Big 2nd half powers Loyola past Lake View
Leider goal, assist, leads Ramblers to 4-0 season-opening win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
GLENVIEW -- Until you get a chance to go live and get that first touch, the rundown or the take a cross, soccer is almost a simulation, a rehearsal for the real thing.
So was the case with Loyola. Coach Baer Fisher, in the start of his third season directing the Ramblers’ program, was excited about his team’s performance during the summer and the early training. For even the best programs, the start of a new campaign is about posing questions. For the Ramblers, that meant what players were going to step up and take on the leadership and offensive playmaking roles of the graduated standouts Sean Hickey and Chicagoland Soccer all-stater Julian Hilpüsch.
The quandary became more intriguing because only three of the Ramblers’ opening-season starters are seniors.
“We have a lot of new guys, a couple of new freshmen, so it’s a much different dynamic than what it was last year,” senior forward Ford Peterson said. “We are fighting for our spots. The seniors have to set an example for all of these young players, about playing hard and keeping cool.”
The Ramblers had plenty of chances to get flustered by the unpredictability of their season-opening game. An apparent goal in the 24th minute on a shot from distance by junior forward Collin Leider was disallowed after the assistant referee ruled a Loyola player committed a foul inside the box precipitating the score.
“Having a goal disallowed like that just made us want to go in there and get it back and put one in,” Peterson said. “Once we got it, we were relieved, the weight off of our shoulders and could just go back and play our game.”
Leider finally broke through in the 51st minute by collaborating with junior forward David Gripman on a breakaway as the Ramblers exploded for all their scoring in a 13-minute second half burst to defeat quality Chicago Public League program Lake View 4-0 Tuesday at Loyola’s Munz athletic campus.
“We have a lot of new players on the team, so it was a matter of them getting used to the higher level of play,” Leider said. “Once they did, they were able to turn around, get in a rhythm and take advantage of [Lake View] not pressing very high. The underclassmen did very well today.
“You could tell we have a young team, and we have a great future.”
Lake View, which plays in the CPL’s First Division, is a very solid Public League program. The Wildcats (0-1-0) finished fourth in the Class AA state tournament in 2008. In 2013 they stunned Lane to capture the city tournament. Forward Efrain Flores had the best scoring opportunity in the first half, getting behind the Ramblers’ backline and drilling a low liner that Loyola keeper Frank Baio made a superb diving stop on.
“For us we are just coming out of our conditioning camp,” Lake View coach Jeric Johnson said. “This was our first full-field friendly. It was a great opportunity to put a lot of kids in different positions.
“We played a really strong first half. Starting off kind of similar in the second half, they made some plays and a couple of our kids were on their heels, and we did not know how to pick ourselves up. That is something we will work on.”
Loyola played against the gusting wind in the first half that turned a lot of balls into an almost surreal adventure. In the second half, Loyola established a more consistent rhythm. Gripman is the catalyst. He played in the shadow of Hilpüsch and Hickey a year ago.
His talent was clear, and he is one of those players with a special knack for being around the ball.
“David is a special player,” Fisher said. “He has all the ability. He is just putting it all together. He is still growing as a player, but he has moments when he can take a game over. Now it’s just coupling that with the rest of our guys, and we are excited about this year.”
Gripman and Leider finally broke the Wildcats down in the 51st minute. The ball got punched out to Gripman on the right wing off a counter, and he pushed the ball down the right side. Lake View keeper Eden Peskovic took the aggressive strategy of bolting from the box to try and cut off the ball. Gripman deftly maneuver around him and delivered the ball to Leider for the easy putaway.
“I was surprised at how well we played, in our first game,” Leider said. “I think we were the stronger team coming in. I was concerned because we graduated some really good players, but right from the start of the summer, we got a lot better. There was a very big improvement.”
Leider earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his play. His goal opened up the game and changed the momentum. Moments later, he turned the game decisively in the Ramblers’ favor. In the 54th minute, with Loyola pressing in the Wildcats’ end, Leider intercepted a pass and slotted it to Peterson on the right wing.
Peterson took two dribbles and drilled a ball inside the near post from about nine yards for the second goal.
“I thought defensively we were strong today,” Fisher said. “I thought our backline was really strong and organized. They communicated well, and we did not concede many chances. Frank [Baio], our keeper, had one good save in the first half and that was their only really good chance. That was definitely positive and now we have to work on creating a few more [offensive] chances.”
The game also showcased the promise of the next generation of Ramblers’ players. Fisher has four freshmen and two sophomores on the roster. They each contributed to the win. In the 61st minute, freshman midfielder Oscar Blazer played a ball into the box that freshman midfielder Tommy Zipprich volleyed in for the third goal.
Loyola finished out its strong second half performance as sophomore midfielder Nick Roscoe finished a blistering one-touch off a pass from senior midfielder Nick Lew in the 71st minute.
“TZ scored the third goal. He has had a really strong training,” Fisher said. “We are excited by Oscar Blazer, Michael Sullivan, Patrick Brennan, really all four freshmen.
“We have had a good preseason. The guys are fit.
“We spoke at halftime about playing our game. We had the wind in the second half, and we knew that would help. We talked about not taking our foot off the pedal, and we did not. Right when we got that first goal we knew that we were in control.”
Starting lineups
Lake View
GK: Eden Peskovic
D: Edgard Medina
D: Ramiro Martinez
D: Alberto Rodriguez
D: Brian Rodriguez
D: Esteban Cabrera
MF: Henry Morales
MF: Nermin Peskovic
MF: Brandon Mancini
F: Christian Crespo
F: Ethan Flores
Loyola
GK: Frank Baio
D: Jonas Madison
D: John Wilson
D: Luke Phillips
MF: Tommy Zipprich
MF: Nick Roscoe
MF: Nick Lew
MF: Brady Reichert
MF: Christian Jimenez
F: Collin Leider
F: David Gripman
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Collin Leider, Loyola, jr., F
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
51st minute Loyola: Collin Leider (David Gripman)
54th minute Loyola Ford Peterson (Leider)
66th minute Loyola Tommy Zipprich (Oscar Blazer)
71st minute Nick Roscoe (Nick Lew)
Leider goal, assist, leads Ramblers to 4-0 season-opening win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
GLENVIEW -- Until you get a chance to go live and get that first touch, the rundown or the take a cross, soccer is almost a simulation, a rehearsal for the real thing.
So was the case with Loyola. Coach Baer Fisher, in the start of his third season directing the Ramblers’ program, was excited about his team’s performance during the summer and the early training. For even the best programs, the start of a new campaign is about posing questions. For the Ramblers, that meant what players were going to step up and take on the leadership and offensive playmaking roles of the graduated standouts Sean Hickey and Chicagoland Soccer all-stater Julian Hilpüsch.
The quandary became more intriguing because only three of the Ramblers’ opening-season starters are seniors.
“We have a lot of new guys, a couple of new freshmen, so it’s a much different dynamic than what it was last year,” senior forward Ford Peterson said. “We are fighting for our spots. The seniors have to set an example for all of these young players, about playing hard and keeping cool.”
The Ramblers had plenty of chances to get flustered by the unpredictability of their season-opening game. An apparent goal in the 24th minute on a shot from distance by junior forward Collin Leider was disallowed after the assistant referee ruled a Loyola player committed a foul inside the box precipitating the score.
“Having a goal disallowed like that just made us want to go in there and get it back and put one in,” Peterson said. “Once we got it, we were relieved, the weight off of our shoulders and could just go back and play our game.”
Leider finally broke through in the 51st minute by collaborating with junior forward David Gripman on a breakaway as the Ramblers exploded for all their scoring in a 13-minute second half burst to defeat quality Chicago Public League program Lake View 4-0 Tuesday at Loyola’s Munz athletic campus.
“We have a lot of new players on the team, so it was a matter of them getting used to the higher level of play,” Leider said. “Once they did, they were able to turn around, get in a rhythm and take advantage of [Lake View] not pressing very high. The underclassmen did very well today.
“You could tell we have a young team, and we have a great future.”
Lake View, which plays in the CPL’s First Division, is a very solid Public League program. The Wildcats (0-1-0) finished fourth in the Class AA state tournament in 2008. In 2013 they stunned Lane to capture the city tournament. Forward Efrain Flores had the best scoring opportunity in the first half, getting behind the Ramblers’ backline and drilling a low liner that Loyola keeper Frank Baio made a superb diving stop on.
“For us we are just coming out of our conditioning camp,” Lake View coach Jeric Johnson said. “This was our first full-field friendly. It was a great opportunity to put a lot of kids in different positions.
“We played a really strong first half. Starting off kind of similar in the second half, they made some plays and a couple of our kids were on their heels, and we did not know how to pick ourselves up. That is something we will work on.”
Loyola played against the gusting wind in the first half that turned a lot of balls into an almost surreal adventure. In the second half, Loyola established a more consistent rhythm. Gripman is the catalyst. He played in the shadow of Hilpüsch and Hickey a year ago.
His talent was clear, and he is one of those players with a special knack for being around the ball.
“David is a special player,” Fisher said. “He has all the ability. He is just putting it all together. He is still growing as a player, but he has moments when he can take a game over. Now it’s just coupling that with the rest of our guys, and we are excited about this year.”
Gripman and Leider finally broke the Wildcats down in the 51st minute. The ball got punched out to Gripman on the right wing off a counter, and he pushed the ball down the right side. Lake View keeper Eden Peskovic took the aggressive strategy of bolting from the box to try and cut off the ball. Gripman deftly maneuver around him and delivered the ball to Leider for the easy putaway.
“I was surprised at how well we played, in our first game,” Leider said. “I think we were the stronger team coming in. I was concerned because we graduated some really good players, but right from the start of the summer, we got a lot better. There was a very big improvement.”
Leider earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his play. His goal opened up the game and changed the momentum. Moments later, he turned the game decisively in the Ramblers’ favor. In the 54th minute, with Loyola pressing in the Wildcats’ end, Leider intercepted a pass and slotted it to Peterson on the right wing.
Peterson took two dribbles and drilled a ball inside the near post from about nine yards for the second goal.
“I thought defensively we were strong today,” Fisher said. “I thought our backline was really strong and organized. They communicated well, and we did not concede many chances. Frank [Baio], our keeper, had one good save in the first half and that was their only really good chance. That was definitely positive and now we have to work on creating a few more [offensive] chances.”
The game also showcased the promise of the next generation of Ramblers’ players. Fisher has four freshmen and two sophomores on the roster. They each contributed to the win. In the 61st minute, freshman midfielder Oscar Blazer played a ball into the box that freshman midfielder Tommy Zipprich volleyed in for the third goal.
Loyola finished out its strong second half performance as sophomore midfielder Nick Roscoe finished a blistering one-touch off a pass from senior midfielder Nick Lew in the 71st minute.
“TZ scored the third goal. He has had a really strong training,” Fisher said. “We are excited by Oscar Blazer, Michael Sullivan, Patrick Brennan, really all four freshmen.
“We have had a good preseason. The guys are fit.
“We spoke at halftime about playing our game. We had the wind in the second half, and we knew that would help. We talked about not taking our foot off the pedal, and we did not. Right when we got that first goal we knew that we were in control.”
Starting lineups
Lake View
GK: Eden Peskovic
D: Edgard Medina
D: Ramiro Martinez
D: Alberto Rodriguez
D: Brian Rodriguez
D: Esteban Cabrera
MF: Henry Morales
MF: Nermin Peskovic
MF: Brandon Mancini
F: Christian Crespo
F: Ethan Flores
Loyola
GK: Frank Baio
D: Jonas Madison
D: John Wilson
D: Luke Phillips
MF: Tommy Zipprich
MF: Nick Roscoe
MF: Nick Lew
MF: Brady Reichert
MF: Christian Jimenez
F: Collin Leider
F: David Gripman
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Collin Leider, Loyola, jr., F
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
51st minute Loyola: Collin Leider (David Gripman)
54th minute Loyola Ford Peterson (Leider)
66th minute Loyola Tommy Zipprich (Oscar Blazer)
71st minute Nick Roscoe (Nick Lew)