Warren edges Libertyville, NSC title in reach
Garcia, Medina make difference in crucial 2-1 victory
By Tom Hamilton II
LIBERTYVILLE -- Warren’s senior forward and co-captain Alexis Medina is quite the crowd pleaser.
Medina put on a show for the 400 or so fans gathered to watch his Blue Devils take on the host Wildcats. However, the crafty, technically gifted senior dedicated his performance to a much smaller audience after his impressive solo effort in the second half broke the deadlock in favor of Warren.
“I wanted to make this team happy,” explained Medina, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match.
The Blue Devils, ranked 20th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, staved off spirited Libertyville (9-5-3, 2-1-2) to earn a crucial 2-1 victory over no. 23 and host Wildcats on a crisp fall evening. Coupled with Lake Zurich’s 2-0 loss to Stevenson, the win gave Warren (10-2-4 overall, 4-0-2 in the North Suburban Conference) sole possession of the North Suburban Conference lead and a chance to clinch the trophy with a tie or win in their final conference match, a home date against Lake Forest on Thursday.
Warren’s senior defensive captain Cael Harris -- the team’s vocal leader and top scorer with five goals on the season -- was full of praise for his team’s performance on the road against a rapidly improving Libertyville squad.
“We’ve been working really hard,” Harris asserted. “Everything we’ve done in practice is coming into play here throughout the season, and it really just showed in this game: intensity, working hard, working smart. Doing everything we can to just put the ball into the back of the net [and] keep them from scoring.”
The Blue Devils came out with energy, pace, and purpose in the early going, connecting quick passes to get forward and pin back the Wildcats. A Warren corner kick in the second minute led to a short-range shot smacking off the crossbar. Creative senior midfielder Miguel Rodriguez rattled the crossbar from 22 yards in the 15th minute after combining well with junior midfielder Michael Galvan.
Libertyville struggled to break out of its own half in the early going. In the moments when they were able to break up Warren’s possession, they’d be stifled by the relentless pressure of the Blue Devils midfield trio of Galvan, Rodriguez, and indefatigable senior Matt Hegge.
“The first 20 minutes we played: that was the best soccer we’ve ever played this season,” beamed Medina in praise of his side.
That early dominance for the Blue Devils was briefly interrupted by a quality chance for Libertyville in the 19th minute. Wildcats junior attacker Cole Danner picked off a rare errant pass among the Warren backs, and he slotted the ball for junior forward Ben Nuttall. Some crafty dribbling allowed Nuttall to draw a foul and earn a free kick near the right flank 30 yards from the Warren goal. Junior midfielder Jake Berlowski put the ensuing shot on frame, but Warren’s senior goalkeeper Geoge McAtee (seven saves) caught it assuredly.
Minutes later, Warren responded with the first goal of the match.
In the 23rd minute, after a string of passes found Rodriguez with space on the right flank deep in Libertyville’s half, the Warren midfielder whipped in a tantalizing cross into the penalty area. The ball sailed over several players to the back edge of the six-yard box, where striker Miguel Garcia, a clever, technically gifted junior, rose to meet the cross with a thumping header that gave the Wildcats’ stellar senior shot-stopper Michael Krukonis (four saves) no chance.
The goal was Garcia’s fourth of the season – an impressive total after missing time due to an injury.
“I saw that the keeper was coming out, so I just flicked it over him,” explained Garcia. “As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going in.”
Warren’s lead didn’t last long. The goal created a real sense of urgency in the Wildcats, who elected to push numbers forward to test the Warren backline after spending much of the opening minutes sitting deep and absorbing pressure.
That tactic paid off for in the 26th minute. After winning back possession near the halfway line, the livewire Danner took a neat turn, picked his head up, and played a quick pass up the center to Nuttall. As the ball arrived, freshman striker Noah Finnema made a diagonal run across the middle, and Nuttall quickly passed into Finnema’s path. The speedy striker took a touch inside, looked up, and fired a hard, low shot from 16 yards into the far side netting to even the score.
Wildcats junior center back Alek LaRoi, a constant thorn in the sides of the Warren attackers, praised his team’s quick response after conceding the opening goal.
“After the first goal, I was really proud of everybody,” LaRoi reflected. “We came back together, [and] worked even harder for the first goal right off the bat. Then we were able to control more of the game after that.”
Libertyville head coach Kevin Thunholm was frustrated by the team’s slow start, but he praised the team’s response after they shifted out of their 4-3-3 formation.
“We settled in after switching to a 4-4-2,” explained Thunholm.
The goal lifted Libertyville spirits noticeably, and the hosts began to establish more possession from there. The Wildcats managed to create a few half-chances as the clock wound down toward halftime. In the 38th minute, Libertyville senior attacker Michael Kelly nearly found a goal.
A miscommunication in the Warren backline allowed Kelly to reach a ball eight yards from goal. Thankfully for the Blue Devils, McAtee raced off his line to smother the danger just before Kelly could prod it past him and into the net. That left the score even at the break.
That moment of danger lit a fire in Warren, which came out with a flurry of activity and pinned back the Wildcats for the opening stages of the second half.
That energy nearly led to a Warren goal in the 51st minute. A series of quick, precise passes and surging runs led to a short-range effort that forced Libertyville’s Krukonis to make a diving save. A Blue Devil attacker was first to the rebound. With the shot set to cross the goal line, Wildcat center back LaRoi lunged to block the effort and keep the score even.
The tie lasted only 10 minutes more.
In the 61st minute, center back Harris received a pass inside his own half, picked his head up, and sent a beautiful long pass to Medina in space on the left flank. Medina took a touch inside that deflected off the challenging defender and rode a second challenge while cutting farther inside with the ball. With a deft touch he rounded the onrushing Krukonis and slotted the ball into the empty Libertyville net from four yards for the game-winning goal.
It was Medina fourth goal of the season, and the senior was well aware of the significance of the strike.
“I put a full effort into that goal,” Medina reflected. “I wanted to make this team happy, just take us far, win the conference for us just to see all the underclassmen happy so they can continue the journey when we’re all gone.”
Medina and his Blue Devils teammates had to ride out an impressive closing attack from the hosts in order to keep the smiles on their faces after the final whistle.
With LaRoi switching from center back to his more accustomed role as the focal point in the attack, dynamic junior Andrew Phillips, Kelly, and Danner worked tirelessly to pin the Blue Devils back and create openings for chances on goal.
Warren survived a few scares which included: an audacious Danner volley from a cross in the 71st minute; and a venomous, dipping strike from range from LaRoi in the 74th.
The nervy finish was no surprise to Warren head coach Jason Ahonen, who praised his team’s spirit in rising to the challenge to best their rivals on the road.
“It was just how I expected it: a nail-biter,” Ahonen admitted. “Every win in the conference is big. This is our rival; the boys know each other so well.
“I’m happy for them. I’m proud of them, and it’s going to be a fun bus ride home.”
Danner lamented Libertyville’s struggles in the face of Warren’s pressure.
“Once they got that goal, I think we panicked a little bit,” Danner admitted. “We didn’t keep it on the ground as much as we should have.”
While Thunholm was understandably frustrated with the result, his Wildcats still hold high hopes for a deep run in the Class 3A playoffs.
“Every team we have played this year has been top tier,” Thunholm noted. “We grow and bounce back very well. We will talk about what we need to do to get better and finish games.”
LaRoi took note of the improvement he saw from his teammates in the second half.
“We had several chances, but unfortunately we just couldn’t finish the ball,” LaRoi said. “We had the ball mainly in their half. We had several set pieces … We just, unfortunately, couldn’t finish the ball.”
Libertyville will look to finish the conference season on a high note when they travel to Lincolnshire to take on 21st-ranked Stevenson on Thursday.
Warren will aim to claim the North Suburban Conference crown for the second season in a row with a positive result against Lake Forest.
Starting lineups
Warren (4-3-3)
GK George McAtee
D Ryan Stanciak
D Ben Conley
D Cael Harris
D Lucas Ahonen
M Matt Hegge
M Michael Galvan
M Miguel Rodriguez
F Matt Paraskos
F Alexis Medina
F Miguel Garcia
Libertyville (4-3-3)
GK Michael Krukonis
D Jon Melcher
D Joey Yurek
D Alek LaRoi
D Liam Gaiden
M Jake Berlowski
M Andrew Phillips
M Jacob Slago
F Mateo Portillo
F Cole Danner
F Charlie Coury
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alexis Medina, sr., F, Warren
Scoring summary
First half
Warren -- Miguel Garcia (Miguel Rodriguez), 23rd minute
Libertyville -- Noah Finnema (Ben Nuttall), 26th minute
Second half
Warren -- Alexis Medina (unassisted), 61st minute
Garcia, Medina make difference in crucial 2-1 victory
By Tom Hamilton II
LIBERTYVILLE -- Warren’s senior forward and co-captain Alexis Medina is quite the crowd pleaser.
Medina put on a show for the 400 or so fans gathered to watch his Blue Devils take on the host Wildcats. However, the crafty, technically gifted senior dedicated his performance to a much smaller audience after his impressive solo effort in the second half broke the deadlock in favor of Warren.
“I wanted to make this team happy,” explained Medina, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match.
The Blue Devils, ranked 20th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, staved off spirited Libertyville (9-5-3, 2-1-2) to earn a crucial 2-1 victory over no. 23 and host Wildcats on a crisp fall evening. Coupled with Lake Zurich’s 2-0 loss to Stevenson, the win gave Warren (10-2-4 overall, 4-0-2 in the North Suburban Conference) sole possession of the North Suburban Conference lead and a chance to clinch the trophy with a tie or win in their final conference match, a home date against Lake Forest on Thursday.
Warren’s senior defensive captain Cael Harris -- the team’s vocal leader and top scorer with five goals on the season -- was full of praise for his team’s performance on the road against a rapidly improving Libertyville squad.
“We’ve been working really hard,” Harris asserted. “Everything we’ve done in practice is coming into play here throughout the season, and it really just showed in this game: intensity, working hard, working smart. Doing everything we can to just put the ball into the back of the net [and] keep them from scoring.”
The Blue Devils came out with energy, pace, and purpose in the early going, connecting quick passes to get forward and pin back the Wildcats. A Warren corner kick in the second minute led to a short-range shot smacking off the crossbar. Creative senior midfielder Miguel Rodriguez rattled the crossbar from 22 yards in the 15th minute after combining well with junior midfielder Michael Galvan.
Libertyville struggled to break out of its own half in the early going. In the moments when they were able to break up Warren’s possession, they’d be stifled by the relentless pressure of the Blue Devils midfield trio of Galvan, Rodriguez, and indefatigable senior Matt Hegge.
“The first 20 minutes we played: that was the best soccer we’ve ever played this season,” beamed Medina in praise of his side.
That early dominance for the Blue Devils was briefly interrupted by a quality chance for Libertyville in the 19th minute. Wildcats junior attacker Cole Danner picked off a rare errant pass among the Warren backs, and he slotted the ball for junior forward Ben Nuttall. Some crafty dribbling allowed Nuttall to draw a foul and earn a free kick near the right flank 30 yards from the Warren goal. Junior midfielder Jake Berlowski put the ensuing shot on frame, but Warren’s senior goalkeeper Geoge McAtee (seven saves) caught it assuredly.
Minutes later, Warren responded with the first goal of the match.
In the 23rd minute, after a string of passes found Rodriguez with space on the right flank deep in Libertyville’s half, the Warren midfielder whipped in a tantalizing cross into the penalty area. The ball sailed over several players to the back edge of the six-yard box, where striker Miguel Garcia, a clever, technically gifted junior, rose to meet the cross with a thumping header that gave the Wildcats’ stellar senior shot-stopper Michael Krukonis (four saves) no chance.
The goal was Garcia’s fourth of the season – an impressive total after missing time due to an injury.
“I saw that the keeper was coming out, so I just flicked it over him,” explained Garcia. “As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going in.”
Warren’s lead didn’t last long. The goal created a real sense of urgency in the Wildcats, who elected to push numbers forward to test the Warren backline after spending much of the opening minutes sitting deep and absorbing pressure.
That tactic paid off for in the 26th minute. After winning back possession near the halfway line, the livewire Danner took a neat turn, picked his head up, and played a quick pass up the center to Nuttall. As the ball arrived, freshman striker Noah Finnema made a diagonal run across the middle, and Nuttall quickly passed into Finnema’s path. The speedy striker took a touch inside, looked up, and fired a hard, low shot from 16 yards into the far side netting to even the score.
Wildcats junior center back Alek LaRoi, a constant thorn in the sides of the Warren attackers, praised his team’s quick response after conceding the opening goal.
“After the first goal, I was really proud of everybody,” LaRoi reflected. “We came back together, [and] worked even harder for the first goal right off the bat. Then we were able to control more of the game after that.”
Libertyville head coach Kevin Thunholm was frustrated by the team’s slow start, but he praised the team’s response after they shifted out of their 4-3-3 formation.
“We settled in after switching to a 4-4-2,” explained Thunholm.
The goal lifted Libertyville spirits noticeably, and the hosts began to establish more possession from there. The Wildcats managed to create a few half-chances as the clock wound down toward halftime. In the 38th minute, Libertyville senior attacker Michael Kelly nearly found a goal.
A miscommunication in the Warren backline allowed Kelly to reach a ball eight yards from goal. Thankfully for the Blue Devils, McAtee raced off his line to smother the danger just before Kelly could prod it past him and into the net. That left the score even at the break.
That moment of danger lit a fire in Warren, which came out with a flurry of activity and pinned back the Wildcats for the opening stages of the second half.
That energy nearly led to a Warren goal in the 51st minute. A series of quick, precise passes and surging runs led to a short-range effort that forced Libertyville’s Krukonis to make a diving save. A Blue Devil attacker was first to the rebound. With the shot set to cross the goal line, Wildcat center back LaRoi lunged to block the effort and keep the score even.
The tie lasted only 10 minutes more.
In the 61st minute, center back Harris received a pass inside his own half, picked his head up, and sent a beautiful long pass to Medina in space on the left flank. Medina took a touch inside that deflected off the challenging defender and rode a second challenge while cutting farther inside with the ball. With a deft touch he rounded the onrushing Krukonis and slotted the ball into the empty Libertyville net from four yards for the game-winning goal.
It was Medina fourth goal of the season, and the senior was well aware of the significance of the strike.
“I put a full effort into that goal,” Medina reflected. “I wanted to make this team happy, just take us far, win the conference for us just to see all the underclassmen happy so they can continue the journey when we’re all gone.”
Medina and his Blue Devils teammates had to ride out an impressive closing attack from the hosts in order to keep the smiles on their faces after the final whistle.
With LaRoi switching from center back to his more accustomed role as the focal point in the attack, dynamic junior Andrew Phillips, Kelly, and Danner worked tirelessly to pin the Blue Devils back and create openings for chances on goal.
Warren survived a few scares which included: an audacious Danner volley from a cross in the 71st minute; and a venomous, dipping strike from range from LaRoi in the 74th.
The nervy finish was no surprise to Warren head coach Jason Ahonen, who praised his team’s spirit in rising to the challenge to best their rivals on the road.
“It was just how I expected it: a nail-biter,” Ahonen admitted. “Every win in the conference is big. This is our rival; the boys know each other so well.
“I’m happy for them. I’m proud of them, and it’s going to be a fun bus ride home.”
Danner lamented Libertyville’s struggles in the face of Warren’s pressure.
“Once they got that goal, I think we panicked a little bit,” Danner admitted. “We didn’t keep it on the ground as much as we should have.”
While Thunholm was understandably frustrated with the result, his Wildcats still hold high hopes for a deep run in the Class 3A playoffs.
“Every team we have played this year has been top tier,” Thunholm noted. “We grow and bounce back very well. We will talk about what we need to do to get better and finish games.”
LaRoi took note of the improvement he saw from his teammates in the second half.
“We had several chances, but unfortunately we just couldn’t finish the ball,” LaRoi said. “We had the ball mainly in their half. We had several set pieces … We just, unfortunately, couldn’t finish the ball.”
Libertyville will look to finish the conference season on a high note when they travel to Lincolnshire to take on 21st-ranked Stevenson on Thursday.
Warren will aim to claim the North Suburban Conference crown for the second season in a row with a positive result against Lake Forest.
Starting lineups
Warren (4-3-3)
GK George McAtee
D Ryan Stanciak
D Ben Conley
D Cael Harris
D Lucas Ahonen
M Matt Hegge
M Michael Galvan
M Miguel Rodriguez
F Matt Paraskos
F Alexis Medina
F Miguel Garcia
Libertyville (4-3-3)
GK Michael Krukonis
D Jon Melcher
D Joey Yurek
D Alek LaRoi
D Liam Gaiden
M Jake Berlowski
M Andrew Phillips
M Jacob Slago
F Mateo Portillo
F Cole Danner
F Charlie Coury
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alexis Medina, sr., F, Warren
Scoring summary
First half
Warren -- Miguel Garcia (Miguel Rodriguez), 23rd minute
Libertyville -- Noah Finnema (Ben Nuttall), 26th minute
Second half
Warren -- Alexis Medina (unassisted), 61st minute