Alba's assistance puts
Bartlett in tourney final
Senior's 16th assist of season gives Hawks 2-1 win over Oswego
By Steve Nemeth
If a scouting report on Bartlett focuses on the top three goal scorers, it’s not enough.
Yes, Kaitlin Brohan and Shelley Lyjak have eight and seven goals, respectively, plus Tabitha Evans has six, but that preview is incomplete if it doesn’t note the assist column where Mariela Alba tops the squad with a whopping 16.
The senior playmaker and co-captain’s set-up skills came through one again with 1:22 left in regulation when Kaitlyn Brohan headed home a game-winner for a 2-1 victory over Oswego in Thursday’s semifinal of the Gatorade Bracket in the PepsiCo Showdown.
Bartlett (10-3-1), the bracket’s top seed, will meet no. 2 seed Huntley for the title on April 24 at Illinois Tech. After a scoreless competition for 90 minutes, the Red Raiders (8-1-1) advanced via a 4-2 shootout tally over Downers Grove North, the same PK advantage it enjoyed two days St. Francis, which is ranked 20th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Bartlett now boasts five-consecutive conquests to surpass a previous four-game win streak this season.
It's no surprise that every Bartlett victory has included at least one Alba assist.
And it's also no surprise that coach Vince DiNuzzo agreed the Chicago State signee deserved Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match accolade.
“There’s no question her patience on the ball and vision of the field; knowing where to play the ball and when, makes a big difference in our success,” DiNuzzo said. “She had multiple services in this game either off a corner or a cross, I’d say six, and four of those created goal-scoring opportunities. That last one was brilliant and obviously won us the game.”
It’s a skill Alba is justifiably proud of, yet she still insists on crediting her teammates.
“If the defense is spread out I look to slot it into open space because our forwards are so quick. If the defense is packed or more organized, then my goal is to play the ball in front of teammates. For some it’s to their head if they have a height advantage and for others it’s to their feet so they can make a move,” Alba explained.
“But ultimately it comes down to simply helping my teammates get goals.”
Brohan re-entered the game prior to the corner kick.
“Junior (Alba’s nickname) always plays a good ball, so I simply try to be in the right position,” Brohan said in reference to her eighth goal of the year and third game-winner. “With the momentum of running in toward the net I knew when I headed it, barring a great save, it was going in.”
For the Hawks, it was déjà vu but better.
Just 28 days before, Bartlett rallied from a 1-0 deficit against Oswego for a 1-1 draw when the Panthers opened their season with a Millenium Field visit. Oswego followed that deadlock with a loss to Waubonsie Valley before embarking on a five-match win streak that was stopped when the Hawks did more than equalize.
“Beating a team that we previously tied shows how much we’ve improved,” DiNuzzo noted. “For our first time in this tourney, we’re happy to advance, especially against a team that won its bracket last year.”
In 2015, the Panthers were seeded 15th among 32 schools for the Gatorade Bracket. Oswego went from a 3-0 win over Northside, to knock off no. 2 seed Marist (1-0) in the quarterfinals. No. 10 Minooka (a 3-2 win) and no. 6 St. Ignatius (2-1), before a 1-0 title triumph over no. 4 Deerfield.
Oswego aimed for an encore. As in every previous match, the Panthers alternated keepers by half, and starter Madison Lockard made a diving save in the opening seven minutes to keep the hosts off the scoreboard.
Oswego’s Kaylee Zimbelmann missed the upper right corner midway through the opening half and two minutes later Melissa Kasper ricocheted a shot off the far left post. Zimbelmann had a 15-yard attempt from directly out front that Bartlett’s Teagan Noesen caught with ease.
With 8:02 remaining before intermission, the Panthers (5-2-1) took the lead when Kasper registered her team-best fifth assist with a cross that Jordyn Schoen headed home from eight yards.
“Knowing we had people in the box after a corner, when the ball came out my way, I simply turned on it in order to put it back into the space in front of the net,” Kasper said. “If you don’t score, the next best feeling is knowing you played a part in setting up a goal.”
“It felt great to get the lead,” Schoen said in discussing her third goal of the year. “We go into every game expecting it to be tough, just like last year was in this event. On that play I thought if I could get in front of my defender I’d be in position to score. I saw an open spot and as soon as I headed it, I believed it was going in. It is a little frustrating knowing how hard we played, but still fell short.”
It took only 42 seconds for Bartlett to equalize as Carrigan Sablik came off the bench and worked her way down the sideline and in toward the Oswego goal. The junior ripped a 17-yarder from the left that landed inside the far right post.
“I thought their goalie was a little weaker going to her left, so I was aiming for the far corner,” Sablik said. “Seeing it in the net was such a great feeling, especially since it’s my first goal of the season and it was just my second game back (after being sidelined for two weeks).”
Prior to the middle of the second half, Bartlett’s Shelley Lyjak had a high floater that Oswego’s second-half keeper, Madison Lockard, caught with confidence. She did the same on a long blast by Brohan with 17:23 remaining. The visitors' Kasper had a deflection requiring another Noesen save as Bartlett endured a couple anxious moments with the clock getting under five minutes. Kacie Moran was open on the left but shot wide of the net and when Moran fed Riley Parker for a potential breakaway, that try hit the outside netting.
“Our back four on defense (Holly Gure, Jamie Kenna, Miranda Hedeen, Alyssa Modugno) have been playing so well, they make my job so much easier,” Noesen said. “I trust them and just want to make certain I’m backing them up, because they always have my back.”
With the ball sent back down to the Oswego defensive end, the Hawk attack produced the corner kick that preceded Brohan’s re-entry and Alba’s set-up.
“It was getting late in the match, so that second goal was a big relief because we didn’t really want to play any overtime,” Alba said. “It’s not that we lacked confidence, because we were down 1-0 in our first meeting with them and battled back.”
Despite a major effort by Oswego, time wasn’t on the Panthers’ side for putting together the kind of attack that would extend the match.
“There’s simply no time to hang our heads,” Oswego coach Kelsey Champion said. “We’ve got a (Suburban Prairie) conference match (Friday) at Romeoville and another game Saturday, so this simply has to be a good learning experience. We played okay, but definitely not a complete game.
“We’ll want to tighten up our defense and get more creative at the offensive end,” Champion added. “Today Maggie (Pagone) and Abby (Grzetic) played their hearts out. Both Abby and Carissa (Brown) were all over the field and held us together.”
Starting lineups
Oswego
GK: Madison Lockard
D: Morgan Brown
D: Carissa Brown
D: Hannah Caruso
D: Abbigail Grzetic
MF: Brianna Welch
MF: Maggie Pagone
MF: Erin Marchert
MF: Melissa Kasper
F: Kaylee Zimbelmann
F: Jordyn Schoen
Bartlett
GK: Teagen Noesen
D: Holly Gure
D: Jamie Kenna
D: Miranda Hedeen
D: Alyssa Modugno
MF: Jenna Dombrowksi
MF: Kaitlin Brohan
MF: Jessica Mirsky
F: Mariela Alba
F: Kayla Hare
F: Shelly Lyjak
MVP of the Match: Mariela Alba, MF, Bartlett
Referees: Juan Hernandez, Richard Andrews, Harold Pletz
Bartlett 2, Oswego 1
Oswego 1 0 --- 1
Bartlett 1 1 --- 2
Scoring
O --- Schoen eight-yard header off cross (Kasper assist), 21nd minute
B --- Sablik 17-yarder from left side inside far right post (unassisted), 23rd minute
B --- Brohan seven-yard header off corner kick (Alba assist), 79th minute
Shots: O 5 – 6 -- 11 / B 3 – 4 -- 7
Shots on goal: O 2 – 2 -- 4 / B 2 – 3 -- 5
Saves: O (Lockard 1) – (Rasmussen 2) -- 3 / B (T. Noesen) 1 – 2 -- 3
Bartlett in tourney final
Senior's 16th assist of season gives Hawks 2-1 win over Oswego
By Steve Nemeth
If a scouting report on Bartlett focuses on the top three goal scorers, it’s not enough.
Yes, Kaitlin Brohan and Shelley Lyjak have eight and seven goals, respectively, plus Tabitha Evans has six, but that preview is incomplete if it doesn’t note the assist column where Mariela Alba tops the squad with a whopping 16.
The senior playmaker and co-captain’s set-up skills came through one again with 1:22 left in regulation when Kaitlyn Brohan headed home a game-winner for a 2-1 victory over Oswego in Thursday’s semifinal of the Gatorade Bracket in the PepsiCo Showdown.
Bartlett (10-3-1), the bracket’s top seed, will meet no. 2 seed Huntley for the title on April 24 at Illinois Tech. After a scoreless competition for 90 minutes, the Red Raiders (8-1-1) advanced via a 4-2 shootout tally over Downers Grove North, the same PK advantage it enjoyed two days St. Francis, which is ranked 20th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Bartlett now boasts five-consecutive conquests to surpass a previous four-game win streak this season.
It's no surprise that every Bartlett victory has included at least one Alba assist.
And it's also no surprise that coach Vince DiNuzzo agreed the Chicago State signee deserved Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match accolade.
“There’s no question her patience on the ball and vision of the field; knowing where to play the ball and when, makes a big difference in our success,” DiNuzzo said. “She had multiple services in this game either off a corner or a cross, I’d say six, and four of those created goal-scoring opportunities. That last one was brilliant and obviously won us the game.”
It’s a skill Alba is justifiably proud of, yet she still insists on crediting her teammates.
“If the defense is spread out I look to slot it into open space because our forwards are so quick. If the defense is packed or more organized, then my goal is to play the ball in front of teammates. For some it’s to their head if they have a height advantage and for others it’s to their feet so they can make a move,” Alba explained.
“But ultimately it comes down to simply helping my teammates get goals.”
Brohan re-entered the game prior to the corner kick.
“Junior (Alba’s nickname) always plays a good ball, so I simply try to be in the right position,” Brohan said in reference to her eighth goal of the year and third game-winner. “With the momentum of running in toward the net I knew when I headed it, barring a great save, it was going in.”
For the Hawks, it was déjà vu but better.
Just 28 days before, Bartlett rallied from a 1-0 deficit against Oswego for a 1-1 draw when the Panthers opened their season with a Millenium Field visit. Oswego followed that deadlock with a loss to Waubonsie Valley before embarking on a five-match win streak that was stopped when the Hawks did more than equalize.
“Beating a team that we previously tied shows how much we’ve improved,” DiNuzzo noted. “For our first time in this tourney, we’re happy to advance, especially against a team that won its bracket last year.”
In 2015, the Panthers were seeded 15th among 32 schools for the Gatorade Bracket. Oswego went from a 3-0 win over Northside, to knock off no. 2 seed Marist (1-0) in the quarterfinals. No. 10 Minooka (a 3-2 win) and no. 6 St. Ignatius (2-1), before a 1-0 title triumph over no. 4 Deerfield.
Oswego aimed for an encore. As in every previous match, the Panthers alternated keepers by half, and starter Madison Lockard made a diving save in the opening seven minutes to keep the hosts off the scoreboard.
Oswego’s Kaylee Zimbelmann missed the upper right corner midway through the opening half and two minutes later Melissa Kasper ricocheted a shot off the far left post. Zimbelmann had a 15-yard attempt from directly out front that Bartlett’s Teagan Noesen caught with ease.
With 8:02 remaining before intermission, the Panthers (5-2-1) took the lead when Kasper registered her team-best fifth assist with a cross that Jordyn Schoen headed home from eight yards.
“Knowing we had people in the box after a corner, when the ball came out my way, I simply turned on it in order to put it back into the space in front of the net,” Kasper said. “If you don’t score, the next best feeling is knowing you played a part in setting up a goal.”
“It felt great to get the lead,” Schoen said in discussing her third goal of the year. “We go into every game expecting it to be tough, just like last year was in this event. On that play I thought if I could get in front of my defender I’d be in position to score. I saw an open spot and as soon as I headed it, I believed it was going in. It is a little frustrating knowing how hard we played, but still fell short.”
It took only 42 seconds for Bartlett to equalize as Carrigan Sablik came off the bench and worked her way down the sideline and in toward the Oswego goal. The junior ripped a 17-yarder from the left that landed inside the far right post.
“I thought their goalie was a little weaker going to her left, so I was aiming for the far corner,” Sablik said. “Seeing it in the net was such a great feeling, especially since it’s my first goal of the season and it was just my second game back (after being sidelined for two weeks).”
Prior to the middle of the second half, Bartlett’s Shelley Lyjak had a high floater that Oswego’s second-half keeper, Madison Lockard, caught with confidence. She did the same on a long blast by Brohan with 17:23 remaining. The visitors' Kasper had a deflection requiring another Noesen save as Bartlett endured a couple anxious moments with the clock getting under five minutes. Kacie Moran was open on the left but shot wide of the net and when Moran fed Riley Parker for a potential breakaway, that try hit the outside netting.
“Our back four on defense (Holly Gure, Jamie Kenna, Miranda Hedeen, Alyssa Modugno) have been playing so well, they make my job so much easier,” Noesen said. “I trust them and just want to make certain I’m backing them up, because they always have my back.”
With the ball sent back down to the Oswego defensive end, the Hawk attack produced the corner kick that preceded Brohan’s re-entry and Alba’s set-up.
“It was getting late in the match, so that second goal was a big relief because we didn’t really want to play any overtime,” Alba said. “It’s not that we lacked confidence, because we were down 1-0 in our first meeting with them and battled back.”
Despite a major effort by Oswego, time wasn’t on the Panthers’ side for putting together the kind of attack that would extend the match.
“There’s simply no time to hang our heads,” Oswego coach Kelsey Champion said. “We’ve got a (Suburban Prairie) conference match (Friday) at Romeoville and another game Saturday, so this simply has to be a good learning experience. We played okay, but definitely not a complete game.
“We’ll want to tighten up our defense and get more creative at the offensive end,” Champion added. “Today Maggie (Pagone) and Abby (Grzetic) played their hearts out. Both Abby and Carissa (Brown) were all over the field and held us together.”
Starting lineups
Oswego
GK: Madison Lockard
D: Morgan Brown
D: Carissa Brown
D: Hannah Caruso
D: Abbigail Grzetic
MF: Brianna Welch
MF: Maggie Pagone
MF: Erin Marchert
MF: Melissa Kasper
F: Kaylee Zimbelmann
F: Jordyn Schoen
Bartlett
GK: Teagen Noesen
D: Holly Gure
D: Jamie Kenna
D: Miranda Hedeen
D: Alyssa Modugno
MF: Jenna Dombrowksi
MF: Kaitlin Brohan
MF: Jessica Mirsky
F: Mariela Alba
F: Kayla Hare
F: Shelly Lyjak
MVP of the Match: Mariela Alba, MF, Bartlett
Referees: Juan Hernandez, Richard Andrews, Harold Pletz
Bartlett 2, Oswego 1
Oswego 1 0 --- 1
Bartlett 1 1 --- 2
Scoring
O --- Schoen eight-yard header off cross (Kasper assist), 21nd minute
B --- Sablik 17-yarder from left side inside far right post (unassisted), 23rd minute
B --- Brohan seven-yard header off corner kick (Alba assist), 79th minute
Shots: O 5 – 6 -- 11 / B 3 – 4 -- 7
Shots on goal: O 2 – 2 -- 4 / B 2 – 3 -- 5
Saves: O (Lockard 1) – (Rasmussen 2) -- 3 / B (T. Noesen) 1 – 2 -- 3