Fremd's 2nd half rush
puts away Zion-Benton
Trio of goals powers Vikings to sectional semifinals
By Mike Garofola
PALATINE – Mid-Suburban League champion Fremd beat Zion-Benton with a flurry of second half goals in Palatine on Saturday night to earn the 16th regional title in program history before a raucous crowd at Hildebrant Field.
The game was drenched with intensity, particularly from Zee-Bees fans who were upset with the referee and the result.
"Yeah, it was pretty intense out there at times tonight," said Fremd senior Kenan Mesic, who along with teammate Will Mayer shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
Mayer’s pace, work-rate, ability to take on defenders and fiery nonstop, all-action play earned him his share.
"It took us a little time to settle in after a rough start,” said Mesic. “We were able to slow and control their attack a little better, and obviously scoring first was so big for us."
"They had a lot of technically gifted players," began Vikings manager Steve Keller, whose club is now 14-6-2 overall. “They were good on the ball, capable of some very good combination work and quick passes, and had the ability to create for themselves. If they were a little better in the final third, maybe we're the team going home.
"But once again, I liked the way we fought, persevered and stayed composed. It is what you need to do at this time of the season."
The fact the Vikings put four on the scoreboard for the second-consecutive game was a bit baffling. In the 20 games prior to the playoffs, Fremd scored more than four goals only three times, and their offense was shutout or limited to one goal on six occasions.
"Last year we had the players who would create so much through the run of play,” Keller said. “This year we've had to find a lot of different ways to score goals, and tonight was a perfect example."
"It has taken awhile for us to finally click," added senior Owen Winegar, a key figure in the opening goal. “But I think everyone is comfortable playing where they are, and it has shown the last couple of games.”
Zion-Benton started encouragingly with their high-press and impressive technical ability. The Zee-Bees used their strategy and skill to unsettle their hosts. It forced back Fremd and restricted the Vikings to a series of long balls in the direction of their front three.
Joseph Veloza, one of the terrific midfielders for the Zion-Benton, ran onto a well-struck early ball and appeared to be ready to challenge Vikings keeper Robby Remian. But a timely tackle from Joey Rodino ended the 13th-minute threat.
Veloza and David Sotelo worked a clever one-two combination to drive near the top of the box, but the Fremd defense squeezed the life out of the near chance.
The Vikings lost one of their top players and scorers, Leo Akashi. In full gallop, the senior attempted to turn on a dime with the ball on his foot inside the Zion-Benton box. He suffered an ankle sprain that kept him out for the rest of the evening.
While the Zee-Bees enjoyed most of the possession in the first quarter hour, it was the home side who fired the first warning shot in the 22nd minute.
That's when the aforementioned Mesic sent a wonderful left-footed free kick, that bent ever so close to the open back post. If not for a double save by keeper Brandon Ayala-Gonzalez, who made a full-extension effort against Mesic and reaction stop of a rebound attempt from Sean Akashi, the Vikings would have claimed the opener.
"Kenan has a very good touch and the ability to provide quality service from his left foot. We saw that a handful of times tonight," said Keller.
The visitors came right back to carve out a big chance. Mason Damonte held the ball up long enough to allow David Cortes to get fully into his center channel run before putting the ball on the foot of his wide-open teammate.
With speed, Cortes raced freely towards Remian, only to have Michael Leonczuk challenge with a sharp tackle to stop any thoughts of a 1-v-1.
Keller changed the Vikings formation to a 4-2-3-1 after this sequence when he brought on Charles Fritz at 28 minutes.
The change may have brought the Vikings some good luck. Moments after the move, Winegar stretched the Zee-Bees defense on the left with a devastating helper to Sean Akashi, who with a quick step and burst broke free of his man before unleashing a clinical finish under Ayala-Gonzalez in the 30th minute.
"Just a great ball from Owen and amazing touch and finish by Sean," said Mesic.
Zion-Benton tried to answer when Cortes took the ball out of the air and in one motion unloaded a wicked volley that forced Remian into a spectacular save. It’s something the all-state keeper has done all year long.
However, with their confidence now brimming, the Zee-Bees equalized four minutes before the intermission. Remian pushed a Bryan Bielma cracker up, and off the bar. The ball spilled near the spot, where an opportunistic Sotelo slotted it home with ease.
Believing they had another goal in them before the break, the visitors ran rampant for the last few minutes of the half. Bielma was allowed to tee-up from 25 yards, then redirected a header off a free kick which called Remian into action. That all occurred after a Ronan Allord tackle ended the chance for a chance by Damonte.
"That last 10-15 minutes after we scored, they were all over us," said Winegar. “But we made it to the half, regrouped, then came out to play a very good second half of soccer."
In a 14-minute span after the break, Fremd turned the match around and built a 4-1 advantage that sent the Zee-Bees reeling.
Mesic was at the heart of goals two and three for the Vikings. He supplied a superb ball to the back post that Nicky Sapiente finished in the 48th minute. The, after consecutive corners, Mesic sent another near perfect left-footer into the box that saw Kosta Alex outwork the Zee-Bees defense to send one into the back of the net in the 59th minute.
After tricking his way into the box by going to his left, then right and back to his left, Winegar was hauled down.
Will Mayer stepped, and hammered his spot-kick under Ayala-Gonzalez to give the Vikings a three-goal advantage in the 61st minute.
"The one big bugaboo for our team this year has been our inability to defend dead balls, and set piece (plays),” said Zion-Benton's manager of 19 years Cliff Pontillo. “Two of their second half goals came from that. On the third, we were unorganized and lost the man coming into the box. All of sudden, we're chasing three goals with 20 minutes to go."
Damonte, who flashed incredible speed and pace up-top for the Zee-Bees, had a clear route to an early ball out of the back, but he was correctly ruled offsides in the 67th minute.
After the offsides call, Keller switched Fremd to a 4-4-1-1 formation to add numbers in back as the Vikings looked to manage their three-goal lead.
"The thing that (Keller) does so well, he's always looking for a tactical edge by using different looks, and formations," said Mesic. “He's always willing to make changes when he feels it's needed.”
If the Zion-Benton faithful were unhappy after the Damonte offsides, they became downright unglued when Romiro Ramirez steered in a brilliant free kick from 22 yards in the 69th minute that waved off by the referee.
The Zee-Bees thought Ramirez was awarded a direct free kick, when in fact, it was an indirect free kick. That meant a teammate of Ramirez had to touch the ball before he unleashed his attempt.
Pontillo, his staff and players claimed the referee did not indicate an indirect free kick by raising his hand above his head and keeping his arm up until the kick has been taken as the rule book states.
If VAR had been available, perhaps the Zee-Bees argument could have been confirmed. However, with no such system in place, the visitors were left with a three-goal deficit 11 minutes from time.
"We saw it another way, but it was unfortunate the officials saw it another way. We lost our composure a bit, and it did not get much better after we put our PK in and after the game," said Pontillo.
In the 75th minute, Remian took down Damonte when he roared into the box. The Fremd keeper was given a yellow card on the play.
Bennett Ash took over in goal for the spot-kick that Bielma finished with ease.
Emotions stayed at a high level even after the final whistle. Two Zion-Benton players and an assistant coach were given red cards for dissent.
“Fremd, to their credit, played smart, sound soccer, and that's how you win games this time of the year," said Pontillo. "We played them even or better a lot tonight, but couldn't finish our chances and had trouble defending in our final third, which ended up costing us.
"The guys did not react well on a few calls, especially the free kick they thought should have counted.”
Fremd's manager was pleased with his players.
"They were all over us at times tonight, but we found a way with our grit, heart and ability to get a scrappy goal or two, which is so important in the playoffs," said Keller.
"Everyone who played tonight made a contribution," began Winegar.
"Robby once again was great in goal. Our defense played great all night, Allord, Leonczuk, (Kyle) Grasse, Genki (Wakayama), and Rodino in front of them+, that's how you win games like this one."
"When we were sophomores, some of us went to the JV team, and others were on varsity," added Mesic. “So, it's taken us some time to find our identity as a team, and I feel like we've finally done that.”
Next up for the fifth-seeded Vikings will be top-seeded North Suburban Conference champion Stevenson (18-0-3) in their sectional semifinal round opener at Buffalo Grove at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon.
Fourth-seeded Zion-Benton ended its season with a solid 14-8-3 mark.
Starting lineups
Zion-Benton (4-5-1)
G- Brandon Ayala-Gonzalez
D- Jared Sanchez
D- Javy Gonzalez
D- Denny Matute
D- Xavier Staples
MF- Romiro Ramirez
MF- Joseph Veloza
MF- Booker Brown
MF- David Cortes
MF- Bryan Bielma
F- Damonte Mason
Fremd (4-3-3)
G- Robby Remian
D- Kyle Grasse
D- Ronan Allord
D- Michael Leonczuk
D- Genki Wakayama
MF- Joey Rodino
MF- Kenan Mesic
MF- Owen Winegar
F- Will Mayer
F- Leo Akashi
F- Kosta Alex
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Will Mayer, sr., F/MF, Fremd;
Kenan Mesic, sr., MF, Fremd
Referee: Patrick Legge
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd: S. Akashi (Winegar), 30'
Zion-Benton: Bielma (Sotelo) 36'
Second half
Fremd: Sapiente (Mesic), 48'
Fremd: Alex (Mesic), 59'
Fremd: Mayer (PK), 61'
Zion-Benton: Bilema (PK), 75'
Statistics
Shot on goal
Zion-Benton: 8
Fremd: 11
Shots off
Zion-Benton: 5
Fremd: 8
Corner kicks
Zion-Benton: 3
Fremd: 5
Offsides
Zion-Benton: 4
Fremd: 3
Fouls
Zion-Benton: 12
Fremd: 10
Blocks
Zion-Benton: 4
Fremd: 4
Yellow cards
Zion-Benton: 2
Fremd: 2
Red cards
Zion-Benton: 3
Fremd: 0
puts away Zion-Benton
Trio of goals powers Vikings to sectional semifinals
By Mike Garofola
PALATINE – Mid-Suburban League champion Fremd beat Zion-Benton with a flurry of second half goals in Palatine on Saturday night to earn the 16th regional title in program history before a raucous crowd at Hildebrant Field.
The game was drenched with intensity, particularly from Zee-Bees fans who were upset with the referee and the result.
"Yeah, it was pretty intense out there at times tonight," said Fremd senior Kenan Mesic, who along with teammate Will Mayer shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match.
Mayer’s pace, work-rate, ability to take on defenders and fiery nonstop, all-action play earned him his share.
"It took us a little time to settle in after a rough start,” said Mesic. “We were able to slow and control their attack a little better, and obviously scoring first was so big for us."
"They had a lot of technically gifted players," began Vikings manager Steve Keller, whose club is now 14-6-2 overall. “They were good on the ball, capable of some very good combination work and quick passes, and had the ability to create for themselves. If they were a little better in the final third, maybe we're the team going home.
"But once again, I liked the way we fought, persevered and stayed composed. It is what you need to do at this time of the season."
The fact the Vikings put four on the scoreboard for the second-consecutive game was a bit baffling. In the 20 games prior to the playoffs, Fremd scored more than four goals only three times, and their offense was shutout or limited to one goal on six occasions.
"Last year we had the players who would create so much through the run of play,” Keller said. “This year we've had to find a lot of different ways to score goals, and tonight was a perfect example."
"It has taken awhile for us to finally click," added senior Owen Winegar, a key figure in the opening goal. “But I think everyone is comfortable playing where they are, and it has shown the last couple of games.”
Zion-Benton started encouragingly with their high-press and impressive technical ability. The Zee-Bees used their strategy and skill to unsettle their hosts. It forced back Fremd and restricted the Vikings to a series of long balls in the direction of their front three.
Joseph Veloza, one of the terrific midfielders for the Zion-Benton, ran onto a well-struck early ball and appeared to be ready to challenge Vikings keeper Robby Remian. But a timely tackle from Joey Rodino ended the 13th-minute threat.
Veloza and David Sotelo worked a clever one-two combination to drive near the top of the box, but the Fremd defense squeezed the life out of the near chance.
The Vikings lost one of their top players and scorers, Leo Akashi. In full gallop, the senior attempted to turn on a dime with the ball on his foot inside the Zion-Benton box. He suffered an ankle sprain that kept him out for the rest of the evening.
While the Zee-Bees enjoyed most of the possession in the first quarter hour, it was the home side who fired the first warning shot in the 22nd minute.
That's when the aforementioned Mesic sent a wonderful left-footed free kick, that bent ever so close to the open back post. If not for a double save by keeper Brandon Ayala-Gonzalez, who made a full-extension effort against Mesic and reaction stop of a rebound attempt from Sean Akashi, the Vikings would have claimed the opener.
"Kenan has a very good touch and the ability to provide quality service from his left foot. We saw that a handful of times tonight," said Keller.
The visitors came right back to carve out a big chance. Mason Damonte held the ball up long enough to allow David Cortes to get fully into his center channel run before putting the ball on the foot of his wide-open teammate.
With speed, Cortes raced freely towards Remian, only to have Michael Leonczuk challenge with a sharp tackle to stop any thoughts of a 1-v-1.
Keller changed the Vikings formation to a 4-2-3-1 after this sequence when he brought on Charles Fritz at 28 minutes.
The change may have brought the Vikings some good luck. Moments after the move, Winegar stretched the Zee-Bees defense on the left with a devastating helper to Sean Akashi, who with a quick step and burst broke free of his man before unleashing a clinical finish under Ayala-Gonzalez in the 30th minute.
"Just a great ball from Owen and amazing touch and finish by Sean," said Mesic.
Zion-Benton tried to answer when Cortes took the ball out of the air and in one motion unloaded a wicked volley that forced Remian into a spectacular save. It’s something the all-state keeper has done all year long.
However, with their confidence now brimming, the Zee-Bees equalized four minutes before the intermission. Remian pushed a Bryan Bielma cracker up, and off the bar. The ball spilled near the spot, where an opportunistic Sotelo slotted it home with ease.
Believing they had another goal in them before the break, the visitors ran rampant for the last few minutes of the half. Bielma was allowed to tee-up from 25 yards, then redirected a header off a free kick which called Remian into action. That all occurred after a Ronan Allord tackle ended the chance for a chance by Damonte.
"That last 10-15 minutes after we scored, they were all over us," said Winegar. “But we made it to the half, regrouped, then came out to play a very good second half of soccer."
In a 14-minute span after the break, Fremd turned the match around and built a 4-1 advantage that sent the Zee-Bees reeling.
Mesic was at the heart of goals two and three for the Vikings. He supplied a superb ball to the back post that Nicky Sapiente finished in the 48th minute. The, after consecutive corners, Mesic sent another near perfect left-footer into the box that saw Kosta Alex outwork the Zee-Bees defense to send one into the back of the net in the 59th minute.
After tricking his way into the box by going to his left, then right and back to his left, Winegar was hauled down.
Will Mayer stepped, and hammered his spot-kick under Ayala-Gonzalez to give the Vikings a three-goal advantage in the 61st minute.
"The one big bugaboo for our team this year has been our inability to defend dead balls, and set piece (plays),” said Zion-Benton's manager of 19 years Cliff Pontillo. “Two of their second half goals came from that. On the third, we were unorganized and lost the man coming into the box. All of sudden, we're chasing three goals with 20 minutes to go."
Damonte, who flashed incredible speed and pace up-top for the Zee-Bees, had a clear route to an early ball out of the back, but he was correctly ruled offsides in the 67th minute.
After the offsides call, Keller switched Fremd to a 4-4-1-1 formation to add numbers in back as the Vikings looked to manage their three-goal lead.
"The thing that (Keller) does so well, he's always looking for a tactical edge by using different looks, and formations," said Mesic. “He's always willing to make changes when he feels it's needed.”
If the Zion-Benton faithful were unhappy after the Damonte offsides, they became downright unglued when Romiro Ramirez steered in a brilliant free kick from 22 yards in the 69th minute that waved off by the referee.
The Zee-Bees thought Ramirez was awarded a direct free kick, when in fact, it was an indirect free kick. That meant a teammate of Ramirez had to touch the ball before he unleashed his attempt.
Pontillo, his staff and players claimed the referee did not indicate an indirect free kick by raising his hand above his head and keeping his arm up until the kick has been taken as the rule book states.
If VAR had been available, perhaps the Zee-Bees argument could have been confirmed. However, with no such system in place, the visitors were left with a three-goal deficit 11 minutes from time.
"We saw it another way, but it was unfortunate the officials saw it another way. We lost our composure a bit, and it did not get much better after we put our PK in and after the game," said Pontillo.
In the 75th minute, Remian took down Damonte when he roared into the box. The Fremd keeper was given a yellow card on the play.
Bennett Ash took over in goal for the spot-kick that Bielma finished with ease.
Emotions stayed at a high level even after the final whistle. Two Zion-Benton players and an assistant coach were given red cards for dissent.
“Fremd, to their credit, played smart, sound soccer, and that's how you win games this time of the year," said Pontillo. "We played them even or better a lot tonight, but couldn't finish our chances and had trouble defending in our final third, which ended up costing us.
"The guys did not react well on a few calls, especially the free kick they thought should have counted.”
Fremd's manager was pleased with his players.
"They were all over us at times tonight, but we found a way with our grit, heart and ability to get a scrappy goal or two, which is so important in the playoffs," said Keller.
"Everyone who played tonight made a contribution," began Winegar.
"Robby once again was great in goal. Our defense played great all night, Allord, Leonczuk, (Kyle) Grasse, Genki (Wakayama), and Rodino in front of them+, that's how you win games like this one."
"When we were sophomores, some of us went to the JV team, and others were on varsity," added Mesic. “So, it's taken us some time to find our identity as a team, and I feel like we've finally done that.”
Next up for the fifth-seeded Vikings will be top-seeded North Suburban Conference champion Stevenson (18-0-3) in their sectional semifinal round opener at Buffalo Grove at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon.
Fourth-seeded Zion-Benton ended its season with a solid 14-8-3 mark.
Starting lineups
Zion-Benton (4-5-1)
G- Brandon Ayala-Gonzalez
D- Jared Sanchez
D- Javy Gonzalez
D- Denny Matute
D- Xavier Staples
MF- Romiro Ramirez
MF- Joseph Veloza
MF- Booker Brown
MF- David Cortes
MF- Bryan Bielma
F- Damonte Mason
Fremd (4-3-3)
G- Robby Remian
D- Kyle Grasse
D- Ronan Allord
D- Michael Leonczuk
D- Genki Wakayama
MF- Joey Rodino
MF- Kenan Mesic
MF- Owen Winegar
F- Will Mayer
F- Leo Akashi
F- Kosta Alex
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Will Mayer, sr., F/MF, Fremd;
Kenan Mesic, sr., MF, Fremd
Referee: Patrick Legge
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd: S. Akashi (Winegar), 30'
Zion-Benton: Bielma (Sotelo) 36'
Second half
Fremd: Sapiente (Mesic), 48'
Fremd: Alex (Mesic), 59'
Fremd: Mayer (PK), 61'
Zion-Benton: Bilema (PK), 75'
Statistics
Shot on goal
Zion-Benton: 8
Fremd: 11
Shots off
Zion-Benton: 5
Fremd: 8
Corner kicks
Zion-Benton: 3
Fremd: 5
Offsides
Zion-Benton: 4
Fremd: 3
Fouls
Zion-Benton: 12
Fremd: 10
Blocks
Zion-Benton: 4
Fremd: 4
Yellow cards
Zion-Benton: 2
Fremd: 2
Red cards
Zion-Benton: 3
Fremd: 0