NSCD equals school record with 13th win
11th shutout of season bumps Raiders win streak to seven
By Steve Nemeth
ELGIN --- Perhaps North Shore Country Day coach Kyle Jones should borrow from fellow Englishman William Shakespeare’s classic “All’s Well That Ends Well.”
Despite a one-goal halftime lead, Jones described the opening half as “rubbish.” Thankfully when the final whistle was blown, the Raiders not only had a 5-0 shutout over host Harvest, but tied the school record for single-season wins while improving to 13-4-1.
The triumph extends North Shore Country Day’s current win streak to seven straight and also became the 11th clean-sheet for the stonewall-like Raiders defense.
And the season could be far from over. Thursday’s regular-season finale at home versus Schaumburg Christian will be followed by IHSA Class A play. North Shore Country Day serves as the top seed for an 11-team sectional that the Raiders host after serving as a regional site.
“Initially it felt like we were just going through the motions,” Jones admitted. “But in the second half we began to do the things that got us success: work hard, use our heads to think, connect passes, move the ball and switch the point of attack.”
The match was switched from Harvest’s actual home field because conditions there lived up to its nickname “The Swamp.” Playing at the Elgin Sports Complex, the “host” Lions looked like a team still struggling to regain its footing after a 6-1 loss last Friday. That defeat snapped a seven-match unbeaten string (6-0-1) for Harvest, which now stands 7-5-1 with one last road trip prior to the playoffs.
Harvest goalie Ryan Floyd could easily have been described by any expression using busy --- as in busy as a beaver, busy as a bee, busy as a one-armed paper hanger, etc.
Early on he had to turn away a Vincent Luglio missile and make several rushes off his line to cover or clear loose balls as well as North Shore Country Day services in front of his net. After barely blocking another Luglio blast, he scrambled to cover the rebound. He punched a Walter Luglio cross away and shortly after dove to his right to stop a Cole Sabia shot aimed inside the left post.
The law of averages finally caught up to the junior keeper in the 38th minute when the Luglios combined. Walter’s assist led to a 16-yard strike from the middle by older brother Vincent.
“I’d say we know each other pretty well, and he knew the run I’d be making,” Vincent said in regard to North Shore Country Day's first score. “We obviously got off to a real slow start and missed several chances. At time like that we simply have to keep working and believe that eventually the finishes will come.”
It took less than 10 minutes into the second half for North Shore to up the ante and even less to add to it.
Showing some of the same aggressiveness he displayed as a first half sub, Augie Gallun became the Raiders’ spark providing two goals and an assist to earn Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match accolade.
Gallun knocked home an eight-yarder off a cross from Vincent Luglio to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, the duo switched roles with Luglio using a Gallun set-up for a 19-yarder that had enough heat on it to slip through Floyd’s gloves.
“Having played alongside Vince for eight years I believe we’ve got a good connection,” Gallun said. “I knew when to cut in for his pass. Then I also knew where he was, and the space he had to really nail his shot.”
Yet another reserve stepped up as Kai Barrett-Bennett was perfectly positioned for an eight-yard header off Mason Roberts-Jones’ corner kick in the 65th minute. That was actually one of several picturesque corners Roberts-Jones made during the course of the match. North Shore had a 6-1 edge in that part of the stat ledger.
“I’m always happy to contribute to the scoring,” Barrett-Bennett said. “(The header) felt good, and it was made easy because Mason delivers such good corner kicks.”
The scoring was capped off in the 69th minute when Tyler Doornweerd earned an assist on Gallun’s second goal, a 19-yard boot from the middle sent into the lower corner.
“That was just following coach’s instructions to aim for corners,” Gallun noted. “So much of our success comes from how we’ve bonded as a team, being real good friends on and off the field. That plus coach has us prepped for each match and gives us the tactics we need to win.”
North Shore Country starting goalkeeper Nick Potter was replaced by Alex Freburger for the final 12 minutes for a combined clean-sheet. For the last seven matches, only Independent School League rival Parker has managed to score on the Raiders. In Monday’s outing, neither Potter or Freburger was really tested in complete contrast to their counterpart.
The Raiders owned a whopping 24-1 advantage for overall shot attempts and a 14-0 edge on goal. Harvest’s two most notable efforts came in the second half. One was a Nathanael Martinez direct kick that sailed wide right and another was a dangerous cross that eluded any Lions player in the vicinity.
In addition to Floyd’s nine saves, there were a combined 14 defensive catches or clears representing how often he was under duress.
Of course the best way to limit pressure on the goal is to have a strong defensive line ahead of the keeper. Jones was quick to compliment the duo of Tae Won Lillig and Finn Doornweerd.
“They’re a relatively new combo back there, but they’ve done well with their partnership,” Jones noted.
As the no. 1 seed for its own regional, North Shore Country Day’s first playoff match will be against the winner of a prelim between Chicago Math and Science versus Cruz. The regional final could be a challenge versus either Rochelle Zell or a Chicago Public League Sullivan side which has caused problems for the Raiders in past years.
North Shore Country Day will aim for a second-straight regional plaque and its fourth all-time. The first two regional titles came in 2015 and 2012, when Jones directed the Raiders into the sectionals. The more recent ended with a semifinal exist while 2012 featured a sectional final showing.
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK Nick Potter
D John Sprenger
D Tae Won Lillig
D Finn Doornweerd
D Alex Winslow
M Adam Terhaerdt
M Axel Garcia
M Jacob Sherman
M Mason ROerts-Jones
F Cole Sabia
F Vincent Luglio
Harvest
GK Ryan Floyd
D Brandon Keeran
D Blake Nudo
D Charles Barkow
D William Squires
M Isaac Martinez
M Brandon Keeran
M Daniel Doby
M Matthew Olech
F Johnny Constante
F Owen Pisha
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Augie Gallun, jr. MF, North Shore Country Day
Referees: Chuck Raksinh, Curt Wegner
Game Summary
North Shore Country Day 5, Harvest 0
NSCD 1 4 --- 5 (13-4-0)
Harvest 0 0 --- 0 (7-5-1)
Scoring
First Half
NSCD --- V. Luglio 16-yard strike from middle off a cross (W. Luglio assist), 38th minute
Second Half
NSCD --- Gallun eight-yard finish from middle off cross (V. Luglio assist), 49th minute
NSCD --- V. Luglio 24-yard rocket shot through keeper’s hands (Gallun assist), 52nd minute
NSCD --- Barrett-Bennett eight-yard header off corner kick (Roberts-Jones assist), 65th minute
NSCD --- Gallun 19-yard boot into lower corner (T. Doornweerd assist), 69th minute
Shots
NSCD 12 – 12 --- 24
H 0 – 1 --- 1
Shots on goal
NS 5 – 9 --- 14
H 0 – 0 --- 0
Saves (Goalie):
NSCD (Potter) 0 – 0 (Potter/Freburger 0) 0 --- 0
H (Floyd) 4 – 5 --- 9
Corner kicks
NSCD 2 – 4 --- 6
HC 0 – 1 --- 1
Offsides
NSCD 1 – 0 --- 1
HC 2 – 1 --- 3
11th shutout of season bumps Raiders win streak to seven
By Steve Nemeth
ELGIN --- Perhaps North Shore Country Day coach Kyle Jones should borrow from fellow Englishman William Shakespeare’s classic “All’s Well That Ends Well.”
Despite a one-goal halftime lead, Jones described the opening half as “rubbish.” Thankfully when the final whistle was blown, the Raiders not only had a 5-0 shutout over host Harvest, but tied the school record for single-season wins while improving to 13-4-1.
The triumph extends North Shore Country Day’s current win streak to seven straight and also became the 11th clean-sheet for the stonewall-like Raiders defense.
And the season could be far from over. Thursday’s regular-season finale at home versus Schaumburg Christian will be followed by IHSA Class A play. North Shore Country Day serves as the top seed for an 11-team sectional that the Raiders host after serving as a regional site.
“Initially it felt like we were just going through the motions,” Jones admitted. “But in the second half we began to do the things that got us success: work hard, use our heads to think, connect passes, move the ball and switch the point of attack.”
The match was switched from Harvest’s actual home field because conditions there lived up to its nickname “The Swamp.” Playing at the Elgin Sports Complex, the “host” Lions looked like a team still struggling to regain its footing after a 6-1 loss last Friday. That defeat snapped a seven-match unbeaten string (6-0-1) for Harvest, which now stands 7-5-1 with one last road trip prior to the playoffs.
Harvest goalie Ryan Floyd could easily have been described by any expression using busy --- as in busy as a beaver, busy as a bee, busy as a one-armed paper hanger, etc.
Early on he had to turn away a Vincent Luglio missile and make several rushes off his line to cover or clear loose balls as well as North Shore Country Day services in front of his net. After barely blocking another Luglio blast, he scrambled to cover the rebound. He punched a Walter Luglio cross away and shortly after dove to his right to stop a Cole Sabia shot aimed inside the left post.
The law of averages finally caught up to the junior keeper in the 38th minute when the Luglios combined. Walter’s assist led to a 16-yard strike from the middle by older brother Vincent.
“I’d say we know each other pretty well, and he knew the run I’d be making,” Vincent said in regard to North Shore Country Day's first score. “We obviously got off to a real slow start and missed several chances. At time like that we simply have to keep working and believe that eventually the finishes will come.”
It took less than 10 minutes into the second half for North Shore to up the ante and even less to add to it.
Showing some of the same aggressiveness he displayed as a first half sub, Augie Gallun became the Raiders’ spark providing two goals and an assist to earn Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match accolade.
Gallun knocked home an eight-yarder off a cross from Vincent Luglio to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, the duo switched roles with Luglio using a Gallun set-up for a 19-yarder that had enough heat on it to slip through Floyd’s gloves.
“Having played alongside Vince for eight years I believe we’ve got a good connection,” Gallun said. “I knew when to cut in for his pass. Then I also knew where he was, and the space he had to really nail his shot.”
Yet another reserve stepped up as Kai Barrett-Bennett was perfectly positioned for an eight-yard header off Mason Roberts-Jones’ corner kick in the 65th minute. That was actually one of several picturesque corners Roberts-Jones made during the course of the match. North Shore had a 6-1 edge in that part of the stat ledger.
“I’m always happy to contribute to the scoring,” Barrett-Bennett said. “(The header) felt good, and it was made easy because Mason delivers such good corner kicks.”
The scoring was capped off in the 69th minute when Tyler Doornweerd earned an assist on Gallun’s second goal, a 19-yard boot from the middle sent into the lower corner.
“That was just following coach’s instructions to aim for corners,” Gallun noted. “So much of our success comes from how we’ve bonded as a team, being real good friends on and off the field. That plus coach has us prepped for each match and gives us the tactics we need to win.”
North Shore Country starting goalkeeper Nick Potter was replaced by Alex Freburger for the final 12 minutes for a combined clean-sheet. For the last seven matches, only Independent School League rival Parker has managed to score on the Raiders. In Monday’s outing, neither Potter or Freburger was really tested in complete contrast to their counterpart.
The Raiders owned a whopping 24-1 advantage for overall shot attempts and a 14-0 edge on goal. Harvest’s two most notable efforts came in the second half. One was a Nathanael Martinez direct kick that sailed wide right and another was a dangerous cross that eluded any Lions player in the vicinity.
In addition to Floyd’s nine saves, there were a combined 14 defensive catches or clears representing how often he was under duress.
Of course the best way to limit pressure on the goal is to have a strong defensive line ahead of the keeper. Jones was quick to compliment the duo of Tae Won Lillig and Finn Doornweerd.
“They’re a relatively new combo back there, but they’ve done well with their partnership,” Jones noted.
As the no. 1 seed for its own regional, North Shore Country Day’s first playoff match will be against the winner of a prelim between Chicago Math and Science versus Cruz. The regional final could be a challenge versus either Rochelle Zell or a Chicago Public League Sullivan side which has caused problems for the Raiders in past years.
North Shore Country Day will aim for a second-straight regional plaque and its fourth all-time. The first two regional titles came in 2015 and 2012, when Jones directed the Raiders into the sectionals. The more recent ended with a semifinal exist while 2012 featured a sectional final showing.
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK Nick Potter
D John Sprenger
D Tae Won Lillig
D Finn Doornweerd
D Alex Winslow
M Adam Terhaerdt
M Axel Garcia
M Jacob Sherman
M Mason ROerts-Jones
F Cole Sabia
F Vincent Luglio
Harvest
GK Ryan Floyd
D Brandon Keeran
D Blake Nudo
D Charles Barkow
D William Squires
M Isaac Martinez
M Brandon Keeran
M Daniel Doby
M Matthew Olech
F Johnny Constante
F Owen Pisha
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Augie Gallun, jr. MF, North Shore Country Day
Referees: Chuck Raksinh, Curt Wegner
Game Summary
North Shore Country Day 5, Harvest 0
NSCD 1 4 --- 5 (13-4-0)
Harvest 0 0 --- 0 (7-5-1)
Scoring
First Half
NSCD --- V. Luglio 16-yard strike from middle off a cross (W. Luglio assist), 38th minute
Second Half
NSCD --- Gallun eight-yard finish from middle off cross (V. Luglio assist), 49th minute
NSCD --- V. Luglio 24-yard rocket shot through keeper’s hands (Gallun assist), 52nd minute
NSCD --- Barrett-Bennett eight-yard header off corner kick (Roberts-Jones assist), 65th minute
NSCD --- Gallun 19-yard boot into lower corner (T. Doornweerd assist), 69th minute
Shots
NSCD 12 – 12 --- 24
H 0 – 1 --- 1
Shots on goal
NS 5 – 9 --- 14
H 0 – 0 --- 0
Saves (Goalie):
NSCD (Potter) 0 – 0 (Potter/Freburger 0) 0 --- 0
H (Floyd) 4 – 5 --- 9
Corner kicks
NSCD 2 – 4 --- 6
HC 0 – 1 --- 1
Offsides
NSCD 1 – 0 --- 1
HC 2 – 1 --- 3