Boys Soccer notes: Downers Grove North, with eight starters back, motivated for bounce-back season

With eight returning starters, Downers Grove North is one of the more experienced teams in the West Suburban Silver.

The Trojans scored four unanswered goals to pull out a 4-1 comeback victory over Leyden on Aug. 29. The victory ended a two-game slide to put the Trojans (2-2) back at .500 on the season.

“We have seen a real uptick in confidence this year,” Downers Grove North coach Mike Schmitt said. “We had a lot of underclassmen last season and took a while to get up to speed with the varsity level. They have really come back this season with something to prove and battling to stake their claim. I think we’re also still looking for consistency and the ability to play a full 80 minutes.”

Schmitt said several players have stepped up early this season. Forward Jack Ryan sparked the win over Leyden, recording a hat trick to run his season total to four goals in two games played.

“Jack Ryan has really hit the ground running this season, Schmitt said. “He missed quite a bit of last season due to injury. This year he has set a high bar for himself and, so far, he’s off to a great start. Ryan Wilson is a very talented player. He also missed most of last season due to injury, but is really showcasing his ability so far this year. Bradley Szydlowski is solid in defense and often initiated our attack. He has been a rock for us the past few seasons in defense.”

Schmitt said his players are motivated for a bounce-back season after a disappointing effort last year. Through four games, Schmitt said he’s noticed a difference in his players.

“We didn’t have a great season last year,” he said. “Our record wasn’t good. We lost a lot of one-goal games. We’re looking to compete more and earn a bit of hardware along the way. This year’s squad has something about them. They have a collective desire and a fight in them that I haven’t seen in a couple of seasons.”

Glenbard South fighting through injuries

Glenbard South opened the season with a spate of bad luck. The Raiders, who returned four starters from last season’s regional finalist team, were expecting to lean on senior defender and captain Jacob Lichtenheld.

“We’ve been hit with the injury bug early,” Glenbard South coach Adam Szyszko said. “Our starting back, Jacob Lichtenheld, a three-year varsity player, hasn’t played yet. We had another starting center back couldn’t complete warmups on Saturday against Romeoville and didn’t play. Romeoville’s offense is not one you want to play without your two center backs.

“We’re still very much a work in progress getting so many players acclimated to the varsity level and with all of our injuries figuring out playing rotations and who can play what role.”

The Raiders (2-1-1) built some momentum by defeating Aurora Central Catholic 6-0.

Szyszko said the injuries have allowed several players to step into bigger roles.

“A pleasant surprise so far has been Patricio Garza,” he said. “He’s one of our many seniors that are new to the varsity this year. With our injury crunch at center back, he deputized nicely and has made some solid plays. He had good performances against Nazareth and Aurora Central Catholic. It’s nice knowing we have some cover if one of our starters goes down again.”

Extra time

York hasn’t lost since winning the Class 3A state championship last season. Senior Jose Herrera has been a big reason for the Dukes winning their first three games by a margin of 14-3.

Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari is in his 32nd year leading the program. He’s closing in on the 350-win mark in boys soccer. The Tigers (2-0-1) are off to a fast start after posting a 5-0 win over Schaumburg on Aug. 27.