Last-second stop leaves
St. Francis, Wheaton N. with scoreless tie
Spartans' GK Thill bars the door on energetic Wheaton N. attack
By Dave Owen
ROSELLE- Draws are seldom exciting unless you’re Stan Lee.
On the soccer field instead of an action comic book, they produce little thrill at all for fans of scoring.
But capping off the 0-0 scoreless tie between St. Francis and Wheaton North in Thursday’s Hillner Classic first round game at Lake Park, the match had a down-to-the-wire finish defying the seemingly tame final score.
Click here for video highlights
St. Francis junior goalkeeper Adam Thill’s diving block of an Alex Beausoleil 16-yard shot with 50 seconds left was just a prelude.
With just 15 seconds to go, a furious Wheaton North push began with Thill’s stop on a Joseph Gaither 15-yarder, followed by the play of the night. After Beausoleil fielded the rebound in the crease with much of the net exposed, Thill managed to lunge to his right to make a diving save and cover of what appeared a sure, winning goal.
Thill was mostly into sharing the credit after the tie-preserving flurry.
“Jack Hartle our defender hit it (the first shot) actually, and then I just scrambled and got the rebound off of it,” said Thill. “He (Hartle) got the initial touch or it was probably going to go in.”
Said Spartans coach Kevin Ward: “If there’s a Man of the Match for us, it’s him (Thill), there’s no question about it.”
Thill’s heroics indeed earned him a share of the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match with Wheaton North standout midfielder Ethan Chikany.
And the two neighboring rivals shared one other thing Thursday besides that award. While feeling less than thrilled by how they played, both had a common feeling that good days lay ahead.
“We didn’t give up,” Ward said. “We worked hard. It’s just kind of hard to be pleased at this point. I know we can do so much better.”
Wheaton North coach Rob Stassen also dealt with mixed emotions.
“It’s one of those games where you’re frustrated,” Stassen said. “You’re proud of the way (the team) played, you can’t critique and be mad. But it’s difficult to walk out of this with a 0-0 tie.
“I almost feel like they won that result, and we lost. But first game together, we have nice things to work on, and I’m happy with where we’re going. We’ll come back.”
For Wheaton North, a strong first half provided a bookend of frustration to go with the what-if final seconds.
“The fact that it was 0-0 at the half still baffles the senses there,” Stassen said. “They (St. Francis) barely got out of their half (of the field), and I counted 17 possible chances for us in that first half. It’s disappointing we didn’t put one away.
“Then in the end there we have an open goal, and their keeper came out of nowhere. I don’t know how he did it. Credit to their goalkeeper.”
Shikany was equally impressed.
“Especially at the end he (Thill) had a lot of good reaction saves,” Shikany said. “He probably saved his team.
“It’s a tie that kind of feels like a loss,” Shikany added. “But it was a good performance, and we’ll look to come back stronger next time.”
The Falcons began to flap their wings early in the match.
In the fourth minute, a Gaither header off a Beausoleil cross was grabbed by Thill.
And even a St. Francis bid to score in the 17th minute spun into Wheaton North’s favor. An Alex Guiborat corner kick was quickly cleared upfield on a nice send from the Falcons’ Will Wanzenberg. That set up an eventual header just wide of the net by Jack Morrissey off a Gaither cross.
Later in the half, Thill made the save on a Gaither cross that deflected off St. Francis defender Trey Gora (in the 27th minute). A Gaither free kick left of the box went wide of the net (32nd minute), then Thill grabbed a Shikany 12-yard left side shot with two seconds left to close the half.
“We just stayed compact in the back and kept them at bay,” Thill said of the Spartans’ defensive effort.
On the Falcons’ side, Stassen had gigantic praise for his defense.
“We’ve been working with that backline for four years, and they are one of the best backlines I’ve seen,” he said.
“Our keeper (Ray Min) I think punted the ball twice. Everything else they played out of the back. Their confidence in the back – we like to play possession and go from there. With that backline I don’t get nervous.
“And the middles played hard, played strong and quick. Their possession was phenomenal. This is the first time we’ve played on grass, and to be able to manipulate the game like that in the first half was great.”
Ajay Patel’s shot just wide of the left post five minutes into the second half continued the Falcons’ offensive push. Then with 30:15 left, Beausoleil burst in 1-v.-1 off a Patel pass and sent a shot just wide right.
But St. Francis answered with its own quality chances in the next 12 minutes.
Min barely beat Guy DeFeo to the loose ball on a Gora send to the box with 27 minutes left, then the same Spartans’ passing combination produced a DeFeo shot over the net one minute later.
Then with 17:30 left, a Nicholas Gulli corner kick was cleared by Falcons defender Jack Mancuso.
“We did create chances,” Ward said. “Just not enough. I don’t think we’ve figured out exactly what our personality is at this point in time.
“First game, I think there were jitters, excitement. We’ve got a lot of young kids on the field and have a lot of things to figure out right now. That’s kind of where we are. But it’s early.”
As Thursday’s game drew late, Wheaton North again turned up the heat. And the Spartans again stood tall.
A foul in the left corner set up a Gaither end line free kick with 15:50 left. His send to the crease was first deflected by Nathan Corrigan and then cleared from danger by Hartle.
Then after three St. Francis free kicks in the next five minutes (the last with 10:20 left. a high strong 35-yarder by Gulli that was grabbed by Min), the Falcons responded with a strong final eight-minute push that came so close to fruition.
i“I thought we played pretty well,” Shikany said. “Our subs helped a lot, especially at the end of the second half when they came out and gave us a boost of energy. They played a really big part tonight.”
Said Stassen: “We weren’t making a whole lot of subs, but it was nice that those guys that came off the bench seemed to charge the game. There was never a dip. That’s the first time we’ve had that in this program.”
After a night of strong defense and scoreless soccer to open the season, players on both sides had plenty of reason for optimism.
“I think it was a good showing for the first game of the season,” Thill said.
“Our team has a lot of potential. We have a lot of good freshmen on our team (four on varsity), and a lot of good sophomores as well (six, including starters Gora and Hartle). I’m looking forward to this season.”
As the young Spartans continue to mesh, the more experienced Falcons have their own hopes to soar.
“I think we’re looking good,” Shikany said. “We’re a couple finishes away from getting a win. Hopefully we have the first game jitters out of the way, and we’ll have a good season.”
Stassen is certainly excited about Shikany’s potential to have a very good year.
“Ethan is one of the most impressive kids I’ve met in my life,” he said. “He almost quit last year; he had a tough year off the field. And he came out (this year) like a bat out of hell.
“He was everywhere, taking shots, making plays, defending. It’s amazing to watch him play. He came off when he got a cramp, and two minutes later he said ‘Coach, I’m ready to go back in.’ He’s just a motor.
“We’ve never had that center mid depth, and Ethan, Ajay Patel and (reserve) Erik Rozanski -- those guys just keep getting better. Ethan I would say today gets my vote for Player of the Game, and I think there are many more to come.”
Both quality Wheaton sides have plenty more matches for 2018. But the end of Thursday’s battle will be one to remember.
“That last play – that was something for the ages,” Stassen said. “That (save) kind of ripped it out of our guys at the end, but they’re resilient. They’ll come back and on Saturday be a new team. Just make sure we finish them (quality chances) in October, and we’re good.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK- Adam Thill
D- Nathan Corrigan
D- Trey Gora
D- Jack Hartle
D- Sean Conley
M- Samuel Audy
M- Luke Herard
M- Sam Premak
M- Michael Fasana
M- Nicholas Gulli
F- Alex Guiborat
Wheaton North
GK- Ray Min
D- Jack Tegart
D- Jack Mancuso
D- Sunday Moo
D- Nathan Heyen
M- Ethan Shikany
M- Lael Mondragon
M- Jack Morrissey
M- Ajay Patel
F- Alex Beausoleil
F- Joseph Gaither
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Adam Thill, jr. GK, St. Francis
Ethan Shikany, sr. M, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
None
St. Francis, Wheaton N. with scoreless tie
Spartans' GK Thill bars the door on energetic Wheaton N. attack
By Dave Owen
ROSELLE- Draws are seldom exciting unless you’re Stan Lee.
On the soccer field instead of an action comic book, they produce little thrill at all for fans of scoring.
But capping off the 0-0 scoreless tie between St. Francis and Wheaton North in Thursday’s Hillner Classic first round game at Lake Park, the match had a down-to-the-wire finish defying the seemingly tame final score.
Click here for video highlights
St. Francis junior goalkeeper Adam Thill’s diving block of an Alex Beausoleil 16-yard shot with 50 seconds left was just a prelude.
With just 15 seconds to go, a furious Wheaton North push began with Thill’s stop on a Joseph Gaither 15-yarder, followed by the play of the night. After Beausoleil fielded the rebound in the crease with much of the net exposed, Thill managed to lunge to his right to make a diving save and cover of what appeared a sure, winning goal.
Thill was mostly into sharing the credit after the tie-preserving flurry.
“Jack Hartle our defender hit it (the first shot) actually, and then I just scrambled and got the rebound off of it,” said Thill. “He (Hartle) got the initial touch or it was probably going to go in.”
Said Spartans coach Kevin Ward: “If there’s a Man of the Match for us, it’s him (Thill), there’s no question about it.”
Thill’s heroics indeed earned him a share of the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match with Wheaton North standout midfielder Ethan Chikany.
And the two neighboring rivals shared one other thing Thursday besides that award. While feeling less than thrilled by how they played, both had a common feeling that good days lay ahead.
“We didn’t give up,” Ward said. “We worked hard. It’s just kind of hard to be pleased at this point. I know we can do so much better.”
Wheaton North coach Rob Stassen also dealt with mixed emotions.
“It’s one of those games where you’re frustrated,” Stassen said. “You’re proud of the way (the team) played, you can’t critique and be mad. But it’s difficult to walk out of this with a 0-0 tie.
“I almost feel like they won that result, and we lost. But first game together, we have nice things to work on, and I’m happy with where we’re going. We’ll come back.”
For Wheaton North, a strong first half provided a bookend of frustration to go with the what-if final seconds.
“The fact that it was 0-0 at the half still baffles the senses there,” Stassen said. “They (St. Francis) barely got out of their half (of the field), and I counted 17 possible chances for us in that first half. It’s disappointing we didn’t put one away.
“Then in the end there we have an open goal, and their keeper came out of nowhere. I don’t know how he did it. Credit to their goalkeeper.”
Shikany was equally impressed.
“Especially at the end he (Thill) had a lot of good reaction saves,” Shikany said. “He probably saved his team.
“It’s a tie that kind of feels like a loss,” Shikany added. “But it was a good performance, and we’ll look to come back stronger next time.”
The Falcons began to flap their wings early in the match.
In the fourth minute, a Gaither header off a Beausoleil cross was grabbed by Thill.
And even a St. Francis bid to score in the 17th minute spun into Wheaton North’s favor. An Alex Guiborat corner kick was quickly cleared upfield on a nice send from the Falcons’ Will Wanzenberg. That set up an eventual header just wide of the net by Jack Morrissey off a Gaither cross.
Later in the half, Thill made the save on a Gaither cross that deflected off St. Francis defender Trey Gora (in the 27th minute). A Gaither free kick left of the box went wide of the net (32nd minute), then Thill grabbed a Shikany 12-yard left side shot with two seconds left to close the half.
“We just stayed compact in the back and kept them at bay,” Thill said of the Spartans’ defensive effort.
On the Falcons’ side, Stassen had gigantic praise for his defense.
“We’ve been working with that backline for four years, and they are one of the best backlines I’ve seen,” he said.
“Our keeper (Ray Min) I think punted the ball twice. Everything else they played out of the back. Their confidence in the back – we like to play possession and go from there. With that backline I don’t get nervous.
“And the middles played hard, played strong and quick. Their possession was phenomenal. This is the first time we’ve played on grass, and to be able to manipulate the game like that in the first half was great.”
Ajay Patel’s shot just wide of the left post five minutes into the second half continued the Falcons’ offensive push. Then with 30:15 left, Beausoleil burst in 1-v.-1 off a Patel pass and sent a shot just wide right.
But St. Francis answered with its own quality chances in the next 12 minutes.
Min barely beat Guy DeFeo to the loose ball on a Gora send to the box with 27 minutes left, then the same Spartans’ passing combination produced a DeFeo shot over the net one minute later.
Then with 17:30 left, a Nicholas Gulli corner kick was cleared by Falcons defender Jack Mancuso.
“We did create chances,” Ward said. “Just not enough. I don’t think we’ve figured out exactly what our personality is at this point in time.
“First game, I think there were jitters, excitement. We’ve got a lot of young kids on the field and have a lot of things to figure out right now. That’s kind of where we are. But it’s early.”
As Thursday’s game drew late, Wheaton North again turned up the heat. And the Spartans again stood tall.
A foul in the left corner set up a Gaither end line free kick with 15:50 left. His send to the crease was first deflected by Nathan Corrigan and then cleared from danger by Hartle.
Then after three St. Francis free kicks in the next five minutes (the last with 10:20 left. a high strong 35-yarder by Gulli that was grabbed by Min), the Falcons responded with a strong final eight-minute push that came so close to fruition.
i“I thought we played pretty well,” Shikany said. “Our subs helped a lot, especially at the end of the second half when they came out and gave us a boost of energy. They played a really big part tonight.”
Said Stassen: “We weren’t making a whole lot of subs, but it was nice that those guys that came off the bench seemed to charge the game. There was never a dip. That’s the first time we’ve had that in this program.”
After a night of strong defense and scoreless soccer to open the season, players on both sides had plenty of reason for optimism.
“I think it was a good showing for the first game of the season,” Thill said.
“Our team has a lot of potential. We have a lot of good freshmen on our team (four on varsity), and a lot of good sophomores as well (six, including starters Gora and Hartle). I’m looking forward to this season.”
As the young Spartans continue to mesh, the more experienced Falcons have their own hopes to soar.
“I think we’re looking good,” Shikany said. “We’re a couple finishes away from getting a win. Hopefully we have the first game jitters out of the way, and we’ll have a good season.”
Stassen is certainly excited about Shikany’s potential to have a very good year.
“Ethan is one of the most impressive kids I’ve met in my life,” he said. “He almost quit last year; he had a tough year off the field. And he came out (this year) like a bat out of hell.
“He was everywhere, taking shots, making plays, defending. It’s amazing to watch him play. He came off when he got a cramp, and two minutes later he said ‘Coach, I’m ready to go back in.’ He’s just a motor.
“We’ve never had that center mid depth, and Ethan, Ajay Patel and (reserve) Erik Rozanski -- those guys just keep getting better. Ethan I would say today gets my vote for Player of the Game, and I think there are many more to come.”
Both quality Wheaton sides have plenty more matches for 2018. But the end of Thursday’s battle will be one to remember.
“That last play – that was something for the ages,” Stassen said. “That (save) kind of ripped it out of our guys at the end, but they’re resilient. They’ll come back and on Saturday be a new team. Just make sure we finish them (quality chances) in October, and we’re good.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK- Adam Thill
D- Nathan Corrigan
D- Trey Gora
D- Jack Hartle
D- Sean Conley
M- Samuel Audy
M- Luke Herard
M- Sam Premak
M- Michael Fasana
M- Nicholas Gulli
F- Alex Guiborat
Wheaton North
GK- Ray Min
D- Jack Tegart
D- Jack Mancuso
D- Sunday Moo
D- Nathan Heyen
M- Ethan Shikany
M- Lael Mondragon
M- Jack Morrissey
M- Ajay Patel
F- Alex Beausoleil
F- Joseph Gaither
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Adam Thill, jr. GK, St. Francis
Ethan Shikany, sr. M, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
None