Warriors take 3-2 win in nonconference affair

By Bill Esbrook

CAROL STREAM -- “Ladies and gentleman, in the starting lineup for Glenbard North tonight, Contemporary World History teacher Brady Hansen.”

No, the PA announcer didn’t really say that Thursday night at the Panthers stadium. 

But there Hansen was, on the field with some of her fellow educators, standing alongside the team during the pre-game introductions.

It was Staff Appreciation Night at Glenbard North and each player honored a teacher who has made an impact in their lives. The pairs were presented on the pitch prior to the match.

Panthers forward Tony Ramos chose Hansen.

“It’s such an honor,” she said. “We’re lucky to have a great student population at our school, which in general is very supportive of us.”

Speaking on behalf of her colleagues, she added that “the fact that they (the players) chose us is awesome.

“I think it’s amazing to see them progress and see them not just as students but as human beings too. For them to take the time out of their schedule as student-athletes, they’re basically working two jobs right now, to thank us is huge and very meaningful.”

Hansen and the other instructors on hand saw the Panthers play one of their best games of the season. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to overcome sharp Wheaton Academy (10-1-0), which won its third-straight match after falling to currently seventh-ranked Maine South.

The Warriors fell behind early, but rallied with two goals late in the first half.

Wheaton Academy extended its advantage in the second half, then held off a furious Glenbard North late rally to win the nonconference match 3-2.

Wheaton Academy came into the contest ranked eighth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, and with good reason. The Warriors have outscored their opponents 48-9 so far this season.

The hype didn’t stop Glenbard North from taking an early lead.

In the 23rd minute, Panthers senior forward Marco Galto used his speed to track down a long ball in the corner of the Warriors end.

He crossed it perfectly to classmate Samuel Hernandez, who alertly slotted the ball past Wheaton Academy keeper Connor Riddle from four yards.

Wheaton Academy evened the score just a minute-and-a-half later.

Warriors midfielder Sam Brown took a free kick from 21 yards from dead center and deposited the ball into the upper portion of the goal, just over the outstretched arm of Panthers keeper Abdulrehman Ausaf.

The spectacular tally tied the match at 1-1 and gave the visitors a big boost of energy.

“The (Glenbard North) keeper was off his line for most of the game,” said Brown, a senior. "I thought I’d just put a little zip on my shot and see if I could catch him off guard, and maybe it would go in.”

Glenbard North came into the game on a defensive-minded track for the season; they’d conceded just eight goals in eight games.

But their offense had been sputtering. They had scored only nine times and as a result sported a 2-3-3 record.

Brown knew that wouldn’t tell the tale of the match.

“This team (Glenbard North) doesn’t have the greatest record,” she said, “but they certainly don’t play like it.

“They’re a great team, and we respect them. We play them every year, and it’s always a good game.”

The Warriors stayed on the attack and quickly took the lead in the 26th minute.

Brown, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors, sent a pass to the middle of the field meant for teammate Cuyler Finnegan.

Finnegan, keeper Ausaf and a Glenbard North defender all converged on the ball at just about the same moment. The two Panthers got tangled up, and the ball squirted free to Finnegan with nothing but an open net in front of him.

The forward finished from 24 yards to give his side a 2-1 lead.

The situation made Glenbard North coach Spero Mandakas shake his head -- his team had been playing so well, yet still trailed.

“We were generating a lot in the beginning,” he said, “and scored a good goal by being in the right spots.

“We just kind of had a brain explosion for three minutes, and they (Wheaton Academy) scored two goals. That’s what happens when you give a good team opportunities.

“We made some mistakes, whether it was fouling outside the box, or in the build-up on a counter-starting pass from them. Those are the things that teams are going to punish you for.

“They’re a good team, and they’re ranked high for a reason. They do a lot of good things.”

Wheaton Academy had another chance late in the first stanza in front of the good-sized crowd.

Brown made another agile pass, this time through traffic to teammate Mason Brooke.

Brooke fired a bending shot that just missed wide left, and the score stayed at 2-1 visitors going into intermission.

“I thought our guys were responding well,” said Wheaton Academy coach Jeff Brooke. “They were managing the game and were committing themselves to possession and staying calm.

“I was pleased with our center-mids, and I thought our four in the back did very well. It’s good to be in a close game against a great program.”

Wheaton Academy came out pressing the pace right after the second half kickoff.

They had a great chance in the 44th minute when Brown delivered a pass to Brooke, who laid it off on the right flank to forward Sebastian Conroy.

Conroy, from 13 yards, had just the Panthers keeper to beat but his shot went wide right.

The Warriors stayed on the attack, and it didn’t take long for them to pad the lead.

It was Brown again in the 45th minute. His initial shot was saved by Ausaf on a spectacular play, but the senior got the rebound and fired it in from 18 yards.

The 3-1 Warriors lead didn’t deter Glenbard North, which halved its deficit in the 51st minute.

Galto took advantage of a Wheaton Academy defensive error and blasted the ball into the net from 29 yards to make the score 3-2.
 
“That was electric,” said Galto. “We got back into the game, and it gave us hope.”

In the final 20 minutes, the match seemed to take on a little-extra adrenaline as the teams kicked up the pace. Glenbard North held the upper hand.

“It was intense,” said Brown with a laugh. “I think even the referee was a little bit on edge."

Twice in the final minutes, the Panthers had quality chances to tie the game but luck wasn’t on their side.

With a little over six minutes remaining in the contest, senior forward Andy Rodriguez took possession of a long ball, settled and drove down the field.

He turned and directed a shot right on frame, but it was saved by Riddle.

The best opportunity came at the end.

After a Panthers free kick that came from the six-yard mark near the right sideline, Hugo Lopez-Vargas simply hammered a shot that banged hard off the crossbar. But an AR’s raised flag for an offsides call meant the shot wouldn’t have mattered even if it went in.

Wheaton Academy weathered the final 30 seconds, breathed a sigh of relief and claimed its victory.

“It went back and forth,” said Brown. “We gave up a couple of free kicks, but once again our keeper was great, and we played great D. We just stuck with it.”

Mandakas said that despite the tough loss, Glenbard North is headed in the right direction.

“We got some different guys involved tonight, and that was great,” he said.

“Our attack has been a little stale, but every game, we’re evolving a little bit.

“We got more movement up-top tonight and a little more organization. We’ll take that into our next few matches.”

Starting lineups

Wheaton Academy
GK: Connor Riddle
D: Brenden Kelly
D: Caleb Vandervelde
D: Carlton McClure
D: Finn Ruch
MF: Luke Rodriguez
MF: Mason Brooke
MF: Sam Brown
MF: Andrew Lopez
F: Sebastian Conroy
F: Cuyler Finnegan

Glenbard North
GK: Abdulrehman Ausaf
D Brandon Tran 
D Sammie Hernandez
D Hugo Lopez
D Gavin VanTichelt
M Diego Navarro
M Lee Lopez
M Matteo Diaz-Strong
F Andy Rodriguez
F Kevin Rosas
F Marco Galto 

Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Sam Brown, sr., MF, Wheaton Academy

Scoring summary

First half
GN: Hernandez (Galto), 23'
WA: Brown (unassisted), 24'
WA: Finnegan (Brown), 26'

Second half
WA: Brown (unassisted), 45'
GN: Galto (unassisted), 51'