Neuqua Boys Soccer is sectional survivor

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www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=247557

Neuqua is sectional survivor
By Gary Larsen | Daily Herald 11/1/200

This year's Class 3A Naperville Central sectional in boys soccer lived up to its annual meat-grinder status in DuPage County.

"To win this sectional is like winning a mini-state title," said Neuqua Valley coach Jim Johns. "We're really happy about it."

Neuqua Valley (20-4-2) won 2-1 over Downers Grove South (17-7-1) on Saturday and will face Hinsdale Central in a supersectional game on Tuesday that will send a winner to the state's Final Four.

"It feels great - two years in a row," the Wildcats' Bryan Ciesiulka said. "One of the hardest sectionals in the state, and we came out on top."

Ciesiulka and teammate Jaymie Bullard each had a goal and an assist in the first half, the Mustangs' Marcus Salinas scored early in the second half, and the Wildcats hung on in the face of Mustangs' pressure from there to the final buzzer.

"They sat back a little bit and let us come at them in the second half, and to their credit, they held us off," said Mustangs coach Jon Stapleton.

Ciesiulka's goal was set up when Scott Davis drew a foul just outside the top of the penalty area in the game's seventh minute. Bullard touched the free-kick chance to Ciesiulka, who sent it inside the post from 21 yards out.

The Wildcats' second goal was built from the back.

"Zach Kovecevic beat, like, five people by sheer effort, and I actually had to catch up to him," Bullard said. "I was calling to (Ciesiulka), and he found me pretty easy."

Ian Krol sent the pass into Ciesiulka.

"Ian won the ball, (Ciesiulka) made a beautiful pass, and Jaymie buried it," Johns said. "That was key."

Salinas ripped a ball to the back netting from 10 yards out in the 48th minute. The Mustangs possessed well from there and earned six corner kicks in the second half, but the Wildcats never buckled.

"We're playing a lot better as a team," Ciesiulka said. "Through the season we came together, and we're jelling as a team. Our defense has really stepped up through the playoffs."

The Wildcats' back line of Pat Doody, Jason Beckus, Robby Gargaro and Tommy Terlep only allowed two shots on goalkeeper Jack Turancik.

"The defense has played remarkable," Johns said. "They've done a good job, and they did a good job today."

Seeded fourth, the Mustangs knocked off top-seeded Naperville Central in reaching a sectional title game against No. 2 Neuqua Valley.

"We've had a great year," Stapleton said. "We had 17 wins on the season against good competition. There are only five teams in our program history that have finished with more than 17 wins, so there's a lot to be proud of."

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www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=248233

Neuqua Valley steps past Hinsdale Central
By Gary Larsen | Daily Herald 11/5/200

Two great feeds for two finishes, and Dan O'Leary became just the latest Neuqua Valley player to come up big for his soccer team.

"There are a lot of good players on this team," said Neuqua Valley coach Jim Johns. "(O'Leary) has played big for us. He's really done a great job."

Bryan Ciesiulka scored twice and Scott Davis netted a goal in the Wildcats' 3-0 win over Hinsdale Central, in a Class 3A supersectional game that advanced Neuqua Valley (21-4-2) to the state's Final Four on Friday.

The artificial surface at the Benedictine University seemed conducive to the Wildcats' fast style of play, which they hope to take onto the same surface at North Central College in Naperville on Friday.

"This surface is a lot better for us. We like to play it around," O'Leary said. "We're looking forward to that game."

The Red Devils (17-7-2) came out strong through 15 minutes, applying pressure and earning good free-kick chances in the process.

"We knew (Hinsdale Central) was a dangerous team, especially on free kicks," Johns said. "The first 10 minutes we were on our heels, until we settled down."

In the 17th minute O'Leary slotted a ball forward to Ciesiulka, who cut it back left and tucked it inside the near post from 10 yards out. Ciesiulka scored his 17th goal of the year early in the second half, and the Wildcats went up 3-0 in the 52nd minute when O'Leary hustled a ball to the end line and fed the goalmouth.

"On the first one, Jaymie (Bullard) sent me a great ball across, and I saw Bryan making that slotting run," O'Leary said. "The second one, I just saw Scotty (Davis) coming across, and I just had to put it on his foot."

The Red Devils fought for chances throughout but couldn't find a finish.

"This group came a long way this year and did some really good things along the way," said Red Devils coach Mike Wiggins. "It's been a proud, hard-working group and a fun group to coach."

Hinsdale Central reached Tuesday's game thanks to a 2-1 comeback win in a sectional final against Morton, a team that had beaten the Red Devils 5-0 early in the season.

The Wildcats will play in a state semifinal on Friday against New Trier, a 5-0 supersectional winner over Waukegan.

"To win 21 games - it's been an unbelievable year," Johns said. "Our average has been 20 (wins) over the last eight years, and that says something about the quality of the men that we have playing for us."

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www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=249291

Nothing goes Neuqua's way

By Gary Larsen | Daily Herald Updated: 11/7/2008

The attacking style that New Trier's boys soccer team employs gets straight to the point - the Trevians are fast, they play quick to feet and they come right at you.

Neuqua Valley's 4-0 loss to New Trier on Friday was only the second time all season that a team scored more than two goals in a game against them. The Wildcats hit the crossbar twice and sent 11 shots on net but couldn't find the back of the net.

New Trier, on the other hand, finished on four of its 16 shots on frame. Has Neuqua seen a better attack than the Trevians' all season?

"No," said Wildcats senior Bryan Dosch. "Not even close."

"We have five or six kids that are really good with the ball at their feet," said New Trier coach Craig Fairbairn. "And we've got some guys up top that are quick."

The semifinal loss of the Class 3A finals sent the Wildcats to the third-place game against Boylan, to be played at 6 p.m. today at North Central College in Naperville.

Neuqua Valley (21-5-2) had the better of play through the game's first 15 minutes, hitting the crossbar with a shot and keeping the ball on New Trier's side of midfield.

"They were putting a lot of pressure on," Fairbairn said. "Defensively, we were really good. Then we got the goal, and everything relaxed for us a little bit.

New Trier (20-1-1) began playing faster and more cohesively, and the game turned in the 17th minute when Matt Strauss sent a shot in off the crossbar from 27 yards out. The lead held to halftime.

Two minutes into the second half, Kyle McCrudden scored on a head shot from 10 yards out. Neuqua Valley pressed forward after falling behind 2-0, but the Trevians went up 3-0 on another McCrudden goal in the 66th minute.

Neuqua's finishing struggles were epitomized in an exchange at the New Trier goalmouth in the 65th minute, with one shot hitting the crossbar and another cleared off the goal line by a defender.

"I think we hit the post or the crossbar three or four times," said Neuqua coach Jim Johns. "If one of those would have gone in, it would have changed the game a bit.

"But it was hard to play against them - that's an outstanding team."

New Trier scored a final time in the 69th minute and the Wildcats continued to push forward but came away empty-handed.

"They outplayed us," Dosch said. "They're a fast team. And once we went down 1-0, we went all out and tried to score, and we just got caught going for it all.

"But we'll come back and play hard tomorrow."

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www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=249372

Frustrated Wildcats take fourth place

By Orrin Schwarz | Daily Herald 11/9/2008

If this were any ordinary weekend, it would be a weekend to forget for Neuqua Valley.

But seeing as how Neuqua Valley was playing in the Class 3A Final Four and gets to take home a nice fourth-place trophy and individual medals, it's likely to be a weekend the Wildcats remember for some time, Saturday night's 2-0 loss to Rockford Boylan notwithstanding.

"We started off rough this season, and we really started to come around as a team," senior Bryan Ciesiulka said after the third-place game at North Central College in Naperville. "We had a lot of fun. We had a great finish to our year. Not the way we wanted it, but it was a good year."

Saturday's game ended slightly better than Friday's, a 4-0 loss to eventual champion New Trier.

"It was just like this weekend we couldn't find it. We were just a little bit off our game and the other teams made us pay for it," Ciesiulka said.

"We just had a hard time scoring," coach Jim Johns said, whose team was missing injured seniors Mike Kowal, Bryan Dosch and junior Scott Davis. "We tried, but we just couldn't get the ball in the net. We gave it everything we had."

The Wildcats fell behind Saturday in the seventh minute when Rocco Taglia tagged a free kick from 32 yards out for a 1-0 Boylan lead.

Taglia had the assist on Boylan's second goal, a 54th-minute header by Travis Haug.

"This game I always thought we were going to come back," Ciesiulka said. "I don't know. It hurts because you think we're going to come out, we're going to get the first one, we're going to get them on their heels. But we just couldn't do it."