Pack popcorn for Lake Park/Wheaton North watch party tonight
By Bill McLean
The Falcons and the Wakeman (Wheaton North senior goalkeeper Sam) take on Lake Park’s visiting Lancers in a DuKane Conference matchup tonight at 6:30 p.m.
But enough about a silly reference to an old, old flick like “The Falcon and the Snowman,” which hit theaters in 1985.
Here’s hoping the squads will rack up plenty of highly entertaining, four-star flicks in boxes on Wheaton North’s home pitch.
The 6-foot-2 Wakeman, whose work can’t be found on IMDb yet, has allowed only seven goals in 11 games this season. Junior midfielders Tim Dulzer and Max Riccelli and senior forward Diego Molina pace the Falcons (5-3-3, 0-1-1) in scoring.
Wheaton North coach Rob Stassen’s side edged Lake Park 1-0 in a Hillner Classic contest on Sept. 2.
“Rob is always a tough coach to go against. His teams are consistently strong in organized defending, possession and unselfish play,” said Lake Park coach Sean Crosby, whose club is 4-5-2 overall and 1-0-0 in the conference after their huge upset of St. Charles East. “We expect them to move the ball very well and transition quickly when defending. We will need to match those components in the game and create dangerous chances in the attack.
“Expect,” he added, “an exciting conference game with opportunities on both ends of the field tonight.”
The Lancers’ top goal scorer is tri-captain and senior midfielder Frankie Caira, with 12, followed by tri-captain and senior forward Raim Ramani (seven). Senior midfielder Edgar Villagran, LP’s other tri-captain, has delivered a team-high eight assists.
Lancers junior keeper Andrew Swacha has amassed 63 saves.
“[Crosby] is a great coach who is able to get the most out of his boys,” Stassen said. “What impresses me most about Lake Park is their ability to attack from every corner of the field. Their aggression is something we struggle with, and we need to step up, be okay with taking a hit and move on with our game.
“Their CMFs,” the coach added, “are big, strong and talented, typical Lake Park tech-savvy players. These are always good games of tactical warfare and a deep-rooted desire to win.”
Wheaton North, an honorable mention team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, celebrates Senior Night tonight. Stassen’s other varsity graybeards are midfielders Robbie Larsen, Caleb Hodel and Ben Behrens, defenders Kevin Ramirez, Noah Froebe, Peter Tiesman and Nathan Gordeuk, and forward Ethan Martinez.
“You are going to experience an electric environment of a conference game that means a lot to both teams,” Stassen said.
By Bill McLean
The Falcons and the Wakeman (Wheaton North senior goalkeeper Sam) take on Lake Park’s visiting Lancers in a DuKane Conference matchup tonight at 6:30 p.m.
But enough about a silly reference to an old, old flick like “The Falcon and the Snowman,” which hit theaters in 1985.
Here’s hoping the squads will rack up plenty of highly entertaining, four-star flicks in boxes on Wheaton North’s home pitch.
The 6-foot-2 Wakeman, whose work can’t be found on IMDb yet, has allowed only seven goals in 11 games this season. Junior midfielders Tim Dulzer and Max Riccelli and senior forward Diego Molina pace the Falcons (5-3-3, 0-1-1) in scoring.
Wheaton North coach Rob Stassen’s side edged Lake Park 1-0 in a Hillner Classic contest on Sept. 2.
“Rob is always a tough coach to go against. His teams are consistently strong in organized defending, possession and unselfish play,” said Lake Park coach Sean Crosby, whose club is 4-5-2 overall and 1-0-0 in the conference after their huge upset of St. Charles East. “We expect them to move the ball very well and transition quickly when defending. We will need to match those components in the game and create dangerous chances in the attack.
“Expect,” he added, “an exciting conference game with opportunities on both ends of the field tonight.”
The Lancers’ top goal scorer is tri-captain and senior midfielder Frankie Caira, with 12, followed by tri-captain and senior forward Raim Ramani (seven). Senior midfielder Edgar Villagran, LP’s other tri-captain, has delivered a team-high eight assists.
Lancers junior keeper Andrew Swacha has amassed 63 saves.
“[Crosby] is a great coach who is able to get the most out of his boys,” Stassen said. “What impresses me most about Lake Park is their ability to attack from every corner of the field. Their aggression is something we struggle with, and we need to step up, be okay with taking a hit and move on with our game.
“Their CMFs,” the coach added, “are big, strong and talented, typical Lake Park tech-savvy players. These are always good games of tactical warfare and a deep-rooted desire to win.”
Wheaton North, an honorable mention team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, celebrates Senior Night tonight. Stassen’s other varsity graybeards are midfielders Robbie Larsen, Caleb Hodel and Ben Behrens, defenders Kevin Ramirez, Noah Froebe, Peter Tiesman and Nathan Gordeuk, and forward Ethan Martinez.
“You are going to experience an electric environment of a conference game that means a lot to both teams,” Stassen said.