Fremd finally passes by Prospect
Vikings top Knights 3-0, extend unbeaten streak to 13 matches
By Bill McLean
PALATINE — Words were not enough for Fremd's Steve Keller to drive home his point at halftime Tuesday night.
The exasperated coach needed something tangible, something round, as he addressed his Vikings after they and Prospect’s visiting Knights went scoreless in the first 40 minutes.
The coach collected a soccer ball and put it at his feet. It was time for a quick review — on the keys to executing effective passes — right then and there.
“We were poking at the ball, reaching too often,” Keller explained later. “I wanted them to settle, get in a better position, pass with a purpose.”
After the refresher course, Fremd passed its final regular season test and Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl tune-up in damp conditions, finding the net twice in a five-minute span and once in the final minute of its 3-0 victory on Senior Night.
Keller’s MSL West champion hosts MSL East champion Wheeling in the Soccer Bowl Oct. 17; Fremd lost to Buffalo Grove in last year’s MSL Soccer Bowl.
“We did a much better job passing in the second half,” said Fremd senior midfielder John Kating, who, in the 52nd minute, headed sophomore midfielder Ryan Sapiente’s right-on, left-footed corner kick for the first goal of the night.
Kating and Sapiente are good friends. Sapiente calls Kating his soccer “big brother”; his real big brother — former Fremd soccer captain Connor Sapiente (Class of 2019) — is a freshman business major at the University of Wisconsin.
“John, all summer long, gave me tips, told me what I needed to do before the start of the season,” Ryan Sapiente said. “He’s been great.
“I like how calm he is when we compete. And I trust him.”
Kating faked back post on that successful corner.
“When I went front [post],” he recounted, “there it was, the ball. Ryan’s corner was perfect. It was like it was in slow motion.”
“Beautiful ball,” Keller said. “Nice goal, too.”
Fremd, ranked no. 10 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, struck again five minutes later, this time via a deft chip shot from Vikings senior defender Jake Schoffstall.
Prospect senior goalkeeper and co-captain Szymon Mocarski had ventured too far north to challenge Schoffstall, whose team-leading 11th goal of the season — from about 15 yards — matched his jersey number.
“My fault! My fault!” Mocarski shouted to his teammates.
Who does that? Consummate leaders do.
Mocarski then yelled, “Let’s go!”
Vikings freshman Leo Akashi capped the scoring in the 80th minute with a penalty kick. Starting senior keeper Artur Cholewa and junior keeper Joey Gillespie, who entered late in the first half, shared the shutout.
The win upped Fremd’s overall record to 10-1-4 (9-0-2 in the MSL table) and extended its unbeaten streak to 13 matches; Prospect fell to 7-7-3 (4-6-1).
“We had a really strong first half,” Prospect coach Michael Andrews said. “We had chances, and we were frustrating them. Bottom line is, Fremd has some pretty hungry goal scorers. They showed how dangerous they are on set pieces.
“I can’t fault our effort, our heart, our intensity.”
Prospect's Eryk Limanowka can play virtually anywhere on a soccer pitch. The junior is listed as a midfielder but has been deployed at every position but keeper and center back this fall.
“Versatile, and he’s probably our most improved player,” Andrews said, adding Limanowka played right wing, striker and center-mid Tuesday night. “Eryk is really skilled with the ball at his feet. He can hold the ball.”
Limanowka had no idea his coach would ask him to fulfill duties all over the place when preseason practices commenced in August.
“But I like doing what I can for the team, no matter where it is,” said Limanowka, who thwarted a couple of Fremd’s first half rushes with steals and delivered a sharp pass to junior forward Aedon Wesselink, who back heeled the offering near an alert Cholewa.
Wesselink posed a threat to break the 0-0 stalemate in the 46th minute, hustling between Vikes and working hard before swinging a left-footed shot on goal. Gillespie made the save.
A steal by Knights junior midfielder Declan Flanagan two minutes later forced Fremd to backtrack again.
But Fremd's Sapiente-Kating connection off the corner kick buoyed the home side, and Schoffstall’s third tally in three nights — he netted both goals in Fremd’s 2-1 double-overtime defeat of Palatine Tuesday night — established the covetous two-goal cushion.
“When you play a team like Fremd, you have to be completely vigilant when it comes to marks and overall awareness,” Andrews said. “They got the best of us tonight. “We’ll learn from this.”
Footnotes
Fremd senior defender Jake Schoffstall and Prospect senior keeper Szymon Mocarski could easily pass for football linebackers. The pair almost collided in the final minute of the first half after Schoffstall rushed quickly in an attempt to disrupt a Mocarski kick. … Some clever author or authors adorned posters on sections of the bleacher to honor Fremd’s seniors Tuesday night. Some examples: “BEND IT LIKE BENNETT” (forward Josh Bennett); “KAELAN GOT EM WAILIN” (defender Kaelan Conway); “CJ WILL SCORE” (midfielder C.J. Williams); and “WELCOME TO THE CLARK SIDE” (defender Andrew Clark). Twenty-five seniors (14 varsity members) and their parents were recognized before the Prospect-Fremd kickoff. … Fremd’s marching band practiced on the school’s parking lot — not far from the stadium — for most of the Prospect-Fremd match. As a soccer ball soared intermittently above the players and spectators, the musicians played United Airlines’ “Rhapsody in Blue” commercial jingle. … In the 50th minute Tuesday night, a ball kicked out of bounds bounced a couple of times before landing in a garbage bin in between the teams’ benches. It baffled some. Where’d the ball go? It amused others. … Fremd, seeded fourth in the Class 3A Libertyville Sectional, opens postseason play against 13th-seeded Lake Zurich in a Stevenson Regional semifinal Oct. 22. Prospect, seeded no. 11 in the Glenbrook South Sectional, heads to Evanston Oct. 22 to face no. 6 Niles West in a regional
semifinal. … Fremd’s Ryan Sapiente said older brother Connor plans to attend next week’s MSL Soccer Bowl at Fremd.
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK: Szymon Mocarski
D: Rick Lytle
D: Ari Kemperas
D: Colin Sand
D: Jonny Keane
M: Bryan Morrison
M: Declan Flanagan
M: Eryk Limanowka
M: Krystian Potapa
F: Aedon Wesselink
F: Alejandro Martinez
Fremd
GK: Artur Cholewa
D: Jake Schoffstall
D: Andrew Clark
D: Kaelan Conway
D: C.J. Williams
M: Russell Beaupre
M: John Kating
M: Lucas Torcato
M: Nick Austin
F: Josh Bennett
F: Tommy Mayer
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: John Kating, sr., M, Fremd
Ryan Sapiente, so., M, Fremd
Referees: Mike Wieleba (center); Daniel Pacocha; Mark Radley
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Fremd — Kating (Sapiente), 52’
Fremd — Jake Schoffstall (UA), 57’
Fremd — Leo Akashi (PK), 80’
Vikings top Knights 3-0, extend unbeaten streak to 13 matches
By Bill McLean
PALATINE — Words were not enough for Fremd's Steve Keller to drive home his point at halftime Tuesday night.
The exasperated coach needed something tangible, something round, as he addressed his Vikings after they and Prospect’s visiting Knights went scoreless in the first 40 minutes.
The coach collected a soccer ball and put it at his feet. It was time for a quick review — on the keys to executing effective passes — right then and there.
“We were poking at the ball, reaching too often,” Keller explained later. “I wanted them to settle, get in a better position, pass with a purpose.”
After the refresher course, Fremd passed its final regular season test and Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl tune-up in damp conditions, finding the net twice in a five-minute span and once in the final minute of its 3-0 victory on Senior Night.
Keller’s MSL West champion hosts MSL East champion Wheeling in the Soccer Bowl Oct. 17; Fremd lost to Buffalo Grove in last year’s MSL Soccer Bowl.
“We did a much better job passing in the second half,” said Fremd senior midfielder John Kating, who, in the 52nd minute, headed sophomore midfielder Ryan Sapiente’s right-on, left-footed corner kick for the first goal of the night.
Kating and Sapiente are good friends. Sapiente calls Kating his soccer “big brother”; his real big brother — former Fremd soccer captain Connor Sapiente (Class of 2019) — is a freshman business major at the University of Wisconsin.
“John, all summer long, gave me tips, told me what I needed to do before the start of the season,” Ryan Sapiente said. “He’s been great.
“I like how calm he is when we compete. And I trust him.”
Kating faked back post on that successful corner.
“When I went front [post],” he recounted, “there it was, the ball. Ryan’s corner was perfect. It was like it was in slow motion.”
“Beautiful ball,” Keller said. “Nice goal, too.”
Fremd, ranked no. 10 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, struck again five minutes later, this time via a deft chip shot from Vikings senior defender Jake Schoffstall.
Prospect senior goalkeeper and co-captain Szymon Mocarski had ventured too far north to challenge Schoffstall, whose team-leading 11th goal of the season — from about 15 yards — matched his jersey number.
“My fault! My fault!” Mocarski shouted to his teammates.
Who does that? Consummate leaders do.
Mocarski then yelled, “Let’s go!”
Vikings freshman Leo Akashi capped the scoring in the 80th minute with a penalty kick. Starting senior keeper Artur Cholewa and junior keeper Joey Gillespie, who entered late in the first half, shared the shutout.
The win upped Fremd’s overall record to 10-1-4 (9-0-2 in the MSL table) and extended its unbeaten streak to 13 matches; Prospect fell to 7-7-3 (4-6-1).
“We had a really strong first half,” Prospect coach Michael Andrews said. “We had chances, and we were frustrating them. Bottom line is, Fremd has some pretty hungry goal scorers. They showed how dangerous they are on set pieces.
“I can’t fault our effort, our heart, our intensity.”
Prospect's Eryk Limanowka can play virtually anywhere on a soccer pitch. The junior is listed as a midfielder but has been deployed at every position but keeper and center back this fall.
“Versatile, and he’s probably our most improved player,” Andrews said, adding Limanowka played right wing, striker and center-mid Tuesday night. “Eryk is really skilled with the ball at his feet. He can hold the ball.”
Limanowka had no idea his coach would ask him to fulfill duties all over the place when preseason practices commenced in August.
“But I like doing what I can for the team, no matter where it is,” said Limanowka, who thwarted a couple of Fremd’s first half rushes with steals and delivered a sharp pass to junior forward Aedon Wesselink, who back heeled the offering near an alert Cholewa.
Wesselink posed a threat to break the 0-0 stalemate in the 46th minute, hustling between Vikes and working hard before swinging a left-footed shot on goal. Gillespie made the save.
A steal by Knights junior midfielder Declan Flanagan two minutes later forced Fremd to backtrack again.
But Fremd's Sapiente-Kating connection off the corner kick buoyed the home side, and Schoffstall’s third tally in three nights — he netted both goals in Fremd’s 2-1 double-overtime defeat of Palatine Tuesday night — established the covetous two-goal cushion.
“When you play a team like Fremd, you have to be completely vigilant when it comes to marks and overall awareness,” Andrews said. “They got the best of us tonight. “We’ll learn from this.”
Footnotes
Fremd senior defender Jake Schoffstall and Prospect senior keeper Szymon Mocarski could easily pass for football linebackers. The pair almost collided in the final minute of the first half after Schoffstall rushed quickly in an attempt to disrupt a Mocarski kick. … Some clever author or authors adorned posters on sections of the bleacher to honor Fremd’s seniors Tuesday night. Some examples: “BEND IT LIKE BENNETT” (forward Josh Bennett); “KAELAN GOT EM WAILIN” (defender Kaelan Conway); “CJ WILL SCORE” (midfielder C.J. Williams); and “WELCOME TO THE CLARK SIDE” (defender Andrew Clark). Twenty-five seniors (14 varsity members) and their parents were recognized before the Prospect-Fremd kickoff. … Fremd’s marching band practiced on the school’s parking lot — not far from the stadium — for most of the Prospect-Fremd match. As a soccer ball soared intermittently above the players and spectators, the musicians played United Airlines’ “Rhapsody in Blue” commercial jingle. … In the 50th minute Tuesday night, a ball kicked out of bounds bounced a couple of times before landing in a garbage bin in between the teams’ benches. It baffled some. Where’d the ball go? It amused others. … Fremd, seeded fourth in the Class 3A Libertyville Sectional, opens postseason play against 13th-seeded Lake Zurich in a Stevenson Regional semifinal Oct. 22. Prospect, seeded no. 11 in the Glenbrook South Sectional, heads to Evanston Oct. 22 to face no. 6 Niles West in a regional
semifinal. … Fremd’s Ryan Sapiente said older brother Connor plans to attend next week’s MSL Soccer Bowl at Fremd.
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK: Szymon Mocarski
D: Rick Lytle
D: Ari Kemperas
D: Colin Sand
D: Jonny Keane
M: Bryan Morrison
M: Declan Flanagan
M: Eryk Limanowka
M: Krystian Potapa
F: Aedon Wesselink
F: Alejandro Martinez
Fremd
GK: Artur Cholewa
D: Jake Schoffstall
D: Andrew Clark
D: Kaelan Conway
D: C.J. Williams
M: Russell Beaupre
M: John Kating
M: Lucas Torcato
M: Nick Austin
F: Josh Bennett
F: Tommy Mayer
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: John Kating, sr., M, Fremd
Ryan Sapiente, so., M, Fremd
Referees: Mike Wieleba (center); Daniel Pacocha; Mark Radley
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Fremd — Kating (Sapiente), 52’
Fremd — Jake Schoffstall (UA), 57’
Fremd — Leo Akashi (PK), 80’