Resilient Hinsdale Central
recovers, ousts York
Dannhausen-Brun's 2nd half goals give Red Devils win after 2-0 deficit
By Dave Owen
HINSDALE - A repeat of Hinsdale Central’s 1-0 regular-season win May 12 at York wouldn’t have been a surprise in the two teams’ sectional semifinal rematch Tuesday.
But instead of that type of tightly played, defense-dominated battle, the Red Devils (18-6) and Dukes (13-6-2) produced a totally unpredictable 80 minutes of soccer.
York’s Alyssa Kovatchis stunned the sectional top seed with a pair of goals within a six-minute span late in the first half that gave her team a 2-0 halftime lead.
But with the wind at their backs and refusal to lose in their hearts, Hinsdale Central drew within 2-1 with 33:02 left on a Katie Murphy goal.
Junior Emma Dannhausen-Brun then took over the match, scoring twice in the final 21 minutes on extra effort goals to earn Hinsdale Central a come-from-behind 3-2 win and a date with archrival Lyons in the 6 p.m. Friday sectional final.
“At halftime we were a little down,” said Dannhausen-Brun, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “We didn’t know how it happened being down 2-0, but we knew we could come back and fix it. We just had to finish our chances.”
Junior goalkeeper Katy Coseglia also saw no sense of panic in her team.
“During halftime we just said, ‘Take a deep breath and relax, play our style, and when we do that we’ll score one, then another and so on,’” Coseglia said.
“Our forwards finished our chances, which was the difference from the first half. And we had a lot of good possession. That was a key to scoring.”
Dannhausen-Brun upped her season total to 17 goals with the two finishes. And saving the season for her team was just part of the good news for her.
“It really builds our confidence, and personally I was stuck in a scoring drought for the last couple of games,” she said. “To finally break that, we know we’re back in it, and we’re ready to continue in the playoffs.”
Before Dannhausen-Brun’s heroics, Murphy got the ball rolling in the seventh minute of the second half.
Off an initial cross from Dannhausen-Brun, Sydney Griffin’s shot attempt deflected to Murphy, whose high 15-yarder just inside the right post slashed the deficit in half.
The pressure mounted with 23:26 left, when an apparent goal inside the 6-yard-line by Dannhausen-Brun was nullified by an offside call.
Less than three minutes later, she went the extra mile to finish after a crazy sequence.
Julie Culler’s high-bouncing, 35-yard shot from the right side appeared at first to be heading over the end line wide of the post.
But a skip off the turf wet from heavy first-half rains caused a glance off the crossbar. And as York goalkeeper Ellen Foley rushed to cover the errant ball, Dannhausen-Brun arrived in the crease to body in the rebound with 20:42 left for a 2-2 tie.
“I saw my friend take the shot, and I thought it was going out, and then I saw the chance for a rebound on it,” Dannhausen-Brun said. “I put my body on it and got it in the goal.”
To Hinsdale Central coach Michael Smith, the play epitomized the never-quit second half effort by his team.
“We played with more passion and more fervor,” Smith said. “Everyone played their hardest and played smartly. They kept moving, like on the goal by Emma.
“She put herself in a position to score. She didn’t wait and hope the goalie dropped it. She said, ‘I’m going to go and take this chance.’ And that’s what the game is about. It’s a game of mistakes, and it’s the team that makes the good mistakes that gets on the winning end. And we made some good mistakes in the second half.”
The “good mistakes” just kept getting better for the Red Devils.
On a blocked York clearing attempt with 14:55 left, Emily LaRocque sent a 12-yard shot just over the net.
Then off a steal with 9:42 to go, Dannhausen-Brun took a pass up the middle and lined a 15-yard blast towards the far post that Foley got a hand on but couldn’t stop for the eventual game-winner.
In her first season on varsity, Dannhausen-Brun has been a key finisher.
“I’m just kind of playing my game,” she said. “I’ve been a forward for years, so scoring goals is my job, and I try to do it.”
Smith was especially impressed with her fearlessness in the clutch against York.
“Today’s goals more than anything were putting herself in position to be dangerous,” Smith said. “What I’m excited about with Emma is her upside: this is her first year on varsity. The potential for the future is huge, and Emma doesn’t back down from challenges.
“Today for her was a huge confidence booster. (She said) ‘It wasn’t a back or a midfielder who decided this, I decided it.’ That’s the mindset you have to have as a goal scorer.”
Things appeared to be going from bad to worse for York with 6:50 left, when Kovatchis was hit in the face with a shot and had to leave the game. But she soon returned, and York nearly produced a tying goal with 2:40 to go.
Carys Hund raced in on net with Hinsdale Central defender Erin Smith angling toward her in pursuit. As Smith arrived, Hund set an 8-yard shot just wide of the right post.
Smith was one of many defensive standouts credited by her coach.
“Katy (Coseglia) played much better in the second half - she looked herself in the second half.
“Kaitlyn Livingston our holding mid and senior captain Erin Smith sacrificed, they dove, and they tracked back. Erin on the last one was excellent coming blindly from the weak side. She said, ‘I want to make sure this ends the way we want it to end.’
“And senior Maeve McLaughlin is playing a center mid/attacking mid/center forward, and today I don’t know which one to call her,” Smith added. “She was everywhere. That’s the type of play we need collectively, and we saw it in the second half. She said, ‘This is not going to be my last game.’”
York had two more chances in the final two minutes, but a Lauren Cangelosi block of a Kovatchis shot and drive wide of the left post by York’s Madison Navarro (off a Kovatchis pass with 1:15 left) couldn’t even the score.
After York’s great first half, the wind and Hinsdale Central’s renewed spirit were too much to overcome.
“A few missed reads on the ball in the wind, and unfortunately it cost us,”Dukes coach Donald Vana said. “When we were up two goals it looked like we sat back a little bit, and they came out harder. They came after the ball harder than we did, kind of like what we did in the first half.”
York endured two first half scares: first, Dannhausen-Brun’s 6-yard shot off a Livingston pass went just wide in the seventh minute of the game. Then Foley came way out of the net to nicely block a 20-yard Griffin shot with 17:55 left in the half.
Other than those chances, the Lady Dukes were in control -- and soon in the lead.
With 14:49 left in the first half, Kovatchis played the wind perfectly as she lined a 23-yard shot upper right just under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead.
Then off a well-struck 55-yard free kick by Annalisa Lappo 8:19 before halftime, the ball took a high bounce to Kovatchis racing in. Her 12-yard drive into the net made it 2-0.
“Alyssa amazes me every time,” Vana said. “Two big goals today, one Saturday (in a regional final win over Downers North).
“Every time there’s a big goal needed, Alyssa seems to be the one that gets it. York will definitely miss her and the creative goals she’s scored in her career.”
For a team without three injured starters, Kovatchis’ finishes provided big hopes.
“In the first half we were going a little with the wind so that was helpful,” Kovatchis said. “I just knew we had to come out strong and set a good base. I thought that would hold up, but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way.”
But it was an impressive finale to a great season and career for Kovatchis who starred offensively (19 goals and 18 assists) for a team plagued by injuries.
“At one point we had seven starters out,” she said. “It was a tough battle, but we got this far. It was a good season.”
Kovatchis’ sister Jamie missed the entire season with a knee injury, and three other key York players were also out with injuries Tuesday.
“Jessica Bianchi, Kayla Kenny and Ffyon Hund,” Vana said. “That’s three girls that start or earn significant time.”
Smith praised York’s great effort in turning adversity into a great sectional semifinal battle.
“I know they have some injuries, but they’re a quality side,” he said. “Don Vana does a great job of getting them organized. What they did to us in the first half hadn’t been done in a long while. That speaks to me of his level of preparedness, and his players buying in. I have great respect for Don.”
Smith’s Hinsdale Central players continue to earn his respect as well.
“The seniors could have put their heads down and looked towards graduation on Thursday,” Smith said. “But the seniors were the ones who fought and led, and everyone else said ‘I’ll do that too.’ Fortunately for us, positives came from that.”
The Red Devil halftime was all business, with no dwelling on mistakes.
“He (Smith) always focuses on the positives,” Dannhausen-Brun said, “so he talked about what we did well in the half. He talked about double-teaming them and keeping up the pressure, and to work on our runs a little bit up top and improve our defense.
“It’s definitely one of our more dramatic games, coming back from being down 2-0 at the half,” she added. “It’s kind of building the excitement and showing that we’re going to keep seeing these kind of competitive teams in the playoffs. We have to be ready.”
Being fired up and ready for Friday won’t be hard. The Red Devils beat Lyons Township on penalty kicks May 7, and expect another battle.
“It’s always fun with Hinsdale Central and Lyons Township in any competition,” Smith said. “It’ll be lively, and at the same time (Lyons coach) Bill Lanspeary will get them ready to compete, and he knows we’ll be ready. That assures it will be a top notch match.”
The Red Devils enter with big respect for the Lions, but also confidence.
“They’re a great team, but we’ll treat them like any other team,” Coseglia said. “We’ll try to come out strong and hard.”
Coming off her memorable sectional debut, Dannhausen-Brun hopes the Red Devils can take better advantage of scoring chances than in the first Lyons showdown.
“Last time we took it all the way to two overtimes and PKs, so we want to put this one away in the first 80 minutes,” she said. “We had a bunch of shots but didn’t finish our chances, but I think we’ve got that down and we’re ready for Friday.”
Starting lineups
York
GK: Ellen Foley
D: Annalisa Lupo
D: Abby Horn
D: Juliana Salzano
D: Jenna Dvorak
M: Emily Whitcomb
M: Jenna Lundgren
M: Madison Navarro
M: Madison Casey
F: Alyssa Kovatchis
F: Carys Hund
Hinsdale Central
GK: Katy Coseglia
D: Erin Smith
D: Lizzy Nelson
D: Lauren Cangelosi
D: Katie Murphy
M: Abby Cole
M: Maeve McLaughlin
M: Julie Culler
M: Kaitlyn Livingston
F: Emma Dannhausen-Brun
F: Kate Shroyer
MVP of the Match: Emma Dannhausen-Brun, F, Hinsdale Central
recovers, ousts York
Dannhausen-Brun's 2nd half goals give Red Devils win after 2-0 deficit
By Dave Owen
HINSDALE - A repeat of Hinsdale Central’s 1-0 regular-season win May 12 at York wouldn’t have been a surprise in the two teams’ sectional semifinal rematch Tuesday.
But instead of that type of tightly played, defense-dominated battle, the Red Devils (18-6) and Dukes (13-6-2) produced a totally unpredictable 80 minutes of soccer.
York’s Alyssa Kovatchis stunned the sectional top seed with a pair of goals within a six-minute span late in the first half that gave her team a 2-0 halftime lead.
But with the wind at their backs and refusal to lose in their hearts, Hinsdale Central drew within 2-1 with 33:02 left on a Katie Murphy goal.
Junior Emma Dannhausen-Brun then took over the match, scoring twice in the final 21 minutes on extra effort goals to earn Hinsdale Central a come-from-behind 3-2 win and a date with archrival Lyons in the 6 p.m. Friday sectional final.
“At halftime we were a little down,” said Dannhausen-Brun, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “We didn’t know how it happened being down 2-0, but we knew we could come back and fix it. We just had to finish our chances.”
Junior goalkeeper Katy Coseglia also saw no sense of panic in her team.
“During halftime we just said, ‘Take a deep breath and relax, play our style, and when we do that we’ll score one, then another and so on,’” Coseglia said.
“Our forwards finished our chances, which was the difference from the first half. And we had a lot of good possession. That was a key to scoring.”
Dannhausen-Brun upped her season total to 17 goals with the two finishes. And saving the season for her team was just part of the good news for her.
“It really builds our confidence, and personally I was stuck in a scoring drought for the last couple of games,” she said. “To finally break that, we know we’re back in it, and we’re ready to continue in the playoffs.”
Before Dannhausen-Brun’s heroics, Murphy got the ball rolling in the seventh minute of the second half.
Off an initial cross from Dannhausen-Brun, Sydney Griffin’s shot attempt deflected to Murphy, whose high 15-yarder just inside the right post slashed the deficit in half.
The pressure mounted with 23:26 left, when an apparent goal inside the 6-yard-line by Dannhausen-Brun was nullified by an offside call.
Less than three minutes later, she went the extra mile to finish after a crazy sequence.
Julie Culler’s high-bouncing, 35-yard shot from the right side appeared at first to be heading over the end line wide of the post.
But a skip off the turf wet from heavy first-half rains caused a glance off the crossbar. And as York goalkeeper Ellen Foley rushed to cover the errant ball, Dannhausen-Brun arrived in the crease to body in the rebound with 20:42 left for a 2-2 tie.
“I saw my friend take the shot, and I thought it was going out, and then I saw the chance for a rebound on it,” Dannhausen-Brun said. “I put my body on it and got it in the goal.”
To Hinsdale Central coach Michael Smith, the play epitomized the never-quit second half effort by his team.
“We played with more passion and more fervor,” Smith said. “Everyone played their hardest and played smartly. They kept moving, like on the goal by Emma.
“She put herself in a position to score. She didn’t wait and hope the goalie dropped it. She said, ‘I’m going to go and take this chance.’ And that’s what the game is about. It’s a game of mistakes, and it’s the team that makes the good mistakes that gets on the winning end. And we made some good mistakes in the second half.”
The “good mistakes” just kept getting better for the Red Devils.
On a blocked York clearing attempt with 14:55 left, Emily LaRocque sent a 12-yard shot just over the net.
Then off a steal with 9:42 to go, Dannhausen-Brun took a pass up the middle and lined a 15-yard blast towards the far post that Foley got a hand on but couldn’t stop for the eventual game-winner.
In her first season on varsity, Dannhausen-Brun has been a key finisher.
“I’m just kind of playing my game,” she said. “I’ve been a forward for years, so scoring goals is my job, and I try to do it.”
Smith was especially impressed with her fearlessness in the clutch against York.
“Today’s goals more than anything were putting herself in position to be dangerous,” Smith said. “What I’m excited about with Emma is her upside: this is her first year on varsity. The potential for the future is huge, and Emma doesn’t back down from challenges.
“Today for her was a huge confidence booster. (She said) ‘It wasn’t a back or a midfielder who decided this, I decided it.’ That’s the mindset you have to have as a goal scorer.”
Things appeared to be going from bad to worse for York with 6:50 left, when Kovatchis was hit in the face with a shot and had to leave the game. But she soon returned, and York nearly produced a tying goal with 2:40 to go.
Carys Hund raced in on net with Hinsdale Central defender Erin Smith angling toward her in pursuit. As Smith arrived, Hund set an 8-yard shot just wide of the right post.
Smith was one of many defensive standouts credited by her coach.
“Katy (Coseglia) played much better in the second half - she looked herself in the second half.
“Kaitlyn Livingston our holding mid and senior captain Erin Smith sacrificed, they dove, and they tracked back. Erin on the last one was excellent coming blindly from the weak side. She said, ‘I want to make sure this ends the way we want it to end.’
“And senior Maeve McLaughlin is playing a center mid/attacking mid/center forward, and today I don’t know which one to call her,” Smith added. “She was everywhere. That’s the type of play we need collectively, and we saw it in the second half. She said, ‘This is not going to be my last game.’”
York had two more chances in the final two minutes, but a Lauren Cangelosi block of a Kovatchis shot and drive wide of the left post by York’s Madison Navarro (off a Kovatchis pass with 1:15 left) couldn’t even the score.
After York’s great first half, the wind and Hinsdale Central’s renewed spirit were too much to overcome.
“A few missed reads on the ball in the wind, and unfortunately it cost us,”Dukes coach Donald Vana said. “When we were up two goals it looked like we sat back a little bit, and they came out harder. They came after the ball harder than we did, kind of like what we did in the first half.”
York endured two first half scares: first, Dannhausen-Brun’s 6-yard shot off a Livingston pass went just wide in the seventh minute of the game. Then Foley came way out of the net to nicely block a 20-yard Griffin shot with 17:55 left in the half.
Other than those chances, the Lady Dukes were in control -- and soon in the lead.
With 14:49 left in the first half, Kovatchis played the wind perfectly as she lined a 23-yard shot upper right just under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead.
Then off a well-struck 55-yard free kick by Annalisa Lappo 8:19 before halftime, the ball took a high bounce to Kovatchis racing in. Her 12-yard drive into the net made it 2-0.
“Alyssa amazes me every time,” Vana said. “Two big goals today, one Saturday (in a regional final win over Downers North).
“Every time there’s a big goal needed, Alyssa seems to be the one that gets it. York will definitely miss her and the creative goals she’s scored in her career.”
For a team without three injured starters, Kovatchis’ finishes provided big hopes.
“In the first half we were going a little with the wind so that was helpful,” Kovatchis said. “I just knew we had to come out strong and set a good base. I thought that would hold up, but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way.”
But it was an impressive finale to a great season and career for Kovatchis who starred offensively (19 goals and 18 assists) for a team plagued by injuries.
“At one point we had seven starters out,” she said. “It was a tough battle, but we got this far. It was a good season.”
Kovatchis’ sister Jamie missed the entire season with a knee injury, and three other key York players were also out with injuries Tuesday.
“Jessica Bianchi, Kayla Kenny and Ffyon Hund,” Vana said. “That’s three girls that start or earn significant time.”
Smith praised York’s great effort in turning adversity into a great sectional semifinal battle.
“I know they have some injuries, but they’re a quality side,” he said. “Don Vana does a great job of getting them organized. What they did to us in the first half hadn’t been done in a long while. That speaks to me of his level of preparedness, and his players buying in. I have great respect for Don.”
Smith’s Hinsdale Central players continue to earn his respect as well.
“The seniors could have put their heads down and looked towards graduation on Thursday,” Smith said. “But the seniors were the ones who fought and led, and everyone else said ‘I’ll do that too.’ Fortunately for us, positives came from that.”
The Red Devil halftime was all business, with no dwelling on mistakes.
“He (Smith) always focuses on the positives,” Dannhausen-Brun said, “so he talked about what we did well in the half. He talked about double-teaming them and keeping up the pressure, and to work on our runs a little bit up top and improve our defense.
“It’s definitely one of our more dramatic games, coming back from being down 2-0 at the half,” she added. “It’s kind of building the excitement and showing that we’re going to keep seeing these kind of competitive teams in the playoffs. We have to be ready.”
Being fired up and ready for Friday won’t be hard. The Red Devils beat Lyons Township on penalty kicks May 7, and expect another battle.
“It’s always fun with Hinsdale Central and Lyons Township in any competition,” Smith said. “It’ll be lively, and at the same time (Lyons coach) Bill Lanspeary will get them ready to compete, and he knows we’ll be ready. That assures it will be a top notch match.”
The Red Devils enter with big respect for the Lions, but also confidence.
“They’re a great team, but we’ll treat them like any other team,” Coseglia said. “We’ll try to come out strong and hard.”
Coming off her memorable sectional debut, Dannhausen-Brun hopes the Red Devils can take better advantage of scoring chances than in the first Lyons showdown.
“Last time we took it all the way to two overtimes and PKs, so we want to put this one away in the first 80 minutes,” she said. “We had a bunch of shots but didn’t finish our chances, but I think we’ve got that down and we’re ready for Friday.”
Starting lineups
York
GK: Ellen Foley
D: Annalisa Lupo
D: Abby Horn
D: Juliana Salzano
D: Jenna Dvorak
M: Emily Whitcomb
M: Jenna Lundgren
M: Madison Navarro
M: Madison Casey
F: Alyssa Kovatchis
F: Carys Hund
Hinsdale Central
GK: Katy Coseglia
D: Erin Smith
D: Lizzy Nelson
D: Lauren Cangelosi
D: Katie Murphy
M: Abby Cole
M: Maeve McLaughlin
M: Julie Culler
M: Kaitlyn Livingston
F: Emma Dannhausen-Brun
F: Kate Shroyer
MVP of the Match: Emma Dannhausen-Brun, F, Hinsdale Central