Prospect earns consolation prize
with win over Lake Park
Mulvihill leads charge in 4-0 win at Knights Invitational
By Ken Keenan
MOUNT PROSPECT -- Bouncing back from a 3-1 semifinal loss to eventual Knights Invitational champion Lake Zurich, Prospect defeated Lake Park 4-0 to win the tournament's Pool A-Pool B consolation match Saturday.
The Knights had less than 30 minutes to prepare for the Lancers, who were in the same boat after beating McHenry 1-0 to start the day. Prospect (4-5-1 overall) split a pair of 40-minute games in pool play on Friday, falling to Elgin 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie and returning to shut down McHenry 6-0.
"It was good to end on a high note with the win," said Knights' freshman defender Jalyn Mosley, a solid performer on the back end in both matches.
"We were a little tired coming into the (Lake Park) game, but I think we did a good job keeping our level of play high," said Prospect junior midfielder Sarah Mulvihill, who tallied a goal and an assist in the win to earn Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors. "We did a good job coming back from the Lake Zurich game."
Knights' head coach Tom Froats said, "It's mentally hard to re-energize so quickly in this (tournament) format. But I thought the girls responded really well after Lake Zurich. I'm proud of their effort to come back and win against Lake Park ... to get the effort we wanted at the end."
The Lancers had a couple of good looks early on, but Knights' senior goalkeeper Meredith Nyborg was equal to the task on both occasions. First, she stopped Lake Park sophomore defender Helen Siavelis from 20 yards on the right side, and then gobbled up a 25-yard try by forward Cynthia Martinez.
Prospect kicked it into gear from there, grabbing a 1-0 lead at the 10-minute mark on a goal by sophomore midfielder Tina Suto. After senior mid Caroline Hajek's initial attempt was stopped by Lake Park sophomore keeper Sarah Yochem, Suto pounced on the rebound and tapped it home in close quarters.
Mulvihill made it 2-0 in the 25th minute, scoring in similar fashion to Suto's goal with a tap-in from the right side. Sophomore forward Kristin Schneider earned the assist.
The Knights then received a gift in the 39th minute when a ball in the box deflected in for an own goal off the leg of a Lancers' defender. The play began with a deep throw-in by Mosley.
Exiting the break with a 3-0 lead, Prospect kept up the pressure in the second half. Knights' sophomore forward Ella Marzolf completed a long run down the left side in the 43rd minute with a shot that was handled by Lake Park senior Caterine Vitale, who replaced Yochem between the pipes in the final 40 minutes.
Vitale then stopped Prospect senior mid Grace Bauer from 25 yards and nabbed a wide-angle try by junior forward Shawna Stokes soon after. Following a Knights' corner kick, Mosley rifled a short shot that Vitale dove to save.
In the 60th minute, Marzolf missed wide-left on a one-timer. A few minutes later, Vitale stopped a right-side try by sophomore forward Ashley Welk.
Mulvihill charged through on a partial breakaway with about 10 minutes to go, but her low shot nipped the left post and bounced wide. Moments later, Marzolf banged a 25-yard blast off the crossbar.
Stokes concluded the scoring in the 75th minute, beating Vitale low-left after settling a pass from Mulvihill.
"We did a good job going wide and looking for through-balls," Mulvihill said. "There was more space in this game."
It was a different story against Lake Zurich. The Bears -- who improved to 12-2-0 overall and rose to no. 15 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll after sweeping through the Knights Invitational -- were fundamentally sound across the board against the Knights en route to the 3-1 win.
Prospect tested Lake Zurich senior goalkeeper Madison Hart, first on a 20-yard shot by Welk in the 11th minute, and again on a 25-yard strike by senior defender Grace Taldone less than two minutes later.
But the Bears had a bit more firepower, fueled by super-speedy senior forward Rebecca Kubin, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match.
In the 14th minute, Kubin cut in from the right side for a quick shot that Nyborg snuffed. Three minutes later, Kubin tracked a long ball and unleashed a wide-angle shot from the right side that sailed over the net.
After the Bears went up 1-0 on a tap-in by sophomore forward Rachel Kruger (assisted by junior forward Kristin Brousseau) with 15:07 left in the first half, Kubin kept at it.
She stole a ball, cut to the right and fired wide-left from 30 yards in the 35th minute. She also dashed ahead on a strong run with 2:20 to go in the first half, but Mosley closed the lane before Kubin could shoot.
Kubin finally got a reward for her efforts when she gave Lake Zurich a 2-0 lead with a nifty tap-in 8 minutes into the second half, never losing stride as she zeroed in on a pass from junior midfielder Samantha Hartman.
"With her speed, Becca (Kubin) creates a lot of chances off the dribble," said Bears' head coach Mike Castronova. "She's usually double-teamed, but she still creates. That that opens up space ... breaks down the defense."
Prospect responded quickly to Kubin's tally, however, pulling within 2-1 just 49 seconds later. Bauer did the job, beating Hart inside the right post after taking a feed from Marzolf to finish a multi-touch possession.
"I think we felt energy and determination to get back in the game," Mulvihill said. "We were playing well at that point."
Froats said, "We tried to possess wide, and it was a terrific finish by Grace. We fought to be one goal away."
The Knights had a pair of chances to net the equalizer. A steal by Mosely ignited a charge that ended with a soft shot on goal by Stokes with 22:40 left in the match, and Marzolf was stopped by Hart from 25 yards on the right side with exactly 6 minutes to go.
"We knew Prospect would come out with intensity, and we had to match that the whole game," Kubin said.
Lake Zurich sealed the deal with just 2:26 remaining. A free kick by Bears' sophomore defender Abby Willock was deflected on the doorstep by Brosseau, and the ball bounced straight up and hit the inside of the crossbar.
With players from both squads unsure whether the ball crossed the goal-line, confusion reigned for a moment before officials ruled it a good goal.
Prospect drew a corner kick in the final seconds, but the ball bounced out of bounds as the final horn sounded.
"You know it will be a battle with Prospect ... always a competitive game for us," Castronova said. "They're well-coached, well-disciplined, and they pushed us to our limits today."
Respect is nice, but the Knights were hoping for more than a 2-2 mark in defense of their tournament crown from a year ago.
"It's not what we would have liked," Froats said. "But we showed true character and grit to win the last game."
Starting lineups
Prospect
G: Meredith Nyborg
D: Madalyn Ladd
D: Marissa Valenti
D: Natalie Marfilius
D: Grace Johannesen
D: Jalyn Mosley
M: Grace Bauer
M: Ella Marzolf
M: Ashley Welk
F: Shawna Stokes
F: Aly Kobler
Lake Park
G: Sarah Yochem
D: Amber Sedwick
D: Stephanie Zachemski
D: Caitlin Lang
D: Dana Skiera
M: Chloe Harris
M: Jaclyn Lamz
M: Lauren Tarchala
M: Natalie Morales
F: Cynthia Martinez
F: Bri McAloon
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sarah Mulvihill, jr., MF, Prospect
Officials: Kazazis Emmanouil, George Politis
with win over Lake Park
Mulvihill leads charge in 4-0 win at Knights Invitational
By Ken Keenan
MOUNT PROSPECT -- Bouncing back from a 3-1 semifinal loss to eventual Knights Invitational champion Lake Zurich, Prospect defeated Lake Park 4-0 to win the tournament's Pool A-Pool B consolation match Saturday.
The Knights had less than 30 minutes to prepare for the Lancers, who were in the same boat after beating McHenry 1-0 to start the day. Prospect (4-5-1 overall) split a pair of 40-minute games in pool play on Friday, falling to Elgin 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie and returning to shut down McHenry 6-0.
"It was good to end on a high note with the win," said Knights' freshman defender Jalyn Mosley, a solid performer on the back end in both matches.
"We were a little tired coming into the (Lake Park) game, but I think we did a good job keeping our level of play high," said Prospect junior midfielder Sarah Mulvihill, who tallied a goal and an assist in the win to earn Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors. "We did a good job coming back from the Lake Zurich game."
Knights' head coach Tom Froats said, "It's mentally hard to re-energize so quickly in this (tournament) format. But I thought the girls responded really well after Lake Zurich. I'm proud of their effort to come back and win against Lake Park ... to get the effort we wanted at the end."
The Lancers had a couple of good looks early on, but Knights' senior goalkeeper Meredith Nyborg was equal to the task on both occasions. First, she stopped Lake Park sophomore defender Helen Siavelis from 20 yards on the right side, and then gobbled up a 25-yard try by forward Cynthia Martinez.
Prospect kicked it into gear from there, grabbing a 1-0 lead at the 10-minute mark on a goal by sophomore midfielder Tina Suto. After senior mid Caroline Hajek's initial attempt was stopped by Lake Park sophomore keeper Sarah Yochem, Suto pounced on the rebound and tapped it home in close quarters.
Mulvihill made it 2-0 in the 25th minute, scoring in similar fashion to Suto's goal with a tap-in from the right side. Sophomore forward Kristin Schneider earned the assist.
The Knights then received a gift in the 39th minute when a ball in the box deflected in for an own goal off the leg of a Lancers' defender. The play began with a deep throw-in by Mosley.
Exiting the break with a 3-0 lead, Prospect kept up the pressure in the second half. Knights' sophomore forward Ella Marzolf completed a long run down the left side in the 43rd minute with a shot that was handled by Lake Park senior Caterine Vitale, who replaced Yochem between the pipes in the final 40 minutes.
Vitale then stopped Prospect senior mid Grace Bauer from 25 yards and nabbed a wide-angle try by junior forward Shawna Stokes soon after. Following a Knights' corner kick, Mosley rifled a short shot that Vitale dove to save.
In the 60th minute, Marzolf missed wide-left on a one-timer. A few minutes later, Vitale stopped a right-side try by sophomore forward Ashley Welk.
Mulvihill charged through on a partial breakaway with about 10 minutes to go, but her low shot nipped the left post and bounced wide. Moments later, Marzolf banged a 25-yard blast off the crossbar.
Stokes concluded the scoring in the 75th minute, beating Vitale low-left after settling a pass from Mulvihill.
"We did a good job going wide and looking for through-balls," Mulvihill said. "There was more space in this game."
It was a different story against Lake Zurich. The Bears -- who improved to 12-2-0 overall and rose to no. 15 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll after sweeping through the Knights Invitational -- were fundamentally sound across the board against the Knights en route to the 3-1 win.
Prospect tested Lake Zurich senior goalkeeper Madison Hart, first on a 20-yard shot by Welk in the 11th minute, and again on a 25-yard strike by senior defender Grace Taldone less than two minutes later.
But the Bears had a bit more firepower, fueled by super-speedy senior forward Rebecca Kubin, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match.
In the 14th minute, Kubin cut in from the right side for a quick shot that Nyborg snuffed. Three minutes later, Kubin tracked a long ball and unleashed a wide-angle shot from the right side that sailed over the net.
After the Bears went up 1-0 on a tap-in by sophomore forward Rachel Kruger (assisted by junior forward Kristin Brousseau) with 15:07 left in the first half, Kubin kept at it.
She stole a ball, cut to the right and fired wide-left from 30 yards in the 35th minute. She also dashed ahead on a strong run with 2:20 to go in the first half, but Mosley closed the lane before Kubin could shoot.
Kubin finally got a reward for her efforts when she gave Lake Zurich a 2-0 lead with a nifty tap-in 8 minutes into the second half, never losing stride as she zeroed in on a pass from junior midfielder Samantha Hartman.
"With her speed, Becca (Kubin) creates a lot of chances off the dribble," said Bears' head coach Mike Castronova. "She's usually double-teamed, but she still creates. That that opens up space ... breaks down the defense."
Prospect responded quickly to Kubin's tally, however, pulling within 2-1 just 49 seconds later. Bauer did the job, beating Hart inside the right post after taking a feed from Marzolf to finish a multi-touch possession.
"I think we felt energy and determination to get back in the game," Mulvihill said. "We were playing well at that point."
Froats said, "We tried to possess wide, and it was a terrific finish by Grace. We fought to be one goal away."
The Knights had a pair of chances to net the equalizer. A steal by Mosely ignited a charge that ended with a soft shot on goal by Stokes with 22:40 left in the match, and Marzolf was stopped by Hart from 25 yards on the right side with exactly 6 minutes to go.
"We knew Prospect would come out with intensity, and we had to match that the whole game," Kubin said.
Lake Zurich sealed the deal with just 2:26 remaining. A free kick by Bears' sophomore defender Abby Willock was deflected on the doorstep by Brosseau, and the ball bounced straight up and hit the inside of the crossbar.
With players from both squads unsure whether the ball crossed the goal-line, confusion reigned for a moment before officials ruled it a good goal.
Prospect drew a corner kick in the final seconds, but the ball bounced out of bounds as the final horn sounded.
"You know it will be a battle with Prospect ... always a competitive game for us," Castronova said. "They're well-coached, well-disciplined, and they pushed us to our limits today."
Respect is nice, but the Knights were hoping for more than a 2-2 mark in defense of their tournament crown from a year ago.
"It's not what we would have liked," Froats said. "But we showed true character and grit to win the last game."
Starting lineups
Prospect
G: Meredith Nyborg
D: Madalyn Ladd
D: Marissa Valenti
D: Natalie Marfilius
D: Grace Johannesen
D: Jalyn Mosley
M: Grace Bauer
M: Ella Marzolf
M: Ashley Welk
F: Shawna Stokes
F: Aly Kobler
Lake Park
G: Sarah Yochem
D: Amber Sedwick
D: Stephanie Zachemski
D: Caitlin Lang
D: Dana Skiera
M: Chloe Harris
M: Jaclyn Lamz
M: Lauren Tarchala
M: Natalie Morales
F: Cynthia Martinez
F: Bri McAloon
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sarah Mulvihill, jr., MF, Prospect
Officials: Kazazis Emmanouil, George Politis