St. Ignatius, Loyola meet in key CCL match
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The Chicago Catholic League has experimented with various permutations and iterations in response to the changing landscape of conference membership. Things change due to economics, social change and demographics.
In the interim, schools have shuttered or some have gone to new conferences. Against this backdrop, permanence is something hard to find. That makes the connection between St. Ignatius and Loyola all the more remarkable.
The only two Jesuit schools in the Catholic League, some 20 miles separate the Wilmette campus of Loyola and the South Loop campus of St. Ignatius.
“What we have with Ignatius is special, and whenever we play it is always going to be a good game,” Loyola coach Baer Fisher said. “The healthy rivalry we have is something we always look forward to, and we are excited for that.”
The soccer rivalry moves to another register with the annual Blue Division showdown set to commence at the Munz Sports Campus in Glenview at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. For the 2018 edition, an already complex and intense rivalry has ever greater consequences.
“It’s a very important game this year, for [state tournament] seeding and the conference,” Fisher said. “Hopefully we can get a result.”
Loyola (8-1-3, 2-0-0) is smoldering hot entering the game. The Ramblers, ranked 25th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, have won six in a row. Taking part in the Northside College Showcase to start the season where they went 0-1-2 against high-level competition turned out to be ideal preparation.
“Right now, we are fighting,” senior Loyola midfielder Collin Leider said. “We don’t want to look too far ahead. We are just taking it one game at a time, but have talked about potentially we could be one of the top seeds of our sectional.
“We could also win the Catholic League.”
Loyola, St. Ignatius, St. Laurence and Marmion each have six points. Loyola is the only undefeated team. St. Ignatius and St. Lawrence have played three games, with loss, and Marmion has gone 2-2-0 in conference play.
Loyola holds a slight edge in the conference race. The Ramblers have a 19-1 scoring differential during their six-game winning streak. Fisher said the backline has come together, centered interestingly enough around precocious freshman keeper Alex Ainsworth. Leider and DePaul recruit David Gripman are the offensive centerpieces, the players who make the attack flourish.
The team’s strong collection of sophomores have also come of age. Oscar Blazer and Mario Hrvojevic are converted attacking players Fisher moved to the back to take advantage of their speed and athleticism to make the Ramblers’ defense faster and capable of shutting down open seams quicker.
“That sophomore class, deep and talented, and they are also very close,” Fisher said. “They are all good friends, on and off the field. Their continued growth and progress is definitely something to look forward to.”
St. Ignatius coach Ryan Kearns has pointed to this stretch of the year. He deliberately spaced out his early season schedule in order that his players were fresher for the stretch run of league play.
The state tournament looms over the game for both teams. Loyola is a regional host in the Class 3A Evanston Sectional complex. St. Ignatius is hosting a Class AA Sectional. This is the last game before coaches submit team information and determine sectional seeds on Wednesday. The IHSA is set to post the sectional seeds on Thursday afternoon.
The Wolfpack (8-4-0, 2-1-0) have had a volatile season with stretches of extraordinary play combined with less flattering moments. In the second game of the year, St. Ignatius jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 20 minutes against current no. 14 Oak Park and River Forest before giving up four unanswered goals in a stunning defeat.
Last Tuesday, the Wolfpack spotted Marmion a 3-0 lead at the break, scored twice in the first seven minutes of the second half to make a game of it before a crucial mistake sealed their fate in the 4-3 loss.
“We treat teams that we think we are better than, on paper, as such, and we play as such,” Kearns said. “We are hosting a sectional. If we don’t play with greater effort and consistently, we are going hosting a sectional semifinal and not playing in it, and that would be very embarrassing.”
St. Ignatius has played well through adversity and off disappointing results. It followed up the Marmion game with a crucial 1-0 road victory over Fenwick Thursday that keeps them in the heat of the conference title.
The Wolfpack constitute probably the most-gifted offensive attack Loyola has faced during its current winning streak. St. Ignatius features an excellent middle attack with Daniel Fernandez, Ronan Sullivan, Max Hanlon and Ryan Fitzpatrick. The two weapons at the top are Keith Bevans and Matt Griffin, who are both exceptionally dangerous.
St. Ignatius has dominated the rivalry of late. Loyola is looking to end that streak. Staying dialed in for either side is not likely to be an issue in a rivalry built on respect and shared ideas.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The Chicago Catholic League has experimented with various permutations and iterations in response to the changing landscape of conference membership. Things change due to economics, social change and demographics.
In the interim, schools have shuttered or some have gone to new conferences. Against this backdrop, permanence is something hard to find. That makes the connection between St. Ignatius and Loyola all the more remarkable.
The only two Jesuit schools in the Catholic League, some 20 miles separate the Wilmette campus of Loyola and the South Loop campus of St. Ignatius.
“What we have with Ignatius is special, and whenever we play it is always going to be a good game,” Loyola coach Baer Fisher said. “The healthy rivalry we have is something we always look forward to, and we are excited for that.”
The soccer rivalry moves to another register with the annual Blue Division showdown set to commence at the Munz Sports Campus in Glenview at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. For the 2018 edition, an already complex and intense rivalry has ever greater consequences.
“It’s a very important game this year, for [state tournament] seeding and the conference,” Fisher said. “Hopefully we can get a result.”
Loyola (8-1-3, 2-0-0) is smoldering hot entering the game. The Ramblers, ranked 25th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, have won six in a row. Taking part in the Northside College Showcase to start the season where they went 0-1-2 against high-level competition turned out to be ideal preparation.
“Right now, we are fighting,” senior Loyola midfielder Collin Leider said. “We don’t want to look too far ahead. We are just taking it one game at a time, but have talked about potentially we could be one of the top seeds of our sectional.
“We could also win the Catholic League.”
Loyola, St. Ignatius, St. Laurence and Marmion each have six points. Loyola is the only undefeated team. St. Ignatius and St. Lawrence have played three games, with loss, and Marmion has gone 2-2-0 in conference play.
Loyola holds a slight edge in the conference race. The Ramblers have a 19-1 scoring differential during their six-game winning streak. Fisher said the backline has come together, centered interestingly enough around precocious freshman keeper Alex Ainsworth. Leider and DePaul recruit David Gripman are the offensive centerpieces, the players who make the attack flourish.
The team’s strong collection of sophomores have also come of age. Oscar Blazer and Mario Hrvojevic are converted attacking players Fisher moved to the back to take advantage of their speed and athleticism to make the Ramblers’ defense faster and capable of shutting down open seams quicker.
“That sophomore class, deep and talented, and they are also very close,” Fisher said. “They are all good friends, on and off the field. Their continued growth and progress is definitely something to look forward to.”
St. Ignatius coach Ryan Kearns has pointed to this stretch of the year. He deliberately spaced out his early season schedule in order that his players were fresher for the stretch run of league play.
The state tournament looms over the game for both teams. Loyola is a regional host in the Class 3A Evanston Sectional complex. St. Ignatius is hosting a Class AA Sectional. This is the last game before coaches submit team information and determine sectional seeds on Wednesday. The IHSA is set to post the sectional seeds on Thursday afternoon.
The Wolfpack (8-4-0, 2-1-0) have had a volatile season with stretches of extraordinary play combined with less flattering moments. In the second game of the year, St. Ignatius jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 20 minutes against current no. 14 Oak Park and River Forest before giving up four unanswered goals in a stunning defeat.
Last Tuesday, the Wolfpack spotted Marmion a 3-0 lead at the break, scored twice in the first seven minutes of the second half to make a game of it before a crucial mistake sealed their fate in the 4-3 loss.
“We treat teams that we think we are better than, on paper, as such, and we play as such,” Kearns said. “We are hosting a sectional. If we don’t play with greater effort and consistently, we are going hosting a sectional semifinal and not playing in it, and that would be very embarrassing.”
St. Ignatius has played well through adversity and off disappointing results. It followed up the Marmion game with a crucial 1-0 road victory over Fenwick Thursday that keeps them in the heat of the conference title.
The Wolfpack constitute probably the most-gifted offensive attack Loyola has faced during its current winning streak. St. Ignatius features an excellent middle attack with Daniel Fernandez, Ronan Sullivan, Max Hanlon and Ryan Fitzpatrick. The two weapons at the top are Keith Bevans and Matt Griffin, who are both exceptionally dangerous.
St. Ignatius has dominated the rivalry of late. Loyola is looking to end that streak. Staying dialed in for either side is not likely to be an issue in a rivalry built on respect and shared ideas.