Libertyville fights off Loyola
Wildcats build advantage then hold on for 2-1 win
By Mike Garofola
NORTHFIELD -- On a day when Libertyville fans saw a hint of what of what their heroes are capable of, Mickey Reilly and Luke Underwood came to the rescue to save day.
Frustrated with their play for long periods during the first day of pool play at the prestigious Northside College Showcase, the aforementioned Wildcats captains never gave up the fight to help their mates earn a 2-1 victory over Loyola on Saturday afternoon in Northfield.
Libertyville, ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer preseason First 50 poll, dominated before and after Reilly's early opener, and once again from the onset of the second period when Underwood doubled the advantage, but the Ramblers (1-1-0) proved hard to beat at Robert Naughton Field.
"Nothing against Loyola, but to be honest, I felt like we lost when it was over," admitted Reilly, who left with a sore ankle after taking a nasty hit six minutes from time.
"It's only our second game of the year, but our first half of play was nothing special, and it didn't get much better after the break. We still have a few things to sort out," added Reilly, who scored 13 a year ago when the Wildcats finished second at the Class 3A state tournament for the second-consecutive season.
"It's hard to figure," said Underwood, who continued the conversation alongside Reilly.
"I thought we played well in our season opening win against Racine (Wis.) Case, but maybe we came in a little over confident because of (it).
"But I feel like we got a little to lazy when it was 2-0, because after that, Loyola put us under (pressure) for most of the second half to make things tough on us."
The no. 23 Ramblers themselves were coming off a 1-0 win over Taft on Tuesday, and manager Baer Fisher was not expecting any fallout following the successful opener.
"We played pretty well in that game with Taft, and I figured we would come in with confidence and energy knowing we were playing one of the best teams in the state at one of the best tournaments in Illinois during the fall soccer season," began Fisher.
"However, that first half was not very good. And to be truthful, I believe the guys were kind of in awe of Libertyville and their recent success. We gave them far too much respect, and it showed in the way we played."
Libertyville coach Kevin Thunholm's view of the opening 40 minutes was fairly similar.
"There was little or no energy in that first half, despite the first 10 minutes or so after the opening whistle," said Thunholm, who is now in his third-year at the helm. "I thought we'd pick up our play after Mickey scored, but we didn't."
A tightly called contest did not help the flow of this game, nor did the inability of both clubs to possess, build, and play simple which made for some less-than-sparkling soccer.
"We were not very good at the start, and for that matter, almost the entire first half," said Loyola senior Andrew Hoepfner, who wears the captains' armband proudly for Fisher along with mates Nick Roscoe and Tommy Zipprich, who is currently on the injuried list.
"I agree with Fisher, we were all caught up in playing the two-time state runnersup, and it took us almost 40 minutes to get it together."
Ramblers keeper Frank Baio hauled in a looping ball from Underwood earmarked for Connor Hay in the 11th minute, then watched his backline mates clear a dangerous early ball by Colin Klainos off the endline for a corner.
Six minutes later, Loyola was unable to take another one out of the area with Libertyville's Hay, Klainos, Reilly and Underwood all making sure it did not leave the box.
When it didn't up popped Reilly who buried his close-range effort in the 19th minute.
"I thought for sure that goal would energize us and give us the urgency we needed the rest of the way, but it didn't," bemoaned Thunholm.
For Loyola, a half-chance from Oscar Blazer, followed by a free kick by Mario Hrvojevic was all the Ramblers attack could muster.
"We talked at the half about getting back to just playing soccer, having some fun, and trying to slow things down, and putting that first half behind us," said Fisher.
Despite returning most of his roster from a year ago, Fisher says his squad is still varsity young. The squad's leading scorer last season, was alumnus David Gripman, who scored his first two collegiate goals for DePaual on Friday night during a 2-1 victory over Northern Illinois.
Gripman's younger brother, Dylan, is a junior on the 2019 Loyola club.
"Finding a scorer might be our biggest challenge at this juncture, but we have some guys who might be the ones that will eventually be there for us as we go on," said Fisher.
Libertyville's Reilly saw the life of his chance to get free into the box squeezed out of him by both Niko Douvalakis and Ryan Leider, before an alert John Wilson slid over from the outside to tackle Jon Melcher, who was set free in-close by Reilly.
The most dangerous opportunity of the half was also the most attractive to the eye. In the 37th minute, Landon Johnson played a sharp, low ball towards Underwood who 'dummied' the ball to an awaiting Reilly.
The senior smashed his angled attempt away from Baio, who still managed to make the save.
Underwood's clinical finish two minutes after the intermission looked as though it had put a dagger into the Ramblers' heart. It could have gotten worse but Loyola's Alex Ainsworth, in for the second half, stopped a point-blank missile from Underwood.
"Maybe if Luke's shot is good, then Loyola goes away," Thunholm said. "But it didn't, and they didn't."
An early ball with purpose from John Wilson directed towards Dylan Gripman inspired the Loyola's attack in the 53rd minute. It was followed by the work of Blazer and Michael Sullivan that gave the Ramblers more of the run of play.
Hoepfner gave the Ramblers a lifeline to grab on to when he finished Hrvojevics' free kick at 54 minutes.
"We started to play with confidence and more energy, and in my opinion, had all or most of the play from that point forward," said Fisher.
Both sides traded a pair of free kicks within six minutes of each other, with service from Jacopo Franciosi, of Libertyville, and Douvalakis (Loyola) taking dangerous strikes.
The Wldcats backline tightened things up during the last five minutes when Loyola brought more numbers forward in an attempt to draw level to earn at least a point, but Will Herbek, Franciosi, Johnson and Klainos would have none of it.
"It's obvious it's going to take us a little time to figure things out," said Underwood afterwords.
"It's important for us to stay together and play together while everything is being sorted out."
One area Thunholm and his staff feel might not require as much attention as others might believe is scoring.
While the loss of Ryan Wittenbrink (Indiana) in 2017, and Evan Rasmussen (Michigan) last season, and their combined 100-plus career goals sounds insurmountable, Thunholm feels Mickey Reilly is ready to make his mark.
"Mickey has been an important player for us the last two years, but he's been in the shadows of those two great all-state players," he said. "And I believe, given the chance, that he can break out and be one of the top guys in the area and state."
Loyola's Hoepfner, a three-year veteran under Fisher, was upbeat despite the one-goal result.
"The foundation for success is here, and with seven sophomores on our roster, the future is bright as well," says Hoefpner.
"The challenge ahead for all of us is to continue to work hard and continue to come together as a team. Although we're playing in a tournament as tough as this one, I know we'll come out a better team, and one that will be prepared for the rest of the season."
Loyola continues pool play at the Northside College Showcase on 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at Grayslake Central. Both opened tourney play with a loss, Central's coming at the hands of tourney host New Trier, who welcomes Libertyville (2-0-0) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Loyola (4-5-1)
G- Frank Baio
D- Mario Hrvojevic
D- John Wilson
D- Niko Douvalakis
D- Ryan Leider
M- Jack Latterman
M- Oscar Blazer
M- Andrew Hoepfner
M- Michael Sullivan
M- Nick Roscoe
F- Dylan Gripman
Libertyville (4-4-2)
G- Michael Krukonis
D- Landon Johnson
D- Jacopo Franciosi
D- Will Herbek
D- Colin Klainos
M- Jack Brennan
M- Luke Underwood
M- Mickey Reilly
M- Cade Apton
F- Connor Hay
F- Patrick Graham
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Oscar Blazer, jr., MF, Loyola
Mickey Reilly, sr., MF, Libertyville
Referee: Vitaly Hansavage
Scoring summary
First half
Libertyville: Reilly (U/A) 19'
Second half
Libertyville: Underwood (Brennan, Reilly) 42'
Loyola: Hoepfner (Hrvojevic) 54'
Wildcats build advantage then hold on for 2-1 win
By Mike Garofola
NORTHFIELD -- On a day when Libertyville fans saw a hint of what of what their heroes are capable of, Mickey Reilly and Luke Underwood came to the rescue to save day.
Frustrated with their play for long periods during the first day of pool play at the prestigious Northside College Showcase, the aforementioned Wildcats captains never gave up the fight to help their mates earn a 2-1 victory over Loyola on Saturday afternoon in Northfield.
Libertyville, ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer preseason First 50 poll, dominated before and after Reilly's early opener, and once again from the onset of the second period when Underwood doubled the advantage, but the Ramblers (1-1-0) proved hard to beat at Robert Naughton Field.
"Nothing against Loyola, but to be honest, I felt like we lost when it was over," admitted Reilly, who left with a sore ankle after taking a nasty hit six minutes from time.
"It's only our second game of the year, but our first half of play was nothing special, and it didn't get much better after the break. We still have a few things to sort out," added Reilly, who scored 13 a year ago when the Wildcats finished second at the Class 3A state tournament for the second-consecutive season.
"It's hard to figure," said Underwood, who continued the conversation alongside Reilly.
"I thought we played well in our season opening win against Racine (Wis.) Case, but maybe we came in a little over confident because of (it).
"But I feel like we got a little to lazy when it was 2-0, because after that, Loyola put us under (pressure) for most of the second half to make things tough on us."
The no. 23 Ramblers themselves were coming off a 1-0 win over Taft on Tuesday, and manager Baer Fisher was not expecting any fallout following the successful opener.
"We played pretty well in that game with Taft, and I figured we would come in with confidence and energy knowing we were playing one of the best teams in the state at one of the best tournaments in Illinois during the fall soccer season," began Fisher.
"However, that first half was not very good. And to be truthful, I believe the guys were kind of in awe of Libertyville and their recent success. We gave them far too much respect, and it showed in the way we played."
Libertyville coach Kevin Thunholm's view of the opening 40 minutes was fairly similar.
"There was little or no energy in that first half, despite the first 10 minutes or so after the opening whistle," said Thunholm, who is now in his third-year at the helm. "I thought we'd pick up our play after Mickey scored, but we didn't."
A tightly called contest did not help the flow of this game, nor did the inability of both clubs to possess, build, and play simple which made for some less-than-sparkling soccer.
"We were not very good at the start, and for that matter, almost the entire first half," said Loyola senior Andrew Hoepfner, who wears the captains' armband proudly for Fisher along with mates Nick Roscoe and Tommy Zipprich, who is currently on the injuried list.
"I agree with Fisher, we were all caught up in playing the two-time state runnersup, and it took us almost 40 minutes to get it together."
Ramblers keeper Frank Baio hauled in a looping ball from Underwood earmarked for Connor Hay in the 11th minute, then watched his backline mates clear a dangerous early ball by Colin Klainos off the endline for a corner.
Six minutes later, Loyola was unable to take another one out of the area with Libertyville's Hay, Klainos, Reilly and Underwood all making sure it did not leave the box.
When it didn't up popped Reilly who buried his close-range effort in the 19th minute.
"I thought for sure that goal would energize us and give us the urgency we needed the rest of the way, but it didn't," bemoaned Thunholm.
For Loyola, a half-chance from Oscar Blazer, followed by a free kick by Mario Hrvojevic was all the Ramblers attack could muster.
"We talked at the half about getting back to just playing soccer, having some fun, and trying to slow things down, and putting that first half behind us," said Fisher.
Despite returning most of his roster from a year ago, Fisher says his squad is still varsity young. The squad's leading scorer last season, was alumnus David Gripman, who scored his first two collegiate goals for DePaual on Friday night during a 2-1 victory over Northern Illinois.
Gripman's younger brother, Dylan, is a junior on the 2019 Loyola club.
"Finding a scorer might be our biggest challenge at this juncture, but we have some guys who might be the ones that will eventually be there for us as we go on," said Fisher.
Libertyville's Reilly saw the life of his chance to get free into the box squeezed out of him by both Niko Douvalakis and Ryan Leider, before an alert John Wilson slid over from the outside to tackle Jon Melcher, who was set free in-close by Reilly.
The most dangerous opportunity of the half was also the most attractive to the eye. In the 37th minute, Landon Johnson played a sharp, low ball towards Underwood who 'dummied' the ball to an awaiting Reilly.
The senior smashed his angled attempt away from Baio, who still managed to make the save.
Underwood's clinical finish two minutes after the intermission looked as though it had put a dagger into the Ramblers' heart. It could have gotten worse but Loyola's Alex Ainsworth, in for the second half, stopped a point-blank missile from Underwood.
"Maybe if Luke's shot is good, then Loyola goes away," Thunholm said. "But it didn't, and they didn't."
An early ball with purpose from John Wilson directed towards Dylan Gripman inspired the Loyola's attack in the 53rd minute. It was followed by the work of Blazer and Michael Sullivan that gave the Ramblers more of the run of play.
Hoepfner gave the Ramblers a lifeline to grab on to when he finished Hrvojevics' free kick at 54 minutes.
"We started to play with confidence and more energy, and in my opinion, had all or most of the play from that point forward," said Fisher.
Both sides traded a pair of free kicks within six minutes of each other, with service from Jacopo Franciosi, of Libertyville, and Douvalakis (Loyola) taking dangerous strikes.
The Wldcats backline tightened things up during the last five minutes when Loyola brought more numbers forward in an attempt to draw level to earn at least a point, but Will Herbek, Franciosi, Johnson and Klainos would have none of it.
"It's obvious it's going to take us a little time to figure things out," said Underwood afterwords.
"It's important for us to stay together and play together while everything is being sorted out."
One area Thunholm and his staff feel might not require as much attention as others might believe is scoring.
While the loss of Ryan Wittenbrink (Indiana) in 2017, and Evan Rasmussen (Michigan) last season, and their combined 100-plus career goals sounds insurmountable, Thunholm feels Mickey Reilly is ready to make his mark.
"Mickey has been an important player for us the last two years, but he's been in the shadows of those two great all-state players," he said. "And I believe, given the chance, that he can break out and be one of the top guys in the area and state."
Loyola's Hoepfner, a three-year veteran under Fisher, was upbeat despite the one-goal result.
"The foundation for success is here, and with seven sophomores on our roster, the future is bright as well," says Hoefpner.
"The challenge ahead for all of us is to continue to work hard and continue to come together as a team. Although we're playing in a tournament as tough as this one, I know we'll come out a better team, and one that will be prepared for the rest of the season."
Loyola continues pool play at the Northside College Showcase on 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at Grayslake Central. Both opened tourney play with a loss, Central's coming at the hands of tourney host New Trier, who welcomes Libertyville (2-0-0) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Loyola (4-5-1)
G- Frank Baio
D- Mario Hrvojevic
D- John Wilson
D- Niko Douvalakis
D- Ryan Leider
M- Jack Latterman
M- Oscar Blazer
M- Andrew Hoepfner
M- Michael Sullivan
M- Nick Roscoe
F- Dylan Gripman
Libertyville (4-4-2)
G- Michael Krukonis
D- Landon Johnson
D- Jacopo Franciosi
D- Will Herbek
D- Colin Klainos
M- Jack Brennan
M- Luke Underwood
M- Mickey Reilly
M- Cade Apton
F- Connor Hay
F- Patrick Graham
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Oscar Blazer, jr., MF, Loyola
Mickey Reilly, sr., MF, Libertyville
Referee: Vitaly Hansavage
Scoring summary
First half
Libertyville: Reilly (U/A) 19'
Second half
Libertyville: Underwood (Brennan, Reilly) 42'
Loyola: Hoepfner (Hrvojevic) 54'