Lightning halts spirited
Carmel-Notre Dame battle
Game tied 0-0, resumption to be determined
By Dave Owen
NILES – In a hard-hitting, physical East Suburban Catholic Conference matchup Wednesday between Carmel and Notre Dame, it was Mother Nature who packed the most punch.
After the two foes played to a scoreless first half, continued streaks of lightning in the sky northwest of Niles forced the postponement of the match until a later date yet to be determined.
“(Carmel coach) Ray (Krawzak) and I and our athletic directors will talk about what happens with the game, but my hope is that we can finish it,” Notre Dame coach Mike Smith said. “For the boys, I think they want to play a full game. But we’ll see what happens.”
While neither the Corsairs (2-3-0) nor the Dons (4-1-2) scored goals in the 40 minutes of play of Wednesday, the tally of quality tackles, physical contact plays and outright hits might have blown a fuse on the scoreboard.
“I thought we played really well,” Carmel senior Will Nickles said. “It was a tough game. The most physical game I’ve played in definitely all season.”
Krawzak had a similar summation of the abbreviated night.
“A physical, good strong presence by both teams,” he said. “It was good to see both teams come out for a physical match, and we always know that’s going to be the case against Notre Dame.”
As the 40-minute tug-of-war began, the Dons nearly delivered a major scoring punch.
“I feel we were very unlucky not to score in the first minute,” Smith said. “We slipped a through-ball in to our right winger, and he had a breakaway and hit it wide.
“Probably our biggest struggle this year has been coming out strong. The big challenge to the guys before the game was ‘First 10 minutes, we have to set the tone.’ We nearly buried one in the first minute, and if we get that goal I think it’s a little different half.”
Instead, it was Carmel that began to find its offensive stride.
“The half as a whole wasn’t one of the stronger halves we’ve put together this year,” Smith said. “Defensively it was a bit of a struggle. They (Carmel) overall I thought had the better of the half.”
Unleashing a new offensive weapon was a big factor in Carmel’s surge.
“Riley Pierson is one of our best players,” Krawzak said, “and today it was interesting to try something. He usually plays the outside back position, and at this point of the season we’re struggling to score goals. We’re looking for people to play hard and show that they want to be out on the field. And Riley has shown that every game this season.”
Pierson’s combination of skills showed in the 32nd minute, when he made a nice steal inside midfield, dribbled in and was fouled.
On the ensuing 34-yard free kick, Will Nickles’ right sideline send ricocheted to Ryan Cawley right of the net for an 8-yard shot that Dons goalkeeper Jeremy Spina grabbed at the right post.
Pierson later closed the half in style. Off a resend into the offensive zone off a 50-50 win of a Dons goal kick, Pierson raced in and lined a 20-yard shot over the net.
“Riley had a few (scoring) opportunities,” Krawzak said. “To throw him up-top from outside back to forward was an experiment, but he shined right there. He missed the finish, but he had a break and shot it over the bar.
“It would be nice to see him rewarded for all the hard work. I want to see him start scoring some goals.”
“He works hard at outside back,” Krawzak added, “We gave him a chance to go play up-top, and he did pretty well. And it’s his first time there (at forward) in two years.”
Nickles was the catalyst of another decent chance in the 31st minute. His throw-in from 20 yards out eventually reached Erik Miller, whose 15-yard shot went over the net.
In the final 3:30 of the half, an Aidan Harrison 25-yard shot wide and Miller’s counterattack off a block were other Carmel chances.
“I think we did good moving it up and actually playing it through their defense,” Nickles said. “Last game against Warren we weren’t moving anything up the field. This game we were trying to create opportunities, like to actually cross the ball and try to put it in the back of the net.”
Still, Carmel’s offensive game has some wrinkles to work out.
“Goal scoring is the focus and playing through the midfield,” Krawzak said. “We would get more balls if we could connect passes. But right now we are failing to launch that successfully to our forwards.”
Said Nickles: “I think as a team we still need to work on our midfield. We have to control the ball, and focus on getting the ball to our feet, turning and looking to our strikers.
“Honestly we just play from defense to offense now. We don’t make anything (happen) through the midfield. We just kind of get it up the field and then try to see what our strikers can do. We need to use the talent of (midfielders) Ryan Cawley and Ian McKernan, get the ball to their feet, turn their feet and move the ball around.”
Beyond Pierson’s move to forward, the Corsairs showed other signs of growing versatility.
“(Matt) Grzesiak is another captain along with (senior goalkeeper) Cameron Krautsack,” Krawzak said, “and he (Grzesiak) did a nice job filling a defense role.
“We needed to make the switch moving Riley up the field, and Matthew came back and defended really well.
“The tradeoff to see someone play out of position defensively and do well, that’s something good,” Krawzak added. “And to see someone play out of position on offense (like Pierson) and play well, that’s good. We have a little more versatility than I knew.”
Six minutes into the halftime break, officials called players off the field due to lightning in the distance. Play would not resume Wednesday.
“It’s frustrating because our adrenalin as already going,” Notre Dame’s Jamie Gutierrez said, “and then for it to stop like this – it’s very tough.”
But if the match does resume at a later date, Gutierrez sees a positive.
“We could use this to our advantage one way,” he said. “We know how they play. We know what we have to do, and we know what we can do better.
“I feel like we could have come out a lot stronger (Wednesday). They (Carmel) are a really good team, a very physical and a very talented team. But I feel we could have played a lot better and put a couple of goals in before the half.”
Notre Dame has been playing well this season, led by Gutierrez and two fellow senior captains.
“Jaime is our center midfielder, and is leading the team in goals and assists,” Smith said. “He’s definitely one of the most skilled players I’ve coached in my seven years here.
“David Mikolajcyzk is a winger who is very versatile and can play in the center too. He’s very dangerous. He has pace, the ability to finish.
“And Nicky Marchese is by far the toughest kid I’ve ever coached,” Smith added. “He’s not as big as other forwards (5-foot-8, 145), but I would take him any day over other forwards because he’s just tough. He just goes hard and gives us a lot of chances to score.”
Carmel’s defensive corps of goalkeeper Camden Krautsack and defenders Miller, Avery Krautsack, Grzesiak and Nickles kept that strong trio largely under wraps on Wednesday.
But the Dons’ previous game was a different story.
“We just played Northside Prep and were down 1-0 early,” Smith said. In a matter of seven minutes those his captains connected three times and scored three goals.
“Those three have been a big catalyst. When they bring it, we’re as competitive as any team we’re going to go against.”
“We’re down to AA this year,” Smith added, “so that (win on Monday) could be big for us in terms of sectional seeding.
“We have those three seniors, but we’re also young with eight sophomores and two freshmen on varsity. So we’re going to have some growing pains, but the challenge to the boys is if we can improve each day and each week. We’ve shown signs of potential. We just have to put the whole package together.”
Notre Dame has had to overcome early season adversity.
“We know we have more in the tank,” Smith said. “We have some guys banged up, with four starters from the start of the year injured. That’s why we’re so pleased with the record to start the year.
“Younger guys have been called upon to step into some big roles, and they’ve filled them really well and shown they can get the job done.”
Starting lineups
Carmel
GK: Camden Krautsack
D: Avery Krautsack
D: Matt Grzesiak
D: Erik Miller
D: Will Nickles
M: Ryan Cawley
M: Ian McKernan
M: Matt Duffy
M: Tim Milner
F: Riley Pierson
F: Aidan Harrison
Notre Dame
GK: Jeremy Spina
D: Dylan Steurer
D: Clayton Sheehan
D: Andrew Gale
D: Paul Harris
M: Jaime Gutierrez
M: David Mikolajczyk
M: Michael Ziemba
M: Joe Waltz
F: Nicky Marchese
F: Trevor Johnson
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring (game called after first half)
Carmel-Notre Dame battle
Game tied 0-0, resumption to be determined
By Dave Owen
NILES – In a hard-hitting, physical East Suburban Catholic Conference matchup Wednesday between Carmel and Notre Dame, it was Mother Nature who packed the most punch.
After the two foes played to a scoreless first half, continued streaks of lightning in the sky northwest of Niles forced the postponement of the match until a later date yet to be determined.
“(Carmel coach) Ray (Krawzak) and I and our athletic directors will talk about what happens with the game, but my hope is that we can finish it,” Notre Dame coach Mike Smith said. “For the boys, I think they want to play a full game. But we’ll see what happens.”
While neither the Corsairs (2-3-0) nor the Dons (4-1-2) scored goals in the 40 minutes of play of Wednesday, the tally of quality tackles, physical contact plays and outright hits might have blown a fuse on the scoreboard.
“I thought we played really well,” Carmel senior Will Nickles said. “It was a tough game. The most physical game I’ve played in definitely all season.”
Krawzak had a similar summation of the abbreviated night.
“A physical, good strong presence by both teams,” he said. “It was good to see both teams come out for a physical match, and we always know that’s going to be the case against Notre Dame.”
As the 40-minute tug-of-war began, the Dons nearly delivered a major scoring punch.
“I feel we were very unlucky not to score in the first minute,” Smith said. “We slipped a through-ball in to our right winger, and he had a breakaway and hit it wide.
“Probably our biggest struggle this year has been coming out strong. The big challenge to the guys before the game was ‘First 10 minutes, we have to set the tone.’ We nearly buried one in the first minute, and if we get that goal I think it’s a little different half.”
Instead, it was Carmel that began to find its offensive stride.
“The half as a whole wasn’t one of the stronger halves we’ve put together this year,” Smith said. “Defensively it was a bit of a struggle. They (Carmel) overall I thought had the better of the half.”
Unleashing a new offensive weapon was a big factor in Carmel’s surge.
“Riley Pierson is one of our best players,” Krawzak said, “and today it was interesting to try something. He usually plays the outside back position, and at this point of the season we’re struggling to score goals. We’re looking for people to play hard and show that they want to be out on the field. And Riley has shown that every game this season.”
Pierson’s combination of skills showed in the 32nd minute, when he made a nice steal inside midfield, dribbled in and was fouled.
On the ensuing 34-yard free kick, Will Nickles’ right sideline send ricocheted to Ryan Cawley right of the net for an 8-yard shot that Dons goalkeeper Jeremy Spina grabbed at the right post.
Pierson later closed the half in style. Off a resend into the offensive zone off a 50-50 win of a Dons goal kick, Pierson raced in and lined a 20-yard shot over the net.
“Riley had a few (scoring) opportunities,” Krawzak said. “To throw him up-top from outside back to forward was an experiment, but he shined right there. He missed the finish, but he had a break and shot it over the bar.
“It would be nice to see him rewarded for all the hard work. I want to see him start scoring some goals.”
“He works hard at outside back,” Krawzak added, “We gave him a chance to go play up-top, and he did pretty well. And it’s his first time there (at forward) in two years.”
Nickles was the catalyst of another decent chance in the 31st minute. His throw-in from 20 yards out eventually reached Erik Miller, whose 15-yard shot went over the net.
In the final 3:30 of the half, an Aidan Harrison 25-yard shot wide and Miller’s counterattack off a block were other Carmel chances.
“I think we did good moving it up and actually playing it through their defense,” Nickles said. “Last game against Warren we weren’t moving anything up the field. This game we were trying to create opportunities, like to actually cross the ball and try to put it in the back of the net.”
Still, Carmel’s offensive game has some wrinkles to work out.
“Goal scoring is the focus and playing through the midfield,” Krawzak said. “We would get more balls if we could connect passes. But right now we are failing to launch that successfully to our forwards.”
Said Nickles: “I think as a team we still need to work on our midfield. We have to control the ball, and focus on getting the ball to our feet, turning and looking to our strikers.
“Honestly we just play from defense to offense now. We don’t make anything (happen) through the midfield. We just kind of get it up the field and then try to see what our strikers can do. We need to use the talent of (midfielders) Ryan Cawley and Ian McKernan, get the ball to their feet, turn their feet and move the ball around.”
Beyond Pierson’s move to forward, the Corsairs showed other signs of growing versatility.
“(Matt) Grzesiak is another captain along with (senior goalkeeper) Cameron Krautsack,” Krawzak said, “and he (Grzesiak) did a nice job filling a defense role.
“We needed to make the switch moving Riley up the field, and Matthew came back and defended really well.
“The tradeoff to see someone play out of position defensively and do well, that’s something good,” Krawzak added. “And to see someone play out of position on offense (like Pierson) and play well, that’s good. We have a little more versatility than I knew.”
Six minutes into the halftime break, officials called players off the field due to lightning in the distance. Play would not resume Wednesday.
“It’s frustrating because our adrenalin as already going,” Notre Dame’s Jamie Gutierrez said, “and then for it to stop like this – it’s very tough.”
But if the match does resume at a later date, Gutierrez sees a positive.
“We could use this to our advantage one way,” he said. “We know how they play. We know what we have to do, and we know what we can do better.
“I feel like we could have come out a lot stronger (Wednesday). They (Carmel) are a really good team, a very physical and a very talented team. But I feel we could have played a lot better and put a couple of goals in before the half.”
Notre Dame has been playing well this season, led by Gutierrez and two fellow senior captains.
“Jaime is our center midfielder, and is leading the team in goals and assists,” Smith said. “He’s definitely one of the most skilled players I’ve coached in my seven years here.
“David Mikolajcyzk is a winger who is very versatile and can play in the center too. He’s very dangerous. He has pace, the ability to finish.
“And Nicky Marchese is by far the toughest kid I’ve ever coached,” Smith added. “He’s not as big as other forwards (5-foot-8, 145), but I would take him any day over other forwards because he’s just tough. He just goes hard and gives us a lot of chances to score.”
Carmel’s defensive corps of goalkeeper Camden Krautsack and defenders Miller, Avery Krautsack, Grzesiak and Nickles kept that strong trio largely under wraps on Wednesday.
But the Dons’ previous game was a different story.
“We just played Northside Prep and were down 1-0 early,” Smith said. In a matter of seven minutes those his captains connected three times and scored three goals.
“Those three have been a big catalyst. When they bring it, we’re as competitive as any team we’re going to go against.”
“We’re down to AA this year,” Smith added, “so that (win on Monday) could be big for us in terms of sectional seeding.
“We have those three seniors, but we’re also young with eight sophomores and two freshmen on varsity. So we’re going to have some growing pains, but the challenge to the boys is if we can improve each day and each week. We’ve shown signs of potential. We just have to put the whole package together.”
Notre Dame has had to overcome early season adversity.
“We know we have more in the tank,” Smith said. “We have some guys banged up, with four starters from the start of the year injured. That’s why we’re so pleased with the record to start the year.
“Younger guys have been called upon to step into some big roles, and they’ve filled them really well and shown they can get the job done.”
Starting lineups
Carmel
GK: Camden Krautsack
D: Avery Krautsack
D: Matt Grzesiak
D: Erik Miller
D: Will Nickles
M: Ryan Cawley
M: Ian McKernan
M: Matt Duffy
M: Tim Milner
F: Riley Pierson
F: Aidan Harrison
Notre Dame
GK: Jeremy Spina
D: Dylan Steurer
D: Clayton Sheehan
D: Andrew Gale
D: Paul Harris
M: Jaime Gutierrez
M: David Mikolajczyk
M: Michael Ziemba
M: Joe Waltz
F: Nicky Marchese
F: Trevor Johnson
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring (game called after first half)