100 minutes not enough
for Hersey, Prospect
MSL East rivals battle to 1-1 draw
By Mike Garofola
ARLiNGTON HEIGHTS -- There can always be a certain level of frustration after playing 100 minutes of soccer and ending in a draw.
However, for both Prospect and Hersey, the positives far outweighed the negatives following a 1-1 decision Friday at Roland R. Goins Stadium.
The best weather night in nearly three weeks greeted the Mid-Suburban League East Division rivals, and the two sides enjoyed several quality moments throughout, much to the delight of an appreciative audience, and managers, Tom Froats (Prospect) and Darren Llewellyn.
"After just getting one half of a game (with New Trier) and a full match against Hoffman Estates last night, I told the girls it's important that our expectations must be tempered until we really get into our schedule," said the upbeat Lady Knights manager Froats, who will now gets his club ready for MSL West power Fremd on Monday in Mt. Prospect. "Yet it's still very good that we came away with four points after a win, and this draw.
"At times tonight, you could see we still have plenty of rust and cobwebs we have to clear away. And at other times, we did a lot of very good things we can build from, so that's all good."
The Hersey coach had a bit of a different perspective from his sideline perch.
"I don't know, I thought Prospect looked very good to me," said Llewellyn, whose club is nearly starting from scratch at several spots in its first eleven, including its defense -- a sturdy and stout backline has become a staple of Hersey soccer for many a season.
"I like the way our young players along the back are coming along," continued Llewellyn. "You could see some really terrific things from them tonight -- (the) way they moved, shifted, tackled and won balls. Then on the other hand, they got caught out of position on a few occasions, one of which cost us, but that's the way it goes when you're young and inexperienced."
Hersey regrouped after conceding an Ella Marzolf goal at 23 minutes to get back level after the break. They created a couple more quality chances until being put under pressure during a pair of 10-minute extra sessions in the hard-fought draw.
"We're getting better, but things still need to be sorted out, so it's going to take more time before we're really playing at the level that I feel we can be at," offered co-captain, Claire Callahan, one of seven seniors on the Huskies roster, and one of three (along with Grace Kozurek and Erin Smetana) who earned valuable minutes a year ago for Llewellyn and his staff.
Callahan, Kozurek and Laura Burckhardt were clearly the best the Huskies had attacking in the final third, each creating plenty of trouble when the opportunity was there, which included the equalizer from Kozurek and two first-rate chances from Burckhardt which could have changed the final direction of this match.
"Prospect was the better team; (they) have a lot of talent, can attack really well from the outside, and have the players who can get into your end really quick," said Llewellyn. "But our big three tonight were very good on several occasions, and we could have put one or two more into the back of the net also."
Kozurek, who won a lot of first and second balls on the night, put Callahan in position to strike at 13 minutes, but up stepped Prospect keeper, Gianna Rossi, who stopped a close-range attempt, then watched Madalyn Ladd clear a sitter which spilled free after the initial save from the Lady Knights keeper.
After that sequence, Prospect (1-1-1, 1-0-1) responded by putting the Huskies (0-1-2, 0-1-0) under pressure, and the combined work from: Amy Kobler, Ashley Welk, Shawna Stokes and Marzolf would eventual lead to the opening goal of the night.
"I thought after that first goal that we had another one or two in us, but we kind of fell off with our overall play, and it took us awhile to find ourselves," said the senior Kobler.
A nifty and clever move to touch away from pressure allowed Marzolf to unload an unstoppable low drive which went off the gloves of diving Huskies keeper, Andrea Canon.
"We gave the ball away far too much in that first half, got a little better with that part of our game afterwards, but you cannot do that against anyone, particularly a team like Prospect which has the players who will make you pay for those mistakes," Llewellyn said.
The aforementioned Burckhardt was nearly unstoppable during the final 5-7 minutes of the first period, skimming the bar with her 25-yard attempt before having her shot from in close stopped by Rossi.
In between, the sophomore connected perfectly with Callahan, who set herself up nicely to unload a well-struck left-footer on frame.
"Hersey was dangerous on several occasions, and forced us to defend a little more than we wanted to," said Froats.
A superb piece of individual work from Burckhardt helped the sophomore beat a pair of Prospect defenders, and when she did so - her crossfield pass from the right side found Kozurek, who easily redirected into the net at the back post.
The 46th-minute equalizer signalled the start of some high-paced action as each club went in search of the go-ahead goal.
The aforementioned Hersey attacking trio received help going forward from Erin Redding, freshman Chloe Sena and Krista Thuer, who just moments after being brought on saw her angled blast saved by an alert and confident Rossi in the 65th minute.
Welk, Faith Fitzsimmons and Natalie Marfilius, now more involved from her spot as a defensive-midfielder, took turns as architects when the Lady Knights advanced into the Huskies' end.
"It was good to see us get our attack up and running from the middle of the second half, and right on through both overtime periods where I thought we enjoyed 85-90 percent of the play," said a thrilled Froats.
Down the stretch of regulation, the visitors created five corners that Fitzsimmons took and three deep throws from Kobler, but only two led to attempts from Fitzsimmons and Kristin Schneider that forced Canon into action.
"We played our best overall soccer from about 65 minutes forward, so it was a good way to end the game, even though we couldn't get one more goal," said senior Grace Johannesen, who wears the captains armband along with Kobler for the Lady Knights.
It was all Prospect during the extra sessions, forcing the home side to weather an all-out storm from its guests.
Twice Kobler flashed two balls through the box and the back post, while Marfilius sent a pair of quality helper attempts near the six-yard box that forced the Huskies defense into action.
Marzolf had a go from in-close that Canon saved.
An Allison Busby free kick in the 88th minute was all the Huskies could muster before the final whistle ended the contest.
"We didn't have any energy in overtime, but we fought hard to keep things even at the end, and that said a lot about our girls," said a proud Llewellyn.
"We still have a lot of work to do in training. We have to be more careful with the ball, and improve our decision-making, but this is a group that works and trains hard, so I know in time we'll be much better."
"Our 7-2 win over Hoffman Estates last night showed what we can do," suggested Johannesen. "and even though we started a little slow today and had a few rough spots along the way, we got better later on. So I think it was a very good game for us."
Added Froats: "180 minutes of soccer (Thursday and Friday) after just playing only 40 minutes thus far took its toll on us a little bit tonight, but I still liked the way we attacked at times, and really got after it. Credit Hersey, they defended well when they had to, as we expected, so it was a good effort all the way around.
"I believe we gained some confidence from tonight, which hopefully we carry over for our game with Fremd on Monday."
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK: Gianna Rossi
D- Grace Johannesen
D- Madalyn Ladd
D- Natalie Marfilius
D- Jalyn Mosley
M- Faith Fitzsimmons
M- Marissa Valentini
M- Ashley Welk
M- Ella Marzolf
F- Amy Kobler
F- Shawna Stokes
Hersey
GK: Andrea Canon
D- Claire Magnuson
D- Erin Redding
D- Emily Song
D- Emma Wilson
M- Jena Hill
M- Erin Smetana
M- Grace Kozurek
M- Allison Busby
F- Laura Burckhardt
F- Claire Callahan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ashley Welk, so., MF, Prospect
Officials: Mike Valsamis (center); John Jakobsze; Peter Stavropoulos
for Hersey, Prospect
MSL East rivals battle to 1-1 draw
By Mike Garofola
ARLiNGTON HEIGHTS -- There can always be a certain level of frustration after playing 100 minutes of soccer and ending in a draw.
However, for both Prospect and Hersey, the positives far outweighed the negatives following a 1-1 decision Friday at Roland R. Goins Stadium.
The best weather night in nearly three weeks greeted the Mid-Suburban League East Division rivals, and the two sides enjoyed several quality moments throughout, much to the delight of an appreciative audience, and managers, Tom Froats (Prospect) and Darren Llewellyn.
"After just getting one half of a game (with New Trier) and a full match against Hoffman Estates last night, I told the girls it's important that our expectations must be tempered until we really get into our schedule," said the upbeat Lady Knights manager Froats, who will now gets his club ready for MSL West power Fremd on Monday in Mt. Prospect. "Yet it's still very good that we came away with four points after a win, and this draw.
"At times tonight, you could see we still have plenty of rust and cobwebs we have to clear away. And at other times, we did a lot of very good things we can build from, so that's all good."
The Hersey coach had a bit of a different perspective from his sideline perch.
"I don't know, I thought Prospect looked very good to me," said Llewellyn, whose club is nearly starting from scratch at several spots in its first eleven, including its defense -- a sturdy and stout backline has become a staple of Hersey soccer for many a season.
"I like the way our young players along the back are coming along," continued Llewellyn. "You could see some really terrific things from them tonight -- (the) way they moved, shifted, tackled and won balls. Then on the other hand, they got caught out of position on a few occasions, one of which cost us, but that's the way it goes when you're young and inexperienced."
Hersey regrouped after conceding an Ella Marzolf goal at 23 minutes to get back level after the break. They created a couple more quality chances until being put under pressure during a pair of 10-minute extra sessions in the hard-fought draw.
"We're getting better, but things still need to be sorted out, so it's going to take more time before we're really playing at the level that I feel we can be at," offered co-captain, Claire Callahan, one of seven seniors on the Huskies roster, and one of three (along with Grace Kozurek and Erin Smetana) who earned valuable minutes a year ago for Llewellyn and his staff.
Callahan, Kozurek and Laura Burckhardt were clearly the best the Huskies had attacking in the final third, each creating plenty of trouble when the opportunity was there, which included the equalizer from Kozurek and two first-rate chances from Burckhardt which could have changed the final direction of this match.
"Prospect was the better team; (they) have a lot of talent, can attack really well from the outside, and have the players who can get into your end really quick," said Llewellyn. "But our big three tonight were very good on several occasions, and we could have put one or two more into the back of the net also."
Kozurek, who won a lot of first and second balls on the night, put Callahan in position to strike at 13 minutes, but up stepped Prospect keeper, Gianna Rossi, who stopped a close-range attempt, then watched Madalyn Ladd clear a sitter which spilled free after the initial save from the Lady Knights keeper.
After that sequence, Prospect (1-1-1, 1-0-1) responded by putting the Huskies (0-1-2, 0-1-0) under pressure, and the combined work from: Amy Kobler, Ashley Welk, Shawna Stokes and Marzolf would eventual lead to the opening goal of the night.
"I thought after that first goal that we had another one or two in us, but we kind of fell off with our overall play, and it took us awhile to find ourselves," said the senior Kobler.
A nifty and clever move to touch away from pressure allowed Marzolf to unload an unstoppable low drive which went off the gloves of diving Huskies keeper, Andrea Canon.
"We gave the ball away far too much in that first half, got a little better with that part of our game afterwards, but you cannot do that against anyone, particularly a team like Prospect which has the players who will make you pay for those mistakes," Llewellyn said.
The aforementioned Burckhardt was nearly unstoppable during the final 5-7 minutes of the first period, skimming the bar with her 25-yard attempt before having her shot from in close stopped by Rossi.
In between, the sophomore connected perfectly with Callahan, who set herself up nicely to unload a well-struck left-footer on frame.
"Hersey was dangerous on several occasions, and forced us to defend a little more than we wanted to," said Froats.
A superb piece of individual work from Burckhardt helped the sophomore beat a pair of Prospect defenders, and when she did so - her crossfield pass from the right side found Kozurek, who easily redirected into the net at the back post.
The 46th-minute equalizer signalled the start of some high-paced action as each club went in search of the go-ahead goal.
The aforementioned Hersey attacking trio received help going forward from Erin Redding, freshman Chloe Sena and Krista Thuer, who just moments after being brought on saw her angled blast saved by an alert and confident Rossi in the 65th minute.
Welk, Faith Fitzsimmons and Natalie Marfilius, now more involved from her spot as a defensive-midfielder, took turns as architects when the Lady Knights advanced into the Huskies' end.
"It was good to see us get our attack up and running from the middle of the second half, and right on through both overtime periods where I thought we enjoyed 85-90 percent of the play," said a thrilled Froats.
Down the stretch of regulation, the visitors created five corners that Fitzsimmons took and three deep throws from Kobler, but only two led to attempts from Fitzsimmons and Kristin Schneider that forced Canon into action.
"We played our best overall soccer from about 65 minutes forward, so it was a good way to end the game, even though we couldn't get one more goal," said senior Grace Johannesen, who wears the captains armband along with Kobler for the Lady Knights.
It was all Prospect during the extra sessions, forcing the home side to weather an all-out storm from its guests.
Twice Kobler flashed two balls through the box and the back post, while Marfilius sent a pair of quality helper attempts near the six-yard box that forced the Huskies defense into action.
Marzolf had a go from in-close that Canon saved.
An Allison Busby free kick in the 88th minute was all the Huskies could muster before the final whistle ended the contest.
"We didn't have any energy in overtime, but we fought hard to keep things even at the end, and that said a lot about our girls," said a proud Llewellyn.
"We still have a lot of work to do in training. We have to be more careful with the ball, and improve our decision-making, but this is a group that works and trains hard, so I know in time we'll be much better."
"Our 7-2 win over Hoffman Estates last night showed what we can do," suggested Johannesen. "and even though we started a little slow today and had a few rough spots along the way, we got better later on. So I think it was a very good game for us."
Added Froats: "180 minutes of soccer (Thursday and Friday) after just playing only 40 minutes thus far took its toll on us a little bit tonight, but I still liked the way we attacked at times, and really got after it. Credit Hersey, they defended well when they had to, as we expected, so it was a good effort all the way around.
"I believe we gained some confidence from tonight, which hopefully we carry over for our game with Fremd on Monday."
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK: Gianna Rossi
D- Grace Johannesen
D- Madalyn Ladd
D- Natalie Marfilius
D- Jalyn Mosley
M- Faith Fitzsimmons
M- Marissa Valentini
M- Ashley Welk
M- Ella Marzolf
F- Amy Kobler
F- Shawna Stokes
Hersey
GK: Andrea Canon
D- Claire Magnuson
D- Erin Redding
D- Emily Song
D- Emma Wilson
M- Jena Hill
M- Erin Smetana
M- Grace Kozurek
M- Allison Busby
F- Laura Burckhardt
F- Claire Callahan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ashley Welk, so., MF, Prospect
Officials: Mike Valsamis (center); John Jakobsze; Peter Stavropoulos