Season recap: Marmion
By Steve Nemeth
Recapping Marmion’s 2019 season is like the proverbial phrase “Is the glass half empty or half full?”
Strictly from a numbers standpoint, the final 8-9-3 record is a few steps backward from the 2018 campaign that ended with a Class AA supersectional loss and a 14-8-1 ledger.
However, when viewed under the light of an upgraded schedule, there are positives and reasons for satisfaction plus optimism for the future.
Despite heavy graduation losses from the 2018 supersectional unit, Marmion once again “scheduled up” with 10 of 18 regular-season matches featuring Class 3A foes. Among the seven opponents who appeared in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, four remained in the group for the final pre-playoff ranking. Of the Cadets' nine losses, six came at the hands of regional finalists, including three champions.
“Considering the need to have sophomores filling the shoes of seniors and several narrow losses, that record was close to looking very different,” coach Jimmy Romano said. “We want to challenge ourselves by playing tougher teams.
“Unfortunately this year we lacked depth, so even having one or two players injured or sick, the domino effect was often negative. Whereas we needed to be as strong as possible for certain opponents, having to change a lineup due to an injury, or even moving players to different positions to cover someone sick, often put us at a disadvantage.”
Perhaps early in the year the Cadets’ youth fueled the fearlessness that led to success.
After a season-opening road loss to a Class 3A Geneva crew that would post a banner year, Marmion got off to a strong start that included an eye-catching runner-up finish in the Barrington Classic. It began with a 1-0 win over Mount Carmel -- which late in the season held a top 10 Chicagoland Soccer rank, followed by a 1-0 triumph over Conant and a 0-0 draw with Streamwood.
“That was our first win over Mount Carmel in ages,” Romano noted. “Our keepers came up big including some PK saves in matches leading to the (Barrington) title game.
“We may not have been dominant, but we played a full 80 minutes. As a team we played with a lot of energy before losing the championship to host Barrington,” Romano added. “They were our sixth-straight 3A opponent”
Even though the host Broncos won the championship, that tourney experience was viewed unanimously as one of the season’s best highlights.
“We had some great wins, we earned the one against Mount Carmel and even taking second place was huge,” senior C.J. Sowers said. “At times we played some amazing soccer.”
“I believe that was the first time Marmion finished so high at Barrington,”sophomore Adrian Ruiz recalled. “We pulled together really well to get so many positive results.”
That made an early 5-2-2 record even more significant. Perhaps the law of averages then balanced out with a lack of breaks. The Cadets went on a five-game skid that included a pair of one-goal defeats plus an overtime setback. That string came against four of the aforementioned regional finalists.
“We knew looking at the schedule before it all began that those five matches would constitute the toughest part of the season,” senior Ian Swindle said. “The final record was probably a fair reflection on how things went against a very tough schedule.
“But playing stronger teams is a challenge we prefer in order to prepare us for both conference and the postseason. I don’t like losing, but in hindsight we probably won a couple we weren’t expected to and then lost a couple we shouldn’t have, so I’d still say it was a decent year.”
A feast or famine element became part of the 2019 picture. In Marmion’s losses, the Cadets managed only five goals while allowing 25. However when it came to victories, they scored 25 and allowed one.
“Beating St. Rita was notable as a rebound from the (championship) loss to Barrington,” Romano noted. “But then we couldn’t find the back of the net. There was the irony of not playing your best and winning versus at times playing our best, but still losing. Loyola was such an example; we played fantastic.”
“I like scheduling tougher programs,” sophomore Nathan Sowers said. “It gives us a chance to really test ourselves and our character. It teaches you to get back up after being knocked down, and it’s why we do well in the postseason.”
The 1-0 loss to ranked Loyola was part of a 1-5-0 Chicagoland Catholic League Blue Division showing. Also included was an overtime loss in a rematch with Mount Carmel and a 1-0 defeat to well-regarded St. Laurence.
Mustering up some Cadets pride, Marmion rallied to force overtime and then a shootout in which their 3-0 edge led to a triumph over Fenwick.
“Despite struggling and being behind, we came back for a tie, held strong through overtime, and then blanked them in the shootout. The previous two years, we lost to them in shootouts,” Romano noted.
That Senior Night triumph was also unanimously sighted as a highlight.
“Trailing for so long but scoring late to force overtime and ultimately winning the shootout made that night special,” Ruiz said.
“For me individually, hitting that free kick late for OT and then winning made it a match I’ll always remember,” Swindle said.
“The whole team came together the longer the match went and created that win,” Nathan Sowers said. “Best of all it came against a good team. And yes, it kept us from being winless in the conference.”
Assigned to a prelim round for the IHSA playoffs, Marmion posted a 2-0 victory over Burlington Central. That was the sixth solo clean sheet for senior keeper Jason Baker, who also shared a pair of shutouts with Nathan Gelsomino. Baker had a solid 1.40 goals-against-average; Gelsomino wasn’t far off at 1.51 and the junior had one solo shutout.
The Cadets then lost a semifinal to a Sycamore crew that went on to the regional win before ultimately capping a successful 16-8-1 campaign that was their best in a decade.
“Although we were disciplined throughout the year, at times we struggled with communication and staying organized,” Ruiz said. “For next year I expect us to reincorporate the discipline with working harder and smarter. We had good senior leadership, so that is something that will need to be recreated as well.”
“Finding new leaders will be the main challenge,” according to the younger (Nathan) Sowers. “But I believe we’re adding some strong young talent to the varsity so that our offense will be stronger and the backline will be solid.”
Romano shares that optimism.
“The majority on next year’s roster will be juniors and seniors with experience. We’ll blend in some talented individuals from successful JV and frosh-soph units,” Romano said. “Nate is a good example of someone who gained a lot of experience. He’s talented, very competitive, and has a strong desire to win.
“James Lawinger was probably our most creative player for scoring, and I’m sure he’ll be the leader of the attack.
“Drew (Noecker) and Joey (Lagman) are all-around players, very flexible whether on the left or the right, midfield or up-top. They have the kind of attributes that can solve a lot of concerns.
“Adrian is another guy who gained experience from necessity. He’s strong physically and smart mentally, two qualities that can decide matches.”
Lawinger finished the year with 14 points (six goals - two assists) followed by Lagman (10 pts. / 4g-2a), Noecker (8 pts. / 3g-2a) and Nathan Sowers (7 pts. / 2g-3a).
However, Romano is very aware of the massive shoes that may be impossible to fill individually but could be by a collective group.
“Ian (22 pts. / 9g-4a), C.J. (14 pts. / 5g-3a) and T.J. (Tyler Laurich) and Jason were a core group of starters from end to end,” Romano noted. “That is a lot of valuable experience based on two, three or four years as starters, But they’ve also been the bridge that I believe will tie the 2018 success to next year’s team. They’re part of the reason we have people who continue to buy in to the importance of putting in extra work and effort.”
From a career standpoint, the previous year’s postseason success and supersectional showing are greater individual highlights for both C.J. Sowers and Swindle, who were quad captains along with Laurich and Baker.
“I believe there’s been a cultural change overall during my four years that will now sustain Marmion’s quality,” the elder Sowers said. “Just as we were taught, I believe we’ve taught the returnees how to play hard and play for each other, find ways to win versus quality foes.”
“I’d also like to thank coach Romano for three awesome years,” Swindle said. “Without him we wouldn’t have gone to supersectional, and would not have competed nearly as tough as we did against a very tough CCL this year. From the year he arrived, he motivated me to do my best and showed confidence in me, helping me do the best I possibly could.
“In addition, I wouldn’t have wanted anybody else by my side on the field with T.J. (Laurich) right next to me on varsity since freshman year. C.J. and Jason especially were heavyweight carriers. All the rest of the guys have been awesome teammates.
“I’m excited to see where the team goes next year with Joey, Drew, and James leading. I know coach will take advantage of the youth on the team, and make the absolute best out of it. I’m going to miss it all, and I wish the boys the best.”
By Steve Nemeth
Recapping Marmion’s 2019 season is like the proverbial phrase “Is the glass half empty or half full?”
Strictly from a numbers standpoint, the final 8-9-3 record is a few steps backward from the 2018 campaign that ended with a Class AA supersectional loss and a 14-8-1 ledger.
However, when viewed under the light of an upgraded schedule, there are positives and reasons for satisfaction plus optimism for the future.
Despite heavy graduation losses from the 2018 supersectional unit, Marmion once again “scheduled up” with 10 of 18 regular-season matches featuring Class 3A foes. Among the seven opponents who appeared in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, four remained in the group for the final pre-playoff ranking. Of the Cadets' nine losses, six came at the hands of regional finalists, including three champions.
“Considering the need to have sophomores filling the shoes of seniors and several narrow losses, that record was close to looking very different,” coach Jimmy Romano said. “We want to challenge ourselves by playing tougher teams.
“Unfortunately this year we lacked depth, so even having one or two players injured or sick, the domino effect was often negative. Whereas we needed to be as strong as possible for certain opponents, having to change a lineup due to an injury, or even moving players to different positions to cover someone sick, often put us at a disadvantage.”
Perhaps early in the year the Cadets’ youth fueled the fearlessness that led to success.
After a season-opening road loss to a Class 3A Geneva crew that would post a banner year, Marmion got off to a strong start that included an eye-catching runner-up finish in the Barrington Classic. It began with a 1-0 win over Mount Carmel -- which late in the season held a top 10 Chicagoland Soccer rank, followed by a 1-0 triumph over Conant and a 0-0 draw with Streamwood.
“That was our first win over Mount Carmel in ages,” Romano noted. “Our keepers came up big including some PK saves in matches leading to the (Barrington) title game.
“We may not have been dominant, but we played a full 80 minutes. As a team we played with a lot of energy before losing the championship to host Barrington,” Romano added. “They were our sixth-straight 3A opponent”
Even though the host Broncos won the championship, that tourney experience was viewed unanimously as one of the season’s best highlights.
“We had some great wins, we earned the one against Mount Carmel and even taking second place was huge,” senior C.J. Sowers said. “At times we played some amazing soccer.”
“I believe that was the first time Marmion finished so high at Barrington,”sophomore Adrian Ruiz recalled. “We pulled together really well to get so many positive results.”
That made an early 5-2-2 record even more significant. Perhaps the law of averages then balanced out with a lack of breaks. The Cadets went on a five-game skid that included a pair of one-goal defeats plus an overtime setback. That string came against four of the aforementioned regional finalists.
“We knew looking at the schedule before it all began that those five matches would constitute the toughest part of the season,” senior Ian Swindle said. “The final record was probably a fair reflection on how things went against a very tough schedule.
“But playing stronger teams is a challenge we prefer in order to prepare us for both conference and the postseason. I don’t like losing, but in hindsight we probably won a couple we weren’t expected to and then lost a couple we shouldn’t have, so I’d still say it was a decent year.”
A feast or famine element became part of the 2019 picture. In Marmion’s losses, the Cadets managed only five goals while allowing 25. However when it came to victories, they scored 25 and allowed one.
“Beating St. Rita was notable as a rebound from the (championship) loss to Barrington,” Romano noted. “But then we couldn’t find the back of the net. There was the irony of not playing your best and winning versus at times playing our best, but still losing. Loyola was such an example; we played fantastic.”
“I like scheduling tougher programs,” sophomore Nathan Sowers said. “It gives us a chance to really test ourselves and our character. It teaches you to get back up after being knocked down, and it’s why we do well in the postseason.”
The 1-0 loss to ranked Loyola was part of a 1-5-0 Chicagoland Catholic League Blue Division showing. Also included was an overtime loss in a rematch with Mount Carmel and a 1-0 defeat to well-regarded St. Laurence.
Mustering up some Cadets pride, Marmion rallied to force overtime and then a shootout in which their 3-0 edge led to a triumph over Fenwick.
“Despite struggling and being behind, we came back for a tie, held strong through overtime, and then blanked them in the shootout. The previous two years, we lost to them in shootouts,” Romano noted.
That Senior Night triumph was also unanimously sighted as a highlight.
“Trailing for so long but scoring late to force overtime and ultimately winning the shootout made that night special,” Ruiz said.
“For me individually, hitting that free kick late for OT and then winning made it a match I’ll always remember,” Swindle said.
“The whole team came together the longer the match went and created that win,” Nathan Sowers said. “Best of all it came against a good team. And yes, it kept us from being winless in the conference.”
Assigned to a prelim round for the IHSA playoffs, Marmion posted a 2-0 victory over Burlington Central. That was the sixth solo clean sheet for senior keeper Jason Baker, who also shared a pair of shutouts with Nathan Gelsomino. Baker had a solid 1.40 goals-against-average; Gelsomino wasn’t far off at 1.51 and the junior had one solo shutout.
The Cadets then lost a semifinal to a Sycamore crew that went on to the regional win before ultimately capping a successful 16-8-1 campaign that was their best in a decade.
“Although we were disciplined throughout the year, at times we struggled with communication and staying organized,” Ruiz said. “For next year I expect us to reincorporate the discipline with working harder and smarter. We had good senior leadership, so that is something that will need to be recreated as well.”
“Finding new leaders will be the main challenge,” according to the younger (Nathan) Sowers. “But I believe we’re adding some strong young talent to the varsity so that our offense will be stronger and the backline will be solid.”
Romano shares that optimism.
“The majority on next year’s roster will be juniors and seniors with experience. We’ll blend in some talented individuals from successful JV and frosh-soph units,” Romano said. “Nate is a good example of someone who gained a lot of experience. He’s talented, very competitive, and has a strong desire to win.
“James Lawinger was probably our most creative player for scoring, and I’m sure he’ll be the leader of the attack.
“Drew (Noecker) and Joey (Lagman) are all-around players, very flexible whether on the left or the right, midfield or up-top. They have the kind of attributes that can solve a lot of concerns.
“Adrian is another guy who gained experience from necessity. He’s strong physically and smart mentally, two qualities that can decide matches.”
Lawinger finished the year with 14 points (six goals - two assists) followed by Lagman (10 pts. / 4g-2a), Noecker (8 pts. / 3g-2a) and Nathan Sowers (7 pts. / 2g-3a).
However, Romano is very aware of the massive shoes that may be impossible to fill individually but could be by a collective group.
“Ian (22 pts. / 9g-4a), C.J. (14 pts. / 5g-3a) and T.J. (Tyler Laurich) and Jason were a core group of starters from end to end,” Romano noted. “That is a lot of valuable experience based on two, three or four years as starters, But they’ve also been the bridge that I believe will tie the 2018 success to next year’s team. They’re part of the reason we have people who continue to buy in to the importance of putting in extra work and effort.”
From a career standpoint, the previous year’s postseason success and supersectional showing are greater individual highlights for both C.J. Sowers and Swindle, who were quad captains along with Laurich and Baker.
“I believe there’s been a cultural change overall during my four years that will now sustain Marmion’s quality,” the elder Sowers said. “Just as we were taught, I believe we’ve taught the returnees how to play hard and play for each other, find ways to win versus quality foes.”
“I’d also like to thank coach Romano for three awesome years,” Swindle said. “Without him we wouldn’t have gone to supersectional, and would not have competed nearly as tough as we did against a very tough CCL this year. From the year he arrived, he motivated me to do my best and showed confidence in me, helping me do the best I possibly could.
“In addition, I wouldn’t have wanted anybody else by my side on the field with T.J. (Laurich) right next to me on varsity since freshman year. C.J. and Jason especially were heavyweight carriers. All the rest of the guys have been awesome teammates.
“I’m excited to see where the team goes next year with Joey, Drew, and James leading. I know coach will take advantage of the youth on the team, and make the absolute best out of it. I’m going to miss it all, and I wish the boys the best.”