Notebook: Plainfield South
By Chris Walker
PLAINFIELD -- In his third year as head coach at Plainfield South, Bryant Williams is still getting used to seeing his players grow within the program before reaching their senior season and then bidding farewell to their time as Cougars.
During Tuesday’s Southwest Prairie Conference clash against first place Oswego, Plainfield South took the time to recognize seniors Christian Gonzalez, Francisco Lomeli, Anthony Marmolejo Justin McGuigan, Vincent Nirchi, Thomas Pawlowski, Gabe Sandoval and Mark Zamudio.
“All of our seniors have been with the program for the past four years,” Williams said. “They haven’t necessarily been with varsity all that time, but they’ve been a pretty big part of the program and played significant minutes the last couple of years. Some have been with varsity for three years.
"So they’ve been a big part of it and since this is my third year as head coach I’ve been with these guys for a long time now so I’m definitely going to miss them.”
It’s been more than just wins and losses for the Cougars during their time on the soccer field. Of course, countless memories have been made with new friends made along the way.
“I’ve created bonds with my teammates,” Marmolejo said. “Last year one of my friends, Dominic Skrip (who graduated), was on the team and me and him are best friends now. It’s more than playing soccer.”
While competitiveness can sometimes make it difficult to also have fun, that hasn’t been the case with McGuigan.
“We play because it’s been fun every time we’ve come out here,” he said. “I think this will go for everybody on our team that competing in a competitive-soccer setting is always fun. We’re always trying to win obviously, and we want to win and winning is fun, but in the end of the day the competition is what it’s all about. Just competing and bringing the best that you have on the field as a student-athlete.”
Tough break
It has to be rough for a coach to see one of his players sidelined with an injury. It has to be even worse when that injury knocks a player out for an entire season. And it can’t get much worse when that player is a senior and won’t play for his high school team ever again.
Williams lost senior goalkeeper Francisco “Frankie” Lomeli before the season began.
“He was out playing soccer and got slid into and tore his knee up pretty bad,” Williams said. “It’s been a huge loss.”
The Cougars ultimately turned to sophomore Nicholas Beemster to replace him, but not without first considering some other options. One was putting McGuigan in goal, but that would’ve removed him from the backline.
“We experimented with the idea of me playing keeper for a bit and then Nick (Beemster) came along and has stepped up really big,” McGuigan said. “Against Minooka he had like 20 saves, so he’s been a huge part of this year. I think his role was undervalued because we had Quinton (Rose) and Frankie last year, and we’ve always had good keepers here.
"I think he has come in and done well, but that was the expectation. He’s lived up to that and done even better which is huge.”
While soccer teams aren’t scouted in the same capacity as football per se, opposing coaches do their research and the players catch on pretty quickly too. They realize who the keeper is as well as the others on the field and if someone who should be there is missing. While Beemster has held his own there have been times where personnel variations in back have been attacked.
“I’m pretty sure they always notice that,” Marmolejo said. “We’ve had practically the same defense from last year so in the games where they see a guy or two they’ve not used to seeing they try to pressure the new guys to see if they can break them.”
Just Plain(field) ugly
Sister schools aren't always nice nice to each other.
While the Cougars enjoyed two wins this season against Plainfield East, one each in conference and the inaugural Plainfield Classic, they lost to Plainfield Central and Plainfield North.
The last time they beat two of the three other Plainfield schools in the same season occurred in 2017 when they defeated East and North but lost to Central. That season ended when North got revenge in the postseason.
It was worse in 2016 when the Cougars were swept in the regular season and then lost again to Central in regional play.
This year it’s unlikely that they’ll meet a Plainfield team in the postseason unless East upsets Geneva and West Aurora. The Cougars would have to win as the underdog against Bolingbrook to get to the Class 3A Bolingbrook Regional. If all that happens, it will be a Plainfield final.
It’s how you finish
Like a lot of teams, the Cougars have had their share of ups and downs this fall.
They started the season 5-1-1 in their first seven games but followed that by going just 1-3-3 in their next seven games.
“We were really good at the beginning, but then we had some issues with some guys with injuries and off the field stuff,” Marmolejo said. “That really hurt our defense, and we lost (junior defender) Ryan Kabaker who already had a previous injury to his ankle.”
Today the Cougars find themselves at 8-9-4 as well as 2-6-0 in the Southwest Prairie Conference after dropping a 7-3 decision to Oswego on Tuesday night in Plainfield.
“I think we’ve gotten better from where we first started,” McGuigan said. “We started off really hot, but we hit a tough patch in the middle of the season. Last week we had two solid games against crosstown teams in Plainfield North and (Plainfield) East. And any games against a Plainfield school in any sport is going to be tough.
“We lost a tough one to Plainfield North, but I feel we picked up some traction, and now we’re looking forward to finish (the regular season)."
The Cougars end their conference and regular season when they conclude a suspended game against Oswego East at home at 4:30 p.m. Thursday
"This can only help us for the playoffs because the deeper you go, the tougher you expect the teams to be in the playoffs.”
A New Beginning
Whether or not the Cougars relish the role of underdog, that’s who they’ll be on Tuesday night when they begin the playoffs against Bolingbrook. Game time is 7 p.m.
The Raiders have not been kind. They blanked the Cougars, 3-0, on Aug. 28 in the Windy City Ram Classic and then beat them again, 2-0, in a nonconference game in Bolingbrook on Sept. 11.
Plainfield South hopes to enter the postseason off a win after the conclusion of the suspended game against Oswego East.
"We came within a few minutes of getting a win against Oswego East if we had not given up that goal late and got to halftime with the lead," Williams said.
“I felt like we had a dip in the middle of the season and a lot of guys out so we had different lineups. Now we’re starting to get more consistency in the lineup and should have everybody back and ready to go for the playoffs. I feel like we’re trending in the right direction.”
Trusting one another is something that has slowed the Cougars down at times this season, and it still can interfere with their play at times.
“We’ve got a mix of young guys and older guys, and it’s just been that we’ve maybe had trouble trusting each other on the field where we’re willing to give up the ball to other guys,” Williams said. “Sometimes we dribble too much and get in situations where we shouldn’t be because we don’t pass the ball like maybe I’d like to see.
“I think that it isn’t selfish, but that they don’t know each other and haven’t developed that bond so it’s a lack of cohesiveness that we’ve been trying to get to. We have certain guys that want to try to do everything when really they’re trying to do more than they need to. They need to give up the ball more, make some runs, get some passes back instead of trying to dribble through three guys.”
McGuigan, who will play baseball at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, after he graduates, hopes to end the season on a strong note.
“I wouldn’t say I’m nervous for the end, I’m more excited to leave everything out on the field,” he said. “Everything goes into every game, and we have to go out with a bang.”
The postseason pressure will be on the Cougars' playoff opponent Bolingbrook -- it's tough to beat a team three times in the same season. And with its recent success in the series, the Raiders may be overconfident after the recent results that featured two wins this season by a total goal margin of 5-0, and a 2-0 win last year.
Plainfield South last got a result with a 1-1 tie in the regular season in 2014 but lost a heartbreaker on PKs in regional play in 2014.
Plainfield South last beat Bolingbrook in 2013, winning 3-1 in the Lincoln-Way Invite. It’s been a long five years.
“I think the first time we saw Bolingbrook they were good team, but I felt like we could’ve beat them,” Marmolejo said. “But the last two times we’ve played them we didn’t have all our guys back, so once the playoff games start we should have everybody back and be ready.”
And everybody knows, anything can happen in high school soccer.
By Chris Walker
PLAINFIELD -- In his third year as head coach at Plainfield South, Bryant Williams is still getting used to seeing his players grow within the program before reaching their senior season and then bidding farewell to their time as Cougars.
During Tuesday’s Southwest Prairie Conference clash against first place Oswego, Plainfield South took the time to recognize seniors Christian Gonzalez, Francisco Lomeli, Anthony Marmolejo Justin McGuigan, Vincent Nirchi, Thomas Pawlowski, Gabe Sandoval and Mark Zamudio.
“All of our seniors have been with the program for the past four years,” Williams said. “They haven’t necessarily been with varsity all that time, but they’ve been a pretty big part of the program and played significant minutes the last couple of years. Some have been with varsity for three years.
"So they’ve been a big part of it and since this is my third year as head coach I’ve been with these guys for a long time now so I’m definitely going to miss them.”
It’s been more than just wins and losses for the Cougars during their time on the soccer field. Of course, countless memories have been made with new friends made along the way.
“I’ve created bonds with my teammates,” Marmolejo said. “Last year one of my friends, Dominic Skrip (who graduated), was on the team and me and him are best friends now. It’s more than playing soccer.”
While competitiveness can sometimes make it difficult to also have fun, that hasn’t been the case with McGuigan.
“We play because it’s been fun every time we’ve come out here,” he said. “I think this will go for everybody on our team that competing in a competitive-soccer setting is always fun. We’re always trying to win obviously, and we want to win and winning is fun, but in the end of the day the competition is what it’s all about. Just competing and bringing the best that you have on the field as a student-athlete.”
Tough break
It has to be rough for a coach to see one of his players sidelined with an injury. It has to be even worse when that injury knocks a player out for an entire season. And it can’t get much worse when that player is a senior and won’t play for his high school team ever again.
Williams lost senior goalkeeper Francisco “Frankie” Lomeli before the season began.
“He was out playing soccer and got slid into and tore his knee up pretty bad,” Williams said. “It’s been a huge loss.”
The Cougars ultimately turned to sophomore Nicholas Beemster to replace him, but not without first considering some other options. One was putting McGuigan in goal, but that would’ve removed him from the backline.
“We experimented with the idea of me playing keeper for a bit and then Nick (Beemster) came along and has stepped up really big,” McGuigan said. “Against Minooka he had like 20 saves, so he’s been a huge part of this year. I think his role was undervalued because we had Quinton (Rose) and Frankie last year, and we’ve always had good keepers here.
"I think he has come in and done well, but that was the expectation. He’s lived up to that and done even better which is huge.”
While soccer teams aren’t scouted in the same capacity as football per se, opposing coaches do their research and the players catch on pretty quickly too. They realize who the keeper is as well as the others on the field and if someone who should be there is missing. While Beemster has held his own there have been times where personnel variations in back have been attacked.
“I’m pretty sure they always notice that,” Marmolejo said. “We’ve had practically the same defense from last year so in the games where they see a guy or two they’ve not used to seeing they try to pressure the new guys to see if they can break them.”
Just Plain(field) ugly
Sister schools aren't always nice nice to each other.
While the Cougars enjoyed two wins this season against Plainfield East, one each in conference and the inaugural Plainfield Classic, they lost to Plainfield Central and Plainfield North.
The last time they beat two of the three other Plainfield schools in the same season occurred in 2017 when they defeated East and North but lost to Central. That season ended when North got revenge in the postseason.
It was worse in 2016 when the Cougars were swept in the regular season and then lost again to Central in regional play.
This year it’s unlikely that they’ll meet a Plainfield team in the postseason unless East upsets Geneva and West Aurora. The Cougars would have to win as the underdog against Bolingbrook to get to the Class 3A Bolingbrook Regional. If all that happens, it will be a Plainfield final.
It’s how you finish
Like a lot of teams, the Cougars have had their share of ups and downs this fall.
They started the season 5-1-1 in their first seven games but followed that by going just 1-3-3 in their next seven games.
“We were really good at the beginning, but then we had some issues with some guys with injuries and off the field stuff,” Marmolejo said. “That really hurt our defense, and we lost (junior defender) Ryan Kabaker who already had a previous injury to his ankle.”
Today the Cougars find themselves at 8-9-4 as well as 2-6-0 in the Southwest Prairie Conference after dropping a 7-3 decision to Oswego on Tuesday night in Plainfield.
“I think we’ve gotten better from where we first started,” McGuigan said. “We started off really hot, but we hit a tough patch in the middle of the season. Last week we had two solid games against crosstown teams in Plainfield North and (Plainfield) East. And any games against a Plainfield school in any sport is going to be tough.
“We lost a tough one to Plainfield North, but I feel we picked up some traction, and now we’re looking forward to finish (the regular season)."
The Cougars end their conference and regular season when they conclude a suspended game against Oswego East at home at 4:30 p.m. Thursday
"This can only help us for the playoffs because the deeper you go, the tougher you expect the teams to be in the playoffs.”
A New Beginning
Whether or not the Cougars relish the role of underdog, that’s who they’ll be on Tuesday night when they begin the playoffs against Bolingbrook. Game time is 7 p.m.
The Raiders have not been kind. They blanked the Cougars, 3-0, on Aug. 28 in the Windy City Ram Classic and then beat them again, 2-0, in a nonconference game in Bolingbrook on Sept. 11.
Plainfield South hopes to enter the postseason off a win after the conclusion of the suspended game against Oswego East.
"We came within a few minutes of getting a win against Oswego East if we had not given up that goal late and got to halftime with the lead," Williams said.
“I felt like we had a dip in the middle of the season and a lot of guys out so we had different lineups. Now we’re starting to get more consistency in the lineup and should have everybody back and ready to go for the playoffs. I feel like we’re trending in the right direction.”
Trusting one another is something that has slowed the Cougars down at times this season, and it still can interfere with their play at times.
“We’ve got a mix of young guys and older guys, and it’s just been that we’ve maybe had trouble trusting each other on the field where we’re willing to give up the ball to other guys,” Williams said. “Sometimes we dribble too much and get in situations where we shouldn’t be because we don’t pass the ball like maybe I’d like to see.
“I think that it isn’t selfish, but that they don’t know each other and haven’t developed that bond so it’s a lack of cohesiveness that we’ve been trying to get to. We have certain guys that want to try to do everything when really they’re trying to do more than they need to. They need to give up the ball more, make some runs, get some passes back instead of trying to dribble through three guys.”
McGuigan, who will play baseball at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, after he graduates, hopes to end the season on a strong note.
“I wouldn’t say I’m nervous for the end, I’m more excited to leave everything out on the field,” he said. “Everything goes into every game, and we have to go out with a bang.”
The postseason pressure will be on the Cougars' playoff opponent Bolingbrook -- it's tough to beat a team three times in the same season. And with its recent success in the series, the Raiders may be overconfident after the recent results that featured two wins this season by a total goal margin of 5-0, and a 2-0 win last year.
Plainfield South last got a result with a 1-1 tie in the regular season in 2014 but lost a heartbreaker on PKs in regional play in 2014.
Plainfield South last beat Bolingbrook in 2013, winning 3-1 in the Lincoln-Way Invite. It’s been a long five years.
“I think the first time we saw Bolingbrook they were good team, but I felt like we could’ve beat them,” Marmolejo said. “But the last two times we’ve played them we didn’t have all our guys back, so once the playoff games start we should have everybody back and be ready.”
And everybody knows, anything can happen in high school soccer.