Young's defensive breakthrough
continues in upset of Solorio
Dolphins' 1-0 win delivers quarterfinal upset, semifinal berth
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- His number is 13, but luck or superstition has little impact on the game of Young junior Diego Delgado.
In fact, he effectively watched his soccer life flash before his eyes.
“Diego started at striker or right wing the first time we played Solorio, and now he’s at center back,” forward Colin Moran said.
Soccer bends time, accelerating it, smashing it up, or elongating it, depending on the moment.
Delgado had a different experience. On Sept. 26, Young lost to Solorio 4-1 in preliminary play of the Windy City Ram Classic.
Young’s fourth game of the season was its Chicasgo Public League opener against eventual undefeated champion Payton on Sept. 1. The 3-1 loss put the Dolphins record at 0-4-0 overall. They gave up 16 goals in those games.
“After our first win, we started to realize how to play,” Delgado said. “We followed a game plan.”
The defense sharpened in after that 3-0 result against Senn on Sept. 8. Delgado was a primary instigator of the change. His athleticism and disruptive talents signified a new hope.
In the Chicago Public League playoff quarterfinals Saturday at Jones High School, Delgado underscored how dramatically different the new-look Dolphins are.
His length and presence frustrated defending city champion Solorio, denying an entry point to the goal.
“Defensively, we are on the same page,” he said. “We are locked in before every game, and we turned it around.”
Moran scored on a penalty kick in the 65th minute and Delgado keyed a sharp defense as the Dolphins stunned the Sun Warriors 1-0.
The Dolphins (10-5-1) are now 10-1-1 since their turnaround. The only loss during the run came on penalty kicks against Fenton.
The win placed Young in the second semifinal against Washington at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lane Stadium.
Payton and Lane play in the first semifinal at 5 p.m.
Young coach Ross LaBauex has experienced a range of emotions. One, at first blush, seems strange.
“It’s melancholy,” he said.
The two have a history. Solorio coach Adrian Calleros is LaBauex’s mentor and special advocate. Ross played for Calleros for two years at Mount Carmel.
“Playing under Adrian for two years was great,” LaBauex said. “Adrian put together a competitive team that was successful.
“Winning the game wasn’t about me against Adrian but more about our players beating a good Solorio team.”
The Sun Warriors (10-4-1) dominated possession time.
With the elastic Delgado, the Dolphins stymied Solorio at the moment of impact.
Sun Warriors junior defender Ivan Lopez had several breathtaking chances, shots that just pushed high over frame or skidded right off the post.
Close was not good enough.
“It’s terrible when you outplay a team, and one play, a foul, is called and another play that should have been a foul doesn’t get called,” Calleros said.
“Instead there’s a scramble, and a penalty kick gets called.”
Moran knew the Dolphins could not match the Sun Warriors’ precision passing game.
All they had to do was buy time and find a way to push numbers forward.
“The first 20 minutes, they really passed the ball well,” Moran said. “We haven’t played a team that is as good on the ball as them.
“We had to adjust and find our game.”
Young keeper Jackson Sprenger, like Delgado, had to learn on the fly.
He had to take a few drubbings to get assimilated to the speed, power and force of the varsity game.
“It was so fast,” Sprenger said. “The first game I played, I had a lot of trouble, but I have definitely settled in.”
Solorio has been the face of the Chicago Public League since winning the Class AA state championship in 2017.
In 2018, the Sun Warriors defeated Washington in a memorable overtime city final.
After being upset by Lane two years ago, Solorio dominated the modified city tournament last year.
The Sun Warriors defeated Lane 3-0 in the championship, capping an unbeaten and untied season.
“This is a new group,” Calleros said.
“Where we ended up (this season), that’s a surprise. After what we graduated and what we had the last few years, this group being entirely new, save for four or five kids, it was unique.”
The Sun Warriors have one indisputable great player in senior midfielder Raul Mariscal.
His creativity, movement off the ball and open-field game drives the Sun Warriors’ offense.
Delgado shadowed and flummoxed him, throwing him off of his rhythm just enough to maintain a scoreless game.
“I think the change with our team after the first four games was we became more focused during the games,” Delgado said.
For his inspired play and momentum-shifting actions, Delgado captured the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction.
Young did just enough offensively to keep the Sun Warriors off pace.
Moran and forwards Corey Rodman and Cole Hockman started subtly widening out and pushing up.
“We have to take advantage of what few opportunities we have, especially playing against a team that holds the ball as much as they do,” Moran said.
“In the second half, we started showing signs, and we started getting forward a bit and playing really well.”
The deeper the game went on, the more confidence Young developed.
Moran’s forward push created a foul inside the box with 15 minutes left in regulation.
“I was able to draw the foul,” Moran said. “Ross always wants me to shoot to the left side.
“I’m right-footed, and he says I can generate more power and accuracy going that way. It’s good to shoot to the same side every time, because you have it down.”
Moran blasted the low liner into the left corner for the game-winner.
Young dropped numbers back, and made it difficult for Solorio to negotiate the tight windows.
Sascha Frias-Kaehler, another of the Dolphins’ rangy defenders, also helped neutralize the Sun Warriors’ attack.
As space got compacted, Solorio countered with its quick passing game and ability to switch sides.
Sebastian Gonzalez also helped build the attack from the back, working with Lopez to get to the edge.
In the closing moments, off a free kick, Lopez knocked a diagonal pass from about 12 yards that seemed destined to connect.
Solorio could just not quite get to the back post for the vital second touch. It was that kind of day.
“I didn’t have to make too many saves today,” Sprenger said.
He finished with four.
“The back was amazing,” he said. “It was a team effort.”
LaBauex emerged as the coaching scene as the new girls coach at Young in the spring of 2019.
He took that team to the city championship game and a Class 3A sectional final.
After taking over during the abbreviated spring season, he has brought his imprimatur to the boys program in his first full year.
“We are just going out there and playing,” LaBauex said.
“I think sometimes when teams are out there with expectations, the stakes are a little higher. Solorio has built a program where they are expecting to win, and they have pressure.
“When it doesn’t happen, you see the disappointment on Adrian’s face and also on the players. I think we’re just buying into everything.”
Starting lineups
Young
GK: Jackson Sprenger
D: Sascha Frias-Kaehler
D: Diego Delgado
D: Nate Chmielowicz
D: Garen Petrulis
MF: Reese Kruschke
MF: Nikhil Bapat
MF: Gabe Lopez
F: Corey Rudman
F: Colin Moran
F: Cole Hockman
Solorio
GK: Yahir Hernandez
D: Bryan Puga
D: Sebastian Gonzalez
D: Ivan Lopez
D: Jesus Flores
MF: Raul Mariscal
MF: Justino Saucedo
MF: Alexander Marron
MF: Orlando Orjeda
F: Yamir Gallegos
F: Alejandro Pérez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Diego Delgado, jr., D, Young
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Young: Colin Moran (penalty kick), 65th minute
continues in upset of Solorio
Dolphins' 1-0 win delivers quarterfinal upset, semifinal berth
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- His number is 13, but luck or superstition has little impact on the game of Young junior Diego Delgado.
In fact, he effectively watched his soccer life flash before his eyes.
“Diego started at striker or right wing the first time we played Solorio, and now he’s at center back,” forward Colin Moran said.
Soccer bends time, accelerating it, smashing it up, or elongating it, depending on the moment.
Delgado had a different experience. On Sept. 26, Young lost to Solorio 4-1 in preliminary play of the Windy City Ram Classic.
Young’s fourth game of the season was its Chicasgo Public League opener against eventual undefeated champion Payton on Sept. 1. The 3-1 loss put the Dolphins record at 0-4-0 overall. They gave up 16 goals in those games.
“After our first win, we started to realize how to play,” Delgado said. “We followed a game plan.”
The defense sharpened in after that 3-0 result against Senn on Sept. 8. Delgado was a primary instigator of the change. His athleticism and disruptive talents signified a new hope.
In the Chicago Public League playoff quarterfinals Saturday at Jones High School, Delgado underscored how dramatically different the new-look Dolphins are.
His length and presence frustrated defending city champion Solorio, denying an entry point to the goal.
“Defensively, we are on the same page,” he said. “We are locked in before every game, and we turned it around.”
Moran scored on a penalty kick in the 65th minute and Delgado keyed a sharp defense as the Dolphins stunned the Sun Warriors 1-0.
The Dolphins (10-5-1) are now 10-1-1 since their turnaround. The only loss during the run came on penalty kicks against Fenton.
The win placed Young in the second semifinal against Washington at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lane Stadium.
Payton and Lane play in the first semifinal at 5 p.m.
Young coach Ross LaBauex has experienced a range of emotions. One, at first blush, seems strange.
“It’s melancholy,” he said.
The two have a history. Solorio coach Adrian Calleros is LaBauex’s mentor and special advocate. Ross played for Calleros for two years at Mount Carmel.
“Playing under Adrian for two years was great,” LaBauex said. “Adrian put together a competitive team that was successful.
“Winning the game wasn’t about me against Adrian but more about our players beating a good Solorio team.”
The Sun Warriors (10-4-1) dominated possession time.
With the elastic Delgado, the Dolphins stymied Solorio at the moment of impact.
Sun Warriors junior defender Ivan Lopez had several breathtaking chances, shots that just pushed high over frame or skidded right off the post.
Close was not good enough.
“It’s terrible when you outplay a team, and one play, a foul, is called and another play that should have been a foul doesn’t get called,” Calleros said.
“Instead there’s a scramble, and a penalty kick gets called.”
Moran knew the Dolphins could not match the Sun Warriors’ precision passing game.
All they had to do was buy time and find a way to push numbers forward.
“The first 20 minutes, they really passed the ball well,” Moran said. “We haven’t played a team that is as good on the ball as them.
“We had to adjust and find our game.”
Young keeper Jackson Sprenger, like Delgado, had to learn on the fly.
He had to take a few drubbings to get assimilated to the speed, power and force of the varsity game.
“It was so fast,” Sprenger said. “The first game I played, I had a lot of trouble, but I have definitely settled in.”
Solorio has been the face of the Chicago Public League since winning the Class AA state championship in 2017.
In 2018, the Sun Warriors defeated Washington in a memorable overtime city final.
After being upset by Lane two years ago, Solorio dominated the modified city tournament last year.
The Sun Warriors defeated Lane 3-0 in the championship, capping an unbeaten and untied season.
“This is a new group,” Calleros said.
“Where we ended up (this season), that’s a surprise. After what we graduated and what we had the last few years, this group being entirely new, save for four or five kids, it was unique.”
The Sun Warriors have one indisputable great player in senior midfielder Raul Mariscal.
His creativity, movement off the ball and open-field game drives the Sun Warriors’ offense.
Delgado shadowed and flummoxed him, throwing him off of his rhythm just enough to maintain a scoreless game.
“I think the change with our team after the first four games was we became more focused during the games,” Delgado said.
For his inspired play and momentum-shifting actions, Delgado captured the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction.
Young did just enough offensively to keep the Sun Warriors off pace.
Moran and forwards Corey Rodman and Cole Hockman started subtly widening out and pushing up.
“We have to take advantage of what few opportunities we have, especially playing against a team that holds the ball as much as they do,” Moran said.
“In the second half, we started showing signs, and we started getting forward a bit and playing really well.”
The deeper the game went on, the more confidence Young developed.
Moran’s forward push created a foul inside the box with 15 minutes left in regulation.
“I was able to draw the foul,” Moran said. “Ross always wants me to shoot to the left side.
“I’m right-footed, and he says I can generate more power and accuracy going that way. It’s good to shoot to the same side every time, because you have it down.”
Moran blasted the low liner into the left corner for the game-winner.
Young dropped numbers back, and made it difficult for Solorio to negotiate the tight windows.
Sascha Frias-Kaehler, another of the Dolphins’ rangy defenders, also helped neutralize the Sun Warriors’ attack.
As space got compacted, Solorio countered with its quick passing game and ability to switch sides.
Sebastian Gonzalez also helped build the attack from the back, working with Lopez to get to the edge.
In the closing moments, off a free kick, Lopez knocked a diagonal pass from about 12 yards that seemed destined to connect.
Solorio could just not quite get to the back post for the vital second touch. It was that kind of day.
“I didn’t have to make too many saves today,” Sprenger said.
He finished with four.
“The back was amazing,” he said. “It was a team effort.”
LaBauex emerged as the coaching scene as the new girls coach at Young in the spring of 2019.
He took that team to the city championship game and a Class 3A sectional final.
After taking over during the abbreviated spring season, he has brought his imprimatur to the boys program in his first full year.
“We are just going out there and playing,” LaBauex said.
“I think sometimes when teams are out there with expectations, the stakes are a little higher. Solorio has built a program where they are expecting to win, and they have pressure.
“When it doesn’t happen, you see the disappointment on Adrian’s face and also on the players. I think we’re just buying into everything.”
Starting lineups
Young
GK: Jackson Sprenger
D: Sascha Frias-Kaehler
D: Diego Delgado
D: Nate Chmielowicz
D: Garen Petrulis
MF: Reese Kruschke
MF: Nikhil Bapat
MF: Gabe Lopez
F: Corey Rudman
F: Colin Moran
F: Cole Hockman
Solorio
GK: Yahir Hernandez
D: Bryan Puga
D: Sebastian Gonzalez
D: Ivan Lopez
D: Jesus Flores
MF: Raul Mariscal
MF: Justino Saucedo
MF: Alexander Marron
MF: Orlando Orjeda
F: Yamir Gallegos
F: Alejandro Pérez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Diego Delgado, jr., D, Young
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Young: Colin Moran (penalty kick), 65th minute