Three ETHS Keepers Score Shutouts On Path To Tourney Title

There’s a school of thought among high school soccer coaches that when a program has two (potential) starting goalies --- it really has none, because no one has emerged and taken charge as a No. 1.

Franz Calixte doesn’t necessarily subscribe to that theory. In fact, the Evanston coach has taken it to another level to open the 2023 campaign.

With THREE different starting keepers pitching shutouts this week, the Wildkits repeated as tourney champions at the Evanston Invitational Saturday and improved to 6-0 overall on the season.

An unprecedented dynamic at that critical position as the last line of defense in the sport has given Evanston a boost. But it’s also created a dilemma for Calixte, who in two decades of coaching has never had a situation where he has three players worthy of spots on the varsity roster as goalies.

And all three of them are in the same class academically, as seniors Cade Likhite, Alex Mahoney and Milo Slevin are challenging for minutes and trying to establish themselves as “the guy” the Wildkits will count on as the starter eventually.

Right now they’re No. 1A --- No. 1B --- and No. 1C, in no particular order.

Mahoney, who split time with Likhite 50-50 as the varsity starters last season, was in the nets Saturday as the Kits defeated Walter Payton Prep 4-0 in the final game of the round-robin tournament behind two goals from junior Cristiano Homer.

Likhite was credited with the victory in last Thursday’s 5-0 blanking of Lake Forest Academy, and Slevin was the keeper of record in a tourney-opening 4-0 triumph over Jones Prep.

Evanston has surrendered just one goal all season and none of the three tournament foes they faced even managed to put a single shot on goal. And there was no separation among the ETHS trio of keepers in the penalty kick shootouts held after each contest, either, because Mahoney, Likhite and Slevin were credited with one save apiece in those competitions.

Maybe Calixte will just have to flip a coin a couple of times when he finally decides he needs to know who’s No. 1.

“The coaching staff doesn’t have to decide anything yet. It’s still early enough and we have some really healthy competition there,” said the ETHS coach. “I do think that it’s important that we get to a No. 1 guy at some point, in a regular rotation so he doesn’t have to sit out two games in a row. We’ll have to start figuring that out when we get to the middle one-third of the season (and Central Suburban League play). Anything can happen.

“All three of them have different strengths. I think communication is important back there. With Alex, you get constant chatter, while Cade is more of a yeller. And Milo? He’s just a talker.

“When it comes to distribution, Milo is probably the best with the ball at his feet. But Cade can hit a very targeted long pass to your foot at 45 yards, too. They’re all very good at shot stopping, and they all have a strong presence in the box.”

You can blame --- or credit, depending on your point of view --- Slevin’s improvement for making the choice more difficult. Coming into preseason training camp at ETHS, it figured to be a 2-way battle between incumbents Likhite and Mahoney with no room for another keeper to find minutes.

But Slevin’s play caught the attention of every coach on the staff and there was no chance he’d get cut.

“This has been a really hard process for me,” Slevin admitted. “I didn’t play goalie until my freshman year. I was a field player before that. I played every game for the JV (junior varsity) team the last 2 years, and then I worked really hard this summer hoping to make the varsity.

“This was an uphill battle. I knew I had to have a near flawless tryout, and I think I delivered on that. I think I deserved my spot on the roster. I absolutely believed I could make the team. I had belief in my ability, and when you put in the work I did, it’s a lot easier to be confident about it.

“I really didn’t think a lot about how we would split (playing) time. I just come into practice every day with the same mentality, and that’s wanting to be the best.”

And rather than the 3-way battle causing any tension personally between the trio, they all insist it’s a friendly competition.

“I’ve been friends with Alex and trained with him for a long time now,” Slevin explained. “I played baseball with him in 7th grade. I’m friendly with both Alex and Cade and even though it is a competition at the end of the day, I’m happy with the minutes I get. It’s all about growth for me, because it’s been a pretty quick trajectory.”

“There was no doubt in my mind that Milo should make the team. He’s really solid,” praised Likhite. “I realized that I might lose some game time, but he deserves to play at this level. We all get along great and Miles has shown so much improvement.

“I started playing goalie back when I was in 4th grade and I fell in love with it. The pressure is amazing and some of the biggest moments come in close to the goal. You’re not going to score a game-winning goal, but you can still save a game as a goalie.

“I think my strength (in the competition to start) is my soccer IQ. I understand the game well and I can really read things back there. My shot stopping is strong, and my distribution is something I’m still working on.

“The last 3 years I’ve really started to take this more seriously. I’ve been to goalie camps and showcases and I’ve put in the work, because I want to play at the next level.”

“We’re such a strong team. The most important thing is to play whoever will help us get the most wins,” said Mahoney. “I’m happy for Milo when he plays well and there’s no bad blood anywhere. We knew a couple of years ago that our age group was going to be a special one. We always give each other a boost in practice if someone’s having a bad day.

“Cade is a captain and he’s definitely a strong keeper, and a great leader. I think my best quality is communication and being a leader, too. I try to be loud --- and own my box. I’m trying to work on my speed and being quicker to the ball now.

“I don’t think the tournament this week decided anything. It’s hard to compare goalies when there are no shots on goal against you. Every practice, every game matters and we’re all just focused on wanting to see the others --- and the team --- succeed this year.”