Late goal forces Deerfield to settle for draw
Vernon Hills 70th-minute score delivers 1-1 CSL North result
By Mike Garofola
DEERFIELD -- Deerfield's search for a second win in the Central Suburban League North Division this fall ended when a 70th-minute goal from Stephen Auw dashed the hopes of the Warriors who settled for a 1-1 draw Friday night at Adams Stadium.
The Cougars (5-5-2, 1-2-1) missed two glorious late chances -- one of which brilliantly stopped by Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Ryan Grady -- who saved the day for his club which dominated the first period, only to play the second half on its back foot for most of the time.
"It was a tale of two halves," admitted Grady, who had a birds-eye view of things on the chilly night with temperatures in the low 50s one day after the Warriors suffered a 2-0 loss against Glenbrook North on a steamy evening here.
"We played some of our best attacking soccer of the season during the first 40 minutes. We did just about everything but finish the chances we created.
"But I don't know what happened to us after the break, because our energy dropped, while (Vernon Hills) came out with so much more effort. It seemed like all we did was defend during that second half."
The home side treated its shivering fans to an attack that was full of life from the opening whistle. Plenty of high pressure came from Eric Kenney and Tim Frenkel, whose pace and nonstop motors made it near impossible for the visitors to get out of their own end in the first quarter hour.
"That all-out energy we brought right from the start is something we've been looking for from the guys," said Warriors manager Elliott Hurtig. "To see it was a great sign; (now) if we can figure out a way to bring that every night for 80 minutes ... ."
The aforementioned Kenney-Frenkel duo put in the effort in a Warriors (3-7-2, 1-2-1) counterattack that produced a quality chance for Nicholas Prus, who tested Cougars keeper Nick Burrows, who like his counterpart Grady, enjoyed an impressive night's work between the sticks.
The sixth-minute attempt from the Warriors brought out the best from a handful of others from the home side including Ari Wainer, Logan Wallis and senior Jude Tatham, who would soon strike the opener just after the half hour.
"It was great to see the way we played in that first half," said Tatham, who echoed the words of his teammate Grady and their manager, who all saw the same terrific soccer during the first period.
"We played quick, connected passes, and we had some creative play in our attack, but we just didn't seem to have (it) in the second half."
While the Warriors forward push at times was rampant, on the other side Vernon Hills manager Mike McCaulou was forced to watch some lifeless, dull soccer from his men, who struggled with their touch and imagination, and were fortunate not to concede another goal or two before intermission.
"That was not pretty soccer we were playing," admitted McCaulou, now in his seventh year in charge. In the 1990s he played for Chicago Pegasus club, which coincidentally provided ball boys for this contest.
During the break, young teams from the club which is based in Deerfield, played same-side games on the Adams Field floor, much to the delight of an appreciative crowd.
McCaulou, who played for Division I South Alabama, said his club still struggles to find its way for 80 minutes. He cited poor starts and a lack of a bite or edge in those who are usually deployed as his front six or seven.
"I'd like us to come out with a real urgency and with ambition in the way we attack our opponent," he said.
"We lack that player or two who is a little selfish in the final third (someone) who will play on the edge in order to put a little fear into our opponent, while giving his teammates that extra lift to get them all going.
"We started this season really well at 5-2-0, but have now lost our last three plus this draw, and I know with the guys we have on this team, we should be playing so much better."
The visitors finally came into the game in the 16th minute, when two exchanges brought Grady into action.
The senior keeper stopped a potential dangerous situation after the aforementioned Auw latched onto a Carlos Aguillar, Dmitril Lebedev and Sean Collins combo buildup.
However, that was it for quite awhile as the Warriors backline tightened its grip on the area. On the other end, it was more from the home side which was having success attacking the flanks and targeting the usual suspects up-top.
Some lovely work by Kenney out wide led to Tatham going close just before the senior broke the deadlock. But it was what the co-captain described as a bit of good luck which led to his 32nd-minute goal, his third goal of the season.
"I had a little bit of time and space, so I just tried to put something low and hard on frame," said Tatham. "Fortunately for me, it went under and through the keeper."
The Warriors could have added one or perhaps two more before the break as Vernon Hills struggled to stay organized after conceding.
Joey Puyear and Frenkel worked a clever little short corner to surprise the visitors. It ended with Burrows stopping Frenkel's effort. Moments later the same pair combined once again. Frenkel, on the turn, forced Burrows into yet another save situation.
"We did a lot of creative things in that first half, but our work in the final third wasn't sharp enough," said Hurtig. "If it was, I have to think we could have put one or two more in before the half."
Whatever McCaulou said to his men at the break obviously came through loud and clear. Vernon Hills came out of the intermission on its front foot and went harder into first and second balls, while showing improvement in its decision-making when looking to connect or play out of pressure.
"It would be nice if we did that all of the time," McCaulou said afterwards.
The first real quality effort on frame from the visitors came when Jake Schulman was allowed to tee-up a 22-yard attempt that Grady saved at 50 minutes.
Next, Victor Comacho from near the edge was unable to take advantage of some nice work by Auw and Aguillar who set their teammate free. Deerfield's defensive duo of Nolan Horgan and Ko Vandeneijkhoff put an end to any close-range chance on frame.
Deerfield answered with a nicely played Wallis and Wainer one-two counter combination, but an offsides flag ended the Warriors chance of surprising a now resurgent Vernon Hills side.
The Warriors' Vandeneijkhoff came to the rescue again with a timely, stout tackle of Aguillar who was sent through by Camacho and was on his way to a 1-v.-1 with Grady.
"We just seemed to struggle getting anything going forward," Grady said. "That put a lot of pressure on us to just defend in that second half, especially the last 15 minutes or so when they really came at us."
With the visitors now brimming with confidence, Aguillar went wide once again, as did the big left-footed Collins. But the pair created a second corner which led to the equalizer.
Aguillar's terrific inward swinging corner looked troublesome from the moment it was struck, but Grady was still able to turn it away. The ball spilled free, went off a teammate and to the ever-present Auw, who easily slotted past Grady despite his valiant effort to save.
"We almost kept it out of the back of the net-- just some bad luck on that one," said Grady.
The veteran keeper would then come through with a key stop of a Collins PK two minutes from time after Aguillar was brought down in the box. More heroics from the senior, as well as Vandeneijkhoff secured the point for the home side.
Grady was fearless in his point-blank save on Auw, then watched his backline mate's remarkable block of a rebound blast from inside the six-yard box in the final minute of regulation.
The Vernon Hills bench approved of its finish.
"I was happy with the effort in the second half, and with the way we went out and attacked and created," said McCaulou. "It's too bad we didn't put one or two in to earn the victory."
As for Deerfield, the Warriors will prepare for co-division-leading Maine West on Tuesday at home. That is followed by a break before an Oct. 1 home date against Antioch in a nonconference game.
"We've had a trouble finding the back of the net during this latest stretch," began Hurtig of his clubs five goals in the previous seven games. "Tonight our attack showed promise, and again, especially in the first half."
"It's something that we continue to work on, and hopefully, we will come out next week with that same energy, but this time put 80 full minutes of soccer together."
Starting lineups
Vernon Hills (3-5-2)
G- Nick Burrows
D- Edgar Uribe
D- Matthew Quandt
D- Brandon Kim
D- Cooper Guillaume
M- Sean Collins
M- Carlos Aguillar
M- Zach Hanson
M- Dmitrii Lebedev
F- Stephen Auw
F- Tyler Gonzalez
Deerfield (4-4-2)
G- Ryan Grady
D- Jack Hammontree
D- Adam Odzer
D- Ko Vandeneijkhoff
D- Nolan Horgan
M- Nikita Bankevich
M- Logan Wallis
M- Eric Kenney
M- Ari Wainer
F- Tim Frenkel
F- Nicholas Prus
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ryan Grady, sr., GK, Deerfield
Referee: Alex Mavrothalasitis
Scoring summary
First half
Deerfield: Tatham (U/A) 32'
Second half
Vernon Hills: Auw (U/A) 70'
Vernon Hills 70th-minute score delivers 1-1 CSL North result
By Mike Garofola
DEERFIELD -- Deerfield's search for a second win in the Central Suburban League North Division this fall ended when a 70th-minute goal from Stephen Auw dashed the hopes of the Warriors who settled for a 1-1 draw Friday night at Adams Stadium.
The Cougars (5-5-2, 1-2-1) missed two glorious late chances -- one of which brilliantly stopped by Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Ryan Grady -- who saved the day for his club which dominated the first period, only to play the second half on its back foot for most of the time.
"It was a tale of two halves," admitted Grady, who had a birds-eye view of things on the chilly night with temperatures in the low 50s one day after the Warriors suffered a 2-0 loss against Glenbrook North on a steamy evening here.
"We played some of our best attacking soccer of the season during the first 40 minutes. We did just about everything but finish the chances we created.
"But I don't know what happened to us after the break, because our energy dropped, while (Vernon Hills) came out with so much more effort. It seemed like all we did was defend during that second half."
The home side treated its shivering fans to an attack that was full of life from the opening whistle. Plenty of high pressure came from Eric Kenney and Tim Frenkel, whose pace and nonstop motors made it near impossible for the visitors to get out of their own end in the first quarter hour.
"That all-out energy we brought right from the start is something we've been looking for from the guys," said Warriors manager Elliott Hurtig. "To see it was a great sign; (now) if we can figure out a way to bring that every night for 80 minutes ... ."
The aforementioned Kenney-Frenkel duo put in the effort in a Warriors (3-7-2, 1-2-1) counterattack that produced a quality chance for Nicholas Prus, who tested Cougars keeper Nick Burrows, who like his counterpart Grady, enjoyed an impressive night's work between the sticks.
The sixth-minute attempt from the Warriors brought out the best from a handful of others from the home side including Ari Wainer, Logan Wallis and senior Jude Tatham, who would soon strike the opener just after the half hour.
"It was great to see the way we played in that first half," said Tatham, who echoed the words of his teammate Grady and their manager, who all saw the same terrific soccer during the first period.
"We played quick, connected passes, and we had some creative play in our attack, but we just didn't seem to have (it) in the second half."
While the Warriors forward push at times was rampant, on the other side Vernon Hills manager Mike McCaulou was forced to watch some lifeless, dull soccer from his men, who struggled with their touch and imagination, and were fortunate not to concede another goal or two before intermission.
"That was not pretty soccer we were playing," admitted McCaulou, now in his seventh year in charge. In the 1990s he played for Chicago Pegasus club, which coincidentally provided ball boys for this contest.
During the break, young teams from the club which is based in Deerfield, played same-side games on the Adams Field floor, much to the delight of an appreciative crowd.
McCaulou, who played for Division I South Alabama, said his club still struggles to find its way for 80 minutes. He cited poor starts and a lack of a bite or edge in those who are usually deployed as his front six or seven.
"I'd like us to come out with a real urgency and with ambition in the way we attack our opponent," he said.
"We lack that player or two who is a little selfish in the final third (someone) who will play on the edge in order to put a little fear into our opponent, while giving his teammates that extra lift to get them all going.
"We started this season really well at 5-2-0, but have now lost our last three plus this draw, and I know with the guys we have on this team, we should be playing so much better."
The visitors finally came into the game in the 16th minute, when two exchanges brought Grady into action.
The senior keeper stopped a potential dangerous situation after the aforementioned Auw latched onto a Carlos Aguillar, Dmitril Lebedev and Sean Collins combo buildup.
However, that was it for quite awhile as the Warriors backline tightened its grip on the area. On the other end, it was more from the home side which was having success attacking the flanks and targeting the usual suspects up-top.
Some lovely work by Kenney out wide led to Tatham going close just before the senior broke the deadlock. But it was what the co-captain described as a bit of good luck which led to his 32nd-minute goal, his third goal of the season.
"I had a little bit of time and space, so I just tried to put something low and hard on frame," said Tatham. "Fortunately for me, it went under and through the keeper."
The Warriors could have added one or perhaps two more before the break as Vernon Hills struggled to stay organized after conceding.
Joey Puyear and Frenkel worked a clever little short corner to surprise the visitors. It ended with Burrows stopping Frenkel's effort. Moments later the same pair combined once again. Frenkel, on the turn, forced Burrows into yet another save situation.
"We did a lot of creative things in that first half, but our work in the final third wasn't sharp enough," said Hurtig. "If it was, I have to think we could have put one or two more in before the half."
Whatever McCaulou said to his men at the break obviously came through loud and clear. Vernon Hills came out of the intermission on its front foot and went harder into first and second balls, while showing improvement in its decision-making when looking to connect or play out of pressure.
"It would be nice if we did that all of the time," McCaulou said afterwards.
The first real quality effort on frame from the visitors came when Jake Schulman was allowed to tee-up a 22-yard attempt that Grady saved at 50 minutes.
Next, Victor Comacho from near the edge was unable to take advantage of some nice work by Auw and Aguillar who set their teammate free. Deerfield's defensive duo of Nolan Horgan and Ko Vandeneijkhoff put an end to any close-range chance on frame.
Deerfield answered with a nicely played Wallis and Wainer one-two counter combination, but an offsides flag ended the Warriors chance of surprising a now resurgent Vernon Hills side.
The Warriors' Vandeneijkhoff came to the rescue again with a timely, stout tackle of Aguillar who was sent through by Camacho and was on his way to a 1-v.-1 with Grady.
"We just seemed to struggle getting anything going forward," Grady said. "That put a lot of pressure on us to just defend in that second half, especially the last 15 minutes or so when they really came at us."
With the visitors now brimming with confidence, Aguillar went wide once again, as did the big left-footed Collins. But the pair created a second corner which led to the equalizer.
Aguillar's terrific inward swinging corner looked troublesome from the moment it was struck, but Grady was still able to turn it away. The ball spilled free, went off a teammate and to the ever-present Auw, who easily slotted past Grady despite his valiant effort to save.
"We almost kept it out of the back of the net-- just some bad luck on that one," said Grady.
The veteran keeper would then come through with a key stop of a Collins PK two minutes from time after Aguillar was brought down in the box. More heroics from the senior, as well as Vandeneijkhoff secured the point for the home side.
Grady was fearless in his point-blank save on Auw, then watched his backline mate's remarkable block of a rebound blast from inside the six-yard box in the final minute of regulation.
The Vernon Hills bench approved of its finish.
"I was happy with the effort in the second half, and with the way we went out and attacked and created," said McCaulou. "It's too bad we didn't put one or two in to earn the victory."
As for Deerfield, the Warriors will prepare for co-division-leading Maine West on Tuesday at home. That is followed by a break before an Oct. 1 home date against Antioch in a nonconference game.
"We've had a trouble finding the back of the net during this latest stretch," began Hurtig of his clubs five goals in the previous seven games. "Tonight our attack showed promise, and again, especially in the first half."
"It's something that we continue to work on, and hopefully, we will come out next week with that same energy, but this time put 80 full minutes of soccer together."
Starting lineups
Vernon Hills (3-5-2)
G- Nick Burrows
D- Edgar Uribe
D- Matthew Quandt
D- Brandon Kim
D- Cooper Guillaume
M- Sean Collins
M- Carlos Aguillar
M- Zach Hanson
M- Dmitrii Lebedev
F- Stephen Auw
F- Tyler Gonzalez
Deerfield (4-4-2)
G- Ryan Grady
D- Jack Hammontree
D- Adam Odzer
D- Ko Vandeneijkhoff
D- Nolan Horgan
M- Nikita Bankevich
M- Logan Wallis
M- Eric Kenney
M- Ari Wainer
F- Tim Frenkel
F- Nicholas Prus
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ryan Grady, sr., GK, Deerfield
Referee: Alex Mavrothalasitis
Scoring summary
First half
Deerfield: Tatham (U/A) 32'
Second half
Vernon Hills: Auw (U/A) 70'