GBN's depth a key vs. visiting Maine W.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
If soccer is fundamentally about the tension between the body and mind, every season has a point of reckoning, especially for the best programs, where the pressure, intensity of the moment and particular circumstances provide extreme challenges.
Every team plans for the unexpected without ever quite knowing when that moment is going to arrive. It happened to Glenbrook North last week. The Spartans, ranked eighth that week in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, clashed with then no. 19 Maine South in an important test. Fifteen minutes into the match, Spartans’ standout defender Mason Rose suffered a serious injury. By the end of the game, three of the Spartans’ starting defenders were unable to play.
Glenbrook North fought back valiantly from a two-goal deficit and nearly created the equalizer only to see a free kick from just outside the box by Deng Deng Kur twist left left of the inside post.
“We have the motto of 'Next man up,'” Glenbrook North coach Paul Vignocchi said.
The team took a day off and went to work in preparation against New Trier and responded with a high quality performance in beating the then no. 5 Trevians 1-0 on Saturday. They followed that performance by blitzing Vernon Hills 8-0 in their opening Central Suburban League North Division game Monday.
The Spartans, now ranked ninth, prepare for round two of the conference slate by hosting Maine West on Wednesday night. The Warriors are another quality opponent posing a strong test to press the Spartans’ depth and versatility. Exactly who is going to be in the starting lineup in Glenbrook remains an open question.
“We still have a number of players that were out in our game against Vernon Hills,” Vignocchi said. “Not sure what their availability will be against Maine West.”
At the moment, Glenbrook North (6-2-1, 1-0-0) is pushing on, using the depth and skill of its standout offensive pieces, like Kur, senior midfielder Sahil Modi, junior midfielder Max Marquez, senior midfielder Matt Metzger and senior midfielder Robbie Fraser.
The New Trier game epitomized the grit, resilience and resolve. The Vernon Hills contest showcased the scoring depth.
“I was proud of the guys that stepped up,” Vignocchi said. “We know we can play with the beat teams night-in and night-out. We were on the other end of it against Maine South. We caught some breaks against New Trier, and we came out on top.
“Vernon Hills is a young team, and they did a good job defending early in the game. We were able to break through after 30 minutes and added two more before the break. I was happy to see some of our guys get through some adversity and finish well.”
As teams move into conference play with greater familiarity and understanding of styles and personnel, there are fewer surprises or unknowns. Maine West (4-3-1, 1-0-0) is very familiar with the Spartans. They lost twice to them last year, including the championship of a Class 3A regional.
The Warriors (4-3-1, 1-0-0) have eight starters back and have grown tremendously from last year’s team that won just seven games. Maine West has played some quality opponents, including current no. 12 Evanston and previously ranked Glenbrook South.
“Maine West is a great team, and they will be ready to play,” Vignocchi said. “Our focus will be to defend well and finish our opportunities. We had two very competitive games with them last year, and I expect the same Wednesday night.”
The Warriors feature a dynamic attacking player the Spartans must account for in junior forward Emerson Herrera, who leads the team with five goals and three assists. Jason Ybarra, another outstanding talent, is an attacking midfielder who has two goals and two assists. Center back Osmar Vega anchors the defense. Ozzie Espinoza is another quality defender looking to slow the Spartans down.
“We have been able to move the ball well up the field during the season in each game and getting many opportunities to score,” Maine West coach Al Matan said. Now the team confronts its most challenging opponent off a positive results -- the Warriors stopped a three-game skid by defeating Maine East in their conference opener.
Now the Spartans await.
“Glenbrook North is a great team and for us this will be a measuring stick to see how we can compete against a top 10 team in the state,” Matan said. “We will have to find ways to crack their outstanding defense.”
By Patrick Z. McGavin
If soccer is fundamentally about the tension between the body and mind, every season has a point of reckoning, especially for the best programs, where the pressure, intensity of the moment and particular circumstances provide extreme challenges.
Every team plans for the unexpected without ever quite knowing when that moment is going to arrive. It happened to Glenbrook North last week. The Spartans, ranked eighth that week in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, clashed with then no. 19 Maine South in an important test. Fifteen minutes into the match, Spartans’ standout defender Mason Rose suffered a serious injury. By the end of the game, three of the Spartans’ starting defenders were unable to play.
Glenbrook North fought back valiantly from a two-goal deficit and nearly created the equalizer only to see a free kick from just outside the box by Deng Deng Kur twist left left of the inside post.
“We have the motto of 'Next man up,'” Glenbrook North coach Paul Vignocchi said.
The team took a day off and went to work in preparation against New Trier and responded with a high quality performance in beating the then no. 5 Trevians 1-0 on Saturday. They followed that performance by blitzing Vernon Hills 8-0 in their opening Central Suburban League North Division game Monday.
The Spartans, now ranked ninth, prepare for round two of the conference slate by hosting Maine West on Wednesday night. The Warriors are another quality opponent posing a strong test to press the Spartans’ depth and versatility. Exactly who is going to be in the starting lineup in Glenbrook remains an open question.
“We still have a number of players that were out in our game against Vernon Hills,” Vignocchi said. “Not sure what their availability will be against Maine West.”
At the moment, Glenbrook North (6-2-1, 1-0-0) is pushing on, using the depth and skill of its standout offensive pieces, like Kur, senior midfielder Sahil Modi, junior midfielder Max Marquez, senior midfielder Matt Metzger and senior midfielder Robbie Fraser.
The New Trier game epitomized the grit, resilience and resolve. The Vernon Hills contest showcased the scoring depth.
“I was proud of the guys that stepped up,” Vignocchi said. “We know we can play with the beat teams night-in and night-out. We were on the other end of it against Maine South. We caught some breaks against New Trier, and we came out on top.
“Vernon Hills is a young team, and they did a good job defending early in the game. We were able to break through after 30 minutes and added two more before the break. I was happy to see some of our guys get through some adversity and finish well.”
As teams move into conference play with greater familiarity and understanding of styles and personnel, there are fewer surprises or unknowns. Maine West (4-3-1, 1-0-0) is very familiar with the Spartans. They lost twice to them last year, including the championship of a Class 3A regional.
The Warriors (4-3-1, 1-0-0) have eight starters back and have grown tremendously from last year’s team that won just seven games. Maine West has played some quality opponents, including current no. 12 Evanston and previously ranked Glenbrook South.
“Maine West is a great team, and they will be ready to play,” Vignocchi said. “Our focus will be to defend well and finish our opportunities. We had two very competitive games with them last year, and I expect the same Wednesday night.”
The Warriors feature a dynamic attacking player the Spartans must account for in junior forward Emerson Herrera, who leads the team with five goals and three assists. Jason Ybarra, another outstanding talent, is an attacking midfielder who has two goals and two assists. Center back Osmar Vega anchors the defense. Ozzie Espinoza is another quality defender looking to slow the Spartans down.
“We have been able to move the ball well up the field during the season in each game and getting many opportunities to score,” Maine West coach Al Matan said. Now the team confronts its most challenging opponent off a positive results -- the Warriors stopped a three-game skid by defeating Maine East in their conference opener.
Now the Spartans await.
“Glenbrook North is a great team and for us this will be a measuring stick to see how we can compete against a top 10 team in the state,” Matan said. “We will have to find ways to crack their outstanding defense.”