Morton delivers big rally to edge Young
Mustangs prevail 3-2; Dolphins make statement vs. ranked foe
By Curt Herron
BERWYN -- Three days after capping a 2-1 opening week with a 1-0 win at then no. 5 Naperville North, Morton found itself in an unexpected position hosting Young in a nonconference match Tuesday.
The visitors got a goal from junior Reese Kruschke in the 27th minute to grab a 1-0 halftime lead and then added to their advantage with a 42nd-minute score from junior Cole Hockman off of an assist from senior Sascha Frias-Kaehler.
Staring down a rare two-goal deficit, the Mustangs, who are ranked seventh in the opening Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 of the season, showed why they deserve their standing.
Senior Edgar Quintero responded with a goal in the 44th minute following an assist from senior Ismael Zepeda. Then senior Deyair Ruiz connected twice between 63rd and 67th minutes with Zepeda helping on the equalizer, to rally the Mustangs to a 3-2 victory that wasn't in hand until the final whistle.
"They're a good team, but we just had to step it up and focus," said Ruiz, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors. " I felt that we came back stronger after their second goal. We knew that we weren't going to lose, so we did our best and finished our chances. We caught up, and then we had to get that last one.
"I feel like we're getting better and improving game-by-game. I believe that this will be a good season, because we are good together. We know how to work together. We communicate good, and we have a lot of good players."
Things were looking great for Young (1-1-1) after it grabbed its 2-0 advantage less than 90 seconds into the second half. Senior Nate Chmielowicz sent in a free kick from about 55 yards out that Frias-Kaehler got a touch on before Hockman reached the loose ball and put in a shot from close range.
"The boys came out hard. They knew that they had to bring the energy today, because Morton always brings it every single time," new Dolphins coach Nick Maksa said. "Morton's been in this position so many times, and they've been a great program for so many years. And that's exactly why we wanted to play them. We wanted to come in and test ourselves against the best.
"I think the boys did a great job tonight, but it comes down to experience and finishing games. We just don't quite have that yet, but we're getting there. Credit to Jim (Bageanis), he's a great coach. He started throwing numbers forward on us. We had a hard time dealing with it, and they got a few.
"But these guys will never give up, and that's the key of a good team. I believe in them 100 percent, and we'll learn from this. We've got a big game on Thursday against Lane."
After falling behind by two goals, the Mustangs (3-1-0) immediately applied pressure. Ruiz sent in a shot following a corner kick that was cleared by Young senior Nikhil Bapat.
The hosts connected on their next good opportunity a short time later when two captains combined their talents. Zepeda found Quintero and the latter connected from close range to provide the Mustangs with the spark they needed.
"At halftime, as a captain, I had a talk with the team, and we went on from there," Quintero said. "I scored one and then we got the momentum. The win over Naperville North was a huge one for us. Give them (Young) a lot of credit. Their first goal was a defensive error, and they just poked it in. Their second one was a set play, so I give them credit for that. I believe that this is going to be a good season."
Young looked to respond to Morton's first goal in the 46th minute, but the Mustangs’ senior goalkeeper Brandon Flores stopped a good attempt from freshman M.J. Hicks.
Shortly after senior Juan Ayala was denied on a long try by Dolphins' junior goalkeeper Jackson Sprenger, Morton evened things up when Zepeda found Ruiz, who fired in an attempt from about 20 yards.
Then just 4:06 later, Ruiz was at it again. This time he scored from about 15 yards, and the Mustangs had their first lead of the night. A short time later, Zepeda looked to add to the lead when he sent in a liner, and Quintero also threatened with a free kick from about 25 yards.
"I think as soon as they got the second goal, then everything just clicked," Zepeda said. "We all got wide-eyed and realized that this was really happening. Our first game was very sloppy, and we lost 3-1 to (then ninth-ranked) Naperville Central. But as soon as the next game came, we improved and against North, we improved again.
"We definitely take this as a learning experience, and we're just getting better and better game by game. The thing that I really love about this team is the way that we pass the ball, it's really crisp. I feel that it can definitely take us far, since I feel like we're more technical than any team in the state right now."
Although suddenly finding itself down in the game, Young was far from being out. The Dolphins began to apply pressure as Chmielowicz sent in a free kick from 50 yards to Flores, and Hicks fired in a shot that was cleared by senior David Cisneros. Then Hicks placed a corner kick in the box and Frias-Kaehler got a head on it, but the try was punched away.
The Dolphins caught a big break in the 73rd minute, when Morton was called for a handball in the box on a corner kick. Junior Cesar Lopez took the penalty but his attempt was thwarted by Flores.
In the final minutes, Hicks challenged with another corner. Then as the clock wound down to three seconds and was eventually reset to 11 seconds, the final Young threat was nullified when Hicks lined a free kick to Flores.
"They came out and took it to us," said Mustangs coach Jim Bageanis, whose squad hosts Argo on Thursday. "They were very physical, and we were having trouble responding to that at the start of the game. They got a goal on us when we made an error in the back, and we paid for it. And it was a see-saw battle after that. There was physical play, fouls on both ends, it was just a hard-fought high school soccer game.
"We talked at halftime about how we had to step it up a notch, and I think the kids did. There were a couple of the breaks where we told them it was gut-check time and that we had to put one into the net, and we responded. We just have to do a better job in the midfield. We'd do good for 10 minutes and then we'd go away for 10 minutes. If we become more consistent in that spot, then hopefully the rest will take care of itself."
While the Mustangs had most of the good opportunities in the opening half, the Dolphins were the ones who broke the ice in the 27th minute. Kruschke drove to the net past defenders and connected on a short attempt.
Morton responded with a Ruiz liner, junior captain Ivan Ramirez provided a long free kick and Cisneros was denied on a short shot to Sprenger as Young maintained its 1-0 advantage at the break.
Senior Diego Delgado, one of four Young’s captains along with seniors Benjamin Lopez Scala, Alejandro Goldstein and Chmielowicz, is encouraged by his team's start. The squad is excited about its next match; it hosts Lane on Thursday.
"It's good to be at this caliber where we can play against a team that's this highly-ranked in the state and compete with them," Delgado said. "This gives us more experience. A lot of us are seniors, but we haven't played this level of a team since we play a lot of city teams.
"We all just fight for each other. Our motto is that hard work overcomes all. We have depth on the bench and anyone that comes is going to try their hardest and put in 100 percent effort."
Starting lineups
Young
GK: Jackson Sprenger
D: Garen Petrulis
D: Diego Delgado
D: Sascha Frias-Kaehler
D: Nate Chmielowicz
MF: Alejandro Goldstein
MF: Cesar Lopez
MF: Nikhil Bapat
F: Cole Hockman
F: Reese Kruschke
F: M.J. Hicks
Morton
GK: Brandon Flores
D: Leo Ramirez
D: Diego DeLira
D: Ivan Ramirez
D: Christian Valadez
MF: David Cisneros
MF: Ismael Zepeda
MF: Julian Sotelo
MF: Caleb Mendoza
F: Deyair Ruiz
F: Edgar Quintero
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Deyair Ruiz, sr., F, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
Young: Reese Kruschke, 27'
Second half
Young: Cole Hockman (Sascha Frias-Kaehler), 42'
Morton: Edgar Quintero (Ismael Zepeda), 44'
Morton: Deyair Ruiz (Ismael Zepeda), 63'
Morton: Deyair Ruiz, (unassisted), 67'
Mustangs prevail 3-2; Dolphins make statement vs. ranked foe
By Curt Herron
BERWYN -- Three days after capping a 2-1 opening week with a 1-0 win at then no. 5 Naperville North, Morton found itself in an unexpected position hosting Young in a nonconference match Tuesday.
The visitors got a goal from junior Reese Kruschke in the 27th minute to grab a 1-0 halftime lead and then added to their advantage with a 42nd-minute score from junior Cole Hockman off of an assist from senior Sascha Frias-Kaehler.
Staring down a rare two-goal deficit, the Mustangs, who are ranked seventh in the opening Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 of the season, showed why they deserve their standing.
Senior Edgar Quintero responded with a goal in the 44th minute following an assist from senior Ismael Zepeda. Then senior Deyair Ruiz connected twice between 63rd and 67th minutes with Zepeda helping on the equalizer, to rally the Mustangs to a 3-2 victory that wasn't in hand until the final whistle.
"They're a good team, but we just had to step it up and focus," said Ruiz, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors. " I felt that we came back stronger after their second goal. We knew that we weren't going to lose, so we did our best and finished our chances. We caught up, and then we had to get that last one.
"I feel like we're getting better and improving game-by-game. I believe that this will be a good season, because we are good together. We know how to work together. We communicate good, and we have a lot of good players."
Things were looking great for Young (1-1-1) after it grabbed its 2-0 advantage less than 90 seconds into the second half. Senior Nate Chmielowicz sent in a free kick from about 55 yards out that Frias-Kaehler got a touch on before Hockman reached the loose ball and put in a shot from close range.
"The boys came out hard. They knew that they had to bring the energy today, because Morton always brings it every single time," new Dolphins coach Nick Maksa said. "Morton's been in this position so many times, and they've been a great program for so many years. And that's exactly why we wanted to play them. We wanted to come in and test ourselves against the best.
"I think the boys did a great job tonight, but it comes down to experience and finishing games. We just don't quite have that yet, but we're getting there. Credit to Jim (Bageanis), he's a great coach. He started throwing numbers forward on us. We had a hard time dealing with it, and they got a few.
"But these guys will never give up, and that's the key of a good team. I believe in them 100 percent, and we'll learn from this. We've got a big game on Thursday against Lane."
After falling behind by two goals, the Mustangs (3-1-0) immediately applied pressure. Ruiz sent in a shot following a corner kick that was cleared by Young senior Nikhil Bapat.
The hosts connected on their next good opportunity a short time later when two captains combined their talents. Zepeda found Quintero and the latter connected from close range to provide the Mustangs with the spark they needed.
"At halftime, as a captain, I had a talk with the team, and we went on from there," Quintero said. "I scored one and then we got the momentum. The win over Naperville North was a huge one for us. Give them (Young) a lot of credit. Their first goal was a defensive error, and they just poked it in. Their second one was a set play, so I give them credit for that. I believe that this is going to be a good season."
Young looked to respond to Morton's first goal in the 46th minute, but the Mustangs’ senior goalkeeper Brandon Flores stopped a good attempt from freshman M.J. Hicks.
Shortly after senior Juan Ayala was denied on a long try by Dolphins' junior goalkeeper Jackson Sprenger, Morton evened things up when Zepeda found Ruiz, who fired in an attempt from about 20 yards.
Then just 4:06 later, Ruiz was at it again. This time he scored from about 15 yards, and the Mustangs had their first lead of the night. A short time later, Zepeda looked to add to the lead when he sent in a liner, and Quintero also threatened with a free kick from about 25 yards.
"I think as soon as they got the second goal, then everything just clicked," Zepeda said. "We all got wide-eyed and realized that this was really happening. Our first game was very sloppy, and we lost 3-1 to (then ninth-ranked) Naperville Central. But as soon as the next game came, we improved and against North, we improved again.
"We definitely take this as a learning experience, and we're just getting better and better game by game. The thing that I really love about this team is the way that we pass the ball, it's really crisp. I feel that it can definitely take us far, since I feel like we're more technical than any team in the state right now."
Although suddenly finding itself down in the game, Young was far from being out. The Dolphins began to apply pressure as Chmielowicz sent in a free kick from 50 yards to Flores, and Hicks fired in a shot that was cleared by senior David Cisneros. Then Hicks placed a corner kick in the box and Frias-Kaehler got a head on it, but the try was punched away.
The Dolphins caught a big break in the 73rd minute, when Morton was called for a handball in the box on a corner kick. Junior Cesar Lopez took the penalty but his attempt was thwarted by Flores.
In the final minutes, Hicks challenged with another corner. Then as the clock wound down to three seconds and was eventually reset to 11 seconds, the final Young threat was nullified when Hicks lined a free kick to Flores.
"They came out and took it to us," said Mustangs coach Jim Bageanis, whose squad hosts Argo on Thursday. "They were very physical, and we were having trouble responding to that at the start of the game. They got a goal on us when we made an error in the back, and we paid for it. And it was a see-saw battle after that. There was physical play, fouls on both ends, it was just a hard-fought high school soccer game.
"We talked at halftime about how we had to step it up a notch, and I think the kids did. There were a couple of the breaks where we told them it was gut-check time and that we had to put one into the net, and we responded. We just have to do a better job in the midfield. We'd do good for 10 minutes and then we'd go away for 10 minutes. If we become more consistent in that spot, then hopefully the rest will take care of itself."
While the Mustangs had most of the good opportunities in the opening half, the Dolphins were the ones who broke the ice in the 27th minute. Kruschke drove to the net past defenders and connected on a short attempt.
Morton responded with a Ruiz liner, junior captain Ivan Ramirez provided a long free kick and Cisneros was denied on a short shot to Sprenger as Young maintained its 1-0 advantage at the break.
Senior Diego Delgado, one of four Young’s captains along with seniors Benjamin Lopez Scala, Alejandro Goldstein and Chmielowicz, is encouraged by his team's start. The squad is excited about its next match; it hosts Lane on Thursday.
"It's good to be at this caliber where we can play against a team that's this highly-ranked in the state and compete with them," Delgado said. "This gives us more experience. A lot of us are seniors, but we haven't played this level of a team since we play a lot of city teams.
"We all just fight for each other. Our motto is that hard work overcomes all. We have depth on the bench and anyone that comes is going to try their hardest and put in 100 percent effort."
Starting lineups
Young
GK: Jackson Sprenger
D: Garen Petrulis
D: Diego Delgado
D: Sascha Frias-Kaehler
D: Nate Chmielowicz
MF: Alejandro Goldstein
MF: Cesar Lopez
MF: Nikhil Bapat
F: Cole Hockman
F: Reese Kruschke
F: M.J. Hicks
Morton
GK: Brandon Flores
D: Leo Ramirez
D: Diego DeLira
D: Ivan Ramirez
D: Christian Valadez
MF: David Cisneros
MF: Ismael Zepeda
MF: Julian Sotelo
MF: Caleb Mendoza
F: Deyair Ruiz
F: Edgar Quintero
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Deyair Ruiz, sr., F, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
Young: Reese Kruschke, 27'
Second half
Young: Cole Hockman (Sascha Frias-Kaehler), 42'
Morton: Edgar Quintero (Ismael Zepeda), 44'
Morton: Deyair Ruiz (Ismael Zepeda), 63'
Morton: Deyair Ruiz, (unassisted), 67'