St. Charles East en fuego,
bests Bartlett for regional title
Saints sharp in 4-0 victory
By Dave Surico
STREAMWOOD -- St. Charles East demonstrated its own version of an oft-used sports cliche -- You can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them -- in front of a crowd of more than 200 at the championship game of the Bartlett Regional on Friday at Millennium Field.
Though frustrated early by the hard-playing, host Hawks, the top-seeded Saints broke through with three goals in the second half to post a 4-0 win for the regional plaque and the chance to meet fourth-seed Conant at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Schaumburg Sectional.
St. Charles East's Julia Peterson proved to be the catalyst with assists on the Saints' first two corner kicks. The first put St. Charles East in control in the 22nd minute.
"I'm just looking for the 6-yard line and to put it on someone's head who can finish it," said Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match. "I have confidence that my teammates will be there to finish the ball. I was aiming for the general area where the majority of the players were.
"I didn't really feel that much pressure. I know even if I do mess up they're not going to get mad at me or anything. I was very relaxed during this game, and I knew my teammates were going to be there."
Peterson's perfectly lofted ball was trapped by senior midfielder Julia Herbrand. Bartlett keeper Nykia Wetterman dove at the ball but missed it, and it squirted free to defender Sonia Ost, who took care of business.
"There was a mess in the box, and I saw an opportunity and I toe-poked it in. It was pretty cool," said Ost, who has scored both of her goals this season on similar plays in the playoffs. "But just one up, we needed more to stay completely safe with a game like this. Our passes were a little off in the beginning but the second half I think we got it together really nicely and put a lot away."
Bartlett had something to do with St. Charles East's lack of first half production. The Hawks were disruptive and worked hard to break up the continuity St. Charles East tried to muster. When Bartlett, its keeper Wetterman was there to help with an active work load at the top of the box and a spectacular save when it was needed.
One example came on a 37-yard free kick from Peterson that bent towards the far post in the 20th minute. Wetterman laid out to grab the ball at the feet of Herbrand and deny another dangerous attempt.
Bartlett struggled to create an attack but found its best sustained sequence of offense after the 30-minute mark. It was highlighted by a play that should have tied the game in the 32nd minute.
A pass from freshman Jessica Mirsky freed classmate Kayla Hare in the top-middle of the box. Hare side-stepped onrushing goalie Alison Chesterfield and took a shot that appeared destined to find the net. Instead it met St. Charles East defender Sara Buetow at the goal line.
"I put my foot right on it," the senior said. "Usually when (the keeper) comes out I stay there just in case she gets caught up in the top of the box. If it goes in you lose your momentum."
After halftime, St. Charles East (21-1-1) came out with purpose and showcased the skill of its sophomore class.
Hannah Kolb just missed with a lofted shot at the far upper 90 in the 41st minute after a poor Bartlett pass to the right side. Kolb came close again two minutes later and forced Wetterman into a diving stop after a pass from Kaitlyn Dziubinski, who then found classmate Kyla Augustine for the go-ahead goal in the 46th minute.
Then Peterson, a junior, was at it again. This time her corner kick found Kolb, whose 52nd-minute header put St. Charles East up 3-0. Freshman phenom Chantel Carranza finished the scoring with an easy tally after a beautifully slotted pass from Kelli Santo Paulo put her in alone in the 57th minute.
The win produced a second-consecutive regional title, the 20th overall in school history, and a very happy Saints coach.
"In the second half we were able to make a few corrections and simply let our speed and athleticism take over," said St. Charles East leader Paul Jennison. "And with our deep roster we were able to wear them down. Bartlett was quality. We know in a regional final there are no easy games, and obviously we've got to make sure we keep that mind-set moving forward.
"You can only have faith in the players around and know the quality you've got on your squad. When they settle down, and get into the rhythm it can happen. Just because you don't score in the first five minutes, doesn't mean you don't have 75 more to go.
"That was the message at halftime was just to get back to what we were good at and don't be nervous. We understand that some of these girls, it's their first time in the playoffs. As much as it's not been said, we do have a very, very young roster also.
"In the second half we showed what quality we do have, on the big stage."
Jennison praised his keeper and defense, but didn't want to name names.
"We don't have one player and again it's not cliche," he said. "And I don't say it to seem like I'm deflecting any attention. We genuinely are a team, and I couldn't be more proud of those girls for buying into that mentality.
"It's been quality all year, and I hope it can continue."
Meanwhile on the Bartlett side, there were few of the tears that often accompany playoff loses. Instead, there was an air of satisfaction that the Hawks had given their best and held their own against an impressive foe.
"(Head coach Ben) Beary kept telling us it's a mind-set. If you think that you can do it, you can do it," said midfielder Mariela Alba. "I think that's one of the things that kept us in this game today. A lot of us before this game (thought) 'Oh, they're going to cream us.' But coming into the game today we were like 'We got this.'
"Obviously they were hard competition. All props to them. They did really good keeping the ball and moving it around. We just did the best we could.
"I think Beary and our assistant coach (Mark) Mirsky made sure that we knew that we were not going to just play defense. We are capable of attacking; we are a good team. Not many people think Bartlett is a good high school girls team, and we proved a lot of teams wrong.
"Coming into this game, we knew we had to play. We just couldn't stay on our heels the whole time and make sure we just kept up with them. I very proud of (my team). They all showed a lot heart even at 4-0. They were still showing, still trying. They kept going until the end."
Wetterman did her part in the goal against a St. Charles East team that kept her busy with 10 saves, some of them stirring, and ever watchful from 15 Saint shots that missed the target.
She didn't hesitate when asked how a goalie approaches a game that promises to feature constant pressure.
"Essentially it is a keeper's nightmare, but you know you have to hold your ground," the sophomore said. "Ultimately you want a game where you dont get any action, because it means your defense and your offense is keeping it in the final third. But keepers are there to make the saves.
"Today I made some saves but there were a couple where I could have done something differently, we could have done something differently. But ultimately I really proud how we came back and kept fighting. ... They're a good team. They're fast. I did what I could to keep the ball out of the net."
Wetterman changed her field this year. The former high school softball player has decided to stay with the type of pitch players stand on for the rest of her high school career in the spring, though she will play on travel clubs in both sports this summer.
"It's the sport I fell in love with first," said the keeper. "I've been playing since I was four-years old. It just seemed like something I couldn't let go, and I realized that in February. I don't know, I belong in soccer cleats."
Bartlett coach Ben Beary liked what he saw from his Hawks.
"This group's been playing really well, and even though we didn't get the result and 4-0 doesn't look great, this was not a bad game for us," he said. "I thought we played pretty well, especially in that first half.
"We had a couple pretty close chances in that first half. I really hoped they (Hawks) could have gotten one here at the end. I think they deserved it the way that we were playing. I was hoping we would get a goal just to be able to walk away with that.
"I'm really proud of this group. All season long they've grown, they've gotten better. Hats off to East, really good team. Best of luck to them."
Bartlett finished 12-10-1 in a season that included losses to Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley, Downers Grove South and PepsiCo Showdown Gatorade Bracket winner Oswego.
"We're going to be losing two seniors on that back line Melissa Gal and Shannon Brohan," Beary said. "They've been our leaders in back all year long. Just a testament to them how organized we were all season long on that backline. They're both captains, and they're both leaders. They kept us in a lot of close games -- big reason for our success all year long.
"This is basically the same team we had last year, and we ended up with more wins than last year. Melissa and Shannon, that was their first playoff win of their career on Tuesday (2-0 against Glenbard West). I'm really happy for them that we at least get to walk away from the season with that. They deserved it. They earned it. They worked really hard."
Starting lineups
Bartlett
GK: Nykia Wetterman
D: Molly O'Malley
D: Jamie Kenna
D: Melissa Gal
D: Shannon Brohan
M: Mariela Alba
M: Jessica Mirsky
M: Jenna Noesen
M: Brooke Bednarke
F: Jenna Dombrowski
F: Kayla Hare
St. Charles East
G: Alison Chesterfield
D: Sara Buetow
D: Shannon Gatehouse
D: Sonia Ost
D: Maggie Smith
M: Julia Peterson
M: Hannah Kolb
M: Kelli Santo Paulo
M: Kaitlyn Dziubinski
F: Claire Rasmussen
F: Chantel Carranza
MVP of the Match: Julia Peterson, MF, St. Charles East.
bests Bartlett for regional title
Saints sharp in 4-0 victory
By Dave Surico
STREAMWOOD -- St. Charles East demonstrated its own version of an oft-used sports cliche -- You can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them -- in front of a crowd of more than 200 at the championship game of the Bartlett Regional on Friday at Millennium Field.
Though frustrated early by the hard-playing, host Hawks, the top-seeded Saints broke through with three goals in the second half to post a 4-0 win for the regional plaque and the chance to meet fourth-seed Conant at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Schaumburg Sectional.
St. Charles East's Julia Peterson proved to be the catalyst with assists on the Saints' first two corner kicks. The first put St. Charles East in control in the 22nd minute.
"I'm just looking for the 6-yard line and to put it on someone's head who can finish it," said Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match. "I have confidence that my teammates will be there to finish the ball. I was aiming for the general area where the majority of the players were.
"I didn't really feel that much pressure. I know even if I do mess up they're not going to get mad at me or anything. I was very relaxed during this game, and I knew my teammates were going to be there."
Peterson's perfectly lofted ball was trapped by senior midfielder Julia Herbrand. Bartlett keeper Nykia Wetterman dove at the ball but missed it, and it squirted free to defender Sonia Ost, who took care of business.
"There was a mess in the box, and I saw an opportunity and I toe-poked it in. It was pretty cool," said Ost, who has scored both of her goals this season on similar plays in the playoffs. "But just one up, we needed more to stay completely safe with a game like this. Our passes were a little off in the beginning but the second half I think we got it together really nicely and put a lot away."
Bartlett had something to do with St. Charles East's lack of first half production. The Hawks were disruptive and worked hard to break up the continuity St. Charles East tried to muster. When Bartlett, its keeper Wetterman was there to help with an active work load at the top of the box and a spectacular save when it was needed.
One example came on a 37-yard free kick from Peterson that bent towards the far post in the 20th minute. Wetterman laid out to grab the ball at the feet of Herbrand and deny another dangerous attempt.
Bartlett struggled to create an attack but found its best sustained sequence of offense after the 30-minute mark. It was highlighted by a play that should have tied the game in the 32nd minute.
A pass from freshman Jessica Mirsky freed classmate Kayla Hare in the top-middle of the box. Hare side-stepped onrushing goalie Alison Chesterfield and took a shot that appeared destined to find the net. Instead it met St. Charles East defender Sara Buetow at the goal line.
"I put my foot right on it," the senior said. "Usually when (the keeper) comes out I stay there just in case she gets caught up in the top of the box. If it goes in you lose your momentum."
After halftime, St. Charles East (21-1-1) came out with purpose and showcased the skill of its sophomore class.
Hannah Kolb just missed with a lofted shot at the far upper 90 in the 41st minute after a poor Bartlett pass to the right side. Kolb came close again two minutes later and forced Wetterman into a diving stop after a pass from Kaitlyn Dziubinski, who then found classmate Kyla Augustine for the go-ahead goal in the 46th minute.
Then Peterson, a junior, was at it again. This time her corner kick found Kolb, whose 52nd-minute header put St. Charles East up 3-0. Freshman phenom Chantel Carranza finished the scoring with an easy tally after a beautifully slotted pass from Kelli Santo Paulo put her in alone in the 57th minute.
The win produced a second-consecutive regional title, the 20th overall in school history, and a very happy Saints coach.
"In the second half we were able to make a few corrections and simply let our speed and athleticism take over," said St. Charles East leader Paul Jennison. "And with our deep roster we were able to wear them down. Bartlett was quality. We know in a regional final there are no easy games, and obviously we've got to make sure we keep that mind-set moving forward.
"You can only have faith in the players around and know the quality you've got on your squad. When they settle down, and get into the rhythm it can happen. Just because you don't score in the first five minutes, doesn't mean you don't have 75 more to go.
"That was the message at halftime was just to get back to what we were good at and don't be nervous. We understand that some of these girls, it's their first time in the playoffs. As much as it's not been said, we do have a very, very young roster also.
"In the second half we showed what quality we do have, on the big stage."
Jennison praised his keeper and defense, but didn't want to name names.
"We don't have one player and again it's not cliche," he said. "And I don't say it to seem like I'm deflecting any attention. We genuinely are a team, and I couldn't be more proud of those girls for buying into that mentality.
"It's been quality all year, and I hope it can continue."
Meanwhile on the Bartlett side, there were few of the tears that often accompany playoff loses. Instead, there was an air of satisfaction that the Hawks had given their best and held their own against an impressive foe.
"(Head coach Ben) Beary kept telling us it's a mind-set. If you think that you can do it, you can do it," said midfielder Mariela Alba. "I think that's one of the things that kept us in this game today. A lot of us before this game (thought) 'Oh, they're going to cream us.' But coming into the game today we were like 'We got this.'
"Obviously they were hard competition. All props to them. They did really good keeping the ball and moving it around. We just did the best we could.
"I think Beary and our assistant coach (Mark) Mirsky made sure that we knew that we were not going to just play defense. We are capable of attacking; we are a good team. Not many people think Bartlett is a good high school girls team, and we proved a lot of teams wrong.
"Coming into this game, we knew we had to play. We just couldn't stay on our heels the whole time and make sure we just kept up with them. I very proud of (my team). They all showed a lot heart even at 4-0. They were still showing, still trying. They kept going until the end."
Wetterman did her part in the goal against a St. Charles East team that kept her busy with 10 saves, some of them stirring, and ever watchful from 15 Saint shots that missed the target.
She didn't hesitate when asked how a goalie approaches a game that promises to feature constant pressure.
"Essentially it is a keeper's nightmare, but you know you have to hold your ground," the sophomore said. "Ultimately you want a game where you dont get any action, because it means your defense and your offense is keeping it in the final third. But keepers are there to make the saves.
"Today I made some saves but there were a couple where I could have done something differently, we could have done something differently. But ultimately I really proud how we came back and kept fighting. ... They're a good team. They're fast. I did what I could to keep the ball out of the net."
Wetterman changed her field this year. The former high school softball player has decided to stay with the type of pitch players stand on for the rest of her high school career in the spring, though she will play on travel clubs in both sports this summer.
"It's the sport I fell in love with first," said the keeper. "I've been playing since I was four-years old. It just seemed like something I couldn't let go, and I realized that in February. I don't know, I belong in soccer cleats."
Bartlett coach Ben Beary liked what he saw from his Hawks.
"This group's been playing really well, and even though we didn't get the result and 4-0 doesn't look great, this was not a bad game for us," he said. "I thought we played pretty well, especially in that first half.
"We had a couple pretty close chances in that first half. I really hoped they (Hawks) could have gotten one here at the end. I think they deserved it the way that we were playing. I was hoping we would get a goal just to be able to walk away with that.
"I'm really proud of this group. All season long they've grown, they've gotten better. Hats off to East, really good team. Best of luck to them."
Bartlett finished 12-10-1 in a season that included losses to Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley, Downers Grove South and PepsiCo Showdown Gatorade Bracket winner Oswego.
"We're going to be losing two seniors on that back line Melissa Gal and Shannon Brohan," Beary said. "They've been our leaders in back all year long. Just a testament to them how organized we were all season long on that backline. They're both captains, and they're both leaders. They kept us in a lot of close games -- big reason for our success all year long.
"This is basically the same team we had last year, and we ended up with more wins than last year. Melissa and Shannon, that was their first playoff win of their career on Tuesday (2-0 against Glenbard West). I'm really happy for them that we at least get to walk away from the season with that. They deserved it. They earned it. They worked really hard."
Starting lineups
Bartlett
GK: Nykia Wetterman
D: Molly O'Malley
D: Jamie Kenna
D: Melissa Gal
D: Shannon Brohan
M: Mariela Alba
M: Jessica Mirsky
M: Jenna Noesen
M: Brooke Bednarke
F: Jenna Dombrowski
F: Kayla Hare
St. Charles East
G: Alison Chesterfield
D: Sara Buetow
D: Shannon Gatehouse
D: Sonia Ost
D: Maggie Smith
M: Julia Peterson
M: Hannah Kolb
M: Kelli Santo Paulo
M: Kaitlyn Dziubinski
F: Claire Rasmussen
F: Chantel Carranza
MVP of the Match: Julia Peterson, MF, St. Charles East.