DGN learns history lesson, downs OPRF
Quick scores lead to 3-2 conference win, ease 2015 memories
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – A year ago, a narrow loss to Hinsdale Central sent Downers Grove North on a downward spiral.
The shootout loss was the first of six-consecutive defeats.
So when the Trojans lost to Hinsdale Central 3-2 on a last-second goal Tuesday night, they faced a turning point.
But history will not repeat itself. The Trojans scored in the first two minutes of each half and edged Oak Park and River Forest 3-2 in West Suburban Conference Silver Division action Thursday night at Carstens Field.
“We were missing four starters against Hinsdale,” Downers North forward Ethan Akkawi said. “We played exceptionally well, especially since we switched to a three-back, a new 3-5-2 formation for us.
“(It was a) heart-breaking last-minute goal that they had, but I was happy we could bounce back tonight and get a win against a pretty good OPRF team.”
Akkawi got things started on a good note, making a steal and scoring in the opening minute before the crowd had even settled in.
“I blinked, and I missed what happened on the first one,” Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt said. “Coming into this game we knew that it was going to be tough, knowing how they’ve been doing really well with their season. It’s always a battle with them, and they were a very good team.
“They really performed well tonight, and we battled them and performed really well ourselves. We were very fortunate to come out the last couple games and have done a good job of getting the first goal.
“Unfortunately we were not stopping them from responding, but the good thing is we continued to play. We don’t put our heads down. We’re staying in the game, and we keep playing.”
The same could be said of the Huskies (6-5-1, 1-1-0), who played evenly with the Trojans in the first half and got the equalizer 30 seconds before halftime when sophomore James McGuire scored off an assist from Andrew Barkidjija.
But the Trojans (9-2-0, 1-1-0) again caught the Huskies napping early in the second half. Senior Johnny Klasing headed home a cross from Akkawi just 66 seconds after the break.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about a lot, coming out fast and with some intensity at the beginning of the first and second halves,” OPRF coach Jason Fried said. “They struggled with it, and today it cost us the game.
“We played well. I thought we did a good job controlling it.
“That team ism they’re really organized in the back, they had a couple quick guys, and they had a good counter. But I thought we had our opportunities. But at this level when you give up goals that quick in the first and second half, it’s hard to come back.”
Indeed, the Trojans pressed their advantage and increased their lead to 3-1 six minutes later when senior Ronaldo Perez’s cross was deflected into the net by a defender.
“I saw Tyler (Cree) in the box, and I was trying to get it to him, but I guess there was a player right there in front that got the ball before him,” Perez said. “But at least it still finished off the goal.”
Perez, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, was one of the most effective players in the second half as the Trojans built their lead. He combined with Akkawi and Jack Richards to test OPRF goalkeeper Kel Felton with regularity.
Felton made diving stops on Perez and Akkawi, while Richards hit the post with a 26-yard free kick.
“First half I wasn’t getting the ball much, so I was kind of upset,” Perez said. “But I knew that in the second half, after the coaches talked to me, I calmed myself down a little bit and just controlled myself. I started getting the ball a little bit more and just took my chances.”
The Huskies had enough chances in the second half. They generated nine shots and pulled within 3-2 when Sam Menzies made a nifty move around Downers North goalkeeper Christopher Bull to score on a breakaway off a Barkidjija pass with 18:52 to go.
But Bull made six saves in the second half, and the Huskies learned a valuable lesson.
“Always start hard right from the beginning,” Menzies said. “We lost the game because we didn’t start hard at the beginning.
“We kept up the momentum, but we weren’t able to finish. We had to work it around and possess and make sure we take shots, which we didn’t do much today.”
Conceding goals early in each half proved fatal but the Huskies should not have been surprised at Downers Grove North’s early surge. The Trojans also scored early against Hinsdale Central.
“They just broke us down,” Menzies said. “They attacked us really well when we weren’t ready, and we weren’t woken up.
“They just put two away and that just slowed us down, I guess. We were able to pick it up later, though.”
Both teams will have to pick it up if they are to contend for the WSC Silver title. OPRF won its league opener Tuesday, beating Glenbard West 1-0 thanks to Will Constable’s goal off an Ethan Haussmann assist.
“It’s game by game,” said Menzies, who has a team-leading seven goals. “Every team is really skillful.
“We keep our heads up. We don’t look back at games that we lost or won. We always just look forward.”
Unlike last year, it appears Downers Grove North has much to look forward to.
“Coach stressed that we had to win this game, especially to keep our conference chances alive,” Akkawi said. “Obviously we don’t want a slump like we had last season, losing a number of games in a row, but hopefully this sets us off and hopefully we can get a result against York on Tuesday.”
Akkawi thinks the Trojans are better equipped to avoid a losing streak.
“I think it’s all mental,” Akkawi said. “Last year, after that Central loss in PKs, we were putting our heads down, training wasn’t great.
“But yesterday we had fantastic training, were putting the ball in the back of the net. I think it translated to today’s game and hopefully we’ll carry it out through the season.”
Schmitt is encouraged by what he saw against the Huskies.
“This is exactly the same position we were in last year,” Schmitt said. “This is kind of our breaking point this year, where we wanted to go a different direction with our season.
“(The Trojans) really came out fired up and ready to play, and they really wanted to win, and they got it tonight. They played fantastic.”
Starting lineups
OPRF
GK Kel Felton
D August Gonzalez
D Nick Humbert
D Paul Kovatchis
D Eric Gusloff
M Andrew Barkidjija
M Sam Menzies
M Flynn Meehan
M James McGuire
F Ethan Haussmann
F Will Constable
Downers Grove North
GK Christopher Bull
D Kevin Danner
D Jack Drobny
D Ryan Newstrom
M Jack Richards
M Matthew Benge
M Ronaldo Perez
M Kaleb Pfotenhauer
M Johnny Klasing
F Tyler Cree
F Ethan Akkawi
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Ronaldo Perez, MF, Downers Grove North
Quick scores lead to 3-2 conference win, ease 2015 memories
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – A year ago, a narrow loss to Hinsdale Central sent Downers Grove North on a downward spiral.
The shootout loss was the first of six-consecutive defeats.
So when the Trojans lost to Hinsdale Central 3-2 on a last-second goal Tuesday night, they faced a turning point.
But history will not repeat itself. The Trojans scored in the first two minutes of each half and edged Oak Park and River Forest 3-2 in West Suburban Conference Silver Division action Thursday night at Carstens Field.
“We were missing four starters against Hinsdale,” Downers North forward Ethan Akkawi said. “We played exceptionally well, especially since we switched to a three-back, a new 3-5-2 formation for us.
“(It was a) heart-breaking last-minute goal that they had, but I was happy we could bounce back tonight and get a win against a pretty good OPRF team.”
Akkawi got things started on a good note, making a steal and scoring in the opening minute before the crowd had even settled in.
“I blinked, and I missed what happened on the first one,” Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt said. “Coming into this game we knew that it was going to be tough, knowing how they’ve been doing really well with their season. It’s always a battle with them, and they were a very good team.
“They really performed well tonight, and we battled them and performed really well ourselves. We were very fortunate to come out the last couple games and have done a good job of getting the first goal.
“Unfortunately we were not stopping them from responding, but the good thing is we continued to play. We don’t put our heads down. We’re staying in the game, and we keep playing.”
The same could be said of the Huskies (6-5-1, 1-1-0), who played evenly with the Trojans in the first half and got the equalizer 30 seconds before halftime when sophomore James McGuire scored off an assist from Andrew Barkidjija.
But the Trojans (9-2-0, 1-1-0) again caught the Huskies napping early in the second half. Senior Johnny Klasing headed home a cross from Akkawi just 66 seconds after the break.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about a lot, coming out fast and with some intensity at the beginning of the first and second halves,” OPRF coach Jason Fried said. “They struggled with it, and today it cost us the game.
“We played well. I thought we did a good job controlling it.
“That team ism they’re really organized in the back, they had a couple quick guys, and they had a good counter. But I thought we had our opportunities. But at this level when you give up goals that quick in the first and second half, it’s hard to come back.”
Indeed, the Trojans pressed their advantage and increased their lead to 3-1 six minutes later when senior Ronaldo Perez’s cross was deflected into the net by a defender.
“I saw Tyler (Cree) in the box, and I was trying to get it to him, but I guess there was a player right there in front that got the ball before him,” Perez said. “But at least it still finished off the goal.”
Perez, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, was one of the most effective players in the second half as the Trojans built their lead. He combined with Akkawi and Jack Richards to test OPRF goalkeeper Kel Felton with regularity.
Felton made diving stops on Perez and Akkawi, while Richards hit the post with a 26-yard free kick.
“First half I wasn’t getting the ball much, so I was kind of upset,” Perez said. “But I knew that in the second half, after the coaches talked to me, I calmed myself down a little bit and just controlled myself. I started getting the ball a little bit more and just took my chances.”
The Huskies had enough chances in the second half. They generated nine shots and pulled within 3-2 when Sam Menzies made a nifty move around Downers North goalkeeper Christopher Bull to score on a breakaway off a Barkidjija pass with 18:52 to go.
But Bull made six saves in the second half, and the Huskies learned a valuable lesson.
“Always start hard right from the beginning,” Menzies said. “We lost the game because we didn’t start hard at the beginning.
“We kept up the momentum, but we weren’t able to finish. We had to work it around and possess and make sure we take shots, which we didn’t do much today.”
Conceding goals early in each half proved fatal but the Huskies should not have been surprised at Downers Grove North’s early surge. The Trojans also scored early against Hinsdale Central.
“They just broke us down,” Menzies said. “They attacked us really well when we weren’t ready, and we weren’t woken up.
“They just put two away and that just slowed us down, I guess. We were able to pick it up later, though.”
Both teams will have to pick it up if they are to contend for the WSC Silver title. OPRF won its league opener Tuesday, beating Glenbard West 1-0 thanks to Will Constable’s goal off an Ethan Haussmann assist.
“It’s game by game,” said Menzies, who has a team-leading seven goals. “Every team is really skillful.
“We keep our heads up. We don’t look back at games that we lost or won. We always just look forward.”
Unlike last year, it appears Downers Grove North has much to look forward to.
“Coach stressed that we had to win this game, especially to keep our conference chances alive,” Akkawi said. “Obviously we don’t want a slump like we had last season, losing a number of games in a row, but hopefully this sets us off and hopefully we can get a result against York on Tuesday.”
Akkawi thinks the Trojans are better equipped to avoid a losing streak.
“I think it’s all mental,” Akkawi said. “Last year, after that Central loss in PKs, we were putting our heads down, training wasn’t great.
“But yesterday we had fantastic training, were putting the ball in the back of the net. I think it translated to today’s game and hopefully we’ll carry it out through the season.”
Schmitt is encouraged by what he saw against the Huskies.
“This is exactly the same position we were in last year,” Schmitt said. “This is kind of our breaking point this year, where we wanted to go a different direction with our season.
“(The Trojans) really came out fired up and ready to play, and they really wanted to win, and they got it tonight. They played fantastic.”
Starting lineups
OPRF
GK Kel Felton
D August Gonzalez
D Nick Humbert
D Paul Kovatchis
D Eric Gusloff
M Andrew Barkidjija
M Sam Menzies
M Flynn Meehan
M James McGuire
F Ethan Haussmann
F Will Constable
Downers Grove North
GK Christopher Bull
D Kevin Danner
D Jack Drobny
D Ryan Newstrom
M Jack Richards
M Matthew Benge
M Ronaldo Perez
M Kaleb Pfotenhauer
M Johnny Klasing
F Tyler Cree
F Ethan Akkawi
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Ronaldo Perez, MF, Downers Grove North