Prospect survives PK storm,
posts victory at Elk Grove
Knights rebound from 2-straight penalties to prevail 4-2
By Dave Owen
ELK GROVE – With five postponements in nine scheduled games so far, weather issues have thrown Prospect’s early season into disarray.
Even on a rare clear and dry night Wednesday vs. Elk Grove, the soccer gods tried to send a few more clouds the Knights’ way.
Up 3-0 with 33:40 left to play and seemingly in command, Prospect had its momentum toppled by PKs: a handball call in the box with 32:01 to go; and a foul at the edge of the box at 26:18.
Elk Grove’s Emily Sitkowski converted penalty kicks on each call to suddenly chop the Knights’ lead to 3-2.
But Prospect regained its edge, and a well-placed 25-yard strike by Shawna Stokes with 13:55 left sealed a 4-2 Mid-Suburban League road win for the Knights (2-1-1, 2-0-1)) over the Grenadiers (2-5-0, 1-3-0).
A Kendra Gancarz pass found Stokes on the left side, and she perfectly lofted a shot inside the right post and under the crossbar.
“The intensity after they got those two penalty kicks really picked up, and we had a lot of energy to get another goal back,” Stokes said of her second goal of 2017. “Coming back after they scored, it was important to get back the intensity. It worked out well.”
Resetting the emotions was especially vital for Prospect after the surprising second PK ruling.
“The second one ... as I told the girls, our job isn’t to call the game and worry about what the calls are in the game,” Prospect coach Tom Froats said. “It’s how we react to them that’s important.
“With those two calls the game got real tight all of a sudden at 3-2, but I thought we bounced back composure-wise and did a really nice job of playing the game we were playing, which was possessing and attacking.”
The Knights took the message to heart.
“We weren’t expecting two (PK’s) right in a row,” Prospect defender Grace Johannesen said, “but I think that’s when we started playing more aggressively, because we knew we were only up by one at that point.
“We gave it our all at the end. And we were winning a lot of the balls and playing a lot more aggressively than we had the rest of the game.”
Early aggressiveness had Prospect rolling early.
Just 4:24 into the match, Aly Kobler’s pass sprung Ella Marzolf driving up the left side. Marzolf nicely stopped to create some space from defenders and lined a 12-yard shot inside the far post for a quick 1-0 Prospect lead.
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Kobler was then on the finishing end for a 2-0 lead in the 17th minute.
On a play initiated by Johannesen’s strong upfield send to start a counterattack, passes by Faith Fitzsimmons and then Stokes connected with Kobler at the top of the box. Kobler’s high 18-yard rocket caromed off the bottom of the crossbar and in to double the lead.
“We brought a lot of intensity, and I also think we were playing well to feet,” said Kobler, who has three goals this season. “That’s how we were getting in, and where we got our first two goals.”
The Knights were just getting started. Ashley Welk lined a 22-yard shot off the crossbar with 17:40 left in the half, and Kobler’s right side attack in the 32nd minute resulted in a save at the near post of her 8-yard shot by Elk Grove goalkeeper Rachel Kandefer.
Elk Grove’s best chance of the first half came 30 seconds after Kandefer’s save – a clearing attempt in the box was blocked towards the crease by a Grenadier player, setting up a scramble just in front of the goal line. But Knights goalkeeper Gianna Rossi deftly dove on the loose ball to keep the score 2-0.
Prospect’s offensive push resumed before the half – a Kobler shot just wide of the far post with 6:45 left, a Jalyn Mosley header just over the net off a Fitzsimmons corner kick at 5:10, and another Fitzsimmons corner with 55 seconds left that Kobler deflected just wide at the back post.
“We had a great start, which helped us,” said Prospect midfielder Natalie Marfilius. “We’re a team that if we start with good momentum we carry it on. The energy is what pushes us and motivates us. That helped us in the first half.”
Then 6:20 into the second half, the energy level rose again. Off a Fitzsimmons corner kick, Mosley’s deflection from the box spun to the crease, where Welk won the race for a point-blank putaway and a 3-0 score.
Welk also had the shot (deflected wide by the Grenadiers defense) that had set up the corner kick.
“Tonight and the last game on Friday (a tie with Hersey) we had a lot more real chances up top,” Johannesen said. “We definitely connected up top better and had a lot of nice passes.”
But luck wasn’t as nice, as the game took a sudden and unexpected turn – a hand ball for the first PK, then a Prospect foul against Elk Grove’s Amanda Sitkowski at the far right edge of the box that was ruled another PK. Emily Sitkowski (four goals this season) converted both PKs, and the dominant 3-0 Prospect lead was now a slim 3-2 advantage.
“I give Prospect a lot of credit – they did a nice job jumping on us early,” Elk Grove coach Dan Klaus said. “I thought they were physically stronger than we’ve seen in many years. They did a nice job.
“We could have come out with a better start, but then we had a nice response getting deeper into their end (for the PKs). It doesn’t always have to be pretty.”
With their lead down to 3-2, the Knights faced an ugly dual dilemma – momentum was gone, and close calls were going horribly against them.
“We just had to pick up the intensity and clean up our mistakes after that,” Marfilius said, “and not make our fouls as obvious.”
Even back on the offensive, Prospect’s luck remained elusive.
Marzolf’s right side shot with 24:55 left was saved by Kandefer. Then off a Mosley 45-yard direct kick with 23:45 to go, Kristin Schneider’s 6-yard header deflected off the crossbar.
But Stokes’ goal finally created some space, and the Prospect defense capped its strong match with 7:40 left – off an Elk Grove corner kick that spun to the open back post, Marissa Valentini nicely cleared the zone with a strong send upfield from near the goal line.
“Our back line was composed,” Froats said. “The two goals they scored weren’t in the run of play, so in that way I was pleased with our defensive effort. And offensively as well we were really creative attacking tonight, and we able to get inside and create some nice chances.
“All phases of the game really did a nice job,” Froats added. “It’s hard to pull out (individual standouts’) names – unless you want every name on the team, that’s what I’d give you tonight.”
But bench play provided a noteworthy boost.
“The reserves who came in off the bench, especially Tina Suto and Kendra Gancarz,” Froats said. “I thought when they went in, their level of energy and effort and being tough-minded was evident when they were in. That set the tone for the game. I was very pleased with them.”
All the Knights had reasons to be pleased, starting with the, finally, “calm” weather conditions of upper-40 degree temperatures and no rain.
“I feel we’re pretty strong right now,” Kobler said. “We missed a lot of our preseason games that most other teams got in – this is only our fourth game. So especially with some of the new girls and new positions for some people, I feel we’re doing really well this season.”
“It’s been a little hard – almost all of our games have been cancelled, and one we played was rescheduled,” Kobler added. “But we have such a solid group of girls – everyone is so nice and gets along really well, which I think is important. I think that helps a lot in these types of games, that we’re ready to come out and bring the intensity.”
Froats was pleased with his team’s strong finish Wednesday, and much more.
“Getting that fourth goal gives you a little more of a comfort level,” he said, “and I thought our energy tonight – we’re not quite at 80 minutes yet, but I’ll take 65 hard minutes.
“I really credit Elk Grove – their energy was terrific. They crowded the midfield and made it difficult with not a lot of time and space in the midfield. It was a great match.”
Despite the final outcome, Elk Grove coach Klaus took plenty of positives from the battle.
“Even giving up those two goals early, we played some of the best soccer we’ve played this season, just with the amount of passes that we were connecting and things like that,” Klaus said. “Then it turned into kind of a weird game – it was end-to-end, and it just had a weird feeling to it.
“We get those two PKs and it’s 3-2, then we get a corner and some dangerous opportunities running at them and making them defend a little bit. But Prospect responded well and put that fourth one in, and that kind of fizzled our push at the end.”
Said Froats: “Dan (Klaus) remarked it was an up-and-down game, but we were efficient enough with our chances to come out on top. It was a good win for us.”
And having endured another storm of sorts, the Knights’ fortunes are on the rise.
“We just have to keep our heads up and keep up the intensity,” Stokes said.
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK Gianna Rossi
D Madalyn Ladd
D Marissa Valentini
D Grace Johannesen
D Jalyn Mosley
M Faith Fitzsimmons
M Natalie Marfilius
M Ashley Welk
M Shawna Stokes
F Ella Marzolf
F Aly Kobler
Elk Grove
GK Rachel Kandefer
D Zoe Blumquist
D Marisa Mauro
D Emma Slattery
D Teodora Evtimova
M Gabriella Mauro
M Emma Simmons
M Leila Aguilar
M Katie Talens
F Amanda Sitkowski
F Emily Sitkowski
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Aly Kobler, sr., F, Prospect
posts victory at Elk Grove
Knights rebound from 2-straight penalties to prevail 4-2
By Dave Owen
ELK GROVE – With five postponements in nine scheduled games so far, weather issues have thrown Prospect’s early season into disarray.
Even on a rare clear and dry night Wednesday vs. Elk Grove, the soccer gods tried to send a few more clouds the Knights’ way.
Up 3-0 with 33:40 left to play and seemingly in command, Prospect had its momentum toppled by PKs: a handball call in the box with 32:01 to go; and a foul at the edge of the box at 26:18.
Elk Grove’s Emily Sitkowski converted penalty kicks on each call to suddenly chop the Knights’ lead to 3-2.
But Prospect regained its edge, and a well-placed 25-yard strike by Shawna Stokes with 13:55 left sealed a 4-2 Mid-Suburban League road win for the Knights (2-1-1, 2-0-1)) over the Grenadiers (2-5-0, 1-3-0).
A Kendra Gancarz pass found Stokes on the left side, and she perfectly lofted a shot inside the right post and under the crossbar.
“The intensity after they got those two penalty kicks really picked up, and we had a lot of energy to get another goal back,” Stokes said of her second goal of 2017. “Coming back after they scored, it was important to get back the intensity. It worked out well.”
Resetting the emotions was especially vital for Prospect after the surprising second PK ruling.
“The second one ... as I told the girls, our job isn’t to call the game and worry about what the calls are in the game,” Prospect coach Tom Froats said. “It’s how we react to them that’s important.
“With those two calls the game got real tight all of a sudden at 3-2, but I thought we bounced back composure-wise and did a really nice job of playing the game we were playing, which was possessing and attacking.”
The Knights took the message to heart.
“We weren’t expecting two (PK’s) right in a row,” Prospect defender Grace Johannesen said, “but I think that’s when we started playing more aggressively, because we knew we were only up by one at that point.
“We gave it our all at the end. And we were winning a lot of the balls and playing a lot more aggressively than we had the rest of the game.”
Early aggressiveness had Prospect rolling early.
Just 4:24 into the match, Aly Kobler’s pass sprung Ella Marzolf driving up the left side. Marzolf nicely stopped to create some space from defenders and lined a 12-yard shot inside the far post for a quick 1-0 Prospect lead.
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Kobler was then on the finishing end for a 2-0 lead in the 17th minute.
On a play initiated by Johannesen’s strong upfield send to start a counterattack, passes by Faith Fitzsimmons and then Stokes connected with Kobler at the top of the box. Kobler’s high 18-yard rocket caromed off the bottom of the crossbar and in to double the lead.
“We brought a lot of intensity, and I also think we were playing well to feet,” said Kobler, who has three goals this season. “That’s how we were getting in, and where we got our first two goals.”
The Knights were just getting started. Ashley Welk lined a 22-yard shot off the crossbar with 17:40 left in the half, and Kobler’s right side attack in the 32nd minute resulted in a save at the near post of her 8-yard shot by Elk Grove goalkeeper Rachel Kandefer.
Elk Grove’s best chance of the first half came 30 seconds after Kandefer’s save – a clearing attempt in the box was blocked towards the crease by a Grenadier player, setting up a scramble just in front of the goal line. But Knights goalkeeper Gianna Rossi deftly dove on the loose ball to keep the score 2-0.
Prospect’s offensive push resumed before the half – a Kobler shot just wide of the far post with 6:45 left, a Jalyn Mosley header just over the net off a Fitzsimmons corner kick at 5:10, and another Fitzsimmons corner with 55 seconds left that Kobler deflected just wide at the back post.
“We had a great start, which helped us,” said Prospect midfielder Natalie Marfilius. “We’re a team that if we start with good momentum we carry it on. The energy is what pushes us and motivates us. That helped us in the first half.”
Then 6:20 into the second half, the energy level rose again. Off a Fitzsimmons corner kick, Mosley’s deflection from the box spun to the crease, where Welk won the race for a point-blank putaway and a 3-0 score.
Welk also had the shot (deflected wide by the Grenadiers defense) that had set up the corner kick.
“Tonight and the last game on Friday (a tie with Hersey) we had a lot more real chances up top,” Johannesen said. “We definitely connected up top better and had a lot of nice passes.”
But luck wasn’t as nice, as the game took a sudden and unexpected turn – a hand ball for the first PK, then a Prospect foul against Elk Grove’s Amanda Sitkowski at the far right edge of the box that was ruled another PK. Emily Sitkowski (four goals this season) converted both PKs, and the dominant 3-0 Prospect lead was now a slim 3-2 advantage.
“I give Prospect a lot of credit – they did a nice job jumping on us early,” Elk Grove coach Dan Klaus said. “I thought they were physically stronger than we’ve seen in many years. They did a nice job.
“We could have come out with a better start, but then we had a nice response getting deeper into their end (for the PKs). It doesn’t always have to be pretty.”
With their lead down to 3-2, the Knights faced an ugly dual dilemma – momentum was gone, and close calls were going horribly against them.
“We just had to pick up the intensity and clean up our mistakes after that,” Marfilius said, “and not make our fouls as obvious.”
Even back on the offensive, Prospect’s luck remained elusive.
Marzolf’s right side shot with 24:55 left was saved by Kandefer. Then off a Mosley 45-yard direct kick with 23:45 to go, Kristin Schneider’s 6-yard header deflected off the crossbar.
But Stokes’ goal finally created some space, and the Prospect defense capped its strong match with 7:40 left – off an Elk Grove corner kick that spun to the open back post, Marissa Valentini nicely cleared the zone with a strong send upfield from near the goal line.
“Our back line was composed,” Froats said. “The two goals they scored weren’t in the run of play, so in that way I was pleased with our defensive effort. And offensively as well we were really creative attacking tonight, and we able to get inside and create some nice chances.
“All phases of the game really did a nice job,” Froats added. “It’s hard to pull out (individual standouts’) names – unless you want every name on the team, that’s what I’d give you tonight.”
But bench play provided a noteworthy boost.
“The reserves who came in off the bench, especially Tina Suto and Kendra Gancarz,” Froats said. “I thought when they went in, their level of energy and effort and being tough-minded was evident when they were in. That set the tone for the game. I was very pleased with them.”
All the Knights had reasons to be pleased, starting with the, finally, “calm” weather conditions of upper-40 degree temperatures and no rain.
“I feel we’re pretty strong right now,” Kobler said. “We missed a lot of our preseason games that most other teams got in – this is only our fourth game. So especially with some of the new girls and new positions for some people, I feel we’re doing really well this season.”
“It’s been a little hard – almost all of our games have been cancelled, and one we played was rescheduled,” Kobler added. “But we have such a solid group of girls – everyone is so nice and gets along really well, which I think is important. I think that helps a lot in these types of games, that we’re ready to come out and bring the intensity.”
Froats was pleased with his team’s strong finish Wednesday, and much more.
“Getting that fourth goal gives you a little more of a comfort level,” he said, “and I thought our energy tonight – we’re not quite at 80 minutes yet, but I’ll take 65 hard minutes.
“I really credit Elk Grove – their energy was terrific. They crowded the midfield and made it difficult with not a lot of time and space in the midfield. It was a great match.”
Despite the final outcome, Elk Grove coach Klaus took plenty of positives from the battle.
“Even giving up those two goals early, we played some of the best soccer we’ve played this season, just with the amount of passes that we were connecting and things like that,” Klaus said. “Then it turned into kind of a weird game – it was end-to-end, and it just had a weird feeling to it.
“We get those two PKs and it’s 3-2, then we get a corner and some dangerous opportunities running at them and making them defend a little bit. But Prospect responded well and put that fourth one in, and that kind of fizzled our push at the end.”
Said Froats: “Dan (Klaus) remarked it was an up-and-down game, but we were efficient enough with our chances to come out on top. It was a good win for us.”
And having endured another storm of sorts, the Knights’ fortunes are on the rise.
“We just have to keep our heads up and keep up the intensity,” Stokes said.
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK Gianna Rossi
D Madalyn Ladd
D Marissa Valentini
D Grace Johannesen
D Jalyn Mosley
M Faith Fitzsimmons
M Natalie Marfilius
M Ashley Welk
M Shawna Stokes
F Ella Marzolf
F Aly Kobler
Elk Grove
GK Rachel Kandefer
D Zoe Blumquist
D Marisa Mauro
D Emma Slattery
D Teodora Evtimova
M Gabriella Mauro
M Emma Simmons
M Leila Aguilar
M Katie Talens
F Amanda Sitkowski
F Emily Sitkowski
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Aly Kobler, sr., F, Prospect