Fremd’s lone playoff match was an almost all’s-well-that-ends-well experience.

Despite the 1-0 loss to their host in a Class 3A Glenbrook North Sectional semifinal on Oct. 22, Vikings coach Steve Keller couldn’t wipe a goalmouth-wide smile off his face.

Glenbrook North was seeded fourth and ranked sixth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.

Fremd entered the postseason as a 13th-seed.

“Who smiles after a playoff loss?” Keller asked after his 27th season at the Palatine school ended with a record of 6-11-1. “Not many, I’m thinking. But it was the best we had played all season. We played with confidence and passion and an edge, and we hustled.

“We’d been looking to play that way all season. I was very proud of our performance. I’m excited for 2025, based on our effort against Glenbrook North. Maybe we’ll right the ship, so to speak, and put together a winning season next fall.”

Fremd, which finished third in the West Division of the Mid-Suburban League with a 5-6-0 mark, played a man down for the final 40 minutes, 14 seconds of the state tournament match. Senior goalkeeper and co-captain Konrad Olech received an unfortunate — though legit — red card that forced Keller to deploy senior defender Jack Sloan in goal for the final 14 seconds of the first half.

The coach then opted to go with a third keeper after a halftime conversation with senior back Joey Kohl.

“Joey told me he’d been a keeper while growing up and that he’d play in goal for us if needed,” Keller recounted.

“He played phenomenally in the second half,” the coach continued. “One of his saves was crazy good — upper-90 shot, batted away with his right hand while going to his left — just like keepers are taught to do.”

“At times,” Fremd senior midfielder/forward Kyle Grasse said, “Joey looked like a regular goalkeeper.”

Added Vikings junior midfielder Tyler Roos: “No one knew he’d been a keeper.”

It appeared inconceivable that Fremd could find itself in the mix for the West Division’s Mid-Suburban League Soccer Cup berth after a wobbly 2-6-1 start to the season that included losses to New Trier, Naperville North and eventual state semifinalist Hersey, and a tie against Lake Zurich. But the Vikings rebounded from that stretch and their 1-4-0 league mark, thanks to a 4-0-0 run from Sept. 24- Oct. 4, during which they outscored their foes 7-2.

Keller’s crew capped the winning streak with a 1-0 defeat of rival Barrington before falling 4-0 to eventual division champion Conant and 4-3 to Palatine in their final conference contests.

Grasse notched his first prep hat-trick in the Palatine matchup, the Kinsella Cup, and finished as the Vikings’ leading scorer with nine goals to go with three assists.

“Looking back, it was kind of a disappointing season,” said Grasse, whose strengths include his vision and ability to deliver  accurate passes from a distance. “We’d had some confidence heading into the season. We had some unlucky moments, too many, but we also had some good moments and some good wins.”

Speedy sophomore forward Jose Hernandez ranked second among teammates in scoring, netting four goals. He also provided a trio of assists. Fremd junior midfielder Ramon Aros had two goals and an assist, senior back and captain Jacob Stankiewicz tallied a pair of goals, and Roos, in his second varsity season, dished out three assists.

Stankiewicz earned all-sectional honors, and Olech was an all-sectional honorable mention pick for the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association (IHSSCA). Both made the Mid-Suburban League All-Conference Team.

“We found our stride after our tough start,” Keller said. “Lots of ups and downs. The talent was there for us, but we struggled to find consistency.”

“The season,” Roos said, “certainly didn’t go the way we had hoped. But we had good moments, like our playoff game with Glenbrook North. Our intensity was there from start to finish.”

Roos foresees Fremd featuring a sturdy middle and potent attack in 2025.

“We’ll be solid next year,” he said.

Watch out for returners Hernandez and Aros, Grasse noted.

“That’ll be a dangerous duo,” he predicted.

Footnotes

Kohl received a Sportsmanship Award from the IHSSCA, which also named Fremd senior Cole Murray to its All-Academic Team. … Grasse, on his soccer future: “The goal is to play in college. I’m looking at all levels.” … Roos assisted on the Grasse goal in Fremd’s 1-0 defeat of Barrington on Oct. 4. “It’s always nice to beat your rival. We played well and together in that one.” … Grasse, on the postseason loss to Glenbrook North: “We had nothing to lose. I thought we pretty much dominated. A couple of things didn’t go our way, including that red card.” … Grasse, on Fremd’s 2024 season: “We didn’t get the results we wanted, but we had a great group of guys. We fought for each other. We tried our best.”