Sports
Athlete of the Week: Aaron Menyes
The bold, sometimes brash Downers Grove North sophomore goalkeeper is a force to be reckoned with for any opposing player out on the soccer field.
sophomore Aaron Menyes is not afraid to take chances on the soccer field and get his hands dirty for the team.
He is, after all, the goalie.
He had to do more than dirty his hands for the team on Wednesday. In some cases, he had to be a human shield against an aggressive Hinsdale Central offense. On more than one occasion, he found himself in 1-on-1 situations in the open field.
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Menyes, however, kept the game from being a lot worse, particularly in the second half. His relentless and aggressive style of play netted him 13 saves on 15 chances and plenty of respect from players on both sides. He is Woodridge’s athlete of the week.
How long have you played? I started when I was 5. I played the field for a while, but then I became the goalie and it just stuck. I started club soccer kind of late. Usually kids start around third grade, but I started at sixth and I’ve just been working my way up.
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Over the summer you played with the Chicago Fire Academy. What was that like? It was a great experience. One of my coaches works with the U.S. Men Nationals, and the other was a two-time national champion. It was great learning from them.
Since you worked out with them, would it be fair to say that the Chicago Fire are your favorite Major League Soccer team? Yeah, they are. They’ve had some ups and downs, but that’s just the way it goes in soccer. On any day, anyone can beat anybody.
What about the English Premier League and the European Leagues? For the EPL, I follow Arsenal. For the Champions League, I follow Manchester United. For players I really like David De Gea (Atletico Madrid goalie) and Tim Howard (U.S. National team goalie) is my No. 1 guy. I wear his gloves.
Do you have any ambitions for higher-level soccer? Sure. I’d like to go to college, play some ball there, and maybe make the MLS someday.
Any schools jump out at you right now? It’s still early yet, but I liked Akron and I liked UNC-Chapel Hill.
Do you play any other sports? Nope, it’s strictly soccer for me. I still got steps to go. I’m still learning how to be a varsity goalie, little by little.
has been a bridesmaid the last couple of years, falling short in the playoffs. Do you think this is the year? I think it is the year. We went over to Italy and we played some European teams, and we won two games (Menyes was unable to attend the trip). You know, anything can happen. You can lose three in a row, but it’s what you do the next game that matters. I think we really have a good chance.
