Wheaton North drops 2 OT heartbreaker
Falcons lose lead late, fall in 99th minute to Glenbard West
By Ken Keenan
SCHAUMBURG -- Seemingly marching toward a decisive victory over Glenbard West in a Schaumburg Regional semifinal match Wednesday night, Wheaton North surrendered a 3-1 lead in the final minutes and ultimately fell to the Hilltoppers by a 4-3 count in double overtime.
The Falcons were in command until Glenbard West exploded for a pair of goals in a 29-second span to even the score at 3-3 with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. After a scoreless first overtime session, the Hilltoppers won it on a penalty kick by junior forward Jesus Meza after senior forward Seth Dillworth drew a foul in the box with 1:53 to to go the second OT.
Meza, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, scored the tying goal in the 76th minute when he tracked a long ball from Dillworth and then tipped a short shot over the head of Wheaton North junior goalkeeper Ray Min. Meza also notched two assists, including a long pass to Hilltoppers junior forward Owen Schiff, who found himself all alone in front before scoring with a low shot to Min's right -- with only 3:50 left in regulation.
"We always say that hope is strength," said Falcons head coach Rob Stassen, whose squad finished the 2018 campaign at 10-9-2 overall. "Our problem is, we've outplayed teams before and given them hope. We let teams tie us or beat us instead of putting them away. We like to put the foot on the throat, but then we take it off a bit and let them breathe.
"Unfortunately, the last 10 minutes tonight, we gave (Glenbard West) hope. They were pushing hard, and the entire tide of the game changed."
After grabbing a 2-1 halftime lead on a pair of goals by stellar senior forward Alex Beausoleil, Wheaton North increased the margin to 3-1 in the 45th minute. Moments after Falcons senior midfielder Ethan Shikany barely missed high on a 25-yard bullet, Shikany sent a well-placed corner kick to junior defender Tyler Larsen, who finished with a fabulous header past Hilltoppers sophomore keeper Oliver Holowinski.
"That header was beautiful," Stassen said. "He threw his body and everything into it."
Wheaton North opened the scoring with 33:26 left in the first half. Charging toward the net, Beausoleil finished a perfect cross sent by Shikany -- along the goal line on the right side -- with a nifty one-timer in-close.
Three minutes later, the Hilltoppers tied it at 1-1 when the speedy Dillworth settled a long ball sent by Meza and scored into the top left corner from 15 yards.
The Falcons regained the lead in the 17th minute on Beausoleil's second tally. Charging ahead once again, Beausoleil took a feed from fellow senior forward Jack Morrissey and beat Holowinski inside the right post from 20 yards on the right side.
Wheaton North had another good chance in the 27th minute, but Shikany's quick strike from 20 yards was handled by Holowinski. Less than a minute later, Falcons senior defender Sunday Moo nipped the crossbar with a head attempt on a 35-yard free kick by Shikany.
In turn, Glenbard West's Dillworth narrowly missed the bar on a 40-yard missile with 5:10 to go before the break.
"Early on, we were keeping possession ... move back, go forward, maybe play a long ball," Shikany said. "We played well at the start."
Stassen said, "We were working the game plan to perfection -- speed on the outside and expose (Glenbard West) in the back. Most importantly, the players stepped up, keeping the ball on the ground and playing with speed and confidence."
Holding the 3-1 lead, Wheaton North had the dagger in hand on a few occasions, notably during a stretch midway through the second half. In the 58th minute, Falcons senior forward Joseph Gaither uncorked a left-footed shot from 20 yards that Holowinski stopped, followed soon after by a 20-yard strike from Morrissey that missed wide-right.
With 19:30 to go in regulation, a corner kick by Wheaton North sophomore mid Erik Rozanski resulted in a Beausoleil head attempt that was cleared by the Hilltoppers defense.
Glenbard West picked up the pace with about seven minutes left, leaving only one man to defend the back end. Zooming in, Dillworth had a good look with 6:10 to go, but Falcons senior defender Jack Macuso stood tall to block the shot.
As the clock kept rolling, Wheaton North began sending in subs, and the Falcons seemed to lose a bit of focus at the same time.
"Some guys were hurting, cramping, and it was getting a little chippy out there," Stassen said. "At the time, I figured it was in our best interest to sub."
The Hilltoppers then struck gold with the two quick tallies to force extra time.
"Our second goal, that was a goal that told us it's not far away," Dillworth said. "We kept our focus and said it's only a matter of time until we get the job done."
Glenbard West head coach Maciej Kusmierz said, "Coming in, we knew Wheaton North had a quality team. We were a little nervous down 3-1, but that second goal gave us more confidence."
The Falcons had three solid opportunities in the first 10-minute OT, but Holowinski was equal to the task on tries by Mancuso and Gaither in the first two minutes -- and especially on a curling, left-footed, 25-yard strike by Gaither with 55 seconds left.
Meza then won it on his PK try in the second overtime, beating Min with a low blast just inside the right post.
"I took a deep breath, and I went to the right side," Meza said. "It's a crazy feeling. You don't really know how to feel when you win a game like this."
Added Dillworth, whose team improved to 12-4-3 and advanced to face Lake Park in the Schaumburg Regional final: "The feeling is indescribable ... like a fairy tale come true."
And just the opposite for the stunned Falcons.
"We fell asleep and gave the game away," Shikany said. "We thought we had it won. Credit to (Glenbard West)."
Echoed Morrissey: "We thought it was done, but we let them back in, and that was it. The whole game, we were kickin' it. We had the mentality to win it, but we fell apart, and it didn't go our way in the end."
Shell-shocked Falcons skipper Stassen offered no excuses for the late collapse.
"I take full responsibility as the driver of the ship," he said. "There's nine minutes left, it's 3-1 and (the Hilltoppers) looked like they were done. We thought we had it in the bag. It's heartbreaking. This was a very, very special group.
Stassen continued: "But this is life. This happens. You can't change it. So you learn from it. If you give a team hope, you have to take away that hope. You have to put the game away."
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
G: Ray Min
D: Tyler Larsen
D: Jack Tegart
D: Sunday Moo
D: Jack Mancuso
M: Ethan Shikany
M: Lael Mondragon
M: Erik Rozanski
F: Alex Beausoleil
F: Jack Morrissey
F: Joseph Gaither
Glenbard West
G: Oliver Holowinski
D: Connor Hryhorysak
D: Jack Gelfer
D: Joseph Dwyer
M: Kent Pollock
M: P.J. Knapke
M: Alex Olechowski
M: Paul Duvair
F: Seth Dillworth
F: Jeremiah Lanzillo
F: Jesus Meza
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jesus Meza, jr., F, Glenbard West
Officials: John Jakobze, Doug Neufeldt, Rich Grady
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton North: Alex Beausoleil (Ethan Shikany), 7th minute
Glenbard West: Seth Dillworth (Jesus Meza), 10th minute
Wheaton North: Beausoleil (Jack Morrissey), 17th minute
Second half
Wheaton North: Tyler Larsen (Shikany), 45th minute
Glenbard West: Owen Schiff (Meza), 76th minute
Glenbard West: Meza (Dillworth), 77th minute
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
Glenbard West: Meza (PK), 99th minute
Falcons lose lead late, fall in 99th minute to Glenbard West
By Ken Keenan
SCHAUMBURG -- Seemingly marching toward a decisive victory over Glenbard West in a Schaumburg Regional semifinal match Wednesday night, Wheaton North surrendered a 3-1 lead in the final minutes and ultimately fell to the Hilltoppers by a 4-3 count in double overtime.
The Falcons were in command until Glenbard West exploded for a pair of goals in a 29-second span to even the score at 3-3 with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. After a scoreless first overtime session, the Hilltoppers won it on a penalty kick by junior forward Jesus Meza after senior forward Seth Dillworth drew a foul in the box with 1:53 to to go the second OT.
Meza, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, scored the tying goal in the 76th minute when he tracked a long ball from Dillworth and then tipped a short shot over the head of Wheaton North junior goalkeeper Ray Min. Meza also notched two assists, including a long pass to Hilltoppers junior forward Owen Schiff, who found himself all alone in front before scoring with a low shot to Min's right -- with only 3:50 left in regulation.
"We always say that hope is strength," said Falcons head coach Rob Stassen, whose squad finished the 2018 campaign at 10-9-2 overall. "Our problem is, we've outplayed teams before and given them hope. We let teams tie us or beat us instead of putting them away. We like to put the foot on the throat, but then we take it off a bit and let them breathe.
"Unfortunately, the last 10 minutes tonight, we gave (Glenbard West) hope. They were pushing hard, and the entire tide of the game changed."
After grabbing a 2-1 halftime lead on a pair of goals by stellar senior forward Alex Beausoleil, Wheaton North increased the margin to 3-1 in the 45th minute. Moments after Falcons senior midfielder Ethan Shikany barely missed high on a 25-yard bullet, Shikany sent a well-placed corner kick to junior defender Tyler Larsen, who finished with a fabulous header past Hilltoppers sophomore keeper Oliver Holowinski.
"That header was beautiful," Stassen said. "He threw his body and everything into it."
Wheaton North opened the scoring with 33:26 left in the first half. Charging toward the net, Beausoleil finished a perfect cross sent by Shikany -- along the goal line on the right side -- with a nifty one-timer in-close.
Three minutes later, the Hilltoppers tied it at 1-1 when the speedy Dillworth settled a long ball sent by Meza and scored into the top left corner from 15 yards.
The Falcons regained the lead in the 17th minute on Beausoleil's second tally. Charging ahead once again, Beausoleil took a feed from fellow senior forward Jack Morrissey and beat Holowinski inside the right post from 20 yards on the right side.
Wheaton North had another good chance in the 27th minute, but Shikany's quick strike from 20 yards was handled by Holowinski. Less than a minute later, Falcons senior defender Sunday Moo nipped the crossbar with a head attempt on a 35-yard free kick by Shikany.
In turn, Glenbard West's Dillworth narrowly missed the bar on a 40-yard missile with 5:10 to go before the break.
"Early on, we were keeping possession ... move back, go forward, maybe play a long ball," Shikany said. "We played well at the start."
Stassen said, "We were working the game plan to perfection -- speed on the outside and expose (Glenbard West) in the back. Most importantly, the players stepped up, keeping the ball on the ground and playing with speed and confidence."
Holding the 3-1 lead, Wheaton North had the dagger in hand on a few occasions, notably during a stretch midway through the second half. In the 58th minute, Falcons senior forward Joseph Gaither uncorked a left-footed shot from 20 yards that Holowinski stopped, followed soon after by a 20-yard strike from Morrissey that missed wide-right.
With 19:30 to go in regulation, a corner kick by Wheaton North sophomore mid Erik Rozanski resulted in a Beausoleil head attempt that was cleared by the Hilltoppers defense.
Glenbard West picked up the pace with about seven minutes left, leaving only one man to defend the back end. Zooming in, Dillworth had a good look with 6:10 to go, but Falcons senior defender Jack Macuso stood tall to block the shot.
As the clock kept rolling, Wheaton North began sending in subs, and the Falcons seemed to lose a bit of focus at the same time.
"Some guys were hurting, cramping, and it was getting a little chippy out there," Stassen said. "At the time, I figured it was in our best interest to sub."
The Hilltoppers then struck gold with the two quick tallies to force extra time.
"Our second goal, that was a goal that told us it's not far away," Dillworth said. "We kept our focus and said it's only a matter of time until we get the job done."
Glenbard West head coach Maciej Kusmierz said, "Coming in, we knew Wheaton North had a quality team. We were a little nervous down 3-1, but that second goal gave us more confidence."
The Falcons had three solid opportunities in the first 10-minute OT, but Holowinski was equal to the task on tries by Mancuso and Gaither in the first two minutes -- and especially on a curling, left-footed, 25-yard strike by Gaither with 55 seconds left.
Meza then won it on his PK try in the second overtime, beating Min with a low blast just inside the right post.
"I took a deep breath, and I went to the right side," Meza said. "It's a crazy feeling. You don't really know how to feel when you win a game like this."
Added Dillworth, whose team improved to 12-4-3 and advanced to face Lake Park in the Schaumburg Regional final: "The feeling is indescribable ... like a fairy tale come true."
And just the opposite for the stunned Falcons.
"We fell asleep and gave the game away," Shikany said. "We thought we had it won. Credit to (Glenbard West)."
Echoed Morrissey: "We thought it was done, but we let them back in, and that was it. The whole game, we were kickin' it. We had the mentality to win it, but we fell apart, and it didn't go our way in the end."
Shell-shocked Falcons skipper Stassen offered no excuses for the late collapse.
"I take full responsibility as the driver of the ship," he said. "There's nine minutes left, it's 3-1 and (the Hilltoppers) looked like they were done. We thought we had it in the bag. It's heartbreaking. This was a very, very special group.
Stassen continued: "But this is life. This happens. You can't change it. So you learn from it. If you give a team hope, you have to take away that hope. You have to put the game away."
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
G: Ray Min
D: Tyler Larsen
D: Jack Tegart
D: Sunday Moo
D: Jack Mancuso
M: Ethan Shikany
M: Lael Mondragon
M: Erik Rozanski
F: Alex Beausoleil
F: Jack Morrissey
F: Joseph Gaither
Glenbard West
G: Oliver Holowinski
D: Connor Hryhorysak
D: Jack Gelfer
D: Joseph Dwyer
M: Kent Pollock
M: P.J. Knapke
M: Alex Olechowski
M: Paul Duvair
F: Seth Dillworth
F: Jeremiah Lanzillo
F: Jesus Meza
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jesus Meza, jr., F, Glenbard West
Officials: John Jakobze, Doug Neufeldt, Rich Grady
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton North: Alex Beausoleil (Ethan Shikany), 7th minute
Glenbard West: Seth Dillworth (Jesus Meza), 10th minute
Wheaton North: Beausoleil (Jack Morrissey), 17th minute
Second half
Wheaton North: Tyler Larsen (Shikany), 45th minute
Glenbard West: Owen Schiff (Meza), 76th minute
Glenbard West: Meza (Dillworth), 77th minute
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
Glenbard West: Meza (PK), 99th minute