Chicago House Athletic Club’s U.S. Open Cup dream continued as they defeated Edgewater Castle 3-2 at Benedictine University to advance to the next round of qualifying.

A beautiful afternoon in Lisle, Chicago almost got caught. They started slowly, and even though they eventually jumped in front, they allowed Edgewater to get back into the contest. They did enough to save themselves, though, and a single goal in overtime proved to be the difference.

Story of the match

Edgewater started on the front foot, and they were the better side in the early stages. They had a few half-chances, but nothing really came close to being dangerous.

That was until their opening goal. Andrew Ribeiro picked up the ball in space, and he made the most of the opportunity by absolutely rifling a strike into the bottom corner.

The goal woke the House up, and they equalized shortly after. A well-worked move led to a cross into the area, and Alejandro Mentasti was on hand to redirect the ball into the back of the net from a few yards out.

Kiki Avalos then broke free behind the backline, but a heavy touch and excellent sweeper-keeping from their goalie stopped any potential danger from going further.

Chicago did jump in front before the break, though. They had several bites of the cherry in a crowded penalty area, and in the end it was Mentasti who finally slammed the ball home.

The second half got off to a hot start. A free-kick whipped into the box found defender Jack Kramer, but his first-time effort was denied by the post.

Edgewater tried to get into the contest, and a long-distance shot from Enzo Dagatti had potential, but the goalkeeper managed to make a solid save.

Dagatti did beat the keeper eventually. Castle hit on the counter, and he was left unmarked at the backpost for an easy finish.

That forced overtime, and the two periods were thrilling ones. Both teams went for it, pretty much throwing away their tactical plans and opting for a much more direct approach. Somehow neither scored for a while, but in the end Chicago somehow broke through.

A cross into a packed penalty box bounced around, and it ultimately hit off an Edgewater player and rolled across his own goalline.

The visitors weren’t able to respond, which meant that the House were the ones who advanced to the next round.

Notes and observations

Benedictine University is an absolutely lovely venue to play some lower league soccer games. The campus is open and very pretty, and that same theme applies to their stadium. The backdrop of the pitch is of a forest. It’s a unique setting, and it fits in very well with the product on the field.

Here at Protagonist we highlight the importance of covering lower league soccer. We’d also like to hype up our friends in the press box, the broadcasters and commentators of these games. They’re the ones who do plenty of scouting pregame, and they’re the ones who figure out the lineup sheets. If it wasn’t for the House’s main commentator I’d be lost during plenty of games. Good looks, Alex Campbell.

To say Chicago started slowly would be very kind to them. They were lazy, borderline apathetic. They allowed Edgewater to have all of the ball, and it wasn’t a surprise to see them create chances as a result. The House eventually got going, but they can’t afford to be that bad in future matches.

Edgewater deserves credit for the showing they put on, though. They looked like a proper team, and everyone moved up and down the field like a real unit. If they were a little more solid at the back then they could’ve easily secured a big win here. It’s a while until their season kicks off, but if they keep this up then they’ll be someone to watch for in the Midwest Premier League.

Man of the match - Alejandro Mentasti

It was a classic #9 kind of performance from the House’s old-school goalscorer.

Alejandro Mentasti may not have the same speed and athletic ability as the younger names around him, but what he lacks in those departments he makes up for in his experience and instinctiveness.

He knows where to be at the right time, and that was on show for both of his goals on the night. The opener came when he got on the end of a box into the area, which set himself up for a routine finish. The second came when he latched onto a loose box from close distance, and he decided to do what others couldn’t and he slammed it into the back of the net.

It was a matchwinning performance that the House desperately needed, and Mentasti will hope to continue carrying his side through qualifying.

“It feels very good. I was having a bad goalscoring drought, but in our last friendly I got to score again, thanks to captain AR Smith for giving me a penalty to help me get my confidence back. Every ball that comes into the box I have to be ready.”

“Once I got older and I started playing up top, I realized I have that anticipation and that reading of the game. I have to seize those moments, and clean up any mess that’s out there. Don’t think it through, just score.”

“I’m excited. Some of the new guys are very good players, but they haven’t experienced this grind in the Open Cup that happens in every run. We’re ready, we bounced back tonight, and we’re ready to keep going.”

Key quotes

Chicago House AC head coach Shannon Seymour:

“It feels amazing. We do it in odd fashion always, we throw in some curveballs for the fans to make it exciting I guess, but the boys fought hard. They never gave up. You could see even when we went down a man late. It feels great to get the first cup win out the way, to get them the Open Cup feel, and they know what to prepare for.”

“A little bit of it was embracing the chaos. When you see the game open up you have to play more direct, playing balls over the top, getting their backline to drop so we can find more space to play in the middle. The last few minutes we were just weathering the storm, and we needed to be better at winning second balls and getting to first balls, but I know the boys are working hard and I was happy to see them battle.”

“We can’t get complacent in the cup. It doesn’t matter who or where you play, every team is capable of winning a game and advancing. We gotta make sure we’re locked in for the next round, and for anything else to come.”

- Adnan Bašić