St. Ignatius finds
right closing note vs. St. Rita
Isaac Rice and Luke Hogan lead 7-0 win in season finale
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO — In a telling moment in the second half, Isaac Rice flashed his sprinter’s speed and broke through two defenders to race toward an apparent breakaway chance.
It was beautiful — until the dreaded offsides flag from the assistant referee on the sideline went up.
“Sir,” another player from St. Ignatius pleaded to no avail, “he’s just faster than everybody.”
St. Rita had plenty of chances to find out of their own accord, and it was a harsh lesson in the essential grammar of the game.
Speed is lethal.
“They had some speed, but I think we played well,” first-year St. Rita coach Diego Garcia said. “When the goals are against our favor, our energy and confidence drop a bit.”
Rice broke open the scoring in the 10th minute off a throw-in he turned into a private showcase of his speed and athleticism.
Everything else fell beautifully into place for the Wolfpack.
Rice scored two goals and added an assist as the Wolfpack ended a turbulent and shortened season in grand style with the 7-0 home victory Saturday afternoon.
“It was fun to have everybody involved one last time,” senior defender/midfielder Luke Hogan said. “It was the last time for the seniors.
“It was fun to get everybody in different positions.”
Isaac Rice is the third player in his family, and he has helped forge a private dynasty. His oldest brother, Kendall Rice, now playing club at the University of Illinois, was a starter on a Wolfpack’s Class AA third place team of 2018.
The middle brother, Jaden Rice, missed his final game Saturday due to complications from a foot injury.
A gifted sprinter who made his varsity debut this spring, Isaac Rice flashed promise, excitement and a game-breaking athleticism. He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match for his outstanding play against the Mustangs.
In that 10th minute, Rice captured the throw-in without breaking stride, got the ball at his feet and made a great finishing move for the opening goal.
“Michael Crannell was the one who threw it into me, and it was just great team chemistry, pretty consistent with how we have played the whole year,” Isaac Rice said.
“We ended on a high note.”
Track is his preferred sport and where he is pursuing college opportunities. Soccer is a great release valve, a way to optimize his explosive speed and range.
Hogan, a normal defender, pushed up to the middle of the attack to offset the wave of injuries the Wolfpack have dealt with. He flashed creative shot-making talents and a knack for being in the right place at the most opportune time.
The track analogy was fitting on this beautiful spring afternoon. Isaac Rice and Hogan passed off their brilliance to one another as if handing off the baton on the 400-meter relay.
It was invisible, fast and beautiful.
Rice scored the first and third goals and Hogan followed with the alternate scores, finishing twice inside the box for the second and fourth goals.
St. Ignatius (4-5-0, 2-5-0) held commanding 4-0 lead at halftime.
“We had some injuries and some tough luck, but to finish off our season like this, with everybody getting a goal and trying to get assists was important,” Hogan said.
“Nick had some big saves.”
That was a reference to senior Nicholas Barkidjija, another bright spot with eight saves for the season-ending shutout.
The early part of the game had a quite different scenario due to some uncommonly good chances for the Mustangs to get on the board first.
Taking advantage of some early breakdowns brought about the unfamiliarity of the Wolfback back, the Mustangs had three different breakaways in the opening eight minutes.
Barkidjija made two point-blank kick saves off of short volleys by the Mustangs’ Aidan Breslin and David Auw.
St. Rita’s program had come of age the last couple of years, largely through the individual brilliance of the graduated Langston Bedgood, an Chicagoland Soccer all-state player now at Elmhurst College.
The Mustangs of 2019 featured two other watch list players in Chuy Flores and Julio Walton. Flores was out of the game due to a concussion, and Walton transferred from the school.
Another returning starter, midfielder Logan Corum, was out with an injury. Kenya Sumpter, who started at midfielder last season, had to play keeper due to the shortage of players.
“Missing out with Chuy and Logan in there really hurt us today,” Garcia said. “Had that been Chuy in those breakaway situations, he’d probably have had two hat-tricks.
“It would have been a different game.”
At nearly 6-foot-3, Barkidjija is an imposing presence. He played with ambition and quickness at the point attack. He thwarted the Mustangs with precision and quick thinking.
“In a lot of those situations, my mind just went blank, and I just reacted to the moment,” he said.
“I did whatever I wanted in order to help the team.”
Barkidjija closed out his dominant performance with back-to-back misses on St. Rita penalty kicks in preserving the shutout. He dived on the first ball.
After the official gave a second attempt, claiming a Wolfpack defender moved too early, Barkidjija forced the shooter to overcompensate, and his shot sailed over the crossbar.
The victory had many authors. Playing in his final game, Aidan Hurst had a goal and two assists. Sean Kelly, another senior, had a goal and assist.
Senior Gavin Troy put the exclamation point with a goal in the 80th minute.
With injuries and multiple games lost to health and safety protocols, St. Ignatius found a closing grace note. It helped glide over some of the rougher stretches of the year.
The end was joyous by itself.
“It was a rough season, but it was great to play with the guys one last time,” Hurst said.
Starting lineups
St. Rita
GK: Kyle Sumpter
D: Luis Salgado
D: Brendan Gleeson
D: Christian Herard
D: Emilio Alvarez
MF: Osvaldo Ruiz
MF: Michael Capilla
MF: Aidan Breslin
F: Elias Morris
F: David Auw
F: Isaac Garza
St. Ignatius
GK: Nicholas Barkidjija
D: George Barkidjija
D: Gavin Troy
D: Mark Tomassini
MF: Luke Hogan
MF: Aidan Hurst
MF: Sean Kelly
MF: Michael Crannell
MF: Dillon Kraft
MF: Jack Lowe
F: Isaac Rice
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Isaac Rice, jr., F, St. Ignatius
Scoring summary
First half
St. Ignatius—Isaac Rice (Michael Crannell), 10th minute
St. Ignatius—Luke Hogan (Aidan Hurst), 16th minute
St. Ignatius—Isaac Rice (Sean Kelly), 32nd minute
St. Ignatius—Hogan (Gavin Troy), 37th minute
Second half
St. Ignatius—Hurst (Hogan), 61st minute
St. Ignatius—Kelly (Hurst), 63rd minute
St. Ignatius—Troy (Kelly), 80th minute
right closing note vs. St. Rita
Isaac Rice and Luke Hogan lead 7-0 win in season finale
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO — In a telling moment in the second half, Isaac Rice flashed his sprinter’s speed and broke through two defenders to race toward an apparent breakaway chance.
It was beautiful — until the dreaded offsides flag from the assistant referee on the sideline went up.
“Sir,” another player from St. Ignatius pleaded to no avail, “he’s just faster than everybody.”
St. Rita had plenty of chances to find out of their own accord, and it was a harsh lesson in the essential grammar of the game.
Speed is lethal.
“They had some speed, but I think we played well,” first-year St. Rita coach Diego Garcia said. “When the goals are against our favor, our energy and confidence drop a bit.”
Rice broke open the scoring in the 10th minute off a throw-in he turned into a private showcase of his speed and athleticism.
Everything else fell beautifully into place for the Wolfpack.
Rice scored two goals and added an assist as the Wolfpack ended a turbulent and shortened season in grand style with the 7-0 home victory Saturday afternoon.
“It was fun to have everybody involved one last time,” senior defender/midfielder Luke Hogan said. “It was the last time for the seniors.
“It was fun to get everybody in different positions.”
Isaac Rice is the third player in his family, and he has helped forge a private dynasty. His oldest brother, Kendall Rice, now playing club at the University of Illinois, was a starter on a Wolfpack’s Class AA third place team of 2018.
The middle brother, Jaden Rice, missed his final game Saturday due to complications from a foot injury.
A gifted sprinter who made his varsity debut this spring, Isaac Rice flashed promise, excitement and a game-breaking athleticism. He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match for his outstanding play against the Mustangs.
In that 10th minute, Rice captured the throw-in without breaking stride, got the ball at his feet and made a great finishing move for the opening goal.
“Michael Crannell was the one who threw it into me, and it was just great team chemistry, pretty consistent with how we have played the whole year,” Isaac Rice said.
“We ended on a high note.”
Track is his preferred sport and where he is pursuing college opportunities. Soccer is a great release valve, a way to optimize his explosive speed and range.
Hogan, a normal defender, pushed up to the middle of the attack to offset the wave of injuries the Wolfpack have dealt with. He flashed creative shot-making talents and a knack for being in the right place at the most opportune time.
The track analogy was fitting on this beautiful spring afternoon. Isaac Rice and Hogan passed off their brilliance to one another as if handing off the baton on the 400-meter relay.
It was invisible, fast and beautiful.
Rice scored the first and third goals and Hogan followed with the alternate scores, finishing twice inside the box for the second and fourth goals.
St. Ignatius (4-5-0, 2-5-0) held commanding 4-0 lead at halftime.
“We had some injuries and some tough luck, but to finish off our season like this, with everybody getting a goal and trying to get assists was important,” Hogan said.
“Nick had some big saves.”
That was a reference to senior Nicholas Barkidjija, another bright spot with eight saves for the season-ending shutout.
The early part of the game had a quite different scenario due to some uncommonly good chances for the Mustangs to get on the board first.
Taking advantage of some early breakdowns brought about the unfamiliarity of the Wolfback back, the Mustangs had three different breakaways in the opening eight minutes.
Barkidjija made two point-blank kick saves off of short volleys by the Mustangs’ Aidan Breslin and David Auw.
St. Rita’s program had come of age the last couple of years, largely through the individual brilliance of the graduated Langston Bedgood, an Chicagoland Soccer all-state player now at Elmhurst College.
The Mustangs of 2019 featured two other watch list players in Chuy Flores and Julio Walton. Flores was out of the game due to a concussion, and Walton transferred from the school.
Another returning starter, midfielder Logan Corum, was out with an injury. Kenya Sumpter, who started at midfielder last season, had to play keeper due to the shortage of players.
“Missing out with Chuy and Logan in there really hurt us today,” Garcia said. “Had that been Chuy in those breakaway situations, he’d probably have had two hat-tricks.
“It would have been a different game.”
At nearly 6-foot-3, Barkidjija is an imposing presence. He played with ambition and quickness at the point attack. He thwarted the Mustangs with precision and quick thinking.
“In a lot of those situations, my mind just went blank, and I just reacted to the moment,” he said.
“I did whatever I wanted in order to help the team.”
Barkidjija closed out his dominant performance with back-to-back misses on St. Rita penalty kicks in preserving the shutout. He dived on the first ball.
After the official gave a second attempt, claiming a Wolfpack defender moved too early, Barkidjija forced the shooter to overcompensate, and his shot sailed over the crossbar.
The victory had many authors. Playing in his final game, Aidan Hurst had a goal and two assists. Sean Kelly, another senior, had a goal and assist.
Senior Gavin Troy put the exclamation point with a goal in the 80th minute.
With injuries and multiple games lost to health and safety protocols, St. Ignatius found a closing grace note. It helped glide over some of the rougher stretches of the year.
The end was joyous by itself.
“It was a rough season, but it was great to play with the guys one last time,” Hurst said.
Starting lineups
St. Rita
GK: Kyle Sumpter
D: Luis Salgado
D: Brendan Gleeson
D: Christian Herard
D: Emilio Alvarez
MF: Osvaldo Ruiz
MF: Michael Capilla
MF: Aidan Breslin
F: Elias Morris
F: David Auw
F: Isaac Garza
St. Ignatius
GK: Nicholas Barkidjija
D: George Barkidjija
D: Gavin Troy
D: Mark Tomassini
MF: Luke Hogan
MF: Aidan Hurst
MF: Sean Kelly
MF: Michael Crannell
MF: Dillon Kraft
MF: Jack Lowe
F: Isaac Rice
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Isaac Rice, jr., F, St. Ignatius
Scoring summary
First half
St. Ignatius—Isaac Rice (Michael Crannell), 10th minute
St. Ignatius—Luke Hogan (Aidan Hurst), 16th minute
St. Ignatius—Isaac Rice (Sean Kelly), 32nd minute
St. Ignatius—Hogan (Gavin Troy), 37th minute
Second half
St. Ignatius—Hurst (Hogan), 61st minute
St. Ignatius—Kelly (Hurst), 63rd minute
St. Ignatius—Troy (Kelly), 80th minute