Big half leads Willowbrook to comeback win
4-goals after the break deliver 6-4 win over Proviso West, moves record to .500 mark
By Dave Owen
ADDISON – With both offenses whipping up a proverbial storm of scoring, it was perhaps fitting and timely that Willowbrook’s Dorian Mahone be in the center of it all.
Mahone’s goal with 23:42 left put the Warriors (2-2-1) in the lead for good against Proviso West at 4-3.
Later, Mahone’s rush towards the net on a well-struck Kalep Martinez free kick helped force an own goal header by a Panthers player. That play wrapped up a wild 6-4 win for Willowbrook in the seventh place match of the 9th annual Joe Novy Classic at Addison Trail.
“We started to have more confidence,” Mahone said of the Warriors’ four-goal second half eruption, “and started passing it around really well. That just built up into scores.”
Hurricane Dorian has been all over the news as it causes havoc on the Atlantic coast. Saturday, Willowbrook’s version of Dorian teamed with fellow offensive standouts Norman Deci (two goals) and Alejandro Perez (goal, assist) to produce stormy times for the Proviso West defense.
“It’s cool to see your name a lot,” Mahone said of Hurricane Dorian, “but it’s bad though (with the hurricane’s damage).”
On the soccer pitch, Saturday’s rally from a 3-2 deficit ended a recent stretch of turbulent times for the Warriors.
“The season hasn’t been that good so far,” Mahone said. “We lost a couple games like 7-0 (including Thursday vs. Sycamore). But we had a good first game against Elmwood Park (a 4-2 win in the 2019 opener), and this game is really good for us because it gives us confidence.”
Senior standout Deci gave Willowbrook an instant confidence boost Saturday, scoring off an Ahmed Amro assist in the first minute of the game.
Then after Proviso West fired two shots in the next two minutes (both saved by Willowbrook goalkeeper Isai Aparicio), the Warriors were back on the offensive for a 2-0 lead just 4:27 into the match.
On a two-man break into the box, Devin Guallpa put away a pass from sophomore Perez and Willowbrook appeared to be off and running.
Instead, Proviso West (1-6-0) proved their early volley of two quality shots was no fluke.
In the 10th minute, Christian Martinez’s well-struck, 22-yard one-timer halved the Warriors lead to 2-1.
“I feel goals pump us up to start scoring even more and play harder,” Proviso West’s senior striker said. “That worked out when we scored early.”
It worked out very well for the Panthers over the rest of the half.
Three minutes later, Martinez nicely dribbled in left and angled a 6-yarder inches wide of the right post.
Willowbrook's Kalep Martinez had a strong game defensively and on set pieces, and his 55-yard free kick send in the 19th minute resulted in a Deci header that produced a juggling save by Proviso West goalkeeper Juan Contreras.
But outside of that play and a Francisco Perez corner kick that missed a back post connection in the 23rd minute, the Panthers had the majority of late first half chances and eventually a 3-2 halftime lead.
The tying goal came 15:41 before halftime, when a Warriors foul in the box led to a penalty kick goal by Proviso West’s Luis Gonzalez.
Then just over three minutes later, Christian Martinez’s hit a low, 28-yard rocket off the right post and into the net.
“I told the team at halftime that our defense really needed to tighten up,” Willowbrook coach Dan Riskind said. “I wasn’t real happy that we gave up three goals in the first half. And they did tighten up.”
The Warriors’ defensive resurgence actually began just before halftime.
Ruben Valle’s block in the box of a Christian Martinez shot in the 32nd minute denied one threat. Then 3:30 before halftime, a combined effort by Mahone (block) and Guallpa (long clear) diffused a Panthers corner kick send.
Willowbrook’s offense then would provide a late half sneak peek of things to come.
On Perez’s high chip into the box in the 39th minute, goalkeeper Contreras raced out to make a leaping one-handed deflection and deny an impending header bid by Eric Hoda.
A strong 45-yard Kalep Martinez free kick with just 1.1 seconds left in the half produced another scramble deep in the box.
Time ran out before that battle for the ball could pay off for the Warriors. But a wave of second half chances and finishes was still to come.
“I think we got the wakeup after the first half,” said Deci, whose two-goal game earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors. “We realized that we were playing bad.
“I took the play more direct with through-balls and stuff. We had to start scoring because it wasn’t working (in the first half).”
Willowbrook produced early second half near-misses with 38:05 left (a Contreras save off his line of a Perez left-side drive) and 33:20 to go (a Deci drive into the side of the net).
Then after a dose of defense (a Kevin Kapica block and Amro clear of a Proviso West free kick with 32:50 to play), the Warriors produced two long free kicks just off frame (by Perez and then Mahone).
Finally, a nice counterattack tied the score 3-3 with 26:28 left on the clock.
On a play that began with a Perez block of Christian Martinez’s free kick, a Willowbrook burst to the opposite end of the field ended with Deci’s left-wing attack and putaway into the lower right corner of the net.
“We were trying to keep the ball out of the back early, trying to keep (Proviso West) off it,” Deci said. “But our game plan wasn’t working, so we switched up at the half and our outside mids starting hitting us on the outsides.
“We started pushing up with through-balls, and I just had to do my job and finish the ball off.”
A wide-open match like Saturday is a forward’s dream.
“The through-balls were really nice,” Deci said. “I wish they came a little more often so I could get more touches and shots off, but that’s always the way it is (for scorers). But I liked it.”
The Deci goal began a Warriors offensive blitz.
With 24:50 left, shots by Deci (blocked) and Perez (over the net) were part of a rush into the box. Then 45 seconds later, Contreras leaped to swat away a cross to the crease with Perez racing in for a potential redirect.
It took just 23 seconds after that chance for Willowbrook to strike on another counterattack for a 4-3 lead.
“Kevin Kapica had the ball in the midfield, and I made a run,” Mahone said of his first goal of 2019. “He played me through, and I got to hit them (the defense) with a move and then a left-foot shot (into the net).”
Willowbrook endured a major threat with 19:45 to go (a shot off the crossbar by Proviso West’s Salvador Torres) before a great second effort from Perez upped the lead to 5-3 with 16:53 left.
After his initial shot was blocked, Perez corralled the rebound left of the goal and nicely chipped a 12-yard rebound try under the crossbar.
“I think it was a lot of good individual effort by the players,” Riskind said.
“Norman has been dominating this whole tournament. He’s really good. Fran Perez is solid, and Devin (Guallpa) and Kalep (Martinez) our two central defensive midfielders just anchor everything for us and hold us together. And Alejandro has been really good too.”
But just as Willowbrook started to roll with three unanswered goals, Proviso West reminded them the game wasn’t finished.
With 12:49 left, Ortiz’s 15-yard liner into the upper left corner cut the Warriors lead to 5-4.
But on his day of nice sends upfield and strong set pieces, Kalep Martinez saved the best for last.
His free kick send from the left side 35 yards out resulted in a header attempt jump ball deep in the box between Mahone and a Panthers defender which flicked off the Proviso West player and into the net for a 6-4 final margin.
Kalep Martinez later helped make that lead stand up, leaping to head the ball away from danger on a long Panthers send to the box with 4:10 to go.
With one minute left, a Kapica deflection and Alvaro Gaspar clear denied a brewing Proviso West attack 35 yards out. Aparicio then sealed the win with 10 seconds left with a diving save at the left post of a Panthers shot.
“It’s still a work in progress,” Riskind said. “There’s a lot to get better.
“But we’ve shown resiliency. That’s something we’ve been working on this season. And we showed that resiliency. When we got scored on, we came back. I’m proud of the boys for that.”
For Proviso West, a day that began with a comeback from an early 2-0 deficit ended with a halftime lead vanishing into a loss.
“We learned that we probably have to start playing hard from the beginning,” Christian Martinez said. “Not stepping down, not being overconfident, stuff like that.”
After a recent dip in fortunes, the Warriors showed they had the right stuff Saturday.
“I think it’s a good momentum shift,” Deci said. “We’re 2-2-1 now, so we’re getting back there. It’s a good forward direction that we’re going. I like where we’re going now. We’re getting players back from injuries, and we’re starting to really look like a team.”
Mahone is one of those players just returning from injury, and is seeing chemistry develop.
“We’re building as a team,” he said. “We have some players who don’t play club, and we kind of work with them to get them better. Those of us who play club already know what the routine is, so we try to get them to follow along.”
In his first year at Willowbrook after coming over from Aurora Central, Riskind is also seeing nice early season progress.
“I think it’s about experience,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries. There’s still a lot for us to work on, but I think we’re starting to put our system in place. So we can keep building on what we’ve been working on.”
Starting lineups
Willowbrook
GK: Isai Aparicio
D: Kevin Kapica
D: Brian Fuentes
D: Leonardo Rios
D: Francisco Perez
M: Kalep Martinez
M: Devin Guallpa
M: Alejandro Perez
M: Ahmed Amro
F: Norman Deci
F: Dorian Mahone
Proviso West
GK: Juan Contreras
D: Houmam Kassar
D: Luis Gonzalez
D: Edgar Rocha
D: Jose Contreras
M: Jose Ojeda
M: Christian Martinez
M: Jhovanny Mejia
M: Alfredo Hurtado
F: Fernando Ortiz
F: Salvador Torres
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Norman Deci, sr. F, Willowbrook
Scoring summary
First half
Will- Norman Deci (Ahmed Amro), 1st minute
Will- Devin Guallpa (Alejandro Perez), 5th minute
PW- Christian Martinez, 10th minute
PW- Luis Gonzalez (PK), 25th minute
PW- Martinez, 28th minute
Second half
Will- Deci (Damian Mahone), 54th minute
Will- Mahone (Kevin Kapica), 57th minute
Will- Perez, 64th minute
PW- Fernando Ortiz, 68th minute
Will- own goal (Kalep Martinez free kick send), 69th minute
4-goals after the break deliver 6-4 win over Proviso West, moves record to .500 mark
By Dave Owen
ADDISON – With both offenses whipping up a proverbial storm of scoring, it was perhaps fitting and timely that Willowbrook’s Dorian Mahone be in the center of it all.
Mahone’s goal with 23:42 left put the Warriors (2-2-1) in the lead for good against Proviso West at 4-3.
Later, Mahone’s rush towards the net on a well-struck Kalep Martinez free kick helped force an own goal header by a Panthers player. That play wrapped up a wild 6-4 win for Willowbrook in the seventh place match of the 9th annual Joe Novy Classic at Addison Trail.
“We started to have more confidence,” Mahone said of the Warriors’ four-goal second half eruption, “and started passing it around really well. That just built up into scores.”
Hurricane Dorian has been all over the news as it causes havoc on the Atlantic coast. Saturday, Willowbrook’s version of Dorian teamed with fellow offensive standouts Norman Deci (two goals) and Alejandro Perez (goal, assist) to produce stormy times for the Proviso West defense.
“It’s cool to see your name a lot,” Mahone said of Hurricane Dorian, “but it’s bad though (with the hurricane’s damage).”
On the soccer pitch, Saturday’s rally from a 3-2 deficit ended a recent stretch of turbulent times for the Warriors.
“The season hasn’t been that good so far,” Mahone said. “We lost a couple games like 7-0 (including Thursday vs. Sycamore). But we had a good first game against Elmwood Park (a 4-2 win in the 2019 opener), and this game is really good for us because it gives us confidence.”
Senior standout Deci gave Willowbrook an instant confidence boost Saturday, scoring off an Ahmed Amro assist in the first minute of the game.
Then after Proviso West fired two shots in the next two minutes (both saved by Willowbrook goalkeeper Isai Aparicio), the Warriors were back on the offensive for a 2-0 lead just 4:27 into the match.
On a two-man break into the box, Devin Guallpa put away a pass from sophomore Perez and Willowbrook appeared to be off and running.
Instead, Proviso West (1-6-0) proved their early volley of two quality shots was no fluke.
In the 10th minute, Christian Martinez’s well-struck, 22-yard one-timer halved the Warriors lead to 2-1.
“I feel goals pump us up to start scoring even more and play harder,” Proviso West’s senior striker said. “That worked out when we scored early.”
It worked out very well for the Panthers over the rest of the half.
Three minutes later, Martinez nicely dribbled in left and angled a 6-yarder inches wide of the right post.
Willowbrook's Kalep Martinez had a strong game defensively and on set pieces, and his 55-yard free kick send in the 19th minute resulted in a Deci header that produced a juggling save by Proviso West goalkeeper Juan Contreras.
But outside of that play and a Francisco Perez corner kick that missed a back post connection in the 23rd minute, the Panthers had the majority of late first half chances and eventually a 3-2 halftime lead.
The tying goal came 15:41 before halftime, when a Warriors foul in the box led to a penalty kick goal by Proviso West’s Luis Gonzalez.
Then just over three minutes later, Christian Martinez’s hit a low, 28-yard rocket off the right post and into the net.
“I told the team at halftime that our defense really needed to tighten up,” Willowbrook coach Dan Riskind said. “I wasn’t real happy that we gave up three goals in the first half. And they did tighten up.”
The Warriors’ defensive resurgence actually began just before halftime.
Ruben Valle’s block in the box of a Christian Martinez shot in the 32nd minute denied one threat. Then 3:30 before halftime, a combined effort by Mahone (block) and Guallpa (long clear) diffused a Panthers corner kick send.
Willowbrook’s offense then would provide a late half sneak peek of things to come.
On Perez’s high chip into the box in the 39th minute, goalkeeper Contreras raced out to make a leaping one-handed deflection and deny an impending header bid by Eric Hoda.
A strong 45-yard Kalep Martinez free kick with just 1.1 seconds left in the half produced another scramble deep in the box.
Time ran out before that battle for the ball could pay off for the Warriors. But a wave of second half chances and finishes was still to come.
“I think we got the wakeup after the first half,” said Deci, whose two-goal game earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors. “We realized that we were playing bad.
“I took the play more direct with through-balls and stuff. We had to start scoring because it wasn’t working (in the first half).”
Willowbrook produced early second half near-misses with 38:05 left (a Contreras save off his line of a Perez left-side drive) and 33:20 to go (a Deci drive into the side of the net).
Then after a dose of defense (a Kevin Kapica block and Amro clear of a Proviso West free kick with 32:50 to play), the Warriors produced two long free kicks just off frame (by Perez and then Mahone).
Finally, a nice counterattack tied the score 3-3 with 26:28 left on the clock.
On a play that began with a Perez block of Christian Martinez’s free kick, a Willowbrook burst to the opposite end of the field ended with Deci’s left-wing attack and putaway into the lower right corner of the net.
“We were trying to keep the ball out of the back early, trying to keep (Proviso West) off it,” Deci said. “But our game plan wasn’t working, so we switched up at the half and our outside mids starting hitting us on the outsides.
“We started pushing up with through-balls, and I just had to do my job and finish the ball off.”
A wide-open match like Saturday is a forward’s dream.
“The through-balls were really nice,” Deci said. “I wish they came a little more often so I could get more touches and shots off, but that’s always the way it is (for scorers). But I liked it.”
The Deci goal began a Warriors offensive blitz.
With 24:50 left, shots by Deci (blocked) and Perez (over the net) were part of a rush into the box. Then 45 seconds later, Contreras leaped to swat away a cross to the crease with Perez racing in for a potential redirect.
It took just 23 seconds after that chance for Willowbrook to strike on another counterattack for a 4-3 lead.
“Kevin Kapica had the ball in the midfield, and I made a run,” Mahone said of his first goal of 2019. “He played me through, and I got to hit them (the defense) with a move and then a left-foot shot (into the net).”
Willowbrook endured a major threat with 19:45 to go (a shot off the crossbar by Proviso West’s Salvador Torres) before a great second effort from Perez upped the lead to 5-3 with 16:53 left.
After his initial shot was blocked, Perez corralled the rebound left of the goal and nicely chipped a 12-yard rebound try under the crossbar.
“I think it was a lot of good individual effort by the players,” Riskind said.
“Norman has been dominating this whole tournament. He’s really good. Fran Perez is solid, and Devin (Guallpa) and Kalep (Martinez) our two central defensive midfielders just anchor everything for us and hold us together. And Alejandro has been really good too.”
But just as Willowbrook started to roll with three unanswered goals, Proviso West reminded them the game wasn’t finished.
With 12:49 left, Ortiz’s 15-yard liner into the upper left corner cut the Warriors lead to 5-4.
But on his day of nice sends upfield and strong set pieces, Kalep Martinez saved the best for last.
His free kick send from the left side 35 yards out resulted in a header attempt jump ball deep in the box between Mahone and a Panthers defender which flicked off the Proviso West player and into the net for a 6-4 final margin.
Kalep Martinez later helped make that lead stand up, leaping to head the ball away from danger on a long Panthers send to the box with 4:10 to go.
With one minute left, a Kapica deflection and Alvaro Gaspar clear denied a brewing Proviso West attack 35 yards out. Aparicio then sealed the win with 10 seconds left with a diving save at the left post of a Panthers shot.
“It’s still a work in progress,” Riskind said. “There’s a lot to get better.
“But we’ve shown resiliency. That’s something we’ve been working on this season. And we showed that resiliency. When we got scored on, we came back. I’m proud of the boys for that.”
For Proviso West, a day that began with a comeback from an early 2-0 deficit ended with a halftime lead vanishing into a loss.
“We learned that we probably have to start playing hard from the beginning,” Christian Martinez said. “Not stepping down, not being overconfident, stuff like that.”
After a recent dip in fortunes, the Warriors showed they had the right stuff Saturday.
“I think it’s a good momentum shift,” Deci said. “We’re 2-2-1 now, so we’re getting back there. It’s a good forward direction that we’re going. I like where we’re going now. We’re getting players back from injuries, and we’re starting to really look like a team.”
Mahone is one of those players just returning from injury, and is seeing chemistry develop.
“We’re building as a team,” he said. “We have some players who don’t play club, and we kind of work with them to get them better. Those of us who play club already know what the routine is, so we try to get them to follow along.”
In his first year at Willowbrook after coming over from Aurora Central, Riskind is also seeing nice early season progress.
“I think it’s about experience,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries. There’s still a lot for us to work on, but I think we’re starting to put our system in place. So we can keep building on what we’ve been working on.”
Starting lineups
Willowbrook
GK: Isai Aparicio
D: Kevin Kapica
D: Brian Fuentes
D: Leonardo Rios
D: Francisco Perez
M: Kalep Martinez
M: Devin Guallpa
M: Alejandro Perez
M: Ahmed Amro
F: Norman Deci
F: Dorian Mahone
Proviso West
GK: Juan Contreras
D: Houmam Kassar
D: Luis Gonzalez
D: Edgar Rocha
D: Jose Contreras
M: Jose Ojeda
M: Christian Martinez
M: Jhovanny Mejia
M: Alfredo Hurtado
F: Fernando Ortiz
F: Salvador Torres
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Norman Deci, sr. F, Willowbrook
Scoring summary
First half
Will- Norman Deci (Ahmed Amro), 1st minute
Will- Devin Guallpa (Alejandro Perez), 5th minute
PW- Christian Martinez, 10th minute
PW- Luis Gonzalez (PK), 25th minute
PW- Martinez, 28th minute
Second half
Will- Deci (Damian Mahone), 54th minute
Will- Mahone (Kevin Kapica), 57th minute
Will- Perez, 64th minute
PW- Fernando Ortiz, 68th minute
Will- own goal (Kalep Martinez free kick send), 69th minute