Naperville Central blitzes
Oak Park and River Forest
Fast start yields win in season debut
By Patrick Z. McGavin
OAK PARK -- The start of a new season comes hard and fast, and players and coaches have barely a moment to catch their breath. Every team is a blank slate, filled with promise and uncertainty.
"If you don't play at game-speed against an opponent, you don't recognize how quickly everything moves until you've been slotted," Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said.
With nine returning starters, Watson has reason to be optimistic. Still, he has been around long enough to withhold judgement until the moment matters.
Watson has speed and talent in his attacking half, and the Redhawks unveiled the curtain on a balmy and windy season-opening game by scoring twice in the first eight minutes. The players looked ecstatic. They played free and loose.
Senior midfielder Alison Kincaide registered two goals and added an assist and junior forward Kathleen Conforti contributed a goal and assist as Naperville Central showcased an improved offensive attack in smashing host Oak Park and River Forest 5-1 Monday night.
The last couple of years Naperville Central (1-0) has been an elite team as a goal protector -- playing ferocious defense and massing a string of shutouts. The downside has been finding a consistent offensive attack. The difficulty scoring is why Naperville Central finished 10-6-5 a year ago.
"Anytime Naperville Central scores goals it is worthy of writing about," Watson said. "We haven't been a great scoring team the last couple of years."
The talent is undeniable. Naperville Central is a difficult out, in the regular or postseason, evidenced by eventual third-place finisher Waubonsie Valley needing double-overtime to end their season last year.
Kincaide is a potential game-changer. She saw significant time as a freshman and started as a sophomore on a team that shared the DuPage Valley Conference title with Class 3A state champion Naperville North. After a year away playing club, Kincaide is back.
Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match has excellent speed, body control and knows how to find open space. She ignited the Redhawks' attack in the sixth minute, playing a ball down the left edge and centering toward a quickly moving Conforti.
Conforti controlled the ball, made a quick move to create some separation from her defender and blasted home a sidewinder inside the near post 5:26 seconds into the new season.
"Al [Kincaide] made a great pass," she said. "At the start we were definitely ready to play. We were not perfect, but we started off strong.
"It was a great ball, and I saw the left side of the net [open] and it went in."
The goal jumpstarted the attack.
"We've been practicing playing it into the midfield, and then going wide or looking for the shot," Kincaide said. "It worked out very well for us today. Everybody's runs were working."
In the eighth minute, Kincaide demonstrated her scoring knack by directing a short ball off a corner from Taylor Stenmark for the 2-0 advantage. The best players find a way to create their own scoring chances.
"Taylor served a really good ball," she said. "We've been working a lot on the different runs on the corners, and I was the one at the far post ready in case it went over everywhere, and that's what it did.
"It went over everybody's head and came right to me, and I just had to knock it in."
By contrast, Oak Park and River Forest (0-1) was left reeling by the stunning Redhawks' start. Coach Ignacio Ponce has fielded a team marked by talent and loads of inexperience. He returns just four starters. On his roster he has seven seniors, 13 juniors and two sophomores. To make matters worse, Oak Park and River Forest played without three starters and a late scratch after a top defender injured a hamstring.
"I'm proud of the way the girls stuck through the whole game," Ponce said. "Obviously Naperville Central is a very solid squad, and I always say it's better to start off with a strong challenge than an easy game.
"They start set the tone, and we realized we had to pick it up from there."
Oak Park and River Forest appeared shell shocked at the speed and diversified nature of the Naperville Central attack. The Redhawks maintained pressure, and put the Huskies on their heels. Naperville Central junior midfielder Kirsten Dorgan extended the lead to 3-0 in the 19th minute by smashing home a ball from Meridith Hannan.
To its credit Oak Park and River Forest began to exert greater control and mount its own attack. Junior midfielder Patricia Heneghan was high on a header. Trailing 3-0, the Huskies began to string together passes and play quicker to the ball.
The difficulty came from finishing. Junior forward Christina Carlson engineered her own breakaway late in the first half, beating two defenders and drilling a ball from about 14 yards out that struck the far post. Junior forward Anna Eddelbuettel provided hope late in the first half, finding some open space and drilling a ball from 12 yards out inside the near post in the 40th minute. It breathed life into the Huskies.
The complexity of the match changed in the 43rd minute. Eddelbuettel found a crease in the Redhawks' backline and was set to exploit it when senior Naperville Central keeper Abby Hershik anticipated the move brilliantly and made a spectacular diving stop to her right. The ball that hit the post and the Hershik stop showed that as badly as Oak Park and River Forest was outplayed, the Huskies were just inches away from having a match knotted at 3-apiece.
Naperville Central realized as much and the Redhawks ended the threat by registering two more set piece scores. Kincaide took advantage of a backline mistake to put away her second goal in the 48th minute. Junior midfielder Isabel Reedy recorded her first goal of the year by blasting home a corner from senior midfielder Meredith Tunney.
All told, Naperville Central registered two goals in the field of play and three on set pieces.
"The field of play is the bonus," Watson said. "The set pieces are where we have to live."
So far, so good.
"Our continuity is pretty good," Watson said. "A lot of these girls have played together, and they are comfortable with each other. Once we get a hang of the system, I think we'll be even better. I'm not sure we possessed as well as I'd have liked. But I was really pleased; when we got the ball in areas we needed to finish, we were able to finish."
Ponce was far from dejected.
"Our girls did look confused defending set pieces and in the field-of-play, but as we develop we'll get defending the set plays. We saw that we need to work on conditioning.
"Give us some time to mesh and learn how to play with one another, and I think we'll be fine."
Starting line-ups
Naperville Central
GK: Abby Hershik
D: Amanda Murphy
D: Taylor Stenmark
D: Violeta Tallat-Kelpsa
D: Caitlin Reice
M: Meredith Tunney
M: Alison Kincaide
M: Isabel Reedy
M: Mackenzie Sisko
F: Kathleen Conforti
F: Ryan Dudycha
Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Leah Silver
D: Ashley Gurdian
D: Penny Hawthorne
D: Carly Loughran
D: Alex Kenoian
M: Alexa Gillman
M: Grace Huettel
M: Esther Ramsey
M: Patricia Heneghan
F: Julia Weiss
F: Anna Eddelbuettel
Officials: Katie Bates, Carl Kennar, Mark Kennar
MVP of the Match: Alison Kincaide, MF, Naperville Central
Oak Park and River Forest
Fast start yields win in season debut
By Patrick Z. McGavin
OAK PARK -- The start of a new season comes hard and fast, and players and coaches have barely a moment to catch their breath. Every team is a blank slate, filled with promise and uncertainty.
"If you don't play at game-speed against an opponent, you don't recognize how quickly everything moves until you've been slotted," Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said.
With nine returning starters, Watson has reason to be optimistic. Still, he has been around long enough to withhold judgement until the moment matters.
Watson has speed and talent in his attacking half, and the Redhawks unveiled the curtain on a balmy and windy season-opening game by scoring twice in the first eight minutes. The players looked ecstatic. They played free and loose.
Senior midfielder Alison Kincaide registered two goals and added an assist and junior forward Kathleen Conforti contributed a goal and assist as Naperville Central showcased an improved offensive attack in smashing host Oak Park and River Forest 5-1 Monday night.
The last couple of years Naperville Central (1-0) has been an elite team as a goal protector -- playing ferocious defense and massing a string of shutouts. The downside has been finding a consistent offensive attack. The difficulty scoring is why Naperville Central finished 10-6-5 a year ago.
"Anytime Naperville Central scores goals it is worthy of writing about," Watson said. "We haven't been a great scoring team the last couple of years."
The talent is undeniable. Naperville Central is a difficult out, in the regular or postseason, evidenced by eventual third-place finisher Waubonsie Valley needing double-overtime to end their season last year.
Kincaide is a potential game-changer. She saw significant time as a freshman and started as a sophomore on a team that shared the DuPage Valley Conference title with Class 3A state champion Naperville North. After a year away playing club, Kincaide is back.
Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match has excellent speed, body control and knows how to find open space. She ignited the Redhawks' attack in the sixth minute, playing a ball down the left edge and centering toward a quickly moving Conforti.
Conforti controlled the ball, made a quick move to create some separation from her defender and blasted home a sidewinder inside the near post 5:26 seconds into the new season.
"Al [Kincaide] made a great pass," she said. "At the start we were definitely ready to play. We were not perfect, but we started off strong.
"It was a great ball, and I saw the left side of the net [open] and it went in."
The goal jumpstarted the attack.
"We've been practicing playing it into the midfield, and then going wide or looking for the shot," Kincaide said. "It worked out very well for us today. Everybody's runs were working."
In the eighth minute, Kincaide demonstrated her scoring knack by directing a short ball off a corner from Taylor Stenmark for the 2-0 advantage. The best players find a way to create their own scoring chances.
"Taylor served a really good ball," she said. "We've been working a lot on the different runs on the corners, and I was the one at the far post ready in case it went over everywhere, and that's what it did.
"It went over everybody's head and came right to me, and I just had to knock it in."
By contrast, Oak Park and River Forest (0-1) was left reeling by the stunning Redhawks' start. Coach Ignacio Ponce has fielded a team marked by talent and loads of inexperience. He returns just four starters. On his roster he has seven seniors, 13 juniors and two sophomores. To make matters worse, Oak Park and River Forest played without three starters and a late scratch after a top defender injured a hamstring.
"I'm proud of the way the girls stuck through the whole game," Ponce said. "Obviously Naperville Central is a very solid squad, and I always say it's better to start off with a strong challenge than an easy game.
"They start set the tone, and we realized we had to pick it up from there."
Oak Park and River Forest appeared shell shocked at the speed and diversified nature of the Naperville Central attack. The Redhawks maintained pressure, and put the Huskies on their heels. Naperville Central junior midfielder Kirsten Dorgan extended the lead to 3-0 in the 19th minute by smashing home a ball from Meridith Hannan.
To its credit Oak Park and River Forest began to exert greater control and mount its own attack. Junior midfielder Patricia Heneghan was high on a header. Trailing 3-0, the Huskies began to string together passes and play quicker to the ball.
The difficulty came from finishing. Junior forward Christina Carlson engineered her own breakaway late in the first half, beating two defenders and drilling a ball from about 14 yards out that struck the far post. Junior forward Anna Eddelbuettel provided hope late in the first half, finding some open space and drilling a ball from 12 yards out inside the near post in the 40th minute. It breathed life into the Huskies.
The complexity of the match changed in the 43rd minute. Eddelbuettel found a crease in the Redhawks' backline and was set to exploit it when senior Naperville Central keeper Abby Hershik anticipated the move brilliantly and made a spectacular diving stop to her right. The ball that hit the post and the Hershik stop showed that as badly as Oak Park and River Forest was outplayed, the Huskies were just inches away from having a match knotted at 3-apiece.
Naperville Central realized as much and the Redhawks ended the threat by registering two more set piece scores. Kincaide took advantage of a backline mistake to put away her second goal in the 48th minute. Junior midfielder Isabel Reedy recorded her first goal of the year by blasting home a corner from senior midfielder Meredith Tunney.
All told, Naperville Central registered two goals in the field of play and three on set pieces.
"The field of play is the bonus," Watson said. "The set pieces are where we have to live."
So far, so good.
"Our continuity is pretty good," Watson said. "A lot of these girls have played together, and they are comfortable with each other. Once we get a hang of the system, I think we'll be even better. I'm not sure we possessed as well as I'd have liked. But I was really pleased; when we got the ball in areas we needed to finish, we were able to finish."
Ponce was far from dejected.
"Our girls did look confused defending set pieces and in the field-of-play, but as we develop we'll get defending the set plays. We saw that we need to work on conditioning.
"Give us some time to mesh and learn how to play with one another, and I think we'll be fine."
Starting line-ups
Naperville Central
GK: Abby Hershik
D: Amanda Murphy
D: Taylor Stenmark
D: Violeta Tallat-Kelpsa
D: Caitlin Reice
M: Meredith Tunney
M: Alison Kincaide
M: Isabel Reedy
M: Mackenzie Sisko
F: Kathleen Conforti
F: Ryan Dudycha
Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Leah Silver
D: Ashley Gurdian
D: Penny Hawthorne
D: Carly Loughran
D: Alex Kenoian
M: Alexa Gillman
M: Grace Huettel
M: Esther Ramsey
M: Patricia Heneghan
F: Julia Weiss
F: Anna Eddelbuettel
Officials: Katie Bates, Carl Kennar, Mark Kennar
MVP of the Match: Alison Kincaide, MF, Naperville Central