St. Charles North finds way
to win against Vernon Hills
North Stars recover after letting Cougars back in match
By Rusty Silber
SCHAUMBURG -- Finding a way to get past the opening round of the PepsiCo Showdown was the goal for St. Charles North coming into Saturday afternoon's match.
Fabulous freshman Hailey Rydberg ensured that their aim would be realized in the final minute. Her amazing goal over the Vernon Hills keeper and under the crossbar gave the fifth-seeded St. Charles North a 3-2 victory over the unseeded Cougars.
It also put the North Stars (4-1-1) into the Round of 16, where they'll host No. 12 Lake Forest (5-1) on Tuesday night.
With the match deadlocked at 2-2, St. Charles North pushinged forward in the final minute against Vernon Hills keeper Sydney Resnick.
Claire Barresi got control of the ball and sent it up top. That's where Rydberg took control and found the back of the net for the game-winning goal in the final 30 seconds.
"We just kept pushing, and I heard everyone on the sideline," said Rydberg, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match. "I just got a pass back, and I was able to get a shot. I just faked one way, thought I could shoot it and go for it. It was a pretty goal to get."
At the start of the match, St. Charles North had plenty of control after scoring twice in the first eight minutes for a two-goal advantage.
Hanna Durocher scored both of the North Stars' early goals. She tallied in the second minute off an assist from Madison Kaufmann. She followed up six minutes later off a pass from Lizzi Parrelli.
The adage that a two-goal lead is never safe came into play when the North Stars failed to add to their lead and let Vernon Hills (2-5) back into the match.
"I don't think we played great overall," St, Charles North coach Ruth Vostal said. "There were some nice moments that we had some sequences of attacking.
"But overall we were just off. Our runs and timing were just off. We got two nice goals and just let up. We had a problem getting started again. When you get up two goals, you have to learn how to finish that off. It was great that we found a way to win at the end."
Vernon Hills bounced back off a set piece that produced an Amy Andrea goal from up top in the 30th minute. Then, three minutes later, Kelly Hull was on the spot to score off a rebound that tied the game at 2-2.
"Our goal was to come out here against a good team," said Vernon Hills coach Vince DeLuca, whose team has lost several tough games this week. "It was against a good team that's seeded higher than us. We wanted to come out here and play well. We weren't worried about winning or losing. We wanted to put together a nice game."
Vernon Hills battled toe-to-toe with St. Charles North in the second half. The Cougars had the benefit of the wind at their backs, and a few shots could have gone in for them.
"All the credit goes to the girls, being down two goals and fighting back. Then we had a chance to score in the second half," DeLuca said. "(St. Charles North) goalkeeper (Shelby Stitz) made some nice saves, and our keeper also made some nice saves."
In the long run, this was a game that St. Charles North can learn from for future matches.
'We were fortunate to find a way," Vostal said. "Good teams find a way. We didn't play great, and we didn't play perfect. We found a way to finish this one.
"(Vernon Hills) did a good job staying tight on their marks, and they would also follow the runners through. There weren't any opportunities that we had, or open chances.
"On our side, our speed of play wasn't as quick, as it usually was. With the field being so narrow both teams had a hard time getting a flow going. Not our best game, but we found a way to score three good goals."
Starting lineups
Vernon Hills
GK-Sydney Resnick
D-Rebecca Bahlmann
D-Monica Bahlmann
D-Samantha Biede
D-Ashley Favia
MF-Amy Andrea
MF-Kaitlyn Burrows
MF-Maddison Guillaume
MF-Kaitlin Gramins
F-Kristan Guglielmi
F-Haley Lieberman
St. Charles North
GK-Shelby Stitz
D-Sarah Farr
D-Claire Barresi
D-Lauren Neslund
D-Lauren Willis
MF-Lizzie Pirrilli
MF-Morgan Rerko
MF-Hailey Rydberg
MF-Madison Kaufmann
F-Hanna Durocher
F-Gia Wahlberg
MVP of the Match: Hailey Rydberg, MF, St. Charles North
to win against Vernon Hills
North Stars recover after letting Cougars back in match
By Rusty Silber
SCHAUMBURG -- Finding a way to get past the opening round of the PepsiCo Showdown was the goal for St. Charles North coming into Saturday afternoon's match.
Fabulous freshman Hailey Rydberg ensured that their aim would be realized in the final minute. Her amazing goal over the Vernon Hills keeper and under the crossbar gave the fifth-seeded St. Charles North a 3-2 victory over the unseeded Cougars.
It also put the North Stars (4-1-1) into the Round of 16, where they'll host No. 12 Lake Forest (5-1) on Tuesday night.
With the match deadlocked at 2-2, St. Charles North pushinged forward in the final minute against Vernon Hills keeper Sydney Resnick.
Claire Barresi got control of the ball and sent it up top. That's where Rydberg took control and found the back of the net for the game-winning goal in the final 30 seconds.
"We just kept pushing, and I heard everyone on the sideline," said Rydberg, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match. "I just got a pass back, and I was able to get a shot. I just faked one way, thought I could shoot it and go for it. It was a pretty goal to get."
At the start of the match, St. Charles North had plenty of control after scoring twice in the first eight minutes for a two-goal advantage.
Hanna Durocher scored both of the North Stars' early goals. She tallied in the second minute off an assist from Madison Kaufmann. She followed up six minutes later off a pass from Lizzi Parrelli.
The adage that a two-goal lead is never safe came into play when the North Stars failed to add to their lead and let Vernon Hills (2-5) back into the match.
"I don't think we played great overall," St, Charles North coach Ruth Vostal said. "There were some nice moments that we had some sequences of attacking.
"But overall we were just off. Our runs and timing were just off. We got two nice goals and just let up. We had a problem getting started again. When you get up two goals, you have to learn how to finish that off. It was great that we found a way to win at the end."
Vernon Hills bounced back off a set piece that produced an Amy Andrea goal from up top in the 30th minute. Then, three minutes later, Kelly Hull was on the spot to score off a rebound that tied the game at 2-2.
"Our goal was to come out here against a good team," said Vernon Hills coach Vince DeLuca, whose team has lost several tough games this week. "It was against a good team that's seeded higher than us. We wanted to come out here and play well. We weren't worried about winning or losing. We wanted to put together a nice game."
Vernon Hills battled toe-to-toe with St. Charles North in the second half. The Cougars had the benefit of the wind at their backs, and a few shots could have gone in for them.
"All the credit goes to the girls, being down two goals and fighting back. Then we had a chance to score in the second half," DeLuca said. "(St. Charles North) goalkeeper (Shelby Stitz) made some nice saves, and our keeper also made some nice saves."
In the long run, this was a game that St. Charles North can learn from for future matches.
'We were fortunate to find a way," Vostal said. "Good teams find a way. We didn't play great, and we didn't play perfect. We found a way to finish this one.
"(Vernon Hills) did a good job staying tight on their marks, and they would also follow the runners through. There weren't any opportunities that we had, or open chances.
"On our side, our speed of play wasn't as quick, as it usually was. With the field being so narrow both teams had a hard time getting a flow going. Not our best game, but we found a way to score three good goals."
Starting lineups
Vernon Hills
GK-Sydney Resnick
D-Rebecca Bahlmann
D-Monica Bahlmann
D-Samantha Biede
D-Ashley Favia
MF-Amy Andrea
MF-Kaitlyn Burrows
MF-Maddison Guillaume
MF-Kaitlin Gramins
F-Kristan Guglielmi
F-Haley Lieberman
St. Charles North
GK-Shelby Stitz
D-Sarah Farr
D-Claire Barresi
D-Lauren Neslund
D-Lauren Willis
MF-Lizzie Pirrilli
MF-Morgan Rerko
MF-Hailey Rydberg
MF-Madison Kaufmann
F-Hanna Durocher
F-Gia Wahlberg
MVP of the Match: Hailey Rydberg, MF, St. Charles North