Wheaton North tops Lake Park
in unexpected reunion of former teammates
Falcons break into DVC win column with 3-0 victory
By Matt LeCren
WHEATON – Wheaton North defender Niamh Kane nearly did a double-take when she saw Lake Park’s Caitlin Lang enter Tuesday night’s DuPage Valley Conference game at Rexilius Field.
It had been years since the two, who had played on the same travel team, had seen each other.
“It was awesome to see her again,” Kane said. “She tore her ACL when we played so I hadn’t seen her in a few years, but I knew her right when I saw her.
“She left our team, and I never saw her again. She’s always had such good foot skills. It was just fun to go against her.”
Lang, a senior defender, retired from the game after undergoing knee surgery in 2012. She hadn't considered playing again until Lake Park coach Sean Crosby talked her into trying out this season.
“She’s a great story,” said assistant coach Ian Finn. “She’s a senior this year who got injured before she came to high school.
“We just kind of asked her to come out for the team, so she came to the tryout, didn’t expect anything. But we saw her, and we knew she was definitely a varsity player.
“She’s a National Merit scholar, so she’s a smart kid. She’s been dedicated and has done a great job.”
The diminutive Lang played well again coming off the bench against the Falcons (5-6-0, 1-3-0), but Kane and fellow senior center back Morghin Klein, who also is a former teammate of Lang, stole the show and scored all three goals as the Falcons beat the Lancers 3-0 for their first conference victory.
Kane scored the first two goals and set up Klein’s tally. It was the first career two-goal game for Kane, who doubled her season total in the process.
Kane’s previous goals had come on headers off corner kicks against Naperville North and Wheaton Warrenville South. But she was playing defense in those games.
This time, Kane was moved up-top with 5:00 to go in the first half. Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly was searching for offense in a scoreless game. The Falcons were having a tough time solving Lake Park’s newly tenacious defense.
“We did that for the first time in our last game, just gave her some minutes up there,” McEvilly said. “Sometimes it’s a matter of numbers. We’ve got a couple kids that are mending some injuries, and we’re trying to give them (a rest).
“But she’s a physical presence. When you’ve got a kid up top that’s 5-foot-10, 5-foot-11 that can control the ball, it opens space for other people. We know we need her at center mid sometimes, too, but if we can steal some minutes here and there we’ll work in combinations with others.”
The switch didn’t take long to pay off -- Kane tallied her first goal with 2:04 left in the first half.
Midfielder Rose Quinn sent a lead pass ahead to Kane, who raced in with the much-smaller Lang on her hip.
Lang succeeded in slowing down Kane, who cut back inside as other defenders got back. Lang’s effort proved fruitless, however, because Kane beat Lake Park goalie Sarah Yokem with a shot inside the right post.
“They were tight,” Kane said. “I felt like we were splitting them well the entire game.
“We were just having trouble getting on the end of it. Our balls were close but they really became perfect toward the end of the first half, which is how I got on the end of that one.”
Lang was glad to be reunited with her old teammates, though disappointed with the outcome.
“It was exciting,” Lang said. “As soon as I saw (Kane) going for the breakaway, I was like, ‘Ooh, me and Niamh mano a mano.’
“I’m glad I could at least slow her down a little bit and help my teammates get back. It is unfortunate that she scored the goal, but it was a nice goal by her.”
Kane was just happy to put a shot on frame. She admitted she has been comfortable playing that far up the field.
“I (played forward) in one other game,” Kane said. “Honestly, I did not know what I was doing, but (today) I just made the slant runs because (we) were playing the balls over (the top). It was really just chasing and going as fast as I could.
“That’s what I tried to do. Even (playing) mid is a little different for me, so I’m just trying to settle in there.”
Kane continued climbing the learning curve early in the second half, scoring again before McEvilly moved her into the midfield.
This time Cristina Crochet made the nice release from midfield, leading Addy Atkinson perfectly down the right wing. Atkinson burst into the box and fired a hard shot toward the left corner.
Yochem lunged to her right to make the stop but gave up a rebound. Kane was there to bury it for a 2-0 Wheaton North lead with 33:38 remaining.
Kane might have had a hat trick, but Klein got the finish to conclude the scoring with 4:47 remaining.
Margaret Hupp’s corner kick found Klein in front. Klein’s shot got past the defense and was slowly rolling toward the goal. Klein made sure of the score by emphatically booting it into the net.
“It was going slow,” Kane said. “It came off my thigh and went into the center, and then Morghin just finished.”
So the Falcons ended up with a rare defender hat trick, instead.
“It might have gone in,” Klein said. “I was right there, and I was wide open.
“I thought it might have been offsides but the post marks were still there, so it allowed me an easy touch to redirect it just to make sure it went in.
“I was right in front of the net. I kind of had a defender moment, try not to panic when the ball is right there for you.”
The Falcons didn’t have as many scoring opportunities, or goals, as McEvilly would have liked, but he did say they are headed in the right direction. Wheaton North has won two-straight games.
“We struggled early on,” Klein said. “We had some ups and downs.
“I think these past two games have helped us to gain confidence. We’re working at playing 100 percent just like coach has been telling us. We just want to keep building on it.”
The Lancers (1-9-0, 0-4-0) have been slowly building even though their record might not indicate it. The backline, which was sieve-like during the first six games, is less porous and challenging more plays.
Players like midfielder Francesca Ottolino, who stole a ball from a wide-open Jaden Trometer on a Wheaton North free kick, helped frustrate the Falcons in the early going, but it wasn’t enough.
“I think we were playing kind of more reactive than kind of proactive,” Finn said. “We knew that this was a dangerous team and a DVC opponent. We were on guard for that, but I think we were reacting a lot.
Still, signs of improvement are evident.
“We’re starting to pull it together a little bit,” Finn said. “We’re not as susceptible to the long ball as we used to be.
“We worked on that in training, held our shape a little bit. Just can’t put the full 80 minutes together.”
Lang said progress is being made.
“I think we’re getting tighter as a unit back there, so that’s helping us stay in our shape,” she said. “For me, it’s really about trying to get that communication down with my teammates.
“I think we’re starting to connect with our passes more and trying to make those connections to get more goals.”
Alas, goals have been hard to come by for the Lancers, who didn’t sniff the net against the Falcons. The visitors started well, driving into the Wheaton North box in the opening minute, but a cross from Bri McAloon went untouched through the middle.
Lake Park had only one shot, a 45-yard free kick off the toe of Elizabeth Guenther midway through the second half. Wheaton North goalie Gabi Suazo made the easy save.
“We have fits and spurts,” Finn said. “We had 10- to 15-minute spurts in the second half where we were attacking pretty well, but that urgency needs to be from minute one from the whistle.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Sarah Yochem
D Elizabeth Guenther
D Amber Sedwick
D Catherine Vitale
D Stephanie Zachemski
M Dana Skiera
M Bri McAloo
M Lauren Tarchala
M Jaclyn Lamz
M Francesca Ottolino
F Cynthia Martinez
Wheaton North
GK Katie Sullivan
D Niamh Kane
D Cammy Carrico
D Jaden Trometer
D Morghin Klein
M Anna Warfield
M Rose Quinn
M Christina Crochet
F Margaret Hupp
F Addy Atkinson
F Kate Kortenhoeven
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Niamh Kane, sr., D, Wheaton North
in unexpected reunion of former teammates
Falcons break into DVC win column with 3-0 victory
By Matt LeCren
WHEATON – Wheaton North defender Niamh Kane nearly did a double-take when she saw Lake Park’s Caitlin Lang enter Tuesday night’s DuPage Valley Conference game at Rexilius Field.
It had been years since the two, who had played on the same travel team, had seen each other.
“It was awesome to see her again,” Kane said. “She tore her ACL when we played so I hadn’t seen her in a few years, but I knew her right when I saw her.
“She left our team, and I never saw her again. She’s always had such good foot skills. It was just fun to go against her.”
Lang, a senior defender, retired from the game after undergoing knee surgery in 2012. She hadn't considered playing again until Lake Park coach Sean Crosby talked her into trying out this season.
“She’s a great story,” said assistant coach Ian Finn. “She’s a senior this year who got injured before she came to high school.
“We just kind of asked her to come out for the team, so she came to the tryout, didn’t expect anything. But we saw her, and we knew she was definitely a varsity player.
“She’s a National Merit scholar, so she’s a smart kid. She’s been dedicated and has done a great job.”
The diminutive Lang played well again coming off the bench against the Falcons (5-6-0, 1-3-0), but Kane and fellow senior center back Morghin Klein, who also is a former teammate of Lang, stole the show and scored all three goals as the Falcons beat the Lancers 3-0 for their first conference victory.
Kane scored the first two goals and set up Klein’s tally. It was the first career two-goal game for Kane, who doubled her season total in the process.
Kane’s previous goals had come on headers off corner kicks against Naperville North and Wheaton Warrenville South. But she was playing defense in those games.
This time, Kane was moved up-top with 5:00 to go in the first half. Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly was searching for offense in a scoreless game. The Falcons were having a tough time solving Lake Park’s newly tenacious defense.
“We did that for the first time in our last game, just gave her some minutes up there,” McEvilly said. “Sometimes it’s a matter of numbers. We’ve got a couple kids that are mending some injuries, and we’re trying to give them (a rest).
“But she’s a physical presence. When you’ve got a kid up top that’s 5-foot-10, 5-foot-11 that can control the ball, it opens space for other people. We know we need her at center mid sometimes, too, but if we can steal some minutes here and there we’ll work in combinations with others.”
The switch didn’t take long to pay off -- Kane tallied her first goal with 2:04 left in the first half.
Midfielder Rose Quinn sent a lead pass ahead to Kane, who raced in with the much-smaller Lang on her hip.
Lang succeeded in slowing down Kane, who cut back inside as other defenders got back. Lang’s effort proved fruitless, however, because Kane beat Lake Park goalie Sarah Yokem with a shot inside the right post.
“They were tight,” Kane said. “I felt like we were splitting them well the entire game.
“We were just having trouble getting on the end of it. Our balls were close but they really became perfect toward the end of the first half, which is how I got on the end of that one.”
Lang was glad to be reunited with her old teammates, though disappointed with the outcome.
“It was exciting,” Lang said. “As soon as I saw (Kane) going for the breakaway, I was like, ‘Ooh, me and Niamh mano a mano.’
“I’m glad I could at least slow her down a little bit and help my teammates get back. It is unfortunate that she scored the goal, but it was a nice goal by her.”
Kane was just happy to put a shot on frame. She admitted she has been comfortable playing that far up the field.
“I (played forward) in one other game,” Kane said. “Honestly, I did not know what I was doing, but (today) I just made the slant runs because (we) were playing the balls over (the top). It was really just chasing and going as fast as I could.
“That’s what I tried to do. Even (playing) mid is a little different for me, so I’m just trying to settle in there.”
Kane continued climbing the learning curve early in the second half, scoring again before McEvilly moved her into the midfield.
This time Cristina Crochet made the nice release from midfield, leading Addy Atkinson perfectly down the right wing. Atkinson burst into the box and fired a hard shot toward the left corner.
Yochem lunged to her right to make the stop but gave up a rebound. Kane was there to bury it for a 2-0 Wheaton North lead with 33:38 remaining.
Kane might have had a hat trick, but Klein got the finish to conclude the scoring with 4:47 remaining.
Margaret Hupp’s corner kick found Klein in front. Klein’s shot got past the defense and was slowly rolling toward the goal. Klein made sure of the score by emphatically booting it into the net.
“It was going slow,” Kane said. “It came off my thigh and went into the center, and then Morghin just finished.”
So the Falcons ended up with a rare defender hat trick, instead.
“It might have gone in,” Klein said. “I was right there, and I was wide open.
“I thought it might have been offsides but the post marks were still there, so it allowed me an easy touch to redirect it just to make sure it went in.
“I was right in front of the net. I kind of had a defender moment, try not to panic when the ball is right there for you.”
The Falcons didn’t have as many scoring opportunities, or goals, as McEvilly would have liked, but he did say they are headed in the right direction. Wheaton North has won two-straight games.
“We struggled early on,” Klein said. “We had some ups and downs.
“I think these past two games have helped us to gain confidence. We’re working at playing 100 percent just like coach has been telling us. We just want to keep building on it.”
The Lancers (1-9-0, 0-4-0) have been slowly building even though their record might not indicate it. The backline, which was sieve-like during the first six games, is less porous and challenging more plays.
Players like midfielder Francesca Ottolino, who stole a ball from a wide-open Jaden Trometer on a Wheaton North free kick, helped frustrate the Falcons in the early going, but it wasn’t enough.
“I think we were playing kind of more reactive than kind of proactive,” Finn said. “We knew that this was a dangerous team and a DVC opponent. We were on guard for that, but I think we were reacting a lot.
Still, signs of improvement are evident.
“We’re starting to pull it together a little bit,” Finn said. “We’re not as susceptible to the long ball as we used to be.
“We worked on that in training, held our shape a little bit. Just can’t put the full 80 minutes together.”
Lang said progress is being made.
“I think we’re getting tighter as a unit back there, so that’s helping us stay in our shape,” she said. “For me, it’s really about trying to get that communication down with my teammates.
“I think we’re starting to connect with our passes more and trying to make those connections to get more goals.”
Alas, goals have been hard to come by for the Lancers, who didn’t sniff the net against the Falcons. The visitors started well, driving into the Wheaton North box in the opening minute, but a cross from Bri McAloon went untouched through the middle.
Lake Park had only one shot, a 45-yard free kick off the toe of Elizabeth Guenther midway through the second half. Wheaton North goalie Gabi Suazo made the easy save.
“We have fits and spurts,” Finn said. “We had 10- to 15-minute spurts in the second half where we were attacking pretty well, but that urgency needs to be from minute one from the whistle.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Sarah Yochem
D Elizabeth Guenther
D Amber Sedwick
D Catherine Vitale
D Stephanie Zachemski
M Dana Skiera
M Bri McAloo
M Lauren Tarchala
M Jaclyn Lamz
M Francesca Ottolino
F Cynthia Martinez
Wheaton North
GK Katie Sullivan
D Niamh Kane
D Cammy Carrico
D Jaden Trometer
D Morghin Klein
M Anna Warfield
M Rose Quinn
M Christina Crochet
F Margaret Hupp
F Addy Atkinson
F Kate Kortenhoeven
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Niamh Kane, sr., D, Wheaton North