Rolling Meadows surprises Fremd in opener
Visitors' OT goal topples 7th-ranked Vikings in season opener
By Bill McLean
PALATINE — Basketball threatened to spoil the Rolling Meadows-Fremd boys soccer matchup Tuesday night.
Rolling Meadows senior back and co-captain Ryan Stubitsch — an All-Sectional pick in 2019 — missed the season opener because of his commitment to the Mustangs’ boys basketball team, which battled Hersey for first place in the Mid-Suburban League East Division on Tuesday night.
Fremd juniors, forward Eli Schoffstall and midfielder Ryan Sapiente, also hit the hardwood instead of the pitch on Tuesday night; the Vikings faced Barrington in a pivotal MSL West Division contest.
The significant trio of excused absentees were forced to make the choice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the start of the soccer season from August, 2020, to now.
The available booters put on a competitive show in unexpectedly mild and occasionally gusty conditions. Rolling Meadows performed admirably in the second half and in the extra session to surprise Fremd — ranked no. 7 in Chicagoland Soccer’s First 50 preseason poll — 2-1.
Rolling Meadows went 5-10-5 when it last played, way back in 2019. Fremd, two autumns ago? The Vikings produced an impressive 15-2-4 mark and reached a Class 3A supersectional.
“We’ll take it,” Mustangs coach Brett Olson said. “First half, we started timidly, too shy. We were soft, honestly, and tentative. But I was happy with our effort after the half. We played with more confidence.”
At least one of his boys played with some jitters. But junior back and rookie varsity player Luke Bieda overcame it in the fourth minute of OT, blasting a feed from junior midfielder Gage Lockley (another varsity rookie) from about 20 yards to notch the golden goal.
The Mid-Suburban League has switched from its regular two overtime periods to sudden death due to the shortened season, according to a game official.
“I was a little scared before taking the shot,” Bieda admitted. “It was my first varsity game, my first varsity shot.
“Our team … I like it, like it a lot. We have a good chance to win our division.”
Eight-time MSL champion Fremd (0-1-0), minus eight starters from its Elite Eight team in 2019, looked formidable in the first 40 minutes, enjoying lengthy possessions and thwarting most of Rolling Meadows’ attempts to find any kind of rhythm on offense.
Vikings sophomore midfielder Kenan Mesic delivered the best pass of the first half on a free kick following a hand ball violation. Struck near the sideline, the ball curled through and around too-many-to-count legs and found wide-open sophomore midfielder Owen Winegar about six yards from senior Rolling Meadows keeper Pablo Zarate.
Winegar produced the first goal of Fremd’s 2021 campaign in the 22nd minute. He helped create the easy chance thanks to his anticipation and positioning.
His compliment to Mesic shortly after the goal, according to Mesic: “Nice assist.”
“A lot of new starters,” said Mesic, one of five sophomore starters for Fremd coach Steve Keller. “We’re looking to build chemistry.”
Rolling Meadows (1-0-0) evened the match thanks to an alert Lockley, who followed his shot. He hammered a right-footed shot that bounded off the hands of Vikings senior keeper Joey Gillespie and right back to him. He used his left foot to net the goal in the 52nd minute.
The sequence seemed to ignite Olson’s crew, which played with considerably more pep and poise the rest of the night.
“Rolling Meadows’ kids were confident in their decision-making in the second half,” Keller said. “To me, it looked like they wanted it more. I’m disappointed. We kind of lost our way after putting together a pretty strong first half. We were lackadaisical, slow, reactive.”
Moments before Bieda gave his mates a reason to celebrate giddily, Olson received a text message from none other than Stubitsch.
The teen had news to report from the basketball court -- the Mustangs downed Hersey by nine points to capture the MSL East title.
“That was nice to hear,” the coach said. “We’ll get him back playing soccer soon.”
Lockley, thrilled about the soccer result he helped create at Fremd, should return to earth by game time for game two.
But only if the midfielder’s euphoria subsides markedly before then.
“I’m so stoked, so hyped,” an animated Lockley blurted. “It’s a rivalry, our program and Fremd’s. But we have friends over there, and there are club connections.”
Footnotes: Fourth-year Mustangs coach Olson, a 2005 Rolling Meadows graduate and a math teacher at the school, is only the third boys varsity coach in RM program history. The District 214 school opened in 1971. A midfielder, Olson played for the school’s first two head coaches and later suited up for Benedictine University in Lisle. … The 2021 spring season is Keller’s 23rd with the boys at Fremd. Keller’s early thought, on helming a boys team in the spring instead of the fall because of the pandemic: “Weird,” he said. … The ageless and venerable Gerardo Pagnani, a two-time state champion coach at Fremd (1984, 1997) and one-time state runner-up (1993), has returned for another season as a Fremd assistant coach. … Keller, on Vikings sophomore midfielder Kenan Mesic: “He’s smart, skillful, crafty. He’s a … soccer player. What I mean by that is, when he has the ball, that’s his, all his; he owns it.” … Fremd took six corner kicks to RM’s two in the season opener Tuesday night. … Olson, on first-year varsity Mustangs Luke Bieda and Gage Lockley, after the pair combined for two goals and an assist vs. Fremd: “We could have brought them up [to varsity in ’19]. But we had some good seniors, a lot of seniors. Luke and Gage are high-level club players. I liked what Gage showed us during our first week of practices; he had a huge week.” … Next up for Rolling Meadows is a visit from Schaumburg at 6:45 p.m. Thursday; Fremd visits Barrington in a big West Division match at 6:45 p.m. Thursday.
Starting lineups
Rolling Meadows
GK Pablo Zarate
D Luke Bieda
D Nikolay Pavlov
D Cristian Cazares
D Aidan O’Brien
M Kamil Oleksy
M Jeremy Milewski
M Edwin Fuentes
F Arnulfo Mora
F Tyler Dawson
F Gage Lockley
Fremd
GK Joey Gillespie
D Braden Roos
D Brandon Wozniak
D Beck Smolak
M Kenan Mesic
M Owen Winegar
M Joey Rodino
M Zen Wang
F Nick Austin
F Kyle Johnston
F Leo Akashi
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Gage Lockley, jr., M, Rolling Meadows
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd — Winegar (Mesic), 22’
Second half
RM — Lockley (UA), 52’
OT
RM — Bieda (Lockley), 84’
Visitors' OT goal topples 7th-ranked Vikings in season opener
By Bill McLean
PALATINE — Basketball threatened to spoil the Rolling Meadows-Fremd boys soccer matchup Tuesday night.
Rolling Meadows senior back and co-captain Ryan Stubitsch — an All-Sectional pick in 2019 — missed the season opener because of his commitment to the Mustangs’ boys basketball team, which battled Hersey for first place in the Mid-Suburban League East Division on Tuesday night.
Fremd juniors, forward Eli Schoffstall and midfielder Ryan Sapiente, also hit the hardwood instead of the pitch on Tuesday night; the Vikings faced Barrington in a pivotal MSL West Division contest.
The significant trio of excused absentees were forced to make the choice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the start of the soccer season from August, 2020, to now.
The available booters put on a competitive show in unexpectedly mild and occasionally gusty conditions. Rolling Meadows performed admirably in the second half and in the extra session to surprise Fremd — ranked no. 7 in Chicagoland Soccer’s First 50 preseason poll — 2-1.
Rolling Meadows went 5-10-5 when it last played, way back in 2019. Fremd, two autumns ago? The Vikings produced an impressive 15-2-4 mark and reached a Class 3A supersectional.
“We’ll take it,” Mustangs coach Brett Olson said. “First half, we started timidly, too shy. We were soft, honestly, and tentative. But I was happy with our effort after the half. We played with more confidence.”
At least one of his boys played with some jitters. But junior back and rookie varsity player Luke Bieda overcame it in the fourth minute of OT, blasting a feed from junior midfielder Gage Lockley (another varsity rookie) from about 20 yards to notch the golden goal.
The Mid-Suburban League has switched from its regular two overtime periods to sudden death due to the shortened season, according to a game official.
“I was a little scared before taking the shot,” Bieda admitted. “It was my first varsity game, my first varsity shot.
“Our team … I like it, like it a lot. We have a good chance to win our division.”
Eight-time MSL champion Fremd (0-1-0), minus eight starters from its Elite Eight team in 2019, looked formidable in the first 40 minutes, enjoying lengthy possessions and thwarting most of Rolling Meadows’ attempts to find any kind of rhythm on offense.
Vikings sophomore midfielder Kenan Mesic delivered the best pass of the first half on a free kick following a hand ball violation. Struck near the sideline, the ball curled through and around too-many-to-count legs and found wide-open sophomore midfielder Owen Winegar about six yards from senior Rolling Meadows keeper Pablo Zarate.
Winegar produced the first goal of Fremd’s 2021 campaign in the 22nd minute. He helped create the easy chance thanks to his anticipation and positioning.
His compliment to Mesic shortly after the goal, according to Mesic: “Nice assist.”
“A lot of new starters,” said Mesic, one of five sophomore starters for Fremd coach Steve Keller. “We’re looking to build chemistry.”
Rolling Meadows (1-0-0) evened the match thanks to an alert Lockley, who followed his shot. He hammered a right-footed shot that bounded off the hands of Vikings senior keeper Joey Gillespie and right back to him. He used his left foot to net the goal in the 52nd minute.
The sequence seemed to ignite Olson’s crew, which played with considerably more pep and poise the rest of the night.
“Rolling Meadows’ kids were confident in their decision-making in the second half,” Keller said. “To me, it looked like they wanted it more. I’m disappointed. We kind of lost our way after putting together a pretty strong first half. We were lackadaisical, slow, reactive.”
Moments before Bieda gave his mates a reason to celebrate giddily, Olson received a text message from none other than Stubitsch.
The teen had news to report from the basketball court -- the Mustangs downed Hersey by nine points to capture the MSL East title.
“That was nice to hear,” the coach said. “We’ll get him back playing soccer soon.”
Lockley, thrilled about the soccer result he helped create at Fremd, should return to earth by game time for game two.
But only if the midfielder’s euphoria subsides markedly before then.
“I’m so stoked, so hyped,” an animated Lockley blurted. “It’s a rivalry, our program and Fremd’s. But we have friends over there, and there are club connections.”
Footnotes: Fourth-year Mustangs coach Olson, a 2005 Rolling Meadows graduate and a math teacher at the school, is only the third boys varsity coach in RM program history. The District 214 school opened in 1971. A midfielder, Olson played for the school’s first two head coaches and later suited up for Benedictine University in Lisle. … The 2021 spring season is Keller’s 23rd with the boys at Fremd. Keller’s early thought, on helming a boys team in the spring instead of the fall because of the pandemic: “Weird,” he said. … The ageless and venerable Gerardo Pagnani, a two-time state champion coach at Fremd (1984, 1997) and one-time state runner-up (1993), has returned for another season as a Fremd assistant coach. … Keller, on Vikings sophomore midfielder Kenan Mesic: “He’s smart, skillful, crafty. He’s a … soccer player. What I mean by that is, when he has the ball, that’s his, all his; he owns it.” … Fremd took six corner kicks to RM’s two in the season opener Tuesday night. … Olson, on first-year varsity Mustangs Luke Bieda and Gage Lockley, after the pair combined for two goals and an assist vs. Fremd: “We could have brought them up [to varsity in ’19]. But we had some good seniors, a lot of seniors. Luke and Gage are high-level club players. I liked what Gage showed us during our first week of practices; he had a huge week.” … Next up for Rolling Meadows is a visit from Schaumburg at 6:45 p.m. Thursday; Fremd visits Barrington in a big West Division match at 6:45 p.m. Thursday.
Starting lineups
Rolling Meadows
GK Pablo Zarate
D Luke Bieda
D Nikolay Pavlov
D Cristian Cazares
D Aidan O’Brien
M Kamil Oleksy
M Jeremy Milewski
M Edwin Fuentes
F Arnulfo Mora
F Tyler Dawson
F Gage Lockley
Fremd
GK Joey Gillespie
D Braden Roos
D Brandon Wozniak
D Beck Smolak
M Kenan Mesic
M Owen Winegar
M Joey Rodino
M Zen Wang
F Nick Austin
F Kyle Johnston
F Leo Akashi
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Gage Lockley, jr., M, Rolling Meadows
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd — Winegar (Mesic), 22’
Second half
RM — Lockley (UA), 52’
OT
RM — Bieda (Lockley), 84’