Wheaton Warrenville South leaves Wheaton Academy in the cold
Tigers 2nd half scores lead to 2-0 victory
By Chris Walker
WEST CHICAGO – Wheaton Warrenville South's Maria Dohse wasn’t thinking about the 30-degree weather Wednesday afternoon at Wheaton Academy.
“I’m wearing my Under Armour, and with that, and as much adrenalin and excitement to be playing here, the weather didn’t bother me at all,” she said. “It was actually warmer than I thought.”
She might have been the only one who felt that way.
While her Under Armour helped her feel comfortable despite the frigid conditions, she certainly helped fellow sophomore Abbie Brennan feel comfortable in net, as the Tigers were selfish all afternoon, consistently disrupting Wheaton Academy whenever it got into the final third of the field, and using that stingy defense to post a 2-0 shutout.
“This was a good matchup for us, and they’re a great team so this is a nice win,” Dohse said. “We seemed to control them in the first half, but they came out strong in the second half. They pressured us, which we expected. We did whatever we could to get the shut out, and with a wider field we tried to get the ball wide. I thought we did a nice job of that.”
After dropping its season opener gainst Batavia, the Tigers were thrilled to pick up victory no. 1, especially during a year where they feel they should be able to pile up plenty of victories.
“I think the first game is always tough, and we’re still getting used to playing with everyone,” Dohse said, “I think we realize that we have a lot of potential, but we also have a lot of new girls on the team. We’re so young, but I know we’re going to be competitive. So many of us have played together since we were very little, so we’re very excited.”
Wheaton Warrenville South (1-1-0) only had three upperclassmen in the starting lineup with seniors Julia Hildebrand and Emily Calloway and junior Claire Kiple.
“With such a young group we’re looking to build continuity, so for now it’s small steps,” Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. “I thought we adjusted well from our first game against Batavia.”
Wheaton Academy, which earned a tie in the rivalry last season but hasn’t beaten the Tigers in at least the past three seasons, did little offensively in the first half. But the Warriors came out strong in the second half, peppering Wheaton Warrenville South goalkeeper Abbie Brennan with shots in the first few minutes.
“I thought (Wheaton Warrenville South) did a nice job and made things difficult for us,” Warriors coach Jeff Brooke said. “We created some better opportunities as the game went on. It’s so early right now still, so this was a good challenge for us, and we’ll keep working on getting better.”
The Warriors nearly were awarded a penalty kick in the 47th minute, but had to settle for a free kick just outside the box. Senior Emmerson Fuller took it but her shot was well off target.
A few minutes later the Tigers scored what would prove to be the game winner in the 51st minute.
It wasn’t the prettiest goal, but the timing could not have been better for sophomore Allie Anderson and the Tigers. Knowing full well that she had the authority to take a shot when the opportunity presented itself, Anderson lofted a long shot that she was able to deposit into the net. She was named MVP of the Match for her clutch effort.
“Coach called for play no. 1 which is to shoot so I looked for a shot and took it,” Anderson said. “I just had to have confidence in myself. The goalie was off her line so I knew I had a good chance. I was able to hit it right over her.”
Anderson felt that someone was overdue to deliver a big play, especially because of the defensive effort of her teammates.
“I think our defense really kept us in the game so we were due to do something,” she said. “In the second half we had to attack more and jump on any chances we had to shoot. I think we came out of halftime pretty motivated. We felt we just had to go for it, score one goal and that would be enough.”
It would be all they would need, although the Warriors made things interesting, especially when they nearly netted the equalized about a minute later.
Gretchen Pearson nearly delivered but her shot was deflected by goalkeeper Abbie Brennan and was redirected just enough that it hit the right post squarely and then rolled to the feet of a defender who was able to clear it.
The Warriors wouldn’t have a better scoring chance the rest of the afternoon. The Tigers scored again with 2:01 remaining to seal the victory.
Sophomore Page Miller delivered the insurance goal, taking a feed from senior Julia Martz.
“I saw an opening far post, and I had been trying to hit far post for the majority of the second half but didn’t do it,” Miller said. “When I saw this opportunity, especially with the ball on my right foot, I took it.”
Callipari certainly was thrilled to see his Tigers score, especially after struggling to put shots on frame early.
“I was a little concerned that we were replicating our first outing (against Batavia) so it took us a while to get something going,” he said. “I thought we overplayed a bit on the final third of the field but then we did a nicer job of getting organized.”
This early on in the season, and with eight underclassmen in the starting lineup, Callipari knows he has to patient with this group, but he also knows the talent is there on the field.
“We had a tough time containing central runs today, but our flank play was OK,” he said. “It was a little confusing with the ball coming to our backline, but we were able to get a toe on it every time and disrupt them and when we didn’t Abbie (Brennan) made some good saves and was deserving of the clean sheet. It’s a nice win for us going into spring break.”
The Tigers were able to minimize scoring chances from Wheaton Academy’s Gretchen Pearson and Erin Teevans, who combined for 53 goals last year.
It was the second consecutive year that the Tigers didn’t allow the Warriors to score. The teams tied 0-0 last year.
“Give Wheaton Warrenville South credit. They fought hard for those goals and played really well,” Warriors senior defender Anna Joy Setran said. “I thought we played well but they played very well too and got a nice goal even though it was far back.”
Setran said the game time being moved up from 6:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. wasn’t a factor or an excuse for coming up short.
“I think we were mentally prepared no matter what,” she said. “I thought we came out pretty hard. The weather was crazy but both teams had to play in it. Hopefully it’s better the next time we play.”
Both teams will enjoy spring break before returning to action on April 4. The Tigers will travel to Wheaton North while the Warriors will host Illiana Christian.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Abbie Brennan
D Julia Hildebrand
D Claire Kipley
D Maria Dohse
M Emily Calloway
M Evelyn Demsher
M Ellery Fahey
M Allie Anderson
M Jennifer Aalbue
F Paige Miller
F Audrey Siebert
Wheaton Academy
GK Chrislyn Herring
D Emmerson Fuller
D Rachel Doncel
D Anah Southard
D Holland Kosiek
D Izzy McNally
D Anna Joy Setran
M Maggie Liechty
M Gretchen Pearson
F Sophie Lindquist
F Erin Teevans
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Allie Anderson, so., M, Wheaton Warrenville South
Officials: Mario L. Castillo, Mario. N. Castillo, Brett Richter
Tigers 2nd half scores lead to 2-0 victory
By Chris Walker
WEST CHICAGO – Wheaton Warrenville South's Maria Dohse wasn’t thinking about the 30-degree weather Wednesday afternoon at Wheaton Academy.
“I’m wearing my Under Armour, and with that, and as much adrenalin and excitement to be playing here, the weather didn’t bother me at all,” she said. “It was actually warmer than I thought.”
She might have been the only one who felt that way.
While her Under Armour helped her feel comfortable despite the frigid conditions, she certainly helped fellow sophomore Abbie Brennan feel comfortable in net, as the Tigers were selfish all afternoon, consistently disrupting Wheaton Academy whenever it got into the final third of the field, and using that stingy defense to post a 2-0 shutout.
“This was a good matchup for us, and they’re a great team so this is a nice win,” Dohse said. “We seemed to control them in the first half, but they came out strong in the second half. They pressured us, which we expected. We did whatever we could to get the shut out, and with a wider field we tried to get the ball wide. I thought we did a nice job of that.”
After dropping its season opener gainst Batavia, the Tigers were thrilled to pick up victory no. 1, especially during a year where they feel they should be able to pile up plenty of victories.
“I think the first game is always tough, and we’re still getting used to playing with everyone,” Dohse said, “I think we realize that we have a lot of potential, but we also have a lot of new girls on the team. We’re so young, but I know we’re going to be competitive. So many of us have played together since we were very little, so we’re very excited.”
Wheaton Warrenville South (1-1-0) only had three upperclassmen in the starting lineup with seniors Julia Hildebrand and Emily Calloway and junior Claire Kiple.
“With such a young group we’re looking to build continuity, so for now it’s small steps,” Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. “I thought we adjusted well from our first game against Batavia.”
Wheaton Academy, which earned a tie in the rivalry last season but hasn’t beaten the Tigers in at least the past three seasons, did little offensively in the first half. But the Warriors came out strong in the second half, peppering Wheaton Warrenville South goalkeeper Abbie Brennan with shots in the first few minutes.
“I thought (Wheaton Warrenville South) did a nice job and made things difficult for us,” Warriors coach Jeff Brooke said. “We created some better opportunities as the game went on. It’s so early right now still, so this was a good challenge for us, and we’ll keep working on getting better.”
The Warriors nearly were awarded a penalty kick in the 47th minute, but had to settle for a free kick just outside the box. Senior Emmerson Fuller took it but her shot was well off target.
A few minutes later the Tigers scored what would prove to be the game winner in the 51st minute.
It wasn’t the prettiest goal, but the timing could not have been better for sophomore Allie Anderson and the Tigers. Knowing full well that she had the authority to take a shot when the opportunity presented itself, Anderson lofted a long shot that she was able to deposit into the net. She was named MVP of the Match for her clutch effort.
“Coach called for play no. 1 which is to shoot so I looked for a shot and took it,” Anderson said. “I just had to have confidence in myself. The goalie was off her line so I knew I had a good chance. I was able to hit it right over her.”
Anderson felt that someone was overdue to deliver a big play, especially because of the defensive effort of her teammates.
“I think our defense really kept us in the game so we were due to do something,” she said. “In the second half we had to attack more and jump on any chances we had to shoot. I think we came out of halftime pretty motivated. We felt we just had to go for it, score one goal and that would be enough.”
It would be all they would need, although the Warriors made things interesting, especially when they nearly netted the equalized about a minute later.
Gretchen Pearson nearly delivered but her shot was deflected by goalkeeper Abbie Brennan and was redirected just enough that it hit the right post squarely and then rolled to the feet of a defender who was able to clear it.
The Warriors wouldn’t have a better scoring chance the rest of the afternoon. The Tigers scored again with 2:01 remaining to seal the victory.
Sophomore Page Miller delivered the insurance goal, taking a feed from senior Julia Martz.
“I saw an opening far post, and I had been trying to hit far post for the majority of the second half but didn’t do it,” Miller said. “When I saw this opportunity, especially with the ball on my right foot, I took it.”
Callipari certainly was thrilled to see his Tigers score, especially after struggling to put shots on frame early.
“I was a little concerned that we were replicating our first outing (against Batavia) so it took us a while to get something going,” he said. “I thought we overplayed a bit on the final third of the field but then we did a nicer job of getting organized.”
This early on in the season, and with eight underclassmen in the starting lineup, Callipari knows he has to patient with this group, but he also knows the talent is there on the field.
“We had a tough time containing central runs today, but our flank play was OK,” he said. “It was a little confusing with the ball coming to our backline, but we were able to get a toe on it every time and disrupt them and when we didn’t Abbie (Brennan) made some good saves and was deserving of the clean sheet. It’s a nice win for us going into spring break.”
The Tigers were able to minimize scoring chances from Wheaton Academy’s Gretchen Pearson and Erin Teevans, who combined for 53 goals last year.
It was the second consecutive year that the Tigers didn’t allow the Warriors to score. The teams tied 0-0 last year.
“Give Wheaton Warrenville South credit. They fought hard for those goals and played really well,” Warriors senior defender Anna Joy Setran said. “I thought we played well but they played very well too and got a nice goal even though it was far back.”
Setran said the game time being moved up from 6:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. wasn’t a factor or an excuse for coming up short.
“I think we were mentally prepared no matter what,” she said. “I thought we came out pretty hard. The weather was crazy but both teams had to play in it. Hopefully it’s better the next time we play.”
Both teams will enjoy spring break before returning to action on April 4. The Tigers will travel to Wheaton North while the Warriors will host Illiana Christian.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Abbie Brennan
D Julia Hildebrand
D Claire Kipley
D Maria Dohse
M Emily Calloway
M Evelyn Demsher
M Ellery Fahey
M Allie Anderson
M Jennifer Aalbue
F Paige Miller
F Audrey Siebert
Wheaton Academy
GK Chrislyn Herring
D Emmerson Fuller
D Rachel Doncel
D Anah Southard
D Holland Kosiek
D Izzy McNally
D Anna Joy Setran
M Maggie Liechty
M Gretchen Pearson
F Sophie Lindquist
F Erin Teevans
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Allie Anderson, so., M, Wheaton Warrenville South
Officials: Mario L. Castillo, Mario. N. Castillo, Brett Richter