Rams learn a lesson from Downers Grove North

By Kevin Chroust

The formula seems simple enough. Get the ball in the box as much as possible and good things are bound to happen.

The Downers Grove North boys soccer team makes it look simple enough, and as Glenbard East found out Thursday evening, the Trojans make it look so elementary because they’ve got the midfield workhorses to follow through on the formula.

“They play 1-2 soccer, quick combination soccer, balls in and out, moving all over, guys moving off the ball,” Glenbard East coach Josh Adler said. “If you’re not paying attention and not organized, they’re going to find a lot of seems on you pretty quickly. They’re a stellar team.”

The Trojans found their way into the Rams’ penalty area early and often to earn a 2-0 win in the Lake Park Lancers Classic at Streamwood and remain unbeaten in the tournament.

“We started strong, dropped off a little in the middle, but I think all in all we played some pretty good soccer,” said Downers Grove North assistant coach Mike Schmitt, who filled in for early departing head coach Brian Gervase.

The Rams (1-4) dodged early bullets when Downers Grove North’s Reid Melton hit a post in the fifth minute and when goalkeeper Brad Suszek stopped Paul Hogan’s penalty kick in the sixth.

The Trojans (4-0-1) finally broke through on a corner in the 30th minute. Hogan played the ball into the box from the right corner, and after Glenbard East failed to clear, Jakob Mousel poked in a rebound that ended up being the difference maker.

After the game he said the goal might not have been as legitimate as it looked to some.

“It was off a set piece and it kind of just pinballed around and came to me,” Mousel said. “It actually went off my arm, so I can’t complain much about it.”

It looked like the lead was doubling when Melton connected on a give-and-go with fellow midfielder AJ Jeffries, but Melton’s shot from the left side of the penalty area was cleared off the line by Ian Leifheit to keep the Rams within a goal.

Their best chance to equalize came a minute and a half later when midfield substitute Brent Disterheft beat a Trojans defender on the left end line and played a pretty centering ball to Sam Dennis.

Dennis hit a hard one-timer but Downers Grove North keeper Matt Paprocki came up with a sprawling save and Tyler Ford’s rebound attempt cleared the bar.

“Brent had a good move on the sideline and laid it off,” Dennis said. “I tried to go far post with it. I got the power on it, but I didn’t get the direction on it and their goalie made a good save.”

It was the only save Paprocki was required to make all day, but at the time it loomed large.

Aside from the one near-breakdown, the Trojans defense was sterling.

“We held our ground pretty solid in the back,” Schmitt said. “Paprocki came up with a really big save and fortunately for us the guy put the rebound over, but overall very solid defense.”

The Trojans added a second goal in the 55th minute on another rebound. Hogan cut the ball back on the left side of the penalty area and lofted a cross to Jeffries on the far post.

Jeffries played a controlled header to Melton, who headed the ball on target. Suszek came up with another big save, but the Rams left Jeffries unmarked on the right side and he poked in the uncontested rebound.

“It’s the little things that continue to hurt us in the back,” Adler said. “We’re letting balls bounce and giving up some opportunities in front of the net there that just aren’t good.”

Adler was happy with how his Rams closed out the match, but he and Dennis would like to see more than 10- or 20-minute spurts of quality possession in the midfield so they too can start attacking with the frequency of a Downers Grove North as the season wears on.

“We’ve got to find ways to go forward,” Dennis said. “We should try to learn from teams like this. Downers North is going to go far, and we’ve just got to learn from teams like them.”