Pack of talented, eager freshmen
must wait to make impact at Lake Park
By Ken Keenan
Other than addressing a need because of an overall decline in roster numbers, it's rare to see six freshmen earn spots on a varsity squad. But such is the case at Lake Park this spring, and it has nothing to do with a shortage of players.
The six frosh who made the cut are midfielders Jacqueline Alongi and Janice Hernandez-Bustos, defender/mids Lauren Malone and Gianna Kubica, defender Peyton Sarubbi and forward Peyton Olinski.
"It's incredibly unusual and a pleasant surprise," said Lake Park head coach Sean Crosby. "All of them have great fundamental skills and soccer sense. Their soccer knowledge is already at a higher level. Fitness-wise, there are some things they can grow at. But the soccer IQ, the sense of where teammates are around them, ball-handling skills ... it's a good group of incoming freshmen."
Each of the six girls entered Lake Park's 2019 summer program with experience under their belts, ranging from Bloomingdale Lightning FC to Empire FC (Elmhurst) to Palatine-based Sockers FC Chicago.
"They were all on our radar last summer, so we kinda knew what we were getting," Crosby said. "But you don't make those (roster) decisions until tryouts, and they all proved they deserved a spot on varsity. From summer camps and training to offseason get-togethers, they were proving they deserved that challenge."
Pasquale Maranto, an assistant coach on Crosby's staff and a high school-age group instructor at Lancer SC, Lake Park's youth feeder program, said he couldn't recall any season -- boys or girls -- in which a team was set to begin with more than three freshmen.
"It's very unusual to have six," said Maranto, a Class of 2012 Lake Park grad who played on the boys varsity team as a junior and senior. "This specific group, they come from highly competitive clubs. But they wanted to play at Lake Park rather than be separated through their clubs."
Maranto said that roughly 80 girls participated in tryouts last summer, allowing Lake Park to "fill three teams comfortably. We take the top 20 or so to varsity."
Maranto continued: "Those (six) freshmen, playing and training in summer programs and camps, and offseason ... skill-wise, hard work, IQ of the game, (are) all above and beyond. They absolutely showed they should be at the top level Lake Park has to offer."
Hernandez-Bustos, whose older sister (Ziri) and brother (Jesus) both played at Lake Park, has been looking to follow in her siblings' footsteps. She previously competed with an age-group team in Chicago.
"I wanted to play at Lake Park, so I joined the summer league and camps," Hernandez-Bustos said. "That helped me a lot. I pushed myself to do my best. In camp, there were a lot of girls around me who were really advanced. I wanted to be like them, so I worked hard to do my best."
Added Hernandez-Bustos: "The girls my same age, that made it better -- kind of a comfort zone."
She also said there was no animosity on the part of Lake Park's returning veterans regarding the sizable batch of newcomers.
"They welcomed us right away ... happy we were there," Hernandez-Bustos said. "We clicked, and now we are a family. That relaxed me. There was support, not only from coaches but also my teammates. Then I felt, 'OK, I made varsity, so I have to really work hard and prove I made it for a reason.'"
During the time the Lancers had to work out together before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down, Crosby and Co. were confident that the influx of new talent would serve as the perfect complement to the team's core of experienced veterans.
"We could see they were going to be impactful players," Crosby said. "They were earning the right to be on the field. And just being around the varsity team ... being mentored by this group. To learn from them, to get that comfort level down, it would have coalesced into results on the field."
Maranto said, "As soon as you make it to varsity, everybody is a varsity player. The freshmen, they'll compete to be one of the better players at their position. That competitiveness drove them to train hard in the offseason. They're piggybacking the upperclassmen to get minutes, and they've been more than willing and determined to show their abilities."
Maranto continued: "In-house competition, that makes the others work harder and vice-versa. They're all fighting for playing time, but all part of the same family. The upperclassmen know (the six frosh) are deserving of the spots. There are no hard feelings or jealousy. This is the future, so let's mold them into the culture we established and keep it going."
With everything in place, Hernandez-Bustos said the Lancers were anxiously awaiting to show the opposition what they had to offer. As one of the varsity newcomers, she was also eager to compete alongside the squad's seniors: goalkeeper Lilija Bredis, defenders Sarah Novak, Sophie Giron and Olivia Wroblewski, and forward Lilli Giron,
"I'm actually very upset," she said. "I got to know them well. It's sad to see them go and not finish their high school careers. I learned a lot from them -- how much they worked to get there, their spirit, stuff like that. They were always up and ready to help anyone ... really motivational for me."
Crosby said, "It's really tough for us. The seniors, the upperclassmen, you really feel for them. Something special was taking place ... some higher-level play. You feel for the players because they didn't get to express it this year."
Added Crosby: "We feel it is a missed opportunity. We have a tremendous group of upperclassmen to blend with the younger players. But you feel for everybody. Many players and teams across the state are going through the same thing. But we'll be back in some way or another. We're excited for the future."
For the sextet of Hernandez-Bustos, Alongi, Malone, Kubica, Sarubbi and Olinksi, the future means three more seasons of eligibility at Lake Park.
"They'll miss out this year, but we can still mold them to be even better players," Maranto said. "As players, they're gonna grow ... faster, smarter, as individuals and family as a whole. This group can become leaders next year, and the next. We're excited for that."
Added Maranto: "This is not how your freshman year should play out. But keep a positive mindset and use this as fuel to get even bigger, faster and stronger for next season. Right now, that's all we can ask."
must wait to make impact at Lake Park
By Ken Keenan
Other than addressing a need because of an overall decline in roster numbers, it's rare to see six freshmen earn spots on a varsity squad. But such is the case at Lake Park this spring, and it has nothing to do with a shortage of players.
The six frosh who made the cut are midfielders Jacqueline Alongi and Janice Hernandez-Bustos, defender/mids Lauren Malone and Gianna Kubica, defender Peyton Sarubbi and forward Peyton Olinski.
"It's incredibly unusual and a pleasant surprise," said Lake Park head coach Sean Crosby. "All of them have great fundamental skills and soccer sense. Their soccer knowledge is already at a higher level. Fitness-wise, there are some things they can grow at. But the soccer IQ, the sense of where teammates are around them, ball-handling skills ... it's a good group of incoming freshmen."
Each of the six girls entered Lake Park's 2019 summer program with experience under their belts, ranging from Bloomingdale Lightning FC to Empire FC (Elmhurst) to Palatine-based Sockers FC Chicago.
"They were all on our radar last summer, so we kinda knew what we were getting," Crosby said. "But you don't make those (roster) decisions until tryouts, and they all proved they deserved a spot on varsity. From summer camps and training to offseason get-togethers, they were proving they deserved that challenge."
Pasquale Maranto, an assistant coach on Crosby's staff and a high school-age group instructor at Lancer SC, Lake Park's youth feeder program, said he couldn't recall any season -- boys or girls -- in which a team was set to begin with more than three freshmen.
"It's very unusual to have six," said Maranto, a Class of 2012 Lake Park grad who played on the boys varsity team as a junior and senior. "This specific group, they come from highly competitive clubs. But they wanted to play at Lake Park rather than be separated through their clubs."
Maranto said that roughly 80 girls participated in tryouts last summer, allowing Lake Park to "fill three teams comfortably. We take the top 20 or so to varsity."
Maranto continued: "Those (six) freshmen, playing and training in summer programs and camps, and offseason ... skill-wise, hard work, IQ of the game, (are) all above and beyond. They absolutely showed they should be at the top level Lake Park has to offer."
Hernandez-Bustos, whose older sister (Ziri) and brother (Jesus) both played at Lake Park, has been looking to follow in her siblings' footsteps. She previously competed with an age-group team in Chicago.
"I wanted to play at Lake Park, so I joined the summer league and camps," Hernandez-Bustos said. "That helped me a lot. I pushed myself to do my best. In camp, there were a lot of girls around me who were really advanced. I wanted to be like them, so I worked hard to do my best."
Added Hernandez-Bustos: "The girls my same age, that made it better -- kind of a comfort zone."
She also said there was no animosity on the part of Lake Park's returning veterans regarding the sizable batch of newcomers.
"They welcomed us right away ... happy we were there," Hernandez-Bustos said. "We clicked, and now we are a family. That relaxed me. There was support, not only from coaches but also my teammates. Then I felt, 'OK, I made varsity, so I have to really work hard and prove I made it for a reason.'"
During the time the Lancers had to work out together before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down, Crosby and Co. were confident that the influx of new talent would serve as the perfect complement to the team's core of experienced veterans.
"We could see they were going to be impactful players," Crosby said. "They were earning the right to be on the field. And just being around the varsity team ... being mentored by this group. To learn from them, to get that comfort level down, it would have coalesced into results on the field."
Maranto said, "As soon as you make it to varsity, everybody is a varsity player. The freshmen, they'll compete to be one of the better players at their position. That competitiveness drove them to train hard in the offseason. They're piggybacking the upperclassmen to get minutes, and they've been more than willing and determined to show their abilities."
Maranto continued: "In-house competition, that makes the others work harder and vice-versa. They're all fighting for playing time, but all part of the same family. The upperclassmen know (the six frosh) are deserving of the spots. There are no hard feelings or jealousy. This is the future, so let's mold them into the culture we established and keep it going."
With everything in place, Hernandez-Bustos said the Lancers were anxiously awaiting to show the opposition what they had to offer. As one of the varsity newcomers, she was also eager to compete alongside the squad's seniors: goalkeeper Lilija Bredis, defenders Sarah Novak, Sophie Giron and Olivia Wroblewski, and forward Lilli Giron,
"I'm actually very upset," she said. "I got to know them well. It's sad to see them go and not finish their high school careers. I learned a lot from them -- how much they worked to get there, their spirit, stuff like that. They were always up and ready to help anyone ... really motivational for me."
Crosby said, "It's really tough for us. The seniors, the upperclassmen, you really feel for them. Something special was taking place ... some higher-level play. You feel for the players because they didn't get to express it this year."
Added Crosby: "We feel it is a missed opportunity. We have a tremendous group of upperclassmen to blend with the younger players. But you feel for everybody. Many players and teams across the state are going through the same thing. But we'll be back in some way or another. We're excited for the future."
For the sextet of Hernandez-Bustos, Alongi, Malone, Kubica, Sarubbi and Olinksi, the future means three more seasons of eligibility at Lake Park.
"They'll miss out this year, but we can still mold them to be even better players," Maranto said. "As players, they're gonna grow ... faster, smarter, as individuals and family as a whole. This group can become leaders next year, and the next. We're excited for that."
Added Maranto: "This is not how your freshman year should play out. But keep a positive mindset and use this as fuel to get even bigger, faster and stronger for next season. Right now, that's all we can ask."