Shorthanded Mt. Carmel shocks Loyola
Favela tallies 3 late goals in 8-minute span for 3-1 win
By Ken Keenan
GLENVIEW -- Loyola was nursing a 1-0 lead against visiting Mount Carmel late in the second half at the Munz Athletic Campus on Tuesday, seemingly content to simply hold the fort against a Caravan squad playing with 10 men due to a red card.
But the strategy backfired, and Mount Carmel erupted for three goals in an eight-minute span to post a 3-1 win. Dynamic Caravan junior forward Daniel Favela served as the volcanic lava, burning the Ramblers by tallying all three of his team's markers to earn Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
"The red card, it probably hurt us," said Loyola head coach Baer Fisher, whose team (ranked no. 24 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25) fell to 10-5-2 overall and 1-3-1 in league play with the loss. "We took our foot off the pedal ... took for granted we were a man up. We should have gone for the kill. Up a man, we've got to put it away."
Mount Carmel skipper Antonio Godinez saw his squad improve to 13-2-1 overall and 5-0-0 (first place) in CCL Blue play with its 10-straight win. The Caravan jumped from no. 23 to third in the Chicagoland Soccer this week after they beat Naperville North and nationally ranked Marquette (Milwaukee) in the Goal 4 the Goal Fall Classic last weekend in Iowa
Godinez said he wasn't worried that the red card -- coupled soon after with a 1-0 deficit -- would prove disastrous.
"Sometimes you play better a man down," Godinez said. "Guys understand the situation. We knew (the Ramblers) would sit back. A lot of teams sit back on us."
Godinez continued: "Adversity, we're very good when facing that. We don't stop."
The red card (handed out in the 53rd minute) came when the game was scoreless. Mount Carmel nearly scored in the 56th minute when senior forward Damian Rincon unleashed a 15-yard free kick from a wide angle on the left side that required a leaping, slap-away save by Ramblers sophomore goalkeeper Alex Ainsworth.
Less than minute later, Loyola nabbed its 1-0 lead on a goal by junior forward Dylan Gripman, who got just enough of his head on a cross sent by junior defender Mario Hrvojevic to bounce the ball past Caravan junior keeper Ernesto Hernandez.
"It kind of hit my face and went in," Gripman said. "It was very exciting to get the lead."
From that point on -- not counting a rocket off the left post by the ever-dangerous Favela with 17:20 to go -- Loyola stayed in prevent mode, stacking five defenders in the back in an attempt to keep the Caravan at a distance.
But Mount Carmel didn't bow, methodically possessing east-to-west and waiting for the right moment to strike. Speedy sophomore forward Marco Valencia was the first to break through the Ramblers' wall. He rushed ahead in the 70th minute to fire a 15-yard shot that missed just high.
Eighty-five seconds later, Favela notched his first goal to tie the match at 1-1. After taking a pass from Rincon, Favela split a pair of Loyola defenders and slipped a low shot off the arm of Ainsworth and inside the left post.
"We worked on breaking that wall," Godinez said. "Once we got the first goal, the momentum shifted, and we wanted more."
It took Favela less than two minutes to dent the net again, this time on a running header after tracking a Rincon cross.
"After the red card, there was a little panic at first," Favela said. "But we knew we could get the game back and finish with our heart."
Added solid Mount Carmel junior defender/midfielder Nadim Gomez: "We noticed (Loyola) stayed back more, so we were looking to keep our attack moving forward."
Merely 40 seconds after relinquishing the lead, Loyola had its last clear look of the game when sophomore defender Ryan Leider fired from a deep angle on the right side. But Hernandez made the save, and the clock continued to work against the Ramblers.
Favela completed his hat-trick with 25 seconds left. Gathering a loose ball at midfield, Favela turned and sent a high, arching shot that landed just under the crossbar with Loyola keeper Ainsworth well out of the box to aid any possible Ramblers push.
"Before I got the ball I saw the goalkeeper way out," Favela said. "I just shot it, and it went in."
And out went the final hope for Loyola to net the equalizer.
"It's a tough one to swallow," Fisher said. "We have to find a way to turn it on with the lead and kill off a game. With two of the top teams in the CCL, we knew it would be an emotional battle. Credit to (the Caravan), they found a way."
Prior to the dramatic turnaround, the anticipated clash between the two Chicago Catholic Blue Division rivals was a close-to-the-vest affair with only a few scoring chances for either side, resulting in the scoreless first half.
Things opened up a bit in the second session, starting with a 35-yard free kick by Mount Carmel's Rincon in the 45th minute that curled over the crossbar. Just over three minutes later, Loyola had a pair of great looks: a one-timer in front by junior mid Michael Sullivan that barely missed wide-left, followed immediately by a quick re-direct on the doorstep by junior defender Oscar Blazer on the ensuing corner kick.
Not long after, the red card was issued, Loyola scored ... and the tone of the game changed as the Caravan mounted its comeback.
"Our mentality shouldn't change with the red card," said Ramblers senior mid Nick Roscoe. "We should have the advantage and keep playing our game. Thinking we have the lead, then sitting back ... and then we started to panic a bit."
Added Gripman: "You don't want to let a up a goal with a man advantage. You have to keep your composure."
Still, Roscoe said the gut-wrenching loss won't define what's been a strong 2019 Loyola campaign.
"We're frustrated, but there were a lot of positives," he said. "We proved we could go up against one of the best teams in the state."
Starting lineups
Mount Carmel
G: Ernesto Hernandez
D: Nadim Gomez
D: Stanley Peat
D: Sebastian Palma
M: Giovanni Peat
M: Felix Mendoza
M: Emmett Benito
M: Daniel Miller
M: Christian Leon
F: Daniel Favela
F: Damian Rincon
Loyola
G: Alex Ainsworth
D: Oscar Blazer
D: Mario Hrvojevic
D: Niko Douvalakis
D: Ryan Leider
M: Michael Sullivan
M: Colin Redmond
M: Nick Roscoe
M: Andrew Hoepfner
F: Tommy Zipprich
F: Dylan Gripman
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Daniel Favela, jr., F, Mount Carmel
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Loyola: Dylan Gripman (assisted by Mario Hrvojevic) in 57th minute
Mount Carmel: Daniel Favela (assisted by Damian Rincon) in 71st minute
Mount Carmel: Favela (assisted by Rincon) in 73rd minute
Mount Carmel: Favela (unassisted) in 79th minute
Favela tallies 3 late goals in 8-minute span for 3-1 win
By Ken Keenan
GLENVIEW -- Loyola was nursing a 1-0 lead against visiting Mount Carmel late in the second half at the Munz Athletic Campus on Tuesday, seemingly content to simply hold the fort against a Caravan squad playing with 10 men due to a red card.
But the strategy backfired, and Mount Carmel erupted for three goals in an eight-minute span to post a 3-1 win. Dynamic Caravan junior forward Daniel Favela served as the volcanic lava, burning the Ramblers by tallying all three of his team's markers to earn Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
"The red card, it probably hurt us," said Loyola head coach Baer Fisher, whose team (ranked no. 24 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25) fell to 10-5-2 overall and 1-3-1 in league play with the loss. "We took our foot off the pedal ... took for granted we were a man up. We should have gone for the kill. Up a man, we've got to put it away."
Mount Carmel skipper Antonio Godinez saw his squad improve to 13-2-1 overall and 5-0-0 (first place) in CCL Blue play with its 10-straight win. The Caravan jumped from no. 23 to third in the Chicagoland Soccer this week after they beat Naperville North and nationally ranked Marquette (Milwaukee) in the Goal 4 the Goal Fall Classic last weekend in Iowa
Godinez said he wasn't worried that the red card -- coupled soon after with a 1-0 deficit -- would prove disastrous.
"Sometimes you play better a man down," Godinez said. "Guys understand the situation. We knew (the Ramblers) would sit back. A lot of teams sit back on us."
Godinez continued: "Adversity, we're very good when facing that. We don't stop."
The red card (handed out in the 53rd minute) came when the game was scoreless. Mount Carmel nearly scored in the 56th minute when senior forward Damian Rincon unleashed a 15-yard free kick from a wide angle on the left side that required a leaping, slap-away save by Ramblers sophomore goalkeeper Alex Ainsworth.
Less than minute later, Loyola nabbed its 1-0 lead on a goal by junior forward Dylan Gripman, who got just enough of his head on a cross sent by junior defender Mario Hrvojevic to bounce the ball past Caravan junior keeper Ernesto Hernandez.
"It kind of hit my face and went in," Gripman said. "It was very exciting to get the lead."
From that point on -- not counting a rocket off the left post by the ever-dangerous Favela with 17:20 to go -- Loyola stayed in prevent mode, stacking five defenders in the back in an attempt to keep the Caravan at a distance.
But Mount Carmel didn't bow, methodically possessing east-to-west and waiting for the right moment to strike. Speedy sophomore forward Marco Valencia was the first to break through the Ramblers' wall. He rushed ahead in the 70th minute to fire a 15-yard shot that missed just high.
Eighty-five seconds later, Favela notched his first goal to tie the match at 1-1. After taking a pass from Rincon, Favela split a pair of Loyola defenders and slipped a low shot off the arm of Ainsworth and inside the left post.
"We worked on breaking that wall," Godinez said. "Once we got the first goal, the momentum shifted, and we wanted more."
It took Favela less than two minutes to dent the net again, this time on a running header after tracking a Rincon cross.
"After the red card, there was a little panic at first," Favela said. "But we knew we could get the game back and finish with our heart."
Added solid Mount Carmel junior defender/midfielder Nadim Gomez: "We noticed (Loyola) stayed back more, so we were looking to keep our attack moving forward."
Merely 40 seconds after relinquishing the lead, Loyola had its last clear look of the game when sophomore defender Ryan Leider fired from a deep angle on the right side. But Hernandez made the save, and the clock continued to work against the Ramblers.
Favela completed his hat-trick with 25 seconds left. Gathering a loose ball at midfield, Favela turned and sent a high, arching shot that landed just under the crossbar with Loyola keeper Ainsworth well out of the box to aid any possible Ramblers push.
"Before I got the ball I saw the goalkeeper way out," Favela said. "I just shot it, and it went in."
And out went the final hope for Loyola to net the equalizer.
"It's a tough one to swallow," Fisher said. "We have to find a way to turn it on with the lead and kill off a game. With two of the top teams in the CCL, we knew it would be an emotional battle. Credit to (the Caravan), they found a way."
Prior to the dramatic turnaround, the anticipated clash between the two Chicago Catholic Blue Division rivals was a close-to-the-vest affair with only a few scoring chances for either side, resulting in the scoreless first half.
Things opened up a bit in the second session, starting with a 35-yard free kick by Mount Carmel's Rincon in the 45th minute that curled over the crossbar. Just over three minutes later, Loyola had a pair of great looks: a one-timer in front by junior mid Michael Sullivan that barely missed wide-left, followed immediately by a quick re-direct on the doorstep by junior defender Oscar Blazer on the ensuing corner kick.
Not long after, the red card was issued, Loyola scored ... and the tone of the game changed as the Caravan mounted its comeback.
"Our mentality shouldn't change with the red card," said Ramblers senior mid Nick Roscoe. "We should have the advantage and keep playing our game. Thinking we have the lead, then sitting back ... and then we started to panic a bit."
Added Gripman: "You don't want to let a up a goal with a man advantage. You have to keep your composure."
Still, Roscoe said the gut-wrenching loss won't define what's been a strong 2019 Loyola campaign.
"We're frustrated, but there were a lot of positives," he said. "We proved we could go up against one of the best teams in the state."
Starting lineups
Mount Carmel
G: Ernesto Hernandez
D: Nadim Gomez
D: Stanley Peat
D: Sebastian Palma
M: Giovanni Peat
M: Felix Mendoza
M: Emmett Benito
M: Daniel Miller
M: Christian Leon
F: Daniel Favela
F: Damian Rincon
Loyola
G: Alex Ainsworth
D: Oscar Blazer
D: Mario Hrvojevic
D: Niko Douvalakis
D: Ryan Leider
M: Michael Sullivan
M: Colin Redmond
M: Nick Roscoe
M: Andrew Hoepfner
F: Tommy Zipprich
F: Dylan Gripman
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Daniel Favela, jr., F, Mount Carmel
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Loyola: Dylan Gripman (assisted by Mario Hrvojevic) in 57th minute
Mount Carmel: Daniel Favela (assisted by Damian Rincon) in 71st minute
Mount Carmel: Favela (assisted by Rincon) in 73rd minute
Mount Carmel: Favela (unassisted) in 79th minute