It’s the end of an era for Oak Park and River Forest High School Boys Soccer – and a new era has started.
Last year, the team’s record was 12-5-3. Two years ago, the team was a favorite to win the state tournament but fell in the second round. This year’s starting goalie, Christian Kellogg, is the only remaining player of that 2023 team.
But the big missing piece of the puzzle this year is that Jason Fried, who was the head coach for nine years and led the team to multiple program all-time highs, is on a one-year leave.
Fried, who won the IHSSCA Coach of the Year in 2023, is spending this year in Croatia, where he is teaching and experiencing a new culture and lifestyle with his family. Another part of the move was because his son, an outstanding soccer player, was given the opportunity to play abroad.
“I’m definitely going to miss him. I loved having him last year. But I think he made the right choice for him and his family, so I’m happy for him,” said senior defender Zach Goldberg.
Fried’s loss “is kind of a bump in the road, but we have a ton of coaches that can take the role of Fried,” said senior forward Kingston Peterson. One of these coaches includes Dave Bernthal, the former JV1 coach, whom Fried appointed to take his position this year.
“He’s fantastic,” said junior Johnny Natale, a returning defender and forward. “I think he’s a really good coach. He fits the hole really well and is doing great things for our program,”
Goldberg also said he has faith in Bernthal, highlighting how his sophomore year with him, the JV1 team was undefeated.
So far this year, the team has a 5-1-1 record. They were also ranked number 24 on the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll as of Sept. 9.
Based on their performance at their game against Maine West on Sept. 2, these Huskies are quite an aggressive team to play against and are not afraid to add a little more contact to the mix. They are quick and have excellent dribbling technique, allowing them to get past defenders and also incorporate terrific defensive material.
They are always ready to sprint to the other side of the field to steal, block, save or intercept the ball. They clearly know each other’s styles of play and also have great collaboration skills, constantly shouting “pass,” “watch out” or “hustle.”
“They are a great group,” said Bernthal. “What we’re trying to do is get better each day by putting forth our best effort, skill and focus. We will let the results take care of themselves.”
He added that he has had lots of fun coaching the top players in the school, and that because these players know they are very good, they have a deep motivation and idea of going far, which creates a lot of energy, making the game more fun.
This new generation of talent includes a heavy number of returning seniors from last year, with defender Goldberg and Kellogg as captains, along with Evan Max, Adrian and Peter Bondartsov (sports editor and staffer for Trapeze), and the backup goalie Thomas Howe, who has started making a bigger impact on the field, having not let in one goal so far.
The team also brings back notable players to the starting lineup including juniors Noah Barnett and Cole Grinning, and sophomore Liam Moder. However, Bernthal said that this year the team has a very good balance between returnees who hold lots of confidence and newcomers who are eager to get their shot, such as seniors Tyler Lacey and Owen Stevens and juniors Jack Trask and Tomas Ibañez.
With many of these seniors’ high school seasons coming to an end, they hope to make a powerful legacy for themselves and the team. The star defender, Goldberg, explained that he wants to be “the best captain and leader I can to the team and push them to the best so we can be the best as we possibly can.”
In addition to Goldberg, Peterson, the starting right winger, said his individual goal was about how “I don’t really want to make it about myself. I really want my team to go far in the playoffs, have a good record in the regular season and just really help them become better players.”
