York beats storms, Waubonsie Valley
Dukes' emergency weather plan, score early, yields 3-0 win
By Chris Walker
ELMHURST – York likes to play fast.
During Wednesday’s home opener against Waubonsie Valley, the Dukes had another reason to play that way -- the weather forecast.
Atmospheric problems were brewing and heading toward Elmhurst, so the Dukes needed to attack and score quickly just in case the nonconference match against the Warriors was shortened due to inclement weather.
The Dukes scored two quick goals in the first eight minutes, added an insurance goal in the second half and earned a 3-0 victory in their home opener. As for the weather, it cooperated until the game ended and everyone had packed into a vehicle for the ride home.
“The point I stressed the most to the boys today is I’m looking for a fast start,” York coach Lukasz Majewski said. “Let’s be crisp, let’s move the ball.
“We had a couple of days off, Sunday and Monday, and we had kids on college visits and kind of some injuries from last week so we came here (Tuesday) night and had a really good practice under the lights. They were able to kind of take that and translate it into a fast start.
“We would’ve liked to have finished some more opportunities but you’ve got to get those opportunities to finish them. It’s kind of nice, but we are definitely a fast team. We move the ball, so turf is always kind of nice for us.”
York (5-1-0), which moved up to no. 11 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 after making its debut on the chart last week, couldn’t have started much better. Joe Meade scored in the second and eighth minutes on respective crosses from Jack Musial and Ethan Oder.
The Dukes are off to a quick start after not winning their fifth game of 2017 until Sept. 16.
“We were just on top of them from the first whistle with the two crosses and easy finishes,” Meade said. “We’ve only lost one game so far, and we started off slow in that game. So I think fast starts are really important for us to get off to.”
Meade, who was named the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, said the concern was addressed regarding the weather potentially shortening the game, and while it led to a full-on attack from the get-go, it really wasn’t any different from the aggressive start the Dukes have accustomed themselves when taking the field so far this fall.
“We switched between two formations and started off with more of an attack formation, in case there was a weather delay and we could go up on top,” Meade said. “That helped, but then they woke up a little bit, but we still had chances that we should’ve finished but couldn’t.”
Waubonsie Valley (1-5-0) certainly could’ve used a quick start. The Warriors, who have now been outscored 25-3 and been shut out four times, fell behind before they even realized what hit them, although namely it was the crosses to Joe Meade.
“We came out a little soft,” Waubonsie Valley coach Jose Garcia said. “I don’t think we were expecting this intensity, and I think we came in with a little too much confidence. I would say that’s something that comes with being young and trying to learn and trying to take each game as seriously as possible. But it’s one of those things where we didn’t expect it, and they caught us off-guard.”
The Warriors may not have threatened much offensively, but they made enough plays on defense in front of goalkeeper Bryan Grimaldo, who made some key stops. The back third kept Waubonsie Valley in the game, and that’s all Garcia is hoping for at this point in the season.
“The great thing about these guys is they’re young, and they’re learning, and they’re playing hard,” Garcia said. “They don’t give up. Even when they got down 2-0 and 3-0 they just kept going and going and playing hard, and that’s all I can ask for my boys.”
The Warriors didn’t start a senior.
“We’re just taking it game by game and trying to learn from the mistakes we make,” Garcia said. “It’s kind of a work in progress, and we’ll see how things go as we move along.”
York had most recently played in Lake Park’s Joe Novy Invitational and on the grass. The speedy Dukes prefer playing on their artificial surface, while the Warriors are accustomed to their natural surface in Aurora. Since it had rained earlier, the turf was even tougher for the visitors due to the moisture.
“York was playing very fast, and you could tell they’re used to the turf and like to play on it. We’re not used to it. We’re used to grass, and this was slippery,” Grimaldo said. “The rain made it more difficult to control the ball real well, but we still know that we’re going to have to bounce back and work harder in practice to be able to move the ball back and forth and to be playing and moving better.”
Moving on, and moving up, is the Warriors' goal.
“We played Naperville North (Tuesday) and had a great first half, but in the second half we lost our mojo and that’s when they came and attacked us and got us,” Grimaldo said. “We’re getting better, and our intensity can get high. Today was just a bad day, and we’ll have to bounce back from it.”
It was a particularly good day for York defender Jason Marcelo who filled in admirably for Edwardo DelCarmen who was at a wake and unavailable.
“Jason stepped in and did a fine job with the controlling and running things,” Majewski said. “It helps with having (goalkeeper) Kyle Johnson in the back with a big voice, but then Juan Hernandez got his time in there too. It was nice to play the entire roster and the level didn’t drop off that much.”
Musial, who had two assists, was just as excited, if not more, to talk about how well the Dukes defended. That came thanks to the Js (all first names beginning with the letter J), Josh Borzello, Jacob Kresnicka, Jonathan Milani and Marcelo, who led the way in back.
“I really have to credit our defense. They didn’t allow many chances, and we were missing a key player (DelCarmer),” Musial said. “Jason (Marcelo) stepped up and played the game of his life. We have a lot of people like that who can step up and play like we need them to play, and Jason did that tonight.”
Musial’s 20-yard free kick with 15:26 remaining in the game put the Warriors away for good, although they didn’t really threaten to cut their deficit in half prior to the goal.
“The shot was right down the middle and whatever side the goalie wanted to go, I just chose the other side,” Musial said. “Starting off the first half the way we did was the biggest key. We knew they had a strong first half against Naperville North, so we didn’t want them to do that again.”
While the season is still young, the Dukes like where they’re at, as well as where they can go.
“For us it’s one game at a time and the most important game is the next one,” Majewski said. “I know they’re kind of looking to conference play and within our conference we have four ranked teams in the (Chicagoland Soccer Top 25) so that’s going to be tough.
“We’re going to have to play some real soccer and stay healthy. Our health is probably most important and if it stays OK, we should be good, but it’s one game at a time.”
Musial now feels that future opponents know the Dukes are coming, and he likes it.
“We’ve been playing well this season so we know we now have a target on our back,” he said. “We’re really starting off strong and playing our game. If we can keep doing that, we’ll have the season we want to see.”
It’s one that Majewski definitely wants to see, especially for his players who have battled despite minimal results in prior seasons.
“Some guys have been here since sophomore year and have taken their lumps,” he said. “Hopefully it translates into the quality of soccer that you would like to see as a coach, and I think that’s the direction we’re going.”
Garcia believes his Warriors are going in the right direction as well, albeit perhaps at a slower pace.
“I think we’re getting there,” he said. “I think we need to work on our finishing. It has to be better, because we’re not getting the final product. But I think it’s coming. We’re such a young team, and we’re kind of pushing along and trying get better game by game.”
Starting lineups
Waubonsie Valley
GK: Bryan Grimaldo
MF: Jerry Perez
MF: Brandon Gardung
MF: Zach Stanley
MF: Noah Glorioso
MF: Daniel Fritz
D: Jorge Gallego
D: Tyler Matthews
D: Adrien Mehra
D: Ryan Shea
F: Milan Erastus-Oblio
York
GK: Kyle Johnson
D: Josh Borzello
D: Jacob Kresnicka
D: Jonathan Milani
D: Jason Marcelo
MF: Paolo Favuzzi
MF: Jack Musial
MF: Ethan Oder
F: Parker Gawne
F: Joe Meade
F: Erwin Morales
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Joe Meade, jr., F, York
Scoring Summary
First half
York – Joe Meade (Jack Musial), 2nd minute
York – Joe Meade (Ethan Oder), 8th minute
Second half
York – Jack Musial (unassisted), 65th minute
Dukes' emergency weather plan, score early, yields 3-0 win
By Chris Walker
ELMHURST – York likes to play fast.
During Wednesday’s home opener against Waubonsie Valley, the Dukes had another reason to play that way -- the weather forecast.
Atmospheric problems were brewing and heading toward Elmhurst, so the Dukes needed to attack and score quickly just in case the nonconference match against the Warriors was shortened due to inclement weather.
The Dukes scored two quick goals in the first eight minutes, added an insurance goal in the second half and earned a 3-0 victory in their home opener. As for the weather, it cooperated until the game ended and everyone had packed into a vehicle for the ride home.
“The point I stressed the most to the boys today is I’m looking for a fast start,” York coach Lukasz Majewski said. “Let’s be crisp, let’s move the ball.
“We had a couple of days off, Sunday and Monday, and we had kids on college visits and kind of some injuries from last week so we came here (Tuesday) night and had a really good practice under the lights. They were able to kind of take that and translate it into a fast start.
“We would’ve liked to have finished some more opportunities but you’ve got to get those opportunities to finish them. It’s kind of nice, but we are definitely a fast team. We move the ball, so turf is always kind of nice for us.”
York (5-1-0), which moved up to no. 11 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 after making its debut on the chart last week, couldn’t have started much better. Joe Meade scored in the second and eighth minutes on respective crosses from Jack Musial and Ethan Oder.
The Dukes are off to a quick start after not winning their fifth game of 2017 until Sept. 16.
“We were just on top of them from the first whistle with the two crosses and easy finishes,” Meade said. “We’ve only lost one game so far, and we started off slow in that game. So I think fast starts are really important for us to get off to.”
Meade, who was named the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, said the concern was addressed regarding the weather potentially shortening the game, and while it led to a full-on attack from the get-go, it really wasn’t any different from the aggressive start the Dukes have accustomed themselves when taking the field so far this fall.
“We switched between two formations and started off with more of an attack formation, in case there was a weather delay and we could go up on top,” Meade said. “That helped, but then they woke up a little bit, but we still had chances that we should’ve finished but couldn’t.”
Waubonsie Valley (1-5-0) certainly could’ve used a quick start. The Warriors, who have now been outscored 25-3 and been shut out four times, fell behind before they even realized what hit them, although namely it was the crosses to Joe Meade.
“We came out a little soft,” Waubonsie Valley coach Jose Garcia said. “I don’t think we were expecting this intensity, and I think we came in with a little too much confidence. I would say that’s something that comes with being young and trying to learn and trying to take each game as seriously as possible. But it’s one of those things where we didn’t expect it, and they caught us off-guard.”
The Warriors may not have threatened much offensively, but they made enough plays on defense in front of goalkeeper Bryan Grimaldo, who made some key stops. The back third kept Waubonsie Valley in the game, and that’s all Garcia is hoping for at this point in the season.
“The great thing about these guys is they’re young, and they’re learning, and they’re playing hard,” Garcia said. “They don’t give up. Even when they got down 2-0 and 3-0 they just kept going and going and playing hard, and that’s all I can ask for my boys.”
The Warriors didn’t start a senior.
“We’re just taking it game by game and trying to learn from the mistakes we make,” Garcia said. “It’s kind of a work in progress, and we’ll see how things go as we move along.”
York had most recently played in Lake Park’s Joe Novy Invitational and on the grass. The speedy Dukes prefer playing on their artificial surface, while the Warriors are accustomed to their natural surface in Aurora. Since it had rained earlier, the turf was even tougher for the visitors due to the moisture.
“York was playing very fast, and you could tell they’re used to the turf and like to play on it. We’re not used to it. We’re used to grass, and this was slippery,” Grimaldo said. “The rain made it more difficult to control the ball real well, but we still know that we’re going to have to bounce back and work harder in practice to be able to move the ball back and forth and to be playing and moving better.”
Moving on, and moving up, is the Warriors' goal.
“We played Naperville North (Tuesday) and had a great first half, but in the second half we lost our mojo and that’s when they came and attacked us and got us,” Grimaldo said. “We’re getting better, and our intensity can get high. Today was just a bad day, and we’ll have to bounce back from it.”
It was a particularly good day for York defender Jason Marcelo who filled in admirably for Edwardo DelCarmen who was at a wake and unavailable.
“Jason stepped in and did a fine job with the controlling and running things,” Majewski said. “It helps with having (goalkeeper) Kyle Johnson in the back with a big voice, but then Juan Hernandez got his time in there too. It was nice to play the entire roster and the level didn’t drop off that much.”
Musial, who had two assists, was just as excited, if not more, to talk about how well the Dukes defended. That came thanks to the Js (all first names beginning with the letter J), Josh Borzello, Jacob Kresnicka, Jonathan Milani and Marcelo, who led the way in back.
“I really have to credit our defense. They didn’t allow many chances, and we were missing a key player (DelCarmer),” Musial said. “Jason (Marcelo) stepped up and played the game of his life. We have a lot of people like that who can step up and play like we need them to play, and Jason did that tonight.”
Musial’s 20-yard free kick with 15:26 remaining in the game put the Warriors away for good, although they didn’t really threaten to cut their deficit in half prior to the goal.
“The shot was right down the middle and whatever side the goalie wanted to go, I just chose the other side,” Musial said. “Starting off the first half the way we did was the biggest key. We knew they had a strong first half against Naperville North, so we didn’t want them to do that again.”
While the season is still young, the Dukes like where they’re at, as well as where they can go.
“For us it’s one game at a time and the most important game is the next one,” Majewski said. “I know they’re kind of looking to conference play and within our conference we have four ranked teams in the (Chicagoland Soccer Top 25) so that’s going to be tough.
“We’re going to have to play some real soccer and stay healthy. Our health is probably most important and if it stays OK, we should be good, but it’s one game at a time.”
Musial now feels that future opponents know the Dukes are coming, and he likes it.
“We’ve been playing well this season so we know we now have a target on our back,” he said. “We’re really starting off strong and playing our game. If we can keep doing that, we’ll have the season we want to see.”
It’s one that Majewski definitely wants to see, especially for his players who have battled despite minimal results in prior seasons.
“Some guys have been here since sophomore year and have taken their lumps,” he said. “Hopefully it translates into the quality of soccer that you would like to see as a coach, and I think that’s the direction we’re going.”
Garcia believes his Warriors are going in the right direction as well, albeit perhaps at a slower pace.
“I think we’re getting there,” he said. “I think we need to work on our finishing. It has to be better, because we’re not getting the final product. But I think it’s coming. We’re such a young team, and we’re kind of pushing along and trying get better game by game.”
Starting lineups
Waubonsie Valley
GK: Bryan Grimaldo
MF: Jerry Perez
MF: Brandon Gardung
MF: Zach Stanley
MF: Noah Glorioso
MF: Daniel Fritz
D: Jorge Gallego
D: Tyler Matthews
D: Adrien Mehra
D: Ryan Shea
F: Milan Erastus-Oblio
York
GK: Kyle Johnson
D: Josh Borzello
D: Jacob Kresnicka
D: Jonathan Milani
D: Jason Marcelo
MF: Paolo Favuzzi
MF: Jack Musial
MF: Ethan Oder
F: Parker Gawne
F: Joe Meade
F: Erwin Morales
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Joe Meade, jr., F, York
Scoring Summary
First half
York – Joe Meade (Jack Musial), 2nd minute
York – Joe Meade (Ethan Oder), 8th minute
Second half
York – Jack Musial (unassisted), 65th minute