York topples defending
3A champ West Chicago
Gliatis scores brace, GK Torres and defense hold fast in 2-0 win
By Dave Owen
ADDISON - The defending Class 3A champions ran into an unbreakable defending force Tuesday.
Answering West Chicago’s speed and ballhandling skills with near flawless defensive execution, top-seeded York (19-2-0) emerged from the Class 3A Addison Trail Sectional semifinal match with a 2-0 win over the no. 4 -seeded Wildcats (18-6-1).
West Chicago’s run to the 2019 state title (the last postseason played until now due to COVID-19) included a 1-0 sectional final win over York. But this time, the Dukes had the majority of early chances and struck for the deciding goal midway through the first half.
“It feels great, because they did beat us two years ago in the playoff series,” said York senior forward Kevin Gliatis. “I was sitting on the bench two years ago, but they (West Chicago) were an amazing team then, and they’re still a very good team now.”
Gliatis was far from a spectator in the rematch.
Five minutes in, he took a great give-and-go pass from fellow standout forward Jose Herrera and burst in on net, only to have his shot deflected just wide left.
His next great chance was not to be denied.
With 20:04 until halftime, Gliatis took an upfield pass from Joe Hernandez, burst into the box and scored to give York a 1-0 lead.
“Our center mid Joe got the ball right side,” Gliatis said. “I kind of cut in between the two center backs, just took a touch forward and chipped it over the keeper.”
Gliatis’ eventual two-goal night earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors. But he provided more than offense.
In the 15th minute, it was Gliatis in the defensive corner on the right side who made a nice steal and clear to deny an early Wildcat threat.
“Anything to get a win,” Gliatis said.
When talking about Gliatis, York coach Jordan Stopka was far less terse.
“Kevin is a phenomenal senior,” York coach Jordan Stopka said. “He's been dealing with hip issues all year, and he keeps powering through it. He's finally starting to get almost to 100 percent, and you could see when he plays on both sides how much of an impact he has on the game.”
Gliatis far preferred to expound upon what was another huge part of the win: York’s backline.
“Our team has a wonderful defense,” Gliatis said. “I love all the defenders on our team. They’re all good technically, all really good defenders mentally. They picture the field. Even our two wingers, I was working hard tonight dropping back, and so was our other wing (Herrera).”
The shutout was York’s 13th this season and third in a row in the playoffs.
“The biggest kudos I want to give is to the way we played defensively,” Stopka said. “Even our wingers were getting back: all 10 in front of the keeper were playing defense. We’ve had shutouts before, but that was arguably our sweetest shutout in my opinion.”
Beyond the starting defensive four of Connor Bare, Brendan Haran, Ryder Kohl and Yael Silvestre, there was a huge contribution off the bench from senior Aidan McGovern after Kohl exited the game for good with a leg injury just 10 minutes into the second half.
“Aidan,” Gliatis said, “hopping on the field and doing the job just as good and not conceding a goal. It was great.”
McGovern, whose cousin Neil also played well off the bench for the Dukes in an extended first half stretch, was up to the challenge.
“I was definitely nervous,” he said, “but I was also definitely ready for the moment. In practice we’re always pushing, high intensity. That’s what got us here really.
“It was really just a good, team effort. We needed to stay compact together and all talk, have good communication, and off the ball movement. A 2-0 win versus an amazing team is a great feeling, but practice is where it all starts.”
York’s all-hands-on-deck defensive approach also applied at goalkeeper.
Starter Ricardo Torres played 77 minutes of the shutout, but exited briefly after being shaken up in the race for a loose ball in the box with 29:18 to play.
Backup Anthony Kroumov entered for a three-minute stretch, and made a low stop on a right end-line cross by West Chicago’s Brian Nieves during his stint.
“We were just trying to stay defensively solid, always communicating in the back,” York senior midfielder Sam Musial said. “If one of the runners goes, we have to stay with them. I think we did that well and we shut them down.”
Rewinding to the midway point of the first half and a 1-0 Dukes lead, York’s strong defensive effort mixed with continued offensive threats to keep West Chicago at bay.
A Wildcats corner kick in the 21st minute was headed away by Musial and sent downfield by Neil McGovern.
In the 24th minute, a Musial pass set up Herrera’s shot in the box that West Chicago defender Aldo Flores cleared over the end line at the left post.
The same York duo was part of another quality chance in the 28th minute. Neil McGovern’s right-side cross off a Herrera initial pass was punched away in front an instant before Musial arrived.
The Dukes went into the half up just 1-0, but not without two more late bids off well-struck Herrera free kicks.
Then Herrera hit a 30-yard strike in the 31st minute that threaded through a crowd in front and just wide of the right post.
In the 39th minute, another Herrera free kick reached standout midfielder Kacper Janowski right side. Having scored his first goal of 2021 in a York win at Addison Trail earlier in October, Janowski just missed repeating the feat Tuesday when his low shot went an inch wide of the left post.
“We were a little disappointed we didn't put them down more than one (in the first half),” Stopka said. “We told them (at halftime) we needed to get the next goal. In the first 10 minutes they're going to come out hard and fast.”
West Chicago did just that, with a rush to the end line (defended well by Haran for a goal kick) and a 25-yard shot by Aldo Alfaro (wide left) in the first four minutes.
But with 33:31 left on the clock, York stormed the net en masse and added some breathing room.
Gliatis initiated the play by fighting through two defenders left of the box to send a pass to Musial for a 15-yard shot. West Chicago goalkeeper David Ramirez stopped Musial’s shot, but Gliatis threw himself into the scrum to win the ensuing loose ball and net his 13th goal of the season.
“I just kind of slid at it,” Gliatis said. “I believe the goalie saved it, and then it was kind of a missed pass to their goalie. It kind of bobbled off him, I was back post and just kind of went at it with my body. I saw the loose ball and dived at it and it made it to the back of the net.”
York’s defense made the 2-0 lead stand up, starting with a sequence with 31 minutes left in which Connor Bare blocked an initial shot and Torres grabbed the rebound try.
“One goal for a team like that (West Chicago) and they’re coming back 1, 2, 3,” Gliatis said. “As soon as we put our heads down it’s a whole different game, so we had to continue.”
Aidan McGovern entered the game with Kohl’s injury one minute later and made an instant impact, winning a ball in the defensive end and launching a long send that led to a Gliatis shot on goal with 28:30 left.
York continued to generate threats, with a Musial cross just missing Gustavo Herrera on a back post run with 25:50 to play.
Senior Henri Ymeraj was another reserve providing key minutes down the stretch, as York diffused West Chicago’s frantic bid to rally.
A 30-yard Wildcats shot over the net with 9:05 left was followed by their best close-in bid of the night, a Nathan Sanchez 8-yarder left side with 6:30 to go that went just wide of the post.
York defended one last set piece threat with 2:15 to play, a 32-yard free kick. It was two forwards on the defensive plays, Jose Herrera with the initial header away and Gliatis with the clear.
“(Our defense) was amazing, fantastic,” Aidan McGovern said. “Zero goals is always what we want, and the way we communicated, kept them out of the back and distributed the ball I thought was perfect.”
West Chicago coach Jose Villa hadn’t experienced a postseason loss since the 2018 regional semifinals vs. Benet.
“Hats off to York,” West Chicago coach Jose Villa said. “They're a very good team. They're skilled, tough, aggressive. They definitely made it challenging for us in many ways.
“They were very well organized, and the way they shifted and moved around made it tough for us to do what we want to do, which is keep the ball and combine. They were very well prepared and got the job done.
“They're definitely up there with some of the best teams we played this year. Oak Park was tough and very organized as well, and Benet too.”
West Chicago’s talents forced the Dukes to adapt on the fly.
“We like to play possession,” Stopka said, “and I feel like they had the better run of possession in the center third. But we adapted by playing a little bit long, a little bit more direct. Sometimes that’s what it takes to win.”
After a surprising 4-0 loss at Lyons on Oct. 7, York has answered with four wins in a row by a combined 11-1 margin.
“It’s a loss (to Lyons) that we needed before playoffs,” Gliatis said. “Going into playoffs with almost a perfect record (15-1-0 at that point) and playing teams that we’re killing like 5-0, you need a humbling game. That was huge for us I believe. We really took a self-check, and everyone got their stuff together for the playoffs.”
Musial missed that Lyons game with injury, but he and the Dukes’ mojo have both returned full force with a simple yet effective approach.
“Just play our game,” Musial said. “We've been working hard in practice to try to stay together as a unit, be defensively solid and be clinical up-front. I think we showed that well out here today.”
York’s defensive effort produced a frustrating night for players like West Chicago’s D’Marcus Marin, a starter on the Wildcats’ 2019 state champ.
“I just feel like they packed the back,” Marin said. “Sit back and hope for the best. And they got it.”
From an eight-win season in 2018, West Chicago followed with a state title the next fall and more success to come.
“I have nothing but positive things to say about this group,” Villa said. “We have quite a few guys still here from that (championship) team, and we were sharing with them over here (in the postgame) how they stamped this program and how we want this next group to be able to do the same.”
Said Marin: “Obviously being in this program takes a lot of responsibility. We hold ourselves to the highest level. It's all about family and pushing each other.”
York is pushing on towards its own potential historic feat. The Dukes will seek their first sectional title when they face Geneva or St. Charles East in Friday’s 6 p.m. sectional final at Addison Trail.
“The past few weeks we've just been mentally focused in each and every training session and during the games,” Musial said. “We're working hard and trying to illustrate that on the field. We're going to try to continue to do that, finish our chances and put teams away early.”
For Aidan McGovern, the goal Friday and beyond is simple.
We want it all,” he said. “And it all starts at practice tomorrow. We want to keep it rolling, keep the energy going.”
Starting lineups
York
GK Ricardo Torres
D Ryder Kohl
D Connor Bare
D Brendan Haran
D Yael Silvestre
M Sam Musial
M Kacper Janowski
M Joe Hernandez
M Gustavo Herrera
F Kevin Gliatis
F Jose Herrera
West Chicago
GK David Ramirez
D Beto Mendoza
D Aldo Flores
D Camilo Salinas
D Marin D’Marcus
M Juan Salinas
M Aldo Alfaro
M Tristan Alfaro
M Rafael Posada
F Diego Martinez
F Brian Nieves
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Kevin Gliatis, sr. F, York
Scoring summary
First half
Y- Kevin Gliatis (Joe Hernandez assist), 20’
Second half
Y- Gliatis (rebound), 47’
3A champ West Chicago
Gliatis scores brace, GK Torres and defense hold fast in 2-0 win
By Dave Owen
ADDISON - The defending Class 3A champions ran into an unbreakable defending force Tuesday.
Answering West Chicago’s speed and ballhandling skills with near flawless defensive execution, top-seeded York (19-2-0) emerged from the Class 3A Addison Trail Sectional semifinal match with a 2-0 win over the no. 4 -seeded Wildcats (18-6-1).
West Chicago’s run to the 2019 state title (the last postseason played until now due to COVID-19) included a 1-0 sectional final win over York. But this time, the Dukes had the majority of early chances and struck for the deciding goal midway through the first half.
“It feels great, because they did beat us two years ago in the playoff series,” said York senior forward Kevin Gliatis. “I was sitting on the bench two years ago, but they (West Chicago) were an amazing team then, and they’re still a very good team now.”
Gliatis was far from a spectator in the rematch.
Five minutes in, he took a great give-and-go pass from fellow standout forward Jose Herrera and burst in on net, only to have his shot deflected just wide left.
His next great chance was not to be denied.
With 20:04 until halftime, Gliatis took an upfield pass from Joe Hernandez, burst into the box and scored to give York a 1-0 lead.
“Our center mid Joe got the ball right side,” Gliatis said. “I kind of cut in between the two center backs, just took a touch forward and chipped it over the keeper.”
Gliatis’ eventual two-goal night earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors. But he provided more than offense.
In the 15th minute, it was Gliatis in the defensive corner on the right side who made a nice steal and clear to deny an early Wildcat threat.
“Anything to get a win,” Gliatis said.
When talking about Gliatis, York coach Jordan Stopka was far less terse.
“Kevin is a phenomenal senior,” York coach Jordan Stopka said. “He's been dealing with hip issues all year, and he keeps powering through it. He's finally starting to get almost to 100 percent, and you could see when he plays on both sides how much of an impact he has on the game.”
Gliatis far preferred to expound upon what was another huge part of the win: York’s backline.
“Our team has a wonderful defense,” Gliatis said. “I love all the defenders on our team. They’re all good technically, all really good defenders mentally. They picture the field. Even our two wingers, I was working hard tonight dropping back, and so was our other wing (Herrera).”
The shutout was York’s 13th this season and third in a row in the playoffs.
“The biggest kudos I want to give is to the way we played defensively,” Stopka said. “Even our wingers were getting back: all 10 in front of the keeper were playing defense. We’ve had shutouts before, but that was arguably our sweetest shutout in my opinion.”
Beyond the starting defensive four of Connor Bare, Brendan Haran, Ryder Kohl and Yael Silvestre, there was a huge contribution off the bench from senior Aidan McGovern after Kohl exited the game for good with a leg injury just 10 minutes into the second half.
“Aidan,” Gliatis said, “hopping on the field and doing the job just as good and not conceding a goal. It was great.”
McGovern, whose cousin Neil also played well off the bench for the Dukes in an extended first half stretch, was up to the challenge.
“I was definitely nervous,” he said, “but I was also definitely ready for the moment. In practice we’re always pushing, high intensity. That’s what got us here really.
“It was really just a good, team effort. We needed to stay compact together and all talk, have good communication, and off the ball movement. A 2-0 win versus an amazing team is a great feeling, but practice is where it all starts.”
York’s all-hands-on-deck defensive approach also applied at goalkeeper.
Starter Ricardo Torres played 77 minutes of the shutout, but exited briefly after being shaken up in the race for a loose ball in the box with 29:18 to play.
Backup Anthony Kroumov entered for a three-minute stretch, and made a low stop on a right end-line cross by West Chicago’s Brian Nieves during his stint.
“We were just trying to stay defensively solid, always communicating in the back,” York senior midfielder Sam Musial said. “If one of the runners goes, we have to stay with them. I think we did that well and we shut them down.”
Rewinding to the midway point of the first half and a 1-0 Dukes lead, York’s strong defensive effort mixed with continued offensive threats to keep West Chicago at bay.
A Wildcats corner kick in the 21st minute was headed away by Musial and sent downfield by Neil McGovern.
In the 24th minute, a Musial pass set up Herrera’s shot in the box that West Chicago defender Aldo Flores cleared over the end line at the left post.
The same York duo was part of another quality chance in the 28th minute. Neil McGovern’s right-side cross off a Herrera initial pass was punched away in front an instant before Musial arrived.
The Dukes went into the half up just 1-0, but not without two more late bids off well-struck Herrera free kicks.
Then Herrera hit a 30-yard strike in the 31st minute that threaded through a crowd in front and just wide of the right post.
In the 39th minute, another Herrera free kick reached standout midfielder Kacper Janowski right side. Having scored his first goal of 2021 in a York win at Addison Trail earlier in October, Janowski just missed repeating the feat Tuesday when his low shot went an inch wide of the left post.
“We were a little disappointed we didn't put them down more than one (in the first half),” Stopka said. “We told them (at halftime) we needed to get the next goal. In the first 10 minutes they're going to come out hard and fast.”
West Chicago did just that, with a rush to the end line (defended well by Haran for a goal kick) and a 25-yard shot by Aldo Alfaro (wide left) in the first four minutes.
But with 33:31 left on the clock, York stormed the net en masse and added some breathing room.
Gliatis initiated the play by fighting through two defenders left of the box to send a pass to Musial for a 15-yard shot. West Chicago goalkeeper David Ramirez stopped Musial’s shot, but Gliatis threw himself into the scrum to win the ensuing loose ball and net his 13th goal of the season.
“I just kind of slid at it,” Gliatis said. “I believe the goalie saved it, and then it was kind of a missed pass to their goalie. It kind of bobbled off him, I was back post and just kind of went at it with my body. I saw the loose ball and dived at it and it made it to the back of the net.”
York’s defense made the 2-0 lead stand up, starting with a sequence with 31 minutes left in which Connor Bare blocked an initial shot and Torres grabbed the rebound try.
“One goal for a team like that (West Chicago) and they’re coming back 1, 2, 3,” Gliatis said. “As soon as we put our heads down it’s a whole different game, so we had to continue.”
Aidan McGovern entered the game with Kohl’s injury one minute later and made an instant impact, winning a ball in the defensive end and launching a long send that led to a Gliatis shot on goal with 28:30 left.
York continued to generate threats, with a Musial cross just missing Gustavo Herrera on a back post run with 25:50 to play.
Senior Henri Ymeraj was another reserve providing key minutes down the stretch, as York diffused West Chicago’s frantic bid to rally.
A 30-yard Wildcats shot over the net with 9:05 left was followed by their best close-in bid of the night, a Nathan Sanchez 8-yarder left side with 6:30 to go that went just wide of the post.
York defended one last set piece threat with 2:15 to play, a 32-yard free kick. It was two forwards on the defensive plays, Jose Herrera with the initial header away and Gliatis with the clear.
“(Our defense) was amazing, fantastic,” Aidan McGovern said. “Zero goals is always what we want, and the way we communicated, kept them out of the back and distributed the ball I thought was perfect.”
West Chicago coach Jose Villa hadn’t experienced a postseason loss since the 2018 regional semifinals vs. Benet.
“Hats off to York,” West Chicago coach Jose Villa said. “They're a very good team. They're skilled, tough, aggressive. They definitely made it challenging for us in many ways.
“They were very well organized, and the way they shifted and moved around made it tough for us to do what we want to do, which is keep the ball and combine. They were very well prepared and got the job done.
“They're definitely up there with some of the best teams we played this year. Oak Park was tough and very organized as well, and Benet too.”
West Chicago’s talents forced the Dukes to adapt on the fly.
“We like to play possession,” Stopka said, “and I feel like they had the better run of possession in the center third. But we adapted by playing a little bit long, a little bit more direct. Sometimes that’s what it takes to win.”
After a surprising 4-0 loss at Lyons on Oct. 7, York has answered with four wins in a row by a combined 11-1 margin.
“It’s a loss (to Lyons) that we needed before playoffs,” Gliatis said. “Going into playoffs with almost a perfect record (15-1-0 at that point) and playing teams that we’re killing like 5-0, you need a humbling game. That was huge for us I believe. We really took a self-check, and everyone got their stuff together for the playoffs.”
Musial missed that Lyons game with injury, but he and the Dukes’ mojo have both returned full force with a simple yet effective approach.
“Just play our game,” Musial said. “We've been working hard in practice to try to stay together as a unit, be defensively solid and be clinical up-front. I think we showed that well out here today.”
York’s defensive effort produced a frustrating night for players like West Chicago’s D’Marcus Marin, a starter on the Wildcats’ 2019 state champ.
“I just feel like they packed the back,” Marin said. “Sit back and hope for the best. And they got it.”
From an eight-win season in 2018, West Chicago followed with a state title the next fall and more success to come.
“I have nothing but positive things to say about this group,” Villa said. “We have quite a few guys still here from that (championship) team, and we were sharing with them over here (in the postgame) how they stamped this program and how we want this next group to be able to do the same.”
Said Marin: “Obviously being in this program takes a lot of responsibility. We hold ourselves to the highest level. It's all about family and pushing each other.”
York is pushing on towards its own potential historic feat. The Dukes will seek their first sectional title when they face Geneva or St. Charles East in Friday’s 6 p.m. sectional final at Addison Trail.
“The past few weeks we've just been mentally focused in each and every training session and during the games,” Musial said. “We're working hard and trying to illustrate that on the field. We're going to try to continue to do that, finish our chances and put teams away early.”
For Aidan McGovern, the goal Friday and beyond is simple.
We want it all,” he said. “And it all starts at practice tomorrow. We want to keep it rolling, keep the energy going.”
Starting lineups
York
GK Ricardo Torres
D Ryder Kohl
D Connor Bare
D Brendan Haran
D Yael Silvestre
M Sam Musial
M Kacper Janowski
M Joe Hernandez
M Gustavo Herrera
F Kevin Gliatis
F Jose Herrera
West Chicago
GK David Ramirez
D Beto Mendoza
D Aldo Flores
D Camilo Salinas
D Marin D’Marcus
M Juan Salinas
M Aldo Alfaro
M Tristan Alfaro
M Rafael Posada
F Diego Martinez
F Brian Nieves
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Kevin Gliatis, sr. F, York
Scoring summary
First half
Y- Kevin Gliatis (Joe Hernandez assist), 20’
Second half
Y- Gliatis (rebound), 47’