Hawks' opening game carries promise
By Dave Owen

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The Upstate Eight season kicked into gear on Thursday, with both Neuqua Valley and Bartlett ending the day with building optimism.

The host Wildcats’ fast start and eventual 1-0 win over the Hawks provided a rebound from their season-opening 2-0 loss to defending state champion Morton two days earlier.

As for Bartlett, coach Ben Beary is confident that his team’s solid second half performance will carry over in the coming weeks and months.

“This was our first game and it takes a little while to get used to game speed,” Beary said. “I think that hit us a little bit in the first 15 minutes, but we got settled in after that. I’m really proud of them and the way they played.

“It’s not the result we wanted, but the way that we played after being down one against a talented team in our first game - for a young team like we have, I have more confidence than ever in our ability to beat anybody. I’m looking forward to our next game.”

Neuqua Valley can look forward to big things in the future from Ryan Ross.
The sophomore striker used great speed to produce the day’s only scoring in the 9th minute of play, racing past defenders on a burst up the middle and blasting a low shot past charging Bartlett goalkeeper Justin Busch for a 1-0 lead.

“Ryan had a quality finish,” said first-year Neuqua Valley coach Skip Begley, a longtime successful coach at Moline and Hinsdale Central who guided the Red Devils’ girls team to the 2009 state title.

“He’s a special kid. I think he came up late in the year last year and was the second leading scorer as a freshman and honorable mention all-conference.  He’s just got that pace that can change a simple play into glory. That’s a key factor for us.”

Ross was narrowly denied further glory on multiple occasions by Busch’s solid play. The Bartlett netminder made a diving save to his left to stop a Ross blast in the 17th minute of play. Then Busch came up big again with under 27 minutes left in the match when Ross dribbled between defenders and fired an 8-yard shot that Busch repelled with a sliding kick save.

But Busch didn’t have a monopoly on big-time saves.

In a game that ended with a 7-6 shots on goal advantage for Neuqua Valley, Wildcats’ goalkeeper
Zack Goldstein preserved the shutout with some exemplary saves.

Facing increased Bartlett pressure during the second half, Goldstein answered the call with 32 minutes left on a diving save of Dylan Zlotnik’s 15-yard shot.

Then with 21:30 to go, A.J. Santori’s point-blank header off a nice cross from Bartlett teammate Juan Garcia appeared destined to tie the score. But Goldstein made a great reaction stop at the left post.

Goldstein capped his shutout performance with seven minutes left, diving to his left to stop a 20-yard blast from Bartlett’s Joey Butler. Andrew Gott and Chris Kibler each sent 30-yard free kicks narrowly over the crossbar in the second half,  Kibler’s attempt coming with 35 seconds to play.

“We came out in the first half and possessed the ball really well, but it seemed like in the last 10 minutes we were pretty panicky,” Goldstein said.  “We just needed to get the ball upfield, which we weren’t able to do that well.”

A co-captain for the Wildcats, Goldstein lived up to that role on Thursday.

“I was on varsity last year, so I definitely feel I’m a leader on this team,” he said. “And we all listen to each other. The guys know I have a big role, and I try to be the best role model that I can.”

Neuqua Valley defenders Paarth Joshi, Nick Castelvecchi, Reed Kurtenbach , Jalen Watkins and Jack Ovington were also key to preserving the shutout, along with key contributions from the midfield.

“I thought (Jake) Loncar in the midfield No. 9 worked really hard, won some balls in the air and tried to balance us up,” Begley said. “We struggled some with that Tuesday (against Morton).  He likes to play up top, but we may need him in the midfield to help us control the game a little bit.”

Bartlett’s Carlos Avina made a big impression of his own, none larger than with 15:10 left. Off a corner kick by the Wildcats’ Kevin Osoba, Avina and teammate Zlotnik combined to clear the ball of the line on a scramble in the crease to deny a Neuqua Valley goal.

“Carlos Avina absolutely is a senior leader in the center in back,” Beary said. “He saved us time after time. He never makes a bad decision – he knows exactly what to do with the ball. I just need to get him to get more vocal. And Zack Audy was a midfield standout.”

Beary’s praise extended far beyond a few of his players.

“This is the best Bartlett possession team I’ve ever coached,” he said. “It takes discipline, teamwork and patience, and for a young team to demonstrate that in a game like this on an away field, I’m pleased.

“I think we got just as many decent opportunities as they did, and that said a lot about our team. As far as top level talent, we’ve got it. We’re a solid team, and everybody knows that on this team. We know that we’re young and that we’ve got to prove ourselves, but that’s fine because as a team we’re very good.”

Neuqua Valley can look ahead with similar enthusiasm after making big strides from the season opener.

“I thought we developed some chances,” Begley said, “and the key was that we improved from Tuesday. We looked like I was a new coach and they were new players on Tuesday. We were a little disorganized and played maybe a little helter skelter at times. But playing a quality opponent off the bat, it was 0-0 at halftime and they didn’t score until the 67th minute, so we hung in.

“We kept the ball and connected some passes (against Bartlett). On Tuesday we played very rushed and just didn’t play with confidence. Today we were more thoughtful with our play, and kept the ball at our feet when we needed to. I thought we played some balls nicely wide, and we have a little bit of speed. That’s always another factor.”

Kyle Carson’s strong attack up the left side produced a scoring chance with 23:20 to play, but his cross to the net was deflected out of bounds by Busch and Bartlett defender Alex Smith.

Eduardo Cruz and Jack Liu also generated first half chances for the Wildcats.

“All conference games are huge, but this really counts because this was the first,” Goldstein said.

“Morton was a good warmup for this game. They’re defending state champions, so it was good to start out against them and see where we stand.”

The Wildcats stood tall Thursday, and hope to continue with focus on two factors.

“Just keep playing possession of the ball,” Goldstein said, “and stay relaxed in the back when we’re under pressure. “