He is DeGroot. LWW star
powers Windy City win vs. Young
Forward scores 4 goals in 7-4 come-from-behind win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BURBANK — With a six to one ratio of sophomore to senior starters, Young figured to be a team that measured success differently this season.
The growing pains were inevitable. Progress was never likely to be linear. The first part of the team equation was developing chemistry and confidence.
Everything else was designed to follow in place.
The team was blessed with some raw and intriguing young talent. Now in his second year directing the program following the retirement of veteran coach Ian McCarthy, Ross LaBauex has the time and opportunity to implement his system.
In a dazzling and unpredictable early season showdown, the highs and lows contradicted each other. On the plus side, the attack showed what it is capable of when the Dolphins are pushing numbers and connecting passes.
The downside is the youth and inexperience of the back and the mental challenges of the game remain a formidable obstacle.
The Dolphins set a new season team standard for goals scored, but they had few answers for the dynamic forward tandem of Lincoln-Way West’s Ross DeGroot and Jack Towner.
DeGroot scored a personal best four goals and Towner added a goal and three assists as the Warriors scored five unanswered goals in the 7-4 victory in the consolation round of the Windy City Ram Classic on Saturday.
The warp speed nature of this game and the back and forth was especially unusual given the tournament format of playing two 30-minute halves.
Senior forward Corey Rudman had an assist and goal for the Dolphins (0-3-0). His 30th minute score put Young up 3-2 at halftime.
Riding that wave into the start of the second half, the Dolphins excelled at moving the ball quickly from side to wide.
In the 35th minute, Rudman slotted a ball on the right wing that junior forward Nikhil Bapat smashed home with a laser shot just inside the near post for a two-goal advantage.
“We scored four goals today, and I was really impressed because in the last two games, we only had one goal combined,” Bapat said.
A quick and gifted talent with a strong shot and creation skills, Bapat accounted for half of the Dolphins’ scoring output.
The Dolphins appeared to be sailing, dictating the tempo and pace, an accelerated one, for sure.
Young started three sophomores and a junior in the back. Sophomore keeper Jackson Sprenger is another newcomer, eager and avid to learn, and finding out the hard way.
Lincoln-Way West (2-1-0) is a difficult matchup due to its size and speed. DeGroot has both.
Moments after Bapat’s second goal, DeGroot broke free down the right edge and seized advantage of a soft spot in the Young back.
Sprenger made a superb stop of his first ball; the shot came back to DeGroot, who made a quick retouch for the goal. Three minutes later, he got deep again and finished an easy cross from Towner.
The two-goal Young lead was vaporized.
“We let our guard down,” Bapat said. “After they scored, we should have been right back to where we started.
“We just weren’t focusing, or in the game mentally 100 percent. I think after we scored at the start of the second half, we became a little too sure that we were going to win.”
Instead the momentum swung, and it never returned to the Dolphins.
“We are never going to give up in a game, whether we are down 17 or one,” Towner said. “Today was just my day, and I realized that.
“I found my spots, and I used them. Ross was also in the right place at the right time.”
Lincoln-Way West has been in the spotlight the last three seasons. In the fall of 2019, the Warriors captured the first sectional in program history.
They took eventual third place finisher Edwardsville to the limit before succumbing in the supersectional. Lincoln-Way West followed up by winning its conference during the spring.
“We’ve been a great team for the last three years now, and we are just keeping it going,” DeGroot said.
His speed and open field play created constant havoc on the Dolphins’ backline. The pressure simply wore out Young, the inexperience and the adjustments were too great to overcome.
“My through runs are where I am really dangerous, and where I typically go with the ball,” DeGroot said.
“I am fast, and the team is great at getting me the ball where I like it.”
Midfielder Anthony DeSilva registered a goal and assist for the Warriors. Lincoln-Way West went up for good after midfielder Carter Fifer found an open seam on the back post and finished in the 43rd minute.
DeGroot punctuated his career day by scoring his final goal in the 52nd minute. He has five goals in the first three games.
He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his play.
“Our team is great at battling back,” he said. “We did that in our game here on Thursday, even though we lost the game (a 3-2 defeat to semifinalist Shepard).
“We got behind, but we did a great job of getting back into the game.”
Saturday’s game was played in searing heat and radiant, bright light. Lincoln-Way West also enjoyed the benefit of the wind in the second half.
Young forward Cesar Lopez also scored for the Dolphins.
Young was not necessarily moving in search of a bright spot. The team showed plenty of encouraging signs, the speed on the outside of the attack, the quick touches and the sudden movement.
LaBauex started six sophomores, four juniors and a senior. The learning curve is steep. The team remains convinced the slow start is just that.
Better times are expected.
“I am hoping that we can start winning some games,” Bapat said. “Looking forward, I’m glad our offense is getting there.
“Hopefully that is going to help us win some games.”
Starting lineups
Young
GK: Jackson Sprenger
D: Nate Chmielowicz
D: Garen Petrulis
D: Sasha Frias-Kaehler
D: Cole Hochman
MF: Gabriel Lopez
MF: Reese Kruschke
F: Diego Delgado
F: Nikhil Bapat
F: Brandon Baarsma
F: Cesar Lopez
Lincoln-Way West
GK: Brad Szubryt
D: Eli Bach
D: Luke Swallow
D: Justin Hahs
D: Caleb Ludwig
MF: Ian Webber
MF: Anthony DeSilva
MF: Jaden Fehrenbacher
MF: Carter Fifer
F: Jack Towner
F: Ross DeGroot
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ross DeGroot, sr., F, Lincoln-Way West
Scoring summary
First half
Young—Nikhil Bapat (unassisted), seventh minute
LWW—Anthony DeSilva (Jack Towner), 10th minute
Young—Cesar Lopez (unassisted), 18th minute
LWW—Ross DeGroot (Towner), 27th minute
Young—Corey Rudman, 30th minute
Second half
Young—Bapat (Rudman), 35th minute
LWW—DeGroot (unassisted), 37th minute
LWW—DeGroot (Towner), 40th minute
LWW—Carter Fifer (DeSilva), 43rd minute
LWW—Towner (unassisted), 49th minute
LWW—DeGroot (Logan Chellino), 52nd minute
powers Windy City win vs. Young
Forward scores 4 goals in 7-4 come-from-behind win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BURBANK — With a six to one ratio of sophomore to senior starters, Young figured to be a team that measured success differently this season.
The growing pains were inevitable. Progress was never likely to be linear. The first part of the team equation was developing chemistry and confidence.
Everything else was designed to follow in place.
The team was blessed with some raw and intriguing young talent. Now in his second year directing the program following the retirement of veteran coach Ian McCarthy, Ross LaBauex has the time and opportunity to implement his system.
In a dazzling and unpredictable early season showdown, the highs and lows contradicted each other. On the plus side, the attack showed what it is capable of when the Dolphins are pushing numbers and connecting passes.
The downside is the youth and inexperience of the back and the mental challenges of the game remain a formidable obstacle.
The Dolphins set a new season team standard for goals scored, but they had few answers for the dynamic forward tandem of Lincoln-Way West’s Ross DeGroot and Jack Towner.
DeGroot scored a personal best four goals and Towner added a goal and three assists as the Warriors scored five unanswered goals in the 7-4 victory in the consolation round of the Windy City Ram Classic on Saturday.
The warp speed nature of this game and the back and forth was especially unusual given the tournament format of playing two 30-minute halves.
Senior forward Corey Rudman had an assist and goal for the Dolphins (0-3-0). His 30th minute score put Young up 3-2 at halftime.
Riding that wave into the start of the second half, the Dolphins excelled at moving the ball quickly from side to wide.
In the 35th minute, Rudman slotted a ball on the right wing that junior forward Nikhil Bapat smashed home with a laser shot just inside the near post for a two-goal advantage.
“We scored four goals today, and I was really impressed because in the last two games, we only had one goal combined,” Bapat said.
A quick and gifted talent with a strong shot and creation skills, Bapat accounted for half of the Dolphins’ scoring output.
The Dolphins appeared to be sailing, dictating the tempo and pace, an accelerated one, for sure.
Young started three sophomores and a junior in the back. Sophomore keeper Jackson Sprenger is another newcomer, eager and avid to learn, and finding out the hard way.
Lincoln-Way West (2-1-0) is a difficult matchup due to its size and speed. DeGroot has both.
Moments after Bapat’s second goal, DeGroot broke free down the right edge and seized advantage of a soft spot in the Young back.
Sprenger made a superb stop of his first ball; the shot came back to DeGroot, who made a quick retouch for the goal. Three minutes later, he got deep again and finished an easy cross from Towner.
The two-goal Young lead was vaporized.
“We let our guard down,” Bapat said. “After they scored, we should have been right back to where we started.
“We just weren’t focusing, or in the game mentally 100 percent. I think after we scored at the start of the second half, we became a little too sure that we were going to win.”
Instead the momentum swung, and it never returned to the Dolphins.
“We are never going to give up in a game, whether we are down 17 or one,” Towner said. “Today was just my day, and I realized that.
“I found my spots, and I used them. Ross was also in the right place at the right time.”
Lincoln-Way West has been in the spotlight the last three seasons. In the fall of 2019, the Warriors captured the first sectional in program history.
They took eventual third place finisher Edwardsville to the limit before succumbing in the supersectional. Lincoln-Way West followed up by winning its conference during the spring.
“We’ve been a great team for the last three years now, and we are just keeping it going,” DeGroot said.
His speed and open field play created constant havoc on the Dolphins’ backline. The pressure simply wore out Young, the inexperience and the adjustments were too great to overcome.
“My through runs are where I am really dangerous, and where I typically go with the ball,” DeGroot said.
“I am fast, and the team is great at getting me the ball where I like it.”
Midfielder Anthony DeSilva registered a goal and assist for the Warriors. Lincoln-Way West went up for good after midfielder Carter Fifer found an open seam on the back post and finished in the 43rd minute.
DeGroot punctuated his career day by scoring his final goal in the 52nd minute. He has five goals in the first three games.
He earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his play.
“Our team is great at battling back,” he said. “We did that in our game here on Thursday, even though we lost the game (a 3-2 defeat to semifinalist Shepard).
“We got behind, but we did a great job of getting back into the game.”
Saturday’s game was played in searing heat and radiant, bright light. Lincoln-Way West also enjoyed the benefit of the wind in the second half.
Young forward Cesar Lopez also scored for the Dolphins.
Young was not necessarily moving in search of a bright spot. The team showed plenty of encouraging signs, the speed on the outside of the attack, the quick touches and the sudden movement.
LaBauex started six sophomores, four juniors and a senior. The learning curve is steep. The team remains convinced the slow start is just that.
Better times are expected.
“I am hoping that we can start winning some games,” Bapat said. “Looking forward, I’m glad our offense is getting there.
“Hopefully that is going to help us win some games.”
Starting lineups
Young
GK: Jackson Sprenger
D: Nate Chmielowicz
D: Garen Petrulis
D: Sasha Frias-Kaehler
D: Cole Hochman
MF: Gabriel Lopez
MF: Reese Kruschke
F: Diego Delgado
F: Nikhil Bapat
F: Brandon Baarsma
F: Cesar Lopez
Lincoln-Way West
GK: Brad Szubryt
D: Eli Bach
D: Luke Swallow
D: Justin Hahs
D: Caleb Ludwig
MF: Ian Webber
MF: Anthony DeSilva
MF: Jaden Fehrenbacher
MF: Carter Fifer
F: Jack Towner
F: Ross DeGroot
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ross DeGroot, sr., F, Lincoln-Way West
Scoring summary
First half
Young—Nikhil Bapat (unassisted), seventh minute
LWW—Anthony DeSilva (Jack Towner), 10th minute
Young—Cesar Lopez (unassisted), 18th minute
LWW—Ross DeGroot (Towner), 27th minute
Young—Corey Rudman, 30th minute
Second half
Young—Bapat (Rudman), 35th minute
LWW—DeGroot (unassisted), 37th minute
LWW—DeGroot (Towner), 40th minute
LWW—Carter Fifer (DeSilva), 43rd minute
LWW—Towner (unassisted), 49th minute
LWW—DeGroot (Logan Chellino), 52nd minute