Addison Trail, DGS battle
for 2nd in deep West Suburban Gold
By Dave Owen
A great regular season for the West Suburban Conference Gold Division soccer features one last marquee matchup at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Downers Grove South gave league leader Morton, ranked no. 1 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, its biggest scare of the season, a 2-1 Morton win in double overtime three weeks ago.
Now the Mustangs (9-3-4, 3-2-0 in conference) try to cool down host Addison Trail (17-1-0, 4-1-0), which vies to wrap up undisputed second place in the Gold with a win.
“They know that if they knock us off tomorrow, they create a (possibility for a) 3-way tie for second place in the WSG conference (with Leyden),” said Addison Trail coach Ryan Dini, whose team is ranked eighth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“We want to take second place outright, which would be an excellent accomplishment considering how good our conference is on a yearly basis. It would be our best finish since 2012.”
Addison Trail’s rise the past two years has put the always-strong WSC Gold into even more elite territory.
“The key to tomorrow night will be how well we can defend against their attack,” Mustangs coach Jon Stapleton said.
“They’ve always had players that have been dangerous, but this year they seem to be turning those dangerous runs into some incredible offensive production.
“In addition, what impresses me about this year’s (Addison Trail) team has been their ability to defend as well. There is no mistaking the fact that they are a complete team.
“I feel the conference is very strong this year,” Stapleton added, “and perhaps one of the strongest years in my 15-year coaching career. That’s saying a lot, since many of our teams have performed well in the tournament over the years (including state titles won by Downers South and Morton).”
Addison Trail has had to navigate several key injuries on its road to a great season. The news is finally getting better, including a good diagnosis on Enrique Luna after he was carried off the field with a leg injury in last Tuesday’s win over Leyden.
“Enrique Luna is looking really good,” Dini said. “He was able to practice today (Monday) and really worked on his conditioning.
“We are very pleased with how fast he has recovered. And that is a credit to our training staff and Enrique listening to them.”
How much Luna plays Tuesday is to be determined. But the Blazers have already been fortified by 2015 all-sectional defender Uriel Martinez’s recent return.
“I was so pleased to see Uriel back on the field for Senior Night on Saturday,” Dini said. “He has been on varsity as a freshmen and had never missed a game until this year.
“When he got hurt in June, we didn't know if he would even be able to come back this season. To his credit, he has rehabbed so hard and been an animal in the weight room.
“He can play any position on the field,” Dini added. “We’ll use him in multiple spots, and he adds experience and skill to an already deep team. I'm really proud of him.”
Downers South has plenty of top-level talent of its own.
“Peter Becht continues to play well for us in the middle of the field,” Stapleton said. “His ability to take over a match is always a possibility in every game, and we will need him at his best tomorrow night.
“Ian Wisniewski continues to improve as the season moves along, and Dylan Mobley and Garrett Burns have provided great consistency this season. In addition, James David continues to have a nice junior season and really anchors our midfield defensively.”
Despite his team’s high-flying season, Dini knows a big challenge awaits from Tuesday’s visitors.
“DGS is a very well-coached team,” Dini said, “and Jon Stapleton does a great job in motivating his players. They return several key players from last year’s team, including their forwards and midfielders.
“It's a great test for our team on the defensive side of the ball in containing their speed and having some (of their) key players marked at all times.”
Whatever Tuesday’s outcome, both teams have potential for big things come the playoffs.
“We’re optimistic heading into next week’s regionals,” Stapleton said. “We certainly are nursing a few key injuries, but are hopeful that we can return to full health by the start of next week’s tournament.
“We are looking to this week as an opportunity to prep for the demands ahead of us.”
Addison Trail faces similar demands Tuesday, and high hopes for the rest of October.
“We have had an excellent year so far, but our guys truly believe that our favorite moments of the season have not happened yet,” Dini said.
The final week of the regular season will have the Blazers battle tested.
“This week puts us against two programs that are consistently two of the best teams in the state (Downers Grove South, then 2014 state champion Hinsdale Central on Thursday) so our players will be challenged on both sides of the ball,” Dini said. “It's going to be a lot of fun, especially coaching against two guys that have won state championships (Stapleton and the Red Devils’ Mike Wiggins).
“It's important to get my players fine-tuned for the playoffs and shore up our rotation of starters and subs so that we will be ready for any situation that comes up in the regionals. It's important to keep that team chemistry going.”
for 2nd in deep West Suburban Gold
By Dave Owen
A great regular season for the West Suburban Conference Gold Division soccer features one last marquee matchup at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Downers Grove South gave league leader Morton, ranked no. 1 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, its biggest scare of the season, a 2-1 Morton win in double overtime three weeks ago.
Now the Mustangs (9-3-4, 3-2-0 in conference) try to cool down host Addison Trail (17-1-0, 4-1-0), which vies to wrap up undisputed second place in the Gold with a win.
“They know that if they knock us off tomorrow, they create a (possibility for a) 3-way tie for second place in the WSG conference (with Leyden),” said Addison Trail coach Ryan Dini, whose team is ranked eighth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“We want to take second place outright, which would be an excellent accomplishment considering how good our conference is on a yearly basis. It would be our best finish since 2012.”
Addison Trail’s rise the past two years has put the always-strong WSC Gold into even more elite territory.
“The key to tomorrow night will be how well we can defend against their attack,” Mustangs coach Jon Stapleton said.
“They’ve always had players that have been dangerous, but this year they seem to be turning those dangerous runs into some incredible offensive production.
“In addition, what impresses me about this year’s (Addison Trail) team has been their ability to defend as well. There is no mistaking the fact that they are a complete team.
“I feel the conference is very strong this year,” Stapleton added, “and perhaps one of the strongest years in my 15-year coaching career. That’s saying a lot, since many of our teams have performed well in the tournament over the years (including state titles won by Downers South and Morton).”
Addison Trail has had to navigate several key injuries on its road to a great season. The news is finally getting better, including a good diagnosis on Enrique Luna after he was carried off the field with a leg injury in last Tuesday’s win over Leyden.
“Enrique Luna is looking really good,” Dini said. “He was able to practice today (Monday) and really worked on his conditioning.
“We are very pleased with how fast he has recovered. And that is a credit to our training staff and Enrique listening to them.”
How much Luna plays Tuesday is to be determined. But the Blazers have already been fortified by 2015 all-sectional defender Uriel Martinez’s recent return.
“I was so pleased to see Uriel back on the field for Senior Night on Saturday,” Dini said. “He has been on varsity as a freshmen and had never missed a game until this year.
“When he got hurt in June, we didn't know if he would even be able to come back this season. To his credit, he has rehabbed so hard and been an animal in the weight room.
“He can play any position on the field,” Dini added. “We’ll use him in multiple spots, and he adds experience and skill to an already deep team. I'm really proud of him.”
Downers South has plenty of top-level talent of its own.
“Peter Becht continues to play well for us in the middle of the field,” Stapleton said. “His ability to take over a match is always a possibility in every game, and we will need him at his best tomorrow night.
“Ian Wisniewski continues to improve as the season moves along, and Dylan Mobley and Garrett Burns have provided great consistency this season. In addition, James David continues to have a nice junior season and really anchors our midfield defensively.”
Despite his team’s high-flying season, Dini knows a big challenge awaits from Tuesday’s visitors.
“DGS is a very well-coached team,” Dini said, “and Jon Stapleton does a great job in motivating his players. They return several key players from last year’s team, including their forwards and midfielders.
“It's a great test for our team on the defensive side of the ball in containing their speed and having some (of their) key players marked at all times.”
Whatever Tuesday’s outcome, both teams have potential for big things come the playoffs.
“We’re optimistic heading into next week’s regionals,” Stapleton said. “We certainly are nursing a few key injuries, but are hopeful that we can return to full health by the start of next week’s tournament.
“We are looking to this week as an opportunity to prep for the demands ahead of us.”
Addison Trail faces similar demands Tuesday, and high hopes for the rest of October.
“We have had an excellent year so far, but our guys truly believe that our favorite moments of the season have not happened yet,” Dini said.
The final week of the regular season will have the Blazers battle tested.
“This week puts us against two programs that are consistently two of the best teams in the state (Downers Grove South, then 2014 state champion Hinsdale Central on Thursday) so our players will be challenged on both sides of the ball,” Dini said. “It's going to be a lot of fun, especially coaching against two guys that have won state championships (Stapleton and the Red Devils’ Mike Wiggins).
“It's important to get my players fine-tuned for the playoffs and shore up our rotation of starters and subs so that we will be ready for any situation that comes up in the regionals. It's important to keep that team chemistry going.”
