Steady CLS rolls past Prairie Ridge
Gators start off Fox Valley Conference play with 4-1 home win
By Matt Misiek
CRYSTAL LAKE – When reviewing Crystal Lake South’s run of play last week in the Alonso Sanchez Memorial Classic at Wauconda, the results were varied.
The Gators were handed a 4-1 tournament-opening loss to Zion-Benton (ranked 23rd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25), a draw against Palatine, and then a comfortable 7-0 victory over North Chicago. The results saw Crystal Lake South drop to the top spot in the honorable mention section of the poll, at least for the time being.
In addition, two of their captains, Sabien Raymond and 2018 all-conference defender Evan Carlson, remained unavailable to play due to injury, leading into Tuesday’s Fox Valley Conference matchup with in-town rival Prairie Ridge.
However, out of this adversity a dynamic has developed that left coach Brian Allen pleased.
“The resiliency of this team has been outstanding,” Allen said. “All of them looked at each other and said that we’re not going to let this thing go. We’re going to hold the rope and play for one other.”
The Gators showcased their resilience and put together a complete display against the visiting Wolves, taking control early and extending their lead throughout in pacing themselves to a 4-1 victory.
In the first seven minutes, Crystal Lake South (4-1-2, 1-0-0) was able to generate two quality chances. The fourth minute saw midfielder Michal Dejworek come up with a steal and pass that sprung forward Alex Canfield down the left side. Canfield’s cross met the head of Garett Schneider but the effort went just past the left post.
Three minutes later, Schneider was unable to get his head on another Canfield cross, pushing it high and wide of the right post.
The third chance was the charm for Schneider and company. In the 10th minute, Schneider advanced to the right side of the 18, followed up on his own chance and set up sophomore midfielder Sam Bahnfleth with an easy, tap-in goal to the left of Prairie Ridge keeper Owen Erickson.
“It was a whole team goal,” said Bahnfleth. “Garett was able to get it back off of his own chance, look up and see me, and I was fortunate enough to put it away.”
The 18th minute saw another quality chance for the Gators. Canfield found space and proceeded to the right side of the 18. His shot across goal was cleared off the line by the Prairie Ridge defense, but sophomore midfielder Tom Coughlin created a follow-up drive that went wide of the right post.
Schneider, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, extended the advantage for Crystal Lake South with 59 seconds remaining in the first half. Dejworek did the heavy lifting on the buildup, advancing the ball from midfield to the left of the 18, then crossing to the senior forward for a tap-in.
“Coach Allen always tells us to keep battling,” Schneider added. “It is all about individual battles. Every time any of us steps on the field, it is about keeping the energy up and helping the whole team pull through.”
Allen was really pleased with Schneider’s overall game effort, especially since the forward was bouncing back from a torn meniscus, suffered during last season’s magical run to the Class AA title.
“This was a great game for Garett,” he said. “Coming back from injury, it is tough. The first six games he wasn’t his usual self and didn’t have the usual energy. Sometimes it takes a big conference game to spur you. He lit a fire in himself and his teammates today and just gave it his all.
“When he (Schneider) plays with that much energy and passion, it gives us an added dynamic to complement Alex (Canfield) in the middle and Michal (Dejworek) on the outside. It gives us a nice three-headed monster.”
Dejworek was rewarded with the third goal for the Gators in the 60th minute, scoring after a great setup from Canfield.
“Alex coming in with his speed and serving me the ball, I was in the right place at the right time,” Dejworek said.
Sophomore forward Jackson Schuetzle capped the scoring for Crystal Lake South in the 62nd minute. Schuetzle was sent through on an over-the-top send. His initial shot hit the crossbar and bounced straight down. Schuetzle outraced a scrambling Erickson and tap the ball over the line.
Prairie Ridge (3-4-0 overall, 0-2-0 in FVC) had quality chances in the 51st and 52nd minute. Standing over a free kick from 25 yards on the right side, senior defender Cameron Gablenz went direct on frame and his effort just went over the bar. Shortly after, junior midfielder Bennett Barr served a quality corner from the right side.
The cross met the head of forward Tyus Whitfield from 10 yards away, but the sophomore’s effort went over the crossbar as well.
The Wolves were rewarded in the 73rd minute. After earning a free kick at the top of the 18, freshman forward Cade Collins drilled his shot to the right of Gators
keeper Carson Hill. The ball pinged off the post and found the back of the net.
“I saw that the wall was off on the right side,” said Collins. “I saw the left side open, and I slid over and hit.”
Collins is continuing a fine run of form. Last Saturday in Prairie Ridge’s 8-0 victory over Marengo, he tallied a hat-trick while only playing 60 of the 80 minutes.
“He’s a freshman; he’s playing bigger than he is,” said Prairie Ridge coach Mark Lewis. “Luckily we have him for four years, and we are very excited.”
Prairie Ridge will travel to play Grayslake Central this Saturday at 10 a.m. Crystal Lake South travels to Rockford on Thursday to face Auburn High School, with kickoff slated for 6:45 p.m.
As for Crystal Lake South, coach Allen noted that the competition before this match prepared them well.
“The Wauconda tournament, I feel, was underrated,” Allen said. “Zion-Benton, Palatine and us all won our crossover games. Our side of the bracket was loaded, and that gave us really valuable experience getting us ready for conference. We grew up from those games real fast, and it paid off today.”
Allen also noted other standout performances from the game.
“Brandon Osterberg stepped up today in the center back role,” Allen said. “He was huge today along with Tomasz (Slawek). Tomasz is a sophomore on the back line and has grown up real fast for us, making great strides. Deven Tinajero was called up from JV and will be with us the rest of the year, probably, bringing us more energy.
“That’s the coolest part,” Allen also noted. “Whenever I call upon someone, they are always asking what they can do, and they give it their all. If we can keep that up and then work on the technical and tactical parts of the game, we will be in good shape.”
Starting lineups
Prairie Ridge
GK Owen Erickson
D Ethan Covers
D Aiden O’Hanian
D Trenton Feltes
D Dane Justesen
MF Dayton Gates
MF Luke Wolf
MF Bennett Barr
MF Luke Kim
F Tyus Whitfield
F Michael Thompson
Crystal Lake South
GK Carson Hill
D Brandon Osterberg
D Danny Ciezadlo
D Tomasz Slawek
MF Tyler Getzinger
MF Tom Coughlin
MF Sam Bahnfleth
MF Colton Weidner
MF Michal Dejworek
F Alex Canfield
F Garett Schneider
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Garett Schneider, sr., F, Crystal Lake South
Referees: Dave Ganshaw (center); Rick Blaisdell; Joe Skaja
Scoring Summary
First Half
CLS – Sam Bahnfleth (Garett Schneider) – 10’
CLS – Garett Schneider (Michal Dejworek) – 40’
Second Half
CLS – Michal Dejworek (Alex Canfield) – 60’
CLS – Jackson Schuetzle (unassisted) – 62’
PR – Cade Collins (FK) -73’
Gators start off Fox Valley Conference play with 4-1 home win
By Matt Misiek
CRYSTAL LAKE – When reviewing Crystal Lake South’s run of play last week in the Alonso Sanchez Memorial Classic at Wauconda, the results were varied.
The Gators were handed a 4-1 tournament-opening loss to Zion-Benton (ranked 23rd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25), a draw against Palatine, and then a comfortable 7-0 victory over North Chicago. The results saw Crystal Lake South drop to the top spot in the honorable mention section of the poll, at least for the time being.
In addition, two of their captains, Sabien Raymond and 2018 all-conference defender Evan Carlson, remained unavailable to play due to injury, leading into Tuesday’s Fox Valley Conference matchup with in-town rival Prairie Ridge.
However, out of this adversity a dynamic has developed that left coach Brian Allen pleased.
“The resiliency of this team has been outstanding,” Allen said. “All of them looked at each other and said that we’re not going to let this thing go. We’re going to hold the rope and play for one other.”
The Gators showcased their resilience and put together a complete display against the visiting Wolves, taking control early and extending their lead throughout in pacing themselves to a 4-1 victory.
In the first seven minutes, Crystal Lake South (4-1-2, 1-0-0) was able to generate two quality chances. The fourth minute saw midfielder Michal Dejworek come up with a steal and pass that sprung forward Alex Canfield down the left side. Canfield’s cross met the head of Garett Schneider but the effort went just past the left post.
Three minutes later, Schneider was unable to get his head on another Canfield cross, pushing it high and wide of the right post.
The third chance was the charm for Schneider and company. In the 10th minute, Schneider advanced to the right side of the 18, followed up on his own chance and set up sophomore midfielder Sam Bahnfleth with an easy, tap-in goal to the left of Prairie Ridge keeper Owen Erickson.
“It was a whole team goal,” said Bahnfleth. “Garett was able to get it back off of his own chance, look up and see me, and I was fortunate enough to put it away.”
The 18th minute saw another quality chance for the Gators. Canfield found space and proceeded to the right side of the 18. His shot across goal was cleared off the line by the Prairie Ridge defense, but sophomore midfielder Tom Coughlin created a follow-up drive that went wide of the right post.
Schneider, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, extended the advantage for Crystal Lake South with 59 seconds remaining in the first half. Dejworek did the heavy lifting on the buildup, advancing the ball from midfield to the left of the 18, then crossing to the senior forward for a tap-in.
“Coach Allen always tells us to keep battling,” Schneider added. “It is all about individual battles. Every time any of us steps on the field, it is about keeping the energy up and helping the whole team pull through.”
Allen was really pleased with Schneider’s overall game effort, especially since the forward was bouncing back from a torn meniscus, suffered during last season’s magical run to the Class AA title.
“This was a great game for Garett,” he said. “Coming back from injury, it is tough. The first six games he wasn’t his usual self and didn’t have the usual energy. Sometimes it takes a big conference game to spur you. He lit a fire in himself and his teammates today and just gave it his all.
“When he (Schneider) plays with that much energy and passion, it gives us an added dynamic to complement Alex (Canfield) in the middle and Michal (Dejworek) on the outside. It gives us a nice three-headed monster.”
Dejworek was rewarded with the third goal for the Gators in the 60th minute, scoring after a great setup from Canfield.
“Alex coming in with his speed and serving me the ball, I was in the right place at the right time,” Dejworek said.
Sophomore forward Jackson Schuetzle capped the scoring for Crystal Lake South in the 62nd minute. Schuetzle was sent through on an over-the-top send. His initial shot hit the crossbar and bounced straight down. Schuetzle outraced a scrambling Erickson and tap the ball over the line.
Prairie Ridge (3-4-0 overall, 0-2-0 in FVC) had quality chances in the 51st and 52nd minute. Standing over a free kick from 25 yards on the right side, senior defender Cameron Gablenz went direct on frame and his effort just went over the bar. Shortly after, junior midfielder Bennett Barr served a quality corner from the right side.
The cross met the head of forward Tyus Whitfield from 10 yards away, but the sophomore’s effort went over the crossbar as well.
The Wolves were rewarded in the 73rd minute. After earning a free kick at the top of the 18, freshman forward Cade Collins drilled his shot to the right of Gators
keeper Carson Hill. The ball pinged off the post and found the back of the net.
“I saw that the wall was off on the right side,” said Collins. “I saw the left side open, and I slid over and hit.”
Collins is continuing a fine run of form. Last Saturday in Prairie Ridge’s 8-0 victory over Marengo, he tallied a hat-trick while only playing 60 of the 80 minutes.
“He’s a freshman; he’s playing bigger than he is,” said Prairie Ridge coach Mark Lewis. “Luckily we have him for four years, and we are very excited.”
Prairie Ridge will travel to play Grayslake Central this Saturday at 10 a.m. Crystal Lake South travels to Rockford on Thursday to face Auburn High School, with kickoff slated for 6:45 p.m.
As for Crystal Lake South, coach Allen noted that the competition before this match prepared them well.
“The Wauconda tournament, I feel, was underrated,” Allen said. “Zion-Benton, Palatine and us all won our crossover games. Our side of the bracket was loaded, and that gave us really valuable experience getting us ready for conference. We grew up from those games real fast, and it paid off today.”
Allen also noted other standout performances from the game.
“Brandon Osterberg stepped up today in the center back role,” Allen said. “He was huge today along with Tomasz (Slawek). Tomasz is a sophomore on the back line and has grown up real fast for us, making great strides. Deven Tinajero was called up from JV and will be with us the rest of the year, probably, bringing us more energy.
“That’s the coolest part,” Allen also noted. “Whenever I call upon someone, they are always asking what they can do, and they give it their all. If we can keep that up and then work on the technical and tactical parts of the game, we will be in good shape.”
Starting lineups
Prairie Ridge
GK Owen Erickson
D Ethan Covers
D Aiden O’Hanian
D Trenton Feltes
D Dane Justesen
MF Dayton Gates
MF Luke Wolf
MF Bennett Barr
MF Luke Kim
F Tyus Whitfield
F Michael Thompson
Crystal Lake South
GK Carson Hill
D Brandon Osterberg
D Danny Ciezadlo
D Tomasz Slawek
MF Tyler Getzinger
MF Tom Coughlin
MF Sam Bahnfleth
MF Colton Weidner
MF Michal Dejworek
F Alex Canfield
F Garett Schneider
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Garett Schneider, sr., F, Crystal Lake South
Referees: Dave Ganshaw (center); Rick Blaisdell; Joe Skaja
Scoring Summary
First Half
CLS – Sam Bahnfleth (Garett Schneider) – 10’
CLS – Garett Schneider (Michal Dejworek) – 40’
Second Half
CLS – Michal Dejworek (Alex Canfield) – 60’
CLS – Jackson Schuetzle (unassisted) – 62’
PR – Cade Collins (FK) -73’