Team on a mission
Glenbard East has sights set high, beats IC Catholic 2-0
By Dave Surico
LOMBARD -- "Good afternoon Glenbard East girls varsity soccer team. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to surpass a record-setting 2014 season, improve on a second-place finish in the Windy City Ram Classic and go deep into the state tournament."
Each Glenbard East player’s response to the above message would contradict the title of the 1970s TV show and current Tom Cruise film franchise it comes from. Their reply? “Mission: Possible.”
The Rams (2-0) are off to a good start in their quest after a 2-0 home win over IC Catholic in the Windy City Ram Classic on Thursday. The victory advances Glenbard East to a quarterfinal date at Lincoln-Way West at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
“It think the best thing about this team this year is that top to bottom we have better talent than we’ve ever had,” said coach Kent Overbey. “When we go to the bench there’s really not much drop-off.
“Defensively everybody can play. Through the center of the park everybody plays well together, and our forwards all have speed and can check back to the ball and give defenses trouble.
“In the past we’ve had to make decisions based on who’s subbing in. We really don’t have that issue now. When people are tired we just reload and send a new group in.”
The 2015 version of the Rams displayed the kind of play Thursday that supported their coach’s assessment and could put them on the path to surpassing their school record 16 wins of last season accomplished with the aid of now graduated all-stater Alex Ruffer (Western Michigan).
Glenbard East’s Brittany Paganucci noticed an advantage she had from the outset of the game.
“I like to see that I’m faster because I have more of an opportunity to take it down the sidelines, and hopefully getting in for myself or taking a look for my player across the field to get a goal,” said Paganucci, who has all three of the Rams goals this year and 33 in her varsity career.
The fleet forward introduced herself to IC Catholic early in the game and let them know they’d be seeing a lot of her. The junior beat a Lady Knights defender down the left side and blasted a hard shot from 10 yards that keeper Bailey McCann grabbed in the second minute.
Paganucci's bursts paid off in the 11th minute. After a long run down the left side, she lost her defender around the corner and cut to the goal all alone. She finished past a helpless McCann from eight yards out to give the Rams a 1-0 lead.
The hosts continued their domination of the game and almost doubled their score in the 14th minute, but IC Catholic’s Allyson Mahnke cleared a shot off the line.
At the 19th minute, Megan Mrazek slotted a diagonal pass through to Paganucci who cut in alone. She slotted the ball in from 20 yards out for the final tally of the game.
The score was surprising due to Glenbard East’s overall domination of the game.
It’s something the Rams are working on.
“The positive side is we’re getting those chances,” said Overbey. “We’re getting our forwards and outside mids to the endline. We’re centering balls … we’re creating chances, that’s the first step. Now it’s just a matter of getting more consistent on the finishing end.”
There has been no issue with the Glenbard East defense, which hasn’t allowed a shot on goal so far this season. Starters Paige Taylor, Maria Berrum, Mary Kurtz and Corie Ewoldt and their cohorts kept keepers Sierra Dana and Haley Lydon out of harm’s way.
“I think we started off really strong,” said Taylor. “We didn’t let any dangerous balls through. I don’t think we let any really dangerous plays happen.”
IC Catholic came out of its shell in the second half. The David (310 students) to Glenbard East’s Goliath (2,364) started to open up and make plays. Dominique Lotz’s well placed, but unrequited through-ball in the 37th minute signaled the first real push forward of the game for the Lady Knights.
While Glenbard East either misfired or were stonewalled by IC Catholic keeper McCann on its offensive end, the visitors created some moments.
An unlucky touch negated Elizabeth Maloney’s chance for a breakaway in the 42nd minute. IC Catholic’s best chance came on a dangerous cross that came tantalizingly close to several white jerseys minutes later.
The Lady Knights, who made it to the Elite Eight in Class A last season, felt more like winners than losers after the final horn ended the 60-minute match.
“I came into this game thinking this was strictly going to be a training ground experience to help me figure out what we needed to do moving forward,” said coach Tod Privett. “The fact we could hold this school to two goals, I’m thrilled.
“It’s a very big school, and they’re all club players. Once our girls realized ‘Hey, we’re not losing by 10 goals … maybe we can stay close,’ I think confidence just built.”
Keeper McCann and centerback Erin Maloney stood out for IC Catholic.
McCann recorded 14 saves and made numerous runs to the ball to stymie the Glenbard East attack. She enjoyed the action.
“I did like having a few more things to do. They were very fast. Their offense was very strong,” said McCann, who knew she’d have to come off her line. “I normally do it for teams that are a lot faster. I try to charge and get as close as I can to try to intimidate them a little bit and to see if I can get my hands on the ball before they try and shoot.”
Erin Maloney shut down the middle, especially in the second half.
“We saw that they were a pretty fast-paced team, good footwork, knew how to place the ball, so we were pretty intimidated in the beginning,” she said. “But we started to realize that we could play with them, and the game started to come to us a little bit better.
“I think since we are going to play bigger schools (in the Metro Suburban Conference) this game will really help us realize we can play with them, and we won’t go into the game as intimidated. So this game is really beneficial for us.”
The Lady Knights (1-1) have even more reason for optimism after the team suffered for the school’s arts department Thursday. Leading striker Hannah Hartnett missed the game due to a dress rehearsal for the school play.
Starting lineups
IC Catholic
GK: Bailey McCann
D: Lauren Foit
D: Maeve Gillette
D: Erin Maloney
D: Tess Reardon
MF: Demitra DelFiacco
MF: Grace Fuller
MF: Emma Hendricks
MF: Tessa Langan
MF: Dominique Lotz
F: Elizabeth Maloney
Glenbard East
GK: Sierra Dana
D: Paige Taylor
D: Maria Berrum
D: Mary Kurtz
D: Corie Ewoldt
MF: Jessica Whipple
MF: Megan Mrazek
MF: Amanda Chiebek
MF: Jordyn Fulton
F: Brittany Paganucci
F: Holly Ward
Scoring summary
GE: Paganucci (Berrum), 11th minute
GE: Paganucci (Mrazek), 19th minute
Glenbard East has sights set high, beats IC Catholic 2-0
By Dave Surico
LOMBARD -- "Good afternoon Glenbard East girls varsity soccer team. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to surpass a record-setting 2014 season, improve on a second-place finish in the Windy City Ram Classic and go deep into the state tournament."
Each Glenbard East player’s response to the above message would contradict the title of the 1970s TV show and current Tom Cruise film franchise it comes from. Their reply? “Mission: Possible.”
The Rams (2-0) are off to a good start in their quest after a 2-0 home win over IC Catholic in the Windy City Ram Classic on Thursday. The victory advances Glenbard East to a quarterfinal date at Lincoln-Way West at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
“It think the best thing about this team this year is that top to bottom we have better talent than we’ve ever had,” said coach Kent Overbey. “When we go to the bench there’s really not much drop-off.
“Defensively everybody can play. Through the center of the park everybody plays well together, and our forwards all have speed and can check back to the ball and give defenses trouble.
“In the past we’ve had to make decisions based on who’s subbing in. We really don’t have that issue now. When people are tired we just reload and send a new group in.”
The 2015 version of the Rams displayed the kind of play Thursday that supported their coach’s assessment and could put them on the path to surpassing their school record 16 wins of last season accomplished with the aid of now graduated all-stater Alex Ruffer (Western Michigan).
Glenbard East’s Brittany Paganucci noticed an advantage she had from the outset of the game.
“I like to see that I’m faster because I have more of an opportunity to take it down the sidelines, and hopefully getting in for myself or taking a look for my player across the field to get a goal,” said Paganucci, who has all three of the Rams goals this year and 33 in her varsity career.
The fleet forward introduced herself to IC Catholic early in the game and let them know they’d be seeing a lot of her. The junior beat a Lady Knights defender down the left side and blasted a hard shot from 10 yards that keeper Bailey McCann grabbed in the second minute.
Paganucci's bursts paid off in the 11th minute. After a long run down the left side, she lost her defender around the corner and cut to the goal all alone. She finished past a helpless McCann from eight yards out to give the Rams a 1-0 lead.
The hosts continued their domination of the game and almost doubled their score in the 14th minute, but IC Catholic’s Allyson Mahnke cleared a shot off the line.
At the 19th minute, Megan Mrazek slotted a diagonal pass through to Paganucci who cut in alone. She slotted the ball in from 20 yards out for the final tally of the game.
The score was surprising due to Glenbard East’s overall domination of the game.
It’s something the Rams are working on.
“The positive side is we’re getting those chances,” said Overbey. “We’re getting our forwards and outside mids to the endline. We’re centering balls … we’re creating chances, that’s the first step. Now it’s just a matter of getting more consistent on the finishing end.”
There has been no issue with the Glenbard East defense, which hasn’t allowed a shot on goal so far this season. Starters Paige Taylor, Maria Berrum, Mary Kurtz and Corie Ewoldt and their cohorts kept keepers Sierra Dana and Haley Lydon out of harm’s way.
“I think we started off really strong,” said Taylor. “We didn’t let any dangerous balls through. I don’t think we let any really dangerous plays happen.”
IC Catholic came out of its shell in the second half. The David (310 students) to Glenbard East’s Goliath (2,364) started to open up and make plays. Dominique Lotz’s well placed, but unrequited through-ball in the 37th minute signaled the first real push forward of the game for the Lady Knights.
While Glenbard East either misfired or were stonewalled by IC Catholic keeper McCann on its offensive end, the visitors created some moments.
An unlucky touch negated Elizabeth Maloney’s chance for a breakaway in the 42nd minute. IC Catholic’s best chance came on a dangerous cross that came tantalizingly close to several white jerseys minutes later.
The Lady Knights, who made it to the Elite Eight in Class A last season, felt more like winners than losers after the final horn ended the 60-minute match.
“I came into this game thinking this was strictly going to be a training ground experience to help me figure out what we needed to do moving forward,” said coach Tod Privett. “The fact we could hold this school to two goals, I’m thrilled.
“It’s a very big school, and they’re all club players. Once our girls realized ‘Hey, we’re not losing by 10 goals … maybe we can stay close,’ I think confidence just built.”
Keeper McCann and centerback Erin Maloney stood out for IC Catholic.
McCann recorded 14 saves and made numerous runs to the ball to stymie the Glenbard East attack. She enjoyed the action.
“I did like having a few more things to do. They were very fast. Their offense was very strong,” said McCann, who knew she’d have to come off her line. “I normally do it for teams that are a lot faster. I try to charge and get as close as I can to try to intimidate them a little bit and to see if I can get my hands on the ball before they try and shoot.”
Erin Maloney shut down the middle, especially in the second half.
“We saw that they were a pretty fast-paced team, good footwork, knew how to place the ball, so we were pretty intimidated in the beginning,” she said. “But we started to realize that we could play with them, and the game started to come to us a little bit better.
“I think since we are going to play bigger schools (in the Metro Suburban Conference) this game will really help us realize we can play with them, and we won’t go into the game as intimidated. So this game is really beneficial for us.”
The Lady Knights (1-1) have even more reason for optimism after the team suffered for the school’s arts department Thursday. Leading striker Hannah Hartnett missed the game due to a dress rehearsal for the school play.
Starting lineups
IC Catholic
GK: Bailey McCann
D: Lauren Foit
D: Maeve Gillette
D: Erin Maloney
D: Tess Reardon
MF: Demitra DelFiacco
MF: Grace Fuller
MF: Emma Hendricks
MF: Tessa Langan
MF: Dominique Lotz
F: Elizabeth Maloney
Glenbard East
GK: Sierra Dana
D: Paige Taylor
D: Maria Berrum
D: Mary Kurtz
D: Corie Ewoldt
MF: Jessica Whipple
MF: Megan Mrazek
MF: Amanda Chiebek
MF: Jordyn Fulton
F: Brittany Paganucci
F: Holly Ward
Scoring summary
GE: Paganucci (Berrum), 11th minute
GE: Paganucci (Mrazek), 19th minute