Time is on Loyola’s side
against St. Ignatius
Ramblers capture Catholic Blue Division title with 1-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Rarely has a moment felt so long in the making.
Try three weeks and more than 90 minutes of game time.
On September 20, Loyola arrived on the Near West Side of the city to play at St. Ignatius.
Ominous clouds rolled in, the rain started to pelt the field and then the lightning and thunder clashed.
After a long delay, the game was officially postponed with 14:24 remaining in the first half.
Jump ahead several weeks. The soccer gods seemed once again defiantly scornful, with the weather again threatening and ugly.
By the consent of the two coaches, the game started over from scratch.
The decision seemed a fitting action for Loyola.
The senior class has experienced quite the tumult with the pandemic spring season last year and an extremely unusual coaching carousel.
Change was a constant.
“We’re a team that knows how to deal with adversity, with the three coaches in three years,” senior forward Joseph Vehovsky said.
“A lot of guys have been through it, and I think it’s a big thing for the program.”
The Ramblers have two sides as a freewheeling group and an experimental team looking for its identity outside of the conference.
In the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division, Loyola stood tall.
“We had a slow start to the season,” senior midfielder Guillermo Echevarria-Robinson said.
“We changed formations a couple of times, and we moved players around in terms of positioning. We knew going into the conference there were teams we knew how to play against, or teams we played against before.”
Echevarria-Robinson drilled a half volley from about 17 yards from the right wing in the 66th minute for a 1-0 victory over St. Ignatius on a rain-soaked afternoon.
Vehovsky slotted the ball for the assist.
“The ball took a bounce in front of me, and sometimes you just have to hit as hard as you can and hope for the best,” Echevarria-Robinson.
As the shot-creator who was officially credited with the assist, Vehovsky earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match prize for his strong two-way play.
Needing only a tie to secure the conference crown, the Ramblers (6-7-4, 4-1-1) removed any doubt.
Loyola withstood the early pressure and the outstanding play of Wolfpack star Oscar Quinn Pasin to record out the victory.
“A week ago I told everybody we could play for a tie, and I am going to put it up for a vote,” first-year coach Dan Riskind said.
“Everybody said ‘No, let’s go for the win.’ I was very happy. After that, I never talked about results again.”
The players did not want to have any ambiguity or outstanding questions about their conference title.
They were not going to back in.
“We knew if we came into the game trying to overcomplicate it, like parking the bus (on defense), it would lead us to conceding goals,” Echevarria-Robinson said.
St. Ignatius (7-5-5, 2-2-2) entered the game controlling its own destiny.
The Wolfpack had one significant disadvantage with the absence of high-scoring forward Russell Robertson.
Typically a midfielder, Quinn Pasin pushed forward to the top of the formation and had a profound impact at the start of the game.
In the 15th minute, he intercepted a Loyola ball and raced down the left edge toward the Ramblers’ goal.
He was clipped from behind in the shadow of the box — one of those bang-bang plays where a player was on the verge of being awarded a penalty kick in the referee's eyes.
Instead, defender Leo Diaz took the resulting free kick from about 21 yards from the left edge.
His shot carried just over the crossbar in the 15th minute.
Junior Colin Chough, one of the few experienced players who either started or was part of the rotation a year ago, also created some intriguing plays off movement.
Quinn Pasin, the Wolfpack’s leading scorer was under constant surveillance from the Ramblers’ back.
At roughly the midway juncture of the first half, a subtle though unmistakable shift spotlighted the level of play and high-end talent of Loyola.
Echevarria-Robinson, Vehovsky and forward Olivier Szorc created a powerful wedge that pushed numbers forward.
The three took the action to St. Ignatius.
“The three of us just practice on connecting,” Echevarria-Robinson said.
“In the second half, we connected probably four or five times. Joe had a good chance, Ollie had a couple, and I connected on a couple there. I missed a cross.”
Quinn Pasin remained dangerous, and the focal point of the Ramblers’ defense.
Loyola began to assert its own will and shaped the subtle and outsized contours of the game.
In the second half, Loyola generated five corner kicks to just one by the Wolfpack.
As the aggressor, the Ramblers directed the discourse.
It fit a pattern, at least in the Blue Division games.
Loyola had greater purpose, direction and point of view.
Most significantly, the Ramblers entered these games with a direct, common-sense approach.
The past did not matter. They only looked at what was right in front of them.
The team started anew in the conference games. Everything else was just a sideshow.
“When it mattered most, we had a greater sense of urgency,” Echevarria-Robinson said.
“We played tough teams before the conference, and we knew we were contenders in the conference.”
The Wolfpack had one beguiling and considerable weapon at their disposal — senior keeper Liam McConnell.
He had seven saves, including several from direct, point-blank range as the Ramblers fired away, seemingly at will.
The Loyola pressure was constant and unyielding. Just minutes before the goal, Echevarria-Robinson pushed another shot from the middle of the box just wide of the frame.
The game was a microcosm of the larger season.
Repetition, tenacity and toughness prevailed.
“After the slow start, the three of us realized the wins and losses are going to come from us,” Vehovsky said of the triumvirate of himself, Szorc and Echevarria-Robinson.
“The goals are also going to come from us. The moment we came together is when everything clicked. That’s when we started scoring goals and winning games.”
The joy and satisfaction mitigated the disappointment from the earlier stretches of the season.
Loyola had needed time to jell and find itself.
“I think there were a lot of things,” Riskind said. “It was my first year here, so it was me getting used to the players and them getting used to me.
“I’ve changed players around, and we had some injuries. It’s a process. Each game there are different things to work on, and we are getting a feel for this team.”
Among the disruptions, the culture and the continuity of actions, Loyola found something deep and lasting.
“We’ve had three different coaches the last couple of years,” Szorc said. “At the end of the day, it’s the same players.
“These are the guys I have played with and even against. Having that chemistry is what I’m going to remember the most.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Jason Brunger
D: Daniel Ryczek
D: William Drehkoff
D: Clinton Birchard
D: Daniel Birmingham
MF: Luke Ojala
MF: Townes Robertson
MF: Andrew Newton
MF: Guillermo Echevarria-Robinson
F: Olivier Szorc
F: Joseph Vehovsky
St. Ignatius
GK: Liam McConnell
D: Enzo Santillan
D: Lucas Hanna
D: Bryce Lynch
D: Leonardo Diaz
MF: Roman Marsh
MF: Brock Richards
MF: Colin Chough
MF: Nathan Schneider
MF: Nick Rezza
F: Oscar Quinn Pasin
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Joseph Vehovsky, sr., F, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Loyola—Guillermo Echevarria-Robinson (Joseph Vehovsky), 66th minute
against St. Ignatius
Ramblers capture Catholic Blue Division title with 1-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Rarely has a moment felt so long in the making.
Try three weeks and more than 90 minutes of game time.
On September 20, Loyola arrived on the Near West Side of the city to play at St. Ignatius.
Ominous clouds rolled in, the rain started to pelt the field and then the lightning and thunder clashed.
After a long delay, the game was officially postponed with 14:24 remaining in the first half.
Jump ahead several weeks. The soccer gods seemed once again defiantly scornful, with the weather again threatening and ugly.
By the consent of the two coaches, the game started over from scratch.
The decision seemed a fitting action for Loyola.
The senior class has experienced quite the tumult with the pandemic spring season last year and an extremely unusual coaching carousel.
Change was a constant.
“We’re a team that knows how to deal with adversity, with the three coaches in three years,” senior forward Joseph Vehovsky said.
“A lot of guys have been through it, and I think it’s a big thing for the program.”
The Ramblers have two sides as a freewheeling group and an experimental team looking for its identity outside of the conference.
In the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division, Loyola stood tall.
“We had a slow start to the season,” senior midfielder Guillermo Echevarria-Robinson said.
“We changed formations a couple of times, and we moved players around in terms of positioning. We knew going into the conference there were teams we knew how to play against, or teams we played against before.”
Echevarria-Robinson drilled a half volley from about 17 yards from the right wing in the 66th minute for a 1-0 victory over St. Ignatius on a rain-soaked afternoon.
Vehovsky slotted the ball for the assist.
“The ball took a bounce in front of me, and sometimes you just have to hit as hard as you can and hope for the best,” Echevarria-Robinson.
As the shot-creator who was officially credited with the assist, Vehovsky earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match prize for his strong two-way play.
Needing only a tie to secure the conference crown, the Ramblers (6-7-4, 4-1-1) removed any doubt.
Loyola withstood the early pressure and the outstanding play of Wolfpack star Oscar Quinn Pasin to record out the victory.
“A week ago I told everybody we could play for a tie, and I am going to put it up for a vote,” first-year coach Dan Riskind said.
“Everybody said ‘No, let’s go for the win.’ I was very happy. After that, I never talked about results again.”
The players did not want to have any ambiguity or outstanding questions about their conference title.
They were not going to back in.
“We knew if we came into the game trying to overcomplicate it, like parking the bus (on defense), it would lead us to conceding goals,” Echevarria-Robinson said.
St. Ignatius (7-5-5, 2-2-2) entered the game controlling its own destiny.
The Wolfpack had one significant disadvantage with the absence of high-scoring forward Russell Robertson.
Typically a midfielder, Quinn Pasin pushed forward to the top of the formation and had a profound impact at the start of the game.
In the 15th minute, he intercepted a Loyola ball and raced down the left edge toward the Ramblers’ goal.
He was clipped from behind in the shadow of the box — one of those bang-bang plays where a player was on the verge of being awarded a penalty kick in the referee's eyes.
Instead, defender Leo Diaz took the resulting free kick from about 21 yards from the left edge.
His shot carried just over the crossbar in the 15th minute.
Junior Colin Chough, one of the few experienced players who either started or was part of the rotation a year ago, also created some intriguing plays off movement.
Quinn Pasin, the Wolfpack’s leading scorer was under constant surveillance from the Ramblers’ back.
At roughly the midway juncture of the first half, a subtle though unmistakable shift spotlighted the level of play and high-end talent of Loyola.
Echevarria-Robinson, Vehovsky and forward Olivier Szorc created a powerful wedge that pushed numbers forward.
The three took the action to St. Ignatius.
“The three of us just practice on connecting,” Echevarria-Robinson said.
“In the second half, we connected probably four or five times. Joe had a good chance, Ollie had a couple, and I connected on a couple there. I missed a cross.”
Quinn Pasin remained dangerous, and the focal point of the Ramblers’ defense.
Loyola began to assert its own will and shaped the subtle and outsized contours of the game.
In the second half, Loyola generated five corner kicks to just one by the Wolfpack.
As the aggressor, the Ramblers directed the discourse.
It fit a pattern, at least in the Blue Division games.
Loyola had greater purpose, direction and point of view.
Most significantly, the Ramblers entered these games with a direct, common-sense approach.
The past did not matter. They only looked at what was right in front of them.
The team started anew in the conference games. Everything else was just a sideshow.
“When it mattered most, we had a greater sense of urgency,” Echevarria-Robinson said.
“We played tough teams before the conference, and we knew we were contenders in the conference.”
The Wolfpack had one beguiling and considerable weapon at their disposal — senior keeper Liam McConnell.
He had seven saves, including several from direct, point-blank range as the Ramblers fired away, seemingly at will.
The Loyola pressure was constant and unyielding. Just minutes before the goal, Echevarria-Robinson pushed another shot from the middle of the box just wide of the frame.
The game was a microcosm of the larger season.
Repetition, tenacity and toughness prevailed.
“After the slow start, the three of us realized the wins and losses are going to come from us,” Vehovsky said of the triumvirate of himself, Szorc and Echevarria-Robinson.
“The goals are also going to come from us. The moment we came together is when everything clicked. That’s when we started scoring goals and winning games.”
The joy and satisfaction mitigated the disappointment from the earlier stretches of the season.
Loyola had needed time to jell and find itself.
“I think there were a lot of things,” Riskind said. “It was my first year here, so it was me getting used to the players and them getting used to me.
“I’ve changed players around, and we had some injuries. It’s a process. Each game there are different things to work on, and we are getting a feel for this team.”
Among the disruptions, the culture and the continuity of actions, Loyola found something deep and lasting.
“We’ve had three different coaches the last couple of years,” Szorc said. “At the end of the day, it’s the same players.
“These are the guys I have played with and even against. Having that chemistry is what I’m going to remember the most.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Jason Brunger
D: Daniel Ryczek
D: William Drehkoff
D: Clinton Birchard
D: Daniel Birmingham
MF: Luke Ojala
MF: Townes Robertson
MF: Andrew Newton
MF: Guillermo Echevarria-Robinson
F: Olivier Szorc
F: Joseph Vehovsky
St. Ignatius
GK: Liam McConnell
D: Enzo Santillan
D: Lucas Hanna
D: Bryce Lynch
D: Leonardo Diaz
MF: Roman Marsh
MF: Brock Richards
MF: Colin Chough
MF: Nathan Schneider
MF: Nick Rezza
F: Oscar Quinn Pasin
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Joseph Vehovsky, sr., F, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Loyola—Guillermo Echevarria-Robinson (Joseph Vehovsky), 66th minute