Steady McHenry keeps Elk Grove at bay
No. 14 Warriors nab 2-0 road win
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE -- Gritty and steady may not be the ingredients for cooking up style points, but they were the recipe for victory in McHenry's 2-0 decision against host Elk Grove in nonconference action Tuesday night.
The Warriors, ranked no. 14 in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll, improved to 2-0-1 overall with the win. Versatile McHenry senior midfielder James Mulhall, who set up his team's first goal in the 34th minute and added an insurance marker with 13:35 left in the second half, earned Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honors.
A tight, defensive struggle remained scoreless until Mulhall crossed a ball from the left side to senior forward Connor Uhl, who was stopped on the doorstep by Elk Grove senior goalkeeper Sammi Casas before quickly firing the rebound home. Mulhall made it 2-0 when he sent a low shot past Casas from a wide angle on the right side after receiving a head ball from sophomore mid Alex Fiorita.
"(Fioita) made a nice play on a 50/50 ball, so he gets the hustle credit," Mulhall said. "I just wanted to finish the play off."
Finishing proved to be more difficult for Elk Grove (2-2-0), which entered the match on a 2-game winning streak. Though the Grenadiers had more possession time in the first half, they rarely tested Warriors junior keeper Jeff Adamson, who earned the shutout while starting in place of injured senior starter Jake King.
A solid passing sequence among senior midfielder Charlie Konsolakis, junior mid Joey Weber, senior mid Ronaldo Olague and junior middie Misa Contreras in the 20th minute led to nothing but a deflection into the waiting arms of Adamson. The McHenry keeper then grabbed a rising, 30-yard try by Elk Grove senior mid Ivan Perez with 12 minutes to go before the break.
In the 35th minute, a long run by Perez resulted in a left-footed try from the left side by senior mid Danny Martinez, but his shot rolled just past the far post.
Perez made some nice moves in the 46th minute to find senior forward Suraj Patel, whose shot attempt was blocked by a wall of McHenry defenders. Thirty seconds later, Adamson stopped a 30-yard strike from Perez.
"(McHenry) pressured us well," Perez said. "We only had a couple seconds to take shots. But, the chances we had were pretty good."
Grenadiers' senior defender Jesus Castrejon liked most of the way his team played.
"I think we played a tough game," said the back, who spoiled several McHenry rushes with good positioning and booming, timely clears. "We did pretty good in the back and middle, but we weren't finishing up front. We have to finish on top to win games."
Teammate Contreras concurred.
"It's frustrating that we couldn't score," he said. "That's what we need to work on -- finishing."
Trailing by two goals, the Grenadiers pushed the pace in the final minutes and created a slew of opportunities. Moments after Casas snuffed a tip try by Mulhall in the 73rd minute, Elk Grove counterattacked, but Patel was stopped in close by Adamson.
Two minutes later, McHenry's Uhl blocked a short shot by Weber, followed soon after by a Perez header off a corner-kick that missed wide left. The ever-present Mulhall then headed away a free-kick by Elk Grove senior defender Roy Ramirez with 3 minutes left in the match.
With 2:25 to play, Adamson jumped to nab a deflection following a 20-yard free-kick by Weber.
"A tip of the cap goes to McHenry, but I definitely thought it was a pretty even game," said Elk Gove coach Rob Shepard. "The challenge for us is unlocking the box -- how to get those touches to do the most good. It's coming. The forwards just have to get their heads right and put the ball in the back of the net."
McHenry stayed aggressive throughout the night.
In the 53rd minute, Mulhall fired wide-right while falling in the box, and he then crossed a ball to senior forward Ian Tapia for a header attempt that sailed wide right with 25:55 left.
In the 56th minute, Casas made a leaping stop on a 20-yard rocket off the foot of McHenry senior defender Zach Ruppenthal, who cut through three Grenadiers before shooting. Mulhall had a header stopped in the 71st minute, and Casas answered on a rebound try by junior forward Luis Mujica as well.
With 7:40 left, a hustling Mulhall tipped a cross from Fiorita that Casas snagged.
"(Mulhall) can do it all," said McHenry head coach Tony Caruso. "He makes it happen for us."
Mulhall said, "I'm just playing my role. I play hard, and my teammates back me up. It helps when everyone has each other's back."
Added Uhl: "Our intention is to always play hard ... to just keep going."
Caruso said that kind of attitude should come as no surprise.
"Work ethic. We hang our hats on that," he said. "We have to outwork teams. I'm happy with the effort out there (Tuesday night).
"Defensively, we weren't great -- but pretty good. We were pretty disciplined in the back, and our goalkeeper (Adamson) did a good job when he had to. We'll take the victory over a pretty good team."
Meanwhile, Shepard said the Grenadiers will take their lumps and move on.
"We say, 'No regrets,'" he said. "If so, it's how we practice and fix it for the next game. This group, it's a team. Whether you give up an opportunity or miss an opportunity, you keep pushing forward."
Added Perez: "It's just the beginning of the season. We'll get back to practice, work hard and believe in each other."
Starting lineups
McHenry
GK: Jeff Adamson
D: Zach Ruppenthal
D: Zack Morris
D: Alex Lee
D: Zac Gorniak
M: Sam Partipilo
M: James Mulhall
M: Joe Diedrich
M: Justin Rutherford
F: Ian Tapia
F: Connor Uhl
Elk Grove
GK: Sammi Casas
D: Oscar Gonzalez
D: Markos Christoforou
D: Noe Centeno
D: Jesus Castrejon
M: Joey Weber
M: Ivan Perez
M: Misa Contreras
M: Nazzar Peron
F: Dylan Ingebrigtsen
F: Suraj Patel
Man of the Match: James Mulhall, MF, McHenry
Officials: Michael Wojtan, Wojtek Myrda, Marek Sokolowski
No. 14 Warriors nab 2-0 road win
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE -- Gritty and steady may not be the ingredients for cooking up style points, but they were the recipe for victory in McHenry's 2-0 decision against host Elk Grove in nonconference action Tuesday night.
The Warriors, ranked no. 14 in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll, improved to 2-0-1 overall with the win. Versatile McHenry senior midfielder James Mulhall, who set up his team's first goal in the 34th minute and added an insurance marker with 13:35 left in the second half, earned Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honors.
A tight, defensive struggle remained scoreless until Mulhall crossed a ball from the left side to senior forward Connor Uhl, who was stopped on the doorstep by Elk Grove senior goalkeeper Sammi Casas before quickly firing the rebound home. Mulhall made it 2-0 when he sent a low shot past Casas from a wide angle on the right side after receiving a head ball from sophomore mid Alex Fiorita.
"(Fioita) made a nice play on a 50/50 ball, so he gets the hustle credit," Mulhall said. "I just wanted to finish the play off."
Finishing proved to be more difficult for Elk Grove (2-2-0), which entered the match on a 2-game winning streak. Though the Grenadiers had more possession time in the first half, they rarely tested Warriors junior keeper Jeff Adamson, who earned the shutout while starting in place of injured senior starter Jake King.
A solid passing sequence among senior midfielder Charlie Konsolakis, junior mid Joey Weber, senior mid Ronaldo Olague and junior middie Misa Contreras in the 20th minute led to nothing but a deflection into the waiting arms of Adamson. The McHenry keeper then grabbed a rising, 30-yard try by Elk Grove senior mid Ivan Perez with 12 minutes to go before the break.
In the 35th minute, a long run by Perez resulted in a left-footed try from the left side by senior mid Danny Martinez, but his shot rolled just past the far post.
Perez made some nice moves in the 46th minute to find senior forward Suraj Patel, whose shot attempt was blocked by a wall of McHenry defenders. Thirty seconds later, Adamson stopped a 30-yard strike from Perez.
"(McHenry) pressured us well," Perez said. "We only had a couple seconds to take shots. But, the chances we had were pretty good."
Grenadiers' senior defender Jesus Castrejon liked most of the way his team played.
"I think we played a tough game," said the back, who spoiled several McHenry rushes with good positioning and booming, timely clears. "We did pretty good in the back and middle, but we weren't finishing up front. We have to finish on top to win games."
Teammate Contreras concurred.
"It's frustrating that we couldn't score," he said. "That's what we need to work on -- finishing."
Trailing by two goals, the Grenadiers pushed the pace in the final minutes and created a slew of opportunities. Moments after Casas snuffed a tip try by Mulhall in the 73rd minute, Elk Grove counterattacked, but Patel was stopped in close by Adamson.
Two minutes later, McHenry's Uhl blocked a short shot by Weber, followed soon after by a Perez header off a corner-kick that missed wide left. The ever-present Mulhall then headed away a free-kick by Elk Grove senior defender Roy Ramirez with 3 minutes left in the match.
With 2:25 to play, Adamson jumped to nab a deflection following a 20-yard free-kick by Weber.
"A tip of the cap goes to McHenry, but I definitely thought it was a pretty even game," said Elk Gove coach Rob Shepard. "The challenge for us is unlocking the box -- how to get those touches to do the most good. It's coming. The forwards just have to get their heads right and put the ball in the back of the net."
McHenry stayed aggressive throughout the night.
In the 53rd minute, Mulhall fired wide-right while falling in the box, and he then crossed a ball to senior forward Ian Tapia for a header attempt that sailed wide right with 25:55 left.
In the 56th minute, Casas made a leaping stop on a 20-yard rocket off the foot of McHenry senior defender Zach Ruppenthal, who cut through three Grenadiers before shooting. Mulhall had a header stopped in the 71st minute, and Casas answered on a rebound try by junior forward Luis Mujica as well.
With 7:40 left, a hustling Mulhall tipped a cross from Fiorita that Casas snagged.
"(Mulhall) can do it all," said McHenry head coach Tony Caruso. "He makes it happen for us."
Mulhall said, "I'm just playing my role. I play hard, and my teammates back me up. It helps when everyone has each other's back."
Added Uhl: "Our intention is to always play hard ... to just keep going."
Caruso said that kind of attitude should come as no surprise.
"Work ethic. We hang our hats on that," he said. "We have to outwork teams. I'm happy with the effort out there (Tuesday night).
"Defensively, we weren't great -- but pretty good. We were pretty disciplined in the back, and our goalkeeper (Adamson) did a good job when he had to. We'll take the victory over a pretty good team."
Meanwhile, Shepard said the Grenadiers will take their lumps and move on.
"We say, 'No regrets,'" he said. "If so, it's how we practice and fix it for the next game. This group, it's a team. Whether you give up an opportunity or miss an opportunity, you keep pushing forward."
Added Perez: "It's just the beginning of the season. We'll get back to practice, work hard and believe in each other."
Starting lineups
McHenry
GK: Jeff Adamson
D: Zach Ruppenthal
D: Zack Morris
D: Alex Lee
D: Zac Gorniak
M: Sam Partipilo
M: James Mulhall
M: Joe Diedrich
M: Justin Rutherford
F: Ian Tapia
F: Connor Uhl
Elk Grove
GK: Sammi Casas
D: Oscar Gonzalez
D: Markos Christoforou
D: Noe Centeno
D: Jesus Castrejon
M: Joey Weber
M: Ivan Perez
M: Misa Contreras
M: Nazzar Peron
F: Dylan Ingebrigtsen
F: Suraj Patel
Man of the Match: James Mulhall, MF, McHenry
Officials: Michael Wojtan, Wojtek Myrda, Marek Sokolowski