Warriors top Elmwood Park 3-1
By Gary Larsen

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All a coach can ask from a team is to see improvement over the course of a season, and in the past week Willowbrook has shown coach Peter Ginter that it’s about as ready as it can be for the looming postseason.

As the No. 16 seed of this year’s Class 3A York Sectional, Willowbrook battled and lost 1-0 on Tuesday to a No. 3 sectional seed in Leyden, and then lost Thursday in a shootout to a No. 2 sectional seed in Addison Trail.

Those are two close games against two teams that have been highly-touted in 2012. Willowbrook followed those games with a 3-1 win at Elmwood Park on Saturday, to punctuate a quality week of soccer.

“Our morale is a lot higher now and nobody is giving up,” Willowbrook senior captain Ben Draus said. “We want to keep fighting and maybe pull up an upset in the state playoffs.”

Draus scored twice in Saturday’s win, once to tie the game 1-1 on a freekick and then again on a penalty kick at 70 minutes that secured the win. Willowbrook added a third goal a minute later when Dylan Jones took a ball to the endline on the left side and centered a pass, with Raymundo Alvarado there to head the ball home.

Willowbrook (4-15-1) began in attack mode on Saturday, with a good wind at its back. Kristian Johansen challenged Tigers keeper Peter Halir for a ball at the goalmouth and John Karcz nearly got onto the end of a Draus freekick, but the Tigers kept the Warriors out of net in the first half.

“We were shooting but we couldn’t get enough shots on target,” Draus said. “We were close but we couldn’t get one in.”

Elmwood Park (5-8-3) is a team built on a defensive crouch and a counterattack, and the Tigers struck on the counter just 39.2 seconds before halftime when Kamil Trestka unleashed a wicked shot from 30 yards out that sailed under the crossbar.

Willowbrook has a game on Tuesday against defending state champion Morton, but Ginter didn’t mince words in his halftime talk on Saturday.

“We were basically told to pick it up and that if we didn’t we’d have practice on Monday and go really hard,” Draus said. “We knew we had to elevate our game.”

Ginter wanted to see his boys play the width more aggressively after the break.

“One thing we didn’t do well in the first half is play the possession game the way we wanted to. Our objective was to spread their defense out,” Ginter said. “Instead of always going down the middle, we wanted to play the wings a lot more than we did. We talked at halftime about playing the wings, the weak side a lot more, and they started doing it.

“The things we’re talking about, they started to do in the second half. Now we need to be more consistent in the first halves of games.”

The Warriors’ Daniel Torres sent a shot just wide to start the second half, and at 47 minutes the Warriors forced Halir to make consecutive saves on point-blank shots taken at the post. Elmwood Park’s Trestka tested Warriors keeper Luke Ruszkowski with a low shot from 20 yards out, before Draus’ freekick tied the game.

The game was at the 53-minute mark when Draus lined up the kick, 25 yards out, and sent a low blast towards the post. Afterwards there was some disagreement over whether Draus’ shot went in off of Halis or off a Tigers’ defender, but either way the game was tied.

Elmwood Park’s Konrad Kawula sent in a pair of freekicks before the 60-minute mark – one that curled just over the crossbar and another that Ruszkowski elevated to gather.

Ten minutes away from a tie, Elmwood Park was called for a handball inside the penalty area and Draus calmly buried it to provide the game-winning goal. “I just go up there with confidence and I know I’ll make it, every time,” Draus said. “I planted my foot and made sure I slotted it.”

The Warriors continued to attack in the final third down the stretch, while central defender Tito Cabral and Willowbrook’s boys in back kept things locked down.

“Tito is playing very consistent, providing real good leadership out there, he’s vocal, and tells people who they need to mark up,” Ginter said. “His game is just getting better and better as we’re improving. With (goalkeeper) Luke (Ruszkowski) improving in terms of taking charge back there, those are two key players for us defensively.”

Offensively, Ginter would like to see his side let fly on a few more shots.

“I keep telling my guys to take the shots they’re given,” Ginter said. “A lot of times they want to shoot with the strong foot but you don’t always have that choice, and you have to shoot with the left. You put pressure on their keeper and you go for the rebounds.”

Willowbrook opens postseason play against No. 18 sectional seed Bartlett on Friday, for the chance to take on No. 2 Addison Trail on Oct. 16.

“The kids are really responding well to our coaching," Ginter said. "We’re not the most talented team but if we play well as a team that can make up for that weakness. And one thing about these guys that has been real good for us is that they have a real blue-collar mentality. They work hard, hustle, and they don’t give up. We have to play that way.”