Weary Young battles Payton to draw
Dolphins remain undefeated in CPL Premier Division
By Patrick Z McGavin
CHICAGO — By her own admission Cameron Herman needed to take a deep breath, and let her opportunity unfold in time rather than try to force the issue.
The Young defender took a through-ball off a counter late in the Dolphins’ key matchup with Payton and advanced the ball down the right flank in the 76th minute. Caught up in the possibility, Herman made a natural decision to take her shot.
Payton keeper Hannah Lynn was forced out of position, and the net was vulnerable. The ball was just pushed wide, skipping in wet grass and marking yet another note of futility for the Dolphins.
“I probably should have taken another touch and made the keeper come out and try to deny the ball and get an even better angle,” Herman said. “That moment was just kind of representative of the whole game for us. We needed to not play rushed or impulsive and just let the game come to us.”
In a marquee Chicago Public League game, the Dolphins put together some strong play and found themselves knocking on the door. But they failed to piece together a final touch and played to a 0-0 draw with the Grizzlies on Wednesday at Rockne Stadium.
The Chicago Public League does not play overtime during the regular season.
Playing its second game in less than 24 hours, Young (4-3-1, 1-0-1 Premier) looked skittery and out of sorts. The Dolphins mustered chances and held the ball a good amount but failed to carry out the necessary progression for success.
“I felt like we had the better attacking chances, but I don’t feel as though we played the better game,” Young coach Spero Mandakas said. “We had the more dangerous opportunities, but they were beating us to the 50-50 balls. I actually thought we played kind of timid.”
Herman played a stellar game for the Dolphins. The Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match helped neutralize the Grizzlies (2-2-1, 0-0-1) and prevent an upset. In context her shot made sense. She was trying to make a play on the day that windy conditions and a wet grass field made hard to negotiate and treacherous to carry out long possessions.
“We were coming into that point where we could have gotten a better angle, taken one more touch or attacked the endline to play a negative ball and have some of our runners made a play on the ball,” Mandakas said.
A string of injuries — three concussed players, another who suffered a broken arm and another who tore her meniscus — has significantly depleted the Dolphins’ depth. The early season schedule, workable but also somewhat unyielding, has accelerated the fatigue.
“We were a little heavy legged,” Mandakas said.
Even in the team’s blowout of Maine East on Tuesday, most of the regulars had to play the entire game.
Young’s best player, midfielder Gaby Schwartz, again orchestrated the attack for the Dolphins. She generated two excellent first half chances. Her most effective work was a free-kick just inside the 18 that Lynn made a sharp diving stop on.
In the 52nd minute, Schwartz played a free-kick that forward Sloane Kistinger controlled and had Lynn out of position. But freshman Payton defender Brigitte Joyce pounced on the loose ball in the box and cleared it off the line.
In the Public League hierarchy, Payton has been a notch below. That exception came when current Michigan All-American Corinne Harris played for the Grizzlies and led them to a city title). On Wednesday, Payton wanted to make its own statement against a team that has reached the city final 4-of-the-last-5 years.
“We came in not knowing what to expect, but we heard a lot about them,” junior midfielder Hannah Lowenthal said. “I think we just kept the intensity up the whole game, and we proved that we’re not just a small school and that we are able to play with them.”
Lowenthal was the Grizzlies’ top offensive threat. She plays with moxie and poise and continually found ways to puncture the Dolphins’ backline and create her scoring chances. She had a decent shot in the first half from the right edge but pushed it. Psychologically, she almost wanted it too much.
“I think I got into the mindset that this is one of our biggest rivals, and I just pushed it until the very end,” Lowenthal said.
“I got a little frustrated with myself for not finishing some of those, but at the same time I was happy that we had the chances.”
Young and Lane have a hammer hold on the rest of the city. Not playing afraid is the biggest hurdle the rest of the league faces. Payton surmounted that challenge.
“It was a classic Young and Payton game,” Grizzlies’ coach Paul Escobar said. “Both teams played extremely hard. Both teams were extremely technical. Neither team wanted to lose, and that’s the reason we had the draw.”
Before the game Escobar emphasized discipline. Payton followed his lead. Young’s fatigue and the slow-playing surface of the grass field at Rockne neutralized any Dolphins’ advantage.
“I think it was also partly a little familiarity we had with some of their team,” Escobar said.
Payton maintained the pressure and when called upon took every shot Young delivered. With Lowenthal patrolling the middle, Payton matched the Dolphins athletically and never wilted.
“They outworked us,” Mandakas said. “Credit to them. They played a great game and kept us out of the goal. At the same time, at the end [with Lowenthal] we were lucky they didn’t get one in.”
Mandakas saw a final bright spot.
“We got out of here with a point [in the conference standings], and we have 6-or-7 girls who have played 160 minutes the last two days.”
Starting line-ups
Payton
GK: Hannah Lynn
D: Emi Stearn
D: Natalie Van Mell
D: Cami Grandjean
D: Annie Bonebrake
MF: Lily Blender
MF: Olivia Klein
MF: Vivian Gasca
MF: Hannah Lowenthal
F: Olive Welsh
F: Blair Ellis
Young
GK: Sarah Heise
D: Cameron Herman
D: Elsa Schlensker
D: Mariah Helm
D: Quinn Gorman
MF: Madison Ekern
MF: Gabrielle Cattan
MF: Gaby Schwartz
F: Kyra Sobel
F: Sara Woods
F: Sloane Kistinger
MVP of the match: Cameron Herman, D, Young
Dolphins remain undefeated in CPL Premier Division
By Patrick Z McGavin
CHICAGO — By her own admission Cameron Herman needed to take a deep breath, and let her opportunity unfold in time rather than try to force the issue.
The Young defender took a through-ball off a counter late in the Dolphins’ key matchup with Payton and advanced the ball down the right flank in the 76th minute. Caught up in the possibility, Herman made a natural decision to take her shot.
Payton keeper Hannah Lynn was forced out of position, and the net was vulnerable. The ball was just pushed wide, skipping in wet grass and marking yet another note of futility for the Dolphins.
“I probably should have taken another touch and made the keeper come out and try to deny the ball and get an even better angle,” Herman said. “That moment was just kind of representative of the whole game for us. We needed to not play rushed or impulsive and just let the game come to us.”
In a marquee Chicago Public League game, the Dolphins put together some strong play and found themselves knocking on the door. But they failed to piece together a final touch and played to a 0-0 draw with the Grizzlies on Wednesday at Rockne Stadium.
The Chicago Public League does not play overtime during the regular season.
Playing its second game in less than 24 hours, Young (4-3-1, 1-0-1 Premier) looked skittery and out of sorts. The Dolphins mustered chances and held the ball a good amount but failed to carry out the necessary progression for success.
“I felt like we had the better attacking chances, but I don’t feel as though we played the better game,” Young coach Spero Mandakas said. “We had the more dangerous opportunities, but they were beating us to the 50-50 balls. I actually thought we played kind of timid.”
Herman played a stellar game for the Dolphins. The Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match helped neutralize the Grizzlies (2-2-1, 0-0-1) and prevent an upset. In context her shot made sense. She was trying to make a play on the day that windy conditions and a wet grass field made hard to negotiate and treacherous to carry out long possessions.
“We were coming into that point where we could have gotten a better angle, taken one more touch or attacked the endline to play a negative ball and have some of our runners made a play on the ball,” Mandakas said.
A string of injuries — three concussed players, another who suffered a broken arm and another who tore her meniscus — has significantly depleted the Dolphins’ depth. The early season schedule, workable but also somewhat unyielding, has accelerated the fatigue.
“We were a little heavy legged,” Mandakas said.
Even in the team’s blowout of Maine East on Tuesday, most of the regulars had to play the entire game.
Young’s best player, midfielder Gaby Schwartz, again orchestrated the attack for the Dolphins. She generated two excellent first half chances. Her most effective work was a free-kick just inside the 18 that Lynn made a sharp diving stop on.
In the 52nd minute, Schwartz played a free-kick that forward Sloane Kistinger controlled and had Lynn out of position. But freshman Payton defender Brigitte Joyce pounced on the loose ball in the box and cleared it off the line.
In the Public League hierarchy, Payton has been a notch below. That exception came when current Michigan All-American Corinne Harris played for the Grizzlies and led them to a city title). On Wednesday, Payton wanted to make its own statement against a team that has reached the city final 4-of-the-last-5 years.
“We came in not knowing what to expect, but we heard a lot about them,” junior midfielder Hannah Lowenthal said. “I think we just kept the intensity up the whole game, and we proved that we’re not just a small school and that we are able to play with them.”
Lowenthal was the Grizzlies’ top offensive threat. She plays with moxie and poise and continually found ways to puncture the Dolphins’ backline and create her scoring chances. She had a decent shot in the first half from the right edge but pushed it. Psychologically, she almost wanted it too much.
“I think I got into the mindset that this is one of our biggest rivals, and I just pushed it until the very end,” Lowenthal said.
“I got a little frustrated with myself for not finishing some of those, but at the same time I was happy that we had the chances.”
Young and Lane have a hammer hold on the rest of the city. Not playing afraid is the biggest hurdle the rest of the league faces. Payton surmounted that challenge.
“It was a classic Young and Payton game,” Grizzlies’ coach Paul Escobar said. “Both teams played extremely hard. Both teams were extremely technical. Neither team wanted to lose, and that’s the reason we had the draw.”
Before the game Escobar emphasized discipline. Payton followed his lead. Young’s fatigue and the slow-playing surface of the grass field at Rockne neutralized any Dolphins’ advantage.
“I think it was also partly a little familiarity we had with some of their team,” Escobar said.
Payton maintained the pressure and when called upon took every shot Young delivered. With Lowenthal patrolling the middle, Payton matched the Dolphins athletically and never wilted.
“They outworked us,” Mandakas said. “Credit to them. They played a great game and kept us out of the goal. At the same time, at the end [with Lowenthal] we were lucky they didn’t get one in.”
Mandakas saw a final bright spot.
“We got out of here with a point [in the conference standings], and we have 6-or-7 girls who have played 160 minutes the last two days.”
Starting line-ups
Payton
GK: Hannah Lynn
D: Emi Stearn
D: Natalie Van Mell
D: Cami Grandjean
D: Annie Bonebrake
MF: Lily Blender
MF: Olivia Klein
MF: Vivian Gasca
MF: Hannah Lowenthal
F: Olive Welsh
F: Blair Ellis
Young
GK: Sarah Heise
D: Cameron Herman
D: Elsa Schlensker
D: Mariah Helm
D: Quinn Gorman
MF: Madison Ekern
MF: Gabrielle Cattan
MF: Gaby Schwartz
F: Kyra Sobel
F: Sara Woods
F: Sloane Kistinger
MVP of the match: Cameron Herman, D, Young
