Wheaton North’s Shebar hopes
to send Falcons soaring with her scoring
By Chris Walker
Although she’s just finishing up her junior year, Kayla Shebar is already ahead of many of her peers.
The Wheaton North forward has already committed to play soccer at Purdue Fort Wayne where she plans on studying education so that someday she can be an elementary school teacher.
She’s got her plans all set for college, and she still hasn’t begun life as a senior.
The future is certainly bright for Shebar who led the Falcons with 14 assists as a sophomore. She is a key reason why the team is super optimistic that they can compete for a DuKane Conference title just a year after posting an 8-14-1 record.
“I’m so excited for college, and I’m so relieved,” she said. “I was looking at UIC and Eastern Illinois so those were the big three, and it really came down to money. It just seems like such a good program. When I visited the coaches were always nice, and I want to go somewhere where I felt I was really wanted. That’s how I feel there.”
As for what she’ll tell her friends she’s up to when she returns to Wheaton for her 10-year reunion in 2031, she isn’t for sure, and that can all work out in due time. For now, she’d really like to see this pandemic dissipate so that she’s afforded the opportunity to play soccer with her classmates, who she says are really pumped up to show what they’re capable of doing after a season that was competitive a year ago, but also scarred with tough, disappointing losses.
“Our record really didn’t show how we were as a team,” she said. “It just made it seem like we were awful, but we were in every game. It was frustrating. Literally we always seemed to lose in the last second. So we showed we could do it, that we could hold our own. And you always hope to get better in the offseason.”
At times last spring, Shebar felt the Falcons weren’t giving their maximum effort and maintaining their focus during practice, and that it carried over at times into games. Regardless, she said the group has shared a great attitude collectively this year, and they’ve been ready to take the field.
“I don’t think we took our practices as seriously as we should have, and they always say you should practice harder than in games,” she said. “Coach McEvilly made that available to us, but I don’t think we took it seriously enough. Now I feel like we’re all mentally ready to go.”
Unfortunately, you can't going anywhere now.
You cannot go to Chili’s and enjoy the sizzle with your fajitas because restaurant dining has been shutdown. But you can still eat Chili’s. You’ll just have to take your order to go.
You cannot go shopping for clothes at stores from A to Z (Abercrombie & Fitch to Zumiez) are temporarily closed, but who needs clothes when you have PJs and sweats and nowhere to go?
You can’t sneak away for a two-hour respite in a darkened theater and take in “A Quiet Place 2” since all movie theaters are closed. Plus, the thriller, which was supposed to come out on March 20, has pushed back its release date. You can always watch the original at home, but only with those who live under the same roof.
You cannot have team pasta parties or other gatherings, although you can always toss a Tombstone or some pizza rolls in the oven and text your friends, “I am so bored” with other digital chit chat.
You cannot sit in a classroom at Wheaton North with your peers and be enlightened by the teachings of Mr. (and coach Tim) McEvilly, but there’s remote learning, so you’re still allowed to attend school online.
And you cannot play high school soccer right now, but…
“I have the same small group of five people and we’ve been getting together since day one of the quarantine,” Shebar said. “It’s a big deal for all of us, because if one of us doesn’t show up we can’t get all our work done so there’s some responsibility to always show up and try to make each other better.”
There is also the chance to have some fun during what’s become an unprecedented time for basically everyone. It’s certainly not all work and no play for Shebar. She craves success, but celebrates how fun soccer can be even in its current chiseled down form. It's become and siblings and often makeshift pitches in backyards.
“I’ve been playing with a bunch of people who don’t play high school soccer but they are on Academy,” she said. “One of them is one of my best friends who has committed to play at Illinois and there are four other guys, and one is going to Notre Dame. I’ve actually been glad to have this during this time, because they make me so much better.”
Shebar, who had 6 goals to go along with her aforementioned 14 assists, anticipates being more productive on the offensive end with putting the ball into the net.
“Kayla is so competitive with herself and last year she created scoring opportunities for herself and others. The one thing she could do better would be to finish more,” McEvilly said. “At some point it’s bad luck. Bt trying to take some of those endless opportunities and turning them into goals is something she could do. She could be a 15-goal, 16-assist type of player with the growth she’s shown and the work she’s put in.”
McEvilly recently shared some game films with the team, yet another one of the tools coaches are using to try to keep their teams focused while they train remotely. Upon his own viewing, he watched open jawed what Shebar did on numerous occasions against quality opponents.
“I watched them and they were a little depressing, since we’re not playing,” McEvilly said. “These games were with high-quality competition where she makes the other team’s defenders look silly. She plays with creativity in the attack and is consistently aggressive. She’s fun to watch. So it’s tough now realizing that we are missing out on another season of seeing it.”
The Falcons return their top four scorers from a season ago.
“I think I should’ve shot more so that’s something I’ve been thinking about,” Shebar said. “I know that if I’m going to play at the Division 1 level then I should be scoring a lot more. It’s something I’m excited to see happen. I definitely have been more of an assist forward, but since coach wants me to be more of a scorer and with our top scorers returning, I’m excited to try to make that happen.”
Sophomore Olivia Moreno complements Shebar. The pair are alike in many ways, which bodes well for the Falcons. Part of the reason why Shebar wasn’t firing as many shots on goal last season was because she was distributing to players like Moreno, who led the team with 15 goals.
“We’ve known each other for a long time, so it’s fun to apply it to the field,” Moreno said. “McEvilly has always told us that we’re the only two who can keep up with each other when running up the flank. She’d often be on the back post which was nice knowing she would be there. She felt the same way with me staying with her on the other side.”
In a fraction of a second, Shebar often has to decide to shoot, pass or dribble. The right decisions aren’t always made. Wrong ones sometimes produce great results; right ones sometimes get denied. It’s tough and one of the reasons why goals are so celebrated.
“I’m sure there were times where she could’ve had goals where she passed,” Moreno said. “We had kind of opposite numbers. She makes nice strong passes, and we’re really comfortable playing together.”
Shebar began falling in love with soccer while in seventh grade. She had been primarily a park district league rec level participant until playing for Dino Delevski with the Chicago Inferno.
“I played for him in seventh grade, and he made me love it,” she said. “He was my first travel coach, and I loved the competition, outworking opponents, making my teammates better. He actually could be so mean, but it was a good type of mean, a motivational mean.”
The IHSA’s board of directors is set to meet via video conference Tueday (April 21). It will share its final determination on the spring sport state tournaments based on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement on April 17 that high schools will not return to in-person learning this school year.
That makes it unlikely that there will be a soccer season, and if anything is salvaged with regards to playing games, it’ll be far from a regular season. Of course, most seniors would probably agree to anything over nothing at this point.
“Our seniors poured their heart and soul into everything,” Shebar said. “Most of them played basketball and put so much time and effort in their sports for their senior year. It’s so sad if it ends like this.”
She knows what they’re missing. Anyone who was a part of the team last year knows. They saw their former teammates enjoy it a year ago.
“The only way I wouldn’t have played in high school would have been because of college,” she said. “I love high school so I feel bad for all those who have missed the opportunity. It’s such a fun experience of playing soccer.”
to send Falcons soaring with her scoring
By Chris Walker
Although she’s just finishing up her junior year, Kayla Shebar is already ahead of many of her peers.
The Wheaton North forward has already committed to play soccer at Purdue Fort Wayne where she plans on studying education so that someday she can be an elementary school teacher.
She’s got her plans all set for college, and she still hasn’t begun life as a senior.
The future is certainly bright for Shebar who led the Falcons with 14 assists as a sophomore. She is a key reason why the team is super optimistic that they can compete for a DuKane Conference title just a year after posting an 8-14-1 record.
“I’m so excited for college, and I’m so relieved,” she said. “I was looking at UIC and Eastern Illinois so those were the big three, and it really came down to money. It just seems like such a good program. When I visited the coaches were always nice, and I want to go somewhere where I felt I was really wanted. That’s how I feel there.”
As for what she’ll tell her friends she’s up to when she returns to Wheaton for her 10-year reunion in 2031, she isn’t for sure, and that can all work out in due time. For now, she’d really like to see this pandemic dissipate so that she’s afforded the opportunity to play soccer with her classmates, who she says are really pumped up to show what they’re capable of doing after a season that was competitive a year ago, but also scarred with tough, disappointing losses.
“Our record really didn’t show how we were as a team,” she said. “It just made it seem like we were awful, but we were in every game. It was frustrating. Literally we always seemed to lose in the last second. So we showed we could do it, that we could hold our own. And you always hope to get better in the offseason.”
At times last spring, Shebar felt the Falcons weren’t giving their maximum effort and maintaining their focus during practice, and that it carried over at times into games. Regardless, she said the group has shared a great attitude collectively this year, and they’ve been ready to take the field.
“I don’t think we took our practices as seriously as we should have, and they always say you should practice harder than in games,” she said. “Coach McEvilly made that available to us, but I don’t think we took it seriously enough. Now I feel like we’re all mentally ready to go.”
Unfortunately, you can't going anywhere now.
You cannot go to Chili’s and enjoy the sizzle with your fajitas because restaurant dining has been shutdown. But you can still eat Chili’s. You’ll just have to take your order to go.
You cannot go shopping for clothes at stores from A to Z (Abercrombie & Fitch to Zumiez) are temporarily closed, but who needs clothes when you have PJs and sweats and nowhere to go?
You can’t sneak away for a two-hour respite in a darkened theater and take in “A Quiet Place 2” since all movie theaters are closed. Plus, the thriller, which was supposed to come out on March 20, has pushed back its release date. You can always watch the original at home, but only with those who live under the same roof.
You cannot have team pasta parties or other gatherings, although you can always toss a Tombstone or some pizza rolls in the oven and text your friends, “I am so bored” with other digital chit chat.
You cannot sit in a classroom at Wheaton North with your peers and be enlightened by the teachings of Mr. (and coach Tim) McEvilly, but there’s remote learning, so you’re still allowed to attend school online.
And you cannot play high school soccer right now, but…
“I have the same small group of five people and we’ve been getting together since day one of the quarantine,” Shebar said. “It’s a big deal for all of us, because if one of us doesn’t show up we can’t get all our work done so there’s some responsibility to always show up and try to make each other better.”
There is also the chance to have some fun during what’s become an unprecedented time for basically everyone. It’s certainly not all work and no play for Shebar. She craves success, but celebrates how fun soccer can be even in its current chiseled down form. It's become and siblings and often makeshift pitches in backyards.
“I’ve been playing with a bunch of people who don’t play high school soccer but they are on Academy,” she said. “One of them is one of my best friends who has committed to play at Illinois and there are four other guys, and one is going to Notre Dame. I’ve actually been glad to have this during this time, because they make me so much better.”
Shebar, who had 6 goals to go along with her aforementioned 14 assists, anticipates being more productive on the offensive end with putting the ball into the net.
“Kayla is so competitive with herself and last year she created scoring opportunities for herself and others. The one thing she could do better would be to finish more,” McEvilly said. “At some point it’s bad luck. Bt trying to take some of those endless opportunities and turning them into goals is something she could do. She could be a 15-goal, 16-assist type of player with the growth she’s shown and the work she’s put in.”
McEvilly recently shared some game films with the team, yet another one of the tools coaches are using to try to keep their teams focused while they train remotely. Upon his own viewing, he watched open jawed what Shebar did on numerous occasions against quality opponents.
“I watched them and they were a little depressing, since we’re not playing,” McEvilly said. “These games were with high-quality competition where she makes the other team’s defenders look silly. She plays with creativity in the attack and is consistently aggressive. She’s fun to watch. So it’s tough now realizing that we are missing out on another season of seeing it.”
The Falcons return their top four scorers from a season ago.
“I think I should’ve shot more so that’s something I’ve been thinking about,” Shebar said. “I know that if I’m going to play at the Division 1 level then I should be scoring a lot more. It’s something I’m excited to see happen. I definitely have been more of an assist forward, but since coach wants me to be more of a scorer and with our top scorers returning, I’m excited to try to make that happen.”
Sophomore Olivia Moreno complements Shebar. The pair are alike in many ways, which bodes well for the Falcons. Part of the reason why Shebar wasn’t firing as many shots on goal last season was because she was distributing to players like Moreno, who led the team with 15 goals.
“We’ve known each other for a long time, so it’s fun to apply it to the field,” Moreno said. “McEvilly has always told us that we’re the only two who can keep up with each other when running up the flank. She’d often be on the back post which was nice knowing she would be there. She felt the same way with me staying with her on the other side.”
In a fraction of a second, Shebar often has to decide to shoot, pass or dribble. The right decisions aren’t always made. Wrong ones sometimes produce great results; right ones sometimes get denied. It’s tough and one of the reasons why goals are so celebrated.
“I’m sure there were times where she could’ve had goals where she passed,” Moreno said. “We had kind of opposite numbers. She makes nice strong passes, and we’re really comfortable playing together.”
Shebar began falling in love with soccer while in seventh grade. She had been primarily a park district league rec level participant until playing for Dino Delevski with the Chicago Inferno.
“I played for him in seventh grade, and he made me love it,” she said. “He was my first travel coach, and I loved the competition, outworking opponents, making my teammates better. He actually could be so mean, but it was a good type of mean, a motivational mean.”
The IHSA’s board of directors is set to meet via video conference Tueday (April 21). It will share its final determination on the spring sport state tournaments based on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement on April 17 that high schools will not return to in-person learning this school year.
That makes it unlikely that there will be a soccer season, and if anything is salvaged with regards to playing games, it’ll be far from a regular season. Of course, most seniors would probably agree to anything over nothing at this point.
“Our seniors poured their heart and soul into everything,” Shebar said. “Most of them played basketball and put so much time and effort in their sports for their senior year. It’s so sad if it ends like this.”
She knows what they’re missing. Anyone who was a part of the team last year knows. They saw their former teammates enjoy it a year ago.
“The only way I wouldn’t have played in high school would have been because of college,” she said. “I love high school so I feel bad for all those who have missed the opportunity. It’s such a fun experience of playing soccer.”