Waubonsie Valley outlasts
Wheaton North in tough title game
Man of the Match Gallegos buries his PK miss for 1-0 win
By Steve Nemeth
PLAINFIELD --- One paradox in soccer is how coaches, players and fans can have diametrically opposing views, especially when it comes to fouls.
That pro-con, good-bad, true-false ambiguity often produces elation for one side and deep frustration for the other.
That was certainly the case following Saturday’s championship of the 2019 Plainfield Classic as Waubonsie Valley walked away with a gleaming trophy and a 1-0 victory while Wheaton North (7-4-1) walked away with its second, second place finish of the season.
Those deep emotions are understandable when considering all the heart, hustle, sweat and bruises that occurred from one Saturday to the next in an event that continues to grow in prestige and competitive quality.
Especially when the final two teams square off from what began as four-separate, four-team groups and played a semifinal earlier in the day.
There was 4:47 remaining in the opening half when a whistle resulted in a penalty kick for Waubonsie Valley. Despite the odds being heavily against the goalie in the one-on-one situation, veteran Wheaton North goalie Ray Min dove to his right blocking the laser effort of Jorge Gallegos.
However, the ball caromed off the Falcons junior and Gallegos immediately pounced on the rebound to drill it into the opposite half of the goal.
What followed was the kind of back-and-forth match expected for a tournament championship, but that particular play became more prominent as both goalies made stellar saves and players from both sides chalked up near-misses.
By the middle of the second half, five yellow cards had been issued: three versus North and two against the Warriors.
Waubonsie Valley, led by the steady ice-in-the-veins goalkeeping of senior Bryan Grimaldo and his defensive line, maintained the zero on the scoreboard under the initials 'WN.'
“This was a tough day and a hard outcome to swallow," Stassen said unable to hide his frustration. "No matter how often, our guys picked themselves up, moved on and tried to play within the confines of what they were subject to, I firmly believe we were the better team on the day, just not on the scoreboard.”
Understandably, Tristen Mackay looked off into the distance as if in a trance while his sweat-soaked jersey and bruises were speckled with black pellets from the turf field.
“This is tough. We put our heart and soul into another match only to look up and see you fell short of a second championship,” Mackay stated. “As difficult as it may be, we can no longer do anything about this (match). We can’t dwell on the past but need to look forward, and that’s taking it to Glenbard North.”
The reverse of all that disappointment was a Waubonsie Valley on-field celebration with what is a Warriors trademark --- a vocal and loyal fan base which made the trek and joyfully hopped up and down with the team surrounding the trophy.
Win or lose, every team’s journey to a tourney final is notable and in the case of the Warriors, there’s also the high of a seven-match winning streak. After a 1-2-1 start to the season, Waubonsie – now 8-3-1 -- pulled out a 1-0 triumph over York and followed with two group-play victories in the Plainfield Classic before going home for a DuPage Valley Conference win over Neuqua Valley. Waubonsie also beat an up-and-coming Oswego unit 3-1 in order to reach a Saturday morning semifinal.
Coach Jose Garcia’s crew found itself tied 3-3 at the end of regulation in battling Classic host Plainfield North. After a head coaching change, those resurgent Tigers brought a four-match win streak into that morning semifinal. The ensuing shootout reached the sixth round before Noah Glorioso succeeded a second
time for a 5-4 advantage and championship berth.
All of which led to a championship unfolding under the threatening dark clouds that had poured heavily on three occasions during a consolation match prior to the final.
The title showdown was just 1 minute 20 seconds old when a Falcons collision with Grimaldo wiped away a potential Ethan Martinez goal for North.
At 17:26, Erik Rozanski 28-yard hard grounder was scooped up by Grimaldo. A minute later, the Warriors senior keeper and tri-captain jumped to snatch a loose ball out of the air following a deflection. At 21:55, Grimaldo grabbed a loose ball following a Falcons free kick.
Three minutes later it was Min sprinting 35 yards off his goal line to kick away a through-ball away, a gamble that was nothing in comparison to what he would do in the second half.
Just 14 minutes prior to halftime, a Rozanski corner kick was headed over by Max Riccelli. A minute later, Riccelli made a pivot turn for a blast that missed the upper left 90. After the Falcons got yellow carded for a second time, Riccelli had another rocket shot soar high.
What became the decisive play helped earn Gallegos the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match accolade.
“Number one I never look at the goalie’s eyes or what he’s doing. I basically choose my spot and blast the kick. In this case as soon as the ball popped out I knew it had to be a first-touch hit,” Gallegos explained.
“When and if that happens, it’s all instinct, you don’t have time to do anything but react quickly.”
Garcia noted that the Waubonsie philosophy is based on allowing whomever draws a foul to have the choice of taking the penalty kick.
“He was very confident, and I’m glad he seized the opportunity,” Garcia said. “We still have a lot of season ahead of us, but this should be great moment for the bigger games ahead of us.
"Of course one key will be for the kids to stay healthy. Sometimes it’s not always about soccer, but the importance of the kids staying focused and organized.
“If not Jorge, Bryan (Grimaldo) could be the Man of the Match. Essentially he was our man for the tournament,” Garcia continued. “He had a lot of great saves throughout the tournament and especially this morning in that shootout.”
For Grimaldo and the Warriors defense, it marked the third clean-sheet for the season.
“We really wanted this title and seven straight (victories) is great,” Grimaldo noted. “There is a little bit of an avenge factor after last year. The seniors and juniors on this team vowed to be better at the end of last season. We knew going into that (Plainfield North) match it wasn’t going to be easy. We fought to get to the
shootout and then fought to win it. And then we wanted a trophy!”
The second half began with North’s Min having to rush out and cover a ball before a streaking Milan Erastus-Obilo could get to it. Ten minutes in and the Falcons faithful had to groan after Martinez volleyed a bouncing ball just wide left. Five minutes later, it was Garrett Robinson narrowly missing that same left post.
There was 13:05 left to be played when Min was more than 30 yards away from his goal executing what amounted to three-straight sliding tackles to keep the Warriors from gaining enough control to shoot on an empty net. Needless to say the Warrior faithful were equally convinced a whistle was lacking.
Neither side can dwell on the outcome for too long with conference play just ahead. Waubonsie makes a Tuesday visit to DVC newcomer DeKalb for a 6:30 p.m. outing and the chance to improve on a 1-1-0 record while hoping defending champion Naperville North stumbles.
Wheaton North began Saturday on a positive note with a 3-0 semifinal triumph over East Aurora. Robinson, Gyan Pael and Jarrett Baumgartner all scored in the opening half for that success which brought Min’s shutout tally up to six.
As noted by Mackay, the Falcons must now focus on a Tuesday 6:30 p.m. stop at Glenbard North and not look ahead to Thursday’s trip to rival Wheaton Warrenville South. As defending co-champions following the inaugural year of the DuKane Conference, North looks to build on an 0-0-1 league ledger.
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK Ray Min
D Tristan Mackay
D Tyler Larson
D Garrett Robinson
D Kyle Schauer
D Crystian Powell
M Jarrett Baumgartner
M Erik Rozanski
M Max Riccelli
F Gyan Patel
F Ethan Martinez
Waubonsie Valley
D Brandon Garduno
D Teague Stoltar
D Adrien Mehra
DM Javi Gonzalez
DM Zach Stanley
DM Dan Morgan
OM Noah Glorioso
OM Daniel Fritz
F Jerry Perez
F Milan Erastus-Obilo
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jorge Gallegos, Sr. F, Waubonsie Valley
Referees: Mike McDemott (center), Jose Arriola, Raul Andrade
Game summary
Waubonsie Valley 1, Wheaton North 0
Wheaton N 0 0 --- 0 (7-4-1)
W Valley 1 0 --- 1 (8-3-1)
Scoring
First Half
WV --- Gallegos rebound of his penalty kick try (unassisted), 35:13 gone
Second half
No scoring
Shots
WN 10 – 8 --- 18
WV 4 – 5 --- 9
Shots on goal
WN 4 – 2 --- 6
WV 3 – 3 --- 6
Saves (goalie)
WN (Min) 2 - 3 --- 5
WV (Grimaldo) 4 – 2 --- 6
Corner kicks
WN 2 – 0 --- 2
WV 0 – 3 --- 3
Offsides
WN 0 – 0 --- 0
WV 1 – 0 --- 1
Wheaton North in tough title game
Man of the Match Gallegos buries his PK miss for 1-0 win
By Steve Nemeth
PLAINFIELD --- One paradox in soccer is how coaches, players and fans can have diametrically opposing views, especially when it comes to fouls.
That pro-con, good-bad, true-false ambiguity often produces elation for one side and deep frustration for the other.
That was certainly the case following Saturday’s championship of the 2019 Plainfield Classic as Waubonsie Valley walked away with a gleaming trophy and a 1-0 victory while Wheaton North (7-4-1) walked away with its second, second place finish of the season.
Those deep emotions are understandable when considering all the heart, hustle, sweat and bruises that occurred from one Saturday to the next in an event that continues to grow in prestige and competitive quality.
Especially when the final two teams square off from what began as four-separate, four-team groups and played a semifinal earlier in the day.
There was 4:47 remaining in the opening half when a whistle resulted in a penalty kick for Waubonsie Valley. Despite the odds being heavily against the goalie in the one-on-one situation, veteran Wheaton North goalie Ray Min dove to his right blocking the laser effort of Jorge Gallegos.
However, the ball caromed off the Falcons junior and Gallegos immediately pounced on the rebound to drill it into the opposite half of the goal.
What followed was the kind of back-and-forth match expected for a tournament championship, but that particular play became more prominent as both goalies made stellar saves and players from both sides chalked up near-misses.
By the middle of the second half, five yellow cards had been issued: three versus North and two against the Warriors.
Waubonsie Valley, led by the steady ice-in-the-veins goalkeeping of senior Bryan Grimaldo and his defensive line, maintained the zero on the scoreboard under the initials 'WN.'
“This was a tough day and a hard outcome to swallow," Stassen said unable to hide his frustration. "No matter how often, our guys picked themselves up, moved on and tried to play within the confines of what they were subject to, I firmly believe we were the better team on the day, just not on the scoreboard.”
Understandably, Tristen Mackay looked off into the distance as if in a trance while his sweat-soaked jersey and bruises were speckled with black pellets from the turf field.
“This is tough. We put our heart and soul into another match only to look up and see you fell short of a second championship,” Mackay stated. “As difficult as it may be, we can no longer do anything about this (match). We can’t dwell on the past but need to look forward, and that’s taking it to Glenbard North.”
The reverse of all that disappointment was a Waubonsie Valley on-field celebration with what is a Warriors trademark --- a vocal and loyal fan base which made the trek and joyfully hopped up and down with the team surrounding the trophy.
Win or lose, every team’s journey to a tourney final is notable and in the case of the Warriors, there’s also the high of a seven-match winning streak. After a 1-2-1 start to the season, Waubonsie – now 8-3-1 -- pulled out a 1-0 triumph over York and followed with two group-play victories in the Plainfield Classic before going home for a DuPage Valley Conference win over Neuqua Valley. Waubonsie also beat an up-and-coming Oswego unit 3-1 in order to reach a Saturday morning semifinal.
Coach Jose Garcia’s crew found itself tied 3-3 at the end of regulation in battling Classic host Plainfield North. After a head coaching change, those resurgent Tigers brought a four-match win streak into that morning semifinal. The ensuing shootout reached the sixth round before Noah Glorioso succeeded a second
time for a 5-4 advantage and championship berth.
All of which led to a championship unfolding under the threatening dark clouds that had poured heavily on three occasions during a consolation match prior to the final.
The title showdown was just 1 minute 20 seconds old when a Falcons collision with Grimaldo wiped away a potential Ethan Martinez goal for North.
At 17:26, Erik Rozanski 28-yard hard grounder was scooped up by Grimaldo. A minute later, the Warriors senior keeper and tri-captain jumped to snatch a loose ball out of the air following a deflection. At 21:55, Grimaldo grabbed a loose ball following a Falcons free kick.
Three minutes later it was Min sprinting 35 yards off his goal line to kick away a through-ball away, a gamble that was nothing in comparison to what he would do in the second half.
Just 14 minutes prior to halftime, a Rozanski corner kick was headed over by Max Riccelli. A minute later, Riccelli made a pivot turn for a blast that missed the upper left 90. After the Falcons got yellow carded for a second time, Riccelli had another rocket shot soar high.
What became the decisive play helped earn Gallegos the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match accolade.
“Number one I never look at the goalie’s eyes or what he’s doing. I basically choose my spot and blast the kick. In this case as soon as the ball popped out I knew it had to be a first-touch hit,” Gallegos explained.
“When and if that happens, it’s all instinct, you don’t have time to do anything but react quickly.”
Garcia noted that the Waubonsie philosophy is based on allowing whomever draws a foul to have the choice of taking the penalty kick.
“He was very confident, and I’m glad he seized the opportunity,” Garcia said. “We still have a lot of season ahead of us, but this should be great moment for the bigger games ahead of us.
"Of course one key will be for the kids to stay healthy. Sometimes it’s not always about soccer, but the importance of the kids staying focused and organized.
“If not Jorge, Bryan (Grimaldo) could be the Man of the Match. Essentially he was our man for the tournament,” Garcia continued. “He had a lot of great saves throughout the tournament and especially this morning in that shootout.”
For Grimaldo and the Warriors defense, it marked the third clean-sheet for the season.
“We really wanted this title and seven straight (victories) is great,” Grimaldo noted. “There is a little bit of an avenge factor after last year. The seniors and juniors on this team vowed to be better at the end of last season. We knew going into that (Plainfield North) match it wasn’t going to be easy. We fought to get to the
shootout and then fought to win it. And then we wanted a trophy!”
The second half began with North’s Min having to rush out and cover a ball before a streaking Milan Erastus-Obilo could get to it. Ten minutes in and the Falcons faithful had to groan after Martinez volleyed a bouncing ball just wide left. Five minutes later, it was Garrett Robinson narrowly missing that same left post.
There was 13:05 left to be played when Min was more than 30 yards away from his goal executing what amounted to three-straight sliding tackles to keep the Warriors from gaining enough control to shoot on an empty net. Needless to say the Warrior faithful were equally convinced a whistle was lacking.
Neither side can dwell on the outcome for too long with conference play just ahead. Waubonsie makes a Tuesday visit to DVC newcomer DeKalb for a 6:30 p.m. outing and the chance to improve on a 1-1-0 record while hoping defending champion Naperville North stumbles.
Wheaton North began Saturday on a positive note with a 3-0 semifinal triumph over East Aurora. Robinson, Gyan Pael and Jarrett Baumgartner all scored in the opening half for that success which brought Min’s shutout tally up to six.
As noted by Mackay, the Falcons must now focus on a Tuesday 6:30 p.m. stop at Glenbard North and not look ahead to Thursday’s trip to rival Wheaton Warrenville South. As defending co-champions following the inaugural year of the DuKane Conference, North looks to build on an 0-0-1 league ledger.
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK Ray Min
D Tristan Mackay
D Tyler Larson
D Garrett Robinson
D Kyle Schauer
D Crystian Powell
M Jarrett Baumgartner
M Erik Rozanski
M Max Riccelli
F Gyan Patel
F Ethan Martinez
Waubonsie Valley
D Brandon Garduno
D Teague Stoltar
D Adrien Mehra
DM Javi Gonzalez
DM Zach Stanley
DM Dan Morgan
OM Noah Glorioso
OM Daniel Fritz
F Jerry Perez
F Milan Erastus-Obilo
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jorge Gallegos, Sr. F, Waubonsie Valley
Referees: Mike McDemott (center), Jose Arriola, Raul Andrade
Game summary
Waubonsie Valley 1, Wheaton North 0
Wheaton N 0 0 --- 0 (7-4-1)
W Valley 1 0 --- 1 (8-3-1)
Scoring
First Half
WV --- Gallegos rebound of his penalty kick try (unassisted), 35:13 gone
Second half
No scoring
Shots
WN 10 – 8 --- 18
WV 4 – 5 --- 9
Shots on goal
WN 4 – 2 --- 6
WV 3 – 3 --- 6
Saves (goalie)
WN (Min) 2 - 3 --- 5
WV (Grimaldo) 4 – 2 --- 6
Corner kicks
WN 2 – 0 --- 2
WV 0 – 3 --- 3
Offsides
WN 0 – 0 --- 0
WV 1 – 0 --- 1