Johnson's Notre Dame 'prayer'
answered, Dons oust Fenwick
Dons win 2nd-consecutive sectional title in dramatic fashion
By Michael Wojtychiw
CHICAGO -- It was a case of deja vu for Notre Dame.
In 2019, the last season the IHSA held a state playoff series in boys soccer, the Dons made school history by winning the Speer Sectional.
Fast forward two years and the Dons (23-1-2) were back at the same spot, hoping to make it two in a row at Speer's stadium. But in their way stood Fenwick, who made its first appearance in a sectional final since 2016.
Well the Friars, and a crazy, steady rain that had been falling all day.
What the crowd got was a fantastic one-goal game that was won on a shot from Notre Dame senior Trevor Johnson with a minute, 24 seconds remaining on a ball that even he didn't think would cross the line.
"I wanted to put it on goal, but it didn't look like it had a chance to go in," Johnson said after Notre Dame's 4-3 win. "Once it started to curl, you could see it was going to look in and luckily snuck past the keeper.
"It's the last minute. It was a prayer."
The match, however, didn't seem like it'd be as close as it was, especially after the Dons got a goal by sophomore Freddy Krug just 1:16 into the match.
"We had some really nice moments there, especially at the beginning," Notre Dame manager Mike Smith said. "You can't always play the way you want to, especially when the weather is like this, but both teams got through it.
"Winning 50/50 balls really helped us tonight, and it's been something we've been working on all year."
About 10 minutes later, the top-seeded team in the Speer Sectional was at it again when Zach Martin scored a goal with just under 30 minutes remaining in the half for a 2-0 lead.
"Those goals definitely woke us up," Johnson said. "That first goal really shut them down at the beginning."
A lot of teams would hang their heads when going down 2-0 that early, but Fenwick (10-11-4) reacted like it had been doing all season.
Senior Jack Powers, coming off of a goal and assist performance in the 2-1 sectional semifinal win over Fenton, put in a goal just over a minute later to cut the lead in half. The goal came on a rebound off of Notre Dame backup keeper Kier Swanson, who temporarily entered the game after starter Luca Lobianco had to exit after a foul.
"Getting that one back was big for us, especially after we gave up the two early goals," Powers said. "We knew that with this weather, it was going to be tricky on the field; but we couldn't allow ourselves to get discouraged really quickly."
"We gave up those two goals and credit to Notre Dame, sometimes that happens," Fenwick manager Craig Blazer said. "The resolve in our guys and the outstanding directness to see were amazing to see, and Jack (Powers) and Ryan (Bero) were a big part of that."
The response certainly got Notre Dame's attention.
"After they scored it woke us up, and we knew it wasn't going to be easy," Johnson said.
After coming out of the break with the score still 2-1 in favor of Notre Dame, Fenwick knew if wanted to extend the season, this was the time to do it. The Friars rode the backs of their senior leaders Powers and Ryan Bero
The pair, who have really been the linchpin for the inexperienced squad this year, came through again in what became the final game of the season for Fenwick.
In 48th minute from in front of the Fenwick bench from about 35 yards, Bero lofted a free kick from the sideline. The ball cut through the rain and wind and knotted the game at two.
"Those were some amazing goals, and they were always there to put the ball on frame," the Fenwick manager said. "In conditions like this, if you put the ball on frame, they've got a chance to go in.
"This was a great game."
Seven minutes later, Ryan Shanahan gave Notre Dame the lead back when he knocked in a ball than bounced off of Fenwick keeper Greg Price's hands after a save.
Powers scored his second goal on a laser from distance with a little under 19 minutes remaining in the game.
The score stayed 3-3, and the game appeared destined for overtime until Johnson's late heroic play.
Even though Fenwick scored three of the match's middle four goals, Notre Dame never got discouraged. Fenwick had all the momentum after tying the score on Powers' goal, but the Dons were able to withstand any attack the Friars mounted.
"When they tied it there, most teams would have put their heads down and gotten discouraged," Johnson said. "But we've got great leaders who knew that wasn't something that could happen, and we kept wanting to get the win."
"I've been saying it all year, but we're really fortunate to have the leadership we've got," Smith said. "These guys realize that the momentum changed but didn't let it bother them."
The loss marks the end of an up-and-down season for Fenwick. The Friars were 1-8-2 going into the playoffs after a difficult stretch.
After the dull stretch to end the regular-season, the Friars played their best soccer in the playoffs and looked as if they had turned a corner.
Outscoring their opponents 14-2 in the first three games of the postseason, the offense finally started to click. It suggested the squad could make an even deeper run in the playoffs, something that was evident in the game against Notre Dame.
For Blazer, that was a welcome sight.
"They really believed in themselves and believed in the process," he said. "They started to do the things we've known they can do all year.
"I think we got better as the season went along and you could see that growth. These four playoff games showed us what we could really be."
For seniors like Powers, it marked the bittersweet end of a great career, one which saw him finish with 18 goals on the year.
"I love these guys and Fenwick soccer," he said. "These guys have been my friends and I've been a part of this program since the summer between eighth grade and my freshman year.
"I couldn't have asked for a better experience than I got with them and this team."
Starting lineups
Fenwick
GK: Greg Price
D: Ian Martinello
D: James Zimmer
D: Ian MacKinnon
D: Max Ballarin
MF: Luigi Mollo
MF: Zach Hernandez
MF: Will Jancewicz
MF: Lucas Garcia
F: Ryan Bero
F: Jack Powers
Notre Dame
GK: Luca Lobianco
D: Paul Harris
D: Martin Krug
D: Jack Plovanich
MF: Andres Barrezueta
MF: Michael Shanahan
MF: Danny Deano
MF: Zach Martin
MF: Michael Ziemba
F: Trevor Johnson
F: Freddy Krug
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Trevor Johnson, sr., MF, Notre Dame
Scoring summary
First half
Notre Dame - Freddy Krug, second minute
Notre Dame - Zach Martin, 11th minute
Fenwick - Jack Powers (unassisted), 11th minute
Second half
Fenwick - Ryan Bero (free kick), 48th minute
Notre Dame - Ryan Shanahan (unassisted), 55th minute
Fenwick - Powers, 61st minute
Notre Dame - Trevor Johnson, 79th minute
answered, Dons oust Fenwick
Dons win 2nd-consecutive sectional title in dramatic fashion
By Michael Wojtychiw
CHICAGO -- It was a case of deja vu for Notre Dame.
In 2019, the last season the IHSA held a state playoff series in boys soccer, the Dons made school history by winning the Speer Sectional.
Fast forward two years and the Dons (23-1-2) were back at the same spot, hoping to make it two in a row at Speer's stadium. But in their way stood Fenwick, who made its first appearance in a sectional final since 2016.
Well the Friars, and a crazy, steady rain that had been falling all day.
What the crowd got was a fantastic one-goal game that was won on a shot from Notre Dame senior Trevor Johnson with a minute, 24 seconds remaining on a ball that even he didn't think would cross the line.
"I wanted to put it on goal, but it didn't look like it had a chance to go in," Johnson said after Notre Dame's 4-3 win. "Once it started to curl, you could see it was going to look in and luckily snuck past the keeper.
"It's the last minute. It was a prayer."
The match, however, didn't seem like it'd be as close as it was, especially after the Dons got a goal by sophomore Freddy Krug just 1:16 into the match.
"We had some really nice moments there, especially at the beginning," Notre Dame manager Mike Smith said. "You can't always play the way you want to, especially when the weather is like this, but both teams got through it.
"Winning 50/50 balls really helped us tonight, and it's been something we've been working on all year."
About 10 minutes later, the top-seeded team in the Speer Sectional was at it again when Zach Martin scored a goal with just under 30 minutes remaining in the half for a 2-0 lead.
"Those goals definitely woke us up," Johnson said. "That first goal really shut them down at the beginning."
A lot of teams would hang their heads when going down 2-0 that early, but Fenwick (10-11-4) reacted like it had been doing all season.
Senior Jack Powers, coming off of a goal and assist performance in the 2-1 sectional semifinal win over Fenton, put in a goal just over a minute later to cut the lead in half. The goal came on a rebound off of Notre Dame backup keeper Kier Swanson, who temporarily entered the game after starter Luca Lobianco had to exit after a foul.
"Getting that one back was big for us, especially after we gave up the two early goals," Powers said. "We knew that with this weather, it was going to be tricky on the field; but we couldn't allow ourselves to get discouraged really quickly."
"We gave up those two goals and credit to Notre Dame, sometimes that happens," Fenwick manager Craig Blazer said. "The resolve in our guys and the outstanding directness to see were amazing to see, and Jack (Powers) and Ryan (Bero) were a big part of that."
The response certainly got Notre Dame's attention.
"After they scored it woke us up, and we knew it wasn't going to be easy," Johnson said.
After coming out of the break with the score still 2-1 in favor of Notre Dame, Fenwick knew if wanted to extend the season, this was the time to do it. The Friars rode the backs of their senior leaders Powers and Ryan Bero
The pair, who have really been the linchpin for the inexperienced squad this year, came through again in what became the final game of the season for Fenwick.
In 48th minute from in front of the Fenwick bench from about 35 yards, Bero lofted a free kick from the sideline. The ball cut through the rain and wind and knotted the game at two.
"Those were some amazing goals, and they were always there to put the ball on frame," the Fenwick manager said. "In conditions like this, if you put the ball on frame, they've got a chance to go in.
"This was a great game."
Seven minutes later, Ryan Shanahan gave Notre Dame the lead back when he knocked in a ball than bounced off of Fenwick keeper Greg Price's hands after a save.
Powers scored his second goal on a laser from distance with a little under 19 minutes remaining in the game.
The score stayed 3-3, and the game appeared destined for overtime until Johnson's late heroic play.
Even though Fenwick scored three of the match's middle four goals, Notre Dame never got discouraged. Fenwick had all the momentum after tying the score on Powers' goal, but the Dons were able to withstand any attack the Friars mounted.
"When they tied it there, most teams would have put their heads down and gotten discouraged," Johnson said. "But we've got great leaders who knew that wasn't something that could happen, and we kept wanting to get the win."
"I've been saying it all year, but we're really fortunate to have the leadership we've got," Smith said. "These guys realize that the momentum changed but didn't let it bother them."
The loss marks the end of an up-and-down season for Fenwick. The Friars were 1-8-2 going into the playoffs after a difficult stretch.
After the dull stretch to end the regular-season, the Friars played their best soccer in the playoffs and looked as if they had turned a corner.
Outscoring their opponents 14-2 in the first three games of the postseason, the offense finally started to click. It suggested the squad could make an even deeper run in the playoffs, something that was evident in the game against Notre Dame.
For Blazer, that was a welcome sight.
"They really believed in themselves and believed in the process," he said. "They started to do the things we've known they can do all year.
"I think we got better as the season went along and you could see that growth. These four playoff games showed us what we could really be."
For seniors like Powers, it marked the bittersweet end of a great career, one which saw him finish with 18 goals on the year.
"I love these guys and Fenwick soccer," he said. "These guys have been my friends and I've been a part of this program since the summer between eighth grade and my freshman year.
"I couldn't have asked for a better experience than I got with them and this team."
Starting lineups
Fenwick
GK: Greg Price
D: Ian Martinello
D: James Zimmer
D: Ian MacKinnon
D: Max Ballarin
MF: Luigi Mollo
MF: Zach Hernandez
MF: Will Jancewicz
MF: Lucas Garcia
F: Ryan Bero
F: Jack Powers
Notre Dame
GK: Luca Lobianco
D: Paul Harris
D: Martin Krug
D: Jack Plovanich
MF: Andres Barrezueta
MF: Michael Shanahan
MF: Danny Deano
MF: Zach Martin
MF: Michael Ziemba
F: Trevor Johnson
F: Freddy Krug
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Trevor Johnson, sr., MF, Notre Dame
Scoring summary
First half
Notre Dame - Freddy Krug, second minute
Notre Dame - Zach Martin, 11th minute
Fenwick - Jack Powers (unassisted), 11th minute
Second half
Fenwick - Ryan Bero (free kick), 48th minute
Notre Dame - Ryan Shanahan (unassisted), 55th minute
Fenwick - Powers, 61st minute
Notre Dame - Trevor Johnson, 79th minute