St. Charles East sees
postseason run cut short
Conant pulls off huge upset in 1-0 win over 4th-ranked Saints
By Dave Owen
SCHAUMBURG - The bounces of the soccer postseason can be especially cruel.
For St. Charles East, that harsh reality came into focus Wednesday at the Schaumburg Sectional semifinals.
Despite producing the vast majority of scoring chances, the top-seeded Saints (21-2-1) saw their excellent season come to an end on a goal by Conant sophomore Emily Mazurek with 28:47 left to go.
Saints coach Paul Jennison’s summation of the 1-0 loss was a perfect description of soccer postseason devastation.
“We’ve spoken all week about moments, and how years can come down to one second,” Jennison said. “And it was only that second that we weren’t the better team in that game today. One second. And it went against us unfortunately.
"We had plenty of chances to win that game, and we need to hold our heads up and take complete accountability. Conant hung in there and they maximized their potential today. I don’t think there’s a player on their roster that didn’t play to the best of their ability.”
No. 4 seed Conant (15-6-1) came from two goals down to beat Batavia 3-2 in the regional final. Facing the Saints brought a mix of respect and something to prove.
“Their offense is very good,” Mazurek said of St. Charles East. “But we knew from our game against Batavia that we just wanted a shot at the top seed. We wanted to show everyone that we can play with all the high teams. We proved we should be up there.
“We all have so much more confidence than we had at the beginning of the season. The experience from playing Waubonsie (Valley) and Barrington and all the tournaments we played - we were getting better and better as the year was going on.”
St. Charles East’s offense scored 89 goals this season (an average of 3.7 per game), and came out looking like they could continue that pace.
An early surge featured a Kaitlyn Dziubinski shot off the side of the net in the third minute, then a Darcy Cunningham 15-yard shot 36:55 before halftime that Conant goalkeeper Haley Anderson came off her line to block. Dziubinski sent another quality shot just wide off a Cunningham corner kick in the 12th minute.
“Honestly when we went straight down and the keeper made a great save (on Cunningham), I thought ‘We’re going to take this game to them,’” Jennison said.
Conant coach Jason Franco had similar first impressions.
“They have great players all over the field,” Franco said. “I thought we did a pretty good job of squeezing the space. But the first 10 minutes I thought, ‘Oh boy,’ because they were slicing us up.
“The first five minutes of the second half was the same thing - that was a glimpse of what they can do when you give them space. But we tightened it up, and our goalie made some plays. And that’s the recipe to move on at this point of the season when you’re overmatched.”
Late first half St. Charles East threats included a Megan O’Neal 17-yard shot caught by Anderson, and Sophie Jendrzejczyk’s nice back-to-the-goal tip just wide of a Dziubinski corner kick with 4:0 left.
The heat on the Conant defense intensified out of the halftime break.
The Saints’ Kelli Santo Paulo burst in on left wing with 37:50 left, but Anderson made a great diving catch of her low 15-yard drive towards the far corner of the net.
Anderson stopped a Jendrzejczyk shot one minute later, then got help on the Saints’ best chance with 35:40 to play. After a nice win of a loose ball, Cunningham dribbled in on two defenders and lined a 25-yarder off the crossbar.
“I’m absolutely devastated for these girls because, I believe they can beat anyone,” Jennison said. “I think we’ve been the best team in the state all year. This ended far too abruptly. It wasn’t down to effort or lack of trying. It was simply one of those days when it didn’t go for us.”
Conant survived the early barrage, then mounted a counterattack with 29:35 left that resulted in a Shannon Gatehouse blocked shot and a long two-hop shot on goal.
The Cougars’ next shot would be far more dangerous.
Sidney O’Keeffe passed to Mazurek on the right wing. With goalkeeper Alison Chesterfield out to cut down the angle. Mazurek nicely lined a low 20-yarder inside the far post for a 1-0 lead.
“We had so much momentum,” Mazurek said. “We started connecting the ball better, and it (the goal) just happened then off a beautiful pass from Sidney O’Keeffe.
“All throughout practice we’ve been working on connect to feet, go short or pass it long over the defenders whenever it was open. We started doing that a lot more.”
It was Mazurek’s 16th goal of the season, and fourth in the last two games.
“She’s a difference-maker,” Franco said. “She’s fast, she’s physical, and she looks more confident now. She’s had a great couple of games.”
The Saints quickly answered with two bids to tie from near the end line: a high chip by Maggie Smith, then a Cunningham low drive. Anderson stopped both, denying Cunningham on a diving grab with 19:50 left.
“I thought we dominated the first half but just couldn’t finish,” Cunningham said. “In the second half we got a little flustered once they scored that goal. We couldn’t calm ourselves down enough.
“That was a reality check - you could be dominating a whole game and still not win. That’s what stinks about playing the game of soccer.
“I thought they (Conant) had some strong forwards up top and center midfielders who were connecting,” Cunningham added. “And towards the middle of the second half we weren’t winning balls like we should have.”
While lacking in the quantity of Saints chances, Conant continued to produce quality counterattacks. A great bid to score came with 10:25 left, when Elizabeth Dolce lined an 18-yarder high off the left post that could have made it 2-0.
After that near-miss, Conant kept Saint threats to a minimum. A 40-yard shot by Santo Paulo (6:10 to go) and a Kyla Augustine header bounced on goal off a throw-in with 15 seconds left were the lone tries on frame in the final minutes.
The upset loss didn’t dim a great season for the Saints, whose only previous loss came in double overtime to currently top-ranked Barrington on May 1.
“I couldn’t give you the superlatives for these girls and everything they’ve done,” Jennison said. “I really believe we could beat any team, but that’s the playoffs. If you’re off for that one second, it can all go horribly wrong.
“That’s the position we find ourselves in, but the season as a whole has been spectacular. To only lose two games and find yourself going out in the first round of sectionals - that’s a head-scratching moment for any coach of any team.”
There’s no mystery about the value of the Saints’ senior class, which included sectional starters Cunningham, Santo Paulo, Sara Buetow and Smith.
“The seniors have been phenomenal for us,” Jennison said. “I’m so proud of everything they’ve done. They’ve taken us to new heights.
“Unfortunately with where we finished in the postseason, the season will seem like a negative. But 21 wins is unprecedented.
“I wish we could keep the entire group together for four years. I wish my seniors the best - I’m so proud of everything they’ve done. They’ve been unbelievable mentors for the younger girls. They deserve so much more than that, but unfortunately you don’t always get what you deserve.”
Cunningham and the seniors leave with plenty of fond memories.
“I was proud of the regular season, and playing on a team where we felt like we could win every single game,” Cunningham said. “I even felt until the last second that we could win this game.
“I’m proud of the fighters we are. We haven’t dominated every game - we’ve been down and came back.”
A strong talent pool leaves the Saints’ future in good hands.
“I’m especially proud of the underclassmen,” Cunningham said. “They’ve given me a ride. I’ve been on teams where underclassmen don’t care so much because it’s not their last season, but its’s been great as a senior knowing they’ve got my back and they’re going to put in every effort they can.”
Those efforts came up painfully short Wednesday, as Conant frustrated the Saints.
“We played kickball,” Franco said. “I’m not going to say we played pretty, but sometimes you have to be effective. And when they (the Saints) have speedsters and skill players all over the field, we knew we had to play direct and play up top. And 18 (Mazurek) can play direct.
“The game plan worked. That’s what we were hoping to do, keep it low scoring, catch them on a counterattack and hold on. That’s what we needed to do.”
The Saints’ frustrations led to their first shutout of the season.
“That’s the beauty of the game,” said Jennison. “If you don’t take your chances, you can’t expect to win. And unfortunately Conant was better in front of the goal today.
“As we told them at halftime, you can’t let these girls keep being physical against you, attack the ball and win the first ball.
“Unfortunately we picked the worst time to be disconnected as a team. ... It was just that one game, and we just couldn’t make those connections in front of the goal.
“When all is said and done, we find ourselves going home. That’s the hardest lesson to learn unfortunately.”
The experience should fuel the Saints’ underclassmen to bigger things in the future.
“We’ve got an incredibly talented and young roster, and they’re going to be back and be raring to go,” Jennison said. “But it’s going to be a painful year for those girls to prepare themselves for next year.”
Starting lineups
Conant
GK: Haley Anderson
D: Katie Lomas
D: Dhara Patel
D: Katie Tokarz
D: Zoe Shoro
M: Gianna Angiulo
M: Elizabeth Dolce
M: Rachel Raymer
M: Brittany Laskero
F: Emily Mazurek
F: Leah Celarek
St. Charles East
GK: Alison Chesterfield
D: Sara Buetow
D: Shannon Gatehouse
D: Sonia Ost
D: Julia Peterson
M: Maggie Smith
M: Kaitlyn Dziubinski
M: Kelli Santo Paulo
M: Hannah Kolb
F: Chantel Carranza
F: Darcy Cunningham
MVP of the Match: Emily Mazurek, F, Conant
postseason run cut short
Conant pulls off huge upset in 1-0 win over 4th-ranked Saints
By Dave Owen
SCHAUMBURG - The bounces of the soccer postseason can be especially cruel.
For St. Charles East, that harsh reality came into focus Wednesday at the Schaumburg Sectional semifinals.
Despite producing the vast majority of scoring chances, the top-seeded Saints (21-2-1) saw their excellent season come to an end on a goal by Conant sophomore Emily Mazurek with 28:47 left to go.
Saints coach Paul Jennison’s summation of the 1-0 loss was a perfect description of soccer postseason devastation.
“We’ve spoken all week about moments, and how years can come down to one second,” Jennison said. “And it was only that second that we weren’t the better team in that game today. One second. And it went against us unfortunately.
"We had plenty of chances to win that game, and we need to hold our heads up and take complete accountability. Conant hung in there and they maximized their potential today. I don’t think there’s a player on their roster that didn’t play to the best of their ability.”
No. 4 seed Conant (15-6-1) came from two goals down to beat Batavia 3-2 in the regional final. Facing the Saints brought a mix of respect and something to prove.
“Their offense is very good,” Mazurek said of St. Charles East. “But we knew from our game against Batavia that we just wanted a shot at the top seed. We wanted to show everyone that we can play with all the high teams. We proved we should be up there.
“We all have so much more confidence than we had at the beginning of the season. The experience from playing Waubonsie (Valley) and Barrington and all the tournaments we played - we were getting better and better as the year was going on.”
St. Charles East’s offense scored 89 goals this season (an average of 3.7 per game), and came out looking like they could continue that pace.
An early surge featured a Kaitlyn Dziubinski shot off the side of the net in the third minute, then a Darcy Cunningham 15-yard shot 36:55 before halftime that Conant goalkeeper Haley Anderson came off her line to block. Dziubinski sent another quality shot just wide off a Cunningham corner kick in the 12th minute.
“Honestly when we went straight down and the keeper made a great save (on Cunningham), I thought ‘We’re going to take this game to them,’” Jennison said.
Conant coach Jason Franco had similar first impressions.
“They have great players all over the field,” Franco said. “I thought we did a pretty good job of squeezing the space. But the first 10 minutes I thought, ‘Oh boy,’ because they were slicing us up.
“The first five minutes of the second half was the same thing - that was a glimpse of what they can do when you give them space. But we tightened it up, and our goalie made some plays. And that’s the recipe to move on at this point of the season when you’re overmatched.”
Late first half St. Charles East threats included a Megan O’Neal 17-yard shot caught by Anderson, and Sophie Jendrzejczyk’s nice back-to-the-goal tip just wide of a Dziubinski corner kick with 4:0 left.
The heat on the Conant defense intensified out of the halftime break.
The Saints’ Kelli Santo Paulo burst in on left wing with 37:50 left, but Anderson made a great diving catch of her low 15-yard drive towards the far corner of the net.
Anderson stopped a Jendrzejczyk shot one minute later, then got help on the Saints’ best chance with 35:40 to play. After a nice win of a loose ball, Cunningham dribbled in on two defenders and lined a 25-yarder off the crossbar.
“I’m absolutely devastated for these girls because, I believe they can beat anyone,” Jennison said. “I think we’ve been the best team in the state all year. This ended far too abruptly. It wasn’t down to effort or lack of trying. It was simply one of those days when it didn’t go for us.”
Conant survived the early barrage, then mounted a counterattack with 29:35 left that resulted in a Shannon Gatehouse blocked shot and a long two-hop shot on goal.
The Cougars’ next shot would be far more dangerous.
Sidney O’Keeffe passed to Mazurek on the right wing. With goalkeeper Alison Chesterfield out to cut down the angle. Mazurek nicely lined a low 20-yarder inside the far post for a 1-0 lead.
“We had so much momentum,” Mazurek said. “We started connecting the ball better, and it (the goal) just happened then off a beautiful pass from Sidney O’Keeffe.
“All throughout practice we’ve been working on connect to feet, go short or pass it long over the defenders whenever it was open. We started doing that a lot more.”
It was Mazurek’s 16th goal of the season, and fourth in the last two games.
“She’s a difference-maker,” Franco said. “She’s fast, she’s physical, and she looks more confident now. She’s had a great couple of games.”
The Saints quickly answered with two bids to tie from near the end line: a high chip by Maggie Smith, then a Cunningham low drive. Anderson stopped both, denying Cunningham on a diving grab with 19:50 left.
“I thought we dominated the first half but just couldn’t finish,” Cunningham said. “In the second half we got a little flustered once they scored that goal. We couldn’t calm ourselves down enough.
“That was a reality check - you could be dominating a whole game and still not win. That’s what stinks about playing the game of soccer.
“I thought they (Conant) had some strong forwards up top and center midfielders who were connecting,” Cunningham added. “And towards the middle of the second half we weren’t winning balls like we should have.”
While lacking in the quantity of Saints chances, Conant continued to produce quality counterattacks. A great bid to score came with 10:25 left, when Elizabeth Dolce lined an 18-yarder high off the left post that could have made it 2-0.
After that near-miss, Conant kept Saint threats to a minimum. A 40-yard shot by Santo Paulo (6:10 to go) and a Kyla Augustine header bounced on goal off a throw-in with 15 seconds left were the lone tries on frame in the final minutes.
The upset loss didn’t dim a great season for the Saints, whose only previous loss came in double overtime to currently top-ranked Barrington on May 1.
“I couldn’t give you the superlatives for these girls and everything they’ve done,” Jennison said. “I really believe we could beat any team, but that’s the playoffs. If you’re off for that one second, it can all go horribly wrong.
“That’s the position we find ourselves in, but the season as a whole has been spectacular. To only lose two games and find yourself going out in the first round of sectionals - that’s a head-scratching moment for any coach of any team.”
There’s no mystery about the value of the Saints’ senior class, which included sectional starters Cunningham, Santo Paulo, Sara Buetow and Smith.
“The seniors have been phenomenal for us,” Jennison said. “I’m so proud of everything they’ve done. They’ve taken us to new heights.
“Unfortunately with where we finished in the postseason, the season will seem like a negative. But 21 wins is unprecedented.
“I wish we could keep the entire group together for four years. I wish my seniors the best - I’m so proud of everything they’ve done. They’ve been unbelievable mentors for the younger girls. They deserve so much more than that, but unfortunately you don’t always get what you deserve.”
Cunningham and the seniors leave with plenty of fond memories.
“I was proud of the regular season, and playing on a team where we felt like we could win every single game,” Cunningham said. “I even felt until the last second that we could win this game.
“I’m proud of the fighters we are. We haven’t dominated every game - we’ve been down and came back.”
A strong talent pool leaves the Saints’ future in good hands.
“I’m especially proud of the underclassmen,” Cunningham said. “They’ve given me a ride. I’ve been on teams where underclassmen don’t care so much because it’s not their last season, but its’s been great as a senior knowing they’ve got my back and they’re going to put in every effort they can.”
Those efforts came up painfully short Wednesday, as Conant frustrated the Saints.
“We played kickball,” Franco said. “I’m not going to say we played pretty, but sometimes you have to be effective. And when they (the Saints) have speedsters and skill players all over the field, we knew we had to play direct and play up top. And 18 (Mazurek) can play direct.
“The game plan worked. That’s what we were hoping to do, keep it low scoring, catch them on a counterattack and hold on. That’s what we needed to do.”
The Saints’ frustrations led to their first shutout of the season.
“That’s the beauty of the game,” said Jennison. “If you don’t take your chances, you can’t expect to win. And unfortunately Conant was better in front of the goal today.
“As we told them at halftime, you can’t let these girls keep being physical against you, attack the ball and win the first ball.
“Unfortunately we picked the worst time to be disconnected as a team. ... It was just that one game, and we just couldn’t make those connections in front of the goal.
“When all is said and done, we find ourselves going home. That’s the hardest lesson to learn unfortunately.”
The experience should fuel the Saints’ underclassmen to bigger things in the future.
“We’ve got an incredibly talented and young roster, and they’re going to be back and be raring to go,” Jennison said. “But it’s going to be a painful year for those girls to prepare themselves for next year.”
Starting lineups
Conant
GK: Haley Anderson
D: Katie Lomas
D: Dhara Patel
D: Katie Tokarz
D: Zoe Shoro
M: Gianna Angiulo
M: Elizabeth Dolce
M: Rachel Raymer
M: Brittany Laskero
F: Emily Mazurek
F: Leah Celarek
St. Charles East
GK: Alison Chesterfield
D: Sara Buetow
D: Shannon Gatehouse
D: Sonia Ost
D: Julia Peterson
M: Maggie Smith
M: Kaitlyn Dziubinski
M: Kelli Santo Paulo
M: Hannah Kolb
F: Chantel Carranza
F: Darcy Cunningham
MVP of the Match: Emily Mazurek, F, Conant