Loyola 'Zip's past Niles W. in regional win
Sneaky strike from freshman Zipprich earns final berth
By Ken Keenan
EVANSTON -- The biggest moments may be yet to come for Loyola's Tommy Zipprich, but for now the freshman midfielder will cherish his best to date: scoring the game-winning goal in the Ramblers' 2-1 win over Niles West in the first round of the IHSA Class 3A Evanston Regional on Thursday night.
The player that teammates affectionately refer to as "Zip" snapped a 1-1 tie with a sneaky shot from the left side with 26:16 remaining in regulation. Then 11th-seeded Loyola held off a furious charge the rest of the way to secure the victory against the seventh-seeded Wolves.
The Ramblers (14-5-0) will face their second-seeded regional host Evanston (13-4-4) in the final at 1 p.m. Saturday. Each team now has a game against Niles West under their belts -- the Wildkits tied the Wolves 2-2 in Central Suburban League South Division play Sept. 26 in Evanston.
Zipprich's game-winner came after he and junior midfielder Christian Jimenez orchestrated a give-and-go on the left side. That put the freshman in position for a good look from about 25 yards. Zipprich -- Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match -- quickly turned toward the middle and fired a low shot inside the left post past Niles West senior goalkeeper Edin Sabovic, who seemed surprised by the medium-speed strike.
"I faked the shot right, and then I looked near-post," Zipprich said. "(Sabovic) was off-balance, and I caught him in the wrong place. Being a freshman, this is the highest level I've competed at. And my hometown is Evanston, so I felt like I had to prove myself out there in the playoffs as a freshman. After I scored, I got chills."
Ramblers' head coach Baer Fisher wasn't surprised that Zipprich had his thinking cap on prior to the big shot. Correctly sensing that the intensity level likely would be amped up in a postseason opener, Fisher told Zipprich prior to the match that he was counting on the even-keeled rookie to serve as a stabilizing force when needed.
"There's a lot more tension in the playoffs, so I knew we'd need someone to calm us down at some point," Fisher said. "He's only a freshman, but 'Zip' has played a huge part in our season. On the goal, he used the defender as a screen, and caught the goalie a little flat-footed -- a great finish. The future certainly is bright for him."
Loyola senior defender Jonas Madison, a co-captain (along with Jimenez and fellow senior defender Luke Phillips), echoed his coach's take on Zipprich.
"As a freshman, he really has come along," Madison said. "You see him out there, he holds his own -- so crucial to our success."
The Ramblers struck first in the back-and-forth match, with dazzling junior middie David Gripman banging in a rebound past a fallen Sabovic with 26:19 left in the first half. Gripman, who created a slew of chances with his ability to dance between defenders in the attacking zone, began the play with a pass to senior forward Ford Peterson. Sabovic stopped Peterson's initial shot before Gripman finished.
Four minutes later, Peterson nearly made it 2-0 when he nipped a one-timer just wide-right after tracking a free kick by Loyola junior defender Brady Reichert. With 18:20 to go before the break, Gripman set up sophomore defender John Wilson for a try in front that also missed to the right, and Gripman fired a shot from the right side that deflected to Sabovic in the 23rd minute.
Niles West knotted the score on a header by junior defender Patrick Juszczyk with 15:15 left in the opening session. Zeroing in on a well-placed corner kick by senior mid Andrei Tap, Juszczyk headed the ball waist-high past Ramblers' sophomore keeper Frank Baio.
Both teams had additional opportunities in the remaining minutes before halftime, including a wide-angle try from the right side by Niles West senior mid Aleks Gracanin that Baio handled less than two minutes after the tying goal, as well as a turnaround shot on the doorstep by Wolves' senior forward that Baio snuffed in the 30th minute.
In the 35th minute, Loyola's Phillips took a feed from Gripman and sent a 30-yard pop-up shot that Sabovic nabbed. Less than two minutes earlier, Niles West senior defender Diego Acosta spoiled a solid, multi-touch Loyola possession with a strong clear.
"The intensity level was much higher than a regular season game," Acosta said. "We really wanted it."
Barely two minutes into the second half, shifty Wolves' senior forward Dani Younathem fired a rocket from in front that missed wide-right. Younathem also missed to the right in the 47th minute, just 40 second after Cherian headed a ball off the crossbar.
With 31:40 left in regulation, Loyola senior mid Nick Lew chased down a loose ball and tipped it wide-left past a charging Sabovic. Two minutes later, Gripman cut through a pair of defenders to trace a long ball that scooted just out of his reach.
Soon after, Zipprich did his thing to conclude the scoring.
"I think our defense got a little lost on that goal," Acosta said. "We gave 'em an open lane, and they took advantage of it."
Trailing 2-1, Niles West kicked into desperation mode, maintaining possession while the Ramblers held their breath to weather the storm.
"A 2-1 lead is nerve-wracking," Madison said. "It forces you to raise the focus a lot. You have to narrow your focus. One mistake and they're back in it. The last 10 minutes, we essentially had our backs to our own post. We really had to channel our focus."
Fisher said, "We brought one player back with about 15 minutes to go, and that helped."
Added Zipprich: "They were trying to catch us off guard the last 10 minutes. They had weapons and were threats when they were pressing."
With 1:50 showing on the clock, a corner kick by Tap resulted in a wild scramble that was cleared out by the Loyola 'D.' The Wolves had one last crack when senior defender Ian Shankar headed a ball high with only 30 seconds to go.
"We played hard ... played our hearts out," said Niles West skipper Milo Cejovic. "Quality-wise, it was probably one of our poorer games -- just a lack of quality from our playmakers. If you don't put away your chances, you're finished."
Niles West concluded their 2017 season at 10-8-2.
Zipprich put away his chance and the Ramblers advance.
"I couldn't be prouder of this team," Fisher said. "It really was a complete team effort -- from guys on the bench to the guys on the field. I couldn't ask for more as a coach."
Starting lineups
Niles West
G: Edin Sabovic
D: Ian Shankar
D: Nick Alfano
D: Patrick Juszczyk
D: Diego Acosta
M: Gianni Lohan
M: Andrei Tap
M: Nathan Nguyen
M: Ilija Jerinic
F: Jonathan Cherian
F: Samer Owaynat
Loyola
G: Frank Baio
D: Jonas Madison
D: John Wilson
D: Luke Phillips
D: Brady Reichert
M: Michael Sullivan
M: Collin Leider
M: Christian Jimenez
M: David Gripman
M: Daniel Montaquila
F: Ford Peterson
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Tommy Zipprich, fr., M, Loyola
Officials: Rick Geati, Skip Yates, Albert Khouri
Scoring summary
First half
1. Loyola: David Gripman (assisted by Ford Peterson) in 14th minute
2. Niles West: Patrick Juszczyk (assisted by Christian Jimenez) in 25th minute
Second half
3. Loyola: Tommy Zipprich (assisted by Brady Reichert) in 54th minute
Sneaky strike from freshman Zipprich earns final berth
By Ken Keenan
EVANSTON -- The biggest moments may be yet to come for Loyola's Tommy Zipprich, but for now the freshman midfielder will cherish his best to date: scoring the game-winning goal in the Ramblers' 2-1 win over Niles West in the first round of the IHSA Class 3A Evanston Regional on Thursday night.
The player that teammates affectionately refer to as "Zip" snapped a 1-1 tie with a sneaky shot from the left side with 26:16 remaining in regulation. Then 11th-seeded Loyola held off a furious charge the rest of the way to secure the victory against the seventh-seeded Wolves.
The Ramblers (14-5-0) will face their second-seeded regional host Evanston (13-4-4) in the final at 1 p.m. Saturday. Each team now has a game against Niles West under their belts -- the Wildkits tied the Wolves 2-2 in Central Suburban League South Division play Sept. 26 in Evanston.
Zipprich's game-winner came after he and junior midfielder Christian Jimenez orchestrated a give-and-go on the left side. That put the freshman in position for a good look from about 25 yards. Zipprich -- Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match -- quickly turned toward the middle and fired a low shot inside the left post past Niles West senior goalkeeper Edin Sabovic, who seemed surprised by the medium-speed strike.
"I faked the shot right, and then I looked near-post," Zipprich said. "(Sabovic) was off-balance, and I caught him in the wrong place. Being a freshman, this is the highest level I've competed at. And my hometown is Evanston, so I felt like I had to prove myself out there in the playoffs as a freshman. After I scored, I got chills."
Ramblers' head coach Baer Fisher wasn't surprised that Zipprich had his thinking cap on prior to the big shot. Correctly sensing that the intensity level likely would be amped up in a postseason opener, Fisher told Zipprich prior to the match that he was counting on the even-keeled rookie to serve as a stabilizing force when needed.
"There's a lot more tension in the playoffs, so I knew we'd need someone to calm us down at some point," Fisher said. "He's only a freshman, but 'Zip' has played a huge part in our season. On the goal, he used the defender as a screen, and caught the goalie a little flat-footed -- a great finish. The future certainly is bright for him."
Loyola senior defender Jonas Madison, a co-captain (along with Jimenez and fellow senior defender Luke Phillips), echoed his coach's take on Zipprich.
"As a freshman, he really has come along," Madison said. "You see him out there, he holds his own -- so crucial to our success."
The Ramblers struck first in the back-and-forth match, with dazzling junior middie David Gripman banging in a rebound past a fallen Sabovic with 26:19 left in the first half. Gripman, who created a slew of chances with his ability to dance between defenders in the attacking zone, began the play with a pass to senior forward Ford Peterson. Sabovic stopped Peterson's initial shot before Gripman finished.
Four minutes later, Peterson nearly made it 2-0 when he nipped a one-timer just wide-right after tracking a free kick by Loyola junior defender Brady Reichert. With 18:20 to go before the break, Gripman set up sophomore defender John Wilson for a try in front that also missed to the right, and Gripman fired a shot from the right side that deflected to Sabovic in the 23rd minute.
Niles West knotted the score on a header by junior defender Patrick Juszczyk with 15:15 left in the opening session. Zeroing in on a well-placed corner kick by senior mid Andrei Tap, Juszczyk headed the ball waist-high past Ramblers' sophomore keeper Frank Baio.
Both teams had additional opportunities in the remaining minutes before halftime, including a wide-angle try from the right side by Niles West senior mid Aleks Gracanin that Baio handled less than two minutes after the tying goal, as well as a turnaround shot on the doorstep by Wolves' senior forward that Baio snuffed in the 30th minute.
In the 35th minute, Loyola's Phillips took a feed from Gripman and sent a 30-yard pop-up shot that Sabovic nabbed. Less than two minutes earlier, Niles West senior defender Diego Acosta spoiled a solid, multi-touch Loyola possession with a strong clear.
"The intensity level was much higher than a regular season game," Acosta said. "We really wanted it."
Barely two minutes into the second half, shifty Wolves' senior forward Dani Younathem fired a rocket from in front that missed wide-right. Younathem also missed to the right in the 47th minute, just 40 second after Cherian headed a ball off the crossbar.
With 31:40 left in regulation, Loyola senior mid Nick Lew chased down a loose ball and tipped it wide-left past a charging Sabovic. Two minutes later, Gripman cut through a pair of defenders to trace a long ball that scooted just out of his reach.
Soon after, Zipprich did his thing to conclude the scoring.
"I think our defense got a little lost on that goal," Acosta said. "We gave 'em an open lane, and they took advantage of it."
Trailing 2-1, Niles West kicked into desperation mode, maintaining possession while the Ramblers held their breath to weather the storm.
"A 2-1 lead is nerve-wracking," Madison said. "It forces you to raise the focus a lot. You have to narrow your focus. One mistake and they're back in it. The last 10 minutes, we essentially had our backs to our own post. We really had to channel our focus."
Fisher said, "We brought one player back with about 15 minutes to go, and that helped."
Added Zipprich: "They were trying to catch us off guard the last 10 minutes. They had weapons and were threats when they were pressing."
With 1:50 showing on the clock, a corner kick by Tap resulted in a wild scramble that was cleared out by the Loyola 'D.' The Wolves had one last crack when senior defender Ian Shankar headed a ball high with only 30 seconds to go.
"We played hard ... played our hearts out," said Niles West skipper Milo Cejovic. "Quality-wise, it was probably one of our poorer games -- just a lack of quality from our playmakers. If you don't put away your chances, you're finished."
Niles West concluded their 2017 season at 10-8-2.
Zipprich put away his chance and the Ramblers advance.
"I couldn't be prouder of this team," Fisher said. "It really was a complete team effort -- from guys on the bench to the guys on the field. I couldn't ask for more as a coach."
Starting lineups
Niles West
G: Edin Sabovic
D: Ian Shankar
D: Nick Alfano
D: Patrick Juszczyk
D: Diego Acosta
M: Gianni Lohan
M: Andrei Tap
M: Nathan Nguyen
M: Ilija Jerinic
F: Jonathan Cherian
F: Samer Owaynat
Loyola
G: Frank Baio
D: Jonas Madison
D: John Wilson
D: Luke Phillips
D: Brady Reichert
M: Michael Sullivan
M: Collin Leider
M: Christian Jimenez
M: David Gripman
M: Daniel Montaquila
F: Ford Peterson
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Tommy Zipprich, fr., M, Loyola
Officials: Rick Geati, Skip Yates, Albert Khouri
Scoring summary
First half
1. Loyola: David Gripman (assisted by Ford Peterson) in 14th minute
2. Niles West: Patrick Juszczyk (assisted by Christian Jimenez) in 25th minute
Second half
3. Loyola: Tommy Zipprich (assisted by Brady Reichert) in 54th minute