Barrington, Neuqua V.
engage in top 10 stalemate
Scoreless early meeting for 2015 state placers
By Steve Nemeth
NAPERVILLE – There’s an irony in sports because coaches generally agree that defenses are steadier early in the season, and that offenses takes a little longer to develop.
And yet, come tournament time, the adage still credits defenses for winning championships.
Thursday’s nonconference meeting of two Chicagoland Soccer top 10 programs certainly mirrored the first theory as no. 2 Barrington and no. 9 Neuqua Valley battled to a 0-0 draw in a game that was moved from the Neuqua Valley campus to Commissioners Park in Naperville.
And even the match’s veteran trio of officials agreed, it would be really interesting to see the two sides meet again late in 2016.
They nearly did last spring in the Class 3A Final Four, but Barrington lost a 1-0 overtime semifinal to a New Trier squad that followed up with a 2-0 championship triumph over Neuqua Valley. That near-miss meeting would have been an encore to the 2015 season opener which produced a 1-1 stalemate.
Last season, both Barrington and Neuqua Valley were led in part by stellar goalkeepers who moved on to the collegiate ranks. However, their 2016 replacements worked well in tandem with their back lines for 80 minutes of scoreless soccer --- aided by one offside whistle.
“Obviously there were no goals (given up), so our defense played well, and I’d say it was a good first game,” said Neuqua Valley sophomore goalie Yanel Ortiz, who took over the net from Hannah Parrish, who now plays for Baylor University.
Since Samantha Schmitz kept the Fillies’ net unruffled for a second-straight outing against a top 10 foe – following Monday’s 1-0 season-opening triumph at no. 4-rated Naperville North -- the Barrington sophomore netminder earned Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match accolade.
“It’s really exciting to get another (clean sheet), because it sets the tone for the season,” said Schmitz, who replaced IHSSCA All-State honoree Hannah Luedtke, who is now at Butler. “We really didn’t allow them that many shots, so I’d say our pressure and effort on defense were there.”
Perhaps buoyed by that initial road win, Barrington (1-0-1) opened as the aggressor. The Fillies' Maesyn Poidomani tested the new Wildcat goalie early.
“(Yanel) positioned herself well throughout the match, and she certainly took a rocket shot off her gut at the start,” veteran Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau noted. “That kind of shot can either scare a keeper or raise their confidence. I think it did the later for Yanel.”
Shortly after that, Ortiz made a leaping grab of a corner kick that curved toward the near post. In the 13th minute, the Fillies’ Sophia Spinell tapped a cross off a Wildcat defender for an apparent go-ahead goal, but that potential match-winner was negated by an offside ruling.
“We were a little unlucky on that one, but I definitely thought we had our opportunities and were dangerous in the back third of the field,” said Spinell, who got an assisted on Kayla Keck’s game-winning goal against Naperville North. “I believe we possessed the ball fairly well. We can always get better, but we’re off to a good start.”
Statistically that was evident with Barrington placing four of six total attempts on goal before halftime. Meanwhile the Wildcats had two of their three shots on frame. For the game, the Fillies outshot their hosts 15-6 overall and 10-3 for shots on goal.
“Even though these early games are like preseason contests, I thought we showed some improvement and I was happy with our effort,” Barrington coach Ryan Stengren said. “We got people in the box having worked on our possession, but we need to focus better in the final third to get goals. Although I really thought we had one early.
“We may have had some heavy legs by the end because Monday’s match was really intense, and I worked them hard Tuesday and Wednesday. Plus this field, being 120 by 80 (yard) made today a real workout,” said Stengren of the substitute location which has Field Turf. “The second half saw both teams pressure each other, and there were a lot of turnovers.”
Late in the opening half, Anne Brodjian had an attempt sail high while Poidomani had a scoring chance snuffed by Ortiz, who would certainly have earned a trademark “big save” call from Blackhawks announcer Pat Foley.
Neuqua Valley’s Sydney Rushing had an opening but her try for the opposite side upper 90 failed to dip early in the second half.
“Their defense did a good job, but I believe our offense began working better as the match progressed,” Rushing said. “Our midfield began to find Haley and myself more often. We put some good shots on their defense during the match.”
Despite her sophomore status, Kailey Serna’s hustle was evident all over the field, a reflection of her philosophy and having veteran teammates to count on in Nicole Mondi, Shannon Tagler and Katherine Ferrarelli, Eastern Illinois signee.
“I love having the ball, and I don’t like losing it,” Serna explained. “The defense didn’t let in any goals. We always want to win, but it’s still a good start yet one we know leaves us a lot of room for improvement.”
The Wildcats’ Alyssa Bombacino, an Honorable Mention Section 3 coaches' pick last year as a freshman, nearly broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute if not for a Schmitz save that tipped the ball wide of the far post.
“Alyssa played well as an attacking mid, and Rachel (Ehrman) did the same as a holding mid,” Moreau said. “Erin (Sweda) was solid, and I believe is a very offensive-minded player who will only get better. We’ve got eight new starters and realistically, even our returnees saw somewhat less time last year, so I really believe as the game went on we got better.”
Neuqua Valley needs to do just that for its March 24 contest against Wheaton Warrenville South which serves as the Wildcats’ road opener and first DuPage Valley Conference match -- the Wildcats moved out of the Upstate Eight Conference afer last season. Wheaton Warrenville South sits in Chicagoland Soccer's “Teams to look out for” list.
As for Barrington, the challenging schedule continues March 28 with yet another CS top 10 foe when the Fillies visit current no. 5 Waubonsie Valley.
“It’ll be another tough test, but I believe we’ve got the right mindset,” Schmitz said. “We always figure we’ve got a target on our backs, but that just makes us play with more effort.”
Junior Jackie Batliner, who verbally committed to DePaul, had a more pragmatic view of Barrington’s second outing.
“I don’t think you take too much from an early season tie. In some respects our overall play was still a little rusty,” she said. “We have things to clean up and there’s always a lot to work on to have the kind of season we’re ultimately aiming for.”
And one that may yield a late-season rematch with Neuqua Valley that many would like to see.
Staring line-ups
Barrington
GK: Samantha Schmitz
D: Lauren Pircher
D: Haley Tuasend
D: Kayla Keck
D: Jackie Batliner
MF: Michayla Herr
MF: Anna Brodjian
MF: Soph Spinell
MF: Ellie Stodola
F: Maesyn Poidomani
F: Kayla Schutter
Neuqua Valley
GK: Yanel Ortiz
D: Katherine Ferrarelli
D: Nicole Mondi
D: Kailey Serna
D: Shannon Tagler
MF: Erin Sweda
MF: Veda Tappin
MF: Alyssa Bombacino
MF: Rachel Ehrman
F: Haley Singer
F: Sydney Rushing
MVP of the Match: Samantha Schmitz, GK, Barrington
Referees: Miguel Chavez, Steve Jablow, Jen Wegner
engage in top 10 stalemate
Scoreless early meeting for 2015 state placers
By Steve Nemeth
NAPERVILLE – There’s an irony in sports because coaches generally agree that defenses are steadier early in the season, and that offenses takes a little longer to develop.
And yet, come tournament time, the adage still credits defenses for winning championships.
Thursday’s nonconference meeting of two Chicagoland Soccer top 10 programs certainly mirrored the first theory as no. 2 Barrington and no. 9 Neuqua Valley battled to a 0-0 draw in a game that was moved from the Neuqua Valley campus to Commissioners Park in Naperville.
And even the match’s veteran trio of officials agreed, it would be really interesting to see the two sides meet again late in 2016.
They nearly did last spring in the Class 3A Final Four, but Barrington lost a 1-0 overtime semifinal to a New Trier squad that followed up with a 2-0 championship triumph over Neuqua Valley. That near-miss meeting would have been an encore to the 2015 season opener which produced a 1-1 stalemate.
Last season, both Barrington and Neuqua Valley were led in part by stellar goalkeepers who moved on to the collegiate ranks. However, their 2016 replacements worked well in tandem with their back lines for 80 minutes of scoreless soccer --- aided by one offside whistle.
“Obviously there were no goals (given up), so our defense played well, and I’d say it was a good first game,” said Neuqua Valley sophomore goalie Yanel Ortiz, who took over the net from Hannah Parrish, who now plays for Baylor University.
Since Samantha Schmitz kept the Fillies’ net unruffled for a second-straight outing against a top 10 foe – following Monday’s 1-0 season-opening triumph at no. 4-rated Naperville North -- the Barrington sophomore netminder earned Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match accolade.
“It’s really exciting to get another (clean sheet), because it sets the tone for the season,” said Schmitz, who replaced IHSSCA All-State honoree Hannah Luedtke, who is now at Butler. “We really didn’t allow them that many shots, so I’d say our pressure and effort on defense were there.”
Perhaps buoyed by that initial road win, Barrington (1-0-1) opened as the aggressor. The Fillies' Maesyn Poidomani tested the new Wildcat goalie early.
“(Yanel) positioned herself well throughout the match, and she certainly took a rocket shot off her gut at the start,” veteran Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau noted. “That kind of shot can either scare a keeper or raise their confidence. I think it did the later for Yanel.”
Shortly after that, Ortiz made a leaping grab of a corner kick that curved toward the near post. In the 13th minute, the Fillies’ Sophia Spinell tapped a cross off a Wildcat defender for an apparent go-ahead goal, but that potential match-winner was negated by an offside ruling.
“We were a little unlucky on that one, but I definitely thought we had our opportunities and were dangerous in the back third of the field,” said Spinell, who got an assisted on Kayla Keck’s game-winning goal against Naperville North. “I believe we possessed the ball fairly well. We can always get better, but we’re off to a good start.”
Statistically that was evident with Barrington placing four of six total attempts on goal before halftime. Meanwhile the Wildcats had two of their three shots on frame. For the game, the Fillies outshot their hosts 15-6 overall and 10-3 for shots on goal.
“Even though these early games are like preseason contests, I thought we showed some improvement and I was happy with our effort,” Barrington coach Ryan Stengren said. “We got people in the box having worked on our possession, but we need to focus better in the final third to get goals. Although I really thought we had one early.
“We may have had some heavy legs by the end because Monday’s match was really intense, and I worked them hard Tuesday and Wednesday. Plus this field, being 120 by 80 (yard) made today a real workout,” said Stengren of the substitute location which has Field Turf. “The second half saw both teams pressure each other, and there were a lot of turnovers.”
Late in the opening half, Anne Brodjian had an attempt sail high while Poidomani had a scoring chance snuffed by Ortiz, who would certainly have earned a trademark “big save” call from Blackhawks announcer Pat Foley.
Neuqua Valley’s Sydney Rushing had an opening but her try for the opposite side upper 90 failed to dip early in the second half.
“Their defense did a good job, but I believe our offense began working better as the match progressed,” Rushing said. “Our midfield began to find Haley and myself more often. We put some good shots on their defense during the match.”
Despite her sophomore status, Kailey Serna’s hustle was evident all over the field, a reflection of her philosophy and having veteran teammates to count on in Nicole Mondi, Shannon Tagler and Katherine Ferrarelli, Eastern Illinois signee.
“I love having the ball, and I don’t like losing it,” Serna explained. “The defense didn’t let in any goals. We always want to win, but it’s still a good start yet one we know leaves us a lot of room for improvement.”
The Wildcats’ Alyssa Bombacino, an Honorable Mention Section 3 coaches' pick last year as a freshman, nearly broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute if not for a Schmitz save that tipped the ball wide of the far post.
“Alyssa played well as an attacking mid, and Rachel (Ehrman) did the same as a holding mid,” Moreau said. “Erin (Sweda) was solid, and I believe is a very offensive-minded player who will only get better. We’ve got eight new starters and realistically, even our returnees saw somewhat less time last year, so I really believe as the game went on we got better.”
Neuqua Valley needs to do just that for its March 24 contest against Wheaton Warrenville South which serves as the Wildcats’ road opener and first DuPage Valley Conference match -- the Wildcats moved out of the Upstate Eight Conference afer last season. Wheaton Warrenville South sits in Chicagoland Soccer's “Teams to look out for” list.
As for Barrington, the challenging schedule continues March 28 with yet another CS top 10 foe when the Fillies visit current no. 5 Waubonsie Valley.
“It’ll be another tough test, but I believe we’ve got the right mindset,” Schmitz said. “We always figure we’ve got a target on our backs, but that just makes us play with more effort.”
Junior Jackie Batliner, who verbally committed to DePaul, had a more pragmatic view of Barrington’s second outing.
“I don’t think you take too much from an early season tie. In some respects our overall play was still a little rusty,” she said. “We have things to clean up and there’s always a lot to work on to have the kind of season we’re ultimately aiming for.”
And one that may yield a late-season rematch with Neuqua Valley that many would like to see.
Staring line-ups
Barrington
GK: Samantha Schmitz
D: Lauren Pircher
D: Haley Tuasend
D: Kayla Keck
D: Jackie Batliner
MF: Michayla Herr
MF: Anna Brodjian
MF: Soph Spinell
MF: Ellie Stodola
F: Maesyn Poidomani
F: Kayla Schutter
Neuqua Valley
GK: Yanel Ortiz
D: Katherine Ferrarelli
D: Nicole Mondi
D: Kailey Serna
D: Shannon Tagler
MF: Erin Sweda
MF: Veda Tappin
MF: Alyssa Bombacino
MF: Rachel Ehrman
F: Haley Singer
F: Sydney Rushing
MVP of the Match: Samantha Schmitz, GK, Barrington
Referees: Miguel Chavez, Steve Jablow, Jen Wegner