Red Devils snap Trojans' streak
Oleferchik gets it done on both ends

By Matt Le Cren
Photos courtesy of Harry Bull

Hinsdale Central defender Mike Oleferchik’s double duty doomed Downers Grove North on Tuesday.

The senior scored the first goal of the game and held Downers North star Paul Hogan scoreless to spark the host Red Devils to a stunning 2-1 upset of the Trojans in West Suburban Conference Silver Division action in Hinsdale.

The result snapped Downers North’s eight-game unbeaten streak. Hinsdale Central (10-6-1, 3-2) joins Lyons as the only teams to defeat the Trojans (15-3-2, 3-2) this fall.

Oleferchik put the Red Devils ahead 1-0 on the first shot of the match by either side. It came on a 30-yard free kick that he powered over the defensive wall and in between diving North keeper Matt Paprocki and the right post.

“He couldn’t strike a ball for the life of him the other day, so for him to step up and do that was terrific,” Hinsdale Central coach Mike Wiggins said. “That was good for him. He and I will have a laugh about that later.

“We knew today would come down to a restart on our end and that’s what got things going.”

Hogan, who is averaging more than a goal a game, never did get going though it was no fault of his own. The senior striker was shadowed tenaciously by Oleferchik and rarely got the ball in the Central penalty area. Hogan’s only shot, a quick flick off a cross from A.J. Jeffries, was deflected around the left post by Red Devils goalie Will Meyer with 27:10 left in the second half.

“[Hogan] is a really, really skilled player and he’s really quick out there,” Oleferchik said. “He got past me a few times, but I just kind of tried to anticipate where he was going and stood him up, kind of moved my feet a lot. He was really good, though.”

Jeffries did put a lot of pressure on the Red Devils, especially in the second half, but didn't have an easy time of it, either, as Zach Chiaramonte, with some help from sweeper Andrew Worthington, did a good job of staying with the speedy sophomore.

The only mistake Chiaramonte made came at the 15:51 mark of the first half, when Jeffries made a move around him along the left endline and was tripped. Jeffries buried the ensuing penalty kick to tie the game even though Meyer correctly guessed which way he was going with the shot.

“Those two guys are a handful,” Wiggins said. “Oleferchik did a great job and so did Zach Chiaramonte.”

Downers North’s defense also only made one mistake, but it proved costly. Central midfielder Phillip Gutman pushed forward and sent a cross from the left wing in front to Adam Chiaramonte, whose 10-yard shot deflected off the glove of a lunging Paprocki and into the net for the decisive goal with 32:31 to play in the second half.

“It was not very good marking by us back there,” Downers North coach Brian Gervase said. “We can give up one goal [per match] because we feel like we can score goals. We allowed too many goals.”

Gervase wasn’t surprised that the Red Devils were able to shut down his two main guns, but he said it highlighted what the Trojans might be in store for in the playoffs.

“[Hogan] didn’t really get a lot of good looks at the goal today,” Gervase said. “I think a lot of our second-tier guys got a good look at the net and that’s what has to happen for us if we’re going to be successful at the end of the year because we know that Paul and A.J. are going to get marked.

“We’ve talked about it, we’ve rehearsed it and we didn’t really execute very well today. The Meltons [Stuart and Reid] and Azmi [Sharif] and even Cullen Cummings have to be productive.”

That quartet wasn’t productive but it was dangerous. Sophomore Reid Melton played well at both ends of the field and came within a whisker of tying the game with 8:10 remaining when his shot from the left side of the box hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced in front of the Hinsdale net. Cummings was free on the doorstep but was unable to get his foot on the rebound.

Three minutes earlier, Meyer made a diving save on Cummings and with :29 to play he knocked an attempt by Jakob Mousel around the left post. That was the second time Mousel had been denied by Meyer, who finished with six saves.

“I thought we made good decisions with our passing and Will had a great game,” Oleferchik said. “It’s definitely a confidence-booster to beat such a great team. It’s good to get some wins under your belt before playoffs. It starts to build some steam.”

Steam has been lacking lately for the Red Devils, who have been beset by nagging injuries for much of the season. They played Tuesday without injured co-captains Taylor Cole and Mitch Reavis, who are expected to be back for next week’s playoffs.

“The problem is we’ve got so many guys hurt, so for us to get result like this today and to play as well as we did, that certainly points us in the right direction,” Wiggins said. “We’re only getting stronger with our depth.”

While the victory was a big one for the Red Devils, Wiggins wants his side to stay focused on an even bigger picture.

“It’s not about getting the big win; it’s just trying to get better every game,” Wiggins said. “It’s been frustrating at times trying to piece things together with playing a decent game, trying to minimize the mistakes and things like that. So we’re happy for the guys that they get the result, but for us it’s not about the big win. It’s as we prepare for the end of the year are we getting better and are we peaking at the right time.”

Oleferchik would answer yes to that question and thinks the Red Devils are capable of making noise in the playoffs.

“I think so,” Oleferchik said. “I think Hinsdale Central has that kind of reputation, so we’re looking to play tough.

Central is seeded seventh at the Class 3A Argo Sectional and will face No. 10 Argo in a regional semifinal next Wednesday at Morton. A victory would set up a regional title tilt against top-seeded Morton.

Downers North is the No. 3 seed in the same sectional and faces either Gage Park or Curie in the first round next Wednesday at Hinsdale South. The winner of that match will play Fenwick or Hinsdale South in the regional final.

So despite the loss, Gervase didn’t seem too worried about his team’s chances.

“We create a lot of opportunities to score and we can score a lot of goals against good teams,” Gervase said. “That’s the team we are. Not many teams can create that many good opportunities, but today we didn’t finish a lot of those opportunities.”