Yorkville title game comeback bid falls short
Foxes take 2nd to host DeKalb in Barb Cup
By Steve Nemeth
DE KALB --- Combine a slow start with an abbreviated match, and it’s easy to see why Yorkville was convinced running out of time was one reason the Foxes came up short in Saturday’s championship match of the Barb Cup.
Yorkville rallied to within a goal and was pressing for an equalizer only to have tourney host DeKalb hang on for a 3-2 victory.
The host Barbs (2-0-1) successfully defended their tourney crown after the 2016 season saw the Foxes edge DeKalb 1-0 in that year’s tourney finale. That was the first of three victories for Yorkville over the Barbs during that year; DeKalb took both meetings in 2017 when they met in Northern Illinois Big XII Conference play.
“Coach told us to forget the first half and simply not give up; don’t quit on any pass, don’t quit on any play, don’t quit on any opportunity,” Yorkville standout Juan Carlos “J.C.” Noyola said.
With DeKalb clearly in defending mode, the Foxes (2-1) nearly negated the three-goal halftime deficit, which understandably led to coach Andrew Johnson’s two-half viewpoint.
“There was no magic halftime speech; we just put things in perspective," Johnson explained. “Engaging in any kind of pity party being down three wasn’t going to help, and it was neither the end of the world or the end of the match.
“You put in a goal and they’ll get a little nervous. Put in a second goal and they’ll really feel the pressure.
“So I’m very proud of our effort for the second half,” Johnson emphasized.
The opening half Saturday was another story. It was the third day of play for the six-school event which began with round-robin action in two groups while utilizing shortened 35-minute halves. DeKalb had a draw and victory to finish atop its group while Yorkville won both contests to rule the opposite trio.
Immediately after the opening whistle, Yorkville goalie Brandon Ducoing was put to the test and the junior made a couple of saves before an unfortunate foul gave DeKalb a penalty kick. Senior tri-captain Andrew Leon converted for his fifth goal of the season to give the hosts the lead in the 14th minute per game officials, who monitored the game time because a lightning strike rendered the scoreboard inoperable.
The match evolved into a little more of a back-and-forth battle until DeKalb made its patented “last-five-minutes-of-the-half” push. Mario Talamantes launched a shot that Ducoing blocked to one side but had trouble picking up. Jesus Becerra managed to steal the ball and make a difficult angle shot for a 2-0 lead.
Yorkville compounded its disappointment three minutes later with a defensive lapse after Leon ricocheted a shot off the crossbar. Julian Garcia’s follow-up made it 3-0 for the Barbs and ultimately became the match-winner.
“I saw a defender in front of me flat-footed and enough space behind him that I figured I could get in position to make a pass or a hard shot,” Garcia said of his first goal. “It means so much not just to score but to do it in a championship match and help us get a victory.”
Although it didn’t officially count, Yorkville showed signs of the effort to come as the second half began. Preston Huitron got called for a foul before gaining possession and the frustration over the whistle led him to launch a 56-yard rocket that sailed under the crossbar and over the outstretched hands of DeKalb goalie Victor Guerrero.
Around the 54th minute Noyola banked an attempt off the crossbar and teammate Peyton Senffner nailed a six-yard putback for an official Foxes goal.
“We weren’t happy about our first half and getting that goal swung things back in our favor a little bit,” Senffner said. “At the very least it was enough to spark us to go for a second goal which really got us back into the match.”
That came around the 60th minute when Noyola got a direct free kick three yards off the left sideline. His 41-yard blast didn’t find a teammate, defender or Barb goalie and bounced inside the far right post.
“The approach was to put it on goal for the possibility of a teammate redirecting it or maybe getting a rebound,” Noyola said. “Thankfully it turned out to be a score just like one from Tuesday.”
That reference was to the goal that ignited a comeback in the Foxes’ opener against Freeport. Trailing 1-0 at half, Noyola and Julio Segura scored in that 2-1 triumph. Segura then had a hat trick in a 5-0 thumping of Sterling on Thursday.
Alex Barrientos, who serves as a Yorkville tri-captain along with Noyola and Senffner, put the tourney in perspective.
“The first game we came back, the second one we dominated, and today we fought back but fell short. While I think it shows we have a lot of mental strength and it’s good to see we’re able to come back, the main lesson is to play hard from the opening whistle. Be more focused and it can be the difference between putting someone away or having to come from behind. We’ve got a lot of people capable of playing in different positions, so it should be harder for opponents to figure where our goals will originate from.”
Johnson and assistant Mike Wiest have advanced the program to where morale is not enhanced by moral victories like coming close before losing on the tourney host’s field.
“DeKalb is a good team that flies all over the field, so we can’t have a first half like we did,” Johnson said. “Against Freeport we start off showing our youth, then we had stretches where we looked like a veteran side. That level was probably at a peak on Thursday.
But this wasn’t just a re-set, it’s like we took steps backward making it that much harder on ourselves.
“We’ll continue to build off our positives. I think Alex and (brother) Edgar both were very composed and played with an even demeanor,” Johnson added.
After spending five campaigns directing the JV boys and serving as head coach of the girls team, Johnson gave up the later post to concentrate on elevating Yorkville;s boys into a consistent contender.
“I’ve put a lot of time into this program just trying to develop players and the branding of the program,” he said prior to his first year as boys varsity coach. “I realized there was just an untapped potential.”
In addition to coaching some of the same players he mentored as youths, Johnson’s program is now tapping into family bloodlines. J.C. Noyola got extra attention from DeKalb’s defense just as his brother Alex did back in 2014 when he was the conference MVP and the Foxes’ scoring leader. Jacob Rodgers and Evan Torok are also following in the footsteps of brothers.
Since weather negated the original home and season opener, the Foxes are scheduled to play a first home game Monday against Romeoville at 4:30 p.m. DeKalb visits on Sept. 6 and Yorkville’s league return is on Oct. 2.
In addition to being the tournament’s scoring leader with five goals, the Barbs’ Leon assisted on the game-winner to earn Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match accolade. DeKalb had a 1-1 draw against Belvidere North and a 5-0 romp over Burlington Central. Sterling and Central played to a 0-0 tie to share fifth place while Freeport edge Belvidere North 2-1 to claim third place.
“What I’m most pleased with is that such a young group, with so many new varsity starters and new varsity players, learned to play hard for the common good,” DeKalb coach Brent McIntosh said. “I’m very pleased with (Emrys) Draper, who played every minute of every game and was solid on defense. It’s also clear that Jesus Becerra is growing into being a very influential player for us. And the person who has made massive strides from last year is T.J. (Vilet). His work rate is phenomenal; he just never stops.”
As one of the few returnees, the DeKalb junior shrugged at the compliments.
“Hopefully my play does reflect attitude, pride and fitness because we all put in a lot of work in the offseason,” Vilet said. “But the way the second half went wasn’t too satisfying. (The trophy presentation) does make me feel good about our overall start.”
DeKalb travels to Crystal Lake Central on Wednesday before hosting Hononegah followed by the conference opener at home on Sept. 4 against major rival Sycamore. That will be followed by a visit to Yorkville.
Starting lineups
Yorkville
GK Brandon Ducoing
D Nathan Batres
D Collin Bowers
D Alex Barrientos
D Evan Torok
M Peyton Senffner
M Juan Carlos Noyola
M Jacob Rodgers
M Preston Huitron
F Edge Barrientos
F Julio Segura
DeKalb
GK Victor Guerrero
D Aaron Gamez
D Emrys Draper
D Jesus Becerra
D Colby Royer
M Tyler Scarbrough
M T.J. Vilet
M Gonzalo Hernandez
M Isaak Cordova
F Maura Talamantes
F Andrew Leon
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Andrew Leon, DeKalb, Sr. M-F, in 3-2 Barbfest title win over Yorkville (8-25-18)
Referees: Jay McGrane, Ken Dargatz
Game summary
DeKalb 3, Yorkville 2
Yorkville 0 2 ---- 2 2-1-0
DeKalb 3 0 ---- 3 2-0-1
Scoring
First half
D – Leon penalty kick conversion (unassited), 14th minute
D – Becerra steal from keeper and six-yarder from extreme right (Talamantes assist), 30th minute
D – Garcia 14-yard deflection from right side (Leon assist), 34th minute
Second half
Y – Senffner 11-yarder from right wing (Noyola assist), 54th minute
Y – Noyola 41-yard direct kick from left sideline inside far right post (unassisted), 60th minute
Shots
Y 3 – 5 --- 8
D 6 – 8 --- 14
Shots on goal
Y 2 – 2 --- 4
D 5 – 4 --- 9
Saves (goalie)
Y (Ducoing) 2 – 4 --- 6
D (Guerrero) 2 – 0 --- 2
Corner kicks
Y 0 – 2 --- 2
D 4 – 4 --- 8
Offsides
Y 0 – 0 --- 0
D 0 – 0 --- 0
Foxes take 2nd to host DeKalb in Barb Cup
By Steve Nemeth
DE KALB --- Combine a slow start with an abbreviated match, and it’s easy to see why Yorkville was convinced running out of time was one reason the Foxes came up short in Saturday’s championship match of the Barb Cup.
Yorkville rallied to within a goal and was pressing for an equalizer only to have tourney host DeKalb hang on for a 3-2 victory.
The host Barbs (2-0-1) successfully defended their tourney crown after the 2016 season saw the Foxes edge DeKalb 1-0 in that year’s tourney finale. That was the first of three victories for Yorkville over the Barbs during that year; DeKalb took both meetings in 2017 when they met in Northern Illinois Big XII Conference play.
“Coach told us to forget the first half and simply not give up; don’t quit on any pass, don’t quit on any play, don’t quit on any opportunity,” Yorkville standout Juan Carlos “J.C.” Noyola said.
With DeKalb clearly in defending mode, the Foxes (2-1) nearly negated the three-goal halftime deficit, which understandably led to coach Andrew Johnson’s two-half viewpoint.
“There was no magic halftime speech; we just put things in perspective," Johnson explained. “Engaging in any kind of pity party being down three wasn’t going to help, and it was neither the end of the world or the end of the match.
“You put in a goal and they’ll get a little nervous. Put in a second goal and they’ll really feel the pressure.
“So I’m very proud of our effort for the second half,” Johnson emphasized.
The opening half Saturday was another story. It was the third day of play for the six-school event which began with round-robin action in two groups while utilizing shortened 35-minute halves. DeKalb had a draw and victory to finish atop its group while Yorkville won both contests to rule the opposite trio.
Immediately after the opening whistle, Yorkville goalie Brandon Ducoing was put to the test and the junior made a couple of saves before an unfortunate foul gave DeKalb a penalty kick. Senior tri-captain Andrew Leon converted for his fifth goal of the season to give the hosts the lead in the 14th minute per game officials, who monitored the game time because a lightning strike rendered the scoreboard inoperable.
The match evolved into a little more of a back-and-forth battle until DeKalb made its patented “last-five-minutes-of-the-half” push. Mario Talamantes launched a shot that Ducoing blocked to one side but had trouble picking up. Jesus Becerra managed to steal the ball and make a difficult angle shot for a 2-0 lead.
Yorkville compounded its disappointment three minutes later with a defensive lapse after Leon ricocheted a shot off the crossbar. Julian Garcia’s follow-up made it 3-0 for the Barbs and ultimately became the match-winner.
“I saw a defender in front of me flat-footed and enough space behind him that I figured I could get in position to make a pass or a hard shot,” Garcia said of his first goal. “It means so much not just to score but to do it in a championship match and help us get a victory.”
Although it didn’t officially count, Yorkville showed signs of the effort to come as the second half began. Preston Huitron got called for a foul before gaining possession and the frustration over the whistle led him to launch a 56-yard rocket that sailed under the crossbar and over the outstretched hands of DeKalb goalie Victor Guerrero.
Around the 54th minute Noyola banked an attempt off the crossbar and teammate Peyton Senffner nailed a six-yard putback for an official Foxes goal.
“We weren’t happy about our first half and getting that goal swung things back in our favor a little bit,” Senffner said. “At the very least it was enough to spark us to go for a second goal which really got us back into the match.”
That came around the 60th minute when Noyola got a direct free kick three yards off the left sideline. His 41-yard blast didn’t find a teammate, defender or Barb goalie and bounced inside the far right post.
“The approach was to put it on goal for the possibility of a teammate redirecting it or maybe getting a rebound,” Noyola said. “Thankfully it turned out to be a score just like one from Tuesday.”
That reference was to the goal that ignited a comeback in the Foxes’ opener against Freeport. Trailing 1-0 at half, Noyola and Julio Segura scored in that 2-1 triumph. Segura then had a hat trick in a 5-0 thumping of Sterling on Thursday.
Alex Barrientos, who serves as a Yorkville tri-captain along with Noyola and Senffner, put the tourney in perspective.
“The first game we came back, the second one we dominated, and today we fought back but fell short. While I think it shows we have a lot of mental strength and it’s good to see we’re able to come back, the main lesson is to play hard from the opening whistle. Be more focused and it can be the difference between putting someone away or having to come from behind. We’ve got a lot of people capable of playing in different positions, so it should be harder for opponents to figure where our goals will originate from.”
Johnson and assistant Mike Wiest have advanced the program to where morale is not enhanced by moral victories like coming close before losing on the tourney host’s field.
“DeKalb is a good team that flies all over the field, so we can’t have a first half like we did,” Johnson said. “Against Freeport we start off showing our youth, then we had stretches where we looked like a veteran side. That level was probably at a peak on Thursday.
But this wasn’t just a re-set, it’s like we took steps backward making it that much harder on ourselves.
“We’ll continue to build off our positives. I think Alex and (brother) Edgar both were very composed and played with an even demeanor,” Johnson added.
After spending five campaigns directing the JV boys and serving as head coach of the girls team, Johnson gave up the later post to concentrate on elevating Yorkville;s boys into a consistent contender.
“I’ve put a lot of time into this program just trying to develop players and the branding of the program,” he said prior to his first year as boys varsity coach. “I realized there was just an untapped potential.”
In addition to coaching some of the same players he mentored as youths, Johnson’s program is now tapping into family bloodlines. J.C. Noyola got extra attention from DeKalb’s defense just as his brother Alex did back in 2014 when he was the conference MVP and the Foxes’ scoring leader. Jacob Rodgers and Evan Torok are also following in the footsteps of brothers.
Since weather negated the original home and season opener, the Foxes are scheduled to play a first home game Monday against Romeoville at 4:30 p.m. DeKalb visits on Sept. 6 and Yorkville’s league return is on Oct. 2.
In addition to being the tournament’s scoring leader with five goals, the Barbs’ Leon assisted on the game-winner to earn Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match accolade. DeKalb had a 1-1 draw against Belvidere North and a 5-0 romp over Burlington Central. Sterling and Central played to a 0-0 tie to share fifth place while Freeport edge Belvidere North 2-1 to claim third place.
“What I’m most pleased with is that such a young group, with so many new varsity starters and new varsity players, learned to play hard for the common good,” DeKalb coach Brent McIntosh said. “I’m very pleased with (Emrys) Draper, who played every minute of every game and was solid on defense. It’s also clear that Jesus Becerra is growing into being a very influential player for us. And the person who has made massive strides from last year is T.J. (Vilet). His work rate is phenomenal; he just never stops.”
As one of the few returnees, the DeKalb junior shrugged at the compliments.
“Hopefully my play does reflect attitude, pride and fitness because we all put in a lot of work in the offseason,” Vilet said. “But the way the second half went wasn’t too satisfying. (The trophy presentation) does make me feel good about our overall start.”
DeKalb travels to Crystal Lake Central on Wednesday before hosting Hononegah followed by the conference opener at home on Sept. 4 against major rival Sycamore. That will be followed by a visit to Yorkville.
Starting lineups
Yorkville
GK Brandon Ducoing
D Nathan Batres
D Collin Bowers
D Alex Barrientos
D Evan Torok
M Peyton Senffner
M Juan Carlos Noyola
M Jacob Rodgers
M Preston Huitron
F Edge Barrientos
F Julio Segura
DeKalb
GK Victor Guerrero
D Aaron Gamez
D Emrys Draper
D Jesus Becerra
D Colby Royer
M Tyler Scarbrough
M T.J. Vilet
M Gonzalo Hernandez
M Isaak Cordova
F Maura Talamantes
F Andrew Leon
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Andrew Leon, DeKalb, Sr. M-F, in 3-2 Barbfest title win over Yorkville (8-25-18)
Referees: Jay McGrane, Ken Dargatz
Game summary
DeKalb 3, Yorkville 2
Yorkville 0 2 ---- 2 2-1-0
DeKalb 3 0 ---- 3 2-0-1
Scoring
First half
D – Leon penalty kick conversion (unassited), 14th minute
D – Becerra steal from keeper and six-yarder from extreme right (Talamantes assist), 30th minute
D – Garcia 14-yard deflection from right side (Leon assist), 34th minute
Second half
Y – Senffner 11-yarder from right wing (Noyola assist), 54th minute
Y – Noyola 41-yard direct kick from left sideline inside far right post (unassisted), 60th minute
Shots
Y 3 – 5 --- 8
D 6 – 8 --- 14
Shots on goal
Y 2 – 2 --- 4
D 5 – 4 --- 9
Saves (goalie)
Y (Ducoing) 2 – 4 --- 6
D (Guerrero) 2 – 0 --- 2
Corner kicks
Y 0 – 2 --- 2
D 4 – 4 --- 8
Offsides
Y 0 – 0 --- 0
D 0 – 0 --- 0