WWS stays on roll, edges Naperville C.
Fahey's rebound gives Tigers 1-0 road win, 5th-straight victory
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Wheaton Warrenville South junior Ellery Fahey scored the soccer version of a greasy goal Tuesday night.
That proved to be comfort food for the visiting Tigers, but it left host Naperville Central feeling a little sick.
Fahey’s goal, which came when she poked home her own rebound in the 29th minute, was good enough for Wheaton Warrenville South to pull off a 1-0 DuPage Valley Conference victory at Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers (7-1-0, 2-0-0) moved within a half-game of idle Neuqua Valley in the DVC standings. The Tigers and Wildcats are the only teams that remain unbeaten in league action.
The victory continued a surprisingly strong start for Wheaton Warrenville South, which won its fifth-straight game and jumped up 16 spots to no. 7 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 after a strong win against Metea Valley last week.
All the success is a bit of a surprise. The Tigers were 9-10-1 in 2017 with primarily the same roster.
“It’s great coming back from last year,” Fahey said. “We didn’t really do too well last year even though it’s kind of the same crowd, but we’re really looking to improve.
“At the end of last season we were kind of bummed, so going into this season we were really fired up. We wanted to do well, so it wasn’t really a surprise that we worked together and started well.”
It also wasn't a shock that scoring opportunities were few and far between in this match-up of great defensive teams, neither of which has an accomplished attacker.
Even Fahey’s goal was not a golden chance, but she made the most of it to notch her second goal of the season and earn MVP of the Match honors.
Paige Miller snuck a pass in behind the defense to Fahey, who had a step on her mark on the right side of the box. Fahey fired a low shot from a tough angle, and Naperville Central sophomore goalkeeper Sophie Epelbaum dived and stopped it.
But the rebound caromed in front, and Fahey beat her and a defender to the loose ball to score the game-winner.
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“Their defense was dropping pretty far back, so it was hard to get through-balls through,” Fahey said. “So we just had to outrun them and stay on them.
“That (play) was a tough one. The angle was hard, and my shot wasn’t really that good, but I just followed up.”
Though the Tigers had other chances, Fahey’s strike was all they needed. Jennifer (J.J.) Aalbue and Allie Anderson excelled in the midfield, and Wheaton Warrenville South’s backline led by Claire Kiple, Maria Dohse and Sam Buol was outstanding, allowing only two shots.
Naperville Central's Jessica Sonner and Caroline Reedy were the players who took the tries. Both came from distance and were easily handled by goalkeeper Abbie Brennan, who recorded her fifth shutout.
“They didn’t have that striker who can take the game on her shoulders in the final third,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “We had to be careful on the free kicks, because that’s when you can allow them to get numbers forward in a set piece, and they’re going to be good on those.”
Callipari needn’t have worried because his Tigers did not concede any corner kicks nor any restarts within 40 yards of the goal. That more than made up for their offensive struggles.
“(The Redhawks) are tough to break down, because they back into the spaces efficiently, and they cover in numbers, and we weren’t as good as we have been all year in taking good looks and testing the keeper today,” Callipari said. “It showed that we had five days off.
“We were a little discombobulated, out of sync. But I thought J.J. and Allie stepped up and played exceptionally well, and the back four did a nice job of coordinating and covering and making things predictable for Abbie in the goal.”
The offensive woes have become all too predictable for Naperville Central coach Ed Watson, whose team was shut out for the fifth time this season.
It was the third 1-0 loss for the Redhawks (5-7-0, 1-3-0), who now have dropped three-straight games.
“I think we’re just in a little bit of a slump,” Naperville Central goalie Erin McHugh said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries. I think we have six of our starters out. We got one (Jessica Sonner) back today, because she came back from a college visit.
“I think that this slump will actually help us get better in the end because if we can keep up with teams like Wheaton Warrenville South, which is a very good team, when we don’t have our full lineup, then we know that when things like the Naperville Invite and the state series come up, things are going to get better for us.”
McHugh, a senior who has split time between the pipes with Epelbaum since starter Amber Hunter went down with a season-ending knee injury in the second game of the season, was a bright spot for the Redhawks.
McHugh replaced Epelbaum at halftime and stopped six shots in the final 40 minutes, including two stops apiece on Miller and Anderson.
“I would say it was one of my better games,” McHugh said. “Before the game I was really excited.
“When I have the passion, I get my teammates up to speed and hyped up. I know my defense was hyped, but we just couldn’t find the goal.”
Only three teams have found a goal against the Tigers, who have conceded just five times so far.
“One special part about our team is we’ve always been really, really close friends on and off the field,” Kiple said. “The backline, we always like to think of ourselves as a family.
“Personally, I think it’s a lot easier playing around your friends because there is a lot more trust. So to know that someone has your back and they’re playing for you and you’re playing for them, I think it makes for a really strong overall team.”
So does the Tigers effort.
“We’re working really hard this season because we kind of thought of ourselves as underdogs,” Kiple said. “Before tryouts even started we were talking to each other and said 'Look, we’re going to put in all the work this year because last year was hard to see.'
“We just wanted to come together, and it’s really been paying off.”
The payoff has yet to come for Naperville Central, but McHugh believes it is only a matter of time.
“We’ve seen it. We beat (currently 10th-ranked) St. Francis 3-1, so we have goals in us,” McHugh said. “We have scorers like Hannah Bradley-Leon and really good forwards, and Jess Sonner is a very good asset. So once we get one goal I think the rest of them will come.
“I think the snowball effect will kick off very soon. We do have a lot of passion, and I know it will drive goals, and in the end we will be successful.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Abbie Brennan
D Claire Kiple
D Maria Dohse
D Sam Buol
M Molly Fank
M Evelyn Demsher
M Jennifer Aalbue
M Melisa Hadzic
M Allie Anderson
F Morgan Schwerin
F Paige Miller
Naperville Central
GK Sophie Epelbaum
D Emma Irle
D Sarah Scoles
D Abbey Hillman
D Caroline Giannone
M Sarah Avery
M Jessica Sonner
M Maddie Mills
M Hannah Bradley-Leon
F Caroline Reedy
F Katie Anderson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Ellery Fahey, jr., M, Wheaton Warrenville South
Scoring summary
1st Half
WW South – Ellery Fahey 29th minute
Fahey's rebound gives Tigers 1-0 road win, 5th-straight victory
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Wheaton Warrenville South junior Ellery Fahey scored the soccer version of a greasy goal Tuesday night.
That proved to be comfort food for the visiting Tigers, but it left host Naperville Central feeling a little sick.
Fahey’s goal, which came when she poked home her own rebound in the 29th minute, was good enough for Wheaton Warrenville South to pull off a 1-0 DuPage Valley Conference victory at Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers (7-1-0, 2-0-0) moved within a half-game of idle Neuqua Valley in the DVC standings. The Tigers and Wildcats are the only teams that remain unbeaten in league action.
The victory continued a surprisingly strong start for Wheaton Warrenville South, which won its fifth-straight game and jumped up 16 spots to no. 7 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 after a strong win against Metea Valley last week.
All the success is a bit of a surprise. The Tigers were 9-10-1 in 2017 with primarily the same roster.
“It’s great coming back from last year,” Fahey said. “We didn’t really do too well last year even though it’s kind of the same crowd, but we’re really looking to improve.
“At the end of last season we were kind of bummed, so going into this season we were really fired up. We wanted to do well, so it wasn’t really a surprise that we worked together and started well.”
It also wasn't a shock that scoring opportunities were few and far between in this match-up of great defensive teams, neither of which has an accomplished attacker.
Even Fahey’s goal was not a golden chance, but she made the most of it to notch her second goal of the season and earn MVP of the Match honors.
Paige Miller snuck a pass in behind the defense to Fahey, who had a step on her mark on the right side of the box. Fahey fired a low shot from a tough angle, and Naperville Central sophomore goalkeeper Sophie Epelbaum dived and stopped it.
But the rebound caromed in front, and Fahey beat her and a defender to the loose ball to score the game-winner.
f
“Their defense was dropping pretty far back, so it was hard to get through-balls through,” Fahey said. “So we just had to outrun them and stay on them.
“That (play) was a tough one. The angle was hard, and my shot wasn’t really that good, but I just followed up.”
Though the Tigers had other chances, Fahey’s strike was all they needed. Jennifer (J.J.) Aalbue and Allie Anderson excelled in the midfield, and Wheaton Warrenville South’s backline led by Claire Kiple, Maria Dohse and Sam Buol was outstanding, allowing only two shots.
Naperville Central's Jessica Sonner and Caroline Reedy were the players who took the tries. Both came from distance and were easily handled by goalkeeper Abbie Brennan, who recorded her fifth shutout.
“They didn’t have that striker who can take the game on her shoulders in the final third,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “We had to be careful on the free kicks, because that’s when you can allow them to get numbers forward in a set piece, and they’re going to be good on those.”
Callipari needn’t have worried because his Tigers did not concede any corner kicks nor any restarts within 40 yards of the goal. That more than made up for their offensive struggles.
“(The Redhawks) are tough to break down, because they back into the spaces efficiently, and they cover in numbers, and we weren’t as good as we have been all year in taking good looks and testing the keeper today,” Callipari said. “It showed that we had five days off.
“We were a little discombobulated, out of sync. But I thought J.J. and Allie stepped up and played exceptionally well, and the back four did a nice job of coordinating and covering and making things predictable for Abbie in the goal.”
The offensive woes have become all too predictable for Naperville Central coach Ed Watson, whose team was shut out for the fifth time this season.
It was the third 1-0 loss for the Redhawks (5-7-0, 1-3-0), who now have dropped three-straight games.
“I think we’re just in a little bit of a slump,” Naperville Central goalie Erin McHugh said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries. I think we have six of our starters out. We got one (Jessica Sonner) back today, because she came back from a college visit.
“I think that this slump will actually help us get better in the end because if we can keep up with teams like Wheaton Warrenville South, which is a very good team, when we don’t have our full lineup, then we know that when things like the Naperville Invite and the state series come up, things are going to get better for us.”
McHugh, a senior who has split time between the pipes with Epelbaum since starter Amber Hunter went down with a season-ending knee injury in the second game of the season, was a bright spot for the Redhawks.
McHugh replaced Epelbaum at halftime and stopped six shots in the final 40 minutes, including two stops apiece on Miller and Anderson.
“I would say it was one of my better games,” McHugh said. “Before the game I was really excited.
“When I have the passion, I get my teammates up to speed and hyped up. I know my defense was hyped, but we just couldn’t find the goal.”
Only three teams have found a goal against the Tigers, who have conceded just five times so far.
“One special part about our team is we’ve always been really, really close friends on and off the field,” Kiple said. “The backline, we always like to think of ourselves as a family.
“Personally, I think it’s a lot easier playing around your friends because there is a lot more trust. So to know that someone has your back and they’re playing for you and you’re playing for them, I think it makes for a really strong overall team.”
So does the Tigers effort.
“We’re working really hard this season because we kind of thought of ourselves as underdogs,” Kiple said. “Before tryouts even started we were talking to each other and said 'Look, we’re going to put in all the work this year because last year was hard to see.'
“We just wanted to come together, and it’s really been paying off.”
The payoff has yet to come for Naperville Central, but McHugh believes it is only a matter of time.
“We’ve seen it. We beat (currently 10th-ranked) St. Francis 3-1, so we have goals in us,” McHugh said. “We have scorers like Hannah Bradley-Leon and really good forwards, and Jess Sonner is a very good asset. So once we get one goal I think the rest of them will come.
“I think the snowball effect will kick off very soon. We do have a lot of passion, and I know it will drive goals, and in the end we will be successful.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Abbie Brennan
D Claire Kiple
D Maria Dohse
D Sam Buol
M Molly Fank
M Evelyn Demsher
M Jennifer Aalbue
M Melisa Hadzic
M Allie Anderson
F Morgan Schwerin
F Paige Miller
Naperville Central
GK Sophie Epelbaum
D Emma Irle
D Sarah Scoles
D Abbey Hillman
D Caroline Giannone
M Sarah Avery
M Jessica Sonner
M Maddie Mills
M Hannah Bradley-Leon
F Caroline Reedy
F Katie Anderson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Ellery Fahey, jr., M, Wheaton Warrenville South
Scoring summary
1st Half
WW South – Ellery Fahey 29th minute