Warriors' woes continue at Lake Park
By Bill Stone

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Junior goalie Zach Czesak had just begun celebrating another Lake Park soccer victory Tuesday when he was aggressively hugged by a teammate.

It was fellow junior goalie Stephen Mack.

Shutouts are becoming quite common for the Lancers these days, but their 2-0 victory over Waubonsie Valley in Roselle was far from easy.

“By far, I think, yeah, this was the hardest (shutout yet) – a tough team,” Czesak said.

Czesak made three dramatic saves as the Lancers withstood being out-shot 25-6 to post already their sixth shutout and remain undefeated in the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division.

The Lancers (7-3, 3-0 in UEC Valley) have won three straight, all of them shutouts. Their previous five shutouts have all been 1-0.

“The keepers are doing great this year. We do what we can,” Czesak said. “The team (got us through). It was everyone pushing each other, keeping each other in the game. Teams win games.

“Our defense is great. They’re good so far this year. Hopefully they can keep it up. I know we haven’t beaten Waubonsie in a couple of years. I know last year we suffered, (losing) 4-0. This year, it’s kind of nice to get a little redemption.”

Lake Park had just three shots on goal the entire game but got two tallies both from key reserves. Senior Sergio Dorado scored his first goal of the season with 13:20 left in the first half off a sidelines throw-in by senior captain Joe Keane. Junior Sean Lang added a key goal with 22:56 to play, especially considering the Warriors (4-4-1, 1-2) nearly tied the game about five minutes earlier. Waubonsie also led 6-2 in corner kicks.

“Luck is on our side and we’re pressing the issue and things are just falling in our favor. I just hope it continues because we dodged many bullets, many shots on frame,” first-year Lake Park coach Anthony Passi said. “Zach Czesak played an incredible game, and our defense stuffed them.

“We’ve been constantly working on the element of (better) possession. But they find a way to win. There’s certain things you can’t coach – the intensity, energy, the will to play. These kids show up and play and there’s a great chemistry among the kids. The keepers are just tremendous together.”

Waubonsie suffered its fourth straight loss but was shut out for only the second time this season, the first time coming in a scoreless draw at Benet Aug. 23.

“It seems to be the norm as of late. We’re creating a few chances, we’re not connecting, we’re not putting our chances away where the keeper is making a good save or hitting somebody in front of the goal line,” said Waubonsie Valley coach Angelo DiBernardo, who was in his first game back after recently being out of the country.

“We’re just missing our opportunities, and defensively we’re making big mistakes that are costing us goals. I think they had only two real good opportunities that were created by us more than anything else. That’s how I saw it. They’re not missing their opportunities, and we’re missing ours. That is why it is a beautiful game.”

Lake Park’s starting defense of sweeper Gustavo Contreras, stopper Dillon Hock and outside defenders Joe DeSario and Dom Azzolin maintained their composure as well as possible. The Warriors still unleashed many dangerous balls that Czesak thwarted en route to making eight saves.

The first came in the 11th minute when Czesak needed a punch save to stop a 30-yard blast by Gytis Savukynas. The ball bounced straight back into the crease, but a charging Casey Bucz headed the rebound wide.

“A reaction save, 100 percent, just try to get down and stop the ball,” Czesak said.

In the 52nd minute, Timmy Miller made a strong sidelines throw-in from the left sideline that bounced through the crease to Frankie Saiz on the far post. As soon as Saiz got a head on the ball, Czesak was there to deflect the shot off the side of the post and out of bounds.

“I just got up to his head and got the ball as he was hitting it,” Czesak said.

Now with a two-goal difference and 6 1/2 minutes left, Czesak leaped to stop Miller’s 30-yard free kick. Czesak seemed to momentarily pin the ball against the crossbar before it came down and it was cleared.

Moments later, the Warriors took another shot over the net.

“They took free kicks quickly so I had to get set. I just got my hand up there and it popped out luckily,” Czesak said.

On the offensive end Tuesday, the Lancers were opportunistic and getting hustle from their rotation of four players at the two forward spots.

On the first goal, Keane’s throw-in from the 15-yard line grazed the fingertips of goalie Jordan Ward and the head of tallest defender Jack Cordes to an unmarked Dorado on the far post.

The restart was set up by forward Oliver Horgan heading ahead a Keane throw-in and pressuring the Waubonsie defender to put the ball out of bounds.

On his goal, Lang was unmarked in the top left corner of the box to accept a deep left-corner cross by Damilare Sangobowale. Lang’s first shot was blocked by a defender, but the ball came right back to him and he deposited his second try into the right corner of the net.

One reason Lang may have been open was that the ball appeared to be headed over the end line, but Sangobowale, a senior transfer from Schaumburg, hustled to keep the ball in play.

In the Lancers’ last game, Sangobowale scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over St. Francis Sept. 6 at Benedictine University by not quitting on the ball after Keane’s throw-in was mishandled by the goalie.

“(Sangobowale) has a desire to play. He’s learning the game, but he’s got a tremendous amount of energy and I think with his energy, it just elevated everyone else,” Passi said. “I think that was really the difference, the energy we had.”

The rotation of Czesak and Mack in goal obviously is working, too. Going into the season, Passi approached them about splitting halves or time during games, but they decided to switch off games. The backup goalie tries to provide insight and motivation during halftime.

“He’s my mentor, I’m his mentor and we work together,” Czesak said. “We have a good connection. We’ve been together since freshman year and are keeping the connection alive, keeping each other into the games.”

“Our goalkeeping has been consistent all year. Those guys have been phenomenal all year,” Passi said. “They keep pushing each other to get better. You’ve got to see them in practice, warmups. It’s a unit between those two. They’re not beating each other up. They’re constantly pushing each other to do better.”

Not only were the goalies both on the junior varsity in 2011 but also was most of the current defense, making the transition easier.

In this victory, Hock especially excelled at punching several dangerous balls, many with headers. The defensive wall also blocked a shot five minutes into the second half after the Warriors’ passing combination from Derek Schafer to Frankie Saiz to Bucz on the right side of his goal.

“I think Dylan’s kind of an unsung hero out there,” Passi said. “Dylan was effective as that central defender by doing the simple things, winning the ball in the air, clearing the all wide, clearing the ball long.”

Waubonsie controlled the ball most of the first half, often passing the ball among defenders Cicchini, Cordes, Sammy Saiz and Michael Miller and center midfielder Vish Patel. Even the Lancers’ midfield often was in a defensive posture, but they succeeded in limiting threatening balls.

The Lancers were more aggressive in the final 40 minutes, but the Warriors managed to get better scoring chances. After making no substitutions in the first half, DiBernardo brought in Schafer to start the second half as part of a three-forward attack with Frankie Saiz and Noah Griffith.

“We came out with a lot of energy in the second half and created three, four opportunities in the very beginning and didn’t connect, and then our heads went out down,” DiBernardo said.

“I think our first half was very good from box to box, but in the last 18 yards or so, we didn’t really create much. The second half we created a lot more. We played a little more helter skelter, and they played hard. They ran, they tackled, they played hard. Obviously, giving the (first) goal got them into the game, gave them some confidence.”

The Lancers’ entire defense and center midfielders Keane and senior Cassidy Fauser went all 80 minutes. Passi said he was impressed with Fauser’s play off the bench against St. Francis, and he got the call to start Tuesday because usual starting senior midfielder James Proctor was out with illness.

“We put Cassidy in the St. Francis game, and all of a sudden, the ball started going forward, it was going behind the defense, and it was coming from Cassidy,” Passi said. “Here’s a guy that is making us effective in the midfield, possessing the ball so let’s try it again here. And Cassidy’s got wheels. He’s got some speed.”