Practice makes perfect for Warren
Blue Devils oust host Stevenson 3-0 for regional title
By Patrick Z. McGavin
LINCOLNSHIRE -- Warren was deliberate and patient and then the moment struck -- one that had been reinforced the day before in practice.
Everything fell together: forward Alliyah Parker stood about 30 yards out on the near right edge and prepared to address the free kick.
Natalie McNally saw her opportunity.
“I usually go up on free kicks and go around the back,” McNally said. “I just had a feeling this time of cutting across the goal, and it ended up working out.”
The rangy and talented Warren defender used her size and quickness for the superb first touch and beautiful finish inside the box in the 25th minute that propelled the Blue Devils, ranked sixth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, to the 3-0 Class 3A regional championship over host Stevenson on Friday afternoon.
Warren advanced to its own sectional on Tuesday against North Suburban rival and sixth-seed Libertyville, which surprised no. 7 ranked and third-seeded Fremd 2-0. Top-ranked Barrington meets no. 17 Lake Zurich in the first semifinal of this showcase sectional.
Parker orchestrated the beautiful opening goal and followed with a goal of her own in the 36th minute that pushed Warren over the top against a Stevenson team that was much more dangerous than its 5-10-2 record suggested. The Patriots, a 12th-seed, had already upset highly-regarded Carmel 4-2 in the regional semifinal on Tuesday. Stevenson and Carmel played to a 3-3 draw during the season.
Warren (20-1-2) defeated the Patriots in North Suburban play 3-1 on April 24, but Stevenson marked a very tough out. It lost six games, including four in the North Suburban Conference, by a one-goal margin.
The Blue Devils' breakthrough constituted the squad's first significant scoring chance. Only moments before, Stevenson star forward Jillian Steinbrink nearly finished from the right edge from about 19 yards on a try that Warren keeper Skylar Reilly blocked.
Parker saw the significance of the moment.
“We practice [that set piece] all the time, and I just knew I needed to get it into the box to somebody who could get it in,” Parker said. “This time it was Natalie, and it worked out.”
McNally used her size to shield off the defender and make that invaluable first touch. On the Warren side, the goal felt preordained, in part because the team had rehearsed and prepared for the exact moment.
“It was great because we worked on that set piece in training yesterday,” Warren coach Ryan McCabe said. “Just before the play, I turned in front of our bench and said wouldn’t it be great if this was just like the set piece yesterday. Alliyah popped it up, and Nat came running into it and buried it. It is great whenever we work on
something in training, and then it comes out [in a game] and happens.”
Stevenson responded with another strong action that was broken up by McNally.
“It is always exciting after a goal, and you have to calm yourself down,” McNally said. “You have to remember that you are still playing a game, but I think we did a great job.”
McNally captured the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor for the combination of her game-altering goal and her stellar defense of Steinbrink. Interestingly the Warren defender and Stevenson forward are set to be college teammates next year at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Warren did an exceptional job in the first half in the transition game. Late in the first half, defender Lindsay Ditmars chased down a loose ball on the right edge just below midfield as Warren caught Stevenson off-guard. Midfielder Lindsey Hardiman pushed the ball up and slotted it wide to the streaking Parker.
Parker pushed the ball down and unleashed a laser from about 22 yards for her team-best 22nd goal.
“We knew we had to defend because they are a very good attacking team,” Parker said. “We tried to get the ball up as much as possible and keep it in their half. Right now, we are pretty confident, but we are just going to keep our heads in the game and play our best.”
Stevenson was unmoored by the two-goal deficit.
The Patriots had already changed their formation, knowing they could not match up with the Blue Devils’ offensive firepower.
“In order to combat their offensive attack we played with five in the back,” Steinbrink said. “We are a team that goes very well with momentum. If we lose [momentum] we have a hard time coming back from that.
“After the first goal, we were okay and getting back into the rhythm. Once they scored that second one it really took a toll on us. It was not like one where just one person made a mistake. Two [different] lines broke down, and we did not pressure the ball properly.”
Parker’s second goal allowed greater creativity and experimentation as well.
“Obviously we played a little bit more defensively and worked to not make any mistakes in the back,” McNally said. “We were not done scoring obviously. We were still trying to attack.”
McCabe said the Blue Devils tightened their back to better adjust to the propulsive attack of the Patriots.
“We sat back a little bit deeper, especially since they had the wind at their back in the second half,” McCabe said. “I did not like how they were getting through our backline in the first half when we were playing a little higher up. We dropped our back four into order to absorb some of those long balls a bit.”
Stevenson junior forward Brianna VanZanten has emerged as one of the best young talents in the league. She scored nine goals, including the Patriots goal in the earlier conference clash. On Friday, Warren effectively neutralized the Patriots’ attack.
“We were super close in the first half, and I thought we had a lot more opportunities in the second half,” VanZanten said. “Everybody fought until the end, and that is all you can ask for. I guess it just was not our night today.”
Stevenson is also very dangerous with its own set pieces -- that is how VanZanten scored in the first game. Warren limited those chances. On the one corner Stevenson had in the second half, sophomore midfielder Kristen Hill nearly finished inside the box but the ball elevated too quickly and overshot the goal.
Ellen Szostak was another important Warren player. The senior, who has excelled of late after recovering from offseason foot surgery and a knee strain, scored the first goal against the Patriots last month. Her speed and size up front created problems.
She put the finishing touches on the impressive win by slotting a ball to sophomore midfielder Courtney Chomko for a goal in the 80th minute.
Warren achieved what it had to, beating a dangerous opponent on its own field and now gaining home field advantage in its loaded sectional. The Blue Devils like the the way things are shaping up.
“It is all coming together,” McCabe said. “I like our chances. It is a tough sectional. I think the girls are ready for it, and they know it is going to be a challenge. I had very high expectations for this team. I let them know I had very high expectations, and I was going to ask a lot for them.
“The year is coming to what I asked them to do. It is what I expected, and the girls expected it is well.”
Starting lineups
Stevenson
GK: Hannah Petrich
D: Emma Murphy
D: Lauren Micek
D: Paige Copeland
D: Cassie Farber
D: Jennifer Staten
MF: Camryn Cadiz
MF: Hannah Lapeire
F: Jill Steinbrink
F: Kristen Hill
F: Brianna VanZanten
Warren
GK: Skylar Reilly
D: Lindsay Ditmars
D: Natalie McNally
D: Rebecca Pineau
D: Kate Weyhrich
D: Jessica Dietzen
MF: Courtney Chomko
MF: Kaitlyn Chomko
MF: Lindsey Hardiman
MF: Alissa Ramsden
F: Alliyah Parker
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Natalie McNally, sr., D, Warren
Blue Devils oust host Stevenson 3-0 for regional title
By Patrick Z. McGavin
LINCOLNSHIRE -- Warren was deliberate and patient and then the moment struck -- one that had been reinforced the day before in practice.
Everything fell together: forward Alliyah Parker stood about 30 yards out on the near right edge and prepared to address the free kick.
Natalie McNally saw her opportunity.
“I usually go up on free kicks and go around the back,” McNally said. “I just had a feeling this time of cutting across the goal, and it ended up working out.”
The rangy and talented Warren defender used her size and quickness for the superb first touch and beautiful finish inside the box in the 25th minute that propelled the Blue Devils, ranked sixth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, to the 3-0 Class 3A regional championship over host Stevenson on Friday afternoon.
Warren advanced to its own sectional on Tuesday against North Suburban rival and sixth-seed Libertyville, which surprised no. 7 ranked and third-seeded Fremd 2-0. Top-ranked Barrington meets no. 17 Lake Zurich in the first semifinal of this showcase sectional.
Parker orchestrated the beautiful opening goal and followed with a goal of her own in the 36th minute that pushed Warren over the top against a Stevenson team that was much more dangerous than its 5-10-2 record suggested. The Patriots, a 12th-seed, had already upset highly-regarded Carmel 4-2 in the regional semifinal on Tuesday. Stevenson and Carmel played to a 3-3 draw during the season.
Warren (20-1-2) defeated the Patriots in North Suburban play 3-1 on April 24, but Stevenson marked a very tough out. It lost six games, including four in the North Suburban Conference, by a one-goal margin.
The Blue Devils' breakthrough constituted the squad's first significant scoring chance. Only moments before, Stevenson star forward Jillian Steinbrink nearly finished from the right edge from about 19 yards on a try that Warren keeper Skylar Reilly blocked.
Parker saw the significance of the moment.
“We practice [that set piece] all the time, and I just knew I needed to get it into the box to somebody who could get it in,” Parker said. “This time it was Natalie, and it worked out.”
McNally used her size to shield off the defender and make that invaluable first touch. On the Warren side, the goal felt preordained, in part because the team had rehearsed and prepared for the exact moment.
“It was great because we worked on that set piece in training yesterday,” Warren coach Ryan McCabe said. “Just before the play, I turned in front of our bench and said wouldn’t it be great if this was just like the set piece yesterday. Alliyah popped it up, and Nat came running into it and buried it. It is great whenever we work on
something in training, and then it comes out [in a game] and happens.”
Stevenson responded with another strong action that was broken up by McNally.
“It is always exciting after a goal, and you have to calm yourself down,” McNally said. “You have to remember that you are still playing a game, but I think we did a great job.”
McNally captured the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor for the combination of her game-altering goal and her stellar defense of Steinbrink. Interestingly the Warren defender and Stevenson forward are set to be college teammates next year at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Warren did an exceptional job in the first half in the transition game. Late in the first half, defender Lindsay Ditmars chased down a loose ball on the right edge just below midfield as Warren caught Stevenson off-guard. Midfielder Lindsey Hardiman pushed the ball up and slotted it wide to the streaking Parker.
Parker pushed the ball down and unleashed a laser from about 22 yards for her team-best 22nd goal.
“We knew we had to defend because they are a very good attacking team,” Parker said. “We tried to get the ball up as much as possible and keep it in their half. Right now, we are pretty confident, but we are just going to keep our heads in the game and play our best.”
Stevenson was unmoored by the two-goal deficit.
The Patriots had already changed their formation, knowing they could not match up with the Blue Devils’ offensive firepower.
“In order to combat their offensive attack we played with five in the back,” Steinbrink said. “We are a team that goes very well with momentum. If we lose [momentum] we have a hard time coming back from that.
“After the first goal, we were okay and getting back into the rhythm. Once they scored that second one it really took a toll on us. It was not like one where just one person made a mistake. Two [different] lines broke down, and we did not pressure the ball properly.”
Parker’s second goal allowed greater creativity and experimentation as well.
“Obviously we played a little bit more defensively and worked to not make any mistakes in the back,” McNally said. “We were not done scoring obviously. We were still trying to attack.”
McCabe said the Blue Devils tightened their back to better adjust to the propulsive attack of the Patriots.
“We sat back a little bit deeper, especially since they had the wind at their back in the second half,” McCabe said. “I did not like how they were getting through our backline in the first half when we were playing a little higher up. We dropped our back four into order to absorb some of those long balls a bit.”
Stevenson junior forward Brianna VanZanten has emerged as one of the best young talents in the league. She scored nine goals, including the Patriots goal in the earlier conference clash. On Friday, Warren effectively neutralized the Patriots’ attack.
“We were super close in the first half, and I thought we had a lot more opportunities in the second half,” VanZanten said. “Everybody fought until the end, and that is all you can ask for. I guess it just was not our night today.”
Stevenson is also very dangerous with its own set pieces -- that is how VanZanten scored in the first game. Warren limited those chances. On the one corner Stevenson had in the second half, sophomore midfielder Kristen Hill nearly finished inside the box but the ball elevated too quickly and overshot the goal.
Ellen Szostak was another important Warren player. The senior, who has excelled of late after recovering from offseason foot surgery and a knee strain, scored the first goal against the Patriots last month. Her speed and size up front created problems.
She put the finishing touches on the impressive win by slotting a ball to sophomore midfielder Courtney Chomko for a goal in the 80th minute.
Warren achieved what it had to, beating a dangerous opponent on its own field and now gaining home field advantage in its loaded sectional. The Blue Devils like the the way things are shaping up.
“It is all coming together,” McCabe said. “I like our chances. It is a tough sectional. I think the girls are ready for it, and they know it is going to be a challenge. I had very high expectations for this team. I let them know I had very high expectations, and I was going to ask a lot for them.
“The year is coming to what I asked them to do. It is what I expected, and the girls expected it is well.”
Starting lineups
Stevenson
GK: Hannah Petrich
D: Emma Murphy
D: Lauren Micek
D: Paige Copeland
D: Cassie Farber
D: Jennifer Staten
MF: Camryn Cadiz
MF: Hannah Lapeire
F: Jill Steinbrink
F: Kristen Hill
F: Brianna VanZanten
Warren
GK: Skylar Reilly
D: Lindsay Ditmars
D: Natalie McNally
D: Rebecca Pineau
D: Kate Weyhrich
D: Jessica Dietzen
MF: Courtney Chomko
MF: Kaitlyn Chomko
MF: Lindsey Hardiman
MF: Alissa Ramsden
F: Alliyah Parker
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Natalie McNally, sr., D, Warren