: Esteban Godinez
F: Mitchell Erickson
F: Phinees Kula
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Diego Quintero, sr. MF, Proviso East
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
PE- Hiram Mendoza, 55’
PE- Diego Quintero, 65’
GS- Phinees Kula, 73’
but too late to catch Proviso East
Raiders fall 2-1 despite man advantage in nonconference match
By Dave Owen
GLEN ELLYN -- One man down doesn’t always mean a team is down and out.
Naperville North won a 1990 supersectional game with a 10-vs.-11 disadvantage for most of the night following a red card, one of the first of many examples where a shorthanded team digs deeper to turn adversity into glory.
Thursday at Glenbard South, Proviso East added its name to that list of teams beating the odds.
After a second yellow card on a player with 32:57 left in a 0-0 game, the Pirates had to steer through the rest of the match one-man down.
Steer they did. A set piece goal with 25:59 left and a great individual dribble attack from midfield and finish by Diego Quintero with 15:35 to go put Proviso East (2-4-0) ahead 2-0.
And despite a furious late push by the Raiders (2-4-2) that produced a Phinees Kula goal with 8:53 remaining and numerous other excellent chances, Proviso East escaped with a 2-1 win.
Glenbard South entered the match off a 2-0 Upstate Eight Conference-opening loss the previous night at Fenton, but neither coach Adam Szyszko nor his players used that as a factor in Thursday night’s outcome.
“I rotated I think eight guys in the first half, so subs got minutes (after the Fenton game),” he said. “Then we stayed with core guys in the second half.
“I don't think that (fatigue) had anything to do with it. A conference game last night, and maybe a little bit of a trap game here where your emotions get let down a little bit.
“We had a 30-minute man-up advantage, and we didn't capitalize. I think we were sleepwalking through 60 minutes of this game, and we finally woke up the last 20.
“And like I told the team (after the game), you can't, at the varsity level, play for 10 or 15 minutes. You have to play for 80. We didn't do that tonight and credit to Proviso. They did.”
The Pirates had to put in extra effort during the 80 minutes. And with good defensive discipline and just enough opportunism, they succeeded.
“From my standpoint, I didn’t need an attacker (after the red card),” Pirates coach Antonio Gonzalez said, “so I just had them all drop back (on defense) and then attack more as a team (on corner kicks). We shifted, made a couple changes, and it worked for us.
“It was a hard game. Glenbard South is a tough team. They passed the ball very well. But the mentality that my boys have, to tell them 'Don't give up; make sure you win those 50-50 balls. And if you lose it or get shaken off the ball, pick yourself up and go get it.'”
Quintero was a huge factor for the Pirates. He summed up the players’ viewpoint after the red card came.
“We had to keep our heads up,” he said. “Even though we were at a disadvantage we kept our heads up throughout the whole game. And we got a positive result.”
Proviso East had the game’s first chance four minutes in But Raiders goalkeeper Sean Miller grabbed the header off a corner kick.
A counterattack generated Glenbard South’s first good chance in the seventh minute. A clear upfield of a Pirates throw-in set up a Kula run and send toward the box. Mitchell Erickson sent a 20-yard liner wide left.
The rest of the scoreless first half featured more Raiders’ defense turning into offense.
In the 14th minute, Erickson made a midfield steal and was fouled. Jacob Lichtenheld’s ensuing 52-yard free kick reached Kula, whose redirect was saved by Proviso East keeper Chris McMillion at the right post.
One minute later, McMillion was tested again when he had to swat wide a Esteban Godinez 18-yard shot that was set up by a Yusuf Afzal corner kick.
Lichtenheld had a block at the 18 of a Quintero shot in the 23rd minute and another header ball away in the 32nd minute to deny a potential Pirates 1-v-1 chance.
Plays like that prevented either team from finding its offensive footing in the first 40 minutes, a theme that would trouble the Raiders much of the night.
“You just learn to be clinical and controlled,” Kula said. “When you have your chances, put them away.
“We had plenty of chances. We should have finished them in the first half and second half, especially playing with a man up. We should play with more confidence, and even if we're missing shots we just have to keep shooting and be more clinical next time.”
Proviso East had the first chance after the break, a 28-yard free kick from the right side with 38:40 left that goalkeeper Miller initially blocked and then chased down right of the net.
Six minutes later, a run upfield by Erickson in pursuit of a long Godinez send seemed to set things up nicely for the Raiders. Erickson was fouled on his run, and a second yellow card on that infraction created a nearly second half-long man advantage.
Afzal’s 27-yard free kick after the foul was headed wide in a crowd near the left post.
And with the exception of a great chance with 18:20 left (Erickson’s 20-yard liner deflected over the crossbar by leaping Pirates second half goalkeeper
Kenneth Hinojosa), the 18 minutes after the red card was issued went anything but the Raiders’ way.
The first sign of trouble came with 27:50 left on a 28-yard Pirates shot wide left.
The next Proviso East chance resulted in a corner kick, and a Hiram Mendoza 6-yard header from in front that put the Pirates up 1-0.
“We had a defender play a ball that probably should have gone out on the sideline,” Szyszko said. “And it gave them a corner kick, and they capitalized.”
The Raiders had the next two good chances. First, a combination of Andrew Pressley to Erickson to Tres Moore ended with a Moore 25-yard shot wide with 20:40 left.
After the game, Szyszko noted Moore’s play as an early season highlight for the Raiders.
“Tres Moore has been doing a nice job,” he said. “He gives a great effort.
“He played striker for us the last two years, but we put him back as a holding midfielder this year. The first couple games he was a duck out of water. He didn't know what to do and where to be. But he battles, and he plays hard. He brings a lot of intensity.”
Two minutes after Moore’s chance came the Erickson shot that was swatted over the bar. He created the chance with a great individual effort; he turned twice to elude defenders near the box and launched a nice shot.
Off the ensuing Afzal corner kick, Erickson followed with another good bid to score. But his 14-yard shot was saved by Hinojosa.
“We just had to get really aggressive and do our best to get shots on goal and get our best chances to go in,” Erickson said. “I felt like with the rush of adrenalin, I feel like I play better under that.”
But just as Erickson was starting to create steady havoc, Quintero changed the complexion of the game in the blink of an eye with 15:35 left.
Off a Glenbard South offensive zone throw-in, Pirates defender Jovany Oviedo powered a long send up the left sideline to Quintero near midfield.
Quintero did the rest with an incredible individual effort, dribbling all the way up the left wing and powering a low 12-yard shot inside the right post.
“It's all about the teamwork,” Quintero said. “We were down a man and still managed to get up 2-0.”
And as for his great individual effort?
“It's all about opportunities,” he said. “If you don't take the ones you have, you're never going to make it.”
Quintero’s glory was a hard hit to the Raiders.
“Their second one we were just trying to get a goal, and I think we just let them counter and get one,” Erickson said. “We were tired. They had a lot of energy. They're really fast, and they just got one in.”
But the Pirates second goal lit a fire under the Raiders, who made a great push in the final 15 minutes to nearly erase the deficit.
The first good chance came with 12:45 left, when Nick Miranda’s cross set up a David Page 8-yard shot just wide of the left post.
Then as the clock dipped under 10 minutes, a Tres Moore steal near midfield initiated a Erickson and Miranda attack and an eventual throw-in near the Pirates goal.
Erickson’s ensuing toss found Kula in the crowd deep in the box, where he fought off two defenders to get off a low 8-yard shot just inside the left post and cut the deficit to 2-1.
“Mitch just told me to get by the near post,” Kula said of his first goal of 2022. “I went there, and their man followed me. As soon as I turned, I tried to get my body in front of them (the defenders). I did that, he (the goalkeeper) fell to the ground, and it was an open goal.”
Kula almost struck again with 7:15 to go. Off a Raiders corner kick, Diesel Oleksak’s initial shot was blocked. But Kula again battled away for the loose ball in front but his eventual shot went wide right for a goal kick.
“It was so close on the corner kick too,” Kula said.
“It's something we definitely work on in practice, to get inside the mixer. Every time the ball’s bouncing around, make sure you get a foot in.
“The second one we were unlucky, but the first one definitely paid off. As soon as the ball is lifted and you're in the middle of box, you just have to be ready.”
Glenbard South’s offense remained ready and able in their frenetic bid to tie.
With 5:40 to play, passes by Page and Godinez set up Miranda for a cross that the suddenly very busy Hinojosa came out to grab at the six.
Two more chances came in a 15-second span: an Erickson 50-50 win and 30-yard shot Hinojosa saved at 3:35, then a Godinez 25-yarder grabbed with 3:20 to go.
The threats continued almost to the end. With 1:10 left, a Raiders throw-in set up Miranda for a 15-yard liner that went just over the upper right corner of the net.
Then with 30 seconds to go, a Lichtenheld midfield send to Miranda right set up an eventual Afzal 22-yarder saved by Hinojosa.
With the ensuing goalie punt, the Pirates maintained possession in their offensive half for the final seconds, finally ending the Raiders’ comeback bid.
“All credit to Proviso,” Szyszko said. “They played hard, and they have some players who can play. Number 10 (Quintero) is a helluva player. And 4 (defender Carlos Mancilla) is a helluva player.
“They deserve it. We didn't play hard enough to win.”
Said Quintero: ”Obviously we're glad to win, but we have to keep on going. Just because we got a win doesn't mean we're the best. We still have games coming up.”
Glenbard South also looks to better days ahead, after a tough stretch of two games in 26 hours. Thursday should be part a lesson learned, and a good sign from their late game fight.
“Once they got the red card, we needed to start pushing really hard,” Erickson said. “We should have pushed the whole first half too. Proviso East had a good game, but we should have just went harder.
“And I think communication is a key. We started off strong, and we just let it slide a bit.
“We just have to stay really aggressive (going forward).”
Starting lineups
Proviso East
GK: Chris McMillion
D: Carlos Mancilla
D: Angel Sanchez
D: Jayden Montes
D: Kevin Vega
M: Diego Quintero
M: Armando Vazquez
M: Jesus Ocegueda
M: Joel Rivera
F: Nicholas Torres
F: Gael Zaragoza
Glenbard South
GK: Sean Miller
D: Andrew Pressley
D: Ryan Hopkins
D: Jacob Lichtenheld
D: Patricio Garza
M: Andrew Park
M: David Page
M: Yusuf Afzal
M: Esteban Godinez
F: Mitchell Erickson
F: Phinees Kula
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Diego Quintero, sr. MF, Proviso East
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
PE- Hiram Mendoza, 55’
PE- Diego Quintero, 65’
GS- Phinees Kula, 73’