South Elgin reaches new heights
against Glenbard South
Nguyen delivers brace, Storm rise to 3-0 victory
By Bobby Narang
WEST CHICAGO — Throughout the season, South Elgin has endured countless rocky moments filled with uneven play.
The Storm had yet to post a winning streak, had not earned a shutout victory or scored more than two goals in a game.
That all ended on the first day of October.
Amid a sunny and warm early Saturday afternoon, the Storm scored two goals in the second half to notch a 3-0 win over Glenbard South in the Upstate Eight Conference Showcase at West Chicago’s Memorial Field.
The Storm (3-9-3, 3-2-1) started the week with a 4-2 loss to West Chicago, but ended with a flourish. South Elgin pulled off a 2-1 upset over East Aurora and then beat the Raiders for their first winning streak of the season.
After a ho-hum start by both teams that featured very little action in the first 11 minutes, South Elgin junior Ryan Nguyen supplied a spark with the first of his two goals that led the Storm to a victory. The Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match said he was happy to end the long wait for back-to-back wins. The brace raised his season total to five.
“I felt very confident coming into the game,” Nguyen said. “It feels great to get a win. Coach was really happy we got a shutout. We’ve been playing really well. Our last game we had a sloppy win, but we’re coming back.”
South Elgin coach Jerzy Skowron flashed an ear-to-ear smile when discussing his team’s two-game winning streak. Saturday’s victory was a big step for his players. So yes, the always entertaining Skowron was content with all phases of the game Saturday.
Skowron said the Storm started showing flashes of solid play in a 1-0 loss to 15th-ranked St. Charles East on Sept, 24. They suffered a 4-2 setback to West Chicago on Sept. 26 and beat East Aurora on Sept. 28.
“It’s like a monkey has been lifted off our backs,” Skowron said. “I don’t think our record reflects our talents. It’s one of those could’ve, would’ve and should’ve games, where we could have beaten this team or this team. It was nice to finally play 80 minutes of solid soccer together.
“This is hopefully proof of what the boys can do if they can put together 80 minutes together.
“I think it’s one of those things, the light bulb hit. It actually hit against St. Charles East. They scored early, but we shut them down the rest of that game.
“Larkin (a 4-2 loss on Sept. 21) was kind of a blip. We were up 2-0 against West Chicago here, doing the same thing but West Chicago turned into West Chicago. We’ve been kind of able to continue to do the things to trigger that light bulb, but now got our first three-goal game of the season. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come close to the playoffs.”
Skowron hopes that Nguyen is ready to turn it on.
“I’ve been challenging him to be a killer all season long and be a no-mercy attacker” he said. “I’ve been saying it since his freshman year, but he’s one of the most talented attacking players in the state. I challenged him before the season started that he won’t start getting recognition until you start putting up goals and assists.
“He’s been hungry and got two today. The more we can unleash him, the better team we will be.
“I’ve been waiting for a clean-sheet a long time. This is coming at the right time. We play Elgin on Wednesday, Bartlett on Saturday and Streamwood next Wednesday.
“We are near the top of the conference. Elgin is going to be a tough task, and Eduardo Nava is going to come out strong. It’s talent galore.”
Glenbard South (2-13-2, 0-6-0) lost a second-consecutive game after a 1-1 draw against IMSA on Sept. 27. The Raiders played strong in the first half Saturday before allowing two second half netters.
Glenbard South coach Adam Szyszko said the Upstate Eight Conference, which includes numerous quality Class 3A programs, is helping his team prepare for the playoffs.
The Raiders, a Class AA school, open the playoffs against Plano in a regional quarterfinal. A victory there sets them up for a semifinal matchup against Lemont, the top seed in the Glenbard South Sectional.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries, so managing three games in a week, especially with a back-to-back earlier in the week is tough,” he said. “That’s a challenge managing that and playing in a conference this tough.
“There’re no easy nights in this conference. I was proud of our effort tonight. We made three mistakes, and they pounced all over it.
“We took too long on a ball in the back, they overtook it for a chance on goal and finished. We made a bad square ball that led to a counterattack; and didn’t have good coverage on a corner, which gave them time and their kid put it inside the back post. It was a great shot. We made mistakes, and they capitalized.
“Our record against Class AA schools is 0-1-3. We’ve tied two of the higher seeds in our own sub-sectional and gave up an own-goal to another higher seed against Hinsdale South. The goal for the last two weeks is to make sure everyone’s morale is up.
“We can hang with the teams. We’re going to play Plano and then Lemont, which is really tough. We’ve played a tough schedule, the hits keep on coming.”
Senior midfielder Tres Moore agrees with his coach.
“We were hanging with them in the first half,” he said. “They capitalized on our mistakes in the back. We missed a couple of passes, but they put it in. They’re a good team.
“We’re working hard in practice and can compete with schools at that level, and we definitely have a chance in the playoffs.”
Glenbard South senior left back David Page said Saturday’s game is a learning experience not to have any mental lapses.
“They moved the ball super quick, and we need to copy that,” Page said. “We need to work on finishing in the final third. We have to work on shooting outside the box also, because those are the opportunities we’re going to get.”
South Elgin sophomore Justin Defensor, who scored a goal and tallied an assist, said he was happy to contribute to the victory.
“It feels good to have another victory, especially since we don’t have a lot this season,” Defensor said. “This is something to build off of. I’m trying to play quickly, which has helped me and the team.”
South Elgin’s Kendall Andrewin said Saturday’s victory helps provide some confidence before the Elgin game.
“We’re learning from our mistakes, and we switched formations,” Andrewin said. “We’ve been wanting a shutout the whole season. It’s great to see what we’re doing worked for us.”
South Elgin junior Xavier Marquez praised his team.
“We played amazing, the best possession we’ve had all season,” Marquez said. “We need to keep the ball more. We’ve been waiting for this. We’ve been struggling but working hard. Today we showed it.”
Starting lineups
South Elgin
GK: Ethan Messer
D: Carlos Barajas
D: Diego Briones
D: Xavier Marquez
D: Jose Ortiz-Gavina
MF: Robert Pawlik, Jr.
MF: Justin Defensor
MF: Quentin Albert
MF: Guido Gonzalez-Ortiz
F: Ashton Kerrigan
F: Ryan Nguyen
Glenbard South
GK: Sean Miller
D: Andrew Pressley
D: Patricio Garza
D: Jacob Lichtenheld
D: David Page
MF: Daniel Oleksak
MF: Tres Moore
MF: Yusaf Afzal
MF: Esteban Godinez
F: Robby Smith
F: Nick Mirando
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ryan Nguyen, jr., F, South Elgin
Scoring summary
First half
South Elgin: Nguyen (unassisted), 12’
Second half
South Elgin: Nguyen (Defensor), 64’
South Elgin: Defensor (Albert), 66'
against Glenbard South
Nguyen delivers brace, Storm rise to 3-0 victory
By Bobby Narang
WEST CHICAGO — Throughout the season, South Elgin has endured countless rocky moments filled with uneven play.
The Storm had yet to post a winning streak, had not earned a shutout victory or scored more than two goals in a game.
That all ended on the first day of October.
Amid a sunny and warm early Saturday afternoon, the Storm scored two goals in the second half to notch a 3-0 win over Glenbard South in the Upstate Eight Conference Showcase at West Chicago’s Memorial Field.
The Storm (3-9-3, 3-2-1) started the week with a 4-2 loss to West Chicago, but ended with a flourish. South Elgin pulled off a 2-1 upset over East Aurora and then beat the Raiders for their first winning streak of the season.
After a ho-hum start by both teams that featured very little action in the first 11 minutes, South Elgin junior Ryan Nguyen supplied a spark with the first of his two goals that led the Storm to a victory. The Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match said he was happy to end the long wait for back-to-back wins. The brace raised his season total to five.
“I felt very confident coming into the game,” Nguyen said. “It feels great to get a win. Coach was really happy we got a shutout. We’ve been playing really well. Our last game we had a sloppy win, but we’re coming back.”
South Elgin coach Jerzy Skowron flashed an ear-to-ear smile when discussing his team’s two-game winning streak. Saturday’s victory was a big step for his players. So yes, the always entertaining Skowron was content with all phases of the game Saturday.
Skowron said the Storm started showing flashes of solid play in a 1-0 loss to 15th-ranked St. Charles East on Sept, 24. They suffered a 4-2 setback to West Chicago on Sept. 26 and beat East Aurora on Sept. 28.
“It’s like a monkey has been lifted off our backs,” Skowron said. “I don’t think our record reflects our talents. It’s one of those could’ve, would’ve and should’ve games, where we could have beaten this team or this team. It was nice to finally play 80 minutes of solid soccer together.
“This is hopefully proof of what the boys can do if they can put together 80 minutes together.
“I think it’s one of those things, the light bulb hit. It actually hit against St. Charles East. They scored early, but we shut them down the rest of that game.
“Larkin (a 4-2 loss on Sept. 21) was kind of a blip. We were up 2-0 against West Chicago here, doing the same thing but West Chicago turned into West Chicago. We’ve been kind of able to continue to do the things to trigger that light bulb, but now got our first three-goal game of the season. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come close to the playoffs.”
Skowron hopes that Nguyen is ready to turn it on.
“I’ve been challenging him to be a killer all season long and be a no-mercy attacker” he said. “I’ve been saying it since his freshman year, but he’s one of the most talented attacking players in the state. I challenged him before the season started that he won’t start getting recognition until you start putting up goals and assists.
“He’s been hungry and got two today. The more we can unleash him, the better team we will be.
“I’ve been waiting for a clean-sheet a long time. This is coming at the right time. We play Elgin on Wednesday, Bartlett on Saturday and Streamwood next Wednesday.
“We are near the top of the conference. Elgin is going to be a tough task, and Eduardo Nava is going to come out strong. It’s talent galore.”
Glenbard South (2-13-2, 0-6-0) lost a second-consecutive game after a 1-1 draw against IMSA on Sept. 27. The Raiders played strong in the first half Saturday before allowing two second half netters.
Glenbard South coach Adam Szyszko said the Upstate Eight Conference, which includes numerous quality Class 3A programs, is helping his team prepare for the playoffs.
The Raiders, a Class AA school, open the playoffs against Plano in a regional quarterfinal. A victory there sets them up for a semifinal matchup against Lemont, the top seed in the Glenbard South Sectional.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries, so managing three games in a week, especially with a back-to-back earlier in the week is tough,” he said. “That’s a challenge managing that and playing in a conference this tough.
“There’re no easy nights in this conference. I was proud of our effort tonight. We made three mistakes, and they pounced all over it.
“We took too long on a ball in the back, they overtook it for a chance on goal and finished. We made a bad square ball that led to a counterattack; and didn’t have good coverage on a corner, which gave them time and their kid put it inside the back post. It was a great shot. We made mistakes, and they capitalized.
“Our record against Class AA schools is 0-1-3. We’ve tied two of the higher seeds in our own sub-sectional and gave up an own-goal to another higher seed against Hinsdale South. The goal for the last two weeks is to make sure everyone’s morale is up.
“We can hang with the teams. We’re going to play Plano and then Lemont, which is really tough. We’ve played a tough schedule, the hits keep on coming.”
Senior midfielder Tres Moore agrees with his coach.
“We were hanging with them in the first half,” he said. “They capitalized on our mistakes in the back. We missed a couple of passes, but they put it in. They’re a good team.
“We’re working hard in practice and can compete with schools at that level, and we definitely have a chance in the playoffs.”
Glenbard South senior left back David Page said Saturday’s game is a learning experience not to have any mental lapses.
“They moved the ball super quick, and we need to copy that,” Page said. “We need to work on finishing in the final third. We have to work on shooting outside the box also, because those are the opportunities we’re going to get.”
South Elgin sophomore Justin Defensor, who scored a goal and tallied an assist, said he was happy to contribute to the victory.
“It feels good to have another victory, especially since we don’t have a lot this season,” Defensor said. “This is something to build off of. I’m trying to play quickly, which has helped me and the team.”
South Elgin’s Kendall Andrewin said Saturday’s victory helps provide some confidence before the Elgin game.
“We’re learning from our mistakes, and we switched formations,” Andrewin said. “We’ve been wanting a shutout the whole season. It’s great to see what we’re doing worked for us.”
South Elgin junior Xavier Marquez praised his team.
“We played amazing, the best possession we’ve had all season,” Marquez said. “We need to keep the ball more. We’ve been waiting for this. We’ve been struggling but working hard. Today we showed it.”
Starting lineups
South Elgin
GK: Ethan Messer
D: Carlos Barajas
D: Diego Briones
D: Xavier Marquez
D: Jose Ortiz-Gavina
MF: Robert Pawlik, Jr.
MF: Justin Defensor
MF: Quentin Albert
MF: Guido Gonzalez-Ortiz
F: Ashton Kerrigan
F: Ryan Nguyen
Glenbard South
GK: Sean Miller
D: Andrew Pressley
D: Patricio Garza
D: Jacob Lichtenheld
D: David Page
MF: Daniel Oleksak
MF: Tres Moore
MF: Yusaf Afzal
MF: Esteban Godinez
F: Robby Smith
F: Nick Mirando
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ryan Nguyen, jr., F, South Elgin
Scoring summary
First half
South Elgin: Nguyen (unassisted), 12’
Second half
South Elgin: Nguyen (Defensor), 64’
South Elgin: Defensor (Albert), 66'