NSCD takes 2nd in season-opening tourney
Visitors fall 2-0 to Notre Dame in Don/Raider finale
By Dave Owen
NILES- With two North Shore Country Day graduates serving as presidents of Chicago professional teams (the Blackhawks’ Rocky Wirtz and the Bulls’ Michael Reinsdorf), the school’s impact on area sports is huge.
The Raiders’ soccer program is making big strides of its own. After the girls team’s Class A state runnerup finish in June, the boys squad has kicked off 2018 with a 2-1-0 record and now a second place finish in the Don/Raider Tournament.
A 2-0 loss to Notre Dame in Saturday’s tournament finale was the lone blemish, as the youthful Raiders (who started five freshmen or sophomores and just two seniors Saturday) have plenty of reasons for early-season optimism.
“We played against a good team (Notre Dame) with a whole bunch of seniors (seven of whom started),” NSCD coach Kyle Jones said. “Big boys, physical, and obviously we’re not. We’re a young team, a smaller team.
“But in terms of the quality of play, in terms of doing the right thing and the quality of the soccer itself, I’m pleased with my team on today’s performance.”
Going into Saturday’s match, the Raiders’ two wins had featured strong defense and the emergence of freshman goalkeeper Nick Potter under adverse conditions.
In the season-opening win over Senn (tied 1-1 in regulation, then won 3-2 in penalty kicks), goalkeeper Alessandro Colzi-Risaliti’s great final play produced a win on the field – but also a potentially key loss.
“(Risaliti) went down in the first tournament game, saving a PK against Senn,” Jones said. “He hit his head on the post and has a mild concussion. But Nicky has come in and played two great games. He had a clean sheet last game (a 3-0 shutout of Guerin on Thursday) and played well today. He’s come in and done a really nice job. It’s going to be tough for Alessandro to get back in there.”
The Raiders also had sophomores Jacob Sherman and Vincent Luglio and senior Aidan Zavala named to the all-tournament team.
“Jacob Sherman is really important on the field,” Jones said. “He does a lot of the stuff that goes unnoticed, a workhorse in there, like a little terrier yapping at your feet.
“He’s important to us, and Aidan Zavala is an excellent midfielder. He’s pulling the strings and played really well the last couple of games.
“And Vincent Luglio up-front had two goals Thursday and our lone (regulation) goal in the first game,” Jones added. “Today we didn’t get him the services we would like, but he’s been playing really well.”
The Guerin win was a great day for the NSCD offense.
“Guys were talking a lot and we were giving each other space to play those through-balls,” said Zavala, who had an assist in the win.
But the defense of Notre Dame (3-0-0) nicely limited the Raiders’ quality chances Saturday, especially in the second half.
And while Potter came up big with numerous acrobatic stops, the host Dons’ size and strength was evident during the key first half stretch of two goals in 140 seconds.
In the 15th minute, a Jaime Gutierrez corner kick connected with 6-foot-3 senior Phil Szutkiewisz in the box. Overpowering two defenders, he won the ball and drove a low shot inside the left post for a 1-0 lead.
The Gutierrez-to-Szutkiewisz combination worked again just 2:20 later, this time on a nice Gutierrez high send to the box that Szutkiewisz powered home with a 6-yard shot.
“The two goals they scored … the first one was a tough one,” Jones said. “I don’t like to make excuses, but I thought it was a foul on that one. A big boy I felt pushed one of ours over and went on to score.
“And the second one, we got caught in a counter, and you can’t leave a guy who’s 6-foot-3 wide open in the box. So we learn from that.”
Szutkiewisz’s two strong finishes earned him the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
“We were hungry for the win and the trophy,” said Szutkiewisz,. “I just made the hard runs, and it paid off.”
In the first eight minutes of the match, the Raiders had generated the first two shots on goal (one-hop stops from 25-plus yards on shots by Zavala and Adam Terhaerdt) and a Mason-Roberts Jones corner kick.
But after scoring seven goals in two games coming in, the Dons’ offense emphatically came alive for the 2-0 lead and continued with waves of pressure for much of the second half.
“I thought we played a little bit better in the second half,” Notre Dame coach Mike Smith said, “and in the first half it was nice that our forward stepped up and got a couple goals.
“It’s nice to get a 2-0 lead. We were challenging our guys to play better in the second half, and we did. I thought we created more opportunities, and they had the ball on our side a lot less.”
But starting with Potter’s leaping punch out of traffic of a 20-yard John Walsh free kick in the 25th minute, the Raiders’ defense had the answer to every Notre Dame scoring bid the rest of the way.
Potter closed the first half with an all-out dive and fingertip deflection wide of a Dons shot 2:35 before halftime.
NSCD then endured three Notre Dame corner kicks in the first six minutes of the second half, with another diving Potter save and a nice interception and send up the sideline by junior defender Alex Winslow among the notable denials.
“I thought the play out of the back building to the midfield was good,” Jones said. “Our final third play could have been better today, but we’ll work on that this week and hopefully we come back stronger.”
The Raiders had to endure three more quality threats for the Dons. With 19:45 left, Notre Dame’s Aldin Markicic curled a corner kick off the upper back post. Then Potter followed with strong saves in the next six minutes on a Szutkiewisz low 16-yarder and a Walsh 18-yarder (denied on a diving Potter save to his left).
After nice blocked shots by Riley Jones and Axel Garcia added to the NSCD defensive showing, the Raiders’ offense showed late positive signs.
Off a Terhaerdt pass on the right side, Roberts-Jones lined a 15-yarder off the side of the net with 7:30 to play.
A sustained attack off a Winslow throw-in with 2:30 to go ended with a block of a Luglio shot and an Andrew Karmin 28-yard one-timer just over the net.
Then with 1:50 left, a nice midfield steal by Sherman and send ended with an offside call.
Notre Dame outscored its three Don/Raider foes 9-2, but endured a major scare in the second round.
“Overall it was a good starting tournament,” Smith said. “The defining game was our last one, when we played Senn, were down 2-0 with 20 minutes and got three goals to come back and win.
“That was a big one to put ourselves in a good spot here. We knew if we got a tie we win the tournament (on goal differential), but obviously the best way to win it is to win the game.”
Said Szutkiewisz of the tourney title: “It puts us in a good place. I’m proud of it. We’d like to win more trophies and titles though. We’re here to create.”
The Raiders ended the tournament with two wins under their belts and a strong response to Notre Dame’s pressure, size and experience Saturday.
In terms of the impact Saturday’s loss on the team’s confidence, the work of another prominent NSCD alumnus may be appropriate – Richard Marx’s hit song “It Don’t Mean Nothing.”
“I think as of right now, for this early in the season I like where we are,” Zavala said. “There’s a bunch of stuff that I feel we can improve on in both the attack and defensively, but otherwise I’m fairly optimistic about the season, and I like how we’re playing right now.”
To the NSCD coaches, early season challenges against larger schools are all about preparation for the road ahead.
“We have another tough test on Monday,” Jones said. “Lake Forest is 3A, a big school, but that’s why they’re on the schedule. We want to test us early. This was a good test, and I think our boys can take a lot of positives from today.
“Every coach will say we want to get better every day. We have some younger guys and some guys playing some new spots.
“We’re going to keep building,” Jones added. “We didn’t get the silverware today, but you take care of the process and the trophies will take care of themselves. If we play to our potential and we keep doing what we need to do, hopefully at the end of the season we have something to stick on the wall.”
Starting lineups
NSCD
GK- Nick Potter
D- Alex Winslow
D- Andrew Karmin
D- Axel Garcia
D- Finn Doornweerd
M- Riley Jones
M- Adam Terhaerdt
M- Aidan Zavala
M- Jacob Sherman
F- Vincent Luglio
F- Mason Roberts-Jones
Niles Notre Dame
GK- John Mueller
D- Andres Barron
D- Roman Rajski
D- Danny Malik
D- John Walsh
M- Aldin Markicic
M- Jaime Gutierrez
M- Sebastian Guerrero
M-David Mikolajczyk
F- Phil Szutkiewisz
F- Nicky Marchese
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Phil Szutkiewisz, sr. F, Notre Dame
Scoring summary
First half
ND – Phil Szutkiewisz (Jaime Gutierrez), 15th minute
ND – Szutkiewisz (Gutierrez), 17th minute
Second half
None
Visitors fall 2-0 to Notre Dame in Don/Raider finale
By Dave Owen
NILES- With two North Shore Country Day graduates serving as presidents of Chicago professional teams (the Blackhawks’ Rocky Wirtz and the Bulls’ Michael Reinsdorf), the school’s impact on area sports is huge.
The Raiders’ soccer program is making big strides of its own. After the girls team’s Class A state runnerup finish in June, the boys squad has kicked off 2018 with a 2-1-0 record and now a second place finish in the Don/Raider Tournament.
A 2-0 loss to Notre Dame in Saturday’s tournament finale was the lone blemish, as the youthful Raiders (who started five freshmen or sophomores and just two seniors Saturday) have plenty of reasons for early-season optimism.
“We played against a good team (Notre Dame) with a whole bunch of seniors (seven of whom started),” NSCD coach Kyle Jones said. “Big boys, physical, and obviously we’re not. We’re a young team, a smaller team.
“But in terms of the quality of play, in terms of doing the right thing and the quality of the soccer itself, I’m pleased with my team on today’s performance.”
Going into Saturday’s match, the Raiders’ two wins had featured strong defense and the emergence of freshman goalkeeper Nick Potter under adverse conditions.
In the season-opening win over Senn (tied 1-1 in regulation, then won 3-2 in penalty kicks), goalkeeper Alessandro Colzi-Risaliti’s great final play produced a win on the field – but also a potentially key loss.
“(Risaliti) went down in the first tournament game, saving a PK against Senn,” Jones said. “He hit his head on the post and has a mild concussion. But Nicky has come in and played two great games. He had a clean sheet last game (a 3-0 shutout of Guerin on Thursday) and played well today. He’s come in and done a really nice job. It’s going to be tough for Alessandro to get back in there.”
The Raiders also had sophomores Jacob Sherman and Vincent Luglio and senior Aidan Zavala named to the all-tournament team.
“Jacob Sherman is really important on the field,” Jones said. “He does a lot of the stuff that goes unnoticed, a workhorse in there, like a little terrier yapping at your feet.
“He’s important to us, and Aidan Zavala is an excellent midfielder. He’s pulling the strings and played really well the last couple of games.
“And Vincent Luglio up-front had two goals Thursday and our lone (regulation) goal in the first game,” Jones added. “Today we didn’t get him the services we would like, but he’s been playing really well.”
The Guerin win was a great day for the NSCD offense.
“Guys were talking a lot and we were giving each other space to play those through-balls,” said Zavala, who had an assist in the win.
But the defense of Notre Dame (3-0-0) nicely limited the Raiders’ quality chances Saturday, especially in the second half.
And while Potter came up big with numerous acrobatic stops, the host Dons’ size and strength was evident during the key first half stretch of two goals in 140 seconds.
In the 15th minute, a Jaime Gutierrez corner kick connected with 6-foot-3 senior Phil Szutkiewisz in the box. Overpowering two defenders, he won the ball and drove a low shot inside the left post for a 1-0 lead.
The Gutierrez-to-Szutkiewisz combination worked again just 2:20 later, this time on a nice Gutierrez high send to the box that Szutkiewisz powered home with a 6-yard shot.
“The two goals they scored … the first one was a tough one,” Jones said. “I don’t like to make excuses, but I thought it was a foul on that one. A big boy I felt pushed one of ours over and went on to score.
“And the second one, we got caught in a counter, and you can’t leave a guy who’s 6-foot-3 wide open in the box. So we learn from that.”
Szutkiewisz’s two strong finishes earned him the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
“We were hungry for the win and the trophy,” said Szutkiewisz,. “I just made the hard runs, and it paid off.”
In the first eight minutes of the match, the Raiders had generated the first two shots on goal (one-hop stops from 25-plus yards on shots by Zavala and Adam Terhaerdt) and a Mason-Roberts Jones corner kick.
But after scoring seven goals in two games coming in, the Dons’ offense emphatically came alive for the 2-0 lead and continued with waves of pressure for much of the second half.
“I thought we played a little bit better in the second half,” Notre Dame coach Mike Smith said, “and in the first half it was nice that our forward stepped up and got a couple goals.
“It’s nice to get a 2-0 lead. We were challenging our guys to play better in the second half, and we did. I thought we created more opportunities, and they had the ball on our side a lot less.”
But starting with Potter’s leaping punch out of traffic of a 20-yard John Walsh free kick in the 25th minute, the Raiders’ defense had the answer to every Notre Dame scoring bid the rest of the way.
Potter closed the first half with an all-out dive and fingertip deflection wide of a Dons shot 2:35 before halftime.
NSCD then endured three Notre Dame corner kicks in the first six minutes of the second half, with another diving Potter save and a nice interception and send up the sideline by junior defender Alex Winslow among the notable denials.
“I thought the play out of the back building to the midfield was good,” Jones said. “Our final third play could have been better today, but we’ll work on that this week and hopefully we come back stronger.”
The Raiders had to endure three more quality threats for the Dons. With 19:45 left, Notre Dame’s Aldin Markicic curled a corner kick off the upper back post. Then Potter followed with strong saves in the next six minutes on a Szutkiewisz low 16-yarder and a Walsh 18-yarder (denied on a diving Potter save to his left).
After nice blocked shots by Riley Jones and Axel Garcia added to the NSCD defensive showing, the Raiders’ offense showed late positive signs.
Off a Terhaerdt pass on the right side, Roberts-Jones lined a 15-yarder off the side of the net with 7:30 to play.
A sustained attack off a Winslow throw-in with 2:30 to go ended with a block of a Luglio shot and an Andrew Karmin 28-yard one-timer just over the net.
Then with 1:50 left, a nice midfield steal by Sherman and send ended with an offside call.
Notre Dame outscored its three Don/Raider foes 9-2, but endured a major scare in the second round.
“Overall it was a good starting tournament,” Smith said. “The defining game was our last one, when we played Senn, were down 2-0 with 20 minutes and got three goals to come back and win.
“That was a big one to put ourselves in a good spot here. We knew if we got a tie we win the tournament (on goal differential), but obviously the best way to win it is to win the game.”
Said Szutkiewisz of the tourney title: “It puts us in a good place. I’m proud of it. We’d like to win more trophies and titles though. We’re here to create.”
The Raiders ended the tournament with two wins under their belts and a strong response to Notre Dame’s pressure, size and experience Saturday.
In terms of the impact Saturday’s loss on the team’s confidence, the work of another prominent NSCD alumnus may be appropriate – Richard Marx’s hit song “It Don’t Mean Nothing.”
“I think as of right now, for this early in the season I like where we are,” Zavala said. “There’s a bunch of stuff that I feel we can improve on in both the attack and defensively, but otherwise I’m fairly optimistic about the season, and I like how we’re playing right now.”
To the NSCD coaches, early season challenges against larger schools are all about preparation for the road ahead.
“We have another tough test on Monday,” Jones said. “Lake Forest is 3A, a big school, but that’s why they’re on the schedule. We want to test us early. This was a good test, and I think our boys can take a lot of positives from today.
“Every coach will say we want to get better every day. We have some younger guys and some guys playing some new spots.
“We’re going to keep building,” Jones added. “We didn’t get the silverware today, but you take care of the process and the trophies will take care of themselves. If we play to our potential and we keep doing what we need to do, hopefully at the end of the season we have something to stick on the wall.”
Starting lineups
NSCD
GK- Nick Potter
D- Alex Winslow
D- Andrew Karmin
D- Axel Garcia
D- Finn Doornweerd
M- Riley Jones
M- Adam Terhaerdt
M- Aidan Zavala
M- Jacob Sherman
F- Vincent Luglio
F- Mason Roberts-Jones
Niles Notre Dame
GK- John Mueller
D- Andres Barron
D- Roman Rajski
D- Danny Malik
D- John Walsh
M- Aldin Markicic
M- Jaime Gutierrez
M- Sebastian Guerrero
M-David Mikolajczyk
F- Phil Szutkiewisz
F- Nicky Marchese
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Phil Szutkiewisz, sr. F, Notre Dame
Scoring summary
First half
ND – Phil Szutkiewisz (Jaime Gutierrez), 15th minute
ND – Szutkiewisz (Gutierrez), 17th minute
Second half
None