St. Charles East rolls over Fremd
Fighting Saints display depth, skill
By Ken Keenan
PALATINE -- After posting a runner-up finish in the IHSA Class 3A
state tournament last year, St. Charles East showed little rust in the
2015 season-opener against host Fremd, cruising to a 4-1 victory
Tuesday night.
Junior defender Shannon Gatehouse -- Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the
Match -- got the party started, scoring in the seventh minute on a
header off a perfectly placed corner kick from senior Darcy Cunningham. Two sophomores connected in the 33rd minute when Kyla Augustine tapped in a nice left-side cross from Morgan Kull that gave the Saints a 2-0 halftime lead.
St. Charles East didn't rest on its laurels. After firing four shots
at Vikings' sophomore goalkeeper Kelsie Stone in the first two minutes
of the second half, senior midfielder Kelli Santo Paulo converted on a
blast from 12 yards out for a 3-0 bulge in the 43rd minute. Senior Sophia Jendrzejczyk made it 4-0 on a bouncing shot into the left side of the cage with 21:44 to go.
Fremd broke the shutout with 1:47 left, as senior midfielder Jessica
Kopec picked up a loose ball and found the net after her shot hit the
left post and gently rolled in past Saints second half keeper Sara Rosenfeldt.
Depth was the name of the game in the Saints' decisive win, with no
less than 22 players seeing action as part of a well-balanced attack.
"What we did last year was great, but this is a completely different
group with a lot of new players," said St. Charles East head coach
Paul Jennison. "Getting to play 22 girls was a great feeling for the
entire squad. If you've got competition within a squad, where everyone
can play, confidence breeds confidence. We talked about playing to our
strengths -- we have a very athletic team -- and the trust we have in
each other is a very powerful thing. I thought we responded very well
as a group."
Gatehouse concurred.
'We have a ton of depth," she said. "We all can play in different
spots. It's exciting to play with these girls, and it's nice to have
in-house competition. It pushes everyone else to be better for the
team."
Nodding in agreement, senior forward Darcy Cunningham said, "We subbed
anyone in, and it's fantastic to see everyone contribute."
Fremd head coach Steve Keller was equally impressed regarding the
balance displayed by the Saints.
"That's a good team -- fun to watch," he said. "They stay organized,
keep their shape well and are relentless with pressure -- and they're
good in the air."
The Vikings had no answer from the get-go, as St. Charles East
controlled possession with good spacing, smart passing and fast runs
into the attack zone.
Following the first goal, a head shot in traffic by sophomore midfielder Hannah Kolb missed wide, and a header by
freshman midfielder Chantel Carranza, off a nice pass by Cunningham, was
nabbed by Stone. The Vikings' keeper also scooped up a long shot as
the horn sounded to end the first half.
Shortly after St. Charles East's third goal, Cunningham finished a
long run with a left-footed shot from 10 yards out that was stopped by
Stone. Santo Paulo then missed s good chance with a shot that landed
on top of the Fremd net with 28:13 to go.
Fremd picked up the pace down the stretch, led by senior forward Katie
Zara, who fearlessly attempted to push through the Saints' stifling
defense throughout the match. With 29:10 remaining in the first half,
she collided with Chesterfield after bulldozing the net in pursuit of
a loose ball, and was stopped again by Chesterfield in the 49th minute
at the top of the crease.
"I was very pleased with Katie's work rate -- she wants to win,"
Keller said. "She was very dangerous in creating opportunities. Tough
-- that would be the word to describe her.
"Overall, I was pleased with our effort, and we did have a better
offensive surge in the latter portion of the match. But we have to
work on defending crosses, and on balls in the air -- and we have to
work on our midfield play."
Jennison labeled the Vikings "a good opponent," and also said, "It's
always nice to start the season with a win, but we have a long way to
go."
Starting line-ups
St. Charles East
G: Alison Chesterfield
D: Julia Peterson
D: Sara Buetow
D: Shannon Gatehouse
D: Hayley Popiel
M: Kelli Santo Paulo
M: Mallory Mollenhauer
M: Chantel Carranza
F: Darcy Cunningham
F: Claire Rasmussen
F: Sophie Jendrzejcyk
Fremd
G: Kelsie Stone
D: Liz Flavin
D: Annika Morin
D: Sarah Marturano
D: Reilly Siepka
M: Jessica Kopec
M: Kellie Halloran
M: Caroline Freeman
F: Katie Zara
F: Sarah Aftelak
F: Emily Rogers
MVP of The Match: Shannon Gatehouse, D, St. Charles East
Officials: Mike Valsamis, Mohammed Mushtaq, Art Arustustamyan
Fighting Saints display depth, skill
By Ken Keenan
PALATINE -- After posting a runner-up finish in the IHSA Class 3A
state tournament last year, St. Charles East showed little rust in the
2015 season-opener against host Fremd, cruising to a 4-1 victory
Tuesday night.
Junior defender Shannon Gatehouse -- Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the
Match -- got the party started, scoring in the seventh minute on a
header off a perfectly placed corner kick from senior Darcy Cunningham. Two sophomores connected in the 33rd minute when Kyla Augustine tapped in a nice left-side cross from Morgan Kull that gave the Saints a 2-0 halftime lead.
St. Charles East didn't rest on its laurels. After firing four shots
at Vikings' sophomore goalkeeper Kelsie Stone in the first two minutes
of the second half, senior midfielder Kelli Santo Paulo converted on a
blast from 12 yards out for a 3-0 bulge in the 43rd minute. Senior Sophia Jendrzejczyk made it 4-0 on a bouncing shot into the left side of the cage with 21:44 to go.
Fremd broke the shutout with 1:47 left, as senior midfielder Jessica
Kopec picked up a loose ball and found the net after her shot hit the
left post and gently rolled in past Saints second half keeper Sara Rosenfeldt.
Depth was the name of the game in the Saints' decisive win, with no
less than 22 players seeing action as part of a well-balanced attack.
"What we did last year was great, but this is a completely different
group with a lot of new players," said St. Charles East head coach
Paul Jennison. "Getting to play 22 girls was a great feeling for the
entire squad. If you've got competition within a squad, where everyone
can play, confidence breeds confidence. We talked about playing to our
strengths -- we have a very athletic team -- and the trust we have in
each other is a very powerful thing. I thought we responded very well
as a group."
Gatehouse concurred.
'We have a ton of depth," she said. "We all can play in different
spots. It's exciting to play with these girls, and it's nice to have
in-house competition. It pushes everyone else to be better for the
team."
Nodding in agreement, senior forward Darcy Cunningham said, "We subbed
anyone in, and it's fantastic to see everyone contribute."
Fremd head coach Steve Keller was equally impressed regarding the
balance displayed by the Saints.
"That's a good team -- fun to watch," he said. "They stay organized,
keep their shape well and are relentless with pressure -- and they're
good in the air."
The Vikings had no answer from the get-go, as St. Charles East
controlled possession with good spacing, smart passing and fast runs
into the attack zone.
Following the first goal, a head shot in traffic by sophomore midfielder Hannah Kolb missed wide, and a header by
freshman midfielder Chantel Carranza, off a nice pass by Cunningham, was
nabbed by Stone. The Vikings' keeper also scooped up a long shot as
the horn sounded to end the first half.
Shortly after St. Charles East's third goal, Cunningham finished a
long run with a left-footed shot from 10 yards out that was stopped by
Stone. Santo Paulo then missed s good chance with a shot that landed
on top of the Fremd net with 28:13 to go.
Fremd picked up the pace down the stretch, led by senior forward Katie
Zara, who fearlessly attempted to push through the Saints' stifling
defense throughout the match. With 29:10 remaining in the first half,
she collided with Chesterfield after bulldozing the net in pursuit of
a loose ball, and was stopped again by Chesterfield in the 49th minute
at the top of the crease.
"I was very pleased with Katie's work rate -- she wants to win,"
Keller said. "She was very dangerous in creating opportunities. Tough
-- that would be the word to describe her.
"Overall, I was pleased with our effort, and we did have a better
offensive surge in the latter portion of the match. But we have to
work on defending crosses, and on balls in the air -- and we have to
work on our midfield play."
Jennison labeled the Vikings "a good opponent," and also said, "It's
always nice to start the season with a win, but we have a long way to
go."
Starting line-ups
St. Charles East
G: Alison Chesterfield
D: Julia Peterson
D: Sara Buetow
D: Shannon Gatehouse
D: Hayley Popiel
M: Kelli Santo Paulo
M: Mallory Mollenhauer
M: Chantel Carranza
F: Darcy Cunningham
F: Claire Rasmussen
F: Sophie Jendrzejcyk
Fremd
G: Kelsie Stone
D: Liz Flavin
D: Annika Morin
D: Sarah Marturano
D: Reilly Siepka
M: Jessica Kopec
M: Kellie Halloran
M: Caroline Freeman
F: Katie Zara
F: Sarah Aftelak
F: Emily Rogers
MVP of The Match: Shannon Gatehouse, D, St. Charles East
Officials: Mike Valsamis, Mohammed Mushtaq, Art Arustustamyan