Motivated Loyola tallies late to tie New Trier
71st-minute goal from Loyola's Gripman yields 1-1 deadlock
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHFIELD -- The start of any new season is fundamentally about answering questions. After making quick work of its first two opponents, Loyola suddenly faced a more formidable mark against New Trier, ranked fourth in Chicagoland Soccer's Preseason Top 25.
“We are not used to playing teams this good,” Loyola senior midfielder Colin Leider said.
The Ramblers had the 4-0 drubbing the team suffered against New Trier last September 16 burned into their collective consciousness. The game provided a volatile mix -- a team primed for revenge confronting a significant unknown.
What heightens the mood even further is the intensity of the rivalry heightened by the shared involvement of both sides in the prominent club FC United and the familiarity of the players, many of whom grew up together.
The search for answers is not the sole province of Loyola. The Trevians graduated 13 players from a 19-4-0 Class 3A sectional finalist who won the Central Suburban League title game. The players who accounted for all the scoring in last year’s game are now playing in college. New Trier had its season-opener against Wheeling cancelled by the violent weather. The team suffered a 2-0 loss against York on Thursday.
Two ambitious and aggressive programs clashed Saturday afternoon without achieving conclusive answers though each discovered reasons for excitement and promise as the Ramblers’ senior forward David Gripman scored in the 71st minute for the 1-1 draw in the opening round of Group A play in the Northside College Showcase.
New Trier senior midfielder David Kugler scored in the 42nd minute off a ball from junior forward Alexander Powell Beane. Kugler and Gripman shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match prize.
“They are very good,” said Gripman, a DePaul recruit.
The four-year starter broke off a counter and ran down a through-ball from Leider.
Trapped between staying on his line or trying to beat Gripman to the ball, New Trier junior keeper James McGranahan bolted from the box in an effort to gain possession. Gripman was there first and got the wicked touch past him for the equalizer.
“I am just trying my hardest, and my teammates are coming through,” Gripman said. “Today feels a lot better. Last year was not fun. This was competitive; this was fun. It’s senior year, and it is supposed to be the most fun. This is the best we have been, now that we are seniors compared to when we were freshmen. We should be at our best. The game gets more fun as you get better.”
Gripman, Leider, midfielder Christian Jimenez and defender Daniel Montaquila are four-year starters and cornerstones of the Ramblers’ program since Baer Fisher, a former standout player for the Trevians, took over.
“I felt like we dominated most of the first half, and then we were just dead going into the second half,” Leider said. “David had a great strike. It was a beautiful goal, but there is still a lot we need to work on.”
New Trier has been the standard. With Fisher looking to find other players to align their skills to those of the four senior leaders, Loyola (2-0-1) took a prominent step forward.
“I thought for the first time this year, we played as a team,” Fisher said. “We competed hard. They defended very well. I thought in the first half we passed the ball really well. I think we lost our legs a little bit in the second half. In the end, we got a great goal with like 10 minutes left. Whenever you play a program like New Trier and you get a result, it’s exciting. Obviously now it’s how we respond from this. We definitely have a little bit of confidence from this.”
New Trier (0-1-1) looked fantastic for much of the match, and the game represented their most complete and energetic performance of the year. They applied pressure against the Ramblers’ backline through the match.
Logan Weaver, a Chicagoland Soccer all-state performer, is the lynchpin of the Trevians’ attack. He recorded a team-best 17 assists last year. He also scored 10 goals. He is something to behold, a high energy and highly skilled player who mixes great vision and sureness of touch.
Weaver put all of those skills on display, exerting enormous pressure against the Ramblers and firing darts all over the field to the Trevians’ runners.
The Northwestern recruit is the clear team leader. His ability to make his teammates better is his signature weapon.
“This year has been fantastic,” Weaver said. “The guys who returned have been very open and welcome to the new guys. They have meshed with the older players. I think we have a core, a group of 20 players, who love to be together and love soccer. We enjoy being around each other, not just on the pitch but off the field as well.
“When you have that kind of environment and situation, the soccer is going to come. A lot of us are playing with each other for the first time, and it will take some games to click. When it does fully click, I think we are going to be very dangerous.”
New Trier demonstrated that prowess at the start of the second half. The Trevians came out locked in and seemingly operating at a higher level. Junior forward Aidan Crowder pushed the ball deep into the Ramblers’ back. Powell Beane, another intriguing young talent, moved into the middle and slotted the ball wide right to Kugler.
Kugler drove the ball the wide and smashed a laser shot inside the far post from about 14 yards.
“It was great team play all around,” Kugler said. “We had the majority of the possession, everybody played well. For our team we have been stressing playing really technical soccer and moving the ball around.
“As you can see I think we are starting to get there. In the next couple of weeks it is going to be very special.”
Gripman is the Ramblers’ most feared offensive player. He is the prototypical game-changer. His speed and elusiveness already set him apart and his ball handling skills and ability to dribble through pressure. He created several other scoring chances. Each time, he ran into the Trevian “wall” in the form of 6-foot-4 elite defender Andrew Kuhn. He never let Gripman get off a clear shot.
New Trier appeared on the verge of putting the game away with its relentless pressure. As Fisher alluded, the Ramblers tired in the second half. Leider saw the opportunity to spring the counter.
“In the first half, Logan had a great counter and that is what happened to us,” Leider said. “David had a great strike there. That’s what we were trying to do the whole second half. Their center back started to drop off. It was the one time Kuhn kind of got caught up there.”
Both teams now control their own destiny. Last year, New Trier reached the tournament final. First-year tournament player Loyola found a measure of respect and recognition. New Trier saw hope. Both teams must still get through quality pool play opponents in preseason no. 5 Glenbrook North and no. 8 Waukegan.
“We are just seeing the growing pains,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscroft said. “I think we have an incredibly strong core that we returned. The focus is on building around those guys. We added some nice players. David Kugler, he’s a very strong technical player. He showed his quality on his goal. We definitely took a step forward in terms of the overall team. The team took a step forward. It’s unfortunate that we conceded late, but we committed to 80 minutes of our style of soccer.
“I thought we were more patient and more composed. I think the last piece is just creating better chances, more dangerous scoring opportunities and then just finding the back of the net. That’s the last piece.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Alex Ainsworth
D: Oscar Blazer
D: Mario Hrvojevic
D: Michael Sullivan
D: Daniel Montaquila
MF: Nick Roscoe
MF: Tommy Ziprich
MF: Brady Reichert
MF: Christian Jimenez
MF: Colin Leider
F: David Gripman
New Trier
GK: James McGranahan
D: Daniel Gunther
D: Andrew Kuhn
D: Jeffrey Urban
D: James Paden
MF: Dominic De Boer
MF: David Kugler
MF: Logan Weaver
F: Sean Gooze
F: Alexander Powell Beane
F: Aidan Crowder
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: David Kugler, New Trier, senior, MF
David Gripman, Loyola, senior, F
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
New Trier—David Kugler (Alexander Powell Beane), 42nd minute
Loyola—David Gripman (Colin Leider), 71st minute
71st-minute goal from Loyola's Gripman yields 1-1 deadlock
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHFIELD -- The start of any new season is fundamentally about answering questions. After making quick work of its first two opponents, Loyola suddenly faced a more formidable mark against New Trier, ranked fourth in Chicagoland Soccer's Preseason Top 25.
“We are not used to playing teams this good,” Loyola senior midfielder Colin Leider said.
The Ramblers had the 4-0 drubbing the team suffered against New Trier last September 16 burned into their collective consciousness. The game provided a volatile mix -- a team primed for revenge confronting a significant unknown.
What heightens the mood even further is the intensity of the rivalry heightened by the shared involvement of both sides in the prominent club FC United and the familiarity of the players, many of whom grew up together.
The search for answers is not the sole province of Loyola. The Trevians graduated 13 players from a 19-4-0 Class 3A sectional finalist who won the Central Suburban League title game. The players who accounted for all the scoring in last year’s game are now playing in college. New Trier had its season-opener against Wheeling cancelled by the violent weather. The team suffered a 2-0 loss against York on Thursday.
Two ambitious and aggressive programs clashed Saturday afternoon without achieving conclusive answers though each discovered reasons for excitement and promise as the Ramblers’ senior forward David Gripman scored in the 71st minute for the 1-1 draw in the opening round of Group A play in the Northside College Showcase.
New Trier senior midfielder David Kugler scored in the 42nd minute off a ball from junior forward Alexander Powell Beane. Kugler and Gripman shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match prize.
“They are very good,” said Gripman, a DePaul recruit.
The four-year starter broke off a counter and ran down a through-ball from Leider.
Trapped between staying on his line or trying to beat Gripman to the ball, New Trier junior keeper James McGranahan bolted from the box in an effort to gain possession. Gripman was there first and got the wicked touch past him for the equalizer.
“I am just trying my hardest, and my teammates are coming through,” Gripman said. “Today feels a lot better. Last year was not fun. This was competitive; this was fun. It’s senior year, and it is supposed to be the most fun. This is the best we have been, now that we are seniors compared to when we were freshmen. We should be at our best. The game gets more fun as you get better.”
Gripman, Leider, midfielder Christian Jimenez and defender Daniel Montaquila are four-year starters and cornerstones of the Ramblers’ program since Baer Fisher, a former standout player for the Trevians, took over.
“I felt like we dominated most of the first half, and then we were just dead going into the second half,” Leider said. “David had a great strike. It was a beautiful goal, but there is still a lot we need to work on.”
New Trier has been the standard. With Fisher looking to find other players to align their skills to those of the four senior leaders, Loyola (2-0-1) took a prominent step forward.
“I thought for the first time this year, we played as a team,” Fisher said. “We competed hard. They defended very well. I thought in the first half we passed the ball really well. I think we lost our legs a little bit in the second half. In the end, we got a great goal with like 10 minutes left. Whenever you play a program like New Trier and you get a result, it’s exciting. Obviously now it’s how we respond from this. We definitely have a little bit of confidence from this.”
New Trier (0-1-1) looked fantastic for much of the match, and the game represented their most complete and energetic performance of the year. They applied pressure against the Ramblers’ backline through the match.
Logan Weaver, a Chicagoland Soccer all-state performer, is the lynchpin of the Trevians’ attack. He recorded a team-best 17 assists last year. He also scored 10 goals. He is something to behold, a high energy and highly skilled player who mixes great vision and sureness of touch.
Weaver put all of those skills on display, exerting enormous pressure against the Ramblers and firing darts all over the field to the Trevians’ runners.
The Northwestern recruit is the clear team leader. His ability to make his teammates better is his signature weapon.
“This year has been fantastic,” Weaver said. “The guys who returned have been very open and welcome to the new guys. They have meshed with the older players. I think we have a core, a group of 20 players, who love to be together and love soccer. We enjoy being around each other, not just on the pitch but off the field as well.
“When you have that kind of environment and situation, the soccer is going to come. A lot of us are playing with each other for the first time, and it will take some games to click. When it does fully click, I think we are going to be very dangerous.”
New Trier demonstrated that prowess at the start of the second half. The Trevians came out locked in and seemingly operating at a higher level. Junior forward Aidan Crowder pushed the ball deep into the Ramblers’ back. Powell Beane, another intriguing young talent, moved into the middle and slotted the ball wide right to Kugler.
Kugler drove the ball the wide and smashed a laser shot inside the far post from about 14 yards.
“It was great team play all around,” Kugler said. “We had the majority of the possession, everybody played well. For our team we have been stressing playing really technical soccer and moving the ball around.
“As you can see I think we are starting to get there. In the next couple of weeks it is going to be very special.”
Gripman is the Ramblers’ most feared offensive player. He is the prototypical game-changer. His speed and elusiveness already set him apart and his ball handling skills and ability to dribble through pressure. He created several other scoring chances. Each time, he ran into the Trevian “wall” in the form of 6-foot-4 elite defender Andrew Kuhn. He never let Gripman get off a clear shot.
New Trier appeared on the verge of putting the game away with its relentless pressure. As Fisher alluded, the Ramblers tired in the second half. Leider saw the opportunity to spring the counter.
“In the first half, Logan had a great counter and that is what happened to us,” Leider said. “David had a great strike there. That’s what we were trying to do the whole second half. Their center back started to drop off. It was the one time Kuhn kind of got caught up there.”
Both teams now control their own destiny. Last year, New Trier reached the tournament final. First-year tournament player Loyola found a measure of respect and recognition. New Trier saw hope. Both teams must still get through quality pool play opponents in preseason no. 5 Glenbrook North and no. 8 Waukegan.
“We are just seeing the growing pains,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscroft said. “I think we have an incredibly strong core that we returned. The focus is on building around those guys. We added some nice players. David Kugler, he’s a very strong technical player. He showed his quality on his goal. We definitely took a step forward in terms of the overall team. The team took a step forward. It’s unfortunate that we conceded late, but we committed to 80 minutes of our style of soccer.
“I thought we were more patient and more composed. I think the last piece is just creating better chances, more dangerous scoring opportunities and then just finding the back of the net. That’s the last piece.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Alex Ainsworth
D: Oscar Blazer
D: Mario Hrvojevic
D: Michael Sullivan
D: Daniel Montaquila
MF: Nick Roscoe
MF: Tommy Ziprich
MF: Brady Reichert
MF: Christian Jimenez
MF: Colin Leider
F: David Gripman
New Trier
GK: James McGranahan
D: Daniel Gunther
D: Andrew Kuhn
D: Jeffrey Urban
D: James Paden
MF: Dominic De Boer
MF: David Kugler
MF: Logan Weaver
F: Sean Gooze
F: Alexander Powell Beane
F: Aidan Crowder
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: David Kugler, New Trier, senior, MF
David Gripman, Loyola, senior, F
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
New Trier—David Kugler (Alexander Powell Beane), 42nd minute
Loyola—David Gripman (Colin Leider), 71st minute