Olson stands tall for Gibault
Senior keeper saves Hawks in 2-2 tie with Mascoutah
By Keith Schildroth
COLUMBIA, ILL. -- The Gibault student section in the bleachers at Oerter Park threw chalk dust into the air before the opening whistle against the Mascoutah Indians.
If the students would have done the same every time the 6-foot-3 senior goalie Connor Olson kept the Indians from scoring, they might have run out of the white powder for the remainder of the young season.
Olson was nearly perfect against Mascoutah and prevented what could have a blowout for the visiting Indians. The Hawks came from behind to earn a 2-2 tie.
Mascoutah (2-2-1) was attempting to avenge a goose egg against Gibault's program last season.
"I thought we played really well tonight," said Mascoutah coach Nick Carr. "Gibault is a really good team that beat use three times last year (1-0, 2-1 and 3-0). The first two were really close. We knew we were playing a quality opponent. I think our guys came out strong and focused, and they played hard for 80 minutes."
The Hawks might have been considered ripe for the picking with only a handful of players returning from last season's 17-6-5 squad that finished fourth in Class AA and graduated two-time Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater Karson Huels and 2018 all-state pick Logan Doerr. Plus Gibault had only played one game in the new season, a 2-0 crosstown rivalry loss to Waterloo last week.
The fist half was scoreless but Gibault had the majority of the good scoring chances. Junior forward Gerard Cerezalez Polaino sent a pretty cross to junior midfielder Jacob Feldker and forced Indians goalie Mark Levrault to make a nice save. Defender Nate Janson hit a strong shot from just outside the box from the right side that Levrault pushed aside.
Olson made his first of many saves midway through the half when he punched a shot from starting freshman forward Nathan Hippard just wide of the far post. The Indians kept Olson busy during the opening half. Defender Derek Marchant tested the Gibault keeper with a strong shot inside the box that Olson pushed over the crossbar.
Hippard showed poise, speed and strength on the wing the entire game and had several good scoring chances including the best one in the first half. With about nine minutes remaining, he went untouched down the right side and tried to beat Olson to the near right post but the Hawks keeper was up to the test.
"Their keeper was amazing," said Carr. "In the short season by far he's the best keeper I've seen. He was huge, and he was probably the MVP of the game."
A bit of sloppy play in the Gibault backfield to start the second half kept Olson busy. Forward Lane Hoelscher had two terrific scoring chances only to fire just wide. Next, Olson came off his line and took the ball off Kaleb Whiteside's foot inside the box.
"We tried to be more creative in the final third," said Carr about the Indians play in the second half. "We tried to make things happen a little more, and I think we responded."
Gibault coach Darryn Haudrich said the Hawks backline is a work in progress.
"We're still making our way through a formation change, and that's created quite a bit of gaps for us," he said. "We're young in the back. All four of the defensive backs are brand new to the system, and there are still a lot of kinks we're working out. Yes, Connor stood on his head and kept us in the game single-handedly. He made some Grade A saves for us and came up big for us."
Despite the Mascoutah pressure, Helio Neto Franca broke the ice for Gibault when he scored on a scramble inside the box in the 49th minute. The senior transfer from Michigan, via Brazil, was a threat every time he touched the ball on the wing.
Less than four minutes later, Mascoutah midfielder Alvaro Paris-Gimeno finally solved Olson and tied the score at 1-1 on a cross that he managed to push over the head of the Hawks goalie.
Mascoutah took the lead in the 62nd minute when Whiteside was left alone outside the box and beat Olson to the upper right corner with a quick shot.
"We came on strong in the second half," said Whiteside. "We were getting balls from our defense a lot, balls from the back. We were getting more shots, and we really picked it up."
Gibault freshman midfielder Andrew Feldker tied the game on a shot from the top of the arc off a corner kick from Neto Franca.
Olson had to come up big again in the final two minutes to help the Hawks hold on to the tie. He tipped a Whiteside shot from the top of the box over the goal and then exited from his comfort zone to come off his line to take the ball from Alvaro Paris-Gimeno.
"It depends on the situation," Olson said. "I'm more comfortable staying on the line. If I know I can get it, most of the time I will go."
The Hawks will have little rest as they continue their rebuilding process. Gibault plays at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Marquette (Alton), hosts St. John Vianney (Mo.) at 6 p.m. Thursday and travels to Belleville East for a 10:30 a.m. game Saturday.
Starting Lineups
Mascoutah
GK Mark Levrault
D Oliver Hoybach
D Derek Marchant
D Joey Huiras
D Cole Gober
MF Jared Padilla
MF Maxwell McCollum
MF Alvaro Paris-Gimeno
F Kaleb Whiteside
F Lane Hoelscher
F Nathan Hippard
Gibault
GK Connor Olson
D Kyle Barbour
D Spencer Blake
D Mitchell Kohnz
D Nate Janson
MF Collin Schmidt
MF Jacob Feldker
MF Carlos Simoni
MF Helio Neto Franca
F Gerard Cerezalez Perez
F Gavin Kohnz
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Connor Olson, sr., GK, Gibault
Scoring summary
Mascoutah 2, Gibault 2
Mascoutah 0 2 -- 2
Gibault 0 2 -- 2
First half
No scoring
Second half
Gibault - Helio Neto Franca 31:02
Mascoutah- Alvaro Paris-Gimeno 27:16
Mascoutah - Kaleb Whiteside 18:47
Gibault - Andrew Feldker (Helio Neto Franca) 17:25
Senior keeper saves Hawks in 2-2 tie with Mascoutah
By Keith Schildroth
COLUMBIA, ILL. -- The Gibault student section in the bleachers at Oerter Park threw chalk dust into the air before the opening whistle against the Mascoutah Indians.
If the students would have done the same every time the 6-foot-3 senior goalie Connor Olson kept the Indians from scoring, they might have run out of the white powder for the remainder of the young season.
Olson was nearly perfect against Mascoutah and prevented what could have a blowout for the visiting Indians. The Hawks came from behind to earn a 2-2 tie.
Mascoutah (2-2-1) was attempting to avenge a goose egg against Gibault's program last season.
"I thought we played really well tonight," said Mascoutah coach Nick Carr. "Gibault is a really good team that beat use three times last year (1-0, 2-1 and 3-0). The first two were really close. We knew we were playing a quality opponent. I think our guys came out strong and focused, and they played hard for 80 minutes."
The Hawks might have been considered ripe for the picking with only a handful of players returning from last season's 17-6-5 squad that finished fourth in Class AA and graduated two-time Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater Karson Huels and 2018 all-state pick Logan Doerr. Plus Gibault had only played one game in the new season, a 2-0 crosstown rivalry loss to Waterloo last week.
The fist half was scoreless but Gibault had the majority of the good scoring chances. Junior forward Gerard Cerezalez Polaino sent a pretty cross to junior midfielder Jacob Feldker and forced Indians goalie Mark Levrault to make a nice save. Defender Nate Janson hit a strong shot from just outside the box from the right side that Levrault pushed aside.
Olson made his first of many saves midway through the half when he punched a shot from starting freshman forward Nathan Hippard just wide of the far post. The Indians kept Olson busy during the opening half. Defender Derek Marchant tested the Gibault keeper with a strong shot inside the box that Olson pushed over the crossbar.
Hippard showed poise, speed and strength on the wing the entire game and had several good scoring chances including the best one in the first half. With about nine minutes remaining, he went untouched down the right side and tried to beat Olson to the near right post but the Hawks keeper was up to the test.
"Their keeper was amazing," said Carr. "In the short season by far he's the best keeper I've seen. He was huge, and he was probably the MVP of the game."
A bit of sloppy play in the Gibault backfield to start the second half kept Olson busy. Forward Lane Hoelscher had two terrific scoring chances only to fire just wide. Next, Olson came off his line and took the ball off Kaleb Whiteside's foot inside the box.
"We tried to be more creative in the final third," said Carr about the Indians play in the second half. "We tried to make things happen a little more, and I think we responded."
Gibault coach Darryn Haudrich said the Hawks backline is a work in progress.
"We're still making our way through a formation change, and that's created quite a bit of gaps for us," he said. "We're young in the back. All four of the defensive backs are brand new to the system, and there are still a lot of kinks we're working out. Yes, Connor stood on his head and kept us in the game single-handedly. He made some Grade A saves for us and came up big for us."
Despite the Mascoutah pressure, Helio Neto Franca broke the ice for Gibault when he scored on a scramble inside the box in the 49th minute. The senior transfer from Michigan, via Brazil, was a threat every time he touched the ball on the wing.
Less than four minutes later, Mascoutah midfielder Alvaro Paris-Gimeno finally solved Olson and tied the score at 1-1 on a cross that he managed to push over the head of the Hawks goalie.
Mascoutah took the lead in the 62nd minute when Whiteside was left alone outside the box and beat Olson to the upper right corner with a quick shot.
"We came on strong in the second half," said Whiteside. "We were getting balls from our defense a lot, balls from the back. We were getting more shots, and we really picked it up."
Gibault freshman midfielder Andrew Feldker tied the game on a shot from the top of the arc off a corner kick from Neto Franca.
Olson had to come up big again in the final two minutes to help the Hawks hold on to the tie. He tipped a Whiteside shot from the top of the box over the goal and then exited from his comfort zone to come off his line to take the ball from Alvaro Paris-Gimeno.
"It depends on the situation," Olson said. "I'm more comfortable staying on the line. If I know I can get it, most of the time I will go."
The Hawks will have little rest as they continue their rebuilding process. Gibault plays at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Marquette (Alton), hosts St. John Vianney (Mo.) at 6 p.m. Thursday and travels to Belleville East for a 10:30 a.m. game Saturday.
Starting Lineups
Mascoutah
GK Mark Levrault
D Oliver Hoybach
D Derek Marchant
D Joey Huiras
D Cole Gober
MF Jared Padilla
MF Maxwell McCollum
MF Alvaro Paris-Gimeno
F Kaleb Whiteside
F Lane Hoelscher
F Nathan Hippard
Gibault
GK Connor Olson
D Kyle Barbour
D Spencer Blake
D Mitchell Kohnz
D Nate Janson
MF Collin Schmidt
MF Jacob Feldker
MF Carlos Simoni
MF Helio Neto Franca
F Gerard Cerezalez Perez
F Gavin Kohnz
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Connor Olson, sr., GK, Gibault
Scoring summary
Mascoutah 2, Gibault 2
Mascoutah 0 2 -- 2
Gibault 0 2 -- 2
First half
No scoring
Second half
Gibault - Helio Neto Franca 31:02
Mascoutah- Alvaro Paris-Gimeno 27:16
Mascoutah - Kaleb Whiteside 18:47
Gibault - Andrew Feldker (Helio Neto Franca) 17:25