Jones finds its happy places,
tops Lincoln Park
Eagles win 5-0, have chance at best CPL Premier finish
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Athletes naturally have their sweet spots, comfort zones or moments of emphasis that provide a clarity and grace. Basketball players have their favorite locations they like to get on the floor; running backs have a preferred space or lane to push through.
Soccer tends toward the random and the spontaneous. The best players improvise or bend the game to their own will, or take advantage of special circumstances. The French have the word métier to describe a profession or trade someone is especially skilled at.
In the case of Dani Schulgasser, her métier is shooting from the right flank.
“That’s my favorite angle, and where I try to get all of my shots,” Schulgasser said.
A senior midfielder at Jones, Schulgasser seized her opportunities by scoring two goals from virtually identical locations at her established spot just outside the box, and the Eagles erupted for four second half goals in their 5-0 Chicago Public League Premier Division victory over Lincoln Park at Near North Field Monday.
The victory sets the stage for the regular season conclusion of divisional games Wednesday. Jones (12-2-1, 4-1-1) plays Northside (3-3-0). Current division leader Lane hosts Young. A Lane victory or draw gives the Indians the outright title. If Lane and Jones each win out, the Eagles are assured of no worse than a second place Premier finish -- it would be their best ever.
The game carried tremendous significance.
“We are still trying to win the conference and Lincoln Park is playing not to get relegated, so this was a very important game,” Schulgasser said.
Her 44th-minute first goal -- the first score in the field of play -- energized an Eagles team that spent much of the first half mapping out the defensive tendencies of the Lions. The scoring sequence developed intuitively out of Jones’ more concentrated and direct attack
Schulgasser found an opening in the crease and drilled a perfectly placed ball that ventured over the grasp of Lions’ keeper Mia Seeley.
“That’s just how I like to get the ball, have it played back to me by a forward, and then I have the ability to make a run and time my shot,” said Schulgasser, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
“In that first half we were just trying to find a rhythm and shape,” she said. “This is a very difficult field to play on, and it takes time to get used to. We are spoiled by having the privilege to play on turf, and we are not used to this kind of surface. It’s hard to get passes through. In the second half, we did a much better job of connecting passes.”
In contrast, Lincoln Park played a largely exceptional game.
“We started the game with only 14 eligible and healthy players,” Lincoln Park coach Geoffrey Ruttenberg said. “The last couple of weeks have been pretty rough for us, because we have been playing a game every other day with no bench. Mentally, the [losing] has also taken a toll on our kids.”
Lincoln Park (4-7-1, 1-5-0) played with zip and energy in the first half. Star forward Jordan Roderick-Fried used her jet speed to cause particular havoc for the Eagles’ backline. The game’s telling sequence occurred in the 28th minute.
Roderick-Fried broke free on the right edge to engage Eagles’ keeper Devin Barry in a duel. Barry broke from the box to try to either cut off the angle or get to the ball before Roderick-Fried. The opposing players arrived at the ball simultaneously. Roderick-Fried took control and launched what appeared a certain goal with Barry out of position.
Jones defender Gabriela Baxtrom rotated to the box and headed the ball out.
“We just cannot buy a break at this point,” Ruttenberg said. “That is what we have needed, that momentum or that break, and we just have not gotten it. I thought our spacing in the first half was pretty decent. That opened the passing lanes for us. The field is awful (for) trying to roll the ball. We were able to string some stuff together.”
Out of the developing counter, Jones advanced the ball deep into the Lions’ half as senior forward Yulissa Quezada had contact with Seeley. “Instead of playing her arms up, she was playing them out,” Quezada said.
Jones star midfielder Zoe Wright converted the resulting penalty kick in the 30th minute for the only first half scoring.
“I don’t want to criticize the officiating, but that’s a harsh penalty there,” Ruttenberg said. “Mia was just playing the ball, and she has every right to get that ball. That girl was not scoring a goal on that play. A minute before we are about to get a 1-0 lead and their defender heads it out and the next thing you know, we are down 1-0.”
Barry made strong second half saves of freshman midfielder Nikki Erenberg and senior midfielder Anisa Ciaciura. Lincoln Park’s players valiantly played virtually the entire game.
“We ran out of gas,” Ruttenberg said.
Quezada extended the lead to 3-0 in the 49th minute with her ninth goal of the year. “They were playing really good defense against us,” she said. “They were playing a different formation than what we usually see. They had four back very deep, and it took us a while to find the open spaces. We also played smarter in the second half.”
Interestingly, Jones’ coach Derek Bylsma knows all about the strange bounces and peculiar divots and patchwork landscape of the Near North Field.
“We used to play our games here four or five years ago when we were in the second or third division,” he said. “I think the last time we actually played here was three or four years ago. In talking with the kids, I said beforehand we wanted to play the long ball and shoot from distance. It was not really working. In the second half, we had to change our tactics -- play the shorter ball and make turns.”
Sophomore forward Avery Kaplan broke through the weary Lions’ backline and punched home a laser. Schulgasser ended the dominant second half run by scoring on a free kick. It was her third goal of the year.
The larger lead enabled Byslma to give Wright, who’s nursing a minor injury, some valuable rest.
“This was a lot like our Kennedy game [a 4-0 win April 19],” Bylsma. “We really turned it on in the second half. Playing on and off is tough, and sometimes it comes back to bite you. I liked our effort today. Janai [Cedeno}, who’s normally a midfielder, we moved to the center back and she did a great job on Jordan.”
Lincoln Park played hard until the very end. All too typical Roderick-Fried broke free down the left edge and hammered a left-footed ball that took a strange bounce and pushed just wide of the goal.
“We did as much as we were able to do as long as we were able to do it,” Ruttenberg said. “Each half epitomized that.”
Starting lineups
Jones
GK: Devin Barry
D: Gabriela Baxtrom
D: Charlotte Geissler
D: Janai Cedeno
D: Izzy Kamba
MF: Dani Schulgasser
MF: Kassy Cortez
MF: Priya Charles
MF: Zoe Wright
F: Avery Kaplan
F: Gillian Miller
Lincoln Park
GK: Mia Seeley
D: Leslie Ortega
D: Manel Maatoug
D: Winnie Guerra
D: Salome Khelashvili
MF: Anisa Ciaciura
MF: Kyra Biedermann
MF: Francesca Milito
MF:Nikki Erenberg
F: Jordan Roderick-Fried
F: Rita Sanabria
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Dani Schulgasser, sr., MF, Jones
tops Lincoln Park
Eagles win 5-0, have chance at best CPL Premier finish
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Athletes naturally have their sweet spots, comfort zones or moments of emphasis that provide a clarity and grace. Basketball players have their favorite locations they like to get on the floor; running backs have a preferred space or lane to push through.
Soccer tends toward the random and the spontaneous. The best players improvise or bend the game to their own will, or take advantage of special circumstances. The French have the word métier to describe a profession or trade someone is especially skilled at.
In the case of Dani Schulgasser, her métier is shooting from the right flank.
“That’s my favorite angle, and where I try to get all of my shots,” Schulgasser said.
A senior midfielder at Jones, Schulgasser seized her opportunities by scoring two goals from virtually identical locations at her established spot just outside the box, and the Eagles erupted for four second half goals in their 5-0 Chicago Public League Premier Division victory over Lincoln Park at Near North Field Monday.
The victory sets the stage for the regular season conclusion of divisional games Wednesday. Jones (12-2-1, 4-1-1) plays Northside (3-3-0). Current division leader Lane hosts Young. A Lane victory or draw gives the Indians the outright title. If Lane and Jones each win out, the Eagles are assured of no worse than a second place Premier finish -- it would be their best ever.
The game carried tremendous significance.
“We are still trying to win the conference and Lincoln Park is playing not to get relegated, so this was a very important game,” Schulgasser said.
Her 44th-minute first goal -- the first score in the field of play -- energized an Eagles team that spent much of the first half mapping out the defensive tendencies of the Lions. The scoring sequence developed intuitively out of Jones’ more concentrated and direct attack
Schulgasser found an opening in the crease and drilled a perfectly placed ball that ventured over the grasp of Lions’ keeper Mia Seeley.
“That’s just how I like to get the ball, have it played back to me by a forward, and then I have the ability to make a run and time my shot,” said Schulgasser, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
“In that first half we were just trying to find a rhythm and shape,” she said. “This is a very difficult field to play on, and it takes time to get used to. We are spoiled by having the privilege to play on turf, and we are not used to this kind of surface. It’s hard to get passes through. In the second half, we did a much better job of connecting passes.”
In contrast, Lincoln Park played a largely exceptional game.
“We started the game with only 14 eligible and healthy players,” Lincoln Park coach Geoffrey Ruttenberg said. “The last couple of weeks have been pretty rough for us, because we have been playing a game every other day with no bench. Mentally, the [losing] has also taken a toll on our kids.”
Lincoln Park (4-7-1, 1-5-0) played with zip and energy in the first half. Star forward Jordan Roderick-Fried used her jet speed to cause particular havoc for the Eagles’ backline. The game’s telling sequence occurred in the 28th minute.
Roderick-Fried broke free on the right edge to engage Eagles’ keeper Devin Barry in a duel. Barry broke from the box to try to either cut off the angle or get to the ball before Roderick-Fried. The opposing players arrived at the ball simultaneously. Roderick-Fried took control and launched what appeared a certain goal with Barry out of position.
Jones defender Gabriela Baxtrom rotated to the box and headed the ball out.
“We just cannot buy a break at this point,” Ruttenberg said. “That is what we have needed, that momentum or that break, and we just have not gotten it. I thought our spacing in the first half was pretty decent. That opened the passing lanes for us. The field is awful (for) trying to roll the ball. We were able to string some stuff together.”
Out of the developing counter, Jones advanced the ball deep into the Lions’ half as senior forward Yulissa Quezada had contact with Seeley. “Instead of playing her arms up, she was playing them out,” Quezada said.
Jones star midfielder Zoe Wright converted the resulting penalty kick in the 30th minute for the only first half scoring.
“I don’t want to criticize the officiating, but that’s a harsh penalty there,” Ruttenberg said. “Mia was just playing the ball, and she has every right to get that ball. That girl was not scoring a goal on that play. A minute before we are about to get a 1-0 lead and their defender heads it out and the next thing you know, we are down 1-0.”
Barry made strong second half saves of freshman midfielder Nikki Erenberg and senior midfielder Anisa Ciaciura. Lincoln Park’s players valiantly played virtually the entire game.
“We ran out of gas,” Ruttenberg said.
Quezada extended the lead to 3-0 in the 49th minute with her ninth goal of the year. “They were playing really good defense against us,” she said. “They were playing a different formation than what we usually see. They had four back very deep, and it took us a while to find the open spaces. We also played smarter in the second half.”
Interestingly, Jones’ coach Derek Bylsma knows all about the strange bounces and peculiar divots and patchwork landscape of the Near North Field.
“We used to play our games here four or five years ago when we were in the second or third division,” he said. “I think the last time we actually played here was three or four years ago. In talking with the kids, I said beforehand we wanted to play the long ball and shoot from distance. It was not really working. In the second half, we had to change our tactics -- play the shorter ball and make turns.”
Sophomore forward Avery Kaplan broke through the weary Lions’ backline and punched home a laser. Schulgasser ended the dominant second half run by scoring on a free kick. It was her third goal of the year.
The larger lead enabled Byslma to give Wright, who’s nursing a minor injury, some valuable rest.
“This was a lot like our Kennedy game [a 4-0 win April 19],” Bylsma. “We really turned it on in the second half. Playing on and off is tough, and sometimes it comes back to bite you. I liked our effort today. Janai [Cedeno}, who’s normally a midfielder, we moved to the center back and she did a great job on Jordan.”
Lincoln Park played hard until the very end. All too typical Roderick-Fried broke free down the left edge and hammered a left-footed ball that took a strange bounce and pushed just wide of the goal.
“We did as much as we were able to do as long as we were able to do it,” Ruttenberg said. “Each half epitomized that.”
Starting lineups
Jones
GK: Devin Barry
D: Gabriela Baxtrom
D: Charlotte Geissler
D: Janai Cedeno
D: Izzy Kamba
MF: Dani Schulgasser
MF: Kassy Cortez
MF: Priya Charles
MF: Zoe Wright
F: Avery Kaplan
F: Gillian Miller
Lincoln Park
GK: Mia Seeley
D: Leslie Ortega
D: Manel Maatoug
D: Winnie Guerra
D: Salome Khelashvili
MF: Anisa Ciaciura
MF: Kyra Biedermann
MF: Francesca Milito
MF:Nikki Erenberg
F: Jordan Roderick-Fried
F: Rita Sanabria
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Dani Schulgasser, sr., MF, Jones