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Backbone boys De Filippis, Akintade fused forces for Lake Forest High School’s soccer team BY BILL MCLEAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
Lake Forest High School boys soccer coach Rob Parry found some solace after a tough playoff loss last weekend on the home pitch. “The spine of our team returns next year, and our lower-level teams had good seasons,” Parry said minutes after addressing his Scouts following a 1-0 setback to visiting Palatine High School in a Class 3A Libertyville Regional opener October 13. Two of the varsity’s sturdy “vertebrae” are juniors Oliver Akintade and Nico De Filippis. De Filippis paced the Scouts in goals (8) this fall, including two in a 2-2 tie against host Stevenson High School on October 4, and both flew around as consistent, dangerous threats. “Two of the most technically talented players we’ve had in a long, long time, and both are super quiet — Oliver slightly louder than Nico is,” Parry noted. “So skilled, both of them. Both
“Both can turn on a sixpence, or, as guys like to say today, ‘They can break ankles.’ ”
OLIVER’S GARDEN: Lake Forest High School junior midfielder Oliver Akintade, seen here in a match against Stevenson this fall, also excels off the soccer turf — as a swimmer.
are good at distributing, finding the open teammates ahead of them. “Both,” he added, “can turn on a sixpence, or, as guys like to say today, ‘They can break ankles.’ ” Palatine’s Pirates, seeded 17th in the Class 3A Barrington Sectional, snapped a 0-0 tie early in their playoff match against No. 16 LFHS last weekend. Akintade, a midfielder, fed a couple of spot-on passes to his forwards in the second half. De Filippis, an effective midfielder/forward, kept Palatine’s backs and keeper on high alert for most of the 80 minutes. “He’s very gifted, technically, and he never stops working hard,” Akintade said of De Filippis. “Nico knows his way around the field, knows where to be and when to be there.” Akintade needed only a little more than five seconds to come up with his favorite Nico De Filippis moment in 2018. The set-up: Deerfield match. Late. Scoreless. De Filippis then scored what would be the lone goal of the contest, with between 10-15 minutes left in the second half. “And he scored it from a tight angle,” Akin- ‘DE’ MAN: Lake Forest High School junior midfielder/forward Nico De Filippis led the Scouts in goals (8) this fall. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
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| SATURDAY OCTOBER 20 | SUNDAY OCTOBER 21 2018
tade recalled. “Great goal.” Akintade’s dribbling skills impress De Filippis. “Oliver is fast, and he’s good at beating people off the dribble,” said De Filippis, a firstyear high school player after having devoted the past two autumns to battle for Sockers FC teams. Akintade competed for LFHS for a second season in ’18. He played club soccer for the Chicago Magic in the fall of his freshman year; his previous club commitment was to FC United. “Having talented players won’t guarantee your team wins in soccer,” Akintade said of his primary takeaway from the Scouts’ season (411-5) this fall. “You have to work hard, every day. We realize that. If you’re having a bad day, or if things aren’t going the team’s way, you still have to work hard.” De Filippis expressed a similar sentiment. “Yes, skill is important, but so is teamwork,” he said. De Filippis likes to spend his free time with f riends and playing video games. Akintade knows exactly why De Filippis is way better than average in the world of competitive electronics. “It’s because he plays a lot,” a grinning Akintade said. Akintade raced often last winter for the Scouts’ varsity swimming and diving squad, anchoring the team’s 400-yard freestyle relay to a first-place time of 3:17.1 at a sectional in the home water. His strongest individual event is the 100 breaststroke; he said he’s two seconds off the school record in the event. Among the other stabilizing “spine” mates expected to return for the Scouts in ’19 are backs Konrad Ziaja and Jamie Phalen, goalkeeper John Walsh and electric and tireless midfielder Carter Collis. All are current juniors. Phalen will suit up as a third-year varsity member next year. “Remember,” Parry told his boys shortly after the playoff loss last weekend, “this is the first day of next season.” Notable: Lake Forest High School’s tie with host Stevenson High School earlier this month was the Scouts’ third stalemate in North Suburban Conference play. LFHS junior Nico De Filippis tallied the match’s final goal via a penalty kick with 12:01 left in the second half. The Patriots welcome visiting teams at the Vernon Hills Athletic Complex. … Scouts senior forward Kean O’Connor delivered a team-high six assists this fall. … Scouts senior back Aved Markarian served as the team’s captain in ’18. THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND