St. Ignatius Rice bros cook Brother Rice
Jaden and Isaac set quick pace, score every goal in 3-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO — Jaden Rice was ready to bust out.
“We have been waiting for so long, we were ready to get after it today,” the St. Ignatius senior said.
Everything about the moment was new for the converted midfielder who has been a standout talent the last three years. Coach Matt Miller altered his profile by making him the centerpiece of the attack.
He has a new position — striker— and the aggressive, always -moving philosophy defines the position and suits his personality.
“My striker, it was his first time playing in that position,” Miller said. “He held the ball up well and showed a nice presence up-front.
“I liked the energy when we got the ball to the final three.”
Jaden also had a familiar support system, his younger brother Isaac Rice, who made his varsity debut.
Isaac smashed a hard shot from the right wing in the opening moments of the Wolfpack’s season-opener against Brother Rice. It was game on, a moment seemingly collapsed in time.
“I think everybody is here to have a good time; everybody is here to get at it,” Jaden said. “This is our life right now.
“Everybody is locked in, and we are waiting to have a good season.”
Jaden scored two goals and Isaac the other in the Wolfpack’s dominating 3-0 victory Thursday night in the Chicago Catholic League cross-over.
After the Wolfpack’s planned opener against Montini was postponed Tuesday, the extra wait only amplified the anxiousness of a team ready to make its mark.
“I am definitely looking forward to it,” senior defender Charlie Kennedy said of the seasobn. “I thought originally we were going to be playing in the fall. I trained over the winter, and I was ready.
“We love to have a lot of fun, but we also work really hard. When it’s game time, our mentality is that it’s time to go. From the first five to the last five, we are going 100 percent.”
St. Ignatius (1-0-0) betrayed any sense of the extended pause to the season. The Wolfpack dominated possession time, opportunities and chances in the final third.
Isaac, who’s slightly taller than his brother, set the tone by catching a ball on the right flank in the opening minute and drilling a ball that Crusaders’ keeper Oscar Cerritos deflected.
That set the dominant narrative, the Wolfpack establishing the rhythm and shape of the game, Brother Rice reeled backward and was forced to react while on its heels.
In the third minute, Isaac got free again and played another ball that Cerritos punched back. Defender Luke Hogan controlled the loose ball and sent the ball into the box for Jaden.
Isaac put the finishing touches for the goal. Things were already looking up. Just three minutes into its new season, St. Ignatius scored.
“It’s been a little difficult, because we haven’t played together in so long,” senior midfielder Aidan Hurst said. “Our success comes from the skill we have in the midfield and the attack. We have great players we can feed the ball to.”
St. Ignatius not only got free and loose in those opening moments. They announced something special, the connection between the players and the fun they have together.
“I am so excited,” Hurst said. “I missed high school soccer a lot. I really like it, and it is great to be back out. You could see by the end of the game we started to jell a lot more and everything became easier.”
As another indicator of its determination, the early goal was a statement, a mark of success that only pushed for greater moments of achievement. The brothers played off each other brilliantly. Fast and athletic, the two put constant pressure on the Crusaders’ back, pushing the ball side to side and repeatedly pushing numbers forward.
Midfielder Alexander Tan also impressed with his quick movement and touch on the ball. The Wolfpack was rarely static. They just pounced.
In the 18th minute, Isaac formally got into the act by drilling a beautiful ball from Gavin Troy for his first varsity goal.
“It all starts in the back, with Gavin Troy,” Isaac said. “It’s just the quality of the play and the chemistry we have that led us to those goals.
“I run track, and I just want to run really fast to get the ball. It just ended up happening.”
In this unprecedented moment, Isaac said the determination and the desire to get better is already self-evident.
“A bunch of our guys have been working out during the time off, and it really shows,” he said. “A bunch of teams are lacking in fitness. That’s a big component that really has helped us.”
Brother Rice (0-2-0) is also undergoing a shift. The Crusaders graduated Jack Finnegan, an All-American and the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year who scored 44 goals last year.
The team is looking for a new identity. They have been hurt by more than other programs by the severe disruption of the schedule.
“St. Ignatius is a very talented team,” Brother Rice coach Matt Prunckle said. “We learned a lot about ourselves, and I think we answered some questions moving forward.
“Last year and the year prior was about maximizing our results as a program relying on Jack’s attacking prowess. Now there is lots of opportunity for players, and I could see us being a very young team for the next two years as we look to begin a proper rebuild of the program.”
Cerritos, the Crusaders’ long and agile keeper, made the score tighter than the game probably had a right. He posted 12 saves, several of the spectacular variety, like a leap to deny Hurst off a corner.
Otherwise, St. Ignatius monopolized the possession time. Brother Rice managed only two shots on goal, its best scoring chance a wicked volley by freshman midfielder Bruce Harris that Wolfpack keeper Nicholas Barkidjija repelled.
Jaden Rice punctuated his bright performance by forcing a turnover deep in the Crusaders’ end. He then wheeled and fired for the only score of the second half.
It echoed his first goal, three minutes into its respective half.
Miller, being the perfectionist, naturally drew attention to the mistakes and areas he thinks the team needs to clean up.
“In the first half, we moved the ball really well,” Miller said. “We were a little slow in our decision-making, and we gave up some turnovers in the midfield.
“At halftime we talked about having fewer touches in the midfield and playing the ball quicker to our center midfielders to get the ball to our front three, break lines a little quicker. I liked the energy of their runs. It was also nice to see us recycling the ball through the backline and building up the play.”
Jaden Rice earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his outstanding play.
Kennedy and Hogan are the outside backs and Troy and Billy Thompson are the center backs. They shut down any hope the Crusaders had of connecting passes or making deep runs.
“We have a lot of confidence, and with more practices we are going to be able to really build from the back and just make sure we are confident and everything,” Kennedy said.
Starting lineups
Brother Rice
GK: Oscar Cerritos
D: Chris Casey
D: Brendan Nye
D: Louie Conn
MF: Brian Barsch
MF: Bruce Harris
MF: Roman Harris
MF: Max Guzman
MF: Joseph Hladik
F: Danny Wallace
F: Tyler Wojcik
St. Ignatius
GK: Nicholas Barkidjija
D: Charlie Kennedy
D: Billy Thompson
D: Gavin Troy
D: Luke Hogan
MF: Alexander Kraft
MF: Jack Lowe
MF: Aidan Hurst
MF: Dillon Tan
MF: Isaac Rice
S: Jaden Rice
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jaden Rice, sr., S, St. Ignatius
Scoring summary
First half
St. Ignatius—Jaden Rice (Luke Hogan), 3rd minute
St. Ignatius—Isaac Rice (Gavin Troy), 18th minute
Second half
St. Ignatius—Jaden Rice (unassisted), 43rd minute
Jaden and Isaac set quick pace, score every goal in 3-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO — Jaden Rice was ready to bust out.
“We have been waiting for so long, we were ready to get after it today,” the St. Ignatius senior said.
Everything about the moment was new for the converted midfielder who has been a standout talent the last three years. Coach Matt Miller altered his profile by making him the centerpiece of the attack.
He has a new position — striker— and the aggressive, always -moving philosophy defines the position and suits his personality.
“My striker, it was his first time playing in that position,” Miller said. “He held the ball up well and showed a nice presence up-front.
“I liked the energy when we got the ball to the final three.”
Jaden also had a familiar support system, his younger brother Isaac Rice, who made his varsity debut.
Isaac smashed a hard shot from the right wing in the opening moments of the Wolfpack’s season-opener against Brother Rice. It was game on, a moment seemingly collapsed in time.
“I think everybody is here to have a good time; everybody is here to get at it,” Jaden said. “This is our life right now.
“Everybody is locked in, and we are waiting to have a good season.”
Jaden scored two goals and Isaac the other in the Wolfpack’s dominating 3-0 victory Thursday night in the Chicago Catholic League cross-over.
After the Wolfpack’s planned opener against Montini was postponed Tuesday, the extra wait only amplified the anxiousness of a team ready to make its mark.
“I am definitely looking forward to it,” senior defender Charlie Kennedy said of the seasobn. “I thought originally we were going to be playing in the fall. I trained over the winter, and I was ready.
“We love to have a lot of fun, but we also work really hard. When it’s game time, our mentality is that it’s time to go. From the first five to the last five, we are going 100 percent.”
St. Ignatius (1-0-0) betrayed any sense of the extended pause to the season. The Wolfpack dominated possession time, opportunities and chances in the final third.
Isaac, who’s slightly taller than his brother, set the tone by catching a ball on the right flank in the opening minute and drilling a ball that Crusaders’ keeper Oscar Cerritos deflected.
That set the dominant narrative, the Wolfpack establishing the rhythm and shape of the game, Brother Rice reeled backward and was forced to react while on its heels.
In the third minute, Isaac got free again and played another ball that Cerritos punched back. Defender Luke Hogan controlled the loose ball and sent the ball into the box for Jaden.
Isaac put the finishing touches for the goal. Things were already looking up. Just three minutes into its new season, St. Ignatius scored.
“It’s been a little difficult, because we haven’t played together in so long,” senior midfielder Aidan Hurst said. “Our success comes from the skill we have in the midfield and the attack. We have great players we can feed the ball to.”
St. Ignatius not only got free and loose in those opening moments. They announced something special, the connection between the players and the fun they have together.
“I am so excited,” Hurst said. “I missed high school soccer a lot. I really like it, and it is great to be back out. You could see by the end of the game we started to jell a lot more and everything became easier.”
As another indicator of its determination, the early goal was a statement, a mark of success that only pushed for greater moments of achievement. The brothers played off each other brilliantly. Fast and athletic, the two put constant pressure on the Crusaders’ back, pushing the ball side to side and repeatedly pushing numbers forward.
Midfielder Alexander Tan also impressed with his quick movement and touch on the ball. The Wolfpack was rarely static. They just pounced.
In the 18th minute, Isaac formally got into the act by drilling a beautiful ball from Gavin Troy for his first varsity goal.
“It all starts in the back, with Gavin Troy,” Isaac said. “It’s just the quality of the play and the chemistry we have that led us to those goals.
“I run track, and I just want to run really fast to get the ball. It just ended up happening.”
In this unprecedented moment, Isaac said the determination and the desire to get better is already self-evident.
“A bunch of our guys have been working out during the time off, and it really shows,” he said. “A bunch of teams are lacking in fitness. That’s a big component that really has helped us.”
Brother Rice (0-2-0) is also undergoing a shift. The Crusaders graduated Jack Finnegan, an All-American and the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year who scored 44 goals last year.
The team is looking for a new identity. They have been hurt by more than other programs by the severe disruption of the schedule.
“St. Ignatius is a very talented team,” Brother Rice coach Matt Prunckle said. “We learned a lot about ourselves, and I think we answered some questions moving forward.
“Last year and the year prior was about maximizing our results as a program relying on Jack’s attacking prowess. Now there is lots of opportunity for players, and I could see us being a very young team for the next two years as we look to begin a proper rebuild of the program.”
Cerritos, the Crusaders’ long and agile keeper, made the score tighter than the game probably had a right. He posted 12 saves, several of the spectacular variety, like a leap to deny Hurst off a corner.
Otherwise, St. Ignatius monopolized the possession time. Brother Rice managed only two shots on goal, its best scoring chance a wicked volley by freshman midfielder Bruce Harris that Wolfpack keeper Nicholas Barkidjija repelled.
Jaden Rice punctuated his bright performance by forcing a turnover deep in the Crusaders’ end. He then wheeled and fired for the only score of the second half.
It echoed his first goal, three minutes into its respective half.
Miller, being the perfectionist, naturally drew attention to the mistakes and areas he thinks the team needs to clean up.
“In the first half, we moved the ball really well,” Miller said. “We were a little slow in our decision-making, and we gave up some turnovers in the midfield.
“At halftime we talked about having fewer touches in the midfield and playing the ball quicker to our center midfielders to get the ball to our front three, break lines a little quicker. I liked the energy of their runs. It was also nice to see us recycling the ball through the backline and building up the play.”
Jaden Rice earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his outstanding play.
Kennedy and Hogan are the outside backs and Troy and Billy Thompson are the center backs. They shut down any hope the Crusaders had of connecting passes or making deep runs.
“We have a lot of confidence, and with more practices we are going to be able to really build from the back and just make sure we are confident and everything,” Kennedy said.
Starting lineups
Brother Rice
GK: Oscar Cerritos
D: Chris Casey
D: Brendan Nye
D: Louie Conn
MF: Brian Barsch
MF: Bruce Harris
MF: Roman Harris
MF: Max Guzman
MF: Joseph Hladik
F: Danny Wallace
F: Tyler Wojcik
St. Ignatius
GK: Nicholas Barkidjija
D: Charlie Kennedy
D: Billy Thompson
D: Gavin Troy
D: Luke Hogan
MF: Alexander Kraft
MF: Jack Lowe
MF: Aidan Hurst
MF: Dillon Tan
MF: Isaac Rice
S: Jaden Rice
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Jaden Rice, sr., S, St. Ignatius
Scoring summary
First half
St. Ignatius—Jaden Rice (Luke Hogan), 3rd minute
St. Ignatius—Isaac Rice (Gavin Troy), 18th minute
Second half
St. Ignatius—Jaden Rice (unassisted), 43rd minute