Notre Dame (Peoria) tops Glenwood,
collects 5th state title
Irish scale to new heights after disappointing 2021 finish
By Dave Owen
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- Call it a rags-to-riches story, or a return to glory.
Either way, just call Notre Dame (Peoria) 2022 Class AA champions.
Enduring a strong first half headwind during Saturday’s title game, Notre Dame emerged from the first 40 minutes in a 1-1 tie with Glenwood (20-4-2).
With the wind in the second half, the Irish (23-3-1) struck for two goals to take a 3-1 win. The victory marked the fifth state title in school history, but the first since 2012 and the culmination of a huge bounce-back season.
“It's almost like we went from last to first in one year, which is pretty cool,” Notre Dame coach Mike Bare said.
“Last year we went out in the regional semifinal game to a really good Morton (Ill.) team that went on to the supersectional.
“This year to see the boys go from such a tough ending last year to going out on top this year was really fun to see,” Bare added. “And it's a credit to our team for the hard work that put in from the moment they lost that (Morton) game to right now.”
Thatcher Hogan summed up the emotions of that 12-month journey.
“When we won (Saturday), man, it was unreal,” he said. “I went up to a teammate, and I thought I was in a dream. It was crazy.
“We worked all year for this. Last year we didn't have the best year. But our coach helped out, and our team really came together over the summer. We just fought through.”
Fighting through the first half wind was a big challenge Saturday, and the Irish met the test nicely early on.
After having the better of play the first 10 minutes but enduring a 16-yard shot just wide by Glenwood’s Eben Reed, Notre Dame grabbed a 1-0 lead 28:38 before halftime when Kayden Hudson defied the wind to laser a 25-yard shot inside the right post.
“Obviously the wind was a huge factor,” Bare said. “They won the coin toss and decided to take the wind, I think to try to get up on us in the first half.
“But with our style of play, we try to keep the ball on the floor and connect passes. We told the boys 'Let's try not to let the wind affect us. Let’s connect passes and still generate some chances into the wind.’”
Glenwood answered with its own chances, starting moments after Hudson’s goal with a point-blank header by Maddox Gerger saved by Irish goalkeeper and the coach’s son Dillon Bare.
The Titans’ pressure continued with a Carter Downen corner kick that set up a 24-yard shot over the net by Ryan Bridel. Then with 24:34 on the clock, a handball call gave Glenwood a penalty kick, which Gerger hammered home to tie the score 1-1.
“There was a little frustration on the goal we gave up,” coach Bare said. “I felt our defender got pulled down. Instead we had a handball called, and it turns out being a penalty kick.
“That was a tough one to give up, because otherwise we go in with a lead at halftime.”
But long before that 1-1 halftime score, Glenwood looked to build on its momentum in the 18th minute with another push that resulted in Declan Gorrie’s 24-yard shot over the crossbar.
Brandon Mendoza generated another great chance in the 29th minute, a low 25-yarder just wide of the left post.
Notre Dame’s Dillon Stickelmaier would follow with a 31st minute rush and a shot that narrowly went wide of the upper right corner of the net. Glenwood answered. Reed's 15-yard liner went over the net in the 38th minute, but a last-second attack to the end line by Reed and Gerger failed to produce a shot as time expired.
Glenwood coach Kyle Franke lamented both the gusting winds, and his team’s inability to capitalize on them.
“That was one of the worst weather conditions I've been in through all my years of soccer,” Franke said. “But it was the worst for both teams. Both had to be out there.
“We had the wind to start the game, but we have to shoot; we have to attack. I just feel we didn't attack enough or shoot from 20 or 30 (yards) out. You're not used to shooting from that far out, but today you had to with the wind behind you. And we didn't do it enough.”
Having survived the first half tied 1-1, Notre Dame was confident that the change in playing direction had their fortunes looking up.
“Going in first half, we knew we had to hold it between either a tie or hoped to be up a goal,” Hudson said. “Once we got the wind we knew we just had to get it down (to the offensive third), play fast, and we knew they wouldn't handle it.”
Said coach Bare: “Once we went in tied (at the half), we told the boys ‘This is our game.’ We knew for 40 minutes we would have them on the ropes, and it was just a matter of getting it past their goalkeeper.”
Hudson’s throw-ins played a large role in the Irish offensive surge, starting with 37:50 to play when his toss reached Nathan Oliver and Nevan Libert in a crowd at the back post but was deflected just wide right.
Less than a minute later off another Hudson throw-in, Libert was on target with a low 20-yard liner just inside the left post.
“It just landed to me, and it was right there,” Libert said of the throw-in. “So I just took it (the shot), and it went perfect -- bottom corner.”
The shot location on the first two Irish goals were no fluke.
“They had a phenomenal goalkeeper (Josh Jones) with a ton of size (listed at 6-foot-6),” coach Bare said. “We knew the key was going to be to get hard shots low to corners. Anything in the air, he was going to handle.
“Our first goal was low and hard inside the post, and in the second half as well. Those are hard for a tall goalkeeper to get down and save.”
Jones’ height came into play on a Max Matarelli corner kick with 34:40 left, which Jones leaped above the crowd to deflect and then control.
But with 20:57 left to play, the relentless Irish second half push saw Hudson digging deep to again play a role, and Hogan netting his third goal of the weekend.
“I saw Kayden running to throw in, and he was like 'My arms are so tired,’” Hogan said. “I told him ‘Give me one more.’
“My coach told me 'Stay back post, one is coming.' I listened to him, Kayden threw it in and one of my teammates (Stickelmaier) shot. It deflected off the other team, and I just slid, put my toe out, and there it was.”
A 3-1 Notre Dame lead and the tough gale combined for an insurmountable uphill fight for Glenwood.
“Coming out of halftime kudos to Notre Dame,” Grabe said. “We were hoping our defense holds up, and let's hope for a goal here. But Peoria Notre Dame’s a great team.”
One Notre Dame defender stood out in limiting Glenwood.
“One of the guys who doesn't get as much credit is our center back Joel McIntyre,” coach Bare said. “About mid-season we were giving up some goals, and we talked about in order to win a championship, you can't be conceding goals. You have to defend.
“He's been the anchor for our backline, a vocal leader, a senior captain. He's an (IHSSCA) all-state defender for us, and a big reason we didn't allow many goals this postseason.”
Glenwood tried to chip away at its 3-1 deficit with 17:45 left, when a short restart on a 35-yard goal kick set up a Grant Tetter shot over the net.
But Notre Dame continued its own push with the wind, highlighted by an Oliver chance deflected over the net by a leaping Jones with 9:30 left. The ensuing corner kick produced a Libert header saved by Jones. A Libert 20-yard free kick with 8:30 to go was also denied on a diving Jones catch at the left post.
Irish goalkeeper Bare answered with his own nice save, a kneeling grab at the right post of a Tetter free kick drive with 6:50 to go.
With Notre Dame’s large fan contingent chanting “Strive for Five,” the Irish wrapped up the 3-1 win without incident and ended a long wait.
“We always say ‘We want one more star on our jersey,’” Hudson said of the symbols that signify each program state title. “Coach said he's tired of us wearing four stars, so we knew coming into this year we needed to get him some new stuff.”
Said Libert: “It's been four stars for 10 years. We knew we had to make a change and make it five.”
Hogan had yet another motivation.
“Our whole team has heard stories about past state champs,” he said. “We all wanted to be in those stories someday. That's what we were working for.”
The work paid off in the best way.
“It's amazing,” Hudson said. “We worked really hard to be here, and we knew all year eventually we would get here and win. Just keep applying pressure through the whole thing, and we got the job done.
“On and off the field we were really close. We brought it to the field and just kept winning together.”
Glenwood was no stranger to winning. The Titans reversed a slow start to 2022 with a 20-game unbeaten streak (19 of them wins) entering Saturday.
“What a season we had,” Franke said. “We started the season 1-3-1, so we went on a pretty good streak. And it was the 13 seniors that really stepped up.
“At the beginning of the season we weren't the strongest team when it came to team, and the seniors really turned the tide on that. Something clicked, and boy did it take off. It was a fun ride. Our team was so much different than at the beginning of the year.”
One of those seniors was defender Landon Marconi.
“It was great. There were 14 seniors with our manager Ty (Kirby) who always helps out and is great.
“We all stepped up. Even guys who didn't play as much were way engaged. Everyone is in the game at all times.”
The disappointing score Saturday could barely dim Marconi’s optimism.
“This (the state finals) is the best environment I've ever been in, even with the loss,” he said. “Everyone was putting everything on the line going 100 percent no matter what.”
Like Notre Dame, Glenwood lost in the regionals last year but followed with its longest state run since taking second in Class AA in 2011.
“Our strength of schedule is one of the best in the state,” Franke said. “We went through a gauntlet of teams this year on our schedule (including a regular season 2-1 loss to Notre Dame on Aug. 30), and I just told them these tough teams are going to prepare us for the playoffs. You won't see anything in the playoffs you haven't seen in the season.”
Notre Dame had its hands full in Friday’s semifinals, battling Solorio to a 2-2 draw through regulation before two goals in the first overtime produced a 4-2 win.
“Getting up this morning, we were all pretty sore,” Hudson said, “but coach got us up pretty early, and we got our legs moving. And he gave us a good talk, so we were all ready. We knew we had to finish the job, and we put all our hurting aside.”
And whatever pain there was became state championship-level pleasure.
“It feels fantastic,” Libert said. “We worked so hard. After last year ending in regionals we knew we had to come back stronger and better. And we did it.”
Starting lineups
Notre Dame (Peoria)
GK- Dillon Bare
D- Fabi Arellano
D- Thomas Graham
D- Joel McIntyre
D- Nathan Oliver
M- Maximillian Matarelli
M- Nevan Libert
M- Andrew Bonham
M- Thatcher Hogan
F- Kayden Hudson
F- Dillon Stickelmaier
Glenwood
GK- Josh Jones
D- Miles Calderon
D- Brandon Mendoza
D- Landon Marconi
D- Jake Hamilton
M- Maddox Gerger
M- Brayden Paul
M- Ben Wilcoxen
F- Eben Reed
F- Christian Ray
F- Carter Downen
Scoring summary
First half
ND- Kayden Hudson (unassisted), 12’
G- Maddox Gerger (PK), 16’
Second half
ND- Nevin Libert (Hudson), 44’
ND- Thatcher Hogan (Dillon Stickelmaier), 60’
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Kayden Hudson, so., F, Notre Dame
collects 5th state title
Irish scale to new heights after disappointing 2021 finish
By Dave Owen
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- Call it a rags-to-riches story, or a return to glory.
Either way, just call Notre Dame (Peoria) 2022 Class AA champions.
Enduring a strong first half headwind during Saturday’s title game, Notre Dame emerged from the first 40 minutes in a 1-1 tie with Glenwood (20-4-2).
With the wind in the second half, the Irish (23-3-1) struck for two goals to take a 3-1 win. The victory marked the fifth state title in school history, but the first since 2012 and the culmination of a huge bounce-back season.
“It's almost like we went from last to first in one year, which is pretty cool,” Notre Dame coach Mike Bare said.
“Last year we went out in the regional semifinal game to a really good Morton (Ill.) team that went on to the supersectional.
“This year to see the boys go from such a tough ending last year to going out on top this year was really fun to see,” Bare added. “And it's a credit to our team for the hard work that put in from the moment they lost that (Morton) game to right now.”
Thatcher Hogan summed up the emotions of that 12-month journey.
“When we won (Saturday), man, it was unreal,” he said. “I went up to a teammate, and I thought I was in a dream. It was crazy.
“We worked all year for this. Last year we didn't have the best year. But our coach helped out, and our team really came together over the summer. We just fought through.”
Fighting through the first half wind was a big challenge Saturday, and the Irish met the test nicely early on.
After having the better of play the first 10 minutes but enduring a 16-yard shot just wide by Glenwood’s Eben Reed, Notre Dame grabbed a 1-0 lead 28:38 before halftime when Kayden Hudson defied the wind to laser a 25-yard shot inside the right post.
“Obviously the wind was a huge factor,” Bare said. “They won the coin toss and decided to take the wind, I think to try to get up on us in the first half.
“But with our style of play, we try to keep the ball on the floor and connect passes. We told the boys 'Let's try not to let the wind affect us. Let’s connect passes and still generate some chances into the wind.’”
Glenwood answered with its own chances, starting moments after Hudson’s goal with a point-blank header by Maddox Gerger saved by Irish goalkeeper and the coach’s son Dillon Bare.
The Titans’ pressure continued with a Carter Downen corner kick that set up a 24-yard shot over the net by Ryan Bridel. Then with 24:34 on the clock, a handball call gave Glenwood a penalty kick, which Gerger hammered home to tie the score 1-1.
“There was a little frustration on the goal we gave up,” coach Bare said. “I felt our defender got pulled down. Instead we had a handball called, and it turns out being a penalty kick.
“That was a tough one to give up, because otherwise we go in with a lead at halftime.”
But long before that 1-1 halftime score, Glenwood looked to build on its momentum in the 18th minute with another push that resulted in Declan Gorrie’s 24-yard shot over the crossbar.
Brandon Mendoza generated another great chance in the 29th minute, a low 25-yarder just wide of the left post.
Notre Dame’s Dillon Stickelmaier would follow with a 31st minute rush and a shot that narrowly went wide of the upper right corner of the net. Glenwood answered. Reed's 15-yard liner went over the net in the 38th minute, but a last-second attack to the end line by Reed and Gerger failed to produce a shot as time expired.
Glenwood coach Kyle Franke lamented both the gusting winds, and his team’s inability to capitalize on them.
“That was one of the worst weather conditions I've been in through all my years of soccer,” Franke said. “But it was the worst for both teams. Both had to be out there.
“We had the wind to start the game, but we have to shoot; we have to attack. I just feel we didn't attack enough or shoot from 20 or 30 (yards) out. You're not used to shooting from that far out, but today you had to with the wind behind you. And we didn't do it enough.”
Having survived the first half tied 1-1, Notre Dame was confident that the change in playing direction had their fortunes looking up.
“Going in first half, we knew we had to hold it between either a tie or hoped to be up a goal,” Hudson said. “Once we got the wind we knew we just had to get it down (to the offensive third), play fast, and we knew they wouldn't handle it.”
Said coach Bare: “Once we went in tied (at the half), we told the boys ‘This is our game.’ We knew for 40 minutes we would have them on the ropes, and it was just a matter of getting it past their goalkeeper.”
Hudson’s throw-ins played a large role in the Irish offensive surge, starting with 37:50 to play when his toss reached Nathan Oliver and Nevan Libert in a crowd at the back post but was deflected just wide right.
Less than a minute later off another Hudson throw-in, Libert was on target with a low 20-yard liner just inside the left post.
“It just landed to me, and it was right there,” Libert said of the throw-in. “So I just took it (the shot), and it went perfect -- bottom corner.”
The shot location on the first two Irish goals were no fluke.
“They had a phenomenal goalkeeper (Josh Jones) with a ton of size (listed at 6-foot-6),” coach Bare said. “We knew the key was going to be to get hard shots low to corners. Anything in the air, he was going to handle.
“Our first goal was low and hard inside the post, and in the second half as well. Those are hard for a tall goalkeeper to get down and save.”
Jones’ height came into play on a Max Matarelli corner kick with 34:40 left, which Jones leaped above the crowd to deflect and then control.
But with 20:57 left to play, the relentless Irish second half push saw Hudson digging deep to again play a role, and Hogan netting his third goal of the weekend.
“I saw Kayden running to throw in, and he was like 'My arms are so tired,’” Hogan said. “I told him ‘Give me one more.’
“My coach told me 'Stay back post, one is coming.' I listened to him, Kayden threw it in and one of my teammates (Stickelmaier) shot. It deflected off the other team, and I just slid, put my toe out, and there it was.”
A 3-1 Notre Dame lead and the tough gale combined for an insurmountable uphill fight for Glenwood.
“Coming out of halftime kudos to Notre Dame,” Grabe said. “We were hoping our defense holds up, and let's hope for a goal here. But Peoria Notre Dame’s a great team.”
One Notre Dame defender stood out in limiting Glenwood.
“One of the guys who doesn't get as much credit is our center back Joel McIntyre,” coach Bare said. “About mid-season we were giving up some goals, and we talked about in order to win a championship, you can't be conceding goals. You have to defend.
“He's been the anchor for our backline, a vocal leader, a senior captain. He's an (IHSSCA) all-state defender for us, and a big reason we didn't allow many goals this postseason.”
Glenwood tried to chip away at its 3-1 deficit with 17:45 left, when a short restart on a 35-yard goal kick set up a Grant Tetter shot over the net.
But Notre Dame continued its own push with the wind, highlighted by an Oliver chance deflected over the net by a leaping Jones with 9:30 left. The ensuing corner kick produced a Libert header saved by Jones. A Libert 20-yard free kick with 8:30 to go was also denied on a diving Jones catch at the left post.
Irish goalkeeper Bare answered with his own nice save, a kneeling grab at the right post of a Tetter free kick drive with 6:50 to go.
With Notre Dame’s large fan contingent chanting “Strive for Five,” the Irish wrapped up the 3-1 win without incident and ended a long wait.
“We always say ‘We want one more star on our jersey,’” Hudson said of the symbols that signify each program state title. “Coach said he's tired of us wearing four stars, so we knew coming into this year we needed to get him some new stuff.”
Said Libert: “It's been four stars for 10 years. We knew we had to make a change and make it five.”
Hogan had yet another motivation.
“Our whole team has heard stories about past state champs,” he said. “We all wanted to be in those stories someday. That's what we were working for.”
The work paid off in the best way.
“It's amazing,” Hudson said. “We worked really hard to be here, and we knew all year eventually we would get here and win. Just keep applying pressure through the whole thing, and we got the job done.
“On and off the field we were really close. We brought it to the field and just kept winning together.”
Glenwood was no stranger to winning. The Titans reversed a slow start to 2022 with a 20-game unbeaten streak (19 of them wins) entering Saturday.
“What a season we had,” Franke said. “We started the season 1-3-1, so we went on a pretty good streak. And it was the 13 seniors that really stepped up.
“At the beginning of the season we weren't the strongest team when it came to team, and the seniors really turned the tide on that. Something clicked, and boy did it take off. It was a fun ride. Our team was so much different than at the beginning of the year.”
One of those seniors was defender Landon Marconi.
“It was great. There were 14 seniors with our manager Ty (Kirby) who always helps out and is great.
“We all stepped up. Even guys who didn't play as much were way engaged. Everyone is in the game at all times.”
The disappointing score Saturday could barely dim Marconi’s optimism.
“This (the state finals) is the best environment I've ever been in, even with the loss,” he said. “Everyone was putting everything on the line going 100 percent no matter what.”
Like Notre Dame, Glenwood lost in the regionals last year but followed with its longest state run since taking second in Class AA in 2011.
“Our strength of schedule is one of the best in the state,” Franke said. “We went through a gauntlet of teams this year on our schedule (including a regular season 2-1 loss to Notre Dame on Aug. 30), and I just told them these tough teams are going to prepare us for the playoffs. You won't see anything in the playoffs you haven't seen in the season.”
Notre Dame had its hands full in Friday’s semifinals, battling Solorio to a 2-2 draw through regulation before two goals in the first overtime produced a 4-2 win.
“Getting up this morning, we were all pretty sore,” Hudson said, “but coach got us up pretty early, and we got our legs moving. And he gave us a good talk, so we were all ready. We knew we had to finish the job, and we put all our hurting aside.”
And whatever pain there was became state championship-level pleasure.
“It feels fantastic,” Libert said. “We worked so hard. After last year ending in regionals we knew we had to come back stronger and better. And we did it.”
Starting lineups
Notre Dame (Peoria)
GK- Dillon Bare
D- Fabi Arellano
D- Thomas Graham
D- Joel McIntyre
D- Nathan Oliver
M- Maximillian Matarelli
M- Nevan Libert
M- Andrew Bonham
M- Thatcher Hogan
F- Kayden Hudson
F- Dillon Stickelmaier
Glenwood
GK- Josh Jones
D- Miles Calderon
D- Brandon Mendoza
D- Landon Marconi
D- Jake Hamilton
M- Maddox Gerger
M- Brayden Paul
M- Ben Wilcoxen
F- Eben Reed
F- Christian Ray
F- Carter Downen
Scoring summary
First half
ND- Kayden Hudson (unassisted), 12’
G- Maddox Gerger (PK), 16’
Second half
ND- Nevin Libert (Hudson), 44’
ND- Thatcher Hogan (Dillon Stickelmaier), 60’
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Kayden Hudson, so., F, Notre Dame