New Trier tops Warren
in spirited tune-up
Trevians win 1-0, teams take pre-tournament temperatures
By Mike Garofola
GURNEE -- Although 25 miles apart from each other, New Trier and Warren have put together a nice North Shore/Northern Suburbs Derby of their own during the three years these two fine clubs have played each other.
In 2019, the result was a 1-1 draw. Last spring, it was Warren's super-team that earned a 1-0 victory. Friday, on a night filled with plenty of humidity and a touch of fog, the Trevians claimed a hard-fought 1-0 triumph to extend its overall record to an impressive 14-1-1.
The visitors led inside 12 minutes when Ely Wilson beat his challengers to a superb corner from Evan Kanellos. Matt Ravenscrafts' men embraced the chance to defend its slim lead during a second half in which the home side pressured in search of the equalizer, before the final whistle from referee Bill Niemyer ended this well played nonconference contest.
"We're always happy to have (Warren) on our schedule." said Ravenscraft. "It's a game we look forward to against a team we know has a great coach and will give a very competitive game that seems to be tightly contested every time we play."
"There's a lot of great soccer tradition at New Trier," said Warren manager Jason Ahonen, whose club one night earlier won a 2-0 match with Lake Forest to claim the North Suburban Conference trophy. "I am thrilled we have each other on the schedule, especially this late in the season. It gives us a chance to play one of the best teams around to see how we me asure up."
The road to the November 2 supersectional at Barrington could end up going through these clubs: the Trevians from their own sectional; and Warren through the Barrington sectional.
However, with that said, Ahonen is already looking ahead from a practical and tactical standpoint. He used nearly all of his roster. Ravenscraft did much the same but to a lesser degree.
"We want to put our best foot forward against New Trier, but we also want to get all of our guys playing experience against one of the best teams in the state," Ahonen said. "Tonight, we put in Justin (Uribe) between the sticks, and we gave our bench a chance to get some meaningful shifts. I thought they all performed well.
"We always preach to the guys when you get into (regional) play, it's two wins and your through. Once your in sectionals, all bets are off.
"You need a lot of things to go your way to continue to advance. One of them is dealing with injuries and all that. So to have your entire roster tested and ready to go is very important."
Both managers opened with their best 11. The ball appeared to be on a string. Both sides knocked it around with speed and pace with terrific movement, switching sides, connecting 85 percent of the time with precision runs using all 22 players on the pitch. The first quarter hour of the game was a technical master class to view.
The left-footed smash from New Trier's Colin Gottshall was redirected on the way in and forced Uribe into action. It initiated the first dead ball opportunity of the evening.
When the Blue Devils failed to defend the Evan Kanellos corner properly, Ely Wilson promptly thumped into the roof of the net.
"We've been working on corners all season long, so it felt to get one into the net," said Kanellos.
"Evan gave me just a great ball," said Wilson. "I ran freely to it. Yes, we've been spending a lot of time on corners and dead balls. (They) become so important in the postseason."
The Wilson goal provided inspiration to the visitors, who went all out in a push to double their advantage with the midfield quintet of Eli Drake, Aidan Nicholson, James Paden, Will Pascia and Kanellos. The group was dynamic, energetic and highly successful with a wide range of passing. They also provided stout defending, especially in the second half when the home side attack came to life.
After the Wilson goal and right up until the half hour, the visitors kept Warren under pressure and Uribe quite busy.
An Evan Kanellos header needed to be saved in the 14th minute, as did his second effort after Pascia and Peter Kanellos helped set him up.
Despite not moving the ball in the Trevians end for more than a few occasions, Ahonen stayed with his plan to introduce his bench into the game. Players like Braden Lechner and Tyler Hughes did quite well during their time on the pitch. Each recorded solid tackles and a couple of well-timed interceptions.
"Those guys got themselves some valuable time and experience out there tonight," Ahonen said. "I thought handled things very well, as did others."
Although Ravenscraft brought on fresh legs during the first period, it did not seem to interrupt the rhythm of the Trevians attack.
Theo Franzen and Karsten Segall earned a pair of corners in the 31st minute. Dylan Zbaraz latched onto a lovely ball out of the back from Ronan O'Neill that Uribe pulled from the air.
O'Neill, along with his backline mates Gottshall and Wilson, logged the heaviest minutes of the night in front of keeper Aidan Crawford, who earned his second clean-sheet in seven days. Forty-eight hours earlier he made a vital stop to insure the Trevians shootout victory over Niles North to claim the Central Suburban League trophy.
"I have an unbelievable defensive trio in front of me." Crawford said. "(We) trust each other. We all communicate really well, and I am comfortable enough when one or two of them go forward to move up, join the attack or distribute to start the attack."
New Trier came out on its front foot after the intermission. Pascia tricked his way free before smashing the bar with his left-footer. Peter Kanellos followed the rebound and put it into the net but was correctly ruled offsides from the assistant referee.
This quick start drew a response from the Blue Devils (11-3-4), whose effort for the next 40 minutes was strong with purpose and energy, and provided the fans with exciting, wide-open soccer to enjoy.
"I think we had a great second half," said senior Matt Hegge, who played the six for his club and shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor with the Trevians Will Pasia. "We picked our play up from the first half where we started a little slow and flat, but we got over the initial shock of playing a really great New Trier team. (I) thought we were the better team after the break."
With Hegge and Ryan Stanciak winning more balls in the center of the park and the talented duo of Alexis Medina and Miguel Garcia more dangerous up-top after defending more than attacking in the first half, Warren began to carve out a few chances of its own.
First New Trier threatened after Aidan Nicholson's marvelous crossfield serve to Pasia created a chance that needed to be turned away by Uribe at 51 minutes. Garcia went just wide before Cael Harris' strong header at the back post off a Medina free kick saw Crawford's late glove produce a Blue Devils corner instead of the equalizer.
Crawford then punched the inward swinging corner from Medina out of the area.
"One thing we can always count is (Crawford)," said Ravenscraft. "On their first real serious chance, he comes through for us like he has dozens of times before."
There was plenty more to see with action going box-to-box during the final quarter hour.
Matthew Perchik unleashed a wicked back post cracker after an Aryan Krishna, Nicholas, Evan Kanellos build-up. That was the precursor to Pasia working his way free to the spot where Uribe was called into action.
"This was such a different game than the other night," said Wilson. "(Niles North) surprised us when they came out after us, and put in the first one. We had to fight our way back into the game and really had to work hard."
"Tonight we came out and played the way we all know we could play" Kanellos added. "It was wide open at times, but both teams played the game. It was a good game to be a part of, and for us a lot of guys got quality time out there."
Both sides continued to push to add to the score line.
Garcia burst free up the left side on the Warren counter but was met by the resistance of O'Neill. On the other end, a clever little one-two combination from Perchik-to-Evan Kanellos forced an alert Tyler Hughes to step into the play and head trouble out of the area.
Medina's 71st minute free kick was hit squarely. A nervous moment that startled the Trevians faithful followed: a a long ball was allowed to bounce into the box and forced a surprised O'Neill to clear off the line.
A late deep ball sent into the box from Lechner three minutes from time was the last chance for Warren.
"We accomplished what we set out to do tonight," began Ravenscraft. "We earned another hard-fought victory, got valuable minutes for everyone with an eye on the postseason to perhaps clarify a few roles, and we did some very good things against a first class opponent.
"I was happy for us to score a set piece goal -- Evan with his terrific serve, and Ely on the end of it."
"Overall, I was pleased with our effort. Now we look ahead to finishing up our regular-season next week."
New Trier welcomes Zion-Benton on Monday, then travels to Taylor Street on the West Side of Chicago to play St. Ignatius the next day at 5:30.
The Blue Devils have a busier week. They host Glenbrook South (Monday) and Lake Forest Academy (Thursday) sandwiched around a road trip to Antioch on Tuesday afternoon.
"I was real pleased with the effort tonight," said Ahonen. "(We) really picked things up after our first half start, and the guys got themselves some valuable minutes against a team that is way up there in the poll and plays the game the right way.
"I cannot tell you how proud I am of this team. We lost so much talent from a year ago. When we won just (one) game in summer league, I wasn't sure what we were going to eventually have.
"We have such a great group of young men. They have come together, done all the work and have slowly put together a very competitive team that believes in each other, and goes out and plays together with a nice style of soccer."
Starting lineups
New Trier (3-5-2)
G: Aidan Crawford
D: Colin Gottshall
D: Ely Wilson
D: Ronan O'Neill
M: Evan Kanellos
M: Eli Drake
M: James Paden
M: Aidan Nicholson
M: Will Pasia
F: Peter Kanellos
F: Matthew Perchik
Warren (3-5-2)
G: Justin Uribe
D: Ben Conley
D: Cael Harris
D: Ryan Stanciak
M: Lucas Ahonen
M: Matt Hegge
M: Miguel Rodriguez
M: Michael Galvan
M: Matt Paraskos
F: Alexis Medina
F: Miguel Garcia
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Matt Hegge, sr., MF, Warren; Will Pasia, sr., MF/F, New Trier
Referee: Bill Niemyer
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier: Wilson (E. Kanellos) 11'
Second half
No scoring
in spirited tune-up
Trevians win 1-0, teams take pre-tournament temperatures
By Mike Garofola
GURNEE -- Although 25 miles apart from each other, New Trier and Warren have put together a nice North Shore/Northern Suburbs Derby of their own during the three years these two fine clubs have played each other.
In 2019, the result was a 1-1 draw. Last spring, it was Warren's super-team that earned a 1-0 victory. Friday, on a night filled with plenty of humidity and a touch of fog, the Trevians claimed a hard-fought 1-0 triumph to extend its overall record to an impressive 14-1-1.
The visitors led inside 12 minutes when Ely Wilson beat his challengers to a superb corner from Evan Kanellos. Matt Ravenscrafts' men embraced the chance to defend its slim lead during a second half in which the home side pressured in search of the equalizer, before the final whistle from referee Bill Niemyer ended this well played nonconference contest.
"We're always happy to have (Warren) on our schedule." said Ravenscraft. "It's a game we look forward to against a team we know has a great coach and will give a very competitive game that seems to be tightly contested every time we play."
"There's a lot of great soccer tradition at New Trier," said Warren manager Jason Ahonen, whose club one night earlier won a 2-0 match with Lake Forest to claim the North Suburban Conference trophy. "I am thrilled we have each other on the schedule, especially this late in the season. It gives us a chance to play one of the best teams around to see how we me asure up."
The road to the November 2 supersectional at Barrington could end up going through these clubs: the Trevians from their own sectional; and Warren through the Barrington sectional.
However, with that said, Ahonen is already looking ahead from a practical and tactical standpoint. He used nearly all of his roster. Ravenscraft did much the same but to a lesser degree.
"We want to put our best foot forward against New Trier, but we also want to get all of our guys playing experience against one of the best teams in the state," Ahonen said. "Tonight, we put in Justin (Uribe) between the sticks, and we gave our bench a chance to get some meaningful shifts. I thought they all performed well.
"We always preach to the guys when you get into (regional) play, it's two wins and your through. Once your in sectionals, all bets are off.
"You need a lot of things to go your way to continue to advance. One of them is dealing with injuries and all that. So to have your entire roster tested and ready to go is very important."
Both managers opened with their best 11. The ball appeared to be on a string. Both sides knocked it around with speed and pace with terrific movement, switching sides, connecting 85 percent of the time with precision runs using all 22 players on the pitch. The first quarter hour of the game was a technical master class to view.
The left-footed smash from New Trier's Colin Gottshall was redirected on the way in and forced Uribe into action. It initiated the first dead ball opportunity of the evening.
When the Blue Devils failed to defend the Evan Kanellos corner properly, Ely Wilson promptly thumped into the roof of the net.
"We've been working on corners all season long, so it felt to get one into the net," said Kanellos.
"Evan gave me just a great ball," said Wilson. "I ran freely to it. Yes, we've been spending a lot of time on corners and dead balls. (They) become so important in the postseason."
The Wilson goal provided inspiration to the visitors, who went all out in a push to double their advantage with the midfield quintet of Eli Drake, Aidan Nicholson, James Paden, Will Pascia and Kanellos. The group was dynamic, energetic and highly successful with a wide range of passing. They also provided stout defending, especially in the second half when the home side attack came to life.
After the Wilson goal and right up until the half hour, the visitors kept Warren under pressure and Uribe quite busy.
An Evan Kanellos header needed to be saved in the 14th minute, as did his second effort after Pascia and Peter Kanellos helped set him up.
Despite not moving the ball in the Trevians end for more than a few occasions, Ahonen stayed with his plan to introduce his bench into the game. Players like Braden Lechner and Tyler Hughes did quite well during their time on the pitch. Each recorded solid tackles and a couple of well-timed interceptions.
"Those guys got themselves some valuable time and experience out there tonight," Ahonen said. "I thought handled things very well, as did others."
Although Ravenscraft brought on fresh legs during the first period, it did not seem to interrupt the rhythm of the Trevians attack.
Theo Franzen and Karsten Segall earned a pair of corners in the 31st minute. Dylan Zbaraz latched onto a lovely ball out of the back from Ronan O'Neill that Uribe pulled from the air.
O'Neill, along with his backline mates Gottshall and Wilson, logged the heaviest minutes of the night in front of keeper Aidan Crawford, who earned his second clean-sheet in seven days. Forty-eight hours earlier he made a vital stop to insure the Trevians shootout victory over Niles North to claim the Central Suburban League trophy.
"I have an unbelievable defensive trio in front of me." Crawford said. "(We) trust each other. We all communicate really well, and I am comfortable enough when one or two of them go forward to move up, join the attack or distribute to start the attack."
New Trier came out on its front foot after the intermission. Pascia tricked his way free before smashing the bar with his left-footer. Peter Kanellos followed the rebound and put it into the net but was correctly ruled offsides from the assistant referee.
This quick start drew a response from the Blue Devils (11-3-4), whose effort for the next 40 minutes was strong with purpose and energy, and provided the fans with exciting, wide-open soccer to enjoy.
"I think we had a great second half," said senior Matt Hegge, who played the six for his club and shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor with the Trevians Will Pasia. "We picked our play up from the first half where we started a little slow and flat, but we got over the initial shock of playing a really great New Trier team. (I) thought we were the better team after the break."
With Hegge and Ryan Stanciak winning more balls in the center of the park and the talented duo of Alexis Medina and Miguel Garcia more dangerous up-top after defending more than attacking in the first half, Warren began to carve out a few chances of its own.
First New Trier threatened after Aidan Nicholson's marvelous crossfield serve to Pasia created a chance that needed to be turned away by Uribe at 51 minutes. Garcia went just wide before Cael Harris' strong header at the back post off a Medina free kick saw Crawford's late glove produce a Blue Devils corner instead of the equalizer.
Crawford then punched the inward swinging corner from Medina out of the area.
"One thing we can always count is (Crawford)," said Ravenscraft. "On their first real serious chance, he comes through for us like he has dozens of times before."
There was plenty more to see with action going box-to-box during the final quarter hour.
Matthew Perchik unleashed a wicked back post cracker after an Aryan Krishna, Nicholas, Evan Kanellos build-up. That was the precursor to Pasia working his way free to the spot where Uribe was called into action.
"This was such a different game than the other night," said Wilson. "(Niles North) surprised us when they came out after us, and put in the first one. We had to fight our way back into the game and really had to work hard."
"Tonight we came out and played the way we all know we could play" Kanellos added. "It was wide open at times, but both teams played the game. It was a good game to be a part of, and for us a lot of guys got quality time out there."
Both sides continued to push to add to the score line.
Garcia burst free up the left side on the Warren counter but was met by the resistance of O'Neill. On the other end, a clever little one-two combination from Perchik-to-Evan Kanellos forced an alert Tyler Hughes to step into the play and head trouble out of the area.
Medina's 71st minute free kick was hit squarely. A nervous moment that startled the Trevians faithful followed: a a long ball was allowed to bounce into the box and forced a surprised O'Neill to clear off the line.
A late deep ball sent into the box from Lechner three minutes from time was the last chance for Warren.
"We accomplished what we set out to do tonight," began Ravenscraft. "We earned another hard-fought victory, got valuable minutes for everyone with an eye on the postseason to perhaps clarify a few roles, and we did some very good things against a first class opponent.
"I was happy for us to score a set piece goal -- Evan with his terrific serve, and Ely on the end of it."
"Overall, I was pleased with our effort. Now we look ahead to finishing up our regular-season next week."
New Trier welcomes Zion-Benton on Monday, then travels to Taylor Street on the West Side of Chicago to play St. Ignatius the next day at 5:30.
The Blue Devils have a busier week. They host Glenbrook South (Monday) and Lake Forest Academy (Thursday) sandwiched around a road trip to Antioch on Tuesday afternoon.
"I was real pleased with the effort tonight," said Ahonen. "(We) really picked things up after our first half start, and the guys got themselves some valuable minutes against a team that is way up there in the poll and plays the game the right way.
"I cannot tell you how proud I am of this team. We lost so much talent from a year ago. When we won just (one) game in summer league, I wasn't sure what we were going to eventually have.
"We have such a great group of young men. They have come together, done all the work and have slowly put together a very competitive team that believes in each other, and goes out and plays together with a nice style of soccer."
Starting lineups
New Trier (3-5-2)
G: Aidan Crawford
D: Colin Gottshall
D: Ely Wilson
D: Ronan O'Neill
M: Evan Kanellos
M: Eli Drake
M: James Paden
M: Aidan Nicholson
M: Will Pasia
F: Peter Kanellos
F: Matthew Perchik
Warren (3-5-2)
G: Justin Uribe
D: Ben Conley
D: Cael Harris
D: Ryan Stanciak
M: Lucas Ahonen
M: Matt Hegge
M: Miguel Rodriguez
M: Michael Galvan
M: Matt Paraskos
F: Alexis Medina
F: Miguel Garcia
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Matt Hegge, sr., MF, Warren; Will Pasia, sr., MF/F, New Trier
Referee: Bill Niemyer
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier: Wilson (E. Kanellos) 11'
Second half
No scoring