The scoreboard read 2-1 as senior Sam Lappin celebrated the soccer team’s victory over New Trier for the first time in six years. With this win, the team was 9-0-1.
“We were down 1-0, and after they scored, no one really had their head down,” said Lappin. “And we scored right after. And, in my head, after that goal … it just felt like we were supposed to win. It never felt like we were gonna lose.”
Junior Alex Ferencz scored to tie the game shortly after the team conceded a goal to New Trier.
The team also took home a 4-0 win against Deerfield, letting the team win its first Central Suburban League South Division championship in Spartan history on Sept. 26.
“This year the conference has probably been the toughest it’s been in like the longest time … and winning our first ever [CSL South Division] title as a program in what is known to be the toughest conference is just an absolutely insane accolade,” senior Jordan Elliott said.
Vignocchi made his return to the soccer team this year as interim head coach after stepping down to assistant coach in the 2021 season. This position is temporary while the Athletics Department seeks a permanent replacement for former head coach Paul Gibbs.
“We [know Vignocchi’s] expectations and coaching style,” said Elliott. “I’ve seen it for four years … so there was no adjusting period, there was no changing [the team’s game and attitude] to adapt to a new coach … I knew I could just play my game and be myself rather than learning about a new coach.”
The team pulled out a victory against Glenbrook South with a score of 3-2 on Sept. 21. This win continued the team’s streak of beating GBS since 2019.
The team also beat Streamwood in the championship game to win the Barrington Tournament for the first time.
“[The score] was 2-1, and we kept the ball for the last two minutes, didn’t give [Streamwood] an opportunity to score,” said Elliott. “And then right as the clock hit zero, the whole bench ran onto the field with the starters and we kind of just celebrated for two minutes.”
According to Vignocchi, he was not sure how the championship game was going to go because the team was disappointed in its performance in the last pool game before the tournament championship, but he saw the championship game as a testament to the seniors’ leadership and the team’s grit.
“We’ve got a strong senior and junior class,” said Vignocchi. “A good recipe for success is when you have two classes in a row that are pretty talented. It usually means that you’re gonna have a pretty good season, especially when you’re competing in the [CSL South Division] where everyone is good.”
According to Elliott, the team’s defensive strategy has been delivering good results this year.
“Some people play really aggressive,” said Elliott. “I don’t play as aggressive as most people. I wait until the other person makes a mistake when I’m defending, so I don’t go straight for the ball, and that’s just how I’ve always played. I think that’s done pretty well because Sam and I complement each other in the back pretty well.”
As of Sept. 28, senior Ian Lee leads the team in scoring with 17 goals and is the team leader in assists with seven. Lee has the only hat trick of the season (13-1-1, 4-1 CSL South Division).
“It’s great that we’ve won the Barrington Tournament, and now we’ve won conference but there’s more to win obviously,” said Elliott. “The season moves on and we’ve got to keep fighting through it … and take it to the playoffs where we’ve got to perform.”