Monday afternoon in an IHSA Class 2A Ridgewood Sectional semifinal, the Fenwick High School boys soccer team shut out Chicago Academy 5-0. The victory advances the Friars to Friday’s title game at 5 p.m. against the winner of the other semifinal, Fenton or Ridgewood, which took place on Tuesday after press time.
Colin Clarkson, Esteban Jimenez, Alex Krasson, James Schrik, and Oscar Velasquez-Medina each had a goal in Monday’s game.
Fenwick advanced to the sectional after winning its second consecutive regional title, defeating host Elmwood Park 3-0 in the final, Oct. 23.
“I didn’t know what to expect coming into the postseason, but I’m glad we could get some hardware,” said Fenwick coach Shannon Seymour.
Junior defender Shane Kupiec, senior forward Luke Menacho, and sophomore midfielder Emiliano Pereda had a goal apiece for Fenwick (9-9-2). Menacho, junior defender Esteban Jimenez, and sophomore midfielder Oscar Velasquez-Medina each added an assist, and senior goalkeeper Francis made two saves for the clean sheet.
The Friars have been playing better after starting the season slowly, and Seymour says it’s because of the trust and camaraderie that has been developed over the last few weeks.
“When the offense can trust the defense to keep the ball out of the net and the defense can trust the offense to score a goal, things start to gel,” he said. “Everyone takes care of their role and it starts to show on the field. Off the field, the team has never been closer.”
OPRF falls to Lyons Township
OPRF knew it was an underdog entering the final of the Class 3A OPRF Regional on Oct. 24, because the opponent was West Suburban Silver rival Lyons Township, the state’s top-ranked team, according to MaxPreps.
Still, the Huskies (10-10-2) stood tall for the first 56 minutes of the match and played on even terms with the Lions. But LT’s Max Sklaryk broke the deadlock with a goal in the 57th minute, and Joao Piretti added another 11 minutes later to seal OPRF’s fate as the season ended 2-0.
“A great battle, our guys showed great heart,” said OPRF coach Dave Bernthal. “Even down two goals in the last 30 seconds they put a good chance on the net, which shows they were trying all the way to the end, giving it everything they got.”
Gibson Lundgren had perhaps OPRF’s best chance to score in the 11th minute as his shot from the left just outside the box beat LT goalkeeper Wolfgang Ketterling but glanced off the right post.
“Had that gone in, that really would’ve changed things a lot,” Bernthal said.
Senior goalkeeper Liam O’Shea kept OPRF close with six saves.
“He played a great game and kept us in there with a couple of big saves,” Bernthal said. “Everybody on the field worked hard.”
Overall, Bernthal thought the season was solid and thanked his team for its efforts from start to finish.
“They brought it every day. They were coachable and played for each other. It’s a great group,” he said.
OPRF field hockey
OPRF (8-10) won its opener of the Illinois High School Field Hockey Association playoffs, Oct. 20, rallying for three second-half goals to edge past St. Ignatius 3-2 in a sectional semifinal at New Trier.
“We went into that game knowing that was a team we could beat,” said OPRF coach Kristin Wirtz. “I was so incredibly proud of our athletes because they came back. They stayed in the game and never gave up; they still believed even when we were down.”
Maeve Carmody had two goals and an assist, and Kaia Lemke also scored for the Huskies.
However, the Huskies were eliminated by the sectional host Trevians 9-0 in the final, Oct. 23.
“They’re a really impressive team,” Wirtz said of New Trier. “We went in with a good mentality, ready to play. Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite contain them; they have some really talented scorers who were able to finish. But my athletes played hard the entire 60 minutes; even when we were significantly down, they kept playing and put in the work.”
Carmody led OPRF in scoring this season with 13 points (10 goals, three assists). Annalise Hardin and Ivy Schottler each scored five goals, and Lemke along with Josie McConnville added three goals apiece. Sophomore Jeannette Zort played in 11 games at goaltender. She made 77 saves and posted a goals-against average of 3.7 this year.
Hardin, Lemke, and Zort are among eight potential returnees for OPRF next season.
“I’m really proud of my athletes. We made strides in certain departments, which was good to see, from last year to this year,” Wirtz said. “We had great intensity at practice every day and a great commitment in wanting to succeed. I’m excited to see how it plays into next season.”
