In late August, after Grayslake Central’s third straight shutout loss, junior captain Lucas Veenstra probably didn’t expect to be holding a trophy by season’s end.
But there was Veenstra on Saturday afternoon, smiling as he and senior captains Ben Berry and Marko Marynevych walked toward their teammates with the gleaming keepsake held high above their heads, after the Rams’ first state trip ended with a 3-1 loss to Chicago Washington in the Class 2A third-place game at Hoffman Estates.
Marynevych scored the only goal for the Rams (14-8-2) at the 10:04 mark of the first half before the Patriots (19-5-2) scored three in a row to earn their third state trophy since 2013.
Veenstra could pinpoint the exact moment when Grayslake Central’s upward trajectory began this season.
The Rams lost their first three games against Vernon Hills, New Trier and Libertyville without scoring a goal and were on the verge of another shutout against Loyola in their fourth game. Then junior forward Cameron Paul’s shot nestled into the back of the net for the team’s first goal of the season. The Rams lost their fourth straight but were uplifted.
“The team was a little down, but we knew we wanted to schedule those first few games very hard so we could prepare for this moment here at state,” Veenstra said. “We just couldn’t score a goal in those first three games.
“After that first goal by Cameron, things seemed to change. It was an amazing feeling. We tied the game 1-1. It felt great. Once we got into our conference play and started to build our chemistry and play like a team, that’s when we started to pick it up, and the potential was there.”
Grayslake Central, which lost 2-1 to Triad in a semifinal on Friday, might have fallen short of its ultimate goal, but the experience of playing in a big venue is a motivating factor for all the players who will return next season.
“Just getting here is important, but now we know what we need to do to win it,” Grayslake Central coach Keith Andersson said. “The big thing about losing is you learn every time. Today we picked up a lot of things we need to work on. Heart is one, and finishing is another. You don’t finish, you don’t win. No one had the intensity to do the second ball and finish it. That’s where it hurt us.
“As a team, we got everyone in and got to see some young kids. … It makes me very happy.”
More Top Picks Best Wok
The Rams should be among the top teams in 2A next season, with eight of Saturday’s starters — Veenstra, Paul, Daniel Marynevych, Alan Alonso, Ray Sereno, Mitchell Fein, Nick Molochnikov and goalkeeper Uriel Garcia Perez — slated to return.
“The big thing for the community is soccer is on the map for us at Grayslake Central,” Andersson said. “It never has been. … This is something we want to start, a new tradition for the community, so they know they got a good program when they come out to the high school.
“We’re not finished yet. They want it so bad and already are talking in the offseason what they want to do to get back to state.”
Berry said the seniors could hold their heads up despite the weekend losses.
“We obviously wanted to be playing in the state title game, but we were still in high spirits,” Berry said. “For me and all the other seniors, this was our last game of our high school careers. We wanted to end on a win. We gave everything. I thought we fought until the end. I’m proud of everybody on the team.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.