Metea Valley outlasts Wheaton North
Mustangs hold on for 1st DVC triumph
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA -- Metea Valley was quite happy to produce a 2-1 victory Thursday night over visiting Wheaton North, however, the elation was disguised as relief.
It’s been a difficult season for both DuPage Valley Conference teams as evidenced by their overall and league records. The drive for success is certainly therem but it has been hidden beneath some bad bounces, a couple draws, and numerous disheartening one-goal losses.
If anything, the Mustangs’ sigh of relief was also delayed somewhat until the memory wasn’t quite so fresh when it came to Michael Lothridge’s game-saving defensive clear with just 1:08 left in regulation.
Ultimately Metea Valley (2-6-2, 1-3-0) did get its second win of the year and first DVC triumph to snap a three-game losing streak.
Unfortunately for Wheaton North (1-9-2, 0-3-0), the Falcons now own three-straight losses for the third time this season.
“I’m mainly happy that we finished a game,” Metea coach Josh Robinson said. “Everyone deals with bad days, being unlucky, maybe losing focus. We got an early lead, had to regain it and then battle to the very end to make it stand up. We didn’t go into a shell, a lot of guys made plays, and we finished the game.”
North was understandably pushing for an equalizer and had a golden opportunity with just a minute left when a free-kick ricocheted off a few players and bounced toward the Mustangs net. However, Lothridge was parked in the right spot, defended his goalline and booted it clear. It was as if Robinson moved a bishop or knight into position to prevent a potential checkmate.
“Michael had a real strong effort for us all game long,” Robinson said. “At times we moved him forward to help control the midfield. At other times we used him in more of a center-back role. Thankfully we had him back there at the end, and he had a great game defensively.”
That served as the endorsement for Lothridge receiving Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match award.
Metea Valley had a idyllic start just 1:47 into the match as Connor Lang’s textbook cross found teammate Shareef Amor wide open to the left side of the Falcon goal.
Once again the joy of scoring was combined with much relief.
“It’s been a very long scoreless stretch,” Amor admitted. “Coach has called it a dry spell. I had 23 goals my freshman year, and this is my first goal this year. Can’t really explain what happened during my sophomore and junior years plus half of this year. But it’s gratifying to get one. Knowing we needed a good start, that was icing on the cake for me.”
Mustangs goalie Kevin Branch raced out to cover a breakaway threat at 25:17, but he wasn’t so fortunate three minutes later. Wheaton North’s Jack Prendiville had a left wing blast that Branch body blocked only to have the rebound bounce off to the right. That’s where Mark Rodriguez registered a six-yard putback for a 1-1 draw.
“At first I was thinking about more of a cross but got enough power behind it that we got a second chance,” Prendiville said. “It felt good to see Mark follow-up, because it really shifted momentum in our favor. But our energy seemed to plateau. We have to find a way to keep that kind of momentum going.”
It was Rodriguez’s first goal and the 17th for the Falcons on the year.
“Coach is always telling us to crash the goal and that’s what I did,” Rodriguez said. “You can score a lot of goals in practice, but it feels so much better in a game not just because it counts, but because you know you have to push harder to get them against an opponent.”
Unfortunately, Wheaton North yielded its 26th goal of the season just 5:46 prior to halftime.
Dominic Duffy’s throw-in became an assist as the ball eventually found its way to Alfonso Castillo, who tallied his second goal for the year.
“I consider that more of a team goal, because we were all working hard to regain the lead,” Castillo said. “I think it gave us a confidence boost.
“Being a forward you’re expected to score, and this one was more instinctive than anything. It happened pretty fast, I saw the ball rolling by a defender and knew the keeper was on the other side, so I simply wanted to make sure it was on target. For a second you feel some pressure not to miss, but when it’s in the back of the goal, there’s a lot of relief.”
Of course the ultimate relief for the Mustangs was still to come. Eight minutes after intermission, the Wheaton North’s Joe Gaither had a cannon of a direct-kick that Branch had to block wide.
On the other end of the field, Falcons' second half goalie Max Chambers scrambled, as did his defenders, to limit Metea’s chances.
There was 10:46 remaining when Michael Pfaff’s midfield direct-kick took a little higher bounce than Branch initially anticipated, and the Mustangs sophomore had to extend himself to tip it high and then catch the ball. Metea Valley’s bench exhaled while the Wheaton North group groaned a little.
Of course the Falcons’ disappointment was much more audible when Lothridge made his pivotal play.
Metea Valley had hoped a 3-2 win over previously ranked New Trier was a turning point for the season. However, that was followed by a 1-0 loss to no. 12 St. Charles North, a 1-0 loss to St. Viator, and a 2-0 defeat by no. 21 Naperville Central.
Next up is Glenbard North, a honorable mention member of the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. A win at home Saturday could be a tremendous foundation for a strong end to the season.
On Tuesday, Wheaton North produced an impressive effort in a 3-2 loss to no. 5 Naperville North – which owned a 6-0 thumping of Metea Valley earlier in the season. Despite their fifth one-goal setback, that effort made coach Rob Stassen proud.
“We didn’t show up to play tonight. This certainly wasn’t the same team that fought North so hard,” Stassen noted. “Joey (Simon) was a workhorse for us and tried to get control in the center, Jake (Dzarnowski) was another one who tried to settle us down.
“The back four, in particular Nathan (Heyen) and Michael (Pfaff) had a much better second half, but you just can’t play 40 minutes versus any DVC team.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK Harrison Thompson
D Nathan Heyen
D Jack Tegart
D Jake Dzarnowski
D Michael Pfaff
D Jake Mendez
M Jorge Petino
M Joseph Simon
M Alex Beausoleil
F Stefan Fleps
F Ariel Patel
Metea Valley
GK Kevin Branch
D Connor Lang
D Tony Sanchez
D Michael Lothridge
D Ethan Ytterberg
M Shareef Amor
M Jaylen Brooks
M Aauysh Kaul
M Evan Lang
F Dominic Duffy
F Alfonso Castillo
Man of the Match: Michael Lothridge, D, Metea Valley
Referees: Zach Richter (center), Steve Wegner, Steve Jablow
Game summary
Metea Valley 2, Wheaton North 1
Wheaton North 1 0 -- 1
Metea Valley 2 0 -- 2
Scoring
MV -- Amor 8-yarder from left side (Lang assist), 2nd minute
WN -- Rodriguez 6-yard putback of rebound (Prendiville assist), 29th minute
MV – Castillo 9-yarder from right side (Duffy assist), 35th minute
Shots
WN 5 – 2 --- 7
MV 6 – 4 --- 10
Shots on goal
WN 2 – 2 --- 4
MV 3 – 2 --- 5
Saves
WN (Thompson) 1 – (Chambers) 2 --- 3
MV (Branch) 1 – 2 --- 3
Mustangs hold on for 1st DVC triumph
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA -- Metea Valley was quite happy to produce a 2-1 victory Thursday night over visiting Wheaton North, however, the elation was disguised as relief.
It’s been a difficult season for both DuPage Valley Conference teams as evidenced by their overall and league records. The drive for success is certainly therem but it has been hidden beneath some bad bounces, a couple draws, and numerous disheartening one-goal losses.
If anything, the Mustangs’ sigh of relief was also delayed somewhat until the memory wasn’t quite so fresh when it came to Michael Lothridge’s game-saving defensive clear with just 1:08 left in regulation.
Ultimately Metea Valley (2-6-2, 1-3-0) did get its second win of the year and first DVC triumph to snap a three-game losing streak.
Unfortunately for Wheaton North (1-9-2, 0-3-0), the Falcons now own three-straight losses for the third time this season.
“I’m mainly happy that we finished a game,” Metea coach Josh Robinson said. “Everyone deals with bad days, being unlucky, maybe losing focus. We got an early lead, had to regain it and then battle to the very end to make it stand up. We didn’t go into a shell, a lot of guys made plays, and we finished the game.”
North was understandably pushing for an equalizer and had a golden opportunity with just a minute left when a free-kick ricocheted off a few players and bounced toward the Mustangs net. However, Lothridge was parked in the right spot, defended his goalline and booted it clear. It was as if Robinson moved a bishop or knight into position to prevent a potential checkmate.
“Michael had a real strong effort for us all game long,” Robinson said. “At times we moved him forward to help control the midfield. At other times we used him in more of a center-back role. Thankfully we had him back there at the end, and he had a great game defensively.”
That served as the endorsement for Lothridge receiving Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match award.
Metea Valley had a idyllic start just 1:47 into the match as Connor Lang’s textbook cross found teammate Shareef Amor wide open to the left side of the Falcon goal.
Once again the joy of scoring was combined with much relief.
“It’s been a very long scoreless stretch,” Amor admitted. “Coach has called it a dry spell. I had 23 goals my freshman year, and this is my first goal this year. Can’t really explain what happened during my sophomore and junior years plus half of this year. But it’s gratifying to get one. Knowing we needed a good start, that was icing on the cake for me.”
Mustangs goalie Kevin Branch raced out to cover a breakaway threat at 25:17, but he wasn’t so fortunate three minutes later. Wheaton North’s Jack Prendiville had a left wing blast that Branch body blocked only to have the rebound bounce off to the right. That’s where Mark Rodriguez registered a six-yard putback for a 1-1 draw.
“At first I was thinking about more of a cross but got enough power behind it that we got a second chance,” Prendiville said. “It felt good to see Mark follow-up, because it really shifted momentum in our favor. But our energy seemed to plateau. We have to find a way to keep that kind of momentum going.”
It was Rodriguez’s first goal and the 17th for the Falcons on the year.
“Coach is always telling us to crash the goal and that’s what I did,” Rodriguez said. “You can score a lot of goals in practice, but it feels so much better in a game not just because it counts, but because you know you have to push harder to get them against an opponent.”
Unfortunately, Wheaton North yielded its 26th goal of the season just 5:46 prior to halftime.
Dominic Duffy’s throw-in became an assist as the ball eventually found its way to Alfonso Castillo, who tallied his second goal for the year.
“I consider that more of a team goal, because we were all working hard to regain the lead,” Castillo said. “I think it gave us a confidence boost.
“Being a forward you’re expected to score, and this one was more instinctive than anything. It happened pretty fast, I saw the ball rolling by a defender and knew the keeper was on the other side, so I simply wanted to make sure it was on target. For a second you feel some pressure not to miss, but when it’s in the back of the goal, there’s a lot of relief.”
Of course the ultimate relief for the Mustangs was still to come. Eight minutes after intermission, the Wheaton North’s Joe Gaither had a cannon of a direct-kick that Branch had to block wide.
On the other end of the field, Falcons' second half goalie Max Chambers scrambled, as did his defenders, to limit Metea’s chances.
There was 10:46 remaining when Michael Pfaff’s midfield direct-kick took a little higher bounce than Branch initially anticipated, and the Mustangs sophomore had to extend himself to tip it high and then catch the ball. Metea Valley’s bench exhaled while the Wheaton North group groaned a little.
Of course the Falcons’ disappointment was much more audible when Lothridge made his pivotal play.
Metea Valley had hoped a 3-2 win over previously ranked New Trier was a turning point for the season. However, that was followed by a 1-0 loss to no. 12 St. Charles North, a 1-0 loss to St. Viator, and a 2-0 defeat by no. 21 Naperville Central.
Next up is Glenbard North, a honorable mention member of the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. A win at home Saturday could be a tremendous foundation for a strong end to the season.
On Tuesday, Wheaton North produced an impressive effort in a 3-2 loss to no. 5 Naperville North – which owned a 6-0 thumping of Metea Valley earlier in the season. Despite their fifth one-goal setback, that effort made coach Rob Stassen proud.
“We didn’t show up to play tonight. This certainly wasn’t the same team that fought North so hard,” Stassen noted. “Joey (Simon) was a workhorse for us and tried to get control in the center, Jake (Dzarnowski) was another one who tried to settle us down.
“The back four, in particular Nathan (Heyen) and Michael (Pfaff) had a much better second half, but you just can’t play 40 minutes versus any DVC team.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK Harrison Thompson
D Nathan Heyen
D Jack Tegart
D Jake Dzarnowski
D Michael Pfaff
D Jake Mendez
M Jorge Petino
M Joseph Simon
M Alex Beausoleil
F Stefan Fleps
F Ariel Patel
Metea Valley
GK Kevin Branch
D Connor Lang
D Tony Sanchez
D Michael Lothridge
D Ethan Ytterberg
M Shareef Amor
M Jaylen Brooks
M Aauysh Kaul
M Evan Lang
F Dominic Duffy
F Alfonso Castillo
Man of the Match: Michael Lothridge, D, Metea Valley
Referees: Zach Richter (center), Steve Wegner, Steve Jablow
Game summary
Metea Valley 2, Wheaton North 1
Wheaton North 1 0 -- 1
Metea Valley 2 0 -- 2
Scoring
MV -- Amor 8-yarder from left side (Lang assist), 2nd minute
WN -- Rodriguez 6-yard putback of rebound (Prendiville assist), 29th minute
MV – Castillo 9-yarder from right side (Duffy assist), 35th minute
Shots
WN 5 – 2 --- 7
MV 6 – 4 --- 10
Shots on goal
WN 2 – 2 --- 4
MV 3 – 2 --- 5
Saves
WN (Thompson) 1 – (Chambers) 2 --- 3
MV (Branch) 1 – 2 --- 3