Haas sends Deerfield into title match
Free-kick missile gives Warriors 1-0 win over St. Francis
By Mike Garofola
NAPERVILLE -- Deerfield manager Rich Grady commented ahead of his match with St. Francis that his club was a very special group and exemplary when it came to combining good housekeeping along the back with classy futbol up front. The Warriors leader won't change his mind after a hard-fought win over St. Francis on Friday afternoon to send the Warriors into their first-ever state championship game.
Deerfield (22-6-1) continued to keep its fans on the edge of their seats with its fourth one-goal victory in its last five matches - beating Jim Winslow's club 1-0 to set-up a 1 p.m. championship contest with Rochester from central Illinois. The Rockets sent off Sycamore 2-0 in the second 2A semifinal played at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, on the campus of North Central College in Naperville.
St. Francis saw its hope for a state championship and 10-game win streak end with the loss.
"We just didn't come out and play well in that first half. Some of it was on us. And of course, you've got to credit Deerfield, which defended well and provided a lot of energy, which was something we kind of lacked at times today," said a disappointed Winslow, who saw his school's bid for second state title dashed near the hour when Mirelle Haas drove in the game-winner.
"It was a bit of a tale of two halves," continued the Spartans manager.
"We came out with some life and urgency after the break after not having much in that first half. But they finished their chance when it was there: good for them, bad for us."
Both clubs were on divergent paths last season. The Spartans were one win away from advancing into the last four, while the Warriors went crashing out of the postseason after losing their regional final against Saint Viator.
However, with a senior-dominated roster and a near water-tight backline in front of record-setting keeper Sari Eisen (19 clean-sheets), Deerfield fired back in grand style this spring to reach the match all had set their sites on.
"This feels very good right now," admitted Grady.
"Obviously we have our biggest test ahead of us, but this was a very big win for the girls, and one that I thought they deserved."
Grady had a few nervous moments leading up to yesterday afternoon, fueled by the Spartans record against their opponents, and a chat with Loyola head coach, Craig Snower this part week.
"Craig said he was really impressed with the way St. Francis played against his club, even in defeat, and that was good enough for me to be more than a little wary of this match as it approached."
His star keeper mirrored his feelings.
"We didn't have any common opponents to compare ourselves with, but we still came in with plenty of respect for (St. Francis), and that's the way we played from the very start, and right on through the end," said Eisen.
There wasn't much in the run of play during the opening quarter hour, with both clubs feeling a bit of nerves with the grand scope of things. But Deerfield began to find its form, thanks to some quality work up top from its leading scorer, Margot Sylvan, who began to stretch the Spartans in their own end to create a couple of corners, and nearly found her teammate (Haas) at the back post at 12 minutes.
Haas drove a freekick into the St. Francis wall in the 20th minute, and moments later, Erin Rosenzweig had a go with a half chance at Spartans keeper Tammy Syron.
"I really felt like we had most of it in that first half, but we needed to be a little better in their end to be a dangerous with our chances," Grady said.
Play got chippy as intermission would drew closer, but the exchanges before the break signaled a change that came when the second period began.
Chloe Cappas struck a lovely ball straight on Syron, who turned the well-aimed strike away from the area, It spilled free to Sylvan who drove her attempt wide of the back post.
On the other end, St. Francis sophomore and leading scorer Kendra Pasquale (26 goals), who was quiet for most of the first half, broke free up the left side with an enterprising run to force the first corner of the match for her club.
The Warriors backline parried away Alex Preusser's inward-swinging serve, then block a Hanna Rittenhouse shot on the way in after Pasquale set her free near the top of the box.
"Gabbi (Lazer) did a great job with no. 9 (Pasquale) in the first half, but it's tough to hold down a player of that quality all day. Her work in the first half really helped us keep the attack of St. Francis under control for sure," said Grady.
The halftime possession stats were mostly in favor of the Deerfield, perhaps close to a 70-30 advantage and a number Winslow wouldn't dispute. Nonetheless it meant nothing with the match goal-less after 40 minutes.
St. Francis could have pulled ahead in the 44th minute if not for a superb save from Eisen.
With the Spartans attack coming alive, and much of it coming from Pasquale, and her mates Rittenhouse and Rachel Rahman all from the left side, Winslow's club put the Warriors immediately under pressure when the referee's whistle opened the second half.
"I felt like we came out and put some good stuff together with our possession and passing game. And we targeted, and found Kendra in the early stages of the second half, but when we weren't sharp enough and didn't finish. We kind of got back to the way we were playing in the first part of the first half," said Winslow.
Eisen was in full extension to her left to take a Pasquale close-range attempt from out of the back of the net in the 44th minute. And when the University of Illinois recruit corkscrewed her mark, it was only seconds later when she nearly found Rittenhouse at the back post.
"We knew (they) would be a tough opponent, but even though they had the best of it right after the break, I really thought we defended really well from start-to-finish," said the goal scoring hero Haas, who was stationed just in front of the Warriors first-class backline unit of Annie Sloan, Jesse Holloway, Shae Feldman and Lazer, who have conceded just 16 goals this season.
Deerfield was awarded a 61st minute free-kick close to the far touchline and the Warriors bench. Grady suggested Haas to "go for it" as she stood over the ball waiting for the referee's whistle.
When given the okay to start play, Haas unloaded a thunderbolt shot angled towards the near post. It exploded past a surprised Spartans defensive unit, and its keeper, and into the inside netting to send the Warriors faithful into orbit.
"The girl is a free-kick marvel, works on them 2-3 times a week, and you saw today just how good she can put them on frame," said a delighted Grady.
"I had the shot at the near post, and I just took it," added Haas, who made it all sound so easily done.
St. Francis had to open things up in its search to find the equalizer, and would come close when Kate LaMantia grazed the post in the 65th minute. But the best, and last chance for the Spartans came at 73 minutes. And again Eisen was up to the challenge.
Rittenhouse was put through up the center channel from a ball out of the back. A pair of Warriors in pursuit could only watch and hope their teammate Eisen would come to the rescue once again.
Eisen recounted the scene.
"No. 21 was in, and all alone, and if she didn't take that one extra touch, there's no way she doesn't put the ball past me," she said. "But that extra touch allowed me to get a little further off the line to cut the angle, and make the save."
The Warriors sat back a little more after the big Spartans opportunity went by the wayside and although conceded only an easy shot on frame from 30 yards by Pasquale the rest of the way.
Now, Deerfield will have its chance to win its first ever state title and become the third state champion in a row to come from the same sectional after Lake Forest and Lake Forest did so in 2014 and Carmel followed in 2015.
"This is what we set out to do from the very start, and tomorrow we'll see if we can finish it off," said a proud Grady.
Starting line-ups
St. Francis
GK- Tammy Syron
D- Brooke Roback
D- McKenzie Douglass
D- Molly Doran
D- Bridge Doran
M- Erin Peck
M- Claire Hensley
M- Kaitlyn Joniak
M- Maggie O'Reilly
F- Kendra Pasquale
F- Kate LaMantia
Deerfield
GK- Sari Eisen
D- Sydney Fleishman
D- Jesse Holloway
D- Gabbi Lazer
D- Annie Sloan
M- Mirelle Haas
M- Melanie Imyak
M- Enya Horgan
F- Margot Sylvan
F- Chloe Cappas
F- Erin Rosenzweig
MVP of the Match: Mirelle Haas, MF, Deerfield
Officials: Chad Formea (center); Peter Stavropoulos (assistant); Dyan Kramer (assistant); Josh Washo (fourth).
Free-kick missile gives Warriors 1-0 win over St. Francis
By Mike Garofola
NAPERVILLE -- Deerfield manager Rich Grady commented ahead of his match with St. Francis that his club was a very special group and exemplary when it came to combining good housekeeping along the back with classy futbol up front. The Warriors leader won't change his mind after a hard-fought win over St. Francis on Friday afternoon to send the Warriors into their first-ever state championship game.
Deerfield (22-6-1) continued to keep its fans on the edge of their seats with its fourth one-goal victory in its last five matches - beating Jim Winslow's club 1-0 to set-up a 1 p.m. championship contest with Rochester from central Illinois. The Rockets sent off Sycamore 2-0 in the second 2A semifinal played at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, on the campus of North Central College in Naperville.
St. Francis saw its hope for a state championship and 10-game win streak end with the loss.
"We just didn't come out and play well in that first half. Some of it was on us. And of course, you've got to credit Deerfield, which defended well and provided a lot of energy, which was something we kind of lacked at times today," said a disappointed Winslow, who saw his school's bid for second state title dashed near the hour when Mirelle Haas drove in the game-winner.
"It was a bit of a tale of two halves," continued the Spartans manager.
"We came out with some life and urgency after the break after not having much in that first half. But they finished their chance when it was there: good for them, bad for us."
Both clubs were on divergent paths last season. The Spartans were one win away from advancing into the last four, while the Warriors went crashing out of the postseason after losing their regional final against Saint Viator.
However, with a senior-dominated roster and a near water-tight backline in front of record-setting keeper Sari Eisen (19 clean-sheets), Deerfield fired back in grand style this spring to reach the match all had set their sites on.
"This feels very good right now," admitted Grady.
"Obviously we have our biggest test ahead of us, but this was a very big win for the girls, and one that I thought they deserved."
Grady had a few nervous moments leading up to yesterday afternoon, fueled by the Spartans record against their opponents, and a chat with Loyola head coach, Craig Snower this part week.
"Craig said he was really impressed with the way St. Francis played against his club, even in defeat, and that was good enough for me to be more than a little wary of this match as it approached."
His star keeper mirrored his feelings.
"We didn't have any common opponents to compare ourselves with, but we still came in with plenty of respect for (St. Francis), and that's the way we played from the very start, and right on through the end," said Eisen.
There wasn't much in the run of play during the opening quarter hour, with both clubs feeling a bit of nerves with the grand scope of things. But Deerfield began to find its form, thanks to some quality work up top from its leading scorer, Margot Sylvan, who began to stretch the Spartans in their own end to create a couple of corners, and nearly found her teammate (Haas) at the back post at 12 minutes.
Haas drove a freekick into the St. Francis wall in the 20th minute, and moments later, Erin Rosenzweig had a go with a half chance at Spartans keeper Tammy Syron.
"I really felt like we had most of it in that first half, but we needed to be a little better in their end to be a dangerous with our chances," Grady said.
Play got chippy as intermission would drew closer, but the exchanges before the break signaled a change that came when the second period began.
Chloe Cappas struck a lovely ball straight on Syron, who turned the well-aimed strike away from the area, It spilled free to Sylvan who drove her attempt wide of the back post.
On the other end, St. Francis sophomore and leading scorer Kendra Pasquale (26 goals), who was quiet for most of the first half, broke free up the left side with an enterprising run to force the first corner of the match for her club.
The Warriors backline parried away Alex Preusser's inward-swinging serve, then block a Hanna Rittenhouse shot on the way in after Pasquale set her free near the top of the box.
"Gabbi (Lazer) did a great job with no. 9 (Pasquale) in the first half, but it's tough to hold down a player of that quality all day. Her work in the first half really helped us keep the attack of St. Francis under control for sure," said Grady.
The halftime possession stats were mostly in favor of the Deerfield, perhaps close to a 70-30 advantage and a number Winslow wouldn't dispute. Nonetheless it meant nothing with the match goal-less after 40 minutes.
St. Francis could have pulled ahead in the 44th minute if not for a superb save from Eisen.
With the Spartans attack coming alive, and much of it coming from Pasquale, and her mates Rittenhouse and Rachel Rahman all from the left side, Winslow's club put the Warriors immediately under pressure when the referee's whistle opened the second half.
"I felt like we came out and put some good stuff together with our possession and passing game. And we targeted, and found Kendra in the early stages of the second half, but when we weren't sharp enough and didn't finish. We kind of got back to the way we were playing in the first part of the first half," said Winslow.
Eisen was in full extension to her left to take a Pasquale close-range attempt from out of the back of the net in the 44th minute. And when the University of Illinois recruit corkscrewed her mark, it was only seconds later when she nearly found Rittenhouse at the back post.
"We knew (they) would be a tough opponent, but even though they had the best of it right after the break, I really thought we defended really well from start-to-finish," said the goal scoring hero Haas, who was stationed just in front of the Warriors first-class backline unit of Annie Sloan, Jesse Holloway, Shae Feldman and Lazer, who have conceded just 16 goals this season.
Deerfield was awarded a 61st minute free-kick close to the far touchline and the Warriors bench. Grady suggested Haas to "go for it" as she stood over the ball waiting for the referee's whistle.
When given the okay to start play, Haas unloaded a thunderbolt shot angled towards the near post. It exploded past a surprised Spartans defensive unit, and its keeper, and into the inside netting to send the Warriors faithful into orbit.
"The girl is a free-kick marvel, works on them 2-3 times a week, and you saw today just how good she can put them on frame," said a delighted Grady.
"I had the shot at the near post, and I just took it," added Haas, who made it all sound so easily done.
St. Francis had to open things up in its search to find the equalizer, and would come close when Kate LaMantia grazed the post in the 65th minute. But the best, and last chance for the Spartans came at 73 minutes. And again Eisen was up to the challenge.
Rittenhouse was put through up the center channel from a ball out of the back. A pair of Warriors in pursuit could only watch and hope their teammate Eisen would come to the rescue once again.
Eisen recounted the scene.
"No. 21 was in, and all alone, and if she didn't take that one extra touch, there's no way she doesn't put the ball past me," she said. "But that extra touch allowed me to get a little further off the line to cut the angle, and make the save."
The Warriors sat back a little more after the big Spartans opportunity went by the wayside and although conceded only an easy shot on frame from 30 yards by Pasquale the rest of the way.
Now, Deerfield will have its chance to win its first ever state title and become the third state champion in a row to come from the same sectional after Lake Forest and Lake Forest did so in 2014 and Carmel followed in 2015.
"This is what we set out to do from the very start, and tomorrow we'll see if we can finish it off," said a proud Grady.
Starting line-ups
St. Francis
GK- Tammy Syron
D- Brooke Roback
D- McKenzie Douglass
D- Molly Doran
D- Bridge Doran
M- Erin Peck
M- Claire Hensley
M- Kaitlyn Joniak
M- Maggie O'Reilly
F- Kendra Pasquale
F- Kate LaMantia
Deerfield
GK- Sari Eisen
D- Sydney Fleishman
D- Jesse Holloway
D- Gabbi Lazer
D- Annie Sloan
M- Mirelle Haas
M- Melanie Imyak
M- Enya Horgan
F- Margot Sylvan
F- Chloe Cappas
F- Erin Rosenzweig
MVP of the Match: Mirelle Haas, MF, Deerfield
Officials: Chad Formea (center); Peter Stavropoulos (assistant); Dyan Kramer (assistant); Josh Washo (fourth).