Lake Park 1st team to ground Wheaton N.
No. 11 Lancers calm and cool in 2-0 Hillner Classic conquest
By Steve Nemeth
ROSELLE --- As far as Lake Park was concerned, the only cause for celebration Thursday was simply the 2-0 victory over Wheaton North.
Having won the first four matches in the Hillner Classic, did that mean the Lancers officially captured the championship for a second-straight year?
Immediate answers ranged from maybe, not yet, mathematically, most likely, to just win Saturday to remove any doubt.
Lake Park, ranked no. 11 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, has a 1 p.m. Saturday match with Hoffman Estates remaining which leaves the door open for a 4-1-0 finish in the round-robin event. Should York beat its last two tourney foes, the Dukes could match that mark. However, tiebreaker criteria begins with head-to-head and the Lancers (5-0) edged York 2-1.
So what’s the key to removing all doubt and starting the season with a six-match win streak?
“Balance and focusing on only the next match,” explained senior tri-captain Franco Presta. “We’ve got such a solid backline and a strong keeper, it makes it easier for us do the job offensively.”
For the four tournament matches, Lake Park has outscored its foes 10-1 (add in the season opener and its 12-2) proving Presta’s analysis.
In Thursday’s contest the hosts grabbed a lead, protected it, and then increased it -- a perfect formula for success.
Nothing particularly exceptional happened until 11:22 into the match. That’s when the hustle and all-around play of Jesus Juarez led to his spotting teammate Victor Pawlik pushing up into open space. The senior launched a 21-yard left-side blast that sailed inside the far right post.
“As a defender, in most games you look for chances to push up and try to get an opportunity to imagine you’re Renaldo,” Pawlik said of his season’s first goal.
“The pass from Jesus made the keeper rush back to the left, so I went far right. The contact felt good off my foot and seeing it curl inward, I thought ‘This’ll be a goal.’ It’s hard to express what an incredible feeling it is.”
That assist and the impact Juarez – aptly nicknamed Juice -- continued to have on the match made him an obvious choice for Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match acclaim.
“He simply had a heckuva of game, whether it was winning a ball, making phenomenal passes to allow the forwards to be more dangerous,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby noted. “He made it tough for Wheaton North’s backline to judge what he’d do. I don’t know if he made a bad play all match.”
“No. 10 was exceptional,” Wheaton North coach Rob Stassen concurred. “He had us a little rattled from the beginning. Don’t believe in making excuses, but the reality is we came out flat, and it was just hard to get things going. This was a third big game in four days, and we were tired. Couple of hamstring issues, a little frustration, being down to two subs, we clearly weren’t at out best. I’m not overly concerned, so we’ll take this match as a teaching point.”
More than a fair point considering it was the first setback for the Falcons (3-1-1).
Lake Park demonstrated the kind of dominant possession that would make a veteran teacher of the game like Norm Hillner proud. The former Lancer soccer coach, legendary Lake Park Hall of Famer and tournament honoree was in attendance and would have appreciated the stat sheet.
The Lancers owned a 12-4 advantage for overall shots and an 8-1 edge in shots on goal as well as a 7-0 tally for corner kicks.
Two minutes after taking the lead, Lake Park’s Frankie Ciara also pushed up for a 14-yard shot that Wheaton North goalie Ray Min saved by blocking it wide. Less than two minutes after that, the junior keeper raced off his line to make a defensive cover at the top of the box to thwart a potential breakaway.
Both Min and his Lancer counterpart Christian Lekki made several defensive catches or clears to negate potentially dangerous attacks on their net. At 37:21, Juarez drew the Lake Park reserves off their bench with a shot that missed the far post. Just 9:22 prior to halftime, it was Lekki’s turn to snare a ball out of the air to avoid a potential equalizer.
Five minutes into the second half, Min had to pick himself up off the deck following a collision that was part of a consistent Lancer attack. In addition to a few saves, the Falcons goalie also dispossessed Gray McClellan on one of a few defensive efforts off his line. But no keeper could handle the textbook execution of a well-placed corner.
With 15:24 left in regulation, Gabriel Mendrano tallied his first assist from a corner kick service that saw Presta time his run for an 11-yard laser of a header. It was his team-high fifth goal for the year.
“We practice corners a lot, and if you’re able to time it right and deflect it on the right angle it’s all just too fast for any goalie,” Presta explained.
The senior midfielder followed up on his earlier thoughts about the Lancers’ balance on defense and offense.
“We also have a high-level of chemistry with this team. Guys like Matteo (Costa), Tommy (Thomas), Juice, Gray (McClellan), Andy (Eliopoulos) and Paul (Grysbowicz), it’s like second nature,” Presta added. “We’re around each other on and off the field.”
For Lekki, the victory was also his third shutout of the year.
“A shutout is always the best kind of victory,” Lekki said. “I’m able to be very confident in our defense because of how well our backline plays.”
A point that Crosby agreed with.
“The whole backline is solid,” Crosby said about Thomas Zakic, Max Ellenbecker, Ciara and Pawlik. “It really starts with the center backs, Tommy and Max, being so composed. Between them and Christian, communication is a key to maneuvering people where they need to be.”
And Lake Park’s attention needs to be on Hoffman Estates to complete the Hillner in the fashion they desire. That's especially true after Hoffman Estates upset ranked Barrington earlier in the first week of the season. Then and only then, will the Lancers concern themselves with Tuesday’s home date that marks the debut of the new DuKane Conference. Lake Park welcomes Batavia as the eight-school league stages four matches that day.
Wheaton North will return to Krupke Memorial Field in October for the DuKane meeting of the two former DuPage Valley members. The Falcons look to regroup for Saturday’s Hillner match against York which will be followed by a visit to St. Charles North for their DuKane debut.
“We didn’t have a lot of ball possession today and even when we did, we didn’t make good use of it,” Wheaton North’s Erik Rozanski said. “Obviously we also need to create more chances and finish the ones we do make.”
Teammate Sunday Moo expressed similar frustration over North’s showing against Lake Park.
“We need to stay composed and keep cool. (Lake Park) did a good job of pressuring us, and there were times we panicked a little. That simply can’t happen.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK Ray Min
D Jack Mancuso
D Jack Tegart
D Nathan Heyen
D Sunday Moo
M Jack Morrissey
M Ajay Patel
M Ethan Shikany
M Erik Rozanski
F Joseph Gaither
F Alex Beausoleil
Lake Park
GK Christian Lekki
D Victor Pawlik
D Thomas Zakic
D Max Ellenbecker
D Frankie Ciara
M Paul Grysbowicz
M Matteo Costa
M Gabriel Mendrano
M Jesus Juarez
F Franco Presta
F Gray McClellan
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jesus Juarez, fr., F/M, Lake Park
Chicagoland Soccer Little Man of the Match: Jake Ellenbecker, ball boy, Lake Park, whose sprints weaved in and out between benches, the trainer's cart, and the officials' table
Referees: Arek Pugacewicz (center), Jordan Hanley, Dave Koder
Game summary
Lake Park 2, Wheaton North 0
Wheaton North 0 0 ---- 0 3-1-1
Lake Park 1 1 --- 1 5-0-0
Scoring
First half
LP: Pawlik 21-yard blast from left wing (Jaurez assist), 11:22 gone
Second half
LP: Presta 11-yard laser header inside left (Mendrano assist), 64:36 gone
Shots
WN 2 – 2 --- 4
LP 5 – 7 --- 12
Shots on goal
WN 0 – 1 --- 1
LP 4 – 4 --- 8
Saves (goalie)
WN (Kim) 3 – 3 --- 6
LP (Lekki) 0 – 1 --- 1
Corner kicks
WN 0 – 0 --- 0
LP 2 – 5 --- 7
Offsides
WN 0 – 0 --- 0
LP 1 – 0 --- 1
No. 11 Lancers calm and cool in 2-0 Hillner Classic conquest
By Steve Nemeth
ROSELLE --- As far as Lake Park was concerned, the only cause for celebration Thursday was simply the 2-0 victory over Wheaton North.
Having won the first four matches in the Hillner Classic, did that mean the Lancers officially captured the championship for a second-straight year?
Immediate answers ranged from maybe, not yet, mathematically, most likely, to just win Saturday to remove any doubt.
Lake Park, ranked no. 11 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, has a 1 p.m. Saturday match with Hoffman Estates remaining which leaves the door open for a 4-1-0 finish in the round-robin event. Should York beat its last two tourney foes, the Dukes could match that mark. However, tiebreaker criteria begins with head-to-head and the Lancers (5-0) edged York 2-1.
So what’s the key to removing all doubt and starting the season with a six-match win streak?
“Balance and focusing on only the next match,” explained senior tri-captain Franco Presta. “We’ve got such a solid backline and a strong keeper, it makes it easier for us do the job offensively.”
For the four tournament matches, Lake Park has outscored its foes 10-1 (add in the season opener and its 12-2) proving Presta’s analysis.
In Thursday’s contest the hosts grabbed a lead, protected it, and then increased it -- a perfect formula for success.
Nothing particularly exceptional happened until 11:22 into the match. That’s when the hustle and all-around play of Jesus Juarez led to his spotting teammate Victor Pawlik pushing up into open space. The senior launched a 21-yard left-side blast that sailed inside the far right post.
“As a defender, in most games you look for chances to push up and try to get an opportunity to imagine you’re Renaldo,” Pawlik said of his season’s first goal.
“The pass from Jesus made the keeper rush back to the left, so I went far right. The contact felt good off my foot and seeing it curl inward, I thought ‘This’ll be a goal.’ It’s hard to express what an incredible feeling it is.”
That assist and the impact Juarez – aptly nicknamed Juice -- continued to have on the match made him an obvious choice for Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match acclaim.
“He simply had a heckuva of game, whether it was winning a ball, making phenomenal passes to allow the forwards to be more dangerous,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby noted. “He made it tough for Wheaton North’s backline to judge what he’d do. I don’t know if he made a bad play all match.”
“No. 10 was exceptional,” Wheaton North coach Rob Stassen concurred. “He had us a little rattled from the beginning. Don’t believe in making excuses, but the reality is we came out flat, and it was just hard to get things going. This was a third big game in four days, and we were tired. Couple of hamstring issues, a little frustration, being down to two subs, we clearly weren’t at out best. I’m not overly concerned, so we’ll take this match as a teaching point.”
More than a fair point considering it was the first setback for the Falcons (3-1-1).
Lake Park demonstrated the kind of dominant possession that would make a veteran teacher of the game like Norm Hillner proud. The former Lancer soccer coach, legendary Lake Park Hall of Famer and tournament honoree was in attendance and would have appreciated the stat sheet.
The Lancers owned a 12-4 advantage for overall shots and an 8-1 edge in shots on goal as well as a 7-0 tally for corner kicks.
Two minutes after taking the lead, Lake Park’s Frankie Ciara also pushed up for a 14-yard shot that Wheaton North goalie Ray Min saved by blocking it wide. Less than two minutes after that, the junior keeper raced off his line to make a defensive cover at the top of the box to thwart a potential breakaway.
Both Min and his Lancer counterpart Christian Lekki made several defensive catches or clears to negate potentially dangerous attacks on their net. At 37:21, Juarez drew the Lake Park reserves off their bench with a shot that missed the far post. Just 9:22 prior to halftime, it was Lekki’s turn to snare a ball out of the air to avoid a potential equalizer.
Five minutes into the second half, Min had to pick himself up off the deck following a collision that was part of a consistent Lancer attack. In addition to a few saves, the Falcons goalie also dispossessed Gray McClellan on one of a few defensive efforts off his line. But no keeper could handle the textbook execution of a well-placed corner.
With 15:24 left in regulation, Gabriel Mendrano tallied his first assist from a corner kick service that saw Presta time his run for an 11-yard laser of a header. It was his team-high fifth goal for the year.
“We practice corners a lot, and if you’re able to time it right and deflect it on the right angle it’s all just too fast for any goalie,” Presta explained.
The senior midfielder followed up on his earlier thoughts about the Lancers’ balance on defense and offense.
“We also have a high-level of chemistry with this team. Guys like Matteo (Costa), Tommy (Thomas), Juice, Gray (McClellan), Andy (Eliopoulos) and Paul (Grysbowicz), it’s like second nature,” Presta added. “We’re around each other on and off the field.”
For Lekki, the victory was also his third shutout of the year.
“A shutout is always the best kind of victory,” Lekki said. “I’m able to be very confident in our defense because of how well our backline plays.”
A point that Crosby agreed with.
“The whole backline is solid,” Crosby said about Thomas Zakic, Max Ellenbecker, Ciara and Pawlik. “It really starts with the center backs, Tommy and Max, being so composed. Between them and Christian, communication is a key to maneuvering people where they need to be.”
And Lake Park’s attention needs to be on Hoffman Estates to complete the Hillner in the fashion they desire. That's especially true after Hoffman Estates upset ranked Barrington earlier in the first week of the season. Then and only then, will the Lancers concern themselves with Tuesday’s home date that marks the debut of the new DuKane Conference. Lake Park welcomes Batavia as the eight-school league stages four matches that day.
Wheaton North will return to Krupke Memorial Field in October for the DuKane meeting of the two former DuPage Valley members. The Falcons look to regroup for Saturday’s Hillner match against York which will be followed by a visit to St. Charles North for their DuKane debut.
“We didn’t have a lot of ball possession today and even when we did, we didn’t make good use of it,” Wheaton North’s Erik Rozanski said. “Obviously we also need to create more chances and finish the ones we do make.”
Teammate Sunday Moo expressed similar frustration over North’s showing against Lake Park.
“We need to stay composed and keep cool. (Lake Park) did a good job of pressuring us, and there were times we panicked a little. That simply can’t happen.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK Ray Min
D Jack Mancuso
D Jack Tegart
D Nathan Heyen
D Sunday Moo
M Jack Morrissey
M Ajay Patel
M Ethan Shikany
M Erik Rozanski
F Joseph Gaither
F Alex Beausoleil
Lake Park
GK Christian Lekki
D Victor Pawlik
D Thomas Zakic
D Max Ellenbecker
D Frankie Ciara
M Paul Grysbowicz
M Matteo Costa
M Gabriel Mendrano
M Jesus Juarez
F Franco Presta
F Gray McClellan
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jesus Juarez, fr., F/M, Lake Park
Chicagoland Soccer Little Man of the Match: Jake Ellenbecker, ball boy, Lake Park, whose sprints weaved in and out between benches, the trainer's cart, and the officials' table
Referees: Arek Pugacewicz (center), Jordan Hanley, Dave Koder
Game summary
Lake Park 2, Wheaton North 0
Wheaton North 0 0 ---- 0 3-1-1
Lake Park 1 1 --- 1 5-0-0
Scoring
First half
LP: Pawlik 21-yard blast from left wing (Jaurez assist), 11:22 gone
Second half
LP: Presta 11-yard laser header inside left (Mendrano assist), 64:36 gone
Shots
WN 2 – 2 --- 4
LP 5 – 7 --- 12
Shots on goal
WN 0 – 1 --- 1
LP 4 – 4 --- 8
Saves (goalie)
WN (Kim) 3 – 3 --- 6
LP (Lekki) 0 – 1 --- 1
Corner kicks
WN 0 – 0 --- 0
LP 2 – 5 --- 7
Offsides
WN 0 – 0 --- 0
LP 1 – 0 --- 1