Glenbard East's frustration grows
after Maine South 2nd half rally
Rams' winless streak extends to 5 in 3-1 loss
By Dave Owen
LOMBARD – While Glenbard East’s April struggles continued Saturday, the Rams are keeping adversity in perspective.
“Nobody wins a state championship today,” Rams coach Kent Overbey said after Maine South rallied to a 3-1 win in a PepsiCo Showdown consolation pool game.
“We lost some tough games this time of year last year as well. And that’s why you play tough games, so you’re ready for tournament play and you fix any issues before it’s single elimination in the state tournament.”
Glenbard East responded brilliantly to adversity in 2016, peaking at playoff time to roll to a third place finish at the state tournament.
But the Rams’ 2017 test seems to be coming in one huge, painful bundle. After a 5-0-0 start, Glenbard East has endured the soccer equivalent of a prolonged April Fools Day gag with an 0-4-1 record since March 25 (including four losses in a row). The Rams, who peaked at no. 4 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, dropped out of the rankings for the first time this season in the rankings of April 16.
“It’s hard,” Overbey said, “but we knew this was the hardest part of our season no doubt.
“We lost to Batavia. We didn’t have a good showing against Lake Forest (a 3-0 loss April 8), and then Downers North (Thursday) to lose in the last three minutes after I thought we outplayed them, and then today this. It’s been a hard two weeks, but we have to regroup.
“We have a lot of conference play left, and we have three games next week Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Hopefully we get back on track there.”
The Rams (5-4-1) appeared to be back to top form early on Saturday against visiting Maine South (4-3-0).
Just 8:18 into the match, a long Maine South free kick was intercepted, triggering a Mimi Camacho sprint up the right side and her 15-yard rocket goal for a 1-0 Rams lead.
“I got a beautiful ball from the midfield, right to me,” Camacho said. “I had one touch outside, took it in and finished it.”
The midfield play of Alyse Donato and Elizabeth Toledo on the sequence keyed Camacho’s fourth goal of the season – and fulfilled a coach’s prophecy.
“My assistant Jeff Sabol was saying in warmups that ‘Mimi’s on fire today,’” Overbey said. “Mimi’s sort of had a tough season, but not in a bad way. We lost Amy Chiero to a broken wrist, and Mimi dropped into that attacking center mid spot.
“She’s done a great job, but she’s a true finisher and has a ton of pace up top so we need her there too.
“This week we made some adjustments, and Elizabeth Toledo is so technical and controls the pace of play, so we dropped her back to the midfield and moved Mimi back up-top. And you see what she does.”
The Rams’ third leading scorer (and second in assists) as a sophomore last year, Toledo set the table again Saturday.
“Toledo was doing what she does, which is disrupt and defend,” Overbey said. “She just took the ball from their defender, sent a nice through ball and Mimi hit a great shot.”
The Rams continued in command for the first 25 minutes. A Dana Plotke header off a Katie Hansen free kick was deflected wide for a corner kick, with Maine South’s Sam McKibben’s nice block and clear of the ensuing restart halting that 14th minute threat.
Gen Severini followed in the 17th minute with a 30-yard shot just wide right.
But Maine South foreshadowed its explosive second half with a late first half surge.
The Hawks’ first big chance came 12:10 before halftime, when a defensive miscue sprung Maine South on a two-player breakaway. But on a cross to Emma Thomson in front, Glenbard East goalkeeper Faith Davies came off her line to smother Thomson’s 10-yard shot and keep the score 1-0 Rams.
“In the first half that save when Faith came off her line – that’s an incredible save,” Overbey said. “It was 2-on Faith, she comes out with no fear, takes up a lot of space and makes a great save.”
Thomson came up empty again in the 33rd minute when her 25-yard free kick curled just wide of the left post.
Glenbard East's Paige Taylor had a header deep in the box that broke up a Thomson attack in the final seconds of the half. But with strengthening late morning winds soon to be at their backs after the intermission, the Hawks would perfectly execute their next chances.
“We had the wind which helped, and we kept it on the ground,” Maine South defender Emily Olson said of the second half rally. “We just connected passes, which helped a lot.”
Olson’s strong second half included her block of Hansen’s 28-yard free kick with 29:20 left to play.
Then with 24:52 to go, Hawks striker Thomson made another burst in on right wing. This time, her shot found net inside the far post to tie the game 1-1.
“I think we just decided ‘This is it. We need to go, go, go now.’” Thomson said. “We connected as a team and finished.”
The Hawks’ drive was noticeable across the field.
“They probably had a good halftime talk and came out strong,” Camacho said. “They knew they had to get it together. We knew they were a good team. and we kept pushing it, but unfortunately we came up short. But I thought we had a great first half.”
Thomson’s perfectly struck goal was followed by an improbable sequence – offensive chances at opposite ends of the field within 30 seconds.
Olson’s interception and long send off a Rams corner kick with 18:15 left set up a Hawks counterattack and their own corner kick.
Off that restart, Molly Paddock’s cross from the corner was headed in by Grace Harper to put Maine South up 2-1 with 17:23 to go.
“On Emma’s (goal) I thought she might have taken the wrong angle, but she was able to slot it through,” Maine South coach J.J. Crawford said, “and then that head ball was like an ESPN highlight. Then Hannah hit a nice one. They were all great goals.”
That Hannah Schilling 28-yard drive just under the crossbar with 5:14 to play made the score 3-1 and concluded the impressive second half run for the Hawks.
“That wind made a difference,” Crawford said. “They kind of had us in the first, and we had them in the second.”
Wind conditions and Maine South’s great offensive execution combined to add to the Rams’ April frustration.
“I felt like the wind picked up a little bit, and they certainly took advantage,” Overbey said. “The bottom line is, that’s three great finishes. The first one was a rope into the side netting, the second one a header where the ball’s coming across and she heads it the other way, and then the long-range shot.”
Before the latter strike made the score 3-1, the Rams had two chances to tie the game. A Mattie Pusateri corner kick with 16:40 left was headed out of danger by the Hawks’ Olivia Sellergren, and Paddock nicely cleared a Sam Johnson throw-in 50 seconds later.
“I’m really pleased,” Crawford said. “We could have quit. We’ve had some early setbacks with injuries and losses, but we just kept working.
“That (Glenbard East) is a nice team – we’re excited. It’s a big win for us.”
Said Olson: “This helps (our confidence) a lot. Now we have a two-game winning streak, and we know we can compete at this level.”
Being the subject of opponents’ motivation has left Glenbard East with no margin for error during its recent five-match winless streak.
“It’s either they’re going to be scared to play us, or they’re here to win,” Camacho said.
Unfortunately for the Rams, recent foes have aggressively taken the latter approach.
“We sat (the team) down at the beginning of the season and said 'the only thing we focus on from last year is using things we did as examples,” Overbey said. “We know every single team that comes in will have one of two reactions – they’ll give us their best shot, or be intimidated.
“If you look at the quality of teams the last two weeks, they’re not going to be intimidated. They’ll give us their best shot, and we’ve seen it. All five of these games have been a great effort by the other team, back-and-forth battles.”
Soccer seasons are full of ups and downs, predictable or not. And with recent history on their side, the Rams remain confident in 2017 and focused on several factors going forward.
“Just everyone’s confidence going into the game,” Camacho said. “Starting out strong, getting the goals and just playing all together.”
Starting lineups:
Maine South
GK- Olivia Latrelle
D- Olivia Sellegren
D- Samantha McKibben
D- Emily Olson
D- Hannah Schilling
M- Molly Paddock
M- Sara Ignoffo
M- Emmalyn Everts
M- Madeline Malinowski
F- Emma Thomson
F- Annika Schmidt
Glenbard East
GK- Faith Davies
D- Sam Johnson
D- Katie Hansen
D- Paige Taylor
D- Ali Liljestrand
M- Alyse Donato
M- Mattie Pusateri
M- Elizabeth Toledo
M- Lindsey Novak
F- Dana Plotke
F- Mimi Camacho
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emma Thomson, sr., F, Maine South
after Maine South 2nd half rally
Rams' winless streak extends to 5 in 3-1 loss
By Dave Owen
LOMBARD – While Glenbard East’s April struggles continued Saturday, the Rams are keeping adversity in perspective.
“Nobody wins a state championship today,” Rams coach Kent Overbey said after Maine South rallied to a 3-1 win in a PepsiCo Showdown consolation pool game.
“We lost some tough games this time of year last year as well. And that’s why you play tough games, so you’re ready for tournament play and you fix any issues before it’s single elimination in the state tournament.”
Glenbard East responded brilliantly to adversity in 2016, peaking at playoff time to roll to a third place finish at the state tournament.
But the Rams’ 2017 test seems to be coming in one huge, painful bundle. After a 5-0-0 start, Glenbard East has endured the soccer equivalent of a prolonged April Fools Day gag with an 0-4-1 record since March 25 (including four losses in a row). The Rams, who peaked at no. 4 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, dropped out of the rankings for the first time this season in the rankings of April 16.
“It’s hard,” Overbey said, “but we knew this was the hardest part of our season no doubt.
“We lost to Batavia. We didn’t have a good showing against Lake Forest (a 3-0 loss April 8), and then Downers North (Thursday) to lose in the last three minutes after I thought we outplayed them, and then today this. It’s been a hard two weeks, but we have to regroup.
“We have a lot of conference play left, and we have three games next week Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Hopefully we get back on track there.”
The Rams (5-4-1) appeared to be back to top form early on Saturday against visiting Maine South (4-3-0).
Just 8:18 into the match, a long Maine South free kick was intercepted, triggering a Mimi Camacho sprint up the right side and her 15-yard rocket goal for a 1-0 Rams lead.
“I got a beautiful ball from the midfield, right to me,” Camacho said. “I had one touch outside, took it in and finished it.”
The midfield play of Alyse Donato and Elizabeth Toledo on the sequence keyed Camacho’s fourth goal of the season – and fulfilled a coach’s prophecy.
“My assistant Jeff Sabol was saying in warmups that ‘Mimi’s on fire today,’” Overbey said. “Mimi’s sort of had a tough season, but not in a bad way. We lost Amy Chiero to a broken wrist, and Mimi dropped into that attacking center mid spot.
“She’s done a great job, but she’s a true finisher and has a ton of pace up top so we need her there too.
“This week we made some adjustments, and Elizabeth Toledo is so technical and controls the pace of play, so we dropped her back to the midfield and moved Mimi back up-top. And you see what she does.”
The Rams’ third leading scorer (and second in assists) as a sophomore last year, Toledo set the table again Saturday.
“Toledo was doing what she does, which is disrupt and defend,” Overbey said. “She just took the ball from their defender, sent a nice through ball and Mimi hit a great shot.”
The Rams continued in command for the first 25 minutes. A Dana Plotke header off a Katie Hansen free kick was deflected wide for a corner kick, with Maine South’s Sam McKibben’s nice block and clear of the ensuing restart halting that 14th minute threat.
Gen Severini followed in the 17th minute with a 30-yard shot just wide right.
But Maine South foreshadowed its explosive second half with a late first half surge.
The Hawks’ first big chance came 12:10 before halftime, when a defensive miscue sprung Maine South on a two-player breakaway. But on a cross to Emma Thomson in front, Glenbard East goalkeeper Faith Davies came off her line to smother Thomson’s 10-yard shot and keep the score 1-0 Rams.
“In the first half that save when Faith came off her line – that’s an incredible save,” Overbey said. “It was 2-on Faith, she comes out with no fear, takes up a lot of space and makes a great save.”
Thomson came up empty again in the 33rd minute when her 25-yard free kick curled just wide of the left post.
Glenbard East's Paige Taylor had a header deep in the box that broke up a Thomson attack in the final seconds of the half. But with strengthening late morning winds soon to be at their backs after the intermission, the Hawks would perfectly execute their next chances.
“We had the wind which helped, and we kept it on the ground,” Maine South defender Emily Olson said of the second half rally. “We just connected passes, which helped a lot.”
Olson’s strong second half included her block of Hansen’s 28-yard free kick with 29:20 left to play.
Then with 24:52 to go, Hawks striker Thomson made another burst in on right wing. This time, her shot found net inside the far post to tie the game 1-1.
“I think we just decided ‘This is it. We need to go, go, go now.’” Thomson said. “We connected as a team and finished.”
The Hawks’ drive was noticeable across the field.
“They probably had a good halftime talk and came out strong,” Camacho said. “They knew they had to get it together. We knew they were a good team. and we kept pushing it, but unfortunately we came up short. But I thought we had a great first half.”
Thomson’s perfectly struck goal was followed by an improbable sequence – offensive chances at opposite ends of the field within 30 seconds.
Olson’s interception and long send off a Rams corner kick with 18:15 left set up a Hawks counterattack and their own corner kick.
Off that restart, Molly Paddock’s cross from the corner was headed in by Grace Harper to put Maine South up 2-1 with 17:23 to go.
“On Emma’s (goal) I thought she might have taken the wrong angle, but she was able to slot it through,” Maine South coach J.J. Crawford said, “and then that head ball was like an ESPN highlight. Then Hannah hit a nice one. They were all great goals.”
That Hannah Schilling 28-yard drive just under the crossbar with 5:14 to play made the score 3-1 and concluded the impressive second half run for the Hawks.
“That wind made a difference,” Crawford said. “They kind of had us in the first, and we had them in the second.”
Wind conditions and Maine South’s great offensive execution combined to add to the Rams’ April frustration.
“I felt like the wind picked up a little bit, and they certainly took advantage,” Overbey said. “The bottom line is, that’s three great finishes. The first one was a rope into the side netting, the second one a header where the ball’s coming across and she heads it the other way, and then the long-range shot.”
Before the latter strike made the score 3-1, the Rams had two chances to tie the game. A Mattie Pusateri corner kick with 16:40 left was headed out of danger by the Hawks’ Olivia Sellergren, and Paddock nicely cleared a Sam Johnson throw-in 50 seconds later.
“I’m really pleased,” Crawford said. “We could have quit. We’ve had some early setbacks with injuries and losses, but we just kept working.
“That (Glenbard East) is a nice team – we’re excited. It’s a big win for us.”
Said Olson: “This helps (our confidence) a lot. Now we have a two-game winning streak, and we know we can compete at this level.”
Being the subject of opponents’ motivation has left Glenbard East with no margin for error during its recent five-match winless streak.
“It’s either they’re going to be scared to play us, or they’re here to win,” Camacho said.
Unfortunately for the Rams, recent foes have aggressively taken the latter approach.
“We sat (the team) down at the beginning of the season and said 'the only thing we focus on from last year is using things we did as examples,” Overbey said. “We know every single team that comes in will have one of two reactions – they’ll give us their best shot, or be intimidated.
“If you look at the quality of teams the last two weeks, they’re not going to be intimidated. They’ll give us their best shot, and we’ve seen it. All five of these games have been a great effort by the other team, back-and-forth battles.”
Soccer seasons are full of ups and downs, predictable or not. And with recent history on their side, the Rams remain confident in 2017 and focused on several factors going forward.
“Just everyone’s confidence going into the game,” Camacho said. “Starting out strong, getting the goals and just playing all together.”
Starting lineups:
Maine South
GK- Olivia Latrelle
D- Olivia Sellegren
D- Samantha McKibben
D- Emily Olson
D- Hannah Schilling
M- Molly Paddock
M- Sara Ignoffo
M- Emmalyn Everts
M- Madeline Malinowski
F- Emma Thomson
F- Annika Schmidt
Glenbard East
GK- Faith Davies
D- Sam Johnson
D- Katie Hansen
D- Paige Taylor
D- Ali Liljestrand
M- Alyse Donato
M- Mattie Pusateri
M- Elizabeth Toledo
M- Lindsey Novak
F- Dana Plotke
F- Mimi Camacho
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emma Thomson, sr., F, Maine South