New prize adds more spice
to Prospect, Rolling Meadows meeting
By Bobby Narang
The Prospect/Rolling Meadows game has a new wrinkle this season that will add to the growing rivalry.
Hersey coach Michael Rusniak came up with a new in-season incentive -- the new Cardinal Cup -- that will link the trio of schools.
After Arlington Heights High School closed following the completion of the 1983-84 school year, the students were sent to three local schools: Prospect, Rolling Meadows and Hersey.
The new travelling trophy, named after Arlington High’s nickname, will be given to the program that accumulates the most points after the teams have played each other.
The Knights (8-3-0, 4-1-0) and Mustangs (10-0-1, 2-0-1) open play between the teams in Mid-Suburban League East Division action Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Prospect.
“It adds a little more intrigue to the games,” said Rolling Meadows coach Brett Olson. “Mike and I took over our programs at the same time, so there’s a friendship and rivalry already there, but this get the kids motivated in the middle of season. It was a great idea by Mike. Our kids are excited."
Prospect coach Michael Andrews agreed with Olson’s take on the Cardinal Cup. The Knights enter the key conference game riding a two-game winning streak, highlighted by a 1-0 last-minute double-overtime victory over Buffalo Grove on Tuesday.
“We’ve gone back and forth about playing for the Cardinal Cup when it came up,” Andrews said. “It’s a good competition between the three schools, like a mini-tournament between the three schools, and we tally the competition up.
“We’re coming of a big win against Buffalo Grove. That was a big test for us, just a really physical and intense game. My guys maintained great composure, and we were able to get one goal off a corner kick at the end.
“Things are coming along nicely for us, with the way their play is developing. They’re giving everything they’ve got for a full 80 minutes, and even last night 100 minutes. Things are really tight in the MSL. We’re all five to six games in, but it’s anybody’s game right now.”
Rolling Meadows’ backline is one of the main keys to the Mustangs’ undefeated start, Olson said. The last shutout was a scoreless tie against Barrington on Tuesday.
In total, senior goalie Ramon Orozco has given up three goals all season. Freshmen goalie Marceli Okonski has two shutouts in his brief time in the net.
“Ramon has been stellar all season and really put in the work in the offseason,” Olson said. “He has been everything and more than we could expect. He’s got eight wins, five of them shutouts. He had 18 saves last night. His positioning was good. (Barrington) had some dangerous headers in the box, but nothing too stressful. Ramon puts a ton of work in, asking for extra work in practice.
"He got a lot of motivation at the start of season with our freshman goalie Marceli as his backup. We knew nothing about him on Day One of tryouts. I told Ramon that he’s the guy, but Marceli’s going to come for your starting spot and playing time.
“Marceli’s been great, and probably pushed Ramon. I’m not sure if Ramon needed extra motivation, but he has gotten it. Ramon has really taken (Marceli) under his wing. Our defense is also playing well in front of him, but Ramon has been a standout.”
Prospect’s ability to score goals will test Rolling Meadows’ backline. The Knights tallied six goals against St. Patrick, five against Conant and put up a four-spot at Palatine.
Senior forward Ryan Novak leads the Knights with six goals, while Shea Morris and Owen Walsh both have five goals each on the season.
“Shea Morris’ skill on the ball is remarkable,” Andrews said. “He’s really skilled and draws a lot of defenders toward him. His distribution is sharp, like he has eyes in the back of his head. It’s a friendly competition between him, Ryan and Owen.
“(Our team) is all really talented and driven, just a nice group of guys who give you everything they’ve got. They understand the urgency. Given that even the state championship team is going to be done in a month and a half, especially for seniors their time is limited.
“Rolling Meadows is undefeated and going to be a good test. They’re physical, and come at you with everything they have in the first five minutes of the game. They have a combination of a well-skilled team that can move the ball nicely but also be physical and aggressive and won’t let up. I expect it to be a game like Tuesday night (against Buffalo Grove), where you can’t let your guard down against them.”
Olson said Prospect represents another challenge for his deep and talented backline.
“Prospect has been putting a lot in the back of the net, so we know we are going to be tested more than we’ve had in some other games,” he said. “We’re excited to play Prospect and then Hersey. We’ve not lost a game in all 2021 on our home field.”
Olson said senior midfielder Gage Lockley has become a difference-maker in the Mustangs’ quest to win the league title.
“We've adjusted our formations this year, and Gage does a good job of creating a lot of chances,” he said.
“He’s good on the ball, distributes, and our guys know we can count on him for effort. He’s a full 80-minute guy, never comes out and is our leader. He provides great communication. He’s spoken a few times about in-game adjustments.
“His vision and what he’s able to do on the field for us is great. He’s not an elite goal scorer. As a team we’re not scoring as much as I had hoped.”
Of Rolling Meadows 10 victories, seven have come with a one-goal margin; the Mustangs have scored a total of 16 goals in 11 games.
Somewhat lost in the hoopla of the new trophy is the fact that both teams have a spot in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Rolling Meadows resides at no. 5, and Prospect made its debut as an honorable mention team.
to Prospect, Rolling Meadows meeting
By Bobby Narang
The Prospect/Rolling Meadows game has a new wrinkle this season that will add to the growing rivalry.
Hersey coach Michael Rusniak came up with a new in-season incentive -- the new Cardinal Cup -- that will link the trio of schools.
After Arlington Heights High School closed following the completion of the 1983-84 school year, the students were sent to three local schools: Prospect, Rolling Meadows and Hersey.
The new travelling trophy, named after Arlington High’s nickname, will be given to the program that accumulates the most points after the teams have played each other.
The Knights (8-3-0, 4-1-0) and Mustangs (10-0-1, 2-0-1) open play between the teams in Mid-Suburban League East Division action Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Prospect.
“It adds a little more intrigue to the games,” said Rolling Meadows coach Brett Olson. “Mike and I took over our programs at the same time, so there’s a friendship and rivalry already there, but this get the kids motivated in the middle of season. It was a great idea by Mike. Our kids are excited."
Prospect coach Michael Andrews agreed with Olson’s take on the Cardinal Cup. The Knights enter the key conference game riding a two-game winning streak, highlighted by a 1-0 last-minute double-overtime victory over Buffalo Grove on Tuesday.
“We’ve gone back and forth about playing for the Cardinal Cup when it came up,” Andrews said. “It’s a good competition between the three schools, like a mini-tournament between the three schools, and we tally the competition up.
“We’re coming of a big win against Buffalo Grove. That was a big test for us, just a really physical and intense game. My guys maintained great composure, and we were able to get one goal off a corner kick at the end.
“Things are coming along nicely for us, with the way their play is developing. They’re giving everything they’ve got for a full 80 minutes, and even last night 100 minutes. Things are really tight in the MSL. We’re all five to six games in, but it’s anybody’s game right now.”
Rolling Meadows’ backline is one of the main keys to the Mustangs’ undefeated start, Olson said. The last shutout was a scoreless tie against Barrington on Tuesday.
In total, senior goalie Ramon Orozco has given up three goals all season. Freshmen goalie Marceli Okonski has two shutouts in his brief time in the net.
“Ramon has been stellar all season and really put in the work in the offseason,” Olson said. “He has been everything and more than we could expect. He’s got eight wins, five of them shutouts. He had 18 saves last night. His positioning was good. (Barrington) had some dangerous headers in the box, but nothing too stressful. Ramon puts a ton of work in, asking for extra work in practice.
"He got a lot of motivation at the start of season with our freshman goalie Marceli as his backup. We knew nothing about him on Day One of tryouts. I told Ramon that he’s the guy, but Marceli’s going to come for your starting spot and playing time.
“Marceli’s been great, and probably pushed Ramon. I’m not sure if Ramon needed extra motivation, but he has gotten it. Ramon has really taken (Marceli) under his wing. Our defense is also playing well in front of him, but Ramon has been a standout.”
Prospect’s ability to score goals will test Rolling Meadows’ backline. The Knights tallied six goals against St. Patrick, five against Conant and put up a four-spot at Palatine.
Senior forward Ryan Novak leads the Knights with six goals, while Shea Morris and Owen Walsh both have five goals each on the season.
“Shea Morris’ skill on the ball is remarkable,” Andrews said. “He’s really skilled and draws a lot of defenders toward him. His distribution is sharp, like he has eyes in the back of his head. It’s a friendly competition between him, Ryan and Owen.
“(Our team) is all really talented and driven, just a nice group of guys who give you everything they’ve got. They understand the urgency. Given that even the state championship team is going to be done in a month and a half, especially for seniors their time is limited.
“Rolling Meadows is undefeated and going to be a good test. They’re physical, and come at you with everything they have in the first five minutes of the game. They have a combination of a well-skilled team that can move the ball nicely but also be physical and aggressive and won’t let up. I expect it to be a game like Tuesday night (against Buffalo Grove), where you can’t let your guard down against them.”
Olson said Prospect represents another challenge for his deep and talented backline.
“Prospect has been putting a lot in the back of the net, so we know we are going to be tested more than we’ve had in some other games,” he said. “We’re excited to play Prospect and then Hersey. We’ve not lost a game in all 2021 on our home field.”
Olson said senior midfielder Gage Lockley has become a difference-maker in the Mustangs’ quest to win the league title.
“We've adjusted our formations this year, and Gage does a good job of creating a lot of chances,” he said.
“He’s good on the ball, distributes, and our guys know we can count on him for effort. He’s a full 80-minute guy, never comes out and is our leader. He provides great communication. He’s spoken a few times about in-game adjustments.
“His vision and what he’s able to do on the field for us is great. He’s not an elite goal scorer. As a team we’re not scoring as much as I had hoped.”
Of Rolling Meadows 10 victories, seven have come with a one-goal margin; the Mustangs have scored a total of 16 goals in 11 games.
Somewhat lost in the hoopla of the new trophy is the fact that both teams have a spot in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Rolling Meadows resides at no. 5, and Prospect made its debut as an honorable mention team.