Mocarski, Keane take
Prospect to regional final
Knights earn shootout win over Niles West in 3A semifinal
By Gary Larsen
EVANSTON — Prospect keeper Szymon Mocarski uncoiled his 6-foot-2 frame and dove to his left, hoping to get a hand on the most important shootout penalty kick he’s ever faced.
But the shot was flying towards the place Mocarski no longer occupied.
“It was an educated guess to my left side and then I saw the ball not going as far left as I thought it would,” Mocarski said. “So I stuck a leg out.”
Mocarski’s momentous stop with his right trail leg was the only shot stopped by either keeper in the shootout, and it keyed Prospect’s 2-1 shootout win over Niles West in a 3A regional opener at Evanston.
That stop also earned Mocarski Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match honor.
Mocarski’s save set up teammate Johnny Keane’s clinching penalty kick conversion and on cue, Keane and Mocarski were mobbed by deliriously happy teammates. The win sent Prospect to Saturday’s regional title game against host Evanston.
After Prospect’s storm of celebration ended, the senior Mocarski flashed a wide grin when asked how it felt to survive and advance in the state playoffs.
“We get to play another game and a chance at winning,” he said, “so it feels really good.”
Keane’s grin mirrored Mocarski’s when he was asked what it feels like to bury a game-clinching shot in a regional game.
“It’s like nothing else,” Keane said. “I can’t even explain it. It’s such a rush.”
Prospect coach Mike Andrews was outwardly more reserved in his reaction to the win, more like a humbly proud parent than a coach.
“I have a lot of respect for my guys, and the composure that they showed tonight,” Andrews said. “It was about as nerve-wracking as a game can get.”
A fine match of momentum swings and scoring chances took shape nearly from the opening whistle between Prospect, the no. 11 seed of the Glenbrook South sectional, and no. 6 Niles West.
Prospect (8-7-4) wasted no time getting a goal on the scoreboard. Just four minutes in on the left side, Bryan Morrison sent a ball across the Niles West box that was deflected slightly by a defender.
The ball found its way to the right side where Eryk Limanowka settled it, took a touch to his right, then cut it back left. Limanowka’s shot from 14 yards tore a low path inside the far post and the Knights had a 1-0 lead.
Did Limanowka see where Niles West keeper Ismael Ahmed was on the goal line?
“No,” Limanowka said, “I just let it fly.”
Limanowka is a different player than the one who laced up his cleats to start the year. A distributor by nature, the junior decided at the season’s mid-point to change his approach.
“I just wanted to be more hungry,” Limanowka said. “I was happy to get the assist, and I was playing more passive, but then I started wanting to score. Then (Andrews) tried me out at striker, and I started to score.”
Limanowka’s on-field personality change has made an undeniable difference.
“Eryk has really come alive in the second half of the season and become a major part of our attack,” Andrews said. “He holds the ball really nicely. He has great skill, and I can play him at multiple positions. He’s tough to contain.”
Niles West (10-4-4) answered Prospect’s goal with some pressure of its own, courtesy of a large group of skilled and quick players. The Wolves sent a few shots wide from distance to the 14th minute, when Mocarski saved a laser sent in by Farhis Rahic from 22 yards.
Prospect defender Richard Lytle broke up a potentially dangerous Niles West run in transition at 18 minutes, and the Knights knew they had a tough opponent on their hands.
“That was a true battle. Niles West played with an incredible amount of heart in a back-and-forth game, and it was what you’d hope to see in a postseason game,” Andrews said.
“Their overload of the right side of the field was pretty relentless and maintaining the awareness it takes to defend against that was tough. We talked before the game about how our off-the-ball awareness had to be really sharp and how we had to counter quickly.”
Morrison had a good look blocked by a defender on the right side at 20 minutes, and Lytle broke up another play a minute later.
Lytle, Colin Sand, Gavin Kafkakis, and Ari Kemperas stood tall in front of Mocarski through regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods.
“Attackers get a lot of credit, and they deserve it, but I’ve got to give it up for my backs,” Andrews said. “Colin Sand, a junior center back, might not be the one putting it in the back of the net. but he kept the organization tonight. He was really assertive. Ari Kemperas got involved in the attack, and Szymon is always a presence.”
Mocarski tipped his hat to his defenders.
“We’ve been working on the back all week, and we had a really windy practice Wednesday, which helped us today,” Mocarski said. “The backline came in clutch. They were really strong, and we couldn’t have asked for a better performance from them.”
Prospect answered pressure with pressure: Flanagan sent in a low shot that Ahmed saved at 24 minutes; Ahmed beat Morrison to a ball in the box a minute later; and Ahmed saved a Morrison shot at the post at 26 minutes.
Momentum swung yet again back to the Wolves. Mocarski charged off his line and slid to take a ball off the foot of Niles West’s Jeremy Linares at 30 minutes. An infraction gave Niles West a free kick at the top of Prospect’s box five minutes later, and the Wolves’ Ilija Jerinic made it count.
Jerinic sent a perfect shot past the Kinghts’ wall, and it whipped inside the post on the right side to tie the game.
A good number of the best scoring chances in the second half included entailed shots sent high or wide by both teams, and both keepers saved every shot sent their way to the end of regulation.
The most dangerous subsequent scoring chance came in the first overtime, when Niles West’s Jerinic let fly from 20 yards, and Morrison blocked it with his body at the post.
Mocarski’s big save and Keane’s game-deciding penalty kick ensued in the shootout. And from Estaban Lopez and Flanagan, through Morrison, Limanowka and finally Keane, all five of Prospect’s shooters converted their kicks in the shootout.
“We worked hard at every single practice over the last three weeks on (penalty kicks) in case it came to this,” Andrews said, “and they did it.”
A quality game isn’t always had in the first round of the state playoffs, but Prospect and Niles West gave their fans a good one Tuesday.
“That was so much fun,” Keane said. “Even talking to other players during times when the game stopped, it was just like ‘This game is crazy’.
“I was so impressed by our guys. The effort was amazing across the board. We all wanted it so much and we all came together.”
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK: Szymon Mocarski
D: Richard Lytle
D: Colin Sand
D: Gavin Kafkakis
D: Ari Kemperas
M: Bryan Morrison
M: Alejandro Martinez
M: Johnny Keane
M: Krystian Potapa
M: Declan Flanagan
F: Eryk Limonowka
Niles West
GK: Ismael Ahmed
D: Dylan Alic
D: Elvis Rodriguez
D: Diego Lopez
D: William Thannert
M: Gael Gutierrez
M: Ilija Jerinic
M: Ivan Kralkevic
M: Gio Terlizzi
F: Faris Rahic
F: Paul Odisho
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match — Szymon Mocarski, sr., GK, Prospect
Scoring summary
First half
Prospect — Limanowka (Morrison) 4 minutes
Niles West — Jerinic (FK) 35 minutes
Second half
No scoring
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout conversions
Prospect — Lopez, Flanagan, Morrison, Limanowka, Keane
Niles West — Terlizzi, Gutierrez, Rahic, Jerinic
Prospect to regional final
Knights earn shootout win over Niles West in 3A semifinal
By Gary Larsen
EVANSTON — Prospect keeper Szymon Mocarski uncoiled his 6-foot-2 frame and dove to his left, hoping to get a hand on the most important shootout penalty kick he’s ever faced.
But the shot was flying towards the place Mocarski no longer occupied.
“It was an educated guess to my left side and then I saw the ball not going as far left as I thought it would,” Mocarski said. “So I stuck a leg out.”
Mocarski’s momentous stop with his right trail leg was the only shot stopped by either keeper in the shootout, and it keyed Prospect’s 2-1 shootout win over Niles West in a 3A regional opener at Evanston.
That stop also earned Mocarski Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match honor.
Mocarski’s save set up teammate Johnny Keane’s clinching penalty kick conversion and on cue, Keane and Mocarski were mobbed by deliriously happy teammates. The win sent Prospect to Saturday’s regional title game against host Evanston.
After Prospect’s storm of celebration ended, the senior Mocarski flashed a wide grin when asked how it felt to survive and advance in the state playoffs.
“We get to play another game and a chance at winning,” he said, “so it feels really good.”
Keane’s grin mirrored Mocarski’s when he was asked what it feels like to bury a game-clinching shot in a regional game.
“It’s like nothing else,” Keane said. “I can’t even explain it. It’s such a rush.”
Prospect coach Mike Andrews was outwardly more reserved in his reaction to the win, more like a humbly proud parent than a coach.
“I have a lot of respect for my guys, and the composure that they showed tonight,” Andrews said. “It was about as nerve-wracking as a game can get.”
A fine match of momentum swings and scoring chances took shape nearly from the opening whistle between Prospect, the no. 11 seed of the Glenbrook South sectional, and no. 6 Niles West.
Prospect (8-7-4) wasted no time getting a goal on the scoreboard. Just four minutes in on the left side, Bryan Morrison sent a ball across the Niles West box that was deflected slightly by a defender.
The ball found its way to the right side where Eryk Limanowka settled it, took a touch to his right, then cut it back left. Limanowka’s shot from 14 yards tore a low path inside the far post and the Knights had a 1-0 lead.
Did Limanowka see where Niles West keeper Ismael Ahmed was on the goal line?
“No,” Limanowka said, “I just let it fly.”
Limanowka is a different player than the one who laced up his cleats to start the year. A distributor by nature, the junior decided at the season’s mid-point to change his approach.
“I just wanted to be more hungry,” Limanowka said. “I was happy to get the assist, and I was playing more passive, but then I started wanting to score. Then (Andrews) tried me out at striker, and I started to score.”
Limanowka’s on-field personality change has made an undeniable difference.
“Eryk has really come alive in the second half of the season and become a major part of our attack,” Andrews said. “He holds the ball really nicely. He has great skill, and I can play him at multiple positions. He’s tough to contain.”
Niles West (10-4-4) answered Prospect’s goal with some pressure of its own, courtesy of a large group of skilled and quick players. The Wolves sent a few shots wide from distance to the 14th minute, when Mocarski saved a laser sent in by Farhis Rahic from 22 yards.
Prospect defender Richard Lytle broke up a potentially dangerous Niles West run in transition at 18 minutes, and the Knights knew they had a tough opponent on their hands.
“That was a true battle. Niles West played with an incredible amount of heart in a back-and-forth game, and it was what you’d hope to see in a postseason game,” Andrews said.
“Their overload of the right side of the field was pretty relentless and maintaining the awareness it takes to defend against that was tough. We talked before the game about how our off-the-ball awareness had to be really sharp and how we had to counter quickly.”
Morrison had a good look blocked by a defender on the right side at 20 minutes, and Lytle broke up another play a minute later.
Lytle, Colin Sand, Gavin Kafkakis, and Ari Kemperas stood tall in front of Mocarski through regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods.
“Attackers get a lot of credit, and they deserve it, but I’ve got to give it up for my backs,” Andrews said. “Colin Sand, a junior center back, might not be the one putting it in the back of the net. but he kept the organization tonight. He was really assertive. Ari Kemperas got involved in the attack, and Szymon is always a presence.”
Mocarski tipped his hat to his defenders.
“We’ve been working on the back all week, and we had a really windy practice Wednesday, which helped us today,” Mocarski said. “The backline came in clutch. They were really strong, and we couldn’t have asked for a better performance from them.”
Prospect answered pressure with pressure: Flanagan sent in a low shot that Ahmed saved at 24 minutes; Ahmed beat Morrison to a ball in the box a minute later; and Ahmed saved a Morrison shot at the post at 26 minutes.
Momentum swung yet again back to the Wolves. Mocarski charged off his line and slid to take a ball off the foot of Niles West’s Jeremy Linares at 30 minutes. An infraction gave Niles West a free kick at the top of Prospect’s box five minutes later, and the Wolves’ Ilija Jerinic made it count.
Jerinic sent a perfect shot past the Kinghts’ wall, and it whipped inside the post on the right side to tie the game.
A good number of the best scoring chances in the second half included entailed shots sent high or wide by both teams, and both keepers saved every shot sent their way to the end of regulation.
The most dangerous subsequent scoring chance came in the first overtime, when Niles West’s Jerinic let fly from 20 yards, and Morrison blocked it with his body at the post.
Mocarski’s big save and Keane’s game-deciding penalty kick ensued in the shootout. And from Estaban Lopez and Flanagan, through Morrison, Limanowka and finally Keane, all five of Prospect’s shooters converted their kicks in the shootout.
“We worked hard at every single practice over the last three weeks on (penalty kicks) in case it came to this,” Andrews said, “and they did it.”
A quality game isn’t always had in the first round of the state playoffs, but Prospect and Niles West gave their fans a good one Tuesday.
“That was so much fun,” Keane said. “Even talking to other players during times when the game stopped, it was just like ‘This game is crazy’.
“I was so impressed by our guys. The effort was amazing across the board. We all wanted it so much and we all came together.”
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK: Szymon Mocarski
D: Richard Lytle
D: Colin Sand
D: Gavin Kafkakis
D: Ari Kemperas
M: Bryan Morrison
M: Alejandro Martinez
M: Johnny Keane
M: Krystian Potapa
M: Declan Flanagan
F: Eryk Limonowka
Niles West
GK: Ismael Ahmed
D: Dylan Alic
D: Elvis Rodriguez
D: Diego Lopez
D: William Thannert
M: Gael Gutierrez
M: Ilija Jerinic
M: Ivan Kralkevic
M: Gio Terlizzi
F: Faris Rahic
F: Paul Odisho
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match — Szymon Mocarski, sr., GK, Prospect
Scoring summary
First half
Prospect — Limanowka (Morrison) 4 minutes
Niles West — Jerinic (FK) 35 minutes
Second half
No scoring
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout conversions
Prospect — Lopez, Flanagan, Morrison, Limanowka, Keane
Niles West — Terlizzi, Gutierrez, Rahic, Jerinic