A new venue brought a different dimension to the historic rivalry between the Fenwick and Oak Park and River Forest boys soccer teams.
The level of play, however, remained the same – top-notch.
Flynn Sheehan and Will Constable scored goals and Ethan Haussmann and Andrew Barkidjija notched assists as the visiting Huskies beat the Friars 2-0 Saturday at Triton College.
It was the first time either team had played on Triton’s new field, which measures 125 feet by 75 feet, as large as many professional stadiums.
“It was by far the biggest field we’ve ever played on,” OPRF coach Jason Fried said. “It was massive. It was a little too big for high school soccer. But the guys came out and did a good job from the start.”
Indeed, the Huskies (10-5-2) struck first 10 minutes in when Sheehan knocked home Haussmann’s cross.
After that, play was contained mostly in the midfield as two evenly matched and motivated squads tried but failed to get the better of each other. The Huskies finally got an insurance goal thanks to Constable, who tallied with 12 minutes left as the Friars pushed numbers forward in effort to get the equalizer.
“We started off fast and the rest of the first half was played evenly in the middle of the field,” Fried said. “The second half was got some high-percentage opportunities but when we got in the attacking third we broke down.”
Meanwhile, OPRF goalkeepers Alex Schoeny and Kel Felton combined on the Huskies’ fifth shutout.
Schoeny, in a rare starting role, made two tremendous saves in the first half, including one on Fenwick star Mike Cerceo, who had gotten loose in the box. Felton played the second half.
“Kel is the usual starter,” Fried said. “He’s had a great season, but Alex is a great leader and a senior who makes the team better pushing the guys to get better, so we wanted to make sure he had the start in that game.”
It was the second straight loss for Fenwick (10-4-1), which is enjoying an outstanding season, but Friars coach Robert Watson was not discouraged.
“It was a very well-played game,” Watson said. “For 60 to 70 minutes it was a pretty good battle mostly in the middle of the field.
“Their goalkeeper made a couple of phenomenal saves. We tip our hat to them.”
The game was Fenwick’s first time playing or practicing at Triton, whose huge turf field stood in stark contrast to the Friars’ usual field at the Priory.
“That was our first visit to Triton,” Watson said. “We’d never practiced there.
“It’s a college-level facility, a very big field and that showed during the game as both teams (adjusted).
But Watson and his players enjoyed the setting, the perfect weather and a good-sized crowd.
“We’re struggling to compete without a couple key injured players,” Watson said. “Oak Park was just a slightly better team than we are on that day. They have good balance and exceptional goalkeeping. I enjoy watching the way they play.”
Fried also enjoyed the game.
“It’s really nice to have good competitive games to play before the playoffs,” Fried said. “It’s a great thing. For our guys it’s one of our favorite games of the year. Rob has a great program.”
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