Rapid response rescues
St. Ignatius in tie with Hersey
Shutt goes from goat to hero with late score
By Dave Owen
OAK BROOK - The pace of soccer seldom allows for instant chances at redemption.
St. Ignatius’ Connor Shutt took advantage of one rare opportunity Thursday against Hersey in the Red Devil Cup third round at the Oak Brook Park District's turf field.
Less than a minute after his foul in the box led to an Alex Filian penalty kick that put Hersey up 2-1, defender Shutt took a pass near the top of the box from Ethan McManus in the corner and lofted an 18-yarder just under the crossbar.
That quick comeback score in the game’s final two minutes earned the Wolfpack (1-1-2) a 2-2 tie with the Huskies (0-0-3).
“Within like 30 seconds, I was like, ‘I just cost my team the game’ to ‘Oh wait, I just hit that shot,’” Shutt said.
“I didn’t see it coming. I was just in complete shock when I hit that, because I had just caused the penalty over there, because I knew he (Hersey’s Matthew Dickey) was going in on goal.
“When (McManus’ pass) was coming across I was just thinking ‘I’m going to have a good swing at this and have a good follow through,’” Shutt added. “I don’t know where that came from. Right when I hit it my whole body went through shock.”
Hersey was also feeling numb after the tying goal, a play which began with a 28-yard direct kick from the Wolfpack's Max Taylor near the left sideline.
As Taylor’s restart sailed wide of the net towards the far corner, McManus hustled to barely keep the ball in play and found Shutt with open space near the top of the box.
“We had him (McManus) contained wide, and then he beat our man,” Hersey coach Darren Llewellyn said. “If we contain him it’s over. He played it 30 yards to the guy at the 18 and everyone stood inside the box. No one ran out.
“Those are our mistakes, and if we don’t make them those goals don’t happen.”
Hersey midfielder Jack Rasmussen was brilliant throughout the game, with multiple defensive-end steals, two shot blocks and several strong free kicks. But a third-straight tie to the open the season was a frustrating result for the junior and his team.
“Down the stretch after we scored on that penalty kick we were kind of sitting back, and we thought differently than the ref did,” Rasmussen said. “We stopped playing thinking the ball was going out (on Taylor’s free kick), and it was our mistake.
“We’re a young team (one senior starter), so while it’s kind of interesting not to have a win yet, I feel as the season goes on we’ll grow as a team and learn from our mistakes.”
In a wild second half, Hersey twice took leads (1-0 and 2-1) that St. Ignatius answered with tying goals within the next two minutes.
A set-piece 13 minutes into the second half gave the Huskies a 1-0 edge. Saul Casillas was fouled to set up a 22-yard Alex Filian direct kick. Wolfpack goalkeeper Bryant Hales dove to make the initial save on Filian’s low drive to the left post, but freshman Thomas Skiba booted in the rebound.
Two minutes later, St. Ignatius drew even. Eduardo Lopez’s nice cross into the box was headed in by Patrick Breslin, a play initiated by an Alex Collins left side attack.
“Every time we scored we let them score right away. That’s an inexperienced breakdown,” Llewellyn said. “That’s twice this year we’ve been scored on by headers like that, but professionals get scored on like that. It’s a learning experience.”
In between the quick answer goals, Wolfpack goalkeeper Hales came up big on two breakaways by Hersey sophomore forward Jesse Lopez.
With 19 minutes left, Hales came out to block a Lopez attack. Then set up by a nice steal and upfield pass from Lucas Wilke, Lopez raced in again four minutes later. Hales rose to the test again, with a diving save at the right post.
“I tried to cut the angle down as much as possible,” Hales said. “and I kind of saw him opening up his hips so I leaned that way and was able to get my foot and hand on it.
“It was certainly a tough game with a couple more breakaways than we usually give up, but I think our midfield bounced back well and was able to put the opportunities away,” Hales added. “We didn’t get down, and when I did catch it I was able to get the quick distribution and try to get the attack going again.”
A starter in goal last year, Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Hales is off to a great start with two shutouts and his multiple big saves against Hersey.
“Bryant Hales has had a great season so far,” Wolfpack coach Ryan Kearns said. “He gained a lot of experience last year as a sophomore, and it’s really showing. He’s really stepped up. He refuses to quit.”
Said Hales: “I felt like I never really got in my groove last year. It was just a young season, and I felt like I was in a rut. I feel like I’ve regained a lot of confidence this year, and now I’m able to make a lot of those big saves that I wasn’t able to make last year.”
Hersey's Llewellyn was pleased with the Huskies' second-half offensive push.
“The forward who had two breakaways carried it too far in, but they were fantastic runs,” he said. “He timed them, the passes were played through – in the second half I talked about playing early to forwards because they had such a space between their backs and midfielders, and we started doing that and generating more attack.”
The scoreless first half was dominated by threats for St. Ignatius.
In the 16th minute, nice combination passing by Lucas Kotlowitz, Collins and McManus eventually set up an Ian Waller 25-yard shot that Hersey goalkeeper Brett Harris reached high to grab.
Harris later raced off his line to just beat Kotlowitz to a Breslin long pass to the box in the 26th minute.
The best first-half chance followed with seven minutes left in the half. Harris made a nice save on the a Diego Vazquez point-blank try left of the net, then Hersey defender Steven Custer intervened to deflect Vazquez’s rebound attempt.
Harris was again tested two minutes before halftime, leaping to deflect a Kotlowitz 18-yard shot over the crossbar.
That first-half flurry and the quick answers to each Hersey goal left Kearns mystified.
“I wish we could play with that intensity and fire for the entire match,” Kearns said. “I’m still trying to figure out why we don’t have that all the time, and that’s going to win us close games.
“We could have put them away in the first 20 minutes, and it almost seems like we don’t want to. It was the same last year. We always want to come back instead of pull ahead, and we need to change that fast. They like the drama.”
Drama was certainly the word for the last few minutes of play.
With no scoreboard clock to rely on, both sides played with a sense of urgency.
When Hersey’s Matthew Dickey was tripped in the box and Filian put away the PK, it appeared the Huskies were in business. But Shutt’s first varsity goal added an unexpected twist.
“That’s what I think our team does best, keep our heads up,” Shutt said. “We went back to get the equalizer. That’s one of our team’s best attributes.
“It’s a very new squad. Most of our starters last year were the previous seniors, so this is a completely new squad with new chemistry. But I think we’re coming along really well. I think we’re going to win the conference. We have a really good squad.”
While standout defender Chauncey Flowers is likely out two more weeks with a knee injury, other players have emerged.
“Our two sophomore center backs (Carlos Sierra and A.J. Capitanini) played a great game against Whitney Young (a 0-0 tie),” Kearns said. “They were talking, they were moving and shifting together.Today I wanted to see more talking from them, and I didn’t get it, or some of those breaks could have been prevented.
“I’m really impressed with Jonathan Manzo, a junior coming off the bench. He scored against Lemont. He’s really calm and patient on the ball and rarely makes a mistake. And Patrick Breslin who had that header goal, he’s just a competitor. He loves to win and is always out there working, so I have a hard time taking him off the field.”
Hersey also has major reasons for optimism, with six freshmen or sophomores among a virtually all-underclassmen lineup.
“We’re still very young with two juniors and two sophomores on the back at one point,” Llewellyn said. “That allows for some marking mistakes and tracking people.
We’re opening it up more – we have a lot of young skill players, so we’re playing a more open game, and it’s more for the future than right now. I’d rather have those young guys get knocked off the ball just to learn what it’s like in a varsity game. I’m OK with it.”
Defender Custer blocked two shots (one saving a goal), and second-half goalkeeper Isaac Carvajal made nice saves on Orin Horowitz and Taylor in his first six minutes of action.
On Taylor’s 15-yard blast, an offside call nullified a would-be rebound goal by Waller.
Along with Hersey’s several excellent plays, Rasmussen has been a steady presence in the lineup.
“Jack’s my leader, verbally and emotionally,” Llewellyn said. “He takes charge.”
Said Rasmussen: “I’m not even the oldest player on the team, but I know I have a lot of voice on the field and people will listen to me.
“I have to step up and try to get them to follow my lead, and give them energy to keep going. There’s other kids on the team that lead too, but I have a louder voice and people have been responding to how I’ve been acting so it’s been pretty good.”
After three draws to start 2015, the Huskies are hardly fit to be tied.
“It’s kind of been our game to lose, our game to win each time,” Rasmussen said. “Overall this was a very good game I thought. And as the season goes on we’ll get better.”
Starting lineups
Hersey
GK- Brett Harris
D- Steven Custer
D- Daniel Gritt
D- Giuseppe Scaletta
D- Michael Santry
MF- Jack Rasmussen
MF- Christian Castro
MF- Patrick Nowak
MF- Saul Casillas
F- Alex Filian
F- Matthew Dickey
St. Ignatius
GK- Bryant Hales
D- Alex Collins
D- Carlos Sierra
D- AJ Capitanini
D- Conner Hatzopoulos
MF- Ian Waller
MF- Max Taylor
MF- Orin Horowitz
MF- Patrick Breslin
F- Ethan McManus
F- Lucas Kotlowitz
Man of the Match: Bryant Hales, GK, St. Ignatius
St. Ignatius in tie with Hersey
Shutt goes from goat to hero with late score
By Dave Owen
OAK BROOK - The pace of soccer seldom allows for instant chances at redemption.
St. Ignatius’ Connor Shutt took advantage of one rare opportunity Thursday against Hersey in the Red Devil Cup third round at the Oak Brook Park District's turf field.
Less than a minute after his foul in the box led to an Alex Filian penalty kick that put Hersey up 2-1, defender Shutt took a pass near the top of the box from Ethan McManus in the corner and lofted an 18-yarder just under the crossbar.
That quick comeback score in the game’s final two minutes earned the Wolfpack (1-1-2) a 2-2 tie with the Huskies (0-0-3).
“Within like 30 seconds, I was like, ‘I just cost my team the game’ to ‘Oh wait, I just hit that shot,’” Shutt said.
“I didn’t see it coming. I was just in complete shock when I hit that, because I had just caused the penalty over there, because I knew he (Hersey’s Matthew Dickey) was going in on goal.
“When (McManus’ pass) was coming across I was just thinking ‘I’m going to have a good swing at this and have a good follow through,’” Shutt added. “I don’t know where that came from. Right when I hit it my whole body went through shock.”
Hersey was also feeling numb after the tying goal, a play which began with a 28-yard direct kick from the Wolfpack's Max Taylor near the left sideline.
As Taylor’s restart sailed wide of the net towards the far corner, McManus hustled to barely keep the ball in play and found Shutt with open space near the top of the box.
“We had him (McManus) contained wide, and then he beat our man,” Hersey coach Darren Llewellyn said. “If we contain him it’s over. He played it 30 yards to the guy at the 18 and everyone stood inside the box. No one ran out.
“Those are our mistakes, and if we don’t make them those goals don’t happen.”
Hersey midfielder Jack Rasmussen was brilliant throughout the game, with multiple defensive-end steals, two shot blocks and several strong free kicks. But a third-straight tie to the open the season was a frustrating result for the junior and his team.
“Down the stretch after we scored on that penalty kick we were kind of sitting back, and we thought differently than the ref did,” Rasmussen said. “We stopped playing thinking the ball was going out (on Taylor’s free kick), and it was our mistake.
“We’re a young team (one senior starter), so while it’s kind of interesting not to have a win yet, I feel as the season goes on we’ll grow as a team and learn from our mistakes.”
In a wild second half, Hersey twice took leads (1-0 and 2-1) that St. Ignatius answered with tying goals within the next two minutes.
A set-piece 13 minutes into the second half gave the Huskies a 1-0 edge. Saul Casillas was fouled to set up a 22-yard Alex Filian direct kick. Wolfpack goalkeeper Bryant Hales dove to make the initial save on Filian’s low drive to the left post, but freshman Thomas Skiba booted in the rebound.
Two minutes later, St. Ignatius drew even. Eduardo Lopez’s nice cross into the box was headed in by Patrick Breslin, a play initiated by an Alex Collins left side attack.
“Every time we scored we let them score right away. That’s an inexperienced breakdown,” Llewellyn said. “That’s twice this year we’ve been scored on by headers like that, but professionals get scored on like that. It’s a learning experience.”
In between the quick answer goals, Wolfpack goalkeeper Hales came up big on two breakaways by Hersey sophomore forward Jesse Lopez.
With 19 minutes left, Hales came out to block a Lopez attack. Then set up by a nice steal and upfield pass from Lucas Wilke, Lopez raced in again four minutes later. Hales rose to the test again, with a diving save at the right post.
“I tried to cut the angle down as much as possible,” Hales said. “and I kind of saw him opening up his hips so I leaned that way and was able to get my foot and hand on it.
“It was certainly a tough game with a couple more breakaways than we usually give up, but I think our midfield bounced back well and was able to put the opportunities away,” Hales added. “We didn’t get down, and when I did catch it I was able to get the quick distribution and try to get the attack going again.”
A starter in goal last year, Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match Hales is off to a great start with two shutouts and his multiple big saves against Hersey.
“Bryant Hales has had a great season so far,” Wolfpack coach Ryan Kearns said. “He gained a lot of experience last year as a sophomore, and it’s really showing. He’s really stepped up. He refuses to quit.”
Said Hales: “I felt like I never really got in my groove last year. It was just a young season, and I felt like I was in a rut. I feel like I’ve regained a lot of confidence this year, and now I’m able to make a lot of those big saves that I wasn’t able to make last year.”
Hersey's Llewellyn was pleased with the Huskies' second-half offensive push.
“The forward who had two breakaways carried it too far in, but they were fantastic runs,” he said. “He timed them, the passes were played through – in the second half I talked about playing early to forwards because they had such a space between their backs and midfielders, and we started doing that and generating more attack.”
The scoreless first half was dominated by threats for St. Ignatius.
In the 16th minute, nice combination passing by Lucas Kotlowitz, Collins and McManus eventually set up an Ian Waller 25-yard shot that Hersey goalkeeper Brett Harris reached high to grab.
Harris later raced off his line to just beat Kotlowitz to a Breslin long pass to the box in the 26th minute.
The best first-half chance followed with seven minutes left in the half. Harris made a nice save on the a Diego Vazquez point-blank try left of the net, then Hersey defender Steven Custer intervened to deflect Vazquez’s rebound attempt.
Harris was again tested two minutes before halftime, leaping to deflect a Kotlowitz 18-yard shot over the crossbar.
That first-half flurry and the quick answers to each Hersey goal left Kearns mystified.
“I wish we could play with that intensity and fire for the entire match,” Kearns said. “I’m still trying to figure out why we don’t have that all the time, and that’s going to win us close games.
“We could have put them away in the first 20 minutes, and it almost seems like we don’t want to. It was the same last year. We always want to come back instead of pull ahead, and we need to change that fast. They like the drama.”
Drama was certainly the word for the last few minutes of play.
With no scoreboard clock to rely on, both sides played with a sense of urgency.
When Hersey’s Matthew Dickey was tripped in the box and Filian put away the PK, it appeared the Huskies were in business. But Shutt’s first varsity goal added an unexpected twist.
“That’s what I think our team does best, keep our heads up,” Shutt said. “We went back to get the equalizer. That’s one of our team’s best attributes.
“It’s a very new squad. Most of our starters last year were the previous seniors, so this is a completely new squad with new chemistry. But I think we’re coming along really well. I think we’re going to win the conference. We have a really good squad.”
While standout defender Chauncey Flowers is likely out two more weeks with a knee injury, other players have emerged.
“Our two sophomore center backs (Carlos Sierra and A.J. Capitanini) played a great game against Whitney Young (a 0-0 tie),” Kearns said. “They were talking, they were moving and shifting together.Today I wanted to see more talking from them, and I didn’t get it, or some of those breaks could have been prevented.
“I’m really impressed with Jonathan Manzo, a junior coming off the bench. He scored against Lemont. He’s really calm and patient on the ball and rarely makes a mistake. And Patrick Breslin who had that header goal, he’s just a competitor. He loves to win and is always out there working, so I have a hard time taking him off the field.”
Hersey also has major reasons for optimism, with six freshmen or sophomores among a virtually all-underclassmen lineup.
“We’re still very young with two juniors and two sophomores on the back at one point,” Llewellyn said. “That allows for some marking mistakes and tracking people.
We’re opening it up more – we have a lot of young skill players, so we’re playing a more open game, and it’s more for the future than right now. I’d rather have those young guys get knocked off the ball just to learn what it’s like in a varsity game. I’m OK with it.”
Defender Custer blocked two shots (one saving a goal), and second-half goalkeeper Isaac Carvajal made nice saves on Orin Horowitz and Taylor in his first six minutes of action.
On Taylor’s 15-yard blast, an offside call nullified a would-be rebound goal by Waller.
Along with Hersey’s several excellent plays, Rasmussen has been a steady presence in the lineup.
“Jack’s my leader, verbally and emotionally,” Llewellyn said. “He takes charge.”
Said Rasmussen: “I’m not even the oldest player on the team, but I know I have a lot of voice on the field and people will listen to me.
“I have to step up and try to get them to follow my lead, and give them energy to keep going. There’s other kids on the team that lead too, but I have a louder voice and people have been responding to how I’ve been acting so it’s been pretty good.”
After three draws to start 2015, the Huskies are hardly fit to be tied.
“It’s kind of been our game to lose, our game to win each time,” Rasmussen said. “Overall this was a very good game I thought. And as the season goes on we’ll get better.”
Starting lineups
Hersey
GK- Brett Harris
D- Steven Custer
D- Daniel Gritt
D- Giuseppe Scaletta
D- Michael Santry
MF- Jack Rasmussen
MF- Christian Castro
MF- Patrick Nowak
MF- Saul Casillas
F- Alex Filian
F- Matthew Dickey
St. Ignatius
GK- Bryant Hales
D- Alex Collins
D- Carlos Sierra
D- AJ Capitanini
D- Conner Hatzopoulos
MF- Ian Waller
MF- Max Taylor
MF- Orin Horowitz
MF- Patrick Breslin
F- Ethan McManus
F- Lucas Kotlowitz
Man of the Match: Bryant Hales, GK, St. Ignatius