Garcia leads OPRF past St. Ignatius
Junior produces goal and assist in 2-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Every player has a natural point of interest, a location they strive to find in order to optimize that privileged moment.
The spot for Paul Garcia is the left wing. As a junior forward at Oak Park and River Forest, that area is his own private stage -- his domain -- and he feels particularly empowered there.
“I definitely like to play on the wings, the left wing in particular,” Garcia said. “I like to cut in and shoot or pass to the center midfielders or the other side on the right.
“I like to score a lot.”
Garcia performed his magic from his preferred location early and late and powered the Huskies, ranked 10th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, to an impressive 2-0 victory over Chicago Catholic League power St. Ignatius Tuesday night.
As two of the best programs around hooked up for their annual showdown, the teams were up against the memories of last year’s extraordinary game in Oak Park. It saw St. Ignatius score three goals in the first 20 minutes only for the Huskies to storm back with four unanswered goals for the dramatic victory.
Thirteen Oak Park and River Forest players are back from that squad. The number is anything but unlucky. That group shared the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title, stunned Morton to reach the championship of a Class 3A sectional.
Oak Park and River Forest (3-0-1) is a team on the verge. That St. Ignatius game last season was emblematic of an inner drive and focus, the players believe, a team feeling confident and excited about its deep promise.
“I’d say it [elevated] the squad’s confidence as a whole just coming up last year,” forward Zaahir Hall said. “We want to push higher than that. Although last year was great, we know that we can do better this year.
“We thought we were the better team coming into the game tonight. They scored three goals on us last year, but this is a completely different year. In my opinion we have a stronger squad than last year.”
Oak Park and River Forest looked sharp off the jump, moving quickly and decisively pushing the ball up against the Wolfpack. In the 11th minute, Garcia and Hall collaborated on a crucial early action.
Working from his preferred left wing, Garcia blasted a rocket ball from about 26 yards that hit off the post. Hall timed his run perfectly and was there to flush home the rebound.
“We really work on that a lot in practice, with Paul just winging it down and me there to clean it up,” Hall said. “It worked out great, the ball went off the post and right into my stride.”
Hall scored his fourth goal.
“The first 10 minutes, I thought we played very well,” Garcia said. “We passed the ball around very well. We had a shot that I took, it went off the post and Zaahir got it, and we were able to score.”
For his accomplishments, Paul Garcia earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction.
St. Ignatius (1-1-0) also returns many pieces intact from last year’s magical run. The Wolfpack had an interesting rhythm to their season. After an inconsistent regular season, marked by moments of dominance and subverted by inconsistent effort, St. Ignatius found its true meaning in the state tournament.
The Wolfpack erupted in the Class AA state tournament, beating the defending state champion Solorio during the sectional run and reaching the state finals. St. Ignatius outplayed Notre Dame (Peoria) in the state semifinal only to lose on penalty kicks.
They finished third in the state.
The program is also undergoing a transition. Ryan Kearns stepped down from the top position. He remains in the program as an assistant. Matt Miller, in his first high school job after coaching club, is the new coach.
St. Ignatius (1-1-0) defeated Chicago Public League power Washington 4-3 in Miller’s debut.
“I have been trying to adapt my team to a very simple system,” Miller said. “We’ve had one game behind us so far, and it is going to take a little bit of a process before we have the cohesion and unity of the team.
“We’ve only had one opportunity to see the boys in a game scenario. I’ve got a good core of five to six leaders on the field. I’ve got the next group of four to five of very high working ... enthusiastic players. It is just about reaching that cohesion.”
Less than a minute after the Huskies’ goal, St. Ignatius produced a riveting opportunity. Working the ball down the left flank, Ronan Sullivan reached the end line for a cross that Ethan Gould just missed wide on.
Talcott Maven also blasted a free kick from just outside the top of the box that curled through the wall only for Huskies’ keeper Sam Pecenka to make a strong diving stop.
Miller’s system is close enough to Kearns’s tactics. The Wolfpack need time to assimilate the new system thoroughly. St. Ignatius showed athleticism and power in the open field.
The early Oak Park and River Forest goal proved very advantageous at its end.
“They definitely came out of the gate at our end,” St. Ignatius midfielder Daniel Fernandez said. “As we got closer to the end of the first half, I thought we turned that table. But they definitely came at us hard early and caught us off guard with that early goal.
“It really set the pace for the rest of the game, because we were chasing free to get a goal that would put us back into the game.”
In constructing its third shutout, Oak Park and River Forest disrupted the timing and spacing of St. Ignatius just enough to throw them off guard. Pecenka ended with six saves.
Defender Bram Leibovitz was especially impressive, chasing down balls and flying around the back. The Wolfpack nearly generated a couple of breakaways, only for Leibovitz to throw their runs out of whack.
Defenders Zeke Rivera and Jai Hsieh-Bailey are also exceptionally fast. They proved very difficult to get behind.
Oak Park and River Forest also severely limited the Wolfpack set pieces. St. Ignatius generated only one corner kick, and that did not occur until the 67th minute.
“Because all of us have been playing together since the fourth or fifth grade, this is really the first year we have had the whole squad on the same club team,” Hall said.
“It helps so much.”
The strength of the Huskies’ formation is the top of the attack with Garcia, Hall and Kirsten Oettel, who proved especially adept at creating pressure.
St. Ignatius senior Paul Smith started the second half at keeper, and he made several outstanding stops of Oettel that kept the Wolfpack within a one-score game.
Fernandez had a couple of decent strikes from distance. Oak Park and River Forest closed down the open spaces. Several times, St. Ignatius appeared to have prime opportunities. The Huskies shut those down.
“If you look at it over the course of the whole game, they had a couple of decisive moments, a couple of errors on our end, which they capitalized on,” Miller said.
“We were not able to convert a couple of chances we had.”
The decisive sequence came late. In the 76th minute, St. Ignatius pieced together a dangerous scoring sequence as Malven elevated for a header inside the box.
Pecenka made a great recovery and stabbed the ball out of the air.
Working quickly out of the counter, Oak Park and River Forest pushed the ball wide. After a change of possession deep in the Wolfpack final third, midfielder Mateja Tadic controlled the ball on the left wing and slotted a ball to Garcia in his favorite position.
Garcia made a quick darting move to create space and drilled the ball from about 14 yards inside the near post in the 77th minute.
It was his second goal of the year.
“That was basically the game-changer because it was still just 1-0 at that point,” Fernandez said. “Who knows what happens from there? This was only our second game of the season, and it was their fourth.
“The new system is the same basic outline of the formation but a different system of play. We are definitely adapting to that. It is going to take us a couple of more games.”
Starting lineups
Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Sam Pecenka
D: Bram Leibovitz
D: Daniel Karkut
D: Jai Hsieh-Bailey
D: Zeke Rivera
MF: Mateja Tadic
MF: Ben Ryan
MF: Mitch Gusloff
F: Paul Garcia
F: Zaahir Hall
F: Kirsten Oettel
St. Ignatius
G: Luke Hales
D: Talcott Malven
D: Charlie Kennedy
MF: Ethan Gould
MF: Aiden Hurst
MF: Max Hanlon
MF: Jaden Rice
MF: Daniel Fernandez
F: Luke Hogan
F: Ronan Sullivan
F: Christian Yonan
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Paul Garcia, jr., F, Oak Park and River Forest
Scoring summary
First half
OPRF—Zaahir Hall (Paul Garcia), 11th minute
Second half
OPRF—Garcia (Mateja Tadic), 77th minute
Junior produces goal and assist in 2-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Every player has a natural point of interest, a location they strive to find in order to optimize that privileged moment.
The spot for Paul Garcia is the left wing. As a junior forward at Oak Park and River Forest, that area is his own private stage -- his domain -- and he feels particularly empowered there.
“I definitely like to play on the wings, the left wing in particular,” Garcia said. “I like to cut in and shoot or pass to the center midfielders or the other side on the right.
“I like to score a lot.”
Garcia performed his magic from his preferred location early and late and powered the Huskies, ranked 10th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, to an impressive 2-0 victory over Chicago Catholic League power St. Ignatius Tuesday night.
As two of the best programs around hooked up for their annual showdown, the teams were up against the memories of last year’s extraordinary game in Oak Park. It saw St. Ignatius score three goals in the first 20 minutes only for the Huskies to storm back with four unanswered goals for the dramatic victory.
Thirteen Oak Park and River Forest players are back from that squad. The number is anything but unlucky. That group shared the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title, stunned Morton to reach the championship of a Class 3A sectional.
Oak Park and River Forest (3-0-1) is a team on the verge. That St. Ignatius game last season was emblematic of an inner drive and focus, the players believe, a team feeling confident and excited about its deep promise.
“I’d say it [elevated] the squad’s confidence as a whole just coming up last year,” forward Zaahir Hall said. “We want to push higher than that. Although last year was great, we know that we can do better this year.
“We thought we were the better team coming into the game tonight. They scored three goals on us last year, but this is a completely different year. In my opinion we have a stronger squad than last year.”
Oak Park and River Forest looked sharp off the jump, moving quickly and decisively pushing the ball up against the Wolfpack. In the 11th minute, Garcia and Hall collaborated on a crucial early action.
Working from his preferred left wing, Garcia blasted a rocket ball from about 26 yards that hit off the post. Hall timed his run perfectly and was there to flush home the rebound.
“We really work on that a lot in practice, with Paul just winging it down and me there to clean it up,” Hall said. “It worked out great, the ball went off the post and right into my stride.”
Hall scored his fourth goal.
“The first 10 minutes, I thought we played very well,” Garcia said. “We passed the ball around very well. We had a shot that I took, it went off the post and Zaahir got it, and we were able to score.”
For his accomplishments, Paul Garcia earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction.
St. Ignatius (1-1-0) also returns many pieces intact from last year’s magical run. The Wolfpack had an interesting rhythm to their season. After an inconsistent regular season, marked by moments of dominance and subverted by inconsistent effort, St. Ignatius found its true meaning in the state tournament.
The Wolfpack erupted in the Class AA state tournament, beating the defending state champion Solorio during the sectional run and reaching the state finals. St. Ignatius outplayed Notre Dame (Peoria) in the state semifinal only to lose on penalty kicks.
They finished third in the state.
The program is also undergoing a transition. Ryan Kearns stepped down from the top position. He remains in the program as an assistant. Matt Miller, in his first high school job after coaching club, is the new coach.
St. Ignatius (1-1-0) defeated Chicago Public League power Washington 4-3 in Miller’s debut.
“I have been trying to adapt my team to a very simple system,” Miller said. “We’ve had one game behind us so far, and it is going to take a little bit of a process before we have the cohesion and unity of the team.
“We’ve only had one opportunity to see the boys in a game scenario. I’ve got a good core of five to six leaders on the field. I’ve got the next group of four to five of very high working ... enthusiastic players. It is just about reaching that cohesion.”
Less than a minute after the Huskies’ goal, St. Ignatius produced a riveting opportunity. Working the ball down the left flank, Ronan Sullivan reached the end line for a cross that Ethan Gould just missed wide on.
Talcott Maven also blasted a free kick from just outside the top of the box that curled through the wall only for Huskies’ keeper Sam Pecenka to make a strong diving stop.
Miller’s system is close enough to Kearns’s tactics. The Wolfpack need time to assimilate the new system thoroughly. St. Ignatius showed athleticism and power in the open field.
The early Oak Park and River Forest goal proved very advantageous at its end.
“They definitely came out of the gate at our end,” St. Ignatius midfielder Daniel Fernandez said. “As we got closer to the end of the first half, I thought we turned that table. But they definitely came at us hard early and caught us off guard with that early goal.
“It really set the pace for the rest of the game, because we were chasing free to get a goal that would put us back into the game.”
In constructing its third shutout, Oak Park and River Forest disrupted the timing and spacing of St. Ignatius just enough to throw them off guard. Pecenka ended with six saves.
Defender Bram Leibovitz was especially impressive, chasing down balls and flying around the back. The Wolfpack nearly generated a couple of breakaways, only for Leibovitz to throw their runs out of whack.
Defenders Zeke Rivera and Jai Hsieh-Bailey are also exceptionally fast. They proved very difficult to get behind.
Oak Park and River Forest also severely limited the Wolfpack set pieces. St. Ignatius generated only one corner kick, and that did not occur until the 67th minute.
“Because all of us have been playing together since the fourth or fifth grade, this is really the first year we have had the whole squad on the same club team,” Hall said.
“It helps so much.”
The strength of the Huskies’ formation is the top of the attack with Garcia, Hall and Kirsten Oettel, who proved especially adept at creating pressure.
St. Ignatius senior Paul Smith started the second half at keeper, and he made several outstanding stops of Oettel that kept the Wolfpack within a one-score game.
Fernandez had a couple of decent strikes from distance. Oak Park and River Forest closed down the open spaces. Several times, St. Ignatius appeared to have prime opportunities. The Huskies shut those down.
“If you look at it over the course of the whole game, they had a couple of decisive moments, a couple of errors on our end, which they capitalized on,” Miller said.
“We were not able to convert a couple of chances we had.”
The decisive sequence came late. In the 76th minute, St. Ignatius pieced together a dangerous scoring sequence as Malven elevated for a header inside the box.
Pecenka made a great recovery and stabbed the ball out of the air.
Working quickly out of the counter, Oak Park and River Forest pushed the ball wide. After a change of possession deep in the Wolfpack final third, midfielder Mateja Tadic controlled the ball on the left wing and slotted a ball to Garcia in his favorite position.
Garcia made a quick darting move to create space and drilled the ball from about 14 yards inside the near post in the 77th minute.
It was his second goal of the year.
“That was basically the game-changer because it was still just 1-0 at that point,” Fernandez said. “Who knows what happens from there? This was only our second game of the season, and it was their fourth.
“The new system is the same basic outline of the formation but a different system of play. We are definitely adapting to that. It is going to take us a couple of more games.”
Starting lineups
Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Sam Pecenka
D: Bram Leibovitz
D: Daniel Karkut
D: Jai Hsieh-Bailey
D: Zeke Rivera
MF: Mateja Tadic
MF: Ben Ryan
MF: Mitch Gusloff
F: Paul Garcia
F: Zaahir Hall
F: Kirsten Oettel
St. Ignatius
G: Luke Hales
D: Talcott Malven
D: Charlie Kennedy
MF: Ethan Gould
MF: Aiden Hurst
MF: Max Hanlon
MF: Jaden Rice
MF: Daniel Fernandez
F: Luke Hogan
F: Ronan Sullivan
F: Christian Yonan
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Paul Garcia, jr., F, Oak Park and River Forest
Scoring summary
First half
OPRF—Zaahir Hall (Paul Garcia), 11th minute
Second half
OPRF—Garcia (Mateja Tadic), 77th minute