Warriors fall at Wheaton Warrenville South
By Darryl Mellema

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It wasn’t the start either team had expected but the opening quarter-hour of Thursday’s Wheaton Academy –Wheaton Warrenville South match was equally cruel to the visiting Warriors and kind to the host Tigers.

That combination came about thanks to one Wheaton Academy own goal and a second deflected goal that may or may not have been headed into the net before caroming off a Warriors defender’s leg. A third Wheaton Warrenville South goal in that opening time frame set the Tigers well on their way to a 5-1 Wheaton Cup victory.

“There’s a lot at stake in terms of pride,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “That commonality between the teams makes it great. It was done with a lot of spirit and a lot of class. The game was hard at times, but it was fair.”

This match always brings a high level of intensity and tackles were flying in during the final 30 seconds of the match just as they were from the opening kickoff. But if neither team gave an inch despite the score, the post-match handshakes and hugs between members of both teams were everywhere and they were genuine. Wheaton Academy has seven roster players from Wheaton this year and others who have played with or against Wheaton Warrenville South players.

“It’s always a fun time playing against your friends,” Wheaton Warrenville South senior Max Carey said. “It was a great time out here tonight.”

The makeup of Wheaton Academy’s team changes from year to year and there are nine communities represented on this year’s roster. But there is a definite “Wheaton” feel on the squad. The next-highest representation comes from West Chicago, where the school is based, which has five roster members.

“It’s different every year, but there’s several this year who have good solid relationships with Wheaton South,” Brooke said. “You appreciate when guys can go out in a good, competitive environment and shake hands, give a hug and wish each other the best after the game. I always admire that with young men growing up in that way.”

The Wheaton Cup is now a triangular affair involving Wheaton Warrenville South, Wheaton Academy and Wheaton North. The Tigers (5-1) can clinch the competition if they win the DuPage Valley Conference match with Wheaton North on Oct. 9.

But Thursday’s match was decided early. The third-minute own goal may have hurt, but Carey’s shot following a Yusuf Yusuf pass in the 11th minute might have been goal-bound. After it deflected off a Warriors defender’s leg, it was certainly headed into the net and the Tigers’ lead was 2-0.

Five minutes after Carey’s goal, the Tigers swept forward and Yusuf took a shot that was blocked. The ball came to Tom Kerby, who fed Patrick Nielsen in the left channel of the penalty area and Nielsen shot back to the right and scored.

“I thought certainly after the second goal, I thought they were slightly deflated, which allowed us to get the third goal before they made adjustments,” Callipari said. “So then we allowed pressure on us for the remainder of the first half.”

At that point, Wheaton Academy (4-3) shifted from its 4-4-2 formation to a 3-4-3 in an effort to generate more offensive pressure. While the Warriors did not score before halftime, the move did have some positive effects.

“We wanted to come in and set the tone and to put the ball in our goal, once, twice and fall behind was tough,” Brooke said. “I told the guys I was really proud of the second 20 minutes of the first half. It would have been crucial for us to get one, but all we got were chances. But I was proud of the way we shifted out of the mess we created in the first 15 minutes.”

Ironically, the key movement after the formation shift was the push forward from Wheaton Academy’s midfield, which remained the same size as it had been before. Then that midfield had three players to find in attacking situations, and that turned momentum into scoring opportunities.

“It was almost as if we sagged back so much that their two forwards were able to get touches with a turn,” Brooke said. “We stepped guys forward in terms of their tactical position and then we sent more players higher to try and attack their flanks. I think it was a decent adjustment even though it didn’t show much on the scoreboard.”

At halftime, while Brooke discussed his team’s need to continue pressing for a goal, Callipari was concerned by the way his squad had responded to the increased tempo Wheaton Academy brought in those final 15-20 minutes of the first half.

“It was kind of an interesting conversation we had at halftime,” Callipari said. “We were up 3-0 but if felt like we were down 3-0 because of the way we played in the last 15 minutes. But you’ve got to give them credit for making adjustments. They had nothing to lose and sent players forward from the back and left themselves susceptible. But we didn’t organize ourselves properly.”

In terms of which team would win the match, Wheaton Warrenville South left no doubt when Nielsen passed to Yusuf in the seventh minute of the second half and the Tigers went ahead 4-0.

But there in an early-season match for both teams, there were much deeper considerations and both teams continued to play with maximum intensity for the final half-hour.

One of Wheaton Warrenville-South’s key players was Carey, who played in a slightly more withdrawn midfield role than usual. Especially early in the match and consistently afterward, the Tigers’ senior calmed play before sending solid passes forward.

“I feel like we came out strong at the beginning of the first half and at the beginning of the second half,” Carey said. “We kind of died down and gave them some chances. But overall, it was a great team effort but Wheaton Academy played great as well.”

Normally, Carey would have played slightly higher in the Wheaton Warrenville South midfield. But by playing slightly withdrawn due to some lineup shifting, Carey found extra time and space and used it to great effect.

“The way things worked out, I think it worked out well, because I think they had planned to play him a little higher and to mark him out,” Callipari said. “He found a lot more space in the midfield. They tried to mark him, but it was tough to do in transition.”

Callipari also spoke highly of junior Javier Rojas, who also played in a central midfield role.

“He’s very creative,” Callipari said. “I wish he was a little more direct in his route to goal. But he’s very good east-to-west.”

For Wheaton Academy, Gareth Flynn was one of those players who had an impact. The senior scored the Warriors’ goal in the 10th minute of the second half. But beyond that, surging runs and incisive passes meant the visitors remained a threat to score the rest of the match.

“There wasn’t much ‘quit’ in the team,” Brooke said. “I thought (Flynn) with the ball at his feet, was dangerous against a good outside back. We’ve got some guys who can do some things here.”
Carey scored the last goal from a penalty kick with 16 minutes left to play.