Round Lake get confidence boost from Rams win
Until its memorable run to a fourth-place finish at the 2A state tournament a year ago, Grayslake Central, and the rest of the league, were always chasing Hugo Tellez' club from Round Lake.
The Panthers would share or win outright six conference titles, including last fall when they and Central would each finish atop the NLCC with near perfect 6-0-1 records.
"Grayslake Central had a great year last season. They had great players, and were coached really well, but people kind of forgot that we've had the tradition of having some really good players, and really good results for quite a long time, so we are very proud of Round Lake soccer," said Tellez, after his club stunned Grayslake Central, 4-1 one week ago to put themselves in position to lift another league trophy.
The Panthers, who enter the final week of the regular season even with Wauconda at 5-1-0, hope their 1-0 loss in early September will not come back and dash the hopes for another title.
"It took this team awhile to understanding a new formation that was implemented at the beginning of the season, and is also took for the players to adjust to the positions they play in that formation," said Panthers assistant Doogie Clark.
Clark, after 20 years as an assistant at Warren under-first, Jim McNamara, and current man in charge, Jason Ahonen, has come over to implement his tactical expertise to Tellez.
"Beating a team as good as Grayslake Central last week would give any team a confidence boost, but I also believe it helped the players trust in one another, and in their system of play."
In that 4-1 win over Central, it was sophomore Jorgie Morales who would earn Man-of-the-Match honors with two goals. His second, a brilliant long range freekick, gave the Panthers a two-goal advantage at 3-1.
Teammate Oscar Martinez would star also, as did Jerry Perez an athletic keeper who can distribute and produce timely and spectacular saves when called upon.
"Jorgie and Oscar have very high soccer IQ's that added to pace, and technical ability, and you have the whole package, while Jerry can do it all between the sticks. He's the heart and soul of this team," said Clark.
With the postseason schedules now officially in print, No. 9 seed Round Lake will host No. 7 Lake Zurich (7-4-3) which promises to be one of the more entertaining regional openers in the area.
"For us, it's all about finally getting healthy, and now that we are, I am confident we can play with anybody when the postseason," sad LZ coach Mike Schmitz, who has an all-state candidate up top in Ian Ferguson, and hard working bunch in the middle of the park led by Matt Margiel and Tyler WIts, plus quality along the back with outside-back, Jack Cardwell and keeper Fil Kanski.
<h3 class="breakHead">Stevenson update:</h3>
NSC-leading Stevenson (13-0-2, 4-0-1) had one hand on the league trophy, and will look to hold onto it for good when it closes the regular season with Lake Forest, then Libertyville at home this Thursday evening.
The Patriots earned the top seed in the Buffalo Grove sectional.
Two first-half strikes from: Nikita Stepanov and Brandon Marquez, and another fine performance from keeper Brandon Grundfelt, helped give Vernon Hills (10-4-1, 4-0-1) its first CSL North crown in program history after the Cougars beat a stubborn Maine West club, 2-1, Saturday.
Grundfeld, who has conceded just one goal in division play this fall, has a dazzling 0.64 goals against average for Mike McCaulou's men who were recently anointed the No. 2 seed in the Grayslake Central sectional behind a deserving No. 1 Rams club.
<h3 class="breakHead">Elk Grove update:</h3>
When MSL East preseason favorite Elk Grove got off to a slow start, coach Alex Stavropoulos had to lean heavily on his captains Chris Gonzalez and Aaron Vazquez to get his club back on its collective front foot.
"Aside from being regulars in our starting 11, both of these young men have proven to be true leaders both on and off the field. And despite our rocky start, those two have arrived everyday with a positive attitude to show the way," said Stavropoulos.
"Chris is just a great leader of our team. And although he's not one of those loud, verbal types of guys, he is someone who carries himself so professionally with his attitude and ability to remain positive - never negative -which has earned him a lot of respect on our team," said the junior Vazquez of his senior teammate.
The offseason story of Vazquez is an interesting one in that he missed the early part of the fall season while off training with the Argentinos Junior Academy team based out of La Paternal, Buenos Aires.
"It was an experience of a lifetime, and one that I was happy to take on after it was made available at my Elgin Pumas club team," said Vazquez.
"The players training there were from ages 8-21. We lived in dorms, trained all day, and it was such an eye-opener initially because they play possession based soccer 100% of the time, unlike the way we do here in the States, so there was a bit of an adjustment at the start. But I loved everything about it, and learned so much while I was there."
The Grens' central defender is in Stavropoulos' AP Environmental Science Class, and finds that area of study one that is of great interest to him.
"I liked being outside, and what goes on with our plants, and the surroundings around us, and to learn about how pollution affects what is all around us, so maybe one day that will be something I will go on to study more about."
The Grens (8-4-3, 6-2-1) are one point clear of Hersey and Rolling Meadows in a highly contested divisional race that has reigning MSL East champs Hersey (8-4-2) with a game in hand, while Rolling Meadows (10-5-0) and Elk Grove have just two remaining regular season games.
Whoever survives and advances will play either Fremd or Conant next in the 47th MSL Soccer Cup on Oct. 13 at the home of the MSL East champion.