Wheaton North brakes
down speedy Glenbard North
Baumgartner's 2nd half goal delivers 1-0 DuKane win
By Ken Keenan
CAROL STREAM -- Constant motion was the name of the game for host Glenbard North in DuKane Conference action against Wheaton North on Tuesday night. But a successful set-piece by the visitors ended up making the difference, and the Falcons walked away with a 1-0 win.
Junior midfielder Graham Stephenson and junior forward Jarrett Baumgartner teamed up for the winning tally, coming with 29:39 remaining in the second half. After a Panthers foul at midfield, Stephenson lined up a free kick from 50 yards and sent a slightly curling ball to the right side of the box. Baumgartner -- Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match -- finished with a perfect header into the far top corner.
"I was looking for him. He was wide open, and he connected on it," Stephenson said.
"I saw it in the air," continued Baumgartner. "It was a perfect ball -- the exact spot. And I look up, and it's in the top corner. I was ecstatic."
Wheaton North head coach Rob Stassen, whose squad improved to 8-3-1 overall and 1-0-1 in conference play with its first league win of the campaign, said, "Graham (Stephenson) could put a ball on a dime. He really stepped up today."
Combining dashes of speed with quick, give-and-go passing through the middle to start the game, Glenbard North (6-7-0, 0-2-0) stepped it up on the attack in hopes of planting an early dagger. The Panthers had a chance in the 3rd minute when zippy senior mid Erik Hernandez Flores skated in on the left side and unleashed a rocket from a wide angle that missed high.
In the 11th minute, Hernandez Flores fed junior forward Gabriel Jurado for a close-in try on the right side that was stopped by Falcons senior goalkeeper Ray Min.
Two minutes later, Min made a pair of spectacular saves to keep the match scoreless. After settling a free kick on the right side, Jurado fired from short range and was robbed by Min. Jurado pounced on the rebound with a dead-on look, but Min answered with another stellar stop.
"It's the same story," said relentless Glenbard North senior defender/mid Ode Emena. "We start off combining and attacking, but we can't put away our chances. That kind of hurts us."
Panthers junior mid Nathaniel Enriquez, another speedster, said, "It was a little frustrating. We couldn't get that finishing goal ... couldn't put it away."
Added Glenbard North skipper Spero Mandakas: "We've talked about it ... attacking in the first 15 to 20 minutes but not getting many goals. We want to attack and move the ball around. But then we kind of get away from ourselves a bit."
Wheaton North had its share of chances in the first half as well, including a one-timer on the doorstep by junior forward Gavin Thompson that Panthers junior keeper Martin Argirov handled in the 10th minute, and a left-footed strike by Baumgartner from deep on the right side in the 17th minute that Argirov snuffed.
Argirov also made a fine stop on a solid, 15-yard try by Falcons sophomore forward Ethan Martinez with 3 minutes to go before the break, and then made an equally snazzy save on a left-footed, 30-yard missile sent by Wheaton North senior mid Garrett Robinson in the 38th minute.
"Glenbard North, they're fast ... a speed team," Stassen said. "It took us a while, then we started to find our forwards."
After Wheaton North found the back of the net, the intensity level picked up as Glenbard North sought to notch the equalizer.
"Usually, down 1-0, we lose our mentality," Enriquez said. "But tonight we were trying to play our style and not get out of our game."
Added Emena: "When the other team scores, they get a lot of confidence. We try to stay focused. It's all a mindset."
The Panthers had several good looks down the stretch, notably a low, 20-yard shot by junior forward Nestor Dominguez that missed wide-left in the 66th minute; a running, left-footed boot from 20 yards by Hernandez Flores with 9:50 to go that also missed to the left; and a 25-yard strike by Emena that sailed just over the crossbar in the 74th minute.
With 3:30 showing, Jurado sizzled a 15-yard rocket high, and Falcons keeper Min nabbed a 25-yard Jurado free kick with only 1:54 left.
"Down 1-0, we wanted to get more numbers forward without being susceptible to their counter," Mandakas said. "Unfortunately, not as much link-up as we wanted."
Keeping the Panthers at bay the rest of the way was exactly what the Falcons had in mind. And with a short bench, it was all hands on deck for Stassen's crew. Due to illness and injury, Wheaton North was missing senior forwards Liam Lindsay, Badur Ibrahim and Will Wanzenberg, as well as junior middie Erik Rozanski.
Wheaton North junior defender Crystian Powell, part of a solid backline that included senior Tyler Larsen, and juniors Tristan Mackay and Kyle Schauer, among others, said, "Glenbard North had a lot of combination. After the goal, we wanted to lock everybody down. There's a lot more pressure with the lead. You can't make a mistake. It can change the whole game."
Stephenson said, "Glenbard North kept attacking, but we showed we can work through it and win. We had to lock down and focus on any opportunities for us."
Added Stassen: "With the lead, we were against the flow, and Glenbard North pressed hard. We tried to exploit them as much as we could. And our team defense ... limited bench, tons of players were stepping up. We really played as one team. We sustained their pressure and came out alright."
A pat on the back for maintaining a high-octane attack was anything but satisfactory in the eyes of Panthers coach Mandakas.
"We have to stop taking moral victories," he said. "The only thing that matters is the final result."
A result that left goal-scorer Baumgartner and Co. with some pep in their step looking forward.
"Our first conference win, it's super-important," Baumgartner said. "Now we know we can beat good teams."
Added Powell: "It's a big confidence booster ... shows us if we really work, we can beat anybody."
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
G: Ray Min
D: Kyle Schauer
D: Crystian Powell
D: Tyler Larsen
D: Tristan Mackay
M: Garret Robinson
M: Gyan Patel
M: Graham Stephenson
M: Max Riccelli
F: Jarrett Baumgartner
F: Gavin Thompson
Glenbard North
G: Martin Argirov
D: Ode Emena
D: Christopher Arroyo
D: Ren Santillan
D: Ramon Acosta
M: Emanuel Castanon
M: Erik Hernandez Flores
M: Raul Pasillas
M: Nathaniel Enriquez
F: Nestor Dominguez
F: Gabriel Jurado
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jarrett Baumgartner, jr., F, Wheaton North
Officials: John O'Bryan, Jim Brotsos, Scott Lichtfuss
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Wheaton North: Jarrett Baumgartner (assisted by Graham Stephenson) in 51st minute
down speedy Glenbard North
Baumgartner's 2nd half goal delivers 1-0 DuKane win
By Ken Keenan
CAROL STREAM -- Constant motion was the name of the game for host Glenbard North in DuKane Conference action against Wheaton North on Tuesday night. But a successful set-piece by the visitors ended up making the difference, and the Falcons walked away with a 1-0 win.
Junior midfielder Graham Stephenson and junior forward Jarrett Baumgartner teamed up for the winning tally, coming with 29:39 remaining in the second half. After a Panthers foul at midfield, Stephenson lined up a free kick from 50 yards and sent a slightly curling ball to the right side of the box. Baumgartner -- Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match -- finished with a perfect header into the far top corner.
"I was looking for him. He was wide open, and he connected on it," Stephenson said.
"I saw it in the air," continued Baumgartner. "It was a perfect ball -- the exact spot. And I look up, and it's in the top corner. I was ecstatic."
Wheaton North head coach Rob Stassen, whose squad improved to 8-3-1 overall and 1-0-1 in conference play with its first league win of the campaign, said, "Graham (Stephenson) could put a ball on a dime. He really stepped up today."
Combining dashes of speed with quick, give-and-go passing through the middle to start the game, Glenbard North (6-7-0, 0-2-0) stepped it up on the attack in hopes of planting an early dagger. The Panthers had a chance in the 3rd minute when zippy senior mid Erik Hernandez Flores skated in on the left side and unleashed a rocket from a wide angle that missed high.
In the 11th minute, Hernandez Flores fed junior forward Gabriel Jurado for a close-in try on the right side that was stopped by Falcons senior goalkeeper Ray Min.
Two minutes later, Min made a pair of spectacular saves to keep the match scoreless. After settling a free kick on the right side, Jurado fired from short range and was robbed by Min. Jurado pounced on the rebound with a dead-on look, but Min answered with another stellar stop.
"It's the same story," said relentless Glenbard North senior defender/mid Ode Emena. "We start off combining and attacking, but we can't put away our chances. That kind of hurts us."
Panthers junior mid Nathaniel Enriquez, another speedster, said, "It was a little frustrating. We couldn't get that finishing goal ... couldn't put it away."
Added Glenbard North skipper Spero Mandakas: "We've talked about it ... attacking in the first 15 to 20 minutes but not getting many goals. We want to attack and move the ball around. But then we kind of get away from ourselves a bit."
Wheaton North had its share of chances in the first half as well, including a one-timer on the doorstep by junior forward Gavin Thompson that Panthers junior keeper Martin Argirov handled in the 10th minute, and a left-footed strike by Baumgartner from deep on the right side in the 17th minute that Argirov snuffed.
Argirov also made a fine stop on a solid, 15-yard try by Falcons sophomore forward Ethan Martinez with 3 minutes to go before the break, and then made an equally snazzy save on a left-footed, 30-yard missile sent by Wheaton North senior mid Garrett Robinson in the 38th minute.
"Glenbard North, they're fast ... a speed team," Stassen said. "It took us a while, then we started to find our forwards."
After Wheaton North found the back of the net, the intensity level picked up as Glenbard North sought to notch the equalizer.
"Usually, down 1-0, we lose our mentality," Enriquez said. "But tonight we were trying to play our style and not get out of our game."
Added Emena: "When the other team scores, they get a lot of confidence. We try to stay focused. It's all a mindset."
The Panthers had several good looks down the stretch, notably a low, 20-yard shot by junior forward Nestor Dominguez that missed wide-left in the 66th minute; a running, left-footed boot from 20 yards by Hernandez Flores with 9:50 to go that also missed to the left; and a 25-yard strike by Emena that sailed just over the crossbar in the 74th minute.
With 3:30 showing, Jurado sizzled a 15-yard rocket high, and Falcons keeper Min nabbed a 25-yard Jurado free kick with only 1:54 left.
"Down 1-0, we wanted to get more numbers forward without being susceptible to their counter," Mandakas said. "Unfortunately, not as much link-up as we wanted."
Keeping the Panthers at bay the rest of the way was exactly what the Falcons had in mind. And with a short bench, it was all hands on deck for Stassen's crew. Due to illness and injury, Wheaton North was missing senior forwards Liam Lindsay, Badur Ibrahim and Will Wanzenberg, as well as junior middie Erik Rozanski.
Wheaton North junior defender Crystian Powell, part of a solid backline that included senior Tyler Larsen, and juniors Tristan Mackay and Kyle Schauer, among others, said, "Glenbard North had a lot of combination. After the goal, we wanted to lock everybody down. There's a lot more pressure with the lead. You can't make a mistake. It can change the whole game."
Stephenson said, "Glenbard North kept attacking, but we showed we can work through it and win. We had to lock down and focus on any opportunities for us."
Added Stassen: "With the lead, we were against the flow, and Glenbard North pressed hard. We tried to exploit them as much as we could. And our team defense ... limited bench, tons of players were stepping up. We really played as one team. We sustained their pressure and came out alright."
A pat on the back for maintaining a high-octane attack was anything but satisfactory in the eyes of Panthers coach Mandakas.
"We have to stop taking moral victories," he said. "The only thing that matters is the final result."
A result that left goal-scorer Baumgartner and Co. with some pep in their step looking forward.
"Our first conference win, it's super-important," Baumgartner said. "Now we know we can beat good teams."
Added Powell: "It's a big confidence booster ... shows us if we really work, we can beat anybody."
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
G: Ray Min
D: Kyle Schauer
D: Crystian Powell
D: Tyler Larsen
D: Tristan Mackay
M: Garret Robinson
M: Gyan Patel
M: Graham Stephenson
M: Max Riccelli
F: Jarrett Baumgartner
F: Gavin Thompson
Glenbard North
G: Martin Argirov
D: Ode Emena
D: Christopher Arroyo
D: Ren Santillan
D: Ramon Acosta
M: Emanuel Castanon
M: Erik Hernandez Flores
M: Raul Pasillas
M: Nathaniel Enriquez
F: Nestor Dominguez
F: Gabriel Jurado
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jarrett Baumgartner, jr., F, Wheaton North
Officials: John O'Bryan, Jim Brotsos, Scott Lichtfuss
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Wheaton North: Jarrett Baumgartner (assisted by Graham Stephenson) in 51st minute