Leyden stays patient against Proviso East
Mancha goals less than 20 seconds apart help Eagles to 5-0 win
By Gary Larsen
When teammates can pass heated words between themselves during a game and not ever take the exchange personally, it’s typically possible for only one reason:
“We’ve known each other forever,” Leyden senior Matt Espinoza said.
Leyden started nine seniors against Proviso East on Tuesday. Those starters have largely grown up together through the ranks of youth soccer programs, indoor leagues and on to multiple seasons apiece of high school varsity soccer.
A coach’s job is never easy, so this season Eagles coach Mark Valintis is enjoying the gift of familiarity his boys have with each other.
“It’s their chemistry and camaraderie,” Valintis said. “The one thing I like about this team is that they can yell at each other, and they don’t drop their heads. They can take constructive criticism from their teammates and remain friends. That starts with our seniors and captains, and that’s what has allowed us to develop as quickly as we have this year.”
Early on in Tuesday’s eventual 5-0 Leyden win, a less mature Eagles team might have shown a bit of impatience and frustration against Proviso East. After Leyden got a goal from Alan Vazquez just five minutes into the West Suburban Conference Gold Division contest, the Eagles (5-1-0, 3-0-0) spent the next 30 minutes of play being turned away time and again by Pirates keeper Jorge Quintero.
Quintero cut off crosses from the endline, made a sliding kick-save and went airborne to his right to stop a penalty kick off the foot of Espinoza.
“Their goalie made some nice saves and their defense held up pretty well, but our final pass and our final touch on finishing was off,” Valintis said. “So it was a combination of reasons. But tip your hat to (Quintero).”
The uncomfortable nature of a one-goal lead lasted until late in the opening half for Leyden. But the Eagles, ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, never gave in to frustration.
Leyden stayed on its front foot and kept applying pressure, an approach that paid off in a three-goal flurry in the waning minutes before the break.
That flurry included two goals from Pablo Mancha less than 20 seconds apart. In the 35th minute, Leyden’s Javier Solis took a ball deep on the right side and crossed to Mancha, who finally solved Quintero with a header from eight yards.
On the ensuing kick-off, Leyden quickly gained control and Ozzie Pacheco sent a through-ball ahead that Mancha ran down behind the Pirates’ defense. Mancha went in alone on Quintero to make it 3-0.
Leyden wasn’t done. Just 4.4 seconds before halftime, Dylan Santamaria scored off an Edgar Orozco assist to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead.
Mancha’s two first half goals gave him five on the year. Vazquez’s game-opening goal was his team-leading sixth of the year. Leyden has now scored 23 goals in six games.
It was apparent throughout Tuesday’s game that Leyden enjoys playing on the new, wide, artificial field built recently at the East Leyden campus. For a quick-passing team like the Eagles, the new surface has paid dividends to the tune of 11 goals in three home games.
“We connect good up-top, and we’re scoring goals,” Mancha said. “This field is flat; the ball rolls faster, and you get to play better passes,” Mancha said. “The width helps our wingers get wide to make runs so we can kick it up to them. Teams that come in here aren’t used to the width.”
More width might also present problems for a defense but Leyden’s backline of Espinoza, Orozco, Jesus Recendez, and Krystian Martinez have stood tall in front of keepers Isael Marin and Kai Kopera.
Leyden has yet to give up a goal on its new field.
“We communicate well, and we’ve had chemistry since freshman year," said Espinoza. "We know each other, and we know how we play. So we just look at each other, and we already know what we’re doing.
“There’s more space to defend but with four in the back, that helps us out a little bit more. And the width with our spacing helps us out when we get the ball."
After Aldo Santos fed Oscar Flores for a goal that made it 5-0 at 50 minutes, Valintis sat most of his starters and allowed his backup players to finish the game. Ulices Leyva fired a quality shot from distance that Quintero tipped over the bar, and the Pirates’ keeper dove to push an Alex Diaz shot around the bar shortly thereafter.
Marin stayed solid in net from there against occasional flashes of danger from Proviso East, en route to the Eagles’ third-consecutive shutout and fourth of the year. Both Marin and Kopera have played solidly while splitting time in net.
“I can’t pick one over the other, because they’re both good; and they’re both deserving,” Valintis said. “So why not let them both have some fun?”
Mancha finished with two goals and one assist and Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“I thought Alan Vazquez and Pablo Mancha did a really good job of checking back to the ball and not always just running away and playing the long ball,” Valintis said, “and Alan Jacinto does so much in terms of calming us down when he gets the ball, to allow people to get to where they need to be so he can play it to them. When he’s on the ball, we’re a so-much-better team. Players like that don’t come around very often.”
Espinoza, who moved from midfield to the backline this season, has worn the captain’s band well for Leyden this season.
“He’s all about winning,” Valintis said. “He’s a varsity basketball player, baseball player, and I think he’s all-conference in three sports. He’s all about the team and when you have captains that will do anything they can, they instantly get the respect of their teammates.”
Asked what his main goal is during a Leyden’s current COVID-shortened, 11-game season, and Espinoza confirmed his coach’s assessment.
“Win conference,” Espinoza said. “It’s not a full season. but at least we’re playing. And we want to win conference.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK: Isael Marin
D: Jesus Recendez
D: Krystian Martinez
D: Matt Espinoza
D: Edgar Orozco
M: Dylan Santamaria
M: Alan Jacinto
M: Ozzie Pacheco
F: Javier Solis
F: Pablo Mancha
F: Cris Hernandez
Proviso East
GK: Jorge Quintero
D: Carlos Hernandez
D: Nicolas Navarro
D: Luis Morones
D: Sebastian Morales
M: Diego Quintero
M: Braulio Orozco-Tinoco
M: Leonel Hernandez
M: Alfonso Bahena
F: Abdul Kessouagni
F: Christopher Beltran
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Pablo Mancha, jr., F, Leyden
Scoring summary
First half
Leyden — Vazquez (Mancha) 5 minutes
Leyden — Mancha (Solis) 35 minutes
Leyden — Mancha (Pacheco) 35 minutes
Leyden — Santamaria (Orozco) 40 minutes
Second half
Leyden — Flores (Santos) 50 minutes
Mancha goals less than 20 seconds apart help Eagles to 5-0 win
By Gary Larsen
When teammates can pass heated words between themselves during a game and not ever take the exchange personally, it’s typically possible for only one reason:
“We’ve known each other forever,” Leyden senior Matt Espinoza said.
Leyden started nine seniors against Proviso East on Tuesday. Those starters have largely grown up together through the ranks of youth soccer programs, indoor leagues and on to multiple seasons apiece of high school varsity soccer.
A coach’s job is never easy, so this season Eagles coach Mark Valintis is enjoying the gift of familiarity his boys have with each other.
“It’s their chemistry and camaraderie,” Valintis said. “The one thing I like about this team is that they can yell at each other, and they don’t drop their heads. They can take constructive criticism from their teammates and remain friends. That starts with our seniors and captains, and that’s what has allowed us to develop as quickly as we have this year.”
Early on in Tuesday’s eventual 5-0 Leyden win, a less mature Eagles team might have shown a bit of impatience and frustration against Proviso East. After Leyden got a goal from Alan Vazquez just five minutes into the West Suburban Conference Gold Division contest, the Eagles (5-1-0, 3-0-0) spent the next 30 minutes of play being turned away time and again by Pirates keeper Jorge Quintero.
Quintero cut off crosses from the endline, made a sliding kick-save and went airborne to his right to stop a penalty kick off the foot of Espinoza.
“Their goalie made some nice saves and their defense held up pretty well, but our final pass and our final touch on finishing was off,” Valintis said. “So it was a combination of reasons. But tip your hat to (Quintero).”
The uncomfortable nature of a one-goal lead lasted until late in the opening half for Leyden. But the Eagles, ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, never gave in to frustration.
Leyden stayed on its front foot and kept applying pressure, an approach that paid off in a three-goal flurry in the waning minutes before the break.
That flurry included two goals from Pablo Mancha less than 20 seconds apart. In the 35th minute, Leyden’s Javier Solis took a ball deep on the right side and crossed to Mancha, who finally solved Quintero with a header from eight yards.
On the ensuing kick-off, Leyden quickly gained control and Ozzie Pacheco sent a through-ball ahead that Mancha ran down behind the Pirates’ defense. Mancha went in alone on Quintero to make it 3-0.
Leyden wasn’t done. Just 4.4 seconds before halftime, Dylan Santamaria scored off an Edgar Orozco assist to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead.
Mancha’s two first half goals gave him five on the year. Vazquez’s game-opening goal was his team-leading sixth of the year. Leyden has now scored 23 goals in six games.
It was apparent throughout Tuesday’s game that Leyden enjoys playing on the new, wide, artificial field built recently at the East Leyden campus. For a quick-passing team like the Eagles, the new surface has paid dividends to the tune of 11 goals in three home games.
“We connect good up-top, and we’re scoring goals,” Mancha said. “This field is flat; the ball rolls faster, and you get to play better passes,” Mancha said. “The width helps our wingers get wide to make runs so we can kick it up to them. Teams that come in here aren’t used to the width.”
More width might also present problems for a defense but Leyden’s backline of Espinoza, Orozco, Jesus Recendez, and Krystian Martinez have stood tall in front of keepers Isael Marin and Kai Kopera.
Leyden has yet to give up a goal on its new field.
“We communicate well, and we’ve had chemistry since freshman year," said Espinoza. "We know each other, and we know how we play. So we just look at each other, and we already know what we’re doing.
“There’s more space to defend but with four in the back, that helps us out a little bit more. And the width with our spacing helps us out when we get the ball."
After Aldo Santos fed Oscar Flores for a goal that made it 5-0 at 50 minutes, Valintis sat most of his starters and allowed his backup players to finish the game. Ulices Leyva fired a quality shot from distance that Quintero tipped over the bar, and the Pirates’ keeper dove to push an Alex Diaz shot around the bar shortly thereafter.
Marin stayed solid in net from there against occasional flashes of danger from Proviso East, en route to the Eagles’ third-consecutive shutout and fourth of the year. Both Marin and Kopera have played solidly while splitting time in net.
“I can’t pick one over the other, because they’re both good; and they’re both deserving,” Valintis said. “So why not let them both have some fun?”
Mancha finished with two goals and one assist and Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“I thought Alan Vazquez and Pablo Mancha did a really good job of checking back to the ball and not always just running away and playing the long ball,” Valintis said, “and Alan Jacinto does so much in terms of calming us down when he gets the ball, to allow people to get to where they need to be so he can play it to them. When he’s on the ball, we’re a so-much-better team. Players like that don’t come around very often.”
Espinoza, who moved from midfield to the backline this season, has worn the captain’s band well for Leyden this season.
“He’s all about winning,” Valintis said. “He’s a varsity basketball player, baseball player, and I think he’s all-conference in three sports. He’s all about the team and when you have captains that will do anything they can, they instantly get the respect of their teammates.”
Asked what his main goal is during a Leyden’s current COVID-shortened, 11-game season, and Espinoza confirmed his coach’s assessment.
“Win conference,” Espinoza said. “It’s not a full season. but at least we’re playing. And we want to win conference.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK: Isael Marin
D: Jesus Recendez
D: Krystian Martinez
D: Matt Espinoza
D: Edgar Orozco
M: Dylan Santamaria
M: Alan Jacinto
M: Ozzie Pacheco
F: Javier Solis
F: Pablo Mancha
F: Cris Hernandez
Proviso East
GK: Jorge Quintero
D: Carlos Hernandez
D: Nicolas Navarro
D: Luis Morones
D: Sebastian Morales
M: Diego Quintero
M: Braulio Orozco-Tinoco
M: Leonel Hernandez
M: Alfonso Bahena
F: Abdul Kessouagni
F: Christopher Beltran
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Pablo Mancha, jr., F, Leyden
Scoring summary
First half
Leyden — Vazquez (Mancha) 5 minutes
Leyden — Mancha (Solis) 35 minutes
Leyden — Mancha (Pacheco) 35 minutes
Leyden — Santamaria (Orozco) 40 minutes
Second half
Leyden — Flores (Santos) 50 minutes