Rested Leyden visits new-look St. Ignatius
Eagles won own tournament to start season;
hosts coming off 2 OT conference-opening win
By Dave Owen
Both coming off impressive wins, Leyden and St. Ignatius hope their momentum continues when they meet Saturday in Chicago for a historically evenly-matched non-conference showdown.
The defending Class 2A state runner-up Wolfpack beat the Eagles 2-1 last year, and the two teams tied 1-1 in 2012.
With a virtually all-new lineup this fall, St. Ignatius has made quick strides. The Wolfpack (2-1) come off a 2-1 double overtime win over Fenwick on Thursday in their conference opener.
"We are young with two sophomores and lots of juniors,” St. Ignatius coach Ryan Kearns said, “and of the 11 starters from last year, nine were seniors.”
Senior midfielders Taylor Reifert and Randy Martinez are the top holdovers from last fall’s postseason run. Sophomores Bryant Hales (goalkeeper) and Patrick Breslin have made immediate impacts, as have juniors Diego Vazquez, Ian Waller and Max Taylor.
Leyden (2-1) rolls into this game after a 4-0 win over Riverside-Brookfield last Saturday in which standout goalkeeper Alfredo Recendez stopped a penalty kick en route to his second shutout. The victory gave the Eagles the title in their season-opening Leyden Challenge Cup.
Angel Lopez and Miguel Mireles each had a goal and an assist, Erik Rodriguez and Christian Sosnowski also netted goals and Hector Herrera had two assists.
“On the scoreboard we played well and did have some great attacking and counter attacking moments,” Leyden coach Mark Valintis said of the win over R-B. “But despite the shutout we still have some things defensively to iron out.”
St. Ignatius’ impressive recent history will be just part of the challenge Saturday.
“At their place on turf they will be a much better team too,” Valintis said. “They are extremely disciplined and play a true team game.
“Their players know their roles and play to their strengths. They defend with eight behind the ball in a compact manner, which makes them tough to break down to create chances.”
The only losses suffered by both Leyden (a 1-0 defeat) and St. Ignatius (4-0 loss) came against Oak Park and River Forest – further setting the stage for an interesting matchup Saturday.
“To beat them (St. Ignatius) we will need to be patient, work very hard off the ball and not force the attack,” Valintis said. “We also hope to be able to counter quickly before they can get their shape and numbers behind the ball.
“We always have great games with them, and I would expect the same Saturday.”
Kearns concurs.
“I expect the Leyden game to be evenly matched,” Kearns said. “The team that works the hardest, sticks to the fundamentals and avoids mental errors should win the game.”
Eagles won own tournament to start season;
hosts coming off 2 OT conference-opening win
By Dave Owen
Both coming off impressive wins, Leyden and St. Ignatius hope their momentum continues when they meet Saturday in Chicago for a historically evenly-matched non-conference showdown.
The defending Class 2A state runner-up Wolfpack beat the Eagles 2-1 last year, and the two teams tied 1-1 in 2012.
With a virtually all-new lineup this fall, St. Ignatius has made quick strides. The Wolfpack (2-1) come off a 2-1 double overtime win over Fenwick on Thursday in their conference opener.
"We are young with two sophomores and lots of juniors,” St. Ignatius coach Ryan Kearns said, “and of the 11 starters from last year, nine were seniors.”
Senior midfielders Taylor Reifert and Randy Martinez are the top holdovers from last fall’s postseason run. Sophomores Bryant Hales (goalkeeper) and Patrick Breslin have made immediate impacts, as have juniors Diego Vazquez, Ian Waller and Max Taylor.
Leyden (2-1) rolls into this game after a 4-0 win over Riverside-Brookfield last Saturday in which standout goalkeeper Alfredo Recendez stopped a penalty kick en route to his second shutout. The victory gave the Eagles the title in their season-opening Leyden Challenge Cup.
Angel Lopez and Miguel Mireles each had a goal and an assist, Erik Rodriguez and Christian Sosnowski also netted goals and Hector Herrera had two assists.
“On the scoreboard we played well and did have some great attacking and counter attacking moments,” Leyden coach Mark Valintis said of the win over R-B. “But despite the shutout we still have some things defensively to iron out.”
St. Ignatius’ impressive recent history will be just part of the challenge Saturday.
“At their place on turf they will be a much better team too,” Valintis said. “They are extremely disciplined and play a true team game.
“Their players know their roles and play to their strengths. They defend with eight behind the ball in a compact manner, which makes them tough to break down to create chances.”
The only losses suffered by both Leyden (a 1-0 defeat) and St. Ignatius (4-0 loss) came against Oak Park and River Forest – further setting the stage for an interesting matchup Saturday.
“To beat them (St. Ignatius) we will need to be patient, work very hard off the ball and not force the attack,” Valintis said. “We also hope to be able to counter quickly before they can get their shape and numbers behind the ball.
“We always have great games with them, and I would expect the same Saturday.”
Kearns concurs.
“I expect the Leyden game to be evenly matched,” Kearns said. “The team that works the hardest, sticks to the fundamentals and avoids mental errors should win the game.”