Buffalo Grove subdues Schaumburg
A terrific late strike from Alex Alfaro helped Buffalo Grove spring a 2-1 surprise over Mid-Suburban League boys soccer leader Schaumburg on Tuesday night at Grant Blaney Stadium as the Bison celebrated senior night in high fashion.
The win keeps the Bison (6-6-1, 4-2-0-12 points) even with Rolling Meadows in the MSL East standings and sets up an important road contest Friday for the Bison against the Mustangs.
"You can't take a night off in the MSL - when you do, this is what happens," said Schaumburg coach Hamid Mehreioskouei, whose club won all three of its matches last week to reach the top of the MSL standings after an impressive 1-0 result over Fremd on Saturday. "This is the game that's so hard after having a week like we did, and getting ourselves at the top of the table, so I naturally was a little apprehensive going into tonight.
"We did well to get into the break up 1-0, but after that, we did little while (Buffalo Grove) played in our end most the second half to get a deserved 2-1 result."
BG open well enough, but some shoddy work in its own end allowed superb Schaumburg midfielder Jessie Lopez to finish with a touch to the back post that rattled off the bar and into the back of the net at 12 minutes.
"We came out strong, then had that back letdown in our own end, but this team doesn't quit or cave in, and I've felt from the very start of the season that when we play at the level we did for most of tonight, there isn't an opponent that scares me at all," said Bison captain Zach Masciopinto, whose recent move from midfield to defender appears to be just what the doctor ordered to tighten up BG's tactical approach.
The Saxons (4-2-0, 4-1-1-13 points) labored to their 1-goal advantage into the intermission.
After the break, Masciopinto began to win nearly early 50-50 first and second ball before finding mates Alexis Alvarez, Christian Miguel and Alfaro in the middle, who clearly won the work-rate war.
Combined with some stingy work from the Bison backline of Mike Kotlyar, Ryan Drum and Hans Haller, who kept the touches of Lopez and leading scorer Edward Gomez to just a few, it was soon a game that was being played almost entirely in the Saxons' end.
"We were down 1-0 to Wheeling last week, and I was feeling good then before they put three in on us," said BG coach Rick Carlson. "So even though we were in the same place tonight, you had to be cautious against a team that is playing so well like Schaumburg, who could do the same thing as Wheeling did. "But we played a great second half, all of our guys, and we created chances, put some pressure on them and really went after them for that entire 40 minutes."
The Bison generated several deep throws for Haller, a handful of corners by Kotlyar, and just enough free kicks along the way to keep their guests from getting forward until Sean King found the equalizer in the 75th minute.
"They wore us down with all of those dead-balls, no doubt about it," said Mehreioskouei.
Kotylar's dipping shot bounced up and off of keeper Alexis Flores, spilling a rebound to King, who at the tail-end of his run into the box hit a nifty side-footed one-timer past Flores.
"Coach (Dan) Edminster has been telling us all season not to stop running on situations like that because you never know what be there for you - and there it was," said King.
Full of confidence, the Bison were in the passing lane after getting even, and three minutes later, it was Alfaro's turn to be the hero.
The junior stopped and started before fiercely hitting a bending ball towards the upper right corner, and just over the outstretched gloves of Flores from 25 yards to bring the big crowd up and off its seats.
"There must have been eight players between Alex and that shot of his, but what a shot it was for us," Carlson said with a smile.
"In this stretch of five games in seven days, there's (15) points out there for us to go after," said Masciopinto, "so getting 3 big points tonight is a great boost and a terrific momentum-builder for us."