Familiar players, 1 new 1 power New Trier
No. 6 Trevians beat rival no. 21 Ramblers 4-0
By Patrick Z. McGavin
GLENVIEW-- The fourth week of the season marks the rupture line, a fault where teams go either way. Tending toward the rational who look for order, coaches naturally seek out stability but the game is hardly accommodating, predicated as it is on the random and unpredictable.
The game is harder, faster and more physical than ever, so naturally the injuries mount. The narrative of New Trier resuming its rivalry with Loyola had many dovetailing themes. Resilience colored both sides.
New Trier standout senior keeper Sam Rutherford suffered a broken finger on his right hand on Tuesday against Maine South. He had surgery immediately, and his recovery time is four to eight weeks, putting his return in serious jeopardy. Trevians’ star midfielder Logan Weaver incurred a red card against Maine West on Thursday, making him unavailable. Loyola’s best offensive player, junior forward David Gripman, an explosive and dynamic talent, has been coping with a knee injury.
New Trier responded by stripping the game to its essence, playing off its strength, size and versatility to take command as the No. 6 Trevians utilized familiar and an emerging new weapon to subdue No. 21 Loyola 4-0 at Munz campus here Saturday morning.
The two schools are natural rivals in the niche sports because of their shared past. Every single player on each team plays for the FC United club program. Loyola coach Baer Fisher, a 2004 New Trier graduate, is the director of the men’s program. FC United formally began in 2003 as an offshoot of the Trevian soccer club that was founded by a group of New Trier parents in 1984. One of the organizers was the mother of Craig Snower, the Loyola girls coach who oversees the women’s division.
After the game players from both schools took part in a group photo.
“I could not sleep last night getting ready for this game,” Loyola senior defender Jonas Madison said. “You know it’s a rivalry game and you are competing against all of your buddies. The competition just increases when you know you are playing against somebody you have played with before.”
Fisher is uniquely positioned, as an opposite coach, to know the Trevians’ blend of size, speed, skill and range. “When you go up against one of the best teams in the state the room for error is minimal,” Fisher said.
New Trier has scored at least three goals in nine of its 12 games. The athleticism and size poses particular problems. New Trier (10-2-0) knows how to take advantage of its particular skill set, a big and rangy front that is closer to a volleyball or basketball team.
“We know one of our biggest strengths is our height,” senior defender Riles Walsh said. “We have six or seven guys who are over six-feet, and we know we have to maximize our possibilities on set pieces. Every single one has to be dangerous.”
New Trier seized command in the 10th minute on a beautiful set piece. Following a Loyola foul, Walsh perfectly served the long free kick and electric senior forward Will Felitto elevated, as though projected off a trampoline, and finished a header over Loyola keeper Frank Baio for the opening tally.
“If you hit it in the general vicinity of Will, he will dig it out and get a header on it,” Walsh said. “I know where he is going to be sometimes and he will probably get on the end of it.”
Walsh received the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the match distinction for his excellent all-around play on his creative and dangerous serves and his air-tight defense on Gripman and Ramblers’ star midfielder Collin Leider as the Trevians posted their seventh shutout.
Gripman did not start for the Ramblers. He came in quickly to try to rejuvenate an offense coming off an overtime shutout defeat against St. Laurence in Catholic League play on Thursday. Junior midfielder Brady Reichert showed poise for the Ramblers, mixing it up and getting off one shot that New Trier keeper Sam Warden made a play on.
The Ramblers (7-3-0) struggled against the Trevians’ length and size to stitch together any extended offensive sequences.
“Against St. Laurence, we were asserted and we dictated play,” Fisher said. “Today we did not. I don’t know if it was an intimidation factor. I am not sure what it was. Give full credit to New Trier. They made us pay for our inexperience, our lack of assertiveness and they were definitely better on the day.”
Every game has tests, or challenges, of teams put up against the wall. Fisher liked the Ramblers’ competitiveness and intensity during the early back-and-forth. The Felitto goal changed everything.
“We didn’t do what we needed to get back into the game,” Fisher said.
New Trier star forward Ryan Krueger continued his remarkable play, solidifying his status as one of the best 10 players in the state with his quickness, speed, skill and ability to take over matches.
Krueger effectively put the game out of reach during a crucial stretch from the end of the first half to the early part of the second half.
In the 26th minute Krueger alertly intercepted an attempted Loyola through ball and initiated a break. With runners on each side, Krueger advanced the ball and drilled a left-footed laser from about 19 yards out inside the near post for the Trevians’ 2-0 lead at the break.
Krueger’s runs put so much pressure against a defense that it must continually account for him and try to stop him. In the 49th minute a Loyola player clipped him from behind inside the box. Krueger converted the penalty kick for the commanding 3-0 lead.
He registered his 13th and 14th goals.
“We keep reinforcing this message of how do you respond after adversity,” Madison said. “We did not respond the way we needed or keep the intensity we had for the first 10 or 12 minutes. It seemed to falter once we realized they were bigger than us and they could win the 50-50 ball. I think for a lot of us the motivation just sank.”
The penalty kick goal was particularly difficult as the Ramblers produced some of their most effective soccer at the start of the second half. Eager to try and counter and take the momentum back, Leider and Gripman both generated early second half shots that were on frame.
“Will and Ryan are tremendous offensive players,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft said. “We were very good in one-on-one situations because Loyola was very organized and they took away a lot of passing lanes. When we were able to move the ball and isolate our guys one-on-one, we were able to generate chances.”
Warden has proven to be a very capable replacement for the injured Rutherford. He stopped Loyola’s best scoring chance in the 70th minute. Gripman’s free kick just outside the box was initially deflected by the wall. The ball scooted right back to Grip and he blasted a howitzer that Warden denied.
New Trier’s newest threat, senior forward Eric Plante, punctuated the dominant performance by scoring in the 72nd minute. It was his fourth goal on the year, and his third in the last three games. At 6-7, Plante is an intriguing piece for the Trevians’ offense. He has worked hard to become part of the rotation. He made his first start ever against Loyola.
“Obviously on corner kicks I am dangerous,” he said. “I scored a header off one against Niles West the other day. You just kind of know the people around you are not going to be able to get up to the ball so you are a lot more confident.”
Plante has willed himself into becoming a better player.
“My freshman year I made the freshman B team, and I was pretty angry about that,” he said. “It drove my whole career to where I am now. My sophomore year I barely made the team. Last year I played JV. I really wanted to be on the varsity. I worked by myself after practice. In the summer I’d be out on the field for four hours a day, shooting, dribbling, and working on my fitness.”
He has just further diversified the attack and provides a huge target up top for the Trevians to exploit.
“I am really pleased with how he has raised his level,” Ravenscraft said. “We just know he is going to be dangerous with his frame. He’s a big target and his link up game has been really good. Now he it's starting to find the back of the net, and that is really exciting.”
Starting lineups
New Trier:
GK: Sam Warden
D: Alex Boudos
D: Ben Axelrod
D: Riles Walsh
D: Jeffrey Urban
MF: JoJo Farina
MF: Sean Gooze
MF: Matteo Blair
MF: Ryan Krueger
F: Eric Plante
F: Will Felitto
Loyola:
GK: Frank Baio
D: Jonas Madison
D: Luke Phillips
D: Daniel Montaquila
MF: Tommy Zipprich
MF: Nick Roscoe
MF: Nick Lew
MF: Brad Reichert
MF: Christian Jimenez
MF: Andrew Hoepfner
F: Collin Leider
Man of the match: Riles Walsh, sr., D, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Will Felitto (Riles Walsh), 10th minute
New Trier—Ryan Krueger, 26th minute
Second half
New Trier—Ryan Krueger (penalty kick), 49th minute
New Trier—Eric Plante (Daniel Gunther), 72nd minute
No. 6 Trevians beat rival no. 21 Ramblers 4-0
By Patrick Z. McGavin
GLENVIEW-- The fourth week of the season marks the rupture line, a fault where teams go either way. Tending toward the rational who look for order, coaches naturally seek out stability but the game is hardly accommodating, predicated as it is on the random and unpredictable.
The game is harder, faster and more physical than ever, so naturally the injuries mount. The narrative of New Trier resuming its rivalry with Loyola had many dovetailing themes. Resilience colored both sides.
New Trier standout senior keeper Sam Rutherford suffered a broken finger on his right hand on Tuesday against Maine South. He had surgery immediately, and his recovery time is four to eight weeks, putting his return in serious jeopardy. Trevians’ star midfielder Logan Weaver incurred a red card against Maine West on Thursday, making him unavailable. Loyola’s best offensive player, junior forward David Gripman, an explosive and dynamic talent, has been coping with a knee injury.
New Trier responded by stripping the game to its essence, playing off its strength, size and versatility to take command as the No. 6 Trevians utilized familiar and an emerging new weapon to subdue No. 21 Loyola 4-0 at Munz campus here Saturday morning.
The two schools are natural rivals in the niche sports because of their shared past. Every single player on each team plays for the FC United club program. Loyola coach Baer Fisher, a 2004 New Trier graduate, is the director of the men’s program. FC United formally began in 2003 as an offshoot of the Trevian soccer club that was founded by a group of New Trier parents in 1984. One of the organizers was the mother of Craig Snower, the Loyola girls coach who oversees the women’s division.
After the game players from both schools took part in a group photo.
“I could not sleep last night getting ready for this game,” Loyola senior defender Jonas Madison said. “You know it’s a rivalry game and you are competing against all of your buddies. The competition just increases when you know you are playing against somebody you have played with before.”
Fisher is uniquely positioned, as an opposite coach, to know the Trevians’ blend of size, speed, skill and range. “When you go up against one of the best teams in the state the room for error is minimal,” Fisher said.
New Trier has scored at least three goals in nine of its 12 games. The athleticism and size poses particular problems. New Trier (10-2-0) knows how to take advantage of its particular skill set, a big and rangy front that is closer to a volleyball or basketball team.
“We know one of our biggest strengths is our height,” senior defender Riles Walsh said. “We have six or seven guys who are over six-feet, and we know we have to maximize our possibilities on set pieces. Every single one has to be dangerous.”
New Trier seized command in the 10th minute on a beautiful set piece. Following a Loyola foul, Walsh perfectly served the long free kick and electric senior forward Will Felitto elevated, as though projected off a trampoline, and finished a header over Loyola keeper Frank Baio for the opening tally.
“If you hit it in the general vicinity of Will, he will dig it out and get a header on it,” Walsh said. “I know where he is going to be sometimes and he will probably get on the end of it.”
Walsh received the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the match distinction for his excellent all-around play on his creative and dangerous serves and his air-tight defense on Gripman and Ramblers’ star midfielder Collin Leider as the Trevians posted their seventh shutout.
Gripman did not start for the Ramblers. He came in quickly to try to rejuvenate an offense coming off an overtime shutout defeat against St. Laurence in Catholic League play on Thursday. Junior midfielder Brady Reichert showed poise for the Ramblers, mixing it up and getting off one shot that New Trier keeper Sam Warden made a play on.
The Ramblers (7-3-0) struggled against the Trevians’ length and size to stitch together any extended offensive sequences.
“Against St. Laurence, we were asserted and we dictated play,” Fisher said. “Today we did not. I don’t know if it was an intimidation factor. I am not sure what it was. Give full credit to New Trier. They made us pay for our inexperience, our lack of assertiveness and they were definitely better on the day.”
Every game has tests, or challenges, of teams put up against the wall. Fisher liked the Ramblers’ competitiveness and intensity during the early back-and-forth. The Felitto goal changed everything.
“We didn’t do what we needed to get back into the game,” Fisher said.
New Trier star forward Ryan Krueger continued his remarkable play, solidifying his status as one of the best 10 players in the state with his quickness, speed, skill and ability to take over matches.
Krueger effectively put the game out of reach during a crucial stretch from the end of the first half to the early part of the second half.
In the 26th minute Krueger alertly intercepted an attempted Loyola through ball and initiated a break. With runners on each side, Krueger advanced the ball and drilled a left-footed laser from about 19 yards out inside the near post for the Trevians’ 2-0 lead at the break.
Krueger’s runs put so much pressure against a defense that it must continually account for him and try to stop him. In the 49th minute a Loyola player clipped him from behind inside the box. Krueger converted the penalty kick for the commanding 3-0 lead.
He registered his 13th and 14th goals.
“We keep reinforcing this message of how do you respond after adversity,” Madison said. “We did not respond the way we needed or keep the intensity we had for the first 10 or 12 minutes. It seemed to falter once we realized they were bigger than us and they could win the 50-50 ball. I think for a lot of us the motivation just sank.”
The penalty kick goal was particularly difficult as the Ramblers produced some of their most effective soccer at the start of the second half. Eager to try and counter and take the momentum back, Leider and Gripman both generated early second half shots that were on frame.
“Will and Ryan are tremendous offensive players,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft said. “We were very good in one-on-one situations because Loyola was very organized and they took away a lot of passing lanes. When we were able to move the ball and isolate our guys one-on-one, we were able to generate chances.”
Warden has proven to be a very capable replacement for the injured Rutherford. He stopped Loyola’s best scoring chance in the 70th minute. Gripman’s free kick just outside the box was initially deflected by the wall. The ball scooted right back to Grip and he blasted a howitzer that Warden denied.
New Trier’s newest threat, senior forward Eric Plante, punctuated the dominant performance by scoring in the 72nd minute. It was his fourth goal on the year, and his third in the last three games. At 6-7, Plante is an intriguing piece for the Trevians’ offense. He has worked hard to become part of the rotation. He made his first start ever against Loyola.
“Obviously on corner kicks I am dangerous,” he said. “I scored a header off one against Niles West the other day. You just kind of know the people around you are not going to be able to get up to the ball so you are a lot more confident.”
Plante has willed himself into becoming a better player.
“My freshman year I made the freshman B team, and I was pretty angry about that,” he said. “It drove my whole career to where I am now. My sophomore year I barely made the team. Last year I played JV. I really wanted to be on the varsity. I worked by myself after practice. In the summer I’d be out on the field for four hours a day, shooting, dribbling, and working on my fitness.”
He has just further diversified the attack and provides a huge target up top for the Trevians to exploit.
“I am really pleased with how he has raised his level,” Ravenscraft said. “We just know he is going to be dangerous with his frame. He’s a big target and his link up game has been really good. Now he it's starting to find the back of the net, and that is really exciting.”
Starting lineups
New Trier:
GK: Sam Warden
D: Alex Boudos
D: Ben Axelrod
D: Riles Walsh
D: Jeffrey Urban
MF: JoJo Farina
MF: Sean Gooze
MF: Matteo Blair
MF: Ryan Krueger
F: Eric Plante
F: Will Felitto
Loyola:
GK: Frank Baio
D: Jonas Madison
D: Luke Phillips
D: Daniel Montaquila
MF: Tommy Zipprich
MF: Nick Roscoe
MF: Nick Lew
MF: Brad Reichert
MF: Christian Jimenez
MF: Andrew Hoepfner
F: Collin Leider
Man of the match: Riles Walsh, sr., D, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Will Felitto (Riles Walsh), 10th minute
New Trier—Ryan Krueger, 26th minute
Second half
New Trier—Ryan Krueger (penalty kick), 49th minute
New Trier—Eric Plante (Daniel Gunther), 72nd minute