Deerfield battles Latin to scoreless draw
Warriors GK Toback now shining in his 1st varsity season
By Bobby Narang
DEERFIELD — In an age when freshmen and sophomores take the express elevator to varsity status, Deerfield senior goalie Ryan Toback is a throwback player.
Toback stayed confident in the process and bided his time, patiently working on his game during the abridged spring season on the junior varsity team. In August, he was rewarded with the starting goalie spot in his first and final season on the varsity.
Toback admitted he experienced some harrowing moments early in the season. The Warriors opened the season with consecutive losses to Hoffman Estates and Maine South.
“It was a big change for me, especially going from sophomores, then to junior varsity and now on the varsity,” Toback said. “The quick turnaround also made it harder, going from the spring to the fall. The first two games were pretty (tough). I had to get used to the pacing and get my confidence up. But now late in the season, I feel much more confident, and I think it’s starting to show in games.”
Toback flashed his rapidly improving game this week, recording a shutout win over rival Highland Park on Tuesday. He contributed seven saves in a 0-0 tie against Latin on Thursday night in Deerfield.
The Warriors (6-5-1) get a few days off before preparing to host Lakes on Monday in another nonconference game. Toback’s strong play was one of the positives in the scoreless tie. He kept his team in the game despite Latin (6-2-5) possessing the ball for nearly the entire first half and most of the final 20 minutes of the second half.
Toback credited his work with his coaches, plus a short stint with former Deerfield goalie Ryan Grady during the preseason. Grady, a 2019 graduate, is a sophomore goalie at Middlebury College.
“(Ryan Grady) came during tryouts and really helped me out, as did his dad (assistant Rich Grady) and the other coaches,” Toback said.
He admitted he wanted to play on the varsity in the spring, but understood his time would come in the fall.
“It was hard to wait,” Toback said. “It was nice to get some playing time and more experience on JV. This way, I came into the varsity this year with more experience. I was brought up for one varsity game last year. It’s a big switch to varsity, but I feel I've adjusted well, besides those two (first) games. I have great teammates and coaches.”
A power forward on the basketball team, Toback said soccer is his main sport. He credited Thursday’s strong outing to maintaining his focus on the basics.
Latin, an independent school based in Chicago, attacked from the outset. Toback had three saves -- two diving -- in the first 25 minutes in what was otherwise a slow offensive start for both teams.
Toback had a signature save in the 63rd minute, snaring a ball to keep the game scoreless. He secured the shutout with an easy save in the 76th minute.
“We’ve been doing pretty well, and our main focus is playing together and cohesively. We were coming off a good win over our rivals, Highland Park on Tuesday,” Toback said.
“We’re trying to keep playing tougher as a team and communicating. I was just doing my job tonight. I have to communicate and save the ball and keep it from going into the net. I’m just here to do my job, and I got a shutout.”
Deerfield coach Elliott Hurtig said Toback is developing into a steady and reliable keeper.
“Ryan played an excellent game," he said. “He had an excellent save on a shot when the (opposing) player had to just slide the ball in. He’s made some excellent strides this year. It's good to see. He’s playing with more confidence.
“Ryan is committed to getting better every day. He’s pushing himself in practice and his teammates. It’s showing on the field. We needed this. Latin played a great game. They were technically strong. It’s tough luck for us when they play their best game of the season. This was a bit of trap game for us after the big win over Highland Park.
“We were definitely a bit flat. We just have to be able to possess more with confidence. At the same time, when you’re outplayed but still battling is a good sign for the playoffs. If you stay in games, you can get the goal you need and sneak away with a win.”
The Warriors certainly lacked their normal energy. Latin keeper Josh Goldhaber endured a fairly boring night. He finished with three saves and didn't get his first until the 1:44 mark of the first half off an easy throw-in.
Deerfield sophomore midfielder Andrew Babos said Toback and the backline were positives in the draw against the Class A school.
“I think this game showed the quality of our defense,” Babos said. “Our offense was lacking. We didn’t have many chances. We had a nice header, and a bunch of half- opportunities. But our defense played well, along with our goalie.
"We learned (Latin) is very good. They played aggressive. It was a battle in the midfield. I feel we have to work on holding the ball, playing simple. We did that well in the first half, had some crosses leading to opportunities. We have to keep the ball on the ground and want it more than the other team.”
Deerfield junior forward Matthew Neumann’s solid play bodes well for the playoffs. He missed the early part of the season with a hamstring injury but is slowly building himself back into game shape. Neumann nearly notched the winning goal, sending a header just off target.
“I was little disappointed we couldn’t create more chances," Neumann said. “We didn’t really execute consistently. We had some moments. I just missed that header. I got a half contact on it, but it went a little wide. We have a lot to work on as a team. But we’ve built a strong bond together.
“We’re all working hard to get ready for the playoffs. I’m happy with the way our defense played. There were a lot of positives and negatives. We can build off this, though.”
On the other side, Latin coach Andrew Sanchez called the draw the best game of the season for his team. Latin senior midfielder Israel Martinez had just one shot, but nearly made it count. His shot smacked of the post midway in the second half.
“We showed we can compete," Sanchez said. “Deerfield is a really great team. We've been getting knocked around by AA and 3A schools, so this was great. Our game plan of keeping the ball on the ground was key. We needed to win the midfield, and we won it today. We only have four shots on goal in the first half, but we played much better in the second half and ended up with 11 shots on goal.
“Our backline played great, especially sophomore Zuhair Alsikafi. He’s not our starting centerback. Charles Leonard is hurt. Zuhair was thrown into the bin with wolves. He played fantastic and was aggressive. The backline held us in this game.”
Alsikafi said he enjoyed the experience of his first start this season against a bigger, experienced team. Alsikafi even got some extra work following the game, carrying a handful of drinks and sandwiches to his teammates.
“My teammates weren’t helping with that, so I got them,” Alsikafi said, smiling. “(Deerfield) is one of the better teams we’ve played, but we stayed on their attackers and tried not to give them time to make it harder for them to do stuff on the ball.”
Latin forward Sam Gibson said the solid game against the Warriors should be a confidence builder.
“We wanted a win, but we’re a pretty small school,” Gibson said. “It was good. We're happy with this. Deerfield is a big school. We wanted to keep the ball on the ground. We knew they were pressing hard. We just didn’t create as much chances as we wanted to. But we can work on that.”
Starting lineups
Latin
GK Josh Goldhaber
D Ascher Cahn
D Cameron Woan
D Zuhair Alsikafi
D Miguel Fernandez
MF Francisco Mendoza Pena
MF Ethan Mullens
MF Aramaan Shah
MF Shane Healy
F Reeise Remmer
F Sam Gibson
Deerfield
GK Ryan Toback
D Justin Blumenthal
D James Weiner
D Noah Weil
D Ryder Coleman
MF Andrew Babos
MF Addison Simon
MF Addison Simon
MF Nathan Garcia
F Cole Gawin
F Peter Straus
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ryan Toback, sr., GK, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
Warriors GK Toback now shining in his 1st varsity season
By Bobby Narang
DEERFIELD — In an age when freshmen and sophomores take the express elevator to varsity status, Deerfield senior goalie Ryan Toback is a throwback player.
Toback stayed confident in the process and bided his time, patiently working on his game during the abridged spring season on the junior varsity team. In August, he was rewarded with the starting goalie spot in his first and final season on the varsity.
Toback admitted he experienced some harrowing moments early in the season. The Warriors opened the season with consecutive losses to Hoffman Estates and Maine South.
“It was a big change for me, especially going from sophomores, then to junior varsity and now on the varsity,” Toback said. “The quick turnaround also made it harder, going from the spring to the fall. The first two games were pretty (tough). I had to get used to the pacing and get my confidence up. But now late in the season, I feel much more confident, and I think it’s starting to show in games.”
Toback flashed his rapidly improving game this week, recording a shutout win over rival Highland Park on Tuesday. He contributed seven saves in a 0-0 tie against Latin on Thursday night in Deerfield.
The Warriors (6-5-1) get a few days off before preparing to host Lakes on Monday in another nonconference game. Toback’s strong play was one of the positives in the scoreless tie. He kept his team in the game despite Latin (6-2-5) possessing the ball for nearly the entire first half and most of the final 20 minutes of the second half.
Toback credited his work with his coaches, plus a short stint with former Deerfield goalie Ryan Grady during the preseason. Grady, a 2019 graduate, is a sophomore goalie at Middlebury College.
“(Ryan Grady) came during tryouts and really helped me out, as did his dad (assistant Rich Grady) and the other coaches,” Toback said.
He admitted he wanted to play on the varsity in the spring, but understood his time would come in the fall.
“It was hard to wait,” Toback said. “It was nice to get some playing time and more experience on JV. This way, I came into the varsity this year with more experience. I was brought up for one varsity game last year. It’s a big switch to varsity, but I feel I've adjusted well, besides those two (first) games. I have great teammates and coaches.”
A power forward on the basketball team, Toback said soccer is his main sport. He credited Thursday’s strong outing to maintaining his focus on the basics.
Latin, an independent school based in Chicago, attacked from the outset. Toback had three saves -- two diving -- in the first 25 minutes in what was otherwise a slow offensive start for both teams.
Toback had a signature save in the 63rd minute, snaring a ball to keep the game scoreless. He secured the shutout with an easy save in the 76th minute.
“We’ve been doing pretty well, and our main focus is playing together and cohesively. We were coming off a good win over our rivals, Highland Park on Tuesday,” Toback said.
“We’re trying to keep playing tougher as a team and communicating. I was just doing my job tonight. I have to communicate and save the ball and keep it from going into the net. I’m just here to do my job, and I got a shutout.”
Deerfield coach Elliott Hurtig said Toback is developing into a steady and reliable keeper.
“Ryan played an excellent game," he said. “He had an excellent save on a shot when the (opposing) player had to just slide the ball in. He’s made some excellent strides this year. It's good to see. He’s playing with more confidence.
“Ryan is committed to getting better every day. He’s pushing himself in practice and his teammates. It’s showing on the field. We needed this. Latin played a great game. They were technically strong. It’s tough luck for us when they play their best game of the season. This was a bit of trap game for us after the big win over Highland Park.
“We were definitely a bit flat. We just have to be able to possess more with confidence. At the same time, when you’re outplayed but still battling is a good sign for the playoffs. If you stay in games, you can get the goal you need and sneak away with a win.”
The Warriors certainly lacked their normal energy. Latin keeper Josh Goldhaber endured a fairly boring night. He finished with three saves and didn't get his first until the 1:44 mark of the first half off an easy throw-in.
Deerfield sophomore midfielder Andrew Babos said Toback and the backline were positives in the draw against the Class A school.
“I think this game showed the quality of our defense,” Babos said. “Our offense was lacking. We didn’t have many chances. We had a nice header, and a bunch of half- opportunities. But our defense played well, along with our goalie.
"We learned (Latin) is very good. They played aggressive. It was a battle in the midfield. I feel we have to work on holding the ball, playing simple. We did that well in the first half, had some crosses leading to opportunities. We have to keep the ball on the ground and want it more than the other team.”
Deerfield junior forward Matthew Neumann’s solid play bodes well for the playoffs. He missed the early part of the season with a hamstring injury but is slowly building himself back into game shape. Neumann nearly notched the winning goal, sending a header just off target.
“I was little disappointed we couldn’t create more chances," Neumann said. “We didn’t really execute consistently. We had some moments. I just missed that header. I got a half contact on it, but it went a little wide. We have a lot to work on as a team. But we’ve built a strong bond together.
“We’re all working hard to get ready for the playoffs. I’m happy with the way our defense played. There were a lot of positives and negatives. We can build off this, though.”
On the other side, Latin coach Andrew Sanchez called the draw the best game of the season for his team. Latin senior midfielder Israel Martinez had just one shot, but nearly made it count. His shot smacked of the post midway in the second half.
“We showed we can compete," Sanchez said. “Deerfield is a really great team. We've been getting knocked around by AA and 3A schools, so this was great. Our game plan of keeping the ball on the ground was key. We needed to win the midfield, and we won it today. We only have four shots on goal in the first half, but we played much better in the second half and ended up with 11 shots on goal.
“Our backline played great, especially sophomore Zuhair Alsikafi. He’s not our starting centerback. Charles Leonard is hurt. Zuhair was thrown into the bin with wolves. He played fantastic and was aggressive. The backline held us in this game.”
Alsikafi said he enjoyed the experience of his first start this season against a bigger, experienced team. Alsikafi even got some extra work following the game, carrying a handful of drinks and sandwiches to his teammates.
“My teammates weren’t helping with that, so I got them,” Alsikafi said, smiling. “(Deerfield) is one of the better teams we’ve played, but we stayed on their attackers and tried not to give them time to make it harder for them to do stuff on the ball.”
Latin forward Sam Gibson said the solid game against the Warriors should be a confidence builder.
“We wanted a win, but we’re a pretty small school,” Gibson said. “It was good. We're happy with this. Deerfield is a big school. We wanted to keep the ball on the ground. We knew they were pressing hard. We just didn’t create as much chances as we wanted to. But we can work on that.”
Starting lineups
Latin
GK Josh Goldhaber
D Ascher Cahn
D Cameron Woan
D Zuhair Alsikafi
D Miguel Fernandez
MF Francisco Mendoza Pena
MF Ethan Mullens
MF Aramaan Shah
MF Shane Healy
F Reeise Remmer
F Sam Gibson
Deerfield
GK Ryan Toback
D Justin Blumenthal
D James Weiner
D Noah Weil
D Ryder Coleman
MF Andrew Babos
MF Addison Simon
MF Addison Simon
MF Nathan Garcia
F Cole Gawin
F Peter Straus
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ryan Toback, sr., GK, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring