Hersey goal beats Thor Guard, Prospect
Callahan strike beats division leaders in weather-shortened game
By Mike Garofola
MT. PROSPECT -- Hersey has played in the Mid-Suburban League Soccer Cup the last two seasons, and seven of the last eight -- but the Huskies will not be going there again when the 27th annual championship match is played in three weeks.
With so much youth and inexperience on its roster, the lack of the type of star power in which manager Darren Llewellyn has had to lean on, this spring has found the Huskies in the bottom half of the table. The goal now is improvement each time out - and perhaps an upset or two along the way as the state series draws near.
Wednesday night the Huskies hit a couple of the goals Llewellyn set forth for his club. They delayed and possibly denied the hopes of a division title for host Prospect in a contest that Knights coach Tom Froats found not only Hersey to be the enemy, but also Mother Nature.
Hersey's Claire Callahan delivered the lone goal of the night at 32 minutes, and a gritty, hard-working performance from the rest of her mates was enough to deny the Lady Knights of three key points in a 1-0 triumph.
Mother Nature dealt the home side a stiff kick when the Thor-Guard sent everyone running for safety of impending nasty weather at 59 minutes, and after a 90-minute wait, dashed the hopes of Froats and his club of getting back onto the stadium floor to resume play.
The loss allows Mid-Suburban Leaue East Division rival Buffalo Grove to draw closer to Prospect after its weather-shortened 3-1 victory over Schaumburg. Prospect stands at 14 points (4-1-2), while the Bison, who drew 0-0 last week with Prospect, currently sits with 11 points (3-1-2) after its Wednesday night victory.
"It's sure not the way we had hoped things would play out tonight," said Froats, who along with his club, never heard an all-clear during that long wait inside the fieldhouse, making it easier for the officials to eventually end this match 21 minutes from time.
"All of the girls knew the importance of this match, and how another three points would help keep Buffalo Grove at bay - but there wasn't any nervous anticipation prior to the start, and they showed to be ready to go with a terrific start where we were all over Hersey," continued the Lady Knights manager.
"But when you play Hersey, you know what you're going to get, even if it's not a Hersey team of old.
"They're organized, defend and tackle like crazy, and play for the counter, with the hope of striking. We had some chances in that first 15 minutes or so, but we were not dynamic enough in the final third, and just missed that one or two final touches at the end of a pass to help put someone (in) - and Darren's club finished its first opportunity of the night, and that's the way soccer goes sometime."
Froats' mention of finished opportunities brought a stark, but truthful statement from his counterpart during the rain delay.
"That was our first 'real' attempt on frame in our last five games," admitted Llewellyn, whose club had gone goal-less during its five-game losing streak, which saw the Huskies (4-8-2, 1-4-1) concede just seven in that span.
"We have a rebuilt backline, a keeper who basically volunteered to play the position with no experience whatsoever, and just five back from a team last year that had so many three and four-year veterans, many of whom would end up as all-conference or all-area players, and one who earned all-state honors."
Llewellyn has thus scaled back the expectations because of all of this, with a few short-term goals, including improvement each time out, with another the hope of reaching the point of becoming a threat to the unsuspecting when the playoffs begin next month.
"I have seen our progress as a team, even if it's been a little slower than expected, but tonight, we reached a few of the goals (coach) has put out there for us, and hopefully, this will keep us going in the right direction," offered senior Claire Niemczyk, who along with with Susan Lindstrom anchors the backline. The two are part of the veteran quintet from last spring.
"We didn't start very well tonight, but we got better as the game went on, and (really) we had a few other chances to score after that first one for Claire also."
Prospect (5-2-2, 4-1-2) had that predatory look in the opening quarter hour when it attacked with purpose and gusto. The Knights forced Niemczyk and her backline mates to defend far more than they wanted to.
However, after absorbing so much pressure in the early going, Hersey slowly settled in, and with smart and sharp tackling from its outside backs, Emily Song and Claire Magnuson, aggressive box-to-box play from junior midfielder Grace Kozurek, the Lady Knights offense went into hiding for awhile.
"We didn't continue to attack like we did at the start, and when you do that, you play right into the hand of Hersey, who makes you play the way you don't want to," said Froats.
In Prospect's best build-up of the first period, Faith Fitzsimmons went wide from near the top of the box to set up a sequence of events that saw the home side begin to gain momentum going forward.
Freshman Ella Marzolf went close on two occasions in the Lady Knights best chances thus far, turning after a long throw fell free - and driving a left-footed blast through the box. Then, moments later, she combined with Ashley Welk, only to have her attempt saved at the post by Hersey keeper Andrea Canon in the 30th minute.
Callahan, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match, was the answer for Hersey. She ran at the Prospect backline with plenty of pace and determination all throughout the first half and finally saw her efforts end with success.
When a looping ball out of the back fell near the spot, a lack of communication allowed Callahan to burst on the scene, collect the loose ball and then, with the touch of a diamond cutter, drive her one-timer past keeper Mehgan Rickett.
"We could have done a much better job of talking back there on that goal, but, as always, you hope you've learned from that situation for the next time it happens," opined Froats
Moments afterwards, on the other end, Welk forced Canon to save her shot, but the Huskies ability to double, and sometime triple the ball slowed the Prospect attack, which likely could have unlocked the Huskies in its own end if it had played a little quicker, and found the open player.
Hersey's Callahan had two more glorious chances to add to the Huskies advantage before the intermission. The second at 38 minutes was the most dangerous. The Lady Knights allowed the junior to turn near the spot, before steering her close range shot at an open net over the bar.
"We COULD have had one or two more, but at least, what I saw at that point (was) us playing with a lot of confidence, finding an open man, and just trying to play some quality soccer," said a pleased Llewellyn.
The home side again opened brightly following the break. The play was highlighted by an enterprising run and carry up the left side from Andi Marfilius. That resulted in another save from Canon that started a series of corners -- one of which was parried out of the area nicely by a composed Claire Magnuson to end a troublesome span for the Huskies.
After that, the rain picked up, and the play was contained mostly between the boxes. When the Thor-Guard sounded, no one in the park could have known or felt this would be the end of this match for good.
"We figured we would be playing in some rain when you looked at the forecast earlier in the day, but never this, and we hoped we could wait it out, but in the end, there wasn't enough time to do so," said a disappointed Froats.
Hersey will take the win.
"We've had a rough beginning, but we came out of it. It ended with a good result for us, one that we really needed," began Niemczyk.
"Right now we're just concentrating on meeting and reaching our goals, so a game like this will help build the confidence of our team."
Hersey will have a few days off to savor this win before hosting Hoffman Estates on Monday night. The Lady Knights have a busy weekend ahead when they welcome schools for its annual Knights Invitational.
Prospect will open tourney play at 5 p.m. Friday against McHenry.
Starting line-ups
Hersey
GK: Andrea Canon
D: Emily Song
D: Clarie Niemczyk
D: Susan Lindstrom
D: Claire Magnuson
MF: Allison Busky
MF: Grace Kozurek
MF: Erin Smetana
MF: Olivia Basis
F: Laura Burkhardt
F: Claire Callahan
PROSPECT
GK: Mehgan Rickett
D: Marissa Valentini
D: Natalie Marfilius
D: Kathryn Szukalla
D: Grace Johannesen
MF: Ashley Welk
MF: Kendra Gancarz
MF: Amy Novak
MF: Aly Kobler
F: Ella Marzolf
F: Shawna Stokes
MVP of the Match: Claire Callahan, F, Hersey
Referee: Nick Genoulis
Callahan strike beats division leaders in weather-shortened game
By Mike Garofola
MT. PROSPECT -- Hersey has played in the Mid-Suburban League Soccer Cup the last two seasons, and seven of the last eight -- but the Huskies will not be going there again when the 27th annual championship match is played in three weeks.
With so much youth and inexperience on its roster, the lack of the type of star power in which manager Darren Llewellyn has had to lean on, this spring has found the Huskies in the bottom half of the table. The goal now is improvement each time out - and perhaps an upset or two along the way as the state series draws near.
Wednesday night the Huskies hit a couple of the goals Llewellyn set forth for his club. They delayed and possibly denied the hopes of a division title for host Prospect in a contest that Knights coach Tom Froats found not only Hersey to be the enemy, but also Mother Nature.
Hersey's Claire Callahan delivered the lone goal of the night at 32 minutes, and a gritty, hard-working performance from the rest of her mates was enough to deny the Lady Knights of three key points in a 1-0 triumph.
Mother Nature dealt the home side a stiff kick when the Thor-Guard sent everyone running for safety of impending nasty weather at 59 minutes, and after a 90-minute wait, dashed the hopes of Froats and his club of getting back onto the stadium floor to resume play.
The loss allows Mid-Suburban Leaue East Division rival Buffalo Grove to draw closer to Prospect after its weather-shortened 3-1 victory over Schaumburg. Prospect stands at 14 points (4-1-2), while the Bison, who drew 0-0 last week with Prospect, currently sits with 11 points (3-1-2) after its Wednesday night victory.
"It's sure not the way we had hoped things would play out tonight," said Froats, who along with his club, never heard an all-clear during that long wait inside the fieldhouse, making it easier for the officials to eventually end this match 21 minutes from time.
"All of the girls knew the importance of this match, and how another three points would help keep Buffalo Grove at bay - but there wasn't any nervous anticipation prior to the start, and they showed to be ready to go with a terrific start where we were all over Hersey," continued the Lady Knights manager.
"But when you play Hersey, you know what you're going to get, even if it's not a Hersey team of old.
"They're organized, defend and tackle like crazy, and play for the counter, with the hope of striking. We had some chances in that first 15 minutes or so, but we were not dynamic enough in the final third, and just missed that one or two final touches at the end of a pass to help put someone (in) - and Darren's club finished its first opportunity of the night, and that's the way soccer goes sometime."
Froats' mention of finished opportunities brought a stark, but truthful statement from his counterpart during the rain delay.
"That was our first 'real' attempt on frame in our last five games," admitted Llewellyn, whose club had gone goal-less during its five-game losing streak, which saw the Huskies (4-8-2, 1-4-1) concede just seven in that span.
"We have a rebuilt backline, a keeper who basically volunteered to play the position with no experience whatsoever, and just five back from a team last year that had so many three and four-year veterans, many of whom would end up as all-conference or all-area players, and one who earned all-state honors."
Llewellyn has thus scaled back the expectations because of all of this, with a few short-term goals, including improvement each time out, with another the hope of reaching the point of becoming a threat to the unsuspecting when the playoffs begin next month.
"I have seen our progress as a team, even if it's been a little slower than expected, but tonight, we reached a few of the goals (coach) has put out there for us, and hopefully, this will keep us going in the right direction," offered senior Claire Niemczyk, who along with with Susan Lindstrom anchors the backline. The two are part of the veteran quintet from last spring.
"We didn't start very well tonight, but we got better as the game went on, and (really) we had a few other chances to score after that first one for Claire also."
Prospect (5-2-2, 4-1-2) had that predatory look in the opening quarter hour when it attacked with purpose and gusto. The Knights forced Niemczyk and her backline mates to defend far more than they wanted to.
However, after absorbing so much pressure in the early going, Hersey slowly settled in, and with smart and sharp tackling from its outside backs, Emily Song and Claire Magnuson, aggressive box-to-box play from junior midfielder Grace Kozurek, the Lady Knights offense went into hiding for awhile.
"We didn't continue to attack like we did at the start, and when you do that, you play right into the hand of Hersey, who makes you play the way you don't want to," said Froats.
In Prospect's best build-up of the first period, Faith Fitzsimmons went wide from near the top of the box to set up a sequence of events that saw the home side begin to gain momentum going forward.
Freshman Ella Marzolf went close on two occasions in the Lady Knights best chances thus far, turning after a long throw fell free - and driving a left-footed blast through the box. Then, moments later, she combined with Ashley Welk, only to have her attempt saved at the post by Hersey keeper Andrea Canon in the 30th minute.
Callahan, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match, was the answer for Hersey. She ran at the Prospect backline with plenty of pace and determination all throughout the first half and finally saw her efforts end with success.
When a looping ball out of the back fell near the spot, a lack of communication allowed Callahan to burst on the scene, collect the loose ball and then, with the touch of a diamond cutter, drive her one-timer past keeper Mehgan Rickett.
"We could have done a much better job of talking back there on that goal, but, as always, you hope you've learned from that situation for the next time it happens," opined Froats
Moments afterwards, on the other end, Welk forced Canon to save her shot, but the Huskies ability to double, and sometime triple the ball slowed the Prospect attack, which likely could have unlocked the Huskies in its own end if it had played a little quicker, and found the open player.
Hersey's Callahan had two more glorious chances to add to the Huskies advantage before the intermission. The second at 38 minutes was the most dangerous. The Lady Knights allowed the junior to turn near the spot, before steering her close range shot at an open net over the bar.
"We COULD have had one or two more, but at least, what I saw at that point (was) us playing with a lot of confidence, finding an open man, and just trying to play some quality soccer," said a pleased Llewellyn.
The home side again opened brightly following the break. The play was highlighted by an enterprising run and carry up the left side from Andi Marfilius. That resulted in another save from Canon that started a series of corners -- one of which was parried out of the area nicely by a composed Claire Magnuson to end a troublesome span for the Huskies.
After that, the rain picked up, and the play was contained mostly between the boxes. When the Thor-Guard sounded, no one in the park could have known or felt this would be the end of this match for good.
"We figured we would be playing in some rain when you looked at the forecast earlier in the day, but never this, and we hoped we could wait it out, but in the end, there wasn't enough time to do so," said a disappointed Froats.
Hersey will take the win.
"We've had a rough beginning, but we came out of it. It ended with a good result for us, one that we really needed," began Niemczyk.
"Right now we're just concentrating on meeting and reaching our goals, so a game like this will help build the confidence of our team."
Hersey will have a few days off to savor this win before hosting Hoffman Estates on Monday night. The Lady Knights have a busy weekend ahead when they welcome schools for its annual Knights Invitational.
Prospect will open tourney play at 5 p.m. Friday against McHenry.
Starting line-ups
Hersey
GK: Andrea Canon
D: Emily Song
D: Clarie Niemczyk
D: Susan Lindstrom
D: Claire Magnuson
MF: Allison Busky
MF: Grace Kozurek
MF: Erin Smetana
MF: Olivia Basis
F: Laura Burkhardt
F: Claire Callahan
PROSPECT
GK: Mehgan Rickett
D: Marissa Valentini
D: Natalie Marfilius
D: Kathryn Szukalla
D: Grace Johannesen
MF: Ashley Welk
MF: Kendra Gancarz
MF: Amy Novak
MF: Aly Kobler
F: Ella Marzolf
F: Shawna Stokes
MVP of the Match: Claire Callahan, F, Hersey
Referee: Nick Genoulis