Soccer team shoots to raise money

Senior Nico Adducci (second from left) follows through on a shot against Deerfield on Thursday, Oct. 10. GBN defeated Deerfield 1-0. The Spartans finished the regular season with a record of 8-9-2. Photo by Natalie Sandlow.

While sitting in the bleachers during senior night, Peter Brown, father of junior Kyle Brown, witnessed something during a Glenbrook North soccer game that was very unusual to him. The Spartans led Mather High School 4-0, yet GBN continued to score. Peter said teams usually avoid running up the score, but in this case, every goal scored meant more money donated to brain cancer research. The Spartans beat Mather 6-0 to tie their season-high record for goals in a game.

“We got to like three or four goals and at that point the game [was] kind of over,” said Peter. “But the kids kept wanting to score and they kept [saying], ‘Let’s get a couple more [goals] so we can raise some more money,’ and that was the best part about it.”

The team’s fundraiser, “Goals for Charity,” was an idea Peter had before the season as a way to give back to the community. People who donate pledge a certain amount of money per goal and then at the end of the season they donate based on how many goals the team scores.

“Let’s say you pledge a dollar per goal and we score 54 goals, so you owe 54 dollars at the end of the year,” Peter said.

According to senior David Schueler, it has been a collective effort to raise money for brain cancer research.

“Everyone wanted to do something to raise money,” said Schueler. “You kind of base it offthe goals and it is a little more fun than just saying, ‘Let’s all give 20 bucks.’”

At the second home football game, the team set up a table inside the stadium entrance to get people to pledge donations towards brain cancer research.

According to senior Peyton Bernstein, the team has been very successful so far in raising money.

  Bernstein said the team got a lot of donations through the football game and many players have asked family and friends to pledge.

Senior Nico Adducci said the team has received significant help from parents and students pledging money.

“Besides the team effort of scoring goals, the participation of the Northbrook communityhas made the fundraiser very successful,” said Adducci.“When people realized that the money wasn’t for the soccer team, but for brain cancer research, they were interestedandwanted to contribute.”

Although Bernstein said it has always been exciting for the team to score goals, it gives the boys a “special feeling” knowing that they are contributing to a good cause.

According to Paul Vignocchi, head boys soccer coach, the team has learned how to put others first through this fundraiser.

“I don’t think they’ve come out with the mentality that we have to score so many goals, or we have to put more pressure on ourselves to score goals,” said Vignocchi. “It was just, ‘Let’s go out there, let’s do something good for the community and do something good for the soccer program.’”

The team had a record of 8-9-2 in the regular season. The team defeated Glenbrook South High School in the regional championship, advancing to the sectional semi-finals. In the sectional semi-finals, the Spartans lost to St. Patrick High School 7-3. The team has scored 45 goals during the season and Joey Martens leads the team in goals scored with 19 goals. 

The team plans to continue fundraising until Nov. 9.

According to Vignocchi, the fundraiser was a way the team bonded this season.

“Sometimes it’s important to come together, whether it’s going to a pasta party or doing something together as a team,” Vignocchi said.

Peter said the team hopes to continue this fundraiser for years to come.

“We want this to be a GBNvarsitysoccer tradition,” said Peter. “We want this to go on forever because it’s a great way for the kids to be involved and [in] touch with the community.”