Big 2nd half carries Reavis past Oak Forest
Teams remain in 2nd place in divisional races after 3-1 result
By Steve Millar
OAK FOREST -- Reavis junior Carlos Ramos liked the way the Rams were doing most things in the first half of Tuesday night’s game at Oak Forest.
There was just one problem: they weren’t scoring goals.
“We were passing the ball really well in the first half, and we were doing a great job moving the ball up,” Ramos said. “We just had to work on shooting. In the second half, we came out shooting the ball and putting shots on target.”
Reavis figured out the shooting part after the break. Ramos sparked a three-goal surge that sent the visiting Rams to a 3-1 win over Oak Forest in a South Suburban Conference crossover match.
“They came out on fire in the second half,” Oak Forest coach Kieran Byrne said. “We just couldn’t live with that tempo, and the pressure they put on us. I think they caught us cold coming out after halftime. After they score that first one, we’re chasing; and we’re going to be a little more open and rushed. We were lacking that composure.”
Ramos’ first goal of the season broke the scoreless tie to give Reavis (7-2-4, 4-0-3 SSC Red Division) the lead in the 47th minute.
Pedro Guzman took a free kick from just outside the box on the left side of the field and played a short pass to Steven Solis, whose shot was saved by Oak Forest goalkeeper Adam Jedrzejczyk.
Diego Rodriguez, though, pounced on the rebound and slipped a quick pass to Ramos, who scored into the open net.
“I normally play winger,” Ramos said. “This was one of my first games playing forward, and it feels nice to score a goal. Usually I’m making plays to set up other guys, so it’s nice to be the one to score.”
It was just the start of a big night for Rodriguez, who had a goal and two assists and earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“We worked a lot on in the last practice on making good runs off set pieces,” Rodriguez said. “I made my run to the back post. I had a chance, but I saw (Ramos) open. I passed him the ball, and he was there to put it in.”
Rodriguez also set up the second goal, sending a cross to Emanuel Montero, who tucked his shot inside the right post to make it 2-0 with 24:29 to go.
That play especially pleased Reavis coach Mark Gniadek, who saw his team make an adjustment at halftime and start sending crosses with a target.
“In the first half, we were just kind of blindly playing the ball into the box, and their goalie was picking them off,” Gniadek said. “At halftime, we said to get your head up, find a teammate and pass it to them. Diego Rodriguez was the one who said that to the team. Then he did it on that second goal, so that was awesome.”
Oak Forest (7-4-3, 3-2-2 SSC Blue) had a tough time responding to Reavis’ surge.
“The way they came out at the very start of the second half, we’ve got to understand that a team like Reavis is going to have its run,” Byrne said. “How do we manage? How do we react to that? If we can dig in and see that out for 10 or 15 minutes, then you can fight back and get yourself back in the game.
“I was disappointed that we didn’t have better leadership after that. It’s 1-0. We had the experience from Saturday of being a goal down against Lemont and fighting our way back into it (for a 1-1 draw). We needed to be meaner and tighter.”
The Bengals, whose only shot on goal in the first half came on a Brayden Edge bouncer from 30 yards, did create more opportunities after falling down 2-0.
Ian Plancarte put a shot on goal from 25 yards that was saved by Reavis goalkeeper Jacob Nosek in the 58th minute.
Six minutes later, Lennon Flores fired wide on a shot from 30 yards.
In the 72nd minute, Edge delivered a nice setup to forward Jose Vega, who cut to the middle of the field and had a good look from 20 yards, but fired just high.
Overall, though, Oak Forest senior defender Gavin Collery was not happy with how his team dealt with adversity.
“We were just panicking, honestly,” he said. “We didn’t really know what we were doing. We weren’t communicating. We weren’t getting a good first touch. It was all over the place. It was sloppy. That’s not what our game is.
“We can learn from this, that if we’re playing decent in the first half just stick with it. Don’t be so nervous with how you play. Just get after it and do what you’ve been training to do.”
Reavis erased any doubts about the outcome with 76th-minute goal. Rodriguez took a pass from Guzman and buried a low line-drive for his first goal of the season.
Rodriguez has been fighting a preseason injury all year.
“I injured a tendon in my right foot,” Rodriguez said. “I couldn’t get comfortable shooting, so I’m usually the one doing the passing. I haven’t really looked for goals.
“I’ve recovered now, though, and I’m starting to get my confidence back shooting.”
Oak Forest broke the shutout with 56 seconds left as Giovanni Cabrera took a long pass from Michael Speaker, got behind the defense and scored on a breakaway.
Jedrzejczyk made nine saves for the Bengals; Nosek made three for Reavis.
Oak Forest will look to bounce back in another tough game Thursday against Argo. Lemont’s loss to Oak Lawn on Monday left the Blue Division race close at the top. Lemont leads with a 3-1-3 league mark (5-3-4 overall).
“We’re still right there,” Byrne said. “In one sense, it’s great to be here. We’ve never been in the mix for conference, so we’ve got to kind of embrace that and say, ‘Let’s just go for it.’ We know we can play better.
“Argo’s not going to be any easier on Thursday. They’re on fire at the moment. That one’s a freebie for us, though. No one’s expecting us to win that one. If we can go in there and sneak out with a tie or a win, that’d be a huge bonus.”
Reavis will undoubtedly be Oak Forest fans Thursday. They are looking at up at Argo (8-2-2, 6-0-1) in the Red Division standings.
Regardless, the Rams are satisfied being unbeaten through seven conference games.
“We’re thrilled with where we’re at,” Gniadek said. “If we could go undefeated in conference, that would be quite the feat. It is what is, we need a little help. We’ll be chasing Argo by a point even if we’re able to beat them. But as long as we can keep our momentum rolling into playoffs, that’s what I’m looking to.”
Starting lineups
Reavis
GK – Jacob Nosek
D – David Meza
D – Krystian Paluch
D – Julian Menchaca
D – Steven Solis
MF – Pedro Guzman
MF – Emanuel Montero
MF – Diego Rodriguez
MF – Diego Ochoa
F – Ahmad Suleiman
F – Carlos Ramos
Oak Forest
GK – Adam Jedrzejczyk
D – Cody Evans
D – Brayden Edge
D – Kyle Baker
D – Gavin Collery
MF – Michael Speaker
MF – Giovanni Cabrera
MF – Alex Stacy
MF – Ian Evans
F – Issa Deifallah
F – Ian Plancarte
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Diego Rodriguez, sr. MF, Reavis
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Reavis – Ramos (Rodriguez), 47th minute
Reavis – Montero (Rodriguez), 56th minute
Reavis – Rodriguez (Guzman), 76th minute
Oak Forest – Cabrera (Speaker), 80th minute
Teams remain in 2nd place in divisional races after 3-1 result
By Steve Millar
OAK FOREST -- Reavis junior Carlos Ramos liked the way the Rams were doing most things in the first half of Tuesday night’s game at Oak Forest.
There was just one problem: they weren’t scoring goals.
“We were passing the ball really well in the first half, and we were doing a great job moving the ball up,” Ramos said. “We just had to work on shooting. In the second half, we came out shooting the ball and putting shots on target.”
Reavis figured out the shooting part after the break. Ramos sparked a three-goal surge that sent the visiting Rams to a 3-1 win over Oak Forest in a South Suburban Conference crossover match.
“They came out on fire in the second half,” Oak Forest coach Kieran Byrne said. “We just couldn’t live with that tempo, and the pressure they put on us. I think they caught us cold coming out after halftime. After they score that first one, we’re chasing; and we’re going to be a little more open and rushed. We were lacking that composure.”
Ramos’ first goal of the season broke the scoreless tie to give Reavis (7-2-4, 4-0-3 SSC Red Division) the lead in the 47th minute.
Pedro Guzman took a free kick from just outside the box on the left side of the field and played a short pass to Steven Solis, whose shot was saved by Oak Forest goalkeeper Adam Jedrzejczyk.
Diego Rodriguez, though, pounced on the rebound and slipped a quick pass to Ramos, who scored into the open net.
“I normally play winger,” Ramos said. “This was one of my first games playing forward, and it feels nice to score a goal. Usually I’m making plays to set up other guys, so it’s nice to be the one to score.”
It was just the start of a big night for Rodriguez, who had a goal and two assists and earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“We worked a lot on in the last practice on making good runs off set pieces,” Rodriguez said. “I made my run to the back post. I had a chance, but I saw (Ramos) open. I passed him the ball, and he was there to put it in.”
Rodriguez also set up the second goal, sending a cross to Emanuel Montero, who tucked his shot inside the right post to make it 2-0 with 24:29 to go.
That play especially pleased Reavis coach Mark Gniadek, who saw his team make an adjustment at halftime and start sending crosses with a target.
“In the first half, we were just kind of blindly playing the ball into the box, and their goalie was picking them off,” Gniadek said. “At halftime, we said to get your head up, find a teammate and pass it to them. Diego Rodriguez was the one who said that to the team. Then he did it on that second goal, so that was awesome.”
Oak Forest (7-4-3, 3-2-2 SSC Blue) had a tough time responding to Reavis’ surge.
“The way they came out at the very start of the second half, we’ve got to understand that a team like Reavis is going to have its run,” Byrne said. “How do we manage? How do we react to that? If we can dig in and see that out for 10 or 15 minutes, then you can fight back and get yourself back in the game.
“I was disappointed that we didn’t have better leadership after that. It’s 1-0. We had the experience from Saturday of being a goal down against Lemont and fighting our way back into it (for a 1-1 draw). We needed to be meaner and tighter.”
The Bengals, whose only shot on goal in the first half came on a Brayden Edge bouncer from 30 yards, did create more opportunities after falling down 2-0.
Ian Plancarte put a shot on goal from 25 yards that was saved by Reavis goalkeeper Jacob Nosek in the 58th minute.
Six minutes later, Lennon Flores fired wide on a shot from 30 yards.
In the 72nd minute, Edge delivered a nice setup to forward Jose Vega, who cut to the middle of the field and had a good look from 20 yards, but fired just high.
Overall, though, Oak Forest senior defender Gavin Collery was not happy with how his team dealt with adversity.
“We were just panicking, honestly,” he said. “We didn’t really know what we were doing. We weren’t communicating. We weren’t getting a good first touch. It was all over the place. It was sloppy. That’s not what our game is.
“We can learn from this, that if we’re playing decent in the first half just stick with it. Don’t be so nervous with how you play. Just get after it and do what you’ve been training to do.”
Reavis erased any doubts about the outcome with 76th-minute goal. Rodriguez took a pass from Guzman and buried a low line-drive for his first goal of the season.
Rodriguez has been fighting a preseason injury all year.
“I injured a tendon in my right foot,” Rodriguez said. “I couldn’t get comfortable shooting, so I’m usually the one doing the passing. I haven’t really looked for goals.
“I’ve recovered now, though, and I’m starting to get my confidence back shooting.”
Oak Forest broke the shutout with 56 seconds left as Giovanni Cabrera took a long pass from Michael Speaker, got behind the defense and scored on a breakaway.
Jedrzejczyk made nine saves for the Bengals; Nosek made three for Reavis.
Oak Forest will look to bounce back in another tough game Thursday against Argo. Lemont’s loss to Oak Lawn on Monday left the Blue Division race close at the top. Lemont leads with a 3-1-3 league mark (5-3-4 overall).
“We’re still right there,” Byrne said. “In one sense, it’s great to be here. We’ve never been in the mix for conference, so we’ve got to kind of embrace that and say, ‘Let’s just go for it.’ We know we can play better.
“Argo’s not going to be any easier on Thursday. They’re on fire at the moment. That one’s a freebie for us, though. No one’s expecting us to win that one. If we can go in there and sneak out with a tie or a win, that’d be a huge bonus.”
Reavis will undoubtedly be Oak Forest fans Thursday. They are looking at up at Argo (8-2-2, 6-0-1) in the Red Division standings.
Regardless, the Rams are satisfied being unbeaten through seven conference games.
“We’re thrilled with where we’re at,” Gniadek said. “If we could go undefeated in conference, that would be quite the feat. It is what is, we need a little help. We’ll be chasing Argo by a point even if we’re able to beat them. But as long as we can keep our momentum rolling into playoffs, that’s what I’m looking to.”
Starting lineups
Reavis
GK – Jacob Nosek
D – David Meza
D – Krystian Paluch
D – Julian Menchaca
D – Steven Solis
MF – Pedro Guzman
MF – Emanuel Montero
MF – Diego Rodriguez
MF – Diego Ochoa
F – Ahmad Suleiman
F – Carlos Ramos
Oak Forest
GK – Adam Jedrzejczyk
D – Cody Evans
D – Brayden Edge
D – Kyle Baker
D – Gavin Collery
MF – Michael Speaker
MF – Giovanni Cabrera
MF – Alex Stacy
MF – Ian Evans
F – Issa Deifallah
F – Ian Plancarte
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Diego Rodriguez, sr. MF, Reavis
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Reavis – Ramos (Rodriguez), 47th minute
Reavis – Montero (Rodriguez), 56th minute
Reavis – Rodriguez (Guzman), 76th minute
Oak Forest – Cabrera (Speaker), 80th minute