DG South wins again to set up regional showdown with Naperville North

By Eddie Burns

Confidence and consistency is something that Downers Grove South has lacked all season.

Well, the Mustangs apparently have found their stride.

Downers South began the Class 3A playoffs with a 3-0 victory against Romeoville on Saturday afternoon. The win was Downers South’s fourth straight victory and keeps its season alive.

The Mustangs, who are the 15th seed in the Downers South Sectional, advance to play at No. 2 seed Naperville North at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

“We’re on a four-game winning streak and going into Naperville North – everyone is really confident,” said Downers South senior forward Cal Roselieb, who scored a pair of second-half goals against Romeoville. “(North) beat us 5-0 earlier this season, but we’re a totally different team right now. We’re peaking at the right time and it feels good.”

Charlie Stanke got the good vibes going against 18th seed Romeoville when he gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute.

Downers South (8-9-5) spent most of the match in Romeoville’s half of the field, but Spartans’ goalie Josh Gleich did his best to keep the Mustangs from scoring.

The match remained tight until Roselieb tallied scores in the 66th and 74th minutes.
Roselieb said the sloppy field contributed to the choppiness of the match.

“We like to get the ball moving around and the dirt took that away from us,” Roselieb said. “It took us a while to get used to the grove of the game, but once we got one goal we knew that would take something out of them.”

Downers South has outscored its opponents 9-2 during its four-match winning streak.
Mustangs’ coach Jon Stapleton said two things have really helped his squad turn its season around. First, Downers South is playing aggressive defensive play all over the field and secondly, the Mustangs are playing a more of a possession type of soccer.

“We’ve been much better in the midfield in terms of defending and winning balls out of the air and that has been a big piece of us winning,” Stapleton said. “We’ve also been looking to play quicker with the ball at our feet versus getting sucked into an over the top type of passing. We’re doing a much better job working our combinations in the final third that create scoring opportunities for us.”

Stapleton said his team is coming together a little later than he would have liked.

“It’s been a different type of growth,” Stapleton said. “I think what we are seeing now is what we envisioned seeing by midseason. I am proud of the fact that we’ve been able to get to where we are at. The players did not quit. There are teams when things are not going well that they might give up, but we haven’t seen that in these guys and that is what I’m really proud of.”

Roselieb agreed with Stapleton.

“We knew we had a lot talent coming into the season, but we didn’t quite have the regular-season that we expected to have, but we’re peaking at the right time. There is not a better time to play your best soccer than in the playoffs. After everything we’ve been through, maybe we can push through and get a big win on Tuesday.”

Man of the Match: Andy Reed

By Eddie Burns

Throughout the season Downers Gove South coach John Stapleton has split time with goalies Sam Hadley and Andy Reed.

In recent weeks, Reed has asserted himself as the starter and he’s been in net during the Mustangs’ four-match winning streak, including Saturday’s 3-0 win against Romeoville.

Reed was slowed by a leg injury early in the season, which hampered his play. However, Reed has come on strong earning wins against Morton, Leyden, Hinsdale South and Romeoville. Reed’s recorded two of his four shutouts during the stretch as well.

“I’ve really stepped up my game,” Reed said. “One big save gets you pumped up and you always want to make that big save and I’ve been able to do that lately.”

Stapleton said it is just a matter of having the right attitude.

“I told both goalies that we were going to do this in a rotating style and Andy has stepped up and he’s been huge for us,” Stapleton said. “He is playing with a lot of confidence right now and I’m real proud of him.”

Reed was in net during Naperville North’s 5-0 win against the Mustangs on Oct. 3, but he’s relishing the chance to get back at the Huskies again.

“They are very talented,” Reed said. “The fact we lost 5-0 to them they might be thinking that we are going to come and they will blow us out of the water and we’ve got all of this confidence. We believe that nobody can beat us right now and we’re going to go there and give them a good game.”