New Marmion formation spurs
victory march at Oswego
Cadets on upswing as state tournament nears
By Steve Nemeth
OSWEGO -- When a season hasn’t gone according to plan, sometimes necessity is the mother of invention.
In Marmion’s case, a new formation appears to have the Cadets now marching in sync as evidenced by a 3-0 nonconference victory Saturday at Oswego.
Unfortunately for the host Panthers, success remains elusive as the postseason looms.
Marmion (4-12-1) has back-to-back victories for only the second time this year. The Cadets close out the season win one last Chicago Catholic League Green Division game at Brother Rice on Tuesday followed one week later by a visit to powerhouse Wheaton Academy, ranked 16th in the most recent Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“We’re finally hitting our groove,” insisted Quinn Gratz, who capped the scoring but earned Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match award for his game-long, all-over-the-field hustle.
Oswego (2-12-3) lost its fourth-consecutive outing and it’s been seven games (0-6-1) since the last triumph. Included in that skid are four one-goal setbacks, three of which were a result of Southwest Prairie Conference-mandated shootouts.
Saturday’s opening whistle almost coincided with the start of a pounding rain that made the day ideal for a detergent commercial aimed at returning mud-caked uniforms back to their preseason glory. The weather was as unwelcome as the loss for Oswego’s Senior Day contest that had the Panthers starting future graduates at every position but one.
Senior goalie Nick Kearns, one of Oswego’s bright spots this season, had a stellar save five minutes into the match. However, his talent wasn’t enough at 10:37 when James Serrano used a Sean Miller assist for a 1-0 Marmion lead.
“Eight of our 12 losses have been by a single goal or worse yet, a result from within the last 10 minutes, so despite playing solid soccer, we weren’t seeing the reward,” explained Marmion coach Ricky Del Toro, who has chosen to step down after five years directing Marmion in order to pursue another teaching opportunity. “So we made a formation change to use a sweeper and stopper combination that has really opened up possession for us in the middle.
“That first goal was a great example where we got it in the middle, played it forward to a winger who played it back, so we could swing it the other way and then find the open man,” Del Toro explained.
Miller found the open man.
“Seeing James open on the far side, it was just a question of getting him the ball,” he said about notching his second assist of the season. “Under these conditions, it was both important and great to get things going in our favor.”
Serrano’s fifth goal and second game-winning strike for 2016 led to the Cadets’ 1-0 halftime advantage behind starting goalie David Chiesa. Fellow Marmion senior Danny Galush took over in net for the second half and was tested immediately.
Just 3:12 after intermission, Galush had to block a rocket blast from Oswego’s Johnny Kraemer. Only 24 seconds elapsed before the Panthers were back with Julian Ibarra testing Galush with an absolute laser that Galush knocked wide. The resulting corner-kick was a third potentially dangerous situation until Galush took the ball out of the air.
“The start of the second half was pretty rough for us. We had no rhythm, and they were really putting pressure on us,” Del Toro noted. “Then we get that second goal, and it really settled us down for the rest of the game. It deflated their attack and gave us the confidence to look for the nail in the coffin.”
There were just under 17 minutes left when Marmion finally got the ball upfield and earned a corner-kick. That led to a Miller header that left the Oswego crossbar vibrating. The resulting pinball ricochets between players from both sides eventually put the ball in front of Jack Kavanaugh. The sophomore midfielder earned his first goal for the year and put the Cadets up 2-0 with 16:21 remaining.
While Oswego desperately tried to cut the deficit, Marmion’s defense stiffened and forced the host Panthers to deal with some dangerous counterattacks, several involving Gratz.
“He’s been very consistent for us and has an engine in him that is nonstop,” Del Toro said. “We can count on him to move up if needed, or to move back to help solidify our defense. Even then, he still manages to get forward. Quinn goes from the first minute to the last.”
Or in the case of Saturday, the final 11 seconds. That’s when Gratz hustled into position to get under reserve Anthony Zangler’s cross for an 11-yard header at 79:49. It was Zangler’s first assist and Gratz’s first goal.
“Seeing the ball played to Tony on the side, I just wanted to get open in the middle, and he gave me a beautiful ball. No matter how many times you execute that in a practice, it feels so much better in a match,” Gratz stated. “Hopefully this road win and the way we’ve been playing lately gives us a lot of confidence.”
Unlike previous seasons, Marmion has been shifted back to Class 2A. As the no. 6 seed out of 10 in Subsectional A at St. Francis, the Cadets may be somewhat of an anomaly to the opposition. Marmion has an Oct. 19 opener against no. 3 seed Timothy -- a Chicagoland Soccer top 20 preseason team whose standing has slipped off the list.
“Right now we need to keep playing with this level of intensity and continue to finish our chances,” Miller said. “Once the postseason starts, it’s strictly one game at a time.”
Of course Del Toro is viewing things as one more game at a time utilizing Marmion’s new formation.
“When we first asked Johan (Muscutt) to take on the sweeper role, he was hesitant not having experience in that capacity. But with each game, he’s shown the kind of leadership, composure and focus that is necessary. Plus he’s getting better and so are we.”
On the Oswego sideline the post-match atmosphere was in direct contrast. None of the Panthers were in a talking mood and for coach Brian Falli, the future doesn’t matter beyond Tuesday’s home date with Joliet Central.
“We’ve got four games left to get things straightened out and the next one is Central,” Falli said. “Before you can talk about finishing on a high note, you have to step up to that level versus Central.
“Today, we got all of our seniors playing time. Conditions weren’t ideal today, but they may not be ideal the next time or even in the postseason, so you use this as another learning experience.”
Joliet Central is the first of three-straight SPC outings with a visit to Plainfield South followed by a home date with Plainfield Central and then a regular season finale and nonconference visit from Glenbard South.
The Panthers are seeded 17th of the 19-program Class 3A Bolingbrook Sectional. Within Subsectional A, Oswego has a play-in prelim match at no. 16 Batavia. On the plus side, a win would bring the Panthers back to their home field to challenge sectional top seed Naperville North.
Starting lineups
Marmion
GK David Chiesa
D Andre Cerda
D Johan Muscutt
D Luke Salamon
D Ricky Ruiz
M Jack Kavanaugh
M Sean Miller
M Nick Grant
M Quinn Gratz
F Robert Quintana
F James Serrano
Oswego
GK Nick Kearns
D Riley Martin
D Kolby Frye
D Grant Swanigan
D Jesse Corneliusen
M Joey Kirkwood
M Ryan Baumann
M Dieter Lehmann
M Ryan Rathman
F Andrian Veseli
F Mitch Kearby
Man of the Match: Quinn Gratz, M, Marmion
Referees: Mike McDermott (center), Tom Swingler, Paul Trankar
Game summary
Marmion 3, Oswego 0
Marmion 1 2 --- 3
Oswego 0 0 --- 0
Scoring
M – Serrano 9-yard finish from left wing (Miller assist), 11th minute
M – Kavanaugh 7-yard finish off scramble (unassisted), 54th minute
M – Gratz 11-yard header off solid service (Zangler assist), 80th minute
Shots
M 4 – 7 --- 11
O 3 – 8 --- 11
Shots on goal
M 2 – 5 --- 7
O 2 – 5 --- 7
Saves
M (Chiesa) 2 – (Galush) 5 --- 7
O (Kearns) 2 – (Kearns 1, Salazar 1) 2 --- 4
victory march at Oswego
Cadets on upswing as state tournament nears
By Steve Nemeth
OSWEGO -- When a season hasn’t gone according to plan, sometimes necessity is the mother of invention.
In Marmion’s case, a new formation appears to have the Cadets now marching in sync as evidenced by a 3-0 nonconference victory Saturday at Oswego.
Unfortunately for the host Panthers, success remains elusive as the postseason looms.
Marmion (4-12-1) has back-to-back victories for only the second time this year. The Cadets close out the season win one last Chicago Catholic League Green Division game at Brother Rice on Tuesday followed one week later by a visit to powerhouse Wheaton Academy, ranked 16th in the most recent Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“We’re finally hitting our groove,” insisted Quinn Gratz, who capped the scoring but earned Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match award for his game-long, all-over-the-field hustle.
Oswego (2-12-3) lost its fourth-consecutive outing and it’s been seven games (0-6-1) since the last triumph. Included in that skid are four one-goal setbacks, three of which were a result of Southwest Prairie Conference-mandated shootouts.
Saturday’s opening whistle almost coincided with the start of a pounding rain that made the day ideal for a detergent commercial aimed at returning mud-caked uniforms back to their preseason glory. The weather was as unwelcome as the loss for Oswego’s Senior Day contest that had the Panthers starting future graduates at every position but one.
Senior goalie Nick Kearns, one of Oswego’s bright spots this season, had a stellar save five minutes into the match. However, his talent wasn’t enough at 10:37 when James Serrano used a Sean Miller assist for a 1-0 Marmion lead.
“Eight of our 12 losses have been by a single goal or worse yet, a result from within the last 10 minutes, so despite playing solid soccer, we weren’t seeing the reward,” explained Marmion coach Ricky Del Toro, who has chosen to step down after five years directing Marmion in order to pursue another teaching opportunity. “So we made a formation change to use a sweeper and stopper combination that has really opened up possession for us in the middle.
“That first goal was a great example where we got it in the middle, played it forward to a winger who played it back, so we could swing it the other way and then find the open man,” Del Toro explained.
Miller found the open man.
“Seeing James open on the far side, it was just a question of getting him the ball,” he said about notching his second assist of the season. “Under these conditions, it was both important and great to get things going in our favor.”
Serrano’s fifth goal and second game-winning strike for 2016 led to the Cadets’ 1-0 halftime advantage behind starting goalie David Chiesa. Fellow Marmion senior Danny Galush took over in net for the second half and was tested immediately.
Just 3:12 after intermission, Galush had to block a rocket blast from Oswego’s Johnny Kraemer. Only 24 seconds elapsed before the Panthers were back with Julian Ibarra testing Galush with an absolute laser that Galush knocked wide. The resulting corner-kick was a third potentially dangerous situation until Galush took the ball out of the air.
“The start of the second half was pretty rough for us. We had no rhythm, and they were really putting pressure on us,” Del Toro noted. “Then we get that second goal, and it really settled us down for the rest of the game. It deflated their attack and gave us the confidence to look for the nail in the coffin.”
There were just under 17 minutes left when Marmion finally got the ball upfield and earned a corner-kick. That led to a Miller header that left the Oswego crossbar vibrating. The resulting pinball ricochets between players from both sides eventually put the ball in front of Jack Kavanaugh. The sophomore midfielder earned his first goal for the year and put the Cadets up 2-0 with 16:21 remaining.
While Oswego desperately tried to cut the deficit, Marmion’s defense stiffened and forced the host Panthers to deal with some dangerous counterattacks, several involving Gratz.
“He’s been very consistent for us and has an engine in him that is nonstop,” Del Toro said. “We can count on him to move up if needed, or to move back to help solidify our defense. Even then, he still manages to get forward. Quinn goes from the first minute to the last.”
Or in the case of Saturday, the final 11 seconds. That’s when Gratz hustled into position to get under reserve Anthony Zangler’s cross for an 11-yard header at 79:49. It was Zangler’s first assist and Gratz’s first goal.
“Seeing the ball played to Tony on the side, I just wanted to get open in the middle, and he gave me a beautiful ball. No matter how many times you execute that in a practice, it feels so much better in a match,” Gratz stated. “Hopefully this road win and the way we’ve been playing lately gives us a lot of confidence.”
Unlike previous seasons, Marmion has been shifted back to Class 2A. As the no. 6 seed out of 10 in Subsectional A at St. Francis, the Cadets may be somewhat of an anomaly to the opposition. Marmion has an Oct. 19 opener against no. 3 seed Timothy -- a Chicagoland Soccer top 20 preseason team whose standing has slipped off the list.
“Right now we need to keep playing with this level of intensity and continue to finish our chances,” Miller said. “Once the postseason starts, it’s strictly one game at a time.”
Of course Del Toro is viewing things as one more game at a time utilizing Marmion’s new formation.
“When we first asked Johan (Muscutt) to take on the sweeper role, he was hesitant not having experience in that capacity. But with each game, he’s shown the kind of leadership, composure and focus that is necessary. Plus he’s getting better and so are we.”
On the Oswego sideline the post-match atmosphere was in direct contrast. None of the Panthers were in a talking mood and for coach Brian Falli, the future doesn’t matter beyond Tuesday’s home date with Joliet Central.
“We’ve got four games left to get things straightened out and the next one is Central,” Falli said. “Before you can talk about finishing on a high note, you have to step up to that level versus Central.
“Today, we got all of our seniors playing time. Conditions weren’t ideal today, but they may not be ideal the next time or even in the postseason, so you use this as another learning experience.”
Joliet Central is the first of three-straight SPC outings with a visit to Plainfield South followed by a home date with Plainfield Central and then a regular season finale and nonconference visit from Glenbard South.
The Panthers are seeded 17th of the 19-program Class 3A Bolingbrook Sectional. Within Subsectional A, Oswego has a play-in prelim match at no. 16 Batavia. On the plus side, a win would bring the Panthers back to their home field to challenge sectional top seed Naperville North.
Starting lineups
Marmion
GK David Chiesa
D Andre Cerda
D Johan Muscutt
D Luke Salamon
D Ricky Ruiz
M Jack Kavanaugh
M Sean Miller
M Nick Grant
M Quinn Gratz
F Robert Quintana
F James Serrano
Oswego
GK Nick Kearns
D Riley Martin
D Kolby Frye
D Grant Swanigan
D Jesse Corneliusen
M Joey Kirkwood
M Ryan Baumann
M Dieter Lehmann
M Ryan Rathman
F Andrian Veseli
F Mitch Kearby
Man of the Match: Quinn Gratz, M, Marmion
Referees: Mike McDermott (center), Tom Swingler, Paul Trankar
Game summary
Marmion 3, Oswego 0
Marmion 1 2 --- 3
Oswego 0 0 --- 0
Scoring
M – Serrano 9-yard finish from left wing (Miller assist), 11th minute
M – Kavanaugh 7-yard finish off scramble (unassisted), 54th minute
M – Gratz 11-yard header off solid service (Zangler assist), 80th minute
Shots
M 4 – 7 --- 11
O 3 – 8 --- 11
Shots on goal
M 2 – 5 --- 7
O 2 – 5 --- 7
Saves
M (Chiesa) 2 – (Galush) 5 --- 7
O (Kearns) 2 – (Kearns 1, Salazar 1) 2 --- 4