Wolfpack capture third straight win to get to .500 mark

 

 

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By Curt Herron

Heading into the season, Saint Ignatius College Prep's players and coaches anticipated big things for their squad.

But that optimism was dampened somewhat after the Wolfpack proceeded to drop four of their initial five matches.

Since then, coach Jim Luzzi's team has rebounded, winning four of its last five contests to get to the .500 mark.

That was accomplished Monday when the Wolfpack beat Francis W. Parker 2-0 in a match on Chicago's Near West Side.

Dan McIlhattan scored in the first half, Erick Eklin had a second-half goal and keeper Zak Allen got the shutout.

It was the third straight win and second consecutive shutout for SICP (5-5), who entertains Northside Prep today.

The Wolfpack hope to continue their recent success heading into next week's start of Chicago Catholic League play.

Although Saint Ignatius has a talented squad, it's taken awhile to bring the old and new players together as one.

Luzzi hopes that last week's two wins in the Lincoln-Way Invite and the latest victory all reflect that progress.

"My assistant, Ryan (Kearns), has done a lot to make sure that these guys get closer together," Luzzi said. "We're trying to make a competition out of this so that if you work hard in practice you'll get game time.

"We're also trying to get them to understand that it really doesn't make any difference who starts, and they're getting to that point. It's not that big of a deal if they start or not since most are going to play.

"The challenge for the coaches has been to make sure that we have people playing where they're most effective. We have a kid like John Barkidjija who was a defensive midfielder or a defender and now he's a forward.

"We've been playing Zak Allen and Erick Eklin in goal and Erick started the last two games while Zak was playing in the field. It's just a matter of trying to get the kids to feel confident where we're putting them."

Much of the team's recent success is due to its defense, which has allowed three goals in the last five matches.

With excellent play pretty much assured in goal, limiting threatening chances has been critical for the Wolfpack.

"The guys in the back have really been doing a good job," Luzzi said. "We're playing a different formation and the guys are doing very well in picking it up.

"Seam Kampe, our sweeper back, has really stepped up. It took awhile for Sean to adjust but he's really coming around and is playing his position really well.

"The coaches maintain that even if Andrew Reardon gets beat on a play, his man's not going to do much since Andrew's really fast and also very intense.

"Charlie Braman was playing a defensive midfielder but we moved him back to stopper because if we gain control of the ball, he's going to push forward."

In Monday's match, the Wolfpack defense didn't allow the Colonels to send many dangerous shots toward keeper Allen.

So it was a case of Saint Ignatius trying to make things click offensively, albeit with a slightly different look.

Brandon Medina got hurt in Saturday's 6-0 win over Manteno so Marco Sanchez had to step up in the central midfield.

But that hasn't been a problem since the Wolfpack coach is pleased with how his squad's leading scorer has played.

"Marco is very difficult for other teams to defend," Luzzi said. "He has very good field vision and good ability to distribute the ball."

Saint Ignatius got the only goal that it would wind up needing against Francis W. Parker during the 19th minute.

John Barkidjija sent a long free kick toward the net and McIlhattan knocked in a loose ball for the first goal.

The Wolfpack had two more good chances to score before the break but had to settle for a 1-0 halftime advantage.

Marco Sanchez was just wide on an indirect free kick near the box and then was denied on a shot from the side.

"We had a rough start to our season," Eklin said. "It's taken a little while for this year's juniors to get to know the seniors from last year's team.

"We're learning how each individual plays so we can anticipate what they'll do. We're getting a little momentum and our confidence level is getting higher.

"I like the spirit of the guys on this team since they never give up. If people lose confidence on the field, guys on the bench help their spirits rise.

"Our defense has really stepped up lately. They've been clearing beautifully, listening to what Zak or I have to say and the corners are marking everyone."

In the final half, the hosts continued to apply the pressure and added an insurance score in the 55th minute.

Jeremy Palcan got things started about 10 minutes after the break went he sent a header a bit wide of the net.

Saint Ignatius managed three good chances during a one-minute span a few minutes later but couldn't connect.

Tom Frazel was denied on a try from the side and a header before Sanchez saw his attempt halted by the keeper.

Another indirect free kick was converted with about 25 minutes remaining to conclude the scoring in the match.

Sterling Yates started the play by touching the ball and Eklin ended it by firing a grounder inside the box.

"It took us a little while to get into our groove but now that we're back at .500 hopefully we're there and we can go forward from here," Yates said.

"We all had high hopes but we got knocked back down to earth in our first couple of games. We're glad it happened early in the reason instead of later.

"We're finally coming together as a team as we've gotten to know each other a little bit more. Hopefully we'll do well in conference and the playoffs."