Glenbard North, WW South close out DuKane Conference play
Panthers, Tigers aim to be factors in IHSA Class 3A playoffs
By Curt Herron
Finishing strong for the upcoming IHSA playoffs is the key factor that's at stake Tuesday when Wheaton Warrenville South and Glenbard North close out DuKane Conference play with a 6:30 p.m. match in Carol Stream.
Coach Guy Callipari's Tigers are 7-6-3 and 3-2-1 in the DKC and are also playing their final regular-season match.
Coach Spero Mandakas' Panthers bring an 8-6-3, 1-3-2 record into the contest and will host Glenbard West on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in a Glenbard Cup that serves as their regular season finale.
Wheaton Warrenville South has won four of its last five matches. The last three were shutouts. Its lone loss during that stretch was a 2-0 defeat against York, the defending Class 3A champions, who are 14-0-3 and ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Glenbard North has gone 5-3-1 in its last nine matches and has also won its last two times out, as have the Tigers, with both of those being 1-0 victories.
The Panthers have recorded nine shutouts this season and allowed just one goal in four other matches while yielding only 12 goals all season.
The Panthers are the ninth-seed in the Class 3A St. Charles East Sectional and will face eighth-seed Lake Park next Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Lake Park Regional, which will be played at the east campus.
Glenbard North lost to the Lancers when the squads met on September 27 in Roselle.
Top-seed York is also entered in the Lake Park Regional, which holds its title match on October 22 at 3 p.m. The rest of the top four seeds in the sectional in order are no. 13 St. Charles East, no. 15 Conant and West Chicago.
"At this point in the season we are trying to just get playoff ready," Mandakas said. "We have discussed and trained for the type of soccer that we feel will be successful in the playoffs, and the boys have done a good job of putting that out on the field in the last week.
"We are currently battling some injuries and sickness so some guys are being asked to fill some roles that may not be used to, but we have always been with the next man up motto. The guys have done a good job when asked to do this throughout the season so far.
"We know that every game in our conference is going to be a battle, and we don’t expect anything different with Wheaton Warrenville South. They have had a solid season so far and are putting together some quality results in the last two weeks."
Mandakas knows that as long as his team can continue to play well defensively with senior goalkeeper Stavros Veremis leading the way, the Panthers have a chance to compete against the teams in St. Charles East Sectional.
"Our defense and goalkeeper play has been the key to our success this season," Mandakas said. "Stavros Veremis has been in net for nine of our shutouts and holds a .692 GAA.
"The backline in front of him has done an exceptional job limiting quality chances for the opponents and has been led by Mark Szklarczyk, Tyler Nack, Diego Navarro-Saavedra and Diego Chicas.
"Junior midfielder Christian Escobedo has been great in the final third generating quality chances and has some highlight reel finishes in the last two weeks. And junior Andy Peña has been exceptional in our defensive center mid role winning tackles and guiding possession for us."
Beside the possibility of finishing as high as second place in the DuKane Conference behind champion St. Charles East, IHSSCA hall of famer Callipari is looking forward to what the Tigers might be able to accomplish in the postseason.
Wheaton Warrenville South is the 11th-seed in the rugged Bolingbrook Sectional, whose top-four seeds in order are no. 3 Naperville Central, no. 8 Naperville North, no. 11 Plainfield North and East Aurora.
"The match is significant as it has both ramifications in the standings within the DuKane Conference and mentally regarding momentum while preparing for the postseason schedule," Callipari said. "With a victory and a loss by Wheaton North we could finish in second this season or we could drop to fourth.
"I believe we still have much to play for. We are 4-1-0 in the last five matches only losing to fourth-ranked York with a depleted roster 2-0. I believe we're playing well and are taking chances and appropriate risks in the final third which are necessary if one is to find success.
"Glenbard North will come into the game looking to climb the table. They are well-coached and have played well against other DuKane opponents. We are travelling looking for three important points on Tuesday, and that is what high school soccer is all about."
The Tigers meet sixth-seed Oswego East in the Plainfield North Regional semifinals on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. The host Tigers are the third-seed and will face Oswego in the other semifinals with the winners advancing to the title match on October 22 at 3 p.m.
"We had lost senior forward Issa (Husseini) for the remainder of the season but back from illness is captain Marco (Gonzalez) for the postseason run," Callipari said. "Captain Chase (Kedzior) and captain Gael (Alfara) are both finding a rhythm in their play that is impactful on both sides of the ball.
"The defense is led by junior Brooks (Becker) and perhaps the best defender in the area, Nikhil (Bawa), both of which have made offensive opportunities limiting and difficult to orchestrate by the opposition.
“The midfield anchor of seniors Jack (Beres) and Edgar (Guzman) have been a steady force in defending and preparing us in transition offensively."
Panthers, Tigers aim to be factors in IHSA Class 3A playoffs
By Curt Herron
Finishing strong for the upcoming IHSA playoffs is the key factor that's at stake Tuesday when Wheaton Warrenville South and Glenbard North close out DuKane Conference play with a 6:30 p.m. match in Carol Stream.
Coach Guy Callipari's Tigers are 7-6-3 and 3-2-1 in the DKC and are also playing their final regular-season match.
Coach Spero Mandakas' Panthers bring an 8-6-3, 1-3-2 record into the contest and will host Glenbard West on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in a Glenbard Cup that serves as their regular season finale.
Wheaton Warrenville South has won four of its last five matches. The last three were shutouts. Its lone loss during that stretch was a 2-0 defeat against York, the defending Class 3A champions, who are 14-0-3 and ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Glenbard North has gone 5-3-1 in its last nine matches and has also won its last two times out, as have the Tigers, with both of those being 1-0 victories.
The Panthers have recorded nine shutouts this season and allowed just one goal in four other matches while yielding only 12 goals all season.
The Panthers are the ninth-seed in the Class 3A St. Charles East Sectional and will face eighth-seed Lake Park next Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Lake Park Regional, which will be played at the east campus.
Glenbard North lost to the Lancers when the squads met on September 27 in Roselle.
Top-seed York is also entered in the Lake Park Regional, which holds its title match on October 22 at 3 p.m. The rest of the top four seeds in the sectional in order are no. 13 St. Charles East, no. 15 Conant and West Chicago.
"At this point in the season we are trying to just get playoff ready," Mandakas said. "We have discussed and trained for the type of soccer that we feel will be successful in the playoffs, and the boys have done a good job of putting that out on the field in the last week.
"We are currently battling some injuries and sickness so some guys are being asked to fill some roles that may not be used to, but we have always been with the next man up motto. The guys have done a good job when asked to do this throughout the season so far.
"We know that every game in our conference is going to be a battle, and we don’t expect anything different with Wheaton Warrenville South. They have had a solid season so far and are putting together some quality results in the last two weeks."
Mandakas knows that as long as his team can continue to play well defensively with senior goalkeeper Stavros Veremis leading the way, the Panthers have a chance to compete against the teams in St. Charles East Sectional.
"Our defense and goalkeeper play has been the key to our success this season," Mandakas said. "Stavros Veremis has been in net for nine of our shutouts and holds a .692 GAA.
"The backline in front of him has done an exceptional job limiting quality chances for the opponents and has been led by Mark Szklarczyk, Tyler Nack, Diego Navarro-Saavedra and Diego Chicas.
"Junior midfielder Christian Escobedo has been great in the final third generating quality chances and has some highlight reel finishes in the last two weeks. And junior Andy Peña has been exceptional in our defensive center mid role winning tackles and guiding possession for us."
Beside the possibility of finishing as high as second place in the DuKane Conference behind champion St. Charles East, IHSSCA hall of famer Callipari is looking forward to what the Tigers might be able to accomplish in the postseason.
Wheaton Warrenville South is the 11th-seed in the rugged Bolingbrook Sectional, whose top-four seeds in order are no. 3 Naperville Central, no. 8 Naperville North, no. 11 Plainfield North and East Aurora.
"The match is significant as it has both ramifications in the standings within the DuKane Conference and mentally regarding momentum while preparing for the postseason schedule," Callipari said. "With a victory and a loss by Wheaton North we could finish in second this season or we could drop to fourth.
"I believe we still have much to play for. We are 4-1-0 in the last five matches only losing to fourth-ranked York with a depleted roster 2-0. I believe we're playing well and are taking chances and appropriate risks in the final third which are necessary if one is to find success.
"Glenbard North will come into the game looking to climb the table. They are well-coached and have played well against other DuKane opponents. We are travelling looking for three important points on Tuesday, and that is what high school soccer is all about."
The Tigers meet sixth-seed Oswego East in the Plainfield North Regional semifinals on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. The host Tigers are the third-seed and will face Oswego in the other semifinals with the winners advancing to the title match on October 22 at 3 p.m.
"We had lost senior forward Issa (Husseini) for the remainder of the season but back from illness is captain Marco (Gonzalez) for the postseason run," Callipari said. "Captain Chase (Kedzior) and captain Gael (Alfara) are both finding a rhythm in their play that is impactful on both sides of the ball.
"The defense is led by junior Brooks (Becker) and perhaps the best defender in the area, Nikhil (Bawa), both of which have made offensive opportunities limiting and difficult to orchestrate by the opposition.
“The midfield anchor of seniors Jack (Beres) and Edgar (Guzman) have been a steady force in defending and preparing us in transition offensively."