Second half heroics lift
St. Ignatius over Washington
Wolfpack's 2-0 win earns first state trip since 2013
By Dave Owen
ROMEOVILLE – Five years after the biggest game in St. Ignatius soccer history, the Wolfpack faced the same opponent in another high stakes showdown.
This time it came with a happier ending.
Defeated by Washington 2-1 in the 2013 Class AA title game, St. Ignatius (16-7-0) answered the latest onslaught by the Patriots (16-6-1) with a clutch second half performance and a 2-0 win in the Class AA Lewis Supersectional.
The victory sends the Wolfpack on to a state semifinal matchup with Notre Dame (Peoria), which is the top-ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll. It will be the program’s third state trip, after a quarterfinal loss in 1998 and the state runnerup finish.
“The last time we made it this far was 2013,” said Wolfpack senior Mark Kirby, “so to have something this unique for our (senior) year is really special.
“I know we lost to them in the finals in 2013, so a little bit of revenge I guess. Knowing that they beat us in 2013 was really a motivational factor.”
Kirby was a huge factor in that long-awaited payback.
His nice send from the 40-yard line with 24:04 left led to a perfect finish by senior Keith Bevans, which tilted a then scoreless tie into the Wolfpack’s favor.
“I just saw Keith flashing across, so I tried to flick one in to him,” Kirby said. “He had a great touch (on the shot).”
Bevans controlled the ball at the left edge of the box, nicely turned inside his defender and lasered a 15-yard shot into the upper left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
“I just saw Mark look up, and he played me a great ball,” Bevans said.
“I saw the guy in front of me, and I was like – one thing we had discussed before the game was that we really have to test the keeper. And we did a pretty good job of that. I knew if I had the shot I would take it, and I took my shot, and it went in.”
Then with 10:50 left to play, Kirby’s first goal of 2018 provided a huge insurance goal.
After Matt Griffin’s pass sprung Daniel Fernandez for a rush to the right end line, Fernandez’s perfect cross found Kirby open at the back post for a header that bounced high into the net for the 2-0 lead.
“I just got to the line,” Kirby said, “and Danny luckily looked up and saw me on the back post open. And I was able to get a head on it.”
Said Bevans: “A great ball from Kirby (on the first goal), and then later in the game a great finish by Kirby. That was really clutch -- we needed that.”
The finishing surge by the Wolfpack completely reversed what had been Washington’s advantage in play over the first 55 minutes of scoreless soccer.
“We worked through some of the adversity that we were facing in the first half,” St. Ignatius coach Ryan Kearns said. “We were in our own end a lot. We were nervous; we were playing not to lose. We worked that out at halftime, came out and started to play our style.”
But long before that second half, the Wolfpack dealt with a Washington onslaught,
It began with a Patriots three-man rush two minutes in, when a Felipe Ramirez end line cross just missed connection with Rafael De Santiago in front.
A similar Angel Arismendiz rush and end line cross in the eighth minute had matching results – missing a sliding De Santiago attempt in front and angling wide of the back post.
In the 12th minute, a Juan Vega 34-yard free kick was denied by Ethan Belnap’s header block in the box and subsequent long send upfield.
“We were pressuring from the get go,” Washington coach Alvaro Perez said. “We had clear four or five chances early on, and we couldn’t put them in.”
St. Ignatius defenders played a big part in keeping the Patriots scoreless.
In the 15th minute, Christian Telles’ block and clear of a Washington cross ignited a Wolfpack counterattack that ended with a Chris Braman 20-yard shot just over the net.
“Christian Telles is a rock in the back,” Kearns said. “He’s our center back, and is just so clever with his feet. He’s able to get out of some really difficult situations. I have a lot of confidence in him.”
In the 28th minute, a 30-yard shot for Washington from Ramirez was redirected just wide by Arismendiz.
St. Ignatius corner kicks produced two first half scoring bids. Ronan Sullivan’s header off a Braman corner send in the 19th minute went just wide, then a Fernandez header off a Kirby corner and Griffin header pass was grabbed by Washington goalkeeper Gabriel Ramirez in the 23rd minute.
But after a Griffin liner over the net in the 36th minute, Washington closed the first half with more heat. Telles’ nice sliding deflection denied a Deangelo Williams shot for a corner kick in the 38th minute, but that restart resulted in a Talcott Malven header away and ensuing send upfield.
“(The key) was really staying behind the ball,” Kirby said. “We didn’t dive in too much. We were able to stay behind the ball and were able to keep up with them. And especially our wings getting back -- we wouldn’t be able to do it without them since we’re playing a three-back.
“We started that (three-back lineup) about halfway through the year. We just have to make sure that me and whoever’s on the outside is getting back and really playing both sides of the game.”
While the second half began with a St. Ignatius chance (Kendall Rice’s free kick right of the box with 38:40 left that was headed just wide of the net by Bevans), it was the work of Wolfpack senior goalkeeper Alec Beckwith that quickly took center stage.
His nice save on a low 15-yard shot by Ramirez with 35:45 to go preceded a huge play.
Arismendiz made a nice steal just inside midfield with 30 minutes left and sprinted in on a breakaway. But Beckwith nicely came out to cut down the angle, and Arismendiz’s shot attempt near the end line went off the side of the net.
“Alec knew where his goal was, and he made sure to protect it,” Kearns added. “He forced the guy to his right, and he ended up putting it into the side netting, which I was absolutely shocked by. But we’ll take it.
“We were still playing very shaky, very afraid in the first 10 minutes of the second half,” Kearns added. “We finally got the ball on our feet. That was our biggest issue, getting the ball to feet and playing to the middle and getting it forward. Once we were able to do that I knew we’d be able to finish.”
After enduring two-straight Washington corner kicks with 24:50 left, the Wolfpack followed the second of those restarts with an offensive push and a perfect strike by Bevans.
“Keith’s finish was just beautiful,” Kearns said, “then Mark was right in the exact spot where he needed to be to put that home as well (for the 2-0 lead). He’s really stepped up late in the season.”
But before Kirby stepped up for the insurance goal, Beckwith literally had to rise up to deny an improbable tying bid by Washington.
With 18:55 to play, a seemingly harmless 70-yard free kick came inches from finding the net. Vega’s well-struck drive picked up steam with the wind and took a high hop off the turf that forced Beckwith to leap high and deflect the rocket inches wide of the right post.
“It had a lot of front spin, and I anticipated that it was going over (the net),” Beckwith said. “I went too far forward, but I got a fingertip on it and luckily it went just wide of the post. That was close. I got lucky there.”
Beckwith followed with a save on Ramirez’s header off the ensuing corner kick, en route to his third shutout in the last four games.
“Alec has played out of his mind really since the middle of the season,” Kearns said. “He’s really stepped up, and he just gets it done. And he’s very calm and collected back there, which I think he needs to be in order to direct the rest of the team.
“Alec played an excellent game, Christian (Telles), Keith with that clutch goal, and I thought Ryan Fitzpatrick played an excellent game coming off the bench,” Kearns added. “Our wingers stepped up too. They (Washington) put a lot of pressure on us high, and our wingers were getting back on defense and also getting forward to give us a presence in the attack.”
As for the defense, Beckwith praised a great team effort.
“We kind of got put under pressure in this game,” Beckwith said. “But it’s trust. All three on our backline and me too, we communicate very well. That’s always been one of our strong things.
“We’re veterans here; we know how to talk to one another and what it’s supposed to look like. And if things aren’t going the way we need them to, we make sure each other knows. It’s all fluid back there.”
St. Ignatius’ offense helped ease any sense of late-game nervousness.
With 13:50 left, Max Hanlon’s nice pass over the top of the Washington defense set up a Griffin 12-yard liner just over the crossbar.
Then three minutes later, Kirby’s header putaway made the score 2-0 and started bringing the Wolfpack’s state dreams into reality.
“Being a senior it’s crazy,” Bevans said of closing his prep career at state. “I’ve been with some of these guys for four years, and just going far with them …
“We said sophomore year we’re one of the best teams (16-4-3 record), and junior year (14-6-4) we didn’t really prove it. Now that we’re all seniors, we’re proving it. We’re looking out for each other, that we are the team that we were meant to be since we were sophomores or freshmen.”
But before the postgame celebration, the Wolfpack would need more heroics from Beckwith and the defense.
With 8:40 left, Beckwith made a leaping grab at the crossbar of a Juan Landeros corner kick send.
Then came another big save one minute later. Arismendiz burst in on the left, but Beckwith again met the challenge with a block save and control at the post.
With 4:30 left, Telles’ initial sliding block in the box and Beckwith’s ensuing short-hop save of an Arismendiz 22-yard drive combined to deny another Washington threat.
“We just didn’t conquer on our chances,” Washington junior De Santiago said. “We had our opportunities but we just didn’t make them. That’s the only difference.
“We had brotherhood, a good bond. That kept us together (this season). But today we just didn’t finish.”
With 10 seconds to go, Belnap’s clear of a De Santiago cross set off a Wolfpack celebration.
“Our biggest thing is, the last couple of weeks here we’ve fought,” said Beckwith, whose team followed a three-game early October losing streak with five-straight wins. “We’ve bonded so much.
“Everybody trusts one another. Every time we build each other up when something goes wrong, and we take criticism well. It’s that kind of atmosphere where we keep building each other up so everybody gets better at the same time.”
The long postseason run is extra special for Beckwith, who makes a long daily commute to St. Ignatius.
“I live in Indiana,” he said, “and the team near my hometown (Bishop Noll in Hammond) just won state there. So I can’t wait to get going on this state tournament to show them what we’re made of.”
Despite the loss Tuesday, Washington’s 2018 postseason added to its impressive history.
“I’m disappointed with the loss, yes,” Perez said, “but I’m proud of the boys and what they’ve accomplished. This is the fourth time we’ve been here (to super-sectionals) in the last six years (with two top-four state finishes).
“The alumni got us here, and these guys are keeping us here. And looking down to the lower levels, we’re not done. The talent is down there. Maybe not every single year, but you’ll see us back again.”
The Patriots’ future foundation starts with six junior starters Tuesday.
“In the offseason we’re going to put in a lot of work to come in strong senior year,” De Santiago said. “Best believe we’re going to be back.”
For St. Ignatius, next year is here – and continues with the dream destination at state this weekend.
“It’s been awhile,” Beckwith said.
“In practice we have a good time but we still get work done. Out there on the field it’s so much fun to just be out there with each other. We really enjoy that experience, and I think it’ll be unbelievable on an even bigger stage than this.
“We’re getting the day off Friday for the whole school, so we’ll get our crowd up there, and it’s going to be electric. We live for that. That sort of atmosphere is going to make us pumped.”
That excitement is matched by a rising level of play.
“We’re peaking at the right time,” Kearns said, “and I could see that happening as we got to the middle of our Chicago Catholic League season. We started to play quality teams well, and we put together quality matches for almost a full 80 minutes and eventually all 80 minutes.
“And we were able to work through some typical difficulties that you might see, which is the test of a good team. A team that’s willing to take it far and hopefully win a state championship.”
Starting lineups
St. Ignatius
GK Alec Beckwith
D Ethan Belnap
D Christian Telles
D Jack Galante
M Mark Kirby
M Daniel Fernandez
M Jaden Rice
M Talcott Malven
M Max Hanlon
F Keith Bevans
F Matt Griffin
Washington
GK Gabriel Ramirez
D Joel Sevilla
D Juan Vega
D Juan Ramirez
D Daniel Tinajero
M Juan Antonio Garibay
M Felipe Ramirez
M Adrian Yanez
M Rafael DeSantiago
F Angel Arismendiz
F Juan Landeros
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alec Beckwith, sr. GK, St. Ignatius
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
SI – Keith Bevans (Mark Kirby assist), 56th minute
SI – Kirby (Daniel Fernandez), 70th minute
St. Ignatius over Washington
Wolfpack's 2-0 win earns first state trip since 2013
By Dave Owen
ROMEOVILLE – Five years after the biggest game in St. Ignatius soccer history, the Wolfpack faced the same opponent in another high stakes showdown.
This time it came with a happier ending.
Defeated by Washington 2-1 in the 2013 Class AA title game, St. Ignatius (16-7-0) answered the latest onslaught by the Patriots (16-6-1) with a clutch second half performance and a 2-0 win in the Class AA Lewis Supersectional.
The victory sends the Wolfpack on to a state semifinal matchup with Notre Dame (Peoria), which is the top-ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll. It will be the program’s third state trip, after a quarterfinal loss in 1998 and the state runnerup finish.
“The last time we made it this far was 2013,” said Wolfpack senior Mark Kirby, “so to have something this unique for our (senior) year is really special.
“I know we lost to them in the finals in 2013, so a little bit of revenge I guess. Knowing that they beat us in 2013 was really a motivational factor.”
Kirby was a huge factor in that long-awaited payback.
His nice send from the 40-yard line with 24:04 left led to a perfect finish by senior Keith Bevans, which tilted a then scoreless tie into the Wolfpack’s favor.
“I just saw Keith flashing across, so I tried to flick one in to him,” Kirby said. “He had a great touch (on the shot).”
Bevans controlled the ball at the left edge of the box, nicely turned inside his defender and lasered a 15-yard shot into the upper left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
“I just saw Mark look up, and he played me a great ball,” Bevans said.
“I saw the guy in front of me, and I was like – one thing we had discussed before the game was that we really have to test the keeper. And we did a pretty good job of that. I knew if I had the shot I would take it, and I took my shot, and it went in.”
Then with 10:50 left to play, Kirby’s first goal of 2018 provided a huge insurance goal.
After Matt Griffin’s pass sprung Daniel Fernandez for a rush to the right end line, Fernandez’s perfect cross found Kirby open at the back post for a header that bounced high into the net for the 2-0 lead.
“I just got to the line,” Kirby said, “and Danny luckily looked up and saw me on the back post open. And I was able to get a head on it.”
Said Bevans: “A great ball from Kirby (on the first goal), and then later in the game a great finish by Kirby. That was really clutch -- we needed that.”
The finishing surge by the Wolfpack completely reversed what had been Washington’s advantage in play over the first 55 minutes of scoreless soccer.
“We worked through some of the adversity that we were facing in the first half,” St. Ignatius coach Ryan Kearns said. “We were in our own end a lot. We were nervous; we were playing not to lose. We worked that out at halftime, came out and started to play our style.”
But long before that second half, the Wolfpack dealt with a Washington onslaught,
It began with a Patriots three-man rush two minutes in, when a Felipe Ramirez end line cross just missed connection with Rafael De Santiago in front.
A similar Angel Arismendiz rush and end line cross in the eighth minute had matching results – missing a sliding De Santiago attempt in front and angling wide of the back post.
In the 12th minute, a Juan Vega 34-yard free kick was denied by Ethan Belnap’s header block in the box and subsequent long send upfield.
“We were pressuring from the get go,” Washington coach Alvaro Perez said. “We had clear four or five chances early on, and we couldn’t put them in.”
St. Ignatius defenders played a big part in keeping the Patriots scoreless.
In the 15th minute, Christian Telles’ block and clear of a Washington cross ignited a Wolfpack counterattack that ended with a Chris Braman 20-yard shot just over the net.
“Christian Telles is a rock in the back,” Kearns said. “He’s our center back, and is just so clever with his feet. He’s able to get out of some really difficult situations. I have a lot of confidence in him.”
In the 28th minute, a 30-yard shot for Washington from Ramirez was redirected just wide by Arismendiz.
St. Ignatius corner kicks produced two first half scoring bids. Ronan Sullivan’s header off a Braman corner send in the 19th minute went just wide, then a Fernandez header off a Kirby corner and Griffin header pass was grabbed by Washington goalkeeper Gabriel Ramirez in the 23rd minute.
But after a Griffin liner over the net in the 36th minute, Washington closed the first half with more heat. Telles’ nice sliding deflection denied a Deangelo Williams shot for a corner kick in the 38th minute, but that restart resulted in a Talcott Malven header away and ensuing send upfield.
“(The key) was really staying behind the ball,” Kirby said. “We didn’t dive in too much. We were able to stay behind the ball and were able to keep up with them. And especially our wings getting back -- we wouldn’t be able to do it without them since we’re playing a three-back.
“We started that (three-back lineup) about halfway through the year. We just have to make sure that me and whoever’s on the outside is getting back and really playing both sides of the game.”
While the second half began with a St. Ignatius chance (Kendall Rice’s free kick right of the box with 38:40 left that was headed just wide of the net by Bevans), it was the work of Wolfpack senior goalkeeper Alec Beckwith that quickly took center stage.
His nice save on a low 15-yard shot by Ramirez with 35:45 to go preceded a huge play.
Arismendiz made a nice steal just inside midfield with 30 minutes left and sprinted in on a breakaway. But Beckwith nicely came out to cut down the angle, and Arismendiz’s shot attempt near the end line went off the side of the net.
“Alec knew where his goal was, and he made sure to protect it,” Kearns added. “He forced the guy to his right, and he ended up putting it into the side netting, which I was absolutely shocked by. But we’ll take it.
“We were still playing very shaky, very afraid in the first 10 minutes of the second half,” Kearns added. “We finally got the ball on our feet. That was our biggest issue, getting the ball to feet and playing to the middle and getting it forward. Once we were able to do that I knew we’d be able to finish.”
After enduring two-straight Washington corner kicks with 24:50 left, the Wolfpack followed the second of those restarts with an offensive push and a perfect strike by Bevans.
“Keith’s finish was just beautiful,” Kearns said, “then Mark was right in the exact spot where he needed to be to put that home as well (for the 2-0 lead). He’s really stepped up late in the season.”
But before Kirby stepped up for the insurance goal, Beckwith literally had to rise up to deny an improbable tying bid by Washington.
With 18:55 to play, a seemingly harmless 70-yard free kick came inches from finding the net. Vega’s well-struck drive picked up steam with the wind and took a high hop off the turf that forced Beckwith to leap high and deflect the rocket inches wide of the right post.
“It had a lot of front spin, and I anticipated that it was going over (the net),” Beckwith said. “I went too far forward, but I got a fingertip on it and luckily it went just wide of the post. That was close. I got lucky there.”
Beckwith followed with a save on Ramirez’s header off the ensuing corner kick, en route to his third shutout in the last four games.
“Alec has played out of his mind really since the middle of the season,” Kearns said. “He’s really stepped up, and he just gets it done. And he’s very calm and collected back there, which I think he needs to be in order to direct the rest of the team.
“Alec played an excellent game, Christian (Telles), Keith with that clutch goal, and I thought Ryan Fitzpatrick played an excellent game coming off the bench,” Kearns added. “Our wingers stepped up too. They (Washington) put a lot of pressure on us high, and our wingers were getting back on defense and also getting forward to give us a presence in the attack.”
As for the defense, Beckwith praised a great team effort.
“We kind of got put under pressure in this game,” Beckwith said. “But it’s trust. All three on our backline and me too, we communicate very well. That’s always been one of our strong things.
“We’re veterans here; we know how to talk to one another and what it’s supposed to look like. And if things aren’t going the way we need them to, we make sure each other knows. It’s all fluid back there.”
St. Ignatius’ offense helped ease any sense of late-game nervousness.
With 13:50 left, Max Hanlon’s nice pass over the top of the Washington defense set up a Griffin 12-yard liner just over the crossbar.
Then three minutes later, Kirby’s header putaway made the score 2-0 and started bringing the Wolfpack’s state dreams into reality.
“Being a senior it’s crazy,” Bevans said of closing his prep career at state. “I’ve been with some of these guys for four years, and just going far with them …
“We said sophomore year we’re one of the best teams (16-4-3 record), and junior year (14-6-4) we didn’t really prove it. Now that we’re all seniors, we’re proving it. We’re looking out for each other, that we are the team that we were meant to be since we were sophomores or freshmen.”
But before the postgame celebration, the Wolfpack would need more heroics from Beckwith and the defense.
With 8:40 left, Beckwith made a leaping grab at the crossbar of a Juan Landeros corner kick send.
Then came another big save one minute later. Arismendiz burst in on the left, but Beckwith again met the challenge with a block save and control at the post.
With 4:30 left, Telles’ initial sliding block in the box and Beckwith’s ensuing short-hop save of an Arismendiz 22-yard drive combined to deny another Washington threat.
“We just didn’t conquer on our chances,” Washington junior De Santiago said. “We had our opportunities but we just didn’t make them. That’s the only difference.
“We had brotherhood, a good bond. That kept us together (this season). But today we just didn’t finish.”
With 10 seconds to go, Belnap’s clear of a De Santiago cross set off a Wolfpack celebration.
“Our biggest thing is, the last couple of weeks here we’ve fought,” said Beckwith, whose team followed a three-game early October losing streak with five-straight wins. “We’ve bonded so much.
“Everybody trusts one another. Every time we build each other up when something goes wrong, and we take criticism well. It’s that kind of atmosphere where we keep building each other up so everybody gets better at the same time.”
The long postseason run is extra special for Beckwith, who makes a long daily commute to St. Ignatius.
“I live in Indiana,” he said, “and the team near my hometown (Bishop Noll in Hammond) just won state there. So I can’t wait to get going on this state tournament to show them what we’re made of.”
Despite the loss Tuesday, Washington’s 2018 postseason added to its impressive history.
“I’m disappointed with the loss, yes,” Perez said, “but I’m proud of the boys and what they’ve accomplished. This is the fourth time we’ve been here (to super-sectionals) in the last six years (with two top-four state finishes).
“The alumni got us here, and these guys are keeping us here. And looking down to the lower levels, we’re not done. The talent is down there. Maybe not every single year, but you’ll see us back again.”
The Patriots’ future foundation starts with six junior starters Tuesday.
“In the offseason we’re going to put in a lot of work to come in strong senior year,” De Santiago said. “Best believe we’re going to be back.”
For St. Ignatius, next year is here – and continues with the dream destination at state this weekend.
“It’s been awhile,” Beckwith said.
“In practice we have a good time but we still get work done. Out there on the field it’s so much fun to just be out there with each other. We really enjoy that experience, and I think it’ll be unbelievable on an even bigger stage than this.
“We’re getting the day off Friday for the whole school, so we’ll get our crowd up there, and it’s going to be electric. We live for that. That sort of atmosphere is going to make us pumped.”
That excitement is matched by a rising level of play.
“We’re peaking at the right time,” Kearns said, “and I could see that happening as we got to the middle of our Chicago Catholic League season. We started to play quality teams well, and we put together quality matches for almost a full 80 minutes and eventually all 80 minutes.
“And we were able to work through some typical difficulties that you might see, which is the test of a good team. A team that’s willing to take it far and hopefully win a state championship.”
Starting lineups
St. Ignatius
GK Alec Beckwith
D Ethan Belnap
D Christian Telles
D Jack Galante
M Mark Kirby
M Daniel Fernandez
M Jaden Rice
M Talcott Malven
M Max Hanlon
F Keith Bevans
F Matt Griffin
Washington
GK Gabriel Ramirez
D Joel Sevilla
D Juan Vega
D Juan Ramirez
D Daniel Tinajero
M Juan Antonio Garibay
M Felipe Ramirez
M Adrian Yanez
M Rafael DeSantiago
F Angel Arismendiz
F Juan Landeros
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alec Beckwith, sr. GK, St. Ignatius
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
SI – Keith Bevans (Mark Kirby assist), 56th minute
SI – Kirby (Daniel Fernandez), 70th minute