Von Steuben runs
into Lincoln Park's buzzsaw
Roderick-Fried's hat trick leads Lions to 3-1 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO — Information moves differently in the Public League, through word of mouth or indirect channels.
Jordan Roderick-Fried is Exhibit A. She is one of the top two or three players in the city, but her reputation has not caught up with her talent and abilities. Her school, Lincoln Park, operated on the fringe of wider public consciousness since they played in the lower-tiered 1st Division last year.
Scouting and exposure is at a wholly different level there, i.e. it is almost nonexistent.
“The teams we played last year were not sure about me,” Roderick-Fried said. “They didn’t know how to play against me, and by the time they figured out about me, we were already up 4-0 or 5-0.”
At 5-foot-3, Roderick-Fried has a low center of gravity. But she is powerful and fast and knows how to switch to another gear.
Von Steuben was just the latest team to find out how good she is.
Roderick-Fried put up another incredible offensive display with her speed, footwork, power and precision as she accounted for all of the Lions’ goals in a 3-1 victory over the Panthers at Winnemac Stadium on Monday afternoon.
“She was the difference-maker today,” Von Steuben coach Greg Domanico said. “I never saw her play before. We knew she had a couple of goals against Young when they played. We knew she was the one to watch out for. The coaching part was either let her get by or let the ball get by but don’t let both. We don’t have the fastest backline. We needed to take a couple of professional fouls just to slow her down. We tried, and she was just too fast.
“She had a great game.”
The game was a pivotal to the fortunes of the two teams. Both teams were facing the prospect of relegation, dropping from the city’s top division, the Premier.
“That made us nervous and also put a little more oomph in how we played today,” Roderick-Fried.
Roderick-Fried earned Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the match distinction for her third hat trick of the year. She also scored all her team's goals during a breakthrough 4-3 loss to league power Young. So far, she has amassed 23 goals on the year.
“Certain teams know about me, and they have marked me,” she said. “I played club soccer with people from Whitney, Payton and Lane, so they’re kind of used to how I play.”
Roderick-Fried scored two goals in the first half from virtually identical locations, the right edge about 20 yards out. She staked the Lions (8-4-2, 1-3-2) to the 1-0 lead in the sixth minute, taking a through-ball from Celeste Miller and quickly getting past her defender and creating an advantage on the outside line that enabled her to take a customary blast.
“We really want to stay in Premier, and we know we have to win these last two games,” Roderick-Fried said. “That added something to our game. We were going strong in the first half, and and after we got the first goal we just said to one another to go out and get another.”
Rocked by the Lions' early move, Von Steuben (2-10-0, 0-6-0) recovered and played some of its best soccer of the year. Sophomore forward Karina Rubio was particularly effective at the start pushing pace and creating high pressure that enabled the Panthers to string together some strong combination play.
“I just went after them, and I guess you’d say I got some lucky shots,” Rubio said. “We created some early pressure, and I did well there.”
Rubio had two early shots that were just wide. Von Steuben freshman forward Mayeri Diaz also impressed with her play, generating some excellent opportunities of her own. Yaya Jimenez was switched from midfielder to forward and responded with what Domanico called her best game of the year.
Von Steuben absorbed the early pressure and fought back. They just could not quite put one away. The Panthers have played a demanding schedule outside of the Chicago Public League, squaring off against ranked sides like Evanston, defending Class 2A state champion Carmel, 2014 Class 2A state champion Lake Forest and perennial power Hersey.
The team has endured its share of ups-and-downs and has gradually come of age.
“That’s how our season has been going,” Domanico said. “Bounces are not going our way, or we are not making the final five-yard sprint to get to a ball. In a game like this, our conference games, those missed opportunities come back to haunt you.”
Roderick-Fried increased the Lincoln Park lead in the 31st minute.
Then a curious thing happened. Von Steuben regrouped, mentally, and asserted a grit and desire.
“We worked hard and tried to organize and do some things out there,” Rubio said. “I was pretty happy with how we played.”
Von Steuben broke through in the 40th minute, scoring off a free kick in the closing seconds by Francesca Barajas. A couple of Von Steuben players called it an own goal, but it was finally credited to Barajas. The goal breathed new life into the Panthers.
“Scoring a goal on basically the last kick of the half was a huge momentum boost for us or should have been since we were playing against the first half and we were only down one goal,” Domanico said. “It didn’t feel like we were defeated yet. At halftime we talked about the momentum was with us and we just needed to pick up the pressure. We had opportunities and we just had to get on the end of them.”
Von Steuben’s efforts yielded some striking possibilities, including a hard ball from Jimenez that Lions’ keeper Sarah Fichter stopped. Domanico said the team has struggled the entire year on set-pieces. Its best scoring chance occurred midway through the half as Diaz smashed a header off a corner that Fichter deflected off the crossbar.
“That was encouraging to see, not only putting a head on the ball but a good strike on goal,” Domanico said. “Their goalie was a little too tall, and she made a good play on the ball.
Roderick-Fried put the game out of reach in the 65th minute. This time operating on the left flank, she took a dropped ball from Kyra Biedermann and drove hard past a defender. Then she cut right and finished with a patented low-and-hard ball that skirted under the grasp of the Panthers’ keeper.
“That’s my game,” Roderick-Fried said. “I’m used to going down the line usually and then cutting in really fast. Either they are going to foul me, or I’m going to run right by them.”
Von Steuben came up short. Domanico saw much to be encouraged by. Lupe Badillo, a normal field player thrust into the keeper role to fill in for a suspended starter, performed admirably in the net for the Panthers, even stopping Roderick-Fried twice on breakaways. Midfielder Jasmina Duliman, another junior varsity player brought up for the game, also played well.
“I was very pleased with our ball movement,” he said. “We are a young team and not the most skilled. We are pretty outmatched in most of our Premier games. Today we were actually able to possess a little bit. We had a couple of balls where we switched the field and created some nice combination plays, especially down the right side with Mayeri and Yaya. That was very encouraging.
“Yaya is a sophomore and this is her first year on the varsity. She played her best game of the year. She played striker today and put in a good performance. It’s just too bad she wasn’t able to put one in the back of the net today. She had a couple of shots on target.”
Von Steuben has dealt with adversity throughout the year. If the Panthers have been on the wrong side of the scoreboard, Von Steuben has demonstrated admirable patience and a desire to improve. Even if incrementally, the game against Lincoln Park showed how far the team has come and the promise of better days ahead.
“We have been shorthanded the whole year with academic issues,” Domanico said. “We have also had a consistent 14-or-15 girls who have given me everything I have asked.”
Starters--
Lincoln Park--
GK: Sarah Fitcher
D: Daisy Martin
D: Neydy Bucio
D: Coco Sharp
D: Mia Seeley
M: Celeste Miller
M: Anisa Ciaciura
M: Alana Beck
M: Kyra Biederman
F: Jordan Roderick-Fried
F: Aida Sanabria
Von Steuben--
GK: Lupe Badillo
D: Francesca Barajas
D: Melissa Brewer
D: Isabelle Neira
D: Lisbeth Hernandez
M: Quinatzi Gonzalez
M: Zoely Rodriguez
M: Jasmina Duliman
M: Mayeri Diaz
F: Yaya Jimenez
F: Danielle Ito-La Belle
MVP of the match: Jordan Roderick-Fried, F, Lincoln Park
into Lincoln Park's buzzsaw
Roderick-Fried's hat trick leads Lions to 3-1 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO — Information moves differently in the Public League, through word of mouth or indirect channels.
Jordan Roderick-Fried is Exhibit A. She is one of the top two or three players in the city, but her reputation has not caught up with her talent and abilities. Her school, Lincoln Park, operated on the fringe of wider public consciousness since they played in the lower-tiered 1st Division last year.
Scouting and exposure is at a wholly different level there, i.e. it is almost nonexistent.
“The teams we played last year were not sure about me,” Roderick-Fried said. “They didn’t know how to play against me, and by the time they figured out about me, we were already up 4-0 or 5-0.”
At 5-foot-3, Roderick-Fried has a low center of gravity. But she is powerful and fast and knows how to switch to another gear.
Von Steuben was just the latest team to find out how good she is.
Roderick-Fried put up another incredible offensive display with her speed, footwork, power and precision as she accounted for all of the Lions’ goals in a 3-1 victory over the Panthers at Winnemac Stadium on Monday afternoon.
“She was the difference-maker today,” Von Steuben coach Greg Domanico said. “I never saw her play before. We knew she had a couple of goals against Young when they played. We knew she was the one to watch out for. The coaching part was either let her get by or let the ball get by but don’t let both. We don’t have the fastest backline. We needed to take a couple of professional fouls just to slow her down. We tried, and she was just too fast.
“She had a great game.”
The game was a pivotal to the fortunes of the two teams. Both teams were facing the prospect of relegation, dropping from the city’s top division, the Premier.
“That made us nervous and also put a little more oomph in how we played today,” Roderick-Fried.
Roderick-Fried earned Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the match distinction for her third hat trick of the year. She also scored all her team's goals during a breakthrough 4-3 loss to league power Young. So far, she has amassed 23 goals on the year.
“Certain teams know about me, and they have marked me,” she said. “I played club soccer with people from Whitney, Payton and Lane, so they’re kind of used to how I play.”
Roderick-Fried scored two goals in the first half from virtually identical locations, the right edge about 20 yards out. She staked the Lions (8-4-2, 1-3-2) to the 1-0 lead in the sixth minute, taking a through-ball from Celeste Miller and quickly getting past her defender and creating an advantage on the outside line that enabled her to take a customary blast.
“We really want to stay in Premier, and we know we have to win these last two games,” Roderick-Fried said. “That added something to our game. We were going strong in the first half, and and after we got the first goal we just said to one another to go out and get another.”
Rocked by the Lions' early move, Von Steuben (2-10-0, 0-6-0) recovered and played some of its best soccer of the year. Sophomore forward Karina Rubio was particularly effective at the start pushing pace and creating high pressure that enabled the Panthers to string together some strong combination play.
“I just went after them, and I guess you’d say I got some lucky shots,” Rubio said. “We created some early pressure, and I did well there.”
Rubio had two early shots that were just wide. Von Steuben freshman forward Mayeri Diaz also impressed with her play, generating some excellent opportunities of her own. Yaya Jimenez was switched from midfielder to forward and responded with what Domanico called her best game of the year.
Von Steuben absorbed the early pressure and fought back. They just could not quite put one away. The Panthers have played a demanding schedule outside of the Chicago Public League, squaring off against ranked sides like Evanston, defending Class 2A state champion Carmel, 2014 Class 2A state champion Lake Forest and perennial power Hersey.
The team has endured its share of ups-and-downs and has gradually come of age.
“That’s how our season has been going,” Domanico said. “Bounces are not going our way, or we are not making the final five-yard sprint to get to a ball. In a game like this, our conference games, those missed opportunities come back to haunt you.”
Roderick-Fried increased the Lincoln Park lead in the 31st minute.
Then a curious thing happened. Von Steuben regrouped, mentally, and asserted a grit and desire.
“We worked hard and tried to organize and do some things out there,” Rubio said. “I was pretty happy with how we played.”
Von Steuben broke through in the 40th minute, scoring off a free kick in the closing seconds by Francesca Barajas. A couple of Von Steuben players called it an own goal, but it was finally credited to Barajas. The goal breathed new life into the Panthers.
“Scoring a goal on basically the last kick of the half was a huge momentum boost for us or should have been since we were playing against the first half and we were only down one goal,” Domanico said. “It didn’t feel like we were defeated yet. At halftime we talked about the momentum was with us and we just needed to pick up the pressure. We had opportunities and we just had to get on the end of them.”
Von Steuben’s efforts yielded some striking possibilities, including a hard ball from Jimenez that Lions’ keeper Sarah Fichter stopped. Domanico said the team has struggled the entire year on set-pieces. Its best scoring chance occurred midway through the half as Diaz smashed a header off a corner that Fichter deflected off the crossbar.
“That was encouraging to see, not only putting a head on the ball but a good strike on goal,” Domanico said. “Their goalie was a little too tall, and she made a good play on the ball.
Roderick-Fried put the game out of reach in the 65th minute. This time operating on the left flank, she took a dropped ball from Kyra Biedermann and drove hard past a defender. Then she cut right and finished with a patented low-and-hard ball that skirted under the grasp of the Panthers’ keeper.
“That’s my game,” Roderick-Fried said. “I’m used to going down the line usually and then cutting in really fast. Either they are going to foul me, or I’m going to run right by them.”
Von Steuben came up short. Domanico saw much to be encouraged by. Lupe Badillo, a normal field player thrust into the keeper role to fill in for a suspended starter, performed admirably in the net for the Panthers, even stopping Roderick-Fried twice on breakaways. Midfielder Jasmina Duliman, another junior varsity player brought up for the game, also played well.
“I was very pleased with our ball movement,” he said. “We are a young team and not the most skilled. We are pretty outmatched in most of our Premier games. Today we were actually able to possess a little bit. We had a couple of balls where we switched the field and created some nice combination plays, especially down the right side with Mayeri and Yaya. That was very encouraging.
“Yaya is a sophomore and this is her first year on the varsity. She played her best game of the year. She played striker today and put in a good performance. It’s just too bad she wasn’t able to put one in the back of the net today. She had a couple of shots on target.”
Von Steuben has dealt with adversity throughout the year. If the Panthers have been on the wrong side of the scoreboard, Von Steuben has demonstrated admirable patience and a desire to improve. Even if incrementally, the game against Lincoln Park showed how far the team has come and the promise of better days ahead.
“We have been shorthanded the whole year with academic issues,” Domanico said. “We have also had a consistent 14-or-15 girls who have given me everything I have asked.”
Starters--
Lincoln Park--
GK: Sarah Fitcher
D: Daisy Martin
D: Neydy Bucio
D: Coco Sharp
D: Mia Seeley
M: Celeste Miller
M: Anisa Ciaciura
M: Alana Beck
M: Kyra Biederman
F: Jordan Roderick-Fried
F: Aida Sanabria
Von Steuben--
GK: Lupe Badillo
D: Francesca Barajas
D: Melissa Brewer
D: Isabelle Neira
D: Lisbeth Hernandez
M: Quinatzi Gonzalez
M: Zoely Rodriguez
M: Jasmina Duliman
M: Mayeri Diaz
F: Yaya Jimenez
F: Danielle Ito-La Belle
MVP of the match: Jordan Roderick-Fried, F, Lincoln Park
