Keepers Flannagan, Hahn make
each other, Batavia better
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Position is destiny in soccer.
That is certainly the case with Batavia keepers Hailey Flannagan and Aubrey Hahn.
The circumstances that brought them there are worth a telling as well. Call them happy accidents of chance and possibility.
In her earliest experience of playing organized soccer, Flannagan played all over the field. It fit her outsized ambition and her desire to lead.
Then fate intervened.
“With me, it started because the normal keeper did not show up for a game one day,” Flannagan said. “My coach put me in the goal, and it turned out I really liked it.
“It is more of a leadership role. I have the freedom to be loud, and I am able to lead the team, so it fits with my personality.”
Hahn also found herself thrown into the mix as a young player. It all came together.
“It started three or four years ago, when I was in fifth or sixth grade,” Hahn said. “I could pretty much play anywhere. Then one day, the coach said we needed extra help in the goal.
“He asked if we had any basketball players, and I raised my hand. I tried it, and I was surprised at how well I did. I showed a lot of natural ability to keep up in goal.”
Flashing to the present, Flannagan and Hahn have never looked back. Both are tough, skilled and capable keepers. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, their strengths play off each other.
Last year, the two combined for 13 shutouts and 0.799 goals-against average for a 3A sectional qualifier. Batavia (17-5-2) shared the DuKane Conference title with St. Charles East.
A senior, Flannagan is committed to Illinois Institute of Technology. Hahn is one of the top-rated sophomores at her position, shown by her inclusion on the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List for the class of 2022.
“Hailey’s leadership in the back with Aubrey has made a world of difference in our defense,” coach Mark Gianfrancesco said.
“We are able to stay organized and keep clean-sheets throughout the year through the tone they set in training and matches.”
Their versatility provided Gianfrancesco a great deal of options. Typically, the two alternated halves. It kept them fresh and alert.
Hahn is athletic and reactive. Flannagan is intuitive and learned.
“My style is not textbook perfect,” Flannagan said. “I do not always use proper technique, but I get the job done.”
As a kid, her mother signed her up for a recreational league in Batavia. She has never looked back, relishing the uninterrupted flow and action.
As a keeper, Flannagan combines bounce, savvy and excellent reaction time. She is also a brilliant and keen student of the game. (She was an academic all-conference player.)
Her command of the game, negotiating the in-game changes and rhythm, organizing the back, seeing the game unfold, all play a crucial part.
Flannagan is an excellent all-around athlete. She played varsity tennis all four years. The two sports had clear overlap that has proven exceptionally beneficial.
“Tennis has helped a lot as far as footwork, anticipation and being able to make a lot of shorter, faster movements,” she said.
She qualified for the sectionals in tennis twice. Playing singles, she said, you learn that every mistake is magnified and the difference between success or failure. The game is intensely mental, exerting not just skill and talent but forcing your opponent into their own hitting errors.
The attitude has its own corollary with soccer.
Playing keeper is not just a physical presence. It is a state of mind that requires a profound self-confidence.
“You need that mentality of trying not to let any shots in,” Hahn said. “You have to be strong, and you have to not only know your position but all of your teammates.
“In directing them, you have to make sure of what you are saying and given them all the help they need. The back is expecting you to direct them.”
Hahn gave up playing basketball as her interest in soccer took on greater urgency and importance.
The sport is her future. The skills she developed in basketball remain a telling part of her game.
At 5-foot-7, Hahn features an admirable blend of size, length and range.
Just as her tennis background prepared Flannagan for the fast-twitch reactions, basketball is the necessary primer.
“I think, as far as my strengths, I am athletic and very fast to the ball,” Hahn said. “I have lots of speed and get great height on my saves. I have a lot of quickness in getting to the ball.
“That helps me a lot with my 1-v.-1 play, taking on players who are trying to score.”
As a result, the two mesh perfectly. Flannagan played club her freshman year in order to increase her visibility to college coaches.
She has the requisite experience, savvy and poise under pressure.
Hahn has natural instincts and self-awareness. Playing so many different field positions growing up has opened up and deepened her awareness of the sport.
She has an attacker’s mentality.
“I have a feel for what to do when the ball comes to me,” she said.
Rather than go after each other, Hahn said sharing the position marked the ideal blending of their talents.
“We worked really well in practice,” she said. “We were always pushing each other to get better. We both have strong mentalities off the field, and that helped us get in there and compete.”
Flannagan said the two always make sure to offer encouragement and praise of how the other plays.
After the first two weeks of training, the season was interrupted and then cancelled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Despite that, the passion of the two remains very much a stable and shared characteristic.
“I love the excitement of winning, and the relationships and bonds we have with your team,” Hahn said. “The excitement of playing for your school is really great.”
each other, Batavia better
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Position is destiny in soccer.
That is certainly the case with Batavia keepers Hailey Flannagan and Aubrey Hahn.
The circumstances that brought them there are worth a telling as well. Call them happy accidents of chance and possibility.
In her earliest experience of playing organized soccer, Flannagan played all over the field. It fit her outsized ambition and her desire to lead.
Then fate intervened.
“With me, it started because the normal keeper did not show up for a game one day,” Flannagan said. “My coach put me in the goal, and it turned out I really liked it.
“It is more of a leadership role. I have the freedom to be loud, and I am able to lead the team, so it fits with my personality.”
Hahn also found herself thrown into the mix as a young player. It all came together.
“It started three or four years ago, when I was in fifth or sixth grade,” Hahn said. “I could pretty much play anywhere. Then one day, the coach said we needed extra help in the goal.
“He asked if we had any basketball players, and I raised my hand. I tried it, and I was surprised at how well I did. I showed a lot of natural ability to keep up in goal.”
Flashing to the present, Flannagan and Hahn have never looked back. Both are tough, skilled and capable keepers. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, their strengths play off each other.
Last year, the two combined for 13 shutouts and 0.799 goals-against average for a 3A sectional qualifier. Batavia (17-5-2) shared the DuKane Conference title with St. Charles East.
A senior, Flannagan is committed to Illinois Institute of Technology. Hahn is one of the top-rated sophomores at her position, shown by her inclusion on the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List for the class of 2022.
“Hailey’s leadership in the back with Aubrey has made a world of difference in our defense,” coach Mark Gianfrancesco said.
“We are able to stay organized and keep clean-sheets throughout the year through the tone they set in training and matches.”
Their versatility provided Gianfrancesco a great deal of options. Typically, the two alternated halves. It kept them fresh and alert.
Hahn is athletic and reactive. Flannagan is intuitive and learned.
“My style is not textbook perfect,” Flannagan said. “I do not always use proper technique, but I get the job done.”
As a kid, her mother signed her up for a recreational league in Batavia. She has never looked back, relishing the uninterrupted flow and action.
As a keeper, Flannagan combines bounce, savvy and excellent reaction time. She is also a brilliant and keen student of the game. (She was an academic all-conference player.)
Her command of the game, negotiating the in-game changes and rhythm, organizing the back, seeing the game unfold, all play a crucial part.
Flannagan is an excellent all-around athlete. She played varsity tennis all four years. The two sports had clear overlap that has proven exceptionally beneficial.
“Tennis has helped a lot as far as footwork, anticipation and being able to make a lot of shorter, faster movements,” she said.
She qualified for the sectionals in tennis twice. Playing singles, she said, you learn that every mistake is magnified and the difference between success or failure. The game is intensely mental, exerting not just skill and talent but forcing your opponent into their own hitting errors.
The attitude has its own corollary with soccer.
Playing keeper is not just a physical presence. It is a state of mind that requires a profound self-confidence.
“You need that mentality of trying not to let any shots in,” Hahn said. “You have to be strong, and you have to not only know your position but all of your teammates.
“In directing them, you have to make sure of what you are saying and given them all the help they need. The back is expecting you to direct them.”
Hahn gave up playing basketball as her interest in soccer took on greater urgency and importance.
The sport is her future. The skills she developed in basketball remain a telling part of her game.
At 5-foot-7, Hahn features an admirable blend of size, length and range.
Just as her tennis background prepared Flannagan for the fast-twitch reactions, basketball is the necessary primer.
“I think, as far as my strengths, I am athletic and very fast to the ball,” Hahn said. “I have lots of speed and get great height on my saves. I have a lot of quickness in getting to the ball.
“That helps me a lot with my 1-v.-1 play, taking on players who are trying to score.”
As a result, the two mesh perfectly. Flannagan played club her freshman year in order to increase her visibility to college coaches.
She has the requisite experience, savvy and poise under pressure.
Hahn has natural instincts and self-awareness. Playing so many different field positions growing up has opened up and deepened her awareness of the sport.
She has an attacker’s mentality.
“I have a feel for what to do when the ball comes to me,” she said.
Rather than go after each other, Hahn said sharing the position marked the ideal blending of their talents.
“We worked really well in practice,” she said. “We were always pushing each other to get better. We both have strong mentalities off the field, and that helped us get in there and compete.”
Flannagan said the two always make sure to offer encouragement and praise of how the other plays.
After the first two weeks of training, the season was interrupted and then cancelled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Despite that, the passion of the two remains very much a stable and shared characteristic.
“I love the excitement of winning, and the relationships and bonds we have with your team,” Hahn said. “The excitement of playing for your school is really great.”