GA_042519

28 | April 25, 2019 | The glencoe anchor sports
glencoeanchor.com
Loyola rallies for overtime road win over New Trier
Michael Wojtychiw, Sports Editor
The last time New Trier and
Loyola played, it was in June at
Hinsdale Central when the two
legendary programs faced off
for the inaugural IHSA lacrosse
state title. The Ramblers walked
away with a 7-2 win and state
title after that game.
Fast forward 10 months and
the two were back at it, this time
facing off in a regular season
matchup that probably felt more
like an early March game than
one played on April 16. Like
the previous matchup, the Ramblers
came out on top, defeating
the Trevians 7-6 in overtime in
Northfield.
Unlike the June victory, the
Ramblers needed a late comeback
in this one, fighting back
from a 6-4 deficit with 9 minutes,
42 seconds remaining to
tie it at six on a goal by Nolan
Chow with 1:18 remaining.
Michael Feuer scored the goal
that originally made the score
6-5.
A turnover following the
Chow goal gave the Ramblers
the chance they needed to end
the game in regulation. However,
despite hitting the post
on one shot and coming close
to scoring on a couple others,
the visitors weren’t able to
convert and the game headed
into overtime deadlocked at six
apiece.
“Going into this game we pretty
much just said that ‘instead of
playing for this rivalry, we’re
playing for the kids that have
gone to Loyola’ because we’re a
brotherhood and we always play
for each other and the kids that
we play with because we care
for each other a lot,” Loyola’s
Kaden Keller said. “So throughout
the game, even though
we were down, we’re fighting
through, picking each other up
until the end.”
All of that set up the dramatics
of the overtime period, a
four-minute, sudden-death period
to decide the winner. After a
Loyola turnover and a save on a
New Trier shot, Keller made sure
to send the visiting crowd home
happy.
“I got passed down the ball
and actually almost lost it because
I got double-teamed so I
ended up passing it up,” Keller
said. “Timmy (Hackett) dodged
down the side and I faded to the
backside and I was open. He saw
me, I watched the ball and made
sure I didn’t drop it. And I just
shot it and it went in.”
The game got off to a hot
start, with New Trier leading
3-2 after the first period thanks
to two goals by Brian Sitzer and
a goal by Matthew Moag. Keller
and Timmy Hackett scored for
the Ramblers, whose only lead
other than the final score was on
Keller’s first goal with 7:49 left
in the first quarter.
For as offensive as the first
quarter was, the second quarter
was the opposite. Neither team
scored in the second period and
combined for nearly as many
turnovers as shots.
“Our defense is young and
inexperienced but they always
step up in big times,” Keller
added.
Henry Scherb got the scoring
started barely a minute into
the second half and then the two
teams combined to score three
more times to send the game
into the fourth quarter with a 5-4
New Trier lead.
The Ramblers now embark
on an East Coast trip to play
some of the best teams in New
York and can use this game as a
launching point.
“It’s fun to celebrate at the end
of the game, but this is just another
game to us,” Keller said.
“We go back to practice tomorrow
and play super competitive
because we have to head east
coming up.”
Hackett, Chow and Keller all
had two to lead Loyola, while
Moag and Sitzer led the way
with two apiece for the Trevians.
Loyola’s Najee Taylor gets past a New Trier defender April 16 in Northfield. PHOTOS BY Michael
Wojtychiw/22nd Century Media
New Trier’s Matthew Moag battles Mick Burden, of Loyola, for the ball in the Ramblers’ overtime win
over the Trevians April 16 in Northfield.