North Shore Country Day’s diligence pays off against Saint Viator
Raiders finally solve Lions in 2-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
LA GRANGE — Every game is its own entity. The particulars have a way of influencing and altering events.
The battle of North Shore Country Day and Saint Viator suggested that classic showdown of the implacable force against an immovable object.
The Raiders kept pounding the Lions. The brilliance and steady hand of Saint Viator keeper Jimmy Doherty nullified every tantalizing shot.
The angular and lean defender Buckley Oelerich had a point-blank shot off a throw-in during the first half.
Doherty made a spectacular save.
Midfielder Smith Flickinger smashed a header from a beautiful feed from midfielder Benji Leonetti in the second half.
Doherty responded with another spellbinding stop.
The question became almost of attrition. Who would be the first to fold?
“At that point you could just tell that we were going to score,” Leonetti said. “The ball kept going inside their box, and they kept kicking it back to us.”
The aggressors found the way to finally kick in the door.
Leonetti made a beautiful corner serve that defender Teddy Gallun finished en route to the Raiders’ 2-0 victory in a BodyArmor bracket championship game Sunday at the Lyons Soccer Complex.
The top-ranked team in the new Chicagoland Soccer Class A Super 7 poll is a force to be reckoned with.
The Raiders (12-0-1) blend size, athleticism, chemistry and a tightness that speaks to the special camaraderie in the tight-knit school that has an official enrollment of 194.
“I think we have a lot of skilled players up there with their feet,” Leonetti said. “Just the variety of being able to hold the ball, dribble down the line, and cut back and shoot is very impressive.
“We only have about 60 people per grade, but at least 10 of them are good at soccer.”
Benji Leonetti earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his strong play.
Saint Viator entered the game off a wild 6-4 victory over Joliet Catholic in East Suburban Catholic play Saturday.
“I just think today we played pretty tired,” Doherty said. “We had a lot of chances we didn’t convert.
“I thought we played really well defensively, It’s just tough to come away from this tournament with a loss.”
Midfielder Conor Giroux had probably the best early scoring threat with a left-footed blast from the left wing that North Shore Country Day keeper Aram Dombalagian made a strong stop on.
Saint Viator has some compelling and intriguing offensive pieces in forward Taylor Petrillo and midfielders Giroux, Michael O’Connor, Jack Glasstetter and forward Benson Tsai.
“It’s one of those games where I felt like we probably had more than 50 percent of the possession in the first half,” Saint Viator coach Byron DeLeon said.
“We created enough, but we just couldn’t finish.”
The Lions did their best off counterattacks. The most dangerous came midway through the first half as Tsai got loose for a near breakaway.
He turned his body in, and unleashed a shot from the top of the box that pushed just outside the frame.
“Had we created a little more, we might have been a little more decisive in the first half,” DeLeon said.
“The game probably would have been more interesting.”
North Shore Country Day takes pride and comfort in the depth of its accomplishments. A program like Saint Viator is the standard they sought to emulate.
Coach Kyle Jones remembers during his early days directing the program from 2006-2009 making the trek to the Arlington Heights to play the Lions.
“Viator was a powerhouse, and I think our varsity played their JV, and they beat us like 7-1,” Jones said.
“I remember telling my assistant that this is the program we are going to be taking on if we are going to be successful.”
The foundation of the current iteration of the Raiders — Leonetti, Teddy Gallun, Evan Fortier, Tae Won Lillig — were freshmen on the state team that finished fourth in Class A in 2019.
During the same calendar year, the girls’ team reached their second-consecutive state championship game.
The Raiders boys came of age.
“They were two completely different teams,” Jones said of his current program and the state team.
“These guys who were freshmen then got a sense of what that’s about, and I think it gave them a taste of what’s possible. It just builds and builds.”
The defining moment of the game came in the 51st minute with the spectacular Doherty stop of the header by Flickinger.
Opportunities just knocked for the Raiders.
“We just had a feeling we’d score,” Leonetti said.
In the 53rd minute, the pressure created a corner from the left side.
Leonetti drilled the ball inside the box, and Gallun ran on to it for the easy putaway — his first goal of the season.
“That is my favorite set play,” Leonetti said. “You just hang it right in front of the goalie.
“We had a big crash, and they put it in.”
Gallun was waiting for the moment. His older brother Angie was on that state team.
He developed in the system and built the necessary experience and savvy for the varsity game.
“I knew we were going to get one right after the keeper made the great stop on Smith with that header,” Gallun said.
“We tend to get the momentum, and usually we get a goal out of that. The ball came in, and it was just a question of who wanted it more. It came in, and I was in the right place, at the right time.”
Saint Viator looked to counter and find the equalizer. Petrillo created pressure at the top of the attack.
The Lions sent different waves of bodies and looked to break the Raiders down.
“In the second half, where we had good advantages one-on-one with the ball, and we just couldn’t finish,” DeLeon said.
The rangy and athletic Doherty kept the Lions close. He is active and highly instinctive, with an excellent sense of position.
“It was disappointing. In the other games in the tournament, we had a lot of offense in those games,” Doherty said.
“We also shut other teams down defensively. We played very complete games, which we didn’t do today.”
Giroux had another sharp opportunity following the opener with a free kick from the left edge, just outside the box.
A North Shore Country Day defender made the clearance and knocked the ball out of scoring range.
The Raiders put the game out of reach with a penalty kick score by Lillig in the 73rd minute.
The pressure of forward Daniel Becker created a collision and foul inside the box.
Lillig, whose sister Eun Hae was a standout on the girls’ state title runs, scored his 10th goal.
“I think it’s always good to have a challenge,” Lillig said. “We’re a pretty confident team this year, so it’s great to size ourselves up against these bigger schools and see how we compete.”
Saint Viator ponders what might have been.
“These games are going to take us into learning mode, and we are going to try and analyze what we missed, and try to adjust and adapt,” DeLeon said.
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK: Aram Dombalagian
D: Tae Won Lillig
D: Teddy Gallun
D: Buckley Oelerich
D: Smith Flickinger
MF: Evan Fortier
MF: Benji Leonetti
MF: Henry Gallun
MF: Kai Zavala
F: Leif Steele
F: Daniel Becker
Saint Viator
GK: Jimmy Doherty
D: Reilly Salatino
D: Cristobal Carranza
D: Christian Giacalone
D: Colin Kochera
MF: Conor Giroux
MF: Michael O’Connor
MF:: Gabriel Glodz
MF: Jack Glasstetter
F: Taylor Petrillo
F: Kevin Eich
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Benji Leonetti, sr., MF, North Shore Country Day
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
North Shore Country Day—Teddy Gallun (Benji Leonetti), 53rd minute
North Shore Country Day—Tae Won Lillig (penalty kick), 73rd minute
Raiders finally solve Lions in 2-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
LA GRANGE — Every game is its own entity. The particulars have a way of influencing and altering events.
The battle of North Shore Country Day and Saint Viator suggested that classic showdown of the implacable force against an immovable object.
The Raiders kept pounding the Lions. The brilliance and steady hand of Saint Viator keeper Jimmy Doherty nullified every tantalizing shot.
The angular and lean defender Buckley Oelerich had a point-blank shot off a throw-in during the first half.
Doherty made a spectacular save.
Midfielder Smith Flickinger smashed a header from a beautiful feed from midfielder Benji Leonetti in the second half.
Doherty responded with another spellbinding stop.
The question became almost of attrition. Who would be the first to fold?
“At that point you could just tell that we were going to score,” Leonetti said. “The ball kept going inside their box, and they kept kicking it back to us.”
The aggressors found the way to finally kick in the door.
Leonetti made a beautiful corner serve that defender Teddy Gallun finished en route to the Raiders’ 2-0 victory in a BodyArmor bracket championship game Sunday at the Lyons Soccer Complex.
The top-ranked team in the new Chicagoland Soccer Class A Super 7 poll is a force to be reckoned with.
The Raiders (12-0-1) blend size, athleticism, chemistry and a tightness that speaks to the special camaraderie in the tight-knit school that has an official enrollment of 194.
“I think we have a lot of skilled players up there with their feet,” Leonetti said. “Just the variety of being able to hold the ball, dribble down the line, and cut back and shoot is very impressive.
“We only have about 60 people per grade, but at least 10 of them are good at soccer.”
Benji Leonetti earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his strong play.
Saint Viator entered the game off a wild 6-4 victory over Joliet Catholic in East Suburban Catholic play Saturday.
“I just think today we played pretty tired,” Doherty said. “We had a lot of chances we didn’t convert.
“I thought we played really well defensively, It’s just tough to come away from this tournament with a loss.”
Midfielder Conor Giroux had probably the best early scoring threat with a left-footed blast from the left wing that North Shore Country Day keeper Aram Dombalagian made a strong stop on.
Saint Viator has some compelling and intriguing offensive pieces in forward Taylor Petrillo and midfielders Giroux, Michael O’Connor, Jack Glasstetter and forward Benson Tsai.
“It’s one of those games where I felt like we probably had more than 50 percent of the possession in the first half,” Saint Viator coach Byron DeLeon said.
“We created enough, but we just couldn’t finish.”
The Lions did their best off counterattacks. The most dangerous came midway through the first half as Tsai got loose for a near breakaway.
He turned his body in, and unleashed a shot from the top of the box that pushed just outside the frame.
“Had we created a little more, we might have been a little more decisive in the first half,” DeLeon said.
“The game probably would have been more interesting.”
North Shore Country Day takes pride and comfort in the depth of its accomplishments. A program like Saint Viator is the standard they sought to emulate.
Coach Kyle Jones remembers during his early days directing the program from 2006-2009 making the trek to the Arlington Heights to play the Lions.
“Viator was a powerhouse, and I think our varsity played their JV, and they beat us like 7-1,” Jones said.
“I remember telling my assistant that this is the program we are going to be taking on if we are going to be successful.”
The foundation of the current iteration of the Raiders — Leonetti, Teddy Gallun, Evan Fortier, Tae Won Lillig — were freshmen on the state team that finished fourth in Class A in 2019.
During the same calendar year, the girls’ team reached their second-consecutive state championship game.
The Raiders boys came of age.
“They were two completely different teams,” Jones said of his current program and the state team.
“These guys who were freshmen then got a sense of what that’s about, and I think it gave them a taste of what’s possible. It just builds and builds.”
The defining moment of the game came in the 51st minute with the spectacular Doherty stop of the header by Flickinger.
Opportunities just knocked for the Raiders.
“We just had a feeling we’d score,” Leonetti said.
In the 53rd minute, the pressure created a corner from the left side.
Leonetti drilled the ball inside the box, and Gallun ran on to it for the easy putaway — his first goal of the season.
“That is my favorite set play,” Leonetti said. “You just hang it right in front of the goalie.
“We had a big crash, and they put it in.”
Gallun was waiting for the moment. His older brother Angie was on that state team.
He developed in the system and built the necessary experience and savvy for the varsity game.
“I knew we were going to get one right after the keeper made the great stop on Smith with that header,” Gallun said.
“We tend to get the momentum, and usually we get a goal out of that. The ball came in, and it was just a question of who wanted it more. It came in, and I was in the right place, at the right time.”
Saint Viator looked to counter and find the equalizer. Petrillo created pressure at the top of the attack.
The Lions sent different waves of bodies and looked to break the Raiders down.
“In the second half, where we had good advantages one-on-one with the ball, and we just couldn’t finish,” DeLeon said.
The rangy and athletic Doherty kept the Lions close. He is active and highly instinctive, with an excellent sense of position.
“It was disappointing. In the other games in the tournament, we had a lot of offense in those games,” Doherty said.
“We also shut other teams down defensively. We played very complete games, which we didn’t do today.”
Giroux had another sharp opportunity following the opener with a free kick from the left edge, just outside the box.
A North Shore Country Day defender made the clearance and knocked the ball out of scoring range.
The Raiders put the game out of reach with a penalty kick score by Lillig in the 73rd minute.
The pressure of forward Daniel Becker created a collision and foul inside the box.
Lillig, whose sister Eun Hae was a standout on the girls’ state title runs, scored his 10th goal.
“I think it’s always good to have a challenge,” Lillig said. “We’re a pretty confident team this year, so it’s great to size ourselves up against these bigger schools and see how we compete.”
Saint Viator ponders what might have been.
“These games are going to take us into learning mode, and we are going to try and analyze what we missed, and try to adjust and adapt,” DeLeon said.
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK: Aram Dombalagian
D: Tae Won Lillig
D: Teddy Gallun
D: Buckley Oelerich
D: Smith Flickinger
MF: Evan Fortier
MF: Benji Leonetti
MF: Henry Gallun
MF: Kai Zavala
F: Leif Steele
F: Daniel Becker
Saint Viator
GK: Jimmy Doherty
D: Reilly Salatino
D: Cristobal Carranza
D: Christian Giacalone
D: Colin Kochera
MF: Conor Giroux
MF: Michael O’Connor
MF:: Gabriel Glodz
MF: Jack Glasstetter
F: Taylor Petrillo
F: Kevin Eich
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Benji Leonetti, sr., MF, North Shore Country Day
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
North Shore Country Day—Teddy Gallun (Benji Leonetti), 53rd minute
North Shore Country Day—Tae Won Lillig (penalty kick), 73rd minute