Wisconsin

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Croatian Eagles repeat as Wisconsin state champions

November 4, 2012 by Eric Anderson

Story originally published at WisconsinSoccerCentral.com, the state of Wisconsin’s premier soccer news website. Follow them on Twitter @WisconsinSoccer

It’s been a fall full of change for longtime rivals Croatian Eagles and Bavarian SC, two of the state’s most successful amateur clubs.

Both teams have new faces in their lineups and the Bavarians have a new manager in Patrick Hodgins, who previously coached the Croatians’ Under-23 team.

With that backdrop, though, perhaps it was fitting that the lone goal in the teams’ Wisconsin Open Cup final Saturday afternoon was scored by a familiar face.

Veteran Jason Willan came through for the Eagles once again, curling in a shot from 14 yards out in the 50th minute as the Eagles got past Bavarian SC 1-0 at Croatian Park in Franklin.

Bryce Boyd (Milwaukee Marquette/UW-Milwaukee) posted the clean sheet for the Croatians, who earned a berth in next spring’s US Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament. The top finishers in the regional event traditionally qualify for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

“It was a pretty even game,” said Eagles manager Alex Toth, whose team won its second straight Wisconsin Open Cup and is the reigning USASA National Open Cup champion. “We played our normal game: Get it down on the ground, get some combinations, try to attack. They sat back, defended really well, were dangerous on set pieces and they were dangerous on the counter. It was an interesting game.”

Willan’s goal capped a sequence that featured six or seven passes, Toth said. Mohammed Sethi (Mequon Homestead) played the final pass to Willan on the left side of the box, and the 41-year-old midfielder sent a shot past Bavarians goalkeeper Matt Schmidt (Racine Horlick/UW-Milwaukee) into the right corner.

“He had a nice, open look and just buried it far post,” Toth said of Willan, in his 14th year with the club. “It was a great finish. He’s done it all year this year, all the things we needed, and he came up big again.”

The goal proved to be enough – but just barely.

The Bavarians, who lost to Croatians 2-0 in a Wisconsin Soccer Leagues Major Division match Sept. 20, came tantalizingly close to finding an equalizer in the final minutes.

A ball was played through traffic across the box and surprisingly found striker Kyle Zenoni (Hartland Arrowhead/UW-Milwaukee) alone inside the 6-yard box with Boyd still on the other side of the goal. However, Zenoni – a UWM assistant who coached the Panthers in their 2-1 win over Valparaiso on Saturday night – didn’t see the ball and couldn’t get a shot off toward the vacant net.
“It just hit him and kind of got caught up in his feet and they cleared it,” Hodgins said.

“We got a little lucky there,” admitted Toth, whose team needed penalty kicks to get past the Milwaukee Kickers in last fall’s state Open Cup final.

Neil Dombrowski (West Allis Hale/UW-Milwaukee) created some chances for the Bavarians in the first half with his service on some set pieces, including free headers off corner kicks that his brother Chad Dombrowski (West Allis Hale/UW-Milwaukee) and Billy Maier (Racine St. Catherine’s/UW-Milwaukee) sent over the crossbar.

“We had plenty of opportunities to score,” said Hodgins, who was coaching just his second match with the club. “Even though we lost, there were definitely positives you can take from it. I think it will give us confidence going forward. I think our guys know that we can play with a team like that.”

The Bavarians are 1-3-1 in the WSL Major Division with two rescheduled matches coming up in the next week. The Croatians lead the league at 4-0-2 with one game left, but Toth has seen a difference in his team this fall.

“It’s been a struggle,” he said. “Last fall, we could usually separate ourselves from the other team in most games, but this fall it’s been a struggle.

“I think one of the biggest factors is that we’ve been playing since March. … Some of the players, you can really tell that they are burnt out.”

Lineups

CROATIAN EAGLES: Bryce Boyd; Scott Widule (Shaun Gallagher), Billy Von Rueden, Aaron Schroeder, Stuart Grable; Cheik Drame (Gustavo Mena), Scott Raymonds; Mohammed Sethi (Mike Vukovic), Jason Willan (Spencer Bursten), Ilya Ksenidi; Aaron Lauber.

BAVARIAN SC: Matt Schmidt; Nate Sabich, Billy Meier, Will Chaney, Jake Taylor (Giovanni Luna 30, Hector Navarro 80); Chad Dombrowski, Craig Posselt; Josh Chamberlain (Dan Stebbins 75), Neil Dombrowski, Jake Provan (Martin Castro 60); Kyle Zenoni.

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Bavarian SC, Croatian Eagles to battle for Wisconsin title

October 25, 2012 by Eric Anderson

Story originally posted at WisconsinSoccerCentral.com, the state of Wisconsin’s premier soccer news website. Follow them on Twitter @WisconsinSoccer

Only two clubs entered the 2013 Wisconsin Open Cup.

But they’re two clubs with rich histories, both recent and otherwise.

Bavarian SC, one of the most successful amateur clubs in the Modern Professional Era of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, will face the Croatian Eagles, the reigning US Adult Soccer Association National Open Cup champions, in the state final Nov. 3.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Croatian Park in Franklin. The Eagles were awarded home-field advantage for the match as the defending state champions; they outlasted the Milwaukee Kickers 5-4 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw in the 2012 final played last October.

The Wisconsin Open Cup champion earns a berth in the USASA Region II tournament.

The Croatians won two matches in the Region II tournament last April, then were awarded a forfeit victory in the regional final in June. They went on to become just the second Wisconsin club to win the USASA National Open Cup, following the Bavarians, who claimed titles in 2003 and ’09.

Bavarian SC, meanwhile, has qualified for the US Open Cup six times since 1995, the most appearances of any USASA team during what is considered the Modern Professional Era of the tournament – the 2013 event will be the 100th US Open Cup.

The Eagles (4-0-2) currently lead the Wisconsin Soccer Leagues Major Division, including a 2-0 victory over Bavarians on Sept. 20. Bavarian SC is off to a slow start in league play this fall at 1-3-1.

Making this match even more intriguing is the fact that Patrick Hodgins, who coached the Croatians’ Under-23 team to the USASA national final last summer, recently took over as manager of the Bavarian SC Majors team. Hodgins replaced Matt Schmidt, who was the team’s interim coach and continues to play for Bavarians.

Recent Wisconsin Open Cup champions
2012: Croatian Eagles
2011: No entries (Bavarian SC’s paperwork lost by state association)
2010: Milwaukee Kickers
2009: Bavarian SC
2008: Bavarian SC
2007: Bavarian SC
2006: Croatian Eagles
2005: Milwaukee Kickers
2004: Bavarian SC
2003: Bavarian SC

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Croatian Eagles win Wisconsin in PKs, earn USASA Region II berth

November 1, 2011 by Eric Anderson

From Wisconsin Soccer Central

Ilya Ksenidi (West Allis Hale/UW-Green Bay) scored late in extra time and was one of five Croatian Eagles players to convert during penalty kicks as they got past the Milwaukee Kickers 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the Wisconsin Open Cup final Sunday at Croatian Park in Franklin.

It’s the first state title for Croatians since 2006, the last time they entered the tournament – that year, they also beat the Kickers 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie in the championship game. As state champions, the Eagles earn a spot in next spring’s US Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament, which traditionally is a qualifier for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The match was scoreless through 90 minutes and the first 15-minute session of extra time before Danny Bauer (Marquette) gave the Kickers the lead in the 106th minute, poking a shot past Croatians goalkeeper Bryce Boyd (Milwaukee Marquette/UW-Milwaukee).

But the Eagles found an equalizer with approximately three minutes remaining. After the Kickers cleared the ball out, Croatians midfielder Scott Raymonds (Brookfield East/UW-Green Bay) got it back on the right side and fired from about 25 yards out. Ksenidi was cutting across the box and got a touch on the shot, redirecting it past Kickers keeper Kevin Strong (West Allis Hale).

The Croatians made all of their penalty kicks, with Aaron Schroeder, Mike Narciso, Ksenidi, Jason Willan and Mohammed Sethi (Mequon Homestead) – who scored a last-minute winner to beat Bavarian SC 2-1 in the semifinals – each successful from the spot.

Craig Charlton, Niels Berg (Plymouth), Ryan Richgels (Madison Memorial/UW-Whitewater) and Thomas Sweeney (Milwaukee Marquette/Marquette) converted their attempts for the Kickers before Brian McGuire’s shot went over the crossbar.

The Kickers nearly went ahead in the first period of extra time, but Mike Vukovic went down his knees to clear a ball off the line for the Croatians.

For the most comprehensive coverage of soccer in Wisconsin, visit www.WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Sethi’s late goal sends Croatian Eagles to Wisconsin final

October 25, 2011 by Eric Anderson

From WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

Mohammed Sethi (Mequon Homestead) scored in the 90th minute, lifting Croatian Eagles to a 2-1 victory over Bavarian SC in the semifinal match of the Wisconsin Open Cup on Sunday afternoon at Croatian Park in Franklin.

The Croatians advance to play the Milwaukee Kickers in the state final next Sunday at Uihlein Soccer Park.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m., with the winner qualifying for the U.S. Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament – the top two teams in that tournament typically earn berths in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Sunday’s game was a rematch of last summer’s Wisconsin Adult Soccer Association Major League playoff final, which the 10-man Bavarians won 2-1 in extra time.

Aaron Lauber (Franklin/UW) gave the Eagles the lead, finishing off a breakaway in the 35th, but Billy Meier (Racine St. Catherine’s/UW-Milwaukee) tied it up for the Bavarians by scoring on a scramble in the box in the 55th.

It appeared the teams were headed to extra time again until Sethi, who spent time with Major League Soccer’s Chivas USA earlier in his career, scored on a shot from the top of the box in the final minute of regulation.

The Croatians last won the state Open Cup in fall 2005, getting past the Kickers 5-4 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw, and went on to earn their fourth US Open Cup berth in spring 2006. The Kickers lost to the Bavarians in the state final in fall 2006, ’07 and ’08 before turning the tables in 2009.

For the most comprehensive coverage of soccer in Wisconsin, visit www.WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

2009 Meet the USASA: Bavarian SC

August 20, 2009 by

When it comes to Bavarian SC and the US Open Cup, it’s more of a case of catching up with the Milwaukee club rather than meeting the team.

Bavarian SC is making its sixth appearance in the tournament during the Professional Era, a record for amateur teams in that span. In those five previous trips, they’ve won three matches and advanced to the third round in 2003. And before that, the club advanced to the final in 1994 — the last year before professional teams joined the tournament — before falling to San Francisco’s Greek-Americans.

So why has Bavarian SC been such a fixture in the US Open Cup?

“I think it’s a little bit of history and a little bit of player selection, too,” said Tom Zaiss, the club’s director of soccer operations. “We’ve always had a good mix of young and old, and I think that’s what, in this tournament, separates us from most.

“You can do well with a good, young PDL team as well, but I think in those squads they always lack a little bit of experience. And I think if you’re an older ethnic team, you might struggle because you don’t have the younger legs. We have a good mix of both.”

Zaiss, who played on Bavarian’s 1994 team and coached the 2003 side, said this year’s team is one of the youngest the club has fielded. Two local players who starred at UW-Milwaukee before going on to professional careers — Kyle Zenoni and Neil Dombrowski, both 25 — have returned to the area and have been standouts in the midfield.

“Kyle brings a lot of experience,” Zaiss said of Zenoni, who played in Sweden and Bolivia and also spent a season with the Minnesota Thunder in the USL First Division. “He’s played overseas for a long time in a lot of different countries, and adding kyle has definitely been a huge addition for us.”

Zenoni had two goals as Bavarian scored three times in the second half to beat the Iowa Menace in a USASA Region II semifinal on May 23 in Milwaukee to claim the US Open Cup berth.

Dombrowski, meanwhile, played for Rochester and Portland in USL1 and is part of the “first family” of the US Open Cup — this will be the ninth straight year a member of his family has played in the tournament.

His older brother Scott is his teammate with Bavarian, while younger brother Zeke figures to be in the lineup Tuesday when the Wilmington Hammerheads play host to the Charlotte Eagles in an all-USL2 matchup in the first round.

On the other end of the spectrum is Giovanni “John” Luna. He played his first match for the Bavarian Majors, as the team is referred to internally, back in 1988 and played in the 1994 US Open Cup final with Zaiss.

“He’s the elder statesman of the group, he’s obviously in the twilight of his career,” Zaiss said. “But we still have those guys that have been around for a long time. We’ve got us guys who were with us when we beat Des Moines (Menace of the PDL) in overtime (in 2003) … so we have guys who have been there, done that and can help the young guys out.”

Bavarian SC played Sunday in the Wisconsin Adult Soccer Association Major League — they remained unbeaten and atop the league standings — but six players missed the game to attend backup goalkeeper Eric Mickschl’s wedding. “So they’re all well-rested,” Zaiss said.

Zaiss said that Mickschl will miss Tuesday’s match at the Chicago Fire PDL in Bridgeview, Ill., as will several other players — including some starters — because the 5 p.m. CT kickoff time conflicts with their work schedules. But he’s still optimistic of Bavarian’s chances.

“I think that was a little bit of gamesmanship on Chicago’s side,” Zaiss said of the early kickoff. “They probably said, ’We’ve got a bunch of college guys, 5 p.m. on a Tuesday works for us.’ But we’ve got a lot of guys who work for a living, so it’s a little bit of a challenge. We lose a couple because of the kickoff time, and some of them would have started.

“Chicago will be trying to figure out who’s playing where, so I don’t want to give too much away, but I think we have a good group. Like I said, it’s a little bit younger than we’ve had, which is never bad, because from a fitness perspective, playing (Sunday) and then turning around and playing on Tuesday is always a challenge.”