Late goals push Loyola past Notre Dame
Ramblers overcome red card to post 2-0 win
By Mike Garofola
GLENVIEW -- Olivier Szorc and Guillermo Echevarria-Robinson inspired an opening night victory for Loyola to make manager Dan Riskind’s debut at the school a success.
The Ramblers duo stunned visiting Notre Dame with two spectacular strikes within four minutes of each other to deliver the 2-0 victory to the delight of a raucous crowd at the school’s Munz Soccer Campus.
When it appeared this frenetic, nonconference contest might be headed to a goal-less conclusion, up stepped Szorc to unload an unstoppable 22-yard guided missile into the back of the net in the 70th minute. He was followed by Echevarria-Robinson, whose superb well-timed run to the back post met a magnificent cross from Joseph Vehovsky to give Loyola breathing room.
"We've got a good core back from last year, and tonight we showed we can be a resilient team. Also (it) was a great win, and great way to start the season," said Vehovsky, who shared Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors with Szorc.
"I thought we came out really well in the first half," added Szorc. “There was a lot to like about the way we played in that half. We managed things well when we had to play a man down after (that) red card.”
"There's a lot to be pleased with, aside from the victory," began Riskind. "We played hard, possessed the ball really well, (built) the attack well from the back. But I told the boys afterward, I was not happy with the bookings (three yellows), and our red (card). We have to play under control and with composure. We need to change the culture around here, and that's the first way to do that."
Visiting Notre Dame entered its season-opener after a school-record campaign last fall. The Dons lifted their first East Suburban Catholic Conference trophy in program history before winning their first regional and sectional crowns. They finished with a 23-2-2 overall record and a perfect 9-0-0 league run.
"With a big senior class loss, plus the Krug brothers (defender Martin and Chicagoland Soccer all-state forward Freddy) moving to Spain to pursue playing professionally, we have sort of a youth movement going on this fall with (11) sophomores making the big jump up to varsity this season," began Dons manager Mike Smith, who at times on this night had seven sophomores out on the pitch.
Notre Dame’s roster has big shoes to fill. Freddy Krug scored 33 goals a year ago as a sophomore, and brother Martin started in a back three that allowed less than a goal per game.
Also gone is conference Player of the Year Paul Harris, one of six all-ESCC players who graduated last spring.
"Last year we had dominant results on a pretty consistent basis, as shown by our 100-plus goal-differential’” said Smith. “That will not be the case this season. We'll likely have to grind out games and dig deep, but I know our guys will be up to the challenge."
The Dons opened in a 3-5-2 formation. Senior and tri-captain Jack Plovanich defended the middle in front of four-year veteran keeper Luco LoBianco.
"I think with us being so young and inexperienced, I thought we played well for the first time in a 3-5-2,” said Plovanich. “(We) have a lot of sophomores up with us with a lot of talent. So the future is bright for Notre Dame soccer."
Plovanich and his mates did well to soak up the pressure that the home side heaped upon them. Szorc, Vehovsky, and Luke Ojala enjoyed plenty of the touches. From the back, junior Daniel Ryczek would either join the attack from his spot on the left side or connect with his midfield to get things started.
"A lot of us play club soccer, so that's the way we play -- lots of possession, passing and using width," said Szorc.
"That's what we've been stressing in training (that) type of style of soccer," added assistant Lorenza Stephens. “The guys seem confident in (that), and for most of the night that's the way we played.”
The first chance of the match fell to Ramblers junior Townes Robertson, who lashed his 25-yard blast on frame and forced Lobianco into action in the 15th minute.
The Ramblers had most of the play in the first 25 minutes, thanks in part to their ability to get everyone with touches. The attractive soccer, however, did not have the bite in the final third to challenge Lobianco.
"We had to defend a lot, especially in the first half,” said Smith. “Plovanich, Ante Basan and Frank DiFilippo played with confidence along the back in our formation/ So did Ryan Shanahan and (Danny) Deano, who will play the 10 most of the time because he can drop when needed and really likes the ball at his feet."
Deano is the Dons only returning all-ESCC player after his eight-goal, eight-assist season a year ago.
Deano nearly got onto the other end of a well-struck free kick from Plovanich in the 27th minute. A subsequent dead ball opportunity from Plovanich went through DiFillippo and missed Deano.
Junior Jeremiah Gyorgy kept Loyola’s attack busy with his speed, quickness and clever way of shaping his runs. He inspired the second half attack of the Ramblers and provided a glimpse of what to expect after the break when the forward twice outraced Dons defenders to the endline to collect the ball and send crosses into the box.
When play became chippy at the far touchline just minutes ahead of the break, a ruckus broke out between both sides. It ended with referee Sargun Odishu sending off Loyola senior Kwame Boateng, which forced the home side to play a man down for the final 42 minutes.
"I was pleased with the way we responded to playing a man down,” said Riskind. “It's something we do not want to do, but we adjusted to it well. After we settled in, we attacked and put pressure on them until those two goals came."
Clearly, the best chance of the night from both clubs fell to Dons sophomore Sebastian Dzierzanowski, whose half-volley cracker forced Ramblers keeper Jason Brunger to save in the 46th minute.
"Sebastian had a good first game for himself. He's going to be a very good player for us down the road," said Smith of his sophomore, who sprayed a 48th-minute attempt wide after a nice buildup from Plovanich and sophomore Joey Sorce.
Soon after, the Ramblers attack come alive and stayed that way until the final whistle. It kept Lobianco busy while his teammates defended with all their might to stay level with the home side.
The connections between Szorc, Vehovsky and Gyorgy were marvelous, as they played quick one- and two-touch soccer with purpose.
Lobianco saved a Szorc attempt from 22 yards. The Dons keeper bravely stopped William Drehkoff moments later, before Deano gave Notre Dame a moment of offense with a snap-shot from 20 yards.
Szorc was confident the opener was coming, even more so when the ball was on his foot along the right side 10 minutes from time.
"I kind of mapped out that shot and goal: fake to my left, then have a shot," smiled Szorc, whose brilliant effort had far too much pace for Lobianco to stop the upper-90 blast.
It was that man Gyorgy who was at the heart of the Ramblers next strike. He delivered a near-perfect ball up the right side to Vehovsky, whose searing cross met a charging Echevarria-Robinson at the spot.
"I knew Guillermo would be (there). He reads the game and situation really well, and gets himself into position," said Vehovsky.
Notre Dame’s Brunger did well to collect a looping free kick from Plovanich in a crowd four minutes from time. That was all the visitors managed to put on frame in the final moments of this match.
"We showed toughness, physicality and composure tonight against a very good, and obviously more experienced, and bigger team than us,” Smith said. “Plus the energy and intensity was solid all night. We never lost our heads when things got a little emotional."
"We'll have to be better at not trying to force the issue when we have the ball, but some of that was due to so many of our guys playing in their first varsity game.
"We had a couple of chances we didn't finish, and they scored two great goals."
Next up for the Dons will be their own Don Raider Cup opener against Senn on Wednesday evening; Loyola hosts Young the same night.
"It was a good first game and night for us, a lot of good stuff to build from,” began Riskind. “But we all know what we can be, and we will get better.”
The performance was an all-around solid effort.
"It's hard to pick 2-3 guys who stood out, because as a team I felt like everyone made a solid contribution, including the guys who came off the bench," added Stephens. “We have nice depth, and tonight we didn't lose anything when we brought those guys on.”
Starting lineups
Notre Dame (3-5-2)
G- Luca Lobianco
D- Francesco Difilippo
D- Jack Plovanich
D- Ante Basan
M- Colin Sorce
M- Ian Martinez
M- Danny Deano
M- Ryan Shanahan
M- Max Stalencyzk
F- Joey Sorce
F- Sebastian Dzierzanowski
Loyola (4-4-2)
G- Jason Brunger
D- Daniel Ryczek
D- Andrew Newton
D- William Drehkoff
D- Clinton Birchard
M- Luke Ojala
M- Olivier Szorc
M- Townes Robertson
M- Andrew Hardin
F- Guillermo Echevarria-Robinson
F- Joseph Vehovsky
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Olivier Szorc, sr., MF, Loyola; Joseph Vehovsky, sr., F, Loyola
Referee: Sargun Odishu
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Loyola: Szorc (U/A), 70'
Loyola: Echevarria-Robinson (Vehovsky, Gyorgy), 74'
Ramblers overcome red card to post 2-0 win
By Mike Garofola
GLENVIEW -- Olivier Szorc and Guillermo Echevarria-Robinson inspired an opening night victory for Loyola to make manager Dan Riskind’s debut at the school a success.
The Ramblers duo stunned visiting Notre Dame with two spectacular strikes within four minutes of each other to deliver the 2-0 victory to the delight of a raucous crowd at the school’s Munz Soccer Campus.
When it appeared this frenetic, nonconference contest might be headed to a goal-less conclusion, up stepped Szorc to unload an unstoppable 22-yard guided missile into the back of the net in the 70th minute. He was followed by Echevarria-Robinson, whose superb well-timed run to the back post met a magnificent cross from Joseph Vehovsky to give Loyola breathing room.
"We've got a good core back from last year, and tonight we showed we can be a resilient team. Also (it) was a great win, and great way to start the season," said Vehovsky, who shared Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors with Szorc.
"I thought we came out really well in the first half," added Szorc. “There was a lot to like about the way we played in that half. We managed things well when we had to play a man down after (that) red card.”
"There's a lot to be pleased with, aside from the victory," began Riskind. "We played hard, possessed the ball really well, (built) the attack well from the back. But I told the boys afterward, I was not happy with the bookings (three yellows), and our red (card). We have to play under control and with composure. We need to change the culture around here, and that's the first way to do that."
Visiting Notre Dame entered its season-opener after a school-record campaign last fall. The Dons lifted their first East Suburban Catholic Conference trophy in program history before winning their first regional and sectional crowns. They finished with a 23-2-2 overall record and a perfect 9-0-0 league run.
"With a big senior class loss, plus the Krug brothers (defender Martin and Chicagoland Soccer all-state forward Freddy) moving to Spain to pursue playing professionally, we have sort of a youth movement going on this fall with (11) sophomores making the big jump up to varsity this season," began Dons manager Mike Smith, who at times on this night had seven sophomores out on the pitch.
Notre Dame’s roster has big shoes to fill. Freddy Krug scored 33 goals a year ago as a sophomore, and brother Martin started in a back three that allowed less than a goal per game.
Also gone is conference Player of the Year Paul Harris, one of six all-ESCC players who graduated last spring.
"Last year we had dominant results on a pretty consistent basis, as shown by our 100-plus goal-differential’” said Smith. “That will not be the case this season. We'll likely have to grind out games and dig deep, but I know our guys will be up to the challenge."
The Dons opened in a 3-5-2 formation. Senior and tri-captain Jack Plovanich defended the middle in front of four-year veteran keeper Luco LoBianco.
"I think with us being so young and inexperienced, I thought we played well for the first time in a 3-5-2,” said Plovanich. “(We) have a lot of sophomores up with us with a lot of talent. So the future is bright for Notre Dame soccer."
Plovanich and his mates did well to soak up the pressure that the home side heaped upon them. Szorc, Vehovsky, and Luke Ojala enjoyed plenty of the touches. From the back, junior Daniel Ryczek would either join the attack from his spot on the left side or connect with his midfield to get things started.
"A lot of us play club soccer, so that's the way we play -- lots of possession, passing and using width," said Szorc.
"That's what we've been stressing in training (that) type of style of soccer," added assistant Lorenza Stephens. “The guys seem confident in (that), and for most of the night that's the way we played.”
The first chance of the match fell to Ramblers junior Townes Robertson, who lashed his 25-yard blast on frame and forced Lobianco into action in the 15th minute.
The Ramblers had most of the play in the first 25 minutes, thanks in part to their ability to get everyone with touches. The attractive soccer, however, did not have the bite in the final third to challenge Lobianco.
"We had to defend a lot, especially in the first half,” said Smith. “Plovanich, Ante Basan and Frank DiFilippo played with confidence along the back in our formation/ So did Ryan Shanahan and (Danny) Deano, who will play the 10 most of the time because he can drop when needed and really likes the ball at his feet."
Deano is the Dons only returning all-ESCC player after his eight-goal, eight-assist season a year ago.
Deano nearly got onto the other end of a well-struck free kick from Plovanich in the 27th minute. A subsequent dead ball opportunity from Plovanich went through DiFillippo and missed Deano.
Junior Jeremiah Gyorgy kept Loyola’s attack busy with his speed, quickness and clever way of shaping his runs. He inspired the second half attack of the Ramblers and provided a glimpse of what to expect after the break when the forward twice outraced Dons defenders to the endline to collect the ball and send crosses into the box.
When play became chippy at the far touchline just minutes ahead of the break, a ruckus broke out between both sides. It ended with referee Sargun Odishu sending off Loyola senior Kwame Boateng, which forced the home side to play a man down for the final 42 minutes.
"I was pleased with the way we responded to playing a man down,” said Riskind. “It's something we do not want to do, but we adjusted to it well. After we settled in, we attacked and put pressure on them until those two goals came."
Clearly, the best chance of the night from both clubs fell to Dons sophomore Sebastian Dzierzanowski, whose half-volley cracker forced Ramblers keeper Jason Brunger to save in the 46th minute.
"Sebastian had a good first game for himself. He's going to be a very good player for us down the road," said Smith of his sophomore, who sprayed a 48th-minute attempt wide after a nice buildup from Plovanich and sophomore Joey Sorce.
Soon after, the Ramblers attack come alive and stayed that way until the final whistle. It kept Lobianco busy while his teammates defended with all their might to stay level with the home side.
The connections between Szorc, Vehovsky and Gyorgy were marvelous, as they played quick one- and two-touch soccer with purpose.
Lobianco saved a Szorc attempt from 22 yards. The Dons keeper bravely stopped William Drehkoff moments later, before Deano gave Notre Dame a moment of offense with a snap-shot from 20 yards.
Szorc was confident the opener was coming, even more so when the ball was on his foot along the right side 10 minutes from time.
"I kind of mapped out that shot and goal: fake to my left, then have a shot," smiled Szorc, whose brilliant effort had far too much pace for Lobianco to stop the upper-90 blast.
It was that man Gyorgy who was at the heart of the Ramblers next strike. He delivered a near-perfect ball up the right side to Vehovsky, whose searing cross met a charging Echevarria-Robinson at the spot.
"I knew Guillermo would be (there). He reads the game and situation really well, and gets himself into position," said Vehovsky.
Notre Dame’s Brunger did well to collect a looping free kick from Plovanich in a crowd four minutes from time. That was all the visitors managed to put on frame in the final moments of this match.
"We showed toughness, physicality and composure tonight against a very good, and obviously more experienced, and bigger team than us,” Smith said. “Plus the energy and intensity was solid all night. We never lost our heads when things got a little emotional."
"We'll have to be better at not trying to force the issue when we have the ball, but some of that was due to so many of our guys playing in their first varsity game.
"We had a couple of chances we didn't finish, and they scored two great goals."
Next up for the Dons will be their own Don Raider Cup opener against Senn on Wednesday evening; Loyola hosts Young the same night.
"It was a good first game and night for us, a lot of good stuff to build from,” began Riskind. “But we all know what we can be, and we will get better.”
The performance was an all-around solid effort.
"It's hard to pick 2-3 guys who stood out, because as a team I felt like everyone made a solid contribution, including the guys who came off the bench," added Stephens. “We have nice depth, and tonight we didn't lose anything when we brought those guys on.”
Starting lineups
Notre Dame (3-5-2)
G- Luca Lobianco
D- Francesco Difilippo
D- Jack Plovanich
D- Ante Basan
M- Colin Sorce
M- Ian Martinez
M- Danny Deano
M- Ryan Shanahan
M- Max Stalencyzk
F- Joey Sorce
F- Sebastian Dzierzanowski
Loyola (4-4-2)
G- Jason Brunger
D- Daniel Ryczek
D- Andrew Newton
D- William Drehkoff
D- Clinton Birchard
M- Luke Ojala
M- Olivier Szorc
M- Townes Robertson
M- Andrew Hardin
F- Guillermo Echevarria-Robinson
F- Joseph Vehovsky
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Olivier Szorc, sr., MF, Loyola; Joseph Vehovsky, sr., F, Loyola
Referee: Sargun Odishu
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Loyola: Szorc (U/A), 70'
Loyola: Echevarria-Robinson (Vehovsky, Gyorgy), 74'