Lake Park gives WWS rude awakening
Lancers power to 5-1 win against weary Tigers
By Ken Keenan
ROSELLE -- Hosting a Wheaton-Warrenville South squad that was anything
but rested, Lake Park rolled to a 5-1 win Saturday afternoon.
The Lancers jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead against the Tigers, who
took the pitch after a short night's sleep following a 4-1 loss
against nationally ranked Marquette High School (Wis.) at Carthage
College, in Kenosha, Friday night. Lake Park added two more goals in
the first 10 minutes of the second session before Wheaton Warrenville South
broke the shutout late in the match.
"We were a little loose ... mentally fatigued," said Tigers head coach
Guy Callipari, whose team fell to 6-12-2 overall and 4-4-0 in DuPage
Valley Conference play. "Two games in less 24 hours against a national
defender and then Lake Park -- we had to dig through and find heart
and spirit."
Lake Park skipper Anthony Passi, who saw his crew improve to 11-2-3
overall and 5-1-1 in league play with its fifth-straight victory, had
nothing but praise for Callipari and Co. afterward.
"I'm sure (the Tigers') legs were heavy, but they did not give up,"
Passi said. "Guy (Callipari) gets 'em ready. He's one of the best
coaches in the state. He's a classy guy with a classy team. He does a
nice job keeping his team focused."
Lake Park -- ranked no. 21 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 --
entered the match in the midst of a challenging slate as well. The
Lancers topped DVC foe, and no. 7-ranked, Glenbard North 2-1 in
overtime Tuesday, and bested Neuqua Valley 2-1 in conference
action Thursday.
"It's been a busy week," Passi said. "All three games: DVC soccer --
tough, physical. And it was homecoming week, too. But we talk about it
all the time ... no distractions, staying focused. You have to play
with the same consistency, maintain that level of energy, and stay
healthy and strong."
The Lancers were plenty strong Saturday, especially in the
Wheaton-Warrenville South box. Lake Park's first four goals each came
from in close; the fifth was scored on a penalty kick.
Junior midfielder Lorenzo Costa got the party started. Taking a pass
in stride from senior midfielder Alex Armas while cutting to the net
from the right side, Costa fired a quick shot past Wheaton Warrenville
South senior goalkeeper Adam Mrzlak in the 11th minute for a 1-0 lead.
Four minutes later, Armas -- Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match --
made it 2-0 with a short tap-in from the left after tracking down a
fine cross from senior mid Pasquale Ottolino. With two minutes to go
before the break, Armas sent a sure, left-footed pass to Ottolino, who
tallied from in close for a 3-0 bulge.
"We practice a lot to take (the ball) to the near post, and find a
spot-ball to the center-mids," Armas said. "So we knew what we were
doing."
Senior forward Anthony Passi, who upped the advantage to 4-0 in the
46th minute when he headed in a deep throw-in from senior defender
Brody Thompson, said, "It's easier to function when we do what we do
in practice, in the game."
Coach Passi added: "You design it, talk about it, and then do it on the field."
Wheaton Warrenville South senior defender Anthony Berardi, who tallied
the Tigers' lone goal on a header off of a free kick by senior
defender Jack Schlegel with 6:10 left, said, "A couple of times, we
had miscommunication -- mental lapses (on Lake Park's goals). We were
tired, but no excuses. You have to find the energy to play."
Callipari said, "Lake Park brought a lot of pressure and intensity,
and that qualified for opportunities in close. We were a little bit
behind on recognizing, and they made us pay for it."
Added Tigers' sophomore midfielder Clyde Wight: "We didn't challenge
for balls on those plays. It was mostly mental and physical fatigue.
We were lacking because of that, and (the Lancers) took advantage. But
we should have done a better job closing down."
Lake Park had plenty of other opportunities. In the second minute,
Ottolino fired a 15-yard shot over the net, and he was stopped by
Mrzlak on a left-footed try from the right side nine minutes in.
Ottolino also headed a ball over the crossbar with 18:35 to go in the
first half.
With 5:10 to go in the opening stanza, Passi sent a cross to Costa,
whose shot from the left side sailed just high.
After being fouled in the box, Passi completed the Lancers' barrage with a
PK with 30:39 left in the match, shooting to the right while Mrzlak
guessed left.
"We're on a roll -- things are starting to click," coach Passi said.
"We're definitely a different team than we were at the beginning of
the year (during a 1-1-2 start). It's starting to be fun to watch
things come together."
Senior defender Joshua Solarz said, "We have a tradition here to have
winning seasons. It took a while this year, but now everyone's getting
the idea."
Passi, the player, added: "In the summer league, coach stressed
finding our identity, and we keep building that up and getting these
wins."
Armas also chimed in, saying, "As a team, we're finding ourselves ...
getting more intelligent. Everyone's maturing, and we're trying to
continue that."
Despite the huge deficit, the Tigers didn't sneak away for an
afternoon nap. A 15-yard free kick by Berardi in the 44th minute
sailed over the crossbar, and shifty senior forward Felipe Speraggi
just missed wide-right on a nice turnaround try with 29 minutes to go.
A minute later, Speraggi sent a cross to senior middie Adrian Guzman,
whose head attempt narrowly missed. With 11:30 to go, senior
midfielder Jose Alfaro fired a rocket over the crossbar, and Berardi
followed with a shot on goal about 45 seconds later.
"We got on each other a little at halftime," Berardi said. "It's the
end of the season ... the end of my high school career, and the other
seniors, too. So I wanted to do my best, and that kind of helped bring
us up a little bit in the second half."
Added Wight: "It really shows our team has a lot of fight, and we will
continue to fight."
Callipari said, "It's about the process, not the outcome. What we're
going to gain is what we do in the process."
With an beaten streak that reached seven games (6-0-1), the Lancers
seem to have a good handle on that.
"I know coach always appreciates a full 80 minutes of soccer, and we
work as hard as we can," Solarz said. "You've got to make the most out
of every game."
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Adam Mirzlak
D: Jack Schlegel
D: Charlie Kerby
D: Chris Stamatopoulos
D: Jackson Keske
M: Adrian Guzman
M: Carlos Moyoti-Rosas
M: Mark Christotomo
M: Clyde Wight
M: Anthony Berardi
F: Danny Jimenez
Lake Park
GK: Michael Jasiak
D: Joshua Solarz
D: Brody Thompson
D: Jack Fischer
D: Dan Hynes
M: Pasquale Ottolino
M: Lorenzo Costa
M: Alessandro Montes
M: Michael Passi
M: Alex Armas
F: Anthony Passi
Man of the Match: Alex Armas, MF, Lake Park
Officials: Krzysztof Bajorek, Jim Brotsos, Dave Petrosky
Lancers power to 5-1 win against weary Tigers
By Ken Keenan
ROSELLE -- Hosting a Wheaton-Warrenville South squad that was anything
but rested, Lake Park rolled to a 5-1 win Saturday afternoon.
The Lancers jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead against the Tigers, who
took the pitch after a short night's sleep following a 4-1 loss
against nationally ranked Marquette High School (Wis.) at Carthage
College, in Kenosha, Friday night. Lake Park added two more goals in
the first 10 minutes of the second session before Wheaton Warrenville South
broke the shutout late in the match.
"We were a little loose ... mentally fatigued," said Tigers head coach
Guy Callipari, whose team fell to 6-12-2 overall and 4-4-0 in DuPage
Valley Conference play. "Two games in less 24 hours against a national
defender and then Lake Park -- we had to dig through and find heart
and spirit."
Lake Park skipper Anthony Passi, who saw his crew improve to 11-2-3
overall and 5-1-1 in league play with its fifth-straight victory, had
nothing but praise for Callipari and Co. afterward.
"I'm sure (the Tigers') legs were heavy, but they did not give up,"
Passi said. "Guy (Callipari) gets 'em ready. He's one of the best
coaches in the state. He's a classy guy with a classy team. He does a
nice job keeping his team focused."
Lake Park -- ranked no. 21 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 --
entered the match in the midst of a challenging slate as well. The
Lancers topped DVC foe, and no. 7-ranked, Glenbard North 2-1 in
overtime Tuesday, and bested Neuqua Valley 2-1 in conference
action Thursday.
"It's been a busy week," Passi said. "All three games: DVC soccer --
tough, physical. And it was homecoming week, too. But we talk about it
all the time ... no distractions, staying focused. You have to play
with the same consistency, maintain that level of energy, and stay
healthy and strong."
The Lancers were plenty strong Saturday, especially in the
Wheaton-Warrenville South box. Lake Park's first four goals each came
from in close; the fifth was scored on a penalty kick.
Junior midfielder Lorenzo Costa got the party started. Taking a pass
in stride from senior midfielder Alex Armas while cutting to the net
from the right side, Costa fired a quick shot past Wheaton Warrenville
South senior goalkeeper Adam Mrzlak in the 11th minute for a 1-0 lead.
Four minutes later, Armas -- Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match --
made it 2-0 with a short tap-in from the left after tracking down a
fine cross from senior mid Pasquale Ottolino. With two minutes to go
before the break, Armas sent a sure, left-footed pass to Ottolino, who
tallied from in close for a 3-0 bulge.
"We practice a lot to take (the ball) to the near post, and find a
spot-ball to the center-mids," Armas said. "So we knew what we were
doing."
Senior forward Anthony Passi, who upped the advantage to 4-0 in the
46th minute when he headed in a deep throw-in from senior defender
Brody Thompson, said, "It's easier to function when we do what we do
in practice, in the game."
Coach Passi added: "You design it, talk about it, and then do it on the field."
Wheaton Warrenville South senior defender Anthony Berardi, who tallied
the Tigers' lone goal on a header off of a free kick by senior
defender Jack Schlegel with 6:10 left, said, "A couple of times, we
had miscommunication -- mental lapses (on Lake Park's goals). We were
tired, but no excuses. You have to find the energy to play."
Callipari said, "Lake Park brought a lot of pressure and intensity,
and that qualified for opportunities in close. We were a little bit
behind on recognizing, and they made us pay for it."
Added Tigers' sophomore midfielder Clyde Wight: "We didn't challenge
for balls on those plays. It was mostly mental and physical fatigue.
We were lacking because of that, and (the Lancers) took advantage. But
we should have done a better job closing down."
Lake Park had plenty of other opportunities. In the second minute,
Ottolino fired a 15-yard shot over the net, and he was stopped by
Mrzlak on a left-footed try from the right side nine minutes in.
Ottolino also headed a ball over the crossbar with 18:35 to go in the
first half.
With 5:10 to go in the opening stanza, Passi sent a cross to Costa,
whose shot from the left side sailed just high.
After being fouled in the box, Passi completed the Lancers' barrage with a
PK with 30:39 left in the match, shooting to the right while Mrzlak
guessed left.
"We're on a roll -- things are starting to click," coach Passi said.
"We're definitely a different team than we were at the beginning of
the year (during a 1-1-2 start). It's starting to be fun to watch
things come together."
Senior defender Joshua Solarz said, "We have a tradition here to have
winning seasons. It took a while this year, but now everyone's getting
the idea."
Passi, the player, added: "In the summer league, coach stressed
finding our identity, and we keep building that up and getting these
wins."
Armas also chimed in, saying, "As a team, we're finding ourselves ...
getting more intelligent. Everyone's maturing, and we're trying to
continue that."
Despite the huge deficit, the Tigers didn't sneak away for an
afternoon nap. A 15-yard free kick by Berardi in the 44th minute
sailed over the crossbar, and shifty senior forward Felipe Speraggi
just missed wide-right on a nice turnaround try with 29 minutes to go.
A minute later, Speraggi sent a cross to senior middie Adrian Guzman,
whose head attempt narrowly missed. With 11:30 to go, senior
midfielder Jose Alfaro fired a rocket over the crossbar, and Berardi
followed with a shot on goal about 45 seconds later.
"We got on each other a little at halftime," Berardi said. "It's the
end of the season ... the end of my high school career, and the other
seniors, too. So I wanted to do my best, and that kind of helped bring
us up a little bit in the second half."
Added Wight: "It really shows our team has a lot of fight, and we will
continue to fight."
Callipari said, "It's about the process, not the outcome. What we're
going to gain is what we do in the process."
With an beaten streak that reached seven games (6-0-1), the Lancers
seem to have a good handle on that.
"I know coach always appreciates a full 80 minutes of soccer, and we
work as hard as we can," Solarz said. "You've got to make the most out
of every game."
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Adam Mirzlak
D: Jack Schlegel
D: Charlie Kerby
D: Chris Stamatopoulos
D: Jackson Keske
M: Adrian Guzman
M: Carlos Moyoti-Rosas
M: Mark Christotomo
M: Clyde Wight
M: Anthony Berardi
F: Danny Jimenez
Lake Park
GK: Michael Jasiak
D: Joshua Solarz
D: Brody Thompson
D: Jack Fischer
D: Dan Hynes
M: Pasquale Ottolino
M: Lorenzo Costa
M: Alessandro Montes
M: Michael Passi
M: Alex Armas
F: Anthony Passi
Man of the Match: Alex Armas, MF, Lake Park
Officials: Krzysztof Bajorek, Jim Brotsos, Dave Petrosky