South Elgin's response takes down SCE
Storm overcome early deficit; Fighting Saints win statistical battle
By Steve Nemeth
SOUTH ELGIN --- Unless someone runs the table, season openers generally become a simple point of reference from which to start.
That reality was essentially as clear as South Elgin’s 2-1 triumph over visiting St. Charles East. The host Storm’s post-match huddle was vocal and upbeat while the Saints -- ranked 25th in the Chicagoland Soccer Preseason Poll -- had a lengthy sit-down session.
But before anyone reads too much into either, both coaches couched their comments knowing there is a whole season to be played.
“We’ve got a really young team but one big positive was the way in which they worked for each other,” South Elgin coach Simon Brinklow noted. “Hopefully they can continue that trait for the whole year, and there are a lot of games ahead of them.”
“Obviously I’m not happy (about the outcome), because our work rate was poor,” St. Charles East boss Vince DiNuzzo admitted. “But being the first game, a nonconference game, I’m also not worried. We’ll be okay having gotten this (sub-par showing) out of the way.”
In addition to the enthusiasm it creates, a win can also serve as a salve. Less than 14 minutes into the season, South Elgin’s Anthony Sisler had to leave the field with blood gushing from the edge of his right eye. After soaking several gauze pads, receiving some expertly applied butterfly strips, tallying the game-winning goal and receiving Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors, Sisler insisted it was no big deal.
“It was just one of those times you catch an elbow, and once I was back on the field I didn’t think about it,” Sisler said not with a wince but a grin before he recounted his goal. “I didn’t really expect the ball to get to me, but then it was just a matter of a solid strike.”
Despite a relatively tough angle from the right side, Sisler took a pass from fellow junior Julian Defensor and put the hosts ahead with 5:48 still to be played before intermission.
“Getting both a season-opening win and the game-winner is very gratifying,” Sisler added. “I’m really happy with our team effort. We were down (1-0) but stayed focused. We have some good ball-movers in midfield, and I think that will be a strength this year. The key was to connect passes to the outside and play crosses that teammates can use.”
Those last words are another form of the soccer expression “finishing,” which is what ultimately makes the scoreboard count more than other statistics. From a numbers standpoint, St. Charles East theoretically had the best start and the better match.
Only 4:22 had elapsed when East claimed a 1-0 lead.
Saints midfielder Brendan Adams initiated the scoring play with a stellar pass from the sideline just over the midfield line. George Maridis executed a head flick that enabled Renato Avendano to take the ball in stride to the right wing from where he launched a 14-yarder inside of the far left post.
“I always look for back post opportunities,” Avendano said. “When you’re in the moment like that it all happens so fast. You might process where the keeper is or how a defender is bearing down on you, but mainly you play fast and trust your instincts.
“It felt amazing to get the first goal of the year and also so early in the match. We wanted a good start, and I thought it was a sign of a good year to come. Unfortunately this one didn’t finish that way.”
The equalizer came with 16:22 gone as South Elgin’s Jacob Zupan made a cross from the far left wing that was curving somewhat toward the far right post. Ryan Doherty was on an overlapping run and raced in to crash the net. The freshman starter won the race to the ball getting enough leg on the ball to get it through East starting goalie Jack Settle’s grasp on a desperation dive.
“Initially I was hoping for a header but seeing how low it was, I just tried to time my slide right,” Doherty explained. “I figured I had too much on it for him to stop it.
“Scoring in my very first varsity match was pretty cool,” Doherty added. “Getting us even felt good and gave us a boost.”
Although the Saints continued to have more possessions, there was a degree of confidence South Elgin showed whenever counter-attacking. That was the case when Sisler added to the Storm comeback.
In addition to watching his team gain valuable minutes of experience, Brinklow was also encouraged by seeing his squad hold on for the victory.
“Our younger boys got a lot of minutes and those (minutes) in the second half were a test of composure,” Brinklow said. “I think that first goal for Ryan is something he’ll always remember.”
In addition to the lone frosh on the squad in Doherty, the remainder of the starting 11 for South Elgin included three sophomores, four juniors and three seniors. The latter trio includes co-captains Zupan and Elijah Patrick.
This marked the third-straight year the outcome between the teams was decided by a single goal. Last year South Elgin managed a 1-0 victory while the year before East won by that same margin. Those were crossover meetings when the two sides were members of opposite divisions in the Upstate Eight Conference.
St. Charles East and former UEC members Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles North departed to join four ex-DuPage Valley Conference squads (Glenbard North, Lake Park, Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South) to form the new DuKane Conference. It’s too early to read much into interleague rivalries, but Monday’s IHSA-allowed season openers included one other similar contest and Streamwood showed no sentimentality in thumping Geneva 4-1.
The Storm now focus their attention on a Wednesday date at West Aurora which is their initial road test and also the inaugural for this version of the UEC. With Glenbard South joining, the UEC is now a top-to-bottom 10-squad loop instead of a two-division league.
Visiting St. Charles East finished with an 18-8 edge in overall attempts as well as an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal. Despite yielding the early Saints goal, South Elgin goalie Christian Andrew denied 10 shots in the win. For East, Zach Doerr took over in goal in the second half and made one of the two saves the Saints recorded.
“I thought we played better in the second half, certainly did a better job of connecting passes,” DiNuzzo said. “However, South Elgin was the more disciplined team.”
“Getting put down like this is not acceptable,” Avendano said. “I know we have confidence in our abilities, and I’m sure after a loss like this we’ll put in the extra work to avoid it happening again.”
The Saints have a week’s worth of work before joining with crosstown rival St. Charles North to co-host the inaugural St. Charles Tournament. The eight-school event begins with group play matches hosted at the two St. Charles programs ad leads to crossover pairings to determine the place finishers and champion.
East welcomes Downers Grove North for a 7 p.m. Orange Group meeting on Aug. 27 followed by a Wednesday date with another former UEC foe in Elgin and a Friday visit from former DVC opponent Metea Valley.
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK Jack Settle
D Grayson Biddle
D Andrew Cayton
D Geoff Unterberg
D Ulises Cabellero
M Brandon Adams
M Luke Schnitker
M Alex Mancera
F Truitt Battin
F George Maridis
F Renato Avendano
South Elgin
GK Christian Andrew
D Jacob Zupan
D Elijah Patrick
D Lucas Reutimann
D Ryan Doherty
M Daniel Quintana
M Julian Defensor
M Zack Rys
M Miguel Salas
F Jack McCall
F Anthony Sisler
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Anthony Sisler, jr., D/M, South Elgin
Officials: Doug Neufeldt (center), Jim Franklin, Jeff Goodlove
Game summary
South Elgin 2, St. Charles East 1
St. Charles East 1 0 1 (1-0-0)
South Elgin 2 0 2 (1-0-0)
Scoring
SCE – Avendano 14-yarder from right side (Adams, Maridis assists), 4:22 gone
SE – Doherty 2-yard crashing the net off a cross (Zupan assis), 16:22 gone
SE – Sisler 12-yarder from right (Defenso assist), 34:12 gone
Shots
SCE 9 – 9 --- 18
SE 6 – 2 --- 8
Shots on goal
SCE 7 – 4 --- 11
SE 3 – 1 --- 4
Saves
SCE (Settle) 1 – (Doerr) 1 --- 2
SE (Andrew) 6 – 4 --- 10
Corner kicks
SCE 1 – 1 --- 2
SE 0 – 0 --- 0
Offsides
SCE 0 – 0 --- 0
SE 2 - 0 --- 2
Storm overcome early deficit; Fighting Saints win statistical battle
By Steve Nemeth
SOUTH ELGIN --- Unless someone runs the table, season openers generally become a simple point of reference from which to start.
That reality was essentially as clear as South Elgin’s 2-1 triumph over visiting St. Charles East. The host Storm’s post-match huddle was vocal and upbeat while the Saints -- ranked 25th in the Chicagoland Soccer Preseason Poll -- had a lengthy sit-down session.
But before anyone reads too much into either, both coaches couched their comments knowing there is a whole season to be played.
“We’ve got a really young team but one big positive was the way in which they worked for each other,” South Elgin coach Simon Brinklow noted. “Hopefully they can continue that trait for the whole year, and there are a lot of games ahead of them.”
“Obviously I’m not happy (about the outcome), because our work rate was poor,” St. Charles East boss Vince DiNuzzo admitted. “But being the first game, a nonconference game, I’m also not worried. We’ll be okay having gotten this (sub-par showing) out of the way.”
In addition to the enthusiasm it creates, a win can also serve as a salve. Less than 14 minutes into the season, South Elgin’s Anthony Sisler had to leave the field with blood gushing from the edge of his right eye. After soaking several gauze pads, receiving some expertly applied butterfly strips, tallying the game-winning goal and receiving Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors, Sisler insisted it was no big deal.
“It was just one of those times you catch an elbow, and once I was back on the field I didn’t think about it,” Sisler said not with a wince but a grin before he recounted his goal. “I didn’t really expect the ball to get to me, but then it was just a matter of a solid strike.”
Despite a relatively tough angle from the right side, Sisler took a pass from fellow junior Julian Defensor and put the hosts ahead with 5:48 still to be played before intermission.
“Getting both a season-opening win and the game-winner is very gratifying,” Sisler added. “I’m really happy with our team effort. We were down (1-0) but stayed focused. We have some good ball-movers in midfield, and I think that will be a strength this year. The key was to connect passes to the outside and play crosses that teammates can use.”
Those last words are another form of the soccer expression “finishing,” which is what ultimately makes the scoreboard count more than other statistics. From a numbers standpoint, St. Charles East theoretically had the best start and the better match.
Only 4:22 had elapsed when East claimed a 1-0 lead.
Saints midfielder Brendan Adams initiated the scoring play with a stellar pass from the sideline just over the midfield line. George Maridis executed a head flick that enabled Renato Avendano to take the ball in stride to the right wing from where he launched a 14-yarder inside of the far left post.
“I always look for back post opportunities,” Avendano said. “When you’re in the moment like that it all happens so fast. You might process where the keeper is or how a defender is bearing down on you, but mainly you play fast and trust your instincts.
“It felt amazing to get the first goal of the year and also so early in the match. We wanted a good start, and I thought it was a sign of a good year to come. Unfortunately this one didn’t finish that way.”
The equalizer came with 16:22 gone as South Elgin’s Jacob Zupan made a cross from the far left wing that was curving somewhat toward the far right post. Ryan Doherty was on an overlapping run and raced in to crash the net. The freshman starter won the race to the ball getting enough leg on the ball to get it through East starting goalie Jack Settle’s grasp on a desperation dive.
“Initially I was hoping for a header but seeing how low it was, I just tried to time my slide right,” Doherty explained. “I figured I had too much on it for him to stop it.
“Scoring in my very first varsity match was pretty cool,” Doherty added. “Getting us even felt good and gave us a boost.”
Although the Saints continued to have more possessions, there was a degree of confidence South Elgin showed whenever counter-attacking. That was the case when Sisler added to the Storm comeback.
In addition to watching his team gain valuable minutes of experience, Brinklow was also encouraged by seeing his squad hold on for the victory.
“Our younger boys got a lot of minutes and those (minutes) in the second half were a test of composure,” Brinklow said. “I think that first goal for Ryan is something he’ll always remember.”
In addition to the lone frosh on the squad in Doherty, the remainder of the starting 11 for South Elgin included three sophomores, four juniors and three seniors. The latter trio includes co-captains Zupan and Elijah Patrick.
This marked the third-straight year the outcome between the teams was decided by a single goal. Last year South Elgin managed a 1-0 victory while the year before East won by that same margin. Those were crossover meetings when the two sides were members of opposite divisions in the Upstate Eight Conference.
St. Charles East and former UEC members Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles North departed to join four ex-DuPage Valley Conference squads (Glenbard North, Lake Park, Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South) to form the new DuKane Conference. It’s too early to read much into interleague rivalries, but Monday’s IHSA-allowed season openers included one other similar contest and Streamwood showed no sentimentality in thumping Geneva 4-1.
The Storm now focus their attention on a Wednesday date at West Aurora which is their initial road test and also the inaugural for this version of the UEC. With Glenbard South joining, the UEC is now a top-to-bottom 10-squad loop instead of a two-division league.
Visiting St. Charles East finished with an 18-8 edge in overall attempts as well as an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal. Despite yielding the early Saints goal, South Elgin goalie Christian Andrew denied 10 shots in the win. For East, Zach Doerr took over in goal in the second half and made one of the two saves the Saints recorded.
“I thought we played better in the second half, certainly did a better job of connecting passes,” DiNuzzo said. “However, South Elgin was the more disciplined team.”
“Getting put down like this is not acceptable,” Avendano said. “I know we have confidence in our abilities, and I’m sure after a loss like this we’ll put in the extra work to avoid it happening again.”
The Saints have a week’s worth of work before joining with crosstown rival St. Charles North to co-host the inaugural St. Charles Tournament. The eight-school event begins with group play matches hosted at the two St. Charles programs ad leads to crossover pairings to determine the place finishers and champion.
East welcomes Downers Grove North for a 7 p.m. Orange Group meeting on Aug. 27 followed by a Wednesday date with another former UEC foe in Elgin and a Friday visit from former DVC opponent Metea Valley.
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK Jack Settle
D Grayson Biddle
D Andrew Cayton
D Geoff Unterberg
D Ulises Cabellero
M Brandon Adams
M Luke Schnitker
M Alex Mancera
F Truitt Battin
F George Maridis
F Renato Avendano
South Elgin
GK Christian Andrew
D Jacob Zupan
D Elijah Patrick
D Lucas Reutimann
D Ryan Doherty
M Daniel Quintana
M Julian Defensor
M Zack Rys
M Miguel Salas
F Jack McCall
F Anthony Sisler
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Anthony Sisler, jr., D/M, South Elgin
Officials: Doug Neufeldt (center), Jim Franklin, Jeff Goodlove
Game summary
South Elgin 2, St. Charles East 1
St. Charles East 1 0 1 (1-0-0)
South Elgin 2 0 2 (1-0-0)
Scoring
SCE – Avendano 14-yarder from right side (Adams, Maridis assists), 4:22 gone
SE – Doherty 2-yard crashing the net off a cross (Zupan assis), 16:22 gone
SE – Sisler 12-yarder from right (Defenso assist), 34:12 gone
Shots
SCE 9 – 9 --- 18
SE 6 – 2 --- 8
Shots on goal
SCE 7 – 4 --- 11
SE 3 – 1 --- 4
Saves
SCE (Settle) 1 – (Doerr) 1 --- 2
SE (Andrew) 6 – 4 --- 10
Corner kicks
SCE 1 – 1 --- 2
SE 0 – 0 --- 0
Offsides
SCE 0 – 0 --- 0
SE 2 - 0 --- 2