St. Patrick's Alvarez stands out
against Glenbrook North
GK makes all the right plays in Shamrocks’ 2-0 regional upset win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHBROOK -- Bryant Alvarez was scheduled to see the doctor on Wednesday about his hand.
The St. Patrick keeper put it off for another day. After dealing with an assortment of injuries this season, including a concussion, Alvarez prioritized what was in front of him.
He had a crucial soccer game to play.
Alvarez had the game of his life in a first-round state-playoff game against higher-seeded Glenbrook North with eight saves, including a momentum swinging stop on a penalty kick in the 50th minute.
Jorge Parra converted his penalty kick for the early momentum and the upstart Shamrocks posted a convincing 2-0 victory in a Class 3A regional semifinal before a crowd of about 300 Wednesday night.
Both teams endured a 57-minute lightning and weather delay in the second half
“Their goalkeeper played great tonight,” Glenbrook North coach Paul Vigonocchi said. “He got to a lot of the balls that you don’t typically see a lot of high school keepers make it to.
“He did a nice job.”
St. Patrick (11-9-0) won its fourth-straight game and advances to the Saturday regional title game against New Trier, which defeated Taft 4-0 in the first semifinal.
The Trevians were the top-ranked team in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 of the season and are seeded second behind Evanston in the sectional they host.
Alvarez repeatedly neutralized the Spartans’ attack. In the second minute, he made two alert stops off close-in balls from the Spartans’ Devin Spiggos and Michael Abrams.
That set the tone and strengthened him. He showed a willingness and ability to move decisively off his line.
“Those early saves gave me a lot of confidence,” Alvarez said. “I knew if we played the style we have been playing all season, we should come out with the win.
“Everyone now is all up for grabs. It’s the regionals. Even the lowest seed, they could pull an upset. People doubted us, and we pulled the upset, and we are going to do it again and again.”
The Shamrocks lost their first four games of the season by an aggregate margin of 18-5.
“If you look at the start of the season, we lost our first four games against very tough teams, but we focused on improving,” St. Patrick coach Kyle McClure said.
“We didn’t worry about the record or the rankings. We knew when we got to the playoffs, we had no problem about being a lower seed. We knew that we were going to be higher than our seed.”
St. Patrick also had a dominant recent history to back its upset bid. In the previous three state playoffs dating to the 2017 season, the Shamrocks were 14-1 the preliminary rounds, encompassing three regional and three sectional titles and two supersectional victories.
They made two state finals appearances during that run.
“When I was a freshman, we made it all the way to the supersectionals,” senior forward Ivan Guerrro said. “The seniors of that team led us, and then the juniors of that season were the class that really took over the program.
“I am trying to take after them, and lead the team as best as I can.”
By contrast, Glenbrook North’s inability to capitalize on early chances foreshadowed the night that followed.
The Spartans (12-5-5) seemed cursed. They were unable to finish multiple strong chances.
Miles Wolder, a long and gifted midfielder, had a ball hit the crossar and watched multiple set piece opportunities fail to deliver the crucial final and significant scoring touch.
“That’s soccer,” Vignocchi said. It’s one of those games where you have those opportunities, and you have to finish them. I’ve been doing this for 18 years, and you just see games like this.
“It wasn’t our night.”
Alvarez’s early displays of athleticism and aggressive forays off his line underscored the Shamrocks’ mentality.
“We have to dictate; we have to control the game or else, it is going to go bad for us,” Alvarez said.
St. Patrick generated several sharp counters off the early Spartans’ pressure. The Shamrocks released from the back to create sharp movements of their own.
In the 11th minute, Parra drove the ball down the right wing and was clipped from behind, producing the early penalty kick.
He smashed the ball into the lower left corner for the early advantage.
“We went with the mentality of playing hard from the beginning to the end, and we said we were going to win,” Parra said. “On the penalty kicks, I like to wait for the keeper to dive, or I want to see him flinch and I hit it the other way where he is not expecting it.
“I think that goal played a big part of the game. We came out and put their heads down early. They still fought obviously, and they played a good game.”
Glenbrook North responded with some superb play of its own, building off the work of Wolder, forward Wes Fagin and midfielder Sam Lappin.
The Spartans did everything right except score. They established consistent pressure and generated multiple corner kicks and free kicks from dangerous spots on the field.
Alvarez and a committed backline kept them at bay.
The tide appeared to change in the 50th minute with an echo of the earlier St. Patrick deep possession inside the box that yielded a foul.
This time Glenbrook North stepped to the spot, but Alvarez made the play of the game by sidestepping quickly to his right and knocking away the penalty attempt.
He noticed that Wolder replaced the original kicker. He did everything possible to create some confusion and instability.
“I was getting in their heads,” he said. “When I saw the first player was too nervous and they had to switch out, I knew they didn’t have a plan. They were rushing it.
“They’re all nervous, because they don’t want to lose. I went with my senses, and luckily I guessed right.”
For his outstanding play, Alvarez earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
“We didn’t finish our opportunities,” Vignocchi said.
“The PK could have been a momentum changer. Hats off to them. They have some firepower up-top, and their strength is definitely at the top of the attack.”
With 23:14 remaining, the game was delayed for just under an hour due to lightning and storms.
“I thought, after the lightning delay, we could come back,” Vignocchi said. “Obviously that second goal was a killer for us as well.”
St. Patrick put the game away in the 60th minute. Off a free kick from about 55 yards, specialist Gael Quinonez smashed the ball at the goal.
“I knew our taker was going to go to the goal, so then I crashed and looked to see if their keeper was going to drop (the ball).”
Glenbrook North keeper Jakub Murzyn had to go high to deflect the shot.
Guerrero timed his back-post run beautifully and finished the rebound from five feet for his team-best 18th goal of the season.
“Luckily I bounced it right over him,” he said of his shot. “We have been practicing and playing as a team. During the last couple of games we really grew as a team.”
The state tournament is a cruel separator of dreams and ambitions. The Spartans went out. The significance of their achievements was not lost in the disappointment of the final result.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Vignocchi said. “We started off the season slow. We made a great run in conference, beating Evanston and finished the best that we ever have in the South (Division of the Central Suburban League, tied for second with the Wildkits two points behind champ New Trier.)
“This senior class definitely left their mark on this program. At this time last year, we were hiding in our houses, not able to play. It was definitely one of those things where we were grateful to be out here and able to play this wonderful game.”
St. Patrick kept its Cinderella dreams alive.
“We always try to peak right before the playoffs,” McClure said. “We feel like we have improved more than any other team in the state from where we were on Day 1 of the season.
“We felt confident we could beat the higher seeds. We are playing New Trier on Saturday, who’s no. 1 in the state, and we are expecting to win. We’re not just saying that. We are expecting to win.
“That’s the mentality we have.”
Starting lineups
St. Patrick
GK: Bryant Alvarez
D: Sergio Barron
D: Xavier Gamez
D: Gael Quinonez
D: Ben Elvira
MF: Rafael Rios
MF: Jorge Parra
MF: Christian Medina
MF: Connor Day
F: Ivan Guerrero
F: Nicholas Leon
Glenbrook North
GK: Jakub Murzyn
D: Daniel Ashirov
D: Alex Link
D: Jack Redland
D: Tal Yedlin
MF: Devin Spiggos
MF: Miles Wolder
MF: Ian Lee
MF: Devin Spigos
F: Wes Fagin
F: Michael Abrams
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Bryant Alvarez, sr., GK, St. Patrick
Scoring summary
First half
St. Patrick—Jorge Parra (penalty kick), 10th minute
Second half
St. Patrick—Ivan Guerrero (Gael Quinonez), 60th minute
against Glenbrook North
GK makes all the right plays in Shamrocks’ 2-0 regional upset win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHBROOK -- Bryant Alvarez was scheduled to see the doctor on Wednesday about his hand.
The St. Patrick keeper put it off for another day. After dealing with an assortment of injuries this season, including a concussion, Alvarez prioritized what was in front of him.
He had a crucial soccer game to play.
Alvarez had the game of his life in a first-round state-playoff game against higher-seeded Glenbrook North with eight saves, including a momentum swinging stop on a penalty kick in the 50th minute.
Jorge Parra converted his penalty kick for the early momentum and the upstart Shamrocks posted a convincing 2-0 victory in a Class 3A regional semifinal before a crowd of about 300 Wednesday night.
Both teams endured a 57-minute lightning and weather delay in the second half
“Their goalkeeper played great tonight,” Glenbrook North coach Paul Vigonocchi said. “He got to a lot of the balls that you don’t typically see a lot of high school keepers make it to.
“He did a nice job.”
St. Patrick (11-9-0) won its fourth-straight game and advances to the Saturday regional title game against New Trier, which defeated Taft 4-0 in the first semifinal.
The Trevians were the top-ranked team in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 of the season and are seeded second behind Evanston in the sectional they host.
Alvarez repeatedly neutralized the Spartans’ attack. In the second minute, he made two alert stops off close-in balls from the Spartans’ Devin Spiggos and Michael Abrams.
That set the tone and strengthened him. He showed a willingness and ability to move decisively off his line.
“Those early saves gave me a lot of confidence,” Alvarez said. “I knew if we played the style we have been playing all season, we should come out with the win.
“Everyone now is all up for grabs. It’s the regionals. Even the lowest seed, they could pull an upset. People doubted us, and we pulled the upset, and we are going to do it again and again.”
The Shamrocks lost their first four games of the season by an aggregate margin of 18-5.
“If you look at the start of the season, we lost our first four games against very tough teams, but we focused on improving,” St. Patrick coach Kyle McClure said.
“We didn’t worry about the record or the rankings. We knew when we got to the playoffs, we had no problem about being a lower seed. We knew that we were going to be higher than our seed.”
St. Patrick also had a dominant recent history to back its upset bid. In the previous three state playoffs dating to the 2017 season, the Shamrocks were 14-1 the preliminary rounds, encompassing three regional and three sectional titles and two supersectional victories.
They made two state finals appearances during that run.
“When I was a freshman, we made it all the way to the supersectionals,” senior forward Ivan Guerrro said. “The seniors of that team led us, and then the juniors of that season were the class that really took over the program.
“I am trying to take after them, and lead the team as best as I can.”
By contrast, Glenbrook North’s inability to capitalize on early chances foreshadowed the night that followed.
The Spartans (12-5-5) seemed cursed. They were unable to finish multiple strong chances.
Miles Wolder, a long and gifted midfielder, had a ball hit the crossar and watched multiple set piece opportunities fail to deliver the crucial final and significant scoring touch.
“That’s soccer,” Vignocchi said. It’s one of those games where you have those opportunities, and you have to finish them. I’ve been doing this for 18 years, and you just see games like this.
“It wasn’t our night.”
Alvarez’s early displays of athleticism and aggressive forays off his line underscored the Shamrocks’ mentality.
“We have to dictate; we have to control the game or else, it is going to go bad for us,” Alvarez said.
St. Patrick generated several sharp counters off the early Spartans’ pressure. The Shamrocks released from the back to create sharp movements of their own.
In the 11th minute, Parra drove the ball down the right wing and was clipped from behind, producing the early penalty kick.
He smashed the ball into the lower left corner for the early advantage.
“We went with the mentality of playing hard from the beginning to the end, and we said we were going to win,” Parra said. “On the penalty kicks, I like to wait for the keeper to dive, or I want to see him flinch and I hit it the other way where he is not expecting it.
“I think that goal played a big part of the game. We came out and put their heads down early. They still fought obviously, and they played a good game.”
Glenbrook North responded with some superb play of its own, building off the work of Wolder, forward Wes Fagin and midfielder Sam Lappin.
The Spartans did everything right except score. They established consistent pressure and generated multiple corner kicks and free kicks from dangerous spots on the field.
Alvarez and a committed backline kept them at bay.
The tide appeared to change in the 50th minute with an echo of the earlier St. Patrick deep possession inside the box that yielded a foul.
This time Glenbrook North stepped to the spot, but Alvarez made the play of the game by sidestepping quickly to his right and knocking away the penalty attempt.
He noticed that Wolder replaced the original kicker. He did everything possible to create some confusion and instability.
“I was getting in their heads,” he said. “When I saw the first player was too nervous and they had to switch out, I knew they didn’t have a plan. They were rushing it.
“They’re all nervous, because they don’t want to lose. I went with my senses, and luckily I guessed right.”
For his outstanding play, Alvarez earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
“We didn’t finish our opportunities,” Vignocchi said.
“The PK could have been a momentum changer. Hats off to them. They have some firepower up-top, and their strength is definitely at the top of the attack.”
With 23:14 remaining, the game was delayed for just under an hour due to lightning and storms.
“I thought, after the lightning delay, we could come back,” Vignocchi said. “Obviously that second goal was a killer for us as well.”
St. Patrick put the game away in the 60th minute. Off a free kick from about 55 yards, specialist Gael Quinonez smashed the ball at the goal.
“I knew our taker was going to go to the goal, so then I crashed and looked to see if their keeper was going to drop (the ball).”
Glenbrook North keeper Jakub Murzyn had to go high to deflect the shot.
Guerrero timed his back-post run beautifully and finished the rebound from five feet for his team-best 18th goal of the season.
“Luckily I bounced it right over him,” he said of his shot. “We have been practicing and playing as a team. During the last couple of games we really grew as a team.”
The state tournament is a cruel separator of dreams and ambitions. The Spartans went out. The significance of their achievements was not lost in the disappointment of the final result.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Vignocchi said. “We started off the season slow. We made a great run in conference, beating Evanston and finished the best that we ever have in the South (Division of the Central Suburban League, tied for second with the Wildkits two points behind champ New Trier.)
“This senior class definitely left their mark on this program. At this time last year, we were hiding in our houses, not able to play. It was definitely one of those things where we were grateful to be out here and able to play this wonderful game.”
St. Patrick kept its Cinderella dreams alive.
“We always try to peak right before the playoffs,” McClure said. “We feel like we have improved more than any other team in the state from where we were on Day 1 of the season.
“We felt confident we could beat the higher seeds. We are playing New Trier on Saturday, who’s no. 1 in the state, and we are expecting to win. We’re not just saying that. We are expecting to win.
“That’s the mentality we have.”
Starting lineups
St. Patrick
GK: Bryant Alvarez
D: Sergio Barron
D: Xavier Gamez
D: Gael Quinonez
D: Ben Elvira
MF: Rafael Rios
MF: Jorge Parra
MF: Christian Medina
MF: Connor Day
F: Ivan Guerrero
F: Nicholas Leon
Glenbrook North
GK: Jakub Murzyn
D: Daniel Ashirov
D: Alex Link
D: Jack Redland
D: Tal Yedlin
MF: Devin Spiggos
MF: Miles Wolder
MF: Ian Lee
MF: Devin Spigos
F: Wes Fagin
F: Michael Abrams
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Bryant Alvarez, sr., GK, St. Patrick
Scoring summary
First half
St. Patrick—Jorge Parra (penalty kick), 10th minute
Second half
St. Patrick—Ivan Guerrero (Gael Quinonez), 60th minute