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Varsity Soccer Regular Season Recap: Cats Ready for Playoff Run

By Gianluca DiGiacomo '22, 10/28/20, 4:30PM EDT

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Following a win over Parma, Westlake awaits the Wildcats next.

A Successful Regular Season

On Saturday, October 17, 2020, the Wildcats had officially wrapped up another season. Not just any season, however. This season, the Wildcats had gone undefeated for the second year in a row in the regular season, scoring 60 goals, and only allowing in five goals the entire season. Things were very different this year; with sixteen seniors graduating from the highly successful Class of 2020, Coach Mike McLaughlin ‘85 had a lot of working and experimenting to do. A lot of players had to step up to the plate not only to perform on the pitch, but as a team leader as well, with the pandemic not making it much easier for anyone, truthfully. With a long season ahead of them, the Wildcats came together for training session after session, practice after practice, working hard to assure a successful season. With plenty of guys coming to lead and succeed and a strong bond between players, the rest of the teams were not expecting such a powerful Wildcat side.

It all started with their opening match against Massillon Jackson, a very strong team, with a program who we have had quite the history with in the past. With five sophomores, plenty of young talented players, and a fresh season ahead of them, the Wildcats were ready to play, showing a lot of impressive intensity for a season opener. This game truly opened the season with showcasing of young talent, as the sophomore Nolan Spicer tallied on both goals to win the match 2-0 to start the season off with a bang.

Parents, players, and coaches all got a nice match, with a good idea of the Wildcats’ play style already; a brilliant midfield built on chemistry and intellect, a bold, aggressive defense, and a high voltage attack to rack up the goals.

Almost a week later, the Wildcats further showed a great offensive bout with a massive 6-0 victory over the Copley Indians. Much of this is credited to senior captain Marko Rimac, who finished the game with two goals and two assists. He wasn’t the only star to shine in this match, as senior center back Noah Zebrak finished the game with a goal and an assist as well, and goal contributions from Josip Rimac, Zsombor Onodi, and once again Nolan Spicer.

After this, the Wildcats would undergo a vigorous two weeks, with a total of seven matches in just fifteen days, where two of our closest matches came from. It started with Senior Night against the Avon Lake Shoremen, not a state ranked team at the time, but a very respectable one at that. The game remained scoreless for about the first 27 minutes, before an absolutely beautiful goal from Liam Ruetter. Avon Lake went into the half leading 1-0, as a matter of fact. Their half of bliss didn’t last long, however, as the Wildcats came back and scored 3 goals in about seven minutes (Trickett, Spicer, and Rimac all contributing to tallies on the board). With a consolation goal in the closing minutes, the Wildcats still preserved their win and remained undefeated.

Their next match was yet another tough one; a rivalry match against the St. Edward Eagles, who were struggling with their record at the time. Match finished 1-0, with a nice goal from sophomore Zsombor Onodi. The rest of the game was exchanged in possession of the ball, and plenty of fouls; a very physical game through it all. The match finally ended 1-0. The Wildcats would prevail once again.

The Wildcats would then move onto Saturday with a huge 4-1 win against Toledo St. John’s Jesuit in Force Sports Park in Sandusky; with the sophomores coming up big again. Spicer and Trickett both had a goal and an assist each, and Zsombor Onodi had a nice hit as well.

With that busy week, the Wildcats still were not done, another three matches awaited them the next week. On Tuesday, they had a nice win against University School with 5 goals scored, one being an absolute screamer from Aidan Kernell from about 45 yards out.

On that Thursday, the Cats would travel to Walsh Jesuit High School. After an early goal, the Wildcats would concede with a few unfortunate deflections, followed by a solid hit from the Walsh Jesuit player to equalize with 15 minutes remaining in the half. After this, it stayed quiet until the last five minutes, where the Wildcats came up big in the final third, racking up two goals in about 2 minutes. They would then score one more for the cherry on top midway through the second half to give them a 4-1 win. On that Saturday, they had a very good win over Toledo St. Francis, scoring 7 goals in total, with Pechota scoring two and both assists coming from Nolan Spicer. The sophomore later assisted another, and with the hard work the Cats put in defensively, they capped it all off with a clean sheet.

The Wildcats would finish this 15-day span with a nice 6-0 win over Berea-Midpark; Francis Pacetti racking up three assists, and DeVar Anderson scoring two headers in the second half. Another solid performance, even with the abhorrent weather presented to both sides during the match.

After all of this, the Wildcats had some time away from matches to prepare for one of their hardest games all year, playing the St. Xavier Bombers after making a long trip down to Cincinnati. With expectations high, energy levels through the roof, and with a message to send to the rest of Ohio, the Wildcats pulled away with a nice 2-0 win. DeVar Anderson had another header in the first half with an impressive cross by Isaac Brej, and a nice run and gun style set up and finish from senior captain Marko Rimac assisted by Noah Zebrak. The Wildcats pulled away, defeating the third best team in the state at the time, only further asserting dominance throughout the playoff picture, the state, and the nation.

Another two wins in two games for the Cats followed; a 5-0 win against Strongsville and a 4-1 win vs. Twinsburg. A few days later, a dominant victory against the Mentor Cardinals, winning that one 6-0.

The Cats would finish the season off at Dublin Jerome, another long ride to face one of the top teams in the nation. The Wildcats walked in with confidence, and played a great match, racking up FIVE GOALS on a team that had only conceded three the whole season before the match! The Wildcats would obliterate the Celtics 5-0 to finish the regular season undefeated, hungry to continue sending their message to the state.

Ones to Watch

With all of the success this season for the Wildcats, it is hard to really give credit to just one player. The chemistry on and off the pitch, combined with the mixed roles, utilization of players, and football IQ really makes this team something special. These are the players that I have found to have the biggest impact, who you should maybe give a chance to take a closer look at; you won’t regret it.

Luciano Pechota, Jr. Midfielder → Arguably one of the best players in Ohio at the moment, Luciano is a box-to-box midfielder who displays a great deal of talent and leadership. With a hard work ethic and years of experience under his belt, Pechota is one of the most crucial assets to this team. With 11 goals and 6 assists on the year, Luciano has defied expectations and has proven his worth this season. Even with his leadership, Luciano has improved. He is grown to be much more vocal on the pitch and has great respect for his fellow players and the program itself. Not to mention, his great connections with various players throughout the season, forming strong bonds on the pitch.

Marko Rimac, Sr. Winger → Marko is simply one of the most offensively coordinated players on the team. With countless involvements with goals and attacking chances, combined with his pure skill and athleticism, Marko is a joy to watch perform for the Saint Ignatius Wildcats. His passion and love for the beautiful game makes him a respected player and an admirable leader. With good minutes in for the varsity team last year, he has had a lot on his plate, and he’s surely gotten it done. He has been one to watch all season, but expect him to play an even greater role once the playoffs come around, as he’s been in this situation before.

Nolan Spicer, So. Midfielder → The Sophomore Sensation has been a breakout star this year and plays incredibly in the midfield, while also contributing very well to the offensive side of things. With 9 goals and 8 assists, Spicer has played great throughout the season, and I absolutely would love to see how he performs in the postseason. Once scoring 4 goals in just 3 games in the beginning of the season, he had already proved his worth, and he only continues to move forward. A true treat to watch, especially when linking up with his partner in crime in the middle of the park Luciano Pechota.

Nathan Trickett, So. Winger → Easily the most well-rounded player on this list, Nathan has a vast amount of roles he can play to fulfill the needs of the team. Although not having the most attacking mindset, Trickett has scored 8 goals and has assisted 4 throughout the season up to this point. He has also shown his capabilities playing the wing back role. Overall, just a special player with a mindset unlike any other player I’ve seen on the team this year.

A (Hopefully) Historic Back Line → Picking out just one player from this Wildcat defense would simply be impossible. This team is built off of the foundation of the back line, and with only conceding FIVE GOALS the entire season, at the moment, the Wildcats are tied with the least amount of goals conceded in a single season. Each player in the back plays a specific role that really completes the team and brings everything together. Owen Sullivan is a box-to-box wing back; an absolute workhorse on his side of the pitch, and can bring offensive and defensive traits to the pitch. On the other wide side, Antonio Morini. A very aggressive and skilled player on the ball, who aids the attack towards the middle, almost playing as a false fullback on the right hand side. Finally, in the middle, seniors Nikola Basic and Noah Zebrak, who both have pride in the work they do, along with the skill and ability to play it from the back and come up big on set pieces and other tactical setups. Their leadership and the way they back up their teammates is truly something special, a site to behold. With all of this said, there is still plenty of promise on the bench as well, guys like Isaac Brej, DeVar Anderson, and Michael Harsar can come into the game and not miss a beat from the starters. And of course, you can’t talk about the back line without mentioning the Wildcats’ incredible senior keeper, Liam Sowell. A wonderful foundation of the team to build off of.

Golden Boot (Most Goals) → Luciano Pechota (11)

Most Assists → Nolan Spicer, Marko Rimac (8)

The Playoffs

After a stunning 12-0 victory to Parma on Saturday, the Wildcats will be playing TONIGHT against Westlake (9-5-2) at 6 p.m. Tune into the SIBN with yours truly, or come to the game to support the Cats. Stay tuned, game recaps will be on the website, while game updates and notifications will be posted on Saint Ignatius social media. Go Cats!