From Lane to Loyola, Halilic
remains a city soccer girl
By Patrick Z. McGavin
She cuts a magnificent figure in space.
Zehra Halilic looks like a ballerina, long and lithe and graceful. As a four-year starting defender at Lane, she has accumulated a range of accomplishments.
After making the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List as a sophomore, Halilic earned all-state recognition last year as the lead defender for the Indians’ city powerhouse.
She registered a goal and six assists. More impressively, her range and ability to shut down elite scorers marked her as a player for her time.
Lane posted 17 shutouts last year in capturing its fifth-consecutive city title.
“There were multiple situations where I have been put out there to guard someone,” she said. “It was easy with the team I had, being part of a great defensive line.
“I always took great satisfaction in stopping the best player from scoring.”
Her combination of agility and athleticism made her one of the most sought after players in the city. The Loyola University recruit excelled as a disruptive force who wiped out the opposition with her clean tackling and extraordinary range.
At nearly 5-foot-10, she is a gazelle on the open pitch.
Her future is streaked in the brightest of terms. Her origins are quite different.
Her parents came from a small town named Puraci in the northern part of Bosnia. Her older sister was also born there. Her parents’ homeland was ravaged by the sectarian Balklan civil wars.
Her parents and sister emigrated to Chicago at the start of the new century for a safer and better life. Her father Elvir put her in organized soccer when she was 5 years-old.
By her own admission, Zehra had to be dragged onto the field.
“She’d cry before games because she did not want to be there,” said Camaron Niforos, the Indians’ CS All-State midfielder who has been her closest teammate for 13 years.
“When I first started playing soccer, I hated it,” Halilic said. “I think as I got better, everything changed. I started scoring, and I was so much better than everyone.
“I fell in love with it.”
Her immersion with soccer coincided with an experimentation with Tae Kwon Do. That helped with her balance, toughness, and discipline.
As her appreciation for soccer began to take off, that sport became her sole athletic and preoccupation. Halilic left Tae Kwon Do behind; her dedication to the sport was now complete.
Her confidence soared. She found her place and identity as a disruptive force. She was also a hybrid player, a natural defender who revealed a versatility.
“I think as a defender, I am one of the more offensive players,” Halilic said. “I never want to sit back or wait for the play to happen. I like to play with intensity, go up for that block and create an opportunity.”
Her height and size makes her a dangerous weapon on set pieces. Just the threat of her making a run off a corner or free kick was a big part of the Indians’ attack.
If the natural impulse of most players is to be a scorer or creator, Halilic found the necessary equilibrium that has only optimized her value and worth. That helps balance the field for the rest of her team.
Halilic has always sought a challenge.
“When I was younger, I tried forward, and I did not like it,” she said. “I think what drew me into being a defender is that I get to see the ball. I always wanted to be behind the ball.
“I also loved the idea of being able to play on both sides of the field.”
Lane coach Michelle Vie has always installed Halilic as an outside right back. It gives Halilic the ability to run the right flank.
She closes down the left offensive side, a virtual void as she utilizes her size, length and athleticism to cover a lot of ground and annihilate the other team’s point of attack.
“I have always been most comfortable with my right foot, and I just love getting those long balls,” she said. “I love being on that right side.”
The game that she resisted as a child is now a point of pride. She has become so fluid in her movements and actions on the field, Halilic has beautifully drawn on the game as a form of self-actualization.
“I think soccer has brought out a lot in me,” Halilic said. “Being Bosnian, the sport is very popular in Europe, and it has become a central part of who I am.
“I am not a selfish player. I love the team aspect of the game and winning as a team.”
As a young player on the verge, she has blossomed.
“At first, she seems shy and quiet, but that is only to people who don’t know her,” Niforos said. “She is talkative and fun, and she is definitely a leader on our team.”
Lane has gone 49-11-6 during her three years on the varsity. She is a central figure on three city title teams, part of the unprecedented run of five-consecutive city championships.
“I remember watching a city title when I was in eighth grade, and I just wanted to be a part of that,” Halilic said.
The novel coronavirus has wrecked the dreams of every player in the state. The pain of a lost season has been especially acute for the Indians.
With two centerpiece performers in Halilic and Niforos and multiple watch list players in the next generation classes, Lane had perhaps its deepest and most versatile team yet.
The Indians are ranked po. 10 in Chicagoland Soccer’s exclusive First 50 preseason poll of the top teams in the state.
“I missed the first week of training with an injury, but I was there at practice watching,” Halilic said. “We had a lot of returning players. Honestly there were fewer distractions than ever. We had a great work ethic.
“I was so excited. It was supposed to be our last year of playing together. It was a hard pill to swallow.”
Having close friends like Niforos has helped mitigate the pain and disappointment. She is training hard and working out, holding out hope the team is going to get some games if the IHSA and Chicago school administrators permit some games in June or July.
Halilic has her eyes on the future. Staying home and playing at a major university was a big appeal in her recruiting. Her parents who sacrificed so much for her have a chance to watch her play.
“They are not used to a child going out to college,” she said.
They nudged her just enough at a young age to keep her connected to the sport, and Halilic did the rest in her own time.
“I just love being with my teammates and the practices,” Halilic said. “There is never a dull moment.”
remains a city soccer girl
By Patrick Z. McGavin
She cuts a magnificent figure in space.
Zehra Halilic looks like a ballerina, long and lithe and graceful. As a four-year starting defender at Lane, she has accumulated a range of accomplishments.
After making the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List as a sophomore, Halilic earned all-state recognition last year as the lead defender for the Indians’ city powerhouse.
She registered a goal and six assists. More impressively, her range and ability to shut down elite scorers marked her as a player for her time.
Lane posted 17 shutouts last year in capturing its fifth-consecutive city title.
“There were multiple situations where I have been put out there to guard someone,” she said. “It was easy with the team I had, being part of a great defensive line.
“I always took great satisfaction in stopping the best player from scoring.”
Her combination of agility and athleticism made her one of the most sought after players in the city. The Loyola University recruit excelled as a disruptive force who wiped out the opposition with her clean tackling and extraordinary range.
At nearly 5-foot-10, she is a gazelle on the open pitch.
Her future is streaked in the brightest of terms. Her origins are quite different.
Her parents came from a small town named Puraci in the northern part of Bosnia. Her older sister was also born there. Her parents’ homeland was ravaged by the sectarian Balklan civil wars.
Her parents and sister emigrated to Chicago at the start of the new century for a safer and better life. Her father Elvir put her in organized soccer when she was 5 years-old.
By her own admission, Zehra had to be dragged onto the field.
“She’d cry before games because she did not want to be there,” said Camaron Niforos, the Indians’ CS All-State midfielder who has been her closest teammate for 13 years.
“When I first started playing soccer, I hated it,” Halilic said. “I think as I got better, everything changed. I started scoring, and I was so much better than everyone.
“I fell in love with it.”
Her immersion with soccer coincided with an experimentation with Tae Kwon Do. That helped with her balance, toughness, and discipline.
As her appreciation for soccer began to take off, that sport became her sole athletic and preoccupation. Halilic left Tae Kwon Do behind; her dedication to the sport was now complete.
Her confidence soared. She found her place and identity as a disruptive force. She was also a hybrid player, a natural defender who revealed a versatility.
“I think as a defender, I am one of the more offensive players,” Halilic said. “I never want to sit back or wait for the play to happen. I like to play with intensity, go up for that block and create an opportunity.”
Her height and size makes her a dangerous weapon on set pieces. Just the threat of her making a run off a corner or free kick was a big part of the Indians’ attack.
If the natural impulse of most players is to be a scorer or creator, Halilic found the necessary equilibrium that has only optimized her value and worth. That helps balance the field for the rest of her team.
Halilic has always sought a challenge.
“When I was younger, I tried forward, and I did not like it,” she said. “I think what drew me into being a defender is that I get to see the ball. I always wanted to be behind the ball.
“I also loved the idea of being able to play on both sides of the field.”
Lane coach Michelle Vie has always installed Halilic as an outside right back. It gives Halilic the ability to run the right flank.
She closes down the left offensive side, a virtual void as she utilizes her size, length and athleticism to cover a lot of ground and annihilate the other team’s point of attack.
“I have always been most comfortable with my right foot, and I just love getting those long balls,” she said. “I love being on that right side.”
The game that she resisted as a child is now a point of pride. She has become so fluid in her movements and actions on the field, Halilic has beautifully drawn on the game as a form of self-actualization.
“I think soccer has brought out a lot in me,” Halilic said. “Being Bosnian, the sport is very popular in Europe, and it has become a central part of who I am.
“I am not a selfish player. I love the team aspect of the game and winning as a team.”
As a young player on the verge, she has blossomed.
“At first, she seems shy and quiet, but that is only to people who don’t know her,” Niforos said. “She is talkative and fun, and she is definitely a leader on our team.”
Lane has gone 49-11-6 during her three years on the varsity. She is a central figure on three city title teams, part of the unprecedented run of five-consecutive city championships.
“I remember watching a city title when I was in eighth grade, and I just wanted to be a part of that,” Halilic said.
The novel coronavirus has wrecked the dreams of every player in the state. The pain of a lost season has been especially acute for the Indians.
With two centerpiece performers in Halilic and Niforos and multiple watch list players in the next generation classes, Lane had perhaps its deepest and most versatile team yet.
The Indians are ranked po. 10 in Chicagoland Soccer’s exclusive First 50 preseason poll of the top teams in the state.
“I missed the first week of training with an injury, but I was there at practice watching,” Halilic said. “We had a lot of returning players. Honestly there were fewer distractions than ever. We had a great work ethic.
“I was so excited. It was supposed to be our last year of playing together. It was a hard pill to swallow.”
Having close friends like Niforos has helped mitigate the pain and disappointment. She is training hard and working out, holding out hope the team is going to get some games if the IHSA and Chicago school administrators permit some games in June or July.
Halilic has her eyes on the future. Staying home and playing at a major university was a big appeal in her recruiting. Her parents who sacrificed so much for her have a chance to watch her play.
“They are not used to a child going out to college,” she said.
They nudged her just enough at a young age to keep her connected to the sport, and Halilic did the rest in her own time.
“I just love being with my teammates and the practices,” Halilic said. “There is never a dull moment.”