New Trier rises to occasion
against Wisconsin power
Trevians overcome early deficit to post 5-1 Homecoming win
By Mike Garofola
NORTHFIELD -- What a setting.
Two high-profile clubs: Whitefish Bay, one of the top sides from Wisconsin; and New Trier, equally first class and top five in the most recent Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Spectacular weather, Teacher Appreciation Night, and Homecoming in front of a packed house at Robert Naughton Field in Northfield, all the elements were in place for a memorable evening.
The Trevians didn't disappoint with a three-goal first half explosion and two late tallies in superb fashion to defeat the visiting Blue Dukes 5-1. New Trier's fourth win in a row extend its overall record to a sparkling 11-1-1.
The Trevians overcame an early 1-0 deficit to best the first-class Blue Dukes (12-2-1), whose losses on the season came against Illinois sides -- Crystal Lake South (2-1 Sept. 25) and to New Trier.
"(The) scoreboard did not reflect just how good of a team Whitefish really is. With that said, what a terrific effort against obviously a very talented team that we played in 2019, and one that we were really excited to play," began Trevians manager Matt Ravenscraft. "The night was electric.
"Homecoming night, the chance for our guys to be on center stage before a big crowd. The stage was set for the boys, and they came through and gave just a great effort to overcome (their) early goal to play some really terrific soccer."
Whitefish Bay, who were Wisconsin state champs in 2017 and then named no. 1 in the nation following a perfect 25-0-0 record, are managed by the affable Robby Dubinski, who was named the 2018 National High School Coach of the Year by NHSCA, and Great Lakes Coach of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches.
This is the sixth year Dubinski is in charge of the boys program at Whitefish Bay, located in Milwaukee County. In the spring, will begin his 8th year as the manager of the defending state champion girls program; he also was named the NFHS Wisconsin girls coach of the year.
"Great start tonight, (not) so great afterwards to be sure," said Dubinski, whose men claimed a 2-0 victory the night before against Nicolet High School.
"Did the game last night and the two-hour bus ride down factor into our result? Maybe. But we came out strong. Had that questionable PK to deal with, (but) when they put their next two in after that energy began to slowly go away.
"New Trier has great tradition, and Matt has a very good team. That's a big reason we want to get games against opponents like New Trier and Crystal Lake South last week. While the loss was a tough one for us, there was a lot to learn from this game that we'll take with us."
Dubinski has four superb talents on his club this fall to go along with quality up and down his 2021 roster. His leaders are seniors Mitchell Dryden and Ben Grimm, junior Will Smith, whom he figures to be the best defender in the state and sophomore Breon Jarvis, who he believes is a future all-state player.
Dryden was an All-American in the fall of 2020, while Grimm, who leads the Blue Dukes in goals and assists, was a first team all-conference and all-state player a year ago.
It was Grimm who stunned New Trier with a fourth-minute goal when the home side failed to deal with first and second balls into the area. That could be a dagger for some clubs, but the New Trier's leaders took charge immediately to stave off any additional damage.
"We have great leaders in our captains Aidan (Crawford), James (Paden) and Ronan O'Neill," said Ravenscraft. "They quickly realized the importance of bringing everyone together into a huddle and making a strong statement to their teammates. I knew immediately we would be in good shape," said a proud Ravenscraft.
"Aidan, James and myself are the captains, and we wanted to take all the negative stuff (away) after that bad early first goal," said O'Neill, who would shared Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors with Matthew Perchik. "It's what we're supposed to do as the leaders of the team, and the guys really responded well to that quick huddle we had down in our end."
The Trevians were highly influenced by the pace and purpose from their front-runners Peter Kanellos and Perchik, who were the pressing machines in the 3-5-2 formation. Along with a hard-working quintet in the middle, the home side came to life.
After Grimm tricked his way free to drive his effort just wide in the 13th minute, and teammate Joe Marx took a free kick taht was redirected on goal forced Crawford to make a save, the Trevians got on its front foot.
Perchik broke free from his challenger to unleash a nasty left-footed cracker that Blue Dukes keeper Nason Lancian turned around the post with a full extension to his left.
"Perchik is a natural finisher," said Ravenscraft. "His pace and movement make him so difficult to track throughout the game,
"He is going to find pockets of space in front of the goal. Even when he doesn't score or assist, he'll influence the game in very positive ways."
Two subsequent corners and an early ball out of the back to Ely Wilson for another corner saw the action even out between the two sides.
"We had that great start and could have maybe gone up 2-0, but when we didn't we allowed to stay in the game," said a disappointed Grimm, who along along with Dryden has a number of college offers according to his manager. "They took control with (that) PK, and they never let up after that."
With New Trier growing in confidence, its passing percentage and possession increased. The Trevians used plenty of one-two touches and the width of the field to to stretch the Blue Dukes in their own end.
The first of four yellow card bookings came in the 23rd minute to a Blue Dukes player for dissent. It preceded a call that had Dubinski and his bench howl in disbelief when the center official called a foul that sent James Paden to the spot in the 28th minute.
Peter Kanellos went to the ground in a shoulder-to-shoulder exchange that Dubinski felt was just a good, hard defensive challenge.
Paden drove his effort just under the glove of Lancina to equalize.
Perhaps losing its focus following the disputed PK, the visitors quickly conceded the eventual game-winner when Perchik finished a lovely helper from Karsten Seagall right on the half hour.
"We knew what we wanted to do before the game," said Perchik, who bagged three on Tuesday night in the 4-1 triumph over visiting Maine South that wound up giving the Trevians the Central Suburban League South Division crown. "Although we gave up that bad early goal, we kept our focus, got ourselves back even and went ahead to take control of the game afterwards.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitors two minutes later. Segall whipped in a near-perfect ball that found Perchik, who on the turn fired a shot off
Lancina and into the back of the net.
Ravenscraft and his staff thought Segall earned a PK in the 33th minute when he went down in the box, but their protests were not heard.
A long free kick off the right foot of Whitefish Bay's Smith forced O'Neill to head over the endline for a Blue Dukes corner. It ended with a half-chance on frame from Henry Triggs.
In the 39th minute, the assistant referee on the far side raised his flag immediately and called what appeared to be an inadvertent hand ball a deliberate one. Once again Paden strode to the spot where he smashed home another to freeze the scoreboard at 3-1 at the break.
"Those were a couple of tough PKs against us," said Grimm. "Although it turned the game around on us, it was no excuse for our overall play tonight."
Chasing two goals, the visitors came out of the break with more urgency with Grimm, Dryden, Vincent Cragg and David Kleiner showing flashes of promise. It wasn't long before O'Neill and his backline mates were called upon to defend the area in and around keeper Aidan Crawford.
"Ronan is such a tremendous athlete and his ability to read the game continues to improve," said Ravenscraft of O'Neill.
"Not only is his 1-v-1 defense outstanding, he also helps us on the ball in possession. (It's) been a real joy watching his game evolve this season, and I know the best is yet to come from him."
Cragg sent in a wonderful ball to the spot that required New Trier's Colin Gottshall to parry away with authority. It was followed by a snap-shot cracker by Dryden that Crawford turned away in the 51st minute.
Dryden ran onto a long ball out of the back and unloaded a guided 30-yard missile directly on frame that Crawford pushed over the bar with a magnificent leap.
"We have a very good backline, but Aidan does such a great job for us," said Ravenscraft.
The Trevians brought the contest back into their control after a few nervous moments because of the work rate of their midfield group. It outnumbered Whitefish Bay in the middle of the park and created difficulty finding gaps and having time and space to put Grimm or Dryden through.
"We were a little frustrated with their 3-5-2 formation that saw their wingers drop deep at times and get forward quickly to add numbers," said rimm.
"We struggled with that tonight."
"Our guys on the onside worked really hard tonight on both sides on the ball," O'Neill said. "As the game went on, it seemed to give us more of an advantage"
When Perchik saw an opportunity to expose the Blue Dukes in their own end, the senior provided a lovely ball to Eli Drake who ran onto the helper and drove home a wonder goal on the hour.
Whitefish Bay keeper Lancina was superb one last time on this night when he took a goal out of the net with a remarkable lunge in full extension to stop Kevin Farina's close-range effort.
The Blue Dukes keeper had no chance on the fifth and final goal of this contest. Ian Vichnick scored his first of the year in the 80th minute; it came with a brilliant finish off another terrific Segall assist.
"We wish we could have played more to our level, but credit New Trier for some of that," began Dubinski, whose club will face rival Slinger High School on Tuesday night.
"Again, we want to get quality opponents to play in order to prepare for our postseason in Wisconsin, and as I said before, we'll come away with this learning things about ourselves. We'll clean things up as we move forward."
"We're glad to have come down to play Matt. They're gracious hosts, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them."
New Trier allowed itself a few moments to savor the win.
"We did the little things really well tonight, and it was fun to put a few (in) and to play before a big crowd," said O'Neill.
"It was a great night, and one that a lot of the guys got a chance to play in a great atmosphere," added Perchik. "I am really happy for Eli, who scored a great goal, and of course, Ian, who got his first varsity goal of his career."
Added Ravenscraft: "After that poor start to this game, the guys turned in a terrific performance before an appreciative Homecoming crowd, which had to be a great thrill for all of them.
"After never really having a chance to train last spring, and just playing games, it's been fun to see this team come together during our training sessions and games and to get ourselves ready for second half of our season in the playoffs."
The Trevians completed their busy week when they completed an out-of-state double with a 3-0 win over visiting St. Francis de Sales, of Toledo, Ohio, Saturday.
Perchik has also been very active. He has been named Man of the Match in the last three New Trier games covered by Chicagoland Soccer: a 1-0 win over Glenbrook South on Sept. 21; the 2-1 win over Glenbrook North on Sept. 23; and the shared prize against Whitefish Bay on Friday.
The Trevians will meet CSL North Division champion Niles North on Wednesday to see who will lift the league trophy for the 2021 fall campaign.
"Robby is such a great guy, and he always has a highly competitive team. We always look forward to playing them," began Ravenscraft.
First 11
Whitefish Bay (4-4-2)
G: Nason Lancina
D: Joe Marx
D: Will Smith
D: Breon Jarvis
D: Yanis Bengana
M: Anthony Carini
M: Mitchell Dryden
M: Charlie Mitchell
M: Henry Triggs
F: Cole Williams
F: Ben Grimm
New Trier (3-5-2)
G: Aidan Crawford
D: Colin Gottshall
D: Ely Wilson
D: Ronan O'Neill
M: Will Pasia
M: Evan Kanellos
M: James Paden
M: Eli Drake
M: Aidan Nicholson
F: Peter Kanellos
F: Matthew Perchik
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Ronan O'Neill, sr., D, New Trier; Matthew Perchik, jr., F, New Trier
Referee:
Marek Zwocisz
Scoring summary
First half
Whitefish Bay :Grimm (U/A) 4'
New Trier: Paden (PK) 28'
New Trier: Perchik (Segall) 30'
New Trier: Paden (PK) 39'
Second half
New Trier: Drake (Perchik) 60'
New Trier: Vichnick (Segall) 80'
against Wisconsin power
Trevians overcome early deficit to post 5-1 Homecoming win
By Mike Garofola
NORTHFIELD -- What a setting.
Two high-profile clubs: Whitefish Bay, one of the top sides from Wisconsin; and New Trier, equally first class and top five in the most recent Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Spectacular weather, Teacher Appreciation Night, and Homecoming in front of a packed house at Robert Naughton Field in Northfield, all the elements were in place for a memorable evening.
The Trevians didn't disappoint with a three-goal first half explosion and two late tallies in superb fashion to defeat the visiting Blue Dukes 5-1. New Trier's fourth win in a row extend its overall record to a sparkling 11-1-1.
The Trevians overcame an early 1-0 deficit to best the first-class Blue Dukes (12-2-1), whose losses on the season came against Illinois sides -- Crystal Lake South (2-1 Sept. 25) and to New Trier.
"(The) scoreboard did not reflect just how good of a team Whitefish really is. With that said, what a terrific effort against obviously a very talented team that we played in 2019, and one that we were really excited to play," began Trevians manager Matt Ravenscraft. "The night was electric.
"Homecoming night, the chance for our guys to be on center stage before a big crowd. The stage was set for the boys, and they came through and gave just a great effort to overcome (their) early goal to play some really terrific soccer."
Whitefish Bay, who were Wisconsin state champs in 2017 and then named no. 1 in the nation following a perfect 25-0-0 record, are managed by the affable Robby Dubinski, who was named the 2018 National High School Coach of the Year by NHSCA, and Great Lakes Coach of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches.
This is the sixth year Dubinski is in charge of the boys program at Whitefish Bay, located in Milwaukee County. In the spring, will begin his 8th year as the manager of the defending state champion girls program; he also was named the NFHS Wisconsin girls coach of the year.
"Great start tonight, (not) so great afterwards to be sure," said Dubinski, whose men claimed a 2-0 victory the night before against Nicolet High School.
"Did the game last night and the two-hour bus ride down factor into our result? Maybe. But we came out strong. Had that questionable PK to deal with, (but) when they put their next two in after that energy began to slowly go away.
"New Trier has great tradition, and Matt has a very good team. That's a big reason we want to get games against opponents like New Trier and Crystal Lake South last week. While the loss was a tough one for us, there was a lot to learn from this game that we'll take with us."
Dubinski has four superb talents on his club this fall to go along with quality up and down his 2021 roster. His leaders are seniors Mitchell Dryden and Ben Grimm, junior Will Smith, whom he figures to be the best defender in the state and sophomore Breon Jarvis, who he believes is a future all-state player.
Dryden was an All-American in the fall of 2020, while Grimm, who leads the Blue Dukes in goals and assists, was a first team all-conference and all-state player a year ago.
It was Grimm who stunned New Trier with a fourth-minute goal when the home side failed to deal with first and second balls into the area. That could be a dagger for some clubs, but the New Trier's leaders took charge immediately to stave off any additional damage.
"We have great leaders in our captains Aidan (Crawford), James (Paden) and Ronan O'Neill," said Ravenscraft. "They quickly realized the importance of bringing everyone together into a huddle and making a strong statement to their teammates. I knew immediately we would be in good shape," said a proud Ravenscraft.
"Aidan, James and myself are the captains, and we wanted to take all the negative stuff (away) after that bad early first goal," said O'Neill, who would shared Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors with Matthew Perchik. "It's what we're supposed to do as the leaders of the team, and the guys really responded well to that quick huddle we had down in our end."
The Trevians were highly influenced by the pace and purpose from their front-runners Peter Kanellos and Perchik, who were the pressing machines in the 3-5-2 formation. Along with a hard-working quintet in the middle, the home side came to life.
After Grimm tricked his way free to drive his effort just wide in the 13th minute, and teammate Joe Marx took a free kick taht was redirected on goal forced Crawford to make a save, the Trevians got on its front foot.
Perchik broke free from his challenger to unleash a nasty left-footed cracker that Blue Dukes keeper Nason Lancian turned around the post with a full extension to his left.
"Perchik is a natural finisher," said Ravenscraft. "His pace and movement make him so difficult to track throughout the game,
"He is going to find pockets of space in front of the goal. Even when he doesn't score or assist, he'll influence the game in very positive ways."
Two subsequent corners and an early ball out of the back to Ely Wilson for another corner saw the action even out between the two sides.
"We had that great start and could have maybe gone up 2-0, but when we didn't we allowed to stay in the game," said a disappointed Grimm, who along along with Dryden has a number of college offers according to his manager. "They took control with (that) PK, and they never let up after that."
With New Trier growing in confidence, its passing percentage and possession increased. The Trevians used plenty of one-two touches and the width of the field to to stretch the Blue Dukes in their own end.
The first of four yellow card bookings came in the 23rd minute to a Blue Dukes player for dissent. It preceded a call that had Dubinski and his bench howl in disbelief when the center official called a foul that sent James Paden to the spot in the 28th minute.
Peter Kanellos went to the ground in a shoulder-to-shoulder exchange that Dubinski felt was just a good, hard defensive challenge.
Paden drove his effort just under the glove of Lancina to equalize.
Perhaps losing its focus following the disputed PK, the visitors quickly conceded the eventual game-winner when Perchik finished a lovely helper from Karsten Seagall right on the half hour.
"We knew what we wanted to do before the game," said Perchik, who bagged three on Tuesday night in the 4-1 triumph over visiting Maine South that wound up giving the Trevians the Central Suburban League South Division crown. "Although we gave up that bad early goal, we kept our focus, got ourselves back even and went ahead to take control of the game afterwards.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitors two minutes later. Segall whipped in a near-perfect ball that found Perchik, who on the turn fired a shot off
Lancina and into the back of the net.
Ravenscraft and his staff thought Segall earned a PK in the 33th minute when he went down in the box, but their protests were not heard.
A long free kick off the right foot of Whitefish Bay's Smith forced O'Neill to head over the endline for a Blue Dukes corner. It ended with a half-chance on frame from Henry Triggs.
In the 39th minute, the assistant referee on the far side raised his flag immediately and called what appeared to be an inadvertent hand ball a deliberate one. Once again Paden strode to the spot where he smashed home another to freeze the scoreboard at 3-1 at the break.
"Those were a couple of tough PKs against us," said Grimm. "Although it turned the game around on us, it was no excuse for our overall play tonight."
Chasing two goals, the visitors came out of the break with more urgency with Grimm, Dryden, Vincent Cragg and David Kleiner showing flashes of promise. It wasn't long before O'Neill and his backline mates were called upon to defend the area in and around keeper Aidan Crawford.
"Ronan is such a tremendous athlete and his ability to read the game continues to improve," said Ravenscraft of O'Neill.
"Not only is his 1-v-1 defense outstanding, he also helps us on the ball in possession. (It's) been a real joy watching his game evolve this season, and I know the best is yet to come from him."
Cragg sent in a wonderful ball to the spot that required New Trier's Colin Gottshall to parry away with authority. It was followed by a snap-shot cracker by Dryden that Crawford turned away in the 51st minute.
Dryden ran onto a long ball out of the back and unloaded a guided 30-yard missile directly on frame that Crawford pushed over the bar with a magnificent leap.
"We have a very good backline, but Aidan does such a great job for us," said Ravenscraft.
The Trevians brought the contest back into their control after a few nervous moments because of the work rate of their midfield group. It outnumbered Whitefish Bay in the middle of the park and created difficulty finding gaps and having time and space to put Grimm or Dryden through.
"We were a little frustrated with their 3-5-2 formation that saw their wingers drop deep at times and get forward quickly to add numbers," said rimm.
"We struggled with that tonight."
"Our guys on the onside worked really hard tonight on both sides on the ball," O'Neill said. "As the game went on, it seemed to give us more of an advantage"
When Perchik saw an opportunity to expose the Blue Dukes in their own end, the senior provided a lovely ball to Eli Drake who ran onto the helper and drove home a wonder goal on the hour.
Whitefish Bay keeper Lancina was superb one last time on this night when he took a goal out of the net with a remarkable lunge in full extension to stop Kevin Farina's close-range effort.
The Blue Dukes keeper had no chance on the fifth and final goal of this contest. Ian Vichnick scored his first of the year in the 80th minute; it came with a brilliant finish off another terrific Segall assist.
"We wish we could have played more to our level, but credit New Trier for some of that," began Dubinski, whose club will face rival Slinger High School on Tuesday night.
"Again, we want to get quality opponents to play in order to prepare for our postseason in Wisconsin, and as I said before, we'll come away with this learning things about ourselves. We'll clean things up as we move forward."
"We're glad to have come down to play Matt. They're gracious hosts, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them."
New Trier allowed itself a few moments to savor the win.
"We did the little things really well tonight, and it was fun to put a few (in) and to play before a big crowd," said O'Neill.
"It was a great night, and one that a lot of the guys got a chance to play in a great atmosphere," added Perchik. "I am really happy for Eli, who scored a great goal, and of course, Ian, who got his first varsity goal of his career."
Added Ravenscraft: "After that poor start to this game, the guys turned in a terrific performance before an appreciative Homecoming crowd, which had to be a great thrill for all of them.
"After never really having a chance to train last spring, and just playing games, it's been fun to see this team come together during our training sessions and games and to get ourselves ready for second half of our season in the playoffs."
The Trevians completed their busy week when they completed an out-of-state double with a 3-0 win over visiting St. Francis de Sales, of Toledo, Ohio, Saturday.
Perchik has also been very active. He has been named Man of the Match in the last three New Trier games covered by Chicagoland Soccer: a 1-0 win over Glenbrook South on Sept. 21; the 2-1 win over Glenbrook North on Sept. 23; and the shared prize against Whitefish Bay on Friday.
The Trevians will meet CSL North Division champion Niles North on Wednesday to see who will lift the league trophy for the 2021 fall campaign.
"Robby is such a great guy, and he always has a highly competitive team. We always look forward to playing them," began Ravenscraft.
First 11
Whitefish Bay (4-4-2)
G: Nason Lancina
D: Joe Marx
D: Will Smith
D: Breon Jarvis
D: Yanis Bengana
M: Anthony Carini
M: Mitchell Dryden
M: Charlie Mitchell
M: Henry Triggs
F: Cole Williams
F: Ben Grimm
New Trier (3-5-2)
G: Aidan Crawford
D: Colin Gottshall
D: Ely Wilson
D: Ronan O'Neill
M: Will Pasia
M: Evan Kanellos
M: James Paden
M: Eli Drake
M: Aidan Nicholson
F: Peter Kanellos
F: Matthew Perchik
Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Ronan O'Neill, sr., D, New Trier; Matthew Perchik, jr., F, New Trier
Referee:
Marek Zwocisz
Scoring summary
First half
Whitefish Bay :Grimm (U/A) 4'
New Trier: Paden (PK) 28'
New Trier: Perchik (Segall) 30'
New Trier: Paden (PK) 39'
Second half
New Trier: Drake (Perchik) 60'
New Trier: Vichnick (Segall) 80'