York makes splash,
nets 2-1 win over Wheaton North
Late Oder goal decides storm-delayed Hillner Classic match
By Dave Owen
ROSELLE – With the way they took to the wet conditions, punsters might say the York Dukes were more like ducks Saturday.
Enduring a one-hour pregame weather delay and playing on a grass field made slick by steady, first half rains, York (4-1-0) used opportunistic offense and bend-but-seldom-break defense to earn a 2-1 win over Wheaton North (3-2-1) in the final round of the Hillner Tournament at Lake Park.
“The grass was wet, so it was more like turf,” York’s Ethan Oder said. “It helps us play our game a lot better. We’re better when we play faster.”
With the score tied 1-1, fast play and fast thinking figured into Oder’s game-winning goal with 18:41 left in the match.
On what appeared a likely harmless send, Oder tracked down the loose ball off a Falcons’ miscue and powered home his second goal of 2018.
“It got played to Paolo (Favuzzi) our center mid, and he played a long ball,” Oder said. “Then the goalie didn’t know whether to come out or not. It went over to the corner, and I kind of just hit it far post.”
The victory earned the Dukes a top three finish in the tournament, and an added injection of confidence for them heading into their rugged West Suburban Conference Silver Division slate.
“It feels amazing right now,” York defender Edwardo DelCarmen said. “We’re in a really good spot, and hopefully we can keep going with what we’re doing.”
While two rare lapses by the stalwart Wheaton North defense led to goals, Falcons coach Rob Stassen had few postgame reasons for worry.
“I’m happy with how they played,” Stassen said. “We did a great job.
“We got unlucky with the first (York) goal, but we spoke about it, and the kid adjusted. Mistakes happen. Their second goal was difficult. But we played our hearts out.”
After the long pregame wait, Wheaton North came out strong with two shots on goal in the first two minutes, including York goalkeeper Kyle Johnson’s low catch of an Ethan Shikany 22-yard try.
York’s first good chance would come in the fifth minute, and produce a 1-0 lead.
Joe Meade’s nice send of a 22-yard free kick from the left side found Jack Musial free in front for a 6-yard header putaway and a Dukes lead.
What was at the time a disappointing moment for Wheaton North midfielder Jack Morrissey would develop into a tribute to his grit and determination.
“I’d say one of our key players today was Jack Morrissey,” Stassen said. “Unfortunately the first goal against us was his fault. He came off and said, ‘Coach, my fault.’ He totally owned it, then went back out and scored one of his own. That’s the type of mentality he has.”
Morrissey’s game-tying answer came in the 32nd minute. Taking a send upfield from Ethan Shikany, Morrissey used his speed to beat the York defense for a breakaway chance and a 10-yard drive past Johnson for a 1-1 tie.
The score marked a complete reversal of fortune of another kind. The finish came just 20 seconds after a York corner kick chance ended with a foul. A quick counterattack, a nice long ball and a great Morrissey sprint, and the game was suddenly even.
“Their long balls were tough, and they had fast players as well,” DelCarmen said of the Wheaton North offensive performance Saturday. “I thought that was the most difficult part all game, their running.”
With nine goals in their last four games entering Saturday, the Falcons have been on the offensive all fall.
“Just the quickness of our play is better,” Wheaton North’s Joseph Gaither said. “We’re willing to give up the ball, our movements are very good off the ball, and I think that’s been very effective.”
And while great efforts by DelCarmen and the rest of York’s backline would deny any other Falcons finishes, threats were frequent.
In between the offsetting first half goals, Wheaton North’s Erik Rozanski generated a great chance in the seventh minute. Racing in on right wing, his liner was deflected just over the crossbar by a leaping Johnson.
Then in the 36th minute came another great back-and-forth. A corner kick by York’s Josh Borzello was headed out of the box, leading to a two-man counterattack by Wheaton North’s Lael Mondragon and Alex Beausoleil that was denied by York defenders Jonathan Milani and Sebastian Benavides.
Johnson came up with another big save in the 38th minute, diving to deflect a Mondragon 8-yard liner wide of the net.
Then York closed the back-and-forth half by missing a go-ahead goal by an eyelash.
In a late push that began with a Favuzzi 18-yard shot just wide of the net with 1:30 left, the Dukes’ continued pressure nearly paid off 35 seconds later.
On a high deflection in the box towards the net, Falcons goalkeeper Ray Min needed an all-out leap to tip the loose ball off the crossbar. Wheaton North defender Kyle Schauer then slid to nicely clear the crossbar carom off the goal line and keep the score 1-1 at halftime.
Schauer was one of many Falcons reserves to make key contributions Saturday.
“Today was a great team effort, with all the subs coming off the bench,” Stassen said. “We ran a low roster today with a couple of injuries we picked up.”
Wheaton North’s defense was tested again early in the second half.
With 32:05 left, Min made a nice catch of Meade’s 19-yard free kick from the left edge of the box. Then on another Meade free kick 80 seconds later, Musial sent a header just over the net.
But those early chances were more than answered at the other end with 27:30 to play.
A 45-second flurry began with a Joseph Gaither shot in the box that was blocked by York’s Jacob Kresnicka. Off an ensuing throw-in, DelCarmen first blocked a Rozanski shot, then repelled a Shikany try moments later.
A Falcons corner kick followed with a familiar finish – an Ajay Patel shot blocked by DelCarmen again.
The second half version of the Great Wall of Elmhurst deferred credit for his series of plays.
“Our communication helped a lot,” DelCarmen said. “Our goalkeeper helped us out big, and you control your body, control the defense. We were working on that – that’s what really helped.”
The block party resumed with 22:30 left, this time Milani blocking a would-be Rozanski cross.
Then at the other end, Wheaton North defender Sunday Moo made his own impressive block on a Musial try with 21:10 left, setting up a counterattack and 25-yard shot on goal by Shikany.
But just when it appeared the two defenses would continue a half of back-and-forth stands, Oder struck in unlikely fashion to unknot the 1-1 tie.
“Our team is starting to come together,” Oder said. “We were kind of yelling at each other a little bit, but it’s motivation for each other.
“And we kind of bounced back from our last game against Lake Park, which we were all down about for the loss 2-1. So I think that helped motivate us to win the game.”
Oder’s goal added a spark of motivation, but not without a few more nervous moments for the Dukes.
After a Leo DeLaTorre chance was deflected over the end line, the ensuing Shikany corner kick with 13:50 left was headed out of danger by DelCarmen.
York also limited the damage on Morrissey’s interception of an attempted goalkeeper clear with 5:50 to go, the last decent chance for the Falcons.
In a 50/50 battle near midfield, the Dukes’ Parker Gawne was ruled to have been fouled with 1:05 left. That set up a 40-yard York free kick that essentially kept the ball out of the Falcons offensive end the rest of the match.
On a day with a weather delay and some strange goals, a halftime switch in officiating crews added to the mystique.
“I’m a bit upset with the refereeing in the second half where you change referees, and he comes in and takes over the game,” Stassen said. “With the first half referee, neither coach said a single word. Second half, the two of us were all over him. Unfortunately that happens. Because it was delayed they (the first half crew) had to leave. It changed the entire game.
“But I’m not using that as an excuse. York’s a good team, and they capitalized on a nice goal. And I thought we played well. We’ll learn our lessons and come back.”
Even in defeat, Morrissey and other Falcons earned high praise from their coach.
“You had him, and then Ethan Shikany at center mid, and Jack Mancuso at the outside ‘D’ just played his brains out today,” Stassen said. “I’m happy with them all.”
On the York side, happiness was in even bigger supply.
“We have great teamwork,” DelCarmen said. “I know we’re going to have a lot of tough opponents, but we’re just going to have to work through it and push hard.”
And after a strong August marred only by the close loss to Lake Park, the Dukes began September in style.
“I think we’re only going up,” Oder said.
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK Ray Min
D Jack Tegart
D Nathan Heyen
D Sunday Moo
D Jack Mancuso
M Ajay Patel
M Ethan Shikany
M Erik Rozanski
M Jack Morrissey
F Alex Beausoleil
F Joseph Gaither
York
GK Kyle Johnson
D Josh Borzello
D Edwardo DelCarmen
D Jacob Kresnicka
D Jonathan Milani
M Jack Musial
M Paolo Favuzzi
M Ethan Oder
M Antonio Lepore
F Joe Meade
F Parker Gawne
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ethan Oder, jr. M, York
Scoring summary
First half
York - Jack Musial (Joe Meade), 5th minute
WN- Jack Morrissey (Ethan Shikany), 32nd minute
Second half
York - Ethan Oder (Paolo Favuzzi), 62nd minute
nets 2-1 win over Wheaton North
Late Oder goal decides storm-delayed Hillner Classic match
By Dave Owen
ROSELLE – With the way they took to the wet conditions, punsters might say the York Dukes were more like ducks Saturday.
Enduring a one-hour pregame weather delay and playing on a grass field made slick by steady, first half rains, York (4-1-0) used opportunistic offense and bend-but-seldom-break defense to earn a 2-1 win over Wheaton North (3-2-1) in the final round of the Hillner Tournament at Lake Park.
“The grass was wet, so it was more like turf,” York’s Ethan Oder said. “It helps us play our game a lot better. We’re better when we play faster.”
With the score tied 1-1, fast play and fast thinking figured into Oder’s game-winning goal with 18:41 left in the match.
On what appeared a likely harmless send, Oder tracked down the loose ball off a Falcons’ miscue and powered home his second goal of 2018.
“It got played to Paolo (Favuzzi) our center mid, and he played a long ball,” Oder said. “Then the goalie didn’t know whether to come out or not. It went over to the corner, and I kind of just hit it far post.”
The victory earned the Dukes a top three finish in the tournament, and an added injection of confidence for them heading into their rugged West Suburban Conference Silver Division slate.
“It feels amazing right now,” York defender Edwardo DelCarmen said. “We’re in a really good spot, and hopefully we can keep going with what we’re doing.”
While two rare lapses by the stalwart Wheaton North defense led to goals, Falcons coach Rob Stassen had few postgame reasons for worry.
“I’m happy with how they played,” Stassen said. “We did a great job.
“We got unlucky with the first (York) goal, but we spoke about it, and the kid adjusted. Mistakes happen. Their second goal was difficult. But we played our hearts out.”
After the long pregame wait, Wheaton North came out strong with two shots on goal in the first two minutes, including York goalkeeper Kyle Johnson’s low catch of an Ethan Shikany 22-yard try.
York’s first good chance would come in the fifth minute, and produce a 1-0 lead.
Joe Meade’s nice send of a 22-yard free kick from the left side found Jack Musial free in front for a 6-yard header putaway and a Dukes lead.
What was at the time a disappointing moment for Wheaton North midfielder Jack Morrissey would develop into a tribute to his grit and determination.
“I’d say one of our key players today was Jack Morrissey,” Stassen said. “Unfortunately the first goal against us was his fault. He came off and said, ‘Coach, my fault.’ He totally owned it, then went back out and scored one of his own. That’s the type of mentality he has.”
Morrissey’s game-tying answer came in the 32nd minute. Taking a send upfield from Ethan Shikany, Morrissey used his speed to beat the York defense for a breakaway chance and a 10-yard drive past Johnson for a 1-1 tie.
The score marked a complete reversal of fortune of another kind. The finish came just 20 seconds after a York corner kick chance ended with a foul. A quick counterattack, a nice long ball and a great Morrissey sprint, and the game was suddenly even.
“Their long balls were tough, and they had fast players as well,” DelCarmen said of the Wheaton North offensive performance Saturday. “I thought that was the most difficult part all game, their running.”
With nine goals in their last four games entering Saturday, the Falcons have been on the offensive all fall.
“Just the quickness of our play is better,” Wheaton North’s Joseph Gaither said. “We’re willing to give up the ball, our movements are very good off the ball, and I think that’s been very effective.”
And while great efforts by DelCarmen and the rest of York’s backline would deny any other Falcons finishes, threats were frequent.
In between the offsetting first half goals, Wheaton North’s Erik Rozanski generated a great chance in the seventh minute. Racing in on right wing, his liner was deflected just over the crossbar by a leaping Johnson.
Then in the 36th minute came another great back-and-forth. A corner kick by York’s Josh Borzello was headed out of the box, leading to a two-man counterattack by Wheaton North’s Lael Mondragon and Alex Beausoleil that was denied by York defenders Jonathan Milani and Sebastian Benavides.
Johnson came up with another big save in the 38th minute, diving to deflect a Mondragon 8-yard liner wide of the net.
Then York closed the back-and-forth half by missing a go-ahead goal by an eyelash.
In a late push that began with a Favuzzi 18-yard shot just wide of the net with 1:30 left, the Dukes’ continued pressure nearly paid off 35 seconds later.
On a high deflection in the box towards the net, Falcons goalkeeper Ray Min needed an all-out leap to tip the loose ball off the crossbar. Wheaton North defender Kyle Schauer then slid to nicely clear the crossbar carom off the goal line and keep the score 1-1 at halftime.
Schauer was one of many Falcons reserves to make key contributions Saturday.
“Today was a great team effort, with all the subs coming off the bench,” Stassen said. “We ran a low roster today with a couple of injuries we picked up.”
Wheaton North’s defense was tested again early in the second half.
With 32:05 left, Min made a nice catch of Meade’s 19-yard free kick from the left edge of the box. Then on another Meade free kick 80 seconds later, Musial sent a header just over the net.
But those early chances were more than answered at the other end with 27:30 to play.
A 45-second flurry began with a Joseph Gaither shot in the box that was blocked by York’s Jacob Kresnicka. Off an ensuing throw-in, DelCarmen first blocked a Rozanski shot, then repelled a Shikany try moments later.
A Falcons corner kick followed with a familiar finish – an Ajay Patel shot blocked by DelCarmen again.
The second half version of the Great Wall of Elmhurst deferred credit for his series of plays.
“Our communication helped a lot,” DelCarmen said. “Our goalkeeper helped us out big, and you control your body, control the defense. We were working on that – that’s what really helped.”
The block party resumed with 22:30 left, this time Milani blocking a would-be Rozanski cross.
Then at the other end, Wheaton North defender Sunday Moo made his own impressive block on a Musial try with 21:10 left, setting up a counterattack and 25-yard shot on goal by Shikany.
But just when it appeared the two defenses would continue a half of back-and-forth stands, Oder struck in unlikely fashion to unknot the 1-1 tie.
“Our team is starting to come together,” Oder said. “We were kind of yelling at each other a little bit, but it’s motivation for each other.
“And we kind of bounced back from our last game against Lake Park, which we were all down about for the loss 2-1. So I think that helped motivate us to win the game.”
Oder’s goal added a spark of motivation, but not without a few more nervous moments for the Dukes.
After a Leo DeLaTorre chance was deflected over the end line, the ensuing Shikany corner kick with 13:50 left was headed out of danger by DelCarmen.
York also limited the damage on Morrissey’s interception of an attempted goalkeeper clear with 5:50 to go, the last decent chance for the Falcons.
In a 50/50 battle near midfield, the Dukes’ Parker Gawne was ruled to have been fouled with 1:05 left. That set up a 40-yard York free kick that essentially kept the ball out of the Falcons offensive end the rest of the match.
On a day with a weather delay and some strange goals, a halftime switch in officiating crews added to the mystique.
“I’m a bit upset with the refereeing in the second half where you change referees, and he comes in and takes over the game,” Stassen said. “With the first half referee, neither coach said a single word. Second half, the two of us were all over him. Unfortunately that happens. Because it was delayed they (the first half crew) had to leave. It changed the entire game.
“But I’m not using that as an excuse. York’s a good team, and they capitalized on a nice goal. And I thought we played well. We’ll learn our lessons and come back.”
Even in defeat, Morrissey and other Falcons earned high praise from their coach.
“You had him, and then Ethan Shikany at center mid, and Jack Mancuso at the outside ‘D’ just played his brains out today,” Stassen said. “I’m happy with them all.”
On the York side, happiness was in even bigger supply.
“We have great teamwork,” DelCarmen said. “I know we’re going to have a lot of tough opponents, but we’re just going to have to work through it and push hard.”
And after a strong August marred only by the close loss to Lake Park, the Dukes began September in style.
“I think we’re only going up,” Oder said.
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK Ray Min
D Jack Tegart
D Nathan Heyen
D Sunday Moo
D Jack Mancuso
M Ajay Patel
M Ethan Shikany
M Erik Rozanski
M Jack Morrissey
F Alex Beausoleil
F Joseph Gaither
York
GK Kyle Johnson
D Josh Borzello
D Edwardo DelCarmen
D Jacob Kresnicka
D Jonathan Milani
M Jack Musial
M Paolo Favuzzi
M Ethan Oder
M Antonio Lepore
F Joe Meade
F Parker Gawne
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ethan Oder, jr. M, York
Scoring summary
First half
York - Jack Musial (Joe Meade), 5th minute
WN- Jack Morrissey (Ethan Shikany), 32nd minute
Second half
York - Ethan Oder (Paolo Favuzzi), 62nd minute