Marmion continues winning charge
Cadets simply too strong and deep, post 7-0 win over Aurora C.
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA --- Need an analogy for Marmion’s efforts against Aurora Central?
When it came to the visiting Chargers, let’s just say the rally trumpets were silenced; if it was a credit card, it was denied.
Marmion was simply too strong, too deep, and too talented in a 7-0 double-time, nonconference performance Saturday.
The Cadets (6-3-0), clearly on a mission to record a third-consecutive win, scored early and often en route to a comfortable 5-0 halftime lead. Since capturing the Somonauk Breakout Tournament title in a 4-1-0 start to the season, Aurora Central (4-6-1) came up short for the fifth time in its last six outings.
Marmion was sparked by yet another Horatio Alger story as Joey Lagman earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match acclaim. Marmion’s coaching staff continued its quest for an optimal line-up with Lagman becoming the second player who saw no playing time at the start of the season to develop into a new addition to the starting lineup.
“We’re so pleased with Joey’s emergence. Here’s another guy who didn’t see that many minutes early on but through focus and hard work in practice earned his way onto the field and today became a starting right back,” Marmion coach Jimmy Romano said. “Not only did he do a solid job defensively, he got involved in our attack. He created the assist on (James) Serrano’s first goal and then got one himself.”
This is Lagman’s first year with the Marmion varsity. The versatile sophomore defender is also the kicker for the Cadets sophomore football squad.
Coinciding with Marmion’s three-game string of victories is the Cadets executing Romano’s emphasis on an opportunistic start. For the third-consecutive match, Marmion got on the scoreboard within seven minutes. Only a mere 3:37 had elapsed when James Lawinger’s corner kick led to an Aidan Reynolds tap-in near the left post. It’s the first goal of the season for Reynolds and the third assist for the younger of the Lawinger brothers.
“As a defender I don’t get forward too many times and the last match (a 5-2 road win over Providence), I missed a chance. So I wasn’t going to let that happen again,” Reynolds insisted. “Coach always emphasizes trying to score early and often, so I wanted that kind of start. At first I wasn’t sure if it got over the line, but when I saw the (assistant) referee’s flag, it was an amazing feeling. It’s so good to get us going.”
As for his part, Lawinger is dedicated to earning more assists.
“It comes down to lots of practice. Based on the play call, I know the patterns my teammates are running and knowing where they’ll be. So I try my best to deliver it there consistently,” Lawinger said. “Whenever it works there’s a sense of accomplishment, but most important the victories feel pretty good.”
Lawinger’s second corner kick was a in-swinger that curled enough to ricochet off the far right post, but the Cadets’ follow-up putback effort sailed wide right.
The lead doubled at 11:19 when Lagman set up Serrano for an 11-yarder. Just over a minute later, Marmion was knocking on the door again. When Aurora Central goalie Daniel Seibert wasn’t able to hang on to a loose ball, Serrano pounced and upped his team-high goal count to 13 for the year.
“It’s always invigorating to score and makes me want another. So I do my best to forget it, get hungry for an encore and focus on getting the next one,” explained Serrano, who posted his fourth multiple-goal effort for this season as a way to celebrate his 18th birthday. “I hold myself to a high standard for scoring, because I want to see us win. And that includes assists because our approach is let’s go and score as many as we can.”
That’s why Marmion never took its foot off the gas pedal on offense. Two minutes later, the Chargers’ Seibert made a stellar tip save on a right side blast from C.J. Sowers. Lawinger curved another corner kick, but that one struck the football field goal’s crossbar. Marmion had a direct free kick carom off a defensive wall before Matt Hartweger and Sowers were both denied follow-ups.
There was 6:24 left before halftime when Aurora Central finally got a scoring opportunity -- Danny Cwinski passed to Bryce Wiltgen, whose shot sailed wide right.
With 3:37 remaining in the opening half the Chargers were slow in clearing a rebound, and Marmion’s Andre Cerda raced around a defender for a 1-v.-1 against the keeper and scored from seven yards. That was Cerda’s second goal and a third assist for Jack Kavanaugh.
Fueled by that score the Cadets remained aggressive and earned a penalty kick opportunity with 2:13 to go. Hartweger went inside the right post with his conversion for his second goal of the year.
“The main thing now is for us to maintain this consistency,” Romano said. “We’re creating chances to get goals early and often, plus we’re keeping the other team’s chances at a minimum.”
That was indeed the case statistically. Marmion had 19 of its 27 overall goal-scoring attempts in the first half for a 17-shot advantage. Twelve of those 19 shots on goal also came in the opening half. Further reflecting the aggressive offense was a 7-1 tally for corner kicks and being whistled offsides twice.
While starting goalie Nathaniel Gelsomino was required to make an official save in the first half, the sophomore combined with Jeff Walter to produce Marmion’s fourth clean-sheet for the season. Just over five minutes into the second half, Walter had to block a shot by Aurora Central’s Jonas Cebulski.
At the 47:09 mark, Tyler Laurich played a textbook through-ball to spring Lagman for a 1-v.-1 against Seibert, who raced off the line and dove too soon. That enabled Lagman to dribble past and score from just off the end line.
Unfortunately the game was not without controversy. With 27:54 left in regulation, Serrano was sent off when the match official red-carded the senior co-captain for taunting.
“Obviously calls are up to the official, but we don’t believe what happened merited a straight red card,” longtime Marmion assistant Adrian Magana said. “With the lead and a yellow card, we would have disciplined James ourselves, and he would not have played further.”
During halftime, Marmion’s players on the bench were given a stern warning from the official based on comments he believed he heard. In questioning the tone, Romano was also admonished with the threat of a yellow. That appeared to set the stage for an actual yellow issued to the Cadets boss during the stoppage.
In an unusual move, the match official told both head coaches to be seated on their benches because Fichtel Field does not include markings for a coaches and team boxes. While Marmion assistant Magana placed cones to comply, Romano’s objection to the scenario resulted in his being issued a second yellow, equaling a red card.
As a result, both Serrano and Romano will not be allowed to participate in Marmion’s next match, the Cadets Chicago Catholic League division opener at home against Brother Rice on Tuesday.
The Cadets played the final 27:54 shorthanded. With 17:50 remaining, Aurora Central’s Tommy Musuras blasted a direct free kick that Walter knocked out of play which resulted in the Chargers’ lone corner kick.
With 7:30 left, Aurora Central goalie Seibert made another highlight reel-worthy stop on a header.
With 6:38 to go, Sowers earned an assist with a pass that created a fastbreak for Laurich who went in alone and deftly slipped the ball by the outrushing Charger goalie and into the right side. Laurich’s second goal of the season reduced the remaining time to just over three minutes.
“I knew there was a defender coming on strong on my back so during a last controlled touch I looked up and saw the keeper shifting a little to (my) left, and I placed it right,” Laurich said. “Although he dove correctly I had put enough on it to get past him. Although we were up, I’d had multiple chances and not converted, so with the clock running down being able to score to reduce time still felt awesome.”
The Brother Rice match will be the first of four-straight conference outings for Marmion.
For Aurora Central there is a Tuesday visit to IC Catholic Prep which has become the Chargers’ new league opener in the revamped Metro Suburban Conference Red Division. ACC’s original conference debut against St. Edward on Sept. 6 was postponed due to field conditions and has yet to be rescheduled.
Starting lineups
Aurora Central
GK Daniel Seibert
D Zack Devries
D Nathan Sundberg
D Brian Jimenez
D Chase Crissie
M Jacob Dudziak
M Tommy Musuras
M Jonas Cebulski
M Esteben Gomez
F Matthew Norththrop
F Danny Swinski
Marmion
GK Nathaniel Gelsomino
D David Lawinger
D Aidan Reynolds
D Michael Murray
D Joey Lagman
M James Lawinger
M Tyler “T.J.” Laurich
M C.J. Sowers
M Jack Kavanaugh
F James Serrano
F Andre Cerda
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Joey Lagman, so., D, Marmion
Referees: Mario Castillo (center), Manny Mbende, Jose Gonzalez
Game summary
Marmion 7, Aurora Central 0
Aurora Central (4-6-1) 0 0 --- 0
Marmion (6-3-0) 5 2 --- 7
Scoring
First half
M – Reynolds tap in near left post off corner kick (J. Lawinger assist), 3:37 gone
M – Serrano cut back to middle, 11-yarder inside right post (Lagman assist), 11:19 gone
M – Serrano eight-yard follow-up putback on keeper fumble (unassisted), 12:49 gone
M – Cerda beats defender for 7-yard 1-v.-1 with goalie (Kavanaugh assist), 36:23 gone
M – Hartweger penalty kick conversion (unassisted), 37:47 gone
Second half
M – Lagman dribble by keeper 6-yard finish inside right post (Laurich assist), 47:09 gone
M – Laurich fastbreak 10-yarder tucked inside right (Sowers assist), 73:22 gone
Shots
AC 2 – 2 --- 4
M 19 – 8 --- 27
Shots on goal
AC 0 – 2 --- 2
M 13 – 6 --- 19
Saves (GK)
AC (Seibert) 8 – 4 --- 12
M (Gelsomino 40 min.) 0 – (Walter 37 min.) 2 --- 2
Corner kicks
AC 0 – 1 --- 1
M 6 - 1 --- 7
Offsides
AC 0 – 0 --- 0
M 1 – 1 --- 2
Cadets simply too strong and deep, post 7-0 win over Aurora C.
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA --- Need an analogy for Marmion’s efforts against Aurora Central?
When it came to the visiting Chargers, let’s just say the rally trumpets were silenced; if it was a credit card, it was denied.
Marmion was simply too strong, too deep, and too talented in a 7-0 double-time, nonconference performance Saturday.
The Cadets (6-3-0), clearly on a mission to record a third-consecutive win, scored early and often en route to a comfortable 5-0 halftime lead. Since capturing the Somonauk Breakout Tournament title in a 4-1-0 start to the season, Aurora Central (4-6-1) came up short for the fifth time in its last six outings.
Marmion was sparked by yet another Horatio Alger story as Joey Lagman earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match acclaim. Marmion’s coaching staff continued its quest for an optimal line-up with Lagman becoming the second player who saw no playing time at the start of the season to develop into a new addition to the starting lineup.
“We’re so pleased with Joey’s emergence. Here’s another guy who didn’t see that many minutes early on but through focus and hard work in practice earned his way onto the field and today became a starting right back,” Marmion coach Jimmy Romano said. “Not only did he do a solid job defensively, he got involved in our attack. He created the assist on (James) Serrano’s first goal and then got one himself.”
This is Lagman’s first year with the Marmion varsity. The versatile sophomore defender is also the kicker for the Cadets sophomore football squad.
Coinciding with Marmion’s three-game string of victories is the Cadets executing Romano’s emphasis on an opportunistic start. For the third-consecutive match, Marmion got on the scoreboard within seven minutes. Only a mere 3:37 had elapsed when James Lawinger’s corner kick led to an Aidan Reynolds tap-in near the left post. It’s the first goal of the season for Reynolds and the third assist for the younger of the Lawinger brothers.
“As a defender I don’t get forward too many times and the last match (a 5-2 road win over Providence), I missed a chance. So I wasn’t going to let that happen again,” Reynolds insisted. “Coach always emphasizes trying to score early and often, so I wanted that kind of start. At first I wasn’t sure if it got over the line, but when I saw the (assistant) referee’s flag, it was an amazing feeling. It’s so good to get us going.”
As for his part, Lawinger is dedicated to earning more assists.
“It comes down to lots of practice. Based on the play call, I know the patterns my teammates are running and knowing where they’ll be. So I try my best to deliver it there consistently,” Lawinger said. “Whenever it works there’s a sense of accomplishment, but most important the victories feel pretty good.”
Lawinger’s second corner kick was a in-swinger that curled enough to ricochet off the far right post, but the Cadets’ follow-up putback effort sailed wide right.
The lead doubled at 11:19 when Lagman set up Serrano for an 11-yarder. Just over a minute later, Marmion was knocking on the door again. When Aurora Central goalie Daniel Seibert wasn’t able to hang on to a loose ball, Serrano pounced and upped his team-high goal count to 13 for the year.
“It’s always invigorating to score and makes me want another. So I do my best to forget it, get hungry for an encore and focus on getting the next one,” explained Serrano, who posted his fourth multiple-goal effort for this season as a way to celebrate his 18th birthday. “I hold myself to a high standard for scoring, because I want to see us win. And that includes assists because our approach is let’s go and score as many as we can.”
That’s why Marmion never took its foot off the gas pedal on offense. Two minutes later, the Chargers’ Seibert made a stellar tip save on a right side blast from C.J. Sowers. Lawinger curved another corner kick, but that one struck the football field goal’s crossbar. Marmion had a direct free kick carom off a defensive wall before Matt Hartweger and Sowers were both denied follow-ups.
There was 6:24 left before halftime when Aurora Central finally got a scoring opportunity -- Danny Cwinski passed to Bryce Wiltgen, whose shot sailed wide right.
With 3:37 remaining in the opening half the Chargers were slow in clearing a rebound, and Marmion’s Andre Cerda raced around a defender for a 1-v.-1 against the keeper and scored from seven yards. That was Cerda’s second goal and a third assist for Jack Kavanaugh.
Fueled by that score the Cadets remained aggressive and earned a penalty kick opportunity with 2:13 to go. Hartweger went inside the right post with his conversion for his second goal of the year.
“The main thing now is for us to maintain this consistency,” Romano said. “We’re creating chances to get goals early and often, plus we’re keeping the other team’s chances at a minimum.”
That was indeed the case statistically. Marmion had 19 of its 27 overall goal-scoring attempts in the first half for a 17-shot advantage. Twelve of those 19 shots on goal also came in the opening half. Further reflecting the aggressive offense was a 7-1 tally for corner kicks and being whistled offsides twice.
While starting goalie Nathaniel Gelsomino was required to make an official save in the first half, the sophomore combined with Jeff Walter to produce Marmion’s fourth clean-sheet for the season. Just over five minutes into the second half, Walter had to block a shot by Aurora Central’s Jonas Cebulski.
At the 47:09 mark, Tyler Laurich played a textbook through-ball to spring Lagman for a 1-v.-1 against Seibert, who raced off the line and dove too soon. That enabled Lagman to dribble past and score from just off the end line.
Unfortunately the game was not without controversy. With 27:54 left in regulation, Serrano was sent off when the match official red-carded the senior co-captain for taunting.
“Obviously calls are up to the official, but we don’t believe what happened merited a straight red card,” longtime Marmion assistant Adrian Magana said. “With the lead and a yellow card, we would have disciplined James ourselves, and he would not have played further.”
During halftime, Marmion’s players on the bench were given a stern warning from the official based on comments he believed he heard. In questioning the tone, Romano was also admonished with the threat of a yellow. That appeared to set the stage for an actual yellow issued to the Cadets boss during the stoppage.
In an unusual move, the match official told both head coaches to be seated on their benches because Fichtel Field does not include markings for a coaches and team boxes. While Marmion assistant Magana placed cones to comply, Romano’s objection to the scenario resulted in his being issued a second yellow, equaling a red card.
As a result, both Serrano and Romano will not be allowed to participate in Marmion’s next match, the Cadets Chicago Catholic League division opener at home against Brother Rice on Tuesday.
The Cadets played the final 27:54 shorthanded. With 17:50 remaining, Aurora Central’s Tommy Musuras blasted a direct free kick that Walter knocked out of play which resulted in the Chargers’ lone corner kick.
With 7:30 left, Aurora Central goalie Seibert made another highlight reel-worthy stop on a header.
With 6:38 to go, Sowers earned an assist with a pass that created a fastbreak for Laurich who went in alone and deftly slipped the ball by the outrushing Charger goalie and into the right side. Laurich’s second goal of the season reduced the remaining time to just over three minutes.
“I knew there was a defender coming on strong on my back so during a last controlled touch I looked up and saw the keeper shifting a little to (my) left, and I placed it right,” Laurich said. “Although he dove correctly I had put enough on it to get past him. Although we were up, I’d had multiple chances and not converted, so with the clock running down being able to score to reduce time still felt awesome.”
The Brother Rice match will be the first of four-straight conference outings for Marmion.
For Aurora Central there is a Tuesday visit to IC Catholic Prep which has become the Chargers’ new league opener in the revamped Metro Suburban Conference Red Division. ACC’s original conference debut against St. Edward on Sept. 6 was postponed due to field conditions and has yet to be rescheduled.
Starting lineups
Aurora Central
GK Daniel Seibert
D Zack Devries
D Nathan Sundberg
D Brian Jimenez
D Chase Crissie
M Jacob Dudziak
M Tommy Musuras
M Jonas Cebulski
M Esteben Gomez
F Matthew Norththrop
F Danny Swinski
Marmion
GK Nathaniel Gelsomino
D David Lawinger
D Aidan Reynolds
D Michael Murray
D Joey Lagman
M James Lawinger
M Tyler “T.J.” Laurich
M C.J. Sowers
M Jack Kavanaugh
F James Serrano
F Andre Cerda
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Joey Lagman, so., D, Marmion
Referees: Mario Castillo (center), Manny Mbende, Jose Gonzalez
Game summary
Marmion 7, Aurora Central 0
Aurora Central (4-6-1) 0 0 --- 0
Marmion (6-3-0) 5 2 --- 7
Scoring
First half
M – Reynolds tap in near left post off corner kick (J. Lawinger assist), 3:37 gone
M – Serrano cut back to middle, 11-yarder inside right post (Lagman assist), 11:19 gone
M – Serrano eight-yard follow-up putback on keeper fumble (unassisted), 12:49 gone
M – Cerda beats defender for 7-yard 1-v.-1 with goalie (Kavanaugh assist), 36:23 gone
M – Hartweger penalty kick conversion (unassisted), 37:47 gone
Second half
M – Lagman dribble by keeper 6-yard finish inside right post (Laurich assist), 47:09 gone
M – Laurich fastbreak 10-yarder tucked inside right (Sowers assist), 73:22 gone
Shots
AC 2 – 2 --- 4
M 19 – 8 --- 27
Shots on goal
AC 0 – 2 --- 2
M 13 – 6 --- 19
Saves (GK)
AC (Seibert) 8 – 4 --- 12
M (Gelsomino 40 min.) 0 – (Walter 37 min.) 2 --- 2
Corner kicks
AC 0 – 1 --- 1
M 6 - 1 --- 7
Offsides
AC 0 – 0 --- 0
M 1 – 1 --- 2