Prospect keeper Erickson
stands out vs. St. Patrick
Senior holds Shamrocks at bay in scoreless tourney tie
By Bobby Narang
GLENVIEW— Ethan Erickson gingerly walked away from Friday’s postgame huddle.
The Prospect senior goalie’s hair was slightly disheveled, and he projected a number of states — from exhaustion to bewilderment to excitement — following a frenetic final 20 minutes against St. Patrick.
Erickson took center stage for most of the 70-minute match in the second-to-final day of the 36th-annual Jim Wolter Titan Invitational at Glenbrook South. He recorded 14 saves, including six in the final 15-plus minutes in a 0-0 draw against the Shamrocks.
Both teams wanted a win badly on the final day of pool play. In the end, the exciting back-and-forth contest ended with an undesired conclusion.
The Knights (0-4-1) have not scored a goal in three-of-their-five games.
St. Patrick (0-3-2) has failed to connect in its tournament games against Glenbard West, Stevenson and Prospect. The Shamrocks have four goals on the season, They came in: a 2-1 season-opening loss at defending Class 3A state champion York on Aug. 25; and a 3-3 tie against St. Ignatius on Aug. 27.
St. Patrick kept to its early season theme of playing with high intensity. Despite numerous shot attempts, the Shamrocks walked away unfulfilled.
When the sun finally peaked through the clouds and shined brightly as the game wound down, the Shamrocks turned it up a notch and dominated on the offensive end.
Erickson didn’t let anything bother him, not the heat nor the Shamrocks’ unrelenting attack filled with high-level players. Simply put, Erickson was in the zone.
“I just tried to focus and didn’t want to let the team down,” he said. “I just tried to give everything I had left. It was kind of annoying that they got that many shots. I just knew I had to keep the team in the game.”
Erickson saved shots with dives to his right, then to his left and knocking balls over the crossbar. St. Patrick forward Jorge Parra, a potential next-level skilled player, was particularly active late in the game, sending five shots in Erickson’s direction.
The keeper said the final few minutes were mentally and physically overwhelming, especially with the late-game heat wearing down him and his backline.
“I’m very tired,” Erickson said, smiling. “I just didn’t want to lose another game, so I went all out.”
After the hard-fought draw, Prospect coach Michael Andrews shook his head in amazement at Erickson’s exhibition. His keeper netted 10 saves in the final 35 minutes.
“He had some tremendous saves yesterday and today,” Andrews said. “He kept us in the game. There were some intense scoring opportunities on both sides, but I really have to give it up to Ethan in goal and Tymoteusz Czerwiec at center back. He’s gradually improving in each game.
“In a game like this, when we’ve played three games this week against very good teams, to have our Tymoteusz and Nicholas Casaletto at center back holding it together and staying organized and keeping everybody mentally focused, it was big for us.”
Andrews said he didn’t want to dwell on missing an opportunity to win the first game of the season. He noted his players showed grit late in Friday’s draw.
The Knights’ best chance for a goal came in a two-shot sequence midway through the second half. Dimitriy Hutnyk fired a close-in shot off the post. The carom bounced back toward him and his rebound attempt hit the crossbar. The ball squirted behind St. Patrick backup goalie Anthony Torres, who turned around and covered the ball to stop the action.
After that run of events, St. Patrick dominated possession and refused to allow the Knights a quality shot.
“We were visibly fatigued,” Andrews said. “It’s a lesson in heart. You have to dig deep even when you’re fatigued. You have to make the right decisions. It’s about as that as much as the decision-making, physicality and the tactics. We had a mental letdown against Glenbard West on Thursday, but we came back and got better.
“It’s about preparation and getting these guys to maximize their potential. Part of that is about going up against high-level competition. It’s going to prepare us for conference play and postseason play. That’s the idea. It’s not all about wins and losses but preparation at this point.”
Czerwiec, a senior defender, said the final few minutes were taxing on the backline, but the Knights managed to pull out the shutout, thanks to Erickson’s stellar play.
“We were just overloaded. It was a challenge, because they had so many (players) up,” Czerwiec said. “As a defense, we’re really strong. We have some really fast and aggressive strikers and wingers, but we haven’t been able to pass accurately and finish.
“I think we just have to practice, and we will get better. I think we can be a really great team.
“I was pretty fatigued at the end. Ethan was amazing. He made so many great saves. You can’t ask anything more from a keeper.”
St. Patrick co-coach Kyle McClure tried to shake up his players by altering the lineup. He took the unusual approach of starting four freshmen — Gustavo Alanis, Sebastian Rodriguez, Nefi Solano and Michael Ceron — in hopes of waking up his team.
Ceron played solid in the net before leaving the game early in the second half and not returning due to a minor injury. Torres entered the game and showed toughness with his game-saving dive.
“We pulled up three freshmen Thursday against Stevenson and started them, and started the goalie (tonight) and just one senior in Nicolas Leon today,” McClure said. “This is a lot how the last two games went. We probably had 70 to 80 percent of the possession and outshot them probably five to one. That’s how it went Wednesday against Glenbard West.
“The first piece is there. We’re dominating the play, but now we have to work on finishing. We have to be more aggressive with our shots and in the offensive third. It’s a young group.
“The reason we play in this tournament is they’re eight really good teams. We’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the state, so far. We’re figuring things out. Our play against Stevenson was pretty good on Thursday.”
McClure said he’s anticipating a turnaround soon for his talented team. The Shamrocks
“In this game, we dominated everything but putting the ball in the back of the net,” McClure said. “We will keep working on it. At this point, it’s a little bit mental. We had so many opportunities. Their goalie made some great saves. It’s frustrating.
“The most important thing is to take a step forward. From Wednesday, we’ve taken steps forward. Our overall play was really good today. We should be where we want to be when we start conference play.”
St. Patrick junior defender Daniel Carrera, a captain, acknowledged Friday’s draw was tough to stomach.
“We’re playing fine, but we just have to figure out how to put the ball in the back of the net,” Carrera said. “We have to change our mentality and play tougher if we want to win. We have to figure out how to find the corners, so the keeper can’t get there even if he dives. We have to change now, not in midseason.”
Leon said the Shamrocks are ready to have a breakout game.
“We dominated this game,” Leon said. “We just had to take more chances and finish better. We couldn’t finish. We have to come back Saturday and finish. We hopefully can switch it around for conference play. We had too many shots right at the goalie.”
The tournament concludes Saturday. Host Glenbrook South takes on St. Patrick in the seventh place game at 8 a.m.. Mundelein meets Prospect for fifth place at 10 a.m. Mount Carmel battles Glenbard West for third place game at noon, and surprising Speer tackles Stevenson for the title at 2 p.m.
Starting lineups
St. Patrick
GK: Michael Ceron
D: Rafael Ramirez
D: Daniel Carrera
D: Christian Medina
D: Nefi Solano
MF: Rafael Rios
MF: Sergio Barron
MF: Sebastian Rodriguez
F: Jorge Parra
F: Nicolas Leon
F: Gustavo Alanis
Prospect
GK: Ethan Erickson
D: Sam Heintz
D: Sebastian Parks
D: Tymoteusz Czerwiec
D: Nicholas Casaletto
MF: Chris Morys
MF: Massimo Mho
MF: Michael Casaletto
MF: Adam Toporkiewicz
F: Dimitriy Hutnyk
F: Michael Casaletto
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ethan Erickson, sr., GK, Prospect.
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
stands out vs. St. Patrick
Senior holds Shamrocks at bay in scoreless tourney tie
By Bobby Narang
GLENVIEW— Ethan Erickson gingerly walked away from Friday’s postgame huddle.
The Prospect senior goalie’s hair was slightly disheveled, and he projected a number of states — from exhaustion to bewilderment to excitement — following a frenetic final 20 minutes against St. Patrick.
Erickson took center stage for most of the 70-minute match in the second-to-final day of the 36th-annual Jim Wolter Titan Invitational at Glenbrook South. He recorded 14 saves, including six in the final 15-plus minutes in a 0-0 draw against the Shamrocks.
Both teams wanted a win badly on the final day of pool play. In the end, the exciting back-and-forth contest ended with an undesired conclusion.
The Knights (0-4-1) have not scored a goal in three-of-their-five games.
St. Patrick (0-3-2) has failed to connect in its tournament games against Glenbard West, Stevenson and Prospect. The Shamrocks have four goals on the season, They came in: a 2-1 season-opening loss at defending Class 3A state champion York on Aug. 25; and a 3-3 tie against St. Ignatius on Aug. 27.
St. Patrick kept to its early season theme of playing with high intensity. Despite numerous shot attempts, the Shamrocks walked away unfulfilled.
When the sun finally peaked through the clouds and shined brightly as the game wound down, the Shamrocks turned it up a notch and dominated on the offensive end.
Erickson didn’t let anything bother him, not the heat nor the Shamrocks’ unrelenting attack filled with high-level players. Simply put, Erickson was in the zone.
“I just tried to focus and didn’t want to let the team down,” he said. “I just tried to give everything I had left. It was kind of annoying that they got that many shots. I just knew I had to keep the team in the game.”
Erickson saved shots with dives to his right, then to his left and knocking balls over the crossbar. St. Patrick forward Jorge Parra, a potential next-level skilled player, was particularly active late in the game, sending five shots in Erickson’s direction.
The keeper said the final few minutes were mentally and physically overwhelming, especially with the late-game heat wearing down him and his backline.
“I’m very tired,” Erickson said, smiling. “I just didn’t want to lose another game, so I went all out.”
After the hard-fought draw, Prospect coach Michael Andrews shook his head in amazement at Erickson’s exhibition. His keeper netted 10 saves in the final 35 minutes.
“He had some tremendous saves yesterday and today,” Andrews said. “He kept us in the game. There were some intense scoring opportunities on both sides, but I really have to give it up to Ethan in goal and Tymoteusz Czerwiec at center back. He’s gradually improving in each game.
“In a game like this, when we’ve played three games this week against very good teams, to have our Tymoteusz and Nicholas Casaletto at center back holding it together and staying organized and keeping everybody mentally focused, it was big for us.”
Andrews said he didn’t want to dwell on missing an opportunity to win the first game of the season. He noted his players showed grit late in Friday’s draw.
The Knights’ best chance for a goal came in a two-shot sequence midway through the second half. Dimitriy Hutnyk fired a close-in shot off the post. The carom bounced back toward him and his rebound attempt hit the crossbar. The ball squirted behind St. Patrick backup goalie Anthony Torres, who turned around and covered the ball to stop the action.
After that run of events, St. Patrick dominated possession and refused to allow the Knights a quality shot.
“We were visibly fatigued,” Andrews said. “It’s a lesson in heart. You have to dig deep even when you’re fatigued. You have to make the right decisions. It’s about as that as much as the decision-making, physicality and the tactics. We had a mental letdown against Glenbard West on Thursday, but we came back and got better.
“It’s about preparation and getting these guys to maximize their potential. Part of that is about going up against high-level competition. It’s going to prepare us for conference play and postseason play. That’s the idea. It’s not all about wins and losses but preparation at this point.”
Czerwiec, a senior defender, said the final few minutes were taxing on the backline, but the Knights managed to pull out the shutout, thanks to Erickson’s stellar play.
“We were just overloaded. It was a challenge, because they had so many (players) up,” Czerwiec said. “As a defense, we’re really strong. We have some really fast and aggressive strikers and wingers, but we haven’t been able to pass accurately and finish.
“I think we just have to practice, and we will get better. I think we can be a really great team.
“I was pretty fatigued at the end. Ethan was amazing. He made so many great saves. You can’t ask anything more from a keeper.”
St. Patrick co-coach Kyle McClure tried to shake up his players by altering the lineup. He took the unusual approach of starting four freshmen — Gustavo Alanis, Sebastian Rodriguez, Nefi Solano and Michael Ceron — in hopes of waking up his team.
Ceron played solid in the net before leaving the game early in the second half and not returning due to a minor injury. Torres entered the game and showed toughness with his game-saving dive.
“We pulled up three freshmen Thursday against Stevenson and started them, and started the goalie (tonight) and just one senior in Nicolas Leon today,” McClure said. “This is a lot how the last two games went. We probably had 70 to 80 percent of the possession and outshot them probably five to one. That’s how it went Wednesday against Glenbard West.
“The first piece is there. We’re dominating the play, but now we have to work on finishing. We have to be more aggressive with our shots and in the offensive third. It’s a young group.
“The reason we play in this tournament is they’re eight really good teams. We’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the state, so far. We’re figuring things out. Our play against Stevenson was pretty good on Thursday.”
McClure said he’s anticipating a turnaround soon for his talented team. The Shamrocks
“In this game, we dominated everything but putting the ball in the back of the net,” McClure said. “We will keep working on it. At this point, it’s a little bit mental. We had so many opportunities. Their goalie made some great saves. It’s frustrating.
“The most important thing is to take a step forward. From Wednesday, we’ve taken steps forward. Our overall play was really good today. We should be where we want to be when we start conference play.”
St. Patrick junior defender Daniel Carrera, a captain, acknowledged Friday’s draw was tough to stomach.
“We’re playing fine, but we just have to figure out how to put the ball in the back of the net,” Carrera said. “We have to change our mentality and play tougher if we want to win. We have to figure out how to find the corners, so the keeper can’t get there even if he dives. We have to change now, not in midseason.”
Leon said the Shamrocks are ready to have a breakout game.
“We dominated this game,” Leon said. “We just had to take more chances and finish better. We couldn’t finish. We have to come back Saturday and finish. We hopefully can switch it around for conference play. We had too many shots right at the goalie.”
The tournament concludes Saturday. Host Glenbrook South takes on St. Patrick in the seventh place game at 8 a.m.. Mundelein meets Prospect for fifth place at 10 a.m. Mount Carmel battles Glenbard West for third place game at noon, and surprising Speer tackles Stevenson for the title at 2 p.m.
Starting lineups
St. Patrick
GK: Michael Ceron
D: Rafael Ramirez
D: Daniel Carrera
D: Christian Medina
D: Nefi Solano
MF: Rafael Rios
MF: Sergio Barron
MF: Sebastian Rodriguez
F: Jorge Parra
F: Nicolas Leon
F: Gustavo Alanis
Prospect
GK: Ethan Erickson
D: Sam Heintz
D: Sebastian Parks
D: Tymoteusz Czerwiec
D: Nicholas Casaletto
MF: Chris Morys
MF: Massimo Mho
MF: Michael Casaletto
MF: Adam Toporkiewicz
F: Dimitriy Hutnyk
F: Michael Casaletto
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Ethan Erickson, sr., GK, Prospect.
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring