Prospect nips Elk Grove
1-0 in tight MSL battle
80th-minute Grenadiers' try for equalizer bangs off crossbar
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE -- In a typical, close-to-the-vest Mid-Suburban League battle, Prospect nipped host Elk Grove 1-0 Tuesday night on a second half goal by speedy junior forward Nico Mho.
The Grenadiers nearly tied the match in the final 15 seconds. After settling a cross from senior midfielder Noe Centeno, junior mid Misa Contreras uncorked a 20-yard shot that banged off the crossbar and bounced straight down before being cleared out of danger.
The victory, Prospect's second in a row, improved the Knights to 3-3-0 overall and 2-2-0 in conference play. Elk Grove, which entered the game on a 2-game winning streak, fell to 4-3-0, 2-1-0.
"Elk Grove came at us the last 10 minutes," said Prospect head coach Paul Elkins. "That last one (by Contreras) was inches from going in. We're very lucky to get out with a win ... very fortunate."
Knights senior defender James Estrella, who helped junior goalkeeper Kevin Shane earn the shutout with a consistently solid effort on the backline, was Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match.
"He was a rock all game," Elkins said. "Head balls, clears -- all game."
Estrella was particularly effective late in the second half, when Elk Grove was in full desperation mode searching for the equalizer. With 15:20 remaining, Estrella blocked a try by Grenadiers' junior forward Dylan Ingebrigtsen, and then headed a cross away from the box about 35 seconds later.
In the 67th minute, Estrella aggressively charged to clear a ball with Elk Grove senior mid Ronaldo Olague in hot pursuit. Estrella also headed a long ball out of the box with 9 minutes to go, and was part of a Prospect wall that denied a 20-yard free-kick off the foot of Grenadiers' senior defender Jesus Castrejon with 8:35 left.
"I use my body as a shield," Estrella said. "Our defense, we tried locking down -- like a shell -- to keep everything away from our goal. That last one (off the crossbar), I felt my heart skip a beat."
Meanwhile, Elk Grove was left to ponder its third shutout loss of the young campaign, made especially painful by the late clanker off the crossbar.
"It felt like it was in, but ..." Contreras said, pausing to shake his head in disbelief. "Still, I've got to work on finishing that."
Centeno, who sent a left-footed, 35-yard rocket over the bar in the 18th minute and was stopped by Shane from a wide angle on the left side with 5:40 to go in the first half, said, "We started playing harder after (Prospect) scored, with three midfielders on the attack. We kept fighting 'til the end. Then, that last play. But, we didn't get it."
The lone goal of the match came on a sweet shot by Mho, who took a sharp pass from senior forward Jakub Bochenek on the left side before firing high into the top right corner to beat Elk Grove senior keeper Sammi Casas with 22:53 left before the break.
"It was a perfect play by Jakub (Bochenek), and I shot it in back post," Mho said.
Added Elkins: "Jakub led a nice ball, and Nico (Mho) made a nice individual play for a nice finish."
For the majority of the match, chances like that were difficult to come by for both teams. Defense was the name of the game in this tilt.
"On their goal, we got ourselves running backwards," said Elk Grove head coach Rob Shepard. "The kid (Mho) had speed on us, and he had a nice finish. I thought our defense, otherwise, played a really solid game. If you give up only one goal a game and you're losing games, that's on our offense. We're getting the chances, but it seems like we're 0-for-infinity with the ball.
"We spend a lot of time on it, but we are having difficulties in the final third. It's having that little clock in your head -- something to free up the ball to finish."
Prior to scoring, Mho had a good opportunity at the top of the box in the 5th minute, but he missed wide-left. Four minutes later, a nifty steal and clear by Elk Grove's Castrejon spoiled a possible try for Bochenek.
With 50 seconds left in the first half, Knights' senior defender Grant Whitebloom watched his strong head attempt sail wide-left in traffic. Twelve minutes into the second half, a Prospect corner-kick ended up at the feet of junior midfielder Aaron Whiteman, who fired from the left side only to be stopped by Casas at the near post.
Elk Grove produced a couple of chances in the first half, including a short-range scissor-kick by senior mid Danny Martinez to complete a fine passing sequence among junior middie Joey Weber, senior defender Markos Christoforou, senior forward Suraj Patel and the ever-present Centeno. Grenadiers' senior forward Bryan Alvarado had his team's best try in the opening 40 minutes when his header from the right side missed just wide-left with 8:40 to go before the break.
Holding the 1-0 lead, Prospect's best chances the rest of the way came when senior defender Evan Milligan boomed a 50-yard free kick that Bochenek headed wide with 17:55 left, and in the 70th minute when Mho concluded a nice run down the right side by cutting to the middle and unleashing a left-footed shot against the grain that scooted wide-right.
The Grenadiers controlled the ball down the stretch, and created a pair of chances in the 75th minute. Estrella came to the Knights' rescue both times, heading a cross by Elk Grove senior defender Roy Ramirez out of danger, and then doing the same on a cross by Contreras that Shane eventually scooped during a pile-up in the box.
"It was a hard match," Estrella said. "When you play your division, you want to win."
Starting lineups
Prospect
G: Kevin Shane
D: Tengis Tulga
D: Joe Passmore
D: James Estrella
D: Grant Whitebloom
M: Joe Boduch
M: Patrick Limanowka
M: Nick Kosla
M: Aaron Whiteman
F: Nico Mho
F: Jakub Bochenek
Elk Grove
G: Sammi Casas
D: Oscar Gonzalez
D: Markos Christoforou
D: Jesus Castrejon
M: Joey Weber
M: Noe Centeno
M: Misa Contreras
M: Nazzar Peron
M: Ronaldo Olague
F: Bryan Alvarado
F: Dylan Ingebrigtsen
Man of the Match: James Estrella, D, Prospect
1-0 in tight MSL battle
80th-minute Grenadiers' try for equalizer bangs off crossbar
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE -- In a typical, close-to-the-vest Mid-Suburban League battle, Prospect nipped host Elk Grove 1-0 Tuesday night on a second half goal by speedy junior forward Nico Mho.
The Grenadiers nearly tied the match in the final 15 seconds. After settling a cross from senior midfielder Noe Centeno, junior mid Misa Contreras uncorked a 20-yard shot that banged off the crossbar and bounced straight down before being cleared out of danger.
The victory, Prospect's second in a row, improved the Knights to 3-3-0 overall and 2-2-0 in conference play. Elk Grove, which entered the game on a 2-game winning streak, fell to 4-3-0, 2-1-0.
"Elk Grove came at us the last 10 minutes," said Prospect head coach Paul Elkins. "That last one (by Contreras) was inches from going in. We're very lucky to get out with a win ... very fortunate."
Knights senior defender James Estrella, who helped junior goalkeeper Kevin Shane earn the shutout with a consistently solid effort on the backline, was Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match.
"He was a rock all game," Elkins said. "Head balls, clears -- all game."
Estrella was particularly effective late in the second half, when Elk Grove was in full desperation mode searching for the equalizer. With 15:20 remaining, Estrella blocked a try by Grenadiers' junior forward Dylan Ingebrigtsen, and then headed a cross away from the box about 35 seconds later.
In the 67th minute, Estrella aggressively charged to clear a ball with Elk Grove senior mid Ronaldo Olague in hot pursuit. Estrella also headed a long ball out of the box with 9 minutes to go, and was part of a Prospect wall that denied a 20-yard free-kick off the foot of Grenadiers' senior defender Jesus Castrejon with 8:35 left.
"I use my body as a shield," Estrella said. "Our defense, we tried locking down -- like a shell -- to keep everything away from our goal. That last one (off the crossbar), I felt my heart skip a beat."
Meanwhile, Elk Grove was left to ponder its third shutout loss of the young campaign, made especially painful by the late clanker off the crossbar.
"It felt like it was in, but ..." Contreras said, pausing to shake his head in disbelief. "Still, I've got to work on finishing that."
Centeno, who sent a left-footed, 35-yard rocket over the bar in the 18th minute and was stopped by Shane from a wide angle on the left side with 5:40 to go in the first half, said, "We started playing harder after (Prospect) scored, with three midfielders on the attack. We kept fighting 'til the end. Then, that last play. But, we didn't get it."
The lone goal of the match came on a sweet shot by Mho, who took a sharp pass from senior forward Jakub Bochenek on the left side before firing high into the top right corner to beat Elk Grove senior keeper Sammi Casas with 22:53 left before the break.
"It was a perfect play by Jakub (Bochenek), and I shot it in back post," Mho said.
Added Elkins: "Jakub led a nice ball, and Nico (Mho) made a nice individual play for a nice finish."
For the majority of the match, chances like that were difficult to come by for both teams. Defense was the name of the game in this tilt.
"On their goal, we got ourselves running backwards," said Elk Grove head coach Rob Shepard. "The kid (Mho) had speed on us, and he had a nice finish. I thought our defense, otherwise, played a really solid game. If you give up only one goal a game and you're losing games, that's on our offense. We're getting the chances, but it seems like we're 0-for-infinity with the ball.
"We spend a lot of time on it, but we are having difficulties in the final third. It's having that little clock in your head -- something to free up the ball to finish."
Prior to scoring, Mho had a good opportunity at the top of the box in the 5th minute, but he missed wide-left. Four minutes later, a nifty steal and clear by Elk Grove's Castrejon spoiled a possible try for Bochenek.
With 50 seconds left in the first half, Knights' senior defender Grant Whitebloom watched his strong head attempt sail wide-left in traffic. Twelve minutes into the second half, a Prospect corner-kick ended up at the feet of junior midfielder Aaron Whiteman, who fired from the left side only to be stopped by Casas at the near post.
Elk Grove produced a couple of chances in the first half, including a short-range scissor-kick by senior mid Danny Martinez to complete a fine passing sequence among junior middie Joey Weber, senior defender Markos Christoforou, senior forward Suraj Patel and the ever-present Centeno. Grenadiers' senior forward Bryan Alvarado had his team's best try in the opening 40 minutes when his header from the right side missed just wide-left with 8:40 to go before the break.
Holding the 1-0 lead, Prospect's best chances the rest of the way came when senior defender Evan Milligan boomed a 50-yard free kick that Bochenek headed wide with 17:55 left, and in the 70th minute when Mho concluded a nice run down the right side by cutting to the middle and unleashing a left-footed shot against the grain that scooted wide-right.
The Grenadiers controlled the ball down the stretch, and created a pair of chances in the 75th minute. Estrella came to the Knights' rescue both times, heading a cross by Elk Grove senior defender Roy Ramirez out of danger, and then doing the same on a cross by Contreras that Shane eventually scooped during a pile-up in the box.
"It was a hard match," Estrella said. "When you play your division, you want to win."
Starting lineups
Prospect
G: Kevin Shane
D: Tengis Tulga
D: Joe Passmore
D: James Estrella
D: Grant Whitebloom
M: Joe Boduch
M: Patrick Limanowka
M: Nick Kosla
M: Aaron Whiteman
F: Nico Mho
F: Jakub Bochenek
Elk Grove
G: Sammi Casas
D: Oscar Gonzalez
D: Markos Christoforou
D: Jesus Castrejon
M: Joey Weber
M: Noe Centeno
M: Misa Contreras
M: Nazzar Peron
M: Ronaldo Olague
F: Bryan Alvarado
F: Dylan Ingebrigtsen
Man of the Match: James Estrella, D, Prospect
