Vikings control play but Warriors claim victory

By Matt Le Cren

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Possession may be nine-tenths of the law, but that math didn’t add up for Fremd on Thursday night.

The Vikings controlled the ball for perhaps 85 percent of the time against Waubonsie Valley but the up-and-coming Warriors cashed in on two defensive mistakes in the first half and held on for a 2-1 victory in the Best of the West Tournament at Naperville Central.

Waubonsie Valley senior Timmy Miller, who scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal, said chasing the Vikings all over the field was difficult but not something his squad could not overcome.

“It goes both ways,” Miller said. “It’s basically about who’s communicating in the back and if everything’s organized.

“Everybody’s got to be marking up making sure we have no gaps. Then it gets pretty easy, but if you don’t have that then it makes it a lot harder for us.”

The Warriors (4-0-1), who will play Naperville Central on Saturday morning for a spot in the 6 p.m. tournament championship match, hung in tenaciously against an onslaught of Fremd shots, particularly in the second half when the Vikings enjoyed a 9-1 edge in shots [Fremd had an overall 16-5 advantage].

“Our defense played great tonight, couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Miller said.

“I think our whole back line – Jack [Cicchini], Michael Mueller, Sonny [Saiz], Jason [Dressel] – all played great.”

Waubonsie’s offense wasn’t bad when it did get opportunities. The Warriors took a 1-0 lead with 29:08 remaining in the opening half when Frankie Saiz dribbled up the middle of the box and slid a shot under the arm of Fremd goalie Steven Soltykiewicz.

Miller made it 2-0 at the 9:47 mark when he shrewdly noticed a gap in the Fremd defense and used his left foot to drill a 27-yard free kick into a small opening between the right post and fingers of the lunging Sotlykiewicz.

It was Miller’s third goal of the season and his first on a free kick, though he has tallied twice on restarts for his club team.

“I personally think the wall was set up wrong,” Miller said. “They had their guys way too far over covering the outside post instead of worrying about the inside. The goalie was far over, so it was just the spot I was going for.”

That would be the next-to-last scoring chance the Warriors would manage. Their only shot on goal the rest of the way came off the foot of Mueller, who sent a 26-yard free kick skimming off the top of the crossbar with 25:45 to go in the second half.

The Vikings (0-3) woke up after that and cut the gap in half when Jon Magnusson scored off a rebound of a shot from Nathan Dolan at the 23:02 mark.

But despite putting plenty of pressure on the Waubonsie defense the rest of the way, Fremd was unable to get the equalizer. Warriors goalie Eddy Sanchez made two saves down the stretch and shots from Dolan, Zach Schoffstall and Nate Hellwarth all missed the mark.

“The second half was probably the best we’ve played all year,” Fremd coach Steve Keller said. “I felt really good about that. Again, just an error in the first half to allow a guy to get through and then our wall made a crucial mistake.

“We dug ourselves a hole, but I’m pleased with how we fought back. Created plenty of chances, could have tied it up, could have won.”

Though the Vikings have yet to win a game, they’ve been in every contest, losing each by a 2-1 count.

“I think it’s frustrating but obviously every game we’ve played, we’re right there,” Keller said. “We just need to not make the mental mistakes in the back and we’ve got to put the ball away when we have the opportunity. We haven’t done those two things so far.

But Keller believes it will only be a matter of time before they do.

“Scoring is going to be something hopefully that comes,” he said. “We’ve got to start getting [fewer] goals scored on us first. I’ve moved some buys that were up [front] before to the back, so we’re going to build from the back forward.”

Meanwhile, Waubonsie Valley is enjoying a renaissance after several years of fielding inexperienced teams. The Warriors are led by a corps of 12 seniors.

That includes eight starters: Cicchini, Mueller, Sanchez, Frankie and Sonny Saiz, and midfielders Vish Patel and Gytis Savukynas.

“I think [the key] is a lot of seniors and that we all play with each other,” Miller said. “Most of us play on the same club team. If not, we’ve played with each other the last three years.

“That means a lot. This is our first year that we’ve been winning most of our games at the beginning. Normally we come out, we win our first and lose the next three, but now we’ve won three in a row and we’re looking really good. I can’t wait to see what else is left for us later in the year.”