With a chance to get to the IHSA State Series for the first time since 2009, it was certainly a disappointment to get shut out by a Stevenson team the Trevs knew they could beat. No defense had stood up against the team so well, making the double overtime loss even more heartbreaking. 

The defense, especially goalkeeper Thomas Terry, kept the team in the game throughout. Other than a penalty kick resulting in a goal, they looked almost flawless, Shots simply didn’t go in on the offensive side.

“We had lots of shots, but couldn’t find one that would help us break through,” says Terry. “We knew it was coming, it was just that we ran out of time.”

The officiating was controversial, more than it would be even in such an intense game. Stevenson scored on a free kick set up by what some of the team saw as a weak call, but it was a missed call before penalty that angered the Trevians the most. Midfielder Evan Kanellos, who recently committed to the University of Chicago, was arguably pulled down by his arm, allowing the Stevenson offense the opportunity for the free kick.

“We definitely felt like some things didn’t go our way,” says Kanellos. “But we still had the chances to win it.”

Despite this, the team, and especially head coach Matt Revenscraft, didn’t want to focus on this aspect of the game. The offense still had chances, and for one of the few times this season couldn’t capitalize on that. Defender Colin Gottshall recognized this.

“It did at some points feel like the officiating was going against us, but you can’t put the loss on (the ref),” says Gottshall. “There were 100 minutes to play to score a goal, and we never did.

Coming so close to the State Series, while in some ways disappointing, was seen as an accomplishment throughout the team. With high school soccer becoming more competitive each year, the team remained proud of the many areas they excelled in.

“The culture in the locker room every day was great,” says Terry. “We would always get there before and listen to music and the guys were always building chemistry, and we were able to trust each other on the field just as much as we were off the field.”

Despite losing many top players from last year, the Trevians didn’t miss a beat once the season started, losing only one game before the playoffs and showcasing both a remarkable offense and defense. Head coach Matt Ravenscraft needed the team’s 15 seniors to come through in several ways, and they did.

“The senior leadership was incredible,” says Ravenscraft. “We’ve always been blessed with amazing leadership, but I think the amount of guys that were hungry and willing to do whatever it took to win games was at a level we’ve not seen before.”

While there were few downs to the season, the tie to GBN late in the season meant rival Evanston would win the conference despite the Trev’s undefeated conference record. They had beat Evanston just a week before in a game that was expected to decide the CSL South champion, so the surprise tie acted as somewhat of a turning point for the team.

“And after that game we were really hungry and we wanted to do a lot more,” says Gottshall. “So we started competing a lot more at practice, going hard, and we were hungry going into playoffs.”

With many new players, a rough schedule, and a team where depth more than starpower would be the key to winning, there was lots of mystery surrounding how well New Trier would play this season. But with an 18-2-5 record and impressive shutouts over teams like Evanston and Lane Tech, it was a bittersweet ending to what had been a great season.

“I think the sting is still wearing off for most of the guys,” says Ravenscraft. “But having said that. I know we will all look back on this season with pride for years to come!”