Aggressive Fremd blows past Prospect
Vikings in attack mode during shutout win
By Ken Keenan
PALATINE -- A well-blended combination of aggressiveness and patience
proved to be a successful recipe for Fremd in a dominating 4-0 win
over visiting Prospect in Mid-Suburban League play on Wednesday night.
Maintaining possession from the outset, the Vikings attacked
ferociously but patiently as they waited for the best possible
opportunity before unleashing shots at the Knights' net. Prospect
barely touched the ball in the opening minutes, while Fremd pushed the
pace with crisp passing, whether in back-and-forth taps or well-placed
crosses, to spread out the Knights' defense.
It didn't take long for the patient approach to pay off. Senior
midfielder Danielle Money scored from in close less than five minutes
into the match after taking a short pass from senior forward Katie
Zara.
Fremd made it 2-0 with 25:52 to go in the first half, when
sophomore forward Missy Adrian headed in a corner kick delivered by
junior midfielder Kellie Halloran.
The Vikings earned a 3-0 halftime bulge on a beautiful one-timer by
junior midfielder Katie Murauskis, who banged in a perfect pass from
sophomore forward Tara Bergles with 4:24 left before the break.
Fremd needed only five minutes in the second half to open a 4-0 lead.
Controlling a pass from Adrian, Zara -- Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of
the Match -- charged the left side and buried a top-shelf shot inside
the far post from a severe angle.
"Aside from a five-minute lull in the first half, I thought it was one
of our better games this season," said Vikings coach Steve Keller,
whose club upped its MSL mark to 6-2-1 while improving to 7-5-1
overall. "We were aggressive, but it was all smart decision-making --
the movement with and without the ball. We've been working on our
spacing. It makes the game easier when you have options, because you
get in spots that are advantageous.
"The biggest thing I'd take away from this match is that we played
cerebrally. We played the way the game is supposed to be played --
creative and patient. We had the ball a lot. If defending is the
boring part, playing with the ball is the fun part. And we never let
off the gas. As a coach, that's what you want."
On the other side of the field, Knights coach Tom Froats was hoping to
see his crew hit the gas pedal a little more often. Following a recent
3-1-0 stretch, Prospect dropped its third straight in falling to
3-11-0 overall and 1-8-0 in league play.
"You've got to play the game on the field -- you've got to line up --
and I don't know if we rose to the challenge," Froats said. We were
tentative, and if you're tentative against a team that's aggressive,
you'll fall behind. I'm proud of my group -- the soccer's there. We've
just got to get it for a full 80 minutes."
Prospect's best chance came in the 62nd minute, when senior midfielder
Lauren Rendino rocked a left-footed, turnaround shot just wide of
Vikings sophomore goalkeeper Kelsie Stone.
Holding the 4-0 lead, Fremd created numerous good chances during a
flurry midway through the second half. Sophomore midfielder Julia
Szylke was stopped in close by Prospect sophomore keeper Paige Thiel
with 21:45 remaining; 45 seconds later, Adrian danced through two
defenders for a shot that missed wide; and senior mid Jessica Kopec
blasted a ball wide with 20:20 to go.
Knights sophomore defender Caroline Hajek did her best to keep the
Vikings at bay, clearing a fair share of balls as the home team kept
up the pressure.
"It's stressful when the other team keeps attacking," Hajek said.
"There's lots of things to keep in mind when you're on the field,
whether it's marking or getting back. Then you get frustrated when
they score. You have to pick yourself back up, step to 50-50 balls and
really want it. You need to keep coming."
That's exactly what Fremd did in rolling to victory: always moving,
sharing the ball and distributing wisely.
"If we're aggressive at the start, we won't have to be on our heels,"
said Vikings senior defender Reilly Siepka, one quarter of a defensive
wall in back, along with fellow seniors Emily Rogers, Caroline Freeman
and Sarah Marturano. "This was definitely a good game for us in terms
of possession. We were switching the ball and getting through balls,
and it was good to see so many shots on goal.
"At the beginning of the season, it was hard to click. Now we're
starting to work together well on the attack, and the score
represented that."
Added Zara: "We always want to go out and try to go hard right away --
and be in control of the game. It was good to get a lot of shots off
and attack. I think we've come a long way this year, and we'll keep
progressing from here."
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK: Paige Thiel
D: Natalie Marfilius
D: Grace Johannesen
D: Caroline Hajek
D: Grace Taldone
M: Maggie Sullivan
M: Sarah Boss
M: Jenny Leet
F: Kathryn Szukalla
F: Ally Kobler
F: Martina Kowalczuk
Fremd
GK: Kelsie Stone
D: Emily Rogers
D: Reilly Siepka
D: Caroline Freeman
D: Sarah Marturano
M: Jessica Kopec
M: Danielle Money
M: Kellie Halloran
M: Julia Szylke
F: Missy Adrian
F: Katie Zara
MVP of the Match: Katie Zara, F, Fremd
Officials: Ethan Buege, Bryan Norwood, Vitali Hanstsevich
Vikings in attack mode during shutout win
By Ken Keenan
PALATINE -- A well-blended combination of aggressiveness and patience
proved to be a successful recipe for Fremd in a dominating 4-0 win
over visiting Prospect in Mid-Suburban League play on Wednesday night.
Maintaining possession from the outset, the Vikings attacked
ferociously but patiently as they waited for the best possible
opportunity before unleashing shots at the Knights' net. Prospect
barely touched the ball in the opening minutes, while Fremd pushed the
pace with crisp passing, whether in back-and-forth taps or well-placed
crosses, to spread out the Knights' defense.
It didn't take long for the patient approach to pay off. Senior
midfielder Danielle Money scored from in close less than five minutes
into the match after taking a short pass from senior forward Katie
Zara.
Fremd made it 2-0 with 25:52 to go in the first half, when
sophomore forward Missy Adrian headed in a corner kick delivered by
junior midfielder Kellie Halloran.
The Vikings earned a 3-0 halftime bulge on a beautiful one-timer by
junior midfielder Katie Murauskis, who banged in a perfect pass from
sophomore forward Tara Bergles with 4:24 left before the break.
Fremd needed only five minutes in the second half to open a 4-0 lead.
Controlling a pass from Adrian, Zara -- Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of
the Match -- charged the left side and buried a top-shelf shot inside
the far post from a severe angle.
"Aside from a five-minute lull in the first half, I thought it was one
of our better games this season," said Vikings coach Steve Keller,
whose club upped its MSL mark to 6-2-1 while improving to 7-5-1
overall. "We were aggressive, but it was all smart decision-making --
the movement with and without the ball. We've been working on our
spacing. It makes the game easier when you have options, because you
get in spots that are advantageous.
"The biggest thing I'd take away from this match is that we played
cerebrally. We played the way the game is supposed to be played --
creative and patient. We had the ball a lot. If defending is the
boring part, playing with the ball is the fun part. And we never let
off the gas. As a coach, that's what you want."
On the other side of the field, Knights coach Tom Froats was hoping to
see his crew hit the gas pedal a little more often. Following a recent
3-1-0 stretch, Prospect dropped its third straight in falling to
3-11-0 overall and 1-8-0 in league play.
"You've got to play the game on the field -- you've got to line up --
and I don't know if we rose to the challenge," Froats said. We were
tentative, and if you're tentative against a team that's aggressive,
you'll fall behind. I'm proud of my group -- the soccer's there. We've
just got to get it for a full 80 minutes."
Prospect's best chance came in the 62nd minute, when senior midfielder
Lauren Rendino rocked a left-footed, turnaround shot just wide of
Vikings sophomore goalkeeper Kelsie Stone.
Holding the 4-0 lead, Fremd created numerous good chances during a
flurry midway through the second half. Sophomore midfielder Julia
Szylke was stopped in close by Prospect sophomore keeper Paige Thiel
with 21:45 remaining; 45 seconds later, Adrian danced through two
defenders for a shot that missed wide; and senior mid Jessica Kopec
blasted a ball wide with 20:20 to go.
Knights sophomore defender Caroline Hajek did her best to keep the
Vikings at bay, clearing a fair share of balls as the home team kept
up the pressure.
"It's stressful when the other team keeps attacking," Hajek said.
"There's lots of things to keep in mind when you're on the field,
whether it's marking or getting back. Then you get frustrated when
they score. You have to pick yourself back up, step to 50-50 balls and
really want it. You need to keep coming."
That's exactly what Fremd did in rolling to victory: always moving,
sharing the ball and distributing wisely.
"If we're aggressive at the start, we won't have to be on our heels,"
said Vikings senior defender Reilly Siepka, one quarter of a defensive
wall in back, along with fellow seniors Emily Rogers, Caroline Freeman
and Sarah Marturano. "This was definitely a good game for us in terms
of possession. We were switching the ball and getting through balls,
and it was good to see so many shots on goal.
"At the beginning of the season, it was hard to click. Now we're
starting to work together well on the attack, and the score
represented that."
Added Zara: "We always want to go out and try to go hard right away --
and be in control of the game. It was good to get a lot of shots off
and attack. I think we've come a long way this year, and we'll keep
progressing from here."
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK: Paige Thiel
D: Natalie Marfilius
D: Grace Johannesen
D: Caroline Hajek
D: Grace Taldone
M: Maggie Sullivan
M: Sarah Boss
M: Jenny Leet
F: Kathryn Szukalla
F: Ally Kobler
F: Martina Kowalczuk
Fremd
GK: Kelsie Stone
D: Emily Rogers
D: Reilly Siepka
D: Caroline Freeman
D: Sarah Marturano
M: Jessica Kopec
M: Danielle Money
M: Kellie Halloran
M: Julia Szylke
F: Missy Adrian
F: Katie Zara
MVP of the Match: Katie Zara, F, Fremd
Officials: Ethan Buege, Bryan Norwood, Vitali Hanstsevich