Arroyo, Bozek push Lane past Solorio
Duo keys upset victory over no. 8 defending champs in title game
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO — Jacob Bozek has a special advocate in David Arroyo.
“He is the best keeper in the city,” Arroyo said. “He has kept us in every game.”
Lane needed to play the perfect game to beat powerhouse Solorio. The odds favored the Sun Warriors. Lane had a strategy and stuck to it.
“You have to be able to score,” Andrew Ricks said. “We weren’t playing for penalty kicks. You have to give them some pressure. I told them to pick their moments, calculated risks, but we have to take those chances sometimes. It just can’t be every single time.
“We had to keep Alex Sanchez in front of us.”
Arroyo scored in the 60th minute off a beautiful set piece, and Jacob Bozek made three stunning saves on Sanchez to preserve the Indians’ 1-0 victory in the Chicago Public League city championship game Thursday night at Lane.
In the most dramatic action of the night, Bozek stopped a Sanchez penalty kick. For their accomplishments, David Arroyo and Jacob Bozek share the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match prize.
The massive home crowd sang out with chants directed at both Arroyo and Jacob Bozek: “MVP. MVP.”
The Sun Warriors (19-2-1) were attempting to become the first South Side school in boys city soccer history to win back-to-back city titles. Only Amundsen’s 1997 and 1998 teams have ever achieved consecutive city crowns.
Ricks captured the fifth city championship of his career. Lane (13-2-1) won its 10th-consecutive game.
Many players influenced the outcome.
Arroyo again showed why he is a special talent, a lithe and angular speedster at the top of the attack. He repeatedly showed a knack for being in the center of activity.
He also scored the game-winning goal in overtime against Taft in the city semifinals Tuesday.
Defender Matt Bozek, Jacob's frateral twin, served the ball from 30-yard line.
“On our free kicks, we had a definite height advantage over them, and Grant [Nagle] headed it back to me, and I just put my body over the ball and one-timed it,” Arroyo said.
Dazed by the Arroyo goal, Solorio (19-2-1) responded swiftly and impressively in pushing the ball wide. Sanchez drove hard toward the goal when he was knocked from behind.
The official ruled a penalty kick.
Just 20 seconds had passed, but the game had taken a wild turn. Except Jacob Bozek had other ideas.
“Yesterday, we were practicing (PKs), and David took shots,” Jacob Bozek said. “We were watching some footage, and he said Sanchez was going to shoot right. I just thought, in that situation, I will try right.
“My technique is to go left a little bit, I shift and then I go to the other side, and it works out. I just blocked it, and then it got cleared. It was crazy.”
Solorio had the clear advantage in possession and opportunities in the first half and the start of the second half. Sanchez got free in the seventh minute, and had a ball that he pushed slightly wide right.
During another moment in the first half, Sanchez had a shot from about 24 yards that eased left of the post.
“It’s what we saw all year,” Solorio coach Adrian Calleros said. “Teams play super defensive, and they pack it in. We knew what was coming. We had one ball. The ball did not get cleared, and it stuck, and the kid finished it.
“We get a penalty kick 30 seconds later. Sanchez has not missed one in four years, but this time, he doesn’t come through. We are not anywhere near here or the team we are without him. We ride or die with him.
“Today, we just missed it.”
Sanchez is so good he upended Ricks’s entire coaching belief system. For one night, Sanchez occasioned a profound change in how the Lane coach prepares defensively for the opposition.
“I have never in my life, as a coach since 2003, have had one player mark another player,” Ricks said. “I’ve seen it done. I thought it would unbalance things. As good as Alex Sanchez is, he deserved the attention. So we had to put it on him.
“Our player, Dean Muench, had the biggest engine. They love that long ball, and they ping the ball so well deep that you have to keep them in front. Fortunately the few chances he had were off-target, and we had numbers in front.”
The Sun Warriors’ other standout talents, like midfielders Eduardo Franco, Rafael Soto and Donovan Dorantes, created some charged action against the Indians.
Sanchez even dropped into the midfield as a way to escape the Lane defensive pressure and try to create the necessary separation.
“If [Sanchez] scores from there, there is no stopping him,” Ricks said. “At least he doesn’t get the ball in one-on-one opportunities and slot the ball home.
“We had to make it hard for him.”
In pushing against his own instincts, Ricks found a way forward.
“We were just playing for our moments,” he said. “They’re a good team. They are going to have the lion’s share of possession, and we knew we had to allow them to have the ball and pressure them when necessary.
“I think on the second ball, sometimes they make some turnovers. We were trying to get a second or third pass and mangle into our offense.”
Just as the Indians did late in regulation against Taft on Tuesday, Lane slowly and methodically pushed numbers forward and found a way to balance reining in Sanchez but also looking for offensive chances.
Arroyo was the clear driver of that impulse. Three times preceding his goal, Arroyo created pressure in the final third that yielded corner kicks.
“I just waited for the center backs to send a long ball,” Arroyo said. “I watched them play against Washington. They like to play from the back. I just waited for them. Once we got the ball, I was quicker than both of their center backs. That was the game plan -- just put one away. We held the lead.”
Lane optimized its best scoring chance and delivered. Off the foul, Matt Bozek played the perfect location.
“Everyone was saying go back post,” Matt Bozek said. “David was standing right there, so I went back post and luckily it went back to David and he one-timed into the back of the net.”
Lane’s lead appeared temporary as the Sun Warriors quickly regrouped and created the penalty kick opportunity.
Jacob Bozek rose to the challenge.
“He has been saving them all year,” Ricks said. “He saved three against Von Steuben [in the city quarterfinal shootout]. He has just been that solid. Our back-up goalie has been that solid.
“It was a team effort, and our seniors, Jacob, Matt, David and Dean, had to step up tonight, and they did.”
The final five minutes was jam-packed with incident and action. Jacob Bozek made two spectacular diving stops, including a rocket ball from Sanchez. On the second stop, he landed awkwardly on his left shoulder and had to come out.
Sam Price, a tall and lanky junior, stepped in and performed admirably. Price made two excellent saves of his own to close out the game. Sanchez had one last shot, a free kick from about 30 yards that Price elevated and controlled.
It took the nearly perfect game to unseat the defending champions. The outcome marked the third-straight year the defending city champion was knocked out in the final.
“The backup keeper came in and made two great saves,” Calleros said. “ I try to tell them the ball was going to skip in the rain. He doesn’t even bobble it. He goes and takes it out of the corner. The kid made a great save.
“Credit Lane, they played their game and style the way they wanted to in order get that one goal, and they were able to hold it. It’s really tough getting back into the city title game, and I am very proud of our kids.
“Today the rollercoaster ride was not that much fun.”
Starting lineups
Lane
GK: Jacob Bozek
D: Stephen Kaim
D: Connor Schuberth
D: Matt Bozek
MF: Michael Junay
MF: Ryan Hargrove
MF: Grant Nagle
MF: Daniel Velazquez
MF: Dean Muench
F: Justin Owens
F: David Arroyo
Solorio
GK: Joel Estrada
D: Kevin Patino
D: Edgar Torres
D: Andy Salgado
MF: Donovan Dorantes
MF: Rafael Soto
MF: Angel Nevarez
MF: Eduardo Franco
MF: Hector Salto
F: Alex Sanchez
F: Raul Mariscal
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: David Arroyo, sr., F, Lane
Jacob Bozek, sr., GK, Lane
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Lane—David Arroyo (Matt Bozek and Grant Nagle), 60th minute
Duo keys upset victory over no. 8 defending champs in title game
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO — Jacob Bozek has a special advocate in David Arroyo.
“He is the best keeper in the city,” Arroyo said. “He has kept us in every game.”
Lane needed to play the perfect game to beat powerhouse Solorio. The odds favored the Sun Warriors. Lane had a strategy and stuck to it.
“You have to be able to score,” Andrew Ricks said. “We weren’t playing for penalty kicks. You have to give them some pressure. I told them to pick their moments, calculated risks, but we have to take those chances sometimes. It just can’t be every single time.
“We had to keep Alex Sanchez in front of us.”
Arroyo scored in the 60th minute off a beautiful set piece, and Jacob Bozek made three stunning saves on Sanchez to preserve the Indians’ 1-0 victory in the Chicago Public League city championship game Thursday night at Lane.
In the most dramatic action of the night, Bozek stopped a Sanchez penalty kick. For their accomplishments, David Arroyo and Jacob Bozek share the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match prize.
The massive home crowd sang out with chants directed at both Arroyo and Jacob Bozek: “MVP. MVP.”
The Sun Warriors (19-2-1) were attempting to become the first South Side school in boys city soccer history to win back-to-back city titles. Only Amundsen’s 1997 and 1998 teams have ever achieved consecutive city crowns.
Ricks captured the fifth city championship of his career. Lane (13-2-1) won its 10th-consecutive game.
Many players influenced the outcome.
Arroyo again showed why he is a special talent, a lithe and angular speedster at the top of the attack. He repeatedly showed a knack for being in the center of activity.
He also scored the game-winning goal in overtime against Taft in the city semifinals Tuesday.
Defender Matt Bozek, Jacob's frateral twin, served the ball from 30-yard line.
“On our free kicks, we had a definite height advantage over them, and Grant [Nagle] headed it back to me, and I just put my body over the ball and one-timed it,” Arroyo said.
Dazed by the Arroyo goal, Solorio (19-2-1) responded swiftly and impressively in pushing the ball wide. Sanchez drove hard toward the goal when he was knocked from behind.
The official ruled a penalty kick.
Just 20 seconds had passed, but the game had taken a wild turn. Except Jacob Bozek had other ideas.
“Yesterday, we were practicing (PKs), and David took shots,” Jacob Bozek said. “We were watching some footage, and he said Sanchez was going to shoot right. I just thought, in that situation, I will try right.
“My technique is to go left a little bit, I shift and then I go to the other side, and it works out. I just blocked it, and then it got cleared. It was crazy.”
Solorio had the clear advantage in possession and opportunities in the first half and the start of the second half. Sanchez got free in the seventh minute, and had a ball that he pushed slightly wide right.
During another moment in the first half, Sanchez had a shot from about 24 yards that eased left of the post.
“It’s what we saw all year,” Solorio coach Adrian Calleros said. “Teams play super defensive, and they pack it in. We knew what was coming. We had one ball. The ball did not get cleared, and it stuck, and the kid finished it.
“We get a penalty kick 30 seconds later. Sanchez has not missed one in four years, but this time, he doesn’t come through. We are not anywhere near here or the team we are without him. We ride or die with him.
“Today, we just missed it.”
Sanchez is so good he upended Ricks’s entire coaching belief system. For one night, Sanchez occasioned a profound change in how the Lane coach prepares defensively for the opposition.
“I have never in my life, as a coach since 2003, have had one player mark another player,” Ricks said. “I’ve seen it done. I thought it would unbalance things. As good as Alex Sanchez is, he deserved the attention. So we had to put it on him.
“Our player, Dean Muench, had the biggest engine. They love that long ball, and they ping the ball so well deep that you have to keep them in front. Fortunately the few chances he had were off-target, and we had numbers in front.”
The Sun Warriors’ other standout talents, like midfielders Eduardo Franco, Rafael Soto and Donovan Dorantes, created some charged action against the Indians.
Sanchez even dropped into the midfield as a way to escape the Lane defensive pressure and try to create the necessary separation.
“If [Sanchez] scores from there, there is no stopping him,” Ricks said. “At least he doesn’t get the ball in one-on-one opportunities and slot the ball home.
“We had to make it hard for him.”
In pushing against his own instincts, Ricks found a way forward.
“We were just playing for our moments,” he said. “They’re a good team. They are going to have the lion’s share of possession, and we knew we had to allow them to have the ball and pressure them when necessary.
“I think on the second ball, sometimes they make some turnovers. We were trying to get a second or third pass and mangle into our offense.”
Just as the Indians did late in regulation against Taft on Tuesday, Lane slowly and methodically pushed numbers forward and found a way to balance reining in Sanchez but also looking for offensive chances.
Arroyo was the clear driver of that impulse. Three times preceding his goal, Arroyo created pressure in the final third that yielded corner kicks.
“I just waited for the center backs to send a long ball,” Arroyo said. “I watched them play against Washington. They like to play from the back. I just waited for them. Once we got the ball, I was quicker than both of their center backs. That was the game plan -- just put one away. We held the lead.”
Lane optimized its best scoring chance and delivered. Off the foul, Matt Bozek played the perfect location.
“Everyone was saying go back post,” Matt Bozek said. “David was standing right there, so I went back post and luckily it went back to David and he one-timed into the back of the net.”
Lane’s lead appeared temporary as the Sun Warriors quickly regrouped and created the penalty kick opportunity.
Jacob Bozek rose to the challenge.
“He has been saving them all year,” Ricks said. “He saved three against Von Steuben [in the city quarterfinal shootout]. He has just been that solid. Our back-up goalie has been that solid.
“It was a team effort, and our seniors, Jacob, Matt, David and Dean, had to step up tonight, and they did.”
The final five minutes was jam-packed with incident and action. Jacob Bozek made two spectacular diving stops, including a rocket ball from Sanchez. On the second stop, he landed awkwardly on his left shoulder and had to come out.
Sam Price, a tall and lanky junior, stepped in and performed admirably. Price made two excellent saves of his own to close out the game. Sanchez had one last shot, a free kick from about 30 yards that Price elevated and controlled.
It took the nearly perfect game to unseat the defending champions. The outcome marked the third-straight year the defending city champion was knocked out in the final.
“The backup keeper came in and made two great saves,” Calleros said. “ I try to tell them the ball was going to skip in the rain. He doesn’t even bobble it. He goes and takes it out of the corner. The kid made a great save.
“Credit Lane, they played their game and style the way they wanted to in order get that one goal, and they were able to hold it. It’s really tough getting back into the city title game, and I am very proud of our kids.
“Today the rollercoaster ride was not that much fun.”
Starting lineups
Lane
GK: Jacob Bozek
D: Stephen Kaim
D: Connor Schuberth
D: Matt Bozek
MF: Michael Junay
MF: Ryan Hargrove
MF: Grant Nagle
MF: Daniel Velazquez
MF: Dean Muench
F: Justin Owens
F: David Arroyo
Solorio
GK: Joel Estrada
D: Kevin Patino
D: Edgar Torres
D: Andy Salgado
MF: Donovan Dorantes
MF: Rafael Soto
MF: Angel Nevarez
MF: Eduardo Franco
MF: Hector Salto
F: Alex Sanchez
F: Raul Mariscal
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: David Arroyo, sr., F, Lane
Jacob Bozek, sr., GK, Lane
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Lane—David Arroyo (Matt Bozek and Grant Nagle), 60th minute