ROLLING MEADOWS -- No. 24 Rolling Meadows and its division rival and 20th-ranked Hersey continue to put a little more distance between themselves and the rest of the Mid-Suburban League after another interesting night of results were put in the book Tuesday.

Hersey's 0-0 draw with Conant gave Brett Olson’s club from Rolling Meadows the opportunity to go to the top spot when it welcomed Barrington to Robert Hoese Field.

Christian Jablonski scored a fantastic opener just seconds before the intermission to send the home side into the second half with plenty of momentum. However, the Broncos responded with a spot-kick conversion to finish 1-1.

The one point in this end-to-end match meant the Mustangs stayed unbeaten in league play at 5-0-1 and are chase Hersey by a single point (17-16). 

Hersey faces Elk Grove on Friday afternoon (Sept. 27). The Grenadiers (4-2-0 in the league) were right there with Rolling Meadows but lost two straight and sit third in the table with 12 points.

"We played some very good soccer tonight," began Mustangs manager Brett Olson. “So did Scott Steib's (Barrington) guys.

"(We) had chances to go into the break up 3-0, then unfortunately had an unlucky hand ball that gave them the opportunity to equalize.

"I was happy with our effort and with the way we responded after their PK. Despite not getting the three points we wanted, I am still pleased to come away with the one point we earned to stay right there with Hersey."

"(Barrington) came out real strong," said Alex Kociubinski, who shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor with Barrington’s Jack Ball.

“We picked up our game after we defended their great start. Us not finishing our chances kept us in a real hard-fought game against a good opponent.”

Christian Jablonski, the Mustangs talented centerback added: "We kind of let this one get away from us after missing a couple of good chances, but (still) scoring that late goal just before the half.

"Too bad we conceded their goal on a handball in the box, but we still could have done better in the final third tonight which could have made a difference in the final result."

A lively start from both sides saw the visitors on their collective front foot far more than the Mustangs (10-2-1) who watched the Barrington quartet of Magdiel Magdaleno, Brian Mazgaj, Patrick Tabb and Nico Hausser enjoy plenty of touches, many of which were quickly played using width and purpose to put the home side under pressure in the first quarter hour.

"We were much more of an attacking team than we've been of late," said Hausser. “We got everyone involved and were playing out wide and using our outside backs a lot also.”

Magdaleno went end line before playing a wonderful ball through the box that failed to be cleared far enough out of the area.

Alex Liapis turned nicely to unload an attempt toward an open far post, only to go wide at 11 minutes.

Rolling Meadows top-line keeper, Marceli Okonski, who not only is a superb shot-blocker but commands his box with the best of them, provided marvelous free kicks when called upon.

His first of several on the night came from the midline and was parried away for a deep throw in the 14th minute.

Jablonski made a long toss that was redirected off a teammate to Eltayeb Mahmoud, whose left-footed blast went just over the bar.

Kalvin Lagunas went over with his effort from distance, before Barrington’s Mazgaj answered with a right-footed smash wide of the back post moments later.

"We've defended really well along the back as a team this season thus far, but we just have not been able to find a way into the back of the net very often" said Steib, whose Broncos (5-3-4, 2-3-1) have bagged eight goals while conceding 11 this season.

"We had a great start, but there wasn't enough quality in the final third for us, even though we possessed the ball really well," said Broncos sophomore James Rollinson, who is second in minutes played on the club with 698 and behind Ball’s 708.

Magdaleno and Will Krause raced through a disorganized Mustangs midfield, then watched Hausser hit his 30-yard cracker wide at 25 minutes.

Barrington continued to have success in its first-and second-ball winners to give the visitors the advantage in the middle of the park. But after a long ball from out of the back took an awkward bounce off a Broncos player near the midline, it was Kociubinski who was off to the races.

Free and with speed on the ball, the senior was 1-v-1 versus Broncos keeper Ethan Smith.

Smith made a quick, decisive move off his line in the hope of cutting the angle of Kociubinski’s right-side charge.

With an open back-post his target, Kociubinski’s attempt nearly skimmed the standard but went just wide to his dismay and the delight of the Barrington faithful.

"I should have finished that chance, that's all there is to it," said the classy Kociubinski, who made no excuses in what was a well-played sequence for both players.

Kociubinski leads his club with eight goals and seven assists this season.

Teammate Jablonski did not miss on his first opportunity of the evening after each side saw a couple of half-chances saved with ease.

Okonski started the scoring sequence with a 45-yard free kick into the box. Jablonski was the first to elevate near the spot and redirected his close-range effort into the back of the net with a mere 23 seconds remaining in the half.

"What a big goal for us," said Olson. “What a great ball from Marceli and great effort from Christian to put a head on that ball in a crowd with the Broncos keeper out to challenge.”

Barrington regrouped.

"We got a great halftime speech from coach about coming out in the second half and increasing our effort and work-rate,” said Rollinson. “It worked, because that's exactly what we did."

The speed and intensity of play was noticeably higher when the second period began. It led to several fierce tackles and impressive work going forward, as the sides fashioned more desire into their attacks.

Barrington’s Smith was fearless in a 50/50 challenge with John Rogowski in the 47th minute, while his teammate Krause read potential trouble brewing and positioned himself in the right place to head away an Emanuil Myrtollari ball sent to the spot.

Broncos leading scorer Max Golich was the man at the heart of the Ball equalizer when his enterprising and strong run to the endline ended with a wicked ball into the box.

The senior’s well-placed ball orb found the hand of a Mustangs player and caused referee Boris Vukovic to stop play and point to the spot.

Okonski guessed Ball would go to his left with PK attempt, but the Broncos captain drilled his spot-kick the other way to draw the visitors level in the 57th minute.

"Just an unlucky sequence of events, made possible by the hard work of no. 5 (Golich) to track the ball down and put a dangerous ball into the box," said Olson.

Barrington’s equalizer led to a frantic, nonstop final 20 minutes with each team going all-out in search of the game-winner.

Kociubinski, whose pace and purpose up-top on the outside tested and stretched the Broncos, beat a pair of defenders before flashing a cross into the box where Ball parried it away with ease.

Ball won the aerial war all evening long with plenty of support from Rollinson, the other half of the Broncos central defensive unit.

"(Their) centerbacks were really strong in the air tonight. They won a lot of balls for them," said Olson.

Ball is a two-way threat for Barrington.

"Jack was great tonight, he scored our goal, defended really well and was so steady along the back," said Hausser.

Smith was called into action when Mahmoud tested the sophomore keeper in the 71st minute. His counterpart Okonski made his presence felt on back-to-back saves against Hamza Sarraj and then Magdaleno.

"We had spells of some very good play in our attack, but we just were not sharp or clean enough in the final third in order to really put anything of quality on frame," said Steib.

Minutes before the full-time whistle went off, Smith saved an angled effort from Kociubinski before a Magdaleno corner went freely through the box to meet an unmarked Krause, who was unable to finish at the back post for Barrington.

"It was a hard-fought game that we all felt like we could have won, but we're still happy with the 1-1 result against one of the best teams in the MSL," said Hausser.

"We were really good in our first- and second-ball challenges tonight, and we played so much better than our last game against Hersey that we lost 3-0," added Rollinson.

The Broncos, who along with Conant are chasing fourth place Palatine by four points (11-7) host the Cougars at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

After earning six points last week with impressive victories over Palatine (2-1) and Fremd (3-1), Rolling Meadows looks to add another three points Friday at Buffalo Grove, which celebrates its Homecoming at Grant Blaney Stadium.

"Scott has a team that plays hard for 80 minutes," began Olson. “I felt like we matched their effort, except for a few times when we didn't control the midfield like we normally do.

"On a night when our opponent really came at us with everything they had, I cannot be upset with the effort that helped get us a well-earned and hard-fought draw." 

Starting lineups

Barrington (4-4-2)
GK- Ethan Smith
D- Ephraim Lee
D- James Rollinson
D- Jack Ball
D- Derek Lodes
M- Nico Hausser
M- Brian Mazgaj
M- Patrick Tabb
M- Alex Liapis
F- Madgiel Magdaleno
F- Max Golich

Rolling Meadows (4-3-3)
GK- Marceli Okonski
D- Emanuil Myrtollari
D- Christian Jablonski
D- Aaron Kossack
D- Rolando Carillo
M- Erik Macias
M- Kalvin Lagunas
M- Dash Lockley
F- Eltayeb Mahmoud
F- Alex Kociubinski
F- John Rogowski

Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:  Jack Ball, sr., D, Barrington; Alex Kociubinski, sr., F, Rolling Meadows

Referee: Boris Vukovic

Scoring summary

First half
RM: Jablonski (Okonski), 40'

Second half
Barrington: Ball (PK), 57'