Hinsdale Central's Cangelosi, Smith
set up regional win over OPRF
Late corner kick goal pushes Red Devils forward
By Patrick Z. McGavin
HINSDALE—The set piece is the most graceful and beautiful part of the game when properly executed. The segments have to run together seamlessly. The first part is the most important, the service ball.
Hinsdale Central has one of the best at delivering the ball, senior defender Lauren Cangelosi, who is a natural at the skill.
"Lauren is able to serve it into the box every time," senior Erin Smith said.
The two collaborated on a beautiful goal as Cangelosi guided a dead ball corner with precision and Smith sharply timed her leap and blasted home the header in the 72nd minute as the host no. 14 Red Devils clipped Oak Park and River Forest 1-0 in a Class 3A regional championship Friday.
The top-seed in its own sectional, Hinsdale Central advances to the first Tuesday afternoon semifinal against the winner of the Trinity Regional final Saturday between West Suburban Silver rivals York and Downers Grove North.
On the game-winning sequence, Cangelosi played her part perfectly. The Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match is a dangerous specialist whose skill was refined through repetition and hard work.
"I just started doing it, and then I began practicing [the corner] a lot, especially with my club team," she said.
Her high school team is suited to take advantage of her skill, she said.
"I feel like our team is really good in the air, and they can get to them," Cangelosi said. "I've played a lot of soccer with Erin and Maeve [McLaughlin], and we've spent a lot of time working on corners. I always know where Erin's going to be so she can get the ball."
Oak Park and River Forest keeper Ava Trogus was superb in the match with six saves, several of the spectacular variety. The sophomore got a fingertip on Smith's header, but the ball had too much velocity and broke inside. The play was bang-bang. Smith seized the opportunity.
"I was in the right position, so I just headed it," Smith said."It came right to me, and it was the perfect ball. [Trogus] touched it, I think, but she couldn't stop it, and the ball right past her."
Hinsdale Central (17-6) jumped out of the gate by generating tremendous pressure against the Huskies. The Red Devils put their visitors on their heels, driving the ball forward with the dynamic forward combination of Emma Dannhausen-Brun and Sydney Griffin.
Dannhausen-Brun slightly pulled a shot that curled just outside the post of a virtually open net early. Oak Park and River Forest's goalkeeper, a basketball player who was elevated to the varsity midway through the year, has length and superb reflexes. She blocked Griffin twice on one-on-one forays to the net.
"The positive is that we created a number of quality chances," Hinsdale Central coach Michael Smith said. "The challenge is we have to be more dangerous and execute at a much higher level."
A year ago the same teams played a physical and rigorous match that required penalty kicks before Hinsdale Central prevailed. The teams played a virtually identical game in conference on May 5th before the Red Devils scored twice in the final 12 minutes for the 2-0 victory.
The eighth-seed, Oak Park and River Forest was coming off an impressive 3-0 regional semifinal victory over Morton. The Huskies (7-9-3) have demonstrated tremendous growth and improvement since starting the year 1-4. After withstanding the early onslaught, Oak Park and River Forest found its own rhythm, particularly with the superb play of senior forward Julia Weiss and junior striker Anna Eddelbuettel.
"The girls came to play today, and this was the best we played all year," Huskies' coach Ignacio Ponce said. "Even though Hinsdale Central was the top-seed, all respect to them, they're a great team, but we were here to play, physically, mentally and everything, and our girls showed it.
"Once the girls saw that they could play with them, then the momentum kept going our way and it felt like it all the way through."
Oak Park and River Forest nearly pulled off the stunner as Weiss served her own corner in the 64th minute she bent perfectly in pulling Hinsdale Central star keeper Katy Coseglia out of the net. Oak Park and River Forest failed to get a player at the end of the ball, and Coseglia recovered to punch it out.
"It was a great opportunity, and it could have put us up 1-nil, and that's all it takes is just one opportunity," Ponce said.
"There was definitely some curve on it, and I thought somebody on our team got on the end of it" Weiss said. "That would have been very exciting for us, but they're very strong defensively and they were able to get to it, and that was disapointing."
Weiss generated additional threats, using her speed and superb balance to dart through the seams of the Red Devils' backline. Hinsdale Central closed those angles to prevent any serious scoring opportunities.
"We didn't give them an inch so they could threaten," Michael Smith said.
"Erin Smith is a four-year varsity starter and she showed the composure to put the ball away, and that's leadership. We showed the mental toughness that's necessary in the playoffs. The way we've been playing as far as stringing passes together and dominating possession, it's all connected. I told them let's keep it simple and not complicate the scoring opportunities."
The margin for error is razor thin in the state tournament. Michael Smith said Hinsdale Central knew they dodged a bullet on the Huskies' corner. The team has been amped up by the knowledge by continuing to win, Hinsdale Central is assured of playing on its home field. The size and depth of its pitch plays to the team's strengths.
The state tournament is about surviving and advancing, Michael Smith said. Still, the game was a warning, a cautionary tale on the dangers of allowing another talented team to stay close.
"At this stage of the season one bounce the wrong way and everything changes," Michael Smith said.
"We got the right result, but we also have to step back and ask ourselves what we could have done to better improve the score line going forward."
Starting lineups
Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Ava Trogus
D: Chloe Beonsch
D: Penny Hawthorn
D: Alex Kenoian
D: Brianne Bujnowski
M: Grace Huettel
M: Jamie Heneghan
M: Patricia Heneghan
F: Julia Weiss
F: Katie McGrath
F: Anna Eddelbuettel
Hinsdale Central
GK: Katy Coseglia
D: Lauren Cangelosi
D: Erin Smith
D: Kaitlyn Livingston
D: Katie Murphy
M: Julie Culler
M: Maeve McLaughlin
M: Lizzy Nelson
M: Abby Cole
F: Sydney Griffin
F: Emma Dannhausen-Brun
MVP of the Match: Lauren Cangelosi, D, Hinsdale Central.
set up regional win over OPRF
Late corner kick goal pushes Red Devils forward
By Patrick Z. McGavin
HINSDALE—The set piece is the most graceful and beautiful part of the game when properly executed. The segments have to run together seamlessly. The first part is the most important, the service ball.
Hinsdale Central has one of the best at delivering the ball, senior defender Lauren Cangelosi, who is a natural at the skill.
"Lauren is able to serve it into the box every time," senior Erin Smith said.
The two collaborated on a beautiful goal as Cangelosi guided a dead ball corner with precision and Smith sharply timed her leap and blasted home the header in the 72nd minute as the host no. 14 Red Devils clipped Oak Park and River Forest 1-0 in a Class 3A regional championship Friday.
The top-seed in its own sectional, Hinsdale Central advances to the first Tuesday afternoon semifinal against the winner of the Trinity Regional final Saturday between West Suburban Silver rivals York and Downers Grove North.
On the game-winning sequence, Cangelosi played her part perfectly. The Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match is a dangerous specialist whose skill was refined through repetition and hard work.
"I just started doing it, and then I began practicing [the corner] a lot, especially with my club team," she said.
Her high school team is suited to take advantage of her skill, she said.
"I feel like our team is really good in the air, and they can get to them," Cangelosi said. "I've played a lot of soccer with Erin and Maeve [McLaughlin], and we've spent a lot of time working on corners. I always know where Erin's going to be so she can get the ball."
Oak Park and River Forest keeper Ava Trogus was superb in the match with six saves, several of the spectacular variety. The sophomore got a fingertip on Smith's header, but the ball had too much velocity and broke inside. The play was bang-bang. Smith seized the opportunity.
"I was in the right position, so I just headed it," Smith said."It came right to me, and it was the perfect ball. [Trogus] touched it, I think, but she couldn't stop it, and the ball right past her."
Hinsdale Central (17-6) jumped out of the gate by generating tremendous pressure against the Huskies. The Red Devils put their visitors on their heels, driving the ball forward with the dynamic forward combination of Emma Dannhausen-Brun and Sydney Griffin.
Dannhausen-Brun slightly pulled a shot that curled just outside the post of a virtually open net early. Oak Park and River Forest's goalkeeper, a basketball player who was elevated to the varsity midway through the year, has length and superb reflexes. She blocked Griffin twice on one-on-one forays to the net.
"The positive is that we created a number of quality chances," Hinsdale Central coach Michael Smith said. "The challenge is we have to be more dangerous and execute at a much higher level."
A year ago the same teams played a physical and rigorous match that required penalty kicks before Hinsdale Central prevailed. The teams played a virtually identical game in conference on May 5th before the Red Devils scored twice in the final 12 minutes for the 2-0 victory.
The eighth-seed, Oak Park and River Forest was coming off an impressive 3-0 regional semifinal victory over Morton. The Huskies (7-9-3) have demonstrated tremendous growth and improvement since starting the year 1-4. After withstanding the early onslaught, Oak Park and River Forest found its own rhythm, particularly with the superb play of senior forward Julia Weiss and junior striker Anna Eddelbuettel.
"The girls came to play today, and this was the best we played all year," Huskies' coach Ignacio Ponce said. "Even though Hinsdale Central was the top-seed, all respect to them, they're a great team, but we were here to play, physically, mentally and everything, and our girls showed it.
"Once the girls saw that they could play with them, then the momentum kept going our way and it felt like it all the way through."
Oak Park and River Forest nearly pulled off the stunner as Weiss served her own corner in the 64th minute she bent perfectly in pulling Hinsdale Central star keeper Katy Coseglia out of the net. Oak Park and River Forest failed to get a player at the end of the ball, and Coseglia recovered to punch it out.
"It was a great opportunity, and it could have put us up 1-nil, and that's all it takes is just one opportunity," Ponce said.
"There was definitely some curve on it, and I thought somebody on our team got on the end of it" Weiss said. "That would have been very exciting for us, but they're very strong defensively and they were able to get to it, and that was disapointing."
Weiss generated additional threats, using her speed and superb balance to dart through the seams of the Red Devils' backline. Hinsdale Central closed those angles to prevent any serious scoring opportunities.
"We didn't give them an inch so they could threaten," Michael Smith said.
"Erin Smith is a four-year varsity starter and she showed the composure to put the ball away, and that's leadership. We showed the mental toughness that's necessary in the playoffs. The way we've been playing as far as stringing passes together and dominating possession, it's all connected. I told them let's keep it simple and not complicate the scoring opportunities."
The margin for error is razor thin in the state tournament. Michael Smith said Hinsdale Central knew they dodged a bullet on the Huskies' corner. The team has been amped up by the knowledge by continuing to win, Hinsdale Central is assured of playing on its home field. The size and depth of its pitch plays to the team's strengths.
The state tournament is about surviving and advancing, Michael Smith said. Still, the game was a warning, a cautionary tale on the dangers of allowing another talented team to stay close.
"At this stage of the season one bounce the wrong way and everything changes," Michael Smith said.
"We got the right result, but we also have to step back and ask ourselves what we could have done to better improve the score line going forward."
Starting lineups
Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Ava Trogus
D: Chloe Beonsch
D: Penny Hawthorn
D: Alex Kenoian
D: Brianne Bujnowski
M: Grace Huettel
M: Jamie Heneghan
M: Patricia Heneghan
F: Julia Weiss
F: Katie McGrath
F: Anna Eddelbuettel
Hinsdale Central
GK: Katy Coseglia
D: Lauren Cangelosi
D: Erin Smith
D: Kaitlyn Livingston
D: Katie Murphy
M: Julie Culler
M: Maeve McLaughlin
M: Lizzy Nelson
M: Abby Cole
F: Sydney Griffin
F: Emma Dannhausen-Brun
MVP of the Match: Lauren Cangelosi, D, Hinsdale Central.