Loyola passes tough test at St. Laurence
Hilpusch nets game-winner in CCL cross-over
By Steve Millar
BURBANK -- Loyola's trip Thursday to St. Laurence provided a strong test for the Ramblers against an opponent that's off to a similarly hot start to the season.
As it turns out, though, Loyola was tested mentally as much as physically.
“It was a tough mental battle, because they kept pushing back,” Loyola senior Julian Hilpusch said. “They didn't ever give up. Usually if you can get a team down, they kind of stop playing, but those guys kept fighting. They found a way to get two goals on two great shots, so we just had to keep fighting.”
The Ramblers lost two leads, but Hilpusch's brilliance led to a third which they would not relinquish in a 3-2 Chicago Catholic League cross-over win.
“We played against a really good opponent, and we bent at times, but we didn't break,” Loyola coach Baer Fisher said. “The guys kept going, they kept working for each other, and overall it was a just a great game between two good teams.”
St. Laurence (7-2-1, 0-1-0 Catholic Green) seemed to have all the momentum following Danny Garcia's equalizer with 30:41 to go, just missing on a couple chances for the go-ahead goal.
However, Hilpusch, Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match, changed everything with one terrific play, scoring his second goal of the night.
Matt Salter's long pass found Hilpusch in the box with his back to the goal. Hilpusch popped the ball up in the air and volleyed it in with a powerful strike with 12:55 left to provide the game-winner for Loyola (9-1-1, 2-0-0 Catholic Blue).
“I just saw it come in, and it was a little behind me, but I thought if I got around it right, I'd have a good shot,” Hilpusch said. “If the ball's off the ground, you can get more power on it, so I just took a swing on it, and it ended up being hit pretty well.”
“Pretty well” is an understatement, according to Hilpusch's teammates and coaches from both sides.
While Fisher referred to the goal as “terrific” and Loyola teammate Nick Lew called it “dirty,” St. Laurence coach Matt Prunckle was also impressed.
“The finish on the last one was unbelievable,” Prunckle said. “So you have to give him credit for his brilliance, but we felt like if we closed that space better, we'd have had more of a chance to stop that from happening.”
Hilpusch feels it’s his responsibility to make the big plays for Loyola, which is ranked 22nd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“We're still really young overall as a team, so I guess it's my role to step up when we need it,” he said.
It was one of the young guys that helped the Ramblers get on the board early. In the sixth minute, sophomore defender Daniel Montaquila played a dangerous long ball out of the back and into the box. A St. Laurence defender attempted to clear it, but his header found the net for an own goal.
Despite the setback, the Vikings rallied and got the equalizer in the 28th minute.
Juan Guzman slipped a pass to Luis Mendoza, who took a quick touch and bent a shot into the top right corner of the net.
The Ramblers, though, would create the last surge in an entertaining, back-and-forth first half.
Lew collected a long pass near the top of the box, found himself alone on the attack and made something out of nothing, beating a defender and getting taken down to draw a penalty.
Hilpusch converted the penalty kick, blasting a low line drive inside the right post.
“When I got the ball, I really didn't see an option,” Lew said. “So I just took a touch to the outside and went into the box just to see what I could do, and the guy took me down.”
Hilpusch credited Lew with making the goal happen.
“We kept feeding Nick in the first half and he found a way to control every ball and fight them off,” he said. “He made a great play to draw that PK, and I just went up there and put it away. I put it in the same spot every time.”
Garcia, St. Laurence's talented sophomore, made sure Loyola would have to work even harder for the victory.
Garcia tied the game 2-2 with 30:41 left. He collected a rebound after Jacob Suchecki fired a shot off the crossbar, delayed to let a defender run by him, and slipped a shot inside the far post.
“It felt good when I hit it, and it felt good when it went in,” Garcia said. “Loyola's a really good team, and we kept fighting back, but we were just a step behind in the end.”
Prunckle saw Garcia take his game to another level Thursday night.
“Danny needs to want to be the best player on the field every night,” Prunckle said. “He had probably his best half of the season in the second half, so that was great to see.”
The Vikings showed even more fight after Loyola took the 3-2 lead. Ramblers goalkeeper Jack McMenamin (4 saves) had to make a big stop to protect the advantage, leaping to punch Emilio Guzman's shot off a free-kick over the crossbar with 7:40 to go.
In the end, Prunckle was left feeling a mixture of pride and disappointment.
“We did a nice job coming back twice,” he said. “I thought we played some of our best soccer of the season. But we're a team that prides itself on not giving up a lot of goals, so it hurts to give up three.
“If we were going to have a game like this, it was good to have it in the first conference game. We still have a shot.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Jack McMenamin
D: Matt Salter
D: Matt Brennan
D: Luke Phillips
D: Daniel Montaquila
MF: Julian Hilpusch
MF: Collin Leider
MF: David Gripman
MF: Christian Jimenez
F: Nick Lew
F: Sean Hickey
St. Laurence
GK: Dylan Terrell
D: Adrian Mora
D: Danny Arreola
D: Gilberto Arreola
D: Armando Tellez
MF: Jacob Suchecki
MF: Danny Garcia
MF: Luis Mendoza
MF: Emilio Guzman
F: Alex Diaz
F: Mario Carmona
Man of the Match: Julian Hilpusch, MF, Loyola
Hilpusch nets game-winner in CCL cross-over
By Steve Millar
BURBANK -- Loyola's trip Thursday to St. Laurence provided a strong test for the Ramblers against an opponent that's off to a similarly hot start to the season.
As it turns out, though, Loyola was tested mentally as much as physically.
“It was a tough mental battle, because they kept pushing back,” Loyola senior Julian Hilpusch said. “They didn't ever give up. Usually if you can get a team down, they kind of stop playing, but those guys kept fighting. They found a way to get two goals on two great shots, so we just had to keep fighting.”
The Ramblers lost two leads, but Hilpusch's brilliance led to a third which they would not relinquish in a 3-2 Chicago Catholic League cross-over win.
“We played against a really good opponent, and we bent at times, but we didn't break,” Loyola coach Baer Fisher said. “The guys kept going, they kept working for each other, and overall it was a just a great game between two good teams.”
St. Laurence (7-2-1, 0-1-0 Catholic Green) seemed to have all the momentum following Danny Garcia's equalizer with 30:41 to go, just missing on a couple chances for the go-ahead goal.
However, Hilpusch, Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match, changed everything with one terrific play, scoring his second goal of the night.
Matt Salter's long pass found Hilpusch in the box with his back to the goal. Hilpusch popped the ball up in the air and volleyed it in with a powerful strike with 12:55 left to provide the game-winner for Loyola (9-1-1, 2-0-0 Catholic Blue).
“I just saw it come in, and it was a little behind me, but I thought if I got around it right, I'd have a good shot,” Hilpusch said. “If the ball's off the ground, you can get more power on it, so I just took a swing on it, and it ended up being hit pretty well.”
“Pretty well” is an understatement, according to Hilpusch's teammates and coaches from both sides.
While Fisher referred to the goal as “terrific” and Loyola teammate Nick Lew called it “dirty,” St. Laurence coach Matt Prunckle was also impressed.
“The finish on the last one was unbelievable,” Prunckle said. “So you have to give him credit for his brilliance, but we felt like if we closed that space better, we'd have had more of a chance to stop that from happening.”
Hilpusch feels it’s his responsibility to make the big plays for Loyola, which is ranked 22nd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“We're still really young overall as a team, so I guess it's my role to step up when we need it,” he said.
It was one of the young guys that helped the Ramblers get on the board early. In the sixth minute, sophomore defender Daniel Montaquila played a dangerous long ball out of the back and into the box. A St. Laurence defender attempted to clear it, but his header found the net for an own goal.
Despite the setback, the Vikings rallied and got the equalizer in the 28th minute.
Juan Guzman slipped a pass to Luis Mendoza, who took a quick touch and bent a shot into the top right corner of the net.
The Ramblers, though, would create the last surge in an entertaining, back-and-forth first half.
Lew collected a long pass near the top of the box, found himself alone on the attack and made something out of nothing, beating a defender and getting taken down to draw a penalty.
Hilpusch converted the penalty kick, blasting a low line drive inside the right post.
“When I got the ball, I really didn't see an option,” Lew said. “So I just took a touch to the outside and went into the box just to see what I could do, and the guy took me down.”
Hilpusch credited Lew with making the goal happen.
“We kept feeding Nick in the first half and he found a way to control every ball and fight them off,” he said. “He made a great play to draw that PK, and I just went up there and put it away. I put it in the same spot every time.”
Garcia, St. Laurence's talented sophomore, made sure Loyola would have to work even harder for the victory.
Garcia tied the game 2-2 with 30:41 left. He collected a rebound after Jacob Suchecki fired a shot off the crossbar, delayed to let a defender run by him, and slipped a shot inside the far post.
“It felt good when I hit it, and it felt good when it went in,” Garcia said. “Loyola's a really good team, and we kept fighting back, but we were just a step behind in the end.”
Prunckle saw Garcia take his game to another level Thursday night.
“Danny needs to want to be the best player on the field every night,” Prunckle said. “He had probably his best half of the season in the second half, so that was great to see.”
The Vikings showed even more fight after Loyola took the 3-2 lead. Ramblers goalkeeper Jack McMenamin (4 saves) had to make a big stop to protect the advantage, leaping to punch Emilio Guzman's shot off a free-kick over the crossbar with 7:40 to go.
In the end, Prunckle was left feeling a mixture of pride and disappointment.
“We did a nice job coming back twice,” he said. “I thought we played some of our best soccer of the season. But we're a team that prides itself on not giving up a lot of goals, so it hurts to give up three.
“If we were going to have a game like this, it was good to have it in the first conference game. We still have a shot.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Jack McMenamin
D: Matt Salter
D: Matt Brennan
D: Luke Phillips
D: Daniel Montaquila
MF: Julian Hilpusch
MF: Collin Leider
MF: David Gripman
MF: Christian Jimenez
F: Nick Lew
F: Sean Hickey
St. Laurence
GK: Dylan Terrell
D: Adrian Mora
D: Danny Arreola
D: Gilberto Arreola
D: Armando Tellez
MF: Jacob Suchecki
MF: Danny Garcia
MF: Luis Mendoza
MF: Emilio Guzman
F: Alex Diaz
F: Mario Carmona
Man of the Match: Julian Hilpusch, MF, Loyola
