Battled-tested Rochester downs Sycamore
2015 Class A champs aim for unique double after 2-0 win
By Mike Garofola
NAPERVILLE -- Little was known of Rochester soccer outside the confines of south-central Illinois until the club lifted the 1A championship trophy last season in North Central's Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, but that could change after today.
Two goals from Baylee Smith, one in each half, took Rochester into the 2A state final today at 1 p.m. against Deerfield, with the chance to raise another piece of hallowed hardware for a second-consecutive year.
Rochester scored early and threatened to steamroll Sycamore, but the Northern Illinois Big 12 giants grew into the game, held firm, and were right in it until the hour mark, when Smith doubled the Rockets advantage to help safely secure a 2-0 victory in a steamy afternoon semifinal.
The Rockets final with Deerfield promises to be a cracker of a final.
"It's obviously something we were looking to have a chance at after winning it all at 1A last year, and knowing we would be moved up a (class), but I really think there were a lot of people who doubted we could get back here. So it's great to show all of them we had the talent and ability to do so," said Becca Jostes, a key figure here last season and on Friday when the SIU-Edwardsville bound senior, along with Smith, Amanda Williams and Ally Milnes helped put away that all-important first strike just three minutes into the match.
It was not the start Sycamore had hoped for.
"You never, ever want to chase a team in the postseason, especially one that is a defending state champion, and a team that is senior-dominated. It didn't look good for us after conceding the early one to them," admitted Sycamore manager, David Lichamer, who was here in 2009 with the Spartans, and carried away a fourth-place trophy.
"The girls fought hard despite the deficit, and to their credit, didn't fold up when Rochester scored and really put us under. And even though it was hot out there, and we were playing a great opponent, we got ourselves back on our feet and had a couple of chances to maybe get even. Until that second goal midway through the second half kind of did us in."
The Rockets (24-2-1) first goal was finished after a superb build-up broke apart of the Spartans along the back. After a nice ghost run from Williams, who was put through by Milnes, Williams set Smith free. The senior broke the ice with a sublime finish past keeper Amanda Cook, who had no chance on the short-range attempt.
Rochester continued to threaten after the goal, recording consecutive corners from nice work by Jostes. Then duo of Milnes and Smith produced again. Smith, on the turn, forced Cook to make a save in the 8th minute.
It continued to be plenty of one-way traffic for the Rockets with Jostes having a go on frame at the quarter hour. Soon thereafter two more corners forced the Sycamore backline into action with a block of a Jostes blast from in-close and a Cook save on a side half-volley from Jostes in the 26th minute.
"You begin to wonder and worry if all of those chances we didn't finish would come back and get us," said Rockets manager Chad Kutscher. "And that's obviously something we talked about at the break. I could sense that Sycamore was starting to gain a little bit more confidence as the first half went on."
Sycamore (23-3-1) began the second period much brighter then it played after the opening whistle, but Lichamer and his club had to put a hold on its encouraging start when Cook took a ball off her face when Jostes' unloaded a guided missile from in-close after Williams flick forward set her free on the far side.
"Losing Amanda (then) was a real blow to us, as was (losing) Ella Holland, (both) to what looked like concussions, but we bounced back nonetheless and got some real good play from our backup keeper, Maegan Schwartz," Lichamer said.
Schwartz looked confident when saving a 25-yard free-kick moments later, and showed good decision making in her box the rest of the way to help her club stay within striking distance.
The Spartans were never able to get anything of quality on frame in its search to draw even, but the quartet of Emma Stice, Taylor Meier, Cali Carl and Saydie Holland exhibited the type of work rate and pace during the second half that continually kept the Rockets fans on edge until Smith dashed the hopes of Sycamore when she drifted freely to her right before driving her unstoppable 25-yard cracker into the upper right corner.
The Rockets backline of Riley Ross, Jamie Riedle, Maddie Capps and Mady Schmidt, and keeper Maddie Gleeson did the rest to give the team its 18th clean sheet of the season.
"We kind of let up after getting that first goal, and lost the intensity that we had in the first part of the game, but we picked things up leading up to our second goal, and right now, it feels good to be playing in the final tomorrow," said Jostes, who was named Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match.
"Yeah, things got a little nervous and scary out there for awhile, but this is a terrific group of senior players we have, and they came back strong when we faded a little bit - managed the lead, and got ourselves into the game we want to be in," added the affable Kutscher.
Starting line-ups
Sycamore
GK- Amanda Cook
D- Jenna Lewey
D- Claire Schroeder
D- Anna Haub
D- Taryn Mathey
M- Ella Holland
M- Emma Stice
M- Cali Carl
M- Savannah Burns
F- Saydie Holland
F- Taylor Meier
Rochester
GK- Maddie Gleeson
D- Riley Ross
D- Jamie Riedle
D- Maddie Capps
M- Mady Schmidt
M- Ally Milnes
M- Baylee Smith
M- Kelsey Barron
F- Amanda Williams
F- Becca Jostes
F- Maisyn Garland
MVP of the Match: Becca Jostes, F, Rochester
Officials: Steve Sardo (center); John Jakobsze (assistant); Mario Castillo (assistant); Tony Martinez (fourth).
2015 Class A champs aim for unique double after 2-0 win
By Mike Garofola
NAPERVILLE -- Little was known of Rochester soccer outside the confines of south-central Illinois until the club lifted the 1A championship trophy last season in North Central's Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, but that could change after today.
Two goals from Baylee Smith, one in each half, took Rochester into the 2A state final today at 1 p.m. against Deerfield, with the chance to raise another piece of hallowed hardware for a second-consecutive year.
Rochester scored early and threatened to steamroll Sycamore, but the Northern Illinois Big 12 giants grew into the game, held firm, and were right in it until the hour mark, when Smith doubled the Rockets advantage to help safely secure a 2-0 victory in a steamy afternoon semifinal.
The Rockets final with Deerfield promises to be a cracker of a final.
"It's obviously something we were looking to have a chance at after winning it all at 1A last year, and knowing we would be moved up a (class), but I really think there were a lot of people who doubted we could get back here. So it's great to show all of them we had the talent and ability to do so," said Becca Jostes, a key figure here last season and on Friday when the SIU-Edwardsville bound senior, along with Smith, Amanda Williams and Ally Milnes helped put away that all-important first strike just three minutes into the match.
It was not the start Sycamore had hoped for.
"You never, ever want to chase a team in the postseason, especially one that is a defending state champion, and a team that is senior-dominated. It didn't look good for us after conceding the early one to them," admitted Sycamore manager, David Lichamer, who was here in 2009 with the Spartans, and carried away a fourth-place trophy.
"The girls fought hard despite the deficit, and to their credit, didn't fold up when Rochester scored and really put us under. And even though it was hot out there, and we were playing a great opponent, we got ourselves back on our feet and had a couple of chances to maybe get even. Until that second goal midway through the second half kind of did us in."
The Rockets (24-2-1) first goal was finished after a superb build-up broke apart of the Spartans along the back. After a nice ghost run from Williams, who was put through by Milnes, Williams set Smith free. The senior broke the ice with a sublime finish past keeper Amanda Cook, who had no chance on the short-range attempt.
Rochester continued to threaten after the goal, recording consecutive corners from nice work by Jostes. Then duo of Milnes and Smith produced again. Smith, on the turn, forced Cook to make a save in the 8th minute.
It continued to be plenty of one-way traffic for the Rockets with Jostes having a go on frame at the quarter hour. Soon thereafter two more corners forced the Sycamore backline into action with a block of a Jostes blast from in-close and a Cook save on a side half-volley from Jostes in the 26th minute.
"You begin to wonder and worry if all of those chances we didn't finish would come back and get us," said Rockets manager Chad Kutscher. "And that's obviously something we talked about at the break. I could sense that Sycamore was starting to gain a little bit more confidence as the first half went on."
Sycamore (23-3-1) began the second period much brighter then it played after the opening whistle, but Lichamer and his club had to put a hold on its encouraging start when Cook took a ball off her face when Jostes' unloaded a guided missile from in-close after Williams flick forward set her free on the far side.
"Losing Amanda (then) was a real blow to us, as was (losing) Ella Holland, (both) to what looked like concussions, but we bounced back nonetheless and got some real good play from our backup keeper, Maegan Schwartz," Lichamer said.
Schwartz looked confident when saving a 25-yard free-kick moments later, and showed good decision making in her box the rest of the way to help her club stay within striking distance.
The Spartans were never able to get anything of quality on frame in its search to draw even, but the quartet of Emma Stice, Taylor Meier, Cali Carl and Saydie Holland exhibited the type of work rate and pace during the second half that continually kept the Rockets fans on edge until Smith dashed the hopes of Sycamore when she drifted freely to her right before driving her unstoppable 25-yard cracker into the upper right corner.
The Rockets backline of Riley Ross, Jamie Riedle, Maddie Capps and Mady Schmidt, and keeper Maddie Gleeson did the rest to give the team its 18th clean sheet of the season.
"We kind of let up after getting that first goal, and lost the intensity that we had in the first part of the game, but we picked things up leading up to our second goal, and right now, it feels good to be playing in the final tomorrow," said Jostes, who was named Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match.
"Yeah, things got a little nervous and scary out there for awhile, but this is a terrific group of senior players we have, and they came back strong when we faded a little bit - managed the lead, and got ourselves into the game we want to be in," added the affable Kutscher.
Starting line-ups
Sycamore
GK- Amanda Cook
D- Jenna Lewey
D- Claire Schroeder
D- Anna Haub
D- Taryn Mathey
M- Ella Holland
M- Emma Stice
M- Cali Carl
M- Savannah Burns
F- Saydie Holland
F- Taylor Meier
Rochester
GK- Maddie Gleeson
D- Riley Ross
D- Jamie Riedle
D- Maddie Capps
M- Mady Schmidt
M- Ally Milnes
M- Baylee Smith
M- Kelsey Barron
F- Amanda Williams
F- Becca Jostes
F- Maisyn Garland
MVP of the Match: Becca Jostes, F, Rochester
Officials: Steve Sardo (center); John Jakobsze (assistant); Mario Castillo (assistant); Tony Martinez (fourth).