No place like new home field for Bartlett
Hawks soar past Larkin 4-0 in 1st game on own field
By Ken Keenan
BARTLETT -- Playing on an actual home field for the first time, Bartlett charged out of the gate and never let up en route to a 4-0 win over Larkin in nonconference play on Thursday.
The Hawks typically play their "home" games about 7 1/2 miles to the south on FieldTurf at Millennium Field in Streamwood. Bartlett, which opened in 1997, has no stadium, but the school does maintain a grass field for football and soccer team use on campus, and it was recently re-sodded.
Walking from the building to the field for a home game rather than boarding a bus was a welcome change for Bartlett.
"It was special for us to play at home," said Bartlett sophomore forward Tabitha Evans, who earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors after tallying a goal and 2 assists in the historic victory. "We only have so many games left together this year, so it meant a lot to play on our home field together. It was so much fun ... really special."
Hawks' junior defender Makenna Hughes said, "It was super-exciting to play on our home field -- and win."
Smiling ear-to-ear, Hawks' head coach Vince Di Nuzzo said, "The girls finally got their chance to play at home, and they really embraced it. This was beautiful. The field was nice, we played smoothly -- just overall excitement. And we practice on the grass, so we're used to it."
Bartlett gave the Royals little breathing room and dominated the play with a high-octane attack. Prior to taking a 1-0 lead on a shot high into the upper left corner by senior forward Brooke Bednarke (assisted by Evans) with 22:23 left in the first half, the Hawks counted no less than 11 quality chances.
Consistently strong runs on the outside by Hughes and fellow junior defender Alyssa Modugno kick-started the offense, allowing speedy forwards Evans and Bednarke, along with stellar junior midfielder Jenna Dombrowski, to create the wave of opportunities.
"We've been working on not backing off," Dombrowski said. "Keeping the tempo and rhythm going is really important to us."
Added Evans: "I think this sets the tone for the rest of the season. We have to come into our final games with the same mentality."
Less than 2 minutes into the match, Modugno shot wide-left in the box after settling a cross from Dombrowski. Forty seconds later, Evans cut inside and was stopped by ultra-busy Larkin senior goalkeeper Haley Casebeer, who then saved a 20-yard try by Dombrowski during the same sequence.
In the 7th minute, Evans slashed through four Royals before hitting the post with a close-in try. Two minutes elapsed before Casebeer nabbed a 30-yard rising shot by Bartlett freshman mid Maddie Donnelly.
With 27 minutes left in the opening session, Modugno rifled a 30-yard shot wide-left, and Bednarke then missed wide-right from 10 yards with 26 minutes to go.
"We really wanted to come out hard -- get a lot of movement and make diagonal runs up-top," Hughes said.
Added Evans: "I think this sets the tone for the rest of the season. We have to come into our other games with the same mentality."
The Hawks didn't wait long after the break to increase the margin, making it 2-0 on a penalty kick by Dombrowski with 37:09 showing. A handball in the box -- following a header off the crossbar by Evans -- gave Dombrowski the free look, and she scored low-left while Casebeer guessed right.
Bartlett scored its third goal with 23:46 to go, capitalizing on a corner kick by senior forward Sarah Jurek. After finding the ball in the box, Dombrowski neatly tipped it to Evans, who finished with a tap-in.
Junior forward Natalie McGinnis concluded the scoring with 11:58 remaining, popping the ball in after taking a feed from Dombrowski on the doorstep.
Larkin managed only a handful of opportunities, including a 20-yard rocket over the crossbar from junior mid Jocelyn Sanchez in the 5th minute, and a dangerous try in the 49th minute by senior forward Stephanie Nunez that Bartlett sophomore keeper Teagan Noesen snuffed with a fine save.
"We just looked like we had tired legs out there," said Larkin head coach Ken Hall, whose squad fell to 12-8-0 overall.
"But we've played very well this year. There's a lot of positives. This is just one bad game."
Added Nunez: "We were not mentally prepared for this game. We tried fixing things at halftime, but Bartlett played really good."
Bartlett's Dombrowski like what she saw from her team on the special day.
"We really clicked well," she said. "I think we played our best soccer of the season today."
Aside from playing its first real home game, DiNuzzo said the Hawks had extra incentive to come out strong after ending up with a 1-1 tie against West Chicago in league play Tuesday.
"We were very hungry," he said. "It showed in the overall team aspect -- defensively transitioning to the attack, outside backs getting into the play, and our front three dynamic in their movement. This is what we're capable of. I think we're starting to find our identity and coming into our own at the right time."
After a nonconference trip to play no. 16 St. Charles East on Saturday, the Hawks (9-7-3, 2-0-2) visit West Aurora for a crack at their first-ever conference crown in the regular season finale on May 9. Bartlett needs a victory to celebrate that program first.
"We have a chance to win it," DiNuzzo said. "That's been our goal since the start of the season."
Starting lineups
Larkin
G: Haley Casebeer
D: Anayeli Perez
D: Ariana King
D: Amy Leon
M: Tanya Franco
M: Osiris Leon
M: Jackie Perez
M: Miranda Preuss
M: Jocelyn Sanchez
F: Stephanie Nunez
F: Elizabeth Baeza
Bartlett
G: Teagan Noesen
D: Alyssa Modugno
D: Miranda Hedeen
D: Paige Bednarke
D: Makenna Hughes
M: Maddie Donnelly
M: Jenna Dombrowski
M: Jessica Mirsky
M: Mikayla Brown
F: Brooke Bednarke
F: Tabitha Evans
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Tabitha Evans, so., F, Bartlett
Officials: Rich Zawislak; Chuck Raksinh; Bob Karce
Hawks soar past Larkin 4-0 in 1st game on own field
By Ken Keenan
BARTLETT -- Playing on an actual home field for the first time, Bartlett charged out of the gate and never let up en route to a 4-0 win over Larkin in nonconference play on Thursday.
The Hawks typically play their "home" games about 7 1/2 miles to the south on FieldTurf at Millennium Field in Streamwood. Bartlett, which opened in 1997, has no stadium, but the school does maintain a grass field for football and soccer team use on campus, and it was recently re-sodded.
Walking from the building to the field for a home game rather than boarding a bus was a welcome change for Bartlett.
"It was special for us to play at home," said Bartlett sophomore forward Tabitha Evans, who earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors after tallying a goal and 2 assists in the historic victory. "We only have so many games left together this year, so it meant a lot to play on our home field together. It was so much fun ... really special."
Hawks' junior defender Makenna Hughes said, "It was super-exciting to play on our home field -- and win."
Smiling ear-to-ear, Hawks' head coach Vince Di Nuzzo said, "The girls finally got their chance to play at home, and they really embraced it. This was beautiful. The field was nice, we played smoothly -- just overall excitement. And we practice on the grass, so we're used to it."
Bartlett gave the Royals little breathing room and dominated the play with a high-octane attack. Prior to taking a 1-0 lead on a shot high into the upper left corner by senior forward Brooke Bednarke (assisted by Evans) with 22:23 left in the first half, the Hawks counted no less than 11 quality chances.
Consistently strong runs on the outside by Hughes and fellow junior defender Alyssa Modugno kick-started the offense, allowing speedy forwards Evans and Bednarke, along with stellar junior midfielder Jenna Dombrowski, to create the wave of opportunities.
"We've been working on not backing off," Dombrowski said. "Keeping the tempo and rhythm going is really important to us."
Added Evans: "I think this sets the tone for the rest of the season. We have to come into our final games with the same mentality."
Less than 2 minutes into the match, Modugno shot wide-left in the box after settling a cross from Dombrowski. Forty seconds later, Evans cut inside and was stopped by ultra-busy Larkin senior goalkeeper Haley Casebeer, who then saved a 20-yard try by Dombrowski during the same sequence.
In the 7th minute, Evans slashed through four Royals before hitting the post with a close-in try. Two minutes elapsed before Casebeer nabbed a 30-yard rising shot by Bartlett freshman mid Maddie Donnelly.
With 27 minutes left in the opening session, Modugno rifled a 30-yard shot wide-left, and Bednarke then missed wide-right from 10 yards with 26 minutes to go.
"We really wanted to come out hard -- get a lot of movement and make diagonal runs up-top," Hughes said.
Added Evans: "I think this sets the tone for the rest of the season. We have to come into our other games with the same mentality."
The Hawks didn't wait long after the break to increase the margin, making it 2-0 on a penalty kick by Dombrowski with 37:09 showing. A handball in the box -- following a header off the crossbar by Evans -- gave Dombrowski the free look, and she scored low-left while Casebeer guessed right.
Bartlett scored its third goal with 23:46 to go, capitalizing on a corner kick by senior forward Sarah Jurek. After finding the ball in the box, Dombrowski neatly tipped it to Evans, who finished with a tap-in.
Junior forward Natalie McGinnis concluded the scoring with 11:58 remaining, popping the ball in after taking a feed from Dombrowski on the doorstep.
Larkin managed only a handful of opportunities, including a 20-yard rocket over the crossbar from junior mid Jocelyn Sanchez in the 5th minute, and a dangerous try in the 49th minute by senior forward Stephanie Nunez that Bartlett sophomore keeper Teagan Noesen snuffed with a fine save.
"We just looked like we had tired legs out there," said Larkin head coach Ken Hall, whose squad fell to 12-8-0 overall.
"But we've played very well this year. There's a lot of positives. This is just one bad game."
Added Nunez: "We were not mentally prepared for this game. We tried fixing things at halftime, but Bartlett played really good."
Bartlett's Dombrowski like what she saw from her team on the special day.
"We really clicked well," she said. "I think we played our best soccer of the season today."
Aside from playing its first real home game, DiNuzzo said the Hawks had extra incentive to come out strong after ending up with a 1-1 tie against West Chicago in league play Tuesday.
"We were very hungry," he said. "It showed in the overall team aspect -- defensively transitioning to the attack, outside backs getting into the play, and our front three dynamic in their movement. This is what we're capable of. I think we're starting to find our identity and coming into our own at the right time."
After a nonconference trip to play no. 16 St. Charles East on Saturday, the Hawks (9-7-3, 2-0-2) visit West Aurora for a crack at their first-ever conference crown in the regular season finale on May 9. Bartlett needs a victory to celebrate that program first.
"We have a chance to win it," DiNuzzo said. "That's been our goal since the start of the season."
Starting lineups
Larkin
G: Haley Casebeer
D: Anayeli Perez
D: Ariana King
D: Amy Leon
M: Tanya Franco
M: Osiris Leon
M: Jackie Perez
M: Miranda Preuss
M: Jocelyn Sanchez
F: Stephanie Nunez
F: Elizabeth Baeza
Bartlett
G: Teagan Noesen
D: Alyssa Modugno
D: Miranda Hedeen
D: Paige Bednarke
D: Makenna Hughes
M: Maddie Donnelly
M: Jenna Dombrowski
M: Jessica Mirsky
M: Mikayla Brown
F: Brooke Bednarke
F: Tabitha Evans
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Tabitha Evans, so., F, Bartlett
Officials: Rich Zawislak; Chuck Raksinh; Bob Karce