Meadows, Prospect GKs keep things clean
Keepers shine in 100-minute, 0-0 Mid-Suburban League draw
By Ken Keenan
MOUNT PROSPECT -- As far as 0-0 draws are concerned, the scoreless, double-overtime battle between Mid-Suburban League East rivals Rolling Meadows and host Prospect Tuesday night was one for the books.
That's mostly due to the magnificent play of Knights senior goalkeeper Szymon Mocarski, who delivered a truckload of spectacular saves to keep the hard-charging Mustangs from denting the twine. Rolling Meadows starting keeper Matt Galvan, a senior, and junior Pablo Zarate (second half and both OTs) combined for a handful of key stops on their end as well.
But Mocarski stole the show, earning Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honor in the process.
"He was outstanding, especially early on," said Prospect head coach Mike Andrews, whose squad left the pitch at 4-2-2 overall (2-1-1 MSL). "That was a battle, and Szymon kept us in it. It was a pretty impressive performance. There's so many positive things to say about the way he plays, physically and tactically."
After watching his Mustangs (1-4-5, 0-2-2) break even for the fifth time in 10 matches, Meadows skipper Brett Olson paid Mocarski the ultimate compliment.
"He's the best keeper we've ever seen ... period," Olson said. "To me, Szymon is a (NCAA) D-1 kid ... very deserving. He definitely deserves Man of the Match tonight."
In the 9th minute, Mustangs workhorse senior midfielder Joao Sanchez gathered a loose ball and fired a 30-yard rocket that Mocarski batted away with an amazing, leaping stop. Three minutes later, Mocarski deflected a one-timer in front by Meadows senior mid Adan Ramirez. The Knights keeper then made another stellar save on the ensuing corner kick, spoiling a solid head attempt by senior middie Erik Martens.
"That shot early, by Joao, that's a 1-0 lead," Olson said. "We certainly had our chances. It was one of our best offensive games of the year."
Mocarski also jumped to nab a curling corner try by Sanchez with 19:40 remaining in the first half, and had a bit of luck when Meadows junior mid Ethan Kakavetsis redirected a cross from Martens over the crossbar in the 32nd minute.
"I wanted to come out strong and stay confident," Mocarski said. "I feel like coming out confident is key -- lock it down in back. And I need good action to get my adrenaline pumping ... get that first shot to get me going."
Mocarski continued to bolt the gate in the second half, starting with a save on a sneaky, 25-yard attempt by Martens in the 51st minute. Soon after, Mocarski alertly dove to poke away a nice Kakavetsis pass, intended for streaking junior forward Arnulfo Mora.
With 19:30 to go in regulation, Mocarski soared to stop a blast by Sanchez, getting his fingertips on the ball before it nipped the crossbar and bounded away.
"We took a lot of good shots," Martens said. "We had our chances to score, but their goalkeeper (Mocarski) came up big. We had to keep fighting and push through, knowing the first goal going in could be the winner."
The Knights' best chance in the early going came on a rising, 35-yard missile by senior midfielder Jonny Keane that sailed high in the 17th minute. An even better opportunity for the home team occurred with 10:30 to go before the break. After taking a feed from hard-working junior mid Declan Flanagan, Keane rifled a shot off the crossbar that was quickly pounced on by Prospect sophomore defender Ari Kemperas, whose dead-on rebound look was snuffed in amazing fashion by Meadows keeper Galvan.
As regulation time wound down in the tooth-and-nail dogfight, Mocarski slapped away a Rolling Meadows cross in the box, and the horn sounded to set the stage for a pair of 10-minute overtime sessions.
The Mustangs had the first try, an in-close attempt by Ramirez that deflected off the side of the cage. The ever-present Mocarski then rose above the crowd to snag the ensuing corner kick, also sent by Ramirez.
"I visualize those things," Mocarski said. "I'll talk to myself and say, 'It's your ball.' It helps me perform better."
Mocarski waved his magic wand again with 2:10 left in the first overtime, diving to rob Martens after Ramirez started the play by storming ahead on a partial breakaway. Only 20 seconds showed in OT no. 1 remained when Mocarski punched out a long free kick by Meadows junior defender Ryan Stubitsch.
The door-shutting Prospect keeper wasn't done, leaping to make a super stop on a left-footed rocket by Mustangs senior defender Cristian Rubio with 4:30 left in the second OT. Mocarski then stopped a laser by Sanchez with 90 seconds remaining -- and then watched a Mustangs rebound try miss wide-right.
Putting the final stamp on his dominating performance, Mocarski made yet another incredible save to thwart Ramirez, who flew in from the right side before firing away with 50 seconds to go.
In response, Meadows keeper Zarate made a tremendous, one-handed save on a header by Prospect senior mid/forward Bryan Morrison in the 9th minute of the first OT.
"We had tons of opportunities to score tonight," Morrison said. "But it was a lot of half chances ... just one more pass, one more dribble. At least it's not a loss, so we're happy about that. But you come to every game to win, and we had to play 100 minutes strong and not get the win."
Added Andrews: "Objectively speaking, a 0-0 tie was a fair result. It was a true battle. I have no issues or criticisms. The heart we demonstrated, plus the quality of soccer -- on both sides; overall, a great display of heart, composure and effort."
On the Mustangs' side, Zarate said, "It's frustrating having to tie again, but (Mocarski) he's very good. We'll keep working."
Olson said, "I'm not at all upset with the effort. We battled for 100 minutes. Even with tired legs, we still got after it."
But the Mustangs simply couldn't get one past Mocarski.
"I'm really proud of the team ... proud of how we played," Mocarski said. "We'll take this tie and come out strong again next time."
Starting lineups
Rolling Meadows
G: Matt Galvan
D: Cristian Rubio
D: Nikolay Pavlov
D: Ryan Stubitsch
D: Isaac San Roman
M: Edwin Fuentes
M: Adan Ramirez
M: Erik Martens
M: Joao Sanchez
F: Arnulfo Mora
F: Brian Owsiany
Prospect
G: Szymon Mocarski
D: Ari Kemperas
D: Gavin Kafkakis
D: Colin Sand
D: Rick Lytle
M: Bryan Morrison
M: Declan Flanagan
M: Jonny Keane
M: Krystian Potapa
F: Aedon Wesselink
F: Alejandro Martinez
Chicagoland Man of the Match: Szymon Mocarski, sr., G, Prospect
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Keepers shine in 100-minute, 0-0 Mid-Suburban League draw
By Ken Keenan
MOUNT PROSPECT -- As far as 0-0 draws are concerned, the scoreless, double-overtime battle between Mid-Suburban League East rivals Rolling Meadows and host Prospect Tuesday night was one for the books.
That's mostly due to the magnificent play of Knights senior goalkeeper Szymon Mocarski, who delivered a truckload of spectacular saves to keep the hard-charging Mustangs from denting the twine. Rolling Meadows starting keeper Matt Galvan, a senior, and junior Pablo Zarate (second half and both OTs) combined for a handful of key stops on their end as well.
But Mocarski stole the show, earning Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honor in the process.
"He was outstanding, especially early on," said Prospect head coach Mike Andrews, whose squad left the pitch at 4-2-2 overall (2-1-1 MSL). "That was a battle, and Szymon kept us in it. It was a pretty impressive performance. There's so many positive things to say about the way he plays, physically and tactically."
After watching his Mustangs (1-4-5, 0-2-2) break even for the fifth time in 10 matches, Meadows skipper Brett Olson paid Mocarski the ultimate compliment.
"He's the best keeper we've ever seen ... period," Olson said. "To me, Szymon is a (NCAA) D-1 kid ... very deserving. He definitely deserves Man of the Match tonight."
In the 9th minute, Mustangs workhorse senior midfielder Joao Sanchez gathered a loose ball and fired a 30-yard rocket that Mocarski batted away with an amazing, leaping stop. Three minutes later, Mocarski deflected a one-timer in front by Meadows senior mid Adan Ramirez. The Knights keeper then made another stellar save on the ensuing corner kick, spoiling a solid head attempt by senior middie Erik Martens.
"That shot early, by Joao, that's a 1-0 lead," Olson said. "We certainly had our chances. It was one of our best offensive games of the year."
Mocarski also jumped to nab a curling corner try by Sanchez with 19:40 remaining in the first half, and had a bit of luck when Meadows junior mid Ethan Kakavetsis redirected a cross from Martens over the crossbar in the 32nd minute.
"I wanted to come out strong and stay confident," Mocarski said. "I feel like coming out confident is key -- lock it down in back. And I need good action to get my adrenaline pumping ... get that first shot to get me going."
Mocarski continued to bolt the gate in the second half, starting with a save on a sneaky, 25-yard attempt by Martens in the 51st minute. Soon after, Mocarski alertly dove to poke away a nice Kakavetsis pass, intended for streaking junior forward Arnulfo Mora.
With 19:30 to go in regulation, Mocarski soared to stop a blast by Sanchez, getting his fingertips on the ball before it nipped the crossbar and bounded away.
"We took a lot of good shots," Martens said. "We had our chances to score, but their goalkeeper (Mocarski) came up big. We had to keep fighting and push through, knowing the first goal going in could be the winner."
The Knights' best chance in the early going came on a rising, 35-yard missile by senior midfielder Jonny Keane that sailed high in the 17th minute. An even better opportunity for the home team occurred with 10:30 to go before the break. After taking a feed from hard-working junior mid Declan Flanagan, Keane rifled a shot off the crossbar that was quickly pounced on by Prospect sophomore defender Ari Kemperas, whose dead-on rebound look was snuffed in amazing fashion by Meadows keeper Galvan.
As regulation time wound down in the tooth-and-nail dogfight, Mocarski slapped away a Rolling Meadows cross in the box, and the horn sounded to set the stage for a pair of 10-minute overtime sessions.
The Mustangs had the first try, an in-close attempt by Ramirez that deflected off the side of the cage. The ever-present Mocarski then rose above the crowd to snag the ensuing corner kick, also sent by Ramirez.
"I visualize those things," Mocarski said. "I'll talk to myself and say, 'It's your ball.' It helps me perform better."
Mocarski waved his magic wand again with 2:10 left in the first overtime, diving to rob Martens after Ramirez started the play by storming ahead on a partial breakaway. Only 20 seconds showed in OT no. 1 remained when Mocarski punched out a long free kick by Meadows junior defender Ryan Stubitsch.
The door-shutting Prospect keeper wasn't done, leaping to make a super stop on a left-footed rocket by Mustangs senior defender Cristian Rubio with 4:30 left in the second OT. Mocarski then stopped a laser by Sanchez with 90 seconds remaining -- and then watched a Mustangs rebound try miss wide-right.
Putting the final stamp on his dominating performance, Mocarski made yet another incredible save to thwart Ramirez, who flew in from the right side before firing away with 50 seconds to go.
In response, Meadows keeper Zarate made a tremendous, one-handed save on a header by Prospect senior mid/forward Bryan Morrison in the 9th minute of the first OT.
"We had tons of opportunities to score tonight," Morrison said. "But it was a lot of half chances ... just one more pass, one more dribble. At least it's not a loss, so we're happy about that. But you come to every game to win, and we had to play 100 minutes strong and not get the win."
Added Andrews: "Objectively speaking, a 0-0 tie was a fair result. It was a true battle. I have no issues or criticisms. The heart we demonstrated, plus the quality of soccer -- on both sides; overall, a great display of heart, composure and effort."
On the Mustangs' side, Zarate said, "It's frustrating having to tie again, but (Mocarski) he's very good. We'll keep working."
Olson said, "I'm not at all upset with the effort. We battled for 100 minutes. Even with tired legs, we still got after it."
But the Mustangs simply couldn't get one past Mocarski.
"I'm really proud of the team ... proud of how we played," Mocarski said. "We'll take this tie and come out strong again next time."
Starting lineups
Rolling Meadows
G: Matt Galvan
D: Cristian Rubio
D: Nikolay Pavlov
D: Ryan Stubitsch
D: Isaac San Roman
M: Edwin Fuentes
M: Adan Ramirez
M: Erik Martens
M: Joao Sanchez
F: Arnulfo Mora
F: Brian Owsiany
Prospect
G: Szymon Mocarski
D: Ari Kemperas
D: Gavin Kafkakis
D: Colin Sand
D: Rick Lytle
M: Bryan Morrison
M: Declan Flanagan
M: Jonny Keane
M: Krystian Potapa
F: Aedon Wesselink
F: Alejandro Martinez
Chicagoland Man of the Match: Szymon Mocarski, sr., G, Prospect
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring