York’s diversified offense turns tables on AT
4 Dukes score to avenge pair of 2018 losses
By Matt Le Cren
ADDISON – Addison Trail and York have developed an intriguing rivalry over the past few years.
The two teams traditionally face each other every year in a West Suburban Conference crossover match.
But each of the past two seasons has seen them also play each other in the playoffs. York swept both games in 2017, knocking the Blazers out of the postseason, before Addison Trail returned the favor last season.
So the fifth meeting in three seasons Monday night promised interesting story lines and quality soccer.
The game lived up to the billing, especially from York’s perspective. The Dukes scored three-consecutive goals in a seven-minute span of the second half and upset the host Blazers, ranked no. 25 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, 4-2.
Four different players – Joe Meade, Paolo Favuzzi, Kol Rollins and Ryan Woolfe – scored for York, which broke open a tight game with a dominant effort after intermission.
“To a certain extent, we think about (the history), but it’s a new season, new team,” Favuzzi said. “I thought we had a great chance to knock them off and show them up for last year.”
The Dukes (7-5-1) wasted little time in asserting themselves. Meade alertly intercepted a defender’s pass intended for goalkeeper Ernesto Padua and dented the back of the net with 2:51 gone. That set the tone.
“For sure,” Addison Trail coach Ryan Dini said. “We’re a fast team, and we just didn’t have the energy today.
“Give them credit. It's been back-and-forth with them the last four or five years. Last year we got them twice and then this year they repaid the favor. They’re a well-coached team.”
The Blazers (9-3-1) had to play without top defender Martin Murillo, who served a one-game suspension after picking up two yellow cards in Saturday’s 1-1 tie with Glenbard West.
Murillo’s absence left Addison Trail a little disorganized in the back and the potent York offense took advantage. The Dukes unleashed 14 shots and might have had a few more goals if not for the play of Blazers defender Angel Gomez, who cleared three balls off his goal line.
Gomez’s first save came with the scored tied 1-1 and 16:30 left in the first half when Meade beat Padua with a shot inside the right post. Gomez moved to his left and used a sliding volley to knock the ball up into and over the crossbar.
Meade was unlucky not to record a hat-trick. He had two long shots, a 30-yard blast up the middle and a ball from the left wing that might have been intended as a cross, hit the post. He was stymied again at the 34:45 mark of the second half, when Gomez blocked his shot off the line.
The ball went up in the air and came down at the feet of York’s Chase McNeill, whose short shot was cleared by, you guessed it, Gomez.
“They outplayed us today,” Dini said. “It was pretty obvious.
“They outplayed us on 50-50 balls and took it to us. We were without our best defender, Martin Murillo.
“That definitely hurt us today. So we had to shake things up a little bit, and they exposed us. I thought we had a couple chances early in the second half.
“Their goalie (James Sampson) came out and made some nice saves on 1-v.-1, and then they put their opportunities in.”
Indeed, the Dukes broke through with a pair of spectacular goals. Favuzzi struck first with a 27-yard free kick from the left wing that bent around the wall.
Padua, who finished with four saves, appeared to have the far post covered but the ball swerved at the last minute and bent inside the post to put the Dukes up 2-1 with 26:04 to go.
“Usually when we have something outside of the box, it’s usually either Joe or me taking it to serve the ball in,” Favuzzi said. “I walked up to it and the wall was further over.
“I know the keeper, and I just decided to take it. It was no other thoughts. I saw a good angle, so I decided to take it. Instead of running straight on I came more on an angle, just sliced it more.
“It felt really good, of course. We were up 2-1 after that but you saw as soon as we scored that, the momentum started to pick up.”
It was Favuzzi’s third goal of the season. Rollins followed suit 82 seconds later with his third goal. This one came in the run of play but was no less impressive.
Meade got the ball in the middle of the field about 40 yards from the goal and looped a high-arcing pass to Rollins on the right wing. Rollins dribbled into the box and took on a defender 1-v.-1 before finding a small opening from about 15 yards out.
Padua leaned to his right in preparation for going after a far-post attempt, but Rollins sent a rocket to the short side and under the crossbar to increase the lead to 3-1.
“I’ve been working on stuff like that, either put it in near post or far post, whichever one is open,” Rollins said. “I saw him cheating over a little bit, so I had to put it in the near post, top corner.
“It felt really good, anything I can do to help the team. It was a huge momentum boost.”
Indeed, the Dukes kept coming. Meade ripped a 19-yard free kick just over the crossbar with 22:40 left and then Woolfe made it 4-1 when he knocked home Ethan Oder’s corner kick at the 19:07 mark.
The outburst didn’t surprise Majewski.
“I thought we were pretty dangerous the entire first half,” Majewski said. “We talked about getting more numbers in the box, and the ball was sitting there several times ready to be put away.
“It seemed like we were a half-second too late in getting to it. And even when we got to it, we kind of didn’t get it.
“We’re changing things around, but I think we’re closer to where we want to be or where we need to be than farther away. We’ve got some kids playing in different positions, and they are starting to accept their roles. That’s a good thing.”
As good as the goals from Favuzzi and Rollins were, Padua blamed himself.
“As a goalie you just do your best to not let those goals go in,” Padua said. “I definitely thought they were my mistakes.
“They were shots I should have blocked, and they were shots that never should have gone in.”
But those two plays alone cannot explain the loss.
“It’s not just that,” Padua said. “We didn’t play as a team today.
“It was too much blaming (each other) out on the field. I guess we were tired, but they definitely outplayed us.”
Sanchez was one of the only bright spots, at least offensively, for the Blazers. He scored both Addison Trail goals, the first of which was a 20-yard shot which tied the game 1-1 with 22:52 left in the first half.
The second was a penalty kick that capped the scoring with 17:35 to go in the second half.
But the Dukes managed to slow down the speedy Blazers. Majewski credited Jack Musial, who switched from midfield to outside back, for that.
“I thought he did a fantastic job, especially dealing with AT’s speed,” Majewski said. “They have a bunch of it.
“Parker (Gawne) started in back, then went up-top, got dangerous, then he did a very good job on the backline with Sebastian (Benavides). So some things are the same, some are different, but I am pleased with the outcome of today’s game.”
While neither coach wants it, the Dukes and Blazers could meet again for the third-straight year in the postseason. Both teams are in the St. Charles East Sectional.
The possibility doesn's bother Padua.
“They had a good game,” Padua said. “Congratulations to them, but we’ll definitely see them later on.”
Starting lineups
York
GK James Sampson
D Boyd Puckett
D Parker Gawne
D Sebastian Benavides
D Jack Musial
M Sam Musial
M Ethan Oder
M Chase McNeil
M Kol Rollins
M Paolo Favuzzi
F Joe Meade
Addison Trail
GK Ernesto Padua
D Jose Vega
D Angel Gomez
D Ray Fischer
D Jose Villegas
M Leo Acosta
M Uriel Rojo
M Pablo Duran
M Eric Garcia
F Anthony Hernandez
F Aaron Sanchez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Paolo Favuzzi, sr., M, York
Scoring summary
First half
York – Joe Meade 37:09
Addison Trail – Aaron Sanchez 22:52
Second half
York – Paolo Favuzzi 26:04
York – Kol Rollins (Meade) 24:42
York – Ryan Woolfe (Ethan Oder) 19:07
Addison Trail – Sanchez (PK) 17:35
4 Dukes score to avenge pair of 2018 losses
By Matt Le Cren
ADDISON – Addison Trail and York have developed an intriguing rivalry over the past few years.
The two teams traditionally face each other every year in a West Suburban Conference crossover match.
But each of the past two seasons has seen them also play each other in the playoffs. York swept both games in 2017, knocking the Blazers out of the postseason, before Addison Trail returned the favor last season.
So the fifth meeting in three seasons Monday night promised interesting story lines and quality soccer.
The game lived up to the billing, especially from York’s perspective. The Dukes scored three-consecutive goals in a seven-minute span of the second half and upset the host Blazers, ranked no. 25 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, 4-2.
Four different players – Joe Meade, Paolo Favuzzi, Kol Rollins and Ryan Woolfe – scored for York, which broke open a tight game with a dominant effort after intermission.
“To a certain extent, we think about (the history), but it’s a new season, new team,” Favuzzi said. “I thought we had a great chance to knock them off and show them up for last year.”
The Dukes (7-5-1) wasted little time in asserting themselves. Meade alertly intercepted a defender’s pass intended for goalkeeper Ernesto Padua and dented the back of the net with 2:51 gone. That set the tone.
“For sure,” Addison Trail coach Ryan Dini said. “We’re a fast team, and we just didn’t have the energy today.
“Give them credit. It's been back-and-forth with them the last four or five years. Last year we got them twice and then this year they repaid the favor. They’re a well-coached team.”
The Blazers (9-3-1) had to play without top defender Martin Murillo, who served a one-game suspension after picking up two yellow cards in Saturday’s 1-1 tie with Glenbard West.
Murillo’s absence left Addison Trail a little disorganized in the back and the potent York offense took advantage. The Dukes unleashed 14 shots and might have had a few more goals if not for the play of Blazers defender Angel Gomez, who cleared three balls off his goal line.
Gomez’s first save came with the scored tied 1-1 and 16:30 left in the first half when Meade beat Padua with a shot inside the right post. Gomez moved to his left and used a sliding volley to knock the ball up into and over the crossbar.
Meade was unlucky not to record a hat-trick. He had two long shots, a 30-yard blast up the middle and a ball from the left wing that might have been intended as a cross, hit the post. He was stymied again at the 34:45 mark of the second half, when Gomez blocked his shot off the line.
The ball went up in the air and came down at the feet of York’s Chase McNeill, whose short shot was cleared by, you guessed it, Gomez.
“They outplayed us today,” Dini said. “It was pretty obvious.
“They outplayed us on 50-50 balls and took it to us. We were without our best defender, Martin Murillo.
“That definitely hurt us today. So we had to shake things up a little bit, and they exposed us. I thought we had a couple chances early in the second half.
“Their goalie (James Sampson) came out and made some nice saves on 1-v.-1, and then they put their opportunities in.”
Indeed, the Dukes broke through with a pair of spectacular goals. Favuzzi struck first with a 27-yard free kick from the left wing that bent around the wall.
Padua, who finished with four saves, appeared to have the far post covered but the ball swerved at the last minute and bent inside the post to put the Dukes up 2-1 with 26:04 to go.
“Usually when we have something outside of the box, it’s usually either Joe or me taking it to serve the ball in,” Favuzzi said. “I walked up to it and the wall was further over.
“I know the keeper, and I just decided to take it. It was no other thoughts. I saw a good angle, so I decided to take it. Instead of running straight on I came more on an angle, just sliced it more.
“It felt really good, of course. We were up 2-1 after that but you saw as soon as we scored that, the momentum started to pick up.”
It was Favuzzi’s third goal of the season. Rollins followed suit 82 seconds later with his third goal. This one came in the run of play but was no less impressive.
Meade got the ball in the middle of the field about 40 yards from the goal and looped a high-arcing pass to Rollins on the right wing. Rollins dribbled into the box and took on a defender 1-v.-1 before finding a small opening from about 15 yards out.
Padua leaned to his right in preparation for going after a far-post attempt, but Rollins sent a rocket to the short side and under the crossbar to increase the lead to 3-1.
“I’ve been working on stuff like that, either put it in near post or far post, whichever one is open,” Rollins said. “I saw him cheating over a little bit, so I had to put it in the near post, top corner.
“It felt really good, anything I can do to help the team. It was a huge momentum boost.”
Indeed, the Dukes kept coming. Meade ripped a 19-yard free kick just over the crossbar with 22:40 left and then Woolfe made it 4-1 when he knocked home Ethan Oder’s corner kick at the 19:07 mark.
The outburst didn’t surprise Majewski.
“I thought we were pretty dangerous the entire first half,” Majewski said. “We talked about getting more numbers in the box, and the ball was sitting there several times ready to be put away.
“It seemed like we were a half-second too late in getting to it. And even when we got to it, we kind of didn’t get it.
“We’re changing things around, but I think we’re closer to where we want to be or where we need to be than farther away. We’ve got some kids playing in different positions, and they are starting to accept their roles. That’s a good thing.”
As good as the goals from Favuzzi and Rollins were, Padua blamed himself.
“As a goalie you just do your best to not let those goals go in,” Padua said. “I definitely thought they were my mistakes.
“They were shots I should have blocked, and they were shots that never should have gone in.”
But those two plays alone cannot explain the loss.
“It’s not just that,” Padua said. “We didn’t play as a team today.
“It was too much blaming (each other) out on the field. I guess we were tired, but they definitely outplayed us.”
Sanchez was one of the only bright spots, at least offensively, for the Blazers. He scored both Addison Trail goals, the first of which was a 20-yard shot which tied the game 1-1 with 22:52 left in the first half.
The second was a penalty kick that capped the scoring with 17:35 to go in the second half.
But the Dukes managed to slow down the speedy Blazers. Majewski credited Jack Musial, who switched from midfield to outside back, for that.
“I thought he did a fantastic job, especially dealing with AT’s speed,” Majewski said. “They have a bunch of it.
“Parker (Gawne) started in back, then went up-top, got dangerous, then he did a very good job on the backline with Sebastian (Benavides). So some things are the same, some are different, but I am pleased with the outcome of today’s game.”
While neither coach wants it, the Dukes and Blazers could meet again for the third-straight year in the postseason. Both teams are in the St. Charles East Sectional.
The possibility doesn's bother Padua.
“They had a good game,” Padua said. “Congratulations to them, but we’ll definitely see them later on.”
Starting lineups
York
GK James Sampson
D Boyd Puckett
D Parker Gawne
D Sebastian Benavides
D Jack Musial
M Sam Musial
M Ethan Oder
M Chase McNeil
M Kol Rollins
M Paolo Favuzzi
F Joe Meade
Addison Trail
GK Ernesto Padua
D Jose Vega
D Angel Gomez
D Ray Fischer
D Jose Villegas
M Leo Acosta
M Uriel Rojo
M Pablo Duran
M Eric Garcia
F Anthony Hernandez
F Aaron Sanchez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Paolo Favuzzi, sr., M, York
Scoring summary
First half
York – Joe Meade 37:09
Addison Trail – Aaron Sanchez 22:52
Second half
York – Paolo Favuzzi 26:04
York – Kol Rollins (Meade) 24:42
York – Ryan Woolfe (Ethan Oder) 19:07
Addison Trail – Sanchez (PK) 17:35