Leider effort prompts Loyola's good fortune
Shot yields own goal, defense stars, Ramblers win 1-0
By Steve Millar
BURBANK – The way Loyola’s defense is playing, one goal is enough to give the Ramblers a good shot at a victory.
And Loyola will take that goal any way it can get it.
A big effort from senior midfielder Collin Leider led to an own goal from St. Laurence in the 55th minute Tuesday night, and the Ramblers’ defense did its job from there, holding on for a 1-0 Chicago Catholic League Blue Division game.
“I thought we defended really, really well,” Loyola coach Baer Fisher said. “We wanted to defend as a group. Of course, after we scored we sat back deeper. We absorbed St. Laurence’s pressure really well. The guys earned the shutout.”
It’s the seventh shutout of the season for Loyola (7-1-3, 2-0-0), which has allowed more than one goal in just one game, a 3-2 loss to Waukegan in the Northside College Showcase on Aug. 30.
Those are impressive numbers for a young Ramblers defense which Tuesday featured freshman Alex Ainsworth at goalkeeper and two sophomores, Oscar Blazer and Mario Hrvojevic, on the backline.
Junior John Wilson and senior Brady Reichert rounded out the stout squad.
“This whole season we’ve been really strong in the back,” Wilson said. “We just come out fired up every game. It’s the whole backline. We communicate really well; we cover for each other. We win every 50-50 ball we can, and we stay connected.”
Wilson, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, was especially effective at slowing down St. Laurence’s talented strikers.
He and fellow center back Blazer were quick to clear away just about every attempt by the Vikings to get the ball into the box. St. Laurence (10-3-0, 1-1-0) was held to two shots on goal.
“We knew (St. Laurence) was technically strong with their feet and a really skilled team,” Wilson said. “We knew that could be an issue. We just had to communicate and play smart defense.”
Chances were limited for both teams in the first half. While the Vikings did not put a shot on goal, Loyola had two opportunities late in the half.
St. Laurence goalkeeper Brendan McLaughlin stopped David Gripman’s shot from 20 yards in the 31st minute and caught Blazer’s bouncing free kick from 25 yards in the final seconds before halftime.
The Ramblers came out of the break with a big push, but McLaughlin kept the Vikings level with a pair of big saves.
In the 43rd minute, Gripman took a pass from Wilson and broke free down the left sideline on a breakaway. McLaughlin denied him with a lunging save, blocking the shot with his forearm.
Moments later, Wilson took a free kick from 43 yards and sent a dangerous ball into the box, where it deflected on goal. McLaughlin dove to knock it wide.
Loyola’s pressure, though, paid off in the 55th minute.
Leider took a pass from Tommy Zipprich, broke down the middle of the field and sent a ball toward the left post where a St. Laurence defender’s clearing attempt wound up in the back of the net.
“Earlier in the game, we were beating them down the line, and we just couldn’t finish,” Leider said. “That time I beat them inside instead. I got a good touch to get around the defender and sent a ball in.
“Ideally, you’re going to find a teammate there, but some of those balls are dangerous enough that no matter what something good is going to happen. I’m not even sure what happened there, but it went in. We lost to St. Laurence in overtime last year, so this win feels really good.”
Fisher was impressed with Leider’s play throughout the match.
“We moved Collin from the left side to the right side, and since then he’s been very dangerous for us,” Fisher said. “I thought he was terrific all game. He created some strong chances for us and then obviously we get the goal off his play.”
While the play represented the breakthrough moment Loyola needed, it was a major disappointment for St. Laurence and McLaughlin, who finished with four saves.
“There was really nothing I could do on that goal,” McLaughlin said. “It’s just an unfortunate thing that happened. You can’t blame anyone on our defense, because they’re just trying to make a play and those kinds of things happen in soccer. It was unlucky it happened to us at that time.”
Down 1-0, St. Laurence spent the majority of the final 25 minutes in its offensive third, but the Vikings’ shots remained limited against the stingy Loyola defense.
Juan Guzman got off a shot from 30 yards just 40 seconds after Loyola’s goal, but Ainsworth made the save.
Ainsworth was tested just one more time. In the 75th minute, Guzman found Tony Moreno cutting down the left side of the box. Moreno’s shot toward the near post was caught by Ainsworth.
“Give Loyola credit,” St. Laurence coach Kyle Boekeloo said. “They came in with a game plan, and they got it done. They got their goal, and then they were able to sit back and defend us.
“I just felt like our work ethic wasn’t there. I told the guys that if they want to be champions, you can’t take a night off. We didn’t work hard enough.”
The win moves the Ramblers to the top of the division table. After a crossover game with DePaul on Thursday, Loyola has two more big league games next week against St. Ignatius and Brother Rice.
“We’ve got to focus on getting better every day and keep taking it one game at a time,” Fisher said.
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Alex Ainsworth
D: Oscar Blazer
D: Mario Hrvojevic
D: Brady Reichert
D: John Wilson
M: Tommy Zipprich
M: Michael Sullivan
M: Nick Roscoe
M: Collin Leider
M: Christian Jimenez
F: David Gripman
St. Laurence
GK: Brendan McLaughlin
D: Ruben Chacon
D: Caleb Rodriguez
D: Jesse Cardiel
M: Luke Arthurs
M: Valente Lara
M: Tony Moreno
M: Juan Guzman
M: Saul Camacho
F: Danny Garcia
F: Israel Contreras
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: John Wilson, jr., D, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
Loyola: St. Laurence own goal, 55th minute
Shot yields own goal, defense stars, Ramblers win 1-0
By Steve Millar
BURBANK – The way Loyola’s defense is playing, one goal is enough to give the Ramblers a good shot at a victory.
And Loyola will take that goal any way it can get it.
A big effort from senior midfielder Collin Leider led to an own goal from St. Laurence in the 55th minute Tuesday night, and the Ramblers’ defense did its job from there, holding on for a 1-0 Chicago Catholic League Blue Division game.
“I thought we defended really, really well,” Loyola coach Baer Fisher said. “We wanted to defend as a group. Of course, after we scored we sat back deeper. We absorbed St. Laurence’s pressure really well. The guys earned the shutout.”
It’s the seventh shutout of the season for Loyola (7-1-3, 2-0-0), which has allowed more than one goal in just one game, a 3-2 loss to Waukegan in the Northside College Showcase on Aug. 30.
Those are impressive numbers for a young Ramblers defense which Tuesday featured freshman Alex Ainsworth at goalkeeper and two sophomores, Oscar Blazer and Mario Hrvojevic, on the backline.
Junior John Wilson and senior Brady Reichert rounded out the stout squad.
“This whole season we’ve been really strong in the back,” Wilson said. “We just come out fired up every game. It’s the whole backline. We communicate really well; we cover for each other. We win every 50-50 ball we can, and we stay connected.”
Wilson, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, was especially effective at slowing down St. Laurence’s talented strikers.
He and fellow center back Blazer were quick to clear away just about every attempt by the Vikings to get the ball into the box. St. Laurence (10-3-0, 1-1-0) was held to two shots on goal.
“We knew (St. Laurence) was technically strong with their feet and a really skilled team,” Wilson said. “We knew that could be an issue. We just had to communicate and play smart defense.”
Chances were limited for both teams in the first half. While the Vikings did not put a shot on goal, Loyola had two opportunities late in the half.
St. Laurence goalkeeper Brendan McLaughlin stopped David Gripman’s shot from 20 yards in the 31st minute and caught Blazer’s bouncing free kick from 25 yards in the final seconds before halftime.
The Ramblers came out of the break with a big push, but McLaughlin kept the Vikings level with a pair of big saves.
In the 43rd minute, Gripman took a pass from Wilson and broke free down the left sideline on a breakaway. McLaughlin denied him with a lunging save, blocking the shot with his forearm.
Moments later, Wilson took a free kick from 43 yards and sent a dangerous ball into the box, where it deflected on goal. McLaughlin dove to knock it wide.
Loyola’s pressure, though, paid off in the 55th minute.
Leider took a pass from Tommy Zipprich, broke down the middle of the field and sent a ball toward the left post where a St. Laurence defender’s clearing attempt wound up in the back of the net.
“Earlier in the game, we were beating them down the line, and we just couldn’t finish,” Leider said. “That time I beat them inside instead. I got a good touch to get around the defender and sent a ball in.
“Ideally, you’re going to find a teammate there, but some of those balls are dangerous enough that no matter what something good is going to happen. I’m not even sure what happened there, but it went in. We lost to St. Laurence in overtime last year, so this win feels really good.”
Fisher was impressed with Leider’s play throughout the match.
“We moved Collin from the left side to the right side, and since then he’s been very dangerous for us,” Fisher said. “I thought he was terrific all game. He created some strong chances for us and then obviously we get the goal off his play.”
While the play represented the breakthrough moment Loyola needed, it was a major disappointment for St. Laurence and McLaughlin, who finished with four saves.
“There was really nothing I could do on that goal,” McLaughlin said. “It’s just an unfortunate thing that happened. You can’t blame anyone on our defense, because they’re just trying to make a play and those kinds of things happen in soccer. It was unlucky it happened to us at that time.”
Down 1-0, St. Laurence spent the majority of the final 25 minutes in its offensive third, but the Vikings’ shots remained limited against the stingy Loyola defense.
Juan Guzman got off a shot from 30 yards just 40 seconds after Loyola’s goal, but Ainsworth made the save.
Ainsworth was tested just one more time. In the 75th minute, Guzman found Tony Moreno cutting down the left side of the box. Moreno’s shot toward the near post was caught by Ainsworth.
“Give Loyola credit,” St. Laurence coach Kyle Boekeloo said. “They came in with a game plan, and they got it done. They got their goal, and then they were able to sit back and defend us.
“I just felt like our work ethic wasn’t there. I told the guys that if they want to be champions, you can’t take a night off. We didn’t work hard enough.”
The win moves the Ramblers to the top of the division table. After a crossover game with DePaul on Thursday, Loyola has two more big league games next week against St. Ignatius and Brother Rice.
“We’ve got to focus on getting better every day and keep taking it one game at a time,” Fisher said.
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Alex Ainsworth
D: Oscar Blazer
D: Mario Hrvojevic
D: Brady Reichert
D: John Wilson
M: Tommy Zipprich
M: Michael Sullivan
M: Nick Roscoe
M: Collin Leider
M: Christian Jimenez
F: David Gripman
St. Laurence
GK: Brendan McLaughlin
D: Ruben Chacon
D: Caleb Rodriguez
D: Jesse Cardiel
M: Luke Arthurs
M: Valente Lara
M: Tony Moreno
M: Juan Guzman
M: Saul Camacho
F: Danny Garcia
F: Israel Contreras
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: John Wilson, jr., D, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
Loyola: St. Laurence own goal, 55th minute