Huskies' scoring keeps on coming
By Dave Owen

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Hersey’s version of a night at the movies is getting rave reviews.

A long team film session to dissect the Huskies’ season-opening 2-0 loss to New Trier produced immediate and impressive results with a 6-0 win over Brother Rice. Hersey’s momentum continued Monday at Hinsdale South with a 4-1 victory in the Hinsdale Central Red Devil Cup.

“We had film against New Trier,” Hersey forward John Cappuccitti said, “and we took at least two or three hours talking about stepping up and marking up and how that would create chances.”

“We watched the New Trier film and we were just leaving guys open everywhere,” Hersey coach Darren Llewellyn said. “I’d stop (the film) and the big question was ‘who’s open,’ and the answer was ‘everybody.’ Then we’d go frame by frame and talk about who picks up who, what angles and all that. Tonight they did better in the first half.”

Hinsdale South (0-3) was coming off a solid performance in a 3-1 loss to defending state champion Morton, and impressed again with early pressure. In the 9th minute of play on Monday, the Hornets’ John Kotsiantos broke in on goal but was denied on a great smothering save by Hersey goalkeeper Irving Velasquez.

“We were communicating well and passing well and getting our opportunities,” Kotsiantos said. “We came out fired up – like we like to say, we brought the juice. But I don’t know where it went. After a couple of opportunities it just disappeared.”

Hersey (2-1) had a lot to do with that, as after the Hornets’ Dean Serritella sent a shot wide off a nice Jeremy Leganski cross in the 12th minute, the Huskies began to hit their stride.

With 24:51 left in the first half, Hersey grabbed a 1-0 lead when Charlie Davenport’s 20-yard free kick was deflected by teammate Alex Mueller into the right corner of the net.

The Huskie lead doubled 8:44 before halftime when Tom McDonald won a battle for Ryan Nuebling’s pass from the right wing and launched a 15-yard blast into the top left corner of the net.

“Once they had the one chance at the beginning, we said ‘OK, we can’t play like this, we have to turn it around right now,’” Cappuccitti said. “And that’s what we did.”
Cappuccitti provided the final dagger to the Hornets’ hopes.

After Hinsdale South produced good pressure in the first 12 minutes of the second half (including a Lucas Carlson deflection wide of the net off a Nathaniel Michaelis corner kick), Hersey built an insurmountable 3-0 lead when Cappuccitti drove a 30-yard shot with Beckham precision just below the crossbar and into the net.

“I had a wide open shot and just listened to what my dad has always told me, to take it slow, just put your head down and rip it,” Cappuccitti said. “Luckily it was perfectly placed and had some nice speed to it.”

Hersey would go up 4-0 with 14:17 left in the match on a great combination play: a McDonald throw-in was headed by Dan Gramer to teammate Davenport for a point-blank header into the net.

But rather than shrink away after that goal, Hinsdale South put together a strong finish.
The Hornets’ defense denied Cappucitti threats three times down the stretch:  a blocked shot by Hinsdale South defender Kenny Ida with 10:35 left, a nice save by goalkeeper Grant Morford on a low 12-yard drive 30 seconds later, then a diving Morford stop on another Cappuccitti shot with 6:10 to go.

“Grant, who we didn’t have last year, has come on and been a real vocal presence in the back at goalie,” Hinsdale South coach James Van Denburgh said. “That’s been a nice energizer both as a leader and I would say as a goalie.”

The Hornets were also energized at the other end of the field. With 9:09 left, Michaelis’ indirect kick from right of the goal made perfectly timed connection with a charging Giancarlo Cianelli, whose header drew Hinsdale South within 4-1.

““I was impressed with Giancarlo Cianelli,” VanDenburgh said. “He’s one of our center backs when we’re playing a flat four. We dropped him to sweeper to switch things up, and he’s the one that really turned it up and wanted to get forward. And he ended up putting a goal in.”

Michaelis also had an assist via a similar restart on Jordan Wood’s goal against Morton.
“That’s Nathaniel’s second assist off a set piece,” VanDenburgh said. “I like that. And Jeremy Leganski always plays hard.

“It’s all about finding the identity of the team and our style of play. We have a freshman and a sophomore in the middle of the field, so we know that could be a learning process. But we believe in them and believe in all the guys out there. I liked the work ethic up until the very end. Unfortunately it didn’t pan out.”

Even the strong finish couldn’t diminish the Hornets’ early disappointment on Monday.

“The problem is our mentality,” co-captain Leganski said. “After they scored that first goal - it’s only one goal, whatever, we have to bounce back. And we didn’t. We hung our heads, and you can’t do that if you expect to win.

“We have potential, but there’s a lot of work to be done starting on the practice field tomorrow.”

A brutal early schedule hasn’t provided the young Hornets much margin for error.
“The only way we’re going to get better is playing good teams,” Leganski said.

“It’s our third game, and we have some young guys out there,” VanDenburgh said. “We’re trying to get better every game, trying to figure out how we can best gel. But sometimes it’s hard to get that gelling process going when you’re playing teams like the state champs (Morton) and Wheaton-Warrenville South, and Hersey played a great game tonight.

“We’re still trying to find our identity, and we want that solidified as much as possible starting conference play next week.”

Hersey has scored 10 goals in its last two games, led by three from Cappuccitti.

“I’m known as a defensive type coach,” Llewellyn said, “but this group can go forward so we’re really trying to establish a midfield-forward attack rather than absorbing and countering.”

“We went from a four back to a three back (defense), and it’s working right now. The three backs (Jonothon) Dickey, (Michael) Freda and Campbell White always played fullback in club, and are learning how to play the old German back three system with a sweeper.

“Then I put a stopper up top and extend the defensive mid to the front. That’s given us a little more midfield presence. They’re learning to play together instead of playing an individual release game. That’s tough, but they’re becoming more disciplined. They’re starting to read when to absorb and when to step. I was happy with that tonight, with them reading the game better.”

The Huskies don’t have to read far down their schedule to find the next big challenge: Thursday at home against Morton in the next round of the Red Devil Cup.
A familiar and successful mode of preparation will come into play.

“We’re going to film again before Thursday,” Llewellyn said. “We’re going to watch 15 minutes of the second half and talk about positional play in terms of support defensively. Offensively we’re not doing poorly, we just don’t switch the field really well. We’re still kind of playing into pressure, but I think that will come.

“A good game against Morton will establish them in their own minds, and that’s really what matters. It doesn’t matter what I say. If they establish themselves against Morton, a state power, they’ll come into the Mid Suburban confident that they can play with anyone. Not so much that we can beat anyone. Then that confidence tends to bring the victories in tough games.”

The Huskies kept their growing confidence in balance on Monday.

“We just came off a 6-0 win against Brother Rice, and we needed to stay competitive and not get cocky and over our heads,” Cappuccitti said. “Obviously it’s a good win to keep advancing, but we have to keep this intensity for Morton on Thursday.”