Filosa rights Fremd's ship

It was 2008 and the Vikings ship has sunk.

Spencer Filosa was on that vessel, and he watched Fremd soccer hit bottom for the first time during coach Steve Keller's tenure.

It had included a third-place finish during his rookie season as head coach in 1998 and one terrific season after another, with Keller reaching 100 wins in his first six-plus years in charge.

Until that dreadful 2-13-1 finish in Filosa's sophomore season.

“We were young, had a lot of inexperience, and we just weren't very good then,” Filosa said. “But I also knew that we had a core of players, all friends forever who had been playing together for six or seven years on the same Hoffman United club team, and if we worked hard and stayed together, we could maybe do something special by the time we were all seniors here at Fremd.”

Filosa became the special player of that group, and when the postseason voting results began rolling in, it was obvious to others what kind of talent the Vikings captain was.

In consecutive weeks, Filosa was named Mid-Suburban West player of the year, then the No. 1 player among area coaches to earn all-state honors, and finally, Cook County honorary captain of the 2010 Daily Herald All-Area boys soccer team.

“It was a great feeling to hear that my four years of work culminated in those (three) awards,” Filosa said, “but it's obvious none of that happens without having the type of teammates that I have, and, of course, a coach like (Keller), who has great knowledge of the sport, and is always teaching and insisting on hard work and effort each time we're out there.

“I know for me, I am very lucky to have him as a coach.”

Keller feels the same way about having Filosa as a player.

“We're fortunate to have the luxury of having someone like Spencer around every day to lead and set an example for others to follow,” said Keller. “He's the type of player who is fun to be around and coach, and each year we've seen the improvement in his game, as well as his leadership qualities.

“He's gone to another level after a terrific off-season of conditioning and overall work on all phases of his game, and it's shown, because he has put this team on his back, and been the leader that every team needs to be successful.”

Filosa credits the development of his group of his longtime friends, and the infusion of all-state candidate goalkeeper Scott Sutarik, along with freshman defender Eric Leonard, for lifting the Vikings back to prominence.

They've won MSL and regional championships as well as a prestigious tournament crown at the Best of the West earlier in the season.

“Both Scott and Eric have helped solidify our team along the back,” said Filosa, “but the guys I've been with for so long have become stars in their own right and the reason for our turnaround as seniors.”

Vikings' leading scorer Lorenzo Savino, his partner up top Matt Burkhardt, back-liners Alex Bochat and Alex Prelipceanu and midfielder Ryan Molley all were all part of that club team, which helped begin the eventual rise to power at Fremd.

Filosa began to establish the groundwork for personal excellence with an intense off-season work regimen. It included, among other training exercises, early morning running with members of the Fremd cross country team.

There were also matches with the summer league team as well as his club team, FCX of Barrington, which featured most of the 2009 3A state champions from Lyons Township, including all-state midfielder Kyle Kurfirst.

This year, Filosa will join Sutarik and play for the Magic Academy team in preparation for his move to Eastern Illinois University next fall, where he will play for coach Adam Howarth.

“The one thing which really stands out about Spencer after the off-season was how fit he became after the attention he placed on his overall fitness,” said Keller. “It made him a better player.”

Filosa suddenly became that 80-minute warrior who could run forever, regardless of where Keller would deploy his top player.

Filosa says Howarth expects him to be an attacking midfielder next season, but Keller found him to be valuable at several positions.

Filosa frequently conjured up something out of the middle to distribute or create for others but was equally comfortable playing out wide on the wing, up top and anywhere across the front. He even played along the back when the team needed an extra marking back.

Keller says Filosa is an all-out player who does the dirty work in all of the Vikings' set pieces and his on-field intelligence and understanding of tactics sets him apart.

The three-year starter wowed the audience at the regional finals, striking an astonishing goal from 25 yards in a 4-1 victory over Prospect. He then later provided the finishing touch with a spot-kick conversion to give him 9 goals this season, to go along with 7 assists.

“I enjoy playing in the middle, setting up my teammates and helping getting our attack going,” said Filosa, “but I'll play wherever (coach) asks me to, and what's eventually best for the team.”

Filosa's decision to attend Eastern came after initial interest from Division III schools North Central and the University of Dubuque. But in the end, it was the influence of former Vikings coaching great Gerardo Pagnani that made the difference in his verbal commitment.

“I felt comfortable going there to play and study,” said Filosa, who may be a math teacher and soccer coach someday. “It seemed like a perfect fit for me, but coach Pagnani has stayed close to the program ever since playing there, so it made my decision that much easier.”

Filosa's individual success pales in comparison to several team highlights, including a 2-1 victory in the annual Kinsella Cup match over crosstown rival Palatine before a packed house.

“All of the awards I've received are great, and something that I really appreciate and respect, but there's a lot of unfinished business left for our team,” Filosa said. “Despite the fact we've gone 17-2, we can't let up until we reach our goal of getting into the state finals.”