LAKE FOREST— Take a bow, Chloe Hvostik.

Now take another one to match the number of goals you scored Wednesday afternoon.

The Lake Forest sophomore midfielder came off the bench to record a brace — her first two goals of the season — in the Scouts’ 3-1 defeat of visiting Glenbrook South in the Group C finale for both teams in the  5th annual Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic.

“I love to play,” said Hvostik, who scored in the 19th and 67th minutes in gusty and unseasonably warm conditions atop the turf at the school’s west campus. “Whenever I’m out there, I leave it all on the field.”

A superb corner kick from Lake Forest junior midfielder Lainey Tabor preceded Hvostik’s first tally. The ball somehow eluded a phalanx of feet as it skipped along the turf and in front of Titans junior goalkeeper Lyndsey Mack (one save).

But a charging Hvostik caught up to it and redirected a three-yard shot into the net to open the scoring.

Her second goal pinged iron and simultaneously drowned out the sound of the stadium’s wind-whipped American flag.

Hvostik had gathered a feed from reserve junior midfielder Elizabeth Flynn before ripping a high 25-yarder that clanged off the far post and dropped in to give Lake Forest (3-2-1) its final margin.

“Chloe has a good shot,” Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager said. “She’s aggressive and wants to move forward. She’s not afraid to get in the mix of things. She never shies away from contact.”

Take a third bow, Chloe.

You earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.

Glenbrook South (5-6-0) lost its third tournament game in a row but scored its first goal in the tournament in the 40th
minute, only a little more than a minute after Lake Forest took a 2-0 lead via a 20-yard, high volley off the right foot of junior back Hanna Sands.

Reserve junior midfielder Madison Wessel and her tireless class and field mate Claire Baim combined for the Titans’ goal. Wessel began dribbling near midfield before sliding an in-stride pass to the darting Baim.

“I was near the six when I saw tons of space to my left,” Baim said. “All I had to do was dink it in.”

The assist was Wessel’s first of the season.

The assist on Sand’s goal came from Lake Forest senior midfielder Amelia Fontana. That goal, like Hvostik’s first score, developed from a corner kick.
Lake Forest out-cornered South 3-0 and and converted two of them for a dandy success rate of .667.

“Lake Forest capitalized on their corner kicks,” Wessel said. 

“Lake Forest,” Baim added, “is very good at switching their point of attack.”

Lake Forest received sturdy defensive efforts from sophomore Ryan Rice and senior Sophie Benjakul in front of junior keeper Sarah Constantine (five saves).

Rice, listed as a midfielder, last played as a defender for Stuckslager back in her U14 Lake Forest Soccer Association days. Rice disrupted a number of GBS chances, including a sequence featuring Baim and Titans junior forward Sofia Sommer in the 37th minute.

Rice introduced her presence to the threat and caused a turnover. She also stole a pass in the 78th minute.

“It was gritty,” Stuckslager said of his team’s showing in the challenging conditions. “I’d call it a resounding performance. It was cool for me, but that’s easy for me to say, because all I did
was stand along a sideline. My players had to run around on the turf under the hot sun for 80 minutes.

“We also played intelligently. Glenbrook South got off some lengthy services, but Sarah (Constantine) did a nice job coming up and thwarting many of those.”

Both squads competed admirably in the August-like weather in mid-April.

“Our mindset was to keep pushing from one minute to the next,” Sands, a snazzy dribbler, said. “It was hot, and everyone was exhausted. But we were determined not to let the heat get to us. And with the wind, we had to be aware at all times and
expect the unexpected.”

Rice’s approach was part simple, part animated.

“I think it’s best to not think at all while playing on a day like today,” she said. “All I wanted to do was to go out there and have fun.”

Glenbrook South’s goal Wednesday afternoon was its first since it defeated host Maine West 3-2 April 6.

“We’re not creating enough opportunities … not enough dangerous opportunities,” Titans coach Mark Daniels said.

Lake Forest, which ranks as an honorable mention team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rankings, finished Group C play with a 1-1-1 record. Glenbrook South finished winless. Third-ranked Lyons (3-0-0) topped the group to advance to the semis against no. 5 New Trier. Twenty-fifth ranked Loyola (1-1-1) edged Lake Forest for second place in the pool on a tie-breaker — two shutouts to Lake Forest’s one.

Glenbrook South and Lake Forest will each face an opponent to be determined in their tourney finales Saturday.

Lake Forest after-tournament dance card features Waukegan in a North Suburban Conference home game on Tuesday at 4:45 p.m.; Glenbrook South visits Malnati’s semifinalist Evanston, which is ranked seventh, in a Central Suburban League South Division game at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Footnotes

Both squads  settled for a tie in blows to the nose, with one apiece on Wednesday afternoon. Lake Forest’s Flynn suffered hers in the 22nd minute, and Glenbrook South senior back Jackie Stadler, who played spirited defense down the stretch, absorbed her injury with five seconds left in the game. Both were bloodied before being treated by the on-site trainer. Flynn returned to action and provided the assist on the final goal of the game. … Glenbrook South’s Wessel, who has netted three goals in 2023, was asked to choose a word that best describes the Titans through 11 games this spring: “Perseverance,” she said. “That’s a good word,” said Baim. “We’re all committed and we all work really hard.”

 

Starting lineups

Glenbrook South
GK Lyndsey Mack
D Emily Ibarra
D Katie Condon
D Christina Papadatos
D Eva Pappas
D Adyson Clemen
MF Claire Baim
MF Kiki Patton
F Jackie Milott
F Chloe Beach
F Sofia Sommer

Lake Forest
GK Sarah Constantine
D Sophie Benjakul
D Hanna Sands
D Ava Walsh
D Ryan Rice
MF Amelia Fontana
MF Lainey Tabor
MF Sophia Gauthier
F Kendall Snodgrass
F Maeve Bradley
F Maddie Cummins

Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Chloe Hvostik, so., MF, Lake Forest

Scoring summary

First half
LF: Hvostik (Tabor), 19’
LF: Sands (Fontana), 39’
GBS: Baim (Madison Wessel), 40’

Second half
LF: Hvostik (Elizabeth Flynn), 67’