New Trier tops Loyola
in early edition of neighborhood derby
Kanellos assists pace 2-0 Trevians’ win in hastily arranged game
By Patrick Z. McGavin
WILMETTE — New Trier forward Peter Kanellos plays with a sureness of expression and grace.
He is creative and skilled with the ball. He loves the chance to show off his abilities as a shot-creator.
“That’s just kind of how I play,” he said. “I try to see the field and include my teammates. It really helps having such great teammates. It’s a team game, and we have excellent communication.
“I was able to see the passes.”
His vision altered the outcome as he created both goals as the Trevians, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, posted an impressive 2-0 victory over no. 4 Loyola in a marquee showdown of the best two teams on the North Shore.
For his accomplishments, Kanellos earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction.
“That’s just the mindset of how we play,” Kanellos said. “It all starts with the coaches, and we buy into the system. Our training is competitive, and it translates into a win.”
Given Loyola’s and New Trier’s intertwined histories and personal connections, it requires very little justification to put together a game involving the schools.
Loyola’s main campus is roughly a mile from the sports facilities of New Trier’s West Campus. If asked, the two would likely entertain an impromptu pick-up game.
Geography, public and private attitudes, the experience of playing for the same club and the quest for local dominance all jam together. It makes for a dramatic backdrop.
Not to mention a no. 2 vs. no. 4 matchup.
“Loyola is a program whose growth has pushed our growth in many ways,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft said. “As they have improved, we’ve had to respond. We want to be seen as one of the premier programs in this area.
“Today was a chance against a really good opponent to see where we are as a team.”
They were so eager to play one another they went two weeks early.
“If there’s one thing we learned today, it’s about how adaptable we are,” New Trier midfielder Will Franzen said. “We didn’t even know we were playing Loyola today.
“Obviously we have relationships with them. I emphasized to everybody, put that aside and deal with that after the game. It’s just another team we have to beat.”
Earlier this week Loyola had two games canceled due to health and safety protocols at other schools. It sent out calls to some 30 teams to try and schedule a game Saturday.
New Trier had its schedule altered and shifted original Saturday opponent Taft to a later date. With time on its hands, New Trier was more than willing to oblige for a game.
On a beautiful spring afternoon, two great teams put on a glittering display of technical skills and tactical excellence.
New Trier (8-0-0) entered the game in offensive hyperdrive, scoring virtually at will and putting on a clinic with its deft passing, constant movement and shot-making prowess.
Loyola (4-1-0) had not surrendered a goal in its first four games.
Ramblers junior keeper Alex Ainsworth is a three-year starter. He is rangy and quick. An athletic and skilled back of John Phillips, Michael Sullivan, Mario Hrvojevic and Andrew Newton has formed a wall.
Furthermore, Tommy Zipprich is a gifted two-way talent who operates as a defensive midfielder.
Loyola has learned to appreciate the moment and not take anything for granted.
“We have this attitude of playing every game as if it’s our last,” Hrvojevic said. “Our coach Baer (Fisher) said before the game that every game could be our last. We could be shut down for two weeks with the protocols.
“Every game matters.”
After the whistle, the teams circled and floated around each other, looking for areas to attack. New Trier is strong in the air, and Loyola likes to play through Zipprich and junior forward Frank Miedema.
“We were trying to get it down a little more, have it go to my chest and play it into Tommy and Michael Sullivan and try to get the ball forward into the final third,” Miedema said.
New Trier struck with its first in the 18th minute.
Kanellos found a seam on the left wing and drove hard through the interior before slotting a ball to his left to a streaking Franzell.
The midfielder took a brilliant juke step and created the advantage by blasting the ball inside the far post on a rocket ball.
It was his eighth goal.
“I have run out of superlatives with him,” Ravenscraft said.
Significantly New Trier captured the crucial psychological edge of being the front-runner who earned the freedom to dictate the shape and pace of the game.
“Having that early advantage does a lot for you, but at the same time we had that intensity from the start,” Franzen said. “Obviously it hurts other teams when they get down.
“We didn’t need that goal to raise our intensity. From the start we had very high intensity.”
The Trevians nearly went up 2-0 moments later when Evan Kanellos got behind the Ramblers’ back for a juicy one-on-one that Ainsworth stopped with a great leg denial.
Loyola regrouped at the start of the second half with its most impressive play of the game. Mediema, a junior transfer from Oregon, displayed tremendous striking skills of his own.
He had the best scoring chance in the first half with a shot that Trevians’ star keeper Aidan Crawford smothered in the 36th minute.
In the 48th minute, Crawford again denied Mediema with a brilliant punch after a shot from about 14 yards from the left edge.
Crawford had six saves and also made several striking plays off of Loyola set pieces, especially a beautifully played free kick from Hrvojevic.
“I like to classify my game as being very disruptive,” Crawford said. “I think that is the best kind of goalkeeping, getting to the ball before the offensive player does, even eliminating the shot is very important.”
His athleticism deprived the Ramblers of optimal scoring chances.
“I have to give a ton of credit to my backline,” Crawford said. “They are very experienced. We came into this game knowing this was going to be our biggest test both physically and technically.
“I have to give so much credit to our back for shutting down their attacking third.”
Kanellos put the game out of reach by foreseeing another sublime goal. He jumped on a loose ball and left it for forward Dante Mitchell to knock home a howitzer from about 16 yards in the 62nd minute.
The score favored the Trevians, but Loyola proved its worth. They had the better chances in the second half. New Trier’s Crawford proved an insurmountable final piece they could not solve.
“First of all, I was just very thankful that we had a game,” Loyola coach Baer Fisher said. “It was a very good test, and I thought we played very well.
“Give New Trier credit. They really know how to take advantage of your mistakes. We made two mistakes, and they capitalized on both.”
The Ramblers played without Oscar Blazer, a four-year starter, has been recovering from offseason leg injury. He is expected to return to action. Loyola has a lot of positional flexibility, and the Ramblers showed the ability to play different styles.
As a newcomer, Miedema offered an interesting perspective.
“I moved here in August, and soccer here is very good, a lot more high level than what I experienced in Portland,” he said. “The club team (FC United) is the best team I have ever played on before.
“I woke up this morning and got the text that we were playing New Trier. It was a bit trying to know we were going to be playing our toughest competition without much time to prepare or get a game-plan together.”
“I was so proud of how our guys responded to the change of the opponent,” Ravenscraft said. “When we saw them before the game, they were ready to play.
“Big players put their stamps on big games. We saw big-time performances from our seniors and our returning varsity players. They played in big games before, and it showed.”
And that's not all folks. The teams plan to play their originally scheduled match on April 10. Mark your calendars.
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Alex Ainsworth
D: John Phillips
D: Michael Sullivan
D: Mario Hrvojevic
D: Andrew Newton
MF/D: Tommy Zipprich
MF: Colin Redmond
MF: Dylan Gripman
MF: Ryan Leider
F: Joseph Roscoe
F: Frank Miedema
New Trier
GK: Aidan Crawford
D: Peter Norehad
D: Tommy Schindler
D: Becca Simon
D: James Paden
M: Will Franzen
M: Zach Moskowitz
M: Beccan Simon
F: Dante Mitchell
F: Peter Kanellos
F: Collin Donnelly-Maine
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Peter Kanellos, jr., F, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Will Franzen (Peter Kanellos), 18th minute
Second half
New Trier—Dante Mitchell (Kanellos), 62nd minute
in early edition of neighborhood derby
Kanellos assists pace 2-0 Trevians’ win in hastily arranged game
By Patrick Z. McGavin
WILMETTE — New Trier forward Peter Kanellos plays with a sureness of expression and grace.
He is creative and skilled with the ball. He loves the chance to show off his abilities as a shot-creator.
“That’s just kind of how I play,” he said. “I try to see the field and include my teammates. It really helps having such great teammates. It’s a team game, and we have excellent communication.
“I was able to see the passes.”
His vision altered the outcome as he created both goals as the Trevians, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, posted an impressive 2-0 victory over no. 4 Loyola in a marquee showdown of the best two teams on the North Shore.
For his accomplishments, Kanellos earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction.
“That’s just the mindset of how we play,” Kanellos said. “It all starts with the coaches, and we buy into the system. Our training is competitive, and it translates into a win.”
Given Loyola’s and New Trier’s intertwined histories and personal connections, it requires very little justification to put together a game involving the schools.
Loyola’s main campus is roughly a mile from the sports facilities of New Trier’s West Campus. If asked, the two would likely entertain an impromptu pick-up game.
Geography, public and private attitudes, the experience of playing for the same club and the quest for local dominance all jam together. It makes for a dramatic backdrop.
Not to mention a no. 2 vs. no. 4 matchup.
“Loyola is a program whose growth has pushed our growth in many ways,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft said. “As they have improved, we’ve had to respond. We want to be seen as one of the premier programs in this area.
“Today was a chance against a really good opponent to see where we are as a team.”
They were so eager to play one another they went two weeks early.
“If there’s one thing we learned today, it’s about how adaptable we are,” New Trier midfielder Will Franzen said. “We didn’t even know we were playing Loyola today.
“Obviously we have relationships with them. I emphasized to everybody, put that aside and deal with that after the game. It’s just another team we have to beat.”
Earlier this week Loyola had two games canceled due to health and safety protocols at other schools. It sent out calls to some 30 teams to try and schedule a game Saturday.
New Trier had its schedule altered and shifted original Saturday opponent Taft to a later date. With time on its hands, New Trier was more than willing to oblige for a game.
On a beautiful spring afternoon, two great teams put on a glittering display of technical skills and tactical excellence.
New Trier (8-0-0) entered the game in offensive hyperdrive, scoring virtually at will and putting on a clinic with its deft passing, constant movement and shot-making prowess.
Loyola (4-1-0) had not surrendered a goal in its first four games.
Ramblers junior keeper Alex Ainsworth is a three-year starter. He is rangy and quick. An athletic and skilled back of John Phillips, Michael Sullivan, Mario Hrvojevic and Andrew Newton has formed a wall.
Furthermore, Tommy Zipprich is a gifted two-way talent who operates as a defensive midfielder.
Loyola has learned to appreciate the moment and not take anything for granted.
“We have this attitude of playing every game as if it’s our last,” Hrvojevic said. “Our coach Baer (Fisher) said before the game that every game could be our last. We could be shut down for two weeks with the protocols.
“Every game matters.”
After the whistle, the teams circled and floated around each other, looking for areas to attack. New Trier is strong in the air, and Loyola likes to play through Zipprich and junior forward Frank Miedema.
“We were trying to get it down a little more, have it go to my chest and play it into Tommy and Michael Sullivan and try to get the ball forward into the final third,” Miedema said.
New Trier struck with its first in the 18th minute.
Kanellos found a seam on the left wing and drove hard through the interior before slotting a ball to his left to a streaking Franzell.
The midfielder took a brilliant juke step and created the advantage by blasting the ball inside the far post on a rocket ball.
It was his eighth goal.
“I have run out of superlatives with him,” Ravenscraft said.
Significantly New Trier captured the crucial psychological edge of being the front-runner who earned the freedom to dictate the shape and pace of the game.
“Having that early advantage does a lot for you, but at the same time we had that intensity from the start,” Franzen said. “Obviously it hurts other teams when they get down.
“We didn’t need that goal to raise our intensity. From the start we had very high intensity.”
The Trevians nearly went up 2-0 moments later when Evan Kanellos got behind the Ramblers’ back for a juicy one-on-one that Ainsworth stopped with a great leg denial.
Loyola regrouped at the start of the second half with its most impressive play of the game. Mediema, a junior transfer from Oregon, displayed tremendous striking skills of his own.
He had the best scoring chance in the first half with a shot that Trevians’ star keeper Aidan Crawford smothered in the 36th minute.
In the 48th minute, Crawford again denied Mediema with a brilliant punch after a shot from about 14 yards from the left edge.
Crawford had six saves and also made several striking plays off of Loyola set pieces, especially a beautifully played free kick from Hrvojevic.
“I like to classify my game as being very disruptive,” Crawford said. “I think that is the best kind of goalkeeping, getting to the ball before the offensive player does, even eliminating the shot is very important.”
His athleticism deprived the Ramblers of optimal scoring chances.
“I have to give a ton of credit to my backline,” Crawford said. “They are very experienced. We came into this game knowing this was going to be our biggest test both physically and technically.
“I have to give so much credit to our back for shutting down their attacking third.”
Kanellos put the game out of reach by foreseeing another sublime goal. He jumped on a loose ball and left it for forward Dante Mitchell to knock home a howitzer from about 16 yards in the 62nd minute.
The score favored the Trevians, but Loyola proved its worth. They had the better chances in the second half. New Trier’s Crawford proved an insurmountable final piece they could not solve.
“First of all, I was just very thankful that we had a game,” Loyola coach Baer Fisher said. “It was a very good test, and I thought we played very well.
“Give New Trier credit. They really know how to take advantage of your mistakes. We made two mistakes, and they capitalized on both.”
The Ramblers played without Oscar Blazer, a four-year starter, has been recovering from offseason leg injury. He is expected to return to action. Loyola has a lot of positional flexibility, and the Ramblers showed the ability to play different styles.
As a newcomer, Miedema offered an interesting perspective.
“I moved here in August, and soccer here is very good, a lot more high level than what I experienced in Portland,” he said. “The club team (FC United) is the best team I have ever played on before.
“I woke up this morning and got the text that we were playing New Trier. It was a bit trying to know we were going to be playing our toughest competition without much time to prepare or get a game-plan together.”
“I was so proud of how our guys responded to the change of the opponent,” Ravenscraft said. “When we saw them before the game, they were ready to play.
“Big players put their stamps on big games. We saw big-time performances from our seniors and our returning varsity players. They played in big games before, and it showed.”
And that's not all folks. The teams plan to play their originally scheduled match on April 10. Mark your calendars.
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Alex Ainsworth
D: John Phillips
D: Michael Sullivan
D: Mario Hrvojevic
D: Andrew Newton
MF/D: Tommy Zipprich
MF: Colin Redmond
MF: Dylan Gripman
MF: Ryan Leider
F: Joseph Roscoe
F: Frank Miedema
New Trier
GK: Aidan Crawford
D: Peter Norehad
D: Tommy Schindler
D: Becca Simon
D: James Paden
M: Will Franzen
M: Zach Moskowitz
M: Beccan Simon
F: Dante Mitchell
F: Peter Kanellos
F: Collin Donnelly-Maine
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Peter Kanellos, jr., F, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Will Franzen (Peter Kanellos), 18th minute
Second half
New Trier—Dante Mitchell (Kanellos), 62nd minute