Wheaton Academy’s possession
game grinds down St. Francis
Warriors win 5-1 to finish 2nd in Metro Suburban Blue
By Gary Larsen
WEST CHICAGO — After both head coaches weighed in with similar assessments of Tuesday’s rivalry game between St. Francis and host Wheaton Academy, those assessments were perfectly summarized by Wheaton Academy senior Jude Barton.
“In the first half we showed our fight,” Barton said, “and in the second half we showed our quality."
Wheaton Academy’s 5-1 win in a Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division game emitted the same emotional heat that always rises from the pitch when St. Francis comes to town. Tuesday’s tilt was the last chance for St. Francis’ seniors to beat Wheaton Academy in their four years in high school, and the Spartans stepped hard from the outset.
But it wasn't meant to be.
A back-and-forth first 15 minutes culminated in St. Francis (7-8-1, 4-2-0) scoring first. Spartans senior Cam Crawford intercepted a ball deep in Wheaton Academy territory and quickly found teammate Anthony Matz, who swooped in alone on net to give his side a 1-0 lead.
To that point, the host Warriors knew they were in for a battle.
“I thought it was a great match and credit to St. Francis, they came out with a really good game plan and got the lead on us,” Wheaton Academy coach Cody Snouffer said. “It was great, because our guys needed a dogfight; and St. Francis gives you a dogfight. They were really organized. They’re big, and all of their set pieces and throw-ins were really dangerous.”
The ball that Crawford intercepted for the eventual score came from Wheaton Academy junior Josh Mariotti. But rather than hang his head and dwell on the mistake, Mariotti showed his mettle.
Two minutes after Matz’s goal, Mariotti took a feed from Haetham Nasr up the right side of the field, spun a defender, and buried a beautiful shot from 16 yards.
“When we talk about challenging ourselves and having the mental skill to do that — to make a big error but then switch to a big success — I thought that was outstanding,” Snouffer said of Mariotti’s resilience in tying the game for the Warriors (8-4-1, 5-1-0).
Mariotti’s short memory and fine strike earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
With St. Francis senior captains Crawford, Brendan Yarusso and Guy DeFeo playing with off-the-charts intensity, the Spartans kept coming. A long Yarusso throw-in led to a Tommy Goetzke header sent high at 23 minutes. St. Francis took consecutive corner kicks at 26 minutes.
St. Francis coach Jim Winslow appreciated the way his leaders kept up the intensity.
“Our three captains always kill themselves. They always play hard, and they bleed blue,” Winslow said. “They’re awesome. And I hope our young guys take from this just kind of — for lack of a better word — that passion those three always bring to the field.”
Yarusso sent another long free kick to the goalmouth that went for naught at 32 minutes. The Spartans battled hard against the Warriors’ high-quality possession game, but a truly dangerous shot on frame proved elusive.
Wheaton Academy’s starting backline of Barton, Troy Erickson, Josiah Pitts and Gabe Olsen did yeomen’s work to to keep St. Francis from striking again.
If there was a moment that turned momentum squarely in Wheaton Academy’s favor, it came from Barton. At 39 minutes, a Wheaton Academy corner kick found the turf at the near post until it was pinged out to Barton’s waiting feet, 18 yards from goal.
“It kind of just bounced out,” Barton said. “It came out to the right side. Our right back, Troy (Erickson), was there, but I wanted the shot so I called him off. I took it, and it paid off. It felt great.”
First goals of the season usually do.
The Warriors’ possession game found another level in the second half. Nasr scored off a Robert Platt feed at 47 minutes, and Platt located a loose ball in the goalmouth at 56 minutes to give the home team a 4-1 lead.
The Spartans never stopped fighting, but it’s not ideal to be chasing a three-goal deficit on an opponent’s home field.
“It’s hard to come back. You look at the scoreboard, and you know it’s going to be hard to come back,” Crawford said. “It’s a big climb. But I have to give our guys credit. We had people coming on (the field) who don’t always come on, and once they got out there they gave 100 percent.
“It’s unfortunate because we wanted more out of it. There are things I’d change if I could, but everyone gave their all. Wheaton Academy is a great pressing team. They win the ball high up the field, and they score from it. It’s hard to deal with.”
Winslow knew his boys were backed into a corner.
“I thought we did a good job in the first half,” Winslow said. “Even in the second half we can live with 3-1 but then that fourth goal … give them credit. They played well, and they’re a good team. They do a good job of taking care of the ball. and we don’t. Because of that, you just get run down.”
At 63 minutes, Wheaton Academy second half keeper Brandon Hoekstra made a tremendous diving save at the post of a Cooper Winslow blast from 20 yards.
Erickson scored the game’s final goal at 72 minutes, stealing a pass and going in alone to make it 5-1.
Snouffer liked the way his side defended St. Francis’ set pieces in the second half, and the way they took better advantage of offensive opportunities they were passing up in the first half.
The Warriors’ skipper was pleased with team-wide contributions Tuesday.
“I was really happy for Haetham (Nasr) and Robert (Platt),” Snouffer said. “Haetham was our leading scorer last year. That was only his second goal this year, but he’s been involved in a lot of everybody else’s goals.
"He’s a senior. He could be sitting here having a pity party because he’s not our leading scorer two years in a row, but he’s contributing and gets us a really big goal tonight.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK: Simon Hartle
D: Aaron Cook
D: Justin Klein
D: Nick Madden
D: Sam Wessel
MF: Guy DeFeo
MF: Luc Swiatek
MF: Cooper Winslow
MF: Brendan Yarusso
MF: Anthony Matz
F: Cameron Crawford
Wheaton Academy
GK: Declan Finnegan
D: Gabe Olsen
D: Josiah Pitts
D: Troy Erickson
D: Jude Barton
MF: Evan Eckert
MF: Lucas Landstrom
MF: Joshua Mariotti
MF: Caleb Mariotti
F: Robert Platt
F: Haetham Nasr
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Josh Mariotti, jr., MF, Wheaton Academy
Scoring summary
First half
St. Francis — Matz (Crawford) 15th minute
Wheaton Academy — Mariotti (Nasr) 17th minute
Wheaton Academy — Barton (UA) 39th minute
Second half
Wheaton Academy —Nasr (Platt) 47th minute
Wheaton Academy — Platt (Pitts) 56th minute
Wheaton Academy — Erickson (UA) 72nd minute
game grinds down St. Francis
Warriors win 5-1 to finish 2nd in Metro Suburban Blue
By Gary Larsen
WEST CHICAGO — After both head coaches weighed in with similar assessments of Tuesday’s rivalry game between St. Francis and host Wheaton Academy, those assessments were perfectly summarized by Wheaton Academy senior Jude Barton.
“In the first half we showed our fight,” Barton said, “and in the second half we showed our quality."
Wheaton Academy’s 5-1 win in a Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division game emitted the same emotional heat that always rises from the pitch when St. Francis comes to town. Tuesday’s tilt was the last chance for St. Francis’ seniors to beat Wheaton Academy in their four years in high school, and the Spartans stepped hard from the outset.
But it wasn't meant to be.
A back-and-forth first 15 minutes culminated in St. Francis (7-8-1, 4-2-0) scoring first. Spartans senior Cam Crawford intercepted a ball deep in Wheaton Academy territory and quickly found teammate Anthony Matz, who swooped in alone on net to give his side a 1-0 lead.
To that point, the host Warriors knew they were in for a battle.
“I thought it was a great match and credit to St. Francis, they came out with a really good game plan and got the lead on us,” Wheaton Academy coach Cody Snouffer said. “It was great, because our guys needed a dogfight; and St. Francis gives you a dogfight. They were really organized. They’re big, and all of their set pieces and throw-ins were really dangerous.”
The ball that Crawford intercepted for the eventual score came from Wheaton Academy junior Josh Mariotti. But rather than hang his head and dwell on the mistake, Mariotti showed his mettle.
Two minutes after Matz’s goal, Mariotti took a feed from Haetham Nasr up the right side of the field, spun a defender, and buried a beautiful shot from 16 yards.
“When we talk about challenging ourselves and having the mental skill to do that — to make a big error but then switch to a big success — I thought that was outstanding,” Snouffer said of Mariotti’s resilience in tying the game for the Warriors (8-4-1, 5-1-0).
Mariotti’s short memory and fine strike earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
With St. Francis senior captains Crawford, Brendan Yarusso and Guy DeFeo playing with off-the-charts intensity, the Spartans kept coming. A long Yarusso throw-in led to a Tommy Goetzke header sent high at 23 minutes. St. Francis took consecutive corner kicks at 26 minutes.
St. Francis coach Jim Winslow appreciated the way his leaders kept up the intensity.
“Our three captains always kill themselves. They always play hard, and they bleed blue,” Winslow said. “They’re awesome. And I hope our young guys take from this just kind of — for lack of a better word — that passion those three always bring to the field.”
Yarusso sent another long free kick to the goalmouth that went for naught at 32 minutes. The Spartans battled hard against the Warriors’ high-quality possession game, but a truly dangerous shot on frame proved elusive.
Wheaton Academy’s starting backline of Barton, Troy Erickson, Josiah Pitts and Gabe Olsen did yeomen’s work to to keep St. Francis from striking again.
If there was a moment that turned momentum squarely in Wheaton Academy’s favor, it came from Barton. At 39 minutes, a Wheaton Academy corner kick found the turf at the near post until it was pinged out to Barton’s waiting feet, 18 yards from goal.
“It kind of just bounced out,” Barton said. “It came out to the right side. Our right back, Troy (Erickson), was there, but I wanted the shot so I called him off. I took it, and it paid off. It felt great.”
First goals of the season usually do.
The Warriors’ possession game found another level in the second half. Nasr scored off a Robert Platt feed at 47 minutes, and Platt located a loose ball in the goalmouth at 56 minutes to give the home team a 4-1 lead.
The Spartans never stopped fighting, but it’s not ideal to be chasing a three-goal deficit on an opponent’s home field.
“It’s hard to come back. You look at the scoreboard, and you know it’s going to be hard to come back,” Crawford said. “It’s a big climb. But I have to give our guys credit. We had people coming on (the field) who don’t always come on, and once they got out there they gave 100 percent.
“It’s unfortunate because we wanted more out of it. There are things I’d change if I could, but everyone gave their all. Wheaton Academy is a great pressing team. They win the ball high up the field, and they score from it. It’s hard to deal with.”
Winslow knew his boys were backed into a corner.
“I thought we did a good job in the first half,” Winslow said. “Even in the second half we can live with 3-1 but then that fourth goal … give them credit. They played well, and they’re a good team. They do a good job of taking care of the ball. and we don’t. Because of that, you just get run down.”
At 63 minutes, Wheaton Academy second half keeper Brandon Hoekstra made a tremendous diving save at the post of a Cooper Winslow blast from 20 yards.
Erickson scored the game’s final goal at 72 minutes, stealing a pass and going in alone to make it 5-1.
Snouffer liked the way his side defended St. Francis’ set pieces in the second half, and the way they took better advantage of offensive opportunities they were passing up in the first half.
The Warriors’ skipper was pleased with team-wide contributions Tuesday.
“I was really happy for Haetham (Nasr) and Robert (Platt),” Snouffer said. “Haetham was our leading scorer last year. That was only his second goal this year, but he’s been involved in a lot of everybody else’s goals.
"He’s a senior. He could be sitting here having a pity party because he’s not our leading scorer two years in a row, but he’s contributing and gets us a really big goal tonight.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK: Simon Hartle
D: Aaron Cook
D: Justin Klein
D: Nick Madden
D: Sam Wessel
MF: Guy DeFeo
MF: Luc Swiatek
MF: Cooper Winslow
MF: Brendan Yarusso
MF: Anthony Matz
F: Cameron Crawford
Wheaton Academy
GK: Declan Finnegan
D: Gabe Olsen
D: Josiah Pitts
D: Troy Erickson
D: Jude Barton
MF: Evan Eckert
MF: Lucas Landstrom
MF: Joshua Mariotti
MF: Caleb Mariotti
F: Robert Platt
F: Haetham Nasr
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Josh Mariotti, jr., MF, Wheaton Academy
Scoring summary
First half
St. Francis — Matz (Crawford) 15th minute
Wheaton Academy — Mariotti (Nasr) 17th minute
Wheaton Academy — Barton (UA) 39th minute
Second half
Wheaton Academy —Nasr (Platt) 47th minute
Wheaton Academy — Platt (Pitts) 56th minute
Wheaton Academy — Erickson (UA) 72nd minute