Fremd responds to Prospect's wake-up call
No. 5 Vikings put 2 away in OT to keep pace for league crown
By Patrick Z. McGavin
MOUNT PROSPECT -- Fremd seniors Julia Leonard and Missy Adrian have a particular and special rapport. They have played together for so long that their actions and behavior is instantly recognizable. Their bond is intuitive, unspoken and rich in possibilities.
With injuries to senior forward Emilijia Peleckas and senior midfielder Katie Kiolbassa, the pair has seen their importance magnified and their opportunities expand. Their savvy, leadership and athleticism has enabled the Vikings to maintain an elevated level of achievement on the year.
“Those were definitely devastating losses for us,” Leonard said. “Marta (junior midfielder Cholewa) is also out for a week. We want to do it for them, we want to do it for us, and we just have to come together with the players we have. We have had some freshmen come in and step up and play well for us.”
With their backs to the wall, the two made exhilarating plays as Leonard scored two goals and Adrian scored a goal and delivered the game-winning assist in the no. 5 Vikings’ 3-2 double-overtime comeback victory over a spirited and deeply improved Prospect team side in an important Mid-Suburban League matchup Monday night.
Fittingly Leonard and Adrian shared the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match accolade.
As the teams played off each other and sought, often in vain, to establish a credible offensive rhythm, the game took a profound leap forward in sharpness and intensity as the teams combined for three goals in the two overtimes. The MSL adopted the IHSA state tournament rule of playing two full overtime periods.
Fremd (12-2-1, 8-1-0) averted the upset to set up the game of the year in the Mid-Suburban League when they travel to top-ranked Barrington on Wednesday. Barrington (17-1-0, 8-0-0) defeated Hersey on Monday night to match the Vikings’ conference points. Fremd has played one more game. The winner seizes the upper hand to represent the West division in MSL Cup on Wednesday, May 10. They are not alone in the race however. Palatine, which handed Fremd its only league loss, is still in the thick of things with one loss with three games left. Conant, with two losses, has an outside chance.
The Fremd-Prospect match, already a rescheduled contest from a game postponed by a lightning storm April 10, was played under a curtain of near constant rain and heavy winds. The start was delayed by 30 minutes. “We took one shot, and we saw the ball was skidding around, and it was bouncing all the way through the six-yard box,” Leonard said.
“We knew we had to play to feet because when we were playing balls over and trying to get shots that way, the ball was rolling out of bounds. We had to settle down and take hard, low shots.”
Prospect (6-8-1, 4-4-1) pushed the Vikings to the limit and appeared on the verge of a significant upset after skilled young sophomore forward Ashley Welk hammered home a shot inside the left post from about 22 yards in the 64th minute.
The Knights’ record is deceiving. The team played sharp, high-level soccer against elite competition like Barrington, no. 8 Lake Zurich and downstate power Glenwood.
“I thought our backline tonight was exceptional,” Prospect coach Tom Froats said.
Prospect led Glenwood, ranked no. 9 in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll, but eventually fell in penalty kicks. The team’s best defender, junior Natalie Marfilius, in concert with senior Grace Johannesen, slowed, disrupted and continually thwarted the Vikings’ attack.
“We had difficult preparation for this game tonight," Froats said. “The girls did not have a full weekend. We had a very long bus ride to Glenwood. Our game Saturday was cancelled. I thought we were very sharp and competitive in the field of play. We were hurt by the set pieces and that came back to haunt us.”
Prospect became the first team to score two goals against the Vikings’ stellar defense and elite keeper Kelsie Stone.
“That first goal was very impressive,” Froats said. “Ashley has really come on and developed. She has a very unique skill set.”
Her goal certainly got the attention of the Vikings. The Knights’ sideline erupted. It was clear in their body language, intensity of effort and concentration, Fremd realized what was at stake and immediately elevated its play.
“We did not perform as well as we wanted today,” Leonard said. “I think after we went down, we got together and said 'We have to stay positive, we have to play together as a team and we have to get this goal back, get another, finish this game and win.' We had to get more energy out.”
For more than 60 minutes of action the timing and rhythm of the Vikings was off -- players’ runs ended too abruptly or shots were played behind. Fremd struggled to combine and piece together any drives of significance. Leonard took it upon herself and coaxed a foul from more than 30 yards away from the goal. Prospect’s lead was brief.
In the 65th minute, some 37 seconds after the Welk goal, Leonard drilled a free kick from about 36 yards out for the equalizer.
“I knew I had to stay on the ground with the ball,” she said. “My coaches and teammates were all saying stay low. I had to drive it low and into the corner. I had their voices in my head when I hit it.”
In the 76th minute, Welk got free and nearly put away a game-winner until Stone secured the ball.
Adrian and Leonard took over in the two overtimes. Seizing the moment and understanding defenses are often vulnerable at the start to a quick action, Adrian broke through and delivered a powerful left-footed laser from about 24 yards in the 81st minute.
“I think when I went out into that overtime, I thought: It’s cold, we want to go home and I am just going to be a little selfish this time and score,” Adrian said. “I usually look for a one-two with Julia, but I thought I am going to left far post and try to get it in and start us off on a good note and help us get the energy back that we needed to win the game.”
Rather than settle for the one-goal lead, Fremd saw a team tired and went for the jugular. Prospect keeper Meredith Nyborn made a spectacular kick-save off a Leonard free kick virtually identical to the goal she scored in regulation.
Fremd’s aggressive reaction ended up being the difference. In the 98th minute, a Fremd push yielded a corner from the northeast corner -- the preferred spot for the left-footed Adrian. She served the ball and Leonard elevated finished with a header.
The goal marked the fifth time this year the two have collaborated with Leonard's goals off Adrian’s corner kicks.
“Missy has an amazing left foot, and I tried to find her ball,” Leonard said. “She knows exactly where to place it, and the placement is perfect every time. She curves it with her left foot, and I have to try and get in on the ball.”
The goal proved consequential as the Knights competed until the very end. Prospect responded by stunning the Vikings with a beautiful set piece of their own. Ella Marzolf lined a shot that caught Stone off balance. Freshman defender Jalyn Mosley drilled the rebound ball in the 99th minute to make things interesting.
But time ran out on the Knights.
“Unfortunately we did not defend their corner very well,” Froats said. “I was very pleased with how we responded. Kristin (sophomore midfielder Schneider) was fouled and then Ella, one of our best ball strikers, made the initial shot and Jalyn finished. If we had five or 10 more minutes, it might have been a different result.”
Fremd survived.
“We put ourselves in a bad spot tonight, but I felt we worked out of it,” Fremd coach Steve Keller said. “We got ourselves under control and played a little bit better. We talked about the importance of this game and what we needed the outcome to be if we wanted a chance play in the Cup. Their first goal woke us up. After that, it did seem the girls had a little more energy.”
Starting lineups
Fremd
GK: Kelsie Stone
D: Angie Zara
D: Jennifer Josten
D: Julia Szylke
D: Marissa Wade
MF: Lauren Birk
MF: Layla Dib
MF: Mackenzie Stein
MF: Anne Veenbaas
F: Missy Adrian
F: Julia Leonard
Prospect
GK: Meredith Nyborg
D: Madalyn Ladd
D: Marissa Valentini
D: Grace Johannesen
D: Natalie Marfilius
MF: Jalyn Mosley
MF: Aly Kobler
MF: Kristin Schneider
F: Shawna Stokes
F: Ella Marzolf
F: Ashley Welk
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Julia Leonard, sr., F, Fremd
Missy Adrian, sr., F, Fremd
No. 5 Vikings put 2 away in OT to keep pace for league crown
By Patrick Z. McGavin
MOUNT PROSPECT -- Fremd seniors Julia Leonard and Missy Adrian have a particular and special rapport. They have played together for so long that their actions and behavior is instantly recognizable. Their bond is intuitive, unspoken and rich in possibilities.
With injuries to senior forward Emilijia Peleckas and senior midfielder Katie Kiolbassa, the pair has seen their importance magnified and their opportunities expand. Their savvy, leadership and athleticism has enabled the Vikings to maintain an elevated level of achievement on the year.
“Those were definitely devastating losses for us,” Leonard said. “Marta (junior midfielder Cholewa) is also out for a week. We want to do it for them, we want to do it for us, and we just have to come together with the players we have. We have had some freshmen come in and step up and play well for us.”
With their backs to the wall, the two made exhilarating plays as Leonard scored two goals and Adrian scored a goal and delivered the game-winning assist in the no. 5 Vikings’ 3-2 double-overtime comeback victory over a spirited and deeply improved Prospect team side in an important Mid-Suburban League matchup Monday night.
Fittingly Leonard and Adrian shared the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match accolade.
As the teams played off each other and sought, often in vain, to establish a credible offensive rhythm, the game took a profound leap forward in sharpness and intensity as the teams combined for three goals in the two overtimes. The MSL adopted the IHSA state tournament rule of playing two full overtime periods.
Fremd (12-2-1, 8-1-0) averted the upset to set up the game of the year in the Mid-Suburban League when they travel to top-ranked Barrington on Wednesday. Barrington (17-1-0, 8-0-0) defeated Hersey on Monday night to match the Vikings’ conference points. Fremd has played one more game. The winner seizes the upper hand to represent the West division in MSL Cup on Wednesday, May 10. They are not alone in the race however. Palatine, which handed Fremd its only league loss, is still in the thick of things with one loss with three games left. Conant, with two losses, has an outside chance.
The Fremd-Prospect match, already a rescheduled contest from a game postponed by a lightning storm April 10, was played under a curtain of near constant rain and heavy winds. The start was delayed by 30 minutes. “We took one shot, and we saw the ball was skidding around, and it was bouncing all the way through the six-yard box,” Leonard said.
“We knew we had to play to feet because when we were playing balls over and trying to get shots that way, the ball was rolling out of bounds. We had to settle down and take hard, low shots.”
Prospect (6-8-1, 4-4-1) pushed the Vikings to the limit and appeared on the verge of a significant upset after skilled young sophomore forward Ashley Welk hammered home a shot inside the left post from about 22 yards in the 64th minute.
The Knights’ record is deceiving. The team played sharp, high-level soccer against elite competition like Barrington, no. 8 Lake Zurich and downstate power Glenwood.
“I thought our backline tonight was exceptional,” Prospect coach Tom Froats said.
Prospect led Glenwood, ranked no. 9 in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll, but eventually fell in penalty kicks. The team’s best defender, junior Natalie Marfilius, in concert with senior Grace Johannesen, slowed, disrupted and continually thwarted the Vikings’ attack.
“We had difficult preparation for this game tonight," Froats said. “The girls did not have a full weekend. We had a very long bus ride to Glenwood. Our game Saturday was cancelled. I thought we were very sharp and competitive in the field of play. We were hurt by the set pieces and that came back to haunt us.”
Prospect became the first team to score two goals against the Vikings’ stellar defense and elite keeper Kelsie Stone.
“That first goal was very impressive,” Froats said. “Ashley has really come on and developed. She has a very unique skill set.”
Her goal certainly got the attention of the Vikings. The Knights’ sideline erupted. It was clear in their body language, intensity of effort and concentration, Fremd realized what was at stake and immediately elevated its play.
“We did not perform as well as we wanted today,” Leonard said. “I think after we went down, we got together and said 'We have to stay positive, we have to play together as a team and we have to get this goal back, get another, finish this game and win.' We had to get more energy out.”
For more than 60 minutes of action the timing and rhythm of the Vikings was off -- players’ runs ended too abruptly or shots were played behind. Fremd struggled to combine and piece together any drives of significance. Leonard took it upon herself and coaxed a foul from more than 30 yards away from the goal. Prospect’s lead was brief.
In the 65th minute, some 37 seconds after the Welk goal, Leonard drilled a free kick from about 36 yards out for the equalizer.
“I knew I had to stay on the ground with the ball,” she said. “My coaches and teammates were all saying stay low. I had to drive it low and into the corner. I had their voices in my head when I hit it.”
In the 76th minute, Welk got free and nearly put away a game-winner until Stone secured the ball.
Adrian and Leonard took over in the two overtimes. Seizing the moment and understanding defenses are often vulnerable at the start to a quick action, Adrian broke through and delivered a powerful left-footed laser from about 24 yards in the 81st minute.
“I think when I went out into that overtime, I thought: It’s cold, we want to go home and I am just going to be a little selfish this time and score,” Adrian said. “I usually look for a one-two with Julia, but I thought I am going to left far post and try to get it in and start us off on a good note and help us get the energy back that we needed to win the game.”
Rather than settle for the one-goal lead, Fremd saw a team tired and went for the jugular. Prospect keeper Meredith Nyborn made a spectacular kick-save off a Leonard free kick virtually identical to the goal she scored in regulation.
Fremd’s aggressive reaction ended up being the difference. In the 98th minute, a Fremd push yielded a corner from the northeast corner -- the preferred spot for the left-footed Adrian. She served the ball and Leonard elevated finished with a header.
The goal marked the fifth time this year the two have collaborated with Leonard's goals off Adrian’s corner kicks.
“Missy has an amazing left foot, and I tried to find her ball,” Leonard said. “She knows exactly where to place it, and the placement is perfect every time. She curves it with her left foot, and I have to try and get in on the ball.”
The goal proved consequential as the Knights competed until the very end. Prospect responded by stunning the Vikings with a beautiful set piece of their own. Ella Marzolf lined a shot that caught Stone off balance. Freshman defender Jalyn Mosley drilled the rebound ball in the 99th minute to make things interesting.
But time ran out on the Knights.
“Unfortunately we did not defend their corner very well,” Froats said. “I was very pleased with how we responded. Kristin (sophomore midfielder Schneider) was fouled and then Ella, one of our best ball strikers, made the initial shot and Jalyn finished. If we had five or 10 more minutes, it might have been a different result.”
Fremd survived.
“We put ourselves in a bad spot tonight, but I felt we worked out of it,” Fremd coach Steve Keller said. “We got ourselves under control and played a little bit better. We talked about the importance of this game and what we needed the outcome to be if we wanted a chance play in the Cup. Their first goal woke us up. After that, it did seem the girls had a little more energy.”
Starting lineups
Fremd
GK: Kelsie Stone
D: Angie Zara
D: Jennifer Josten
D: Julia Szylke
D: Marissa Wade
MF: Lauren Birk
MF: Layla Dib
MF: Mackenzie Stein
MF: Anne Veenbaas
F: Missy Adrian
F: Julia Leonard
Prospect
GK: Meredith Nyborg
D: Madalyn Ladd
D: Marissa Valentini
D: Grace Johannesen
D: Natalie Marfilius
MF: Jalyn Mosley
MF: Aly Kobler
MF: Kristin Schneider
F: Shawna Stokes
F: Ella Marzolf
F: Ashley Welk
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Julia Leonard, sr., F, Fremd
Missy Adrian, sr., F, Fremd