Rain no deterrent to N. Shore Country Day
Raiders erupt for 4 1st half goals in 6-0 win over Parker
By Bill McLean
WINNETKA — North Shore Country Day senior back John Sprenger struck a left-footed shot from what appeared to be an impossible angle late in the Raiders’ 6-0 defeat of Parker on Tuesday afternoon.
But the soccer ball, somehow, got past Parker backup goalkeeper Jonah Gross and found the back of the net after a 15-yard journey at rainy Skokie Playfield.
Sprenger must be an ace in geometry.
“Geometry?” Sprenger, who’s taking an AP Calculus class this spring, asked moments after his first varsity goal capped the scoring in his club’s Independent School League opener.
“I’m pretty good at geometry.”
North Shore Country Day — which finished fourth at the last IHSA Class A state tournament back in pre-pandemic 2019 — was very good at addition in tough conditions Tuesday, tallying four first half goals when the rain was at its heaviest.
The Raiders’ first three goals came in a relentless 13-minute span. Senior forward and quad-captain Vincent Luglio scored the first and third. Senior midfielder Jacob Sherman, another quad-captain, netted an unassisted goal in between.
“It’s a pity and a shame that teams won’t get to compete in state playoffs this season, because North Shore is a quality side, a state-caliber side,” said Parker coach Neil Curran, whose team slipped to 0-2-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the ISL. “Their connectedness is strong, and they’re always communicating.
“It’s the best team coached by Kyle [Raiders coach Jones] that I’ve seen.”
North Shore Country Day junior midfielder Mason Roberts-Jones, who led that special ’19 team in assists (15), scored the final goal of the first half and assisted on both goals (Strenger’s and, before that, sophomore Tae Won Lillig’s) in the second half. Roberts-Jones’ goal came off his free kick, from about 35 yards. The ball hit pay dirt (turf, actually), untouched.
One of Roberts-Jones’ teammates joked afterward, “You mean Mason’s 35-yard penalty kick, right?”
The victory in the Raiders’ league debut pushed their overall mark to 2-1-0.
“We had some good hits [on goals], Mason’s in particular, and we had some good team goals, too,” said Jones, in his 13th season at North Shore Country Day. “I liked our focus and the way we kept possession today. We had good training since our last match [a 4-1 defeat of host Christian Liberty on March 20]. Our boys came ready to play and gave a good overall performance.
“Nothing,” he added, “fazes them.”
Several of Jones’ Raiders stuck around after the convincing win and fielded the same question: “Why is your team strong again in 2021?”
Sprenger: “We’re well-rounded.”
Vincent Luglio: “Team chemistry.”
Lillig: “Team defense.”
Sophomore midfielder Walter Luglio: “Our attacking force.”
Parker didn’t earn its first chance to generate something dangerous offensively until late in the second half, after the hosts had secured a 4-0 advantage. Colonels junior tri-captain Tyler Maling booted a free kick from about 40 yards, but the Raiders’ robust defense in front of junior goalkeeper and quad-captain Nick Potter foiled the threat.
Parker senior tri-captain Daniel Mansueto stood out throughout the match with his calm resolve and dribbling skills. His pass late in the second half was a thing of beauty, traveling at least 50 yards and landing near the feet of sophomore teammate Mortimer Buckley. The possession ended shortly thereafter.
Sophomore Grayson Joseph, on a lengthy rush along the benches’ sideline, made Parker’s final push to spoil North Shore Country Day’s shutout. Lillig and senior back Ethan Stump then combined to stymie that bid.
“Our team was prepared,” Jones said. “Good win. Good goals — all six of them.”
Next up for North Shore Country Day is a road match against Northridge at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The Niles-based school tallied a penalty kick to edge Francis Parker 1-0 in Parker’s season-opener earlier this month.
The Independent School League plays a home-and-home schedule. The North Shore Country Day- Parker rematch is set for 4:30 p.m. Monday in Chicago.
Footnotes:
North Shore Country Day’s other quad-captain is senior back/midfielder Axel Garcia. … North Shore Country Day’s coach Jones, also a PE teacher at the school, grew up in Manchester, England. “Big Manchester United fan,” Raiders junior back Ahan Jain said after Tuesday’s 6-0 win. “Great coach. He cares so much about us; you can see that in his eyes. He puts so much time into scouting other teams and preparing us.” … Jones’ 2019 Raiders squad went 18-7-1 en route to its fourth place showing in the Class A IHSA state tournament. The finish marked the best state finish in program history. … North Shore Country Day’s triumph Tuesday afternoon improved Jones’ overall record at the prep school in Winnetka to 129-70-26. … The Raiders Vincent Luglio received a red card after his team had taken a 4-0 lead in the first half. The serious foul call stunned Luglio and Jones. Jones, standing at a spot between the teams at Skokie Playfield, asked for an explanation from the center referee. After the game, Jones showed the referee video footage of the sequence that led to Luglio’s dismissal. “The ref watched it and admitted he had made a mistake,” Jones said. “I’m not exactly sure what that means. Maybe they’ll overturn the red.” … Nine of 11 starters on North Shore Country Day’s state team in ’19 returned this spring. … North Shore Country Day’s senior class hadn’t battled Lake Forest Academy in boys soccer until the Raiders opened the 2021 season on the Caxys’ pitch March 18. LFA won 4-3. … Parker’s top keeper, senior Elliot Landolt, sat out Tuesday’s game vs. North Shore Country Day because of an injury he sustained in the season-opener.
Starting lineups
Francis Parker
GK Jonah Gross
Joao Pedro Werneck Fraga
Emre Emanet
Oscar Fardon
Tyler Maling
Daniel Mansueto
Charles Fardon
Aviel Acevedo
Lucas Daskal
Matthew Gordon
Grayson Joseph
North Shore Country Day
GK Nick Potter
D Ahan Jain
D Tae Won Lillig
D Finn Doornweerd
D John Sprenger
M Mason Roberts-Jones
M Jacob Sherman
M Axel Garcia
M Walter Luglio
F Vincent Luglio
F Danny Becker
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Mason Roberts-Jones, jr., M, North Shore Country Day
Scoring summary
First half
NSCD — V. Luglio (Becker), 5’
NSCD — Sherman (UA), 15’
NSCD — V. Luglio (W. Luglio), 18’
NSCD — Roberts-Jones (UA), 24’
Second half
NSCD — Lillig (Roberts-Jones), 46’
NSCD — Sprenger (Roberts-Jones), 65’
Raiders erupt for 4 1st half goals in 6-0 win over Parker
By Bill McLean
WINNETKA — North Shore Country Day senior back John Sprenger struck a left-footed shot from what appeared to be an impossible angle late in the Raiders’ 6-0 defeat of Parker on Tuesday afternoon.
But the soccer ball, somehow, got past Parker backup goalkeeper Jonah Gross and found the back of the net after a 15-yard journey at rainy Skokie Playfield.
Sprenger must be an ace in geometry.
“Geometry?” Sprenger, who’s taking an AP Calculus class this spring, asked moments after his first varsity goal capped the scoring in his club’s Independent School League opener.
“I’m pretty good at geometry.”
North Shore Country Day — which finished fourth at the last IHSA Class A state tournament back in pre-pandemic 2019 — was very good at addition in tough conditions Tuesday, tallying four first half goals when the rain was at its heaviest.
The Raiders’ first three goals came in a relentless 13-minute span. Senior forward and quad-captain Vincent Luglio scored the first and third. Senior midfielder Jacob Sherman, another quad-captain, netted an unassisted goal in between.
“It’s a pity and a shame that teams won’t get to compete in state playoffs this season, because North Shore is a quality side, a state-caliber side,” said Parker coach Neil Curran, whose team slipped to 0-2-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the ISL. “Their connectedness is strong, and they’re always communicating.
“It’s the best team coached by Kyle [Raiders coach Jones] that I’ve seen.”
North Shore Country Day junior midfielder Mason Roberts-Jones, who led that special ’19 team in assists (15), scored the final goal of the first half and assisted on both goals (Strenger’s and, before that, sophomore Tae Won Lillig’s) in the second half. Roberts-Jones’ goal came off his free kick, from about 35 yards. The ball hit pay dirt (turf, actually), untouched.
One of Roberts-Jones’ teammates joked afterward, “You mean Mason’s 35-yard penalty kick, right?”
The victory in the Raiders’ league debut pushed their overall mark to 2-1-0.
“We had some good hits [on goals], Mason’s in particular, and we had some good team goals, too,” said Jones, in his 13th season at North Shore Country Day. “I liked our focus and the way we kept possession today. We had good training since our last match [a 4-1 defeat of host Christian Liberty on March 20]. Our boys came ready to play and gave a good overall performance.
“Nothing,” he added, “fazes them.”
Several of Jones’ Raiders stuck around after the convincing win and fielded the same question: “Why is your team strong again in 2021?”
Sprenger: “We’re well-rounded.”
Vincent Luglio: “Team chemistry.”
Lillig: “Team defense.”
Sophomore midfielder Walter Luglio: “Our attacking force.”
Parker didn’t earn its first chance to generate something dangerous offensively until late in the second half, after the hosts had secured a 4-0 advantage. Colonels junior tri-captain Tyler Maling booted a free kick from about 40 yards, but the Raiders’ robust defense in front of junior goalkeeper and quad-captain Nick Potter foiled the threat.
Parker senior tri-captain Daniel Mansueto stood out throughout the match with his calm resolve and dribbling skills. His pass late in the second half was a thing of beauty, traveling at least 50 yards and landing near the feet of sophomore teammate Mortimer Buckley. The possession ended shortly thereafter.
Sophomore Grayson Joseph, on a lengthy rush along the benches’ sideline, made Parker’s final push to spoil North Shore Country Day’s shutout. Lillig and senior back Ethan Stump then combined to stymie that bid.
“Our team was prepared,” Jones said. “Good win. Good goals — all six of them.”
Next up for North Shore Country Day is a road match against Northridge at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The Niles-based school tallied a penalty kick to edge Francis Parker 1-0 in Parker’s season-opener earlier this month.
The Independent School League plays a home-and-home schedule. The North Shore Country Day- Parker rematch is set for 4:30 p.m. Monday in Chicago.
Footnotes:
North Shore Country Day’s other quad-captain is senior back/midfielder Axel Garcia. … North Shore Country Day’s coach Jones, also a PE teacher at the school, grew up in Manchester, England. “Big Manchester United fan,” Raiders junior back Ahan Jain said after Tuesday’s 6-0 win. “Great coach. He cares so much about us; you can see that in his eyes. He puts so much time into scouting other teams and preparing us.” … Jones’ 2019 Raiders squad went 18-7-1 en route to its fourth place showing in the Class A IHSA state tournament. The finish marked the best state finish in program history. … North Shore Country Day’s triumph Tuesday afternoon improved Jones’ overall record at the prep school in Winnetka to 129-70-26. … The Raiders Vincent Luglio received a red card after his team had taken a 4-0 lead in the first half. The serious foul call stunned Luglio and Jones. Jones, standing at a spot between the teams at Skokie Playfield, asked for an explanation from the center referee. After the game, Jones showed the referee video footage of the sequence that led to Luglio’s dismissal. “The ref watched it and admitted he had made a mistake,” Jones said. “I’m not exactly sure what that means. Maybe they’ll overturn the red.” … Nine of 11 starters on North Shore Country Day’s state team in ’19 returned this spring. … North Shore Country Day’s senior class hadn’t battled Lake Forest Academy in boys soccer until the Raiders opened the 2021 season on the Caxys’ pitch March 18. LFA won 4-3. … Parker’s top keeper, senior Elliot Landolt, sat out Tuesday’s game vs. North Shore Country Day because of an injury he sustained in the season-opener.
Starting lineups
Francis Parker
GK Jonah Gross
Joao Pedro Werneck Fraga
Emre Emanet
Oscar Fardon
Tyler Maling
Daniel Mansueto
Charles Fardon
Aviel Acevedo
Lucas Daskal
Matthew Gordon
Grayson Joseph
North Shore Country Day
GK Nick Potter
D Ahan Jain
D Tae Won Lillig
D Finn Doornweerd
D John Sprenger
M Mason Roberts-Jones
M Jacob Sherman
M Axel Garcia
M Walter Luglio
F Vincent Luglio
F Danny Becker
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Mason Roberts-Jones, jr., M, North Shore Country Day
Scoring summary
First half
NSCD — V. Luglio (Becker), 5’
NSCD — Sherman (UA), 15’
NSCD — V. Luglio (W. Luglio), 18’
NSCD — Roberts-Jones (UA), 24’
Second half
NSCD — Lillig (Roberts-Jones), 46’
NSCD — Sprenger (Roberts-Jones), 65’