Persistent York finds
way past stingy St. Charles North
Dukes post 1-0 win to capture second-consecutive regional title
By Mike Garofola
CAROL STREAM -- York gave St. Charles North all it could handle and more Friday night at Weber Field en route to a hard-fought and well-deserved 1-0 victory to claim the Glenbard North Regional crown.
Inspired by the play of Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Kacper Janowski, who dominated the center of the park, and the beneficiary of Joe Hernandez's first half game-winner, the Dukes advance to play in the Addison Trail Sectional next week against the West Chicago Regional winner. The host Wildcats (16-5-1) and Elk Grove (14-3-3) meet today for the title.
Eric Willson’s St. Charles North club figured to be in for a rough go of it against the high-octane attack of the top-seeded Dukes on this chilly night in Carol Stream.
York validated its top sectional seed while the North Stars, despite missing two starters from their first class backline, showed they belonged with an 80-minute performance that impressed their manager.
"York is a team with tremendous quality, but the effort given by all of my guys wearing blue shirts tonight is something I am very proud of, and they should feel the same way despite the loss," said Willson, whose club finished the season at 7-4-6 overall.
"We're a team that defends very well. It was important for us to do the same tonight. We've had our trouble finding the back of the net. If we had to chase two-three goals, it could be a very long night for us."
While the North Stars netted 21 goals this season, York bagged 70 including a six-goal second half explosion Tuesday night in its 6-0 victory over Conant in the regional semifinals.
"We didn't play very well at all in the first 45 minutes against Conant (who) kept numbers back, defended and were organized," said Janowski. “We really struggled until we found ourselves, and we opened up the game in a big way.
“Tonight we picked up where we left off from the other night.
"Sam (Musial) was big for us in the middle, our bench really came through and Joe scored a huge goal for us.
"We should have had put another one or two in. Credit (North); they played hard and really made us work for everything tonight."
The Dukes are in the midst of a golden time in program history after claiming their second-consecutive regional title. They topped their 16-win season from a 2019 season that included a regional championship under then-manager Lukasz Majewski.
"We all knew it was (since 2006) before we won another regional title in 2019. All of us wanted to get this one tonight, then go after winning a sectional title this year," said Hernandez.
Two more wins would give the Dukes their first sectional title in the current state format.
Janowski was a commanding figure. The North Stars were unable to get the better of him in the air or on the floor. Combined with Musial, who makes his club go with his passing range and expertise in possession, the pair helped put St. Charles North under pressure from the start.
Gustavo Herrera's interception and quick play across to Janowski saw the ensuing 16-yard effort saved by North Stars keeper Alex Curtis at four minutes. That was followed by an attempt from Hernandez after a nice build-up ended with Curtis keeping his eye on a sharp strike that travelled through plenty of blue and white shirts in front of him.
Musial went over the bar from 22 yards, before the Dukes leading scorer Jose Herrera (20 goals, eight assists) carved out a chance of his own with speed and trickery. He burst up the left side to earn a corner for his mates.
While the Dukes continued to pile on plenty of pressure with their movement, high-percentage possession and use of width, it was the defensive stance of the shorthanded North Stars that drew rave reviews from Janowski, Hernandez,York manager Jordan Stopka and Willson.
"I cannot say enough about the job our backline did tonight against a team that just comes after you with numbers, speed and quickness,” Willson said. “All the more amazing when you consider we asked Bryce (Thomas) and Stefano Nava to step in for two of our starters who were unable to go.
"Michael DePasquale suffered a sprained MCL the other night against Glenbard North. Although he did his best, he just wasn't able to go for us tonight. Casey Kriz, whose been terrific playing on the varsity, wasn't feeling well all day. We turned to Bryce and Stefano, and they were superb."
The two newcomers into Willsons' first 11 fit like an old shoe alongside captain Casey Graham and Zach Curtis. Together with Walter DeLaPaz and Logan Turney stationed in front of them in the 4-3-3 formation, the North Stars formed a wall of defense that stymied York.
"(They) were a tough team defensively,” said Stopka. “They worked hard, didn't panic when we had them under. Their keeper made a couple of good saves, and I thought played a very strong game against us.
"We brought a lot of fresh legs on our wings with the hope of breaking them down and bringing life into our game on the outside. I felt like the guys coming off the bench did a really good job with that, especially Alan Rivas, who we brought up from our JV team. He did well in his role on the outside."
The Dukes were impressive in the way they built their attack, particularly in the first half when St. Charles North was still finding its way. After several 8-10 touch possessions, York was able to force Alex Curtis into action.
Yael Silvestre, Kevin Gliatis and Hernandez (twice) went wide. If not for a trio of brave tackles by St. Charles North’s Thomas, including two in-close against Gustavo Herrera, the Dukes may have broken through earlier.
The North Stars nearly pulled off a surprise against the run of play with a sensational and clinical counterattack ignited by Arriel Dizdarevic. Devan Girish eventually latched onto the ball up the left side and forced Dukes keeper Ricky Torres into a save.
This 25th-minute uprising would be the best chance of the period by the North Stars. Six minutes later York got its game-winner from goal-scoring hero Joe Hernandez.
"We had a long throw on the left side, and I went to an open spot, where Jose (Herrera) gave a little heel flick to me, and I guess I did the rest," said the modest Hernandez, whose searing, low drive went just inside the near post from 18 yards.
That put St. Charles North behind the eight ball.
"We've had our troubles scoring this season," offered Stars classy defender Casey Graham, who turned in a wonderful 80-minute effort in his final game of his prep career. “We didn't want to give up that first goal, but we defended really well up to the goal and throughout the second half to help keep us in the game, which I was really proud of.
"Both Bryce and Stefano were amazing stepping in for our two guys who were out tonight, and the rest of the team came out and fought hard against a very good team.
"We started the season a little slow, but we progressed with each week, and we've had a very good year."
Neither side looked sharp in the first 10 minutes after the intermission, except for a sequence in which the referee may have bailed out the North Stars with a decision that brought howls of disapproval from the York bench.
A sublime early ball sent up the left side by Hernandez to Jose Herrera resulted in a professional foul that was whistled immediately. That took away an obvious advantage for the Dukes who believed Herrera was off to the races and potentially in on Alex Curtis.
The resulting free kick from Ryder Kohl ended up with a whimper compared to what the Dukes faithful had hoped for.
Hernandez nearly found an insurance goal in the 59th minute, but his shot grazed the bar from 20 yards. Musial sent another shot over on the tail-end of another Dukes counter.
St. Charles North quickened York's pulse when a quick, long punt from Curtis sailed far over the Dukes backline which had pushed up. An alert and well-positioned Brendan Haran thumped a header back to keeper Torres, who collected the ball before the North Stars front-runners could reach it.
"We would have liked to double our advantage after the break to give us a little breathing room, not be in a situation where a one-goal lead could quickly turn into a 1-1 game in those always crazy final minutes of a game like this," said Stopka.
Walter DeLaPaz did his best to get the North Stars level when he went wide in the 68th minute, as did Graham whose redirected header was saved by Torres after the first of three deep throws the Stars were able to conjure up during the final minutes of play.
St. Charles North’s work-rate and desire to challenge first and second balls with more authority than it had in the first half ratcheted up the game’s energy and led to a frantic final 10 minutes before time.
Connor Bare, who along with Musial are the lone holdovers from the 2019 regional championship team, was helped off in the 78th minute when he came down hard on his shoulder after a 50-50 challenge at the midline.
York managed to defend its precious one-goal advantage until the very end and then celebrated in front of its fans.
"We have to tip our hats to York," said Willson, whose program entered the game looking for its 10th regional title. “Jordan has a very talented team that can go far in the next couple of weeks. Once again, for my guys, I am very proud of their effort tonight and with the way they fought from start to finish.
"It's not always easy to go out this way, but they should be happy and proud of how they played against an exceptional opponent.”
York is now three wins from the Class 3A Final Four.
"This was a nice win, but there's a lot more ahead of us to go after, so it's back to training tomorrow to get ready for sectionals next Tuesday," offered Janowski.
His play and urgency got his team’s notice.
"Kacper was just insane tonight," said Hernandez, whose goal total now stands at six. “He helped us control the middle of the field all night long and really helped us come out and play a very good first half.”
Stopka will now work on ways to keep his team’s magical season on track.
"I was really happy with the way we came out tonight,” he said. “I would have liked to have seen us put another one or two into the net, but our play overall was very good.
“(We) just have to get better in the final third by putting more balls on frame, and to cut down on our dribbling when we get in close.
"I was pleased with the work from all of our guys coming off the bench, Rivas whom we just called up from JV1 did well in his varsity experience, Ryder Kohl and our entire backline did well - and Kacper was just a beast out there for us.
"He means so much to us in the middle of our 4-3-3, and tonight, I think he won every ball that came his way. His distribution and defending were just amazing, and he helped set the tone for the entire game."
Starting lineups
St. Charles North (4-3-3)
G: Alex Curtis
D: Bryce Thomas
D: Casey Graham
D: Zach Curtis
D: Stefano Nava
M: Isaac VanDeSampel
M: Walter DelaPaz
M: Logan Turney
F: Chase Bettini
F: Dawid Szlegia
F: Robert Keldani
York (4-3-3)
G: Ricky Torres
D: Yael Shilvestre
D: Ryder Kohl
D: Brendan Hare
D: Connor Bare
M: Sam Musial
M: Kacper Janowski
M: Kevin Gliatis
F: Jose Herrera
F: Joe Hernandez
F: Gustavo Herrera
Chicagoland Man of the Match: Kacper Janowski, sr., MF, York
Referee: Scott Lichtfuss
Scoring summary
First half
York: Joe Hernandez (Jose Herrera) 35'
Second half
No scoring
Statistics
St. Charles North
On Frame: 3
Off Frame: 1
Fouls: 12
Corners: 0
Offsides: 2
Yellow cards: 0
York
On Frame: 9
Off Frame: 7
Fouls: 11
Corners: 2
Offsides: 2
Yellow cards: 0
way past stingy St. Charles North
Dukes post 1-0 win to capture second-consecutive regional title
By Mike Garofola
CAROL STREAM -- York gave St. Charles North all it could handle and more Friday night at Weber Field en route to a hard-fought and well-deserved 1-0 victory to claim the Glenbard North Regional crown.
Inspired by the play of Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Kacper Janowski, who dominated the center of the park, and the beneficiary of Joe Hernandez's first half game-winner, the Dukes advance to play in the Addison Trail Sectional next week against the West Chicago Regional winner. The host Wildcats (16-5-1) and Elk Grove (14-3-3) meet today for the title.
Eric Willson’s St. Charles North club figured to be in for a rough go of it against the high-octane attack of the top-seeded Dukes on this chilly night in Carol Stream.
York validated its top sectional seed while the North Stars, despite missing two starters from their first class backline, showed they belonged with an 80-minute performance that impressed their manager.
"York is a team with tremendous quality, but the effort given by all of my guys wearing blue shirts tonight is something I am very proud of, and they should feel the same way despite the loss," said Willson, whose club finished the season at 7-4-6 overall.
"We're a team that defends very well. It was important for us to do the same tonight. We've had our trouble finding the back of the net. If we had to chase two-three goals, it could be a very long night for us."
While the North Stars netted 21 goals this season, York bagged 70 including a six-goal second half explosion Tuesday night in its 6-0 victory over Conant in the regional semifinals.
"We didn't play very well at all in the first 45 minutes against Conant (who) kept numbers back, defended and were organized," said Janowski. “We really struggled until we found ourselves, and we opened up the game in a big way.
“Tonight we picked up where we left off from the other night.
"Sam (Musial) was big for us in the middle, our bench really came through and Joe scored a huge goal for us.
"We should have had put another one or two in. Credit (North); they played hard and really made us work for everything tonight."
The Dukes are in the midst of a golden time in program history after claiming their second-consecutive regional title. They topped their 16-win season from a 2019 season that included a regional championship under then-manager Lukasz Majewski.
"We all knew it was (since 2006) before we won another regional title in 2019. All of us wanted to get this one tonight, then go after winning a sectional title this year," said Hernandez.
Two more wins would give the Dukes their first sectional title in the current state format.
Janowski was a commanding figure. The North Stars were unable to get the better of him in the air or on the floor. Combined with Musial, who makes his club go with his passing range and expertise in possession, the pair helped put St. Charles North under pressure from the start.
Gustavo Herrera's interception and quick play across to Janowski saw the ensuing 16-yard effort saved by North Stars keeper Alex Curtis at four minutes. That was followed by an attempt from Hernandez after a nice build-up ended with Curtis keeping his eye on a sharp strike that travelled through plenty of blue and white shirts in front of him.
Musial went over the bar from 22 yards, before the Dukes leading scorer Jose Herrera (20 goals, eight assists) carved out a chance of his own with speed and trickery. He burst up the left side to earn a corner for his mates.
While the Dukes continued to pile on plenty of pressure with their movement, high-percentage possession and use of width, it was the defensive stance of the shorthanded North Stars that drew rave reviews from Janowski, Hernandez,York manager Jordan Stopka and Willson.
"I cannot say enough about the job our backline did tonight against a team that just comes after you with numbers, speed and quickness,” Willson said. “All the more amazing when you consider we asked Bryce (Thomas) and Stefano Nava to step in for two of our starters who were unable to go.
"Michael DePasquale suffered a sprained MCL the other night against Glenbard North. Although he did his best, he just wasn't able to go for us tonight. Casey Kriz, whose been terrific playing on the varsity, wasn't feeling well all day. We turned to Bryce and Stefano, and they were superb."
The two newcomers into Willsons' first 11 fit like an old shoe alongside captain Casey Graham and Zach Curtis. Together with Walter DeLaPaz and Logan Turney stationed in front of them in the 4-3-3 formation, the North Stars formed a wall of defense that stymied York.
"(They) were a tough team defensively,” said Stopka. “They worked hard, didn't panic when we had them under. Their keeper made a couple of good saves, and I thought played a very strong game against us.
"We brought a lot of fresh legs on our wings with the hope of breaking them down and bringing life into our game on the outside. I felt like the guys coming off the bench did a really good job with that, especially Alan Rivas, who we brought up from our JV team. He did well in his role on the outside."
The Dukes were impressive in the way they built their attack, particularly in the first half when St. Charles North was still finding its way. After several 8-10 touch possessions, York was able to force Alex Curtis into action.
Yael Silvestre, Kevin Gliatis and Hernandez (twice) went wide. If not for a trio of brave tackles by St. Charles North’s Thomas, including two in-close against Gustavo Herrera, the Dukes may have broken through earlier.
The North Stars nearly pulled off a surprise against the run of play with a sensational and clinical counterattack ignited by Arriel Dizdarevic. Devan Girish eventually latched onto the ball up the left side and forced Dukes keeper Ricky Torres into a save.
This 25th-minute uprising would be the best chance of the period by the North Stars. Six minutes later York got its game-winner from goal-scoring hero Joe Hernandez.
"We had a long throw on the left side, and I went to an open spot, where Jose (Herrera) gave a little heel flick to me, and I guess I did the rest," said the modest Hernandez, whose searing, low drive went just inside the near post from 18 yards.
That put St. Charles North behind the eight ball.
"We've had our troubles scoring this season," offered Stars classy defender Casey Graham, who turned in a wonderful 80-minute effort in his final game of his prep career. “We didn't want to give up that first goal, but we defended really well up to the goal and throughout the second half to help keep us in the game, which I was really proud of.
"Both Bryce and Stefano were amazing stepping in for our two guys who were out tonight, and the rest of the team came out and fought hard against a very good team.
"We started the season a little slow, but we progressed with each week, and we've had a very good year."
Neither side looked sharp in the first 10 minutes after the intermission, except for a sequence in which the referee may have bailed out the North Stars with a decision that brought howls of disapproval from the York bench.
A sublime early ball sent up the left side by Hernandez to Jose Herrera resulted in a professional foul that was whistled immediately. That took away an obvious advantage for the Dukes who believed Herrera was off to the races and potentially in on Alex Curtis.
The resulting free kick from Ryder Kohl ended up with a whimper compared to what the Dukes faithful had hoped for.
Hernandez nearly found an insurance goal in the 59th minute, but his shot grazed the bar from 20 yards. Musial sent another shot over on the tail-end of another Dukes counter.
St. Charles North quickened York's pulse when a quick, long punt from Curtis sailed far over the Dukes backline which had pushed up. An alert and well-positioned Brendan Haran thumped a header back to keeper Torres, who collected the ball before the North Stars front-runners could reach it.
"We would have liked to double our advantage after the break to give us a little breathing room, not be in a situation where a one-goal lead could quickly turn into a 1-1 game in those always crazy final minutes of a game like this," said Stopka.
Walter DeLaPaz did his best to get the North Stars level when he went wide in the 68th minute, as did Graham whose redirected header was saved by Torres after the first of three deep throws the Stars were able to conjure up during the final minutes of play.
St. Charles North’s work-rate and desire to challenge first and second balls with more authority than it had in the first half ratcheted up the game’s energy and led to a frantic final 10 minutes before time.
Connor Bare, who along with Musial are the lone holdovers from the 2019 regional championship team, was helped off in the 78th minute when he came down hard on his shoulder after a 50-50 challenge at the midline.
York managed to defend its precious one-goal advantage until the very end and then celebrated in front of its fans.
"We have to tip our hats to York," said Willson, whose program entered the game looking for its 10th regional title. “Jordan has a very talented team that can go far in the next couple of weeks. Once again, for my guys, I am very proud of their effort tonight and with the way they fought from start to finish.
"It's not always easy to go out this way, but they should be happy and proud of how they played against an exceptional opponent.”
York is now three wins from the Class 3A Final Four.
"This was a nice win, but there's a lot more ahead of us to go after, so it's back to training tomorrow to get ready for sectionals next Tuesday," offered Janowski.
His play and urgency got his team’s notice.
"Kacper was just insane tonight," said Hernandez, whose goal total now stands at six. “He helped us control the middle of the field all night long and really helped us come out and play a very good first half.”
Stopka will now work on ways to keep his team’s magical season on track.
"I was really happy with the way we came out tonight,” he said. “I would have liked to have seen us put another one or two into the net, but our play overall was very good.
“(We) just have to get better in the final third by putting more balls on frame, and to cut down on our dribbling when we get in close.
"I was pleased with the work from all of our guys coming off the bench, Rivas whom we just called up from JV1 did well in his varsity experience, Ryder Kohl and our entire backline did well - and Kacper was just a beast out there for us.
"He means so much to us in the middle of our 4-3-3, and tonight, I think he won every ball that came his way. His distribution and defending were just amazing, and he helped set the tone for the entire game."
Starting lineups
St. Charles North (4-3-3)
G: Alex Curtis
D: Bryce Thomas
D: Casey Graham
D: Zach Curtis
D: Stefano Nava
M: Isaac VanDeSampel
M: Walter DelaPaz
M: Logan Turney
F: Chase Bettini
F: Dawid Szlegia
F: Robert Keldani
York (4-3-3)
G: Ricky Torres
D: Yael Shilvestre
D: Ryder Kohl
D: Brendan Hare
D: Connor Bare
M: Sam Musial
M: Kacper Janowski
M: Kevin Gliatis
F: Jose Herrera
F: Joe Hernandez
F: Gustavo Herrera
Chicagoland Man of the Match: Kacper Janowski, sr., MF, York
Referee: Scott Lichtfuss
Scoring summary
First half
York: Joe Hernandez (Jose Herrera) 35'
Second half
No scoring
Statistics
St. Charles North
On Frame: 3
Off Frame: 1
Fouls: 12
Corners: 0
Offsides: 2
Yellow cards: 0
York
On Frame: 9
Off Frame: 7
Fouls: 11
Corners: 2
Offsides: 2
Yellow cards: 0