Rofano steers York
to title win over Wheaton North
Clinical finish gives Dukes repeat win in Hillner Classic
By Mike Garofola
ROSELLE -- Frankie Rofano stepped off the bench to help York lift the Norm Hillner Classic championship trophy.
The Dukes junior fired in the game-winner after a bit of wizardry allowed him to get past his challengers as he put his mates on course to a repeat championship Saturday morning.
York overpowered its earlier competition in the Hillner to advance into the final where it met a very good Wheaton North club, which should enjoy plenty of success before this fall season comes to an end.
The Dukes (5-0-0) continued to take care of business Saturday.
"We play an entertaining and exciting brand of soccer," said Dukes manager Jordan Stopka. "Today we did just about everything except in our finishing, and PKs, which we've been working on all week. We were not as clean as we need to be in those two areas.”
York plays an up-tempo style that stresses quick one-two passing, use of width and speedy attacks with purpose. It features Sam Musial running the show out of the middle, Kevin Gliatis, the supreme risk taker and gambler on the outside, danger with every touch from Jose Herrera and Joe Hernandez, plus a backline that is watertight, confident and more than willing to join the Dukes attack when called upon.
"(That) was easily the best team we've seen thus far, and for that matter might be the best team around," said Wheaton North manager, Rob Stassen, whose men are now 4-1-1 overall following their defeat, but in terrific shape in advance of their DuKane Conference opener at Batavia on Tuesday evening.
"(York) dominated the first half, We were just hoping to get to the half chasing the one-goal - which we did. That was a credit to our boys who played hard, gave plenty of effort and (thankfully) had Sam in goal to help us out when we really needed him."
The young man Stassen spoke of is the Falcons man between the sticks Sam Wakeman, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his magnificent work.
The senior was nothing short of brilliant throughout this contest. He not only took a handful of balls out of the back of his net but also commanded his area and came off his line to challenge in order to rescue his club when needed.
"Their keeper was amazing," said Stopka, who watched Wakeman turn around a PK in the 71st minute, before saving another potential Dukes goal two minutes later.
"York is so good, " said Wakeman, who plans to study biomedical engineering next fall at a yet to be determined college. “We struggled quite a bit in the first half with their attack, speed, pace and ability to create chances. I was just doing my job for us to help get us through a difficult time,"
The Dukes were off and running from the moment the referee's whistle opened play and put the Falcons immediately under pressure.
Musial’s marvelous ability to distribute pried open the Falcons in their own end. The darting, enterprising runs from Gliatis on the outside stretched the midfield of Wheaton North and helped open up more space for the Dukes to fill quickly.
"Musial had a wonderful game today - his best performance of this young season," said Stopka. “If not for the bar, he would have ended up on the scoresheet in the first half.”
A well-timed tackle from Wheaton North’s Nathan Gordeuk at nine minutes saved a potential 1-v-1 situation for Gliatis, who was sent through by Musial.
Minutes later, the Dukes bench and their faithful thought back-to-back handballs in the box would send one of its heroes to the spot, but the referee would have none of that and waved off both.
Brimming with confidence, the Dukes 4-3-3 formation looked as if it deployed five midfielders with outside back, Connor Bare and central defender Ryder Kohl becoming more involved near the half hour.
"Attack, attack with speed, get numbers forward, and play quick one-two passes is the way we like to play,” said Bare. “When we are, it gives our backline the chance to get involved," said Bare.
The aforementioned Rofano made an immediate mark on this contest after he was brought on for Hernandez at 30 minutes. He made Wheaton North pay for its inability to get out of its own end with a sublime finish from 16 yards to the left of Wakeman, who even in full extension could not get a fingertip on Rofano's inch-perfect strike.
Wakeman did stop Gliatis just before intermission to end an impressive first half of soccer from the Dukes.
"We played well in that first half," said Kacper Janowski, who won plenty of balls in the center of the park for his club.
"Our possession today was very good, and we moved the ball around really well, especially in the first half. But we have to get more goals out of all that good work."
While Wheaton North soaked up a lot of possession in the first half, its backline of Noah Froebe, Nathan Gordeuk, Kevin Ramirez, and Peter Tiesman remained composed. The Dukes pressure did not appear to take a toll after the break.
"Our energy and work rate in the second half was so much better,” said Stassen. “(They) obviously did not stop playing in the first half even though the ball was in our end most of the time. The the boys really came out and played hard after the break."
Whether it was the 10-minute break at the half or the Falcons ability to take away the time and space it conceded in the first half, it was clear the Dukes were not as sharp during the early stages of the second period.
Tim Dulzer, Caleb Hodel, Max Martinez, and Max Riccelli were much more active in the Wheaton North attack going forward. Hodel created a couple of corners for his mates, and Dulver initiated a pair of good-looking counters.
York’s attack revived in the 61st minute. If not for a superb point-blank save by Wakeman on Herrera, the tourney champs would have doubled their advantage.
Yael Silvestre, who bagged three-straight free kick goals against Lake Park, South Elgin and St. Francis in Hillner play, had another chance to add to his impressive record in the 63rd minute but drove his attempt into the Wheaton North wall.
A second yellow card booking forced the Falcons to play a man down for the final quarter hour of regulation. After a few short minutes of sorting out a new formation, Wheaton North showed its mettle on both sides of the ball, playing as if it were at even strength.
"I was really proud of the way the boys adjusted to playing a man down," said Stassen, who went to a 4-3-2 formation. “We actually had a couple of chances, and made York work hard for the last 10-15 minutes."
Hernandez created a PK for himself when he neatly split a pair of Falcons' defenders inside the box and was squeezed hard to the ground. At the spot, Wakeman extended far to his left to push the effort around the post.
It was only fitting that Wakeman stopped one last glorious opportunity for the Dukes - this time against Herrera in the 73rd minute, who sought his eighth goal of the season.
Seven minutes later, the York hoisted the trophy.
"We played well,” said Stopka. “Rofano deserves a lot of credit for coming off the bench and scoring a great goal for us. It was a good take on his part/
"Our defense continues to get better each time out. Ryder (Kohl) has been an excellent addition to that unit.
"Normally he plays left back, but he came to me before the season, and said he wants to anchor the defense.
"He's been rock solid back there. And against Lake Park he hit a 30-yard screamer to get himself a great goal.
"He's a welcome addition to the team, and his willingness to move to the center has given our sophomore, Gustavo Herrera a chance to get minutes up-top and allowed us to move Yael back as our left back.
"We have a lot of work to continue to do, but this was a terrific week for the guys and a well-deserved tournament championship.
York begins its next adventure when it opens league play at home Tuesday night against Oak Park and River Forest.
Starting lineups
Wheaton North (4-3-3)
G- Sam Wakeman
D- Kevin Ramirez
D- Nathan Gordeuk
D- Noah Froebe
D- Peter Tiesman
M- Caleb Hodel
M- Max Riccelli
M- Tim Dulzer
F- Carter Evans
F- Ethan Martinez
F- Diego Evangelista
York (4-3-3)
G- Ricardo Torres
D- Yael Silvestre
D- Ryder Kohl
D- Brendan Haran
D- Connor Bare
M- Joe Hernandez
M- Sam Musial
M- Kacper Janowski
F- Kevin Gliatis
F- Jose Herrera
F- Gustavo Herrera
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Sam Wakeman, sr., GK, Wheaton North
Referee: Marek Krzcazak
Scoring summary
First half
York: Rofano, 30'
Second half
No scoring
to title win over Wheaton North
Clinical finish gives Dukes repeat win in Hillner Classic
By Mike Garofola
ROSELLE -- Frankie Rofano stepped off the bench to help York lift the Norm Hillner Classic championship trophy.
The Dukes junior fired in the game-winner after a bit of wizardry allowed him to get past his challengers as he put his mates on course to a repeat championship Saturday morning.
York overpowered its earlier competition in the Hillner to advance into the final where it met a very good Wheaton North club, which should enjoy plenty of success before this fall season comes to an end.
The Dukes (5-0-0) continued to take care of business Saturday.
"We play an entertaining and exciting brand of soccer," said Dukes manager Jordan Stopka. "Today we did just about everything except in our finishing, and PKs, which we've been working on all week. We were not as clean as we need to be in those two areas.”
York plays an up-tempo style that stresses quick one-two passing, use of width and speedy attacks with purpose. It features Sam Musial running the show out of the middle, Kevin Gliatis, the supreme risk taker and gambler on the outside, danger with every touch from Jose Herrera and Joe Hernandez, plus a backline that is watertight, confident and more than willing to join the Dukes attack when called upon.
"(That) was easily the best team we've seen thus far, and for that matter might be the best team around," said Wheaton North manager, Rob Stassen, whose men are now 4-1-1 overall following their defeat, but in terrific shape in advance of their DuKane Conference opener at Batavia on Tuesday evening.
"(York) dominated the first half, We were just hoping to get to the half chasing the one-goal - which we did. That was a credit to our boys who played hard, gave plenty of effort and (thankfully) had Sam in goal to help us out when we really needed him."
The young man Stassen spoke of is the Falcons man between the sticks Sam Wakeman, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his magnificent work.
The senior was nothing short of brilliant throughout this contest. He not only took a handful of balls out of the back of his net but also commanded his area and came off his line to challenge in order to rescue his club when needed.
"Their keeper was amazing," said Stopka, who watched Wakeman turn around a PK in the 71st minute, before saving another potential Dukes goal two minutes later.
"York is so good, " said Wakeman, who plans to study biomedical engineering next fall at a yet to be determined college. “We struggled quite a bit in the first half with their attack, speed, pace and ability to create chances. I was just doing my job for us to help get us through a difficult time,"
The Dukes were off and running from the moment the referee's whistle opened play and put the Falcons immediately under pressure.
Musial’s marvelous ability to distribute pried open the Falcons in their own end. The darting, enterprising runs from Gliatis on the outside stretched the midfield of Wheaton North and helped open up more space for the Dukes to fill quickly.
"Musial had a wonderful game today - his best performance of this young season," said Stopka. “If not for the bar, he would have ended up on the scoresheet in the first half.”
A well-timed tackle from Wheaton North’s Nathan Gordeuk at nine minutes saved a potential 1-v-1 situation for Gliatis, who was sent through by Musial.
Minutes later, the Dukes bench and their faithful thought back-to-back handballs in the box would send one of its heroes to the spot, but the referee would have none of that and waved off both.
Brimming with confidence, the Dukes 4-3-3 formation looked as if it deployed five midfielders with outside back, Connor Bare and central defender Ryder Kohl becoming more involved near the half hour.
"Attack, attack with speed, get numbers forward, and play quick one-two passes is the way we like to play,” said Bare. “When we are, it gives our backline the chance to get involved," said Bare.
The aforementioned Rofano made an immediate mark on this contest after he was brought on for Hernandez at 30 minutes. He made Wheaton North pay for its inability to get out of its own end with a sublime finish from 16 yards to the left of Wakeman, who even in full extension could not get a fingertip on Rofano's inch-perfect strike.
Wakeman did stop Gliatis just before intermission to end an impressive first half of soccer from the Dukes.
"We played well in that first half," said Kacper Janowski, who won plenty of balls in the center of the park for his club.
"Our possession today was very good, and we moved the ball around really well, especially in the first half. But we have to get more goals out of all that good work."
While Wheaton North soaked up a lot of possession in the first half, its backline of Noah Froebe, Nathan Gordeuk, Kevin Ramirez, and Peter Tiesman remained composed. The Dukes pressure did not appear to take a toll after the break.
"Our energy and work rate in the second half was so much better,” said Stassen. “(They) obviously did not stop playing in the first half even though the ball was in our end most of the time. The the boys really came out and played hard after the break."
Whether it was the 10-minute break at the half or the Falcons ability to take away the time and space it conceded in the first half, it was clear the Dukes were not as sharp during the early stages of the second period.
Tim Dulzer, Caleb Hodel, Max Martinez, and Max Riccelli were much more active in the Wheaton North attack going forward. Hodel created a couple of corners for his mates, and Dulver initiated a pair of good-looking counters.
York’s attack revived in the 61st minute. If not for a superb point-blank save by Wakeman on Herrera, the tourney champs would have doubled their advantage.
Yael Silvestre, who bagged three-straight free kick goals against Lake Park, South Elgin and St. Francis in Hillner play, had another chance to add to his impressive record in the 63rd minute but drove his attempt into the Wheaton North wall.
A second yellow card booking forced the Falcons to play a man down for the final quarter hour of regulation. After a few short minutes of sorting out a new formation, Wheaton North showed its mettle on both sides of the ball, playing as if it were at even strength.
"I was really proud of the way the boys adjusted to playing a man down," said Stassen, who went to a 4-3-2 formation. “We actually had a couple of chances, and made York work hard for the last 10-15 minutes."
Hernandez created a PK for himself when he neatly split a pair of Falcons' defenders inside the box and was squeezed hard to the ground. At the spot, Wakeman extended far to his left to push the effort around the post.
It was only fitting that Wakeman stopped one last glorious opportunity for the Dukes - this time against Herrera in the 73rd minute, who sought his eighth goal of the season.
Seven minutes later, the York hoisted the trophy.
"We played well,” said Stopka. “Rofano deserves a lot of credit for coming off the bench and scoring a great goal for us. It was a good take on his part/
"Our defense continues to get better each time out. Ryder (Kohl) has been an excellent addition to that unit.
"Normally he plays left back, but he came to me before the season, and said he wants to anchor the defense.
"He's been rock solid back there. And against Lake Park he hit a 30-yard screamer to get himself a great goal.
"He's a welcome addition to the team, and his willingness to move to the center has given our sophomore, Gustavo Herrera a chance to get minutes up-top and allowed us to move Yael back as our left back.
"We have a lot of work to continue to do, but this was a terrific week for the guys and a well-deserved tournament championship.
York begins its next adventure when it opens league play at home Tuesday night against Oak Park and River Forest.
Starting lineups
Wheaton North (4-3-3)
G- Sam Wakeman
D- Kevin Ramirez
D- Nathan Gordeuk
D- Noah Froebe
D- Peter Tiesman
M- Caleb Hodel
M- Max Riccelli
M- Tim Dulzer
F- Carter Evans
F- Ethan Martinez
F- Diego Evangelista
York (4-3-3)
G- Ricardo Torres
D- Yael Silvestre
D- Ryder Kohl
D- Brendan Haran
D- Connor Bare
M- Joe Hernandez
M- Sam Musial
M- Kacper Janowski
F- Kevin Gliatis
F- Jose Herrera
F- Gustavo Herrera
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Sam Wakeman, sr., GK, Wheaton North
Referee: Marek Krzcazak
Scoring summary
First half
York: Rofano, 30'
Second half
No scoring