Chances don’t lead to equalizer in New Trier’s regional showdown with Evanston

Even one moment of miscalculation can prove decisive come playoff time.

A young New Trier boys soccer team had to swallow that bitter pill Saturday, Oct. 24, in the regional final courtesy of their archrival.

The Evanston Wildkits swung the momentum against the Trevians with a stunning counter-attack goal with only 40 seconds remaining in the first half.

Evanston’s go-ahead goal, alongside strong play from its back line and several late saves from its goalkeeper, was enough to hold off a fierce New Trier push for an equalizer and give the Kits a 2-1 victory on its home turf at Murney Lazier Field.

New Trier fell into an early hole when Evanston’s Matthew Gilroy found the ball in a dangerous area and rocketed a shot into the corner of the net only 11 minutes into the match.

But the Trevians found a relatively quick answer when sophomore Evan Longstreths scored with just over 10 minutes later. Senior defender Dimitri Mundzic provided the assist, which Longstreth snuck by Evanston’s goalie after beating a defender to the ball.

New Trier head coach Matt Ravenscraft called the goal a “big moment” for both the team and the sophomore goal-scorer.

“It’s so much composure to make that run and to bury it,” Ravenscraft said, adding that the goal pushed some of the game’s momentum back to New Trier. “It’s tough to come here and play and get a result. We’ve played Evanston here many years and in some big playoff games as well and it’s always a challenge. That (goal) was a good moment from our group.”

Nearly 18 minutes later, after a stretch of play where possession was largely dominated by the Trevians, the Kits executed the moment of the match.

Evanston took the ball away from New Trier and quickly advanced the ball to midfield. From there, Josh Geevarghese tracked down a long pass out wide, raced down the side of the pitch and delivered near-perfect service to a well-positioned Gilroy, who headed home his second goal of the contest.

“It just felt like we were in control and then very much weren’t in control,” Ravenscraft said. “We had to be better in that transition moment, and Evanston punished us.

“It’s unfortunate, but we did still have a whole half to generate chances and I thought we did that. Right to the final whistle the boys continued to fight and compete, and credit to their backline and to their goalkeeper who did a really nice job.”

New Trier produced several quality scoring chances in the second half, but the Trevians could not create the right combination to find their second equalizer.

In the last 15 minutes of the match, New Trier took multiple corner kicks and set pieces, but Evanston did not concede the tying goal.

One of the factors that made Evanston so challenging to penetrate in the second half was the Wildkits ability to prevent New Trier from creating chances with its aerial attack.

“They’re a big, tall team and they do as well as any team that we’ve played in terms of dealing with the aerial threat,” Ravenscraft said. “I think that was pretty clear that it was going to be a tough test for us; they matched up well against us in those moments.”

Prior to Saturday’s match, New Trier had topped Evanston in both of these team’s regular-season meetings; however, the Wildkist flipped the script come playoff time.

Those back-and-forth results are a testament to two great soccer rivals. And any contest against the Wildkits, particularly a playoff game, is always going to be a challenge.

“You don’t want to see Evanston in a regional final if you’re us and I’m sure they feel the same way,” Ravenscraft said. “It’s a tough second round. … It is a tough rivalry. We have been on the right side of it the last few times, which is great, but it’s always been a very competitive rivalry.

“In my time as a coach there hasn’t been a stretch where a team has gone more than two or three years with the hydrant, so this is another chapter in that storied rivalry and long may it continue.”

The 2026 Trevians featured a younger roster, Ravenscraft noted, with six sophomores, the highest number since he took the helm.

Notably, New Trier started just four seniors — Petros Varvitsiotis, Mundzic, Tim Vaughan and Gordon Evans — during the regional championship game.

“We had a lot of guys who were either underclassmen or this was their first varsity season, so I think in terms of the growth that we saw from the group, it was probably the most that we’ve grown as a team from start to finish, which was really an awesome thing to be a part of as a coach,” Ravenscraft said.

“We didn’t quite achieve our goal this season of winning a regional but I think there’s a lot to be excited for. The seniors who did play tonight and who were a part of this team this year, they were incredible leaders and it’s always tough to say goodbye to a group of 10 seniors who all contributed on and off the field and it was a special group to coach. But there’s a lot to be excited for.”

New Trier will return its starting goalkeeper, Will Richardson, who is set to return for a third varsity season. The Trevs will also welcome back several key contributors such as Longstreth, Landon Ginsberg, Brady Maciejewski, Owen Johnson, Jack Friedman and Nicolas Urrea, who all saw big minutes for the team this campaign.

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