Saile’s ‘Beckham-esque’ effort
leads to Bartlett-Streamwood draw
Midfielder's 2nd goal of game gains tie in 78th minute
By Steve Nemeth
STREAMWOOD -- Bartlett's Oliver Saile emulated David Beckham, only better.
The Bartlett senior didn't only curve home a direct free kick for an equalizer Tuesday against Streamwood, he did it twice.
The second goal came with just 1:44 left in regulation to salvage a 3-3 deadlock in the Upstate Eight Conference cross-over meeting.
The game had a distinct postseason playoff feel, that is until the final horn wasn’t followed by any overtime or a shootout. A good-sized, vocal crowd reacted audibly to some impressive goals as well as the near misses in a showdown between two teams that call Millenium Field their home turf.
Saile, the Bartlett hero and obvious choice for Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match accolade, wasn’t quite as excited over the outcome as his coach, teammates and Hawks fans.
“My first (direct free) kick sailed over the crossbar, but helped me get the pace and aim right for the next two,” Saile noted. “After my first goal, I planned to go the other way on the second shot and hit it just right. It’s still not the win we wanted, but it’s better than losing, and I still don’t feel we’ve played our best soccer.”
The draw was still a way for Bartlett (9-5-2) to ease the sting of a 4-1 loss to No. 2-rated Schaumburg on Saturday which ended a six-match (5-0-1) unbeaten string. The Sabres now own a 7-6-4 mark.
While Streamwood coach Matt Polovin isn’t going to complain about the Sabres’ fourth-straight contest without a loss (2-0-2), he was disappointed that his squad didn’t maintain either of two leads.
“Allowing that last goal so late, and giving up a free kick on an unnecessary foul, yeah, in our minds it almost feels like a loss, especially since we had two leads,” Polovin said. “Yet we had positives. We were down and executed set pieces really well.”
Bartlett had an early cross that required Streamwood goalie Nick Gaviria to make a punch-out for a defensive clear. Whether that influenced the Hawks’ Bryan Recinos to gamble or not, the senior defender took a chance on a 39-yard blast that swerved to the left and then caromed off the left post for a 1-0 lead just 9:31 into the match.
“I saw an opening with their keeper off to my right and figured why not take a try,” Recinos said of his first goal. “It felt great off my foot and even greater when my teammates started celebrating.”
Afterward T.J. Ivkovich’s cross found Raul Vences for a right-side header, but that was an easy save for Gaviria, who made his third start since moving up to varsity to offer both relief and competition to Streamwood sophomore Danny Dominguez.
Play shifted to the opposite end as Bartlett keeper Jake Hasenstein raced out to get to a ball before Streamwood’s Donnie Sosa could reach it for a shot. The Sabres’
Ivan Gonzalez gave it a go only to have Hasenstein punch that effort away.
Midway through the half, Ivkovich hit a rocket from the far right side, but instead of a two-goal lead, it ricocheted off the left post.
With 13:55 still to play before halftime, Streamwood’s Edwin Rueda put a free kick from the left sideline toward the far post and Erie Ortiz got up for an eight-yard header and his first goal of the year.
“I work hard on knowing what to do with those opportunities,” Reuda said. “I don’t just hit it hoping, I try to make sure I’m placing it where a teammate is going to be.”
He did just that less than six minutes later finding a familiar target in Sosa. With 8:07 left in the first half, Rueda notched his team-best seventh assist on a 10-yard header by Sosa.
“To me an assist feels like a goal, or in a way, I feel like those goals are partially mine,” Reuda said. “I also know Donnie makes the most of his chances.”
Sosa’s team-high 10th goal gave Streamwood a 2-1 lead.
Bartlett appeared determined to get an equalizer when play resumed as Recinos took another gamble on a loose ball before Saile's free kick miss that dipped so sharply across the top netting that some fans initially thought it was a goal. Then Streamwood had a nice cross travel through the goalie box only to find no one available for a re-direct.
The intensity continued to rise in direct contrast to the clock ticking down. With 11 minutes to go, Streamwood’s Ortiz trapped a shot off his chest and then had to make a kick save to help prevent a follow-up. However a second yellow card for the Sabres led to a free kick with 9:35 remaining and that’s when Saile knotted the game at 2-2. In Beckham-like fashion, he curved the ball to the right of the Sabres’ defensive wall but with enough spin to make it past Gaviria’s dive and inside the left post.
Prior to that Bartlett made a shift in order to get more aggressive, but the Hawks had not returned to their four-back defensive formation and paid dearly just 22 seconds later. A missed clear led to Aldo Lazaro’s opportunistic 1-v.-1 with Hasenstein. The Streamwood sophomore made the Bartlett keeper commit, then he moved right for his fifth goal of the year.
“I had to take a quick breath and focus on just putting it in the back of the net,” Lazaro said about what turned into a near empty-net look. “At that point, it felt like a win, so us giving up that last goal was unlucky and very disappointing.”
Rueda took a cannon shot with 7:43 but Hasenstein made the save, his third of the second half and sixth for the match. Play shifted to the Sabres’ end and a Saile corner kick was cleared away by Sosa with seven minutes to play. Another Hawk effort was turned away and with just over two minutes, Rueda had a free kick continue to rise and missed the upper right corner.
Then came a Bartlett breakaway on which Gaviria rushed out to make a clear and picked up Streamwood’s third yellow off the collision. Dominguez took his place in net, but Saile came through again to give him three goals for the year to go with a team-leading eight assists.
"After any goal, emotions are real high,” Saile said. “They countered, but we kept focus and got the goal at the end. Staying composed and clean (in terms of cards) was good, but ultimately we still wanted a win.”
Saile’s second free kick once again curved to the right of the defensive wall and then curled enough to stay to the inside of the right post.
“In terms of how the game went down in the last few minutes, it feels like a win,” Bartlett coach Vince DiNuzzo said. “Overall, it was hard-fought but I also believe we had an excellent second half effort. We created some scoring opportunities.
“Winning was our no. 1 priority, but no. 2 was no cards. It was a highly emotional game, and I thought we did a really good job of keeping our emotions in check,” DiNuzzo said. “From the first half, we obviously needed to do a better job defending set pieces. In the second half, they capitalized on a mistake on our part.”
Bartlett has another UEC crossover game at Larkin on Thursday before taking part in Saturday’s Belvidere Tournament. Then on Oct. 15 the Hawks’ home finale provides a chance to make history. A victory over East Aurora will guarantee no less than a share of the UEC Valley Division title. Bartlett takes a 3-0-1 record into that contest while West Chicago is 2-0-1 prior to hosting West Aurora (Oct. 13) and finishing at South Elgin (Oct. 15).
Despite being winless in the UEC River, Streamwood has a mathematical long shot at climbing near the top of that group. The Sabres take an 0-1-3 record into a Saturday contest against division leader St. Charles North before an Oct. 15 home finale against division foe Larkin. That contest comes just nine days before Streamwood and the Royals have a rematch as opening round opponents in the Class 3A Jacobs Regional.
Last year, Streamwood beat Larkin 2-0 for a regional plaque that started a surprising run to claim the Class 3A state fourth-place trophy.
Starting lineups
Streamwood
G Nick Gaviria
D Rafa Gil
D Aaron Villegas
D Erie Ortiz
D Ivan Gonzalez
M Alex Chavez
M Bryan Mora
M Edwin Rueda
M Brian Benitez
F Donnie Sosa
F Aldo Lazaro
Bartlett
G Jake Hasenstein
D Joshua Merkel
D Joshua White
D Bryan Recinos
D Rudy Reyes
M Oliver Sale
M Ryan Stratton
M Alexis Contreras
M Igor Zwada
M Tim Riordan
F T.J. Ivkovich
Man of the Match: Oliver Saile, MF, Bartlett
Officials: Chuck Raksinh (center), Doug Neufeldt, Jim Brotsos
leads to Bartlett-Streamwood draw
Midfielder's 2nd goal of game gains tie in 78th minute
By Steve Nemeth
STREAMWOOD -- Bartlett's Oliver Saile emulated David Beckham, only better.
The Bartlett senior didn't only curve home a direct free kick for an equalizer Tuesday against Streamwood, he did it twice.
The second goal came with just 1:44 left in regulation to salvage a 3-3 deadlock in the Upstate Eight Conference cross-over meeting.
The game had a distinct postseason playoff feel, that is until the final horn wasn’t followed by any overtime or a shootout. A good-sized, vocal crowd reacted audibly to some impressive goals as well as the near misses in a showdown between two teams that call Millenium Field their home turf.
Saile, the Bartlett hero and obvious choice for Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match accolade, wasn’t quite as excited over the outcome as his coach, teammates and Hawks fans.
“My first (direct free) kick sailed over the crossbar, but helped me get the pace and aim right for the next two,” Saile noted. “After my first goal, I planned to go the other way on the second shot and hit it just right. It’s still not the win we wanted, but it’s better than losing, and I still don’t feel we’ve played our best soccer.”
The draw was still a way for Bartlett (9-5-2) to ease the sting of a 4-1 loss to No. 2-rated Schaumburg on Saturday which ended a six-match (5-0-1) unbeaten string. The Sabres now own a 7-6-4 mark.
While Streamwood coach Matt Polovin isn’t going to complain about the Sabres’ fourth-straight contest without a loss (2-0-2), he was disappointed that his squad didn’t maintain either of two leads.
“Allowing that last goal so late, and giving up a free kick on an unnecessary foul, yeah, in our minds it almost feels like a loss, especially since we had two leads,” Polovin said. “Yet we had positives. We were down and executed set pieces really well.”
Bartlett had an early cross that required Streamwood goalie Nick Gaviria to make a punch-out for a defensive clear. Whether that influenced the Hawks’ Bryan Recinos to gamble or not, the senior defender took a chance on a 39-yard blast that swerved to the left and then caromed off the left post for a 1-0 lead just 9:31 into the match.
“I saw an opening with their keeper off to my right and figured why not take a try,” Recinos said of his first goal. “It felt great off my foot and even greater when my teammates started celebrating.”
Afterward T.J. Ivkovich’s cross found Raul Vences for a right-side header, but that was an easy save for Gaviria, who made his third start since moving up to varsity to offer both relief and competition to Streamwood sophomore Danny Dominguez.
Play shifted to the opposite end as Bartlett keeper Jake Hasenstein raced out to get to a ball before Streamwood’s Donnie Sosa could reach it for a shot. The Sabres’
Ivan Gonzalez gave it a go only to have Hasenstein punch that effort away.
Midway through the half, Ivkovich hit a rocket from the far right side, but instead of a two-goal lead, it ricocheted off the left post.
With 13:55 still to play before halftime, Streamwood’s Edwin Rueda put a free kick from the left sideline toward the far post and Erie Ortiz got up for an eight-yard header and his first goal of the year.
“I work hard on knowing what to do with those opportunities,” Reuda said. “I don’t just hit it hoping, I try to make sure I’m placing it where a teammate is going to be.”
He did just that less than six minutes later finding a familiar target in Sosa. With 8:07 left in the first half, Rueda notched his team-best seventh assist on a 10-yard header by Sosa.
“To me an assist feels like a goal, or in a way, I feel like those goals are partially mine,” Reuda said. “I also know Donnie makes the most of his chances.”
Sosa’s team-high 10th goal gave Streamwood a 2-1 lead.
Bartlett appeared determined to get an equalizer when play resumed as Recinos took another gamble on a loose ball before Saile's free kick miss that dipped so sharply across the top netting that some fans initially thought it was a goal. Then Streamwood had a nice cross travel through the goalie box only to find no one available for a re-direct.
The intensity continued to rise in direct contrast to the clock ticking down. With 11 minutes to go, Streamwood’s Ortiz trapped a shot off his chest and then had to make a kick save to help prevent a follow-up. However a second yellow card for the Sabres led to a free kick with 9:35 remaining and that’s when Saile knotted the game at 2-2. In Beckham-like fashion, he curved the ball to the right of the Sabres’ defensive wall but with enough spin to make it past Gaviria’s dive and inside the left post.
Prior to that Bartlett made a shift in order to get more aggressive, but the Hawks had not returned to their four-back defensive formation and paid dearly just 22 seconds later. A missed clear led to Aldo Lazaro’s opportunistic 1-v.-1 with Hasenstein. The Streamwood sophomore made the Bartlett keeper commit, then he moved right for his fifth goal of the year.
“I had to take a quick breath and focus on just putting it in the back of the net,” Lazaro said about what turned into a near empty-net look. “At that point, it felt like a win, so us giving up that last goal was unlucky and very disappointing.”
Rueda took a cannon shot with 7:43 but Hasenstein made the save, his third of the second half and sixth for the match. Play shifted to the Sabres’ end and a Saile corner kick was cleared away by Sosa with seven minutes to play. Another Hawk effort was turned away and with just over two minutes, Rueda had a free kick continue to rise and missed the upper right corner.
Then came a Bartlett breakaway on which Gaviria rushed out to make a clear and picked up Streamwood’s third yellow off the collision. Dominguez took his place in net, but Saile came through again to give him three goals for the year to go with a team-leading eight assists.
"After any goal, emotions are real high,” Saile said. “They countered, but we kept focus and got the goal at the end. Staying composed and clean (in terms of cards) was good, but ultimately we still wanted a win.”
Saile’s second free kick once again curved to the right of the defensive wall and then curled enough to stay to the inside of the right post.
“In terms of how the game went down in the last few minutes, it feels like a win,” Bartlett coach Vince DiNuzzo said. “Overall, it was hard-fought but I also believe we had an excellent second half effort. We created some scoring opportunities.
“Winning was our no. 1 priority, but no. 2 was no cards. It was a highly emotional game, and I thought we did a really good job of keeping our emotions in check,” DiNuzzo said. “From the first half, we obviously needed to do a better job defending set pieces. In the second half, they capitalized on a mistake on our part.”
Bartlett has another UEC crossover game at Larkin on Thursday before taking part in Saturday’s Belvidere Tournament. Then on Oct. 15 the Hawks’ home finale provides a chance to make history. A victory over East Aurora will guarantee no less than a share of the UEC Valley Division title. Bartlett takes a 3-0-1 record into that contest while West Chicago is 2-0-1 prior to hosting West Aurora (Oct. 13) and finishing at South Elgin (Oct. 15).
Despite being winless in the UEC River, Streamwood has a mathematical long shot at climbing near the top of that group. The Sabres take an 0-1-3 record into a Saturday contest against division leader St. Charles North before an Oct. 15 home finale against division foe Larkin. That contest comes just nine days before Streamwood and the Royals have a rematch as opening round opponents in the Class 3A Jacobs Regional.
Last year, Streamwood beat Larkin 2-0 for a regional plaque that started a surprising run to claim the Class 3A state fourth-place trophy.
Starting lineups
Streamwood
G Nick Gaviria
D Rafa Gil
D Aaron Villegas
D Erie Ortiz
D Ivan Gonzalez
M Alex Chavez
M Bryan Mora
M Edwin Rueda
M Brian Benitez
F Donnie Sosa
F Aldo Lazaro
Bartlett
G Jake Hasenstein
D Joshua Merkel
D Joshua White
D Bryan Recinos
D Rudy Reyes
M Oliver Sale
M Ryan Stratton
M Alexis Contreras
M Igor Zwada
M Tim Riordan
F T.J. Ivkovich
Man of the Match: Oliver Saile, MF, Bartlett
Officials: Chuck Raksinh (center), Doug Neufeldt, Jim Brotsos