Robert Watson has adhered to a simple philosophy during his decade as the Fenwick High School boys soccer coach.
“We just try to play the best teams that will play us,” Watson said. “And if that means we’re going to go 8-8 or 10-10, that’s okay.”
Watson will gladly sacrifice a gaudy record if it means the Friars will be prepared to make a deep postseason run. Every so often the Friars have the talent and experience to do just that, and this might be one of those years.
Fourteen seniors, including seven of the 10 returning starters, are back from a 12-10-2 team that finished second in the Chicago Catholic League before losing to Morton in a Class 3A regional final.
“We are on the tail end of an experienced group,” Watson said. “I think that last year we had a lot of inexperience. Last year we were pretty young. We weren’t very cohesive as a group. We were still learning but still had a nice year.”
Indeed, the Friars had their season ended by Morton, one of the most talented programs in the state and a school with an enrollment six times bigger than Fenwick.
The Friars have had trouble against larger schools in the playoffs but they did win a 3A sectional title in 2012. This team isn’t as talented as that one but it might not matter.
Fenwick likely will play in the Class 2A playoffs this fall, raising hope that a schedule heavy with 3A teams, including the Windy City Classic and Pepsi Challenge tournaments, will lead to a deep run.
“We have 1,200 kids in school,” Watson noted. “I think in the 2A playoffs when we don’t have to play Lyons, Hinsdale Central or Morton, we could compete a little bit better.
“I’ve told the boys I’m going to set the bar a little bit higher. We do have an uphill climb but we’re not going to use it as an excuse.”
The Friars went 1-2 in their first three games at the Windy City Classic last week, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to Shepard in the season opener before beating Homewood-Flossmoor 1-0 as Matt Benko scored off an assist from Luke Wolff. They lost 3-2 to Argo despite goals from Benko and Jack Hendricks.
Shepard scored with 14 seconds left in the second overtime, negating a brilliant effort by Fenwick forward Erik Luthringhausen, who scored both goals.
“We hope that this will be a trend,” Watson said. “We’re going to need him to produce all year. He’s really come a long way and impressed me with his maturation.”
Watson raves about Luthringhausen, who is committed to play at Navy.
“The metrics on this kid are off the charts,” Watson said. “He’s an amazing athlete and good academically. We’ve all got to be proud that he will go to the Naval Academy and protect us all. We want him to be protecting our families. He’s that kind of kid.”
Both of Luthringhausen’s goals gave the Friars the lead against Shepard and the game was seconds from going to a shootout before Mike Iturbe won it for the Astros with his third goal of the game.
“It’s not the way you want to start the year, but I have to tip my hat to Shepard,” Watson said. “It was one of those days where we can learn a bunch of lessons.”
The Friars have a bunch of veterans who are poised for good seasons. Benko, a senior center midfielder, enters his second season as captain after earning All-CCL honors in 2014.
Senior Pat Daly is one of three returning goalies. He split time with Kyle Gruszka last fall but gets the starting nod over Gruszka and another junior, Jack Beaudin.
“We have two great goalkeepers,” Watson said. “Both are extremely competitive but this year Pat Daly is the guy.”
Wolff, a senior midfielder, and senior defender Pat Jacobs also will be looked to for leadership, while sophomore midfielders Mariano Mollo and Alex Sanchez and David Medina headline the newcomers.
Medina, a transfer from De La Salle, has an impressive family pedigree. His older brothers Benji and Brandon start for UIC and Northwestern, respectively.
“Based on initial impression, I think we’ve got a really good addition,” Watson said.
The Friars host St. Ignatius, the team that beat them for the Catholic League title last year, in their home and conference opener Sept. 10 at the Priory.
