DGS walks the walk against Addison Trail
Team meeting lights a fire under streaking Mustangs
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE -- Actions may speak louder than words. But the message from a late September team meeting continues to echo at Downers Grove South.
Holding a 5-4-1 record after a Sept. 22 loss to Morton, the Mustangs’ conclave in the ensuing days now looks like a turning point.
A 4-1 win in Tuesday’s home finale against Addison Trail gave Downers South a 6-0-1 record since the Morton setback, including wins over Leyden and Naperville North.
“Just prior to that Leyden game (Sept. 29) we had a meeting where the kids came together, and we had a day of training away from the practice field,” Downers South coach Jon Stapleton said. “And we kind of refocused and reshaped our goals.
“We weren’t playing poorly, but we felt there was another level in us. And these players’ maturity in that meeting, their ability to say ‘These are things I need to work on individually; here’s things we need to do as a team’ and be able to talk about teammates and say ‘We need more from you’ and to be able to respond I think was really a credit to them.
“Since that point, the Leyden win brought us together, and we kind of springboarded from there,” Stapleton said. “I really attribute a lot to that moment, coming together as a team off the field and sorting some details out in a positive sense.”
The positives were plentiful Tuesday, starting with instant results at the offensive end.
Just 1:53 into the match, Griffin Overbeck’s send from 40 yards out was blocked by an Addison Trail header in the box. But the ball bounced directly to Dylan Mobley, who lined a high 25-yarder inside the right post for a 1-0 Mustangs lead.
Goalkeeper Cosme Garcia and the Blazer defense denied waves of threats over the next 25-plus minutes.
The best chance in that stretch came 16:40 before halftime, when an Overbeck steal set up Nick Rohl deep in the box. But Garcia made a great point blank save of Rohl’s 6-yard shot, then dove to again block Rohl’s rebound try at the post.
Addison Trail countered with a nice play from Adrian Rozkuszka to Enrique Luna (sent just wide by Luna from 15 yards out) and a Damian Zilienski shot off an Isvic Quintana corner kick with 14:15 left that was saved by Downers South goalkeeper Sam Dumford.
Otherwise, it was Downers South on the attack during the half. With 13:30 left, Rohl set up Peter Fish’s drive in on right wing. But Garcia again dove to make the save on Fish’s 15-yarder targeted for the near side of the net.
Fish’s contributions were one of many Mustang highlights in the half, and for multiple reasons. A senior limited by back problems much of his varsity career, Fish was making just his third appearance of 2015.
“I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to return this season,” Fish said. “I had a fractured vertebrae last year that never healed, and I was having pretty bad pain with it at the start of the year.
“I played until the second or third game of the season and then sat out for a little over a month. I’ve been doing physical therapy, and I’ve worked my way back. It’s feeling all right.”
The Mustangs were all feeling much better in the last 10 minutes of the half, when their pressure paid off on the scoreboard.
With 9:36 left in the half, Peter Becht’s pass sprung Burns in on right wing. With a half step on a defender, Burns lined a low 8-yarder into the far corner of the net for a 2-0 lead.
Burns then all but sealed the win just 1:51 before the half with a virtual duplicate effort. This time set up by passes from Rohl and Mobley, Burns again sped in on right wing and found the inside of the far post for a 3-0 halftime lead.
“I feel like we were just moving the ball up top a lot,” said Burns, who has four goals this season. “People making runs opened a lot of space. And our center mids were finding balls through gaps, which allowed the forwards to attack easily.”
With Addison Trail’s 6-1-1 record in its previous eight games coming in, the Mustangs were ready for a battle.
“We knew we had to come out hard,” Fish said. “They’ve always been a team that’s come out hard against us, and we knew if we could throw that first punch so to speak, we’d be able to get it in quick. That’s what we did, and it seemed to work out well. We tried to keep high pressure like we always do.”
Stapleton liked his team’s offensive surge, and much more.
“I thought it was one of the better games we’ve played all year, especially defensively,” Stapleton said.
“The guys did a great job of moving off the ball, they were receiving it and playing quickly, and the timing of our runs were very good. We were putting shots on frame, finishing some of them and making the keeper make saves on others.
“Overall in the attack I was really pleased,” Stapleton added. “And defensively we were organized and we won the ball high up the field, which gave us additional scoring opportunities.”
Addison Trail became the latest casualty of a Mustang team on a roll.
"We just came out flat,” Blazers coach Ryan Dini said. “We didn’t bring it right away. They jumped on us early, and we were trying to play catch up.
“Defensively we’ve had seven shutouts this year, but today they were moving the ball on us, getting us in space, and it just felt like we were chasing a lot today. And they hurt us.
“They’re a good team,” Dini added. “They brought it, and we didn’t have the intensity that we’re used to playing with. We’ve had a good season overall, but we have to turn it up a little bit with playoffs coming up.”
Nice defensive plays by Brian Ramos (clearing a Burns corner kick cross out of the crease) and Uriel Martinez (nice block of an Ian Wisniewski shot) repelled other Mustang threats in the first half.
But the overall 40 minutes was rough on the Blazers.
“It was our intensity,” senior midfielder Zielinski said. “We didn’t bring it at the beginning of the game, and we started playing sloppy.”
The Blazers began to clean things up after the break. Two minutes in, a Luna pass set up Zielinski’s liner off the side of the net just outside the right post. Dumford followed at 34:30 with a nice catch save of Rozkuszka’s 18-yard blast off a corner kick.
Dumford later made two big-time saves: he came off his line to make a high block and control of Luna’s 12-yard drive from the right side with 17:40 left. At 15:15, Zielinski’s 15-yarder off a Luna pass was denied a great lunging grab at the right post by Dumford.
“(Assistant) coach (Nate) Terry warned me from the beginning that they won’t be hesitant to shoot,” Dumford said. “I was ready for that. But it’s not me. It’s totally the defense. We’ve been playing well as a unit.
“Since Morton we’ve really turned it around and been on a high as a team. I think a lot of that has come from the back. Definitely our offense has been connecting, but the communication and awareness in the back has skyrocketed.
“Four of us (on defense) have been playing club together for three years now,” Dumford added. “The chemistry there is great. And our two outside backs Ryan Strelau and Griffin Overbeck are returning varsity starters, so definitely the experience there has been helping.”
Limiting Blazer speed on the wings was particularly impressive Tuesday.
“I thought Ryan Strelau at outside back really played well,” Stapleton said. “His ability to defend 1-v.-1, reading passes and cutting things down was very good. And Griffin too.
“Not to take away from (center backs) Anthony (Massello) and Peter (Carr), but those two stood out on the outside because their attack was more on the flanks. And it was a good collective effort up top with a number of guys who scored.”
Up 3-0, the Mustangs weren’t done.
With 30:48 to go, Rohl nicely burst in on the right side and sent a cross to Andrew Pierropoulos for the putaway in front and a 4-0 lead.
Downers South’s bench also did big things. Senior goalkeeper Johnny Bailey replaced Dumford with 6:55 left – one minute later, his diving save and cover denied Tomasz Kania’s 6-yard shot from in front.
Performances like that epitomize the depth of the Mustangs, as Fish has learned on his long road back from injury.
“It’s been tricky to kind of get back into the starting lineup” Fish said. “I definitely had to work my way back up to it. We’re a deep team, so it’s kind of a hard team for someone to just come back and get back in there.
“But our whole group’s been working hard together, so it’s easy for the coaches to say ‘If we play him, someone will come off the bench just as strong.’”
Addison Trail’s own battle to the end paid off with 4:07 left. After a foul, Ruben Amaro lined a 26-yard free kick high inside the left post to make the score 4-1.
“Never give up – that’s how we go,” Zielinski said. “It’s that mentality every game.”
That mentality and experience have helped fuel the Blazers’ rise in the win column.
“It’s because we have a lot of chemistry,” Zielinski said. “Most of us have played together before on club teams on Addison United and whatnot. It’s not like everyone left, and we have a new team. Pretty much everything is standard.”
Tuesday’s result was anything but typical for the Blazers.
“We just got hit in the mouth today, and we just didn’t have it,” Dini said. “We had some chances and just didn’t finish. It was just one of those days.
“With us it’s a possession game, working for possession and getting our high-skilled players in space.”
Dini hopes the result can be a good learning experience heading into the regionals.
“We have Hinsdale Central on Friday, so it doesn’t get any easier,” Dini said. “But I wanted these guys to see some of the best teams at the end of the year, and getting into the playoffs we’re hosting.
“We like where we’re at and we like the grouping, so we’ll take it one day at a time.”
Zielinski sees one postseason key.
“We’re going to have to step up in practice,” he said. “That’s basically it, working harder in practice.”
Meanwhile, Downers South is doing no wrong as postseason play starts next week.
“I think it’s just a big boost to our mental state right now,” Burns said. “We’ve been on a streak, and I think this win is a good lead in to the playoffs.”
Stapleton is also optimistic despite challenges ahead.
“It’s a good time of year to hopefully hit stride,” he said. “Our sectional’s difficult and our kids know that. But we’re playing well and playing with confidence.”
While playing at their best now, the Mustangs also recall their regional final home loss to Oak Park and River Forest last year.
“We definitely can’t be cocky,” Dumford said. “We went into regionals last year a little cocky against OPRF.
“We just have to keep our heads on our shoulders and stay level. Our confidence is up now with this recent winning streak. When we started out we were a little shy to the ball. Now we’ve really found the team that we are.”
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
GK- Cosme Garcia
D- Uriel Martinez
D- Adrian Rozkuszka
D- Juan Martinez
D- Brian Ramos
MF- Isvic Quintana
MF- Fernando Alvarado
MF- Damian Zielinski
MF- Jonathan Hernandez
F- Tomasz Kania
F- Enrique Luna
Downers Grove South
GK- Sam Dumford
D- Griffin Overbeck
D- Peter Carr
D- Anthony Masello
D- Ryan Strelau
MF- Peter Becht
MF- Peter Fish
MF- Andrew Pierropoulos
MF- Nick Rohl
F- Garrett Burns
F- Dylan Mobley
Man of the Match: Garrett Burns, F, Downers Grove South
Team meeting lights a fire under streaking Mustangs
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE -- Actions may speak louder than words. But the message from a late September team meeting continues to echo at Downers Grove South.
Holding a 5-4-1 record after a Sept. 22 loss to Morton, the Mustangs’ conclave in the ensuing days now looks like a turning point.
A 4-1 win in Tuesday’s home finale against Addison Trail gave Downers South a 6-0-1 record since the Morton setback, including wins over Leyden and Naperville North.
“Just prior to that Leyden game (Sept. 29) we had a meeting where the kids came together, and we had a day of training away from the practice field,” Downers South coach Jon Stapleton said. “And we kind of refocused and reshaped our goals.
“We weren’t playing poorly, but we felt there was another level in us. And these players’ maturity in that meeting, their ability to say ‘These are things I need to work on individually; here’s things we need to do as a team’ and be able to talk about teammates and say ‘We need more from you’ and to be able to respond I think was really a credit to them.
“Since that point, the Leyden win brought us together, and we kind of springboarded from there,” Stapleton said. “I really attribute a lot to that moment, coming together as a team off the field and sorting some details out in a positive sense.”
The positives were plentiful Tuesday, starting with instant results at the offensive end.
Just 1:53 into the match, Griffin Overbeck’s send from 40 yards out was blocked by an Addison Trail header in the box. But the ball bounced directly to Dylan Mobley, who lined a high 25-yarder inside the right post for a 1-0 Mustangs lead.
Goalkeeper Cosme Garcia and the Blazer defense denied waves of threats over the next 25-plus minutes.
The best chance in that stretch came 16:40 before halftime, when an Overbeck steal set up Nick Rohl deep in the box. But Garcia made a great point blank save of Rohl’s 6-yard shot, then dove to again block Rohl’s rebound try at the post.
Addison Trail countered with a nice play from Adrian Rozkuszka to Enrique Luna (sent just wide by Luna from 15 yards out) and a Damian Zilienski shot off an Isvic Quintana corner kick with 14:15 left that was saved by Downers South goalkeeper Sam Dumford.
Otherwise, it was Downers South on the attack during the half. With 13:30 left, Rohl set up Peter Fish’s drive in on right wing. But Garcia again dove to make the save on Fish’s 15-yarder targeted for the near side of the net.
Fish’s contributions were one of many Mustang highlights in the half, and for multiple reasons. A senior limited by back problems much of his varsity career, Fish was making just his third appearance of 2015.
“I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to return this season,” Fish said. “I had a fractured vertebrae last year that never healed, and I was having pretty bad pain with it at the start of the year.
“I played until the second or third game of the season and then sat out for a little over a month. I’ve been doing physical therapy, and I’ve worked my way back. It’s feeling all right.”
The Mustangs were all feeling much better in the last 10 minutes of the half, when their pressure paid off on the scoreboard.
With 9:36 left in the half, Peter Becht’s pass sprung Burns in on right wing. With a half step on a defender, Burns lined a low 8-yarder into the far corner of the net for a 2-0 lead.
Burns then all but sealed the win just 1:51 before the half with a virtual duplicate effort. This time set up by passes from Rohl and Mobley, Burns again sped in on right wing and found the inside of the far post for a 3-0 halftime lead.
“I feel like we were just moving the ball up top a lot,” said Burns, who has four goals this season. “People making runs opened a lot of space. And our center mids were finding balls through gaps, which allowed the forwards to attack easily.”
With Addison Trail’s 6-1-1 record in its previous eight games coming in, the Mustangs were ready for a battle.
“We knew we had to come out hard,” Fish said. “They’ve always been a team that’s come out hard against us, and we knew if we could throw that first punch so to speak, we’d be able to get it in quick. That’s what we did, and it seemed to work out well. We tried to keep high pressure like we always do.”
Stapleton liked his team’s offensive surge, and much more.
“I thought it was one of the better games we’ve played all year, especially defensively,” Stapleton said.
“The guys did a great job of moving off the ball, they were receiving it and playing quickly, and the timing of our runs were very good. We were putting shots on frame, finishing some of them and making the keeper make saves on others.
“Overall in the attack I was really pleased,” Stapleton added. “And defensively we were organized and we won the ball high up the field, which gave us additional scoring opportunities.”
Addison Trail became the latest casualty of a Mustang team on a roll.
"We just came out flat,” Blazers coach Ryan Dini said. “We didn’t bring it right away. They jumped on us early, and we were trying to play catch up.
“Defensively we’ve had seven shutouts this year, but today they were moving the ball on us, getting us in space, and it just felt like we were chasing a lot today. And they hurt us.
“They’re a good team,” Dini added. “They brought it, and we didn’t have the intensity that we’re used to playing with. We’ve had a good season overall, but we have to turn it up a little bit with playoffs coming up.”
Nice defensive plays by Brian Ramos (clearing a Burns corner kick cross out of the crease) and Uriel Martinez (nice block of an Ian Wisniewski shot) repelled other Mustang threats in the first half.
But the overall 40 minutes was rough on the Blazers.
“It was our intensity,” senior midfielder Zielinski said. “We didn’t bring it at the beginning of the game, and we started playing sloppy.”
The Blazers began to clean things up after the break. Two minutes in, a Luna pass set up Zielinski’s liner off the side of the net just outside the right post. Dumford followed at 34:30 with a nice catch save of Rozkuszka’s 18-yard blast off a corner kick.
Dumford later made two big-time saves: he came off his line to make a high block and control of Luna’s 12-yard drive from the right side with 17:40 left. At 15:15, Zielinski’s 15-yarder off a Luna pass was denied a great lunging grab at the right post by Dumford.
“(Assistant) coach (Nate) Terry warned me from the beginning that they won’t be hesitant to shoot,” Dumford said. “I was ready for that. But it’s not me. It’s totally the defense. We’ve been playing well as a unit.
“Since Morton we’ve really turned it around and been on a high as a team. I think a lot of that has come from the back. Definitely our offense has been connecting, but the communication and awareness in the back has skyrocketed.
“Four of us (on defense) have been playing club together for three years now,” Dumford added. “The chemistry there is great. And our two outside backs Ryan Strelau and Griffin Overbeck are returning varsity starters, so definitely the experience there has been helping.”
Limiting Blazer speed on the wings was particularly impressive Tuesday.
“I thought Ryan Strelau at outside back really played well,” Stapleton said. “His ability to defend 1-v.-1, reading passes and cutting things down was very good. And Griffin too.
“Not to take away from (center backs) Anthony (Massello) and Peter (Carr), but those two stood out on the outside because their attack was more on the flanks. And it was a good collective effort up top with a number of guys who scored.”
Up 3-0, the Mustangs weren’t done.
With 30:48 to go, Rohl nicely burst in on the right side and sent a cross to Andrew Pierropoulos for the putaway in front and a 4-0 lead.
Downers South’s bench also did big things. Senior goalkeeper Johnny Bailey replaced Dumford with 6:55 left – one minute later, his diving save and cover denied Tomasz Kania’s 6-yard shot from in front.
Performances like that epitomize the depth of the Mustangs, as Fish has learned on his long road back from injury.
“It’s been tricky to kind of get back into the starting lineup” Fish said. “I definitely had to work my way back up to it. We’re a deep team, so it’s kind of a hard team for someone to just come back and get back in there.
“But our whole group’s been working hard together, so it’s easy for the coaches to say ‘If we play him, someone will come off the bench just as strong.’”
Addison Trail’s own battle to the end paid off with 4:07 left. After a foul, Ruben Amaro lined a 26-yard free kick high inside the left post to make the score 4-1.
“Never give up – that’s how we go,” Zielinski said. “It’s that mentality every game.”
That mentality and experience have helped fuel the Blazers’ rise in the win column.
“It’s because we have a lot of chemistry,” Zielinski said. “Most of us have played together before on club teams on Addison United and whatnot. It’s not like everyone left, and we have a new team. Pretty much everything is standard.”
Tuesday’s result was anything but typical for the Blazers.
“We just got hit in the mouth today, and we just didn’t have it,” Dini said. “We had some chances and just didn’t finish. It was just one of those days.
“With us it’s a possession game, working for possession and getting our high-skilled players in space.”
Dini hopes the result can be a good learning experience heading into the regionals.
“We have Hinsdale Central on Friday, so it doesn’t get any easier,” Dini said. “But I wanted these guys to see some of the best teams at the end of the year, and getting into the playoffs we’re hosting.
“We like where we’re at and we like the grouping, so we’ll take it one day at a time.”
Zielinski sees one postseason key.
“We’re going to have to step up in practice,” he said. “That’s basically it, working harder in practice.”
Meanwhile, Downers South is doing no wrong as postseason play starts next week.
“I think it’s just a big boost to our mental state right now,” Burns said. “We’ve been on a streak, and I think this win is a good lead in to the playoffs.”
Stapleton is also optimistic despite challenges ahead.
“It’s a good time of year to hopefully hit stride,” he said. “Our sectional’s difficult and our kids know that. But we’re playing well and playing with confidence.”
While playing at their best now, the Mustangs also recall their regional final home loss to Oak Park and River Forest last year.
“We definitely can’t be cocky,” Dumford said. “We went into regionals last year a little cocky against OPRF.
“We just have to keep our heads on our shoulders and stay level. Our confidence is up now with this recent winning streak. When we started out we were a little shy to the ball. Now we’ve really found the team that we are.”
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
GK- Cosme Garcia
D- Uriel Martinez
D- Adrian Rozkuszka
D- Juan Martinez
D- Brian Ramos
MF- Isvic Quintana
MF- Fernando Alvarado
MF- Damian Zielinski
MF- Jonathan Hernandez
F- Tomasz Kania
F- Enrique Luna
Downers Grove South
GK- Sam Dumford
D- Griffin Overbeck
D- Peter Carr
D- Anthony Masello
D- Ryan Strelau
MF- Peter Becht
MF- Peter Fish
MF- Andrew Pierropoulos
MF- Nick Rohl
F- Garrett Burns
F- Dylan Mobley
Man of the Match: Garrett Burns, F, Downers Grove South