Plainfield S., Romeoville seek 1st win
South hits the road in search of an offensive spark
By Steve Millar
Plainfield South coach Bryant Williams prepares for a different kind of match any time his team travels to take on Southwest Prairie Conference foe Romeoville.
“Romeoville, under coach (Nick) Cirrincione, they’re always ready to play,” Williams said. “Their field is a little bit shorter than what we’re used to, and he plays a style that takes advantage of that. The passes we play are going to be key.
“With that smaller field, sometimes it feels like everyone is right on top of each other. That creates a physical style. We have to get used to that.”
Both teams will be looking for their first win of the young season when the Cougars (0-1-1, 0-1-1) and Spartans (0-2-1, 0-2-1) meet at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
With Williams expecting a physical contest, he wants to see his team be more prepared for contact than in the Cougars’ last game, a 5-0 loss to crosstown rival Plainfield Central on March 11.
“I don’t think we dealt with that well,” Williams said. “Central was a physical team, and I didn’t think we answered that well. We have to get used to taking those hits and bouncing back up and moving on.”
Plainfield South has scored just once in its first two games, and that came on a penalty kick by senior forward Miki Derka in the season-opening 1-1 tie with Joliet Central. The Cougars are still looking to break through for their first goal in the run of play.
“I notice the frustration on the boys,” Williams said. “They know we had a ton of chances the first two games, and we didn’t put one in. We’re going to work on some stuff … with getting guys in the right places.
“One of the things we want to talk about is playing more positional soccer and being more aware of where you are on the field. I think that will help us be in the right position to score those goals.”
Romeoville, on the other hand, has been able to score but has given up 16 goals in three games, the most recent in an 8-1 loss to Plainfield North on Saturday.
The Spartans also tied Plainfield East 3-3 and fell 5-3 to West Aurora, which is currently ranked no. 19 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Seniors and midfielders Tyler Budz and Edrik Padilla are the captains for Romeoville. Padilla earned All-Southwest Prairie Conference honors last season.
Plainfield South won last season’s matchup 5-2.
Derka is confident his team is ready to bounce back from Thursday’s tough game.
“We’re going to play much better,” he said. “I know it. We’re going to make our changes in practice. We’ll make a couple changes in our formation and a couple changes in the way we play, and we’ll be good.”
South hits the road in search of an offensive spark
By Steve Millar
Plainfield South coach Bryant Williams prepares for a different kind of match any time his team travels to take on Southwest Prairie Conference foe Romeoville.
“Romeoville, under coach (Nick) Cirrincione, they’re always ready to play,” Williams said. “Their field is a little bit shorter than what we’re used to, and he plays a style that takes advantage of that. The passes we play are going to be key.
“With that smaller field, sometimes it feels like everyone is right on top of each other. That creates a physical style. We have to get used to that.”
Both teams will be looking for their first win of the young season when the Cougars (0-1-1, 0-1-1) and Spartans (0-2-1, 0-2-1) meet at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
With Williams expecting a physical contest, he wants to see his team be more prepared for contact than in the Cougars’ last game, a 5-0 loss to crosstown rival Plainfield Central on March 11.
“I don’t think we dealt with that well,” Williams said. “Central was a physical team, and I didn’t think we answered that well. We have to get used to taking those hits and bouncing back up and moving on.”
Plainfield South has scored just once in its first two games, and that came on a penalty kick by senior forward Miki Derka in the season-opening 1-1 tie with Joliet Central. The Cougars are still looking to break through for their first goal in the run of play.
“I notice the frustration on the boys,” Williams said. “They know we had a ton of chances the first two games, and we didn’t put one in. We’re going to work on some stuff … with getting guys in the right places.
“One of the things we want to talk about is playing more positional soccer and being more aware of where you are on the field. I think that will help us be in the right position to score those goals.”
Romeoville, on the other hand, has been able to score but has given up 16 goals in three games, the most recent in an 8-1 loss to Plainfield North on Saturday.
The Spartans also tied Plainfield East 3-3 and fell 5-3 to West Aurora, which is currently ranked no. 19 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Seniors and midfielders Tyler Budz and Edrik Padilla are the captains for Romeoville. Padilla earned All-Southwest Prairie Conference honors last season.
Plainfield South won last season’s matchup 5-2.
Derka is confident his team is ready to bounce back from Thursday’s tough game.
“We’re going to play much better,” he said. “I know it. We’re going to make our changes in practice. We’ll make a couple changes in our formation and a couple changes in the way we play, and we’ll be good.”