Waubonsie dusts Batavia in tourney opener

AURORA -- For a team that's been struggling for most of the season, Waubonsie Valley looked the part of a team hitting its peak at the right time.

The Warriors defeated Batavia 4-1 in the opening round of the Waubonsie Valley Invitational on Tuesday in Aurora, dominating the action and surrendering a goal only in the final minute of the blowout.

But Warriors coach Angelo DiBernardo was not exactly pleased with his team's performance.

"Score-wise we played well," he said. "But we played with no composure, no possession of the ball, and we just sort of kicked the ball around and that's not what we teach the kids."

The Warriors' goals came when they were composed and were the result of smart plays with the ball and not just kicking and running.

Sophomore Nik Patel kicked a ball from the corner to Greg Danielwicz, who put it past the goalkeeper to give Waubonsie (4-10-3) an early 1-0 lead. Patel's assist came as a result of Batavia's inability to clear the ball on a corner kick that came seconds earlier from Patel.

Instead of jumping into the action right after the corner kick, Patel waited near the corner, and the ball came back to him before he made the pass to Danielwicz.

"That's been a longtime play of mine actually," Patel said. "I just wanted to hold there and wait for the ball if it came out to me."

Patel showed why DiBernardo trusts him to take virtually all of the team's free kicks in the offensive half just five minutes after his assist.

Patel scored the team's second goal on a free kick from 20 yards out, bending the ball around Batavia's wall into the lower-left corner of the net. Waubonsie's third goal of the first half came from freshman Ryan Dodson on a breakaway.

Part of the reason the Warriors have been inconsistent is their youth; they started only two seniors Tuesday.

"At times it looks like there is hope to improve and become consistent," DiBernardo said. "At other times it doesn't look so good."

Tuesday's game, despite the lopsided score, was an example of one of those times it doesn't look so good to DiBernardo.

"We have lost some games this year where I was happy with our performance," he said. "There is room for growth and the future is bright, but at the present we're struggling."

Sun-Times News Group