Mazurek powers charging
Conant past Prospect
Soph forward tallies twice for Cougars in 5-0 rout
By Ken Keenan
MOUNT PROSPECT -- Powered by two goals and two assists from sophomore
forward Emily Mazurek, Conant continued its stellar start to the 2015
season with a 5-0 rout of host Prospect in Mid-Suburban League
crossover play Wednesday night.
After respectively setting up tallies by senior forward Sidney
O'Keeffe and junior midfielder Rachel Raymer for a 2-0 lead midway
through the first half, Mazurek gave the Cougars (3-0-0) a 3-0
halftime lead with a nifty shot from in close. Mazurek -- Chicagoland
Soccer's MVP of the Match -- made it 4-0 on a partial breakaway in the
50th minute, and freshman forward Kaylin Feeley concluded the scoring
with 17:31 remaining.
Mazurek also filled the score sheet with a goal and an assist in
Conant's season-opening win over Crystal Lake South on March 16.
"We know Emily can play -- she's fast, powerful and dangerous," said
Cougars head coach Jason Franco. "It's good to see her get on the
goal-scoring train."
Meanwhile, Prospect fell to 0-3-0. The Knights have allowed 17 goals
in their first three matches.
"We have to be better technically and connect on our passes," said
longtime Prospect coach Tom Froats. "We have to get better and
minimize mistakes. Good teams will punish you for critical errors. But
I'm proud of the group. We could have easily settled, but it speaks to
the heart and character of our girls that we maintained effort
throughout the match.
"Conant is one of the elite programs around. We're not quite there --
we have to work harder to get better."
In turn, Franco praised Froats and Co. for not throwing in the
proverbial towel despite facing a 3-0 deficit at the break.
"Give credit to Prospect for battling hard," Franco said. "If they
make it 3-1, that gives them fuel to build off it. But we were able to
get that fourth goal, and a 5-0 win over a conference team is a good
result."
Knights junior midfielder-forward Martina Kowalczuk ignored the score
all night long, fighting for loose balls and flying down the wings
whenever she gained possession. Kowalczuk worked hard to set up
sophomore midfielder Amy Novak for a shot on Conant senior keeper
Haley Anderson with 28:30 to go in the first half, and then fired wide
from in close three minutes later. In the 25th minute, Kowalczuk was
thwarted by Anderson, who aggressively drifted out to cut down the
angle.
With her team down 5-0 in the final two minutes, Kowalczuk flew down
the right side for a good 30 yards before firing wide right.
"Martina is a leader -- by example," Froats said. "She has a
never-ending work ethic and a desire to be successful. She never takes
a play off, and frequently creates chances."
Kowalczuk said, "For me, do you want to lose 5-0 or 5-2? If you keep
going, you'll know you tried your hardest. So you have to show you
don't want to give up. But the problem we're having is communicating
and connecting with one another. We were getting caught on our feet in
the first half, but in the second half I thought we were better."
Added Froats, "Communication makes everybody better. You have to back
each other up and get the job done collectively."
The Cougars took advantage of a strong wind at their backs in the
opening session, chasing down long passes and speeding past the
Knights' defense for several good chances.
"We were connecting the ball well," Mazurek said. "We've recently been doing a lot of drills where the defense gets it up to us.The wind was a help (Wednesday night). When the ball bounced over (Prospect), we got to it."
The Knights sophomore goalkeeper Paige Thiel kept Prospect in it early on, denying a 15-yard blast by Mazurek in the second minute and then turning away another Mazurek
attempt -- and the ensuing rebound -- two minutes later.
Thiel's best save came with 26:55 to go in the first half, as she
stretched out and dove to rob O'Keeffe. Less than a minute later,
Thiel stopped a 20-yard shot by senior forward Leah Celarek, who
scored a goal in each of the Cougars' first two matches this year.
But the constant Conant push finally paid off when O'Keeffe opened the
scoring by taking a feed from Mazurek and popped in a soft floater in
the 16th minute. Raymer's goal, from an angle on the left side, came
five minutes later.
Mazurek's first goal was a thing of beauty, as she grabbed a pass from
freshman midfielder Elizabeth Dolce, pulled Thiel out of position with
a right-footed deke and slid the ball into the cage with her left
foot. Junior midfielder Marisa Dizonno assisted on Mazurek's second
tally, which came on a tap-in to finish off a partial breakaway.
Junior midfielder Gianna Angiulo assisted on Feeley's goal, which
found the top of the net via a hard, rising shot.
"We're very excited so far -- it's a good, positive start to our
season," said Conant senior defender Katie Lomaz, a standout in her
own end from start to finish. "We're happy, but there's room for
improvement."
Starting lineups
Conant
G: Haley Anderson
D: Katie Tokarz
D: Brie Murphy
D: Katie Lomaz
M: Zoe Shoro
M: Marissa Dizonno
M: Miranda Glennon
M: Rachel Raymer
F: Leah Celarek
F: Emily Mazurek
F: Sidney O'Keeffe
Prospect
G: Paige Thiel
D: Natalie Marfilius
D: Grace Johannesen
D: Grace Taldone
D: Jenna Leane
M: Maggie Sullivan
M: Andi Marfilius
M: Michelle Hanning
F: Taylor Sliwa
F: Martina Kowalczuk
F: Kathryn Szukalla
MVP of the Match: Emily Mazurek, F, Conant
Officials: Art Arustamyan, Michael Wojtan, Mariusz Folta
Conant past Prospect
Soph forward tallies twice for Cougars in 5-0 rout
By Ken Keenan
MOUNT PROSPECT -- Powered by two goals and two assists from sophomore
forward Emily Mazurek, Conant continued its stellar start to the 2015
season with a 5-0 rout of host Prospect in Mid-Suburban League
crossover play Wednesday night.
After respectively setting up tallies by senior forward Sidney
O'Keeffe and junior midfielder Rachel Raymer for a 2-0 lead midway
through the first half, Mazurek gave the Cougars (3-0-0) a 3-0
halftime lead with a nifty shot from in close. Mazurek -- Chicagoland
Soccer's MVP of the Match -- made it 4-0 on a partial breakaway in the
50th minute, and freshman forward Kaylin Feeley concluded the scoring
with 17:31 remaining.
Mazurek also filled the score sheet with a goal and an assist in
Conant's season-opening win over Crystal Lake South on March 16.
"We know Emily can play -- she's fast, powerful and dangerous," said
Cougars head coach Jason Franco. "It's good to see her get on the
goal-scoring train."
Meanwhile, Prospect fell to 0-3-0. The Knights have allowed 17 goals
in their first three matches.
"We have to be better technically and connect on our passes," said
longtime Prospect coach Tom Froats. "We have to get better and
minimize mistakes. Good teams will punish you for critical errors. But
I'm proud of the group. We could have easily settled, but it speaks to
the heart and character of our girls that we maintained effort
throughout the match.
"Conant is one of the elite programs around. We're not quite there --
we have to work harder to get better."
In turn, Franco praised Froats and Co. for not throwing in the
proverbial towel despite facing a 3-0 deficit at the break.
"Give credit to Prospect for battling hard," Franco said. "If they
make it 3-1, that gives them fuel to build off it. But we were able to
get that fourth goal, and a 5-0 win over a conference team is a good
result."
Knights junior midfielder-forward Martina Kowalczuk ignored the score
all night long, fighting for loose balls and flying down the wings
whenever she gained possession. Kowalczuk worked hard to set up
sophomore midfielder Amy Novak for a shot on Conant senior keeper
Haley Anderson with 28:30 to go in the first half, and then fired wide
from in close three minutes later. In the 25th minute, Kowalczuk was
thwarted by Anderson, who aggressively drifted out to cut down the
angle.
With her team down 5-0 in the final two minutes, Kowalczuk flew down
the right side for a good 30 yards before firing wide right.
"Martina is a leader -- by example," Froats said. "She has a
never-ending work ethic and a desire to be successful. She never takes
a play off, and frequently creates chances."
Kowalczuk said, "For me, do you want to lose 5-0 or 5-2? If you keep
going, you'll know you tried your hardest. So you have to show you
don't want to give up. But the problem we're having is communicating
and connecting with one another. We were getting caught on our feet in
the first half, but in the second half I thought we were better."
Added Froats, "Communication makes everybody better. You have to back
each other up and get the job done collectively."
The Cougars took advantage of a strong wind at their backs in the
opening session, chasing down long passes and speeding past the
Knights' defense for several good chances.
"We were connecting the ball well," Mazurek said. "We've recently been doing a lot of drills where the defense gets it up to us.The wind was a help (Wednesday night). When the ball bounced over (Prospect), we got to it."
The Knights sophomore goalkeeper Paige Thiel kept Prospect in it early on, denying a 15-yard blast by Mazurek in the second minute and then turning away another Mazurek
attempt -- and the ensuing rebound -- two minutes later.
Thiel's best save came with 26:55 to go in the first half, as she
stretched out and dove to rob O'Keeffe. Less than a minute later,
Thiel stopped a 20-yard shot by senior forward Leah Celarek, who
scored a goal in each of the Cougars' first two matches this year.
But the constant Conant push finally paid off when O'Keeffe opened the
scoring by taking a feed from Mazurek and popped in a soft floater in
the 16th minute. Raymer's goal, from an angle on the left side, came
five minutes later.
Mazurek's first goal was a thing of beauty, as she grabbed a pass from
freshman midfielder Elizabeth Dolce, pulled Thiel out of position with
a right-footed deke and slid the ball into the cage with her left
foot. Junior midfielder Marisa Dizonno assisted on Mazurek's second
tally, which came on a tap-in to finish off a partial breakaway.
Junior midfielder Gianna Angiulo assisted on Feeley's goal, which
found the top of the net via a hard, rising shot.
"We're very excited so far -- it's a good, positive start to our
season," said Conant senior defender Katie Lomaz, a standout in her
own end from start to finish. "We're happy, but there's room for
improvement."
Starting lineups
Conant
G: Haley Anderson
D: Katie Tokarz
D: Brie Murphy
D: Katie Lomaz
M: Zoe Shoro
M: Marissa Dizonno
M: Miranda Glennon
M: Rachel Raymer
F: Leah Celarek
F: Emily Mazurek
F: Sidney O'Keeffe
Prospect
G: Paige Thiel
D: Natalie Marfilius
D: Grace Johannesen
D: Grace Taldone
D: Jenna Leane
M: Maggie Sullivan
M: Andi Marfilius
M: Michelle Hanning
F: Taylor Sliwa
F: Martina Kowalczuk
F: Kathryn Szukalla
MVP of the Match: Emily Mazurek, F, Conant
Officials: Art Arustamyan, Michael Wojtan, Mariusz Folta