The Moore, the merrier; HP tops Deerfield
Giants midfielder strikes twice for 2-0 CSL North road win
By Bill McLean
DEERFIELD — Ronin Moore plans to follow in the cleat marks of his four older brothers and play soccer in college.
The Highland Park senior midfielder also intends to hit the academic path that each of his sibling chose to take at the next level. Eoin, Aiden, Francesco and Eamonn Moore majored in business.
The bottom line, though it’s located high up in this story, in Tuesday’s Highland Park-Deerfield Central Suburban League North Division meeting at Adams Field: Moore accounted for all of the scoring in a 2-0 victory on a gusty night.
“Great pace with the ball,” Giants coach Blake Novotny said of the fourth-year varsity man Moore after HP improved to 9-3-1, 3-0-0 in the CSL North. “Ronin has a tremendous skill set along with a lot of soccer knowledge.”
Moore received a marvelous service from senior midfielder Danny Barragan in the eighth minute. The spot-on pass traveled a wind-aided 35 yards, maybe more, before glancing off the side of Moore’s right boot and past Warriors junior goalkeeper Josh Berman from about five yards.
“Danny is one of my closest friends,” Moore said after netting his seventh and eighth goals (to go with six assists) of the season. “He reads things well in soccer; that’s what he did before sending that pass to me.”
Moore struck again in the 67th minute, after controlling a corner kick from senior midfielder Lalo Astudillo in heavy traffic in the middle of the goalie box. The Giant found a tiny opening and scooted the ball through it.
Deerfield’s Warriors (2-10-1, 1-2-0) knew they’d have to mark Moore closely and relentlessly to have a good shot at defeating HP, which was coming off a 2-0 loss to host Leyden on Sept. 21. Deerfield co-captains Jack Hammontree, a senior defender, and Nicholas Prus, a junior midfielder, offered nothing but praise for Moore afterward.
“He’s strong on and off the ball,” said Hammontree, who aggravated an ankle injury in the match. “And you can tell he’s a good teammate.
“He’s fast,” a nodding Prus added.
Deerfield’s slow start versus HP hurt. Prus, Hammontree and Warriors coach Elliott Hurtig all mentioned it as a factor.
“We had talked about coming out and playing good, fundamental soccer, finding feet, playing solid defense, and we didn’t do any of that in the first 15-20 minutes,” Hurtig said. “We didn’t respond well to what was happening early. But we settled down, found feet, kept battling.
“Highland Park, honestly,” the coach added, “is a stronger team. It moved the ball better than we did.”
The visitors also recorded their seventh shutout in 13 matches, thanks to junior keeper Ethan Fineman and a phalanx of sturdy defenders. HP junior defender Aaron Bach is as fast and as resilient as they come. He hit the turf hard in several instances, but popped right back up to rejoin the action each time. You watch him compete, and you get the feeling he’s never resorted to fake winces or other displays of drama in an attempt to get a favorable call.
Fineman made one of his best saves of the night in the 69th minute, sliding to kick away a shot from Deerfield senior defender Matt Holleman.
The win helped Novotny and his boys forget about most of their setback at Leyden three days earlier. Novotny called it “a bad loss, a dud.”
The best part of the loss?
“It wasn’t a conference loss,” the coach said.
Moore welcomed the vibe of the Highland Park-Deerfield rivalry match because it was such a stark contrast to the atmosphere at Leyden in Franklin Park.
“We were a little tired on Saturday,” Moore admitted. “Long bus ride. Here, tonight, with all the fans — they sparked us. We played with more energy.”
A good chunk of the stands was occupied by scores of young Pegasus FC players, who accompanied Warriors at midfield for the pre-match introductions and kicked soccer balls around in scrimmages during halftime. The future Warriors expressed pure joy during their opportunity to play on stadium turf before an ample audience.
Hurtig exited Adams Field, reflecting on his club’s performance. Those first 15-20 minutes still stung, but he was heartened by his crew’s overall effort against a formidable opponent.
“Staying unified, working hard — those two qualities are part of our identity,” Hurtig said. “I can’t fault my guys. They battle, they stick together, and they never complain.”
Both sides play CSL North foes on Sept. 26. Deerfield hosts Maine East at 7 p.m., and Highland Park entertains Vernon Hills at Wolters Stadium Field at 4:45 p.m.
Deerfield edged Vernon Hills 1-0 Sept. 19 for its first division win and first triumph since defeating host Edgewood (Madison, Wis.) by the same score Sept. 7.
Footnotes
The IHSA designated Deerfield a Class AA school for the 2019 boys soccer postseason. It’s a second.
Deerfield started of as a big-school 3A program ever when the IHSA expanded its state playoff brackets to three classes before the start of the 2008 season and stayed there for three seasons. For the next two they dropped to Class AA but returned to the large school bracket from 2013-18.
Coach Elliott Hurtig and his Warriors, who are slated to host a regional in October, were slotted in the Sub-Sectional B field of the Class AA Belvidere Sectional. The other schools in the pool include Antioch, Grayslake Central, Grayslake North, Lakes, Carmel, North Chicago, Vernon Hills and Wauconda.
Seeds will be determined Oct. 3.
“We’ll try out best to find our groove before the playoffs start,” Hurtig said.
The Warriors best state tournament run came in 1978 when they won a sectional and qualified for the state finals. Deerfield has also won nine regional titles.
Crystal Lake South — no. 12 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 — captured the 2018 Class AA state championship over Notre Dame (Peoria) in a shootout.
Notre Dame (Peoria), ranked no. 1 in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll, has won the most Class AA boys soccer titles (three in ’08, ’10 and ’12) in state history.
...Only one of Deerfield’s 10 losses after 13 matches was by more than two goals — a 4-0 setback to host Lake Forest at the North Shore Shootout Aug. 31. … Nearly two minutes after taking a 1-0 lead in the first half at Deerfield Tuesday night, an offsides call negated a Highland Park goal. … Giants forward Luke Zuker is a fun watch. The tall senior is a threat to execute a nifty flick — from his diverse arsenal of flicks — any time the ball is any where near his legs. He nearly tallied a goal using his head in the 12th minute at Deerfield. Astudillo had delivered a textbook cross to Zuker, whose shot traveled too far north. He then extended both thumbs above his head and shouted, “All day, all day,” to Astudillo. … Senior defender Luke Illes serves as Highland Park’s captain. … Moore, on Highland Park’s 2019 season: “We like being consistent; we know how important it is. And we trust each other. Our seniors, we’re all shooting to make this a special season, to go deep in the playoffs.” … Deerfield played without starters Ko Vandeneijkhoff (ACL tear, out for the season) and Kevin Trajgiel against Highland Park. Vandeneijkhoff is a junior midfielder, Trajgiel a senior midfielder. Trajgiel had just fully recovered from a separated shoulder when he separated his other shoulder in a recent match.
Starting lineups
Highland Park
GK: Ethan Fineman
D: Aaron Bach
D: Matt Holleman
D: Luke Illes
D: Ben Kaden
MF: Jose Flores
MF: Ronin Moore
MF: Danny Barragan
F: Joe Dart
F: Luke Zuker
F: Lalo Astudillo
Deerfield
GK: Josh Berman
D: Peter Straus
D: Ben Taxman
D: Jack Hammontree
D: David Jotkus
MF: Ryan Gomez
MF: Logan Wallis
MF: Nicholas Prus
F: Ryder Coleman
F: Ari Wainer
F: Sam Strimling
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ronin Moore, sr., MF, Highland Park
Referee: Tim Reger; assistant referees: Mike Moore and Hannah Shehaiber
Scoring summary
First half
Highland Park — Moore (Barragan), 8’
Second half
Highland Park — Moore (Astudillo), 67’
Giants midfielder strikes twice for 2-0 CSL North road win
By Bill McLean
DEERFIELD — Ronin Moore plans to follow in the cleat marks of his four older brothers and play soccer in college.
The Highland Park senior midfielder also intends to hit the academic path that each of his sibling chose to take at the next level. Eoin, Aiden, Francesco and Eamonn Moore majored in business.
The bottom line, though it’s located high up in this story, in Tuesday’s Highland Park-Deerfield Central Suburban League North Division meeting at Adams Field: Moore accounted for all of the scoring in a 2-0 victory on a gusty night.
“Great pace with the ball,” Giants coach Blake Novotny said of the fourth-year varsity man Moore after HP improved to 9-3-1, 3-0-0 in the CSL North. “Ronin has a tremendous skill set along with a lot of soccer knowledge.”
Moore received a marvelous service from senior midfielder Danny Barragan in the eighth minute. The spot-on pass traveled a wind-aided 35 yards, maybe more, before glancing off the side of Moore’s right boot and past Warriors junior goalkeeper Josh Berman from about five yards.
“Danny is one of my closest friends,” Moore said after netting his seventh and eighth goals (to go with six assists) of the season. “He reads things well in soccer; that’s what he did before sending that pass to me.”
Moore struck again in the 67th minute, after controlling a corner kick from senior midfielder Lalo Astudillo in heavy traffic in the middle of the goalie box. The Giant found a tiny opening and scooted the ball through it.
Deerfield’s Warriors (2-10-1, 1-2-0) knew they’d have to mark Moore closely and relentlessly to have a good shot at defeating HP, which was coming off a 2-0 loss to host Leyden on Sept. 21. Deerfield co-captains Jack Hammontree, a senior defender, and Nicholas Prus, a junior midfielder, offered nothing but praise for Moore afterward.
“He’s strong on and off the ball,” said Hammontree, who aggravated an ankle injury in the match. “And you can tell he’s a good teammate.
“He’s fast,” a nodding Prus added.
Deerfield’s slow start versus HP hurt. Prus, Hammontree and Warriors coach Elliott Hurtig all mentioned it as a factor.
“We had talked about coming out and playing good, fundamental soccer, finding feet, playing solid defense, and we didn’t do any of that in the first 15-20 minutes,” Hurtig said. “We didn’t respond well to what was happening early. But we settled down, found feet, kept battling.
“Highland Park, honestly,” the coach added, “is a stronger team. It moved the ball better than we did.”
The visitors also recorded their seventh shutout in 13 matches, thanks to junior keeper Ethan Fineman and a phalanx of sturdy defenders. HP junior defender Aaron Bach is as fast and as resilient as they come. He hit the turf hard in several instances, but popped right back up to rejoin the action each time. You watch him compete, and you get the feeling he’s never resorted to fake winces or other displays of drama in an attempt to get a favorable call.
Fineman made one of his best saves of the night in the 69th minute, sliding to kick away a shot from Deerfield senior defender Matt Holleman.
The win helped Novotny and his boys forget about most of their setback at Leyden three days earlier. Novotny called it “a bad loss, a dud.”
The best part of the loss?
“It wasn’t a conference loss,” the coach said.
Moore welcomed the vibe of the Highland Park-Deerfield rivalry match because it was such a stark contrast to the atmosphere at Leyden in Franklin Park.
“We were a little tired on Saturday,” Moore admitted. “Long bus ride. Here, tonight, with all the fans — they sparked us. We played with more energy.”
A good chunk of the stands was occupied by scores of young Pegasus FC players, who accompanied Warriors at midfield for the pre-match introductions and kicked soccer balls around in scrimmages during halftime. The future Warriors expressed pure joy during their opportunity to play on stadium turf before an ample audience.
Hurtig exited Adams Field, reflecting on his club’s performance. Those first 15-20 minutes still stung, but he was heartened by his crew’s overall effort against a formidable opponent.
“Staying unified, working hard — those two qualities are part of our identity,” Hurtig said. “I can’t fault my guys. They battle, they stick together, and they never complain.”
Both sides play CSL North foes on Sept. 26. Deerfield hosts Maine East at 7 p.m., and Highland Park entertains Vernon Hills at Wolters Stadium Field at 4:45 p.m.
Deerfield edged Vernon Hills 1-0 Sept. 19 for its first division win and first triumph since defeating host Edgewood (Madison, Wis.) by the same score Sept. 7.
Footnotes
The IHSA designated Deerfield a Class AA school for the 2019 boys soccer postseason. It’s a second.
Deerfield started of as a big-school 3A program ever when the IHSA expanded its state playoff brackets to three classes before the start of the 2008 season and stayed there for three seasons. For the next two they dropped to Class AA but returned to the large school bracket from 2013-18.
Coach Elliott Hurtig and his Warriors, who are slated to host a regional in October, were slotted in the Sub-Sectional B field of the Class AA Belvidere Sectional. The other schools in the pool include Antioch, Grayslake Central, Grayslake North, Lakes, Carmel, North Chicago, Vernon Hills and Wauconda.
Seeds will be determined Oct. 3.
“We’ll try out best to find our groove before the playoffs start,” Hurtig said.
The Warriors best state tournament run came in 1978 when they won a sectional and qualified for the state finals. Deerfield has also won nine regional titles.
Crystal Lake South — no. 12 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 — captured the 2018 Class AA state championship over Notre Dame (Peoria) in a shootout.
Notre Dame (Peoria), ranked no. 1 in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll, has won the most Class AA boys soccer titles (three in ’08, ’10 and ’12) in state history.
...Only one of Deerfield’s 10 losses after 13 matches was by more than two goals — a 4-0 setback to host Lake Forest at the North Shore Shootout Aug. 31. … Nearly two minutes after taking a 1-0 lead in the first half at Deerfield Tuesday night, an offsides call negated a Highland Park goal. … Giants forward Luke Zuker is a fun watch. The tall senior is a threat to execute a nifty flick — from his diverse arsenal of flicks — any time the ball is any where near his legs. He nearly tallied a goal using his head in the 12th minute at Deerfield. Astudillo had delivered a textbook cross to Zuker, whose shot traveled too far north. He then extended both thumbs above his head and shouted, “All day, all day,” to Astudillo. … Senior defender Luke Illes serves as Highland Park’s captain. … Moore, on Highland Park’s 2019 season: “We like being consistent; we know how important it is. And we trust each other. Our seniors, we’re all shooting to make this a special season, to go deep in the playoffs.” … Deerfield played without starters Ko Vandeneijkhoff (ACL tear, out for the season) and Kevin Trajgiel against Highland Park. Vandeneijkhoff is a junior midfielder, Trajgiel a senior midfielder. Trajgiel had just fully recovered from a separated shoulder when he separated his other shoulder in a recent match.
Starting lineups
Highland Park
GK: Ethan Fineman
D: Aaron Bach
D: Matt Holleman
D: Luke Illes
D: Ben Kaden
MF: Jose Flores
MF: Ronin Moore
MF: Danny Barragan
F: Joe Dart
F: Luke Zuker
F: Lalo Astudillo
Deerfield
GK: Josh Berman
D: Peter Straus
D: Ben Taxman
D: Jack Hammontree
D: David Jotkus
MF: Ryan Gomez
MF: Logan Wallis
MF: Nicholas Prus
F: Ryder Coleman
F: Ari Wainer
F: Sam Strimling
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ronin Moore, sr., MF, Highland Park
Referee: Tim Reger; assistant referees: Mike Moore and Hannah Shehaiber
Scoring summary
First half
Highland Park — Moore (Barragan), 8’
Second half
Highland Park — Moore (Astudillo), 67’