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Having a player on your team the caliber of Bryant Philo is a good place to start.
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Returning Suburban Lakes League
Player of the Year Bryant Philo.
(Press file photo) |
Last year Philo, a senior forward for the Lake boys soccer team, scored 22 goals and assisted on 17 others en route to earning the Suburban Lakes League Player of the Year award.
“He'll probably break the record for all-time scoring at Lake,” third-year coach Chad Lillich said. “He can play anywhere. He's also a defender in travel soccer and he's got the size. He can use both feet and he's got the sense of where to be — and he knows how to finish.”
Philo is one of six returning seniors whom Lillich hopes can lead Lake to an SLL championship. The Flyers, who finished 8-4-5 overall and 2-3-2 in the league a year ago, are off to a 3-0 start this season. They have beaten Liberty-Benton (4-1), Genoa (7-0) and the St. Francis de Sales “B” team (4-1).
“We are balanced all the way across,” Lillich said. “This is probably the best team I've had talent-wise since I've been at Lake. We're pretty small and quick. We're looking to compete for the league title and go deep in the tournament. I think we have all the pieces. We just have to jell a little bit and make sure we improve every game.”
The Flyers return two other first-team All-SLL performers in senior center/defender Nick McCarthy and senior midfielder Drew Metz.
“Nick is our guy,” Lillich said. “He keeps everything organized and controlled and calm. We have a new goalie this year, so he's making the transition for our new goalie a lot easier.”
Metz, who scored 17 goals a year ago, holds the school single-season record for assists (28).
“He has great footwork and great field vision,” Lillich said. “He's our field general.”
Other returning starters include senior center midfielder Kyle Timbrook, second-team all-league senior defender Ricky Cox, senior defender Keegan Lucas, sophomore outside midfielder Austin Hall and junior outside midfielder John Eckenrode.
“Ricky usually takes on the opponent's best forward and he does a good job,” Lillich said. “He's a physical player and skilled. Keegan played defensive midfield last year and we shifted him to an outside back this year. He's really starting to understand the position. He's one of our bigger guys and he plays physical and smart.
“Austin is going to be one of our offensive guys this year on the outside, and John Eckenrode is one of our best defensive-minded midfielders. He can also be pretty offensive-minded. He likes to jump into the play and score some goals. He'll put some goals in.”
Sophomore Marcus Pierce is the team's new goalie, replacing the graduated Scott Hartman.
“Marcus played at the rec level and this is his first year at this level,” Lillich said. “He's 6-2 or 6-3, a big kid, and he has to get comfortable with knowing how to play the ball and when to stay in goal.”
On June 5, tragedy struck the area and Lake High School in the form of an EF-4 tornado.
The Lake boys soccer team says it “would love to honor those men and women who worked so valiantly to save lives, and the administration of our school that spent tremendous hours away from their own family so our children had a place to walk into this August, and our boys had a place to play soccer,” says a press release.
East Suburban Soccer League U10-14 teams will participate in exhibition games beginning at 4 p.m. along with a chicken dinner to benefit the Lake boys’ varsity soccer team.
The dinner event is being held on September 11 at Lake Elementary School, and then those attending “plan to pack the stands with attendees at the new Lake Community Field as they watch the Lake Flyers and Bowling Green later that evening” for a 7 p.m. varsity game.
Call any Lake boys’ soccer player or Michele Francis at 419-838-7481 for ticket information.
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