Bartlett runs wild on Senior Night
Hawks conclude regular season with 10-0 romp over E. Aurora
By Ken Keenan
STREAMWOOD -- Bartlett made sure it was a Senior Night to remember on Thursday, throttling East Aurora 10-0 while chalking up a school-record 16th regular season win in the process.
The Hawks -- ranked 19th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 -- moved the ball with ease against the Tomcats, attacking in waves and scoring in bunches to build a 6-0 cushion at the break. Bartlett notched its seventh goal with 30:02 left in the second half, instantly chopping the remaining time to 15 minutes via the mercy rule.
Three more goals followed, with the last two coming from junior midfielder Shaelen Kaiser to complete a three-goal hat trick. Kaiser earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors for her efforts.
"We don't usually get an opportunity like this, getting multiple shots," Kaiser said. "But, we've been struggling with finishing, so this helped us a lot. The coaches always say, we're a team that likes pretty goals, and (Thursday night) we were able to get a lot of good shots off."
Senior midfielder Kaitlin Brohan tallied two goals and an assist, and senior forward Shelley Lyjak scored two goals as well.
"I'm a forward, so I like to score," Lyjak said. "Whenever I get the opportunity, I try to score."
Junior forwards Carrigan Sablik and Sarah Jurek each counted a goal and an assist, and sophomore defender Jenna Dombrowski added a goal. Senior mid Jenna Noesen contributed to the onslaught with a pair of assists.
"Tactically, (East Aurora) sat behind the 40 (yard line)," said Hawks head coach Vince DiNuzzo, who noted that his team's 16th win surpassed the school record of 15, set in 2002. "But, you leave yourself vulnerable that way. It does say something about our team that they kept 11 behind the ball. We changed the point of attack very well, and the girls switched the field well. It was good to see."
Bartlett's fourth-straight win improved the Hawks to 16-5-1 overall. DiNuzzo's crew finished second in Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division play with a 4-1-0 record.
Meanwhile, East Aurora fell to 3-14-1, 0-4-1 with the conference loss.
"I have respect for East Aurora. It's tough when you score 10 goals on someone," DiNuzzo said. "We had no intention of doing that, but it's tough to tell the girls not to compete."
The mountainous lead allowed DiNuzzo to empty his bench, providing some chill time for the starters with the playoffs coming up.
"It was good to see role players come in," DiNuzzo said. "We like to stay healthy, and this gave us an opportunity to play a ton of players -- huge to get them legitimate minutes. We're a very deep team this year. The focus now is on recuperation -- relax and get ready for the playoffs."
Brohan got the Senior Night party started, beating beleaguered Tomcats' sophomore goalkeeper Daisy Qiunonez, who was credited with 16 saves, in the seventh minute. The short shot came from the right side after cutting in from the left. Noesen's assist finished a silky smooth passing sequence among sophomore defender Miranda Hedeen, senior defenders Mariah Martinez and Jamie Kenna, and senior midfielder Mariela Alba.
Just two minutes elapsed before Bartlett struck again, scoring on a header by Lyjak that bounced in off of Quinonez's shoulder. Senior defender Mariah Martinez earned the assist with a solid cross to find Lyjak.
Lyjak made it 3-0 in the 14th minute, when her hard blast after intercepting a goal-kick was juggled by Quinonez before slipping across the goal line. With 17:31 left in the opening session, sophomore defender Jenna Dombrowski got in on the act, scoring from in close on the rebound of a shot by Brohan.
The Hawks upped the advantage to 5-0 on a goal by Jurek, who scored from short range after taking a feed from Sablik. Kaiser concluded the first-half barrage with 8:51 to go before the break, scoring from short range, assisted by Noesen.
"We couldn't get the ball, and (the Hawks) were breaking the walls we had," said East Aurora head coach Obed Mendoza. "Plus, we weren't organized. We need to play with more discipline."
The Tomcats managed their first semblance of a scoring opportunity in the 46th minute. After taking a deep throw-in from junior midfielder Leslie Carranza, junior mid Maria Andrade fired wide-right from 30 yards. Two minutes later, senior middie Jimena Gutierrez was on target with a shot from the left side that was easily stopped by Bartlett freshman keeper Teagan Noesen.
Otherwise, it was all Hawks, all the time.
"It was definitely frustrating," said East Aurora junior midfielder Bianca Esparza. "Nothing was really going for us. But, you have to maintain focus for your teammates. We win or lose as a team -- as long as we stay together."
Bartlett's massive lead increased to 8-0 on a 25-yard, left-footed shot by Brohan that beat a diving Quinonez to the right side with 9:10 to play. Freshman mid Tabitha Evans notched the assist.
Kaiser then scored her back-to-back goals, the first coming with 6:25 left. A long possession -- featuring multiple touches among Jurek, sophomore defender Makenna Hughes, Hedeen and Martinez -- ended with sophomore midfielder Natalie McGinnis (a JV call-up) finding Kaiser for a successful try from in close on the left side.
With 4:20 showing, Kaiser made it 10-0 with a rising shot from 20 yards on the left side, assisted by Jurek.
"We knew this game would probably be a 'resting' game, so we were able to focus a lot on our passing and shooting -- getting the shot off," Kaiser said. "We're ready for the playoffs.
Added Hedeen: 'We took this game to work on the things we need to do well for the playoffs. We've been working hard. I feel we're ready for the playoffs"
Bartlett will face West Chicago in the first round of the IHSA Class 3A Glenbard North Regional at 6:30 p.m. May 18. East will open against the host Raiders in the Bolingbrook Regional at 5 p.m. today (May 13).
Starting line-ups
East Aurora
G: Daisy Quinonez
D: Lisully Ramirez
D: Presiliana Huitron
D: Maritza Cazares
D: Jazmin Mendez
MF: Maria Andrade
MF: Leslie Carranza
MF: Paola Segundo
MF: Jimena Gutierrez
MF: Marubeni Nieto
F: Jacklyn Cabrera
Bartlett
G: Teagan Noesen
D: Jenna Dombrowski
D: Mariah Martinez
D: Jamie Kenna
D: Miranda Hedeen
MF: Jenna Noesen
MF: Mariela Alba
MF: Nicole Mondelli
MF: Kaitlin Brohan
MF: Jessica Mirsky
F: Shelley Lyjak
MVP of the Match: Shaelen Kaiser, MF, Bartlett
Officials: Cesar Alfaro, Thomas Fryce, Victor Herrera
Hawks conclude regular season with 10-0 romp over E. Aurora
By Ken Keenan
STREAMWOOD -- Bartlett made sure it was a Senior Night to remember on Thursday, throttling East Aurora 10-0 while chalking up a school-record 16th regular season win in the process.
The Hawks -- ranked 19th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 -- moved the ball with ease against the Tomcats, attacking in waves and scoring in bunches to build a 6-0 cushion at the break. Bartlett notched its seventh goal with 30:02 left in the second half, instantly chopping the remaining time to 15 minutes via the mercy rule.
Three more goals followed, with the last two coming from junior midfielder Shaelen Kaiser to complete a three-goal hat trick. Kaiser earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors for her efforts.
"We don't usually get an opportunity like this, getting multiple shots," Kaiser said. "But, we've been struggling with finishing, so this helped us a lot. The coaches always say, we're a team that likes pretty goals, and (Thursday night) we were able to get a lot of good shots off."
Senior midfielder Kaitlin Brohan tallied two goals and an assist, and senior forward Shelley Lyjak scored two goals as well.
"I'm a forward, so I like to score," Lyjak said. "Whenever I get the opportunity, I try to score."
Junior forwards Carrigan Sablik and Sarah Jurek each counted a goal and an assist, and sophomore defender Jenna Dombrowski added a goal. Senior mid Jenna Noesen contributed to the onslaught with a pair of assists.
"Tactically, (East Aurora) sat behind the 40 (yard line)," said Hawks head coach Vince DiNuzzo, who noted that his team's 16th win surpassed the school record of 15, set in 2002. "But, you leave yourself vulnerable that way. It does say something about our team that they kept 11 behind the ball. We changed the point of attack very well, and the girls switched the field well. It was good to see."
Bartlett's fourth-straight win improved the Hawks to 16-5-1 overall. DiNuzzo's crew finished second in Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division play with a 4-1-0 record.
Meanwhile, East Aurora fell to 3-14-1, 0-4-1 with the conference loss.
"I have respect for East Aurora. It's tough when you score 10 goals on someone," DiNuzzo said. "We had no intention of doing that, but it's tough to tell the girls not to compete."
The mountainous lead allowed DiNuzzo to empty his bench, providing some chill time for the starters with the playoffs coming up.
"It was good to see role players come in," DiNuzzo said. "We like to stay healthy, and this gave us an opportunity to play a ton of players -- huge to get them legitimate minutes. We're a very deep team this year. The focus now is on recuperation -- relax and get ready for the playoffs."
Brohan got the Senior Night party started, beating beleaguered Tomcats' sophomore goalkeeper Daisy Qiunonez, who was credited with 16 saves, in the seventh minute. The short shot came from the right side after cutting in from the left. Noesen's assist finished a silky smooth passing sequence among sophomore defender Miranda Hedeen, senior defenders Mariah Martinez and Jamie Kenna, and senior midfielder Mariela Alba.
Just two minutes elapsed before Bartlett struck again, scoring on a header by Lyjak that bounced in off of Quinonez's shoulder. Senior defender Mariah Martinez earned the assist with a solid cross to find Lyjak.
Lyjak made it 3-0 in the 14th minute, when her hard blast after intercepting a goal-kick was juggled by Quinonez before slipping across the goal line. With 17:31 left in the opening session, sophomore defender Jenna Dombrowski got in on the act, scoring from in close on the rebound of a shot by Brohan.
The Hawks upped the advantage to 5-0 on a goal by Jurek, who scored from short range after taking a feed from Sablik. Kaiser concluded the first-half barrage with 8:51 to go before the break, scoring from short range, assisted by Noesen.
"We couldn't get the ball, and (the Hawks) were breaking the walls we had," said East Aurora head coach Obed Mendoza. "Plus, we weren't organized. We need to play with more discipline."
The Tomcats managed their first semblance of a scoring opportunity in the 46th minute. After taking a deep throw-in from junior midfielder Leslie Carranza, junior mid Maria Andrade fired wide-right from 30 yards. Two minutes later, senior middie Jimena Gutierrez was on target with a shot from the left side that was easily stopped by Bartlett freshman keeper Teagan Noesen.
Otherwise, it was all Hawks, all the time.
"It was definitely frustrating," said East Aurora junior midfielder Bianca Esparza. "Nothing was really going for us. But, you have to maintain focus for your teammates. We win or lose as a team -- as long as we stay together."
Bartlett's massive lead increased to 8-0 on a 25-yard, left-footed shot by Brohan that beat a diving Quinonez to the right side with 9:10 to play. Freshman mid Tabitha Evans notched the assist.
Kaiser then scored her back-to-back goals, the first coming with 6:25 left. A long possession -- featuring multiple touches among Jurek, sophomore defender Makenna Hughes, Hedeen and Martinez -- ended with sophomore midfielder Natalie McGinnis (a JV call-up) finding Kaiser for a successful try from in close on the left side.
With 4:20 showing, Kaiser made it 10-0 with a rising shot from 20 yards on the left side, assisted by Jurek.
"We knew this game would probably be a 'resting' game, so we were able to focus a lot on our passing and shooting -- getting the shot off," Kaiser said. "We're ready for the playoffs.
Added Hedeen: 'We took this game to work on the things we need to do well for the playoffs. We've been working hard. I feel we're ready for the playoffs"
Bartlett will face West Chicago in the first round of the IHSA Class 3A Glenbard North Regional at 6:30 p.m. May 18. East will open against the host Raiders in the Bolingbrook Regional at 5 p.m. today (May 13).
Starting line-ups
East Aurora
G: Daisy Quinonez
D: Lisully Ramirez
D: Presiliana Huitron
D: Maritza Cazares
D: Jazmin Mendez
MF: Maria Andrade
MF: Leslie Carranza
MF: Paola Segundo
MF: Jimena Gutierrez
MF: Marubeni Nieto
F: Jacklyn Cabrera
Bartlett
G: Teagan Noesen
D: Jenna Dombrowski
D: Mariah Martinez
D: Jamie Kenna
D: Miranda Hedeen
MF: Jenna Noesen
MF: Mariela Alba
MF: Nicole Mondelli
MF: Kaitlin Brohan
MF: Jessica Mirsky
F: Shelley Lyjak
MVP of the Match: Shaelen Kaiser, MF, Bartlett
Officials: Cesar Alfaro, Thomas Fryce, Victor Herrera