Glenbards, East and West, can't break ice
District rivals show resiliency in 0-0 finish
By Dave Owen
GLEN ELLYN -- Gusting winds and maximum versatility were the two key factors Saturday as Glenbard East and Glenbard West faced off.
After 80 minutes, with quality chances almost completely determined by direction of play, the two district rivals ended where they started – in a 0-0 draw.
Glenbard West first-year coach Morgan Kasperek summed up the tug-of-war, in which her team came inches away several times from a second half goal.
“I thought both teams played really well today,” Kasperek said. “We’re very evenly matched. We just cannot score.
“We hit what, three or four posts today? If it’s a post contest, we’ve got them beat. But it’s not unfortunately. I’m going to tell the girls to just start aiming for the posts, and we’ll see if we can score.”
Glenbard East (9-5-2) dominated first half chances with the wind in its favor, including its own meeting with metal. Off a corner kick, Katie Hansen chipped a 15-yard shot off the crossbar in the 8th minute, followed by an Elizabeth Toledo rebound try over the net.
Then after withstanding that and other Rams threats to stay tied, the Hilltoppers had the wind in the second half.
“It was tough, and I feel like it (the wind) picked up,” Rams coach Kent Overbey said. “The first half the wind really gave us an advantage, but the second half we were really under pressure. And you saw that with Glenbard West.
“The first 20-30 minutes their energy wasn’t super high, and they weren’t connecting passes. The last 10 minutes of the first half though, they started finding players’ feet in the middle and getting the ball outside and then up.
“In the second half with the wind at their backs and us unable to get the ball out, you saw what happened,” Overbey added. “They have a ton of talent in the center of the park, and they were able to have their way for a lot of the game.”
Players moving to new positions were key characters in the battle.
For Glenbard West (7-5-3), senior backup goalkeeper turned forward Bailey Wallace was the main offensive player of the second half.
With 21:20 left, Teagan Ryan was fouled to set up a 47-yard free kick. On Annie Gelfer’s ensuing send to the right of the box, Wallace high-kicked an 8-yard shot high off the right post and out of bounds.
Then with 10:25 to go, Wallace had a similar close call. Intercepting a clear attempt, she rocketed a low 20-yard shot that clanged off the left post.
“Bailey had a great game for us up-top,” Kasperek said. “Bailey’s our backup keeper, and we’ve just recently started putting her up at forward. She’s earning every minute of her playing time. She looked really good today.”
Wallace noted the weather's impact on the match.
“It was easier to go this way (with the wind) by far,” Wallace said. “The first half we only had one forward, so it was harder to get much offense going. But since we had two forwards in this half with the wind, it was easier to go with it and try to score more.”
Helping prevent that from happening were two versatile standouts for Glenbard East.
Goalkeeper Faith Davies not only helped repel the Hilltopper second half push, but also provided the offense with a late first half boost.
Renee Wesling subbed in for Davies at goalkeeper with 13:30 left in the first half. Ninety seconds later, Davies had quickly ditched her goaltending uniform and gloves and was back on the field as a midfielder.
“It’s a fun thing to do honestly (switch to midfield late in the half),” said Davies. “I’d do anything for this team.”
Her most dangerous play came in the 35th minute, when Davies’ throw-in set up a Lindsey Novak header that eluded Glenbard West goalkeeper Sarah Shellady but was cleared by Gelfer.
“In the first half with the wind at our backs we were able to get Faith out of the goal,” Overbey said. “She’s a very dangerous threat in the field with her throws and winning 50-50 balls. She’s a freak of an athlete. What I always think is, will she accidentally reach out and grab a ball going by from force of habit, but she never does. She’s great.
“Then we felt in the second half we’d be under too much presssure not to have her back there (at goalkeeper).”
Back in the net, Davies’ best saves came in the final minutes. She stopped a Ryan 15-yard header with 1:35 to go. Then after the Hilltoppers’ Sammy Harris was fouled in the final 30 seconds, Davies was a nice save to her right on Gelfer’s ensuing 24-yard straight-on free kick.
“Faith made a great save on that free kick just outside the box,” Overbey said. “That ball was going in, and she shifted all the way over to the weak side and behind her wall to make that save. That was great.”
Davies’ ability to switch roles has been exceeded by teammate Elizabeth Toledo. The onetime forward’s latest challenge came with 35:32 left in the match, when standout defender Paige Taylor was sidelined for the day by a knee injury.
Switching from her new midfield spot to defender, Toledo was effective.
“I’m glad we were buckled down in the back, especially to have a four-year starter like Paige Taylor go down with a knee (badly bruised in a collision),” Overbey said. “Suddenly we’re shuffling to find somebody to fill in at that spot, and Toledo now has officially played every position but goalie this year.
“She’s just such a great player, so versatile. And she understands the game so well and understands each position. It’s great to be able to throw her in there as we figure out what to do.”
One of the Rams’ top scorers last year, Toledo has embraced her evolving roles this spring.
“I started off at forward, which is kind of my main position,” Toledo said. “Then Amy Chiero broke her wrist so I had to drop back to a mid, and I think it was an easier adjustment because we all work together so well on the field.
“Then today Paige went down, and I had to drop back to an outside back. It was hard, it was scary, but I knew I had a great group like Mattie (Pusateri) and Katie (Hansen) in the center that would help me if I made a mistake.”
Later in the game a junior midfielder did her part defensively.
“Then Alyse Donato stepped in back there and we got Toledo back to the midfield,” Overbey said. “Alyse did a great job – she plays so hard and made a couple of hard tackles, and was able to really disrupt their offense coming at us.”
Hansen is strong on both launching free kicks and shutting down opposing attackers, and made a nice tackle and clear to deny an Emma Burke drive into the box with 9:30 left.
“Katie Hansen and Mattie in the back both did a great job,” Overbey said. “Both had clearances that were good chances they were able to break up at the end there. And Katie Hansen had a great tackle.”
Before the final flurry of post shots and chances, Glenbard West threats included Davies’ near post catch of an Emma Wallace shot with 31:50 left, Davies’ high grab at the back post of a Burke corner kick at 30:55, and a Kat Kostolansky 40-yard one-timer that went just over the net with 19:40 to go.
“I thought Emma Wallace had a really good game,” Kasperek said. “And Teagan (Ryan) is playing really well at a new spot (midfield).
“We lost Bella (Pina) probably for awhile, so Teagan has stepped up playing defensive center mid, and she did a nice job in her new position.
“And our defense – they’re just tough to get through,” Kasperek added. “Our back four are outstanding.”
That Hilltopper defense added a shutout of Glenbard East to a list of strong showings against other quality foes like Wheaton Academy, Minooka and Nazareth.
“Defensively the team has played with this lineup pretty much since our sophomore year,” Kostolansky said. “So we’ve played together for a really long time and know exactly where each other are going to be. And we just really trust each other – it works really well for us.”
Glenbard East tested that defense often in the first half, with Hansen’s free kicks a big threat.
Toledo headed a Hansen 45-yard free kick just wide from 6 yards, Hilltoppers goalkeeper Sarah Shellady made a nice high grab of a 48-yard Hansen free kick, and
Molly Becker and Emma Walsh combined to block and clear another Hansen 35-yard set piece 4:40 before halftime.
“Glenbard East is really good in the air – they always have been,” Kostolansky said. “We played off just a little bit so we could control the ball after it was trapped. That worked well.”
Scoring chances for both sides were about the only things not working well in the quality matchup.
“We just need more goals,” Kostolansky said. “We have a lot of shots every game, so we just have to work on putting them in. Other than that, we’re pretty strong.”
That strength of play has grown during the year.
“I think speed of the game has mostly changed for us,” Kostolansky said. “Our first few games we struggled a little bit with keeping our pace up, and I think that now playing Glenbard East after playing some really good teams like Nazareth, it’s really helped us to work on playing quickly and getting the ball off fast.”
For Glenbard East, the recovery continues after a five-match winless streak at midseason.
“I think it was just that we had to calm down and trust ourselves,” Davies said. “We have a lot of talent on our team, and when we trust ourselves and play our kind of game, we’re very good.”
Added Toledo: “I think we were just getting frustrated. We were playing good teams after good teams, and we were just coming off a five-game win streak. As soon as we got two losses it got to our heads. But as soon as we calmed down, I think we got it back together.”
The Rams now head into a week of celebrations and challenges. Before facing no. 18 West Aurora (15-1-0) in a key conference match Tuesday, the Rams will celebrate Senior Night against Addison Trail on Monday.
“Hopefully we can get Paige some time (Monday) without putting her recovery in question,” Overbey said. “And Mimi Camacho played about 15 (minutes) today – she’s dealing with a thigh issue. Hopefully we can rest her on Monday, because our biggest game now is West Aurora on Tuesday. They're tied with us and Bartlett atop the conference standings.”
SENIOR MOMENTS
Monday will be special for a senior corps led by Taylor and top scorer Dana Plotke who helped the Rams earn a third place trophy in the state tournament.
“I can't say enough about all our seniors,” Overbey said. “The obvious names are Dana and Paige. They’ve been around with the varsity for four years, making a name for themselves.
“Dana has scored some huge goals and continues to do that. She's been a great example to a lot of our younger forwards. Not just how to put the ball in the goal but how to carry yourself on and off the field.
“Paige has been lights out since day one,” Overbey added. “She’s as cool as the other side of the pillow in the back, and she always has a great game. It’s almost a negative, because she's been playing at such a high level for four years, you almost forget about her. As a coach you just assume her side of the field is locked down and you move on. It's unfortunate that good defense is often overlooked.”
The senior class' impact on the program was limited to the pair.
“Then you look at our other four seniors and that core group played a huge role in our deep run last season,” Overbey said. “Molly Snyder and Alyssa Chiero mostly up-top – those games where we went 100 minutes in the June heat, they played some critical minutes for us.
“And Gen Severini and Magda Rusiecki, the same thing in the midfield. We made our name last season by outworking the other team. These six seniors are the embodiment of that attitude.”
The Hilltoppers’ own exceptional senior class of Wallace, Paige Dickson, Kostolansky, Libby Howard, Claire Wagner, Pina, Becker, Burke, Walsh and Wind is also helping put their program on the map.
“We have all known each other since we were little, so just with that we have great team chemistry,” Wallace said. “And we’ve been working really hard this year. I think it’s really been working out well.”
Starting lineups
Glenbard East
GK- Faith Davies
D- Paige Taylor
D- Gen Severini
D- Katie Hansen
D- Sam Johnson
M- Elizabeth Toledo
M- Ali Liljestrand
M- Alyssa Chiero
M- Mattie Pusateri
F- Dana Plotke
F- Lindsey Novak
Glenbard West
GK- Sarah Shellady
D- Molly Becker
D- Kat Kostolansky
D- Gabi Wind
D- Annie Gelfer
M- Sammy Harris
M- Madison Jurgovan
M- Teagan Ryan
M- Emma Wallace
M- Emma Walsh
F- Emma Burke
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Faith Davies, jr. GK, Glenbard East
Bailey Wallace, sr. F, Glenbard West
District rivals show resiliency in 0-0 finish
By Dave Owen
GLEN ELLYN -- Gusting winds and maximum versatility were the two key factors Saturday as Glenbard East and Glenbard West faced off.
After 80 minutes, with quality chances almost completely determined by direction of play, the two district rivals ended where they started – in a 0-0 draw.
Glenbard West first-year coach Morgan Kasperek summed up the tug-of-war, in which her team came inches away several times from a second half goal.
“I thought both teams played really well today,” Kasperek said. “We’re very evenly matched. We just cannot score.
“We hit what, three or four posts today? If it’s a post contest, we’ve got them beat. But it’s not unfortunately. I’m going to tell the girls to just start aiming for the posts, and we’ll see if we can score.”
Glenbard East (9-5-2) dominated first half chances with the wind in its favor, including its own meeting with metal. Off a corner kick, Katie Hansen chipped a 15-yard shot off the crossbar in the 8th minute, followed by an Elizabeth Toledo rebound try over the net.
Then after withstanding that and other Rams threats to stay tied, the Hilltoppers had the wind in the second half.
“It was tough, and I feel like it (the wind) picked up,” Rams coach Kent Overbey said. “The first half the wind really gave us an advantage, but the second half we were really under pressure. And you saw that with Glenbard West.
“The first 20-30 minutes their energy wasn’t super high, and they weren’t connecting passes. The last 10 minutes of the first half though, they started finding players’ feet in the middle and getting the ball outside and then up.
“In the second half with the wind at their backs and us unable to get the ball out, you saw what happened,” Overbey added. “They have a ton of talent in the center of the park, and they were able to have their way for a lot of the game.”
Players moving to new positions were key characters in the battle.
For Glenbard West (7-5-3), senior backup goalkeeper turned forward Bailey Wallace was the main offensive player of the second half.
With 21:20 left, Teagan Ryan was fouled to set up a 47-yard free kick. On Annie Gelfer’s ensuing send to the right of the box, Wallace high-kicked an 8-yard shot high off the right post and out of bounds.
Then with 10:25 to go, Wallace had a similar close call. Intercepting a clear attempt, she rocketed a low 20-yard shot that clanged off the left post.
“Bailey had a great game for us up-top,” Kasperek said. “Bailey’s our backup keeper, and we’ve just recently started putting her up at forward. She’s earning every minute of her playing time. She looked really good today.”
Wallace noted the weather's impact on the match.
“It was easier to go this way (with the wind) by far,” Wallace said. “The first half we only had one forward, so it was harder to get much offense going. But since we had two forwards in this half with the wind, it was easier to go with it and try to score more.”
Helping prevent that from happening were two versatile standouts for Glenbard East.
Goalkeeper Faith Davies not only helped repel the Hilltopper second half push, but also provided the offense with a late first half boost.
Renee Wesling subbed in for Davies at goalkeeper with 13:30 left in the first half. Ninety seconds later, Davies had quickly ditched her goaltending uniform and gloves and was back on the field as a midfielder.
“It’s a fun thing to do honestly (switch to midfield late in the half),” said Davies. “I’d do anything for this team.”
Her most dangerous play came in the 35th minute, when Davies’ throw-in set up a Lindsey Novak header that eluded Glenbard West goalkeeper Sarah Shellady but was cleared by Gelfer.
“In the first half with the wind at our backs we were able to get Faith out of the goal,” Overbey said. “She’s a very dangerous threat in the field with her throws and winning 50-50 balls. She’s a freak of an athlete. What I always think is, will she accidentally reach out and grab a ball going by from force of habit, but she never does. She’s great.
“Then we felt in the second half we’d be under too much presssure not to have her back there (at goalkeeper).”
Back in the net, Davies’ best saves came in the final minutes. She stopped a Ryan 15-yard header with 1:35 to go. Then after the Hilltoppers’ Sammy Harris was fouled in the final 30 seconds, Davies was a nice save to her right on Gelfer’s ensuing 24-yard straight-on free kick.
“Faith made a great save on that free kick just outside the box,” Overbey said. “That ball was going in, and she shifted all the way over to the weak side and behind her wall to make that save. That was great.”
Davies’ ability to switch roles has been exceeded by teammate Elizabeth Toledo. The onetime forward’s latest challenge came with 35:32 left in the match, when standout defender Paige Taylor was sidelined for the day by a knee injury.
Switching from her new midfield spot to defender, Toledo was effective.
“I’m glad we were buckled down in the back, especially to have a four-year starter like Paige Taylor go down with a knee (badly bruised in a collision),” Overbey said. “Suddenly we’re shuffling to find somebody to fill in at that spot, and Toledo now has officially played every position but goalie this year.
“She’s just such a great player, so versatile. And she understands the game so well and understands each position. It’s great to be able to throw her in there as we figure out what to do.”
One of the Rams’ top scorers last year, Toledo has embraced her evolving roles this spring.
“I started off at forward, which is kind of my main position,” Toledo said. “Then Amy Chiero broke her wrist so I had to drop back to a mid, and I think it was an easier adjustment because we all work together so well on the field.
“Then today Paige went down, and I had to drop back to an outside back. It was hard, it was scary, but I knew I had a great group like Mattie (Pusateri) and Katie (Hansen) in the center that would help me if I made a mistake.”
Later in the game a junior midfielder did her part defensively.
“Then Alyse Donato stepped in back there and we got Toledo back to the midfield,” Overbey said. “Alyse did a great job – she plays so hard and made a couple of hard tackles, and was able to really disrupt their offense coming at us.”
Hansen is strong on both launching free kicks and shutting down opposing attackers, and made a nice tackle and clear to deny an Emma Burke drive into the box with 9:30 left.
“Katie Hansen and Mattie in the back both did a great job,” Overbey said. “Both had clearances that were good chances they were able to break up at the end there. And Katie Hansen had a great tackle.”
Before the final flurry of post shots and chances, Glenbard West threats included Davies’ near post catch of an Emma Wallace shot with 31:50 left, Davies’ high grab at the back post of a Burke corner kick at 30:55, and a Kat Kostolansky 40-yard one-timer that went just over the net with 19:40 to go.
“I thought Emma Wallace had a really good game,” Kasperek said. “And Teagan (Ryan) is playing really well at a new spot (midfield).
“We lost Bella (Pina) probably for awhile, so Teagan has stepped up playing defensive center mid, and she did a nice job in her new position.
“And our defense – they’re just tough to get through,” Kasperek added. “Our back four are outstanding.”
That Hilltopper defense added a shutout of Glenbard East to a list of strong showings against other quality foes like Wheaton Academy, Minooka and Nazareth.
“Defensively the team has played with this lineup pretty much since our sophomore year,” Kostolansky said. “So we’ve played together for a really long time and know exactly where each other are going to be. And we just really trust each other – it works really well for us.”
Glenbard East tested that defense often in the first half, with Hansen’s free kicks a big threat.
Toledo headed a Hansen 45-yard free kick just wide from 6 yards, Hilltoppers goalkeeper Sarah Shellady made a nice high grab of a 48-yard Hansen free kick, and
Molly Becker and Emma Walsh combined to block and clear another Hansen 35-yard set piece 4:40 before halftime.
“Glenbard East is really good in the air – they always have been,” Kostolansky said. “We played off just a little bit so we could control the ball after it was trapped. That worked well.”
Scoring chances for both sides were about the only things not working well in the quality matchup.
“We just need more goals,” Kostolansky said. “We have a lot of shots every game, so we just have to work on putting them in. Other than that, we’re pretty strong.”
That strength of play has grown during the year.
“I think speed of the game has mostly changed for us,” Kostolansky said. “Our first few games we struggled a little bit with keeping our pace up, and I think that now playing Glenbard East after playing some really good teams like Nazareth, it’s really helped us to work on playing quickly and getting the ball off fast.”
For Glenbard East, the recovery continues after a five-match winless streak at midseason.
“I think it was just that we had to calm down and trust ourselves,” Davies said. “We have a lot of talent on our team, and when we trust ourselves and play our kind of game, we’re very good.”
Added Toledo: “I think we were just getting frustrated. We were playing good teams after good teams, and we were just coming off a five-game win streak. As soon as we got two losses it got to our heads. But as soon as we calmed down, I think we got it back together.”
The Rams now head into a week of celebrations and challenges. Before facing no. 18 West Aurora (15-1-0) in a key conference match Tuesday, the Rams will celebrate Senior Night against Addison Trail on Monday.
“Hopefully we can get Paige some time (Monday) without putting her recovery in question,” Overbey said. “And Mimi Camacho played about 15 (minutes) today – she’s dealing with a thigh issue. Hopefully we can rest her on Monday, because our biggest game now is West Aurora on Tuesday. They're tied with us and Bartlett atop the conference standings.”
SENIOR MOMENTS
Monday will be special for a senior corps led by Taylor and top scorer Dana Plotke who helped the Rams earn a third place trophy in the state tournament.
“I can't say enough about all our seniors,” Overbey said. “The obvious names are Dana and Paige. They’ve been around with the varsity for four years, making a name for themselves.
“Dana has scored some huge goals and continues to do that. She's been a great example to a lot of our younger forwards. Not just how to put the ball in the goal but how to carry yourself on and off the field.
“Paige has been lights out since day one,” Overbey added. “She’s as cool as the other side of the pillow in the back, and she always has a great game. It’s almost a negative, because she's been playing at such a high level for four years, you almost forget about her. As a coach you just assume her side of the field is locked down and you move on. It's unfortunate that good defense is often overlooked.”
The senior class' impact on the program was limited to the pair.
“Then you look at our other four seniors and that core group played a huge role in our deep run last season,” Overbey said. “Molly Snyder and Alyssa Chiero mostly up-top – those games where we went 100 minutes in the June heat, they played some critical minutes for us.
“And Gen Severini and Magda Rusiecki, the same thing in the midfield. We made our name last season by outworking the other team. These six seniors are the embodiment of that attitude.”
The Hilltoppers’ own exceptional senior class of Wallace, Paige Dickson, Kostolansky, Libby Howard, Claire Wagner, Pina, Becker, Burke, Walsh and Wind is also helping put their program on the map.
“We have all known each other since we were little, so just with that we have great team chemistry,” Wallace said. “And we’ve been working really hard this year. I think it’s really been working out well.”
Starting lineups
Glenbard East
GK- Faith Davies
D- Paige Taylor
D- Gen Severini
D- Katie Hansen
D- Sam Johnson
M- Elizabeth Toledo
M- Ali Liljestrand
M- Alyssa Chiero
M- Mattie Pusateri
F- Dana Plotke
F- Lindsey Novak
Glenbard West
GK- Sarah Shellady
D- Molly Becker
D- Kat Kostolansky
D- Gabi Wind
D- Annie Gelfer
M- Sammy Harris
M- Madison Jurgovan
M- Teagan Ryan
M- Emma Wallace
M- Emma Walsh
F- Emma Burke
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Faith Davies, jr. GK, Glenbard East
Bailey Wallace, sr. F, Glenbard West