Marked man Konrad lifts Naperville North past Waubonsie Valley in DVC opener
Double-teamed, senior all-stater scores brace to pace 3-1 win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Waubonsie Valley goalkeeper Bryan Grimaldo was already familiar with the skills of Naperville North striker Ty Konrad.
Like most of the players in the western suburbs, Grimaldo knows that if you want to beat Naperville North, shutting down Konrad is essential.
Stopping the Ohio State-bound senior, of course, is easier said than done, even when you know his moves.
“Ty is a great player,” Grimaldo said. “He’s really fast and he’s very technical.
“I worked with him over the summer on some skills, but defending him is really hard.
“He has the skill to turn and go fast. The turns and the breaks are unstoppable. Words can’t even explain how good he is.”
So good that even a terrific defensive effort by the Warriors, who double-teamed Konrad all over the field, even forcing him to dribble back into his own zone at one point, failed to stop him.
Konrad, a 2018 Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater scored twice on breakaways and midfielder Cesar Recendez added his first goal of the season as the third-ranked Huskies knocked off Waubonsie 3-1 in a DuPage Valley Conference opener.
Konrad now has a team-leading six goals, one more than Zach Smith, for the Huskies (4-2-1, 1-0), who have won three consecutive games. He did it against a team that had given up five goals in its first four games, all on set pieces.
“Our defenders, first half, they came out to play and then second half, we kind of contained him a little bit,” said Grimaldo, who helped his own cause by making four saves, including two outstanding denials on Konrad breakaways. “We talked about not letting him get the ball, getting on him right at his (first) touch, making sure he goes back and not forward.”
The Huskies got an outstanding effort from their midfield led by Recendez, Smith and Nata Rojas. Those three battled to make sure the rising Warriors (1-3-1, 0-1) did not pull an upset.
But Konrad didn’t have much room to operate. It didn’t seem to fluster him.
“We were their first goal that they’ve given up through the run of play,” Konrad noted.
“Before it had only been restarts, so they’re pretty organized defensively.
“I just had to try to find moments when I could 1v1 or whatnot when the combine (pass) went through. Just keep making the runs, stay optimistic.
“It is a long game. It will come eventually.”
Both of Konrad’s goals came against the run of play. The Warriors nearly broke through first 15 minutes in when Javy Gonzalez sent a corner kick from the left side to the far side of the box, where fellow sophomore defender Teague Stotlar rose up and sent a powerful header past Naperville North goalkeeper Jason Barba.
But forward Ali Khorfan volleyed the ball off the line for the Huskies and it went straight into the arms of Barba.
Three minutes later, Smith sprung Konrad up the middle for a breakaway goal and a 1-0 lead.
But Grimaldo and his back line of Stotler, Gonzalez, Adrien Mehra and Dan Morgan held firm through the next 40 minutes.
“We have a couple of outstanding players (in the back),” Grimaldo said. “We’ve got Adrien Mehra, our center back and a new sophomore, Teague, who does really well.
“Our whole backline has improved a lot from last year. It’s a big upgrade. Now that we know what we’re doing, everyone has experience and they are doing an amazing job.”
The offense, though, has yet to hit on all cylinders. The Warriors mustered only two shots in the first half but were more dangerous after intermission, forcing four corner kicks and getting off six more shots.
It paid off with 23:02 to go when Dan Fritz beat Barba on a penalty kick to tie the game.
But Recendez wasn’t worried. If anything, the Huskies relish being in tight games.
“We didn’t let it get to us because we’ve been in so many big games,” Recendez said.
“We know how to handle pressure but at the same time, it’s nice to get the pressure because it means you’re doing a good job and your team is good.
“So we just worked hard, communicated, combined and got two goals.”
The first came at the 19:26 mark, again on a terrific run from Konrad. This time it was Recendez who made the entry pass and Konrad sprinted around a defender into the right side of the penalty area before blasting a shot past the charging Grimaldo for the go-ahead goal.
“That’s one thing we talked about at halftime is you’ve got to contain him and once he’s contained, make him not turn on you,” Waubonsie Valley coach Jose Garcia said. “I think that changes the game quite a bit.
“It’s unfortunate that we had a couple of mistakes but I think our boys played well. They played hard.”
So, too, did the Huskies, who pressed their advantage after grabbing the lead.
Grimaldo made a diving save to knock a breakaway attempt from Konrad around the right post, but Naperville North converted on the ensuing corner kick.
Freshman Alex Barger continued his strong play and notched his second assist when his in-swinger from the right side sailed in tight to the far post, where Recendez nodded it home with 8:14 left.
“(Scoring) is always nice but I also have to give credit to Alex,” Recendez said. “He played a great ball and Sebastian (Babayan) made a good run. He picked his runner, and I picked my runner, and Alex played it to the back post and I scored.”
Barger has been a revelation, starting at left back and also playing in the midfield. He takes most of North’s corner kicks.
“He’s an outstanding player,” Recendez said. “He’s just a freshman. He’s proved himself so many times early in the season and he’s just a good player.
“He played a great ball, so all credit goes to him.”
Naperville North coach Jim Konrad credited the Warriors for challenging the Huskies, who expect to be challenged in every DVC match.
“Waubonsie did a great job,” Jim Konrad said. “They were dangerous.
“I thought their kids up top gave us fits. They ran and ran and battled. That’s a nice group and they’re just going to keep getting better throughout the year.
“So I’m really proud of our guys. Obviously one of our goals is always to win the conference, so hopefully we can keep it going.”
After struggling at times in the first two weeks of the season, the Huskies appear to be gaining some confidence, though Recendez cautioned that doesn’t mean a lot at this point.
“I would say so but at the same time, it’s still pretty early in the season,” Recendez said.
“We’ve still got some tougher opponents to come, but credit to Waubonsie.
“They gave us a challenge. They scored on our home field and that’s a lot, so credit to them, too.”
Starting lineups
Waubonsie Valley
GK Bryan Grimaldo
D Adrien Mehra
D Teague Stotlar
D Javy Gonzalez
D Dan Morgan
M Diego Carillo
M Milan Erastus-Obilo
M Zach Stanley
M Jerry Perez
M Daniel Fritz
F Noah Glorioso
Naperville North
GK Jason Barba
D Evan Thompson
D Alex Barger
D Sebastian Babayan
D Christian Romano
M Josh Kaufman
M Nata Rojas
M Cesar Recendez
M Tyson Amoo-Mensah
M Zach Smith
F Ty Konrad
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ty Konrad, sr., F, Naperville North.
Scoring summary
1st Half
Naperville North – Ty Konrad (Zach Smith) 22:10
2nd Half
Waubonsie Valley – Dan Fritz (PK) 23:02
Naperville North – Konrad (Cesar Recendez) 19:26
Naperville North – Recendez (Alex Barger) 8:14
Double-teamed, senior all-stater scores brace to pace 3-1 win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Waubonsie Valley goalkeeper Bryan Grimaldo was already familiar with the skills of Naperville North striker Ty Konrad.
Like most of the players in the western suburbs, Grimaldo knows that if you want to beat Naperville North, shutting down Konrad is essential.
Stopping the Ohio State-bound senior, of course, is easier said than done, even when you know his moves.
“Ty is a great player,” Grimaldo said. “He’s really fast and he’s very technical.
“I worked with him over the summer on some skills, but defending him is really hard.
“He has the skill to turn and go fast. The turns and the breaks are unstoppable. Words can’t even explain how good he is.”
So good that even a terrific defensive effort by the Warriors, who double-teamed Konrad all over the field, even forcing him to dribble back into his own zone at one point, failed to stop him.
Konrad, a 2018 Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater scored twice on breakaways and midfielder Cesar Recendez added his first goal of the season as the third-ranked Huskies knocked off Waubonsie 3-1 in a DuPage Valley Conference opener.
Konrad now has a team-leading six goals, one more than Zach Smith, for the Huskies (4-2-1, 1-0), who have won three consecutive games. He did it against a team that had given up five goals in its first four games, all on set pieces.
“Our defenders, first half, they came out to play and then second half, we kind of contained him a little bit,” said Grimaldo, who helped his own cause by making four saves, including two outstanding denials on Konrad breakaways. “We talked about not letting him get the ball, getting on him right at his (first) touch, making sure he goes back and not forward.”
The Huskies got an outstanding effort from their midfield led by Recendez, Smith and Nata Rojas. Those three battled to make sure the rising Warriors (1-3-1, 0-1) did not pull an upset.
But Konrad didn’t have much room to operate. It didn’t seem to fluster him.
“We were their first goal that they’ve given up through the run of play,” Konrad noted.
“Before it had only been restarts, so they’re pretty organized defensively.
“I just had to try to find moments when I could 1v1 or whatnot when the combine (pass) went through. Just keep making the runs, stay optimistic.
“It is a long game. It will come eventually.”
Both of Konrad’s goals came against the run of play. The Warriors nearly broke through first 15 minutes in when Javy Gonzalez sent a corner kick from the left side to the far side of the box, where fellow sophomore defender Teague Stotlar rose up and sent a powerful header past Naperville North goalkeeper Jason Barba.
But forward Ali Khorfan volleyed the ball off the line for the Huskies and it went straight into the arms of Barba.
Three minutes later, Smith sprung Konrad up the middle for a breakaway goal and a 1-0 lead.
But Grimaldo and his back line of Stotler, Gonzalez, Adrien Mehra and Dan Morgan held firm through the next 40 minutes.
“We have a couple of outstanding players (in the back),” Grimaldo said. “We’ve got Adrien Mehra, our center back and a new sophomore, Teague, who does really well.
“Our whole backline has improved a lot from last year. It’s a big upgrade. Now that we know what we’re doing, everyone has experience and they are doing an amazing job.”
The offense, though, has yet to hit on all cylinders. The Warriors mustered only two shots in the first half but were more dangerous after intermission, forcing four corner kicks and getting off six more shots.
It paid off with 23:02 to go when Dan Fritz beat Barba on a penalty kick to tie the game.
But Recendez wasn’t worried. If anything, the Huskies relish being in tight games.
“We didn’t let it get to us because we’ve been in so many big games,” Recendez said.
“We know how to handle pressure but at the same time, it’s nice to get the pressure because it means you’re doing a good job and your team is good.
“So we just worked hard, communicated, combined and got two goals.”
The first came at the 19:26 mark, again on a terrific run from Konrad. This time it was Recendez who made the entry pass and Konrad sprinted around a defender into the right side of the penalty area before blasting a shot past the charging Grimaldo for the go-ahead goal.
“That’s one thing we talked about at halftime is you’ve got to contain him and once he’s contained, make him not turn on you,” Waubonsie Valley coach Jose Garcia said. “I think that changes the game quite a bit.
“It’s unfortunate that we had a couple of mistakes but I think our boys played well. They played hard.”
So, too, did the Huskies, who pressed their advantage after grabbing the lead.
Grimaldo made a diving save to knock a breakaway attempt from Konrad around the right post, but Naperville North converted on the ensuing corner kick.
Freshman Alex Barger continued his strong play and notched his second assist when his in-swinger from the right side sailed in tight to the far post, where Recendez nodded it home with 8:14 left.
“(Scoring) is always nice but I also have to give credit to Alex,” Recendez said. “He played a great ball and Sebastian (Babayan) made a good run. He picked his runner, and I picked my runner, and Alex played it to the back post and I scored.”
Barger has been a revelation, starting at left back and also playing in the midfield. He takes most of North’s corner kicks.
“He’s an outstanding player,” Recendez said. “He’s just a freshman. He’s proved himself so many times early in the season and he’s just a good player.
“He played a great ball, so all credit goes to him.”
Naperville North coach Jim Konrad credited the Warriors for challenging the Huskies, who expect to be challenged in every DVC match.
“Waubonsie did a great job,” Jim Konrad said. “They were dangerous.
“I thought their kids up top gave us fits. They ran and ran and battled. That’s a nice group and they’re just going to keep getting better throughout the year.
“So I’m really proud of our guys. Obviously one of our goals is always to win the conference, so hopefully we can keep it going.”
After struggling at times in the first two weeks of the season, the Huskies appear to be gaining some confidence, though Recendez cautioned that doesn’t mean a lot at this point.
“I would say so but at the same time, it’s still pretty early in the season,” Recendez said.
“We’ve still got some tougher opponents to come, but credit to Waubonsie.
“They gave us a challenge. They scored on our home field and that’s a lot, so credit to them, too.”
Starting lineups
Waubonsie Valley
GK Bryan Grimaldo
D Adrien Mehra
D Teague Stotlar
D Javy Gonzalez
D Dan Morgan
M Diego Carillo
M Milan Erastus-Obilo
M Zach Stanley
M Jerry Perez
M Daniel Fritz
F Noah Glorioso
Naperville North
GK Jason Barba
D Evan Thompson
D Alex Barger
D Sebastian Babayan
D Christian Romano
M Josh Kaufman
M Nata Rojas
M Cesar Recendez
M Tyson Amoo-Mensah
M Zach Smith
F Ty Konrad
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ty Konrad, sr., F, Naperville North.
Scoring summary
1st Half
Naperville North – Ty Konrad (Zach Smith) 22:10
2nd Half
Waubonsie Valley – Dan Fritz (PK) 23:02
Naperville North – Konrad (Cesar Recendez) 19:26
Naperville North – Recendez (Alex Barger) 8:14