Scrappy Bartlett battles
Streamwood to 1-1 draw
Freshman keeper Rebac shines for Hawks
By Ken Keenan
STREAMWOOD -- On paper, the late-season, nonconference match between Bartlett and Streamwood Tuesday night looked like a slam dunk for the Sabres, who entered the match with a rock-solid 11-5-2 mark overall, compared to a 1-13-3 slate for the Hawks.
But the game was played on turf, not paper, and scrappy Bartlett battled Streamwood to a 1-1 draw at Millennium Field, the home base for both teams.
"For a lot of people, this is a surprise," said Hawks' head coach Vince DiNuzzo. "Streamwood, they're a good team. But we've been capable all year, and we have been playing good soccer. We showed a lot of heart (Tuesday night), and we got an all-right result. These guys care.
"It's Streamwood-Bartlett. When you're playing an end-of-season game before the playoffs, the big picture is the playoffs. But this means a little more."
Just a freshman, Bartlett goalkeeper Zac Rebac had no prior history against the Sabres, but that doesn't mean he was unaware of the rivalry. After earning Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors with a stellar performance to maintain the 1-1 deadlock, Rebac left the pitch a battle-tested veteran.
"I've never seen Streamwood play," Rebac said. "But I knew some of my teammates had friends there, so they wanted to beat 'em."
Meanwhile, the Sabres exited the match facing a big ol' plate of humble pie.
"I feel like, everybody overlooked Bartlett," said Streamwood senior defender Ivan Gonzalez. "I think we were a bit too confident coming in."
Fellow senior defender Nick Gaviria, the Sabres' only other member of the Class of 2017, said, "I'm very disappointed ... frustrated. Maybe we came in a bit too confident, but I give total credit to Bartlett. They kept pressing and pressing."
Chances didn't come in bunches for either team in a scoreless first half, though Rebac showed his mettle in the 30th minute with a nice stop in traffic on a tap-in try by Streamwood junior forward Aldo Lazaro. Five minutes later, Rebac smartly intercepted a sharp cross to the box by junior forward Aldo Lazaro.
With 4:45 left before the break, Rebac made a fine stop on a left-footed, wide-angle try by Sabres' sophomore midfielder Bryan Mora.
"I felt really comfortable in the goal," Rebac said. "I was so focused on the ball. I thought, nothing was gonna get past me."
The Sabres finally solved Rebac with 23:11 to go in the second half. A multi-touch attack -- fostered by Mora, junior defender Rafa Gil and sophomore forward Alex Chavez -- ended with Chavez finding Lazaro right on the doorstep. Unable to fully settle the ball, Lazaro quickly banged a knee-high, left-footed shot that bounced past Rebac to give Streamwood a 1-0 lead.
But just three minutes later, Bartlett answered when senior midfielder Jacob White found senior mid Julio Diaz, who cut from the left side to the middle before beating Streamwood junior keeper Daniel Dominguez in close.
"I felt like we got a little too comfortable after scoring," Gonzalez said. "We got caught off guard and (Bartlett) took advantage of us."
Streamwood head coach Matt Polovin was none too pleased that his squad relinquished the lead so quickly.
"We score, then give up one right away," Polovin said. "That should have never happened. In (IHSA) regionals, you can't do that."
Rebac, on the other hand, was delighted to see Diaz's try dent the twine.
"That goal to tie it got me so hyped," Rebac said. "It felt so nice."
The tying tally also seemed to wake up the Sabres, who went into full attack mode the rest of the way. But Rebac and Co. bolted the door to preserve the 1-1 tie.
With 11:10 remaining, Rebac made an outstanding blind save, somehow holding his ground to rob Streamwood sophomore mid Michael Rubio during a chaotic scramble in front. Two minutes later, Rebac superbly stopped a rising, 25-yard missile released by junior defender Gregorio Esteves.
In the 72nd minute, Rubio sailed a 40-yard blast wide-right. Peralta then took possession after the ensuing goal-kick, and fed the ball to Lazaro, who set up Chavez for a tip-in try that Rebac nabbed.
"He's a very talented keeper," DiNuzzo said. "Unfortunately, there was not a lot he could do on the (Streamwood) goal. But he made some outstanding saves, and he kept us in it."
The intense nature of the match reached a boiling point in the 77th minute, resulting in a push-and-shove scrum at midfield that dissipated as quickly as it started.
"We were fighting for the (go-ahead) goal, they were fighting for the goal," Polovin said. "It shows a pulse ... shows fight."
With order restored, Streamwood had one last chance to break the deadlock, but Rebac dove to knock away a long try by Chavez in the final seconds.
"This is definitely a wake-up call," Gaviria said. "This is a team game, and if I'm not doing my job, we have a problem. We have to come out and play our best game in the playoffs, and then keep going, Lord willing."
Gonzalez agreed, saying, "It is a wake-up call. You have to play hard -- every single game. Now, we have to play the best game of our lives in the playoffs."
Polovin hopes his club has learned a lesson.
"Hopefully, this game stays in (the Sabres') minds. Remember this, and know that if you don't play to the highest level, the other team will outplay and beat you, or tie you."
Bartlett won't soon forget the gritty draw as well, albeit from the perspective of David taking on Goliath.
"We wish we could have won, but it's definitely a positive (result)," Rebac said. "It feels very good going into the playoffs. It gives us knowledge of what we need to do. Now, we'll be more prepared and ready for Lake Park (in regionals). We can say, 'We had a tie with Streamwood.' Mentally, it's a boost."
Starting lineups
Bartlett
G: Zac Rebac
D: Sebastian Gonzalez
D: Nico Gomez
D: Rudy Reyes
D: Kevin Nava
M: Carlos Alfaro
M: Brandon Palid
M: Julio Diaz
M: Hernan Garcia
M: Patrick Cox
F: Oscar Soto
Streamwood
G: Daniel Dominguez
D: Carlos Gonzalez
D: Rafa Gil
D: Ivan Gonzalez
D: Nick Gaviria
M: Gregorio Esteves
M: Bryan Mora
M: Kristian Niemiec
M: Michael Rubio
F: Alex Chavez
F: Aldo Lazaro
Man of the Match: Zac Rebac, G, Bartlett
Officials: Ken Woodhouse, Chuck Raksinh, Juan Hernandez
Streamwood to 1-1 draw
Freshman keeper Rebac shines for Hawks
By Ken Keenan
STREAMWOOD -- On paper, the late-season, nonconference match between Bartlett and Streamwood Tuesday night looked like a slam dunk for the Sabres, who entered the match with a rock-solid 11-5-2 mark overall, compared to a 1-13-3 slate for the Hawks.
But the game was played on turf, not paper, and scrappy Bartlett battled Streamwood to a 1-1 draw at Millennium Field, the home base for both teams.
"For a lot of people, this is a surprise," said Hawks' head coach Vince DiNuzzo. "Streamwood, they're a good team. But we've been capable all year, and we have been playing good soccer. We showed a lot of heart (Tuesday night), and we got an all-right result. These guys care.
"It's Streamwood-Bartlett. When you're playing an end-of-season game before the playoffs, the big picture is the playoffs. But this means a little more."
Just a freshman, Bartlett goalkeeper Zac Rebac had no prior history against the Sabres, but that doesn't mean he was unaware of the rivalry. After earning Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors with a stellar performance to maintain the 1-1 deadlock, Rebac left the pitch a battle-tested veteran.
"I've never seen Streamwood play," Rebac said. "But I knew some of my teammates had friends there, so they wanted to beat 'em."
Meanwhile, the Sabres exited the match facing a big ol' plate of humble pie.
"I feel like, everybody overlooked Bartlett," said Streamwood senior defender Ivan Gonzalez. "I think we were a bit too confident coming in."
Fellow senior defender Nick Gaviria, the Sabres' only other member of the Class of 2017, said, "I'm very disappointed ... frustrated. Maybe we came in a bit too confident, but I give total credit to Bartlett. They kept pressing and pressing."
Chances didn't come in bunches for either team in a scoreless first half, though Rebac showed his mettle in the 30th minute with a nice stop in traffic on a tap-in try by Streamwood junior forward Aldo Lazaro. Five minutes later, Rebac smartly intercepted a sharp cross to the box by junior forward Aldo Lazaro.
With 4:45 left before the break, Rebac made a fine stop on a left-footed, wide-angle try by Sabres' sophomore midfielder Bryan Mora.
"I felt really comfortable in the goal," Rebac said. "I was so focused on the ball. I thought, nothing was gonna get past me."
The Sabres finally solved Rebac with 23:11 to go in the second half. A multi-touch attack -- fostered by Mora, junior defender Rafa Gil and sophomore forward Alex Chavez -- ended with Chavez finding Lazaro right on the doorstep. Unable to fully settle the ball, Lazaro quickly banged a knee-high, left-footed shot that bounced past Rebac to give Streamwood a 1-0 lead.
But just three minutes later, Bartlett answered when senior midfielder Jacob White found senior mid Julio Diaz, who cut from the left side to the middle before beating Streamwood junior keeper Daniel Dominguez in close.
"I felt like we got a little too comfortable after scoring," Gonzalez said. "We got caught off guard and (Bartlett) took advantage of us."
Streamwood head coach Matt Polovin was none too pleased that his squad relinquished the lead so quickly.
"We score, then give up one right away," Polovin said. "That should have never happened. In (IHSA) regionals, you can't do that."
Rebac, on the other hand, was delighted to see Diaz's try dent the twine.
"That goal to tie it got me so hyped," Rebac said. "It felt so nice."
The tying tally also seemed to wake up the Sabres, who went into full attack mode the rest of the way. But Rebac and Co. bolted the door to preserve the 1-1 tie.
With 11:10 remaining, Rebac made an outstanding blind save, somehow holding his ground to rob Streamwood sophomore mid Michael Rubio during a chaotic scramble in front. Two minutes later, Rebac superbly stopped a rising, 25-yard missile released by junior defender Gregorio Esteves.
In the 72nd minute, Rubio sailed a 40-yard blast wide-right. Peralta then took possession after the ensuing goal-kick, and fed the ball to Lazaro, who set up Chavez for a tip-in try that Rebac nabbed.
"He's a very talented keeper," DiNuzzo said. "Unfortunately, there was not a lot he could do on the (Streamwood) goal. But he made some outstanding saves, and he kept us in it."
The intense nature of the match reached a boiling point in the 77th minute, resulting in a push-and-shove scrum at midfield that dissipated as quickly as it started.
"We were fighting for the (go-ahead) goal, they were fighting for the goal," Polovin said. "It shows a pulse ... shows fight."
With order restored, Streamwood had one last chance to break the deadlock, but Rebac dove to knock away a long try by Chavez in the final seconds.
"This is definitely a wake-up call," Gaviria said. "This is a team game, and if I'm not doing my job, we have a problem. We have to come out and play our best game in the playoffs, and then keep going, Lord willing."
Gonzalez agreed, saying, "It is a wake-up call. You have to play hard -- every single game. Now, we have to play the best game of our lives in the playoffs."
Polovin hopes his club has learned a lesson.
"Hopefully, this game stays in (the Sabres') minds. Remember this, and know that if you don't play to the highest level, the other team will outplay and beat you, or tie you."
Bartlett won't soon forget the gritty draw as well, albeit from the perspective of David taking on Goliath.
"We wish we could have won, but it's definitely a positive (result)," Rebac said. "It feels very good going into the playoffs. It gives us knowledge of what we need to do. Now, we'll be more prepared and ready for Lake Park (in regionals). We can say, 'We had a tie with Streamwood.' Mentally, it's a boost."
Starting lineups
Bartlett
G: Zac Rebac
D: Sebastian Gonzalez
D: Nico Gomez
D: Rudy Reyes
D: Kevin Nava
M: Carlos Alfaro
M: Brandon Palid
M: Julio Diaz
M: Hernan Garcia
M: Patrick Cox
F: Oscar Soto
Streamwood
G: Daniel Dominguez
D: Carlos Gonzalez
D: Rafa Gil
D: Ivan Gonzalez
D: Nick Gaviria
M: Gregorio Esteves
M: Bryan Mora
M: Kristian Niemiec
M: Michael Rubio
F: Alex Chavez
F: Aldo Lazaro
Man of the Match: Zac Rebac, G, Bartlett
Officials: Ken Woodhouse, Chuck Raksinh, Juan Hernandez