NAPERVILLE -- They're simply the best.
New Trier's seniors completed a sensational three-year soccer run here Saturday night at North Central College and captured the school's second IHSA state championship in three years with a 2-1 victory over Edwardsville.
Goals by Ben Beaver and Chris Ritter lifted the Trevians to a final record of 22-1-1 and sent the 14 seniors on the roster out on a winning note.
Seven of those players were members of the 2006 state championship unit. New Trier's win on Saturday makes the Trevians the first Class 3A titlist under the new IHSA three-class system.
Coach Craig Fairbairn's team was in a class by itself, however, with a ball control style that relied on deft passing, slick dribbling and strong defense. The title drive was also fueled by a desire to atone for last year's loss on the same turf in the Elite Eight.
New Trier racked up a total of 64 wins in three seasons and dominated play in the finale despite the apparent closeness of the score. Edwardsville's Nick Marshall scored in the 76th minute, but all that did was delay the Trevian celebration.
Hugs all around were the order on this chilly night when the final horn sounded for this band of brothers.
"The first state championship was for my brother Sean, because he was a senior then," said Trevian co-captain Ryan Foreman. "But this one was for me and for all of my best friends on this team. It's awesome just to get a chance to win it with them.
"I knew we were destined to do this from the moment we lost here last year (to Hinsdale Central). This is an amazing group of guys, and 90 percent of the starters have been together since our under-10 (age group) days."
"Words can't describe this feeling," added senior Kyle McCrudden. "Last year we felt like we underachieved as a team. We've been looking forward to doing this together all year. We're all such good friends on and off the field, and we wanted this for each other."
"In my coaching lifetime I never expected to win one state championship, let alone have a chance to win two," admitted Fairbairn. "I'm just so happy for these kids. These seniors put so much effort into it this year, and they deserve it.
"This is a really, really special group of kids. They're so much like a family and I think that's just great. Other players from other years won't like to hear this -- but yeah, they're the best New Trier team of all-time."
After scoring a convincing 4-0 triumph over Neuqua Valley in the semifinals on Friday, the Trevians were just as relentless with a title in their reach.
The usually slow-starting offense got a boost early Saturday when Beaver collected his 19th goal of the season, with just 3:36 elapsed. Edwardsville (24-5) failed to clear the ball, it bounced off fullback Sam Fink, and Beaver was there to pounce on it.
At first, it looked like an "own" goal from the stands.
"But I really did touch it," Beaver said. "Actually, I was looking for some kind of a rebound so I could lay it off (pass it) to somebody else. Instead I just tapped it in.
"Everyone worked so hard this year and just wanted it so much. It's a great feeling. To play with these incredible players this year has really been an incredible experience for me."
Ritter added what turned out to be the game-clinching goal in the 29th minute when he headed home a perfectly placed ball from Alex Voorhees on a restart.
"For all the time we've played together, it was so great to do this on the biggest stage of all," Ritter said. "We won it a couple of years ago, but senior year is the year that matters most to me. This is the one that really counts.
"We had a great win over Neuqua Valley last night and from there this wasn't as easy as I thought it might be. But we got it done -- and that's all that counts."
Close
Community Login
You've successfully logged in to the Sun-Times Media Community, click the close button to return to browsing.
Facebook App
Font Size
Email
Bookmark
Black Text
Cell Phone Alerts