Shah, Warren achieve perfection against
Stevenson in NSC tourney title game
Seniors nets hat-trick in 5-2 win, caps undefeated season
By Mike Garofola
LINCOLNSHIRE -- The pace. The power. The precision.
Aesthetically speaking, Ishaan Shah was simply astonishing in his final appearance Saturday night in Lincolnshire wearing a Warren kit.
The Blue Devils senior bagged a trio of YouTube worthy goals – each one better than the other -- to lead the Blue Devils to a 5-2 victory against league rival Stevenson (10-3-0) to capture the North Suburban Conference tournament championship.
"That was an impressive night for Mr. Shah - but for that matter, it was a terrific night of soccer for all of our guys," said proud Warren manager Jason Ahonen, whose men just a few days earlier earned the fourth league crown in program history.
"I don't know how to describe the effort from (Shah) tonight. It was almost as if he wasn't human," joked teammate Alex Semak, who himself, turned in a magnificent performance for his club.
"I guess I had just one of those nights," said Shah in the understatement of the year.
Because of this COVID-shortened season, it was decided an end of the year conference tournament would be a nice way to give the eight clubs another game or two before officially calling it quits.
"It's been a difficult season for everyone. None of us really knew when we could lose games due to COVID, or even the entire season," began Ahonen.
"The decision to get a tournament together right after the regular season was a good one, and Stevenson has been a terrific host."
The Blue Devils (15-0-0) shut out its first two tournament opponents: Waukegan 5-0 in the Thursday quarterfinal; then Saturday afternoon when it dispatched semifinal foe Mundelein 3-0.
"I know we had to work a little harder than Warren did to get here," said Patriots manager Pepe Jon Chavez prior to this contest. “Their legs are likely fresher than ours.”
Chavez' tactical plan made sense in theory, however the Blue Devils dominated from the first whistle, and it seemed only a matter of time before they scored. Warren pinned Stevenson back in its own territory while probing for openings at will.
Patriots keeper Ryan Harper narrowly beat Shah to a 50/50 ball inside his box in the second minute, then watched Shah trick his way past a trio of defenders before firing his close-range attempt toward the near post. Harper turned away the shot.
Warren continued to push forward and played some nice, neat futbol, dominating the passing and possession stats. The visitors had a chance to be dangerous with three deep Senko throws. Stevenson countered after Warren’s poorly played square ball with a Chris Xie effort that went over the bar.
Warren racked up, conservatively, 80 percent the possession through the first half and had nearly twice as many completed passes as their opponents. Chris Aldazaba, Cael Harris, Bradley Strauss and Senko contributed to the sharp distribution.
The opener came after Shah latched onto an early ball out of the back. The Blue Devils leading scorer burst up the right side, and unloaded a wicked drive off the gloves of Harper.
Teammate Noe Martinez, following the play with keen interest, calmly thumped home his one-timer in the 16th minute for a 1-0 lead.
"Stevenson was a quality side. In fact, they were the only team to score first against us last time we played," began Rodriguez.
"To get that first goal is always important. It was big for our team, because it set the tone for the rest of the night."
The Blue Devils were flying high after the Martinez goal, but instead of building on their success, they allowed the Patriots to claw back into the game. A well-played combination between Duratovic and Anthony Skordilis ended with Xie taken down in the box.
Blue Devils keeper Nicholas Diana guessed correctly that Duratovic would send his spot-kick to his left, but the Patriots all-time goal-scoring leader had too much pace on his attempt and leveled the proceedings at 21 minutes.
The PK conversion produced Duratovic’s 21st goal of the season and 51st in a wonderful high school career.
"When the season began, I knew I had a chance at breaking the record of 45. To do that and to be a part of a team that advanced into the conference tournament final is a great way to end my career,” said Duratovic, who is leaning towards attending Division III national power Kenyon College in Ohio.
"(Coach PePe Jon) Chavez has come here, and he immediately changed the culture for the Stevenson soccer program. Although we came up short tonight, I am very proud of our team, and feel very fortunate to be a part of that change, which I know is going to produce some very good teams in the future."
Warren found itself in a game with a recharged Stevenson.
"That PK really brought them to life, so you're naturally nervous that momentum will carry on through the rest of the way," admitted Ahonen.
"There's a lot of experience on this team," offered Senko. “So, there wasn't any panic after that PK got them back even. We just went back to playing the way we play.”
Minutes after the Patriots equalized, Senko nearly helped put his club ahead with a well-delivered free kick from the midline that Shah came this close to latching on to.
The Blue Devils leading scorer however, did not miss on his next chance.
Max Floriani put a lovely ball onto the right foot of Shah along the right side. The senior showed how difficult it is for an opponent to get the better of him and shielded his marker. He then outmaneuvered another Patriot before racing into the box and unloading a nasty shot off Ryan Harper and into the back of the net.
"Ish made us all look good tonight. He was an absolute beast,' said Floriani, who will play next fall at St. Louis University, and was named an all-stater by Chicagoland Soccer in 2019.
Floriani, Rodriguez, Senko, and Shah, who were featured in an earlier Chicagoland Soccer feature, all played on the varsity as sophomores and have been key figures in the rise of Warren, which was named the top team in the Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 season-ending poll.
Click here to read Feature story: Warren quartet ready to make noise
While the dominate play of Shah and his Blue Devils teammates were the talk of the first 40 minutes, the highlight of the half might have been an individual effort from Senko in the waning minutes.
That's when his deep throw in the Patriots end quickly turned into a 2-v-1 counter from the home sides Xie and Nazar Mormul.
With the Patriots duo was off and running at Warren keeper Nic Diana, who came far off his line to challenge, Senko sprinted to get himself in position to take a sure goal off the line.
"Just doing my job," said Senko.
"I wanted my last high school game for Warren, and (Ahonen) to be my best. I feel that's what I was able to do. My teammates did as well."
"You go into the break happy to be chasing just one goal against Warren,” said Stevenson’s mentor Chavez. “But it was too much no. 11 (Shah) for us to handle, and a team that has so much talent all throughout their first 11. "
The Blue Devils razor-sharp offense proved the difference with three scores after the break.
Martinez gave Warren the lead with help from Rodriguez in the 45th minute. That set the stage for another Shah highlight.
He brought the Blue Devils faithful out of their seats 60 seconds later with a guided missile from an impossible angle that exploded off the underside of the bar.
"Ish is one of those players that you expect something magical each and every time he has the ball," said Rodriguez.
Shah claimed his hat-trick and 20th of the season with another brilliant effort in the 57th minute. At full throttle he went left-right-left- right to beat Harper a final time.
Henry Chen pulled one back for the home side at 68 minutes, but after Shah’s triple, the game was decided.
Ahonen eased in a handful of substitutes into the match. He brought his first 11 back on late so this magnificent group was on the pitch when the clock struck zero.
"To look back when we came up as sophomores - then to see the success we achieved this season is really just amazing," said Floriani. “It was great to win the double (regular season, conference tournament). What a way for us to go out.”
The Blue Devils outscored their opponents 53-5 this season, and Diana recorded 11 clean-sheets along the way.
"Could we have gone 21-0 or 22-0 and played for a state title? I believe we could have,” said Rodriguez. “We felt with our brand of soccer and with the talent we have on our roster, we could have been in that state final.
"But to win the regular season league title, then conference tournament, was a great way to end the season."
"Ahonen told us afterwards how much he loved us as players and people and that all of our hard work and dedication was the reason for our success this year," said Senko.
"To end our season with a perfect 15-0-0 record was the perfect way to end our season."
"The group we brought up as sophomores: Edward Luna, Giovanni Juarez, Floriani, Martinez, Rodriguez, Senko, Shah, and Strauss were, and are a remarkable bunch of young men," began a proud Ahonen.
"I am the fortunate one that has benefitted from outstanding parental support that put the players in a club environment to help them grow and develop.
"I hit a home run with this group, and it's been an amazing journey - they're going to be greatly missed."
To view the Warren team page, click here
Starting lineups
Stevenson (10-3-0) (4-3-3)
G- Ryan Harper
D- Steven Nyc
D- Jacob Stoga
D- Daniel Saltzman
D- Gavin Blackley
M- Adam Hamad
M- Nazar Mormul
M- Segi Odongo
F- Alem Duratovic
F- Chris Xie
F- Anthony Skordilis
Warren (15-0-0) (4-3-3)
G- Nicholas Diana
D- Bradley Strauss
D- Alex Senko
D- Cael Harris
D- Chris Aldazaba
M- Sebastian Rodriguez
M- Max Floriani
M- Noe Martinez
F- Edward Luna
F- Ishaan Shah
F- Miguel Garcia
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ishaan Shah, sr., F, Warren
Officials
Rick Gaetti (center); Justin O'Brien (assistant); Paul Enzinger (assistant)
Scoring summary
First half
Warren: Martinez (Shah) 16'
Stevenson: Duratovic (PK) 21'
Warren: Shah (Floriani) 30'
Second half
Warren: Martinez (Rodriguez) 44'
Warren: Shah (Senko) 46'
Warren: Shah (U/A) 57'
Stevenson: Chen (Gopalam) 68'
Stevenson in NSC tourney title game
Seniors nets hat-trick in 5-2 win, caps undefeated season
By Mike Garofola
LINCOLNSHIRE -- The pace. The power. The precision.
Aesthetically speaking, Ishaan Shah was simply astonishing in his final appearance Saturday night in Lincolnshire wearing a Warren kit.
The Blue Devils senior bagged a trio of YouTube worthy goals – each one better than the other -- to lead the Blue Devils to a 5-2 victory against league rival Stevenson (10-3-0) to capture the North Suburban Conference tournament championship.
"That was an impressive night for Mr. Shah - but for that matter, it was a terrific night of soccer for all of our guys," said proud Warren manager Jason Ahonen, whose men just a few days earlier earned the fourth league crown in program history.
"I don't know how to describe the effort from (Shah) tonight. It was almost as if he wasn't human," joked teammate Alex Semak, who himself, turned in a magnificent performance for his club.
"I guess I had just one of those nights," said Shah in the understatement of the year.
Because of this COVID-shortened season, it was decided an end of the year conference tournament would be a nice way to give the eight clubs another game or two before officially calling it quits.
"It's been a difficult season for everyone. None of us really knew when we could lose games due to COVID, or even the entire season," began Ahonen.
"The decision to get a tournament together right after the regular season was a good one, and Stevenson has been a terrific host."
The Blue Devils (15-0-0) shut out its first two tournament opponents: Waukegan 5-0 in the Thursday quarterfinal; then Saturday afternoon when it dispatched semifinal foe Mundelein 3-0.
"I know we had to work a little harder than Warren did to get here," said Patriots manager Pepe Jon Chavez prior to this contest. “Their legs are likely fresher than ours.”
Chavez' tactical plan made sense in theory, however the Blue Devils dominated from the first whistle, and it seemed only a matter of time before they scored. Warren pinned Stevenson back in its own territory while probing for openings at will.
Patriots keeper Ryan Harper narrowly beat Shah to a 50/50 ball inside his box in the second minute, then watched Shah trick his way past a trio of defenders before firing his close-range attempt toward the near post. Harper turned away the shot.
Warren continued to push forward and played some nice, neat futbol, dominating the passing and possession stats. The visitors had a chance to be dangerous with three deep Senko throws. Stevenson countered after Warren’s poorly played square ball with a Chris Xie effort that went over the bar.
Warren racked up, conservatively, 80 percent the possession through the first half and had nearly twice as many completed passes as their opponents. Chris Aldazaba, Cael Harris, Bradley Strauss and Senko contributed to the sharp distribution.
The opener came after Shah latched onto an early ball out of the back. The Blue Devils leading scorer burst up the right side, and unloaded a wicked drive off the gloves of Harper.
Teammate Noe Martinez, following the play with keen interest, calmly thumped home his one-timer in the 16th minute for a 1-0 lead.
"Stevenson was a quality side. In fact, they were the only team to score first against us last time we played," began Rodriguez.
"To get that first goal is always important. It was big for our team, because it set the tone for the rest of the night."
The Blue Devils were flying high after the Martinez goal, but instead of building on their success, they allowed the Patriots to claw back into the game. A well-played combination between Duratovic and Anthony Skordilis ended with Xie taken down in the box.
Blue Devils keeper Nicholas Diana guessed correctly that Duratovic would send his spot-kick to his left, but the Patriots all-time goal-scoring leader had too much pace on his attempt and leveled the proceedings at 21 minutes.
The PK conversion produced Duratovic’s 21st goal of the season and 51st in a wonderful high school career.
"When the season began, I knew I had a chance at breaking the record of 45. To do that and to be a part of a team that advanced into the conference tournament final is a great way to end my career,” said Duratovic, who is leaning towards attending Division III national power Kenyon College in Ohio.
"(Coach PePe Jon) Chavez has come here, and he immediately changed the culture for the Stevenson soccer program. Although we came up short tonight, I am very proud of our team, and feel very fortunate to be a part of that change, which I know is going to produce some very good teams in the future."
Warren found itself in a game with a recharged Stevenson.
"That PK really brought them to life, so you're naturally nervous that momentum will carry on through the rest of the way," admitted Ahonen.
"There's a lot of experience on this team," offered Senko. “So, there wasn't any panic after that PK got them back even. We just went back to playing the way we play.”
Minutes after the Patriots equalized, Senko nearly helped put his club ahead with a well-delivered free kick from the midline that Shah came this close to latching on to.
The Blue Devils leading scorer however, did not miss on his next chance.
Max Floriani put a lovely ball onto the right foot of Shah along the right side. The senior showed how difficult it is for an opponent to get the better of him and shielded his marker. He then outmaneuvered another Patriot before racing into the box and unloading a nasty shot off Ryan Harper and into the back of the net.
"Ish made us all look good tonight. He was an absolute beast,' said Floriani, who will play next fall at St. Louis University, and was named an all-stater by Chicagoland Soccer in 2019.
Floriani, Rodriguez, Senko, and Shah, who were featured in an earlier Chicagoland Soccer feature, all played on the varsity as sophomores and have been key figures in the rise of Warren, which was named the top team in the Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 season-ending poll.
Click here to read Feature story: Warren quartet ready to make noise
While the dominate play of Shah and his Blue Devils teammates were the talk of the first 40 minutes, the highlight of the half might have been an individual effort from Senko in the waning minutes.
That's when his deep throw in the Patriots end quickly turned into a 2-v-1 counter from the home sides Xie and Nazar Mormul.
With the Patriots duo was off and running at Warren keeper Nic Diana, who came far off his line to challenge, Senko sprinted to get himself in position to take a sure goal off the line.
"Just doing my job," said Senko.
"I wanted my last high school game for Warren, and (Ahonen) to be my best. I feel that's what I was able to do. My teammates did as well."
"You go into the break happy to be chasing just one goal against Warren,” said Stevenson’s mentor Chavez. “But it was too much no. 11 (Shah) for us to handle, and a team that has so much talent all throughout their first 11. "
The Blue Devils razor-sharp offense proved the difference with three scores after the break.
Martinez gave Warren the lead with help from Rodriguez in the 45th minute. That set the stage for another Shah highlight.
He brought the Blue Devils faithful out of their seats 60 seconds later with a guided missile from an impossible angle that exploded off the underside of the bar.
"Ish is one of those players that you expect something magical each and every time he has the ball," said Rodriguez.
Shah claimed his hat-trick and 20th of the season with another brilliant effort in the 57th minute. At full throttle he went left-right-left- right to beat Harper a final time.
Henry Chen pulled one back for the home side at 68 minutes, but after Shah’s triple, the game was decided.
Ahonen eased in a handful of substitutes into the match. He brought his first 11 back on late so this magnificent group was on the pitch when the clock struck zero.
"To look back when we came up as sophomores - then to see the success we achieved this season is really just amazing," said Floriani. “It was great to win the double (regular season, conference tournament). What a way for us to go out.”
The Blue Devils outscored their opponents 53-5 this season, and Diana recorded 11 clean-sheets along the way.
"Could we have gone 21-0 or 22-0 and played for a state title? I believe we could have,” said Rodriguez. “We felt with our brand of soccer and with the talent we have on our roster, we could have been in that state final.
"But to win the regular season league title, then conference tournament, was a great way to end the season."
"Ahonen told us afterwards how much he loved us as players and people and that all of our hard work and dedication was the reason for our success this year," said Senko.
"To end our season with a perfect 15-0-0 record was the perfect way to end our season."
"The group we brought up as sophomores: Edward Luna, Giovanni Juarez, Floriani, Martinez, Rodriguez, Senko, Shah, and Strauss were, and are a remarkable bunch of young men," began a proud Ahonen.
"I am the fortunate one that has benefitted from outstanding parental support that put the players in a club environment to help them grow and develop.
"I hit a home run with this group, and it's been an amazing journey - they're going to be greatly missed."
To view the Warren team page, click here
Starting lineups
Stevenson (10-3-0) (4-3-3)
G- Ryan Harper
D- Steven Nyc
D- Jacob Stoga
D- Daniel Saltzman
D- Gavin Blackley
M- Adam Hamad
M- Nazar Mormul
M- Segi Odongo
F- Alem Duratovic
F- Chris Xie
F- Anthony Skordilis
Warren (15-0-0) (4-3-3)
G- Nicholas Diana
D- Bradley Strauss
D- Alex Senko
D- Cael Harris
D- Chris Aldazaba
M- Sebastian Rodriguez
M- Max Floriani
M- Noe Martinez
F- Edward Luna
F- Ishaan Shah
F- Miguel Garcia
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ishaan Shah, sr., F, Warren
Officials
Rick Gaetti (center); Justin O'Brien (assistant); Paul Enzinger (assistant)
Scoring summary
First half
Warren: Martinez (Shah) 16'
Stevenson: Duratovic (PK) 21'
Warren: Shah (Floriani) 30'
Second half
Warren: Martinez (Rodriguez) 44'
Warren: Shah (Senko) 46'
Warren: Shah (U/A) 57'
Stevenson: Chen (Gopalam) 68'