Hot Plainfield North wary of Plainfield South
By Dave Owen
A rugged April schedule has done no favors for Plainfield South.
Tuesday may be the ultimate test.
District rival Plainfield North (9-3-2) rolls into the southern part of town at 4:30 p.m. in the Southwest Prairie Conference matchup. The Tigers are ranked no. 8 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, and come off a 2-1 win Saturday over Waubonsie Valley in the talent-packed Naperville Invitational.
“We had a stretch right before the Pepsi tournament where we were not putting together quality 80 minutes,” Plainfield North coach Jane Crowe said. “We would play well for 60-70 minutes, but have a lapse that would cost us the game.
“Since then we’ve focused on playing a solid and consistent 80 minutes. We had some girls playing in different positions with people they weren't used to playing with, and we’ve really started to gel in the past few games. We’ve played some very good competition over the past few weeks, and are playing our best soccer right now.”
Freshman Molly Grant (12 goals), Sam Elster (11 assists) and Megan Breier (6 goals, 8 assists) have been offensive leaders for Plainfield North.
Plainfield South (5-7-0) raced out of the gate to a 5-1-0 record, but a stretch of recent strong opponents has taken its toll.
The Cougars’ 4-0 loss to Minooka on Saturday was the fifth-straight match in which they’ve been shut out.
“We need to be able to put a full 80-minute effort together,” Plainfield South coach Dave Brown said. “We have played well in spurts, but then we will make a mistake and lose all of the momentum we’ve created.”
“Plainfield North is a strong side,” Brown added. “They’re very organized defensively this year. They’re a team that you know you have to bring your best effort against to be successful.”
Maximum effort hasn’t been a problem for the Cougars.
“Even though the results have not been what we have wanted recently, the girls as a group are competing and pushing each other to get better,” Brown said.
“We understand that it’s not going to get any easier as the season progresses here, but the girls are willing to accept that challenge and work hard to be successful against Plainfield North.”
Plainfield North expects a challenge.
“It's always a fun and competitive game when we play another Plainfield school,” Crowe said. “The girls for both teams have played together since they were little, so it's always important for both teams to come out strong.
“Plainfield South has some talented players,” Crowe added, “and although they’ve had a tough stretch the past couple weeks, we know they’re still a good and dangerous team. We know that we can't take them lightly.”
Plainfield North’s impending chance at a Naperville Invitational title isn’t deterring its outlook.
“We’ve focused on one game at a time, and our most important game of the season is always the next one we play,” Crowe said. “So although we have the Naperville invite quarterfinal on Thursday, our focus right now is on Plainfield South.”
By Dave Owen
A rugged April schedule has done no favors for Plainfield South.
Tuesday may be the ultimate test.
District rival Plainfield North (9-3-2) rolls into the southern part of town at 4:30 p.m. in the Southwest Prairie Conference matchup. The Tigers are ranked no. 8 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, and come off a 2-1 win Saturday over Waubonsie Valley in the talent-packed Naperville Invitational.
“We had a stretch right before the Pepsi tournament where we were not putting together quality 80 minutes,” Plainfield North coach Jane Crowe said. “We would play well for 60-70 minutes, but have a lapse that would cost us the game.
“Since then we’ve focused on playing a solid and consistent 80 minutes. We had some girls playing in different positions with people they weren't used to playing with, and we’ve really started to gel in the past few games. We’ve played some very good competition over the past few weeks, and are playing our best soccer right now.”
Freshman Molly Grant (12 goals), Sam Elster (11 assists) and Megan Breier (6 goals, 8 assists) have been offensive leaders for Plainfield North.
Plainfield South (5-7-0) raced out of the gate to a 5-1-0 record, but a stretch of recent strong opponents has taken its toll.
The Cougars’ 4-0 loss to Minooka on Saturday was the fifth-straight match in which they’ve been shut out.
“We need to be able to put a full 80-minute effort together,” Plainfield South coach Dave Brown said. “We have played well in spurts, but then we will make a mistake and lose all of the momentum we’ve created.”
“Plainfield North is a strong side,” Brown added. “They’re very organized defensively this year. They’re a team that you know you have to bring your best effort against to be successful.”
Maximum effort hasn’t been a problem for the Cougars.
“Even though the results have not been what we have wanted recently, the girls as a group are competing and pushing each other to get better,” Brown said.
“We understand that it’s not going to get any easier as the season progresses here, but the girls are willing to accept that challenge and work hard to be successful against Plainfield North.”
Plainfield North expects a challenge.
“It's always a fun and competitive game when we play another Plainfield school,” Crowe said. “The girls for both teams have played together since they were little, so it's always important for both teams to come out strong.
“Plainfield South has some talented players,” Crowe added, “and although they’ve had a tough stretch the past couple weeks, we know they’re still a good and dangerous team. We know that we can't take them lightly.”
Plainfield North’s impending chance at a Naperville Invitational title isn’t deterring its outlook.
“We’ve focused on one game at a time, and our most important game of the season is always the next one we play,” Crowe said. “So although we have the Naperville invite quarterfinal on Thursday, our focus right now is on Plainfield South.”