St. Charles E. defeats Glenbard N.
St. Charles East came out of the gates flying, setting the tone early with a couple of quality chances in the penalty area in the first five minutes Tuesday at the Glenbard North regional semifinal in Carol Stream.
That early control proved to be a trend as St. Charles East's (12-7-1) early, sustained pressure lead to total ball control and numerous corner kicks to keep Glenbard North (9-7-4) on its heels for most of the first half en route to a 2-0 Saints victory.
The Saints nearly scored early in the match, but Glenbard North goalkeeper Eric Tenut made a diving save on a Jonny Bren chance from point-blank to keep Glenbard North even.
“We tried to match up as well as we could because we knew they had some good offensive players, so we tried to play a defensive game and mark up, Glenbard North senior captain Tony Lumani said.
However, the Saints' dogged work would not go unrewarded. Sophomore midfielder Kevin Kurtz buried a low shot to give St. Charles East a 1-0 lead with just less than nine minutes to play in the first half. Kurtz was the recipient of a ball that caromed out of a mess of traffic in front of the net after a Saints throw-in deep in Glenbard North territory.
“We had a bunch of chances, they just weren't going in early, Kurtz said. “Then the ball just kicked out of the box, rolled right to my foot and I thought, why not take a shot, and it went in.
Glenbard North responded with its best pressure of the game, controlling the final eight minutes of the half. The pressure produced three free kicks and a corner kick, but the Panthers came up empty and trailed 1-0 at the half.
“It was difficult to stop their momentum, but it switched to our favor the last 10 minutes of the first half, Glenbard North coach Greg Chrisman said. “It took a goal for us to wake up, but that was the style of play we need when the (opening) whistle was blown.
The second half was not as one-sided, but the Saints systematically controlled the ball for long periods of time while still keeping the Panthers' attack at bay. The Saints then finished the game when senior forward Jesse Nagelberg scored from the doorstep as he buried a close chip in from Bren off a corner kick with 15 minutes remaining in the second half.
“When we're on a nice field like this we like to work the ball, that's been our game, St. Charles East coach Paul Jennison said. “It comes down to one thing really and that's intensity. When these boys come out to play and they're firing well, we're going to get a strong performance.
The loss ended a great season of progression for Glenbard North, as the Panthers turned around the direction of their program.
“We had a great year, we went from last place in the (DuPage Valley Conference) to second place, Chrisman said. “It was a great bounce back year.