Late Notre Dame tally denies
Glenbrook South Senior Night win
Dons finally catch up to shorthanded Titans for 1-1 draw
By Mike Garofola
GLENVIEW -- Joey Sorce helped Notre Dame finish in a fury and earn a draw at Glenbrook South on Monday night at John Davis Stadium.
The host Titans looked on course to treat their crowd to a Senior Night victory when Sorce curled his free kick into the back of the net four minutes from time for a 1-1 result. The nonconference contest was a reunion between Titans manager Reggie Lara and his counterpart Mike Smith -- both were former Notre Dame futbol stars.
"Joey (Sorce) has really been playing well of late for us since our win over St. Patrick (Sept. 14) when he put two in. He's just been clicking," began Smith who took over the Dons program when Lara took over at Glenbrook South in 2017.
"(Joey) has produced in big games and does not shy away from the spotlight. He embraces the big moments like so many of our younger players. This is a special trait to have and so good for the future of Notre Dame soccer."
Sorce's inward-swinging shot went off the gloves of Titans keeper Yash Ghai, who elevated high into the air in his attempt to push the try up and over the net. However, the ball rattled off the underside of the bar and fell over the goal line.
"That was a very disappointing way for this game to end," bemoaned Titans senior Adrian Potoniec, one of 18 seniors honored at halftime.
"This result is a direct result of us making poor decisions all night long, then getting on each other when we made mistakes, which is not the way to play anytime, especially when we were a man down for such a long time tonight," continued Potoniec.
Glenbrook South keeper Jack Danby was dismissed just before the half hour when he raced full speed off his line to challenge Ryan Shanahan, who was set free just beyond the midline.
When the two met, it was Shanahan who was sent flying through the air. Referee Todd Abraham showed a straight red card to the Titans senior.
Ghai enjoyed a terrific second half of play between the sticks. The Dons (11-4-2) threw everything forward in the final quarter hour as they went in search of the equalizer.
"Our tradition is to start an all-senior starting lineup on Senior Night. We had some guys playing in spots they are not totally familiar with, but that's not an excuse for some of the things we did tonight," offered Lara.
"On the whole, this effort was not representative of the type of soccer we play and have been playing, which is nothing to take away from the way Mike's guys played, or about some of the calls that were made, which to me were proper and correct."
One of the seniors Lara introduced in his starting 11 was team manager Adam Alexander. It was a decision that would prove a major success when he bagged the opener in the 14th minute.
"Adam is an amazing kid, who prior to this season juggled playing soccer (with the JV) and marching band, which was two hours of soccer training followed by another three hours of band practice," said a proud Lara of Alexander.
As if the ball were on a string, Luca Piekarski delivered an inch perfect serve from the far-right side to the foot of Alexander at the back post for an easy one-timer that stunned the visitors.
Dons senior captains Danny Deano and Jack Plovanich, who shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor, echoed it was not the start their team wanted. Their coach agreed.
"I wasn't thrilled with how some of the stuff in the first half went down, but that's soccer and life in general," added Mike Smith.
"We (coaches, players, referees) are all out there doing the best that we can. (We) all make mistakes, but it was a weird start with all of the fouls, cards and stoppage of play."
Plovanich and Deano were key figures in the eventual result. Plovanich provided his patented long-range service on free kicks while defending with plenty of gusto and grit. That was demonstrated at the highest level when he took two balls off the line during the first period.
Deano handled the 10-position with excellence all night long. He went box-to-box and demonstrated his abilities to pass, control the ball and get to the right spots to accept passes. His distribution kept the Dons attacking running.
"Daniel is one of the most skilled and humble kids I've ever been around. Watching him play out there is a thing of beauty," said Smith.
Deano ran on to a pair of free kicks from beyond the midline from Plovanich but saw one saved and another go wide of the back post.
Glenbrook South (6-8-7) adjusted quite well to playing a man down for the final 50 minutes of the match. The Titans kept their shape and stayed organized which was vital when their guests came at them with all their might.
"We immediately went to a 3-4-2 after the red card, with Jimmy (Aglikin) and Teddy Sturiale on the outside and myself playing in the middle," said Titans senior defender Chris Sanchez, who was strong on the ball and sharp in his tackles and decision-making. He also provided several searing balls out of the back to his teammates up-top. “Then we opened in a 4-4-1 after the break to help us keep numbers back a little bit more.”
Lara hopes to connect Sanchez with the staff at Aurora University, which he feels would be a terrific fit for his talented center back, who wants to play collegiate soccer next fall.
Aglikin raced out of the back after collecting a loose ball on the outside. If not for Plovanich, who defended while retreating, the Titans senior likely would have had Dons keeper Luca LoBianco to himself just minutes from the break.
"We just did not create enough quality chances in either half," said Aglikin. “When we did, we just didn't finish any of those chances, which is one reason why we have seven draws on the season.”
Notre Dame junior Ryan Shanahan was active up-top when the second period began in earnest. He headed a shot over the bar before forcing Ghai to save his attempt after Francesco DiFilippo and Joey Sorce helped arrange for his opportunity inside the box.
Lara and his staff rotated fresh legs at their lone attacking role after the disqualification. Senior Jacob Pawlusiewicz provided the best pace when deployed. He charged at the Dons backline and was willing to go touchline to touchline in the hopes of forcing a turnover deep in the visitors end.
Alec Grenolds, whom Lara credited for his solid work on the outside, tackled, defended and on a couple of occasions jumped into the attack when the home side countered.
Notre Dame saw its offensive potential increase as the second half moved forward with five free kicks, four corners and a pair of deep throws that kept the visitors in the Titans end for most of the final quarter of regulation.
Ghai had a strong game. He stretched to full extension to turn away Deano on 22-yard shot in the 59th minute.
A late reaction glove save kept Shanahan's header from finding the back of the net four minutes later to preserve the Titans one-goal advantage.
The home side, which played without injured leading scorer Chris Perez, could have put a dagger into the Dons hopes when it conjured up two glorious chances after the Ghai’s heroics.
The first came when Grenolds set Nathan Halpern free, but LoBianco stopped the try. The next saw the pesky Plovanich once again winning on his second retrieving mission. He tackled Conor Beach, who drew LoBianco far off his line on a challenge, and would have had an easy chance if not for Plovanich.
"For all of the time we defended and saw Notre Dame in our end, we still were able to create two great chances, only to fail to finish at least one of them," lamented Lara.
Notre Dame hopes its comeback will provide momentum for its important East Suburban Catholic Conference games at Carmel on Wednesday and hosting Benet on Saturday. If the Dons win out, they will take the league title with an undefeated mark and post their second-consecutive perfect mark in the league.
"This team has come a long way since that very first game of the season. With each time out, I've seen our young players improve and mature, which has helped us put us in a position to challenge for a second-straight conference title," said Plovanich.
The game was great preparation for the big upcoming matches.
"It definitely felt like a playoff atmosphere in terms of the physical play,” said Smith. “A signature of Notre Dame soccer is we play tough with grit and hunger, while showing character at the same time. It's the DNA of Dons soccer.
"Jack at center back, Max Stalencyzk in the middle, and Shanahan up-top all had some of their best games of the year. With Jack and Max winning so many 50-50 balls for us. we were able to keep control when we needed to.
"To grab the equalizer with four minutes to go, against a really good 3A team, and on their Senior Night, was really big for us."
Lara, who was a senior captain at Notre Dame when Smith was a sophomore, will now turn the attention of his staff and young men toward a trio of nonconference games to finish out the regular-season.
"As I said, we did some very good things tonight, and at other times, we just didn't play the way we all know we're capable of playing. But we still learned a few things and will continue to work to improve in all areas of our game," said Lara.
"This team can play so much better,” added Sanchez. “We just have to come out and meet the energy of our opponents and play with a little more urgency. We have a very good team that has shown we can play with teams like New Trier and others."
The Titans play at Niles North (14-2-3) and Waukegan (4-9-3) this week, before finishing up at Warren (10-3-2) on Oct. 10. Then they will prepare for a barnburner of a postseason opener against district rival Glenbrook North on Oct, 18.
Starting lineups
Notre Dame (3-5-2)
G- Luca Lobianco
D- Francesco Difilippo
D- Jack Plovanich
D- Ante Basan
MF- Ian Martinez
MF- Max Stalencyzk
MF- Daniel Deano
MF- Joey Sorce
MF- Colin Sorce
F- Sebastian Dzierznowski
F- Ryan Shanahan
Glenbrook South (3-4-3)
G- Yash Ghai
D- Ryan Palmer
D- Chris Sanchez
D- Jeffrey Podjasek
MF- Chad Aquino
MF- Daniel Cha
MF- Alec Grenolds
MF- Luca Piekarski
F- John Economy
F- Jacob Pawlusiewicz
F- Shaylan Gupta
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Daniel Deano, sr., MF, Notre Dame;
Jack Plovanich, sr., D, Notre Dame
Referee: Todd Abraham
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbrook South: Anderson (Piekarski), 14'
Second half
Notre Dame: J. Sorce (free kick), 76'
Statistics
Shots on goal
Notre Dame: 7
Glenbrook South: 4
Shots off
Notre Dame: 13
Glenbrook South: 3
Corner kicks
Notre Dame: 9
Glenbrook South: 1
Offsides
Notre Dame: 0
Glenbrook South: 3
Fouls
Notre Dame: 12
Glenbrook South: 17
Yellow cards
Notre Dame: 2
Glenbrook South: 2
Red cards
Notre Dame: 0
Glenbrook South: 1
Glenbrook South Senior Night win
Dons finally catch up to shorthanded Titans for 1-1 draw
By Mike Garofola
GLENVIEW -- Joey Sorce helped Notre Dame finish in a fury and earn a draw at Glenbrook South on Monday night at John Davis Stadium.
The host Titans looked on course to treat their crowd to a Senior Night victory when Sorce curled his free kick into the back of the net four minutes from time for a 1-1 result. The nonconference contest was a reunion between Titans manager Reggie Lara and his counterpart Mike Smith -- both were former Notre Dame futbol stars.
"Joey (Sorce) has really been playing well of late for us since our win over St. Patrick (Sept. 14) when he put two in. He's just been clicking," began Smith who took over the Dons program when Lara took over at Glenbrook South in 2017.
"(Joey) has produced in big games and does not shy away from the spotlight. He embraces the big moments like so many of our younger players. This is a special trait to have and so good for the future of Notre Dame soccer."
Sorce's inward-swinging shot went off the gloves of Titans keeper Yash Ghai, who elevated high into the air in his attempt to push the try up and over the net. However, the ball rattled off the underside of the bar and fell over the goal line.
"That was a very disappointing way for this game to end," bemoaned Titans senior Adrian Potoniec, one of 18 seniors honored at halftime.
"This result is a direct result of us making poor decisions all night long, then getting on each other when we made mistakes, which is not the way to play anytime, especially when we were a man down for such a long time tonight," continued Potoniec.
Glenbrook South keeper Jack Danby was dismissed just before the half hour when he raced full speed off his line to challenge Ryan Shanahan, who was set free just beyond the midline.
When the two met, it was Shanahan who was sent flying through the air. Referee Todd Abraham showed a straight red card to the Titans senior.
Ghai enjoyed a terrific second half of play between the sticks. The Dons (11-4-2) threw everything forward in the final quarter hour as they went in search of the equalizer.
"Our tradition is to start an all-senior starting lineup on Senior Night. We had some guys playing in spots they are not totally familiar with, but that's not an excuse for some of the things we did tonight," offered Lara.
"On the whole, this effort was not representative of the type of soccer we play and have been playing, which is nothing to take away from the way Mike's guys played, or about some of the calls that were made, which to me were proper and correct."
One of the seniors Lara introduced in his starting 11 was team manager Adam Alexander. It was a decision that would prove a major success when he bagged the opener in the 14th minute.
"Adam is an amazing kid, who prior to this season juggled playing soccer (with the JV) and marching band, which was two hours of soccer training followed by another three hours of band practice," said a proud Lara of Alexander.
As if the ball were on a string, Luca Piekarski delivered an inch perfect serve from the far-right side to the foot of Alexander at the back post for an easy one-timer that stunned the visitors.
Dons senior captains Danny Deano and Jack Plovanich, who shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor, echoed it was not the start their team wanted. Their coach agreed.
"I wasn't thrilled with how some of the stuff in the first half went down, but that's soccer and life in general," added Mike Smith.
"We (coaches, players, referees) are all out there doing the best that we can. (We) all make mistakes, but it was a weird start with all of the fouls, cards and stoppage of play."
Plovanich and Deano were key figures in the eventual result. Plovanich provided his patented long-range service on free kicks while defending with plenty of gusto and grit. That was demonstrated at the highest level when he took two balls off the line during the first period.
Deano handled the 10-position with excellence all night long. He went box-to-box and demonstrated his abilities to pass, control the ball and get to the right spots to accept passes. His distribution kept the Dons attacking running.
"Daniel is one of the most skilled and humble kids I've ever been around. Watching him play out there is a thing of beauty," said Smith.
Deano ran on to a pair of free kicks from beyond the midline from Plovanich but saw one saved and another go wide of the back post.
Glenbrook South (6-8-7) adjusted quite well to playing a man down for the final 50 minutes of the match. The Titans kept their shape and stayed organized which was vital when their guests came at them with all their might.
"We immediately went to a 3-4-2 after the red card, with Jimmy (Aglikin) and Teddy Sturiale on the outside and myself playing in the middle," said Titans senior defender Chris Sanchez, who was strong on the ball and sharp in his tackles and decision-making. He also provided several searing balls out of the back to his teammates up-top. “Then we opened in a 4-4-1 after the break to help us keep numbers back a little bit more.”
Lara hopes to connect Sanchez with the staff at Aurora University, which he feels would be a terrific fit for his talented center back, who wants to play collegiate soccer next fall.
Aglikin raced out of the back after collecting a loose ball on the outside. If not for Plovanich, who defended while retreating, the Titans senior likely would have had Dons keeper Luca LoBianco to himself just minutes from the break.
"We just did not create enough quality chances in either half," said Aglikin. “When we did, we just didn't finish any of those chances, which is one reason why we have seven draws on the season.”
Notre Dame junior Ryan Shanahan was active up-top when the second period began in earnest. He headed a shot over the bar before forcing Ghai to save his attempt after Francesco DiFilippo and Joey Sorce helped arrange for his opportunity inside the box.
Lara and his staff rotated fresh legs at their lone attacking role after the disqualification. Senior Jacob Pawlusiewicz provided the best pace when deployed. He charged at the Dons backline and was willing to go touchline to touchline in the hopes of forcing a turnover deep in the visitors end.
Alec Grenolds, whom Lara credited for his solid work on the outside, tackled, defended and on a couple of occasions jumped into the attack when the home side countered.
Notre Dame saw its offensive potential increase as the second half moved forward with five free kicks, four corners and a pair of deep throws that kept the visitors in the Titans end for most of the final quarter of regulation.
Ghai had a strong game. He stretched to full extension to turn away Deano on 22-yard shot in the 59th minute.
A late reaction glove save kept Shanahan's header from finding the back of the net four minutes later to preserve the Titans one-goal advantage.
The home side, which played without injured leading scorer Chris Perez, could have put a dagger into the Dons hopes when it conjured up two glorious chances after the Ghai’s heroics.
The first came when Grenolds set Nathan Halpern free, but LoBianco stopped the try. The next saw the pesky Plovanich once again winning on his second retrieving mission. He tackled Conor Beach, who drew LoBianco far off his line on a challenge, and would have had an easy chance if not for Plovanich.
"For all of the time we defended and saw Notre Dame in our end, we still were able to create two great chances, only to fail to finish at least one of them," lamented Lara.
Notre Dame hopes its comeback will provide momentum for its important East Suburban Catholic Conference games at Carmel on Wednesday and hosting Benet on Saturday. If the Dons win out, they will take the league title with an undefeated mark and post their second-consecutive perfect mark in the league.
"This team has come a long way since that very first game of the season. With each time out, I've seen our young players improve and mature, which has helped us put us in a position to challenge for a second-straight conference title," said Plovanich.
The game was great preparation for the big upcoming matches.
"It definitely felt like a playoff atmosphere in terms of the physical play,” said Smith. “A signature of Notre Dame soccer is we play tough with grit and hunger, while showing character at the same time. It's the DNA of Dons soccer.
"Jack at center back, Max Stalencyzk in the middle, and Shanahan up-top all had some of their best games of the year. With Jack and Max winning so many 50-50 balls for us. we were able to keep control when we needed to.
"To grab the equalizer with four minutes to go, against a really good 3A team, and on their Senior Night, was really big for us."
Lara, who was a senior captain at Notre Dame when Smith was a sophomore, will now turn the attention of his staff and young men toward a trio of nonconference games to finish out the regular-season.
"As I said, we did some very good things tonight, and at other times, we just didn't play the way we all know we're capable of playing. But we still learned a few things and will continue to work to improve in all areas of our game," said Lara.
"This team can play so much better,” added Sanchez. “We just have to come out and meet the energy of our opponents and play with a little more urgency. We have a very good team that has shown we can play with teams like New Trier and others."
The Titans play at Niles North (14-2-3) and Waukegan (4-9-3) this week, before finishing up at Warren (10-3-2) on Oct. 10. Then they will prepare for a barnburner of a postseason opener against district rival Glenbrook North on Oct, 18.
Starting lineups
Notre Dame (3-5-2)
G- Luca Lobianco
D- Francesco Difilippo
D- Jack Plovanich
D- Ante Basan
MF- Ian Martinez
MF- Max Stalencyzk
MF- Daniel Deano
MF- Joey Sorce
MF- Colin Sorce
F- Sebastian Dzierznowski
F- Ryan Shanahan
Glenbrook South (3-4-3)
G- Yash Ghai
D- Ryan Palmer
D- Chris Sanchez
D- Jeffrey Podjasek
MF- Chad Aquino
MF- Daniel Cha
MF- Alec Grenolds
MF- Luca Piekarski
F- John Economy
F- Jacob Pawlusiewicz
F- Shaylan Gupta
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Daniel Deano, sr., MF, Notre Dame;
Jack Plovanich, sr., D, Notre Dame
Referee: Todd Abraham
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbrook South: Anderson (Piekarski), 14'
Second half
Notre Dame: J. Sorce (free kick), 76'
Statistics
Shots on goal
Notre Dame: 7
Glenbrook South: 4
Shots off
Notre Dame: 13
Glenbrook South: 3
Corner kicks
Notre Dame: 9
Glenbrook South: 1
Offsides
Notre Dame: 0
Glenbrook South: 3
Fouls
Notre Dame: 12
Glenbrook South: 17
Yellow cards
Notre Dame: 2
Glenbrook South: 2
Red cards
Notre Dame: 0
Glenbrook South: 1