Freko's First Goal a Big Feat for Mustangs

is hoping Jack Freko scores many more goals in his high school soccer career, but it’s going to be tough for the sophomore forward to top his first in importance.

Freko scored the only goal of the game in the Mustangs’ stunning 1-0 upset of nationally ranked Chaminade, the perennial Missouri power, last Saturday in the semifinals of the 15^th annual Great Midwest Classic in Indianapolis.

“He was in the middle third of the field, got a pass from left wing, took a touch and took an early shot on goal and kind of a floater and the keeper was off his line and [Jack] chipped it,” Downers South coach Jon Stapleton said. “So it was kind of nice recognition on his part to put it on frame.”

The goal, which came early in the second half, was the only scoring chance of the game for Downers South, which held off a ferocious attack by Chaminade.

“It’s a big goal, so I couldn’t have asked for any more,” Freko said. “We were playing defense pretty much the whole game and then we got that one chance and made the most of it.

“Sam LaLonde passed it from the left wing to me, I checked in the middle and took a few touches and then hit it. I guess [the goalie] wasn’t ready and lucky shot, I guess.”

There was nothing lucky about Downers South’s defensive effort, which was stellar in a tournament-opening 2-0 victory over Lexington Catholic of Kentucky and the win against Chaminade. Junior goalie Nick Tannenbaum recorded the shutout in both matches, giving him four on the year, and made the all-tournament team along with LaLonde, senior defender Joe Sombeck and senior midfielder Cory Mosiman, who along with Naser Omar scored against Lexington.

It was just the third time the Mustangs (4-4-2) won two games at the prestigious tournament and the second time they made the championship game. South won the title in their only previous appearance in the final in 2004. They went on to win the state championship later that fall.

This time the Mustangs weren’t as fortunate, falling 3-0 to Avon of Indiana on Saturday night. The match was scoreless at halftime.

“We’ve only had three teams in this program’s history that have won two games in that tournament; they’re one of them,” Stapleton said. “So it was a lot to build on.”

“Against Lexington Catholic I thought we outplayed them and were able to finish. [Against] Chaminade Jack Freko got his first goal and that came at a huge time, about 2-3 minutes into the second half and we had to defend our butts off to hold them off, but you know how soccer is, it was one of those games where your one shot goes in and their 10 don’t. I think we recognized that we were able to go up against a better team and get the victory.

“I was happy for all our kids in that tournament but I was really kind of excited for our seniors having the opportunity to be in the final. Cory’s playing well, as are Gabe [Diaz] and Joe Sombeck. I think it’s a nice group.”

The unexpected showing, coming as it did after a 1-2-2 start, was an important shot in the arm for a relatively inexperienced team that has been decimated with illness and injuries, including four players with broken bones.

Senior defender Andrew Donnelly has a fractured elbow, junior midfielder Nick Gruic is out with a fractured hip and junior defender Patrick Conniff broke his foot. Sophomore midfielder Jordan Pawlicki, recently elevated to the varsity because of the injuries, suffered a broken nose Tuesday against Addison Trail and is out at least two weeks.

“So despite being a little young and inexperienced, we’re also dealing with things that I’ve never had a team that’s had to deal with,” said Stapleton, who is in his 10^th year as head coach and 15^th overall at South. “The kids aren’t going to make excuses and we’re not going to allow them to. They want to keep getting better, but the reality is we’re hurting a little bit.”

But nothing takes the sting out of injuries like winning.

“Coming off a tournament like that is a big confidence-booster, especially after the beginning of the season when we weren’t playing well,” said Mosiman, a co-captain who is one of many Mustangs nursing head colds. “We kind of meshed as a group down there and just being around everybody the whole time was fun.”

Alas, the inconsistency returned in Tuesday’s desultory 3-0 loss to Addison Trail in a West Suburban Conference Gold Division opener in which the Mustangs were completely outplayed in the first half.

“[The tournament] brought up our confidence a lot, but [Tuesday] night, we need to use our confidence in a better way and come out and play better,” Freko noted.

The Mustangs did that Thursday, rebounding to beat Glenbard East 2-1 in Lombard. This time all of their offense was provided by an unlikely source in junior central defender David Drews, who scored two goals in a five-minute span, the last with 16 minutes left, to break a scoreless tie. Both came on second touches off of free kicks, with LaLonde and Mosiman assisting the first and Sombeck and LaLonde the latter.

Evincing the offensive struggles of the Mustangs, who have only seven goals in 10 games, Drews, who also was solid in the back, is now South’s leading scorer with three goals.

“It feels great,” said Drews, who moved into the starting lineup when Donnelly was hurt. “I don’t get that opportunity much. Everybody has their offs and ons and I’ve been doing good these last couple games, a few minor mess-ups, but it’s great to be in the lineup and [help] this team.”

“He’s a kid that I envisioned would be pushing for a starting position coming into the year, and with the injuries we put him in and he’s got three goals for us,” Stapleton said. “He’s been effective on those restarts.”

Glenbard East scored a minute after Drews’ second tally, but the Mustangs held on thanks to Tannenbaum, who was terrific in making 10 saves, eight of which came in the second half. Two came on back-to-back shots from point-blank range in the 78^th minute.

“It was not a good time for my heart,” Tannenbaum said. “I think I lost about 10 years.”

But the Mustangs have gained some valuable insight heading into a tough matchup Saturday at home against Naperville Central.

“I think Addison Trail was really a learning experience for us,” Tannenbaum said. “We didn’t come into the game with the right attitude, so we changed that today and obviously it ends up being enough for the win. We just wanted to come back and start winning, so it’s good to be back on a streak.”