Hinsdale Central claims 2nd place in WSS with win over DG North

By Gary Larsen

Nothing helps a team like a challenging tuneup game just before the state tournament begins, and Hinsdale Central was happy to bus over to Downers Grove North to get one.

The Red Devils were even happier with the outcome – a 2-1 Central win in a typically heated game between the West Suburban Silver foes.

They were especially happy to get the win as it came seemingly right in the middle of the flu season.

“A lot of kids on the team were sick – it seems like everyone at our school is sick right now,” Central senior Michael Oleszkiewicz said. “We were missing Mitch Reavis today, and he’s a big part of our team.”

“Considering the circumstances, I thought we played pretty well.”

Central coach Mike Wiggins concurred. “I was happy with everything today,” he said. “Everybody – our goalkeeping (Jack O’Donnell) was strong, our backs did a good job and they were organized, and I liked how we were dangerous in the attack.”

Robbie LaRocque, Eric Loebig, Taylor Cole, and David Grasso spearheaded a relentless effort that has been typical of Central's midfield play this year.

The win was Central’s fifth in a row, a streak that featured wins over Willowbrook, York, Glenbard West, Sandburg, and DG North. The Red Devils outscored those five opponents 16 to 3, and face Addison Trail in their regular-season finale before opening the postseason.

“One thing I’ve noticed during the five games is our effectiveness in the counter,” Wiggins said. “That’s been good, and tonight I also thought we played a decent game of soccer. We connected some passes.”

All of the Tuesday’s scoring occurred in the first half, starting with a free kick bomb that Cameron Legan launched from 45-plus yards out, in the game’s 19th minute.

Legan’s kick fell from the sky, bounced high in the box and nestled itself under the crossbar near the upper left corner of the frame.

The Trojans answered with a Paul Hogan goal five minutes later, before Oleszkiewicz found himself in a footrace for a ball sent over the top. The senior got to the ball before North goalkeeper Matt Paprocki, and touched it around him for the game-winning goal.

“I thought (Paprocki) was going to get a piece on it so I was just trying to go hard into him,” Oleszkiewicz said. “But we didn’t end up going fifty-fifty and I just tapped it past him.”

The remainder of the contest saw typically hard physical play. The Red Devils (13-6-2, 5-1) knew that they needed the win to have any hope of sharing a piece of this year’s WSS crown.

Lyons Township’s 3-1 win over York on Tuesday dashed those hopes, but Central did its part just in case.

“Every team wants to win conference. We thought that if LT lost to York, which was a longshot, that we wanted to play hard and get the win,” Oleszkiewicz said. “It’s always a good battle against (DG North).”

“They had two forwards that tested us organizationally and defensively, so that was good for us,” Wiggins said of the Trojans. “We wanted get a feel for how things are going to be for the next few weeks for us, so that was good.”

Man of the Match: Ryan Johnson

By Gary Larsen

Ryan Johnson has moved here and there on the field for Hinsdale Central coach Mike Wiggins, but the senior has found a home on the back line in recent weeks.

And he's not going anywhere. Not any more.

Johnson's fifth consecutive start coincides with a winning streak for Central, and his play was prominent in Tuesday's 2-1 win over Downers Grove North.

“Ryan Johnson again starts and it’s our fifth straight win in a row,” Central coach Mike Wiggins said. “I think the energy and passion that he has brought to the starting lineup has paralleled our success.”

Johnson has reined in the eagerness that sometimes took him out of position in the past, and he has been playing rock-solid in back.

“That’s a tribute to him as a senior," Wiggins said. "It’s great to see him playing so well. His playing time was up and down all year but we found a spot for him in which we think he’s really going to do well.”

“He had his hands full tonight and he did real well. He’s been very coachable, he has applied himself, and now he’s been given a very focused job and he has responded.”