York edges St. Charles East
in epic shootout battle
Dukes prevail 9-8 to earn supersectional berth
By Dave Owen
ADDISON -- The York/St. Charles East battle in the Addison Trail Sectional final had 100 minutes of high-quality soccer impacted by rain and strong winds that produced no goals.
Then came the penalty kick session, where finding the net was suddenly no sweat.
The first 17 alternating shooters for the Dukes (20-2-0) and Saints (18-5-0) all converted their PKs, as the session extended beyond the usual five shots per side into sudden death.
Then the PK try by the ninth shooter for St. Charles East went just wide of the net's upper-right corner, ending the dramatic match with a 9-8 York edge in PKs.
“We practice PKs for a long, long time every day,” said senior Neil McGovern, the sixth of nine straight York shooters to convert in the session. “Every day after practice it's shoot, shoot, shoot. So when it got to PKs (Friday) we knew we were ready to score.
“As a freshman I was dreaming of playing in the playoffs and dreaming of scoring a goal,” McGovern added. “It's a huge relief (to score and win), and such a dream come true.”
It was also deja vu for the Dukes. In the 2019 regional finals, York defeated St. Charles East on penalty kicks after a 1-1 duel in regulation.
On Friday, York’s perfect nine who converted under shootout pressure were (in order): Sam Musial; Ryder Kohl; Kacper Janowski; Jose Herrera; Brendan Haran: cousins Neil McGovern and Aidan McGovern; Kevin O’Connor: and Henri Ymeraj.
“Nine for nine on PKs is the reason you practice them every day during the whole run,” York coach Jordan Stopka said. “It showed right there. Being able to see them make 25-plus apiece (in practice), you kind of get a feel for who should be up there.”
While the list of shooters included six York starters, the contributions under pressure of reserves Neil and Aidan McGovern and Kevin O’Connor were huge.
“Kevin O’Connor didn't even take his warmups off until the PK,” Stopka said, “and he flushed it top-left corner. But really hats off to everyone who took a PK.”
While scorers eventually stole the spotlight, an unsung defensive hero was backup goalkeeper Anthony Kroumov, who played the last 15:40 of regulation plus the two overtimes and PKs after starter Ricardo Torres was injured.
"Anthony coming in late to sub for Ricky: coming in cold off the bench is not easy for a keeper,” Stopka said.
It was senior Ymeraj who drove home the deciding PK strike, moments before the Saints’ miss.
“I stood at the line and said I'm going to choose one side and keep that side,” said Ymeraj, who scored into the lower left corner. “Never change my mind once I was up there.”
York looked like PK pros, yet hadn’t had a game decided that way all year.
“We've only gone to one other overtime game, against Hinsdale Central (a 1-0 game decided in the first OT),” York defender Kohl said. “We were very proficient (Friday). We've been practicing every day at least three or four pens.”
The epic marathon game and PK session marked the end of a truly long wait for York. The Dukes’ last sectional title came in 2000, but that was when the playoffs started with sectionals. This was the first sectional title in the state series that starts with regionals and requires four wins.
“For four years we worked our butts off,” Ymeraj said. “To finally get a (sectional) win after 20 years, we're just ecstatic.
“And nine for nine on pens is amazing.”
The Saints’ eight-of-nine PK accuracy was worthy of better than a playoff exit.
Sebastian Carranza, Elia Desario, Luca Avendano, Phil Anton, Connor Brown, Logan Lewarchik, Ryan Vandeveer, Mason Brockmeyer were the Saints’ eight PK scorers.
But in a cruel annual rite of the playoffs, a close battle through the flow of play tipped barely against the Saints in a shooting contest.
“I'm heartbroken for our kids, and it's unfortunate,” St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo said. “But both teams had their chances.
“It was a tale of two halves: whoever had the wind was a little more dominant in possession and quality chances. I thought we were pretty dangerous on set pieces. We were unlucky not to score one, then nine rounds of pens is a tough way to go out for these seniors.”
Senior Carranza completed a family tradition of soccer excellence at the school, where his sisters were also stars, and had his exceptional career end by the slimmest of margins.
“I thought it was a great game,” Carranza said. “We had our chances; they had their chances.
“To go to 9-8 pens...we both played very hard. We could have won, or they could have won.”
With a strong wind at its back in the first half, the Saints matched the precipitation with a steady rain of early scoring chances.
One of the best came in the fifth minute, when a 50-yard SCE free kick found Brockmeyer right of the net. His 12-yard shot angled inches wide of the left post.
Giuseppe Avendano’s header just over the crossbar off a Josh Ruiz corner kick in the 26th minute was followed by another elite SCE chance 7:20 before halftime.
A Saints corner kick send was deflected in the crowd towards the open lower right corner of the goal, but Torres made a great one-handed block at the goal line to maintain the nil-nil score.
“We just stayed tough,” Stopka said of York’s defensive effort, its fourth-straight postseason shutout. “One hundred minutes against that (Saints) team is a test of will, and they succeeded today.”
Joe Hernandez had York’s first shot on goal in the 14th minute, and the Dukes’ best first half threats included a Kohl 25-yard free kick in the 25th minute (a rain-soaked ball juggled and then dived on by Saints goalkeeper Jordan Rolon) and two great chances late in the half for elusive forward Jose Herrera.
In the 37th minute, Herrera deflected the rebound of a blocked shot just wide. Then 50 seconds before halftime, his right-side run produced a 15-yard shot that went just wide of the back post.
York was shut out just twice in the regular season, but even with the wind in the second half could never break through.
“Jordan played really well,” DiNuzzo said. “I thought he did a good job with the conditions. And our backline...they limited their chances on goal.
“That number 7 (Herrera) is a special player, and he didn't have much going forward. And that's (because of) our whole backline. They did well.”
The defensive challenge for the Saints grew massively in the second half.
In the 49th minute, Kohl’s 36-yard free kick came inches away from a highlight-film finish when Kacper Janowski’s header at the left post went inches wide.
On a night full of York heroes, Kohl earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for set pieces like that and his solid all-around night on defense. All that came after a lower leg injury forced him to miss the last 30 minutes of Tuesday’s 2-0 sectional semifinal win over West Chicago.
“It's just all about recovery,” Kohl said, “icing (the leg) and doing all the things necessary in order to play the next game.”
York continued to attack in the 52nd minute of play, when Ymeraj’s shot in the box off a nice Kevin Gliatis pass went just wide upper right.
Rolon’s save of a hard one-hop 41-yard free kick by Kohl 50 seconds later was followed by Ryan Vandeveer’s nice steal and clear to deny a Sam Musial and Herrera attack in the 61st minute.
“I was a little disappointed in the second half,” Stopka said. “We told them at halftime that because we have the wind now, stop playing the ball in the air. The wind is just going to take it out of bounds. For some reason it seems we forgot what the coaches said.”
After Torres' injury in the 65th minute on a battle for a loose ball at the York defensive end, the Dukes’ offense continued to have an edge in second half play.
In the 68th minute, Musial’s 18-yard shot off a Hernandez pass was deflected wide by Rolon’s great dive.
Rolon closed his main body of work with a save on Gliatis’ close-in deflection of a Kohl free kick in the 72nd minute.
St. Charles East answered with a corner kick in the 75th minute that was punched out of the crowd by Kroumov.
Desario was center stage in the final minute of regulation, first with a 45-yard free kick inches over the crossbar. Then with 10 seconds left, his sliding clear denied a would be Gliatis-to-Musial pass into the box.
Containing an already potent York offense that had a strong wind in its favor was an impressive feat by the Saints.
“If you had told us two weeks ago we would take those (York) guys and not let them score for 100 minutes I wouldn't have believed it,” DiNuzzo said. “I'm proud of the kids and the way they fought. They all came together. It was a performance to be proud of.”
York had the better of the first OT, including a Ymeraj 15-yard shot in the 86th minute in the that Rolon denied on a two-handed deflection wide.
Gliatis had the closest call of the night, a 25-yarder off the crossbar in the 88th minute. Rolon then saved Neil McGovern’s 30-yard shot in the final seconds of the first OT.
In the second extra session, Kroumov’s save on a Luca Avendano low 22-yarder in the 92nd minute marked the first chance. The Dukes responded with a Gliatis’ shot in the 95th minute that was deflected wide, and a Hernandez 20-yarder off a nice Herrera attack was saved by Rolon in the 98th minute.
“We had a lot of chances second half and some first half,” Ymeraj said. “Going into overtime, we just thought we had to win.”
The Saints answered with two corner kicks in the final 1:40 of the second OT. Musial’s nice clear upfield broke up the first, then a Ruiz corner send to the back post with 45 seconds left went just over the end line.
Then came PKs, amazing efficiency, and York celebrating on the field with its fans.
“Our fans are yelling...it’s amazing,” Ymeraj said. “Everyone's excited; everyone's thrilled. We're really excited that we won.”
Said Kohl: “It was really awesome. We got a lot of support from the fans. It couldn't have ended any better.”
On the Saints’ side, there was disappointment but pride.
“I love this program,” Carranza said. “It's the best program in Illinois. I love the coaches, all the players. I'm going to miss the whole experience.”
Said Stopka: “St. Charles is a heck of a team. We feel fortunate to be moving on.”
And with the sectional title drought over for York, a shot at a first-ever trip to state awaits Tuesday at the Streamwood Supersectional.
“It's a huge relief,” McGovern said of the PK win, “but then again we're not done. We've got Tuesday. The job's not finished. We can go all the way, and we know it.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK Jordan Rolon
D Phil Anton
D Elia Desario
D Connor King
D Connor Brown
M Luca Avendano
M Mason Blenner
M Jack Harrington
M Mason Brockmeyer
F Sebastian Carranza
F Joshua Ruiz
York
GK Ricardo Torres
D Connor Bare
D Ryder Kohl
D Brendan Haran
D Yael Silvestre
M Joe Hernandez
M Sam Musial
M Kacper Janowski
M Henri Ymeraj
F Kevin Gliatis
F Jose Herrera
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ryder Kohl, jr. D, York
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout
York (9): Sam Musial, Ryder Kohl, Kacper Janowski, Jose Herrera, Brendan Haran, Neil McGovern, Aidan McGovern, Kevin O’Connor, Henri Ymeraj
SCE (8): Sebastian Carranza, Elia Desario, Luca Avendano, Phil Anton, Connor Brown, Logan Lewarchik, Ryan Vandeveer, Mason Brockmeyer
in epic shootout battle
Dukes prevail 9-8 to earn supersectional berth
By Dave Owen
ADDISON -- The York/St. Charles East battle in the Addison Trail Sectional final had 100 minutes of high-quality soccer impacted by rain and strong winds that produced no goals.
Then came the penalty kick session, where finding the net was suddenly no sweat.
The first 17 alternating shooters for the Dukes (20-2-0) and Saints (18-5-0) all converted their PKs, as the session extended beyond the usual five shots per side into sudden death.
Then the PK try by the ninth shooter for St. Charles East went just wide of the net's upper-right corner, ending the dramatic match with a 9-8 York edge in PKs.
“We practice PKs for a long, long time every day,” said senior Neil McGovern, the sixth of nine straight York shooters to convert in the session. “Every day after practice it's shoot, shoot, shoot. So when it got to PKs (Friday) we knew we were ready to score.
“As a freshman I was dreaming of playing in the playoffs and dreaming of scoring a goal,” McGovern added. “It's a huge relief (to score and win), and such a dream come true.”
It was also deja vu for the Dukes. In the 2019 regional finals, York defeated St. Charles East on penalty kicks after a 1-1 duel in regulation.
On Friday, York’s perfect nine who converted under shootout pressure were (in order): Sam Musial; Ryder Kohl; Kacper Janowski; Jose Herrera; Brendan Haran: cousins Neil McGovern and Aidan McGovern; Kevin O’Connor: and Henri Ymeraj.
“Nine for nine on PKs is the reason you practice them every day during the whole run,” York coach Jordan Stopka said. “It showed right there. Being able to see them make 25-plus apiece (in practice), you kind of get a feel for who should be up there.”
While the list of shooters included six York starters, the contributions under pressure of reserves Neil and Aidan McGovern and Kevin O’Connor were huge.
“Kevin O’Connor didn't even take his warmups off until the PK,” Stopka said, “and he flushed it top-left corner. But really hats off to everyone who took a PK.”
While scorers eventually stole the spotlight, an unsung defensive hero was backup goalkeeper Anthony Kroumov, who played the last 15:40 of regulation plus the two overtimes and PKs after starter Ricardo Torres was injured.
"Anthony coming in late to sub for Ricky: coming in cold off the bench is not easy for a keeper,” Stopka said.
It was senior Ymeraj who drove home the deciding PK strike, moments before the Saints’ miss.
“I stood at the line and said I'm going to choose one side and keep that side,” said Ymeraj, who scored into the lower left corner. “Never change my mind once I was up there.”
York looked like PK pros, yet hadn’t had a game decided that way all year.
“We've only gone to one other overtime game, against Hinsdale Central (a 1-0 game decided in the first OT),” York defender Kohl said. “We were very proficient (Friday). We've been practicing every day at least three or four pens.”
The epic marathon game and PK session marked the end of a truly long wait for York. The Dukes’ last sectional title came in 2000, but that was when the playoffs started with sectionals. This was the first sectional title in the state series that starts with regionals and requires four wins.
“For four years we worked our butts off,” Ymeraj said. “To finally get a (sectional) win after 20 years, we're just ecstatic.
“And nine for nine on pens is amazing.”
The Saints’ eight-of-nine PK accuracy was worthy of better than a playoff exit.
Sebastian Carranza, Elia Desario, Luca Avendano, Phil Anton, Connor Brown, Logan Lewarchik, Ryan Vandeveer, Mason Brockmeyer were the Saints’ eight PK scorers.
But in a cruel annual rite of the playoffs, a close battle through the flow of play tipped barely against the Saints in a shooting contest.
“I'm heartbroken for our kids, and it's unfortunate,” St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo said. “But both teams had their chances.
“It was a tale of two halves: whoever had the wind was a little more dominant in possession and quality chances. I thought we were pretty dangerous on set pieces. We were unlucky not to score one, then nine rounds of pens is a tough way to go out for these seniors.”
Senior Carranza completed a family tradition of soccer excellence at the school, where his sisters were also stars, and had his exceptional career end by the slimmest of margins.
“I thought it was a great game,” Carranza said. “We had our chances; they had their chances.
“To go to 9-8 pens...we both played very hard. We could have won, or they could have won.”
With a strong wind at its back in the first half, the Saints matched the precipitation with a steady rain of early scoring chances.
One of the best came in the fifth minute, when a 50-yard SCE free kick found Brockmeyer right of the net. His 12-yard shot angled inches wide of the left post.
Giuseppe Avendano’s header just over the crossbar off a Josh Ruiz corner kick in the 26th minute was followed by another elite SCE chance 7:20 before halftime.
A Saints corner kick send was deflected in the crowd towards the open lower right corner of the goal, but Torres made a great one-handed block at the goal line to maintain the nil-nil score.
“We just stayed tough,” Stopka said of York’s defensive effort, its fourth-straight postseason shutout. “One hundred minutes against that (Saints) team is a test of will, and they succeeded today.”
Joe Hernandez had York’s first shot on goal in the 14th minute, and the Dukes’ best first half threats included a Kohl 25-yard free kick in the 25th minute (a rain-soaked ball juggled and then dived on by Saints goalkeeper Jordan Rolon) and two great chances late in the half for elusive forward Jose Herrera.
In the 37th minute, Herrera deflected the rebound of a blocked shot just wide. Then 50 seconds before halftime, his right-side run produced a 15-yard shot that went just wide of the back post.
York was shut out just twice in the regular season, but even with the wind in the second half could never break through.
“Jordan played really well,” DiNuzzo said. “I thought he did a good job with the conditions. And our backline...they limited their chances on goal.
“That number 7 (Herrera) is a special player, and he didn't have much going forward. And that's (because of) our whole backline. They did well.”
The defensive challenge for the Saints grew massively in the second half.
In the 49th minute, Kohl’s 36-yard free kick came inches away from a highlight-film finish when Kacper Janowski’s header at the left post went inches wide.
On a night full of York heroes, Kohl earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for set pieces like that and his solid all-around night on defense. All that came after a lower leg injury forced him to miss the last 30 minutes of Tuesday’s 2-0 sectional semifinal win over West Chicago.
“It's just all about recovery,” Kohl said, “icing (the leg) and doing all the things necessary in order to play the next game.”
York continued to attack in the 52nd minute of play, when Ymeraj’s shot in the box off a nice Kevin Gliatis pass went just wide upper right.
Rolon’s save of a hard one-hop 41-yard free kick by Kohl 50 seconds later was followed by Ryan Vandeveer’s nice steal and clear to deny a Sam Musial and Herrera attack in the 61st minute.
“I was a little disappointed in the second half,” Stopka said. “We told them at halftime that because we have the wind now, stop playing the ball in the air. The wind is just going to take it out of bounds. For some reason it seems we forgot what the coaches said.”
After Torres' injury in the 65th minute on a battle for a loose ball at the York defensive end, the Dukes’ offense continued to have an edge in second half play.
In the 68th minute, Musial’s 18-yard shot off a Hernandez pass was deflected wide by Rolon’s great dive.
Rolon closed his main body of work with a save on Gliatis’ close-in deflection of a Kohl free kick in the 72nd minute.
St. Charles East answered with a corner kick in the 75th minute that was punched out of the crowd by Kroumov.
Desario was center stage in the final minute of regulation, first with a 45-yard free kick inches over the crossbar. Then with 10 seconds left, his sliding clear denied a would be Gliatis-to-Musial pass into the box.
Containing an already potent York offense that had a strong wind in its favor was an impressive feat by the Saints.
“If you had told us two weeks ago we would take those (York) guys and not let them score for 100 minutes I wouldn't have believed it,” DiNuzzo said. “I'm proud of the kids and the way they fought. They all came together. It was a performance to be proud of.”
York had the better of the first OT, including a Ymeraj 15-yard shot in the 86th minute in the that Rolon denied on a two-handed deflection wide.
Gliatis had the closest call of the night, a 25-yarder off the crossbar in the 88th minute. Rolon then saved Neil McGovern’s 30-yard shot in the final seconds of the first OT.
In the second extra session, Kroumov’s save on a Luca Avendano low 22-yarder in the 92nd minute marked the first chance. The Dukes responded with a Gliatis’ shot in the 95th minute that was deflected wide, and a Hernandez 20-yarder off a nice Herrera attack was saved by Rolon in the 98th minute.
“We had a lot of chances second half and some first half,” Ymeraj said. “Going into overtime, we just thought we had to win.”
The Saints answered with two corner kicks in the final 1:40 of the second OT. Musial’s nice clear upfield broke up the first, then a Ruiz corner send to the back post with 45 seconds left went just over the end line.
Then came PKs, amazing efficiency, and York celebrating on the field with its fans.
“Our fans are yelling...it’s amazing,” Ymeraj said. “Everyone's excited; everyone's thrilled. We're really excited that we won.”
Said Kohl: “It was really awesome. We got a lot of support from the fans. It couldn't have ended any better.”
On the Saints’ side, there was disappointment but pride.
“I love this program,” Carranza said. “It's the best program in Illinois. I love the coaches, all the players. I'm going to miss the whole experience.”
Said Stopka: “St. Charles is a heck of a team. We feel fortunate to be moving on.”
And with the sectional title drought over for York, a shot at a first-ever trip to state awaits Tuesday at the Streamwood Supersectional.
“It's a huge relief,” McGovern said of the PK win, “but then again we're not done. We've got Tuesday. The job's not finished. We can go all the way, and we know it.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK Jordan Rolon
D Phil Anton
D Elia Desario
D Connor King
D Connor Brown
M Luca Avendano
M Mason Blenner
M Jack Harrington
M Mason Brockmeyer
F Sebastian Carranza
F Joshua Ruiz
York
GK Ricardo Torres
D Connor Bare
D Ryder Kohl
D Brendan Haran
D Yael Silvestre
M Joe Hernandez
M Sam Musial
M Kacper Janowski
M Henri Ymeraj
F Kevin Gliatis
F Jose Herrera
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ryder Kohl, jr. D, York
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout
York (9): Sam Musial, Ryder Kohl, Kacper Janowski, Jose Herrera, Brendan Haran, Neil McGovern, Aidan McGovern, Kevin O’Connor, Henri Ymeraj
SCE (8): Sebastian Carranza, Elia Desario, Luca Avendano, Phil Anton, Connor Brown, Logan Lewarchik, Ryan Vandeveer, Mason Brockmeyer