Fine Fein leads Grayslake Central past Notre Dame, back to finals
Junior's brace propels Rams to 3-0 supersectional win
By Bobby Narang
GRAYSLAKE – Grayslake Central junior midfielder Mitchell Fein doubled his pleasure Tuesday night.
A year ago, in the Rams run to the program's first appearance in the Class AA state finals, Fein supplied the assist on Danik Marynevych’s goal in the 69th minute for a 1-0 win over Notre Dame in the Grayslake Central Supersectional.
Fast forward to 2022 in the same venue, against the same team, but on a much warmer night than last season’s frigid conditions.
Fein directed his team to the Final Four again. This time, instead of assisting, he scored a goal in each half to carry the Rams to a 3-0 victory over Notre Dame in the same homefield supersectional environment.
Fein admitted he was shocked to double his pleasure. He entered the game with only three goals on the season.
“I’ve been struggling scoring all season,” Fein said. “It definitely feels good to get two goals. ... To score two, it feels so good. That was crazy assisting the goal in last year’s supersectional, but scoring two goals in a supersectional is crazy.”
The Rams’ run to the state tournament has been a bit bonkers too.
This season, the team suffered more defeats in the run of play via the injury bug than losses.
The biggest void occurred when 2021 Chicagoland Soccer all-stater Marynevych fell to a season-ending leg injury in the middle of September. Top-of-the-line defender Jose Chavez also went down for the count in the same game, and Grayslake Central suffered its only loss of the season -- a 4-1 defeat at conference rival Round Lake.
After the despair, the program showed its resolve. Relying on its remaining strong group of upperclassmen, with plenty of contributions from a host of sophomores and freshmen, the top-seeded and 13th-ranked team in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 charged back to earn their place this weekend at Hoffman Estates High School.
The Rams will open at 3 p.m. with fellow top-seed Glenwood, which was ranked eighth in Chicagoland Soccer's final Illinois 10 poll.
Grayslake Central finished fourth last season and aches to win their the school’s first semifinal game and championship.
The Rams (18-1-3) celebrated the Tuesday night win by taking pictures in the north end zone.
Grayslake Central coach Keith Andersson preferred to stay in the background following the victory, hanging around the edge of the circle of players, family members and school officials. He said this year’s magical ride to state is vastly different than last season’s experience.
“We went out stronger against Notre Dame this year,” Andersson said. “We told the guys we didn’t want to play until the 69th minute to score a goal (like in 2021). We played hard and fast, and they did. … We wanted constant urgency. Our guys played with it. Everybody contributed tonight.
“Last year was a shock. This year’s it’s more nerve-wracking, because it was expected. I’m just happy that I got such great kids, great parents, and the program and community have been very supportive.
"You couldn’t ask for a better night for soccer. Last year it was rainy and cold and horrible (the week of state). This is going to be a nice week.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Notre Dame dealt with a down, then up season that ended with the same supersectional result. The Dons (16-6-2) failed to score a goal against the Rams – again.
But the 2022 version entered the season lacking the same firepower and depth following the decision of twins Freddy and Martin Krug to go to school in Europe. Freddy Krug tallied 33 goals and 15 assists as a Chicagoland Soccer all-stater last season.
The Dons struggled early in the season and went 5-5-0 in their first 10 games. They adjusted and went 12-2-1 over their last 14 games. Included in the run was 7-1-0 mark in the East Suburban Catholic Conference to repeat as league champs, this time in a tie with Benet and St. Patrick.
“Our seniors gave everything out there today,” said Notre Dame assistant coach Mike Regal, a former standout soccer player for the Dons. “No regrets. They played hard.
"We played them same place, same location. A lot of players from last year are now seniors; they remember the place vividly. We had a lot of sophomores join the team. They wanted the win for the juniors from last year. They battled, but this team (Grayslake Central) is good.
“(Junior midfielder) Ian Martinez played great; a lot of guys played great. We had about 15 alumni send us a good luck video before this game.
“We had a great straight-uphill improvement from early in the season. The first five or six games, we really struggled to score. We knew we had a good defense, but we made some changes. … It kind of clicked and came together. These guys became so close over the last 80 days. It’s been fun.
“When I played at Notre Dame with coach (Michael) Smith, we struggled winning. It’s been uphill ever since. Now look at these kids. They’re talented and play all year round. Next year we have a bunch of good freshmen (matriculating) and will come out and compete again.”
On Tuesday, Fein lived up to his name and his growing reputation for coming up big in the supersectional round. He scored the first goal on a penalty kick in the 13th minute, smacking the ball inside the far post for the game-winner.
He tacked on his second goal by slowly hitting a shot from 10 yards just inside the near post for a 2-0 lead in the 61st minute. Fein’s two goals against Notre Dame pushed his season total to five goals.
“Mitchell is paying lights-out, him and Nick (Molochnikov) are solid on the outside,” Andersson said. “He’s dangerous, cuts in and can use that left foot and bend it upper corner. He has great speed and skill with the ball and is great in the air. He contributes to the team with his passing ability, vision on the field. He’s an amazing player. We’re lucky to have him.”
Sophomore Prince Trawick added the cherry on top with a banger of a goal from roughly 30 yards in the 69th minute that finished the scoring. Trawick had missed the previous two games with an illness but returned in time to make his presence felt.
“At first, I took a bad touch, so figured I might as well hit it. I didn’t even see it hit the back of the net,” Trawick said. “It felt amazing to score.”
Junior midfielder Molochnikov said the Rams are peaking at the right time and are looking to win their first game at state.
“Going back-to-back (to the state finals) is insane,” he said. “I can’t believe it. We can’t believe it. We played great out there. Everyone did their job. Mitchell and me have been friends since day one. It was special for him and me.
“Our young players are playing good, and we have a very bright future. We were mentally prepared since our previous win. We have one goal -- to go back to state and have a different outcome than last year. We’re hoping to win state.”
The Rams’ backline played stellar and limited the shots for the Dons. The backline of Chicagoland Soccer all-stater Lucas Veenstra, Anderson Chevrier, Eric Garcia-Perez and Damian Sereno joined forces with goalie Uriel Garcia-Perez to record another shutout.
The Rams have not allowed a goal in five playoff games this season. Uriel Garcia-Perez had two saves to earn the clean-sheet, the team’s 15th of the season.
“Uriel has the four in the back who are a wall,” Andersson said. “His job is very boring when he has a solid backline. The goalie gets all the glory, but it’s the silent soldiers who never get talked about.”
Starting lineups
Notre Dame
GK: Luca Lobianco
D: Ian Martinez
D: Jack Plovanich
D: Ante Basan
D: Francesco Difilippo
MF: Max Stalencyzk
MF: Jake Schmucker
MF: Danny Deano
MF: Joey Sorce
F: Sebastian Dzierzanowski
F: Ryan Shanahan
Grayslake Central
GK: Uriel Garcia-Perez
D: Damian Sereno
D: Eric Garcia-Perez
D: Lucas Veenstra
D: Anderson Chevrier
MF: Ivan Sereno
MF: Mitchell Fein
MF: Alan Alonso
MF: Prince Trawick
F: Nick Molochnikov
F: Ray Sereno
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Mitchell Fein, jr., MF, Grayslake Central
Scoring summary
First half
Grayslake Central: Fein (penalty kick), 13’
Second half
Grayslake Central: Fein (Ivan Sereno), 61’
Grayslake Central: Trawick (Alonso), 69’
Junior's brace propels Rams to 3-0 supersectional win
By Bobby Narang
GRAYSLAKE – Grayslake Central junior midfielder Mitchell Fein doubled his pleasure Tuesday night.
A year ago, in the Rams run to the program's first appearance in the Class AA state finals, Fein supplied the assist on Danik Marynevych’s goal in the 69th minute for a 1-0 win over Notre Dame in the Grayslake Central Supersectional.
Fast forward to 2022 in the same venue, against the same team, but on a much warmer night than last season’s frigid conditions.
Fein directed his team to the Final Four again. This time, instead of assisting, he scored a goal in each half to carry the Rams to a 3-0 victory over Notre Dame in the same homefield supersectional environment.
Fein admitted he was shocked to double his pleasure. He entered the game with only three goals on the season.
“I’ve been struggling scoring all season,” Fein said. “It definitely feels good to get two goals. ... To score two, it feels so good. That was crazy assisting the goal in last year’s supersectional, but scoring two goals in a supersectional is crazy.”
The Rams’ run to the state tournament has been a bit bonkers too.
This season, the team suffered more defeats in the run of play via the injury bug than losses.
The biggest void occurred when 2021 Chicagoland Soccer all-stater Marynevych fell to a season-ending leg injury in the middle of September. Top-of-the-line defender Jose Chavez also went down for the count in the same game, and Grayslake Central suffered its only loss of the season -- a 4-1 defeat at conference rival Round Lake.
After the despair, the program showed its resolve. Relying on its remaining strong group of upperclassmen, with plenty of contributions from a host of sophomores and freshmen, the top-seeded and 13th-ranked team in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 charged back to earn their place this weekend at Hoffman Estates High School.
The Rams will open at 3 p.m. with fellow top-seed Glenwood, which was ranked eighth in Chicagoland Soccer's final Illinois 10 poll.
Grayslake Central finished fourth last season and aches to win their the school’s first semifinal game and championship.
The Rams (18-1-3) celebrated the Tuesday night win by taking pictures in the north end zone.
Grayslake Central coach Keith Andersson preferred to stay in the background following the victory, hanging around the edge of the circle of players, family members and school officials. He said this year’s magical ride to state is vastly different than last season’s experience.
“We went out stronger against Notre Dame this year,” Andersson said. “We told the guys we didn’t want to play until the 69th minute to score a goal (like in 2021). We played hard and fast, and they did. … We wanted constant urgency. Our guys played with it. Everybody contributed tonight.
“Last year was a shock. This year’s it’s more nerve-wracking, because it was expected. I’m just happy that I got such great kids, great parents, and the program and community have been very supportive.
"You couldn’t ask for a better night for soccer. Last year it was rainy and cold and horrible (the week of state). This is going to be a nice week.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Notre Dame dealt with a down, then up season that ended with the same supersectional result. The Dons (16-6-2) failed to score a goal against the Rams – again.
But the 2022 version entered the season lacking the same firepower and depth following the decision of twins Freddy and Martin Krug to go to school in Europe. Freddy Krug tallied 33 goals and 15 assists as a Chicagoland Soccer all-stater last season.
The Dons struggled early in the season and went 5-5-0 in their first 10 games. They adjusted and went 12-2-1 over their last 14 games. Included in the run was 7-1-0 mark in the East Suburban Catholic Conference to repeat as league champs, this time in a tie with Benet and St. Patrick.
“Our seniors gave everything out there today,” said Notre Dame assistant coach Mike Regal, a former standout soccer player for the Dons. “No regrets. They played hard.
"We played them same place, same location. A lot of players from last year are now seniors; they remember the place vividly. We had a lot of sophomores join the team. They wanted the win for the juniors from last year. They battled, but this team (Grayslake Central) is good.
“(Junior midfielder) Ian Martinez played great; a lot of guys played great. We had about 15 alumni send us a good luck video before this game.
“We had a great straight-uphill improvement from early in the season. The first five or six games, we really struggled to score. We knew we had a good defense, but we made some changes. … It kind of clicked and came together. These guys became so close over the last 80 days. It’s been fun.
“When I played at Notre Dame with coach (Michael) Smith, we struggled winning. It’s been uphill ever since. Now look at these kids. They’re talented and play all year round. Next year we have a bunch of good freshmen (matriculating) and will come out and compete again.”
On Tuesday, Fein lived up to his name and his growing reputation for coming up big in the supersectional round. He scored the first goal on a penalty kick in the 13th minute, smacking the ball inside the far post for the game-winner.
He tacked on his second goal by slowly hitting a shot from 10 yards just inside the near post for a 2-0 lead in the 61st minute. Fein’s two goals against Notre Dame pushed his season total to five goals.
“Mitchell is paying lights-out, him and Nick (Molochnikov) are solid on the outside,” Andersson said. “He’s dangerous, cuts in and can use that left foot and bend it upper corner. He has great speed and skill with the ball and is great in the air. He contributes to the team with his passing ability, vision on the field. He’s an amazing player. We’re lucky to have him.”
Sophomore Prince Trawick added the cherry on top with a banger of a goal from roughly 30 yards in the 69th minute that finished the scoring. Trawick had missed the previous two games with an illness but returned in time to make his presence felt.
“At first, I took a bad touch, so figured I might as well hit it. I didn’t even see it hit the back of the net,” Trawick said. “It felt amazing to score.”
Junior midfielder Molochnikov said the Rams are peaking at the right time and are looking to win their first game at state.
“Going back-to-back (to the state finals) is insane,” he said. “I can’t believe it. We can’t believe it. We played great out there. Everyone did their job. Mitchell and me have been friends since day one. It was special for him and me.
“Our young players are playing good, and we have a very bright future. We were mentally prepared since our previous win. We have one goal -- to go back to state and have a different outcome than last year. We’re hoping to win state.”
The Rams’ backline played stellar and limited the shots for the Dons. The backline of Chicagoland Soccer all-stater Lucas Veenstra, Anderson Chevrier, Eric Garcia-Perez and Damian Sereno joined forces with goalie Uriel Garcia-Perez to record another shutout.
The Rams have not allowed a goal in five playoff games this season. Uriel Garcia-Perez had two saves to earn the clean-sheet, the team’s 15th of the season.
“Uriel has the four in the back who are a wall,” Andersson said. “His job is very boring when he has a solid backline. The goalie gets all the glory, but it’s the silent soldiers who never get talked about.”
Starting lineups
Notre Dame
GK: Luca Lobianco
D: Ian Martinez
D: Jack Plovanich
D: Ante Basan
D: Francesco Difilippo
MF: Max Stalencyzk
MF: Jake Schmucker
MF: Danny Deano
MF: Joey Sorce
F: Sebastian Dzierzanowski
F: Ryan Shanahan
Grayslake Central
GK: Uriel Garcia-Perez
D: Damian Sereno
D: Eric Garcia-Perez
D: Lucas Veenstra
D: Anderson Chevrier
MF: Ivan Sereno
MF: Mitchell Fein
MF: Alan Alonso
MF: Prince Trawick
F: Nick Molochnikov
F: Ray Sereno
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Mitchell Fein, jr., MF, Grayslake Central
Scoring summary
First half
Grayslake Central: Fein (penalty kick), 13’
Second half
Grayslake Central: Fein (Ivan Sereno), 61’
Grayslake Central: Trawick (Alonso), 69’