Saint Viator beats wind, rain,
Deerfield for finals berth
Lions post 2-0 BodyArmor win
By Mike Garofola
SCHAUMBURG -- Goals on either side of the half from Gabriel Glodz and Connor Giroux led Saint Viator (5-2-1) to a 2-0 victory over Deerfield on a rainy Sunday morning at Olympic Park. The win sent the Lions into a bracket final of the BodyArmor tournament.
Their opponent on Sept. 18 is scheduled to North Shore Country Day, which defeated Mendota 2-0 and Timothy 2-1 Saturday.
The win gave manager Byron DeLeon’s team just the lift it needed after a disappointing loss in overtime to Notre Dame last Wednesday in the East Suburban Catholic Conference opener for both sides.
"It was a tough way to lose the other day to (Notre Dame). It looked like it would end in a (double overtime) draw until they scored in the last seconds to beat us," began DeLeon, who is now in his second year in charge.
"Today, we came out fast and got the early lead. We had control of the first half. After a bit of a slow start after the break, we did a good job of getting that second goal to help put the game away."
Saint Viator will train and get healthy this week in front of league match with Joliet Catholic on Saturday and the BodyArmor final.
Hard rains greeted early round clubs Sunday. It was so wet that tournament officials asked everyone to stay in their vehicles until 20 minutes before the scheduled 10 a.m. start.
Once Deerfield and Saint Viator stepped onto field no. 3, the rain and wind picked up and continued to soak the players and hearty faithful until it slowed to a drizzle as the half continued on.
"The wet conditions, wind, schedule change and the way the referee kept time on the field were all tough on us," said Deerfield manger Ryan Crane. “But it is not an excuse for the result. We just did not come out ready to play at the start.”
"We came out too slow, without any energy and not at the level we know we can play at. It cost us," said senior Addison Simon, whose tireless play and ball-winning expertise, especially in the second half, gave the Warriors the type of physical presence needed in the middle of the park.
"The rain and wind were difficult to play in during the first half, but I agree with Addison, we just didn’t bring our game when it started, and we paid for it," added junior Nathan Garcia.
The Warriors (3-5-0) soon found themselves chasing the game just five minutes after the opening whistle when Glodz bagged what would be not only the opener but the game-winner.
Glodz and his mates took full advantage of Deerfield’s malaise. They earned a trio of deep throws and one corner that Glodz bent over keeper Xander Yang and into the back of the net.
"To be honest, I think the wind kind of took that ball and pushed the other way and into the net," said Glodz, who shared Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors with Deerfield senior Ryder Coleman.
"It was the start we wanted to have,” added senior Jack Glasstetter, whose play out wide on the left was filled with explosive runs and a handful of sharp strikes on frame.
“After we got that early goal, it gave us so much confidence and momentum. We pretty much dominated the first half.
With Deerfield giving the ball away far too often in its own end, Saint Viator gobbled the loose balls up and played quickly to its front-runners, who kept the pressure on.
"We had so much energy coming out today,” said Glodz. "We were winning balls. Taking control of the midfield, that was our objective. Because of that, they had a hard time getting out of their own end."
Benson Tsa on two occasions set Glasstetter free on the left side but both of those efforts went over. A third smashed into the outside netting.
With Deerfield struggling to gain any type of control, the Saint Viator backline started to push forward. It made the narrow, short field appear even smaller for the men in white shirts.
"When you’re chasing the lead early and not able to get out of your own end, it just seemed like all we did in the first half was defend," offered Crane. ”It was a tough first half for us, but I was happy with the way responded after the break and created several chances.”
Deerfield’s attack shook off the doldrums 10 minutes from intermission. Coleman was at the heart of the rise with a pair of chances.
"Ryder could have had two or three today. He was unlucky on most, and on others their keeper made a couple of very good saves," said Crane.
Coleman and Simon ran a lovely one-two up the left side that pried open the Lions and left Coleman open from 12 yards.
His left-footed 32nd-minute attempt went wide of keeper Jimmy Doherty's net.
Just before the break, Matthew Neumann's near-perfect inward-swinging left-footed corner was redirected by a Coleman header point-blank that Doherty turned away.
The ball spilled free to the spot. An alert Aidan O'Connor, who correctly followed the action, was caught wrong-footed after the reaction save by Doherty, and unable to convert his return effort from in-close.
"We played a lot better toward the end of the first half, made a few adjustments during half, including going to a (3-4-3),” said Simon. “So with the wind at our backs and with us playing with more urgency, we started the second half so much stronger than the first."
The opening quarter hour of the new half was played almost entirely in the Saint Viator end of the park. That forced the Lions backline of Cristobal Carranza, Joseph Dillon, Christian Giacolone and Reilly Salatino to be organized, aware and focused on keeping everything in front of them to protect Doherty.
"We went to a 4-4-2 after the break, but with the wind and more energy, they came out a lot stronger than us," said Glodz.
"I think we had a little bit of a letdown," added Glasstetter. “We were too comfortable, but we slowly got ourselves back into the play of the second half leading up to our second goal.”
Deerfield created a handful of deep throws, two from Ethan Helfand caused some nervous moments for the Saint Viator faithful.
Helfand's first found Simon, whose nifty side-volley went just wide. The second had far more pace and forced Glasstetter to parry it from the area.
Later, Helfand's looping serve into the box arrived to create a 50-50 opportunity for both Doherty and Coleman. The Saint Viator keeper won the ball near the spot.
In an instant, the Lions doubled their advantage though the run of play with some brilliant ball movement and precise runs that allowed Giroux an easy finishing touch.
Glasstetter and Taylor Petrillo connected with each other with speed, and accuracy. Petrillo had the second to last touch to an open Giroux, who ended the scoring with 15 minutes remaining.
"Now THAT was a nice goal, a lot better than mine," laughed Glodz.
Deerfield’s players could have easily hung their heads, but instead they went full throttle in search of halving the deficit and forcing a shootout.
Coleman went over just after the Lions' goal then thumped wicked redirected headers off a Helfand throw and s lovely ball from James Weiner that forced Doherty into goal-saving stops.
"Jimmy was big for us when we needed him in the second half," beamed his manager.
The contest finished with a flurry of activity in and around Doherty's box, with no less than three quality attempts on frame.
Neumann bent a superb corner off the bar, and Christian Castro saw Doherty take his 14-yard effort out of the net. In the waning moments, Coleman, on the turn, drove his short blast into the gloves of Doherty.
Saing Viator continues to move forward.
"This is a young team with a solid core of returning players, which has made great strides since the start of the season," said Glasstetter. “We’re having fun coming together to be a better team each time out."
The Lions continue to get comfortable with their coach’s system.
"We moved the ball around a lot in the first half playing the style of soccer I wanted to implement when I came here,” DeLeon said. “The boys have worked hard to play the style, and they have done it with a lot of heart, which I am very happy with."
The match result will be scrutinized again in several weeks.
"It's a tough loss,” said Crane. “We are both in the same sectional, so this result could have ramifications down the line when it comes to (playoff) seeding."
"Mistakes hurt and cost us, but I was very pleased with the effort we gave in the second half. We played with more purpose, desire and heart. But credit Saint Viator, they did what they had to do to get the win.
"Ryder was so dangerous today," continued Crane about his start player, who earned a spot on the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List following the 2021 fall season. "He wasnd was unlucky, but he gave us so much up-top."
Deerfield advanced into this semifinal after its win on Saturday over Eisenhower.
Mason Geritens, Liam Katz and Coleman, who bagged his team-high eighth goal, led the way in the 3-1 victory.
Starting lineups
Deerfield (3-5-2)
G- Xander Yang
D- Matthew Neumann
D- Ethan Helfand
D- James Weiner
MF- Justin Blumenthal
MF- Nathan Garcia
MF- Addison Simon
MF- Jason Nieder
MF- Cole Gawin
F- Ryder Coleman
F- Christian Castro
Saint Viator (4-3-3)
G- Jimmy Doherty
D- Christian Giacalone
D- Reilly Salatino
D- Cristobal Carranza
D- Joseph Dillon
MF- Michael O'Connor
MF- Gabriel Glodz
MF-Conor Giroux
F- Jack Glasstetter
F- Benson Tsa
F- Taylor Petrillo
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Ryder Coleman, sr., F, Deerfield;
Gabriel Glodz, jr., MF, Saint Viator
Scoring summary
First half
Saint Viator: Glodz (U/A) 5'
Second half
Saint Viator: Giroux (Petrillo, Glasstetter), 65’
Deerfield for finals berth
Lions post 2-0 BodyArmor win
By Mike Garofola
SCHAUMBURG -- Goals on either side of the half from Gabriel Glodz and Connor Giroux led Saint Viator (5-2-1) to a 2-0 victory over Deerfield on a rainy Sunday morning at Olympic Park. The win sent the Lions into a bracket final of the BodyArmor tournament.
Their opponent on Sept. 18 is scheduled to North Shore Country Day, which defeated Mendota 2-0 and Timothy 2-1 Saturday.
The win gave manager Byron DeLeon’s team just the lift it needed after a disappointing loss in overtime to Notre Dame last Wednesday in the East Suburban Catholic Conference opener for both sides.
"It was a tough way to lose the other day to (Notre Dame). It looked like it would end in a (double overtime) draw until they scored in the last seconds to beat us," began DeLeon, who is now in his second year in charge.
"Today, we came out fast and got the early lead. We had control of the first half. After a bit of a slow start after the break, we did a good job of getting that second goal to help put the game away."
Saint Viator will train and get healthy this week in front of league match with Joliet Catholic on Saturday and the BodyArmor final.
Hard rains greeted early round clubs Sunday. It was so wet that tournament officials asked everyone to stay in their vehicles until 20 minutes before the scheduled 10 a.m. start.
Once Deerfield and Saint Viator stepped onto field no. 3, the rain and wind picked up and continued to soak the players and hearty faithful until it slowed to a drizzle as the half continued on.
"The wet conditions, wind, schedule change and the way the referee kept time on the field were all tough on us," said Deerfield manger Ryan Crane. “But it is not an excuse for the result. We just did not come out ready to play at the start.”
"We came out too slow, without any energy and not at the level we know we can play at. It cost us," said senior Addison Simon, whose tireless play and ball-winning expertise, especially in the second half, gave the Warriors the type of physical presence needed in the middle of the park.
"The rain and wind were difficult to play in during the first half, but I agree with Addison, we just didn’t bring our game when it started, and we paid for it," added junior Nathan Garcia.
The Warriors (3-5-0) soon found themselves chasing the game just five minutes after the opening whistle when Glodz bagged what would be not only the opener but the game-winner.
Glodz and his mates took full advantage of Deerfield’s malaise. They earned a trio of deep throws and one corner that Glodz bent over keeper Xander Yang and into the back of the net.
"To be honest, I think the wind kind of took that ball and pushed the other way and into the net," said Glodz, who shared Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors with Deerfield senior Ryder Coleman.
"It was the start we wanted to have,” added senior Jack Glasstetter, whose play out wide on the left was filled with explosive runs and a handful of sharp strikes on frame.
“After we got that early goal, it gave us so much confidence and momentum. We pretty much dominated the first half.
With Deerfield giving the ball away far too often in its own end, Saint Viator gobbled the loose balls up and played quickly to its front-runners, who kept the pressure on.
"We had so much energy coming out today,” said Glodz. "We were winning balls. Taking control of the midfield, that was our objective. Because of that, they had a hard time getting out of their own end."
Benson Tsa on two occasions set Glasstetter free on the left side but both of those efforts went over. A third smashed into the outside netting.
With Deerfield struggling to gain any type of control, the Saint Viator backline started to push forward. It made the narrow, short field appear even smaller for the men in white shirts.
"When you’re chasing the lead early and not able to get out of your own end, it just seemed like all we did in the first half was defend," offered Crane. ”It was a tough first half for us, but I was happy with the way responded after the break and created several chances.”
Deerfield’s attack shook off the doldrums 10 minutes from intermission. Coleman was at the heart of the rise with a pair of chances.
"Ryder could have had two or three today. He was unlucky on most, and on others their keeper made a couple of very good saves," said Crane.
Coleman and Simon ran a lovely one-two up the left side that pried open the Lions and left Coleman open from 12 yards.
His left-footed 32nd-minute attempt went wide of keeper Jimmy Doherty's net.
Just before the break, Matthew Neumann's near-perfect inward-swinging left-footed corner was redirected by a Coleman header point-blank that Doherty turned away.
The ball spilled free to the spot. An alert Aidan O'Connor, who correctly followed the action, was caught wrong-footed after the reaction save by Doherty, and unable to convert his return effort from in-close.
"We played a lot better toward the end of the first half, made a few adjustments during half, including going to a (3-4-3),” said Simon. “So with the wind at our backs and with us playing with more urgency, we started the second half so much stronger than the first."
The opening quarter hour of the new half was played almost entirely in the Saint Viator end of the park. That forced the Lions backline of Cristobal Carranza, Joseph Dillon, Christian Giacolone and Reilly Salatino to be organized, aware and focused on keeping everything in front of them to protect Doherty.
"We went to a 4-4-2 after the break, but with the wind and more energy, they came out a lot stronger than us," said Glodz.
"I think we had a little bit of a letdown," added Glasstetter. “We were too comfortable, but we slowly got ourselves back into the play of the second half leading up to our second goal.”
Deerfield created a handful of deep throws, two from Ethan Helfand caused some nervous moments for the Saint Viator faithful.
Helfand's first found Simon, whose nifty side-volley went just wide. The second had far more pace and forced Glasstetter to parry it from the area.
Later, Helfand's looping serve into the box arrived to create a 50-50 opportunity for both Doherty and Coleman. The Saint Viator keeper won the ball near the spot.
In an instant, the Lions doubled their advantage though the run of play with some brilliant ball movement and precise runs that allowed Giroux an easy finishing touch.
Glasstetter and Taylor Petrillo connected with each other with speed, and accuracy. Petrillo had the second to last touch to an open Giroux, who ended the scoring with 15 minutes remaining.
"Now THAT was a nice goal, a lot better than mine," laughed Glodz.
Deerfield’s players could have easily hung their heads, but instead they went full throttle in search of halving the deficit and forcing a shootout.
Coleman went over just after the Lions' goal then thumped wicked redirected headers off a Helfand throw and s lovely ball from James Weiner that forced Doherty into goal-saving stops.
"Jimmy was big for us when we needed him in the second half," beamed his manager.
The contest finished with a flurry of activity in and around Doherty's box, with no less than three quality attempts on frame.
Neumann bent a superb corner off the bar, and Christian Castro saw Doherty take his 14-yard effort out of the net. In the waning moments, Coleman, on the turn, drove his short blast into the gloves of Doherty.
Saing Viator continues to move forward.
"This is a young team with a solid core of returning players, which has made great strides since the start of the season," said Glasstetter. “We’re having fun coming together to be a better team each time out."
The Lions continue to get comfortable with their coach’s system.
"We moved the ball around a lot in the first half playing the style of soccer I wanted to implement when I came here,” DeLeon said. “The boys have worked hard to play the style, and they have done it with a lot of heart, which I am very happy with."
The match result will be scrutinized again in several weeks.
"It's a tough loss,” said Crane. “We are both in the same sectional, so this result could have ramifications down the line when it comes to (playoff) seeding."
"Mistakes hurt and cost us, but I was very pleased with the effort we gave in the second half. We played with more purpose, desire and heart. But credit Saint Viator, they did what they had to do to get the win.
"Ryder was so dangerous today," continued Crane about his start player, who earned a spot on the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List following the 2021 fall season. "He wasnd was unlucky, but he gave us so much up-top."
Deerfield advanced into this semifinal after its win on Saturday over Eisenhower.
Mason Geritens, Liam Katz and Coleman, who bagged his team-high eighth goal, led the way in the 3-1 victory.
Starting lineups
Deerfield (3-5-2)
G- Xander Yang
D- Matthew Neumann
D- Ethan Helfand
D- James Weiner
MF- Justin Blumenthal
MF- Nathan Garcia
MF- Addison Simon
MF- Jason Nieder
MF- Cole Gawin
F- Ryder Coleman
F- Christian Castro
Saint Viator (4-3-3)
G- Jimmy Doherty
D- Christian Giacalone
D- Reilly Salatino
D- Cristobal Carranza
D- Joseph Dillon
MF- Michael O'Connor
MF- Gabriel Glodz
MF-Conor Giroux
F- Jack Glasstetter
F- Benson Tsa
F- Taylor Petrillo
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match:
Ryder Coleman, sr., F, Deerfield;
Gabriel Glodz, jr., MF, Saint Viator
Scoring summary
First half
Saint Viator: Glodz (U/A) 5'
Second half
Saint Viator: Giroux (Petrillo, Glasstetter), 65’