St. Rita wakes up, rolls vs. Guerin
Beebe, St. Preux post braces in 5-1 victory
By Mike Garofola
RIVER GROVE -- Once St. Rita got itself up and running the Mustangs were all but unstoppable Saturday. The visitors struck for four goals in an eight-minute span to defeat Guerin Prep 5-1 in a nonconference breakfast special.
The hosts had no answer for St. Rita after Daniel St. Preux opened the scoring in the 30th minute. The rampant St. Rita attack soon added three more to take a commanding 4-0 advantage into the intermission.
"It was a good win, no, a great win for the boys today," said a proud Tim McCarthy, who manages the club along with his good friend Bob Kellam.
"We had a long bus ride of over an hour here, and maybe that's why we were a little flat at the start. But once we got ourselves together and began to possess and pass the ball, we broke their offsides trap and never really looked back."
"That's the way we know how we can play attacking soccer," added Kellam, who has now watched his men score nine goals in their last two games.
"We're still young and learning, but it's nice to see us play like we did in long stretches. And for us (today) it all started with William Beebe."
The senior forward devastated the Guerin defense with his speed, strength and pace, which helped break the backs of the Crusaders (0-11-0) who, just as the Mustangs did, fielded a very young and inexperienced first 11.
Beebe's reading of how and where to position himself for the first of his two goals was near perfect, and the sublime finishing technique on each was excellent. The second, in the 35th minute, cemented his choice as Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match.
"This guy is such a great athlete. (He) can do so many things and is so dangerous for us," said Ryan Dangles as he stood alongside his teammate Beebe. Both wear the captains armband for Kellam and McCarthy.
"For the second game in a row we started out a little slow, but we've got the players who can create and score," Dangles contiuned. "And today, once we got into the mindset of how to pass and distribute to our guys up top like William, Daniel and others, we kind of took over the game."
Guerin's high, tight line formed by its back four, presented plenty of troubles for the Mustangs (3-7-2) in the first quarter hour. The timing of their runs was off by a tick or two, forcing the assistant referee to raise his flag several times.
After St. Rita keeper David Bauer pushed a quality attempt from Cody Gomez over the bar at five minutes, the visitors tested Guerin keeper Matt Gallagher, who stopped Beebe when a ball spilled free to the senior in-close.
Bauer, in the first 11 while the Mustangs bosses rested starter Hector Aguilera, commanded his box very well as his mates looked to get on their collective front foot. Bauer's trio of quick challenges off his line discouraged Sal Lazzara, Daniel Zeyneli and Sebastian Berganza -- the best attacking players the home side offered.
"When you look at the roster from Guerin, they look as young as we are, but they did a nice job. I look for them in the next year or two to be a very good soccer team," said McCarthy.
St. Rita's Langston Bedgood went close when Beebe put a marvelous crossfield ball onto his foot in the six-yard box. The shot required a reaction save from Gallagher on the 13th-minute half-volley.
There were scares on the other end for the St. Rita faithful who watched Guerin's Lukasz Peza graze the post with his attempt in the 16th minute. That was followed by a wonderful one-timer by Isaac Aceves that Bauer pulled out of the air.
The goal-saving stop by Bauer signaled the end the end of traffic in the Mustangs end for the rest of the first half after the slumbering St. Rita attack awakened.
"Beebe can be, and is a game-changer, and the work from him, Dangles, St. Preux, Danny Dargan and others for the last 20 minutes of the half was exciting to watch," said Kellam.
The undoing of the Crusaders along the back by Dargan allowed for St. Preux to finish his 1-v.-1 advantage with Gallagher.
Sixty seconds later, a nice early ball from Dargan set Beebe free. After the senior squared up his shoulders, his 25-yard blast went through a crowd and into the net to double the Mustangs advantage.
With the heat from the rising temperature and the Mustangs intense pressure, the home side found themselves chasing shadows with the visitors front-runners constantly catching them with through-balls that found their targets time and again.
The best would come after Beebe poured in his second in the 35th minute when Kenya Sumpter, Jr., burst past two of his marks up the right side. He turned at the end line and then delivered a brilliant cross to St. Preux, who only stopped running after he found the ball and himself in the back of the net.
"Daniel has come such a long way for us. it's too bad he's a senior, because he's become such a terrific player and a guy who's scored a bunch of really good goals for us," said McCarthy.
The four-goal explosion sent both clubs off into the shade for the intermission. In the second half, while many teams may have folded up the tent and called it a day, Guerin put in 100 percent effort.
Roberto Cianci's club absorbed plenty of pressure during the first five minutes of the second period, but responded by testing Bauer with a trio of half-chances.
The Crusaders may have been tossed a lifeline when the referee sent Cody Gomez to the spot after a 50-50 challenge inside the box.
Gomez converted to end the hopes for a St. Rita clean-sheet, but the eventual outcome was already cemented thanks in part to the Mustangs deep bench which brought fresh legs to combat the heat, plus the aforementioned strike-force.
St. Rita caught the Crusaders backline watching when it moved up past the mid-line. That allowed Brendan Breslin to make it 5-1 when Beebe recognized the defensive lapse.
The Mustangs overall effort was likely the club's best showing this season and gave a potential hint to bigger and better things to come in the second half.
"We're so young, and against most of our opponents, we're playing teams that not only have experienced players, but players who are juniors and seniors - which has given them a big advantage over us," began Beebe, who returned from a two-year hiatus after playing for the Magic Academy.
"That type of experience is something we've had to learn to deal with, and I really feel as though we're starting to deal with it much better. So we all have to work as hard as we can from here on out."
The two-goal effort gave Beebe a team-high nine goals.
There were plenty of positive points both Kellam and McCarthy will take from this victory.
The scoreline was emphatic, and it demonstrates how the team is beginning to come around in all facets of the game.
"Dangles has been consistent dynamo all season long. "Beebe is just Beebe; we mentioned how much better St. Preux has become," said McCarthy. "Jaime (Banuelos) is a great leader and defender, and sometimes, you just have to shake your head at how (well) our nine sophomores and freshmen have played at times.
"Bob and I are very proud of these young men, not only with the way they train and play, but also with their academics, which is what they all strive for."
Starting lineups
St. Rita (4-4-2 starting formation)
GK- David Bauer
D- Jack Carey
D- Alec Torres
D- Tyler Padilla
D- Jaime Banuelos
M- Julio Watson
M- Chuy Flores
M- Langston Bedgood
M- Ryan Dangles
F- William Beebe
F- Juan Carlos Sanchez
Guerin (4-4-2)
GK- Matt Gallagher
D- Chris Florczyk
D- Frankie Lombardo
D- Brandon Bolivar
D- Danel Galan
M- Tim Gallagher
M- Cody Gomez
M- Dennis Zeyneli
M- Julius Lugo
F- Sal Lazzara
F- Sebastian Berganza
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: William Beebe, sr., F, St. Rita
Referee: Avda Kutlu
Scoring summary
St. Rita
St. Preux (Dargan) 30', Beebe (U/A) 31', Beebe (U/A) 35', St. Preux (Sumpter Jr.) 38', Brelsin (Beebe) 71'
Guerin Prep
Gomez (PK) 49'
Beebe, St. Preux post braces in 5-1 victory
By Mike Garofola
RIVER GROVE -- Once St. Rita got itself up and running the Mustangs were all but unstoppable Saturday. The visitors struck for four goals in an eight-minute span to defeat Guerin Prep 5-1 in a nonconference breakfast special.
The hosts had no answer for St. Rita after Daniel St. Preux opened the scoring in the 30th minute. The rampant St. Rita attack soon added three more to take a commanding 4-0 advantage into the intermission.
"It was a good win, no, a great win for the boys today," said a proud Tim McCarthy, who manages the club along with his good friend Bob Kellam.
"We had a long bus ride of over an hour here, and maybe that's why we were a little flat at the start. But once we got ourselves together and began to possess and pass the ball, we broke their offsides trap and never really looked back."
"That's the way we know how we can play attacking soccer," added Kellam, who has now watched his men score nine goals in their last two games.
"We're still young and learning, but it's nice to see us play like we did in long stretches. And for us (today) it all started with William Beebe."
The senior forward devastated the Guerin defense with his speed, strength and pace, which helped break the backs of the Crusaders (0-11-0) who, just as the Mustangs did, fielded a very young and inexperienced first 11.
Beebe's reading of how and where to position himself for the first of his two goals was near perfect, and the sublime finishing technique on each was excellent. The second, in the 35th minute, cemented his choice as Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match.
"This guy is such a great athlete. (He) can do so many things and is so dangerous for us," said Ryan Dangles as he stood alongside his teammate Beebe. Both wear the captains armband for Kellam and McCarthy.
"For the second game in a row we started out a little slow, but we've got the players who can create and score," Dangles contiuned. "And today, once we got into the mindset of how to pass and distribute to our guys up top like William, Daniel and others, we kind of took over the game."
Guerin's high, tight line formed by its back four, presented plenty of troubles for the Mustangs (3-7-2) in the first quarter hour. The timing of their runs was off by a tick or two, forcing the assistant referee to raise his flag several times.
After St. Rita keeper David Bauer pushed a quality attempt from Cody Gomez over the bar at five minutes, the visitors tested Guerin keeper Matt Gallagher, who stopped Beebe when a ball spilled free to the senior in-close.
Bauer, in the first 11 while the Mustangs bosses rested starter Hector Aguilera, commanded his box very well as his mates looked to get on their collective front foot. Bauer's trio of quick challenges off his line discouraged Sal Lazzara, Daniel Zeyneli and Sebastian Berganza -- the best attacking players the home side offered.
"When you look at the roster from Guerin, they look as young as we are, but they did a nice job. I look for them in the next year or two to be a very good soccer team," said McCarthy.
St. Rita's Langston Bedgood went close when Beebe put a marvelous crossfield ball onto his foot in the six-yard box. The shot required a reaction save from Gallagher on the 13th-minute half-volley.
There were scares on the other end for the St. Rita faithful who watched Guerin's Lukasz Peza graze the post with his attempt in the 16th minute. That was followed by a wonderful one-timer by Isaac Aceves that Bauer pulled out of the air.
The goal-saving stop by Bauer signaled the end the end of traffic in the Mustangs end for the rest of the first half after the slumbering St. Rita attack awakened.
"Beebe can be, and is a game-changer, and the work from him, Dangles, St. Preux, Danny Dargan and others for the last 20 minutes of the half was exciting to watch," said Kellam.
The undoing of the Crusaders along the back by Dargan allowed for St. Preux to finish his 1-v.-1 advantage with Gallagher.
Sixty seconds later, a nice early ball from Dargan set Beebe free. After the senior squared up his shoulders, his 25-yard blast went through a crowd and into the net to double the Mustangs advantage.
With the heat from the rising temperature and the Mustangs intense pressure, the home side found themselves chasing shadows with the visitors front-runners constantly catching them with through-balls that found their targets time and again.
The best would come after Beebe poured in his second in the 35th minute when Kenya Sumpter, Jr., burst past two of his marks up the right side. He turned at the end line and then delivered a brilliant cross to St. Preux, who only stopped running after he found the ball and himself in the back of the net.
"Daniel has come such a long way for us. it's too bad he's a senior, because he's become such a terrific player and a guy who's scored a bunch of really good goals for us," said McCarthy.
The four-goal explosion sent both clubs off into the shade for the intermission. In the second half, while many teams may have folded up the tent and called it a day, Guerin put in 100 percent effort.
Roberto Cianci's club absorbed plenty of pressure during the first five minutes of the second period, but responded by testing Bauer with a trio of half-chances.
The Crusaders may have been tossed a lifeline when the referee sent Cody Gomez to the spot after a 50-50 challenge inside the box.
Gomez converted to end the hopes for a St. Rita clean-sheet, but the eventual outcome was already cemented thanks in part to the Mustangs deep bench which brought fresh legs to combat the heat, plus the aforementioned strike-force.
St. Rita caught the Crusaders backline watching when it moved up past the mid-line. That allowed Brendan Breslin to make it 5-1 when Beebe recognized the defensive lapse.
The Mustangs overall effort was likely the club's best showing this season and gave a potential hint to bigger and better things to come in the second half.
"We're so young, and against most of our opponents, we're playing teams that not only have experienced players, but players who are juniors and seniors - which has given them a big advantage over us," began Beebe, who returned from a two-year hiatus after playing for the Magic Academy.
"That type of experience is something we've had to learn to deal with, and I really feel as though we're starting to deal with it much better. So we all have to work as hard as we can from here on out."
The two-goal effort gave Beebe a team-high nine goals.
There were plenty of positive points both Kellam and McCarthy will take from this victory.
The scoreline was emphatic, and it demonstrates how the team is beginning to come around in all facets of the game.
"Dangles has been consistent dynamo all season long. "Beebe is just Beebe; we mentioned how much better St. Preux has become," said McCarthy. "Jaime (Banuelos) is a great leader and defender, and sometimes, you just have to shake your head at how (well) our nine sophomores and freshmen have played at times.
"Bob and I are very proud of these young men, not only with the way they train and play, but also with their academics, which is what they all strive for."
Starting lineups
St. Rita (4-4-2 starting formation)
GK- David Bauer
D- Jack Carey
D- Alec Torres
D- Tyler Padilla
D- Jaime Banuelos
M- Julio Watson
M- Chuy Flores
M- Langston Bedgood
M- Ryan Dangles
F- William Beebe
F- Juan Carlos Sanchez
Guerin (4-4-2)
GK- Matt Gallagher
D- Chris Florczyk
D- Frankie Lombardo
D- Brandon Bolivar
D- Danel Galan
M- Tim Gallagher
M- Cody Gomez
M- Dennis Zeyneli
M- Julius Lugo
F- Sal Lazzara
F- Sebastian Berganza
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: William Beebe, sr., F, St. Rita
Referee: Avda Kutlu
Scoring summary
St. Rita
St. Preux (Dargan) 30', Beebe (U/A) 31', Beebe (U/A) 35', St. Preux (Sumpter Jr.) 38', Brelsin (Beebe) 71'
Guerin Prep
Gomez (PK) 49'