Season recap: Streamwood
By Mike Garofola
How do you sum up the past season at Streamwood?
Perhaps it's best to split it into two halves.
The Sabres 2-1 victory over Glenbard East on September 20 in its Upstate Eight Conference opener moved Matt Polovin’s young and inexperienced club to 4-3-2, but after that it was anything but rosy.
Six-consecutive losses sent the Sabres off course and left them ranked twelfth in the Huntley Sectional.
Polovin’s men went 1-0-2 in their final regular-season matches. Streamwood upset five-seed Hononegah 5-0 in its regional opener but fell to no. 4 Elgin in the regional final and ended 6-10-4, its first losing season since 2011.
"When we lost after our Glenbard East game to go 4-4-2, (it) was clear having the youngest team in my history as manager (that) youth, and the experience needed to play against bigger, stronger and faster opponents, might be our downfall," said the Sabres affable manager. "Injuries began to pile up, as well as a couple of players out due to contact tracing for COVID. A team that expected to be in a better position after 10 games struggled through a serious case of growing pains the rest of the way."
Polovin lost his projected starting keeper two weeks prior to the start of the season when the family moved out of state. That forced sophomore Jason Ramirez to take over between the sticks despite never playing the position.
"It was a 'Welcome to varsity soccer' moment for Jason, but he did the best that he could do under some very difficult circumstances," said Polovin.
"When we went through that six-game skid, we conceded 25 goals. Again, it was a combination of lack of experience, injuries and just moving guys around to fill spots. Sometimes just before game time we even brought up JV players to help us out.”
"The first half of the season looked promising for us,” said junior defender Eric (E.J.) Satsatin. “When we began to lose games, some of them really bad losses, guys began to hang their heads after we lost or when they made mistakes. It became more of a mental thing than anything else. So, the second half of the season was a tough one to go through.
"Yes, we had a very young roster, but you can't use that as excuse for everything.
"Every team has young players or players who are on the varsity for the first time, but the will to win and work through mistakes was something I felt was missing, especially in the second half of the season."
"E.J. isn't a flashy player or person and he's not the most vocal, but he allows his play to speak for itself," said Polovin. “He's a well-respected player by all of his teammates, and he always shows great sportsmanship with our opponents regardless of the outcome.”
Satsatin followed in the footsteps of his older brother Ethan (now playing at Elgin Community College) at Streamwood. He became the shutdown defender Polovin came to count on as he continued to sort out his backline.
The two-year varsity veteran was more of a hybrid outside back because of his speed. That made it difficult for opposing defenders to stay close when he went forward to join the Sabres attack according to his coach.
"E.J. was very aggressive in his tackles and made sure his technique was perfect,” Polovin said. “He went hard into the tackle and won nearly every ball that came his way.
"He was terrific when we needed to move him in as a central defender, never missing a beat at that position also. I credit that to the offseason weightlifting program he was a part of. He became more physical and strong on the ball than ever before."
Satsatin, who plays club soccer for the Eclipse as an outside defender, plans to play collegiately.
Streamwood has enjoyed remarkable soccer success, especially in the golden years of 2014, 2017 and 2018.
The 2014 team (17-7-2) was the school’s first to advance into the state finals. The Sabres finished fourth in Class 3A that season. In 2017, the program recorded a 14-6-2 record and a playoff run that ended in a shootout loss in the sectional finals.
One year later, the Sabres (18-5-3) lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Lake Park in a supersectional final.
The 2017 season was the first year for then freshman Jose Ibarra, who went on to play four brilliant years for the Sabres as one of the best central defenders in Illinois. The three-time Chicagoland Soccer all-stater continued his career at Division I Chicago State this fall.
"Did we miss (Ibarra) along the back? Of course we did. Any team would miss not having a player like him on your backline," said Satsatin.
"Jose was a great player, but he obviously is away at college. We needed others to step up to take over, and it was something that didn't really happen this year for us."
Polovin said he cannot remember the last time his club had just one all-conference player in a season. Aaron Taboada was the team’s only honoree this fall.
The junior was the Sabres Player of the Year according to Polovin. He played in every minute of every contest at the attacking midfield spot.
"Aaron was the guy who got our attack going,” the coach said. “He was non-stop energy and could go 80 minutes with ease.
"Not only did he move the ball around using his great touch and dribbling ability, but he was very good at recovering and coming back to defend."
Despite the travails for his team this season, the Sabres manager saw plenty of promise.
"Junior Michael Garcia, despite missing half the season, managed to bag eight goals for us,” Polovin said. “When he came back, he dominated with his technical skill and ability to take on defenders. He scored a beautiful goal in the regional final with Elgin."
Streamwood’s most pleasant surprise this fall was freshman Jairo Sanchez, who played the six position masterfully and displayed marvelous vision. He showcased an outstanding left foot that reminded Polovin of a magnificent alumnus who wore the black and gold shirt.
"As we continued to watch Jairo play, I had to remind my assistant Jose Resendiz that Jairo looked to be a clone of Nester Ascencio,” Polovin said. “We're both hoping the soccer IQ, ability and skill that he has will turn him into one of the best in the state as it did with Nestor."
Ascencio was a two-time IHSSCA all-state player before going on to become a four-year star at Dominican University. While in River Forest, he bagged 17 goals and added 21 helpers for the Stars. He earned second team all-NACC honors, as well as the prestigious Coaches Award upon his 2017 graduation.
Streamwood plans to return to its past successes in the 2022 season.
"Sanchez, Garcia, Taboada, Marcos Gutierrez, myself and others will be back,” Satsatin said. “We're already talking about how we want next year to be a great year, and how hard we'll all need to work to do so.
“I really believe it can happen if we stronger mentally heading into next year."
Polovin sees improvement on the horizon.
"I knew having five freshmen this year would be difficult at some point, but the guys have always known if you’re going to play for me on the varsity, it doesn't matter what age you are. You must play at a high level and be able to play our quick possession style of play," he said.
"We had five freshmen on our 2014 state team, but the difference back then is we had a strong group of seniors who led the way and allowed those freshmen to fit right in from the very start.
"We'll be losing just two seniors, Joel Benitez and Miguel Gutierrez, and I hope they move on to play in college somewhere. I know they'll be supporting the 2022 team from wherever they land.
"This group have been talking already about next season, and what they'll have to do in order to be our best while playing a great brand of soccer.
"They want to go out and win the Barrington tournament, our own tournament, the conference title, and ultimately get Streamwood Sabres soccer back into the Class 3A state finals."
By Mike Garofola
How do you sum up the past season at Streamwood?
Perhaps it's best to split it into two halves.
The Sabres 2-1 victory over Glenbard East on September 20 in its Upstate Eight Conference opener moved Matt Polovin’s young and inexperienced club to 4-3-2, but after that it was anything but rosy.
Six-consecutive losses sent the Sabres off course and left them ranked twelfth in the Huntley Sectional.
Polovin’s men went 1-0-2 in their final regular-season matches. Streamwood upset five-seed Hononegah 5-0 in its regional opener but fell to no. 4 Elgin in the regional final and ended 6-10-4, its first losing season since 2011.
"When we lost after our Glenbard East game to go 4-4-2, (it) was clear having the youngest team in my history as manager (that) youth, and the experience needed to play against bigger, stronger and faster opponents, might be our downfall," said the Sabres affable manager. "Injuries began to pile up, as well as a couple of players out due to contact tracing for COVID. A team that expected to be in a better position after 10 games struggled through a serious case of growing pains the rest of the way."
Polovin lost his projected starting keeper two weeks prior to the start of the season when the family moved out of state. That forced sophomore Jason Ramirez to take over between the sticks despite never playing the position.
"It was a 'Welcome to varsity soccer' moment for Jason, but he did the best that he could do under some very difficult circumstances," said Polovin.
"When we went through that six-game skid, we conceded 25 goals. Again, it was a combination of lack of experience, injuries and just moving guys around to fill spots. Sometimes just before game time we even brought up JV players to help us out.”
"The first half of the season looked promising for us,” said junior defender Eric (E.J.) Satsatin. “When we began to lose games, some of them really bad losses, guys began to hang their heads after we lost or when they made mistakes. It became more of a mental thing than anything else. So, the second half of the season was a tough one to go through.
"Yes, we had a very young roster, but you can't use that as excuse for everything.
"Every team has young players or players who are on the varsity for the first time, but the will to win and work through mistakes was something I felt was missing, especially in the second half of the season."
"E.J. isn't a flashy player or person and he's not the most vocal, but he allows his play to speak for itself," said Polovin. “He's a well-respected player by all of his teammates, and he always shows great sportsmanship with our opponents regardless of the outcome.”
Satsatin followed in the footsteps of his older brother Ethan (now playing at Elgin Community College) at Streamwood. He became the shutdown defender Polovin came to count on as he continued to sort out his backline.
The two-year varsity veteran was more of a hybrid outside back because of his speed. That made it difficult for opposing defenders to stay close when he went forward to join the Sabres attack according to his coach.
"E.J. was very aggressive in his tackles and made sure his technique was perfect,” Polovin said. “He went hard into the tackle and won nearly every ball that came his way.
"He was terrific when we needed to move him in as a central defender, never missing a beat at that position also. I credit that to the offseason weightlifting program he was a part of. He became more physical and strong on the ball than ever before."
Satsatin, who plays club soccer for the Eclipse as an outside defender, plans to play collegiately.
Streamwood has enjoyed remarkable soccer success, especially in the golden years of 2014, 2017 and 2018.
The 2014 team (17-7-2) was the school’s first to advance into the state finals. The Sabres finished fourth in Class 3A that season. In 2017, the program recorded a 14-6-2 record and a playoff run that ended in a shootout loss in the sectional finals.
One year later, the Sabres (18-5-3) lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Lake Park in a supersectional final.
The 2017 season was the first year for then freshman Jose Ibarra, who went on to play four brilliant years for the Sabres as one of the best central defenders in Illinois. The three-time Chicagoland Soccer all-stater continued his career at Division I Chicago State this fall.
"Did we miss (Ibarra) along the back? Of course we did. Any team would miss not having a player like him on your backline," said Satsatin.
"Jose was a great player, but he obviously is away at college. We needed others to step up to take over, and it was something that didn't really happen this year for us."
Polovin said he cannot remember the last time his club had just one all-conference player in a season. Aaron Taboada was the team’s only honoree this fall.
The junior was the Sabres Player of the Year according to Polovin. He played in every minute of every contest at the attacking midfield spot.
"Aaron was the guy who got our attack going,” the coach said. “He was non-stop energy and could go 80 minutes with ease.
"Not only did he move the ball around using his great touch and dribbling ability, but he was very good at recovering and coming back to defend."
Despite the travails for his team this season, the Sabres manager saw plenty of promise.
"Junior Michael Garcia, despite missing half the season, managed to bag eight goals for us,” Polovin said. “When he came back, he dominated with his technical skill and ability to take on defenders. He scored a beautiful goal in the regional final with Elgin."
Streamwood’s most pleasant surprise this fall was freshman Jairo Sanchez, who played the six position masterfully and displayed marvelous vision. He showcased an outstanding left foot that reminded Polovin of a magnificent alumnus who wore the black and gold shirt.
"As we continued to watch Jairo play, I had to remind my assistant Jose Resendiz that Jairo looked to be a clone of Nester Ascencio,” Polovin said. “We're both hoping the soccer IQ, ability and skill that he has will turn him into one of the best in the state as it did with Nestor."
Ascencio was a two-time IHSSCA all-state player before going on to become a four-year star at Dominican University. While in River Forest, he bagged 17 goals and added 21 helpers for the Stars. He earned second team all-NACC honors, as well as the prestigious Coaches Award upon his 2017 graduation.
Streamwood plans to return to its past successes in the 2022 season.
"Sanchez, Garcia, Taboada, Marcos Gutierrez, myself and others will be back,” Satsatin said. “We're already talking about how we want next year to be a great year, and how hard we'll all need to work to do so.
“I really believe it can happen if we stronger mentally heading into next year."
Polovin sees improvement on the horizon.
"I knew having five freshmen this year would be difficult at some point, but the guys have always known if you’re going to play for me on the varsity, it doesn't matter what age you are. You must play at a high level and be able to play our quick possession style of play," he said.
"We had five freshmen on our 2014 state team, but the difference back then is we had a strong group of seniors who led the way and allowed those freshmen to fit right in from the very start.
"We'll be losing just two seniors, Joel Benitez and Miguel Gutierrez, and I hope they move on to play in college somewhere. I know they'll be supporting the 2022 team from wherever they land.
"This group have been talking already about next season, and what they'll have to do in order to be our best while playing a great brand of soccer.
"They want to go out and win the Barrington tournament, our own tournament, the conference title, and ultimately get Streamwood Sabres soccer back into the Class 3A state finals."