Szeliga OT goal lifts
St. Charles North past Glenbard North
North Stars score 1st, last to edge Panthers in regional semifinal
By Curt Herron
CAROL STREAM - Tuesday's Class 3A Glenbard North Regional semifinal between St. Charles North and Glenbard North produced an atmosphere that was more symbolic of a match in the latter stages of the postseason than on its first full day of play.
Two weeks after the North Stars beat the Panthers 2-1 in DuKane Conference play in St. Charles, the squads turned in an excellent 100-minute battle in which the visitors scored the first goal to lead for over 70 minutes and then collected the only goal in the two overtimes to capture a 2-1 victory at Weber Field in Carol Stream.
On a night where both keepers, Panthers junior Stavros Veremis and North Stars sophomore Alex Curtis both came up with big stops to stymie their opponents, St. Charles North senior Dawid Szeliga capitalized on a miscommunication to connect on a close-range goal in the 85th minute to put his team back in front for good.
"When I was running up to the keeper, the first thing I thought was that the goalkeeper was going to come out and boot it, but he didn't do that," said Szeliga, who earned honors as the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. “So I tried to do my best to get it through him and then put it in the back of the net.
"In the first half, we started off really strong with good energy. Then for whatever reason, we started off slow in the second half and weren't doing too well. Then they got that late goal. As my coach said, we haven't played a postseason game in 721 days. W e were back in it. It was a different type of intensity, and this is a very electric feeling."
The dramatic win advanced the North Stars (7-3-6) to Friday's 6 p.m. regional championship against York. The Dukes (17-2), the top-seeded team in the Addison Trail Sectional, earned their spot in the finals with a 6-0 victory over Conant in the first match of the evening. St. Charles North hopes to capture its tenth regional title under coach Eric Willson.
"The game on October 5 (against Glenbard North) ended in a really tight affair and pretty emotionally, so we anticipated this to be a game like that," Willson said. "The other thing was that we talked to guys was that this was our first playoff game in 721 days, so they were ready to feel what playoff intensity and emotions are all about. They got what they asked for in this game, that's for sure.
"Both teams laid it all out on the line. I thought their goalkeeper was phenomenal, and the goal that they scored was fantastic. I thought that we kept our composure when those things happened and found a way to win. That's what you have to do. I'm happy for them because the guys have earned it. They've definitely been working hard and going through a lot of ups and downs throughout the year. It was good to get a win here tonight."
Glenbard North’s Veremis recorded a series of phenomenal saves to keep the host's hopes alive after they fell behind 1-0 in the fifth minute following a goal
from about 10 yards by senior Robert Keldani.
"Once playoffs hit, it's completely different; it's all intensity," Keldani said. "Especially with us conceding when they tied, but we kept our heads up and fought all the way. At that point, when everyone is tired, it's all in the head; it's a mental game. I'm happy for our team for keeping our head in the game and getting the win."
With the North Stars' backline of seniors Zach Curtis, Michael DePasquale, Logan Turney and Casey Graham and freshman Casey Kriz hampering the Panthers' comeback efforts, keeper Curtis had to stave off fewer dangerous chances than his counterpart but also had his hands full as the hosts looked for the equalizer in regulation and the overtimes.
"I thought that the intensity was really good," DePasquale said. "We talked pregame about how the emotions were going to be high just because we are in playoffs now. And I thought that we used those emotions well, and we played very well.
"We've always talked about just putting our bodies on the line. No matter what, we were going to stop them from getting a second goal. Through those 100 minutes, I thought that we spent the majority of them defending with everything that we had, and we did a really good job defensively. Logan Turney, Zach Curtis, Casey Kriz and Casey Graham all did a really good job defensively today. And we've been generating a lot more goal-scoring opportunities recently. It definitely feels great being able to do that."
Glenbard North (8-10-3) finally connected in the 76th minute to force extra play when senior Chris Arroyo sent a pass to junior Pablo DeLaCruz, who fired in a liner from the side from about 15 yards.
"When the playoffs start, that's when you want to give it all," DeLaCruz said. "I felt like we had unfinished business against them from a couple of weeks ago. I gave it my all, and my team gave their all. I was pleased in the extra time how my team played with all of their heart and gave it everything.
"He (Stavros) kept us in the game and is the one that gave us extra time, not me. I liked how this team played with its heart. I was glad to see that they cried, because that means that they really tried their hardest."
After Keldani put his team up early, St. Charles North kept the pressure on with good tries from Isaac VanDeSampel and Szeliga that were cleared by Arroyo. The pair, along with Keldani, were thwarted by Veremis.
Glenbard North’s best first half chance was a long free kick by Ren Santillan that was punched away by Curtis.
The dangerous threats became far more common for both sides during the final half hour of regulation play.
Veremis had to leap to deflect a free kick from St. Charles North’s Walter DelaPaz, who a bit later sent a corner kick into DePasquale, whose header was also denied.
Glenbard North’s Arroyo followed with a throw-in to Christian Escobedo, but Graham was able to disrupt the threat. Arroyo followed with two more dangerous throw-ins but keeper Curtis secured the first and then stopped a header from Azael Nino Velazquez on the other.
Shortly after that, Arroyo was back at it. In the 76th minute he handed out an assist during the run of play to finally help his team even things at 1-1 when DelaCruz connected.
St. Charles North’s keeper halted a liner by Diego Chicas a short time later, setting the lone for a dramatic final minute of regulation.
"The whole season we've basically been preparing for this game," Arroyo said.
"At the beginning of the season, we didn't have the chemistry. Now we do have the chemistry, and we had them on their heels.
"I love my keeper, and he's improved a lot throughout the season. I like our chemistry and the friendship; we're basically a whole family together."
Alex Curtis had to leave the St. Charles North net briefly leave the field due to a yellow card, and Max Montgomery stepped in for him. On the subsequent corner from Escobedo, the Panthers looked like they might have connected again with everybody up including Veremis. But the referee saw otherwise.
"We played together and were a physical team that went into every game giving 100 percent," Veremis said. "It sucks to lose like that, especially for the seniors, so we have to learn from it. This was great with the atmosphere and the crowd. Most of our home games were very intense, and most were decided by one goal.
"There were a lot of growing pains but this is a great group of kids. We had a lot of injuries, but we still persevered. Even though we're losing a lot of great players, we have a great group of kids coming in. I'm looking forward to next year."
In the initial overtime, Glenbard North’s Graham cleared a shot by DeLaCruz before Szeliga, who had been playing with a yellow card since the 22nd minute, got to the loose ball in front of the net to put in a short attempt for the eventual game-winner.
Glenbard North fought back. Luis Roman sent a header to Alex Curtis. Then a free kick by Santillan was headed away by Zach Curtis.
Long free kicks from DelaPaz and Santillan were hauled in by Curtis early in the final overtime. Then the St. Charles North did a good job of limiting any more dangerous threats by the Panthers, who competed to the very end.
"If there was any other keeper in there, with our one goal, it's a 3-1 game," Panthers coach Spero Mandakas said.
"Every team in this sectional is going to battle and every time that we play with St. Charles North, it's a one-goal game either way. We came out too flat and gave up that early one, but then the guys pushed forward.
“We changed up some things in the second half and generated some quality.
"We had 19 underclassmen this year on the roster, so we have a good group coming back. Our seniors were great, and we had great leadership from them. Hopefully their guidance and the way that they showed up and trained every day will kind of be bought in by the younger kids, and we'll see that of them, as well."
Starting lineups
St. Charles North
G Alex Curtis
D Zach Curtis
D Michael DePasquale
D Casey Kriz
D Logan Turney
M Isaac VanDeSampel
M Robert Keldani
M Casey Graham
M Walter DelaPaz
F Dawid Szeliga
F Chase Bettini
Glenbard North
G Stavros Veremis
D Steve Gospodinov
D Ren Santillan
D Chris Arroyo
D Diego Chicas
M Carlos Villagrana
M Lucas Tran
M Pablo DeLaCruz
M Colin Hernandez
F Jorge Roman
F Christian Escobedo
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Dawid Szeliga, sr., F, St. Charles North
Scoring summary
First half
SCN: Keldani (unassisted), 5th minute
Second half
G: DeLaCruz (Arroyo), 76th minute
First overtime
SCN: Szeliga (unassisted), 85th minute
Second overtime
No scoring
St. Charles North past Glenbard North
North Stars score 1st, last to edge Panthers in regional semifinal
By Curt Herron
CAROL STREAM - Tuesday's Class 3A Glenbard North Regional semifinal between St. Charles North and Glenbard North produced an atmosphere that was more symbolic of a match in the latter stages of the postseason than on its first full day of play.
Two weeks after the North Stars beat the Panthers 2-1 in DuKane Conference play in St. Charles, the squads turned in an excellent 100-minute battle in which the visitors scored the first goal to lead for over 70 minutes and then collected the only goal in the two overtimes to capture a 2-1 victory at Weber Field in Carol Stream.
On a night where both keepers, Panthers junior Stavros Veremis and North Stars sophomore Alex Curtis both came up with big stops to stymie their opponents, St. Charles North senior Dawid Szeliga capitalized on a miscommunication to connect on a close-range goal in the 85th minute to put his team back in front for good.
"When I was running up to the keeper, the first thing I thought was that the goalkeeper was going to come out and boot it, but he didn't do that," said Szeliga, who earned honors as the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. “So I tried to do my best to get it through him and then put it in the back of the net.
"In the first half, we started off really strong with good energy. Then for whatever reason, we started off slow in the second half and weren't doing too well. Then they got that late goal. As my coach said, we haven't played a postseason game in 721 days. W e were back in it. It was a different type of intensity, and this is a very electric feeling."
The dramatic win advanced the North Stars (7-3-6) to Friday's 6 p.m. regional championship against York. The Dukes (17-2), the top-seeded team in the Addison Trail Sectional, earned their spot in the finals with a 6-0 victory over Conant in the first match of the evening. St. Charles North hopes to capture its tenth regional title under coach Eric Willson.
"The game on October 5 (against Glenbard North) ended in a really tight affair and pretty emotionally, so we anticipated this to be a game like that," Willson said. "The other thing was that we talked to guys was that this was our first playoff game in 721 days, so they were ready to feel what playoff intensity and emotions are all about. They got what they asked for in this game, that's for sure.
"Both teams laid it all out on the line. I thought their goalkeeper was phenomenal, and the goal that they scored was fantastic. I thought that we kept our composure when those things happened and found a way to win. That's what you have to do. I'm happy for them because the guys have earned it. They've definitely been working hard and going through a lot of ups and downs throughout the year. It was good to get a win here tonight."
Glenbard North’s Veremis recorded a series of phenomenal saves to keep the host's hopes alive after they fell behind 1-0 in the fifth minute following a goal
from about 10 yards by senior Robert Keldani.
"Once playoffs hit, it's completely different; it's all intensity," Keldani said. "Especially with us conceding when they tied, but we kept our heads up and fought all the way. At that point, when everyone is tired, it's all in the head; it's a mental game. I'm happy for our team for keeping our head in the game and getting the win."
With the North Stars' backline of seniors Zach Curtis, Michael DePasquale, Logan Turney and Casey Graham and freshman Casey Kriz hampering the Panthers' comeback efforts, keeper Curtis had to stave off fewer dangerous chances than his counterpart but also had his hands full as the hosts looked for the equalizer in regulation and the overtimes.
"I thought that the intensity was really good," DePasquale said. "We talked pregame about how the emotions were going to be high just because we are in playoffs now. And I thought that we used those emotions well, and we played very well.
"We've always talked about just putting our bodies on the line. No matter what, we were going to stop them from getting a second goal. Through those 100 minutes, I thought that we spent the majority of them defending with everything that we had, and we did a really good job defensively. Logan Turney, Zach Curtis, Casey Kriz and Casey Graham all did a really good job defensively today. And we've been generating a lot more goal-scoring opportunities recently. It definitely feels great being able to do that."
Glenbard North (8-10-3) finally connected in the 76th minute to force extra play when senior Chris Arroyo sent a pass to junior Pablo DeLaCruz, who fired in a liner from the side from about 15 yards.
"When the playoffs start, that's when you want to give it all," DeLaCruz said. "I felt like we had unfinished business against them from a couple of weeks ago. I gave it my all, and my team gave their all. I was pleased in the extra time how my team played with all of their heart and gave it everything.
"He (Stavros) kept us in the game and is the one that gave us extra time, not me. I liked how this team played with its heart. I was glad to see that they cried, because that means that they really tried their hardest."
After Keldani put his team up early, St. Charles North kept the pressure on with good tries from Isaac VanDeSampel and Szeliga that were cleared by Arroyo. The pair, along with Keldani, were thwarted by Veremis.
Glenbard North’s best first half chance was a long free kick by Ren Santillan that was punched away by Curtis.
The dangerous threats became far more common for both sides during the final half hour of regulation play.
Veremis had to leap to deflect a free kick from St. Charles North’s Walter DelaPaz, who a bit later sent a corner kick into DePasquale, whose header was also denied.
Glenbard North’s Arroyo followed with a throw-in to Christian Escobedo, but Graham was able to disrupt the threat. Arroyo followed with two more dangerous throw-ins but keeper Curtis secured the first and then stopped a header from Azael Nino Velazquez on the other.
Shortly after that, Arroyo was back at it. In the 76th minute he handed out an assist during the run of play to finally help his team even things at 1-1 when DelaCruz connected.
St. Charles North’s keeper halted a liner by Diego Chicas a short time later, setting the lone for a dramatic final minute of regulation.
"The whole season we've basically been preparing for this game," Arroyo said.
"At the beginning of the season, we didn't have the chemistry. Now we do have the chemistry, and we had them on their heels.
"I love my keeper, and he's improved a lot throughout the season. I like our chemistry and the friendship; we're basically a whole family together."
Alex Curtis had to leave the St. Charles North net briefly leave the field due to a yellow card, and Max Montgomery stepped in for him. On the subsequent corner from Escobedo, the Panthers looked like they might have connected again with everybody up including Veremis. But the referee saw otherwise.
"We played together and were a physical team that went into every game giving 100 percent," Veremis said. "It sucks to lose like that, especially for the seniors, so we have to learn from it. This was great with the atmosphere and the crowd. Most of our home games were very intense, and most were decided by one goal.
"There were a lot of growing pains but this is a great group of kids. We had a lot of injuries, but we still persevered. Even though we're losing a lot of great players, we have a great group of kids coming in. I'm looking forward to next year."
In the initial overtime, Glenbard North’s Graham cleared a shot by DeLaCruz before Szeliga, who had been playing with a yellow card since the 22nd minute, got to the loose ball in front of the net to put in a short attempt for the eventual game-winner.
Glenbard North fought back. Luis Roman sent a header to Alex Curtis. Then a free kick by Santillan was headed away by Zach Curtis.
Long free kicks from DelaPaz and Santillan were hauled in by Curtis early in the final overtime. Then the St. Charles North did a good job of limiting any more dangerous threats by the Panthers, who competed to the very end.
"If there was any other keeper in there, with our one goal, it's a 3-1 game," Panthers coach Spero Mandakas said.
"Every team in this sectional is going to battle and every time that we play with St. Charles North, it's a one-goal game either way. We came out too flat and gave up that early one, but then the guys pushed forward.
“We changed up some things in the second half and generated some quality.
"We had 19 underclassmen this year on the roster, so we have a good group coming back. Our seniors were great, and we had great leadership from them. Hopefully their guidance and the way that they showed up and trained every day will kind of be bought in by the younger kids, and we'll see that of them, as well."
Starting lineups
St. Charles North
G Alex Curtis
D Zach Curtis
D Michael DePasquale
D Casey Kriz
D Logan Turney
M Isaac VanDeSampel
M Robert Keldani
M Casey Graham
M Walter DelaPaz
F Dawid Szeliga
F Chase Bettini
Glenbard North
G Stavros Veremis
D Steve Gospodinov
D Ren Santillan
D Chris Arroyo
D Diego Chicas
M Carlos Villagrana
M Lucas Tran
M Pablo DeLaCruz
M Colin Hernandez
F Jorge Roman
F Christian Escobedo
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Dawid Szeliga, sr., F, St. Charles North
Scoring summary
First half
SCN: Keldani (unassisted), 5th minute
Second half
G: DeLaCruz (Arroyo), 76th minute
First overtime
SCN: Szeliga (unassisted), 85th minute
Second overtime
No scoring