Loyola serves notice
with 2nd place tourney finish
Ramblers fall 2-1 to Wheeling, but maintain momentum
By Rusty Silber
GLENVIEW -- For the first couple of weeks this season, Loyola is making strides getting stronger and showing that they can compete against some of the better teams around the Chicagoland area.
The Ramblers did just that with a strong showing in the Jim Wolter Titan Invitational last week at Glenbrook South where Loyola worked its way into the championship game.
The first item of business Saturday morning was to finish pool play with a make-up game against Schurz that was rescheduled due to Tuesday’s rains. An 8 a.m. start time didn’t bother Loyola, which powered to a 5-0 win for their second shutout of the week.
With the win, the Ramblers finished 2-0-1 in the Navy Division. Their record included a 2-1 win over Stevenson and a 0-0 tie with host Glenbrook South.
Loyola took the title game berth in a tiebreaker over Glenbrook South and faced Gold Division winner Wheeling for the championship at 11 a.m.
For the final pool game and the championship, the Ramblers enjoyed the benefit of playing both matches at its Munz Campus due to the rainout.
The Ramblers’ run of success ended in the final. They couldn’t stop Wheeling's bid for a fourth-straight tournament title and fell 2-1.
Wheeling improved to 6-1-1 with the victory.
"We're just starting to understand how to play with each other," Wheeling coach Kevin Lennon said. "We've got a bunch of guys that play in different clubs with different styles.
"We want to get everyone to understand how to attack and how to defend. I think the biggest thing for us is getting the chemistry."
The Wildcats defeated Niles North, Taft and Mundelein in pool play.
Wheeling's Dennis Gavrila was named Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match for solid play and setting up Robert Cruz’s winning goal in the 55th minute. He also showed a lot of ability working up-top and in the midfield controlling the ball and trying to initiate plays against the wall of defenders the Ramblers set up in front of their goal.
"I'm just trying to get the ball in the center (of the field)," Gavrila said. "I just try to lay off the runs in the midfield. It was a good run for Robert (Cruz), and I spotted him. I just wanted to cause confusion and chaos. "
The Wildcats broke the ice after a scoreless first half. Vicente Castro’s corner-kick was put away by Randy Pietrowski’s volley in the 45th minute.
Loyola’s offense came to life a minute after the Ramblers went down 2-0. David Gripman notched his fifth goal of the season with a great move in the penalty area after an assist from Julian Hilpusch.
"My primary job is to be the goal-scorer," Gripman said. "The team helps out. Without the team you don't do anything. Everything starts from the back, we build up and play through the mids. You just have your team set you up."
Loyola pushed for the tying goal in the last 10 minutes. Gripman had a couple of chances but missed posts.
The Ramblers' defense performed well in the tournament behind the strong play of Matt Brennan, Daniel Montaquila, Luke Phillips and Matthew Salter.
"We just want to communicate and work together," Brennan said. "We focus on building a strong team and we defended well. We proud on how we put it together. A couple of situations we can clean up, but were proud of what we did.
"Our attack is outstanding, and if we can put a zero on the board, we know that we're doing good. We're very defensively minded and just want to make sure that we can give our team the best chance. Being a wall, it's good to be thought of that way for not letting anything get past us."
The Ramblers also had a good effort from goalkeeper David Moreno-Hirsch, who filled in for starter Jack McMenamin. The junior stepped up to make five saves including several point-blank stops.
"I thought it was a good game,” Rambler coach Baer Fisher said. “Wheeling had more of the ball for the most part, but we defended very well, staying organized in the back. It was our willingness as a group to keep it that way. Wheeling was a great team, and they were tough to stop."
The Ramblers (4-1-1), who played without senior forward and co-captain Sean Hickey, used with a defensive mindset to slow down the game. The tactic worked and seemed to frustrate the Wildcats.
"That was our game plan going in, to sit back and compact ourselves a bit," Fisher said. "Then, we wanted to counter attack on (Wheeling) very quickly."
As its ascension to the championship game shows, Loyola’s drive to play a higher level of soccer is paying off.
"It was a good tournament with good teams," Fisher said. "It was a good test early in the season. What we got out of it was that we're happy with the progress of the games.
“But we have to keep working hard for each other. We can't sit back on what we've done so far. We know that we can do a lot of things. We have to keep working at it and see where we're headed."
Starting lineups
Wheeling
GK-Jose Castillo
D-David Soto
D-Jose Aguilar
D-Randy Pietrowski
MF-Jared Urueta
MF-Jonathan Sanchez
MF-Rivaldi Araujo
F-Jose Mariscal
F-Konrad Malinowski
F-Dennis Gavrila
Loyola
GK-David Moreno-Hirsch
D-Matt Salter
D-Luke Phillips
D-Matt Brennan
D-Daniel Montaquila
MF-Nick Roscoe
MF-Julian Hilpusch
MF-Nick Lew
MF-Collin Leider
MF-Christian Jimenez
F-David Gripman
Man of the Match- Dennis Gavrila, F, Wheeling
with 2nd place tourney finish
Ramblers fall 2-1 to Wheeling, but maintain momentum
By Rusty Silber
GLENVIEW -- For the first couple of weeks this season, Loyola is making strides getting stronger and showing that they can compete against some of the better teams around the Chicagoland area.
The Ramblers did just that with a strong showing in the Jim Wolter Titan Invitational last week at Glenbrook South where Loyola worked its way into the championship game.
The first item of business Saturday morning was to finish pool play with a make-up game against Schurz that was rescheduled due to Tuesday’s rains. An 8 a.m. start time didn’t bother Loyola, which powered to a 5-0 win for their second shutout of the week.
With the win, the Ramblers finished 2-0-1 in the Navy Division. Their record included a 2-1 win over Stevenson and a 0-0 tie with host Glenbrook South.
Loyola took the title game berth in a tiebreaker over Glenbrook South and faced Gold Division winner Wheeling for the championship at 11 a.m.
For the final pool game and the championship, the Ramblers enjoyed the benefit of playing both matches at its Munz Campus due to the rainout.
The Ramblers’ run of success ended in the final. They couldn’t stop Wheeling's bid for a fourth-straight tournament title and fell 2-1.
Wheeling improved to 6-1-1 with the victory.
"We're just starting to understand how to play with each other," Wheeling coach Kevin Lennon said. "We've got a bunch of guys that play in different clubs with different styles.
"We want to get everyone to understand how to attack and how to defend. I think the biggest thing for us is getting the chemistry."
The Wildcats defeated Niles North, Taft and Mundelein in pool play.
Wheeling's Dennis Gavrila was named Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match for solid play and setting up Robert Cruz’s winning goal in the 55th minute. He also showed a lot of ability working up-top and in the midfield controlling the ball and trying to initiate plays against the wall of defenders the Ramblers set up in front of their goal.
"I'm just trying to get the ball in the center (of the field)," Gavrila said. "I just try to lay off the runs in the midfield. It was a good run for Robert (Cruz), and I spotted him. I just wanted to cause confusion and chaos. "
The Wildcats broke the ice after a scoreless first half. Vicente Castro’s corner-kick was put away by Randy Pietrowski’s volley in the 45th minute.
Loyola’s offense came to life a minute after the Ramblers went down 2-0. David Gripman notched his fifth goal of the season with a great move in the penalty area after an assist from Julian Hilpusch.
"My primary job is to be the goal-scorer," Gripman said. "The team helps out. Without the team you don't do anything. Everything starts from the back, we build up and play through the mids. You just have your team set you up."
Loyola pushed for the tying goal in the last 10 minutes. Gripman had a couple of chances but missed posts.
The Ramblers' defense performed well in the tournament behind the strong play of Matt Brennan, Daniel Montaquila, Luke Phillips and Matthew Salter.
"We just want to communicate and work together," Brennan said. "We focus on building a strong team and we defended well. We proud on how we put it together. A couple of situations we can clean up, but were proud of what we did.
"Our attack is outstanding, and if we can put a zero on the board, we know that we're doing good. We're very defensively minded and just want to make sure that we can give our team the best chance. Being a wall, it's good to be thought of that way for not letting anything get past us."
The Ramblers also had a good effort from goalkeeper David Moreno-Hirsch, who filled in for starter Jack McMenamin. The junior stepped up to make five saves including several point-blank stops.
"I thought it was a good game,” Rambler coach Baer Fisher said. “Wheeling had more of the ball for the most part, but we defended very well, staying organized in the back. It was our willingness as a group to keep it that way. Wheeling was a great team, and they were tough to stop."
The Ramblers (4-1-1), who played without senior forward and co-captain Sean Hickey, used with a defensive mindset to slow down the game. The tactic worked and seemed to frustrate the Wildcats.
"That was our game plan going in, to sit back and compact ourselves a bit," Fisher said. "Then, we wanted to counter attack on (Wheeling) very quickly."
As its ascension to the championship game shows, Loyola’s drive to play a higher level of soccer is paying off.
"It was a good tournament with good teams," Fisher said. "It was a good test early in the season. What we got out of it was that we're happy with the progress of the games.
“But we have to keep working hard for each other. We can't sit back on what we've done so far. We know that we can do a lot of things. We have to keep working at it and see where we're headed."
Starting lineups
Wheeling
GK-Jose Castillo
D-David Soto
D-Jose Aguilar
D-Randy Pietrowski
MF-Jared Urueta
MF-Jonathan Sanchez
MF-Rivaldi Araujo
F-Jose Mariscal
F-Konrad Malinowski
F-Dennis Gavrila
Loyola
GK-David Moreno-Hirsch
D-Matt Salter
D-Luke Phillips
D-Matt Brennan
D-Daniel Montaquila
MF-Nick Roscoe
MF-Julian Hilpusch
MF-Nick Lew
MF-Collin Leider
MF-Christian Jimenez
F-David Gripman
Man of the Match- Dennis Gavrila, F, Wheeling