Prospect steamrolls Zion-Benton,
advances to regional final
Stokes hat trick leads the Knights
By Ken Keenan
HIGHLAND PARK -- In command from start to finish, Prospect was in total control against Zion-Benton and posted a 5-0 win in semifinal play at the IHSA Class 3A Highland Park Regional on Tuesday.
Speedy sophomore forward Shawna Stokes led the charge, bagging three goals to earn Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors. Stokes gave the Knights a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute, and then concluded the scoring with a pair of tallies midway through the second half.
Freshman forward Ella Marzolf added a goal and an assist, and sophomore midfielder Faith Fitzsimmons also dented the twine.
Prospect (13-5-4), ranked third in the 16-team Palatine Sectional, will play for the regional crown at 2 p.m. Saturday, against no. 6 Warren or the 12th-seeded host Giants. Fourteenth-seed Zion-Benton ended its season at 7-13-1.
"I think the strength of the season schedule prepared us for this," said Knights head coach Tom Froats. "It's a great first step ... a favorable result. Saturday will be very different. It's a matter of how much we want it and how hard we want to work for it. We'll enjoy the moment and get back to work to prepare for Saturday."
Meanwhile, Zion-Benton ended its season at 7-13-1 with the loss.
"That's a very good team Prospect has -- very talented," said Zee-Bees head coach Cliff Pontillo. "For us, we have to be perfect against a team this skilled. But, we worked hard, and I'm proud of the effort. You don't like losing, but we gave good effort."
The Knights enjoyed an overwhelming edge in scoring opportunities against the Zee-Bees, who employed an outside trap that Prospect exploited with speed up the middle in the attacking third.
"They were trying to slow us down, but our skill set and speed allows us to be successful against that type of defensive posture," Froats said.
Stokes' first goal was a prime example. After gathering a pass from freshman Ashley Welk, Stokes burst into the clear past the Zion-Benton defense and scored to the left side past Zee-Bees' junior goalkeeper Hilda Hernandez.
Less than three minutes later, Knights' sophomore midfielder Faith Fitzsimmons had plenty of room to collect a feed from Marzolf, tee up a 30-yard drive and watch it sail into the upper left corner for a 2-0 lead. With 17:29 to go in the first half, Marzolf made it 3-0 after flying down the right side and cutting to the middle untouched for a shot that beat Hernandez just under the crossbar to the left.
"We were really getting wide to find the seams, and then getting shots off," Marzolf said. "Each goal motivated us to keep chugging along and trying to score more."
Moments before Marzolf's tally, Stokes raced down the left side for a quick blast that Hernandez punched out to a waiting Marzolf, who fired high on the rebound effort. Less than a minute after the third goal was scored, Knights' senior mid Andi Marfilius cut in alone from the left and fired wide.
About 70 seconds passed before a Stokes breakaway was spoiled by a nice, sliding tackle from Zion-Benton senior midfielder Andrea Barajas.
"Every time I turned my back, there was someone right behind me," Barajas said. "It was nerve-wracking, trying to get to balls. It was frustrating. But, (Prospect) is a good team -- really fast."
Stokes said, "I feel like (the offense) really built up and kept on going. We came in prepared and ready to play our game, and it showed."
With 23:30 remaining, Stokes potted her second goal while falling in front as she tapped in a 35-yard free-kick by Natalie Marfilius. A minute later, Stokes finished a long run down the right side with a rising shot under the crossbar to secure the hat trick and increase the bulge to 5-0.
Natalie Marfilius and her fellow defenders -- including senior Kathryn Szukalla, junior Grace Johannesen and freshman Kristina Suto -- were quick to push the ball back upfield during the few times Zion-Benton managed to gain possession. The Zee-Bees put two shots on Prospect senior keeper Mehgan Rickett the entire match: a 40-yard free-kick by senior forward Cynthia Garibay, in the 30th minute, and a try by Garibay from the top of the box with 34:20 left in the match.
"It was nice to have a relaxing-type game to work on what we want to do to be better," Natalie Marfilius said. "To see us working together and finish the ball was exciting. To go into the playoffs strong shows we're here to play, and we're here to win."
With Prospect holding the big lead, Froats rested his starters down the stretch, giving the bench a chance to join gain playoff experience. They responded by creating plenty of chances.
In the 60th minute, Hernandez robbed Prospect freshman forward Ashley Adams with a leaping save. Adams then narrowly missed wide-right on a try with 11:45 showing, and sophomore forward Hannah Rickett missed high on a head attempt a minute later.
Junior mid Kendra Gancarz broke through for a shot in the 73rd minute that missed to the left, and junior middie Meredith Nyborg was stopped by Hernandez with 1:45 left. Thirty seconds later, Gancarz rocked a shot off the left post, drawing a collective groan from the Knights' bench.
"I think (the subs) held the team together pretty well, enough to create chances," said senior forward Taylor Sliwa, who missed high on a left-footed try in the 70th minute. "And we had a lot of chances."
The Knights now have a chance to snag a regional championship.
"Our goal is to continue to move on," Marzolf said. "Keep improving, and keep winning."
Starting line-ups
Zion-Benton
G: Hilda Hernandez
D: Heidi Stump
D: Yulisa Flores
D: Leslye Villagomez
D: Anna Hunter
M: Andrea Barajas
M: Jenny Gomez
M: Damarius Cifuentes
M: Thalia Vera
M: Carolina Jiminez
F: Cynthia Garibay
Prospect
G: Mehgan Rickett
D: Kathryn Szukalla
D: Natalie Marfilius
D: Kristina Suto
D: Grace Joahnnesen
M: Amy Novak
M: Faith Fitzsimmons
M: Andi Marfilius
F: Ella Marzolf
F: Shawna Stokes
F: Ashley Welk
MVP of the Match: Shawna Stokes, F, Prospect
Officials: Peter Stravopolous, Dorin Babolea, Mike Valsamis
advances to regional final
Stokes hat trick leads the Knights
By Ken Keenan
HIGHLAND PARK -- In command from start to finish, Prospect was in total control against Zion-Benton and posted a 5-0 win in semifinal play at the IHSA Class 3A Highland Park Regional on Tuesday.
Speedy sophomore forward Shawna Stokes led the charge, bagging three goals to earn Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors. Stokes gave the Knights a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute, and then concluded the scoring with a pair of tallies midway through the second half.
Freshman forward Ella Marzolf added a goal and an assist, and sophomore midfielder Faith Fitzsimmons also dented the twine.
Prospect (13-5-4), ranked third in the 16-team Palatine Sectional, will play for the regional crown at 2 p.m. Saturday, against no. 6 Warren or the 12th-seeded host Giants. Fourteenth-seed Zion-Benton ended its season at 7-13-1.
"I think the strength of the season schedule prepared us for this," said Knights head coach Tom Froats. "It's a great first step ... a favorable result. Saturday will be very different. It's a matter of how much we want it and how hard we want to work for it. We'll enjoy the moment and get back to work to prepare for Saturday."
Meanwhile, Zion-Benton ended its season at 7-13-1 with the loss.
"That's a very good team Prospect has -- very talented," said Zee-Bees head coach Cliff Pontillo. "For us, we have to be perfect against a team this skilled. But, we worked hard, and I'm proud of the effort. You don't like losing, but we gave good effort."
The Knights enjoyed an overwhelming edge in scoring opportunities against the Zee-Bees, who employed an outside trap that Prospect exploited with speed up the middle in the attacking third.
"They were trying to slow us down, but our skill set and speed allows us to be successful against that type of defensive posture," Froats said.
Stokes' first goal was a prime example. After gathering a pass from freshman Ashley Welk, Stokes burst into the clear past the Zion-Benton defense and scored to the left side past Zee-Bees' junior goalkeeper Hilda Hernandez.
Less than three minutes later, Knights' sophomore midfielder Faith Fitzsimmons had plenty of room to collect a feed from Marzolf, tee up a 30-yard drive and watch it sail into the upper left corner for a 2-0 lead. With 17:29 to go in the first half, Marzolf made it 3-0 after flying down the right side and cutting to the middle untouched for a shot that beat Hernandez just under the crossbar to the left.
"We were really getting wide to find the seams, and then getting shots off," Marzolf said. "Each goal motivated us to keep chugging along and trying to score more."
Moments before Marzolf's tally, Stokes raced down the left side for a quick blast that Hernandez punched out to a waiting Marzolf, who fired high on the rebound effort. Less than a minute after the third goal was scored, Knights' senior mid Andi Marfilius cut in alone from the left and fired wide.
About 70 seconds passed before a Stokes breakaway was spoiled by a nice, sliding tackle from Zion-Benton senior midfielder Andrea Barajas.
"Every time I turned my back, there was someone right behind me," Barajas said. "It was nerve-wracking, trying to get to balls. It was frustrating. But, (Prospect) is a good team -- really fast."
Stokes said, "I feel like (the offense) really built up and kept on going. We came in prepared and ready to play our game, and it showed."
With 23:30 remaining, Stokes potted her second goal while falling in front as she tapped in a 35-yard free-kick by Natalie Marfilius. A minute later, Stokes finished a long run down the right side with a rising shot under the crossbar to secure the hat trick and increase the bulge to 5-0.
Natalie Marfilius and her fellow defenders -- including senior Kathryn Szukalla, junior Grace Johannesen and freshman Kristina Suto -- were quick to push the ball back upfield during the few times Zion-Benton managed to gain possession. The Zee-Bees put two shots on Prospect senior keeper Mehgan Rickett the entire match: a 40-yard free-kick by senior forward Cynthia Garibay, in the 30th minute, and a try by Garibay from the top of the box with 34:20 left in the match.
"It was nice to have a relaxing-type game to work on what we want to do to be better," Natalie Marfilius said. "To see us working together and finish the ball was exciting. To go into the playoffs strong shows we're here to play, and we're here to win."
With Prospect holding the big lead, Froats rested his starters down the stretch, giving the bench a chance to join gain playoff experience. They responded by creating plenty of chances.
In the 60th minute, Hernandez robbed Prospect freshman forward Ashley Adams with a leaping save. Adams then narrowly missed wide-right on a try with 11:45 showing, and sophomore forward Hannah Rickett missed high on a head attempt a minute later.
Junior mid Kendra Gancarz broke through for a shot in the 73rd minute that missed to the left, and junior middie Meredith Nyborg was stopped by Hernandez with 1:45 left. Thirty seconds later, Gancarz rocked a shot off the left post, drawing a collective groan from the Knights' bench.
"I think (the subs) held the team together pretty well, enough to create chances," said senior forward Taylor Sliwa, who missed high on a left-footed try in the 70th minute. "And we had a lot of chances."
The Knights now have a chance to snag a regional championship.
"Our goal is to continue to move on," Marzolf said. "Keep improving, and keep winning."
Starting line-ups
Zion-Benton
G: Hilda Hernandez
D: Heidi Stump
D: Yulisa Flores
D: Leslye Villagomez
D: Anna Hunter
M: Andrea Barajas
M: Jenny Gomez
M: Damarius Cifuentes
M: Thalia Vera
M: Carolina Jiminez
F: Cynthia Garibay
Prospect
G: Mehgan Rickett
D: Kathryn Szukalla
D: Natalie Marfilius
D: Kristina Suto
D: Grace Joahnnesen
M: Amy Novak
M: Faith Fitzsimmons
M: Andi Marfilius
F: Ella Marzolf
F: Shawna Stokes
F: Ashley Welk
MVP of the Match: Shawna Stokes, F, Prospect
Officials: Peter Stravopolous, Dorin Babolea, Mike Valsamis
