Bartlett aims to continue surge
Hawks gain confidence, momentum
By Steve Nemeth
"Here come the Hawks" isn't just appropriate for professional ice hockey when it’s spoken in Bartlett.
After a rough start with one win in the first eight games, Bartlett’s boys soccer squad has renewed optimism and recent results are the evidence.
For the last seven matches, the Hawks are 3-3-1 and have outscored their opponents 7-5. A rewind to those first eight games shows Bartlett's foes enjoying a wincingly painful 22-8 scoring advantage.
On Saturday, Bartlett (4-9-2) goes into its 10 a.m. match versus Antioch with a mathematical shot of winning the 10th annual Hampshire Invitational.
The opening round on the previous Saturday included a narrow 1-0 loss to Romeoville followed by a 2-1 victory over the tourney hosts. This weekend pits the Hawks against an Antioch crew (3-15-0) that was thumped in its first two contests of the round-robin event. Should the host Whip-purs (9-3-3) beat Romeoville (8-10-0) and Bartlett wins, there would be a three-way tie of teams at 2-1-0.
The first tiebreaker of head-to-head results wouldn’t solve things. The second is goals allowed and if needed, the third criteria is goal-differential. Regardless of what happens, Bartlett is technically ahead of last year’s turnaround.
The Hawks were struggling in 2017 going into this same tournament. Under a different format, Bartlett was tops in its group and played for the title but lost to opposing pool winner Romeoville 2-1. That Hawks crew fought its way to a regional championship appearance before losing 3-2 to Lake Park.
This season’s squad is already one victory shy of matching last year’s wins. After the Hampshire event, Bartlett has three remaining Upstate Eight Conference matches and the opportunity to significantly improve on a 2-3-1 league record.
“Our message is don’t disregard Bartlett, 'cause we’re coming out to win,” tri-captain Nico Gomez said. “If we can get some hardware from this tourney it’ll help show how hard we’ve been working. We’ve become more of a team than a group of individuals. Our coaches have kept us positive, and we’ve found out how to make the most out of our formations.”
“We must take care of business on our end,” co-head coach Victor Marquez said in regard to the Hampshire tourney. He noted that the Hawks can only wait to see what happens between the hosts and Romeoville.
“We’ve been playing better defensively and that includes the entire team not just the backline. We still need to create more scoring opportunities, move the ball quicker and eliminate turnovers,” Marquez added. “It’s most important that everyone continue to contribute.”
“We’re finally seeing them all play with energy. The returning starters, upper-class guys and newcomers all step up,” co-head coach Vincent Revak noted.
That viewpoint is reflected in how the team’s tri-captains all pointed to positives from a variety of teammates.
“Our movement on and off the ball is much better," Kevin Nava said. "Carlos Alfaro in midfield knows how to communicate well and with his vision of the field, his ball distribution has been good.
"Up-top, (newcomer) Amine Medmoun has been a good addition. He doesn’t run without purpose. He’s hungry to score and looks for the ball.”
Gomez added: “Since the summer and all the work he put in, Ethan Sproule is a real asset for us on the backline. Up-top Rudy Reyes is always in gear, he takes off and goes to score.”
The junior forward tops the Hawks with seven goals and also has two assists. Kamil Jarzabek's pair of goals puts him ahead of six others with a goal apiece. Brandon Palid and Hernan Garcia have three and two assists, respectively.
“We’ve been down a goal, but don’t ever give up and have now had some comebacks,” explained Austin Cichon, the third tri-captain. "I see that spirit in all the guys ahead of me on the field."
Cichon, Gomez, Nava and Sproule have particularly improved as a backline. They’ve helped junior goalie Jeremy Taylor chalk up a pair of shutouts while senior Omar Chavez helped produce a third clean-sheet when he was pressed into duty as a keeper instead of his usual forward role.
“We know we’ll need to get a lot of goals against Antioch for the tiebreaker part of this tourney,” Cichon said. “But communicating more, putting more pressure on the opponents and possessing the ball are skills we’ll need for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.”
“Obviously winning the tourney would be sweet and then finishing high in the conference is always a goal,” Nava said. “All of which would boost our confidence for the playoffs.”
After the Hampshire tourney, Bartlett welcomes Larkin on Monday and then faces current league leader West Aurora, which is ranked 11th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The Blackhawks currently have the edge among three unbeaten UEC teams with a 5-0-0 league mark. The other two unbeatens -- Elgin and Streamwood -- and one ad two ties respectively.
Click here to see the Upstate Eight Conference standings
Hawks gain confidence, momentum
By Steve Nemeth
"Here come the Hawks" isn't just appropriate for professional ice hockey when it’s spoken in Bartlett.
After a rough start with one win in the first eight games, Bartlett’s boys soccer squad has renewed optimism and recent results are the evidence.
For the last seven matches, the Hawks are 3-3-1 and have outscored their opponents 7-5. A rewind to those first eight games shows Bartlett's foes enjoying a wincingly painful 22-8 scoring advantage.
On Saturday, Bartlett (4-9-2) goes into its 10 a.m. match versus Antioch with a mathematical shot of winning the 10th annual Hampshire Invitational.
The opening round on the previous Saturday included a narrow 1-0 loss to Romeoville followed by a 2-1 victory over the tourney hosts. This weekend pits the Hawks against an Antioch crew (3-15-0) that was thumped in its first two contests of the round-robin event. Should the host Whip-purs (9-3-3) beat Romeoville (8-10-0) and Bartlett wins, there would be a three-way tie of teams at 2-1-0.
The first tiebreaker of head-to-head results wouldn’t solve things. The second is goals allowed and if needed, the third criteria is goal-differential. Regardless of what happens, Bartlett is technically ahead of last year’s turnaround.
The Hawks were struggling in 2017 going into this same tournament. Under a different format, Bartlett was tops in its group and played for the title but lost to opposing pool winner Romeoville 2-1. That Hawks crew fought its way to a regional championship appearance before losing 3-2 to Lake Park.
This season’s squad is already one victory shy of matching last year’s wins. After the Hampshire event, Bartlett has three remaining Upstate Eight Conference matches and the opportunity to significantly improve on a 2-3-1 league record.
“Our message is don’t disregard Bartlett, 'cause we’re coming out to win,” tri-captain Nico Gomez said. “If we can get some hardware from this tourney it’ll help show how hard we’ve been working. We’ve become more of a team than a group of individuals. Our coaches have kept us positive, and we’ve found out how to make the most out of our formations.”
“We must take care of business on our end,” co-head coach Victor Marquez said in regard to the Hampshire tourney. He noted that the Hawks can only wait to see what happens between the hosts and Romeoville.
“We’ve been playing better defensively and that includes the entire team not just the backline. We still need to create more scoring opportunities, move the ball quicker and eliminate turnovers,” Marquez added. “It’s most important that everyone continue to contribute.”
“We’re finally seeing them all play with energy. The returning starters, upper-class guys and newcomers all step up,” co-head coach Vincent Revak noted.
That viewpoint is reflected in how the team’s tri-captains all pointed to positives from a variety of teammates.
“Our movement on and off the ball is much better," Kevin Nava said. "Carlos Alfaro in midfield knows how to communicate well and with his vision of the field, his ball distribution has been good.
"Up-top, (newcomer) Amine Medmoun has been a good addition. He doesn’t run without purpose. He’s hungry to score and looks for the ball.”
Gomez added: “Since the summer and all the work he put in, Ethan Sproule is a real asset for us on the backline. Up-top Rudy Reyes is always in gear, he takes off and goes to score.”
The junior forward tops the Hawks with seven goals and also has two assists. Kamil Jarzabek's pair of goals puts him ahead of six others with a goal apiece. Brandon Palid and Hernan Garcia have three and two assists, respectively.
“We’ve been down a goal, but don’t ever give up and have now had some comebacks,” explained Austin Cichon, the third tri-captain. "I see that spirit in all the guys ahead of me on the field."
Cichon, Gomez, Nava and Sproule have particularly improved as a backline. They’ve helped junior goalie Jeremy Taylor chalk up a pair of shutouts while senior Omar Chavez helped produce a third clean-sheet when he was pressed into duty as a keeper instead of his usual forward role.
“We know we’ll need to get a lot of goals against Antioch for the tiebreaker part of this tourney,” Cichon said. “But communicating more, putting more pressure on the opponents and possessing the ball are skills we’ll need for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.”
“Obviously winning the tourney would be sweet and then finishing high in the conference is always a goal,” Nava said. “All of which would boost our confidence for the playoffs.”
After the Hampshire tourney, Bartlett welcomes Larkin on Monday and then faces current league leader West Aurora, which is ranked 11th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The Blackhawks currently have the edge among three unbeaten UEC teams with a 5-0-0 league mark. The other two unbeatens -- Elgin and Streamwood -- and one ad two ties respectively.
Click here to see the Upstate Eight Conference standings