Prospect regains form against Schaumburg
Knights put previous bad loss bethind them with 3-1 win
By Mike Garofola
SCHAUMBURG -- It was as much about pride as it was necessity.
Prospect couldn't look at itself in the mirror after a 4-1 home loss to division rival Rolling Meadows on Tuesday. The best way to erase that disappointment was to go out and play like the club knows that it can.
The Knights re-established their self respect and game by going out and playing a near flawless opening 40 minutes of soccer Thursday night at Gary Scholz Stadium. Prospect scored twice in the first half en route to a deserving 3-1 victory over host Schaumburg.
"We spend two hours as a team and staff watching the film of that game with Rolling Meadows," began Knights manager Mike Andrews. "We talked some, and we all owned up to our mistakes
"It's a two-way street with a team. You praise the positive, but on the flipside you've got to address the negative. And there was plenty of that in that game. And we've got a good club that is capable of playing at a certain level. They didn't do that against Rolling Meadows."
"It wasn't good," agreed junior Patrick Limanowka about the Tuesday night loss.
"We didn't come out and play. It was that simple.
"There wasn't any intensity or urgency in that game (but) not tonight. Our minds and play were sharp, and it showed, especially in the first half."
Much of that was due to the overall work from the Knights (4-2-0, 1-2-0) front six of: Nico Mho, Joey Baduch, Sid Gaire, Aaron Whiteman, Edmund Conroy and Limanowka
who helped ensure a lively start from the visitors.
This group wasted no time putting matters right when Gaire provided the initial ball from the midline to Limanowka, who in turn found Boduch. From there, it was all Mho who finished from 16 yards past helpless Saxons keeper Grant Behrens just seven minutes into the contest.
"We all know what we're capable of, but we didn't show any of it at all against Rolling Meadows by conceding four goals," began Gaire, whose terrific pace and distribution on the outside continually broke open the Saxons on his side of the park.
"It's a team effort when we lose, and the same when we win. Tonight, it was a total team effort, especially in the first half when we played so well."
Part of the reason for the Knights first half dominance was its desire to build from the back with composure and purpose. The backline quartet of Jacob Kell, Tengis Tulga, Daniel LaCost and Edmund Conroy helped make it happen.
The Saxons inability to put pressure on the Knights along the back did not help their overall cause, and because of that, the extra time and space allotted to the Knights backline saw them play through their mates in the middle, and on a handful of occasions target their frontrunners with ease.
"We're a work in progress this season, but just as Prospect pressed us up-top and put so much pressure on us, we did not do any of that in the first half, and that's why we were chasing the game for the first 40 minutes," said Schaumburg manager Eric Sorby, who starred at DePaul University as a goalkeeper.
The home side's best chance of the half came when its talented defensive midfielder Jared Schoo released a well-aimed low attempt. If not for Prospect goalkeeper Kevin Shane's full extension, the Saxons (1-3-1, 1-2-1) would have equalized in the 17th minute.
However, all of the play before and after the Schoo chance was in the Saxons end, which resulted a few half-chances, and two or three quality opportunities for Prospect to increase its lead.
In the 30th minute, Limanowka brought down a ball from out of the back and played ahead to Mho. The senior forward's lovely early ball nearly put Bryan Morrison past the onrushing Behrens.
Alex Predescu also went close, thanks in part to some terrific work from Jacob Kell and Limanowka who each proved providers. If not for the quick decision by Behrens to race off his line, Mho would have easily doubled the advantage.
At the half hour, a superb individual effort from Limanowka added to the Knights score line when a Kell early ball put his teammate in what looked like an impossible 1-v.-3 situation.
However, a crafty touch and quick first step saw Limanowka break free of his markers before he finished past Behrens, who was off his line in anticipation of trouble arising.
"I was given a great ball, and I just kept working and going to get past my guys," said the junior forward, who made his effort sound almost pedestrian when in fact, it was sensational.
It was obvious the 10-minute intermission came at the perfect time for the home side, which was allowed to regroup with the hopes that the break would slow the momentum the Knights had built from their fine play in the opening period.
The Saxons were on their collective front foot from the offset of the final 40 minutes. They put Shane to work far more than he and his mates would have liked.
Tomasz Wieczorek went just over the bar, Luis Bautista-Melendez forced Shane to make a save of his low blast and Eric Pawlikowski had a half-chance attempt pulled in by the Knights keeper.
"There was no energy in our play at the start of the second half. (We) didn't play through our midfield and possess like we did before, and Schaumburg really came at us," admitted Gaire.
But just when it looked as though the home side was nearing a breakthrough, up stepped the ever present Mho, who unloaded a free kick missile from the top of the box just inside the back post.
The 61st minute goal deflated the Saxons, and if not for a free kick goal three minutes from time, which was redirected on the way in by Bautista-Melendez, the Knights, and in particular Shane, would have earned themselves their second clean-sheet of the season.
"We wanted to get back to playing the way we did in our season opening win against Glenbrook South, because we all know that the type of soccer we can play if we keep up the work rate and energy that we brought that day," suggested Gaire.
"The guys responded well tonight," Andrews said. "After that loss on Tuesday, the first half from front-to-back was very good, (especially) our passing game.
"Schaumburg came right after us in the second half as we expected, which made things harder for us. We settled in along the back, and finished strong, especially after Nico's goal put us up by three."
The Knights have a big week waiting for them. They meet division leaders Wheeling (East) and Barrington (co-leader with Palatine in the West), before going to upstart Buffalo Grove next Friday in an attempt to interfere with the Bison homecoming celebration.
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK- Kevin Shane
D- Jacob Kell
D- Tengis Tulga
D- Daniel LaCost
D- Edmund Conroy
M- Sid Gaire
M- Aaron Whiteman
M- Nico Mho
M- Bryan Morrison
M- Joey Boduch
F- Patrick Limanowka
Schaumburg
GK- Grant Behrens
D- Edwin Suresh
D- Patrick Michalowski
D- Eric Pawlowski
D- Samuel Bogner
M- Jared Schoo
M- Nick Marino
M- Tomasz Wieczorek
M- Anthony Spadafore
F- Luis Bautista-Melendez
F- Edwin Zuniga
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Patrick Limanowka, jr, F, Prospect
Referee: Chris Kruz
Scoring summary
Prospect: Mho (Boduch, Limanowka) 7'; Limanowka (Predescu) 30'; Mho (FK) 60'
Schaumburg: Bautista-Melendez (FK) 77'
Knights put previous bad loss bethind them with 3-1 win
By Mike Garofola
SCHAUMBURG -- It was as much about pride as it was necessity.
Prospect couldn't look at itself in the mirror after a 4-1 home loss to division rival Rolling Meadows on Tuesday. The best way to erase that disappointment was to go out and play like the club knows that it can.
The Knights re-established their self respect and game by going out and playing a near flawless opening 40 minutes of soccer Thursday night at Gary Scholz Stadium. Prospect scored twice in the first half en route to a deserving 3-1 victory over host Schaumburg.
"We spend two hours as a team and staff watching the film of that game with Rolling Meadows," began Knights manager Mike Andrews. "We talked some, and we all owned up to our mistakes
"It's a two-way street with a team. You praise the positive, but on the flipside you've got to address the negative. And there was plenty of that in that game. And we've got a good club that is capable of playing at a certain level. They didn't do that against Rolling Meadows."
"It wasn't good," agreed junior Patrick Limanowka about the Tuesday night loss.
"We didn't come out and play. It was that simple.
"There wasn't any intensity or urgency in that game (but) not tonight. Our minds and play were sharp, and it showed, especially in the first half."
Much of that was due to the overall work from the Knights (4-2-0, 1-2-0) front six of: Nico Mho, Joey Baduch, Sid Gaire, Aaron Whiteman, Edmund Conroy and Limanowka
who helped ensure a lively start from the visitors.
This group wasted no time putting matters right when Gaire provided the initial ball from the midline to Limanowka, who in turn found Boduch. From there, it was all Mho who finished from 16 yards past helpless Saxons keeper Grant Behrens just seven minutes into the contest.
"We all know what we're capable of, but we didn't show any of it at all against Rolling Meadows by conceding four goals," began Gaire, whose terrific pace and distribution on the outside continually broke open the Saxons on his side of the park.
"It's a team effort when we lose, and the same when we win. Tonight, it was a total team effort, especially in the first half when we played so well."
Part of the reason for the Knights first half dominance was its desire to build from the back with composure and purpose. The backline quartet of Jacob Kell, Tengis Tulga, Daniel LaCost and Edmund Conroy helped make it happen.
The Saxons inability to put pressure on the Knights along the back did not help their overall cause, and because of that, the extra time and space allotted to the Knights backline saw them play through their mates in the middle, and on a handful of occasions target their frontrunners with ease.
"We're a work in progress this season, but just as Prospect pressed us up-top and put so much pressure on us, we did not do any of that in the first half, and that's why we were chasing the game for the first 40 minutes," said Schaumburg manager Eric Sorby, who starred at DePaul University as a goalkeeper.
The home side's best chance of the half came when its talented defensive midfielder Jared Schoo released a well-aimed low attempt. If not for Prospect goalkeeper Kevin Shane's full extension, the Saxons (1-3-1, 1-2-1) would have equalized in the 17th minute.
However, all of the play before and after the Schoo chance was in the Saxons end, which resulted a few half-chances, and two or three quality opportunities for Prospect to increase its lead.
In the 30th minute, Limanowka brought down a ball from out of the back and played ahead to Mho. The senior forward's lovely early ball nearly put Bryan Morrison past the onrushing Behrens.
Alex Predescu also went close, thanks in part to some terrific work from Jacob Kell and Limanowka who each proved providers. If not for the quick decision by Behrens to race off his line, Mho would have easily doubled the advantage.
At the half hour, a superb individual effort from Limanowka added to the Knights score line when a Kell early ball put his teammate in what looked like an impossible 1-v.-3 situation.
However, a crafty touch and quick first step saw Limanowka break free of his markers before he finished past Behrens, who was off his line in anticipation of trouble arising.
"I was given a great ball, and I just kept working and going to get past my guys," said the junior forward, who made his effort sound almost pedestrian when in fact, it was sensational.
It was obvious the 10-minute intermission came at the perfect time for the home side, which was allowed to regroup with the hopes that the break would slow the momentum the Knights had built from their fine play in the opening period.
The Saxons were on their collective front foot from the offset of the final 40 minutes. They put Shane to work far more than he and his mates would have liked.
Tomasz Wieczorek went just over the bar, Luis Bautista-Melendez forced Shane to make a save of his low blast and Eric Pawlikowski had a half-chance attempt pulled in by the Knights keeper.
"There was no energy in our play at the start of the second half. (We) didn't play through our midfield and possess like we did before, and Schaumburg really came at us," admitted Gaire.
But just when it looked as though the home side was nearing a breakthrough, up stepped the ever present Mho, who unloaded a free kick missile from the top of the box just inside the back post.
The 61st minute goal deflated the Saxons, and if not for a free kick goal three minutes from time, which was redirected on the way in by Bautista-Melendez, the Knights, and in particular Shane, would have earned themselves their second clean-sheet of the season.
"We wanted to get back to playing the way we did in our season opening win against Glenbrook South, because we all know that the type of soccer we can play if we keep up the work rate and energy that we brought that day," suggested Gaire.
"The guys responded well tonight," Andrews said. "After that loss on Tuesday, the first half from front-to-back was very good, (especially) our passing game.
"Schaumburg came right after us in the second half as we expected, which made things harder for us. We settled in along the back, and finished strong, especially after Nico's goal put us up by three."
The Knights have a big week waiting for them. They meet division leaders Wheeling (East) and Barrington (co-leader with Palatine in the West), before going to upstart Buffalo Grove next Friday in an attempt to interfere with the Bison homecoming celebration.
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK- Kevin Shane
D- Jacob Kell
D- Tengis Tulga
D- Daniel LaCost
D- Edmund Conroy
M- Sid Gaire
M- Aaron Whiteman
M- Nico Mho
M- Bryan Morrison
M- Joey Boduch
F- Patrick Limanowka
Schaumburg
GK- Grant Behrens
D- Edwin Suresh
D- Patrick Michalowski
D- Eric Pawlowski
D- Samuel Bogner
M- Jared Schoo
M- Nick Marino
M- Tomasz Wieczorek
M- Anthony Spadafore
F- Luis Bautista-Melendez
F- Edwin Zuniga
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Patrick Limanowka, jr, F, Prospect
Referee: Chris Kruz
Scoring summary
Prospect: Mho (Boduch, Limanowka) 7'; Limanowka (Predescu) 30'; Mho (FK) 60'
Schaumburg: Bautista-Melendez (FK) 77'