Deerfield-Glenbrook North match
could decide CSL North champ
By Rusty Silber
How big is the match-up between Deerfield and Glenbrook North? Well, in the competitive Central Suburban League North Divison it's a stand-out.
Deerfield (8-2-2 overall, 0-0-1 in league play) visits Glenbrook North (7-3-2, 3-0-0) at 7 p.m. Monday. For the Warriors it's the start of a busy week jam-packed with three league games after a draw with Highland Park on Sept. 24. On the other side, the Spartans are out to a perfect 3-0 start with just two league matches remaining.
Glenbrook North picked up a 1-0 victory over Highland Park on Saturday and is ready for the match on their turf.
"Deerfield is a very good team, and they are one of the better teams in the state," Glenbrook North coach Paul Vignocchi said. "They're having a great year."
Going into this game, the Spartans are well aware of what the Warriors have to offer.
"They have some really good players all over the field," Vignocchi said. "Our guys are excited for the challenge to play a great team like Deerfield. They do have a lot of experienced players. They are playing with a lot of confidence. They just keep coming after you for 80 minutes."
Deerfield is battle-tested coming in after a 1-0 victory over Stevenson on Friday. The Warriors reached the semifinals of the PepsiCo Showdown before bowing out in a penalty kick loss to eventual champion Lyons. They recorded the biggest upset of the tournament when they went on the road to top top-seeded Morton 1-0.
"We're lucky to be playing against some of the best teams in the state." Deerfield coach Ellliott Hurtig said. 'Both the Lake Forest tournament and the PepsiCo tournament have outstanding teams and that helps prepare us for the tough competition in the CSL.
"Our strengths are that we're very resilient. Even when Morton came out stronger than us, we fought back, never gave up and ended up winning an incredible game. Lyons scored first against us, and we did the same thing. We kept our composure and scored a goal with 20 minutes left in the game to push it into overtime and eventually PKs."
Deerfield continues to play good soccer.
"I'm not at all surprised we're having such a great run," Hurtig said. "In fact, I believe our best soccer is in front of us. We have a very talented group of players and once we consistently combine a passion for winning every small battle on the field with our strong technical ability, I think we will be very tough team to beat.
"GBN is having a great season, and they play very big in the back. So the key is when we create our chances, we need to finish them and continue to put pressure on them to get turnovers and capitalize on them.”
could decide CSL North champ
By Rusty Silber
How big is the match-up between Deerfield and Glenbrook North? Well, in the competitive Central Suburban League North Divison it's a stand-out.
Deerfield (8-2-2 overall, 0-0-1 in league play) visits Glenbrook North (7-3-2, 3-0-0) at 7 p.m. Monday. For the Warriors it's the start of a busy week jam-packed with three league games after a draw with Highland Park on Sept. 24. On the other side, the Spartans are out to a perfect 3-0 start with just two league matches remaining.
Glenbrook North picked up a 1-0 victory over Highland Park on Saturday and is ready for the match on their turf.
"Deerfield is a very good team, and they are one of the better teams in the state," Glenbrook North coach Paul Vignocchi said. "They're having a great year."
Going into this game, the Spartans are well aware of what the Warriors have to offer.
"They have some really good players all over the field," Vignocchi said. "Our guys are excited for the challenge to play a great team like Deerfield. They do have a lot of experienced players. They are playing with a lot of confidence. They just keep coming after you for 80 minutes."
Deerfield is battle-tested coming in after a 1-0 victory over Stevenson on Friday. The Warriors reached the semifinals of the PepsiCo Showdown before bowing out in a penalty kick loss to eventual champion Lyons. They recorded the biggest upset of the tournament when they went on the road to top top-seeded Morton 1-0.
"We're lucky to be playing against some of the best teams in the state." Deerfield coach Ellliott Hurtig said. 'Both the Lake Forest tournament and the PepsiCo tournament have outstanding teams and that helps prepare us for the tough competition in the CSL.
"Our strengths are that we're very resilient. Even when Morton came out stronger than us, we fought back, never gave up and ended up winning an incredible game. Lyons scored first against us, and we did the same thing. We kept our composure and scored a goal with 20 minutes left in the game to push it into overtime and eventually PKs."
Deerfield continues to play good soccer.
"I'm not at all surprised we're having such a great run," Hurtig said. "In fact, I believe our best soccer is in front of us. We have a very talented group of players and once we consistently combine a passion for winning every small battle on the field with our strong technical ability, I think we will be very tough team to beat.
"GBN is having a great season, and they play very big in the back. So the key is when we create our chances, we need to finish them and continue to put pressure on them to get turnovers and capitalize on them.”