Fremd and Hersey battle to scoreless draw
Double-overtime match produces back-and-forth thriller
By Ken Keenan
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS -- A thrilling Mid-Suburban League match between
Fremd and host Hersey on Monday night ended up right where it started,
with the two teams slugging it out to the tune of a 0-0 draw in double
overtime.
Hersey controlled play in the first 20 minutes or so, but the
visiting Vikings picked up the pace from there, earning more possession time
for the rest of the first half and well into the second.
A thrilling pair of 10-minute overtime sessions featured solid scoring chances on both
sides of the ball. Hersey almost broke through on a shot by
sophomore forward Grace Kozurek that was smothered at the goal line by
Fremd sophomore goalkeeper Kelsie Stone with 2:50 left in the second extra session.
"It was exciting," said Hersey sophomore keeper Claire Gritt.
"Everyone was going 100 percent ... going all out back and forth. They
had (the ball), then we would keep it. I thought both teams played
really strong. And that happens sometimes where it doesn't go in the
goal for either team."
Fremd senior defender Annika Morin, who was in the middle of the
action for much of the game, said, "Both teams played with a high
sense of urgency, especially in overtime. At that point, fatigue can
play into it. You can focus on scoring -- and maybe not focus on the
other team scoring."
The Vikings nearly scored in the 29th minute. Shortly after Hersey
sophomore forward Gina Miklasz ran out of room on the left side of
Stone's cage, Fremd junior midfielder Kellie Halloran rattled a shot
off the crossbar at the other end of the field. In turn, Hersey
sophomore midfielder Kelly Weyhrich's close-range shot from the left
side squirted just past the far post with 15:40 remaining in
regulation.
In the waning seconds of the second half, Fremd senior forward Jessica
Kopec -- Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match -- was foiled on
consecutive chances in close; she then secured a Huskies' free kick and
sprinted toward the net as the horn sounded.
Kopec also set up senior midfielder Katie Zara for a high blast that Gritt tipped away with a reaching save in the 50th minute. She followed that 20 seconds later
with a free kick that sailed high and wide.
"(Kopec) impacted the second half and overtime," said Fremd coach Steve Keller, whose crew left the match with a 4-4-1 overall record (4-2-1 in MSL play). "She's a very skillful and smart player."
After watching Hersey control the early going, Kopec said the Vikings
"figured out the way we needed to play. It was the aggression of the
whole team. We kept pushing and opened up the (Hersey) defense."
Morin agreed that her team's collective aggressiveness was the key to
keeping the ball on Hersey's side of the midfield stripe for large
chunks of time after the slow start.
"We were able to win the ball in the back quickly to keep possession
more," she said. "We definitely wanted to win the game."
Hersey senior Kayla Knauss, a defensive stalwart throughout
the tooth-and-nail affair, said the turnaround in possession time was
a result of the Huskies "not stepping to the ball, and (Fremd was)
beating us to 50-50s. But it was definitely back and forth the entire
time."
Keller said the Vikings' surge was due to his team "having a little
bit more movement off the ball and finding feet to put (Hersey) on the
defensive a little bit. It was a game we could have won. We created a
a few more opportunities, but you have to make them count."
The Huskies, who departed with a 9-4-1 overall mark (5-0-1 in league
action) after competing in their sixth match in seven days, were
looking to cement a 'W' as well. Hersey skipper Darren Lewellyn said
his squad began to counter Fremd's aggressive play by changing its
approach.
"We were trying short passes, but (the Vikings) were attacking, so we
went from skipping midfield and having the defense pass right to the
forwards to get behind 'em," he said. "All the games we played in a
row, it wears on you. And then I was excited at the end. The girls got
the fire in the end and the OT."
The home team's share of chances included a free kick from 20 yards
out by senior middie Abby Wendell that Stone punched over the crossbar
in the 53rd minute, followed up by a Wendell shot on goal after a
Hersey corner kick. Late in the first OT, a Miklasz chip shot nipped
the post as Stone tumbled in the box. Soon after Wendell sent a
corner kick to Knauss, who headed the ball over the bar.
"It was so exciting for a 0-0 game -- one inch, either way," Llewellyn
said. "We had our chances to win and so did they. It was just a great
game, and I'm happy we at least got the tie."
Kopec said was pleased to see the Vikings "fight to the end. It's
disappointing not to get the win, but it was a move in a positive
direction for us."
Starting lineups
Fremd
G: Kelsie Stone
D: Liz Flavin
D: Annika Morin
D: Sarah Marturano
D: Reilly Siepka
M: Danielle Money
M: Kellie Halloran
M: Emily Rogers
M: Kate Zara
F: Jessica Kopec
F: Sarah Aftelak
Hersey
G: Claire Gritt
D: Carly Cooper
D: Kayla Knauss
D: Annie Korff
D: Susan Lindstrom
M: Emma Slosar
M: Kelly Weyhrich
M: Abby Wendell
F: Grace Kozurek
F: Sara Magnuson
F: Jessica Schmidt
MVP of the Match: Jessica Kopec, F, Fremd
Officials: Nikola Aleksic, Gary Jorian, Bill Niemeyer
Double-overtime match produces back-and-forth thriller
By Ken Keenan
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS -- A thrilling Mid-Suburban League match between
Fremd and host Hersey on Monday night ended up right where it started,
with the two teams slugging it out to the tune of a 0-0 draw in double
overtime.
Hersey controlled play in the first 20 minutes or so, but the
visiting Vikings picked up the pace from there, earning more possession time
for the rest of the first half and well into the second.
A thrilling pair of 10-minute overtime sessions featured solid scoring chances on both
sides of the ball. Hersey almost broke through on a shot by
sophomore forward Grace Kozurek that was smothered at the goal line by
Fremd sophomore goalkeeper Kelsie Stone with 2:50 left in the second extra session.
"It was exciting," said Hersey sophomore keeper Claire Gritt.
"Everyone was going 100 percent ... going all out back and forth. They
had (the ball), then we would keep it. I thought both teams played
really strong. And that happens sometimes where it doesn't go in the
goal for either team."
Fremd senior defender Annika Morin, who was in the middle of the
action for much of the game, said, "Both teams played with a high
sense of urgency, especially in overtime. At that point, fatigue can
play into it. You can focus on scoring -- and maybe not focus on the
other team scoring."
The Vikings nearly scored in the 29th minute. Shortly after Hersey
sophomore forward Gina Miklasz ran out of room on the left side of
Stone's cage, Fremd junior midfielder Kellie Halloran rattled a shot
off the crossbar at the other end of the field. In turn, Hersey
sophomore midfielder Kelly Weyhrich's close-range shot from the left
side squirted just past the far post with 15:40 remaining in
regulation.
In the waning seconds of the second half, Fremd senior forward Jessica
Kopec -- Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match -- was foiled on
consecutive chances in close; she then secured a Huskies' free kick and
sprinted toward the net as the horn sounded.
Kopec also set up senior midfielder Katie Zara for a high blast that Gritt tipped away with a reaching save in the 50th minute. She followed that 20 seconds later
with a free kick that sailed high and wide.
"(Kopec) impacted the second half and overtime," said Fremd coach Steve Keller, whose crew left the match with a 4-4-1 overall record (4-2-1 in MSL play). "She's a very skillful and smart player."
After watching Hersey control the early going, Kopec said the Vikings
"figured out the way we needed to play. It was the aggression of the
whole team. We kept pushing and opened up the (Hersey) defense."
Morin agreed that her team's collective aggressiveness was the key to
keeping the ball on Hersey's side of the midfield stripe for large
chunks of time after the slow start.
"We were able to win the ball in the back quickly to keep possession
more," she said. "We definitely wanted to win the game."
Hersey senior Kayla Knauss, a defensive stalwart throughout
the tooth-and-nail affair, said the turnaround in possession time was
a result of the Huskies "not stepping to the ball, and (Fremd was)
beating us to 50-50s. But it was definitely back and forth the entire
time."
Keller said the Vikings' surge was due to his team "having a little
bit more movement off the ball and finding feet to put (Hersey) on the
defensive a little bit. It was a game we could have won. We created a
a few more opportunities, but you have to make them count."
The Huskies, who departed with a 9-4-1 overall mark (5-0-1 in league
action) after competing in their sixth match in seven days, were
looking to cement a 'W' as well. Hersey skipper Darren Lewellyn said
his squad began to counter Fremd's aggressive play by changing its
approach.
"We were trying short passes, but (the Vikings) were attacking, so we
went from skipping midfield and having the defense pass right to the
forwards to get behind 'em," he said. "All the games we played in a
row, it wears on you. And then I was excited at the end. The girls got
the fire in the end and the OT."
The home team's share of chances included a free kick from 20 yards
out by senior middie Abby Wendell that Stone punched over the crossbar
in the 53rd minute, followed up by a Wendell shot on goal after a
Hersey corner kick. Late in the first OT, a Miklasz chip shot nipped
the post as Stone tumbled in the box. Soon after Wendell sent a
corner kick to Knauss, who headed the ball over the bar.
"It was so exciting for a 0-0 game -- one inch, either way," Llewellyn
said. "We had our chances to win and so did they. It was just a great
game, and I'm happy we at least got the tie."
Kopec said was pleased to see the Vikings "fight to the end. It's
disappointing not to get the win, but it was a move in a positive
direction for us."
Starting lineups
Fremd
G: Kelsie Stone
D: Liz Flavin
D: Annika Morin
D: Sarah Marturano
D: Reilly Siepka
M: Danielle Money
M: Kellie Halloran
M: Emily Rogers
M: Kate Zara
F: Jessica Kopec
F: Sarah Aftelak
Hersey
G: Claire Gritt
D: Carly Cooper
D: Kayla Knauss
D: Annie Korff
D: Susan Lindstrom
M: Emma Slosar
M: Kelly Weyhrich
M: Abby Wendell
F: Grace Kozurek
F: Sara Magnuson
F: Jessica Schmidt
MVP of the Match: Jessica Kopec, F, Fremd
Officials: Nikola Aleksic, Gary Jorian, Bill Niemeyer