Tournament preview:
Northside College Showcase
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The season runs downhill with a forward thrust that rarely, stops. Just as the players and coaches are about catch their breath, the first significant tournaments provide an impressionistic and intimate portrait of where things stand.
Nowhere is that more evident than in Northfield where New Trier is about to host the fifth iteration of the Northside College Showcase.
The label fits. The tournament truly seeks to showcase and optimize the game and provide colleges a chance to recruit multiple athletes from a diverse range of locales.
Eight significant programs are about to stage a significant battle, one of both attrition and skill, in moving through three group play games for a shot at the title.
It all starts on Saturday. The field is:
Group A
Grayslake Central
Libertyville
Loyola
New Trier
Group B
Buffalo Grove
Glenbrook North
Lyons
Waukegan
Two-time defending champion Libertyville is 42-2-2 the last two seasons. The Wildcats have played in the Class 3A state title game in three of the last four years.
“Next to Naperville North, what they have accomplished is unmatchable,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft said.
The matchups and contrasting styles certainly makes for some invigorating soccer. The rawness of it, with the season just days old, is another intriguing part of the mix.
“The Showcase accomplishes a few purposes and for the eight teams involved the chance and opportunity hopefully grow,” Ravenscraft said.
“For the first two weeks of the season, we are still very much gathering data as coaches and as a team, trying to figure out where we are strong and where do we need to improve on.”
The west campus of New Trier has undergone significant capital improvements the last few years, with a new dual press box on the visiting side of the stadium that straddles both fields. The fields are state of the art turf.
“Once our facilities changed and we received the upgrades of the turf fields, I think that was a real game changer for our school,” Ravenscraft said. “It was an incredible opportunity to host events to a degree and standard that beforehand would not have been possible.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have these facilities, and we have a responsibility now with boys soccer to give them a platform and put them in the spotlight.”
Ravenscraft estimates more than a dozen Division I players have taken part in the tournament the last couple of years. Libertyville’s elite Big Ten recruits Ryan Wittenbrink (Indiana) and Evan Rasmussen (Michigaan) have been the marquee talents who epitomize the striking individual talent.
“There are over 200 players potentially,” Ravenscraft said. “That is what draws [the college coaches]. I could speak for Logan Weaver, for example, our own player. Northwestern came out, and he performed well in a couple of games, and that was one of the pieces of him getting an offer from them.
“All five Division I schools in the Chicago area: DePaul, Northwestern, UIC, Loyola and Northern Illinois, have come to watch our games play. We have also had probably 20 Division II, Division III and NAIA, with schools from Wisconsin or Minnesota, if they are here playing in tournaments. We try to cast as wide a net as possible.”
The field again is a dazzling one, with great players represented across the board. Mickey Reilly is the heir to Wittenbrink and Rasmussen as the Libertyville’s next signature player.
He scored 13 goals and had 11 assists on last year’s state runner-up team. Reilly is already being heavily recruited by DePaul and Loyola. His two older brothers played at Carthage, another school high on his list.
“We graduated a lot of great players, but we have some very good players back, and these are kids I have been playing with my whole life,” Reilly said. “Our chemistry is really good.”
In one of the most scintillating games on Saturday, Libertyville plays Loyola at the stadium at 1 p.m.
What a way to start.
Loyola won the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division last year and lost just two regulars season. The Ramblers have a dynamite junior class keyed by midfielders Oscar Blazer and Tommy Ziprich. Senior Nick Roscoe is another offensive standout.
Alex Ainsworth started every game at keeper last year as a freshman.
In the second game of group play, Grayslake Central plays New Trier. New Trier opened the year with a dramatic 3-3 draw with powerhouse Fremd and defeated highly-regarded York 1-0.
Weaver is gone, but this is a team that has won back-to-back conference title games and qualified for the sectional. Jeffrey Urban is a lockdown defender. Alex Powell is dynamic in space, and Ryan Ball and junior Jake Krueger solidify the middle.
Midfielders Owen Albert and Thomas Ramsey and defender Mitchell Kocialkowski are the players to watch for Grayslake Central.
In Group B, Lyons plays Waukegan, who reached the title game a year ago. Buffalo Grove meets Glenbrook North.
A year ago, Lyons went 2-2 in the tournament. That experience proved essential as they won a sectional title. The games are in the present. The implications for the rest of the year are round, as Ravenscraft pointed out.
“You could foreseeably come out of this tournament without a win and go on and win a sectional title,” Ravenscraft said. “The strength of the tournament speaks for itself the last five years. All the teams recognize the goal is not necessarily to win the tournament but to come out of the other side a much better team and with a lot of learning.”
Coming off a sectional finals appearance in 2017, Glenbrook North entered last year poised for a great run, but injuries devastated the team. Coach Paul Vignocchi has a standout talent in forward Joey Martens. Midfielder George Luke has also played in many high-level games.
The tournament is a great way at capturing the pulse of the team.
“Every team is competitive, and every team is going to give you a good game,” Vignocchi said. “It gives you a chance to see where you are at. Getting things organized and seeing guys in a more competitive environment is great.
“New Trier does a great job hosting the tournament. You just hope you come out healthy and prepare for the conference. The tournament is a good gauge of where you are at and you typically play teams that you don’t normally see.
“It is fun.”
Buffalo Grove is also a quality program with great expectations on the new season with players like Ryan Kim and Alexis Escobar.
Saturday is just the start. Each team is guaranteed one home game in pool play. The eight teams return to Northfield on Saturday, September 7, to crown the champion and decide the final placings.
“We want to support high school soccer,” Ravenscraft said. I think the level of soccer in this area is extremely high. The first outcome is to grow as a team as all of these programs continue to jell and lay a foundation for a successful run in conference and later the state tournament.
“The second goal is to honor high school boys soccer and give those players a platform they deserve.”
Northside College Showcase
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The season runs downhill with a forward thrust that rarely, stops. Just as the players and coaches are about catch their breath, the first significant tournaments provide an impressionistic and intimate portrait of where things stand.
Nowhere is that more evident than in Northfield where New Trier is about to host the fifth iteration of the Northside College Showcase.
The label fits. The tournament truly seeks to showcase and optimize the game and provide colleges a chance to recruit multiple athletes from a diverse range of locales.
Eight significant programs are about to stage a significant battle, one of both attrition and skill, in moving through three group play games for a shot at the title.
It all starts on Saturday. The field is:
Group A
Grayslake Central
Libertyville
Loyola
New Trier
Group B
Buffalo Grove
Glenbrook North
Lyons
Waukegan
Two-time defending champion Libertyville is 42-2-2 the last two seasons. The Wildcats have played in the Class 3A state title game in three of the last four years.
“Next to Naperville North, what they have accomplished is unmatchable,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft said.
The matchups and contrasting styles certainly makes for some invigorating soccer. The rawness of it, with the season just days old, is another intriguing part of the mix.
“The Showcase accomplishes a few purposes and for the eight teams involved the chance and opportunity hopefully grow,” Ravenscraft said.
“For the first two weeks of the season, we are still very much gathering data as coaches and as a team, trying to figure out where we are strong and where do we need to improve on.”
The west campus of New Trier has undergone significant capital improvements the last few years, with a new dual press box on the visiting side of the stadium that straddles both fields. The fields are state of the art turf.
“Once our facilities changed and we received the upgrades of the turf fields, I think that was a real game changer for our school,” Ravenscraft said. “It was an incredible opportunity to host events to a degree and standard that beforehand would not have been possible.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have these facilities, and we have a responsibility now with boys soccer to give them a platform and put them in the spotlight.”
Ravenscraft estimates more than a dozen Division I players have taken part in the tournament the last couple of years. Libertyville’s elite Big Ten recruits Ryan Wittenbrink (Indiana) and Evan Rasmussen (Michigaan) have been the marquee talents who epitomize the striking individual talent.
“There are over 200 players potentially,” Ravenscraft said. “That is what draws [the college coaches]. I could speak for Logan Weaver, for example, our own player. Northwestern came out, and he performed well in a couple of games, and that was one of the pieces of him getting an offer from them.
“All five Division I schools in the Chicago area: DePaul, Northwestern, UIC, Loyola and Northern Illinois, have come to watch our games play. We have also had probably 20 Division II, Division III and NAIA, with schools from Wisconsin or Minnesota, if they are here playing in tournaments. We try to cast as wide a net as possible.”
The field again is a dazzling one, with great players represented across the board. Mickey Reilly is the heir to Wittenbrink and Rasmussen as the Libertyville’s next signature player.
He scored 13 goals and had 11 assists on last year’s state runner-up team. Reilly is already being heavily recruited by DePaul and Loyola. His two older brothers played at Carthage, another school high on his list.
“We graduated a lot of great players, but we have some very good players back, and these are kids I have been playing with my whole life,” Reilly said. “Our chemistry is really good.”
In one of the most scintillating games on Saturday, Libertyville plays Loyola at the stadium at 1 p.m.
What a way to start.
Loyola won the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division last year and lost just two regulars season. The Ramblers have a dynamite junior class keyed by midfielders Oscar Blazer and Tommy Ziprich. Senior Nick Roscoe is another offensive standout.
Alex Ainsworth started every game at keeper last year as a freshman.
In the second game of group play, Grayslake Central plays New Trier. New Trier opened the year with a dramatic 3-3 draw with powerhouse Fremd and defeated highly-regarded York 1-0.
Weaver is gone, but this is a team that has won back-to-back conference title games and qualified for the sectional. Jeffrey Urban is a lockdown defender. Alex Powell is dynamic in space, and Ryan Ball and junior Jake Krueger solidify the middle.
Midfielders Owen Albert and Thomas Ramsey and defender Mitchell Kocialkowski are the players to watch for Grayslake Central.
In Group B, Lyons plays Waukegan, who reached the title game a year ago. Buffalo Grove meets Glenbrook North.
A year ago, Lyons went 2-2 in the tournament. That experience proved essential as they won a sectional title. The games are in the present. The implications for the rest of the year are round, as Ravenscraft pointed out.
“You could foreseeably come out of this tournament without a win and go on and win a sectional title,” Ravenscraft said. “The strength of the tournament speaks for itself the last five years. All the teams recognize the goal is not necessarily to win the tournament but to come out of the other side a much better team and with a lot of learning.”
Coming off a sectional finals appearance in 2017, Glenbrook North entered last year poised for a great run, but injuries devastated the team. Coach Paul Vignocchi has a standout talent in forward Joey Martens. Midfielder George Luke has also played in many high-level games.
The tournament is a great way at capturing the pulse of the team.
“Every team is competitive, and every team is going to give you a good game,” Vignocchi said. “It gives you a chance to see where you are at. Getting things organized and seeing guys in a more competitive environment is great.
“New Trier does a great job hosting the tournament. You just hope you come out healthy and prepare for the conference. The tournament is a good gauge of where you are at and you typically play teams that you don’t normally see.
“It is fun.”
Buffalo Grove is also a quality program with great expectations on the new season with players like Ryan Kim and Alexis Escobar.
Saturday is just the start. Each team is guaranteed one home game in pool play. The eight teams return to Northfield on Saturday, September 7, to crown the champion and decide the final placings.
“We want to support high school soccer,” Ravenscraft said. I think the level of soccer in this area is extremely high. The first outcome is to grow as a team as all of these programs continue to jell and lay a foundation for a successful run in conference and later the state tournament.
“The second goal is to honor high school boys soccer and give those players a platform they deserve.”