DG North works late to outlast York
Jack Richards keys Trojans’ 1-0 double overtime victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
DOWNERS GROVE -- The closer the clock struck the magic hour -- the moment neither team wanted -- Jack Richards took it upon himself to find closure in a game that studiously rejected it for nearly 100 minutes of soccer. After regulation and nearly two overtimes were exhausted, York and Downers Grove North achieved everything possible except to score a goal.
“I love these kind of games when you go into overtime,” said Richards, a senior midfielder for the Trojans. “These games are big. They feel like playoff games, no score, overtime, filled with a lot of pressure. It takes a little more effort. You just have to find the energy.”
Neither team wanted the aggravated and drawn-out tension of having to settle the game by penalty kicks.
Richards delivered by creating space on the right edge in pushing the ball to the line and delivering a perfect cross that junior forward Ramsey Forst drilled inside the far post in the 95th minute for the Trojans’ 1-0 double overtime victory over the Dukes in West Suburban Conference Silver Division play Tuesday night.
“The defender sagged off and gave me a little more space than I think he should have,” Richards said. “I did a little move, got the ball to the line and put it into the box and let Ramsey do the rest. We have been working hard. They are a great team. They moved the ball really well. Our defense, especially our keeper (Christopher Bull), played great.”
Richards, the most active and accomplished for the Trojans through the duration of the game, earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction. A lanky and skilled reserve, Forst recorded his second goal of the year.
“I knew Richards has the ability to get by people,” Forst said. “I knew he was going to get to the line and cross it over. I was just predicting what he was going to do. It was a tough game. We were not getting the calls we wanted, and we definitely had to work harder. They were also working really hard to win the game.
“We had to battle even harder in the end.”
The game showcased two of the hottest teams in the conference. Downers Grove North (9-3-2, 3-1-0) is now 8-1-2 in its last 11 games, its only defeat coming against no. 10 Oak Park and River Forest 2-1 on September 21st.
The loss proved particularly bitter for York (10-6-0, 2-2-0). The Dukes generated the more consistent effective run of play and created the more dangerous chances. In a moment underlining how close York came to reversing the outcome, midfielder Jakub Knurek hit the post on a free kick from about 19 yards out in the 90th minute.
York midfielder Michael Achepohl watched the team’s best scoring chance in the second half, a close-up one touch off a beautifully executed cross, climb over the top of the bar in the 78th minute. York entered the game 9-2-0 in its last 11 games.
“If you give a team life after life after life, and you can’t put it away, this is how this game unfolds,” York coach Lukasz Majewski said. “I was just hoping that one of those was going to drop for us. We had chance after chance, but unfortunately it did not work out for us today.
“I think we played well enough to get a result. It was just one of those days.”
York’s unfortunate night began early as junior forward Joe Reinhofer, the team captain and offensive catalyst, suffered a hamstring injury in the opening moments of play and never returned to action.
“That did not necessarily affect our finishing, it’s just that he is a kid that we play through a lot,” Majewski said “That piece was missing. You take that opportunity away from us, but still, we had a lot of opportunities to get a result.”
Bull registered seven saves for the Trojans. The team’s backline of Ryan Newstrom, Brett Mills and Ryan Knezevich and a frequently dropping midfielder capably cluttered the box against the Dukes to either clear or deny that finishing touch.
At the offensive end Richards was the most dangerous weapon, finding seams in the Dukes’ backline and delivering a series of crosses that proved tantalizingly close, underscoring just how tightly and closely contested the game was. Given a new lease after the Knurek free kick bounded off the post, the Trojans finally stitched together the winning sequence.
The perseverance paid off.
“It is something that is nice about this year’s group,” Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt said. “In the past few seasons we have not been able to get the job done in overtime and have had to go to penalty kicks. Penalty kicks are not something you want to do. You want to win it in the run of play. This group has been able to do it in overtime. This year this is our second overtime win. It is something this team wants. They don’t want to go to penalty kicks, or have a split decision.
“We put out a really good effort in the overtime session.”
York must regroup for a tough Thursday matchup with undefeated conference leader Oak Park and River Forest (13-2-1, 4-0-0). The disappointing ending notwithstanding, York proved it has a number of capable players. The brothers R.J. and Joe Meade showed creativity with the ball and the ability to create off the dribble. Junior midfielder Josh Borzello also had some impressive moments in the run of play.
“I think our health is the most important thing right now,” Majewski said. “We started out the season kind of slow, because we picked up some injuries early. We finally hit our stride. We are hoping -- the hamstring, a couple of ankles -- we are going to survive. We have a tough game Thursday against Oak Park. We still want to do well in conference. If we can’t win it, see if we can trip some people up along the way.
“I think our biggest concern is being healthy going into the start of the playoffs.”
The Trojans have a difficult road game with no. 13 Lyons on Thursday.
“Our focus at this point is finding our stride, finding our game,” Schmitt said. “We hit our stride halfway through the season. Our last couple of games have not been our strongest games. If you are looking at it from a possession standpoint, I don’t think we have controlled it by any means. We do a good job of taking advantage of our chances and get the goals when we need them.
“(There is) something good about this group in big moments. We are getting goals from a wide variety of people. It’s not just one person.”
Starters--
York--
GK: Sam Kritikos
D: John Milani
D: Nathan Brown
D: Edwardo DelCarmen
MF: Michael Achepohl
MF: Joe Meade
MF: Jakub Knurek
MF: Josh Borzello
MF: Paolo Favuzzi
F: John Gratzianna
F: Joe Reinhofer
Downers Grove North--
GK: Christopher Bull
D: Ryan Newstrom
D: Brett Mills
D: Ryan Knezevich
MF: Ben Tomchek
MF: Timothy Flavin
MF: Ryan Shanahan
MF: Jack Richards
MF: Declan Kramper
MF: Arsim Osmani
F: Tyler Cree
Man of the match: Jack Richards, Downers Grove North, sr., MF
Scoring summary
Second half
Downers Grove North—Ramsey Forst (Jack Richards), 95th minute
Jack Richards keys Trojans’ 1-0 double overtime victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
DOWNERS GROVE -- The closer the clock struck the magic hour -- the moment neither team wanted -- Jack Richards took it upon himself to find closure in a game that studiously rejected it for nearly 100 minutes of soccer. After regulation and nearly two overtimes were exhausted, York and Downers Grove North achieved everything possible except to score a goal.
“I love these kind of games when you go into overtime,” said Richards, a senior midfielder for the Trojans. “These games are big. They feel like playoff games, no score, overtime, filled with a lot of pressure. It takes a little more effort. You just have to find the energy.”
Neither team wanted the aggravated and drawn-out tension of having to settle the game by penalty kicks.
Richards delivered by creating space on the right edge in pushing the ball to the line and delivering a perfect cross that junior forward Ramsey Forst drilled inside the far post in the 95th minute for the Trojans’ 1-0 double overtime victory over the Dukes in West Suburban Conference Silver Division play Tuesday night.
“The defender sagged off and gave me a little more space than I think he should have,” Richards said. “I did a little move, got the ball to the line and put it into the box and let Ramsey do the rest. We have been working hard. They are a great team. They moved the ball really well. Our defense, especially our keeper (Christopher Bull), played great.”
Richards, the most active and accomplished for the Trojans through the duration of the game, earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction. A lanky and skilled reserve, Forst recorded his second goal of the year.
“I knew Richards has the ability to get by people,” Forst said. “I knew he was going to get to the line and cross it over. I was just predicting what he was going to do. It was a tough game. We were not getting the calls we wanted, and we definitely had to work harder. They were also working really hard to win the game.
“We had to battle even harder in the end.”
The game showcased two of the hottest teams in the conference. Downers Grove North (9-3-2, 3-1-0) is now 8-1-2 in its last 11 games, its only defeat coming against no. 10 Oak Park and River Forest 2-1 on September 21st.
The loss proved particularly bitter for York (10-6-0, 2-2-0). The Dukes generated the more consistent effective run of play and created the more dangerous chances. In a moment underlining how close York came to reversing the outcome, midfielder Jakub Knurek hit the post on a free kick from about 19 yards out in the 90th minute.
York midfielder Michael Achepohl watched the team’s best scoring chance in the second half, a close-up one touch off a beautifully executed cross, climb over the top of the bar in the 78th minute. York entered the game 9-2-0 in its last 11 games.
“If you give a team life after life after life, and you can’t put it away, this is how this game unfolds,” York coach Lukasz Majewski said. “I was just hoping that one of those was going to drop for us. We had chance after chance, but unfortunately it did not work out for us today.
“I think we played well enough to get a result. It was just one of those days.”
York’s unfortunate night began early as junior forward Joe Reinhofer, the team captain and offensive catalyst, suffered a hamstring injury in the opening moments of play and never returned to action.
“That did not necessarily affect our finishing, it’s just that he is a kid that we play through a lot,” Majewski said “That piece was missing. You take that opportunity away from us, but still, we had a lot of opportunities to get a result.”
Bull registered seven saves for the Trojans. The team’s backline of Ryan Newstrom, Brett Mills and Ryan Knezevich and a frequently dropping midfielder capably cluttered the box against the Dukes to either clear or deny that finishing touch.
At the offensive end Richards was the most dangerous weapon, finding seams in the Dukes’ backline and delivering a series of crosses that proved tantalizingly close, underscoring just how tightly and closely contested the game was. Given a new lease after the Knurek free kick bounded off the post, the Trojans finally stitched together the winning sequence.
The perseverance paid off.
“It is something that is nice about this year’s group,” Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt said. “In the past few seasons we have not been able to get the job done in overtime and have had to go to penalty kicks. Penalty kicks are not something you want to do. You want to win it in the run of play. This group has been able to do it in overtime. This year this is our second overtime win. It is something this team wants. They don’t want to go to penalty kicks, or have a split decision.
“We put out a really good effort in the overtime session.”
York must regroup for a tough Thursday matchup with undefeated conference leader Oak Park and River Forest (13-2-1, 4-0-0). The disappointing ending notwithstanding, York proved it has a number of capable players. The brothers R.J. and Joe Meade showed creativity with the ball and the ability to create off the dribble. Junior midfielder Josh Borzello also had some impressive moments in the run of play.
“I think our health is the most important thing right now,” Majewski said. “We started out the season kind of slow, because we picked up some injuries early. We finally hit our stride. We are hoping -- the hamstring, a couple of ankles -- we are going to survive. We have a tough game Thursday against Oak Park. We still want to do well in conference. If we can’t win it, see if we can trip some people up along the way.
“I think our biggest concern is being healthy going into the start of the playoffs.”
The Trojans have a difficult road game with no. 13 Lyons on Thursday.
“Our focus at this point is finding our stride, finding our game,” Schmitt said. “We hit our stride halfway through the season. Our last couple of games have not been our strongest games. If you are looking at it from a possession standpoint, I don’t think we have controlled it by any means. We do a good job of taking advantage of our chances and get the goals when we need them.
“(There is) something good about this group in big moments. We are getting goals from a wide variety of people. It’s not just one person.”
Starters--
York--
GK: Sam Kritikos
D: John Milani
D: Nathan Brown
D: Edwardo DelCarmen
MF: Michael Achepohl
MF: Joe Meade
MF: Jakub Knurek
MF: Josh Borzello
MF: Paolo Favuzzi
F: John Gratzianna
F: Joe Reinhofer
Downers Grove North--
GK: Christopher Bull
D: Ryan Newstrom
D: Brett Mills
D: Ryan Knezevich
MF: Ben Tomchek
MF: Timothy Flavin
MF: Ryan Shanahan
MF: Jack Richards
MF: Declan Kramper
MF: Arsim Osmani
F: Tyler Cree
Man of the match: Jack Richards, Downers Grove North, sr., MF
Scoring summary
Second half
Downers Grove North—Ramsey Forst (Jack Richards), 95th minute