DEERFIELD – Visiting Holy Trinity got some unexpected extra warm-up time Monday afternoon.

With Rochelle Zell honoring its seniors in a quaint ceremony in front of the small bleachers before the match, Holy Trinity kicked the ball around, laughed, chased after misfires in the parking lot and enjoyed the freedom of the entire field.

Rochelle Zell, dressed in all-blue kits, honored its five seniors – Ari Schwab, Shahar Cohen, Nitai Gorlin, Guy Israel and Ben Hammel.

It turned out the home team didn’t require a lot of time to prepare for the game. The Tigers scored four goals in the first half in a 7-3 victory over Holy Trinity.

In a battle of Tigers, Rochelle Zell (3-8-1, 2-4-1) picked a good time to end its winless skid, which included two losses and a draw. Holy Trinity (0-8-0, 0-6-0) battled back to score two late goals in the first half before the home team rebuilt its lead.

Rochelle Zell coach David Martinez said it was a memorable day for the program and his seniors after the Chicago Prep Conference victory.

“We’ve been battling injuries since Day One,” Martinez said. “We still have not been fully together for one day this season. So being able to have ‘Senior Night’ together, we were all pumped up. 

“Getting Ari three seconds of celebration to start was great. The team played hard. We had times in the game where we kind of let up, but we talked about that at halftime. 

“The boys produced with quality goals from distance. They were creating, and the other keeper made some good saves. 

“It was a good game all around. We’ve struggled to find the net, but it was great today. So many people found a way to contribute in so many different ways. We were happy to score off two corner kicks, which we’ve been practicing.”

Martinez said his players can learn from the big home win.

“I wanted the program to take the message that it’s a team game, and on any game day anything can happen. They have to approach each day as a new opportunity and show the team we’re playing how good we can be,” he said.

Rochelle Zell got back in the win column by receiving a monster game from Isaac Levy. The colorful and happy-go-lucky freshman had a day to remember with four goals to earn the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor. He scored his first two goals off set pieces, darting into a group of players for two headers off corner kicks from Asher Bergovoy.

“It’s great to have our best win and best performance on ‘Senior Night,’” Levy said. “I think from the start we were in a really good mindset, even after it was 3-2. We locked in and had a great game overall.”

Levy said he was happy to contribute to the victory, especially for his senior teammates. He scored four of Rochelle Zell’s first five tallies, ending his parade of goals impressively with a great 1-v-1 move for a 5-2 lead with 29:11 left in the game.

“My favorite was my fourth goal,” Levy said. “I got the ball and had a really good run and had a guy on me but chopped inside and got past him and poked in past the keeper.”

Rochelle Zell senior midfielder Nitai Gorlin, a captain, scored a goal and delivered two assists. He converted a penalty kick for a 6-2 lead with 16:58 left.

“I faced their (keeper) last year in a game with a PK and missed it,” Gorlin said. “I was ready to get my revenge and snuck one in the corner. I was ecstatic to distribute the ball to my teammates today. Normally, I do a lot of scoring, but today it was awesome to get involved in the passing game.”

Rochelle Zell senior Guy Israel, playing in his first game of the season, scored the first and last goals of the game.

“We came out buzzing and when Guy, our midfielder, played his first goal of the season and scored that first goal, it was electric,” Gorlin said. “It’s awesome. ‘Senior Night’ came sooner than I thought. It was surreal."

Bergovoy, a sophomore, was a master on corner kicks Monday. He delivered a pair of perfectly placed passes that resulted in a Levy header double in a four-minute spree early in the first half for a 3-0 lead.

“Today we tried to work more on the timing of the cross, and (Isaac) made some good runs in,” Bergovoy said. “It worked out great. It was a cool experience and a cool moment. 

“It was also good because those kind of chances are set pieces for a reason. It helped us a lot. We gave up two goals after those two set pieces, so it gave us a good cushion. I’m happy for my teammates, and that we got a good win.”

Holy Trinity coach Aldo Huitzil was matter-of-fact after the a game. He applauded senior Eliab Girmay, who scored two goals. After falling behind 3-0, Holy Trinity battled back to cut the deficit to 3-2 late in the first half. Rochelle Zell reeled off four-straight goals to pull away.

“I think it took us a little while to get out of the gate,” Huitzil said. “I think some of our touches were off, but it’s all stuff we can fix. Set pieces hurt. They had good plays. We have to mark up next time. 

“I think our goals were equally as good, but we just needed more of them. Eliab Girmay is a senior who has a lot of fight in him. I hope to use him more in the rest of our games.”
 

Starting lineups

Holy Trinity

GK: Lalo Hernandez
D: Isaiah Jimenez
D: David Figueroa
D: Chris Hernandez
D: Lucas Jimenez
MF: Eliab Girmay
MF: Tristan Arias-Garcia
MF: Josue Valdes
MF: Fernando Gaytan
F: Alex Cruz
F: Martin Carcani
 
Rochelle Zell
GK: Jonah Frank
D: Shahar Cohen
D: Charlie Morris
D: Asher Rubinson
D: Ari Schwab
MF: Josh Harkavy
MF: Guy Israel
MF: Ben Hammel
MF: Noah Anderson
MF: Isaac Levy
F: Nitai Gorlin

Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Isaac Levy, fr., MF, Rochelle Zell.

 
Scoring summary

First half
RZ: Israel (unassisted), 6’
RZ: Levy (Bergovoy), 13’
RZ: Levy (Bergovoy), 17’
HT: Girmay (unassisted), 35’
HT: Jimenez (Garrido), 38’
RZ: Levy (Israel), 40’

Second half
RZ: Levy (Gorlin), 51’
RZ: Gorlin (penalty kick), 64’
NT: Girmay (unassisted), 69’
RZ: Israel (Gorlin), 70’