Prospect's Limanowka reverses
course against Schaumburg
Senior forward nets 1st varsity hat-trick after poor pre-game
By Bob Narang
Prospect senior forward Eryk Limanowka maintained a level head throughout the warmups of Saturday’s game against Schaumburg.
A two-year varsity player, Limanowka said he’s been playing soccer “for a very long time” so he understands the importance of building off a solid showing in warmups.
But Limanowka struggled with his shot prior to the Mid-Suburban League cross-over game.
“During warmups, I was just not doing very well and had a bad warmup,” he said. “My shot to warm up wasn’t going in. I missed a couple of them, and I wasn’t that involved.”
But once the game started, Limanowka found himself very busy.
He tallied two early goals and finished with a hat-trick to power Prospect to a 5-0 victory over Schaumburg on Saturday afternoon. Sebastian Ayala and Roberto Castro also scored goals for the Knights, who broke a four-game losing streak and the five-game winless skein that started the season.
The conference contest was originally scheduled to be played at night but was moved due to spring break, Prospect coach Mike Andrews said.
Limanowka, the third family member to play for the Knights, notched his first varsity hat-trick. For the week, the Knights (2-4-1, 2-3-1) broke into the win column with consecutive victories.
That gives them some momentum heading into Tuesday’s conference game against Wheeling.
“I felt great after the match,” Limanowka said. “The team saw I was in a rhythm when I scored the first two goals, so they really wanted me to get a hat-trick and really believed in me. After the third goal, I saw everyone was pumped on the bench, and that made me feel really good.”
Limanowka said the Knights have improved all facets of their game since the start of the Buffalo Grove match, a 3-1 win March 23. The Knights have allowed a single goal in their last pair of games after giving up 10 in their previous two (which included six a week ago to then no. 7 New Trier) .
“We were confident going into the match as a team, especially after the win against Buffalo Grove,” said coach Mike Andrews. “Before that, we got together to make sure the next three games could be wins for us. We got one by beating Buffalo Grove and knew we needed the next two. We saw the schedule and thought we could pull that off.”
Andrews said Limanowka has played a variety of positions throughout his high school career but become a potent player since the middle of his junior season.
“Eryk is really dynamic,” Andrews said. “His touch is incredibly smooth and his finishing ability is pretty remarkable. He’s definitely what put us over the edge in today’s match. He played little center-mid today. He’s the most dangerous up-top and really come into his own this year.
“Since the second half of last year, he’s kind of turned it on as a goal scorer. He’s an incredibly skilled player. At the beginning of season, it just took him a little time to adjust to the physicality of the varsity game, but now he’s pretty much established himself.”
Limanowka said he’s motivated for a memorable senior season due to many factors. He wants to finish his final season with a winning record and add to his family’s legacy at Prospect.
His two older brothers, Patrick and Dominik, both played for the Knights.
“I was waiting for this moment for a long time,” he said. “I used to play with (Patrick’s) friends all the time. Now it’s my turn leading the team. I like the way the team is turning around.
“I got ready for the season by training and playing at the park with Patrick. I’m trying to leave off the best I could do (at Prospect), and maybe even do better than my brother’s did.”
Andrews said the entire team is playing well after a slow start, which he partly attributed to missed time from senior forward Alejandro Martinez, senior defender Rick Lytle and junior defender David Marshall.
With his team intact, Andrews said the Knights are looking to finish the season strong.
“Coming off the great game we played against Buffalo Grove, we’ve had certain things start to click,” Andrews said. “They came out today feeling good, and once Eryk put in the first goal, everybody started to relax and play the soccer we like to play. We like to get the ball on ground, play controlled passing game. It was an exciting game; the boys were feeling good tonight.
“My goal today was, no matter what’s on the scoreboard, to play good smart and decisive soccer and not take excessive touches on the ball and try not to be predictable with the attack. They’re starting to feel more comfortable in their roles and starting to have a better sense of playing off each other and what other players are doing and building chemistry.”
Goalie Cole Conner notched the shutout. He’s started the past two games and his solid play is another reason for Prospect’s two-game resurgence.
Lytle said the entire team is focused following the slow start to the season.
“After first the few games, it was definitely a struggle,” Lytle said. “We knew we were much a better team than our record showed. About the halfway point of season, we started to play loose and confident.
“This was another good win. We want to continue the momentum. It feels good to get a two-game winning streak.
“We’ve started to figure out our formation. With COVID-19, we didn’t have much time to figure it out. At the start of the season, we were trying to still figure things out while still playing games, but now we’re not putting a ton of pressure on ourselves. We’re better on the ball and playing more confident and playing for ourselves.
“We want to keep the winning streak going and prove we’re a good team. Our record is not representative of us as a team. We’re a legit team, and we can hang with the best.”
Schaumburg coach Eric Sorby said his team is progressing toward a better finish. The Saxons (0-5-0, 0-5-0) are relying on a young group this season. Sorby said the return of srnior midfielder Ryan Christians should help his team.
“This season has shown us how our mistakes can easily turn into goals for the opponent and make the difference in a game,” Sorby said. “Tactically, we’re showing some signs of improvement and are looking forward to finish the season strong.
“Ryan missed the first couple games because of the overlapping season with basketball. Since rejoining us, he has brought a physicality and leadership that the team needs. He has been versatile, being asked to play in multiple positions this season, and has been a great role model for our young group.”
Startling lineup
Prospect
GK Cole Conner
D David Marshall
D Ari Kemperas
D Rick Lytle
D Gavin Kafkakis
D Alex Mho
M Declan Flanagan
M Gabriel Predescu
F John Wilkins
F Eryk Limanowka
F Alejandro Martinez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Eryk Limanowka, sr., F, Prospect
Scoring summary
First half
P — Limanowka (UA), 6’
P — Limanowka (Predescu), 11’
P — Ayala (Predescu) 39’
Second half
P — Limanowka (Mho) 42’
P — Castro (Lopez) 77’
course against Schaumburg
Senior forward nets 1st varsity hat-trick after poor pre-game
By Bob Narang
Prospect senior forward Eryk Limanowka maintained a level head throughout the warmups of Saturday’s game against Schaumburg.
A two-year varsity player, Limanowka said he’s been playing soccer “for a very long time” so he understands the importance of building off a solid showing in warmups.
But Limanowka struggled with his shot prior to the Mid-Suburban League cross-over game.
“During warmups, I was just not doing very well and had a bad warmup,” he said. “My shot to warm up wasn’t going in. I missed a couple of them, and I wasn’t that involved.”
But once the game started, Limanowka found himself very busy.
He tallied two early goals and finished with a hat-trick to power Prospect to a 5-0 victory over Schaumburg on Saturday afternoon. Sebastian Ayala and Roberto Castro also scored goals for the Knights, who broke a four-game losing streak and the five-game winless skein that started the season.
The conference contest was originally scheduled to be played at night but was moved due to spring break, Prospect coach Mike Andrews said.
Limanowka, the third family member to play for the Knights, notched his first varsity hat-trick. For the week, the Knights (2-4-1, 2-3-1) broke into the win column with consecutive victories.
That gives them some momentum heading into Tuesday’s conference game against Wheeling.
“I felt great after the match,” Limanowka said. “The team saw I was in a rhythm when I scored the first two goals, so they really wanted me to get a hat-trick and really believed in me. After the third goal, I saw everyone was pumped on the bench, and that made me feel really good.”
Limanowka said the Knights have improved all facets of their game since the start of the Buffalo Grove match, a 3-1 win March 23. The Knights have allowed a single goal in their last pair of games after giving up 10 in their previous two (which included six a week ago to then no. 7 New Trier) .
“We were confident going into the match as a team, especially after the win against Buffalo Grove,” said coach Mike Andrews. “Before that, we got together to make sure the next three games could be wins for us. We got one by beating Buffalo Grove and knew we needed the next two. We saw the schedule and thought we could pull that off.”
Andrews said Limanowka has played a variety of positions throughout his high school career but become a potent player since the middle of his junior season.
“Eryk is really dynamic,” Andrews said. “His touch is incredibly smooth and his finishing ability is pretty remarkable. He’s definitely what put us over the edge in today’s match. He played little center-mid today. He’s the most dangerous up-top and really come into his own this year.
“Since the second half of last year, he’s kind of turned it on as a goal scorer. He’s an incredibly skilled player. At the beginning of season, it just took him a little time to adjust to the physicality of the varsity game, but now he’s pretty much established himself.”
Limanowka said he’s motivated for a memorable senior season due to many factors. He wants to finish his final season with a winning record and add to his family’s legacy at Prospect.
His two older brothers, Patrick and Dominik, both played for the Knights.
“I was waiting for this moment for a long time,” he said. “I used to play with (Patrick’s) friends all the time. Now it’s my turn leading the team. I like the way the team is turning around.
“I got ready for the season by training and playing at the park with Patrick. I’m trying to leave off the best I could do (at Prospect), and maybe even do better than my brother’s did.”
Andrews said the entire team is playing well after a slow start, which he partly attributed to missed time from senior forward Alejandro Martinez, senior defender Rick Lytle and junior defender David Marshall.
With his team intact, Andrews said the Knights are looking to finish the season strong.
“Coming off the great game we played against Buffalo Grove, we’ve had certain things start to click,” Andrews said. “They came out today feeling good, and once Eryk put in the first goal, everybody started to relax and play the soccer we like to play. We like to get the ball on ground, play controlled passing game. It was an exciting game; the boys were feeling good tonight.
“My goal today was, no matter what’s on the scoreboard, to play good smart and decisive soccer and not take excessive touches on the ball and try not to be predictable with the attack. They’re starting to feel more comfortable in their roles and starting to have a better sense of playing off each other and what other players are doing and building chemistry.”
Goalie Cole Conner notched the shutout. He’s started the past two games and his solid play is another reason for Prospect’s two-game resurgence.
Lytle said the entire team is focused following the slow start to the season.
“After first the few games, it was definitely a struggle,” Lytle said. “We knew we were much a better team than our record showed. About the halfway point of season, we started to play loose and confident.
“This was another good win. We want to continue the momentum. It feels good to get a two-game winning streak.
“We’ve started to figure out our formation. With COVID-19, we didn’t have much time to figure it out. At the start of the season, we were trying to still figure things out while still playing games, but now we’re not putting a ton of pressure on ourselves. We’re better on the ball and playing more confident and playing for ourselves.
“We want to keep the winning streak going and prove we’re a good team. Our record is not representative of us as a team. We’re a legit team, and we can hang with the best.”
Schaumburg coach Eric Sorby said his team is progressing toward a better finish. The Saxons (0-5-0, 0-5-0) are relying on a young group this season. Sorby said the return of srnior midfielder Ryan Christians should help his team.
“This season has shown us how our mistakes can easily turn into goals for the opponent and make the difference in a game,” Sorby said. “Tactically, we’re showing some signs of improvement and are looking forward to finish the season strong.
“Ryan missed the first couple games because of the overlapping season with basketball. Since rejoining us, he has brought a physicality and leadership that the team needs. He has been versatile, being asked to play in multiple positions this season, and has been a great role model for our young group.”
Startling lineup
Prospect
GK Cole Conner
D David Marshall
D Ari Kemperas
D Rick Lytle
D Gavin Kafkakis
D Alex Mho
M Declan Flanagan
M Gabriel Predescu
F John Wilkins
F Eryk Limanowka
F Alejandro Martinez
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Eryk Limanowka, sr., F, Prospect
Scoring summary
First half
P — Limanowka (UA), 6’
P — Limanowka (Predescu), 11’
P — Ayala (Predescu) 39’
Second half
P — Limanowka (Mho) 42’
P — Castro (Lopez) 77’