Young, LWE vie for WC conso title at Toyota
By Steve Millar
Young was disappointed by its 3-1 loss to Argo in its season- and Windy City Ram Classic-opening game, but the Dolphins knew there was still a big opportunity in front of them.
“I like the setup of this tournament,” Young coach Ian McCarthy said. “Since it’s not a true seeding at the start of it, you could get a matchup of top teams in the first round. So, it’s pretty awesome that you can still get to Toyota Park if you lose your first game.
“You can come back through the consolation bracket and get a chance to play there, and that’s what our kids wanted to do.”
The Dolphin (4-2-0) did just that, winning their next three games to advance to the consolation championship game against Lincoln-Way East at 10 a.m. Monday at Toyota Park.
Lincoln-Way East (4-1-0) dropped its opener to Marist 2-0.
“I was happy with how we played, even in the loss,” Griffins coach Ryan Decker said. “We played the game we wanted to and just didn’t finish our chances.
“Then we got DeLaSalle in the next game, everything came together and we got some confidence. We had two tough games against conference opponents (Lincoln-Way West and Thornton co-op) and got through those, so we’re excited about the opportunity we’ve earned to play in this game.”
Young has relied heavily on senior captains and midfielders Gabriel Regalado and Jake Gerenraich.
“Gabriel has scored in the majority of our games, and Jake has done a great job as a presence in the center of the field,” McCarthy said. “Having those two as our leaders is really nice. They’re top-level players and when the other guys see them working hard, they know they have to go hard, too.”
McCarthy is hoping the large dimensions of Toyota Park’s pitch will play to his team’s advantage.
“We play an attractive brand of soccer on a wider field,” he said. “We’re very fit and very technical on the ball, so it fits our strong points. When we’ve played on bigger fields the last couple years with this group, they always seem to show a little bit better.”
McCarthy said a key will be his team’s ability to walk the line between enjoying the moment and being overwhelmed by it.
“I told the boys that it’s obviously very exciting to be playing in a professional stadium,” he said. “I told them that I want them to take it all in at the beginning, look around and be in awe. Then, within a couple minutes, we’ve got to be focused and learn how the ball rolls around on that pitch.”
The Griffins have a powerful three-forward attack with juniors Jackson Seida, Ryan Corydon and Cory Pitlik.
“Those guys have been scoring goals for us since they were freshmen, and they just keep scoring for us,” Decker said.
The Dolphins and Griffins played last season in the PepsiCo Showdown, with Young winning in a shootout.
“We know what Young’s got, so we know it’s going to be a tough game,” Decker said. “We’re glad to play it, though. As a young player, how could you not want to play at this stadium in this environment?”
By Steve Millar
Young was disappointed by its 3-1 loss to Argo in its season- and Windy City Ram Classic-opening game, but the Dolphins knew there was still a big opportunity in front of them.
“I like the setup of this tournament,” Young coach Ian McCarthy said. “Since it’s not a true seeding at the start of it, you could get a matchup of top teams in the first round. So, it’s pretty awesome that you can still get to Toyota Park if you lose your first game.
“You can come back through the consolation bracket and get a chance to play there, and that’s what our kids wanted to do.”
The Dolphin (4-2-0) did just that, winning their next three games to advance to the consolation championship game against Lincoln-Way East at 10 a.m. Monday at Toyota Park.
Lincoln-Way East (4-1-0) dropped its opener to Marist 2-0.
“I was happy with how we played, even in the loss,” Griffins coach Ryan Decker said. “We played the game we wanted to and just didn’t finish our chances.
“Then we got DeLaSalle in the next game, everything came together and we got some confidence. We had two tough games against conference opponents (Lincoln-Way West and Thornton co-op) and got through those, so we’re excited about the opportunity we’ve earned to play in this game.”
Young has relied heavily on senior captains and midfielders Gabriel Regalado and Jake Gerenraich.
“Gabriel has scored in the majority of our games, and Jake has done a great job as a presence in the center of the field,” McCarthy said. “Having those two as our leaders is really nice. They’re top-level players and when the other guys see them working hard, they know they have to go hard, too.”
McCarthy is hoping the large dimensions of Toyota Park’s pitch will play to his team’s advantage.
“We play an attractive brand of soccer on a wider field,” he said. “We’re very fit and very technical on the ball, so it fits our strong points. When we’ve played on bigger fields the last couple years with this group, they always seem to show a little bit better.”
McCarthy said a key will be his team’s ability to walk the line between enjoying the moment and being overwhelmed by it.
“I told the boys that it’s obviously very exciting to be playing in a professional stadium,” he said. “I told them that I want them to take it all in at the beginning, look around and be in awe. Then, within a couple minutes, we’ve got to be focused and learn how the ball rolls around on that pitch.”
The Griffins have a powerful three-forward attack with juniors Jackson Seida, Ryan Corydon and Cory Pitlik.
“Those guys have been scoring goals for us since they were freshmen, and they just keep scoring for us,” Decker said.
The Dolphins and Griffins played last season in the PepsiCo Showdown, with Young winning in a shootout.
“We know what Young’s got, so we know it’s going to be a tough game,” Decker said. “We’re glad to play it, though. As a young player, how could you not want to play at this stadium in this environment?”