Cleveland rocks in St. Ignatius battle
Highly ranked visitors best Wolfpack 3-0
By Mike Garofola
CHICAGO -- If you follow national rankings, you know about St. Ignatius in Cleveland.
Now soccer folk on the near west side has first hand knowleddge. The visiting Wildcats showed their class on Saturday at Fornelli Field in Chicago with an impressive 3-0 victory over St. Ignatius from Chicago.
Less than 24 hours after its 2-0 win before a packed house at Notre Dame (Peoria), the Wildcats came north and gave an 80-minute performance that would validate its national rankings.
"I wasn't sure what we had in our tank after that physical and emotional test we had last night in Peoria," said St. Ignatius manager Mike McLaughlin, himself a 1985 grad of Ignatius Cleveland. "But in the end, we played some very good soccer against an exceptional opponent and great host."
The St. Ignatius-Peoria Notre Dame contest matched the nos. 1 and ersus 3 clubs in the land. Max Preps had the Cleveland school at no. 1, and Top Drawer had Notre Dame (Peoria) at the top of the stack.
"The atmosphere in Peoria last night was amazing," began Everett Shorey, whose double was the difference in the Ignatius win in Peoria.
"The stadium was packed (fans) were all around the field, and it felt like a college game.
"The vibes last night were very cool, and it was quite an experience for all of us."
The home-standing St. Ignatius was happy to host its nationally ranked foe.
"What a great experience for our lads," began manager Matt Miller.
"It's a great measuring stick for us to see where we are at. After we got over some nervous moments early on, we gave them a bit of a game."
McLaughlin agreed.
"We didn't really know anything about them," he said. "We had film and reports on Notre Dame, so we kind of knew what to expect going into that game (but) nothing about Matt's team to prepare us.
"(But) they were very good -- organized, played attractive soccer. And they were outstanding across the middle and countered very well as a unit. It was there we took advantage of them, because we caught them getting forward."
It was clear from the opening whistle the Wildcats were cool, calm and composed from front-to-back. That was never more in evidence than from their ability to use width and possess at a high percentage rate, while getting everyone involved with a touch or two as they probed and pestered the home side in its own end.
"We really had some trouble in the early going," said Wolfpack junior Aidan Hurst, who shared Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honor with the aforementioned Shorey. "Maybe we were a little awestruck because of who were playing, but it took us some time to finally get into the game."
Shorey made an early impression in the 4th minute after teammate Austin Zeleznik won the ball on the left side and quickly played to Shorey on the right.
From there, the big, senior forward carried to his right and fired a low and precise effort into the far inside netting.
Shorey nearly doubled the lead minutes later when he headed wide a Ryan Notarianni serve. The sequence started quickly when when Gavan Richards jumpstarted the Wildcats attack from near the midline.
"(They) came out playing with a lot of confidence, pace and energy, and it forced us to defend for the first 10-15 minutes," said Wolfpack senior Daniel Fernandez, who was one of the midfielders the opposing coach singled out afterwards.
Fernandez, along with Max Hanlon provided the purpose and creativity in the middle of the park for the Wolfpack (8-3-1) attack as St. Ignatius slowly came into the game. Hurst venture forward too from his spot as Millers center back to join, inspire and distribute.
"Any manager would love to have a handful of more players like Daniel and Aidan, but it was Aidan who had the best day of all our our lads," Miller said.
The depth of the Wildcats (12-0-2) showed whenever McLaughlin brought on fresh legs during the first 20 minutes.
The Wolfpack bench offered a short argument on a high kick foul just in front of its bench that gave the Wildcats a free kick just before the half hour.
A quick restart saw Kyle Folds play through to Matthew McLaughlin, and the history-making senior did the rest when he ran and carried up the right side and finished with a sublime touch the other way past a diving Paul Smith.
McLaughlin is the first player in the Cleveland school's history to score 40 goals and assist on another 40.
"You saw what sets them apart from all other teams you'll see this year," said Miller. "They're lethal in their finishing technique.
"All three goals were from brilliant finishes, and they created a couple more chances that were just as brilliant.
"We had a few chances here and there, but you always felt they were so dangerous in the final third, and that is an area in which we were not as sharp as we needed to be."
Despite chasing two goals then, the home side continued to attack with verve and purpose. The Wolfpack spent more time in the Wildcats' end during the last quarter hour of the period.
Fernandez' broke free on the right side after an enterprising run into the area. Unfortunately his lovely cross to the back post found an area devoid of players with maroon shirts.
Hurst caught the Wildcats ball watching on a restart, however his early ball to Jaden Rice was a bit too heavy for the junior to latch onto.
"I was feeling much better about the way we played in the second half of the first half," Hurst said. "And we continued playing that way after the break."
Ronan Sullivan, Christian Yonan and Hanlon put together a nice bit of combination soccer which ended with Hanlon going wide to open the second half.
The visitors' Shorey, McLaughtlin and Marko Rimac threatened as did Ethan Gould for the Wolfpack.
Following those overtures, the Wildcats went in search for a third goal.
Fernandez frustrated the visitors' backline as he continued to pry open the visitors with some nervy runs into and through the middle but nothing would come of it when he and his mates drew closer to the box.
"We just were not sharp and aggressive enough in and around the box," Fernandez said.
Of course, some of that was due to the Wildcats backline, led for most of the afternoon by central defdnders Nolan Bartolone and Danny Kalic, who were strong in the tackle, commanding in the air, and wonderful at reading the game. They were also quite capable of providing service from deep in their own end.
Ryan Roberts finished off the scoring on the cloudy, windy afternoon at 67 minutes when his run off the ball opened up enough space to allow teammate Luciano Pechota to play him a wonderful pass in close which he steered into the net with a cool touch.
"There was so much quality to the way to play," began Miller. "It was a pleasure to watch them today, but I know that we learned a lot about ourselves, and where we're at going forward from here.
"It would have been interesting if we could have pulled one back just after the break, but again, you have to work hard and be better in the final third in order to get one that you deserve.
"Our 5-1 loss to Mt. Carmel recently, plus this one today, are results we will learn from. It exposed a few things we'll need to clean up."
For St. Ignatius of Cleveland, the 30-plus family members that made the trip along with 22 varsity players and four others brought along end their trip to Illinois with a visit to Millennium Park, before heading back home following a strenuous weekend.
"It's been a great experience for all of us," McLaughlin said.
Back in Ohio, St. Ignatius will end its regular season with games in Parma, Ohio, against Normandy on Wednesday, before finishing up at Olentangy Liberty three days later.
Matt Miller's club finishes up league play at St. Laurence on Tuesday, then makes a short trip over to Hyde Park to meet University (Chicago) on Thursday evening.
Starting lineups
St. Ignatius (Cleveland) (4-1-3-2)
G- Peter Van Euwen
D- Theo Kulo
D- Nolan Bartolone
D- Danny Kalic
D- Ryan Notarianni
M- Nick Russo
M- Matthew McLaughlin
M- Collin Folds
M- Austin Zeleznik
F- Everett Shorey
F- Joe Katic
St. Ignatius (4-4-2)
G- Paul Smith
D- Luke Hogan
D- Aidan Hurst
D- Gavin Troy
D- Talcott Malven
M- Charlie Kennedy
M- Daniel Fernandez
M- Ethan Gould
M- Max Hanlon
F- Jaden Rice
F- Ronan Sullivan
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Everett Shorey, sr., F, St. Ignatius (Cleveland)
Aidan Hurst, jr., D, St. Ignatius
Referee: John Elenbaas
Scoring summary
First half
St. Ignatius (Cleveland): Shorey (Zeleznik) 5'
St. Ignatius (Cleveland): McLaughlin (Folds) 27'
Second half
St. Ignatius (Cleveland): Roberts (Pechota) 67'
Highly ranked visitors best Wolfpack 3-0
By Mike Garofola
CHICAGO -- If you follow national rankings, you know about St. Ignatius in Cleveland.
Now soccer folk on the near west side has first hand knowleddge. The visiting Wildcats showed their class on Saturday at Fornelli Field in Chicago with an impressive 3-0 victory over St. Ignatius from Chicago.
Less than 24 hours after its 2-0 win before a packed house at Notre Dame (Peoria), the Wildcats came north and gave an 80-minute performance that would validate its national rankings.
"I wasn't sure what we had in our tank after that physical and emotional test we had last night in Peoria," said St. Ignatius manager Mike McLaughlin, himself a 1985 grad of Ignatius Cleveland. "But in the end, we played some very good soccer against an exceptional opponent and great host."
The St. Ignatius-Peoria Notre Dame contest matched the nos. 1 and ersus 3 clubs in the land. Max Preps had the Cleveland school at no. 1, and Top Drawer had Notre Dame (Peoria) at the top of the stack.
"The atmosphere in Peoria last night was amazing," began Everett Shorey, whose double was the difference in the Ignatius win in Peoria.
"The stadium was packed (fans) were all around the field, and it felt like a college game.
"The vibes last night were very cool, and it was quite an experience for all of us."
The home-standing St. Ignatius was happy to host its nationally ranked foe.
"What a great experience for our lads," began manager Matt Miller.
"It's a great measuring stick for us to see where we are at. After we got over some nervous moments early on, we gave them a bit of a game."
McLaughlin agreed.
"We didn't really know anything about them," he said. "We had film and reports on Notre Dame, so we kind of knew what to expect going into that game (but) nothing about Matt's team to prepare us.
"(But) they were very good -- organized, played attractive soccer. And they were outstanding across the middle and countered very well as a unit. It was there we took advantage of them, because we caught them getting forward."
It was clear from the opening whistle the Wildcats were cool, calm and composed from front-to-back. That was never more in evidence than from their ability to use width and possess at a high percentage rate, while getting everyone involved with a touch or two as they probed and pestered the home side in its own end.
"We really had some trouble in the early going," said Wolfpack junior Aidan Hurst, who shared Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match honor with the aforementioned Shorey. "Maybe we were a little awestruck because of who were playing, but it took us some time to finally get into the game."
Shorey made an early impression in the 4th minute after teammate Austin Zeleznik won the ball on the left side and quickly played to Shorey on the right.
From there, the big, senior forward carried to his right and fired a low and precise effort into the far inside netting.
Shorey nearly doubled the lead minutes later when he headed wide a Ryan Notarianni serve. The sequence started quickly when when Gavan Richards jumpstarted the Wildcats attack from near the midline.
"(They) came out playing with a lot of confidence, pace and energy, and it forced us to defend for the first 10-15 minutes," said Wolfpack senior Daniel Fernandez, who was one of the midfielders the opposing coach singled out afterwards.
Fernandez, along with Max Hanlon provided the purpose and creativity in the middle of the park for the Wolfpack (8-3-1) attack as St. Ignatius slowly came into the game. Hurst venture forward too from his spot as Millers center back to join, inspire and distribute.
"Any manager would love to have a handful of more players like Daniel and Aidan, but it was Aidan who had the best day of all our our lads," Miller said.
The depth of the Wildcats (12-0-2) showed whenever McLaughlin brought on fresh legs during the first 20 minutes.
The Wolfpack bench offered a short argument on a high kick foul just in front of its bench that gave the Wildcats a free kick just before the half hour.
A quick restart saw Kyle Folds play through to Matthew McLaughlin, and the history-making senior did the rest when he ran and carried up the right side and finished with a sublime touch the other way past a diving Paul Smith.
McLaughlin is the first player in the Cleveland school's history to score 40 goals and assist on another 40.
"You saw what sets them apart from all other teams you'll see this year," said Miller. "They're lethal in their finishing technique.
"All three goals were from brilliant finishes, and they created a couple more chances that were just as brilliant.
"We had a few chances here and there, but you always felt they were so dangerous in the final third, and that is an area in which we were not as sharp as we needed to be."
Despite chasing two goals then, the home side continued to attack with verve and purpose. The Wolfpack spent more time in the Wildcats' end during the last quarter hour of the period.
Fernandez' broke free on the right side after an enterprising run into the area. Unfortunately his lovely cross to the back post found an area devoid of players with maroon shirts.
Hurst caught the Wildcats ball watching on a restart, however his early ball to Jaden Rice was a bit too heavy for the junior to latch onto.
"I was feeling much better about the way we played in the second half of the first half," Hurst said. "And we continued playing that way after the break."
Ronan Sullivan, Christian Yonan and Hanlon put together a nice bit of combination soccer which ended with Hanlon going wide to open the second half.
The visitors' Shorey, McLaughtlin and Marko Rimac threatened as did Ethan Gould for the Wolfpack.
Following those overtures, the Wildcats went in search for a third goal.
Fernandez frustrated the visitors' backline as he continued to pry open the visitors with some nervy runs into and through the middle but nothing would come of it when he and his mates drew closer to the box.
"We just were not sharp and aggressive enough in and around the box," Fernandez said.
Of course, some of that was due to the Wildcats backline, led for most of the afternoon by central defdnders Nolan Bartolone and Danny Kalic, who were strong in the tackle, commanding in the air, and wonderful at reading the game. They were also quite capable of providing service from deep in their own end.
Ryan Roberts finished off the scoring on the cloudy, windy afternoon at 67 minutes when his run off the ball opened up enough space to allow teammate Luciano Pechota to play him a wonderful pass in close which he steered into the net with a cool touch.
"There was so much quality to the way to play," began Miller. "It was a pleasure to watch them today, but I know that we learned a lot about ourselves, and where we're at going forward from here.
"It would have been interesting if we could have pulled one back just after the break, but again, you have to work hard and be better in the final third in order to get one that you deserve.
"Our 5-1 loss to Mt. Carmel recently, plus this one today, are results we will learn from. It exposed a few things we'll need to clean up."
For St. Ignatius of Cleveland, the 30-plus family members that made the trip along with 22 varsity players and four others brought along end their trip to Illinois with a visit to Millennium Park, before heading back home following a strenuous weekend.
"It's been a great experience for all of us," McLaughlin said.
Back in Ohio, St. Ignatius will end its regular season with games in Parma, Ohio, against Normandy on Wednesday, before finishing up at Olentangy Liberty three days later.
Matt Miller's club finishes up league play at St. Laurence on Tuesday, then makes a short trip over to Hyde Park to meet University (Chicago) on Thursday evening.
Starting lineups
St. Ignatius (Cleveland) (4-1-3-2)
G- Peter Van Euwen
D- Theo Kulo
D- Nolan Bartolone
D- Danny Kalic
D- Ryan Notarianni
M- Nick Russo
M- Matthew McLaughlin
M- Collin Folds
M- Austin Zeleznik
F- Everett Shorey
F- Joe Katic
St. Ignatius (4-4-2)
G- Paul Smith
D- Luke Hogan
D- Aidan Hurst
D- Gavin Troy
D- Talcott Malven
M- Charlie Kennedy
M- Daniel Fernandez
M- Ethan Gould
M- Max Hanlon
F- Jaden Rice
F- Ronan Sullivan
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Everett Shorey, sr., F, St. Ignatius (Cleveland)
Aidan Hurst, jr., D, St. Ignatius
Referee: John Elenbaas
Scoring summary
First half
St. Ignatius (Cleveland): Shorey (Zeleznik) 5'
St. Ignatius (Cleveland): McLaughlin (Folds) 27'
Second half
St. Ignatius (Cleveland): Roberts (Pechota) 67'