Fremd upset in regional final
Libertyville uses speed to post 2-0 title game victory
By Dave Surico
PALATINE -- If someone wanted to create a template that displayed how a high school program can adapt and succeed after suffering devastating personnel losses, look no further than Fremd.
The Vikings (15-5-1) lost three top players to injury, but soldiered on for 15 wins and never fell from the top 10 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Unfortunately, win no. 16 and a regional title never materialized for the third-seeded hosts, who were upset 2-0 by sixth-seed Libertyville in the final Friday.
Fremd, which played without senior starters Emilijia Peleckas (forward) and Katie Kiolbassa (midfielder), and junior starter Marta Cholewa (midfielder), had the benefit of a northeast diagonal wind at its back in the first half and applied solid pressure in the early going.
In the sixth minute after a Marissa Wade throw-in, the ball rolled loose in Libertyville's 6-yard box. Unfortunately for the Vikings, no one could get a toe on the ball in the ensuing scrum.
A minute later, Libertyville's keeper Kendall Edwards appeared to underestimate Julia Szylke's 55-yard free kick from the left-center of the pitch. The ball skipped just past the right post, but garnered enough of the freshman's late attention for her to get a hand on it and cause a corner kick.
Missy Adrian's tantalizing, inward-spinning serve floated just over Szylke's head.
Two minutes later, a hard foul that cut Adrian's legs out from under her had the Fremd faithful holding their breaths and fearing deja vu. The senior lay on the turf for several minutes before she slowly stood up and was helped off the field. She returned 9 minutes later after treatment on her hip.
On the ensuing 31-yard free kick, Szylke ran over the ball and classmate Julia Leonard's offering sailed high.
"We came out the aggressor, but we didn't capitalize," said Vikings coach Steve Keller.
In retrospect Fremd needed to convert at least one of those early opportunities. The Vikings only had a few more, which came primarily on Adrian's sends. Without the weight and worry of a deficit, Libertyville started to turn things around.
"(We) came out a little scared, I think," said Wildcats coach Kevin Thunholm. "We worked on making runs, played a little different today than we have in the past.
"We noticed they were playing a flat four. So we were hoping our girls would run east and west, and that's exactly what happened. It kind of opened up a little bit more so we could slip balls through.
"We had a little bit more room in the midfield so Maddie (Olson) and Taylor (Underwood) could run a little bit more, and they see the field real well.
"They found their spots, and we rotated Makenna (Yoor) outside. She took the big plays up-top because she can fly up and down the side. We wanted to get the goalie off her line whenever we could, because she's fantastic. We typically shoot from outside the 18, (but) both goals we had today were pretty one-on-one.
"I didn't think it would work as well as it did, but it came through."
After Fremd failed to put a number on the scoreboard, the visitors started to utilize their speed. Yoor found some space in the box, but Szylke prevented her from turning in the 16th minute. Emily Olson, Maddie's twin sister, saw her corner kick headed out of danger by Lauren Burk in the 18th minute. The flurry ended a minute later when Szylke just prevented Maddie Olson from a clear run at goal.
Then the goalies came into play. Fremd all-stater Kelsie Stone came out to make a sliding grab in the 27th minute and prevented Libertyville from taking the lead on a heady charge to the ball that led to a yellow card on Underwood in minute 31.
Libertyville's Edwards seemingly appeared out of nowhere when she burst through a crowd to grab another dangerous Adrian cross in the 29th minute.
Stone kept busy and kept the game scoreless as the teams retreated to their sidelines for halftime.
Libertyville finally broke through in the 48th minute. Yoor beat a defender down the left sideline and found Maddie Olson in the middle. The forward had enough space to avoid a charging Szylke and hit the angle to the left of an advancing Stone to put the Wildcats up 1-0.
"Makenna Yoor took it down the line, crossed it in, and I got a touch on it," Olson said. "I beat the defender and hit it on frame, really hard, upper 90-ish. It felt really good off my foot."
Fremd employed a high trap that had the desired effect most of the game, but just over a minute later, the visitors exploited it.
Yoor sent a perfectly-placed through-ball in the middle that Olson ran about 20 yards to secure. Stone decided on a delayed charge, but just as her slide took her to a seemingly certain stop, Olson made a cat-quick move around her to finish into an open net.
"When it's one-on-one with the goalie I either try and aim for the corners or go past the goalie," said the senior and Eastern Michigan recruit of her 12th goal of the season. "This time apparently I just decided to go past her. I just sidestepped to my left foot and placed it right into the goal."
In a competitive moment between two great players, Fremd could do nothing but tip its cap to its opponent.
"No 3, she's really good speed-wise and footwork-wise. When you get those two together it's hard to defend," Stone said. "She finished it real good ... got to the other side of me. I tried to wait a little bit and then close the angle when she took a bigger touch, but she got it to the other side of me. When I got up to her she took one smaller touch around me, and I was done."
Stone kept Fremd's deficit static with solid work and a little bit of luck when Olson's bid for a hat-trick on a flick in the box looped over the keeper and hit the back half of the crossbar.
But Libertyville maintained most of the possession and attack and finished out for the regional title.
"We all just had a lot of energy on the bus ride here, up until warmups, up until we got on the field, and it just never stopped," Maddie Olson said. "We have been working for this all season long, and we slowly but surely have been getting back at it each practice and finally it all paid off.
"We came in here, and we all felt positive about the game, and we all did not want to lose whatsoever. Just coming in here knowing we had the potantial to win just kind of kept our heads up high."
Fremd overcame a lot during the season. Things intensified after the final major injury when Cholewa went down against then top-ranked Naperville North in the semifinals of the Naperville Invitational. The Vikings finished the season 4-4-0 after a 11-1-1 start. Three of those losses came against top four teams including North and current no. 1 Barrington in 1-0 defeats. A 2-0 loss to New Trier followed. The final one came against Libertyville.
"They (Libertyville) played well. They're a good team," said Keller. "When we watched them the other night I thought they played some of the nicest, prettiest soccer that I've seen all year.
"It seemed like the end of the first half they started pressing. The last 10 minutes they owned us and were very dangerous. In the second half, hopefully we could regroup, but no. 3 took over and that was it.
"I don't feel like we played the best we could play, which is frustrating, but these games are always funny that way. Little things are going to determine it. And a couple mistakes here and there, and they got the breaks.
"We didn't generate much. Their keeper, for a freshman, made some nice plays on our corners tipping them out. And that's how we've been scoring lately, so they nullified that.
"I'm not going to use that (the injuries) as an excuse, but it certainly changed the complexion of things. I feel bad for the girls that were injured. I wish we could have gone further for them. The girls battled all year. We refocused, regrouped, and there's nothing to be ashamed of."
The program, which won state runneup trophies in 2007 and 2009, and fourth place hardware in 2011, took a step forward this year. Keller credited that to his seniors.
"They're a class group. I thoroughly enjoyed coaching them," Keller said. "We've been talking recently about having a season like this, and I think this group came through and kind of put us back on the map, so to say, this year.
"I'll miss every one of them. They were a joy to be around, and that's what I'll miss most."
After the handshake line, Adrian called out for an ice pack.
"That definitely was a brutal hit. It hurts, but I'll be okay," said the senior, who will play basketball at Bradley next year. "We usually score a lot on corners, and their goalie came out and was hitting them out which was really good for them but not good for us.
"Then our midfield was struggling. I'm not sure if it was our formation or what, but they were struggling to get our forwards the ball, and a couple of defensive breakdowns and you're two down.
"I think we didn't have our best game which is very unfortunate. I dont think I had my best game."
Among the many emotions on the Fremd sideling, were those that come from great comraderie between players and the feeling of achievement from competing for your school.
"It was a tough loss for us. We're a really close group of people, so it's kind of hard to say goodbye to the season," said senior midfielder/forward Leonard, who will play soccer at Butler. "I thought we came out strong in the first 10-15 minutes. We really wanted to get that first goal. They made those diagonal runs, which were great runs. We just had to realize that a bit sooner, but it's over now.
"Great memories. I'm going to miss all these girls so much. I loved the last semester of high school, and I couldn't have asked for a better team to play with."
Stone, the face of the program for the last two seasons, echoed those sentiments.
"It's sad that it's coming to a close, and I'll never play another game on this field again," she said as two tears slowly rolled down her right cheek. "I spent four really good years here. I've enjoyed every single one of them, and it's made me a better player. It's a lot of things, the coaches, the players, who helped me get to where I am today.
"Going off to play in college at least I have another four years ahead of me. But it's sad that this part of my career is behind me, because it's more than I could have ever asked for."
Starting lineups
Libertyville
GK- Kendall Edwards
D- Bryn Miller
D- Abby Paglia
D- Morgan Verbeten
D- Emily Olson
D- Kelsey Gaines
MF- Makenna Yoor
MF- Sammi Burket
MF- Taylor Underwood
MF- Natalie Jaroch
F- Maddie Olson
Fremd
GK- Kelsie Stone
D- Jennifer Josten
D- Julia Szylke
D- Anna Veenbaas
D- Lauren Burk
M- Marissa Wade
M- Mackenzie Stein
M- Missy Adrian
M- Angie Zara
F- Julia Leonard
F- Tara Bergles
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Maddie Olson, sr., F, Libertyville
Officials: Jay Weis (center); Neil Kregel; Przemyslaw Przybylski
Libertyville uses speed to post 2-0 title game victory
By Dave Surico
PALATINE -- If someone wanted to create a template that displayed how a high school program can adapt and succeed after suffering devastating personnel losses, look no further than Fremd.
The Vikings (15-5-1) lost three top players to injury, but soldiered on for 15 wins and never fell from the top 10 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Unfortunately, win no. 16 and a regional title never materialized for the third-seeded hosts, who were upset 2-0 by sixth-seed Libertyville in the final Friday.
Fremd, which played without senior starters Emilijia Peleckas (forward) and Katie Kiolbassa (midfielder), and junior starter Marta Cholewa (midfielder), had the benefit of a northeast diagonal wind at its back in the first half and applied solid pressure in the early going.
In the sixth minute after a Marissa Wade throw-in, the ball rolled loose in Libertyville's 6-yard box. Unfortunately for the Vikings, no one could get a toe on the ball in the ensuing scrum.
A minute later, Libertyville's keeper Kendall Edwards appeared to underestimate Julia Szylke's 55-yard free kick from the left-center of the pitch. The ball skipped just past the right post, but garnered enough of the freshman's late attention for her to get a hand on it and cause a corner kick.
Missy Adrian's tantalizing, inward-spinning serve floated just over Szylke's head.
Two minutes later, a hard foul that cut Adrian's legs out from under her had the Fremd faithful holding their breaths and fearing deja vu. The senior lay on the turf for several minutes before she slowly stood up and was helped off the field. She returned 9 minutes later after treatment on her hip.
On the ensuing 31-yard free kick, Szylke ran over the ball and classmate Julia Leonard's offering sailed high.
"We came out the aggressor, but we didn't capitalize," said Vikings coach Steve Keller.
In retrospect Fremd needed to convert at least one of those early opportunities. The Vikings only had a few more, which came primarily on Adrian's sends. Without the weight and worry of a deficit, Libertyville started to turn things around.
"(We) came out a little scared, I think," said Wildcats coach Kevin Thunholm. "We worked on making runs, played a little different today than we have in the past.
"We noticed they were playing a flat four. So we were hoping our girls would run east and west, and that's exactly what happened. It kind of opened up a little bit more so we could slip balls through.
"We had a little bit more room in the midfield so Maddie (Olson) and Taylor (Underwood) could run a little bit more, and they see the field real well.
"They found their spots, and we rotated Makenna (Yoor) outside. She took the big plays up-top because she can fly up and down the side. We wanted to get the goalie off her line whenever we could, because she's fantastic. We typically shoot from outside the 18, (but) both goals we had today were pretty one-on-one.
"I didn't think it would work as well as it did, but it came through."
After Fremd failed to put a number on the scoreboard, the visitors started to utilize their speed. Yoor found some space in the box, but Szylke prevented her from turning in the 16th minute. Emily Olson, Maddie's twin sister, saw her corner kick headed out of danger by Lauren Burk in the 18th minute. The flurry ended a minute later when Szylke just prevented Maddie Olson from a clear run at goal.
Then the goalies came into play. Fremd all-stater Kelsie Stone came out to make a sliding grab in the 27th minute and prevented Libertyville from taking the lead on a heady charge to the ball that led to a yellow card on Underwood in minute 31.
Libertyville's Edwards seemingly appeared out of nowhere when she burst through a crowd to grab another dangerous Adrian cross in the 29th minute.
Stone kept busy and kept the game scoreless as the teams retreated to their sidelines for halftime.
Libertyville finally broke through in the 48th minute. Yoor beat a defender down the left sideline and found Maddie Olson in the middle. The forward had enough space to avoid a charging Szylke and hit the angle to the left of an advancing Stone to put the Wildcats up 1-0.
"Makenna Yoor took it down the line, crossed it in, and I got a touch on it," Olson said. "I beat the defender and hit it on frame, really hard, upper 90-ish. It felt really good off my foot."
Fremd employed a high trap that had the desired effect most of the game, but just over a minute later, the visitors exploited it.
Yoor sent a perfectly-placed through-ball in the middle that Olson ran about 20 yards to secure. Stone decided on a delayed charge, but just as her slide took her to a seemingly certain stop, Olson made a cat-quick move around her to finish into an open net.
"When it's one-on-one with the goalie I either try and aim for the corners or go past the goalie," said the senior and Eastern Michigan recruit of her 12th goal of the season. "This time apparently I just decided to go past her. I just sidestepped to my left foot and placed it right into the goal."
In a competitive moment between two great players, Fremd could do nothing but tip its cap to its opponent.
"No 3, she's really good speed-wise and footwork-wise. When you get those two together it's hard to defend," Stone said. "She finished it real good ... got to the other side of me. I tried to wait a little bit and then close the angle when she took a bigger touch, but she got it to the other side of me. When I got up to her she took one smaller touch around me, and I was done."
Stone kept Fremd's deficit static with solid work and a little bit of luck when Olson's bid for a hat-trick on a flick in the box looped over the keeper and hit the back half of the crossbar.
But Libertyville maintained most of the possession and attack and finished out for the regional title.
"We all just had a lot of energy on the bus ride here, up until warmups, up until we got on the field, and it just never stopped," Maddie Olson said. "We have been working for this all season long, and we slowly but surely have been getting back at it each practice and finally it all paid off.
"We came in here, and we all felt positive about the game, and we all did not want to lose whatsoever. Just coming in here knowing we had the potantial to win just kind of kept our heads up high."
Fremd overcame a lot during the season. Things intensified after the final major injury when Cholewa went down against then top-ranked Naperville North in the semifinals of the Naperville Invitational. The Vikings finished the season 4-4-0 after a 11-1-1 start. Three of those losses came against top four teams including North and current no. 1 Barrington in 1-0 defeats. A 2-0 loss to New Trier followed. The final one came against Libertyville.
"They (Libertyville) played well. They're a good team," said Keller. "When we watched them the other night I thought they played some of the nicest, prettiest soccer that I've seen all year.
"It seemed like the end of the first half they started pressing. The last 10 minutes they owned us and were very dangerous. In the second half, hopefully we could regroup, but no. 3 took over and that was it.
"I don't feel like we played the best we could play, which is frustrating, but these games are always funny that way. Little things are going to determine it. And a couple mistakes here and there, and they got the breaks.
"We didn't generate much. Their keeper, for a freshman, made some nice plays on our corners tipping them out. And that's how we've been scoring lately, so they nullified that.
"I'm not going to use that (the injuries) as an excuse, but it certainly changed the complexion of things. I feel bad for the girls that were injured. I wish we could have gone further for them. The girls battled all year. We refocused, regrouped, and there's nothing to be ashamed of."
The program, which won state runneup trophies in 2007 and 2009, and fourth place hardware in 2011, took a step forward this year. Keller credited that to his seniors.
"They're a class group. I thoroughly enjoyed coaching them," Keller said. "We've been talking recently about having a season like this, and I think this group came through and kind of put us back on the map, so to say, this year.
"I'll miss every one of them. They were a joy to be around, and that's what I'll miss most."
After the handshake line, Adrian called out for an ice pack.
"That definitely was a brutal hit. It hurts, but I'll be okay," said the senior, who will play basketball at Bradley next year. "We usually score a lot on corners, and their goalie came out and was hitting them out which was really good for them but not good for us.
"Then our midfield was struggling. I'm not sure if it was our formation or what, but they were struggling to get our forwards the ball, and a couple of defensive breakdowns and you're two down.
"I think we didn't have our best game which is very unfortunate. I dont think I had my best game."
Among the many emotions on the Fremd sideling, were those that come from great comraderie between players and the feeling of achievement from competing for your school.
"It was a tough loss for us. We're a really close group of people, so it's kind of hard to say goodbye to the season," said senior midfielder/forward Leonard, who will play soccer at Butler. "I thought we came out strong in the first 10-15 minutes. We really wanted to get that first goal. They made those diagonal runs, which were great runs. We just had to realize that a bit sooner, but it's over now.
"Great memories. I'm going to miss all these girls so much. I loved the last semester of high school, and I couldn't have asked for a better team to play with."
Stone, the face of the program for the last two seasons, echoed those sentiments.
"It's sad that it's coming to a close, and I'll never play another game on this field again," she said as two tears slowly rolled down her right cheek. "I spent four really good years here. I've enjoyed every single one of them, and it's made me a better player. It's a lot of things, the coaches, the players, who helped me get to where I am today.
"Going off to play in college at least I have another four years ahead of me. But it's sad that this part of my career is behind me, because it's more than I could have ever asked for."
Starting lineups
Libertyville
GK- Kendall Edwards
D- Bryn Miller
D- Abby Paglia
D- Morgan Verbeten
D- Emily Olson
D- Kelsey Gaines
MF- Makenna Yoor
MF- Sammi Burket
MF- Taylor Underwood
MF- Natalie Jaroch
F- Maddie Olson
Fremd
GK- Kelsie Stone
D- Jennifer Josten
D- Julia Szylke
D- Anna Veenbaas
D- Lauren Burk
M- Marissa Wade
M- Mackenzie Stein
M- Missy Adrian
M- Angie Zara
F- Julia Leonard
F- Tara Bergles
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Maddie Olson, sr., F, Libertyville
Officials: Jay Weis (center); Neil Kregel; Przemyslaw Przybylski