New Trier's playoff streak continues
Trevians top Collinsville 2-1 in 2 OT for shot at 4th-straight title
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – The names change for New Trier but the results don’t.
Freshman forward Emma Weaver scored a pair of rocket shots and the Trevians’ defense held off revenge-minded Collinsville 2-1 in double overtime at the Class 3A state semifinals Friday at North Central College.
New Trier now has won 27-consecutive playoff games and is one win away from becoming just the second team in Illinois history to win four-consecutive state championships.
The Trevians (24-2-1) will play Barrington (27-1-0) in Saturday night’s title game.
“It’s a great crew every year, a lot of hard workers,” New Trier coach Jim Burnside said. “This was a gritty win.
“They (Collinsville) really in moments were taking it to us, but I’m proud of my girls and how they held strong. They bent but didn’t break.”
Indeed, the Kahoks (19-7-1) gave a great accounting of themselves. In the title game last season, they lost 4-0 to New Trier.
Collinsville might have won, too, if it hadn’t been for Weaver, who bagged her 13th and 14th goals of the season.
Weaver opened the scoring at the 21:48 mark of the first half when she received a pass from Sam Urban, ran up the middle of the field and uncorked a 30-yard cracker that hit off the inside of the left post and went in.
But the Kahoks tied the game with 10:25 left in the first half. Senior defender Dayle McEwen got a head on senior Andrew Frerker’s corner kick and bounced it past a defender and New Trier goalie Katy Symanietz.
That was the first goal the Trevians have conceded in seven state finals games at North Central College during their current streak.
Both teams had plenty of chances after that. Collinsville goalie Morgan Lerch, who was outstanding in making nine saves, knocked a 25-yard bullet from Nicole Kaspi over the crossbar with 12:55 to go in the first half.
Four minutes later Weaver left the game after knocking knees with a Collinsville player. She returned five minutes later.
Thre freshman had a great opportunity to put the Trevians ahead with 28:10 remaining in the second half when she broke free in the right side of the box.
But Lerch came out to make a great diving save on the right post, then got up and pounced on Weaver’s rebound.
Missing such an opportunity would shake the confidence of many rookies, but not Weaver.
“That put me down, but it motivated me to keep working, because I knew we needed to find a goal and that (Collinsville) is very competitive and good,” Weaver said.
“We just needed to put one in the back of the net, and I was lucky that I was the one to do that.”
Weaver did so but not before the Trevians survived a few hairy moments in the dying minutes of regulation.
The Kahoks had two legitimate chances to win it, first when McEwen sent a 60-yard free kick into the box to Courtney Marten, whose left-footed cutback shot rolled just wide of the right post with 2:10 left.
Emma Knoebel fired a long shot with 1:20 to go, but Symanietz made a diving save.
In overtime it was Weaver’s turn. She again got the ball in the middle of the field and blasted a 20-yard shot top shelf with 7:21 to go in the first overtime. That held up as the game-winner as New Trier’s defense of Urban, Megan Murdoch, Caroline Iserloth and Sydney Parker allowed only one more shot the rest of the way.
“I think that she’s been right there so many times this season,” Burnside said of Weaver. “It’s just a great effort today.
“What happened was her teammates just kept working. When she got the ball and she hit those two shots, it was what we knew she could do, and she went out and completed it.”
New Trier has won six state titles, all since 2003, and featured a slew of great players. Weaver could eventually add her name to the list.
“It’s such an honor,” Weaver said of contributing to the streak. “Burnside has worked really hard to put that NT legacy on top and to be able to play with all of these great players that are going off to college and playing at D1 schools, it’s just amazing. It’s unreal.”
Indeed, New Trier’s senior class boasts five Division I players in Urban (Wisconsin), midfielders Avery Schuldt (Dartmouth) and Hope Baisley (Fordham) and forwards Haley Paez (Miami -- Ohio) and Hannah Arment (St. Louis).
They inspired Weaver and made sure to calm her nerves as she made her state finals debut.
“The seniors pick everyone up,” Weaver said. “They are amazing leaders.
“I look up to them as role models, and they just wanted us to bring energy, work our hardest and know that these are our last two games and we want to make the most of it.”
So did Collinsville’s seniors, who have helped the Kahoks capture three-consecutive state trophies. But they ultimately didn’t have enough to continue their quest for the program’s first state title.
“It’s a rough one, especially being a senior,” said Frerker, a SIU-Edwardsville recruit. “We knew they were a great team, but we came in with the mentality that we’re a great team, too.
“And it was a hard battle. It was one of my favorite games of the year.”
The Kahoks can take some solace in the fact they played the Trevians much tougher than they did a year ago and came into this match with more confidence.
“There is a lot of hype about them,” Frerker said. “They’ve won the last three years and it’s too bad we couldn’t play in the championship game, because I think we deserve it.”
The Trevians held a small edge, 16-12, in overall shots but they put 11 on frame, compared to five for the Kahoks. Lerch made it seem closer than it was.
“I think they did win the ball out of the air better, and they were able to connect some more passes, but it was a tough battle in all thirds of the field,” Frerker said. “(Lerch) played phenomenal. She had some saves that kept us in it.”
Ultimately, that effort was not enough for Collinsville, which had plotted revenge since losing the 2016 final.
“We’ve only had six home games,” Collinsville coach Clay Smith said. “We’ve been on the road as much as we can.
“We’ve played the top teams in the state as much as we can and the premier tournaments as much as we can for this reason. It just didn’t pan out tonight.
“I’m proud of my girls. We’re going to have to find a way to get over this, but we played well. We created a lot of opportunities.
“We did everything but find that second goal. Credit New Trier.”
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK Katy Symanietz
D Megan Murdoch
D Caroline Iserloth
D Sam Urban
D Sydney Parker
M Avery Schuldt
M Lily Conley
M Hope Baisley
F Nicole Kaspi
F Emma Weaver
F Hannah Arment
Collinsville
GK Morgan Lerch
D Danielle Knutson
D Dayle McEwen
D Emma Knoebel
D Faith Liljegren
M Bianca Cortez
M Alynnah Loeary
M Andrew Frerker
F Courtney Marten
F Tayler Devin
F Emily Holten
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Emma Weaver, fr., F, New Trier
Trevians top Collinsville 2-1 in 2 OT for shot at 4th-straight title
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – The names change for New Trier but the results don’t.
Freshman forward Emma Weaver scored a pair of rocket shots and the Trevians’ defense held off revenge-minded Collinsville 2-1 in double overtime at the Class 3A state semifinals Friday at North Central College.
New Trier now has won 27-consecutive playoff games and is one win away from becoming just the second team in Illinois history to win four-consecutive state championships.
The Trevians (24-2-1) will play Barrington (27-1-0) in Saturday night’s title game.
“It’s a great crew every year, a lot of hard workers,” New Trier coach Jim Burnside said. “This was a gritty win.
“They (Collinsville) really in moments were taking it to us, but I’m proud of my girls and how they held strong. They bent but didn’t break.”
Indeed, the Kahoks (19-7-1) gave a great accounting of themselves. In the title game last season, they lost 4-0 to New Trier.
Collinsville might have won, too, if it hadn’t been for Weaver, who bagged her 13th and 14th goals of the season.
Weaver opened the scoring at the 21:48 mark of the first half when she received a pass from Sam Urban, ran up the middle of the field and uncorked a 30-yard cracker that hit off the inside of the left post and went in.
But the Kahoks tied the game with 10:25 left in the first half. Senior defender Dayle McEwen got a head on senior Andrew Frerker’s corner kick and bounced it past a defender and New Trier goalie Katy Symanietz.
That was the first goal the Trevians have conceded in seven state finals games at North Central College during their current streak.
Both teams had plenty of chances after that. Collinsville goalie Morgan Lerch, who was outstanding in making nine saves, knocked a 25-yard bullet from Nicole Kaspi over the crossbar with 12:55 to go in the first half.
Four minutes later Weaver left the game after knocking knees with a Collinsville player. She returned five minutes later.
Thre freshman had a great opportunity to put the Trevians ahead with 28:10 remaining in the second half when she broke free in the right side of the box.
But Lerch came out to make a great diving save on the right post, then got up and pounced on Weaver’s rebound.
Missing such an opportunity would shake the confidence of many rookies, but not Weaver.
“That put me down, but it motivated me to keep working, because I knew we needed to find a goal and that (Collinsville) is very competitive and good,” Weaver said.
“We just needed to put one in the back of the net, and I was lucky that I was the one to do that.”
Weaver did so but not before the Trevians survived a few hairy moments in the dying minutes of regulation.
The Kahoks had two legitimate chances to win it, first when McEwen sent a 60-yard free kick into the box to Courtney Marten, whose left-footed cutback shot rolled just wide of the right post with 2:10 left.
Emma Knoebel fired a long shot with 1:20 to go, but Symanietz made a diving save.
In overtime it was Weaver’s turn. She again got the ball in the middle of the field and blasted a 20-yard shot top shelf with 7:21 to go in the first overtime. That held up as the game-winner as New Trier’s defense of Urban, Megan Murdoch, Caroline Iserloth and Sydney Parker allowed only one more shot the rest of the way.
“I think that she’s been right there so many times this season,” Burnside said of Weaver. “It’s just a great effort today.
“What happened was her teammates just kept working. When she got the ball and she hit those two shots, it was what we knew she could do, and she went out and completed it.”
New Trier has won six state titles, all since 2003, and featured a slew of great players. Weaver could eventually add her name to the list.
“It’s such an honor,” Weaver said of contributing to the streak. “Burnside has worked really hard to put that NT legacy on top and to be able to play with all of these great players that are going off to college and playing at D1 schools, it’s just amazing. It’s unreal.”
Indeed, New Trier’s senior class boasts five Division I players in Urban (Wisconsin), midfielders Avery Schuldt (Dartmouth) and Hope Baisley (Fordham) and forwards Haley Paez (Miami -- Ohio) and Hannah Arment (St. Louis).
They inspired Weaver and made sure to calm her nerves as she made her state finals debut.
“The seniors pick everyone up,” Weaver said. “They are amazing leaders.
“I look up to them as role models, and they just wanted us to bring energy, work our hardest and know that these are our last two games and we want to make the most of it.”
So did Collinsville’s seniors, who have helped the Kahoks capture three-consecutive state trophies. But they ultimately didn’t have enough to continue their quest for the program’s first state title.
“It’s a rough one, especially being a senior,” said Frerker, a SIU-Edwardsville recruit. “We knew they were a great team, but we came in with the mentality that we’re a great team, too.
“And it was a hard battle. It was one of my favorite games of the year.”
The Kahoks can take some solace in the fact they played the Trevians much tougher than they did a year ago and came into this match with more confidence.
“There is a lot of hype about them,” Frerker said. “They’ve won the last three years and it’s too bad we couldn’t play in the championship game, because I think we deserve it.”
The Trevians held a small edge, 16-12, in overall shots but they put 11 on frame, compared to five for the Kahoks. Lerch made it seem closer than it was.
“I think they did win the ball out of the air better, and they were able to connect some more passes, but it was a tough battle in all thirds of the field,” Frerker said. “(Lerch) played phenomenal. She had some saves that kept us in it.”
Ultimately, that effort was not enough for Collinsville, which had plotted revenge since losing the 2016 final.
“We’ve only had six home games,” Collinsville coach Clay Smith said. “We’ve been on the road as much as we can.
“We’ve played the top teams in the state as much as we can and the premier tournaments as much as we can for this reason. It just didn’t pan out tonight.
“I’m proud of my girls. We’re going to have to find a way to get over this, but we played well. We created a lot of opportunities.
“We did everything but find that second goal. Credit New Trier.”
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK Katy Symanietz
D Megan Murdoch
D Caroline Iserloth
D Sam Urban
D Sydney Parker
M Avery Schuldt
M Lily Conley
M Hope Baisley
F Nicole Kaspi
F Emma Weaver
F Hannah Arment
Collinsville
GK Morgan Lerch
D Danielle Knutson
D Dayle McEwen
D Emma Knoebel
D Faith Liljegren
M Bianca Cortez
M Alynnah Loeary
M Andrew Frerker
F Courtney Marten
F Tayler Devin
F Emily Holten
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Emma Weaver, fr., F, New Trier