Late penalty kick dooms Mustangs vs. Leyden

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By Gary Larsen

If Leyden had Morton’s team-wide skill or Morton had Leyden’s pedal-to-the-floor hustle, neither team would likely lose a game this year.

In a pivotal conference showdown on Tuesday, the Eagles’ 2-1 win over host Morton on a late, late penalty kick illuminated the qualities that both teams have and the contrast between the two.

Juan Recendez and Arthur Bernaciak got goals for Leyden, while Alonso Torres struck for Morton in a passion-infused game from start to finish.

“In the last four years, we’ve beaten them twice here and they’ve beaten us twice at our place,” Leyden coach Mark Valintis said. “It’s two good teams, it’s conference, it’s exciting. The kids get into it, especially as the game goes on.

“I’m extremely happy. We haven’t played a team this quick, this skilled, or this good. It could very well be the best team we’ll play all year.”

The win improved Leyden’s record to 9-2-3 overall and 3-0 in West Suburban Conference, Gold Division play. Morton fell to 12-3 overall, and 3-1 in the conference.

The Mustangs sit up high in the area’s state rankings, but Mustangs coach Mike Caruso doesn’t like the trend he’s seeing from his boys.

“In terms of hustle today, I thought three out of four went their way in terms of fifty-fifty balls,” he said. “Until we learn that we have to hustle after those fifty-fifty balls, instead of stopping and not going through the other player, we’ll struggle.

“If they didn’t learn that from this game and the Libertyville game (a 3-1 loss), those teams that out-hustle us are probably going to win. If that’s the way we’re conditioned to play, then we’ll only go so far until we realize that we have to out-hustle teams in addition to playing with skill.”

In the game’s fourth minute, Recendez took a corner kick that somehow snuck inside the near post, and that first goal was a big one for Leyden.

“It’s a shame that it was a mistake. We just crossed the ball in and it went in, but we’ll take it,” Valintis said. “It certainly took a big load off of our kids. Our kids aren’t scared or intimidated but when Morton goes up 1-0 – you see the way they possessed the ball and our guys chased the ball – that could have gone on for eighty minutes, had they scored first.”

It was also the eighth goal scored this year by Recendez, whose conversion from defender to forward has meant all the difference to Leyden’s attack, as the junior has teamed with senior striker Krystian Drozdz to make Leyden infinitely more dangerous.

“Juan’s just happy playing soccer,” Valintis said. “When we had him in back we weren’t giving up any goals, but here we need him to play offense. It will help him for club and for his overall game. He plays defender for his club team, and what defender isn’t happy to go and score goals?”

Leyden keeper Marco Granda cut off a cross from Morton’s Abdon Delgado, and Morton keeper Miguel Chacon saved at the post on a Recendez rip taken from distance. Morton’s Jesus Morales sent a shot wide and Leyden earned a bevy of throw-ins and free kicks to the game’s 20th minute.

Morton turned up the attacking heat for the game’s next 10 minutes but defensive rotation of Bernaciak, Fernando Camacho, Moises Merlos, Tony Guzman, and Josh Ponce kept the Mustangs’ possession game mainly to shots taken from long-range.

Both Recendez and Morton’s Joel Salmeron found shots behind the defenses from close range, but Chacon and Granda were up to the challenges.

The game knotted at 60 minutes, set up by a free kick taken near midfield by Morton’s Delgado. Teammate Jesus Morales tracked down a ball headed wide of the post and put it past Granda, with Torres running on to bury his 10th goal of the year at the goal line.

“We wake up when our backs are against the wall, and we do that too much,” Caruso said. “You can’t keep doing that against good teams. When we kept the ball on the ground and kept moving, we played fine but it seems like we play enough to get by, and not any more than that to knock a team out. That keeps teams in games.”

Valintis bemoaned his side’s defending against Morton restarts.

“Their set pieces are what caused us problems all day. Through the run I didn’t think they were as dangerous to us,” Valintis said. “We have the height advantage over them but they did a much better job of going up and challenging. They were aggressive, jumping early, getting position, and that’s something we’ll be addressing. (Granda) hesitated a little on some of those set pieces but he also made some very good saves. And some point-blank saves, too.”

Morton continued to press for a game-winning goal but Leyden applied some pressure in the game’s waning moments that led to a tripping call in the box with only seconds left in the contest.

Bernaciak converted the penalty kick and tempers flared before the game’s final 10 seconds could be played. Once players were separated, both coaches agreed to skip the game’s remaining moments.

“I think the kids played well. The officiating let a lot go and as the game went on, the stakes got higher. This is a conference-title rivalry for both of our schools,” Valintis said. “I feel lucky to walk out of here with a win.

“For the majority of the people on our team today, this was their first time playing Morton in a big game. To see Fernando (Camacho) back there and see (Krystian) Drozdz just working hard, that forces the other guys to work hard.”

Afterwards, Caruso pointed to one particular player as an example of the effort he’d like to see team-wide the rest of the way.

“I thought Marcos Romo played well. He doesn’t have the greatest skill out there but he’s one of the few guys that hustles a hundred percent of the time,” Caruso said. “He doesn’t stop. He’s got a motor. If our players with more skill than him did that, we’d be fine.”

Leyden plays at Glenbard West on Wednesday in a WSC crossover game, and then travels to York for another crossover game Saturday. Morton also has a pair of crossover games on the bill, playing at York on Thursday before hosting Downers Grove North on Saturday.