Plainfield S. asserts itself in WCRC opener
Cougars post 8-1 win over Class A IC Catholic Prep in round of 32
By Dave Owen
SUMMIT – Plainfield South showed speed, offensive punch and resiliency from bizarre challenges in Tuesday’s first round of the Windy City Ram Classic at Argo High School -- and all packed into 70 minutes of soccer.
The Cougars jumped ahead of IC Catholic Prep 2-0 on goals by Ernie Cortina (off a Max Treptow assist) and Anthony Marmolejo (Fabian Alvarado) in the first 12 minutes of play.
But that lead would be cut in half in a weird way.
After a stoppage for a Plainfield South injury with 7:40 left in the first half, IC Catholic Prep pulled off a play that took everyone by surprise.
David Perez sent a free kick upfield from his own 25-yard line, which connected with Elian Cardenas for a breakaway chance and a drive inside the left post to make the score 2-1.
“We were kind of surprised, because we thought they were supposed to pass it back (to the IC goalkeeper),” Marmolejo said. “That caught us by surprise, and we stopped playing.”
IC coach Javier Andrade was equally sheepish about the goal.
“I told the player who scored, ‘Leave the ball for their player and don’t score,’” Andrade said. “You’re supposed to give the ball back to your goalkeeper on that play.”
But the goal stood and Plainfield South proceeded to stand tall the rest of the match.
Two goals in the final minute of the first half upped the lead to 4-1, and the Cougars erupted for four more goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half to roll to an 8-1 win.
“It was one of those things, an early character builder for us really,” Plainfield South coach Bryant Williams said of the IC score.
“That was kind of an odd goal, but it was a good gut check for our guys. And I was especially proud of the way we came back with two goals in the final 60 seconds of the half. That told me a lot about the team right there.”
The Cougars’ fiery response began 2:30 before halftime. Marmolejo’s break in on left wing was denied on IC goalkeeper T.J. Mandra’s sliding kick save of an 8-yard shot, and Knights defender Carlo Arenas nicely blocked Cortina’s ensuing rebound try.
But 90 seconds later, Cortina would not be denied.
Having already kicked off his varsity career in style with the Cougars’ first goal, Cortina aided the huge finish to the half.
Christian Gonzalez nicely threaded a ball upfield on the left side to Cortina, who attacked the net and drove a low 10-yard shot inside the right post for a 3-1 lead.
“I felt ready to go,” Cortina said of his impressive two-goal varsity debut. “I feel pretty good. I was expecting a little more muscular people (on varsity), but it’s still an adjustment to really good players moving fast with the ball.”
The Cougars kept moving at top speed into the final seconds of the half.
After Miki Derka’s 6-yard shot was blocked out on the side by IC defender Ryan Asmussen, Plainfield South calmly executed a near buzzer-beater.
Marmolejo’s throw-in nicely connected with a streaking Ryan Kabaker, whose putaway inside the far post just 9.5 seconds before halftime powered the Cougars into the break with an insurmountable 4-1 lead.
“Anthony Marmolejo had four points today; he’s a senior that were looking for big things out of this year,” Williams said. “And Ernie Cortina is a sophomore we brought up to varsity this year, and he had two goals today. Those guys really stepped up today. I was excited to see that.”
Other Cougars also had to step up to challenges.
Usual defender Justin McGuigan was forced into duty at goalkeeper with both Francisco Lomeli (knee injury) and Nicholas Beemster (expected to start Thursday) sidelined.
“That was his first game ever at goalkeeper,” Williams said of McGuigan. “A lot of guys played in different positions and played a few more minutes than they were used to. I was very happy with that.”
Standout defender Josue Jimenez missed Tuesday’s match with a sprained ankle, and u
The Cougars had plenty more to be happy about after halftime.
Another pinpoint Marmolejo throw-in with 32:06 left in the match found Treptow open at the near post for a toe-touch into the net and a 5-1 lead.
Cortina then turned defense into offense with 28:07 to go – he blocked an IC clearing attempt in the box, and Treptow pounced on the deflection for an open-net putaway and his third point of the match.
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Marmolejo then capped his four-point afternoon, assisting on Derka’s goal with 19:15 left to go.
The Cougars closed the scoring with 15:13 to play. After a Mark Zamudio shot was blocked, Gabe Sandoval gathered the rebound and powered home a 12-yard shot for te final score.
“We have a lot more speed this year,” Marmolejo said. “We’re all pretty fast.
“We were moving well outside with the ball. Our outsides were much faster than their defense, so we just passed the ball through and worked it to either pass the ball or go to the goal.”
If dealing with the Cougars’ speed wasn’t daunting enough, IC had to cope with fatigue – the Knights had just 12 players in uniform Tuesday.
“Then one of the guys got hurt, and we were down to 11 (in the second half),” Andrade said. “We’re a small school, in the fourth year for the program.
“But we’ve been coming here (to the Windy City Classic) for three years, and as a coach I love it because even though they (the players) get frustrated, when you play these type of teams you get better.”
IC goalkeeper Mandra couldn’t have been much better. Plainfield South’s big offensive game would have been even bigger if not for his many acrobatic saves, capped by a diving block to his left of a Tyler Whitmire rocket with 3:15 to play.
Mandra also robbed Treptow, Marmolejo and Sandoval on great first half chances.
“I mentioned to (assistant) coach (Lauren) Solomon, ‘This keeper (for IC) has been great today,’” Williams said. “The score could have been much more out of hand before halftime. Give him credit. He made some excellent saves in some breakaway situations.”
Such efforts made Plainfield South’s 8-1 win an even more impressive sign of the potential things to come in 2018.
“I’m very optimistic about what we have this year,” Williams said. “I think this is probably one of the faster teams that we’ve ever had at Plainfield South in the 16 years I’ve been coaching here.
“We have good speed in the middle, and good speed in the back this year as well. Last year we were really solid in the back and not necessarily as quick as I would like. Now I think we’re pretty quick all over the field, which opens up so many more opportunities for us.”
The Cougars optimism is contagious.
“We should be a lot better this year,” Marmolejo said. “And we have a lot of young people with a lot of talent, so it shouldn’t be hard to play better than we did last year.”
Alvarado’s arrival as a junior transfer from Joliet West and Cortina’s great first impression Tuesday are two of those new reasons for high hopes.
“We had good give-and-gos and through-balls,” Cortina said, “passing back, switching side to side and getting the other teams’ defense moving.
“Hopefully we can win this tournament, and keep playing well.”
Starting lineups
Plainfield South
GK Justin McGuigan
D Ryan Kabaker
D Tyler Whitmire
D Fabian Alvarado
D Zachary Kolb
M Miki Derka
M Ernie Cortina
M Christian Gonzalez
M Vincent Nirchi
F Anthony Marmolejo
F Max Treptow
IC Catholic Prep
GK T.J. Mandra
D Ryan Asmussen
D Leo Geneser
D Liam Reilly
D Ryan Grady
M Carlo Arenas
M Joseph Sloan
M Massimo Cortez
M Jacob LaSpisa
F David Perez
F Elian Cardenas
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Anthony Marmolejo, sr. F, Plainfield South
Scoring summary
First half
PS – Ernie Cortina (Max Treptow assist)
PS – Anthony Marmolejo (Fabian Alvarado)
IC – Elian Cardenas (David Perez)
PS – Cortina (Christian Gonzalez)
PS – Ryan Kabaker (Marmolejo)
Second half
PS – Treptow (Marmolejo)
PS – Treptow (Cortina)
PS – Miki Derka (Marmolejo)
PS – Gabe Sandoval
Cougars post 8-1 win over Class A IC Catholic Prep in round of 32
By Dave Owen
SUMMIT – Plainfield South showed speed, offensive punch and resiliency from bizarre challenges in Tuesday’s first round of the Windy City Ram Classic at Argo High School -- and all packed into 70 minutes of soccer.
The Cougars jumped ahead of IC Catholic Prep 2-0 on goals by Ernie Cortina (off a Max Treptow assist) and Anthony Marmolejo (Fabian Alvarado) in the first 12 minutes of play.
But that lead would be cut in half in a weird way.
After a stoppage for a Plainfield South injury with 7:40 left in the first half, IC Catholic Prep pulled off a play that took everyone by surprise.
David Perez sent a free kick upfield from his own 25-yard line, which connected with Elian Cardenas for a breakaway chance and a drive inside the left post to make the score 2-1.
“We were kind of surprised, because we thought they were supposed to pass it back (to the IC goalkeeper),” Marmolejo said. “That caught us by surprise, and we stopped playing.”
IC coach Javier Andrade was equally sheepish about the goal.
“I told the player who scored, ‘Leave the ball for their player and don’t score,’” Andrade said. “You’re supposed to give the ball back to your goalkeeper on that play.”
But the goal stood and Plainfield South proceeded to stand tall the rest of the match.
Two goals in the final minute of the first half upped the lead to 4-1, and the Cougars erupted for four more goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half to roll to an 8-1 win.
“It was one of those things, an early character builder for us really,” Plainfield South coach Bryant Williams said of the IC score.
“That was kind of an odd goal, but it was a good gut check for our guys. And I was especially proud of the way we came back with two goals in the final 60 seconds of the half. That told me a lot about the team right there.”
The Cougars’ fiery response began 2:30 before halftime. Marmolejo’s break in on left wing was denied on IC goalkeeper T.J. Mandra’s sliding kick save of an 8-yard shot, and Knights defender Carlo Arenas nicely blocked Cortina’s ensuing rebound try.
But 90 seconds later, Cortina would not be denied.
Having already kicked off his varsity career in style with the Cougars’ first goal, Cortina aided the huge finish to the half.
Christian Gonzalez nicely threaded a ball upfield on the left side to Cortina, who attacked the net and drove a low 10-yard shot inside the right post for a 3-1 lead.
“I felt ready to go,” Cortina said of his impressive two-goal varsity debut. “I feel pretty good. I was expecting a little more muscular people (on varsity), but it’s still an adjustment to really good players moving fast with the ball.”
The Cougars kept moving at top speed into the final seconds of the half.
After Miki Derka’s 6-yard shot was blocked out on the side by IC defender Ryan Asmussen, Plainfield South calmly executed a near buzzer-beater.
Marmolejo’s throw-in nicely connected with a streaking Ryan Kabaker, whose putaway inside the far post just 9.5 seconds before halftime powered the Cougars into the break with an insurmountable 4-1 lead.
“Anthony Marmolejo had four points today; he’s a senior that were looking for big things out of this year,” Williams said. “And Ernie Cortina is a sophomore we brought up to varsity this year, and he had two goals today. Those guys really stepped up today. I was excited to see that.”
Other Cougars also had to step up to challenges.
Usual defender Justin McGuigan was forced into duty at goalkeeper with both Francisco Lomeli (knee injury) and Nicholas Beemster (expected to start Thursday) sidelined.
“That was his first game ever at goalkeeper,” Williams said of McGuigan. “A lot of guys played in different positions and played a few more minutes than they were used to. I was very happy with that.”
Standout defender Josue Jimenez missed Tuesday’s match with a sprained ankle, and u
The Cougars had plenty more to be happy about after halftime.
Another pinpoint Marmolejo throw-in with 32:06 left in the match found Treptow open at the near post for a toe-touch into the net and a 5-1 lead.
Cortina then turned defense into offense with 28:07 to go – he blocked an IC clearing attempt in the box, and Treptow pounced on the deflection for an open-net putaway and his third point of the match.
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Marmolejo then capped his four-point afternoon, assisting on Derka’s goal with 19:15 left to go.
The Cougars closed the scoring with 15:13 to play. After a Mark Zamudio shot was blocked, Gabe Sandoval gathered the rebound and powered home a 12-yard shot for te final score.
“We have a lot more speed this year,” Marmolejo said. “We’re all pretty fast.
“We were moving well outside with the ball. Our outsides were much faster than their defense, so we just passed the ball through and worked it to either pass the ball or go to the goal.”
If dealing with the Cougars’ speed wasn’t daunting enough, IC had to cope with fatigue – the Knights had just 12 players in uniform Tuesday.
“Then one of the guys got hurt, and we were down to 11 (in the second half),” Andrade said. “We’re a small school, in the fourth year for the program.
“But we’ve been coming here (to the Windy City Classic) for three years, and as a coach I love it because even though they (the players) get frustrated, when you play these type of teams you get better.”
IC goalkeeper Mandra couldn’t have been much better. Plainfield South’s big offensive game would have been even bigger if not for his many acrobatic saves, capped by a diving block to his left of a Tyler Whitmire rocket with 3:15 to play.
Mandra also robbed Treptow, Marmolejo and Sandoval on great first half chances.
“I mentioned to (assistant) coach (Lauren) Solomon, ‘This keeper (for IC) has been great today,’” Williams said. “The score could have been much more out of hand before halftime. Give him credit. He made some excellent saves in some breakaway situations.”
Such efforts made Plainfield South’s 8-1 win an even more impressive sign of the potential things to come in 2018.
“I’m very optimistic about what we have this year,” Williams said. “I think this is probably one of the faster teams that we’ve ever had at Plainfield South in the 16 years I’ve been coaching here.
“We have good speed in the middle, and good speed in the back this year as well. Last year we were really solid in the back and not necessarily as quick as I would like. Now I think we’re pretty quick all over the field, which opens up so many more opportunities for us.”
The Cougars optimism is contagious.
“We should be a lot better this year,” Marmolejo said. “And we have a lot of young people with a lot of talent, so it shouldn’t be hard to play better than we did last year.”
Alvarado’s arrival as a junior transfer from Joliet West and Cortina’s great first impression Tuesday are two of those new reasons for high hopes.
“We had good give-and-gos and through-balls,” Cortina said, “passing back, switching side to side and getting the other teams’ defense moving.
“Hopefully we can win this tournament, and keep playing well.”
Starting lineups
Plainfield South
GK Justin McGuigan
D Ryan Kabaker
D Tyler Whitmire
D Fabian Alvarado
D Zachary Kolb
M Miki Derka
M Ernie Cortina
M Christian Gonzalez
M Vincent Nirchi
F Anthony Marmolejo
F Max Treptow
IC Catholic Prep
GK T.J. Mandra
D Ryan Asmussen
D Leo Geneser
D Liam Reilly
D Ryan Grady
M Carlo Arenas
M Joseph Sloan
M Massimo Cortez
M Jacob LaSpisa
F David Perez
F Elian Cardenas
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Anthony Marmolejo, sr. F, Plainfield South
Scoring summary
First half
PS – Ernie Cortina (Max Treptow assist)
PS – Anthony Marmolejo (Fabian Alvarado)
IC – Elian Cardenas (David Perez)
PS – Cortina (Christian Gonzalez)
PS – Ryan Kabaker (Marmolejo)
Second half
PS – Treptow (Marmolejo)
PS – Treptow (Cortina)
PS – Miki Derka (Marmolejo)
PS – Gabe Sandoval