Weary Wheaton N. can't stop Waubonsie V.
Despite 3-0 setback, Falcons hope to make postseason noise
By Paul LaTour
AURORA -- The longer Wheaton North stayed locked in a scoreless tie with host Waubonsie Valley on Tuesday night, the better Falcons coach Tim McEvilly felt about their chances to win the DuPage Valley Conference matchup.
But the Warriors didn’t cooperate, peppering in three goals in the final 25 minutes to secure a 3-0 victory over the Falcons (8-9-1, 2-5-1).
“After that first goal, I think our kids just recognized how tired they are,” McEvilly said. “I’ve got so many kids who have taken seven AP exams over the past week and a half with a prom sandwiched in between.
“If it had stayed 0-0 we could have fought for 80 minutes. But once that first one went in, we started to get some subs in and get some people some breaks, but they just couldn’t find their legs after that.”
The Falcons played evenly with the Warriors (10-8-0, 5-3-0) through the opening half, and even had the first scoring chance of the second half when Jacqueline Bienduga got free in the middle. But Bienduga’s try for the upper 90 missed the mark high, keeping the game 0-0.
Earlier, Sammy Schomig had a chance to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead with six minutes left in the first half, but her left-footed shot sailed just wide of the far post from inside the penalty area.
“We got behind their defense a good amount of times in the first half,” McEvilly said. “But what we did really well in the first 40 minutes was winning the middle of the field, which is difficult against a team like them. We did a great job in the first 40 minutes of making them really scramble to connect passes.”
The second half was played mostly in the Falcons’ end as the Warriors kept steady pressure on the defense. But their shots either went high or wide, or were stopped by goalkeeper Kate Sullivan.
But with 24:35 left in the game, the Warriors broke through on a goal by senior Sarah Griffith, who had been stymied on several earlier scoring chances. Moving to her left at the top of the penalty area, Griffith stopped quickly and fired a shot through several Falcons defenders that eluded Sullivan.
Barely five minutes later, the Warriors made it 2-0 when a blast by Kennedy Metzger beat Sullivan, who was able to slow the ball down with her hands, but not enough to keep it from rolling across the goal line.
“The biggest thing for me is to always look at the next play,” Sullivan said. “So even if we give up a goal, the best thing we can do is to respond well and not frantically. And at times (in the second half) that didn’t work.”
Sam Maul added a goal with 9:17 to play to complete the scoring for the Warriors.
“We were trying our hardest, knowing (the goals) would come if we kept working,” said Griffith, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “We had a few chances in the first half, but we really focused on our offense in the second half. We got really pumped at halftime, which is why we were able to finish.”
Down 3-0, the Falcons nearly broke through for a goal of their own.
The Falcons nearly broke through for a goal in the closing minutes on a nice play by sophomore Abby Atkinson and Schomig, a junior. Atkinson raced down the right side before lifting the ball to the far post where Schomig tried to head it past goalkeeper Sarah Young. But the attempt missed the short side of the net, keeping Young’s shutout intact.
“Abby played a beautiful ball in,” Schomig said. “The positioning was a little off, but other than that it was a perfect hit. I knew she going for that, so I just got to the far post. I knew she was taking it down the line.”
The Falcons finished the regular season 0-3-1 after a season-best five-game winning streak. Despite the setbacks, the Falcons believe the playoffs will give them new life.
“We’ve grown so much over this season,” said Sullivan, one of 11 seniors for the Falcons. “Looking at us at the beginning of the season and now, we’re a completely different team. The effort is there and people are trying hard, not just for themselves but for the whole team.
“For a lot of us, this is our last couple games, and we’re playing for each other. We’re all about going into the playoffs with a mentality ready to kick butt.”
Wheaton North opens play in the Geneva Regional on Tuesday against Glenbard West, which it beat 1-0 on March 21. That experience, as well as a season’s worth of learning, have the Falcons optimistic about their chances.
“We should do pretty well,” Schomig said. “We’re working well together right now as a team, especially. And that showed in this game.
“Over the season we learned to work together more instead of individually. That has progressively improved during the season. That should help us.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK: Kate Sullivan
D: Naimh Kane
D: Cammy Carrico
D: Marie Mannix
D: Addy Lorentsen
D: Morghin Klein
MF: Jaden Trometer
MF: Christina Crochet
MF: Anna Warfield
F: Jacqueline Bienduga
F: Kate Kortenhoeven
Waubonsie Valley
GK: Sarah Young
D: Emma Puls
D: Tara Todd
D: Carolena Lund
D: Hailey Curcio
MF: Jessica Wallace
MF: Natalie Massa
MF: Sarah Griffith
F: Kennedy Metzger
F: Grace Setter
F: Rachel White
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match -- Sarah Griffith, sr. F, Waubonsie Valley
Despite 3-0 setback, Falcons hope to make postseason noise
By Paul LaTour
AURORA -- The longer Wheaton North stayed locked in a scoreless tie with host Waubonsie Valley on Tuesday night, the better Falcons coach Tim McEvilly felt about their chances to win the DuPage Valley Conference matchup.
But the Warriors didn’t cooperate, peppering in three goals in the final 25 minutes to secure a 3-0 victory over the Falcons (8-9-1, 2-5-1).
“After that first goal, I think our kids just recognized how tired they are,” McEvilly said. “I’ve got so many kids who have taken seven AP exams over the past week and a half with a prom sandwiched in between.
“If it had stayed 0-0 we could have fought for 80 minutes. But once that first one went in, we started to get some subs in and get some people some breaks, but they just couldn’t find their legs after that.”
The Falcons played evenly with the Warriors (10-8-0, 5-3-0) through the opening half, and even had the first scoring chance of the second half when Jacqueline Bienduga got free in the middle. But Bienduga’s try for the upper 90 missed the mark high, keeping the game 0-0.
Earlier, Sammy Schomig had a chance to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead with six minutes left in the first half, but her left-footed shot sailed just wide of the far post from inside the penalty area.
“We got behind their defense a good amount of times in the first half,” McEvilly said. “But what we did really well in the first 40 minutes was winning the middle of the field, which is difficult against a team like them. We did a great job in the first 40 minutes of making them really scramble to connect passes.”
The second half was played mostly in the Falcons’ end as the Warriors kept steady pressure on the defense. But their shots either went high or wide, or were stopped by goalkeeper Kate Sullivan.
But with 24:35 left in the game, the Warriors broke through on a goal by senior Sarah Griffith, who had been stymied on several earlier scoring chances. Moving to her left at the top of the penalty area, Griffith stopped quickly and fired a shot through several Falcons defenders that eluded Sullivan.
Barely five minutes later, the Warriors made it 2-0 when a blast by Kennedy Metzger beat Sullivan, who was able to slow the ball down with her hands, but not enough to keep it from rolling across the goal line.
“The biggest thing for me is to always look at the next play,” Sullivan said. “So even if we give up a goal, the best thing we can do is to respond well and not frantically. And at times (in the second half) that didn’t work.”
Sam Maul added a goal with 9:17 to play to complete the scoring for the Warriors.
“We were trying our hardest, knowing (the goals) would come if we kept working,” said Griffith, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “We had a few chances in the first half, but we really focused on our offense in the second half. We got really pumped at halftime, which is why we were able to finish.”
Down 3-0, the Falcons nearly broke through for a goal of their own.
The Falcons nearly broke through for a goal in the closing minutes on a nice play by sophomore Abby Atkinson and Schomig, a junior. Atkinson raced down the right side before lifting the ball to the far post where Schomig tried to head it past goalkeeper Sarah Young. But the attempt missed the short side of the net, keeping Young’s shutout intact.
“Abby played a beautiful ball in,” Schomig said. “The positioning was a little off, but other than that it was a perfect hit. I knew she going for that, so I just got to the far post. I knew she was taking it down the line.”
The Falcons finished the regular season 0-3-1 after a season-best five-game winning streak. Despite the setbacks, the Falcons believe the playoffs will give them new life.
“We’ve grown so much over this season,” said Sullivan, one of 11 seniors for the Falcons. “Looking at us at the beginning of the season and now, we’re a completely different team. The effort is there and people are trying hard, not just for themselves but for the whole team.
“For a lot of us, this is our last couple games, and we’re playing for each other. We’re all about going into the playoffs with a mentality ready to kick butt.”
Wheaton North opens play in the Geneva Regional on Tuesday against Glenbard West, which it beat 1-0 on March 21. That experience, as well as a season’s worth of learning, have the Falcons optimistic about their chances.
“We should do pretty well,” Schomig said. “We’re working well together right now as a team, especially. And that showed in this game.
“Over the season we learned to work together more instead of individually. That has progressively improved during the season. That should help us.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK: Kate Sullivan
D: Naimh Kane
D: Cammy Carrico
D: Marie Mannix
D: Addy Lorentsen
D: Morghin Klein
MF: Jaden Trometer
MF: Christina Crochet
MF: Anna Warfield
F: Jacqueline Bienduga
F: Kate Kortenhoeven
Waubonsie Valley
GK: Sarah Young
D: Emma Puls
D: Tara Todd
D: Carolena Lund
D: Hailey Curcio
MF: Jessica Wallace
MF: Natalie Massa
MF: Sarah Griffith
F: Kennedy Metzger
F: Grace Setter
F: Rachel White
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match -- Sarah Griffith, sr. F, Waubonsie Valley