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Trojans rebound well in blanking Larkin 5-0 By Gary Larsen
But Saturday was a new day, and this year’s Trojans are a different team. DG North improved to 4-2-3 with a 5-0 win over Larkin, in third-round play of the Pepsi Showdown in LaGrange, upping their tournament record to 2-1 including a win over West Chicago. “This team has matured. We’ve had a lot of these guys for a long time now,” North coach Brian Gervase said. The Trojans got two goals from Matt Weiss and a goal apiece from Paul Hogan, Justin Pickering, and Ben Stein against Larkin, with Hogan seeing time as a forward for his first extensive spell this season. “We went to a 4-4-2, so I was just trying to keep the ball and figure everything out,” said the senior Hogan, who has played a defensive midfield spot all season. “I’ve played (forward) before but I haven’t played it a lot. It was definitely fun and I’d love to keep playing there. It’s definitely a different mindset up there. You have to be creative and your back is usually to the (defense).” Most coaches spend the season’s first seven or eight games tinkering with their lineups -- shift a player there, insert another here, and slide another someplace else. Gervase made two adjustments that could ultimately prove pivotal for this year’s Trojans. In addition to moving Hogan up top, he also slid forward Eric Garcia back to a defensive stopper spot. Garcia shined in Saturday’s win. Through its first seven games, North had only given up eight goals in posting a 3-1-3 record, which included a win over Streamwood and a well-earned tie with Benet. Lake Zurich and its top-shelf attack put six goals on the board against Downers North, an anomaly that the Trojans don’t plan on allowing again. “I’d definitely like to play them again and see how we’d do,” Hogan said. “They might beat us but there’s no way we should have given up that many goals. That was a tough game and it really gave us a reality check.” Offensively on Saturday, North struck early in the contest on a Hogan goal and held a 1-0 lead at the half, with Weiss getting the assist. In the second half, Stein assisted on Pickering’s score, Hogan and Luis Salas assisted on Weiss’ two goals, and Stein’s goal was unassisted to finish the day’s scoring. “Paul scored a goal early in the game and he’s got a ton of pace,” Gervase said. “We always liked him as a defender because he plays so well for us there, but we’re finding out we’ve got a lot of defenders on this team.” “Luis Salas and Paul will be our top two up there. This was a great game for us. To score some goals and get the shutout was great.” With Neil Corcoran sweeping and Garcia at defensive stopper, Marcin Modzelewski and Thomas Budnik also helped keep Larkin from managing a singlle shot on goal Saturday. Junior Matt Paprocki earned his second shutout of the season in net. “Thursday’s game notwithstanding, we’ve been surprised at how good we’ve been in the back and we’ve been able to put some goals on the board,” Gervase said. Stein and Pickering have played well at central midfield, as have Weiss and AJ Jeffries on the outside. The return of Stu Melton to the field only figures to further help the Trojans’ ability to attack. “Stu got hurt over the summer and he’s back now. He’s a big kid and a big part of our midfield,” Gervase said. “He’s starting to get back to health and he had a good match today.”
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Man of the match: Eric Garcia By Gary Larsen
After a rough loss to highly-touted Lake Zurich, Downers Grove North coach Brian Gervase knew his squad needed a change in back. Junior Eric Garcia provided it in Saturday's 5-0 win over Larkin. He’s fast and he’s a very good marker. He did a great job today.” Garcia has been a forward all season but Gervase believed his junior possessed the qualities needed to slide him back. “I didn’t know why he picked me until he explained it," Garcia said. "He said he liked my speed, and he said I was nasty. I like to fight for the ball.” Senior Paul Hogan also moved up top from his defensive mid spot against Larkin, while Garcia tried to settle into a foreign spot on the field for him. “I had the basic idea to not let them score but my captain back there, Neil Corcoran, talked to me a lot and told me all the little things I needed to do today," Garcia said. What he learned right from the outset is that you can't ever let your guard down on the back line. Garcia also fought his forward’s instincts well all day in restraining himself from pushing too far up the field. “It’s a lot more intense when you’re in the back,” Garcia said. “You have to always be on your toes. As a forward you’re watching the game a little more than you can in back.”
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During the past two seasons, Downers Grove North might not have bounced back very well from the kind of lopsided loss it suffered to highly-touted Lake Zurich on Thursday.
