Wheaton Academy bests Batavia
Warriors win 3-0 in battle of 'new' teams
By Steve Nemeth
BATAVIA -- Season previews for both Wheaton Academy and host Batavia would note seniors and starters lost casting both teams as beginning a new era.
Granted, there are notable changes for Wheaton Academy, but far fewer and it showed as the visitors blanked the Bulldogs 3-0 in Tuesday’s season-opener for both sides.
Yes a new era for the Warriors began as Cody Snouffer chalked up his first victory as head coach for Wheaton Academy (1-0-0).
Chicagoland Soccer All-State brothers Seamus and Jack Kilgallon are gone, but the Warriors, ranked no. 50 in the Chicagoland Soccer state-wide preseason poll, did have one of their seven All-Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division honorees back in the lineup, and he proved himself ready to lead the charge.
Logan Finnegan boomed a direct kick for an eventual match-winner and added another goal after halftime in order to pace the Warriors and earn Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match accolade.
Batavia (0-1-0) need not dwell on the setback, but instead looked ahead to a Wednesday night home date with Neuqua Valley as a chance for a reboot.
“There were a few too many firsts for us tonight,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco acknowledged. “A lot of first varsity matches, a lot of first time in a new role, a lot of first extended minutes. We simply need to remember the season is a marathon not a sprint, and all is fixable.”
Actually Batavia more than held its own when Wheaton Academy was the aggressor from the opening whistle. The Warriors steadily compiled chances as well as shots on goal throughout the opening 40 minutes. Just over four minutes in Bulldog starting goalie Brody Seitzinger snared a threat from a corner kick by Wheaton’s Sam Froslid.
A minute later the Warriors were fortunate a Batavia gamble didn’t put them in the hole. Mark Lillig took a shot from the right wing that nearly found the upper 90 on the far left post. The next few opportunities belonged to Wheaton Academy and another Froslid rocket was denied thanks to a stellar dive to his left by Seitzinger.
A through-ball from Batavia's Austin Saenz led to a fastbreak by Lillig but that attempt to the near post was snuffed by Warrior goalie Andrew Hoekstra.
There was 12:09 elapsed when Wheaton Academy earned a direct free kick and Finnegan converted from 23 yards. The senior whipped his shot to the left of the defensive wall and curved it just enough to sail inside the far post.
“We practice set pieces a lot and coach has a lot of confidence in us being able to place the ball, and that’s basically what I did,” Finnegan said.
“If there’s one word we used since summer as for what we’re about, it would be trust,” Warriors coach Snouffer explained. “In many ways this is a new team. There are jv or freshman new to varsity; we’ve got seniors taking their turn as leaders. We need to share the ball and not care who is on either end of a pass. We need to have each other’s back. I thought we did a great job of playing as a team.”
On two occasions, Wheaton Academy’s Allen Rodriguez raced down a sideline before angling in from the right for blistering tries that Seitzinger either blocked or snared. At the opposite end, there was 6:11 left before halftime when Batavia’s Lillig had a 41-yard free kick sail just over a defensive wall but become a one-hop save by Hoekstra.
The difference throughout the first half was that the host's best chances were spread out and in between Wheaton Academy's multiple attacks. Over the course of the remainder, Finnegan had another solid try from the left wing that required saving and not long after, a cross from the right that went begging for a re-direct.
“Brody (Seitzinger) certainly deserves a pat on the back. We could’ve been down three or four if not for some great saves,” Gianfrancesco insisted.
In keeping with the game plan, Logan Saenz took over Batavia’s goal for the second half and the Warriors wanted to test him immediately. A Froslid pass became the set-up for a Giovanni Nicoski cut to the middle from where the Wheaton Academy sophomore sent a wicked missile inside the far right post. That strike came just 1:20 after intermission.
Saenz showed no signs of being rattled and made several saves or raced out to cut off potentially dangerous balls. On a couple occasions, Wheaton Academy’s Daniel Rychenkov used his speed for tough-angle attempts.
The Warriors ensured their triumph with 19:11 left in regulation when Rychenkov made a cross from the right flank to Finnegan’s feet for a 13-yarder slotted by Saenz.
“That was just a beautiful ball from Danny, perfectly timed,” Finnegan said. “Sometimes on a textbook play there are is a little nervousness not to mishit it, but on that one I knew the touch was true.
“There’s nothing like the feeling of scoring the first goal to open up our attack. Adding another makes the win even better, especially as an away game.”
Statistically Wheaton Academy owned a 16-7 advantage for overall shot attempts and a 12-3 edge for tries on goal.
“Getting a win is most important, but I celebrate a shutout with the defensive line in front of me,” said Hoekstra, who spent last year as back-up to All-MSC Blue Division goalie R.J. Simmons. “We make sure our communication is good, knowing what’s going on back post or on either side is the key.”
Snouffer, who received water-bottle spritzing instead of a Gatorade bath for his coaching debut victory, was also pleased with his keeper and defense. However, he had praise for another Warrior.
“Andrew (Ramirez) completed pass after pass for us, won 50-50 balls, basically did all the thankless jobs that go into a victory,” Snouffer said.
Unlike Batavia, Wheaton Academy has a day off before a Thursday visit to Geneva for its second match.
Although not as noticeable statistically or on the scoreboard, the Bulldogs were stronger after the break as Gianfrancesco noted.
“Wheaton created quite a few chances throughout the first half. Their attack was pretty steady and varied," he said. "We didn’t allow them to be as effective in the second half.
“I thought we applied what we talked about at halftime pretty well. For the most part, our effort was good. As I said before, we have a lot of season ahead of us.”
That’s also the approach two of his seniors took.
“To me, one big thing to build on is that when we got the ball forward. It showed we could break them down,” Quinn Carlson said. “But when we do that, we also have to put more shots on frame. Wheaton played a lot of balls over our heads, so that’s something we can fix right away.”
Fellow defender Hector Rosales was equally optimistic.
“I believe it’s important we stay positive and remember this is really a brand new team,” Rosales said. “We graduated 16, so we have tons of newcomers, and our chemistry will improve. As one of only four returnees and a senior, I consider it my responsibility to help everyone know we will play better each time out.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
GK: Andrew Hoekstra
D Soren Winquist-Bailey
D Kaiden Massie
D Jack Liechty
D Solomon Pitts
M Logan Finnegan
M Andrew Ramirez
M Haethen Nasr
M Sam Froslid
F Giovani Nicoski
F Daniel Rychenkov
Batavia
GK: Brody Seizinger
D Austin Saenz
D Ethan Wright
D Hector Rosales
D Quinn Carlson
D Will Chandler
M Kyle Nicely
M Ryan Kahley
M Rodrigo Maldonado
F Mark Lillig
F Isaac Hager
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Logan Finnegan, sr. MF, Wheaton Academy
Referees: Kevin O’Connor (center), Juan Dominguez, Christie Ernst
Game summary
Wheaton Academy 3, Batavia 0
Wheaton Academy 1 2 -- 3 (1-0-0)
Batavia 0 0 -- 0 (0-1-0)
Scoring
First half
WA - Finnegan 23-yard direct kick past defensive wall inside far left post (unassisted),, 11:29 gone
Second half
WA - Nicoski cut back into middle for 21-yard blast (Froslid assist), 41:20 gone
WA - Finnegan 13-yarder from left of center slotted by keeper (Rychenkov assist), 60:49 gone
Shots
WA 9 – 7 -- 16
B 4 – 3 -- 7
Shots on goal
WA 7 – 5 -- 12
B 2 – 1 -- 3
Saves (goalie)
WA (Hoekstra) 2 – 1 -- 3
B (Seitzinger 6) 6 – (L. Saenz 3) 3 -- 9
Corner kicks
WA 1 – 0 -- 1
B 0 – 1 -- 1
Offsides
WA 1 – 4 -- 5
B 0 – 0 -- 0
Warriors win 3-0 in battle of 'new' teams
By Steve Nemeth
BATAVIA -- Season previews for both Wheaton Academy and host Batavia would note seniors and starters lost casting both teams as beginning a new era.
Granted, there are notable changes for Wheaton Academy, but far fewer and it showed as the visitors blanked the Bulldogs 3-0 in Tuesday’s season-opener for both sides.
Yes a new era for the Warriors began as Cody Snouffer chalked up his first victory as head coach for Wheaton Academy (1-0-0).
Chicagoland Soccer All-State brothers Seamus and Jack Kilgallon are gone, but the Warriors, ranked no. 50 in the Chicagoland Soccer state-wide preseason poll, did have one of their seven All-Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division honorees back in the lineup, and he proved himself ready to lead the charge.
Logan Finnegan boomed a direct kick for an eventual match-winner and added another goal after halftime in order to pace the Warriors and earn Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match accolade.
Batavia (0-1-0) need not dwell on the setback, but instead looked ahead to a Wednesday night home date with Neuqua Valley as a chance for a reboot.
“There were a few too many firsts for us tonight,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco acknowledged. “A lot of first varsity matches, a lot of first time in a new role, a lot of first extended minutes. We simply need to remember the season is a marathon not a sprint, and all is fixable.”
Actually Batavia more than held its own when Wheaton Academy was the aggressor from the opening whistle. The Warriors steadily compiled chances as well as shots on goal throughout the opening 40 minutes. Just over four minutes in Bulldog starting goalie Brody Seitzinger snared a threat from a corner kick by Wheaton’s Sam Froslid.
A minute later the Warriors were fortunate a Batavia gamble didn’t put them in the hole. Mark Lillig took a shot from the right wing that nearly found the upper 90 on the far left post. The next few opportunities belonged to Wheaton Academy and another Froslid rocket was denied thanks to a stellar dive to his left by Seitzinger.
A through-ball from Batavia's Austin Saenz led to a fastbreak by Lillig but that attempt to the near post was snuffed by Warrior goalie Andrew Hoekstra.
There was 12:09 elapsed when Wheaton Academy earned a direct free kick and Finnegan converted from 23 yards. The senior whipped his shot to the left of the defensive wall and curved it just enough to sail inside the far post.
“We practice set pieces a lot and coach has a lot of confidence in us being able to place the ball, and that’s basically what I did,” Finnegan said.
“If there’s one word we used since summer as for what we’re about, it would be trust,” Warriors coach Snouffer explained. “In many ways this is a new team. There are jv or freshman new to varsity; we’ve got seniors taking their turn as leaders. We need to share the ball and not care who is on either end of a pass. We need to have each other’s back. I thought we did a great job of playing as a team.”
On two occasions, Wheaton Academy’s Allen Rodriguez raced down a sideline before angling in from the right for blistering tries that Seitzinger either blocked or snared. At the opposite end, there was 6:11 left before halftime when Batavia’s Lillig had a 41-yard free kick sail just over a defensive wall but become a one-hop save by Hoekstra.
The difference throughout the first half was that the host's best chances were spread out and in between Wheaton Academy's multiple attacks. Over the course of the remainder, Finnegan had another solid try from the left wing that required saving and not long after, a cross from the right that went begging for a re-direct.
“Brody (Seitzinger) certainly deserves a pat on the back. We could’ve been down three or four if not for some great saves,” Gianfrancesco insisted.
In keeping with the game plan, Logan Saenz took over Batavia’s goal for the second half and the Warriors wanted to test him immediately. A Froslid pass became the set-up for a Giovanni Nicoski cut to the middle from where the Wheaton Academy sophomore sent a wicked missile inside the far right post. That strike came just 1:20 after intermission.
Saenz showed no signs of being rattled and made several saves or raced out to cut off potentially dangerous balls. On a couple occasions, Wheaton Academy’s Daniel Rychenkov used his speed for tough-angle attempts.
The Warriors ensured their triumph with 19:11 left in regulation when Rychenkov made a cross from the right flank to Finnegan’s feet for a 13-yarder slotted by Saenz.
“That was just a beautiful ball from Danny, perfectly timed,” Finnegan said. “Sometimes on a textbook play there are is a little nervousness not to mishit it, but on that one I knew the touch was true.
“There’s nothing like the feeling of scoring the first goal to open up our attack. Adding another makes the win even better, especially as an away game.”
Statistically Wheaton Academy owned a 16-7 advantage for overall shot attempts and a 12-3 edge for tries on goal.
“Getting a win is most important, but I celebrate a shutout with the defensive line in front of me,” said Hoekstra, who spent last year as back-up to All-MSC Blue Division goalie R.J. Simmons. “We make sure our communication is good, knowing what’s going on back post or on either side is the key.”
Snouffer, who received water-bottle spritzing instead of a Gatorade bath for his coaching debut victory, was also pleased with his keeper and defense. However, he had praise for another Warrior.
“Andrew (Ramirez) completed pass after pass for us, won 50-50 balls, basically did all the thankless jobs that go into a victory,” Snouffer said.
Unlike Batavia, Wheaton Academy has a day off before a Thursday visit to Geneva for its second match.
Although not as noticeable statistically or on the scoreboard, the Bulldogs were stronger after the break as Gianfrancesco noted.
“Wheaton created quite a few chances throughout the first half. Their attack was pretty steady and varied," he said. "We didn’t allow them to be as effective in the second half.
“I thought we applied what we talked about at halftime pretty well. For the most part, our effort was good. As I said before, we have a lot of season ahead of us.”
That’s also the approach two of his seniors took.
“To me, one big thing to build on is that when we got the ball forward. It showed we could break them down,” Quinn Carlson said. “But when we do that, we also have to put more shots on frame. Wheaton played a lot of balls over our heads, so that’s something we can fix right away.”
Fellow defender Hector Rosales was equally optimistic.
“I believe it’s important we stay positive and remember this is really a brand new team,” Rosales said. “We graduated 16, so we have tons of newcomers, and our chemistry will improve. As one of only four returnees and a senior, I consider it my responsibility to help everyone know we will play better each time out.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
GK: Andrew Hoekstra
D Soren Winquist-Bailey
D Kaiden Massie
D Jack Liechty
D Solomon Pitts
M Logan Finnegan
M Andrew Ramirez
M Haethen Nasr
M Sam Froslid
F Giovani Nicoski
F Daniel Rychenkov
Batavia
GK: Brody Seizinger
D Austin Saenz
D Ethan Wright
D Hector Rosales
D Quinn Carlson
D Will Chandler
M Kyle Nicely
M Ryan Kahley
M Rodrigo Maldonado
F Mark Lillig
F Isaac Hager
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Logan Finnegan, sr. MF, Wheaton Academy
Referees: Kevin O’Connor (center), Juan Dominguez, Christie Ernst
Game summary
Wheaton Academy 3, Batavia 0
Wheaton Academy 1 2 -- 3 (1-0-0)
Batavia 0 0 -- 0 (0-1-0)
Scoring
First half
WA - Finnegan 23-yard direct kick past defensive wall inside far left post (unassisted),, 11:29 gone
Second half
WA - Nicoski cut back into middle for 21-yard blast (Froslid assist), 41:20 gone
WA - Finnegan 13-yarder from left of center slotted by keeper (Rychenkov assist), 60:49 gone
Shots
WA 9 – 7 -- 16
B 4 – 3 -- 7
Shots on goal
WA 7 – 5 -- 12
B 2 – 1 -- 3
Saves (goalie)
WA (Hoekstra) 2 – 1 -- 3
B (Seitzinger 6) 6 – (L. Saenz 3) 3 -- 9
Corner kicks
WA 1 – 0 -- 1
B 0 – 1 -- 1
Offsides
WA 1 – 4 -- 5
B 0 – 0 -- 0