New Trier picks up overdue championship
Trevians takes 1st title of year -- CSL crown vs. Glenbrook N.
By Derek Wolff
NORTHFIELD -- One of the only things New Trier didn’t win in 2016 was the Central Suburban Leaue championship.
Winners of 15-straight regional titles and defending state champions for three years running, the Trevians (17-2-1, 5-0-0) didn’t even appear in the title game a season ago.
The South Division champion rectified that omission with a convincing 3-1 win over visiting Glenbrook North (11-5-3, 5-2) on Tuesday.
After the Trevians, ranked no. 4 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, fell behind early, freshman left forward Emma Weaver scored twice and centerback Sydney Parker added insurance in a match New Trier dominated.
With good showings but no titles to show for it as semifinalists in the Naperville Invitational and third place winners in the North Shore Invitational earlier this season, New Trier earned some peace of mind by capturing a championship game.
“If you label a game a championship, it’s big,” Trevians coach Jim Burnside said. “So to get the win and do something we didn’t do last year, when we didn’t win the conference and didn’t get into the final game, it’s big for us.”
After Glenbrook North kicked off to begin the match, it was all New Trier early. The Trevians earned a corner kick in the second minute, then had a shot on net off a cross from right back Megan Murdoch that was saved by Glenbrook North goalkeeper Ellie Scott in the fourth.
But after a free kick from Murdoch from 30 yards out in the ninth sailed wide right of the far post, a turnover in the midfield allowed a Glenbrook North counterattack to mount.
Sophomore left midfielder Alyssa Nekritz timed a run up the left side of the field and into the box nicely, then converted with a left-footed strike into the upper 90 at the near post for a 1-0 lead.
“I got a great through-ball from (Samantha) Cramin and saw that I had space in front of me. So I just took my chance and hit it well,” Nekritz said.
Strong holding play from Glenbrook North’s midfielders in the aftermath limited New Trier to quick one-touch possession plays as the Trevians surged forward, looking for the equalizer.
Trevian substitute Katie Weix lobbed a shot toward the net from 22 yards in the 26th minute that sailed just over the crossbar.
A Glenbrook North handball in the 31st gave Nicole Kaspi a look on a free kick from 31 yards, but it flew beyond the box to the right of the near post and out for a goal kick.
Kaspi kept her composure and soon helped draw her club even. She played a bouncing ball down near the right corner flag two minutes later and sent a cross into the box where she connected with Weaver.
The freshman displayed a nifty bit of skill, corralling the ball, back heeling it to slip past a centerback and then deftly slotting it along the ground into the net at the far post to tie the score.
After the sides went into halftime with the score knotted at 1-1, Weaver doubled down in the 41st minute with her second goal of game, showing the poise that her teammates have come to expect from her this season.
New Trier played a ball into the right corner, where Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match and Trevian right wing Hannah Arment volleyed into the box to find Weaver for the go-ahead marker.
Weaver’s finishing touch has been impressive this season, and her skill hasn’t gone unnoticed by her coach.
“It’s rare; there are not a lot of freshman out there like Emma,” Burnside said. “She’s composed, she’s skilled, she’s relentless and that package makes her really a special player.”
The play itself wouldn’t have happened if several Trevians, including Arment, hadn’t hit the reset button at halftime. After a disappointing first half, the senior definitely made up for things in the second.
“I give Hannah Arment a lot of credit,” Burnside said. “I took her out in the first half, and then she ran through that ball off the (second half) kickoff. That turned the tide and gave everyone confidence. When she is on, she is a great player and it’s just a matter of her getting herself to be on.”
The Trevians earned a bevy of chances off set pieces as the game wore on and converted in the 55th minute after Glenbrook North successfully cleared a second-consecutive New Trier corner kick away from its backline.
The ball was played back out into the midfield, where the Trevians caught the Spartans trying to play the offsides trap. A lobbed ball into the box connected with Parker, who took the pass off her chest to her feet. One touch later, the ball was in the back of the net and the Trevians had a commanding 3-1 lead.
“New Trier’s very dangerous on set pieces, very good at playing balls in,” Spartans coach Craig Loch said. “You can tell they spend a lot of time on that and are able to take advantage of it.”
The Trevians couldn’t convert on a free kick in the 63rd minute, or on a pair of corner kicks in the 75th and 76th, but the sustained pressure pinned Glenbrook North in its defensive third and closed out the match.
The win comes at the right time for the Trevians, who tied another strong side in ninth-ranked Lake Forest, 0-0, on Saturday. Postseason play begins in one week.
“It boosts our confidence and winning these games are what takes us to the next level in the playoffs because it sets the tone,” Weaver said.
Both teams will compete in the Glenbrook North sectional this postseason, where New Trier is the no. 1 seed and Glenbrook North is no. 5. A win over rival Glenbrook South in a regional title game would likely set the Spartans up with a New Trier rematch in the sectional semifinals.
“We need to stay focused in the back,” Arment said, on what she and her teammates discovered from Glenbrook North. “They can be pretty physical, so we need to match that with energy. Also just stay patient, if they’re going to play low pressure with us, just possess the ball. Being aware of those quick players at the top was the biggest thing we learned.”
Starting Lineups
Glenbrook North
GK - Ellie Scott
LB - Emily Porta
CB - Maggie Oliphant
CB - Torrie Welch
RB - Melissa Tucker
LM - Alyssa Nekritz
CM - Maya Lambert
CM - Katie Benson
CM - Victoria Caparos
RM - Samantha Cramin
ST - Emily Charen
New Trier
GK - Katy Symanietz
LB - Caroline Iserloth
CB - Sam Urban
CB - Sydney Parker
RB - Megan Murdoch
CM - Hope Baisley
CAM - Nicole Kaspi
RW - Hannah Arment
LF - Emma Weaver
CF - Lily Conley
RF - Whitney Hoban
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Hannah Arment, sr., F, New Trier
Officials: Richard Geati (middle); Mike Glisovic; Brett Straley
Trevians takes 1st title of year -- CSL crown vs. Glenbrook N.
By Derek Wolff
NORTHFIELD -- One of the only things New Trier didn’t win in 2016 was the Central Suburban Leaue championship.
Winners of 15-straight regional titles and defending state champions for three years running, the Trevians (17-2-1, 5-0-0) didn’t even appear in the title game a season ago.
The South Division champion rectified that omission with a convincing 3-1 win over visiting Glenbrook North (11-5-3, 5-2) on Tuesday.
After the Trevians, ranked no. 4 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, fell behind early, freshman left forward Emma Weaver scored twice and centerback Sydney Parker added insurance in a match New Trier dominated.
With good showings but no titles to show for it as semifinalists in the Naperville Invitational and third place winners in the North Shore Invitational earlier this season, New Trier earned some peace of mind by capturing a championship game.
“If you label a game a championship, it’s big,” Trevians coach Jim Burnside said. “So to get the win and do something we didn’t do last year, when we didn’t win the conference and didn’t get into the final game, it’s big for us.”
After Glenbrook North kicked off to begin the match, it was all New Trier early. The Trevians earned a corner kick in the second minute, then had a shot on net off a cross from right back Megan Murdoch that was saved by Glenbrook North goalkeeper Ellie Scott in the fourth.
But after a free kick from Murdoch from 30 yards out in the ninth sailed wide right of the far post, a turnover in the midfield allowed a Glenbrook North counterattack to mount.
Sophomore left midfielder Alyssa Nekritz timed a run up the left side of the field and into the box nicely, then converted with a left-footed strike into the upper 90 at the near post for a 1-0 lead.
“I got a great through-ball from (Samantha) Cramin and saw that I had space in front of me. So I just took my chance and hit it well,” Nekritz said.
Strong holding play from Glenbrook North’s midfielders in the aftermath limited New Trier to quick one-touch possession plays as the Trevians surged forward, looking for the equalizer.
Trevian substitute Katie Weix lobbed a shot toward the net from 22 yards in the 26th minute that sailed just over the crossbar.
A Glenbrook North handball in the 31st gave Nicole Kaspi a look on a free kick from 31 yards, but it flew beyond the box to the right of the near post and out for a goal kick.
Kaspi kept her composure and soon helped draw her club even. She played a bouncing ball down near the right corner flag two minutes later and sent a cross into the box where she connected with Weaver.
The freshman displayed a nifty bit of skill, corralling the ball, back heeling it to slip past a centerback and then deftly slotting it along the ground into the net at the far post to tie the score.
After the sides went into halftime with the score knotted at 1-1, Weaver doubled down in the 41st minute with her second goal of game, showing the poise that her teammates have come to expect from her this season.
New Trier played a ball into the right corner, where Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match and Trevian right wing Hannah Arment volleyed into the box to find Weaver for the go-ahead marker.
Weaver’s finishing touch has been impressive this season, and her skill hasn’t gone unnoticed by her coach.
“It’s rare; there are not a lot of freshman out there like Emma,” Burnside said. “She’s composed, she’s skilled, she’s relentless and that package makes her really a special player.”
The play itself wouldn’t have happened if several Trevians, including Arment, hadn’t hit the reset button at halftime. After a disappointing first half, the senior definitely made up for things in the second.
“I give Hannah Arment a lot of credit,” Burnside said. “I took her out in the first half, and then she ran through that ball off the (second half) kickoff. That turned the tide and gave everyone confidence. When she is on, she is a great player and it’s just a matter of her getting herself to be on.”
The Trevians earned a bevy of chances off set pieces as the game wore on and converted in the 55th minute after Glenbrook North successfully cleared a second-consecutive New Trier corner kick away from its backline.
The ball was played back out into the midfield, where the Trevians caught the Spartans trying to play the offsides trap. A lobbed ball into the box connected with Parker, who took the pass off her chest to her feet. One touch later, the ball was in the back of the net and the Trevians had a commanding 3-1 lead.
“New Trier’s very dangerous on set pieces, very good at playing balls in,” Spartans coach Craig Loch said. “You can tell they spend a lot of time on that and are able to take advantage of it.”
The Trevians couldn’t convert on a free kick in the 63rd minute, or on a pair of corner kicks in the 75th and 76th, but the sustained pressure pinned Glenbrook North in its defensive third and closed out the match.
The win comes at the right time for the Trevians, who tied another strong side in ninth-ranked Lake Forest, 0-0, on Saturday. Postseason play begins in one week.
“It boosts our confidence and winning these games are what takes us to the next level in the playoffs because it sets the tone,” Weaver said.
Both teams will compete in the Glenbrook North sectional this postseason, where New Trier is the no. 1 seed and Glenbrook North is no. 5. A win over rival Glenbrook South in a regional title game would likely set the Spartans up with a New Trier rematch in the sectional semifinals.
“We need to stay focused in the back,” Arment said, on what she and her teammates discovered from Glenbrook North. “They can be pretty physical, so we need to match that with energy. Also just stay patient, if they’re going to play low pressure with us, just possess the ball. Being aware of those quick players at the top was the biggest thing we learned.”
Starting Lineups
Glenbrook North
GK - Ellie Scott
LB - Emily Porta
CB - Maggie Oliphant
CB - Torrie Welch
RB - Melissa Tucker
LM - Alyssa Nekritz
CM - Maya Lambert
CM - Katie Benson
CM - Victoria Caparos
RM - Samantha Cramin
ST - Emily Charen
New Trier
GK - Katy Symanietz
LB - Caroline Iserloth
CB - Sam Urban
CB - Sydney Parker
RB - Megan Murdoch
CM - Hope Baisley
CAM - Nicole Kaspi
RW - Hannah Arment
LF - Emma Weaver
CF - Lily Conley
RF - Whitney Hoban
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Hannah Arment, sr., F, New Trier
Officials: Richard Geati (middle); Mike Glisovic; Brett Straley