Is it Timothy's time vs. Wheaton A.?
Trojans look for overdue win vs Metro Suburban power
By Chris Walker
Michael Vogt knows Timothy has not fared well against Wheaton Academy, but as a defender, he’s going to defend his team.
The senior has been a part of three regional championships and seen his team turn one-sided affairs against the Warriors into competitive battles, including last season’s 2-1 loss.
It’s true they’ve been outscored by the Warriors 34-4 in the past six contests, but the finals were far closer the last three times they’ve met on the pitch.
“In the past four years when I’ve played against them, we’ve gradually gotten closer to beating them,” Vogt said. “Freshman year, we had a few rough games (9-1 in regular season and 3-0 in the postseason), but it was closer (2-0 loss in 2018) and last year we were very close (2-1) and had a lot of chances but just couldn’t finish.
The teams meet on Monday in Elmhurst on Timothy’s natural surface. With decent weather in the forecast and no rain this past weekend, the pitch isn't expected to be in too bad of shape for this time of the year. Game time is 6 p.m.
“I feel like we both have positive records (so far), and those guys love the game as well as we do,” Vogt said. “I remember over this past summer playing some of those guys at their field in scrimmages. I just know both teams love the game so much and are so grateful to be able to play against each other. I think there is going to be a lot of high energy and maybe some nerves from both sides.”
Wheaton Academy (4-1-1, 3-0-0) has won three-straight games, including an upset 2-1 victory against Naperville North, a program whose dominance includes 27 DuPage Valley Conference titles and four state championships. That win, in large part, led to the 17th-ranked Warriors debut in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 this week.
The victory was also notable on a more persinal level. Robert Platt’s first varsity goal tied the game for the Warriors. Anyone think he’ll forget that moment in his athletics playing career?
“He’s a junior, first year on varsity (kid), and he just worked so hard through the offseason,” Warriors coach Cody Snouffer said. “It was really cool to see him come into camp over summer and during contact days in the fall and winter, because every time we saw him he was getting better and better. To see his hard work pay off is really cool for him.”
Having it pay off against a team with a history like Naperville North made it even more enjoyable.
“We were thrilled for him,” Snouffer said. “And especially for it come against a really quality opponent against one of the best defenses and goalkeepers. It was a really a neat moment for him.”
Platt is no one-hit wonder either. He scored twice on Saturday against Bishop McNamara.
Graduation took away a lot of the Warriors’ scoring, but they’ve developed a plethora of talent that’s finding the back of the net. Jude Barton and Evan Eckert also have scored in back-to-back games. Haetham Nasr, Troy Erickson and Caleb and Joshua Mariotti also have been tallying goals.
“We have a smaller program this year than year’s team for a number of different reasons, and last year we had a go-to scorer in Logan Finnegan whose playing D1 soccer now,” Snouffer said. “On the one hand it’s a huge strength to have that guy who could score in every game, but when he’s on a dry spell and really well-marked, who is going to score? Part of the challenge this year has been to be a multi-dimensional attacking tea, and we’ve needed to teach kids to score from different positions.”
The Warriors have put some big numbers up against Timothy in the past, but after the recent matchups and the current status of these teams, one would assume it’s going to take a hard fight to come out on top in this one.
“We always like playing a good program that’s well-coached like Timothy,” Snouffer said. “They just get stronger and stronger each year, and it should be a really good matchup this year. It’s an important game, and it sets the tone for the rest of the week.”
It’s a game that Timothy has pointed to, according to coach Joel Zielke.
“The boys are pumped and ready to go,” he said. “We’ve had it circled on the calendar for a while now.”
After beating Elmwood Park to open conference play Friday, the Trojans have had tunnel vision.
“You can never look past a conference opponent, but after that we turned our attention to the match on Monday to prepare and get ready,” Zielke said. “It’s a short season, but you’re still trying to grow and get better throughout every game, and every practice. On Saturday we had a good turning point on some formation stuff with moving guys around. We solidified some of those spots and feel good moving forward.”
Look for Christian Cruz and Josh Bode to be productive for the hosts. If they can possess and produce, the Trojans have to like their chances.
“The great thing about the program is we’ve been able to reload every year and not every program is like that,” Zielke said. “Junior forward Christian Cruz does a fantastic job controlling the game. He’s so good on the ball and able to distribute well and control the pace and tempo for us.”
Bode transitioned from outside back on last year’s 18-3-2 to play winger.
“We probably lost 85 goals from last year so he’s really grown in the opportunity on the front line,” Zielke said. “We always knew he had the potential to be a player up-top and had done it freshman year on the JV team. We just had so much fire power up-top last year, and he suited our team better in a defensive role.”
With the abbreviated season, this game will have major conference implications since both teams have hopes of reigning supreme when all is said and done.
“We haven’t beat them in my five years here,” Zielke said. “We’ve been getting closer the last couple of years. They’re a very strong program, and I respect what they’ve been able to do for such a long time with (former coach) Jeff Brooke and now with Cody (Snouffer). We always look forward to playing them.
“I think this will go a long way toward who is the conference champ this year,” he continued. “I wish it could be two more weeks into the season, which would be the better side of things, but we know they’ve had some good results against (defending Class 3A state champion) West Chicago (tie) and (2016-18 Class 3A champ) Naperville North, so our boys are excited to go out and test to see where we’re at.”
Trojans look for overdue win vs Metro Suburban power
By Chris Walker
Michael Vogt knows Timothy has not fared well against Wheaton Academy, but as a defender, he’s going to defend his team.
The senior has been a part of three regional championships and seen his team turn one-sided affairs against the Warriors into competitive battles, including last season’s 2-1 loss.
It’s true they’ve been outscored by the Warriors 34-4 in the past six contests, but the finals were far closer the last three times they’ve met on the pitch.
“In the past four years when I’ve played against them, we’ve gradually gotten closer to beating them,” Vogt said. “Freshman year, we had a few rough games (9-1 in regular season and 3-0 in the postseason), but it was closer (2-0 loss in 2018) and last year we were very close (2-1) and had a lot of chances but just couldn’t finish.
The teams meet on Monday in Elmhurst on Timothy’s natural surface. With decent weather in the forecast and no rain this past weekend, the pitch isn't expected to be in too bad of shape for this time of the year. Game time is 6 p.m.
“I feel like we both have positive records (so far), and those guys love the game as well as we do,” Vogt said. “I remember over this past summer playing some of those guys at their field in scrimmages. I just know both teams love the game so much and are so grateful to be able to play against each other. I think there is going to be a lot of high energy and maybe some nerves from both sides.”
Wheaton Academy (4-1-1, 3-0-0) has won three-straight games, including an upset 2-1 victory against Naperville North, a program whose dominance includes 27 DuPage Valley Conference titles and four state championships. That win, in large part, led to the 17th-ranked Warriors debut in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 this week.
The victory was also notable on a more persinal level. Robert Platt’s first varsity goal tied the game for the Warriors. Anyone think he’ll forget that moment in his athletics playing career?
“He’s a junior, first year on varsity (kid), and he just worked so hard through the offseason,” Warriors coach Cody Snouffer said. “It was really cool to see him come into camp over summer and during contact days in the fall and winter, because every time we saw him he was getting better and better. To see his hard work pay off is really cool for him.”
Having it pay off against a team with a history like Naperville North made it even more enjoyable.
“We were thrilled for him,” Snouffer said. “And especially for it come against a really quality opponent against one of the best defenses and goalkeepers. It was a really a neat moment for him.”
Platt is no one-hit wonder either. He scored twice on Saturday against Bishop McNamara.
Graduation took away a lot of the Warriors’ scoring, but they’ve developed a plethora of talent that’s finding the back of the net. Jude Barton and Evan Eckert also have scored in back-to-back games. Haetham Nasr, Troy Erickson and Caleb and Joshua Mariotti also have been tallying goals.
“We have a smaller program this year than year’s team for a number of different reasons, and last year we had a go-to scorer in Logan Finnegan whose playing D1 soccer now,” Snouffer said. “On the one hand it’s a huge strength to have that guy who could score in every game, but when he’s on a dry spell and really well-marked, who is going to score? Part of the challenge this year has been to be a multi-dimensional attacking tea, and we’ve needed to teach kids to score from different positions.”
The Warriors have put some big numbers up against Timothy in the past, but after the recent matchups and the current status of these teams, one would assume it’s going to take a hard fight to come out on top in this one.
“We always like playing a good program that’s well-coached like Timothy,” Snouffer said. “They just get stronger and stronger each year, and it should be a really good matchup this year. It’s an important game, and it sets the tone for the rest of the week.”
It’s a game that Timothy has pointed to, according to coach Joel Zielke.
“The boys are pumped and ready to go,” he said. “We’ve had it circled on the calendar for a while now.”
After beating Elmwood Park to open conference play Friday, the Trojans have had tunnel vision.
“You can never look past a conference opponent, but after that we turned our attention to the match on Monday to prepare and get ready,” Zielke said. “It’s a short season, but you’re still trying to grow and get better throughout every game, and every practice. On Saturday we had a good turning point on some formation stuff with moving guys around. We solidified some of those spots and feel good moving forward.”
Look for Christian Cruz and Josh Bode to be productive for the hosts. If they can possess and produce, the Trojans have to like their chances.
“The great thing about the program is we’ve been able to reload every year and not every program is like that,” Zielke said. “Junior forward Christian Cruz does a fantastic job controlling the game. He’s so good on the ball and able to distribute well and control the pace and tempo for us.”
Bode transitioned from outside back on last year’s 18-3-2 to play winger.
“We probably lost 85 goals from last year so he’s really grown in the opportunity on the front line,” Zielke said. “We always knew he had the potential to be a player up-top and had done it freshman year on the JV team. We just had so much fire power up-top last year, and he suited our team better in a defensive role.”
With the abbreviated season, this game will have major conference implications since both teams have hopes of reigning supreme when all is said and done.
“We haven’t beat them in my five years here,” Zielke said. “We’ve been getting closer the last couple of years. They’re a very strong program, and I respect what they’ve been able to do for such a long time with (former coach) Jeff Brooke and now with Cody (Snouffer). We always look forward to playing them.
“I think this will go a long way toward who is the conference champ this year,” he continued. “I wish it could be two more weeks into the season, which would be the better side of things, but we know they’ve had some good results against (defending Class 3A state champion) West Chicago (tie) and (2016-18 Class 3A champ) Naperville North, so our boys are excited to go out and test to see where we’re at.”