North Shore Country Day primed to shine
Raiders' depth and talent take a step forward in 2019
By Gary Larsen
North Shore Country Day relied on center mid Aidan Zavala to guide the attack last year as goal-scoring striker Vincent Luglio was busy putting up his second-consecutive 20-plus season.
With Zavala now graduated, the junior Luglio moves to the central midfield in 2019. The move from scorer to creator can be a tough one, but Raiders senior Tyler Doornweerd sees no problem with the transition.
“Vincent can definitely take over what (Zavala) gave us last year, and I’m excited to see him playing there,” Doornweerd said. “He works hard, and he’s great on the ball.”
The tinkering that Raiders coach Kyle Jones will do with a deeper team this season won’t end there. Junior Axel Garcia also moves from the backline to midfield, joining Luglio and junior Jacob Sherman to give the Raiders a dynamic central midfield aiming to spearhead the attack.
“Jacob is like a Yorkshire Terrier, harassing you around your feet, and he can read the game better than most high school kids you’ll see,” Jones said. “Vincent is always tough to deal with on the offensive end, and Axel is just tenacious and good on the ball.”
A lineup arranged to win the midfield is a good start, but North Shore Country Day has pieces all over the pitch who are ready to contribute.
Doornweerd and his sophomore brother Finn are a pair of big central defenders ready to support the midfield trio of Sherman, Luglio and Garcia. Add second-year sophomore keeper Nick Potter to the mix and the Raiders should be solid from front to back up the middle of the field.
“Until you get out there against other teams it’s hard to get a benchmark but from what I’ve seen, the atmosphere and the intensity of practice, and the way they’re treating each other and the way they’re playing — I have to say I’m optimistic,” Jones said.
Tyler Doornweerd sees one chief difference between this year’s team and the Raiders’ team that went 9-9-2 in 2018.
“What I’m happy about this year is I think we’ve got a lot of depth,” Doornweerd said. “In years past we’ve maybe had 10 players that shined but when you’d look at the bench, maybe you didn’t see too many bright spots. This year, there will definitely be kids coming in and out that add a lot of depth.”
That additional depth has happened for a few reasons. A handful of quality incoming freshmen have helped and the development of last year’s junior varsity players has been exceptional. The Raiders should also benefit from a larger team-wide commitment to playing off-season club soccer.
Joining the Doornweerd’s on the backline will be a rotation of outside defenders. Jones intends to use his bench and keeping fresh legs on the outside will be paramount.
“We’ve got some guys that can play there,” Jones said. “John Sprenger and Ethan Stump are battling it out at left back, and we’ve got two seniors at right back in Alex Winslow and Riley Jones.
“We’ll be asking a lot of our fullbacks this year so getting them some breathers and spreading their time out would be wise.”
The Doornweerd brothers will be mainstays in the middle of the backline, “and they can play,” Jones said. “They’ll just have to realize that at center back, communication is a big piece that goes along with that position. So we’re hoping they can find their voice, but we know they’re going to be tough to get by in the air or on the ground. They complement each other very well.”
Tyler Doornweerd anticipates a smooth connection between he and brother Finn.
“I’m optimistic,” Dornweerd said.“It’s actually really nice. We’ve never played together before but we have good communication. We know what each other is thinking, and it’s like we’ve been playing together for a while.”
Potter’s evolution in net took another step forward since last season. The sophomore is a solid all-around athlete who also plays baseball and basketball for the school.
“He’s athletic, he makes saves, and he has great hands,” Jones said. “He plays at a high level, wherever he is. I’m sure if he played football he’d be good at that, too.
“He used to be a field player so he’s great with his feet, and we’ll be able to play it to him and have him start our attack. He’s just reliable, steady, and brings a lot of energy to the team. He has really dedicated himself in the offseason, and it’s paying benefits. If he continues the way he’s going he’s going to be one of the best keepers in the league, if not the best.”
On the outside at midfield, sophomore Mason Roberts-Jones “is dangerous and we’ll challenge him to score some more this year,” Jones said. “He strikes a ball as well as any player you’ll see. Senior Adam Terhaerdt can also score some goals for us.”
One of the main reasons Jones is comfortable moving Luglio from forward to midfield is freshman striker Cole Sabia.
“He’s going to be a good player,” Jones said. “I’m pleased with him and excited to see how he fares at the high school level. His movement for someone so young — he reads the game very well, he knows how to hold the ball and where to be at the right time. He knows how to pull defenders out of the way so other guys can have space, and he can score goals. He’s also young and hungry so he wants to prove what he can do.
“Teams will try to key in on Vincent (Luglio) but we’ve got other guys that can create space for others, and guys that can take advantage. I think teams will have to be balanced to contain us.”
Rounding out the Raiders roster are Augie Gallun, Ethan Stump, Kai Barrett-Bennett, Nico Sabia, Tae Won Lillig, and Alex Freiburger. All will need to contribute if this year’s Raiders have their eyes set down the road on a deep playoff run.
“The guys off the bench are going to be able contribute, so we also want to get them some time and opportunities,” Jones said.
“I’m optimistic. We can possess the ball but we’ve also got strength up-front, where we can hit you on the counter. So in terms of characterization I think we’re pretty dynamic this year. We like to play good soccer and take care of the ball, and we want to play right and have the ball at our feet.”
Raiders' depth and talent take a step forward in 2019
By Gary Larsen
North Shore Country Day relied on center mid Aidan Zavala to guide the attack last year as goal-scoring striker Vincent Luglio was busy putting up his second-consecutive 20-plus season.
With Zavala now graduated, the junior Luglio moves to the central midfield in 2019. The move from scorer to creator can be a tough one, but Raiders senior Tyler Doornweerd sees no problem with the transition.
“Vincent can definitely take over what (Zavala) gave us last year, and I’m excited to see him playing there,” Doornweerd said. “He works hard, and he’s great on the ball.”
The tinkering that Raiders coach Kyle Jones will do with a deeper team this season won’t end there. Junior Axel Garcia also moves from the backline to midfield, joining Luglio and junior Jacob Sherman to give the Raiders a dynamic central midfield aiming to spearhead the attack.
“Jacob is like a Yorkshire Terrier, harassing you around your feet, and he can read the game better than most high school kids you’ll see,” Jones said. “Vincent is always tough to deal with on the offensive end, and Axel is just tenacious and good on the ball.”
A lineup arranged to win the midfield is a good start, but North Shore Country Day has pieces all over the pitch who are ready to contribute.
Doornweerd and his sophomore brother Finn are a pair of big central defenders ready to support the midfield trio of Sherman, Luglio and Garcia. Add second-year sophomore keeper Nick Potter to the mix and the Raiders should be solid from front to back up the middle of the field.
“Until you get out there against other teams it’s hard to get a benchmark but from what I’ve seen, the atmosphere and the intensity of practice, and the way they’re treating each other and the way they’re playing — I have to say I’m optimistic,” Jones said.
Tyler Doornweerd sees one chief difference between this year’s team and the Raiders’ team that went 9-9-2 in 2018.
“What I’m happy about this year is I think we’ve got a lot of depth,” Doornweerd said. “In years past we’ve maybe had 10 players that shined but when you’d look at the bench, maybe you didn’t see too many bright spots. This year, there will definitely be kids coming in and out that add a lot of depth.”
That additional depth has happened for a few reasons. A handful of quality incoming freshmen have helped and the development of last year’s junior varsity players has been exceptional. The Raiders should also benefit from a larger team-wide commitment to playing off-season club soccer.
Joining the Doornweerd’s on the backline will be a rotation of outside defenders. Jones intends to use his bench and keeping fresh legs on the outside will be paramount.
“We’ve got some guys that can play there,” Jones said. “John Sprenger and Ethan Stump are battling it out at left back, and we’ve got two seniors at right back in Alex Winslow and Riley Jones.
“We’ll be asking a lot of our fullbacks this year so getting them some breathers and spreading their time out would be wise.”
The Doornweerd brothers will be mainstays in the middle of the backline, “and they can play,” Jones said. “They’ll just have to realize that at center back, communication is a big piece that goes along with that position. So we’re hoping they can find their voice, but we know they’re going to be tough to get by in the air or on the ground. They complement each other very well.”
Tyler Doornweerd anticipates a smooth connection between he and brother Finn.
“I’m optimistic,” Dornweerd said.“It’s actually really nice. We’ve never played together before but we have good communication. We know what each other is thinking, and it’s like we’ve been playing together for a while.”
Potter’s evolution in net took another step forward since last season. The sophomore is a solid all-around athlete who also plays baseball and basketball for the school.
“He’s athletic, he makes saves, and he has great hands,” Jones said. “He plays at a high level, wherever he is. I’m sure if he played football he’d be good at that, too.
“He used to be a field player so he’s great with his feet, and we’ll be able to play it to him and have him start our attack. He’s just reliable, steady, and brings a lot of energy to the team. He has really dedicated himself in the offseason, and it’s paying benefits. If he continues the way he’s going he’s going to be one of the best keepers in the league, if not the best.”
On the outside at midfield, sophomore Mason Roberts-Jones “is dangerous and we’ll challenge him to score some more this year,” Jones said. “He strikes a ball as well as any player you’ll see. Senior Adam Terhaerdt can also score some goals for us.”
One of the main reasons Jones is comfortable moving Luglio from forward to midfield is freshman striker Cole Sabia.
“He’s going to be a good player,” Jones said. “I’m pleased with him and excited to see how he fares at the high school level. His movement for someone so young — he reads the game very well, he knows how to hold the ball and where to be at the right time. He knows how to pull defenders out of the way so other guys can have space, and he can score goals. He’s also young and hungry so he wants to prove what he can do.
“Teams will try to key in on Vincent (Luglio) but we’ve got other guys that can create space for others, and guys that can take advantage. I think teams will have to be balanced to contain us.”
Rounding out the Raiders roster are Augie Gallun, Ethan Stump, Kai Barrett-Bennett, Nico Sabia, Tae Won Lillig, and Alex Freiburger. All will need to contribute if this year’s Raiders have their eyes set down the road on a deep playoff run.
“The guys off the bench are going to be able contribute, so we also want to get them some time and opportunities,” Jones said.
“I’m optimistic. We can possess the ball but we’ve also got strength up-front, where we can hit you on the counter. So in terms of characterization I think we’re pretty dynamic this year. We like to play good soccer and take care of the ball, and we want to play right and have the ball at our feet.”