Chicagoland Soccer

Short-handed Hawks battle in UEC Valley loss to Tomcats

By Steve Nemeth

Facing a top 10 program like East Aurora on its home field is a tough enough challenge, but that task became an even more uphill battle for a Bartlett squad minus three starters due to injuries.

Not too surprisingly, the Tomcats’ depth provided the basis for their 5-2 Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division victory over the Hawks on Tuesday in Aurora.

The defeat suffered by Bartlett (3-3-1, 0-1-1) didn’t diminish Hawks coach Ben Beary’s appreciation of his ballclub, which trailed 4-1 at halftime.

“The grit that we showed in the second half is a testament to our team. We played better as the game got on, I wish we would have had 10 more minutes in this game,” Beary insisted.

Bartlett actually had the strong start as Charlie Sordini and Anthony DiNuzzo had solid attempts either punched or tipped away by East Aurora starting goalie Osvaldo Mata.

The Tomcats, who upped their overall record to 6-2-1 plus a 1-0 start to their Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division title defense, got on the scoreboard at 19:04 when Juan Bustamante fed Danny Miranda for a five-yarder just inside the right post.

“It's always important to set the tone early and it gets the juices flowing once we get the first one in,” explained Miranda, who notched his fourth goal of the season. “Once we get in rhythm, we know we can score.”

East Aurora certainly found its scoring rhythm adding three goals within a seven-minute span. The Tomcats’ Angel Barajas had just the right curve on his corner kick with 8:33 left in the opening half to make it a 2-0 contest.

Abraham Kanneh made it 3-0 by adding to his team-highs for goals (6) and points (15) when he worked past a couple Bartlett defenders and slotted a three-yarder inside the left post.

Angel Diaz was able to see Franky Ortiz breaking into space for a two-yard tap-in with 1:24 remaining.

“It happens,” Beary shrugged in regard to the 4-0 deficit. “We had a goalie (starter Cristian Alva) that was playing hurt and gave it his best shot, but things just didn’t roll our way. As a team, we make no excuses; we suck it up and try even harder. But you take away a couple mistakes in the first half and it’s a different game.”

It became a little brighter for Bartlett thanks to the hustle and work ethic of DiNuzzo who tracked down a ball in the right wing and blasted a 16-yarder from the right wing into the upper left corner 27 seconds prior to the halftime horn.

“Every time I can find the back post I try to take that opportunity,” DiNuzzo said of his team-best fifth goal. “We were still down by a lot, but I just wanted to get us a goal. The fact that we’re missing players just made me work harder.

"A lot of the other kids I’m playing with, this is their first year on varsity, so I try to set an example by working harder. In the second half, we did that and had so many more chances.”

Despite the increased offensive play, Bartlett faced another four-goal deficit when East Aurora’s Luis Reyna set up Eddie Gaytan for a four-yarder by the right post.

That in itself was another example of the Tomcats’ depth since it was only the first goal of the year for Gaytan, who was East's co-leader for goals (8) in 2010.

“I thought we controlled the game, I have our managers keep track of passes completed and we had over 300,” East coach Jason Rollins said. “So I thought we dictated play and had many chances, hitting the post twice and missing some others.”

Bartlett narrowed the gap with 16:16 still remaining as Ramiro Arroyo chalked up his third goal of the season with a solid 12-yarder from the right side that eluded Mata despite the Tomcat keeper making an all-out sprawl that resulted in his landing flat on his back. The junior goalie had to come out forcing sophomore Francisco Delgaldo to step into net for the remainder.

Despite the setback, Beary viewed his squad’s performance as a positive for the rest of the season.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better 80 minutes considering we’re down three starters right now due to injuries. (Zack) Audy, DiNuzzo and (Tony) Paredes are having to play at higher level.

"We’re asking more of them than we’ve ever asked and they’re stepping up to the challenge. That experience is only going to make us better when we are at full strength.”