Timothy takes down Hinsdale South
in Senior Day state prep
5 seniors score in Trojans 7-1 sendoff for Class of '22
By Bobby Narang
ELMHURST — Timothy’s Ethan Lemkuil wanted to make a statement before the start of the Class A playoffs next week.
The senior defender was one of six seniors honored Saturday in the final home game of the season for the Trojans. Lemkuil understands the importance of minimizing the distractions of Senior Day to build some momentum for the playoffs.
Two years ago in the last normal season before the pandemic, the Trojans dropped a decision in PKs to University (Chicago) in a Class 1A sectional championship game. The sting from that defeat — coupled with a shortened season without a playoff last spring has been a driving factor for the seniors this season.
“It was a such a tough loss,” Lemkuil said. “The season just ends so quickly. You’re looking to the future, but all of a sudden you can’t play anymore games. It stops that quick. We’re going to play in the present this offseason, just focus one game at a time. It’s always the goal to win (state).
“We just have to keep playing like we’ve been lately. Our backline has been really solid. We just need to bring that hunger from the backline, and our guys up-top are going to finish their opportunities.”
Lemkuil made a point to get the Trojans started on a good note Saturday. He scored the first goal in the sixth minute to fuel a 7-1 rout over Hinsdale South. The Trojans (13-2-3) open the Class A playoffs against Islamic Foundation or Clemente on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in an IC Catholic Regional semifinal.
In front of a large home crowd — happy from the outset due to free hot dogs and desserts — the Trojans gave their fans an ideal final home game of the season on a July-like afternoon. Six different players, including five seniors, scored a goal on the picturesque afternoon.
Senior midfielder Eddie Favela scored two-straight goals, including one on a penalty kick, to delight the large home crowd and pad the Trojans’ lead to 3-0 just 20 minutes into the game. Favela said the Trojans want to make a run at the state title, especially after the girls team made their first state appearance in program history in the spring.
“For us, the sky is the roof,” Favela said. “When we play well and get going, I feel nobody can stop us. We have a lot of clean-sheets, can score a lot of goals, and we play very well. When we’re playing well and right, I feel nobody can beat us in state.”
Favela said he was pulled up to the varsity for the playoff run in 2019. He gained a valuable perspective watching his teammates push themselves throughout the playoffs.
“I learned to embrace every moment and to try hard,” he said. “You can’t take anything for granted, because it can be taken away at any moment. You have to put everything you have on the field in each and every game.
“This was a great way to end out, end out on a good win and beat a team by a lot.”
Senior midfielder Chris Cruz got his goal on a header late in the first half. Cruz said the Trojans have played with a chip on their shoulders all season, exceeding expectations following the graduation of big-time scorer Josh Bode and emotional leader Michael Vogt.
“This was a lot of fun,” Cruz said. “It was the last game on this field for a lot of us, so we had to go out with a bang. We definitely did that. This game was a statement for anyone we’re going to play in the playoffs. We’re coming, and we’re coming hard.
“I think we’re playing at a good level right now. If we keep playing like this with a little more possession, we’ll do good. The backline is solid. We’re scoring a lot of goals. I don’t think a team can stop us.
“I wasn’t expecting two losses on the season after we lost two huge leaders last year and our top goal scorer, but everyone stepped up and into their roles. We filled those roles perfectly.”
The Trojans cemented the win with three goals in the final five minutes. Timothy Nulty knocked on in after an assist from Grayson Haywood with 4:54 left. Haywood, a crowd favorite, scored a goal just 17 seconds later, and Hendrik DeVries added a goal with 65 ticks left.
“This was my first time formally starting,” Haywood said. "That goal felt really nice. I thought I was offsides. I’m glad I took the shot when I did, and we came out with a win today. I’m glad to help my friend Tim get a goal, and that we played to the best of our ability and came out with a win.”
Timothy coach Joel Zielke said his players avoided a letdown in their final regular-season game and didn’t let Senior Day bother them.
“There’s always a lot of emotions in the last game of the season at home,” Zielke said. “We’ve had great support all year from our fans. We certainly wanted to make it special for our seniors. They all got to start and contributed. … You couldn’t write it any better. We have six seniors who are the foundation of this group.
“We are focused on making a deep run in the postseason starting next week.
“We feel good about our chances. We played a good regular-season schedule. Our mentality is in the right spot.
“We’ve won in a lot of different ways this year. We never feel we're going to be out of it. Our goal is to get to state. With no postseason last spring, we have some guys still from that (2019) team who want to finish the job. We have a lot of excitement going into the playoffs. We’ve been tested, and feel we’re ready to go.”
Hinsdale South (3-14-1) got on the board in the 34th minute. Andrew Metzger took advantage of a big bounce in front of the net to score.
“We have a decent chance going into regionals,” Hinsdale South assistant coach Eddie Marentes said. “We knew this game was going to be a hard game for us. We got outplayed. It happens, but I think it was a good wake-up call for us.
“We feel this was a great game to test us. Timothy is a small school, but plays like a big school. Jacob Charters had a solid game for us at defender. This was the first game we gave him a sub. He was super solid, kept us in the game. He always plays 80 minutes since his freshman year. It was nice for him to get a little break.
“I was also impressed with Cruz on Timothy. He’s super good with the ball, long balls and doesn’t let anything get to his head. He’s a solid player, for sure.”
Starting lineups
Hinsdale South
GK Aryan Patel
D Gustavo Botero
D Davin Olsen
D Owen Atkinson
D Jacob Charters
MF Kareem Chahin
MF Diego Castellanos
MF Lukas Isberg
MF Gustavo Botero
F Mladen Mrksic
F Roberto Mendoza Lopez
Timothy
GK Peter Buikema
D Ethan Munk
D Jake Alex
D Ethan Lemkuil
D Nathan Canada
MF Chris Cruz
MF Cameron Baker
MF Jake Firnsin
MF Eddie Favela
F Trevor Wolterstorf
F Grayson Haywood
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Grayson Haywood, sr. F, Timothy
Scoring summary
First half
Timothy: Ethan Lemkuil (unassisted), 6th minute
Timothy: Eddie Favela (Jake Alex), 11th minute
Timothy: Favela (penalty kick), 19th minute
HS: Andrew Metzger (unassisted), 34th minute
Timothy: Chris Cruz (Hendrik DeVries), 34th minute
Second half
Timothy: Timothy Nulty (Grayson Haywood), 76th minute
Timothy: Haywood (unassisted), 76th minute
Timothy: DeVries (Nulty), 79th minute
in Senior Day state prep
5 seniors score in Trojans 7-1 sendoff for Class of '22
By Bobby Narang
ELMHURST — Timothy’s Ethan Lemkuil wanted to make a statement before the start of the Class A playoffs next week.
The senior defender was one of six seniors honored Saturday in the final home game of the season for the Trojans. Lemkuil understands the importance of minimizing the distractions of Senior Day to build some momentum for the playoffs.
Two years ago in the last normal season before the pandemic, the Trojans dropped a decision in PKs to University (Chicago) in a Class 1A sectional championship game. The sting from that defeat — coupled with a shortened season without a playoff last spring has been a driving factor for the seniors this season.
“It was a such a tough loss,” Lemkuil said. “The season just ends so quickly. You’re looking to the future, but all of a sudden you can’t play anymore games. It stops that quick. We’re going to play in the present this offseason, just focus one game at a time. It’s always the goal to win (state).
“We just have to keep playing like we’ve been lately. Our backline has been really solid. We just need to bring that hunger from the backline, and our guys up-top are going to finish their opportunities.”
Lemkuil made a point to get the Trojans started on a good note Saturday. He scored the first goal in the sixth minute to fuel a 7-1 rout over Hinsdale South. The Trojans (13-2-3) open the Class A playoffs against Islamic Foundation or Clemente on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in an IC Catholic Regional semifinal.
In front of a large home crowd — happy from the outset due to free hot dogs and desserts — the Trojans gave their fans an ideal final home game of the season on a July-like afternoon. Six different players, including five seniors, scored a goal on the picturesque afternoon.
Senior midfielder Eddie Favela scored two-straight goals, including one on a penalty kick, to delight the large home crowd and pad the Trojans’ lead to 3-0 just 20 minutes into the game. Favela said the Trojans want to make a run at the state title, especially after the girls team made their first state appearance in program history in the spring.
“For us, the sky is the roof,” Favela said. “When we play well and get going, I feel nobody can stop us. We have a lot of clean-sheets, can score a lot of goals, and we play very well. When we’re playing well and right, I feel nobody can beat us in state.”
Favela said he was pulled up to the varsity for the playoff run in 2019. He gained a valuable perspective watching his teammates push themselves throughout the playoffs.
“I learned to embrace every moment and to try hard,” he said. “You can’t take anything for granted, because it can be taken away at any moment. You have to put everything you have on the field in each and every game.
“This was a great way to end out, end out on a good win and beat a team by a lot.”
Senior midfielder Chris Cruz got his goal on a header late in the first half. Cruz said the Trojans have played with a chip on their shoulders all season, exceeding expectations following the graduation of big-time scorer Josh Bode and emotional leader Michael Vogt.
“This was a lot of fun,” Cruz said. “It was the last game on this field for a lot of us, so we had to go out with a bang. We definitely did that. This game was a statement for anyone we’re going to play in the playoffs. We’re coming, and we’re coming hard.
“I think we’re playing at a good level right now. If we keep playing like this with a little more possession, we’ll do good. The backline is solid. We’re scoring a lot of goals. I don’t think a team can stop us.
“I wasn’t expecting two losses on the season after we lost two huge leaders last year and our top goal scorer, but everyone stepped up and into their roles. We filled those roles perfectly.”
The Trojans cemented the win with three goals in the final five minutes. Timothy Nulty knocked on in after an assist from Grayson Haywood with 4:54 left. Haywood, a crowd favorite, scored a goal just 17 seconds later, and Hendrik DeVries added a goal with 65 ticks left.
“This was my first time formally starting,” Haywood said. "That goal felt really nice. I thought I was offsides. I’m glad I took the shot when I did, and we came out with a win today. I’m glad to help my friend Tim get a goal, and that we played to the best of our ability and came out with a win.”
Timothy coach Joel Zielke said his players avoided a letdown in their final regular-season game and didn’t let Senior Day bother them.
“There’s always a lot of emotions in the last game of the season at home,” Zielke said. “We’ve had great support all year from our fans. We certainly wanted to make it special for our seniors. They all got to start and contributed. … You couldn’t write it any better. We have six seniors who are the foundation of this group.
“We are focused on making a deep run in the postseason starting next week.
“We feel good about our chances. We played a good regular-season schedule. Our mentality is in the right spot.
“We’ve won in a lot of different ways this year. We never feel we're going to be out of it. Our goal is to get to state. With no postseason last spring, we have some guys still from that (2019) team who want to finish the job. We have a lot of excitement going into the playoffs. We’ve been tested, and feel we’re ready to go.”
Hinsdale South (3-14-1) got on the board in the 34th minute. Andrew Metzger took advantage of a big bounce in front of the net to score.
“We have a decent chance going into regionals,” Hinsdale South assistant coach Eddie Marentes said. “We knew this game was going to be a hard game for us. We got outplayed. It happens, but I think it was a good wake-up call for us.
“We feel this was a great game to test us. Timothy is a small school, but plays like a big school. Jacob Charters had a solid game for us at defender. This was the first game we gave him a sub. He was super solid, kept us in the game. He always plays 80 minutes since his freshman year. It was nice for him to get a little break.
“I was also impressed with Cruz on Timothy. He’s super good with the ball, long balls and doesn’t let anything get to his head. He’s a solid player, for sure.”
Starting lineups
Hinsdale South
GK Aryan Patel
D Gustavo Botero
D Davin Olsen
D Owen Atkinson
D Jacob Charters
MF Kareem Chahin
MF Diego Castellanos
MF Lukas Isberg
MF Gustavo Botero
F Mladen Mrksic
F Roberto Mendoza Lopez
Timothy
GK Peter Buikema
D Ethan Munk
D Jake Alex
D Ethan Lemkuil
D Nathan Canada
MF Chris Cruz
MF Cameron Baker
MF Jake Firnsin
MF Eddie Favela
F Trevor Wolterstorf
F Grayson Haywood
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Grayson Haywood, sr. F, Timothy
Scoring summary
First half
Timothy: Ethan Lemkuil (unassisted), 6th minute
Timothy: Eddie Favela (Jake Alex), 11th minute
Timothy: Favela (penalty kick), 19th minute
HS: Andrew Metzger (unassisted), 34th minute
Timothy: Chris Cruz (Hendrik DeVries), 34th minute
Second half
Timothy: Timothy Nulty (Grayson Haywood), 76th minute
Timothy: Haywood (unassisted), 76th minute
Timothy: DeVries (Nulty), 79th minute