St. Ignatius, St. Patrick duel to a draw
Teams see their potential after 3-3 deadlock
By Bobby Narang
CHICAGO — St. Patrick junior midfielder Sergio Barron gingerly walked out of the postgame huddle, not looking up nor wanting to make eye contact.
A captain on a talented team with expectations to make a run in Class 3A, Barron admitted he was frustrated with Saturday’s outcome — a 3-3 draw with St. Ignatius at Read-Dunning stadium.
The East Suburban Catholic Conference program missed a golden opportunity to notch their first win of the season. After suffering a 2-1 defeat to defending 3A state champion York in their opener Aug. 25, the Shamrocks (0-1-1) struggled with their intensity and effort level in the first half.
Barron said he was pleased with his team’s performance in the second half, when they scored two goals and maintained a hard-charging offensive attack. He was frustrated with the first half showing.
“I feel like in the first half we didn’t have the right mentality coming into the game,” Barron said. “It might have been a lack of sleep or a lack of offense. In the second half, we responded a lot better.
“We have to put in the work in the first half to the second half. The last 15-to-20 minutes of today’s game, that’s how we should play all game long. We have to play the full game of soccer for 80 minutes. As a captain, you have to always lift up your teammates and encourage them.”
St. Patrick co-coach Melchor Castro said he was disappointed with his team’s slow start, but did notice several positives, especially late in the game.
“We’ve been showing what we’re capable of for parts of the game,” he said. “The York game we started off kind of slow, especially in the first five minutes or so. We then picked it up. Same thing happened today. The first half wasn’t what we wanted or anticipated. It wasn’t until we were down that they picked it up.
“They were able to show what they’re capable of. It’s one of those things we have to start from the beginning. We can’t wait until we get down. My expectations after these first two games are very high. We’re going to be demanding on making sure they go for the full 80 minutes instead of a half or 50 minutes. We need the whole game.”
The Shamrocks, ranked no. 50 in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason state rankings, got a goal from Nicholas Leon in the first half, and scores from Rafael Rios and Jorge Parra in the second.
St. Ignatius (2-0-1) withstood a furious rally by the Shamrocks late in the game to remain unbeaten. Wolfpack junior forward Oscar Quinn Pasin opened the scoring, and teammate Russell Robertson’s strong effort yielded a brace. The Wolfpack led 3-2 following Robertson’s second goal, off a rebound, in the 52nd minute.
Para’s goal with 10:57 remaining ended the scoring.
“It was hot out there, but we competed really well and can regroup and do better next game,” St. Ignatius assistant coach Sam Stovitz said. “We’re playing very well but have a lot of room for improvement and can get very far this season.
“Russell played great and is very fast up-top and gives us a lot of speed. I thought the team played well as a whole, but not the result we wanted. But we will be back the next game.”
In a highly contested game on a glorious and hot afternoon, the large crowd — not one open parking spot available — was treated to a competition that showcased high-level talent and play from both teams.
The intensity of the match led to numerous stoppages of play due to injuries, including St. Patrick’s Chris Perez leaving the game for the final 36 minutes.
“I learned that we are two really competitive even teams,” St. Ignatius junior forward Oscar Quinn Pasin said. “I know they came off competing well against the defending state champions, so we knew it was going to be a very good game.
“It was a fun game with six goals total. I think the positives are we can go in against a team ranked highly and can compete. We just needed a little more discipline from everyone near the end. We’re both great teams.”
Once Robertson scored his second goal to give the visitors the 3-2 lead, St. Patrick suddenly woke up and starting playing aggressive.
Rios, a junior midfielder, said he saw the potential in his team during the final 20 minutes. The Shamrocks had four quality shots in the last 18 minutes, which included Parra equalizer.
“At first, it was kind of disappointing because we started off slow,” Rios said. “We had to bring it up. We did that in the second half. We basically dominated in the second half. I liked how we responded when we realized we had to bring the intensity up. I feel a light clicked. We realized we have to put in effort into the game.”
Parra, a junior midfielder, gave the Wolfpack trouble. His 1-v-1 skills and his ability to break down a defender and threaten with a quality shot made him very dangerous.
St. Ignatius senior goalie Liam McConnell said the Shamrocks’ abundance of highly skilled players kept him on his toes all game. He netted four saves in the second half.
“It’s tough, tying 3-3 with a lot of goals and action going on,” McConnell said. “I think our team really held with it throughout the whole game. By the end of the game, everyone was feeling rough, because it’s early in the season.
“It kind of feels more serious than last year. This is it. I want to go out there and put it all out there. The big thing is to always be ready. Like with Parra, he can take one step and have an open shot. You always have to be on your toes.”
For his part, Parra said St Patrick can’t afford to have a lengthy letdown, especially so early in the season. Parra’s game-tying goal came on a superb 1-v-1 move. He shook off his defender to nail a shot into the goal from 27 yards.
“We started off very slow,” Parra said. “At halftime, our coaches talked to us about picking things up, and we came out and played better. I think we still could’ve done better than we did. We probably should’ve come out with a win.
“It’s nice being a junior (leader). We’re a really close team, like a family. I think we have a great team and can get far this season.”
Castro said his junior-heavy team has lofty goals for this season, but reaching them and competing in the ESCC requires maximum effort for every game.
“We have a lot of returning guys, only lost four or five guys,” he said. “We did bring up a few extra guys. It’s just getting the adjustment and making sure they all jell. Some of them are first-time starters. We need to make sure they jell and are able to stay focused.
“Our expectations are high. Yes, we were a pretty young team last year. We only have four seniors again. We’re very junior heavy. They need to step up now. They’ve shown they can step up, but they have to be there from the get-go.
“That’s our message to them. We’re more than capable of that. We have the skill and the talent. We have to be a little bit better defensively and our intensity has to be there from the get-go. We need to get them into that mindset.”
Starting lineups
St. Ignatius
GK Liam McConnell
D Lucas Hanna
D Bryce Lynch
D Enzo Santillan
D Leonardo Diaz
M Roman Marsh
M Nathan Schneider
M David Jacobo
M Colin Chough
M Oscar Quinn Pasin
F Russell Robertson
St. Patrick
GK Anthony Torres
D Jason Torres
D Gael Quinonez
D Daniel Carrera
D Nathan Davila
M Christian Correa
M Christian Medina
M Rafael Rios
M Sergio Barron
F Jorge Parra
F Nicolas Leon
Chicagoland Man of the Match:
Russell Robertson, sr., F, St. Ignatius
Scoring summary
First half
St. Ignatius — Oscar Quinn Pasin (unassisted), 7’
St. Ignatius — Russell Robertson (Pasin), 40’
St. Patrick — Nicolas Leon (Perez), 40’
Second half
St. Patrick — Rafael Rios (Parra), 48’
St. Ignatius — Russell Robertson (unassisted), 52’
St. Patrick — Jorge Parra (Christian Correa), 70’
Teams see their potential after 3-3 deadlock
By Bobby Narang
CHICAGO — St. Patrick junior midfielder Sergio Barron gingerly walked out of the postgame huddle, not looking up nor wanting to make eye contact.
A captain on a talented team with expectations to make a run in Class 3A, Barron admitted he was frustrated with Saturday’s outcome — a 3-3 draw with St. Ignatius at Read-Dunning stadium.
The East Suburban Catholic Conference program missed a golden opportunity to notch their first win of the season. After suffering a 2-1 defeat to defending 3A state champion York in their opener Aug. 25, the Shamrocks (0-1-1) struggled with their intensity and effort level in the first half.
Barron said he was pleased with his team’s performance in the second half, when they scored two goals and maintained a hard-charging offensive attack. He was frustrated with the first half showing.
“I feel like in the first half we didn’t have the right mentality coming into the game,” Barron said. “It might have been a lack of sleep or a lack of offense. In the second half, we responded a lot better.
“We have to put in the work in the first half to the second half. The last 15-to-20 minutes of today’s game, that’s how we should play all game long. We have to play the full game of soccer for 80 minutes. As a captain, you have to always lift up your teammates and encourage them.”
St. Patrick co-coach Melchor Castro said he was disappointed with his team’s slow start, but did notice several positives, especially late in the game.
“We’ve been showing what we’re capable of for parts of the game,” he said. “The York game we started off kind of slow, especially in the first five minutes or so. We then picked it up. Same thing happened today. The first half wasn’t what we wanted or anticipated. It wasn’t until we were down that they picked it up.
“They were able to show what they’re capable of. It’s one of those things we have to start from the beginning. We can’t wait until we get down. My expectations after these first two games are very high. We’re going to be demanding on making sure they go for the full 80 minutes instead of a half or 50 minutes. We need the whole game.”
The Shamrocks, ranked no. 50 in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason state rankings, got a goal from Nicholas Leon in the first half, and scores from Rafael Rios and Jorge Parra in the second.
St. Ignatius (2-0-1) withstood a furious rally by the Shamrocks late in the game to remain unbeaten. Wolfpack junior forward Oscar Quinn Pasin opened the scoring, and teammate Russell Robertson’s strong effort yielded a brace. The Wolfpack led 3-2 following Robertson’s second goal, off a rebound, in the 52nd minute.
Para’s goal with 10:57 remaining ended the scoring.
“It was hot out there, but we competed really well and can regroup and do better next game,” St. Ignatius assistant coach Sam Stovitz said. “We’re playing very well but have a lot of room for improvement and can get very far this season.
“Russell played great and is very fast up-top and gives us a lot of speed. I thought the team played well as a whole, but not the result we wanted. But we will be back the next game.”
In a highly contested game on a glorious and hot afternoon, the large crowd — not one open parking spot available — was treated to a competition that showcased high-level talent and play from both teams.
The intensity of the match led to numerous stoppages of play due to injuries, including St. Patrick’s Chris Perez leaving the game for the final 36 minutes.
“I learned that we are two really competitive even teams,” St. Ignatius junior forward Oscar Quinn Pasin said. “I know they came off competing well against the defending state champions, so we knew it was going to be a very good game.
“It was a fun game with six goals total. I think the positives are we can go in against a team ranked highly and can compete. We just needed a little more discipline from everyone near the end. We’re both great teams.”
Once Robertson scored his second goal to give the visitors the 3-2 lead, St. Patrick suddenly woke up and starting playing aggressive.
Rios, a junior midfielder, said he saw the potential in his team during the final 20 minutes. The Shamrocks had four quality shots in the last 18 minutes, which included Parra equalizer.
“At first, it was kind of disappointing because we started off slow,” Rios said. “We had to bring it up. We did that in the second half. We basically dominated in the second half. I liked how we responded when we realized we had to bring the intensity up. I feel a light clicked. We realized we have to put in effort into the game.”
Parra, a junior midfielder, gave the Wolfpack trouble. His 1-v-1 skills and his ability to break down a defender and threaten with a quality shot made him very dangerous.
St. Ignatius senior goalie Liam McConnell said the Shamrocks’ abundance of highly skilled players kept him on his toes all game. He netted four saves in the second half.
“It’s tough, tying 3-3 with a lot of goals and action going on,” McConnell said. “I think our team really held with it throughout the whole game. By the end of the game, everyone was feeling rough, because it’s early in the season.
“It kind of feels more serious than last year. This is it. I want to go out there and put it all out there. The big thing is to always be ready. Like with Parra, he can take one step and have an open shot. You always have to be on your toes.”
For his part, Parra said St Patrick can’t afford to have a lengthy letdown, especially so early in the season. Parra’s game-tying goal came on a superb 1-v-1 move. He shook off his defender to nail a shot into the goal from 27 yards.
“We started off very slow,” Parra said. “At halftime, our coaches talked to us about picking things up, and we came out and played better. I think we still could’ve done better than we did. We probably should’ve come out with a win.
“It’s nice being a junior (leader). We’re a really close team, like a family. I think we have a great team and can get far this season.”
Castro said his junior-heavy team has lofty goals for this season, but reaching them and competing in the ESCC requires maximum effort for every game.
“We have a lot of returning guys, only lost four or five guys,” he said. “We did bring up a few extra guys. It’s just getting the adjustment and making sure they all jell. Some of them are first-time starters. We need to make sure they jell and are able to stay focused.
“Our expectations are high. Yes, we were a pretty young team last year. We only have four seniors again. We’re very junior heavy. They need to step up now. They’ve shown they can step up, but they have to be there from the get-go.
“That’s our message to them. We’re more than capable of that. We have the skill and the talent. We have to be a little bit better defensively and our intensity has to be there from the get-go. We need to get them into that mindset.”
Starting lineups
St. Ignatius
GK Liam McConnell
D Lucas Hanna
D Bryce Lynch
D Enzo Santillan
D Leonardo Diaz
M Roman Marsh
M Nathan Schneider
M David Jacobo
M Colin Chough
M Oscar Quinn Pasin
F Russell Robertson
St. Patrick
GK Anthony Torres
D Jason Torres
D Gael Quinonez
D Daniel Carrera
D Nathan Davila
M Christian Correa
M Christian Medina
M Rafael Rios
M Sergio Barron
F Jorge Parra
F Nicolas Leon
Chicagoland Man of the Match:
Russell Robertson, sr., F, St. Ignatius
Scoring summary
First half
St. Ignatius — Oscar Quinn Pasin (unassisted), 7’
St. Ignatius — Russell Robertson (Pasin), 40’
St. Patrick — Nicolas Leon (Perez), 40’
Second half
St. Patrick — Rafael Rios (Parra), 48’
St. Ignatius — Russell Robertson (unassisted), 52’
St. Patrick — Jorge Parra (Christian Correa), 70’