Late goal draws Glenbard E.
even with Bartlett
Upstate Eight Valley favorites settle for 2-2 tie
By Ken Keenan
STREAMWOOD -- An early-season showdown between Bartlett and Glenbard East for bragging rights in the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division lived up to its billing Tuesday night, with the two squads battling to a 2-2 draw at Millennium Field.
Defending Valley champion Glenbard East -- ranked no. 4 in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll – left its league debut with an overall mark of 5-0-1. Bartlett exited at 4-1-1 overall and a 1-0-1 mark in league play.
The host Hawks had the upper hand early and bolted to a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by sophomore forward Tabitha Evans and junior midfielder Jenna Dombrowski. But the Rams struck back, knotting things up in the final 40 minutes behind tallies from junior forward Elizabeth Toledo and junior mid Faith Davies, who started the match at goalkeeper.
Davies, who was replaced between the pipes by junior keeper Renee Wesling in the 49th minute, scored the equalizer the hard way. A 45-yard free kick by Rams' junior defender Katie Hansen resulted in a multi-player traffic accident on the doorstep, including a fierce collision between Davies and Hawks' senior keeper Nykia Wetterman.
As the pair tumbled to the turf, the ball found the back of the net, bouncing in off the head of Davies with merely 1:53 showing on the clock. Wetterman was helped to her feet, and slowly left the field to be replaced by sophomore keeper Teagan Noesen, who returned to the net after playing the first half as the starter.
Meanwhile, a pack of Rams surrounded a momentarily dazed Davies in celebration of the tying marker.
"Faith (Davies) did a great job of crashing the net to get in position," said Hansen, who earned Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match honors for her end-to-end work rate and set piece expertise. She narrowly missed netting the break-even tally earlier when she fired a 40-yard bullet over the crossbar with 6:25 to go in the second half. "We'll take a tie over a loss."
Hansen, who displayed a strong work rate at both ends of the field, also unleashed a 35-yard free kick that was nabbed by Noesen with 30 seconds remaining in the match. She also missed just high on a free try from 30 yards in the 55th minute.
"We said, if they can get two goals in the first half then we can do the same in the second half," said Toledo, who scored the Ram's first goal in the 57th minute on a nice tip-in from in close after tracking a solid cross by junior mid Ali Liljestrand. "I wish we would have played the first half like we did the second half.
"We have confidence from last season," she added. "But you can't think you can just come out and win. You still have to play. We know Bartlett is the team to beat to win conference."
Glenbard East head coach Kent Overbey was none too pleased that his troops -- fresh off spring break -- came out of the gate with a lack of urgency. At the same time he praised the Hawks for being geared up from the get-go.
"We weren't ready the first half," Overbey said. "Bartlett was the better team -- more physical. They're really strong. We had our hands full in the back. But we looked like we were still on spring break. You can't come out slow like that.
"Finally, we were able to get something going in the second half. We picked it up. At halftime, we talked about winning some balls. We wanted to close down the midfield. They were playing long balls, and we started winning long balls in the second half."
Added Hansen: "You could tell that we just came back from spring break in the first half. At halftime, we were a little frustrated. But we picked it up and came out with more intensity and energy in the second half."
Bartlett grabbed the 1-0 lead on a penalty kick by Dombrowski with 34:38 left in the opening session. The swift midfielder earned the PK when she was fouled during a strong run to the box. Dombrowski scored low-left as Davies guessed right.
The lead doubled after Evans settled a long ball from aggressive senior forward Sarah Jurek in the 24th minute and dashed in on a partial breakaway. She beat Davies inside the left post to make it 2-0.
"In the first half, we were stepping to the ball first," Jurek said. "In the second half, we played like we had the (2-goal) cushion -- maybe not as much fight."
Hawks head coach Vince Di Nuzzo said, "The first half, we had a hunger to score. We had other chances to finish. If we go up 3-0, maybe the game's a little different. That last goal, it was out of our control."
Dombrowski had a good look in the 27th minute but was stopped in close by Davies. Three minutes later, junior defender Alyssa Modugno took a pass from Dombrowski and ripped a 15-yard strike that Davies grabbed.
The Rams countered four minutes later when junior forward Mimi Camacho rifled a tailing shot from the right side that Noesen batted away with an extended a right arm.
With 30:35 left in the second half, Liljestrand banged a try off the near post from a wide angle on the right side. Toledo had a solid opportunity in the 60th minute, but her 20-yard shot was saved by Wetterman.
In the end, nothing was decided in another chapter of the ever-growing rivalry between the Rams and Hawks.
"It was a really emotional game," Dombrowski said. "It's not the result we were hoping for. We had it and then we lost the lead. It's a motivating game for us, though. We don't want it to happen again."
Added Jurek: "It definitely feels like a loss. We have to use it to motivate ourselves."
Di Nuzzo said, "It's not the result we needed, but we felt we were the better team. We have a lot of respect for Glenbard East, and we'll watch the film to learn from it. Our major goal is to win the conference, and we still have the opportunity to do that. We control our own destiny."
Flipping the coin, Overbey said, "I'm happy to get out with the tie ... still disappointed with the first half. We talk about winning and losing, but it's about the effort you put forth. Still, 5-0-1? I'm absolutely pleased with that start."
Starting lineups:
Glenbard East
G: Faith Davies
D: Paige Taylor
D: Katie Hansen
D: Sam Johnson
M: Ali Liljestrand
M: Alyse Donato
M: Mattie Pusateri
F: Mimi Camacho
F: Elizabeth Toledo
F: Dana Plotke
F: Molly Snyder
Bartett
G: Teagan Noesen
D: Alyssa Modugno
D: Holly Gura
D: Miranda Hedeen
D: Paige Bednarke
M: Maddie Donnelly
M: Jenna Dombrowski
M: Jessica Mirsky
F: Brooke Bednarke
F: Tabitha Evans
F: Sarah Jurek
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Katie Hansen, jr., D, Glenbard East
Officials: Rick Blaisdell, Jay McGrane, Dean Palmateer
even with Bartlett
Upstate Eight Valley favorites settle for 2-2 tie
By Ken Keenan
STREAMWOOD -- An early-season showdown between Bartlett and Glenbard East for bragging rights in the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division lived up to its billing Tuesday night, with the two squads battling to a 2-2 draw at Millennium Field.
Defending Valley champion Glenbard East -- ranked no. 4 in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll – left its league debut with an overall mark of 5-0-1. Bartlett exited at 4-1-1 overall and a 1-0-1 mark in league play.
The host Hawks had the upper hand early and bolted to a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by sophomore forward Tabitha Evans and junior midfielder Jenna Dombrowski. But the Rams struck back, knotting things up in the final 40 minutes behind tallies from junior forward Elizabeth Toledo and junior mid Faith Davies, who started the match at goalkeeper.
Davies, who was replaced between the pipes by junior keeper Renee Wesling in the 49th minute, scored the equalizer the hard way. A 45-yard free kick by Rams' junior defender Katie Hansen resulted in a multi-player traffic accident on the doorstep, including a fierce collision between Davies and Hawks' senior keeper Nykia Wetterman.
As the pair tumbled to the turf, the ball found the back of the net, bouncing in off the head of Davies with merely 1:53 showing on the clock. Wetterman was helped to her feet, and slowly left the field to be replaced by sophomore keeper Teagan Noesen, who returned to the net after playing the first half as the starter.
Meanwhile, a pack of Rams surrounded a momentarily dazed Davies in celebration of the tying marker.
"Faith (Davies) did a great job of crashing the net to get in position," said Hansen, who earned Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match honors for her end-to-end work rate and set piece expertise. She narrowly missed netting the break-even tally earlier when she fired a 40-yard bullet over the crossbar with 6:25 to go in the second half. "We'll take a tie over a loss."
Hansen, who displayed a strong work rate at both ends of the field, also unleashed a 35-yard free kick that was nabbed by Noesen with 30 seconds remaining in the match. She also missed just high on a free try from 30 yards in the 55th minute.
"We said, if they can get two goals in the first half then we can do the same in the second half," said Toledo, who scored the Ram's first goal in the 57th minute on a nice tip-in from in close after tracking a solid cross by junior mid Ali Liljestrand. "I wish we would have played the first half like we did the second half.
"We have confidence from last season," she added. "But you can't think you can just come out and win. You still have to play. We know Bartlett is the team to beat to win conference."
Glenbard East head coach Kent Overbey was none too pleased that his troops -- fresh off spring break -- came out of the gate with a lack of urgency. At the same time he praised the Hawks for being geared up from the get-go.
"We weren't ready the first half," Overbey said. "Bartlett was the better team -- more physical. They're really strong. We had our hands full in the back. But we looked like we were still on spring break. You can't come out slow like that.
"Finally, we were able to get something going in the second half. We picked it up. At halftime, we talked about winning some balls. We wanted to close down the midfield. They were playing long balls, and we started winning long balls in the second half."
Added Hansen: "You could tell that we just came back from spring break in the first half. At halftime, we were a little frustrated. But we picked it up and came out with more intensity and energy in the second half."
Bartlett grabbed the 1-0 lead on a penalty kick by Dombrowski with 34:38 left in the opening session. The swift midfielder earned the PK when she was fouled during a strong run to the box. Dombrowski scored low-left as Davies guessed right.
The lead doubled after Evans settled a long ball from aggressive senior forward Sarah Jurek in the 24th minute and dashed in on a partial breakaway. She beat Davies inside the left post to make it 2-0.
"In the first half, we were stepping to the ball first," Jurek said. "In the second half, we played like we had the (2-goal) cushion -- maybe not as much fight."
Hawks head coach Vince Di Nuzzo said, "The first half, we had a hunger to score. We had other chances to finish. If we go up 3-0, maybe the game's a little different. That last goal, it was out of our control."
Dombrowski had a good look in the 27th minute but was stopped in close by Davies. Three minutes later, junior defender Alyssa Modugno took a pass from Dombrowski and ripped a 15-yard strike that Davies grabbed.
The Rams countered four minutes later when junior forward Mimi Camacho rifled a tailing shot from the right side that Noesen batted away with an extended a right arm.
With 30:35 left in the second half, Liljestrand banged a try off the near post from a wide angle on the right side. Toledo had a solid opportunity in the 60th minute, but her 20-yard shot was saved by Wetterman.
In the end, nothing was decided in another chapter of the ever-growing rivalry between the Rams and Hawks.
"It was a really emotional game," Dombrowski said. "It's not the result we were hoping for. We had it and then we lost the lead. It's a motivating game for us, though. We don't want it to happen again."
Added Jurek: "It definitely feels like a loss. We have to use it to motivate ourselves."
Di Nuzzo said, "It's not the result we needed, but we felt we were the better team. We have a lot of respect for Glenbard East, and we'll watch the film to learn from it. Our major goal is to win the conference, and we still have the opportunity to do that. We control our own destiny."
Flipping the coin, Overbey said, "I'm happy to get out with the tie ... still disappointed with the first half. We talk about winning and losing, but it's about the effort you put forth. Still, 5-0-1? I'm absolutely pleased with that start."
Starting lineups:
Glenbard East
G: Faith Davies
D: Paige Taylor
D: Katie Hansen
D: Sam Johnson
M: Ali Liljestrand
M: Alyse Donato
M: Mattie Pusateri
F: Mimi Camacho
F: Elizabeth Toledo
F: Dana Plotke
F: Molly Snyder
Bartett
G: Teagan Noesen
D: Alyssa Modugno
D: Holly Gura
D: Miranda Hedeen
D: Paige Bednarke
M: Maddie Donnelly
M: Jenna Dombrowski
M: Jessica Mirsky
F: Brooke Bednarke
F: Tabitha Evans
F: Sarah Jurek
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Katie Hansen, jr., D, Glenbard East
Officials: Rick Blaisdell, Jay McGrane, Dean Palmateer