Warriors edge Sandburg for first win

By Curt Herron

Waubonsie Valley made the most of the first good scoring chance that it got in Tuesday's opening-round play in the Best of the West.

Meeting Sandburg on Tuesday, the Warriors capitalized on a foul in the box midway through the first half to convert on a penalty kick.

Oliver Mayer made the PK with 19:27 left in the initial half and that score stood as Waubonsie captured a 1-0 victory over the Eagles.

It was a good start to the tournament for the Warriors (1-2), who had dropped their first two matches last week.

"Hopefully this will give our players some confidence and we can build from here," Warriors coach Angelo DiBernardo said. "We played with some energy today and the kids were rewarded because of that.

"We gave them some opportunities on silly fouls and Sandburg really didn't create any great chances, but I don't think we did either in the second half. It was basically a battle of box to box."

The Warriors had many more good scoring chances than did Sandburg, which mainly threatened on a series of lengthy free kicks.

But when the match was complete, the lone score came on a penalty kick that was awarded after the Eagles committed a foul in the box on a corner kick.

On a corner by Johnny Akl, Mayer was shoved in the back by an Eagle player. That led to the PK opportunity, much to the dismay of the visitors.

Mayer promptly placed the ball into the lower corner of the net for his second goal of the season, and more importantly, the game-winner.

Waubonsie threatened again about five minutes later when Reuel Erastus sent a liner from the side that was deflected away for a corner.

On that corner kick, Akl sent another shot toward the net that was hauled in by the Eagle keeper.

Early in the second half, Akl lined up for another corner that provided the Warriors with a good scoring chance.

While the ball was loose in front of the net, Jack Dickens got a touch on it but an Eagle defender was able to clear it.

Sandburg proceeded to put a pair of shots on goal that were stopped by keeper Sean Elvert, who posted his first shutout.

The Warrior defense of Nik Patel, Amar Pandya, Alex Brindlee and Dickens kept the Eagles at bay for the rest of the match.

"Getting any kind of victory was good," Dickens said. "I thought we came out hard and that's what led to us winning. We were the aggressors and that helped us to score the first goal.

"Sandburg was sitting back and trying to contain in their half and didn't come forward very often. That's what helped us possess the ball in their half, especially during the first half.

"I think we have a great team since all 18 players can play and they always play hard. That's really encouraging to see because you can have a bad day and still win if you play hard."

Sandburg's defense also was effective, limiting the Warriors to one good chance in the latter part of the second half, another corner by Akl.

With its first victory of the season under its belt, Waubonsie hopes to enjoy more success in pool play that its hosts Thursday and Saturday.

"We had a close one against Neuqua but didn't play well against Benet," DiBernardo said. "I liked how hard the guys played and their effort in our first game with Neuqua and again today.

"Although we still have a long way to go, the guys play hard and practice hard and make the best with what they have to offer. So from that standpoint, I can't have any complaints."

Player of the match: Oliver Mayer

By Curt Herron

In a match featuring very few serious scoring threats, making the most of a decisive one would be critical.

That's why it was so important for Waubonsie Valley senior Oliver Mayer to capitalize on such a chance on Tuesday against Sandburg.

Mayer made a penalty kick midway through the first half in what proved to be the onlyu scoring in a 1-0 victory over the Eagles.

The senior was awarded the PK after getting pushed in the back on a subsequent corner kick by Johnny Akl.

With 19:27 left before the break, Mayer stepped up to the line and fired a shot into the lower corner of the net.

Not only did that help the Warriors to an opening-round win in Best of the West play, it was the squad's first win of the year.

"John put in a good cross and I got pushed and then put the PK away," Mayer said. "After that we had to defend against a lot of free kicks to defend and we made sure that we won most of them.

"It feels really very good to get a win. In our last game (against Benet) we didn't come out straight from the beginning but today we did and carried the momentum throughout so we deserved it.

"We try hard in practice and everyone pushes themselves since it's competitive for spots in our starting 11. We're not where we want to be technically but tactically we were pretty good today."

Starting lineup

Waubonsie Valley Warriors