Good start leads St. Ignatius over Marmion
Visitors build to 4-0 win; Cadets continue fight vs. tough slate
By Steve Nemeth
NORTH AURORA --- Unless the margin is one, a single goal doesn’t determine an outcome, however, psychologically it can make a difference like it did Tuesday night between St. Ignatius and Marmion.
Only 10:46 had elapsed when St. Ignatius got on the scoreboard. That left more than an hour of play for a variety of outcomes for either side.
But the game provided just the kind of boost and practice payoff needed by the visiting Wolfpack and culminated in a 4-0 Chicago Catholic League triumph. Unfortunately it was also an all-too-familiar scenario for host Marmion.
St. Ignatius (9-2-2, 1-0-0), which is listed among the honorable mention squads in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, took the first step in defending the school’s first outright loop title that is based on matches against fellow Blue Division foes (Fenwick, Loyola and Mt. Carmel) plus teams from the Green Division (Brother Rice, Marmion, St. Joseph and St. Laurence).
For Marmion, ith only seven regular season matches left on the schedule, it would take a win streak through its first regional game to bring the Cadets (1-9-1) even on the season. Tuesday night the Cadets lost the third-of-four-straight meetings with CCL Blue opponents. They travel to final Blue member Fenwick on Thursday.
Although difficult, turning the 0-3-0 league start into Green Division success isn’t impossible. Marmion plays three-straight games against its fellow group members: St. Laurence (with whom the Cadets tied in 2016 at 2-5-0 for the league lead); St. Joseph and Brother Rice starting Sept. 26.
The game Tuesday signaled a turnaround for St. Ignatius.
“Our last two games we struggled to finish, so based on the work we did in practice, the biggest positive was finishing chances, and having four different players do it,” St. Ignatius coach Ryan Kearns noted.
For Marmion it was same old, same old.
“We continue to struggle at the start and once again finished the first half in a hole,” Marmion coach Jimmy Romano lamented. “We miss on one or two early chances and allow that to deflate us.”
Having shifted positions and responsibilities for a few players, the Cadets were hoping for a spark, and the game’s first genuine opportunity belonged to the home side.
Having moved from the backline to a forward slot, Matt Lagman got a chance two minutes in for a blast from the right wing. However, St. Ignatius goalie Orest Sison handled the grounder with confidence.
Then it was St. Ignatius' turn. Showing the combination of hustle, heart and field vision that earned him the game's Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction, senior defender Sachin Medler made an overlapping run and sent a cross toward the far right post. That’s where Quinn Troy timed a leaping one-touch volley into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the year and what would ultimately be the game-winning strike.
“In beginning my run I noticed their left back pinching in and leaving extra space near the post,” Troy recalled. “I just thought about practice and watching the ball in the sky to be able to put my foot through the cross from Sachin.
“We practice and practice plays like that, so it’s great to reap the benefit of all those hours and see the hard work pay off,” Troy added.
“Having often been on the left and Quinn on the right since we were freshmen, I knew he’d be there,” Medler said. “Developing chemistry on the field is something we all pride ourselves on. Initially it was a challenge for me making the transition to the varsity level. This offseason I put in extra time to be a starter and be able to contribute anytime and from anywhere on the field.”
It was actually Medler’s first assist to go with one goal, bonuses to what his normal backline strength provides the Wolfpack.
“Sachin provides such a presence from the outside back slot because he sees the field so well,” Kearns said. “He’s consistently solid defending, but has the ability to get the ball to the strikers.”
A mere 25 seconds ticked off before the Wolfpack doubled their lead. Continuing to aggressively attack, Carlos Sierra’s free kick curving away from the left post and drew Marmion goalie Jason Baker off his line. Misha Simon’s 10-yard lofting header arched under the crossbar for the 2-0 lead.
Six minutes later, the Cadets hoped to cut the deficit in half with a corner kick, but Lagman’s header off an Ian Swindle delivery missed to the right. At 33:54, Robert Quintana’s cannon shot from distance caromed off the right post and the Wolfpack quickly cleared the ball. And 7:10 prior to intermission, Sison raced out to get the ball clear before Marmion’s James Lawinger could get his toe to the ball.
The second half began with the Cadets’ Anthony Sanchez taking a gamble from distance that bounced up from the soccer crossbar to the underside of the field goal uprights. Shortly after that, Luke Salamon’s cross set up Sebastian Gutierrez near the left post but Sison made a huge save to keep Marmion off the scoreboard.
With 21:52 left in regulation, the Wolfpack's Eduardo Lopez set up teammate Keith Bevans on the far left. The reserve junior forward deftly cut back to elude a Cadet defender and despite a tough angle, slotted the ball past Marmion second-half goalie Jeffrey Walter.
While the hosts remained on the offensive as much as possible, St. Ignatius continued to dodge the comeback attempts.
“In the first half I thought we gave up two goals off stupid mistakes,” Marmion’s Lagman said. “In the second half, there was a lot of improved play on our part. We were pushing people down the field, and the goals were earned from counterattacks.”
The scoring was culminated with 4:10 to play when Rudy Bieglmeier’s laser from the right side ricocheted off the right post to the middle where Jack Galante pounced on the putback opportunity.
“Seeing the efforts on the first two goals, then Bevans slotting the ball near post and Jack following up is that finishing focus we wanted,” Kearns noted. “I think they’re not only listening to what (assistant) coach (Matt) Roy and I were saying, but responding in the moment.”
Sison, plus back-up Kennan Troy have given St. Ignatius four shutouts and allowed a mere 14 goals through 15 matches. The Wolfpack offense has done its part with 43 goals.
“It’s okay if teams in the CCL underestimate us, because we believe Mount Carmel has to prevent us from defending our title,” said midfielder Jason Pratt. “Coming on the road today and getting a 4-0 victory shows the kind of competitive attitude and desire we have. But if anyone wants to underestimate us, let them.”
“We prefer to let our play on the pitch do the talking,” Medler added. “Getting recognition (in the Top 25) is nice, but we’re doing this us as a team. The idea is let our play do the talking as to how hungry we are to win.”
St. Ignatius hosts CCL Green member St. Laurence on Thursday followed by three matches versus CCL Blue foes and two more against Green opponents with the goal of amassing the necessary points to edge Mount Carmel, as was the case in 2016. The Wolfpack were 6-0-1 with 19 points followed by Mount Carmel’s 6-1-0 record that produced 18 points.
“Perhaps a few people are underestimating us and have Mount Carmel as the division winner, but believe we’ll defend our place,” Fernandez added.
“Our ranking is nice recognition,” Medler noted. “But while the recognition is great, we want our play to continue doing the talking to how determined we are to remain atop the CCL.”
Marmion will continue to tinker to right its ship.
“With the games remaining, we’ll keep working on finding our rhythm and piecing together our best lineup and improve our mental toughness and focus, both in terms of offensive opportunity and defensively not allowing any soft goals.”
“They’re still playing hard and believing things will click, so to us the record is already something in the past,” said Romano. “Sooner or later we’re still convinced things will click, and that could mean momentum for the postseason. And at that point, it’s a clean slate.”
Starting lineups
St. Ignatius
GK Orest Sison
D Sachin Medler
D Christian Telles
D Carlos Sierra
D Connor Broeking
M Eduardo Lopez
M Jason Pratt
M Daniel Fernandez
M Rudy Bieglmeier
F Owen Allen
F Quinn Troy
Marmion
GK Jason Baker
D Aidan Reynolds
D Luke Salamon
D Johan Muscutt
D C.J. Sowers
M Ian Swindle
M James Serrano
M T.J. Laurich
M David Lawinger
F James Lawinger
F Matt Lagman
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Sachin Medler, sr. D, St. Ignatius
Officials: Harry Anestopoulos (center), Carlos Herrera, Manny Mbende
Game summary
St. Ignatius 4, Marmion 0
St. Ignatius 2 2 ---- 4 9-2-2 (CCL-B: 1-0)
Marmion 0 0 ---- 0 1-9-1 (CCL-G: 0-3)
Scoring
SI – Q. Troy seven-yard volley off cross near right post (Medler assist), 10:46 gone
SI – Simon 10-yard high lofting header from left (Sierra assist), 11:11 gone
SI – Bevans cut back past defender for eight-yarder off endline left (Lopez assist), 58:08 gone
SI – Galante 11-yard putback of ricochet off right post (Bieglmeier assist), 75:50 gone
Overall shots
SI 7 – 5 -- 12
M 3 – 4 -- 7
Shots on goal
SI 5 – 3 -- 8
M 1 – 1 -- 2
Save (goalie)
SI 2 (Sison 1/1)
M 4 (Baker 3/Walter)
Corner kicks
SI 1 – 0 -- 1
M 1 – 2 -- 3
Offsides
SI 0 – 2 -- 2
M 0 – 2 -- 2
Visitors build to 4-0 win; Cadets continue fight vs. tough slate
By Steve Nemeth
NORTH AURORA --- Unless the margin is one, a single goal doesn’t determine an outcome, however, psychologically it can make a difference like it did Tuesday night between St. Ignatius and Marmion.
Only 10:46 had elapsed when St. Ignatius got on the scoreboard. That left more than an hour of play for a variety of outcomes for either side.
But the game provided just the kind of boost and practice payoff needed by the visiting Wolfpack and culminated in a 4-0 Chicago Catholic League triumph. Unfortunately it was also an all-too-familiar scenario for host Marmion.
St. Ignatius (9-2-2, 1-0-0), which is listed among the honorable mention squads in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, took the first step in defending the school’s first outright loop title that is based on matches against fellow Blue Division foes (Fenwick, Loyola and Mt. Carmel) plus teams from the Green Division (Brother Rice, Marmion, St. Joseph and St. Laurence).
For Marmion, ith only seven regular season matches left on the schedule, it would take a win streak through its first regional game to bring the Cadets (1-9-1) even on the season. Tuesday night the Cadets lost the third-of-four-straight meetings with CCL Blue opponents. They travel to final Blue member Fenwick on Thursday.
Although difficult, turning the 0-3-0 league start into Green Division success isn’t impossible. Marmion plays three-straight games against its fellow group members: St. Laurence (with whom the Cadets tied in 2016 at 2-5-0 for the league lead); St. Joseph and Brother Rice starting Sept. 26.
The game Tuesday signaled a turnaround for St. Ignatius.
“Our last two games we struggled to finish, so based on the work we did in practice, the biggest positive was finishing chances, and having four different players do it,” St. Ignatius coach Ryan Kearns noted.
For Marmion it was same old, same old.
“We continue to struggle at the start and once again finished the first half in a hole,” Marmion coach Jimmy Romano lamented. “We miss on one or two early chances and allow that to deflate us.”
Having shifted positions and responsibilities for a few players, the Cadets were hoping for a spark, and the game’s first genuine opportunity belonged to the home side.
Having moved from the backline to a forward slot, Matt Lagman got a chance two minutes in for a blast from the right wing. However, St. Ignatius goalie Orest Sison handled the grounder with confidence.
Then it was St. Ignatius' turn. Showing the combination of hustle, heart and field vision that earned him the game's Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction, senior defender Sachin Medler made an overlapping run and sent a cross toward the far right post. That’s where Quinn Troy timed a leaping one-touch volley into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the year and what would ultimately be the game-winning strike.
“In beginning my run I noticed their left back pinching in and leaving extra space near the post,” Troy recalled. “I just thought about practice and watching the ball in the sky to be able to put my foot through the cross from Sachin.
“We practice and practice plays like that, so it’s great to reap the benefit of all those hours and see the hard work pay off,” Troy added.
“Having often been on the left and Quinn on the right since we were freshmen, I knew he’d be there,” Medler said. “Developing chemistry on the field is something we all pride ourselves on. Initially it was a challenge for me making the transition to the varsity level. This offseason I put in extra time to be a starter and be able to contribute anytime and from anywhere on the field.”
It was actually Medler’s first assist to go with one goal, bonuses to what his normal backline strength provides the Wolfpack.
“Sachin provides such a presence from the outside back slot because he sees the field so well,” Kearns said. “He’s consistently solid defending, but has the ability to get the ball to the strikers.”
A mere 25 seconds ticked off before the Wolfpack doubled their lead. Continuing to aggressively attack, Carlos Sierra’s free kick curving away from the left post and drew Marmion goalie Jason Baker off his line. Misha Simon’s 10-yard lofting header arched under the crossbar for the 2-0 lead.
Six minutes later, the Cadets hoped to cut the deficit in half with a corner kick, but Lagman’s header off an Ian Swindle delivery missed to the right. At 33:54, Robert Quintana’s cannon shot from distance caromed off the right post and the Wolfpack quickly cleared the ball. And 7:10 prior to intermission, Sison raced out to get the ball clear before Marmion’s James Lawinger could get his toe to the ball.
The second half began with the Cadets’ Anthony Sanchez taking a gamble from distance that bounced up from the soccer crossbar to the underside of the field goal uprights. Shortly after that, Luke Salamon’s cross set up Sebastian Gutierrez near the left post but Sison made a huge save to keep Marmion off the scoreboard.
With 21:52 left in regulation, the Wolfpack's Eduardo Lopez set up teammate Keith Bevans on the far left. The reserve junior forward deftly cut back to elude a Cadet defender and despite a tough angle, slotted the ball past Marmion second-half goalie Jeffrey Walter.
While the hosts remained on the offensive as much as possible, St. Ignatius continued to dodge the comeback attempts.
“In the first half I thought we gave up two goals off stupid mistakes,” Marmion’s Lagman said. “In the second half, there was a lot of improved play on our part. We were pushing people down the field, and the goals were earned from counterattacks.”
The scoring was culminated with 4:10 to play when Rudy Bieglmeier’s laser from the right side ricocheted off the right post to the middle where Jack Galante pounced on the putback opportunity.
“Seeing the efforts on the first two goals, then Bevans slotting the ball near post and Jack following up is that finishing focus we wanted,” Kearns noted. “I think they’re not only listening to what (assistant) coach (Matt) Roy and I were saying, but responding in the moment.”
Sison, plus back-up Kennan Troy have given St. Ignatius four shutouts and allowed a mere 14 goals through 15 matches. The Wolfpack offense has done its part with 43 goals.
“It’s okay if teams in the CCL underestimate us, because we believe Mount Carmel has to prevent us from defending our title,” said midfielder Jason Pratt. “Coming on the road today and getting a 4-0 victory shows the kind of competitive attitude and desire we have. But if anyone wants to underestimate us, let them.”
“We prefer to let our play on the pitch do the talking,” Medler added. “Getting recognition (in the Top 25) is nice, but we’re doing this us as a team. The idea is let our play do the talking as to how hungry we are to win.”
St. Ignatius hosts CCL Green member St. Laurence on Thursday followed by three matches versus CCL Blue foes and two more against Green opponents with the goal of amassing the necessary points to edge Mount Carmel, as was the case in 2016. The Wolfpack were 6-0-1 with 19 points followed by Mount Carmel’s 6-1-0 record that produced 18 points.
“Perhaps a few people are underestimating us and have Mount Carmel as the division winner, but believe we’ll defend our place,” Fernandez added.
“Our ranking is nice recognition,” Medler noted. “But while the recognition is great, we want our play to continue doing the talking to how determined we are to remain atop the CCL.”
Marmion will continue to tinker to right its ship.
“With the games remaining, we’ll keep working on finding our rhythm and piecing together our best lineup and improve our mental toughness and focus, both in terms of offensive opportunity and defensively not allowing any soft goals.”
“They’re still playing hard and believing things will click, so to us the record is already something in the past,” said Romano. “Sooner or later we’re still convinced things will click, and that could mean momentum for the postseason. And at that point, it’s a clean slate.”
Starting lineups
St. Ignatius
GK Orest Sison
D Sachin Medler
D Christian Telles
D Carlos Sierra
D Connor Broeking
M Eduardo Lopez
M Jason Pratt
M Daniel Fernandez
M Rudy Bieglmeier
F Owen Allen
F Quinn Troy
Marmion
GK Jason Baker
D Aidan Reynolds
D Luke Salamon
D Johan Muscutt
D C.J. Sowers
M Ian Swindle
M James Serrano
M T.J. Laurich
M David Lawinger
F James Lawinger
F Matt Lagman
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Sachin Medler, sr. D, St. Ignatius
Officials: Harry Anestopoulos (center), Carlos Herrera, Manny Mbende
Game summary
St. Ignatius 4, Marmion 0
St. Ignatius 2 2 ---- 4 9-2-2 (CCL-B: 1-0)
Marmion 0 0 ---- 0 1-9-1 (CCL-G: 0-3)
Scoring
SI – Q. Troy seven-yard volley off cross near right post (Medler assist), 10:46 gone
SI – Simon 10-yard high lofting header from left (Sierra assist), 11:11 gone
SI – Bevans cut back past defender for eight-yarder off endline left (Lopez assist), 58:08 gone
SI – Galante 11-yard putback of ricochet off right post (Bieglmeier assist), 75:50 gone
Overall shots
SI 7 – 5 -- 12
M 3 – 4 -- 7
Shots on goal
SI 5 – 3 -- 8
M 1 – 1 -- 2
Save (goalie)
SI 2 (Sison 1/1)
M 4 (Baker 3/Walter)
Corner kicks
SI 1 – 0 -- 1
M 1 – 2 -- 3
Offsides
SI 0 – 2 -- 2
M 0 – 2 -- 2