New Trier’s chemistry downs St. Charles E.
No. 6 Trevians score early to defeat the Saints 3-0
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHFIELD -- The game of soccer takes many shapes, subtle or complex and sometimes it is binary. A team either has something or it lacks that fundamental quality.
Chemistry is the crucial equation. It is easy to define though hard or elusive to fully comprehend. The teams that possess do so unequivocally—witnessed in the ease of their passing, the innate understanding of where different players are on the field, how they like to make their runs and where they are either most comfortable or dangerous receiving the ball.
New Trier is only five games into the new season, but it becomes immediately evident how well the team plays together, a symphony of movement and grace.
The Trevians have nine returning starters from last year’s Class 3A sectional qualifiers. “Eight of us play on the same club team at FC United,” senior forward Ryan Krueger said. The fluidity and precision of the attack is borne out by that familiarity.
“I think for me, the really telling part of the chemistry is to trust each other in really tight spaces,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft said. “We have players who are able to make those decisive runs and have guys trusting them.
“In general, when teams don’t have as much chemistry there is a tendency to play more direct and not to build patiently and not to trust each other. What I really like about how we have played at the start of the season is how we build, looking to establish the midfield and then spray the ball wide and then working through the lines.
“It has been very really good movement on and off the ball.”
The Trevians, ranked sixth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, sustained their torrid and very impressive start to the season in demonstrating creativity, toughness and the ability to capitalize on their chances as they defeated St. Charles East 3-0 in the final game of Group A pool play in the Northside College Showcase on Thursday night in their home stadium.
New Trier (5-0-0) advances to Saturday’s championship against third-ranked Libertyville. It marks the first time in the tournament’s four years the host side has reached the final. The Trevians did not concede a goal in the three pool games, punctuated by the 1-0 victory over no. 5 Waukegan on Tuesday.
“It means the world to us,” Krueger said. “It’s our home, and we decided that we were going to defend it. We are so glad to be in the final. We are tired of other teams coming here and taking our title away. We are going to win it this year.”
Krueger set the dominant tone right at the start, highlighting his team’s intensity and effort. In the first minute he drilled a shot from about 24 yards that necessitated a strong response from Saints’ keeper Zachary Kennedy. He stopped the shot, but the larger point was unmistakeable. The Trevians meant business.
Moments later, off a short corner, Krueger smashed a low laser that required a Kennedy diving stop.
“We definitely felt that we needed an early goal because most of our goals have been coming in the second half,” said Krueger, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his play. “An early goal, that would just put them away, and we could control the rest of the game, and that is what we were able to do.”
In the 13th minute, Krueger scored his fifth goal of the season on a beautifully designed set piece. Off a throw-in, junior forward Sean Gooze controlled the ball down the left sideline and delivered a tight and perfectly timed ball to Krueger for the putaway.
“We had a throw-in at a spot where it was dangerous,” Krueger said. “Sean Gooze took it down the wing, and I knew what he was capable of. He beat the the man and laid to me, and I was lucky enough to put it in.”
Despite going 0-3 in pool play. St. Charles East showed resilience and a deep competitive sensibility.
“I thought we played better soccer today than the past two (pool play) games,” new St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo said. “The score may not reflect that. I thought we played better. We are dealing with some injuries and trying to figure out who we are and what style of play works best for us right now. I thought New Trier did a good job of finishing on their chances. They were creative on their set pieces. They finished, and we did not.”
In taking over the program, DiNuzzo was thrown into the mix right away, with little grace period and opportunity to integrate his system. The Saints (1-3-1) responded to the Trevians’ early push and generated some dangerous play of their own. Senior midfielder Kieran Patel worked well in combination with senior midfielder Rajin Bains.
For the remainder of the first half St. Charles East played New Trier to a draw.
“We are just trying to get our team to jell together,” Bains said. “ I am happy with how we are playing. From the rest of the tournament you could see that we have improved a lot defensively.
“We are much better organized in the midfield. I feel more confident moving forward with how our team played today. Although we did not get the result we still battled. As we keep moving forward I am sure we will get it together.”
The psychological dagger came in the 38th minute. New Trier senior defender Riles Walsh drilled a looping free kick from 45 yards that sophomore midfielder Alex Powell made a darting move toward the keeper to get a play on. Powell’s action temporarily froze Kennedy as the ball skirted inside the near post for the Trevians’ second goal.
“Psychologically we are battling there, we are buckled in and fighting and to give up something from 45 yards out,” DiNuzzo said. “Luck is going to come and go. Good teams find a way to win. They are a good team, and they found a way to win.”
Walsh is part of the Trevians’ skilled, tall and rangy backline that has registered four shutouts in the team’s first five games.
“We knew this was going to be a tough game,” Walsh said. “Last year they beat us 1-0. We see defending as a team effort. Most of us play together in club, and also the guys coming back have also added to the chemistry. Everybody has been great that way.
“I just thought (St. Charles East) played well both halves. They fought really hard. That goal was not all me. It was kind of a fluke goal.”
Both first half goals originated on set pieces, underscoring the Trevians’ versatile ability to score either in the field of play or off re-starts and designed pieces.
“Early on, in the first 20 minutes, we had a chance to really show our set piece playbook, everything we have been working on in our training, whether that’s throw-ins, corner kicks and set pieces not quite from shooting range, more from midfield,” Ravenscraft said. “We have plays we want to implement. It was nice to show different things and looks tonight. I thought we were decisive on set pieces.”
New Trier’s third goal, in the 48th goal, was last touched by a Saints’ defender inside the box and was formally credited to senior midfielder Logan Weaver.
The Saints’ best scoring chance, off a free kick by junior Truitt Battin, hit the post in the 51st minute. St. Charles East played hard until the very end.
“Discipline and organization has been our point of emphasis, staying organized and communicating,” DiNuzzo said. “We are working through a couple of serious injuries. We are going to find a way to play through it. I thought we did a much better job today. Every team is a challenge, especially when you are playing in this tournament.”
The Saints meet Niles West in the seventh place game Saturday.
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK: Zachary Kennedy
D: Riley Arnold
D: Jeffrey Waynick
D: Grayson Biddle
D: Ulises Caballero
MF: Matthew Kolet
MF: Kieran Patel
MF: Truitt Battin
MF: Davis Frey
MF: Rajin Bains
F: Nicholas Nelson
New Trier
GK: Sam Rutherford
D: Daniel Gunther
D: Alex Boudos
D: Ben Axelrod
D: Riles Walsh
MF: Logan Weaver
MF: JoJo Farina
MF: Mateo Blair
F: Ryan Krueger
F: Alex Donnelly-Maine
F: Will Felitto
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ryan Krueger, New Trier, sr., F
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Ryan Krueger (Sean Gooze), 13th minute
New Trier—Riles Walsh, 38th minute
Second half
New Trier—Logan Weaver, 48th minute
No. 6 Trevians score early to defeat the Saints 3-0
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHFIELD -- The game of soccer takes many shapes, subtle or complex and sometimes it is binary. A team either has something or it lacks that fundamental quality.
Chemistry is the crucial equation. It is easy to define though hard or elusive to fully comprehend. The teams that possess do so unequivocally—witnessed in the ease of their passing, the innate understanding of where different players are on the field, how they like to make their runs and where they are either most comfortable or dangerous receiving the ball.
New Trier is only five games into the new season, but it becomes immediately evident how well the team plays together, a symphony of movement and grace.
The Trevians have nine returning starters from last year’s Class 3A sectional qualifiers. “Eight of us play on the same club team at FC United,” senior forward Ryan Krueger said. The fluidity and precision of the attack is borne out by that familiarity.
“I think for me, the really telling part of the chemistry is to trust each other in really tight spaces,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft said. “We have players who are able to make those decisive runs and have guys trusting them.
“In general, when teams don’t have as much chemistry there is a tendency to play more direct and not to build patiently and not to trust each other. What I really like about how we have played at the start of the season is how we build, looking to establish the midfield and then spray the ball wide and then working through the lines.
“It has been very really good movement on and off the ball.”
The Trevians, ranked sixth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, sustained their torrid and very impressive start to the season in demonstrating creativity, toughness and the ability to capitalize on their chances as they defeated St. Charles East 3-0 in the final game of Group A pool play in the Northside College Showcase on Thursday night in their home stadium.
New Trier (5-0-0) advances to Saturday’s championship against third-ranked Libertyville. It marks the first time in the tournament’s four years the host side has reached the final. The Trevians did not concede a goal in the three pool games, punctuated by the 1-0 victory over no. 5 Waukegan on Tuesday.
“It means the world to us,” Krueger said. “It’s our home, and we decided that we were going to defend it. We are so glad to be in the final. We are tired of other teams coming here and taking our title away. We are going to win it this year.”
Krueger set the dominant tone right at the start, highlighting his team’s intensity and effort. In the first minute he drilled a shot from about 24 yards that necessitated a strong response from Saints’ keeper Zachary Kennedy. He stopped the shot, but the larger point was unmistakeable. The Trevians meant business.
Moments later, off a short corner, Krueger smashed a low laser that required a Kennedy diving stop.
“We definitely felt that we needed an early goal because most of our goals have been coming in the second half,” said Krueger, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his play. “An early goal, that would just put them away, and we could control the rest of the game, and that is what we were able to do.”
In the 13th minute, Krueger scored his fifth goal of the season on a beautifully designed set piece. Off a throw-in, junior forward Sean Gooze controlled the ball down the left sideline and delivered a tight and perfectly timed ball to Krueger for the putaway.
“We had a throw-in at a spot where it was dangerous,” Krueger said. “Sean Gooze took it down the wing, and I knew what he was capable of. He beat the the man and laid to me, and I was lucky enough to put it in.”
Despite going 0-3 in pool play. St. Charles East showed resilience and a deep competitive sensibility.
“I thought we played better soccer today than the past two (pool play) games,” new St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo said. “The score may not reflect that. I thought we played better. We are dealing with some injuries and trying to figure out who we are and what style of play works best for us right now. I thought New Trier did a good job of finishing on their chances. They were creative on their set pieces. They finished, and we did not.”
In taking over the program, DiNuzzo was thrown into the mix right away, with little grace period and opportunity to integrate his system. The Saints (1-3-1) responded to the Trevians’ early push and generated some dangerous play of their own. Senior midfielder Kieran Patel worked well in combination with senior midfielder Rajin Bains.
For the remainder of the first half St. Charles East played New Trier to a draw.
“We are just trying to get our team to jell together,” Bains said. “ I am happy with how we are playing. From the rest of the tournament you could see that we have improved a lot defensively.
“We are much better organized in the midfield. I feel more confident moving forward with how our team played today. Although we did not get the result we still battled. As we keep moving forward I am sure we will get it together.”
The psychological dagger came in the 38th minute. New Trier senior defender Riles Walsh drilled a looping free kick from 45 yards that sophomore midfielder Alex Powell made a darting move toward the keeper to get a play on. Powell’s action temporarily froze Kennedy as the ball skirted inside the near post for the Trevians’ second goal.
“Psychologically we are battling there, we are buckled in and fighting and to give up something from 45 yards out,” DiNuzzo said. “Luck is going to come and go. Good teams find a way to win. They are a good team, and they found a way to win.”
Walsh is part of the Trevians’ skilled, tall and rangy backline that has registered four shutouts in the team’s first five games.
“We knew this was going to be a tough game,” Walsh said. “Last year they beat us 1-0. We see defending as a team effort. Most of us play together in club, and also the guys coming back have also added to the chemistry. Everybody has been great that way.
“I just thought (St. Charles East) played well both halves. They fought really hard. That goal was not all me. It was kind of a fluke goal.”
Both first half goals originated on set pieces, underscoring the Trevians’ versatile ability to score either in the field of play or off re-starts and designed pieces.
“Early on, in the first 20 minutes, we had a chance to really show our set piece playbook, everything we have been working on in our training, whether that’s throw-ins, corner kicks and set pieces not quite from shooting range, more from midfield,” Ravenscraft said. “We have plays we want to implement. It was nice to show different things and looks tonight. I thought we were decisive on set pieces.”
New Trier’s third goal, in the 48th goal, was last touched by a Saints’ defender inside the box and was formally credited to senior midfielder Logan Weaver.
The Saints’ best scoring chance, off a free kick by junior Truitt Battin, hit the post in the 51st minute. St. Charles East played hard until the very end.
“Discipline and organization has been our point of emphasis, staying organized and communicating,” DiNuzzo said. “We are working through a couple of serious injuries. We are going to find a way to play through it. I thought we did a much better job today. Every team is a challenge, especially when you are playing in this tournament.”
The Saints meet Niles West in the seventh place game Saturday.
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK: Zachary Kennedy
D: Riley Arnold
D: Jeffrey Waynick
D: Grayson Biddle
D: Ulises Caballero
MF: Matthew Kolet
MF: Kieran Patel
MF: Truitt Battin
MF: Davis Frey
MF: Rajin Bains
F: Nicholas Nelson
New Trier
GK: Sam Rutherford
D: Daniel Gunther
D: Alex Boudos
D: Ben Axelrod
D: Riles Walsh
MF: Logan Weaver
MF: JoJo Farina
MF: Mateo Blair
F: Ryan Krueger
F: Alex Donnelly-Maine
F: Will Felitto
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ryan Krueger, New Trier, sr., F
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Ryan Krueger (Sean Gooze), 13th minute
New Trier—Riles Walsh, 38th minute
Second half
New Trier—Logan Weaver, 48th minute