Fremd stands in the way
of Barrington’s MLS perfection
By Steve Nemeth
Barrington may have already secured its fifth-straight appearance in the Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl, but Fremd can keep the Fillies from another feat -- an unblemished league record.
Ranked no. 2 in this week’s Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 Poll, Barrington lost its top ranking and had an 11-match win streak when Naperville North avenged a 1-0 season-opening loss to the Fillies by the same score in the Naperville Invitational semifinals.
Since then, coach Ryan Stengren’s squad bounced back with league wins over Elk Grove (8-0) and Prospect (3-0) and has now accrued a 14-2-1 overall record and a perfect 10-0-0 ledger in league play.
Fremd has put an 0-3-2 start in its rearview mirror with five wins in its last seven outings to stand 6-5-4 and 4-1-4 after a 7-0 road thumping of Wheeling on Wednesday.
Vikings coach Steve Keller is aware of the challenge facing his crew.
“I expect to see one of the best teams in the state as befitting their ranking,” Keller noted. “They will be organized and dangerous, so we have to be on top of our game. Little mistakes need to be minimized for us to have a chance to win.”
That’s not to say Fremd is or would ever concede its home pitch to any opponent. And 4-of-the-last-5 team triumphs have come via shutouts.
“We have a strong backline that is good at cleaning things up,” junior goalie Kelsie Stone said. “Julia (Szylke) is strong in the back and makes it difficult for opponents to get through the backline.”
Teammate Courtney Baker echoed those beliefs.
“Julia is one of the strongest defenders around. She tackles the ball hard and is not afraid to get in the way of any opponent,” Baker added. “We really have a strong backline that works incredibly well together and communicates to the rest of the team what needs to be done to stop an attack.
"And Kelsie is very aggressive and not scared to attack the ball in and outside of the box. She gives the team a sense of security that allows us to play the best we can.”
Senior Kellie Halloran has seen the same positives from a midfield vantage point.
“(Kelsie’s) saves are incredible, and she keeps our team motivated and focused during games,” Halloran said. “She’s an amazing goalie and has really helped keep our team afloat in key games.
“I think our team definitely had a rough start to the season, but I’m proud of the way we’ve improved and learned to play together,” Halloran continued. “We had to get used to playing with each other and once we figured out how to mesh as a team, we really started to get the results we wanted.”
It’s all part of a maturation process that has boosted Fremd’s confidence.
“I wish we could have finished a few of our early games with wins instead of ties, but I think that our season has gone pretty well,” Baker stated. “If we could be back in week two and have another shot at some of those games I think we could have a better record.”
While Keller doesn’t disagree, he simply looks forward to tonight’s game and the postseason.
“With a lot of new faces, it took some time to come together,” Keller said. “But our team has learned what style of play is going to work best for our particular talents. They have bought in to the system and worked hard at communicating as a group.”
Before anyone gets the impression the Vikings are a one-sided offensive club, Emilijia Peleckas’s seven goals is tops among eight players who have found the back of opposition nets.
“Emilijia has incredible speed and agility, whether playing center mid or forward,” Baker stated. “Keeping up with her is hard work and keeping her off the scoreboard is even harder.”
“She’s really fast and will always step up to challenge the ball and has a great work ethic,” Halloran added. “She gives 100% every game and continually makes runs and finds our through-balls.”
However, scoring has been difficult against Barrington in general. The Fillies have outscored their opponents 70-9. Their last two wins are among the 13 times they recorded shutouts.
As junior midfielder Anna Brodijan noted following a hard-fought 1-0 Naperville Invitational win over Hinsdale Central: “Our backline has been the strength of our team right from the beginning, and now that we have (goalkeeper) Samantha (Schmitz) back from injury, we’re even that much stronger back there.”
Barrington’s opposition in the MSL Soccer Bowl hinges on the outcome of tonight’s Buffalo Grove vs. Elk Grove contest. A Bison win puts them into Wednesday’s finale, while a loss or tie would leave Prospect as the East Division representative.
of Barrington’s MLS perfection
By Steve Nemeth
Barrington may have already secured its fifth-straight appearance in the Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl, but Fremd can keep the Fillies from another feat -- an unblemished league record.
Ranked no. 2 in this week’s Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 Poll, Barrington lost its top ranking and had an 11-match win streak when Naperville North avenged a 1-0 season-opening loss to the Fillies by the same score in the Naperville Invitational semifinals.
Since then, coach Ryan Stengren’s squad bounced back with league wins over Elk Grove (8-0) and Prospect (3-0) and has now accrued a 14-2-1 overall record and a perfect 10-0-0 ledger in league play.
Fremd has put an 0-3-2 start in its rearview mirror with five wins in its last seven outings to stand 6-5-4 and 4-1-4 after a 7-0 road thumping of Wheeling on Wednesday.
Vikings coach Steve Keller is aware of the challenge facing his crew.
“I expect to see one of the best teams in the state as befitting their ranking,” Keller noted. “They will be organized and dangerous, so we have to be on top of our game. Little mistakes need to be minimized for us to have a chance to win.”
That’s not to say Fremd is or would ever concede its home pitch to any opponent. And 4-of-the-last-5 team triumphs have come via shutouts.
“We have a strong backline that is good at cleaning things up,” junior goalie Kelsie Stone said. “Julia (Szylke) is strong in the back and makes it difficult for opponents to get through the backline.”
Teammate Courtney Baker echoed those beliefs.
“Julia is one of the strongest defenders around. She tackles the ball hard and is not afraid to get in the way of any opponent,” Baker added. “We really have a strong backline that works incredibly well together and communicates to the rest of the team what needs to be done to stop an attack.
"And Kelsie is very aggressive and not scared to attack the ball in and outside of the box. She gives the team a sense of security that allows us to play the best we can.”
Senior Kellie Halloran has seen the same positives from a midfield vantage point.
“(Kelsie’s) saves are incredible, and she keeps our team motivated and focused during games,” Halloran said. “She’s an amazing goalie and has really helped keep our team afloat in key games.
“I think our team definitely had a rough start to the season, but I’m proud of the way we’ve improved and learned to play together,” Halloran continued. “We had to get used to playing with each other and once we figured out how to mesh as a team, we really started to get the results we wanted.”
It’s all part of a maturation process that has boosted Fremd’s confidence.
“I wish we could have finished a few of our early games with wins instead of ties, but I think that our season has gone pretty well,” Baker stated. “If we could be back in week two and have another shot at some of those games I think we could have a better record.”
While Keller doesn’t disagree, he simply looks forward to tonight’s game and the postseason.
“With a lot of new faces, it took some time to come together,” Keller said. “But our team has learned what style of play is going to work best for our particular talents. They have bought in to the system and worked hard at communicating as a group.”
Before anyone gets the impression the Vikings are a one-sided offensive club, Emilijia Peleckas’s seven goals is tops among eight players who have found the back of opposition nets.
“Emilijia has incredible speed and agility, whether playing center mid or forward,” Baker stated. “Keeping up with her is hard work and keeping her off the scoreboard is even harder.”
“She’s really fast and will always step up to challenge the ball and has a great work ethic,” Halloran added. “She gives 100% every game and continually makes runs and finds our through-balls.”
However, scoring has been difficult against Barrington in general. The Fillies have outscored their opponents 70-9. Their last two wins are among the 13 times they recorded shutouts.
As junior midfielder Anna Brodijan noted following a hard-fought 1-0 Naperville Invitational win over Hinsdale Central: “Our backline has been the strength of our team right from the beginning, and now that we have (goalkeeper) Samantha (Schmitz) back from injury, we’re even that much stronger back there.”
Barrington’s opposition in the MSL Soccer Bowl hinges on the outcome of tonight’s Buffalo Grove vs. Elk Grove contest. A Bison win puts them into Wednesday’s finale, while a loss or tie would leave Prospect as the East Division representative.
