Glenbrook North, New Trier reconvene
after memorable draw last fall
By Bill McLean
Glenbrook North 3, New Trier 3.
Behold last year’s final score between highly competitive sides New Trier and Glenbrook North.
“Epic,” New Trier assistant boys soccer coach Chris Van Den Berg recalled.
The sequel commences at 7 p.m. Thursday with New Trier (6-1-2, 0-0-1 in the Central Suburban League South Division) ranked no. 7 the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 welcoming unranked Glenbrook North (4-4-1, 0-1-1) to Northfield.
“NT-GBN is always one of the highlights of the soccer season because so many of the players for each squad know each other through the club system and grew up having been either teammates or opponents for years,” Van Den Berg said.
“It’s always a tough match,” the assistant continued, “as players from both teams battle to the final whistle and play with a lot of pride for the school they represent.”
This season 11 Trevians have scored at least through nine games, which includes a 1-1 draw with no. 14 Glenbrook South on Tuesday in Glenview. Eleven also happens to be the number of Trevs with at least one assist after nine matches. Senior forwards Aidan Crowder and Alex Powell pace New Trier with six goals apiece, followed by junior midfielder/forward Will Franzen’s four.
Franzen ranks second among teammates in assists (four), behind junior midfielder Jake Krueger’s six.
New Trier sophomore goalkeeper Aidan Crawford (5-1-1, 16 saves) owns a 0.714 goals against average.
“Everybody has made an important contribution to our overall success,” Van Den Berg noted. “These boys believe and trust in one another, and that translates into them having fun together, whether it’s yoga or playing a top-level opponent like GBN.”
GBN had won three-straight — by a combined margin of 10-3 — before falling 3-1 to Niles West in its CSL South Division opener Tuesday on the road. Senior forward/midfielder Joey Martens (10 goals and four assists) spearheads the Spartans’ attack, and senior midfielder Nico Adducci has netted a pair of goals to go with three assists.
“When healthy, we can be a very dangerous team,” GBN coach Paul Vignocchi said, adding his crew has been beset with injuries since the beginning of the season.
Spartans senior keeper Nick Washelesky’s return from an early-season injury has provided quite a lift for Vignocchi’s boys of fall.
“Nick has been excellent,” the coach said. “He has the ability to come up with big saves, and he plays the ball well with his feet.”
Head coach Matt Ravenscraft’s Trevs haven’t lost since a 2-1 setback to no. 2 Libertyville at the Northside College Showcase on their home pitch Sept. 3. Libertyville’s Wildcats blanked Warren’s Blue Devils 1-0 Sept. 17 to puff their record to 8-0-0.
NT tallied six unanswered goals in a 6-1 defeat of host Maine West on Sept. 12, getting two goals apiece from Crowder and Franzen and three helpers from Krueger in Des Plaines. Two days earlier in Skokie, in another CSL crossover, NT scored twice in the final 12 minutes in a 3-1 win over host Niles North.
New Trier connected 395 passes against the Vikings.
Three words to sum up that stat: In. Complete. Control.
“What impresses me about New Trier is the amount of goals it has scored in the final moments of games,” Vignocchi said. “The sign of a very good team is the resiliency it shows when the game is on the line.
“We’re expecting a hard-fought match between well-organized teams, with an emphasis on possession.”
Footnotes
Powell (six goals, three assists) leads New Trier with a 1.7 points-per-game average, just head of Crowder’s 1.6. Franzen (1.5) ranks third. … The ultimate team stat: Not one of New Trier’s 26 goals after nine matches was unassisted. … NT has outscored its nine foes 26-9. … Van Den Berg, on Glenbrook North: “GBN continues to reload, year after year. Its coaching staff does an exceptional job of getting its players ready for each match. You can tell by [the Spartans’] style of play that they are well-coached, and the players bring their best to each contest.” … Van Den Berg, on the key to the GBN-NT matchup Sept. 19: “Both teams will bring a lot of energy to the pitch, and the one that brings that extra bit of energy, at the right times, will win.”
after memorable draw last fall
By Bill McLean
Glenbrook North 3, New Trier 3.
Behold last year’s final score between highly competitive sides New Trier and Glenbrook North.
“Epic,” New Trier assistant boys soccer coach Chris Van Den Berg recalled.
The sequel commences at 7 p.m. Thursday with New Trier (6-1-2, 0-0-1 in the Central Suburban League South Division) ranked no. 7 the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 welcoming unranked Glenbrook North (4-4-1, 0-1-1) to Northfield.
“NT-GBN is always one of the highlights of the soccer season because so many of the players for each squad know each other through the club system and grew up having been either teammates or opponents for years,” Van Den Berg said.
“It’s always a tough match,” the assistant continued, “as players from both teams battle to the final whistle and play with a lot of pride for the school they represent.”
This season 11 Trevians have scored at least through nine games, which includes a 1-1 draw with no. 14 Glenbrook South on Tuesday in Glenview. Eleven also happens to be the number of Trevs with at least one assist after nine matches. Senior forwards Aidan Crowder and Alex Powell pace New Trier with six goals apiece, followed by junior midfielder/forward Will Franzen’s four.
Franzen ranks second among teammates in assists (four), behind junior midfielder Jake Krueger’s six.
New Trier sophomore goalkeeper Aidan Crawford (5-1-1, 16 saves) owns a 0.714 goals against average.
“Everybody has made an important contribution to our overall success,” Van Den Berg noted. “These boys believe and trust in one another, and that translates into them having fun together, whether it’s yoga or playing a top-level opponent like GBN.”
GBN had won three-straight — by a combined margin of 10-3 — before falling 3-1 to Niles West in its CSL South Division opener Tuesday on the road. Senior forward/midfielder Joey Martens (10 goals and four assists) spearheads the Spartans’ attack, and senior midfielder Nico Adducci has netted a pair of goals to go with three assists.
“When healthy, we can be a very dangerous team,” GBN coach Paul Vignocchi said, adding his crew has been beset with injuries since the beginning of the season.
Spartans senior keeper Nick Washelesky’s return from an early-season injury has provided quite a lift for Vignocchi’s boys of fall.
“Nick has been excellent,” the coach said. “He has the ability to come up with big saves, and he plays the ball well with his feet.”
Head coach Matt Ravenscraft’s Trevs haven’t lost since a 2-1 setback to no. 2 Libertyville at the Northside College Showcase on their home pitch Sept. 3. Libertyville’s Wildcats blanked Warren’s Blue Devils 1-0 Sept. 17 to puff their record to 8-0-0.
NT tallied six unanswered goals in a 6-1 defeat of host Maine West on Sept. 12, getting two goals apiece from Crowder and Franzen and three helpers from Krueger in Des Plaines. Two days earlier in Skokie, in another CSL crossover, NT scored twice in the final 12 minutes in a 3-1 win over host Niles North.
New Trier connected 395 passes against the Vikings.
Three words to sum up that stat: In. Complete. Control.
“What impresses me about New Trier is the amount of goals it has scored in the final moments of games,” Vignocchi said. “The sign of a very good team is the resiliency it shows when the game is on the line.
“We’re expecting a hard-fought match between well-organized teams, with an emphasis on possession.”
Footnotes
Powell (six goals, three assists) leads New Trier with a 1.7 points-per-game average, just head of Crowder’s 1.6. Franzen (1.5) ranks third. … The ultimate team stat: Not one of New Trier’s 26 goals after nine matches was unassisted. … NT has outscored its nine foes 26-9. … Van Den Berg, on Glenbrook North: “GBN continues to reload, year after year. Its coaching staff does an exceptional job of getting its players ready for each match. You can tell by [the Spartans’] style of play that they are well-coached, and the players bring their best to each contest.” … Van Den Berg, on the key to the GBN-NT matchup Sept. 19: “Both teams will bring a lot of energy to the pitch, and the one that brings that extra bit of energy, at the right times, will win.”