Keeper helps Warren
knock off no. 1 New Trier
Nic Diana makes 9 saves to lead no. 3 Blue Devils’ to 1-0 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
WILMETTE -- 29.1.
That is the distance in miles that separates the main campuses of New Trier and Warren. The significance is the mileage fell within the crucial requirement for scheduling high school soccer games during this abbreviated pandemic season.
“When (Illinois Governor) J.B. Pritzker opened up games to a 30-mile radius, the kids came to me and said please find the most difficult game you can,” Warren coach Jason Ahonen said.
“I called up (New Trier coach) Matt (Ravenscraft), and he took the game immediately. I have great respect for their program.”
Two of the best teams in the state collided, in an epic game of high level play and spirited emotions. Warren played a physical match and was called for 18 fouls and issued four yellow cards.
“We knew the whole game was not going to be us controlling the ball,” Warren midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez said. “Obviously Will Franzen is a high quality player, as is most of their team.
“We knew it was going to be a battle.”
Warren absorbed repeated body blows. The math definitely favored New Trier in chances and opportunities.
“Credit them for putting away their chance,” Ravenscraft said.
Rodriguez finished off a throw in the 43rd minute and keeper Nicholas Diana was spectacular as the no. 3 Blue Devils ousted the no. 1 Trevians 1-0 Monday night.
The two teams entered the game as the two most dominant, statistically speaking, teams in the Chicagoland area. Warren (9-0-0) posted six shutouts and had a goal differential of 28-2 through the first four weeks of the season.
In the same time frame New Trier (11-1-0) registered nine shutouts and held a 37-4 goal differential.
Both teams knew what they were getting into.
“When you play a team like this that you know has scored a lot of goals, you have to play your A game,” Diana said.
“Our defense was locked up. We’ve only given up two goals the whole year, so getting a shutout tonight against a team that averages four or five goals is amazing.
“It feels great.”
Warren survived repeated close-range free kick opportunities off fouls deep in its own territory. New Trier had a 5-0 advantage in both corner kick opportunities and free kicks on the edge of the box.
“We had good energy, and I had the feeling we were going to score,” Ravenscraft said. “We just ran out of time. We felt pretty good at halftime.
“We thwarted a few dangerous moments by them. On the whole we controlled the game, and we were starting to find space and get Will Franzen on the ball facing forward.”
Franzen entered the game with a team-leading 10 goals. Rangy and dynamic, he nearly put the Trevians up in the first four minutes, missing just wide after intercepting a pass deep in Warren’s end.
Five times in the first half, New Trier was poised to score, given great location on the left edge just outside the box. Diana made the right move every time.
He finished with nine saves. He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his superb play.
“We practice free kicks a lot in training, and I felt confident with that,” Diana said. “I feel confident with my hands. When they’re giving me a ball and I have to smother it, I can’t give up a rebound.
“They were crashing every time.”
Midfielder Jake Krueger had two good looks during the Trevians’ first half. By contrast, Warren was more situational, showing poise and composure in the middle and trying to break down the size and athleticism of the New Trier back through its sharp passing and quick touches.
“We were under pressure for a little bit, especially on those free kicks,” Ahonen said. “Nick had one ball where it bounced off his hands. Everything else was clean. Nick has worked really hard.
“He won the job last season early in the year. He’s a little crazy, but I think all great keepers are. If you look at the history of our great keepers, Brady Walsh and R.J. Hill and William McCormick, he is following some very good keepers.”
Warren was coming off a season-high seven-goal performance against Carmel. The Blue Devils have a deep, athletic and experienced middle attack with Rodriguez, Max Floriani, Ishaan Shah, Edward Luna and Noe Martinez.
At their best, the Blue Devils are something to watch in the elegance of their movement and lyrical passing. At their most magical, the ball passes through the air through a series of headers, as if the ball were magnetically attached.
“This game meant a lot to us,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think we have beaten them since my freshman year, so coming here and getting a win was important.”
Rodriguez took charge at the start of the second half. Off the throw-in, Luna got the deflected ball and pushed it left to Rodriguez.
He drilled a left-footed ball from about 16 yards inside the near post.
New Trier keeper Aidan Crawford was just as compelling as Diana, literally throwing his body around to make spectacular saves.
The goal was a bang-bang play, and Warren made sure Crawford could not make the recovery.
“We knew set pieces were important,” Rodriguez said. “We work on those plays in training constantly, so being able to score like that was huge.”
New Trier is dangerous from anywhere on the field. Franzen is the offensive headliner. The team is very pluralistic in its scoring, spreading the wealth.
Thirteen different New Trier players scored at least one goal coming into the game. Dante Mitchell has been a revelation with five goals. Ronan O’Neill has also scored five goals.
“More than anything, we just couldn’t quite crack the code,” Ravenscraft said. “Give them credit. They defend hard. They’re really organized. They were extremely dangerous on the counter.
“They are smart on the ball. If you are not smart and you switch off, they can really hurt you. We were sloppy in transition and conceded on a set piece.”
New Trier played hard and with a nervous intensity, even after going down the goal. Franzen had several shots that forced Diana to be ever so creative, quick and aggressive in denying him.
Crawford made three diving stops of his own to hold the Trevians tight. During one frenetic sequence, Shah got behind on a counter and drilled a deep ball that Crawford pulled out of the goal.
His ball clanged off the crossbar. It was that kind of night, riveting, deeply contested and aggressively played.
“I’m really proud of my guys,” Ravenscraft said. “They didn’t quit. We just ran out of time. Even with two and a half minutes to go, we had a great shot by Collin Donnelly-Maine.
“Our guys wanted this match up. We played them last season, and it was very hard fought, a 1-1 game. Tonight we saw more of the same.”
Starting lineups
Warren
GK: Nicholas Diana
D: Bradley Strauss
D: Alex Senko
D: Chris Aldazaba
D: Cael Harris
MF: Max Floriani
MF: Sebastian Rodriguez
MF: Ishaan Shah
MF: Edward Luna
MF: Noe Martinez
F: Miguel Garcia
New Trier
GK: Aidan Crawford
D: Peter Norehad
D: Tommy Schindler
D: Sam Cummins
D: James Paden
M: Will Franzen
M: Zach Moskowitz
M: Jake Krueger
F: Ronan O’Neill
F: Peter Kanellos
F: Collin Donnelly-Maine
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nicholas Diana, sr., GK, Warren
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Warren—Sebastian Rodriguez (Edward Luna), 43rd minute
knock off no. 1 New Trier
Nic Diana makes 9 saves to lead no. 3 Blue Devils’ to 1-0 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
WILMETTE -- 29.1.
That is the distance in miles that separates the main campuses of New Trier and Warren. The significance is the mileage fell within the crucial requirement for scheduling high school soccer games during this abbreviated pandemic season.
“When (Illinois Governor) J.B. Pritzker opened up games to a 30-mile radius, the kids came to me and said please find the most difficult game you can,” Warren coach Jason Ahonen said.
“I called up (New Trier coach) Matt (Ravenscraft), and he took the game immediately. I have great respect for their program.”
Two of the best teams in the state collided, in an epic game of high level play and spirited emotions. Warren played a physical match and was called for 18 fouls and issued four yellow cards.
“We knew the whole game was not going to be us controlling the ball,” Warren midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez said. “Obviously Will Franzen is a high quality player, as is most of their team.
“We knew it was going to be a battle.”
Warren absorbed repeated body blows. The math definitely favored New Trier in chances and opportunities.
“Credit them for putting away their chance,” Ravenscraft said.
Rodriguez finished off a throw in the 43rd minute and keeper Nicholas Diana was spectacular as the no. 3 Blue Devils ousted the no. 1 Trevians 1-0 Monday night.
The two teams entered the game as the two most dominant, statistically speaking, teams in the Chicagoland area. Warren (9-0-0) posted six shutouts and had a goal differential of 28-2 through the first four weeks of the season.
In the same time frame New Trier (11-1-0) registered nine shutouts and held a 37-4 goal differential.
Both teams knew what they were getting into.
“When you play a team like this that you know has scored a lot of goals, you have to play your A game,” Diana said.
“Our defense was locked up. We’ve only given up two goals the whole year, so getting a shutout tonight against a team that averages four or five goals is amazing.
“It feels great.”
Warren survived repeated close-range free kick opportunities off fouls deep in its own territory. New Trier had a 5-0 advantage in both corner kick opportunities and free kicks on the edge of the box.
“We had good energy, and I had the feeling we were going to score,” Ravenscraft said. “We just ran out of time. We felt pretty good at halftime.
“We thwarted a few dangerous moments by them. On the whole we controlled the game, and we were starting to find space and get Will Franzen on the ball facing forward.”
Franzen entered the game with a team-leading 10 goals. Rangy and dynamic, he nearly put the Trevians up in the first four minutes, missing just wide after intercepting a pass deep in Warren’s end.
Five times in the first half, New Trier was poised to score, given great location on the left edge just outside the box. Diana made the right move every time.
He finished with nine saves. He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his superb play.
“We practice free kicks a lot in training, and I felt confident with that,” Diana said. “I feel confident with my hands. When they’re giving me a ball and I have to smother it, I can’t give up a rebound.
“They were crashing every time.”
Midfielder Jake Krueger had two good looks during the Trevians’ first half. By contrast, Warren was more situational, showing poise and composure in the middle and trying to break down the size and athleticism of the New Trier back through its sharp passing and quick touches.
“We were under pressure for a little bit, especially on those free kicks,” Ahonen said. “Nick had one ball where it bounced off his hands. Everything else was clean. Nick has worked really hard.
“He won the job last season early in the year. He’s a little crazy, but I think all great keepers are. If you look at the history of our great keepers, Brady Walsh and R.J. Hill and William McCormick, he is following some very good keepers.”
Warren was coming off a season-high seven-goal performance against Carmel. The Blue Devils have a deep, athletic and experienced middle attack with Rodriguez, Max Floriani, Ishaan Shah, Edward Luna and Noe Martinez.
At their best, the Blue Devils are something to watch in the elegance of their movement and lyrical passing. At their most magical, the ball passes through the air through a series of headers, as if the ball were magnetically attached.
“This game meant a lot to us,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think we have beaten them since my freshman year, so coming here and getting a win was important.”
Rodriguez took charge at the start of the second half. Off the throw-in, Luna got the deflected ball and pushed it left to Rodriguez.
He drilled a left-footed ball from about 16 yards inside the near post.
New Trier keeper Aidan Crawford was just as compelling as Diana, literally throwing his body around to make spectacular saves.
The goal was a bang-bang play, and Warren made sure Crawford could not make the recovery.
“We knew set pieces were important,” Rodriguez said. “We work on those plays in training constantly, so being able to score like that was huge.”
New Trier is dangerous from anywhere on the field. Franzen is the offensive headliner. The team is very pluralistic in its scoring, spreading the wealth.
Thirteen different New Trier players scored at least one goal coming into the game. Dante Mitchell has been a revelation with five goals. Ronan O’Neill has also scored five goals.
“More than anything, we just couldn’t quite crack the code,” Ravenscraft said. “Give them credit. They defend hard. They’re really organized. They were extremely dangerous on the counter.
“They are smart on the ball. If you are not smart and you switch off, they can really hurt you. We were sloppy in transition and conceded on a set piece.”
New Trier played hard and with a nervous intensity, even after going down the goal. Franzen had several shots that forced Diana to be ever so creative, quick and aggressive in denying him.
Crawford made three diving stops of his own to hold the Trevians tight. During one frenetic sequence, Shah got behind on a counter and drilled a deep ball that Crawford pulled out of the goal.
His ball clanged off the crossbar. It was that kind of night, riveting, deeply contested and aggressively played.
“I’m really proud of my guys,” Ravenscraft said. “They didn’t quit. We just ran out of time. Even with two and a half minutes to go, we had a great shot by Collin Donnelly-Maine.
“Our guys wanted this match up. We played them last season, and it was very hard fought, a 1-1 game. Tonight we saw more of the same.”
Starting lineups
Warren
GK: Nicholas Diana
D: Bradley Strauss
D: Alex Senko
D: Chris Aldazaba
D: Cael Harris
MF: Max Floriani
MF: Sebastian Rodriguez
MF: Ishaan Shah
MF: Edward Luna
MF: Noe Martinez
F: Miguel Garcia
New Trier
GK: Aidan Crawford
D: Peter Norehad
D: Tommy Schindler
D: Sam Cummins
D: James Paden
M: Will Franzen
M: Zach Moskowitz
M: Jake Krueger
F: Ronan O’Neill
F: Peter Kanellos
F: Collin Donnelly-Maine
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nicholas Diana, sr., GK, Warren
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Warren—Sebastian Rodriguez (Edward Luna), 43rd minute