Riverside-Brookfield shares crown
after win over Timothy
Ferguson continues goal roll in 4-0 Metro Blue win
By Dave Owen
RIVERSIDE -- Opportunity knocked, and did Riverside-Brookfield ever answer.
Suddenly provided an opportunity to share the Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division title with Wheaton Academy after the Warriors’ shocking 1-0 loss to St. Francis on Sept. 27, the Bulldogs grabbed that chance and ran with it Wednesday against 2021 Class A semifinalist Timothy.
Riding an early Hunter Ferguson goal and a trio of second half strikes, the last two in the final 10:25 of play, the Bulldogs (10-8-0, 5-1-x) rolled to an impressive 4-0 win over the Trojans (10-9-0, 4-2-x).
“This means a lot to us,” Ferguson said. “It's our first time winning conference in a while. We tied Wheaton (Academy) for conference, the first time for us since like 2009.
“It’s been a drought. It felt so good to come out and beat them (Timothy), and beat them 4-0 too. It's just a great win overall.
“We knew coming into the game we had to play like this as our last (conference) game, and we did. We came out and dominated.”
If a there was a doctor position in soccer, Ferguson would play it and the final 18 yards of the field would be his operating room. The now 25-goal scorer this fall had a surgical strike from in-close 12 minutes in to start the Bulldogs roll.
“I saw Diego (Villegas) overlap Noah (Berndt), our left mid on the field,” Ferguson said. “Right when he (Villegas) played me the ball I saw him cutting in. I saw the gap in the defense. I knew if I played him through I'd get it right back. He played it through, and it was an easy tap in. It was just me and him working together.”
Speaking of working together, the Bulldogs’ defense was in top form as goalkeeper Aidan Hernandez and company posted their sixth shutout of the season and third in the team’s current four-game winning streak.
“All my defenders and Aidan have been phenomenal,” Riverside-Brookfield coach Ivek Halic said. “I'm very pleased with their organization. Omar (Vidales) in the back played really well. I liked how he kind of took over the backline and gave us the support that we needed. Sam Royer and Mak (Scheuermann) on the outsides really helped, and Masi (Massimo Franceschina) of course in the middle.”
Franceschina would later produce a highlight film goal in the second half to essentially clinch the win for Riverside-Brookfield.
But until that second half, Timothy kept the Bulldogs’ lead a slim 1-0 despite numerous chances.
“You could tell from the start they had more energy than we did,” Timothy coach Joel Zielke said. “We were flat. Part of that is, we've played a lot of games here the last few days (six in seven days, including two Sept. 30 in the Great River Classic in Burlington, Ia.).”
The Trojans had another challenge beyond fatigue. Injuries knocked senior defender Ethan Munk and senior midfielder Cam Baker out of the game by the end of the first half.
“The guys are tired, and we're banged up a little bit with a couple starters that couldn't go,” Zielke said, “So we have guys in spots not comfortable there.
“Our center back was out, our center mid was out, another defender out.
“But a lot of credit to them (Riverside-Brookfield). They came prepared; they have some nice players. They moved the ball well, and we were trying to play catch up all game. That's hard to do on the road.”
Riverside-Brookfield kept up the heat eight minutes after the goal as a Tomas Kunickas header off a corner kick went just over the net.
Villegas took that corner and followed with two others in the next two minutes, as Riverside-Brookfield grabbed early command of the offensive-chance column.
Another quality bid followed in the 32nd minute, as a Villegas to Ferguson rush ended with a Ferguson 10-yard shot that Timothy goalkeeper Peter Buikema nicely deflected wide and then covered.
Good defense to clear the box by Timothy's Wesley Huber denied a Kumickas bid in the 34th minute. The Bulldogs first half blitz culminated with an Omar Vidales 48-yard free kick 1:55 before the half that Royer reached on a second hop and chipped just wide left.
Baker made his exit in the 35th minute, which further hindered the Trojans’ cause.
“Our center back (Munk) and me cut out early, so that didn't help us a lot,” Baker said. “Their midfield was very strong and moved the ball really quickly. Their top line played back to the midfield and sent it long, which got us tired quickly. They just played at a higher pace than us tonight.”
Riverside-Brookfield kicked that pace up another notch after halftime, with a sequence of two chances in the first 90 seconds that included a Manny Tovar shot wide left.
Then with 35:24 left, the Bulldogs finally added to their lead.
Again, Villegas was an initiator on the attack. He sent a pass to Eric Ruiz on the right side. Ruiz then sent a cross to the front, and Ferguson was again in his favorite spot for a sliding put-away from eight yards.
“Hunter is just Hunter,” Halik said of his star forward’s scoring knack. “And Max (Swicionis) holding the middle does a lot. He covers a lot of ground and seals out a lot of the attacks.”
Second half Timothy goalkeeper Kyle Steiner followed Ferguson’s second goal with a nice save at the left post on a Berndt close-in left-side shot three minutes later.
Timothy then upped the offensive pressure, starting with a quality threat 12 minutes into the half on a Caleb Hoekstra win at the end line and cross to the front that was cleared by Tovar.
The Trojans’ push continued with 24:40 to go on a Timothy Nulty corner kick. Bids to control the cross by Mark Gamble Jr., Josiah Bhatia and Hendrik DeVries in the scrum in front were denied (Royer blocked a shot on one try), and the final shot in the scramble was sent wide left.
“For a while they starting pressing us,” Halic said, “but we held our own. The defense played really well and stayed organized. I'm very, very pleased.”
Halic and the Bulldogs had even more reason to be happy with 20:25 to go.
After a Ruiz and Ferguson rush produced a corner kick, a set piece often practiced was executed to perfection.
Kunickas’ right-side corner send found defender Franceschina sprinting into the box near post. His perfectly timed running header angled inside the left post to make the score 3-0.
“Whenever we do the corners Hunter tells me to run first post,” Franceschina said. “This time he said 'You've got to do this.' So, I ran as fast as I could toward the ball. And I was given a perfect ball right to my head, I just flipped it barely, and it went right to the opposite corner.”
Said Halic: “I was happy Mas got that third goal. He's been working hard on those (corner kick runs) in practices, and it's nice to actually see that pay off in a game.”
Franceschina then capped his great goal with an unusual and painful end to his celebration. After sprinting back to the defensive end, he needed to be helped off the field.
“Beforehand I felt it (a leg cramp),” he said, “and then during the celebration I was sprinting over and my right calf got cramped up.”
The Bulldogs offense barely slowed after the picture-perfect goal. Steiner kept the lead from growing with 18:54 left.
Ferguson burst in on goal after a long send and was fouled in the box. But on his penalty kick bid for a hat-trick, Ferguson was denied on a diving save at the right post by Steiner.
“Usually I don't take pens,” Ferguson said. “If I get fouled I give them to Manny (Tovar). He's our pen master. But he gave it to me this time.”
Said Zielke: “Kyle did a nice job there (on the save). But we put ourselves in tough spots tonight.”
The Trojans escaped a jam with 9:50 left. Riverside-Brookfield’s Xavier Salamanca corner kick was touched just wide left by Dante Moscosa.
Timothy answered by nearly shattering the Riverside-Brookfield shutout with 5:50 to go. A well-struck Jake Firnsin 45-yard right-side free kick reached DeVries at the right post, where his header went inches over the net.
A matter of inches worked in Riverside-Brookfield’s favor with 2:25 to go. On a Bulldogs offensive end attack, sophomore Diego Castilla intercepted a Timothy clearing attempt and passed to Salamanca. His low 18-yard liner from the left side went just inside the left post and the 4-0 final was in the books.
The win continued an explosive run for the Bulldogs. Since a 2-1 loss to Class 3A power Lyons, Riverside-Brookfield has outscored its last four foes 28-1.
“I thought we were finding the passes really well (vs. Timothy),” Franceschina said. “In practice we've been working on moving it outside, passing it, going down the line and then crossing it in.
“Then we have those long drives down the middle so we can just tap it in (as on Ferguson’s two goals). It's worked phenomenally.”
A 4-0 win like Wednesday certainly fuels the Bulldogs’ confidence that much more.
“It pushes up our reputation,” Franceschina said. “We're in 3A so it's a little bit harder, but still it shows us that we're a better team.”
For their part, Timothy will shift from bigger-school challenges from the likes of Hinsdale Central, Stevenson and Riverside-Brookfield back into Class A postseason play.
“We’ll be happy to get back to A schools again,” Zielke said. “That will help. We're home for regionals and sectionals so that gives us a little bit of a boost too going forward.
“We've only had two home games this season, so the boys are excited to get in front of the home crowd. The biggest thing for us now is getting healthy over the next week, and taking our opportunities and doing something with them.”
Timothy rolled to an 8-0 home win Friday night over Schaumburg Christian in its final regular-season match.
Let the postseason preparations begin. Timothy's regional opener is Oct. 12 against the winner of the Islamic Foundation/Montini quarterfinal match Saturday.
“We're going to get together this weekend, pull together and work on some things we need to, to play stronger in the playoffs,” Baker said.
Riverside-Brookfield has two more nonconference games to close the regular-season. It opens the postseason at regional host Argo on the Oct. 18. While not a small school like Timothy, the Bulldogs are regularly one of Class 3A’s smallest enrollment schools.
“We get more and more people here every year, so it looks like we’re staying in 3A,” Franceschina said. “I feel like we're going to go decently far, maybe even win a regional possibly and a sectional.
“Definitely (the key) will be working as a team, talking to each other during the game, passing to each other perfectly, communicating. We've got to be one big family.”
Having just played Lyons close, the Bulldogs’ optimism isn’t farfetched.
“We've got Argo first round and we need to take care of business,” Ferguson said, “and then we have Lyons, the number one team in our bracket. We know we can upset them; we just have to play at our best. No mistakes. Go in with full confidence, and we can beat them.”
While the postseason fate awaits, the Bulldogs can celebrate a share of the conference title.
“Honestly I'm pleased with everybody,” Halic said of his team’s performance.
“It's up there (among our best games of the year), especially from start to finish. It’s nice to see us finishing games and seeing them all the way through.
“Now we're kind of working toward Argo,” Halic added. “That's our focus.”
Starting lineups
Timothy
GK Peter Buikema
D Carter Day
D Trevor Munk
D Ethan Munk
D Wesley Huber
M Caleb Bode
M Cam Baker
M Jake Firnsin
F Owen Wise
F Hendrik DeVries
Riverside-Brookfield
GK Aidan Hernandez
D Massimo Franceschina
D Mak Scheuermann
D Omar Vidales
D Sam Royer
M Manny Tovar
M Noah Berndt
M Max Swicionis
M Eric Ruiz
F Hunter Ferguson
F Diego Villegas
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Hunter Ferguson, sr., F, Riverside-Brookfield
Scoring summary
First half
R-B: Hunter Ferguson (Diego Villegas), 12’
Second half
R-B: Ferguson (Eric Ruiz), 45’
R-B: Massimo Franceschina (Tomas Kunickas), 60’
R-B: Xavier Salamanca (Diego Castilla), 78’
after win over Timothy
Ferguson continues goal roll in 4-0 Metro Blue win
By Dave Owen
RIVERSIDE -- Opportunity knocked, and did Riverside-Brookfield ever answer.
Suddenly provided an opportunity to share the Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division title with Wheaton Academy after the Warriors’ shocking 1-0 loss to St. Francis on Sept. 27, the Bulldogs grabbed that chance and ran with it Wednesday against 2021 Class A semifinalist Timothy.
Riding an early Hunter Ferguson goal and a trio of second half strikes, the last two in the final 10:25 of play, the Bulldogs (10-8-0, 5-1-x) rolled to an impressive 4-0 win over the Trojans (10-9-0, 4-2-x).
“This means a lot to us,” Ferguson said. “It's our first time winning conference in a while. We tied Wheaton (Academy) for conference, the first time for us since like 2009.
“It’s been a drought. It felt so good to come out and beat them (Timothy), and beat them 4-0 too. It's just a great win overall.
“We knew coming into the game we had to play like this as our last (conference) game, and we did. We came out and dominated.”
If a there was a doctor position in soccer, Ferguson would play it and the final 18 yards of the field would be his operating room. The now 25-goal scorer this fall had a surgical strike from in-close 12 minutes in to start the Bulldogs roll.
“I saw Diego (Villegas) overlap Noah (Berndt), our left mid on the field,” Ferguson said. “Right when he (Villegas) played me the ball I saw him cutting in. I saw the gap in the defense. I knew if I played him through I'd get it right back. He played it through, and it was an easy tap in. It was just me and him working together.”
Speaking of working together, the Bulldogs’ defense was in top form as goalkeeper Aidan Hernandez and company posted their sixth shutout of the season and third in the team’s current four-game winning streak.
“All my defenders and Aidan have been phenomenal,” Riverside-Brookfield coach Ivek Halic said. “I'm very pleased with their organization. Omar (Vidales) in the back played really well. I liked how he kind of took over the backline and gave us the support that we needed. Sam Royer and Mak (Scheuermann) on the outsides really helped, and Masi (Massimo Franceschina) of course in the middle.”
Franceschina would later produce a highlight film goal in the second half to essentially clinch the win for Riverside-Brookfield.
But until that second half, Timothy kept the Bulldogs’ lead a slim 1-0 despite numerous chances.
“You could tell from the start they had more energy than we did,” Timothy coach Joel Zielke said. “We were flat. Part of that is, we've played a lot of games here the last few days (six in seven days, including two Sept. 30 in the Great River Classic in Burlington, Ia.).”
The Trojans had another challenge beyond fatigue. Injuries knocked senior defender Ethan Munk and senior midfielder Cam Baker out of the game by the end of the first half.
“The guys are tired, and we're banged up a little bit with a couple starters that couldn't go,” Zielke said, “So we have guys in spots not comfortable there.
“Our center back was out, our center mid was out, another defender out.
“But a lot of credit to them (Riverside-Brookfield). They came prepared; they have some nice players. They moved the ball well, and we were trying to play catch up all game. That's hard to do on the road.”
Riverside-Brookfield kept up the heat eight minutes after the goal as a Tomas Kunickas header off a corner kick went just over the net.
Villegas took that corner and followed with two others in the next two minutes, as Riverside-Brookfield grabbed early command of the offensive-chance column.
Another quality bid followed in the 32nd minute, as a Villegas to Ferguson rush ended with a Ferguson 10-yard shot that Timothy goalkeeper Peter Buikema nicely deflected wide and then covered.
Good defense to clear the box by Timothy's Wesley Huber denied a Kumickas bid in the 34th minute. The Bulldogs first half blitz culminated with an Omar Vidales 48-yard free kick 1:55 before the half that Royer reached on a second hop and chipped just wide left.
Baker made his exit in the 35th minute, which further hindered the Trojans’ cause.
“Our center back (Munk) and me cut out early, so that didn't help us a lot,” Baker said. “Their midfield was very strong and moved the ball really quickly. Their top line played back to the midfield and sent it long, which got us tired quickly. They just played at a higher pace than us tonight.”
Riverside-Brookfield kicked that pace up another notch after halftime, with a sequence of two chances in the first 90 seconds that included a Manny Tovar shot wide left.
Then with 35:24 left, the Bulldogs finally added to their lead.
Again, Villegas was an initiator on the attack. He sent a pass to Eric Ruiz on the right side. Ruiz then sent a cross to the front, and Ferguson was again in his favorite spot for a sliding put-away from eight yards.
“Hunter is just Hunter,” Halik said of his star forward’s scoring knack. “And Max (Swicionis) holding the middle does a lot. He covers a lot of ground and seals out a lot of the attacks.”
Second half Timothy goalkeeper Kyle Steiner followed Ferguson’s second goal with a nice save at the left post on a Berndt close-in left-side shot three minutes later.
Timothy then upped the offensive pressure, starting with a quality threat 12 minutes into the half on a Caleb Hoekstra win at the end line and cross to the front that was cleared by Tovar.
The Trojans’ push continued with 24:40 to go on a Timothy Nulty corner kick. Bids to control the cross by Mark Gamble Jr., Josiah Bhatia and Hendrik DeVries in the scrum in front were denied (Royer blocked a shot on one try), and the final shot in the scramble was sent wide left.
“For a while they starting pressing us,” Halic said, “but we held our own. The defense played really well and stayed organized. I'm very, very pleased.”
Halic and the Bulldogs had even more reason to be happy with 20:25 to go.
After a Ruiz and Ferguson rush produced a corner kick, a set piece often practiced was executed to perfection.
Kunickas’ right-side corner send found defender Franceschina sprinting into the box near post. His perfectly timed running header angled inside the left post to make the score 3-0.
“Whenever we do the corners Hunter tells me to run first post,” Franceschina said. “This time he said 'You've got to do this.' So, I ran as fast as I could toward the ball. And I was given a perfect ball right to my head, I just flipped it barely, and it went right to the opposite corner.”
Said Halic: “I was happy Mas got that third goal. He's been working hard on those (corner kick runs) in practices, and it's nice to actually see that pay off in a game.”
Franceschina then capped his great goal with an unusual and painful end to his celebration. After sprinting back to the defensive end, he needed to be helped off the field.
“Beforehand I felt it (a leg cramp),” he said, “and then during the celebration I was sprinting over and my right calf got cramped up.”
The Bulldogs offense barely slowed after the picture-perfect goal. Steiner kept the lead from growing with 18:54 left.
Ferguson burst in on goal after a long send and was fouled in the box. But on his penalty kick bid for a hat-trick, Ferguson was denied on a diving save at the right post by Steiner.
“Usually I don't take pens,” Ferguson said. “If I get fouled I give them to Manny (Tovar). He's our pen master. But he gave it to me this time.”
Said Zielke: “Kyle did a nice job there (on the save). But we put ourselves in tough spots tonight.”
The Trojans escaped a jam with 9:50 left. Riverside-Brookfield’s Xavier Salamanca corner kick was touched just wide left by Dante Moscosa.
Timothy answered by nearly shattering the Riverside-Brookfield shutout with 5:50 to go. A well-struck Jake Firnsin 45-yard right-side free kick reached DeVries at the right post, where his header went inches over the net.
A matter of inches worked in Riverside-Brookfield’s favor with 2:25 to go. On a Bulldogs offensive end attack, sophomore Diego Castilla intercepted a Timothy clearing attempt and passed to Salamanca. His low 18-yard liner from the left side went just inside the left post and the 4-0 final was in the books.
The win continued an explosive run for the Bulldogs. Since a 2-1 loss to Class 3A power Lyons, Riverside-Brookfield has outscored its last four foes 28-1.
“I thought we were finding the passes really well (vs. Timothy),” Franceschina said. “In practice we've been working on moving it outside, passing it, going down the line and then crossing it in.
“Then we have those long drives down the middle so we can just tap it in (as on Ferguson’s two goals). It's worked phenomenally.”
A 4-0 win like Wednesday certainly fuels the Bulldogs’ confidence that much more.
“It pushes up our reputation,” Franceschina said. “We're in 3A so it's a little bit harder, but still it shows us that we're a better team.”
For their part, Timothy will shift from bigger-school challenges from the likes of Hinsdale Central, Stevenson and Riverside-Brookfield back into Class A postseason play.
“We’ll be happy to get back to A schools again,” Zielke said. “That will help. We're home for regionals and sectionals so that gives us a little bit of a boost too going forward.
“We've only had two home games this season, so the boys are excited to get in front of the home crowd. The biggest thing for us now is getting healthy over the next week, and taking our opportunities and doing something with them.”
Timothy rolled to an 8-0 home win Friday night over Schaumburg Christian in its final regular-season match.
Let the postseason preparations begin. Timothy's regional opener is Oct. 12 against the winner of the Islamic Foundation/Montini quarterfinal match Saturday.
“We're going to get together this weekend, pull together and work on some things we need to, to play stronger in the playoffs,” Baker said.
Riverside-Brookfield has two more nonconference games to close the regular-season. It opens the postseason at regional host Argo on the Oct. 18. While not a small school like Timothy, the Bulldogs are regularly one of Class 3A’s smallest enrollment schools.
“We get more and more people here every year, so it looks like we’re staying in 3A,” Franceschina said. “I feel like we're going to go decently far, maybe even win a regional possibly and a sectional.
“Definitely (the key) will be working as a team, talking to each other during the game, passing to each other perfectly, communicating. We've got to be one big family.”
Having just played Lyons close, the Bulldogs’ optimism isn’t farfetched.
“We've got Argo first round and we need to take care of business,” Ferguson said, “and then we have Lyons, the number one team in our bracket. We know we can upset them; we just have to play at our best. No mistakes. Go in with full confidence, and we can beat them.”
While the postseason fate awaits, the Bulldogs can celebrate a share of the conference title.
“Honestly I'm pleased with everybody,” Halic said of his team’s performance.
“It's up there (among our best games of the year), especially from start to finish. It’s nice to see us finishing games and seeing them all the way through.
“Now we're kind of working toward Argo,” Halic added. “That's our focus.”
Starting lineups
Timothy
GK Peter Buikema
D Carter Day
D Trevor Munk
D Ethan Munk
D Wesley Huber
M Caleb Bode
M Cam Baker
M Jake Firnsin
F Owen Wise
F Hendrik DeVries
Riverside-Brookfield
GK Aidan Hernandez
D Massimo Franceschina
D Mak Scheuermann
D Omar Vidales
D Sam Royer
M Manny Tovar
M Noah Berndt
M Max Swicionis
M Eric Ruiz
F Hunter Ferguson
F Diego Villegas
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Hunter Ferguson, sr., F, Riverside-Brookfield
Scoring summary
First half
R-B: Hunter Ferguson (Diego Villegas), 12’
Second half
R-B: Ferguson (Eric Ruiz), 45’
R-B: Massimo Franceschina (Tomas Kunickas), 60’
R-B: Xavier Salamanca (Diego Castilla), 78’