Cadets envision battle-ready 2018 team
Late success, returnees fuel Marmion optimism
By Steve Nemeth
Albert Einstein said “To look to the future, we must first look back upon the past. That is where the seeds of the future were planted.”
That thinking applies perfectly to the underclassmen from Marmion as they look forward to 2018 with an eager hunger. Their optimism took root in the tail end of what was two different halves to the 2017 Cadets season.
Through the initial 11 matches, first-year head coach Jimmy Romano’s troops struggled to a 1-9-1 start. They were outscored 30-13 and the latter number included eight goals from a win over Bishop McNamara.
Although game 12 against Fenwick also finished in a setback (4-3), it marked a turning point. Unlike many of the previous matches, Marmion claimed a 1-0 lead; but similar to too many others, the Cadets were unable to hold a lead. The Cadets trailed 3-1 early in the second half but erased that deficit before succumbing to a Friars squad that won the Nazareth Regional before losing (2-1) to Solorio in the semifinals of their own sectional.
“That match was indeed a turning point,” Romano insisted. “In coming back from 3-1 we showed true fight and character. We kept fighting for each other. Not only did our potential come out, but everyone came together to the extent it felt like a win.”
A 2-1 road win over Huntley followed and was the first of four victories within the last seven matches.
“In virtually every game up to (game 11) versus St. Ignatius, we allowed a set piece goal,” Romano recalled with frustration. “That Fenwick game, the defense buckled down, and we didn’t give up a soft goal the rest of the way. We started to play nearly 80 solid minutes every time, not 40, not 50, but nearly 80.”
Any coaching change naturally produces some growing pains, but for the Cadets, the changes meant more than just embracing a new philosophy. That first half of the year was spent shuffling positons as well as line-ups. At the heart of it all was the willingness and flexibility of a small senior corps.
“The first half was truly a wake-up call because we knew our scores didn’t reflect our ability or style regardless of playing quality teams,” junior James Serrano said. “Coach constantly talked to us about responsibilities with each formation, so it wasn’t just switch up, it was switch your mentality as well.
“Our seniors made the transition from midfield or forward to the backline -- Matt (Lagman) and especially Luke (Salamon). They solidified our defense forcing opponents to play more long ball,” Serrano explained. “They stepped up and played new roles with honor and pride. I know I looked up to Luke for his passion.”
Romano confirmed the importance and impact of Salamon, Lagman, and Johan Muscutt along with Robert Quintana, who provided depth in back or midfield.
“Their leadership in shoring up the backline took a lot of pressure off,” Romano said. “They made a lot of big plays that kept us close or in games. Their response to flipping roles was great. During the course of the season, I believe Matt literally played every position at some point, be it on the right, left or center up-top, in the middle or in back. I can’t thank them enough for their positive attitude.
“Going into the season I knew there would be a lot of lessons to be learned because of our youth,” Romano added. “Even for some of the returnees, this was their first extensive varsity experience. If success is measured by growth rather than wins and losses, by year’s end we became consistent winners.”
The Cadets’ progress and balance for the last eight matches was reflected in allowing only 18 goals and scoring 14 – one more than produced through the initial 11 contests. The stretch started with the Fenwick defeat and included a lopsided loss to Class AA powerhouse Wheaton Academy --
Among the various Class AA regional quarterfinal pairings, Marmion was the only team seeded three slots lower which managed to knock off a host foe. Although it took overtime, the 10th-seeded Cadets not only beat, but shut out no. 7-seed Burlington Central. It took a goal in the last three minutes for regional host and no. 2-seed Kaneland to post a 2-1 victory that ended Marmion’s year at 5-13-1.
“When the season began and coach had us adapting a more possession-style offense, we didn’t have everything figured out right away,” sophomore Ian Swindle noted. “Had our transition been a little smoother, maybe we not only would have beaten Kaneland but even won the regional. There’s no doubt the way we finished has made us hungry for next year.”
Teammate T.J. Laurich shared many of those same thoughts.
“As we switched formations and found success in practice, we discovered new combinations that helped us take advantage of strengths and limit any weaknesses,” said the sophomore. “We really felt we were getting on a roll and didn’t want the season to end. The seniors stepping up on defense allowed the sophomores and juniors on offense to develop to the point everyone was looking forward to practice. And I think we played some of our best soccer at the end, because we were responding to the pressure of the playoffs.”
Serrano, Swindle and Laurich are one through three among the top five scorers who return and figure to be the cornerstone for Romano’s second Cadet crew. Serrano had team-highs for goals (11), game-winners (four), and points (28). Swindle was next with 15 points (6 goals/3 assists) followed by Laurich at eight points (1/6). David Lawinger (5 points, 2/1) and Jack Kavanaugh (2 goals). That quintet accounted for 22-of-27 goals and 16-of-23 assists.
The top three illustrate the appetite to have Marmion returning to the winning ways of the past, both as stewards of a legacy and the chance to lead.
“As a freshman I was surrounded by seniors who showed me not just how to, but the importance of practicing with high intensity,” Serrano said. “You can’t be lazy in practice or you’ll be lazy in play. Late in the season, some of the younger guys counted on me for scoring. Now that I’m more comfortable, I welcome that role and want to instill confidence in thems, because it really does take a team effort for success.
“I want us to have the mentality that we can win state. Someone may say that sounds crazy, but you have to have that mentality. Number two, win every home game, that’s not impossible, and finally, score more regularly and never give up more than one goal, preferably none,” Serrano said.
“We’ll be keeping the team together through some winter league play,” Swindle vowed. “That way we continue the chemistry we’ve developed. We’ll miss the four seniors big time. They were great soccer players and even better leaders. But Aiden (Reynolds) will be our rock on defense, Serrano will score more, T.J. and Jack will be a solid base in midfield. I’ll play with more confidence and plan to be more direct in contributing to the offense. Jason (Baker in goal) was only a sophomore, and I expect him to continue getting better as well.”
Laurich reinforced many of those views.
“The seniors on defense took leadership at the end of the year. Next season it will be on the offense to set the example,” Laurich said. “Jack and C.J. (Sowers) definitely will play bigger roles and players like James Lawinger will make big strides.”
Romano envisions the younger Lawinger with having a particularly bright future ahead. An occasional starter as a freshman, James Lawinger was often at a size disadvantage. However, his speed was apparent and by year’s end he was a much more assured performer.
“We had three keepers split time for the frosh-soph team and they’ll be pushing Baker for time in goal,” Romano noted. “As the only returnee in back, Aiden will be a key, but Sebastian (Gutierrez) is a big body who can take on a greater role. James never played like a freshman and no doubt his brother David will be stronger the same as Laurich, Serrano and Swindle.
“And there are others like Cristian (Cardenas) who really just took to the game a couple years ago, who I expect to develop and really grow their game. We’ll start next year with a system already in place,” Romano continued. “And that alone puts us so far ahead of where we began 2017.”
Late success, returnees fuel Marmion optimism
By Steve Nemeth
Albert Einstein said “To look to the future, we must first look back upon the past. That is where the seeds of the future were planted.”
That thinking applies perfectly to the underclassmen from Marmion as they look forward to 2018 with an eager hunger. Their optimism took root in the tail end of what was two different halves to the 2017 Cadets season.
Through the initial 11 matches, first-year head coach Jimmy Romano’s troops struggled to a 1-9-1 start. They were outscored 30-13 and the latter number included eight goals from a win over Bishop McNamara.
Although game 12 against Fenwick also finished in a setback (4-3), it marked a turning point. Unlike many of the previous matches, Marmion claimed a 1-0 lead; but similar to too many others, the Cadets were unable to hold a lead. The Cadets trailed 3-1 early in the second half but erased that deficit before succumbing to a Friars squad that won the Nazareth Regional before losing (2-1) to Solorio in the semifinals of their own sectional.
“That match was indeed a turning point,” Romano insisted. “In coming back from 3-1 we showed true fight and character. We kept fighting for each other. Not only did our potential come out, but everyone came together to the extent it felt like a win.”
A 2-1 road win over Huntley followed and was the first of four victories within the last seven matches.
“In virtually every game up to (game 11) versus St. Ignatius, we allowed a set piece goal,” Romano recalled with frustration. “That Fenwick game, the defense buckled down, and we didn’t give up a soft goal the rest of the way. We started to play nearly 80 solid minutes every time, not 40, not 50, but nearly 80.”
Any coaching change naturally produces some growing pains, but for the Cadets, the changes meant more than just embracing a new philosophy. That first half of the year was spent shuffling positons as well as line-ups. At the heart of it all was the willingness and flexibility of a small senior corps.
“The first half was truly a wake-up call because we knew our scores didn’t reflect our ability or style regardless of playing quality teams,” junior James Serrano said. “Coach constantly talked to us about responsibilities with each formation, so it wasn’t just switch up, it was switch your mentality as well.
“Our seniors made the transition from midfield or forward to the backline -- Matt (Lagman) and especially Luke (Salamon). They solidified our defense forcing opponents to play more long ball,” Serrano explained. “They stepped up and played new roles with honor and pride. I know I looked up to Luke for his passion.”
Romano confirmed the importance and impact of Salamon, Lagman, and Johan Muscutt along with Robert Quintana, who provided depth in back or midfield.
“Their leadership in shoring up the backline took a lot of pressure off,” Romano said. “They made a lot of big plays that kept us close or in games. Their response to flipping roles was great. During the course of the season, I believe Matt literally played every position at some point, be it on the right, left or center up-top, in the middle or in back. I can’t thank them enough for their positive attitude.
“Going into the season I knew there would be a lot of lessons to be learned because of our youth,” Romano added. “Even for some of the returnees, this was their first extensive varsity experience. If success is measured by growth rather than wins and losses, by year’s end we became consistent winners.”
The Cadets’ progress and balance for the last eight matches was reflected in allowing only 18 goals and scoring 14 – one more than produced through the initial 11 contests. The stretch started with the Fenwick defeat and included a lopsided loss to Class AA powerhouse Wheaton Academy --
Among the various Class AA regional quarterfinal pairings, Marmion was the only team seeded three slots lower which managed to knock off a host foe. Although it took overtime, the 10th-seeded Cadets not only beat, but shut out no. 7-seed Burlington Central. It took a goal in the last three minutes for regional host and no. 2-seed Kaneland to post a 2-1 victory that ended Marmion’s year at 5-13-1.
“When the season began and coach had us adapting a more possession-style offense, we didn’t have everything figured out right away,” sophomore Ian Swindle noted. “Had our transition been a little smoother, maybe we not only would have beaten Kaneland but even won the regional. There’s no doubt the way we finished has made us hungry for next year.”
Teammate T.J. Laurich shared many of those same thoughts.
“As we switched formations and found success in practice, we discovered new combinations that helped us take advantage of strengths and limit any weaknesses,” said the sophomore. “We really felt we were getting on a roll and didn’t want the season to end. The seniors stepping up on defense allowed the sophomores and juniors on offense to develop to the point everyone was looking forward to practice. And I think we played some of our best soccer at the end, because we were responding to the pressure of the playoffs.”
Serrano, Swindle and Laurich are one through three among the top five scorers who return and figure to be the cornerstone for Romano’s second Cadet crew. Serrano had team-highs for goals (11), game-winners (four), and points (28). Swindle was next with 15 points (6 goals/3 assists) followed by Laurich at eight points (1/6). David Lawinger (5 points, 2/1) and Jack Kavanaugh (2 goals). That quintet accounted for 22-of-27 goals and 16-of-23 assists.
The top three illustrate the appetite to have Marmion returning to the winning ways of the past, both as stewards of a legacy and the chance to lead.
“As a freshman I was surrounded by seniors who showed me not just how to, but the importance of practicing with high intensity,” Serrano said. “You can’t be lazy in practice or you’ll be lazy in play. Late in the season, some of the younger guys counted on me for scoring. Now that I’m more comfortable, I welcome that role and want to instill confidence in thems, because it really does take a team effort for success.
“I want us to have the mentality that we can win state. Someone may say that sounds crazy, but you have to have that mentality. Number two, win every home game, that’s not impossible, and finally, score more regularly and never give up more than one goal, preferably none,” Serrano said.
“We’ll be keeping the team together through some winter league play,” Swindle vowed. “That way we continue the chemistry we’ve developed. We’ll miss the four seniors big time. They were great soccer players and even better leaders. But Aiden (Reynolds) will be our rock on defense, Serrano will score more, T.J. and Jack will be a solid base in midfield. I’ll play with more confidence and plan to be more direct in contributing to the offense. Jason (Baker in goal) was only a sophomore, and I expect him to continue getting better as well.”
Laurich reinforced many of those views.
“The seniors on defense took leadership at the end of the year. Next season it will be on the offense to set the example,” Laurich said. “Jack and C.J. (Sowers) definitely will play bigger roles and players like James Lawinger will make big strides.”
Romano envisions the younger Lawinger with having a particularly bright future ahead. An occasional starter as a freshman, James Lawinger was often at a size disadvantage. However, his speed was apparent and by year’s end he was a much more assured performer.
“We had three keepers split time for the frosh-soph team and they’ll be pushing Baker for time in goal,” Romano noted. “As the only returnee in back, Aiden will be a key, but Sebastian (Gutierrez) is a big body who can take on a greater role. James never played like a freshman and no doubt his brother David will be stronger the same as Laurich, Serrano and Swindle.
“And there are others like Cristian (Cardenas) who really just took to the game a couple years ago, who I expect to develop and really grow their game. We’ll start next year with a system already in place,” Romano continued. “And that alone puts us so far ahead of where we began 2017.”