McGarrity’s hat trick rallies Titans to draw

Glenbrook South learned a valuable lesson with its 3-3 tie against Loyola during the Titans’ own tournament last week.

Trailing the Ramblers 3-0 in the opener, GBS rallied to tie the match in the final minutes on three goals by Branden McGarrity and even had an opportunity to win it.

“You have to always give it your all, even if you don’t think you have a chance,” said McGarrity, a senior midfielder. “You always play hard.”

Although Glenbrook South coach Paul Agombar hopes his team isn’t in that position too often, he agrees the Titans might be better for having gone through that experience.

“From a coaching standpoint, you have to like the character they showed,” he said. “That’s the epitome of not quitting. What you take away from that is, you’re never beaten until it’s over, and I think we can reference that the rest of the season. I mean, look how quickly things turned around for us.”

The Titans posted a 1-1-2 record in the tournament, including a 0-0 tie against champion Stevenson. Glenbrook South’s lone win was a 2-0 over Niles North; the Titans also lost to Warren 4-1.

Against the Ramblers, McGarrity scored on a rebound, a header and a penalty kick.

“That was really fun,” he said. “Every time we got a goal, we got more energized.”

Agombar said as McGarrity goes, so go the Titans.

“I think he’s a very good player,” the coach said of the captain and three-year varsity veteran. “We will be looking for him to lead the team. If he performs well, so will the team.”

Glenbrook South dropped to 1-2-2 after losing to Palatine 4-0.

Other players back in the starting lineup include seniors Mark Ishkhan, Luis Batista, Stephen Lee and junior Ethan Boner. Sophomores Kurt Roemer and Luke Pilliod are showing they can contribute as rookies.

“All of our sophomores have started at least one or two games,” Agombar said. “I didn’t bring them up to sit on the bench. We’re pretty young, but we should improve as time goes on.”

After narrowly missing the conference championship last season, McGarrity said the Titans are focused on bringing home that elusive CSL South title. Glenbrook South, which finished runner-up to Niles West a year ago, captured its last league championship in 1984.

“This is a year we definitely can compete for it,” said McGarrity.

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