Fremd honors its seniors with win
Vikings score 4 times in 7 minutes to put away Elk Grove
By Alison Moran
PALATINE -- Thursday night's predicted thunderstorms cancelled a few games throughout the Chicago area, but not so the David vs. Goliath matchup of the Elk Grove at Fremd.
Throughout the match, a misty rain fell and made plays sloppy. But in the end, Goliath triumphed with a 5-0 shutout of the Grenadiers, thanks to the Vikings offense, which performed like a juggernaut in the second half.
The hosts were ready to roll -- after all, this was Senior Night for the Vikings. What was a little dampness on the field when yellow carnations were to be handed out to the parents at the game?
And weren’t seniors Will Lefevre, captains Zach Schoffstall, Tomas Pelekas, Ben Borst, Danny Burton, Kurt Reffke and Ben Poder going to be recognized for their years of hard work? Nothing short of a lightning-tinged storm (which rolled in within 20 minutes of the game's end) could have stopped this event.
Fremd (11-5-1, 7-1-1) wasted no time at the outset. Zach Schoffstall powered a shot past Elk Grove goalkeeper Alberto Centeno in the first minute of the game.
But as Viking coach Steve Keller said, the win didn't come easy.
Elk Grove put up a ferocious attack through the first half. Seemingly everywhere on the field, senior midfielder Edgar Soto and junior midfielder Jason Sifuentes got physical continuously with Ben Poder and Zach Schoffstall.
With all Elk Grove's aggression, most of the action stayed in the middle of the field, and Fremd's defenders kept them away from goal.
"No. 10 (Soto), he really controlled the ball in the middle, he controlled the middle really, really well," said Man of the Match Poder, who scored two goals for the Vikings in the second half.
Keller told his team to "step up the defense and keep playing their game" at the half, according to Poder.
In the second half, the Vikings picked up the offense late as Elk Grove stumbled on defense.
With 14 minutes remaining in the game, Poder, battling off Soto, kicked another past Centeno's outstretched hands to make it 2-0. Just seconds later, Luke Stuckacz converted a hard shot from 10 yards out to make it 3-0. Poder connected on a try from 30 yards out in the 68th minute to make it 4-0. With seven minutes left to play, no Elk Grove defensemen were near Fremd midfielder Rohan Menon, who controlled the ball from 15 yards out and sent a straight kick to the center of the goal for the fifth and final goal.
Michael Kramer replaced Lefevre in goal with 11 minutes left in the game. The outgoing Lefevre received a nice round of applause from the crowd.
Coach Keller was pleased with the outcome.
"We capitalized on opportunities, and controlled the ball most of the time," he said. "When we remain composed in the last third of the game, like we were, good things happen."
But perhaps Poder, the Man of the Match, summed it up best. "It was Senior Night," he said with a grin. "We knew we needed to win."
Fremd kept its hold on the top spot in the Mid-Suburban League standings. It's remaining MSL games are against Conant in Hoffman Estates on Tuesday, October 7, and hosting Buffalo Grove Oct. 9. A berth in the league championhip Soccer Bowl Oct. 16 is definitely within its reach.
Coach Rob Shepherd wants his Elk Grove team to shake this one off and rebound when they host Prospect October 7.
The night was a generational event for one former Viking -- 1985 Fremd graduate Robert "Bob" Lefevre, father of goalkeeper Will and midfielder James, a sophomore. Lefevre, a member of District 211's school board since 2005 and president from 2007-2013, viewed the game in the press box along with his mother Margaret.
Thirty years ago on November 3rd, Lefevre's Vikings needed eight overtimes to defeat Notre Dame (Quincy) 1-0 for the state title. Those eight overtimes still stand as an IHSA state record. Lefevre's seven-consecutive shutouts that season rank tied for 20th in state history. And his and the team's 19 shutouts still rank ninth and 10th respectively.
Starting lineups:
Elk Grove
GK: Alberto Centeno
D: Noe Centeno
D: Chris Guadaramma
D: Dan Hadler
D: Connor Emmerich
MF: Edgar Soto
MF: Ivan Corona
MF: Jason Cifuentes
MF: Ivan Perez
F: Carlos Miranda
F: Jeronimo Benitez
Fremd
GK: Will Lefevre
D: Kurt Rettke
D: Luke Kosacz
D: Jacob Deutschmann
D: Tomas Peleckas
MF: Gavin McCarty
MF: Ben Poder
MF: Ben Borst
MF: Keigu Oharu
F: Jake Cuthbert
F: Zach Schoffstall
Man of the Match: Ben Poder, Fremd
Vikings score 4 times in 7 minutes to put away Elk Grove
By Alison Moran
PALATINE -- Thursday night's predicted thunderstorms cancelled a few games throughout the Chicago area, but not so the David vs. Goliath matchup of the Elk Grove at Fremd.
Throughout the match, a misty rain fell and made plays sloppy. But in the end, Goliath triumphed with a 5-0 shutout of the Grenadiers, thanks to the Vikings offense, which performed like a juggernaut in the second half.
The hosts were ready to roll -- after all, this was Senior Night for the Vikings. What was a little dampness on the field when yellow carnations were to be handed out to the parents at the game?
And weren’t seniors Will Lefevre, captains Zach Schoffstall, Tomas Pelekas, Ben Borst, Danny Burton, Kurt Reffke and Ben Poder going to be recognized for their years of hard work? Nothing short of a lightning-tinged storm (which rolled in within 20 minutes of the game's end) could have stopped this event.
Fremd (11-5-1, 7-1-1) wasted no time at the outset. Zach Schoffstall powered a shot past Elk Grove goalkeeper Alberto Centeno in the first minute of the game.
But as Viking coach Steve Keller said, the win didn't come easy.
Elk Grove put up a ferocious attack through the first half. Seemingly everywhere on the field, senior midfielder Edgar Soto and junior midfielder Jason Sifuentes got physical continuously with Ben Poder and Zach Schoffstall.
With all Elk Grove's aggression, most of the action stayed in the middle of the field, and Fremd's defenders kept them away from goal.
"No. 10 (Soto), he really controlled the ball in the middle, he controlled the middle really, really well," said Man of the Match Poder, who scored two goals for the Vikings in the second half.
Keller told his team to "step up the defense and keep playing their game" at the half, according to Poder.
In the second half, the Vikings picked up the offense late as Elk Grove stumbled on defense.
With 14 minutes remaining in the game, Poder, battling off Soto, kicked another past Centeno's outstretched hands to make it 2-0. Just seconds later, Luke Stuckacz converted a hard shot from 10 yards out to make it 3-0. Poder connected on a try from 30 yards out in the 68th minute to make it 4-0. With seven minutes left to play, no Elk Grove defensemen were near Fremd midfielder Rohan Menon, who controlled the ball from 15 yards out and sent a straight kick to the center of the goal for the fifth and final goal.
Michael Kramer replaced Lefevre in goal with 11 minutes left in the game. The outgoing Lefevre received a nice round of applause from the crowd.
Coach Keller was pleased with the outcome.
"We capitalized on opportunities, and controlled the ball most of the time," he said. "When we remain composed in the last third of the game, like we were, good things happen."
But perhaps Poder, the Man of the Match, summed it up best. "It was Senior Night," he said with a grin. "We knew we needed to win."
Fremd kept its hold on the top spot in the Mid-Suburban League standings. It's remaining MSL games are against Conant in Hoffman Estates on Tuesday, October 7, and hosting Buffalo Grove Oct. 9. A berth in the league championhip Soccer Bowl Oct. 16 is definitely within its reach.
Coach Rob Shepherd wants his Elk Grove team to shake this one off and rebound when they host Prospect October 7.
The night was a generational event for one former Viking -- 1985 Fremd graduate Robert "Bob" Lefevre, father of goalkeeper Will and midfielder James, a sophomore. Lefevre, a member of District 211's school board since 2005 and president from 2007-2013, viewed the game in the press box along with his mother Margaret.
Thirty years ago on November 3rd, Lefevre's Vikings needed eight overtimes to defeat Notre Dame (Quincy) 1-0 for the state title. Those eight overtimes still stand as an IHSA state record. Lefevre's seven-consecutive shutouts that season rank tied for 20th in state history. And his and the team's 19 shutouts still rank ninth and 10th respectively.
Starting lineups:
Elk Grove
GK: Alberto Centeno
D: Noe Centeno
D: Chris Guadaramma
D: Dan Hadler
D: Connor Emmerich
MF: Edgar Soto
MF: Ivan Corona
MF: Jason Cifuentes
MF: Ivan Perez
F: Carlos Miranda
F: Jeronimo Benitez
Fremd
GK: Will Lefevre
D: Kurt Rettke
D: Luke Kosacz
D: Jacob Deutschmann
D: Tomas Peleckas
MF: Gavin McCarty
MF: Ben Poder
MF: Ben Borst
MF: Keigu Oharu
F: Jake Cuthbert
F: Zach Schoffstall
Man of the Match: Ben Poder, Fremd