Early goals help Notre Dame hold off Marist Dons record more school marks, stay undefeated in league race
By Michael Wojtychiw
NILES -- The 2021 calendar year has been quite a successful one for the Notre Dame boys soccer program.
After setting a school record with six conference wins during the spring 2021 COVID-influenced season, the fall version of the squad, which returned 21 of 24 players, had already hit that mark with three conference games remaining entering Saturday's contest with Marist.
The fall season has gone even better for the Dons (16-1-1), who already have set a new school record for regular-season wins and earned the program’s first top seed, in the Speer Sectional, for the upcoming state playoffs.
The Dons, ranked 22nd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, can add one more first as they set a new school record with their seventh East Suburban Catholic Conference win, a 2-1 decision over Marist that improved their East Suburban Catholic Conference record to 7-0-0.
"One thing we always tell the guys is you've got to block the outside noise," Notre Dame manager Mike Smith said. "There might not be a lot of other schools that thought Notre Dame could be doing what they're doing, but as long as the 26 of us believe, you can accomplish it.
"We've got the perfect mix, six sophomores on the varsity. We've got skill. But our veteran leadership, a number of these guys were on our 2019 team when we made it to supersectionals, so they've experienced games like this and know the magnitude. That helps calm the nerves of some of the younger guys."
A big part in Notre Dame's now +70-goal differential (81-11) has been scoring early and often.
"It was really important to get that first one, especially since the heat makes everyone tired," Notre Dame midfielder Andy Barrezueta said. "Getting that penalty allowed us to be able to defend more and attack less as well."
Cesar Lopez was taken down in the right side of the box, earning a penalty kick in the 11th minute. Notre Dame's penalty kick specialist Barrezueta stepped up and drilled a shot to the bottom left corner absolutely freezing the Marist keeper.
"For two years I've been penalty taker on the team and used to have 100-percent completion until St. Pat's,” he said. “I've been confident with them as I go up there against the goalie.
"It's just me and the keeper when I step up there. I know what I'm going to do, you have to know what you're going to do or else you're going to be shaken and in the wrong head space."
The 1-0 lead was impactful for Notre Dame.
"That goal really gave us energy that we were able to take throughout the game," Notre Dame's Freddy Krug said. "Even though it was such a hot day and everyone was tired, that's really what got us through the game."
Marist seemed to come out a bit slow. The RedHawks didn’t register their first shot on goal until the midway portion of the first half.
"Their (Notre Dame) strength is with 50/50 balls," Marist manager Sean Maxwell said. "They were beating us in the air there in the early going. After we addressed that, we made some adjustments with moving one of our top 50/50 guys. For us to win that category in the second half was a big deal."
The Dons continued to control much of the play in the first half. They consistently went to goal attacking with not only shots with their feet but also timed headers, the ones that make keepers reactionary skills vital to their game.
The attack paid off when Krug went to the box with just over two minutes in the half and headed in a beautiful cross from Jack Plovanich to give the team the 2-0 lead they'd take to the half.
"Our coaches put a lot of stress on finishing, because we have to finish our chances, especially in the box" Krug said. "Finishing those chances is important and today was one of those days where we capitalized on that."
Starting slow isn't something new to Marist (7-7-2, 4-3-0). It's had to come from behind in numerous games, including a roaring comeback in a 3-2 double-overtime win over Marian earlier in the week.
The visitors looked ready to do it again when senior captain Marc Carreon put home a shot eight minutes into the second half.
"I was at the top of the box and saw one of my teammates go up for a 50/50 ball," he said. "It bounced up, went slow-mo for me, and I hit it perfectly into the back of the net.
"Although we wouldn't like to go down early, everyone on the team knows we can come back and that it's never over. We never give up."
Unlike the first half, the RedHawks were able to get consistent pressure on the Dons defense, earning multiple corners and free kicks, something they weren't able to do with consistency in the game's first 40 minutes.
The attack didn't end up paying off, but the halftime adjustments Marist made allowed it more chances.
"Because (Notre Dame) was playing three in the back, we talked about how the space was there if we turned back and came back to the ball," Maxwell said. "There was space, different space on the field than we were used to. But on the outside, we were able to get our numbers up and put some things together."
Notre Dame wasn’t the only East Suburban Catholic Conference team to earn a no. 1 seed in the Class AA playoffs; Marist did as well is an as of yet unhosted sectional in the Brother Rice Supersectional.
The two teams next possible meeting would be in a supersectional. It's something to consider as they drive forward to hoped-for long postseason runs.
"We're hungry for more," Smith said. "We got the top seed in our sectional for the first time in our school history, so that's motivating for our guys, but I keep telling them we're still competing for a conference title.
"We take a lot of satisfaction in this W, but we're hungry for what's to come."
The loss added more fuel to the fire for Marist.
"I told my teammates that to pick their heads up, because they're a great team," Carreon said. "They're going to be one of those in AA that if we see them again, we're going to come back and hopefully win."
"We welcome these kinds of games, win or lose," Maxwell said. "We want to learn from them, know we can come back. You want big games like these down the stretch, because you learn a lot from a loss.
“I'm proud of how they played in the second half, but we know we can do it."
Starting lineups
Marist
GK: Vinnie Tuminello
D: Collin McGuire
D: Brendan Chesniak
D: Samuel McNamara
MF: Marc Carreon
MF: A.J. Dix
MF: Aydan Wilson
MF: Liam Bennett
MF: Danny Olsen
MF: Conor Cooke
F: Patrick Maxwell
Notre Dame
GK: Luca Lobianco
D: Jack Plovanich
D: Paul Harris
D: Martin Krug
M: Zach Martin
M: Michael Shanahan
M: Andy Barrezueta
M: Daniel Deano
M: Michael Ziemba
F: Freddy Krug
F: Trevor Johnson
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Andy Barrezueta, sr., MF, Notre Dame
Scoring summary
First half
Notre Dame - Andres Barrezueta (PK), 11tih minute
Notre Dame - Freddy Krug (Jack Plovanich), 37th minute
Second half
Marist - Marc Carreon (unassisted), 48th minute
By Michael Wojtychiw
NILES -- The 2021 calendar year has been quite a successful one for the Notre Dame boys soccer program.
After setting a school record with six conference wins during the spring 2021 COVID-influenced season, the fall version of the squad, which returned 21 of 24 players, had already hit that mark with three conference games remaining entering Saturday's contest with Marist.
The fall season has gone even better for the Dons (16-1-1), who already have set a new school record for regular-season wins and earned the program’s first top seed, in the Speer Sectional, for the upcoming state playoffs.
The Dons, ranked 22nd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, can add one more first as they set a new school record with their seventh East Suburban Catholic Conference win, a 2-1 decision over Marist that improved their East Suburban Catholic Conference record to 7-0-0.
"One thing we always tell the guys is you've got to block the outside noise," Notre Dame manager Mike Smith said. "There might not be a lot of other schools that thought Notre Dame could be doing what they're doing, but as long as the 26 of us believe, you can accomplish it.
"We've got the perfect mix, six sophomores on the varsity. We've got skill. But our veteran leadership, a number of these guys were on our 2019 team when we made it to supersectionals, so they've experienced games like this and know the magnitude. That helps calm the nerves of some of the younger guys."
A big part in Notre Dame's now +70-goal differential (81-11) has been scoring early and often.
"It was really important to get that first one, especially since the heat makes everyone tired," Notre Dame midfielder Andy Barrezueta said. "Getting that penalty allowed us to be able to defend more and attack less as well."
Cesar Lopez was taken down in the right side of the box, earning a penalty kick in the 11th minute. Notre Dame's penalty kick specialist Barrezueta stepped up and drilled a shot to the bottom left corner absolutely freezing the Marist keeper.
"For two years I've been penalty taker on the team and used to have 100-percent completion until St. Pat's,” he said. “I've been confident with them as I go up there against the goalie.
"It's just me and the keeper when I step up there. I know what I'm going to do, you have to know what you're going to do or else you're going to be shaken and in the wrong head space."
The 1-0 lead was impactful for Notre Dame.
"That goal really gave us energy that we were able to take throughout the game," Notre Dame's Freddy Krug said. "Even though it was such a hot day and everyone was tired, that's really what got us through the game."
Marist seemed to come out a bit slow. The RedHawks didn’t register their first shot on goal until the midway portion of the first half.
"Their (Notre Dame) strength is with 50/50 balls," Marist manager Sean Maxwell said. "They were beating us in the air there in the early going. After we addressed that, we made some adjustments with moving one of our top 50/50 guys. For us to win that category in the second half was a big deal."
The Dons continued to control much of the play in the first half. They consistently went to goal attacking with not only shots with their feet but also timed headers, the ones that make keepers reactionary skills vital to their game.
The attack paid off when Krug went to the box with just over two minutes in the half and headed in a beautiful cross from Jack Plovanich to give the team the 2-0 lead they'd take to the half.
"Our coaches put a lot of stress on finishing, because we have to finish our chances, especially in the box" Krug said. "Finishing those chances is important and today was one of those days where we capitalized on that."
Starting slow isn't something new to Marist (7-7-2, 4-3-0). It's had to come from behind in numerous games, including a roaring comeback in a 3-2 double-overtime win over Marian earlier in the week.
The visitors looked ready to do it again when senior captain Marc Carreon put home a shot eight minutes into the second half.
"I was at the top of the box and saw one of my teammates go up for a 50/50 ball," he said. "It bounced up, went slow-mo for me, and I hit it perfectly into the back of the net.
"Although we wouldn't like to go down early, everyone on the team knows we can come back and that it's never over. We never give up."
Unlike the first half, the RedHawks were able to get consistent pressure on the Dons defense, earning multiple corners and free kicks, something they weren't able to do with consistency in the game's first 40 minutes.
The attack didn't end up paying off, but the halftime adjustments Marist made allowed it more chances.
"Because (Notre Dame) was playing three in the back, we talked about how the space was there if we turned back and came back to the ball," Maxwell said. "There was space, different space on the field than we were used to. But on the outside, we were able to get our numbers up and put some things together."
Notre Dame wasn’t the only East Suburban Catholic Conference team to earn a no. 1 seed in the Class AA playoffs; Marist did as well is an as of yet unhosted sectional in the Brother Rice Supersectional.
The two teams next possible meeting would be in a supersectional. It's something to consider as they drive forward to hoped-for long postseason runs.
"We're hungry for more," Smith said. "We got the top seed in our sectional for the first time in our school history, so that's motivating for our guys, but I keep telling them we're still competing for a conference title.
"We take a lot of satisfaction in this W, but we're hungry for what's to come."
The loss added more fuel to the fire for Marist.
"I told my teammates that to pick their heads up, because they're a great team," Carreon said. "They're going to be one of those in AA that if we see them again, we're going to come back and hopefully win."
"We welcome these kinds of games, win or lose," Maxwell said. "We want to learn from them, know we can come back. You want big games like these down the stretch, because you learn a lot from a loss.
“I'm proud of how they played in the second half, but we know we can do it."
Starting lineups
Marist
GK: Vinnie Tuminello
D: Collin McGuire
D: Brendan Chesniak
D: Samuel McNamara
MF: Marc Carreon
MF: A.J. Dix
MF: Aydan Wilson
MF: Liam Bennett
MF: Danny Olsen
MF: Conor Cooke
F: Patrick Maxwell
Notre Dame
GK: Luca Lobianco
D: Jack Plovanich
D: Paul Harris
D: Martin Krug
M: Zach Martin
M: Michael Shanahan
M: Andy Barrezueta
M: Daniel Deano
M: Michael Ziemba
F: Freddy Krug
F: Trevor Johnson
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Andy Barrezueta, sr., MF, Notre Dame
Scoring summary
First half
Notre Dame - Andres Barrezueta (PK), 11tih minute
Notre Dame - Freddy Krug (Jack Plovanich), 37th minute
Second half
Marist - Marc Carreon (unassisted), 48th minute