New 'D' key to GBN win over New Trier
Switch works, hosts fend off Trevians in 1-0 battle of top 10 teams
By Mike Garofola
NORTHBROOK -- Brandon Mankoff's strike three minutes into the second half settled a pulsating nonconference encounter Saturday afternoon that saw Glenbrook North defeat New Trier 1-0 much to the delight of the big home crowd at William Lutz Stadium.
"With a lot of us knowing so many players on both sides, I think we all were looking forward to this game. And it was everything we all expected, which made for an exciting game," said Spartans senior Sam Heydt.
Heydt showed his adaptive skills when Spartans manager Paul Vignocchi switched his position for the game. For his key contributions, Heydt earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
"Sam is one of those guys who is all about what's best for the team," said Vignocchi. "Today, we had to put him in along the backline (as a centerback). After sorting things out in the first 40 minutes, he was just a monster back there during the entire second half and was a real difference-maker."
Glenbrook North (5-2-1) lost two of its best defenders in Mason Rose (shoulder) and Evan Goldberg (groin) during its 2-1 home loss to Maine South last Thursday. That forced Vignocchi and his staff to look elsewhere on their roster for replacements.
"Obviously when players of that level are out of action, it's something to be concerned about. It tests your depth," said Vignocchi.
"But as I said, Sam was great, and alongside him, Ben Gordon moved inside to form a terrific centerback pair.
"George Luke and Sam Aronson handled themselves real well on the outside, and in fact, George was in the mix on the Mankoff goal."
The game between highly ranked Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 squads started at breakneck speed, and there was no let-up. The play between no. 5 New Trier and no. 8 Glenbrook North swung from end to end in the blink of an eye, and several half-chances emerged as each side showcased the weapons in their attack.
Off the opening whistle, Alex Donnelly-Maine forced a save from Glenbrook North keeper Daniel Spencer. On the other end, the home side created a corner.
Sahil Modi, deployed on the outside as well as inside with Deng Deng Kur, won a 50-50 ball and nearly made something from nothing for the Spartans. The connection went to Matt Metzger, then Kur and back to Metzger who went over the bar in the 4th minute.
Conversely, on the other end, New Trier had a chance when a marvelous crossfield ball to the back post from Daniel Gunther required Glenbrook North's Robbie Fraser to parry away the dangerous effort.
"With two of the top teams in the area playing each other, it was pretty much what I expected," said Trevians manager Matt Ravenscraft. "And even though we lacked the sharpness we needed early on, we finally settled down, came into the game and played our best soccer of the day from there on out,"
Even when the visitors struggled to find their rhythm in the first quarter hour, it was clear the Trevians (7-2-0) would target frontrunners Will Felitto and Ryan Krueger. Along with teammate Logan Weaver, who pulls the strings in the midfield, the trio had combined for 21 goals and 12 helpers during the first nine games of the season.
Around the half-hour both sides settled in, and fans saw some quality industry through the middle of the park. The backlines, now more organized after the frantic beginning, did their best to help build their respective attacks with quality distribution and service.
"Will is a beast up-top, very tough to handle and keep under control, and the other two are skilled and talented," said Vignocchi. "(But) again, our guys along the back did a great job -- in fact from the midfield on back did so all day with the Spartan grit that ask of our players."
Felitto used pace and power to get to the endline after Donnelly-Maine helped put him there before firing off the side of the back post in the 10th minute. Then minutes later, at the end of an enterprising run, he sprayed his shot just wide as the Spartans held their collective breath.
"Because we all know each other so well, we were aware North would be missing both Mason and Evan, (two) real quality defenders," offered Felitto. "(But) we also knew they would come out and battle hard with those guys out. It wasn't until the end of the first half that we finally began to play much better."
There were a handful of tactical moves and changes going from both benches as the match continued to unfold. Each side looked to keep its opponent under control as best as it could.
Vignocchi, before the injury bug hit his club, typically deployed Kur up-top as the running mate of Max Marquez or Matt Metzger. But on this day, the talented senior was mostly used in a withdraw position behind the forward line -- winning balls, defending, and occassionally, when the time was right, jumping into the attack.
As Felitto alluded to, and Ravenscraft would later point out, the Trevians were on their front foot in the first half and kept their hosts under pressure. They nearly made the Spartans pay the price for their rampant play.
Felitto showed his strength by fending off a pair of defenders before finding Krueger, who in turn played quickly to Sean Gooze at the back post.
This 23rd-minute half-chance was followed by a long throw from Felitto which spilled free to the ever-present Krueger, whose attempt went wide.
A long attempt from Alex Boudos forced Spencer to make a strong save on his wind-aided blast just before intermission.
"It took all us in the back to get things figured out, and to get comfortable with each other in the first half, but after that, we played very well together as a unit," said Heydt.
In between, Glenbrook North's Mankoff had his close-range shot blocked on the way in. Later, Luke watched his free kick from the midline cause plenty of trouble in the Trevians box before it was sent out of the area.
The Spartans opened the second period by creating a corner. But it was the next one moments later that would lead to the eventual game-winner.
Fraser would whip his inward swinger to the back post where Luke redirected the ball back into the mix the other way. Mankoff raced to the ball and from 16 yards applied the decisive touch.
"Both George and Brandon were in the right place at the right time, and it worked out really well for us at that moment," said Vignocchi.
After Mankoff's moment of brilliance, it was all Glenbrook North for the next 10 minutes as the home side was rocking. At the same time, New Trier struggled to impose themselves on the Spartans.
After a deep throw and his turn, Luke went wide. It was followed by a well-paced cross into the box from Fraser for which Trevians keeper Sam Warden elevated nicely to pull down with confidence.
The Trevians back four continued to weather the pressure and watched Warden stop two attempts on frame. It was their sturdy work to keep their mates in the game which allowed the visitors to keep the chase to just one goal for the final 20 minutes.
"The work rate and effort was there all throughout, but we still went through that period after the break when we had to really work hard and play tough defense. It was good to see the boys rise to the occasion," said Ravenscraft.
New Trier threatened in the 61st minute, and again five minutes later with Krueger, Felitto, Weaver and Andrew Kuhn all in the center of these chances.
It was dead-ball and set-piece opportunities were the Trevians were most dangerous in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
The first came when Weaver and Donnelly-Maine executed a short corner which helped put Gooze free at the back post. But the junior was unable to put enough pace on his attempt to slot the ball past Spencer, who was properly positioned.
Krueger drove his 25-yard free kick over the bar in the 75th minute. That set up a dramatic set of events in the 80th minute when a New Trier corner with 16 seconds remaining saw Felitto's header saved. The rebound went back to the senior, whose return shot from inside the six-yard box went wide.
"You always want the result, but this was a great test for us," began Felitto.
"A game like this against a quality opponent exposes the flaws of your team. And now is the time to clean things up in advance of playing some of the best teams in our conference like Maine South, then Evanston."
New Trier's coach agreed with his forward.
"This was a game we needed to have, because it shows what level we need to bring against the best opponents (and) for that matter, each time out from here on out," said Ravenscraft.
"Glenbrook North was well organized, sat in well when we pressure them. But as I said, I was proud of the effort right up until the end when we almost found the equalizer, which at 1-1, would have been a good result."
The Trevians will host Maine South on Tuesday, then Niles West on Thursday in a pair of CSL South contests. They meet neighborhood rival Loyola on Friday afternoon.
Glenbrook North's Fraser and Heydt allowed themselves to revel in this big victory, but the dynamic duo kept things in perspective.
"This win was a great one, and might be a turning point of our season -- we found that our depth and entire roster is capable of stepping up when we needed it most, and that is maybe the best part of this day and win," said Heydt.
Fraser added: "We faced a lot of adversity in this game because of the injuries we had to play through, and to beat a great team like New Trier gives all of us a big boost.
"We won't dwell on this win. It's over, and we have to move on, and we have to remember we could see them down the road in a conference championship game, and once again in the postseason, There's a lot of soccer still ahead for both of us."
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK- Sam Warden
D- Daniel Gunther
D- Riles Walsh
D- Ben Axelrod
D- Alex Boudos
M- JoJo Farina
M- Logan Weaver
M- Mateo Blair
F- Will Felitto
F- Ryan Krueger
F- Alex Donnelly-Maine
Glenbrook North
GK- Daniel Spencer
D- George Luke
D- Sam Heydt
D- Ben Gordon
D- Nate Aronson
M- Sahil Modi
M- Deng Deng Kur
M- Robbie Fraser
M- Brandon Mankoff
M- Matt Metzger
F- Max Marquez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Sam Heydt, sr., D, Glenbrook North
Referee: Ninos Alexander
Scoring summary
Glenbrook North: Mankoff (Luke, Fraser) 43'
Switch works, hosts fend off Trevians in 1-0 battle of top 10 teams
By Mike Garofola
NORTHBROOK -- Brandon Mankoff's strike three minutes into the second half settled a pulsating nonconference encounter Saturday afternoon that saw Glenbrook North defeat New Trier 1-0 much to the delight of the big home crowd at William Lutz Stadium.
"With a lot of us knowing so many players on both sides, I think we all were looking forward to this game. And it was everything we all expected, which made for an exciting game," said Spartans senior Sam Heydt.
Heydt showed his adaptive skills when Spartans manager Paul Vignocchi switched his position for the game. For his key contributions, Heydt earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
"Sam is one of those guys who is all about what's best for the team," said Vignocchi. "Today, we had to put him in along the backline (as a centerback). After sorting things out in the first 40 minutes, he was just a monster back there during the entire second half and was a real difference-maker."
Glenbrook North (5-2-1) lost two of its best defenders in Mason Rose (shoulder) and Evan Goldberg (groin) during its 2-1 home loss to Maine South last Thursday. That forced Vignocchi and his staff to look elsewhere on their roster for replacements.
"Obviously when players of that level are out of action, it's something to be concerned about. It tests your depth," said Vignocchi.
"But as I said, Sam was great, and alongside him, Ben Gordon moved inside to form a terrific centerback pair.
"George Luke and Sam Aronson handled themselves real well on the outside, and in fact, George was in the mix on the Mankoff goal."
The game between highly ranked Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 squads started at breakneck speed, and there was no let-up. The play between no. 5 New Trier and no. 8 Glenbrook North swung from end to end in the blink of an eye, and several half-chances emerged as each side showcased the weapons in their attack.
Off the opening whistle, Alex Donnelly-Maine forced a save from Glenbrook North keeper Daniel Spencer. On the other end, the home side created a corner.
Sahil Modi, deployed on the outside as well as inside with Deng Deng Kur, won a 50-50 ball and nearly made something from nothing for the Spartans. The connection went to Matt Metzger, then Kur and back to Metzger who went over the bar in the 4th minute.
Conversely, on the other end, New Trier had a chance when a marvelous crossfield ball to the back post from Daniel Gunther required Glenbrook North's Robbie Fraser to parry away the dangerous effort.
"With two of the top teams in the area playing each other, it was pretty much what I expected," said Trevians manager Matt Ravenscraft. "And even though we lacked the sharpness we needed early on, we finally settled down, came into the game and played our best soccer of the day from there on out,"
Even when the visitors struggled to find their rhythm in the first quarter hour, it was clear the Trevians (7-2-0) would target frontrunners Will Felitto and Ryan Krueger. Along with teammate Logan Weaver, who pulls the strings in the midfield, the trio had combined for 21 goals and 12 helpers during the first nine games of the season.
Around the half-hour both sides settled in, and fans saw some quality industry through the middle of the park. The backlines, now more organized after the frantic beginning, did their best to help build their respective attacks with quality distribution and service.
"Will is a beast up-top, very tough to handle and keep under control, and the other two are skilled and talented," said Vignocchi. "(But) again, our guys along the back did a great job -- in fact from the midfield on back did so all day with the Spartan grit that ask of our players."
Felitto used pace and power to get to the endline after Donnelly-Maine helped put him there before firing off the side of the back post in the 10th minute. Then minutes later, at the end of an enterprising run, he sprayed his shot just wide as the Spartans held their collective breath.
"Because we all know each other so well, we were aware North would be missing both Mason and Evan, (two) real quality defenders," offered Felitto. "(But) we also knew they would come out and battle hard with those guys out. It wasn't until the end of the first half that we finally began to play much better."
There were a handful of tactical moves and changes going from both benches as the match continued to unfold. Each side looked to keep its opponent under control as best as it could.
Vignocchi, before the injury bug hit his club, typically deployed Kur up-top as the running mate of Max Marquez or Matt Metzger. But on this day, the talented senior was mostly used in a withdraw position behind the forward line -- winning balls, defending, and occassionally, when the time was right, jumping into the attack.
As Felitto alluded to, and Ravenscraft would later point out, the Trevians were on their front foot in the first half and kept their hosts under pressure. They nearly made the Spartans pay the price for their rampant play.
Felitto showed his strength by fending off a pair of defenders before finding Krueger, who in turn played quickly to Sean Gooze at the back post.
This 23rd-minute half-chance was followed by a long throw from Felitto which spilled free to the ever-present Krueger, whose attempt went wide.
A long attempt from Alex Boudos forced Spencer to make a strong save on his wind-aided blast just before intermission.
"It took all us in the back to get things figured out, and to get comfortable with each other in the first half, but after that, we played very well together as a unit," said Heydt.
In between, Glenbrook North's Mankoff had his close-range shot blocked on the way in. Later, Luke watched his free kick from the midline cause plenty of trouble in the Trevians box before it was sent out of the area.
The Spartans opened the second period by creating a corner. But it was the next one moments later that would lead to the eventual game-winner.
Fraser would whip his inward swinger to the back post where Luke redirected the ball back into the mix the other way. Mankoff raced to the ball and from 16 yards applied the decisive touch.
"Both George and Brandon were in the right place at the right time, and it worked out really well for us at that moment," said Vignocchi.
After Mankoff's moment of brilliance, it was all Glenbrook North for the next 10 minutes as the home side was rocking. At the same time, New Trier struggled to impose themselves on the Spartans.
After a deep throw and his turn, Luke went wide. It was followed by a well-paced cross into the box from Fraser for which Trevians keeper Sam Warden elevated nicely to pull down with confidence.
The Trevians back four continued to weather the pressure and watched Warden stop two attempts on frame. It was their sturdy work to keep their mates in the game which allowed the visitors to keep the chase to just one goal for the final 20 minutes.
"The work rate and effort was there all throughout, but we still went through that period after the break when we had to really work hard and play tough defense. It was good to see the boys rise to the occasion," said Ravenscraft.
New Trier threatened in the 61st minute, and again five minutes later with Krueger, Felitto, Weaver and Andrew Kuhn all in the center of these chances.
It was dead-ball and set-piece opportunities were the Trevians were most dangerous in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
The first came when Weaver and Donnelly-Maine executed a short corner which helped put Gooze free at the back post. But the junior was unable to put enough pace on his attempt to slot the ball past Spencer, who was properly positioned.
Krueger drove his 25-yard free kick over the bar in the 75th minute. That set up a dramatic set of events in the 80th minute when a New Trier corner with 16 seconds remaining saw Felitto's header saved. The rebound went back to the senior, whose return shot from inside the six-yard box went wide.
"You always want the result, but this was a great test for us," began Felitto.
"A game like this against a quality opponent exposes the flaws of your team. And now is the time to clean things up in advance of playing some of the best teams in our conference like Maine South, then Evanston."
New Trier's coach agreed with his forward.
"This was a game we needed to have, because it shows what level we need to bring against the best opponents (and) for that matter, each time out from here on out," said Ravenscraft.
"Glenbrook North was well organized, sat in well when we pressure them. But as I said, I was proud of the effort right up until the end when we almost found the equalizer, which at 1-1, would have been a good result."
The Trevians will host Maine South on Tuesday, then Niles West on Thursday in a pair of CSL South contests. They meet neighborhood rival Loyola on Friday afternoon.
Glenbrook North's Fraser and Heydt allowed themselves to revel in this big victory, but the dynamic duo kept things in perspective.
"This win was a great one, and might be a turning point of our season -- we found that our depth and entire roster is capable of stepping up when we needed it most, and that is maybe the best part of this day and win," said Heydt.
Fraser added: "We faced a lot of adversity in this game because of the injuries we had to play through, and to beat a great team like New Trier gives all of us a big boost.
"We won't dwell on this win. It's over, and we have to move on, and we have to remember we could see them down the road in a conference championship game, and once again in the postseason, There's a lot of soccer still ahead for both of us."
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK- Sam Warden
D- Daniel Gunther
D- Riles Walsh
D- Ben Axelrod
D- Alex Boudos
M- JoJo Farina
M- Logan Weaver
M- Mateo Blair
F- Will Felitto
F- Ryan Krueger
F- Alex Donnelly-Maine
Glenbrook North
GK- Daniel Spencer
D- George Luke
D- Sam Heydt
D- Ben Gordon
D- Nate Aronson
M- Sahil Modi
M- Deng Deng Kur
M- Robbie Fraser
M- Brandon Mankoff
M- Matt Metzger
F- Max Marquez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Sam Heydt, sr., D, Glenbrook North
Referee: Ninos Alexander
Scoring summary
Glenbrook North: Mankoff (Luke, Fraser) 43'