Well-tuned West Chicago overruns Bartlett
Kirkwood shares wealth for Wildcats against young Hawks
By Dave Owen
SOUTH ELGIN -- Lousy weather had one big benefit for West Chicago.
Great practices.
With games snowed out Monday and Tuesday, the Wildcats (2-3) refined their play and returned to play Wednesday in style. The result: a 4-0 win over Bartlett (1-2) to improve to 2-0 in South Elgin tournament play.
“Yesterday we figured out what we need to do in practice, and we brought the same intensity in the game,” West Chicago coach J. Cesar Gomez said. “That’s what we ask of them, and they delivered it today.”
Feeding off Kayla Kirkwood’s strong dribble drives and passes to open teammates, the Wildcats jumped to a 2-0 lead just over 15 minutes in and never cooled off in 35-degree conditions.
“We have possessions always (this season), but we didn’t have the hunger to go get the goal before,” Gomez said. “Today it showed us that this can be our standard now for every game.”
Regularly drawing two or more defenders and then passing to open teammates, Kirkwood had three assists en route to Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match honors.
“Since we had two games canceled, we worked a lot in practice,” Kirkwood said. “We were trying to find ourselves and the way we play possession, moving the ball.
“We just had to turn things up a notch, fix a couple of things and I think we really fixed that today. We really found ourselves out there, and now that we know what we have to do out there it’s going to be a lot easier to come out here and play like we can play.”
The Wildcats set the tone just 55 seconds in. Off a Kirkwood cross, Alli Oglanian’s 12-yard straight on shot was denied on a great save by Bartlett goalkeeper Nykia Wetterman.
“We should have scored in the first minute and it didn’t happen, but we’re very persistent now,” Gomez said. “We’re looking to score early and pressure teams.”
That pressure paid off un unlikely fashion for a 1-0 lead six minutes in. Kirkwood’s throw-in somehow skipped across the box to an open Jasmine Mendoza, whose 6-yard putaway inside the left post gave her team the lead for good.
Great teamwork made it 2-0 with 24:23 left until halftime. Mendoza’s midfield steal sprung Kirkwood in on goal. Dribbling between two defenders, Kirkwood sent a pass to a wide-open Oglanian for a 15-yard drive inside the left post.
The lead grew to 3-0 witth 7:51 to go in the half, when Kirkwood’s nice touch pass found Katie Reitz open on left wing. Reitz dribbled around charging goalkeeper Wetterman and chipped a 15-yard angle shot inside the right post.
“My job is pretty much turning when I can turn or passing the ball,” Kirkwood said, “and making runs or getting into open space and attacking whenever I can, to be honest. I think that really helps the team a lot, because our thing is possession. When I do that it creates a lot of space for us and a lot of counterattacks. It really worked out today.”
Shut out in their first two games of 2015, the Wildcats have struck for 11 goals in their last three contests. Kirkwood’s willingness to pass when double- or triple-teamed instead of shooting has been a big difference.
“We finally convinced Kayla that she can’t take on 11 (opponents),” Gomez said. “Today we had her spreading the ball to someone else and then getting the second ball. The rest of the team has to pay attention to her. Somebody’s open somewhere and we just have to figure that out.
“We’re very pleased with what she did today. We can’t ask too much more out of her. We don’t want her being frustrated. We want her active and adding to what we’re trying to do.”
Kirkwood’s unselfishness and great finishes by her teammates were a tough combination for Bartlett.
“Kayla’s a really good player,” Hawks coach Ben Beary said. “We had a pretty good idea of what West Chicago wanted to do and how they play. They possess out of the back and move it up the flanks. Even knowing that, they were still able to do that to us. Hats off to them. They played a really good game.
“We have a lot to learn,” Beary added. “Last year we got better all season, and these are early season opportunities to improve.”
West Chicago made it 4-0 with 32:06 left in the match on a great hustle play by Alexa Vega. After making an initial pass to Kimmy Diaz on left wing, Vega followed Diaz up the left side, corralled a loose ball and lined an 18-yard shot under the crossbar to close the night’s scoring.
“As a midfielder, I played up my whole life, so that’s what I’ve been doing: crossing, back, receive it and maybe take one or two (steps) and shoot,” Vega said. “That’s what I’ve been doing since I was little.
“We started working more as a team and communicating more, more than before. Before some players were scared to talk to one another because we were scared of what we’d say. Yesterday’s practice was really intense, and today we worked together well and communicated more. That led to this win because as we talk more, we know what’s going on around us.”
Reitz’s chip to the far post off a Kirkwood pass in the 27th minute of play just missed connection on another great West Chicago chance. But Bartlett also had its opportunities.
The best came off a Mariela Alba corner kick with 30:40 to play.
Goalkeeper Emma Gaggioli batted down the initial Alba attempt. Then defender Jessie Maldonado made a great block of Melissa Gal’s point blank rebound attempt. The wild sequence ended with Gaggioli’s nice catch save of Carrigan Sablik’s open 12-yarder from left of the net.
Sablik later sent a shot just wide of the right post, and with 2:30 left, a hand ball set up a strong Alba 25-yard direct kick that was cleared by Maddie Aguilera to end the last threat to West Chicago’s first shutout of the season.
The Wildcats’ offensive aggressiveness was the tale of the game.
“I feel like they just attacked us very well,” Alba said. “It was hard for us to keep the ball, and we panicked a little bit. It was new to some of our girls too, the high pressure and intensity. You have to get used to that.
“We need to make sure we keep the ball and don’t panic, and that our passes are solid on combination runs, as in give-and-gos and who runs where.”
With four freshmen up on varsity, Bartlett is still looking to gain both experience and strength.
“We’re not physical enough,” Beary said. “We have freshmen and sophomores who have to learn how to play at the varsity level.
“We saw it against Oswego too (in a 4-1 loss). They brought it to us and West Chicago brought it to us. If you’re just standing there waiting for the ball and not prepared to fight for it, you have 11 girls on the other team willing to run you over to get it.
“If we don’t have that mentality, we’re going to lose a lot of matches. But it’s early in the season and a good opportunity. We have to get tougher -- that’s the biggest thing.”
Alba has been a March standout with both Bartlett goals this season.
“Just getting the ball to my feet I feel is the key because I’m not a very fast player but I’m good with my feet,” Alba said. “Just play me a ball and I’ll play it back and we can just do one-two combinations.”
The junior is confident of the Hawks’ future.
“We’ve been a young team,” Alba said. “Last year we only had two seniors so it’s not like anything new. We have a good group of girls here that bring a lot to the table.”
As for West Chicago, confidence hit new levels after Wednesday’s great performance.
“This is just going to make us better and make us stronger physical and mental wise,” Kirkwood said. “I hope we can make it far in the playoffs because that’s one thing we’ve never been able to do. I hope this year we can finally accomplish that.”
Starting lineups
West Chicago
GK- Emma Gaggioli
D- Marli Welch
D- Kimmy Diaz
D- Jessie Maldonado
D- Vicky Cantu
MF- Alexa Vega
MF- Maddie Aguilera
MF- Stephanie Mata
MF- Jasmine Mendoza
F- Kayla Kirkwood
F- Alli Oglanian
Bartlett
GK- Nykia Wetterman
D- Jamie Kenna
D- Melissa Gal
D- Shannon Brohan
D- Molly O’Malley
MF- Mariela Alba
MF- Jenna Dombrowski
MF- Jenna Noesen
MF- Jessica Mirsky
F-Carrigan Sablik
F- Josie Dombrowski
MVP of Match: Kayla Kirkwood, West Chicago
Kirkwood shares wealth for Wildcats against young Hawks
By Dave Owen
SOUTH ELGIN -- Lousy weather had one big benefit for West Chicago.
Great practices.
With games snowed out Monday and Tuesday, the Wildcats (2-3) refined their play and returned to play Wednesday in style. The result: a 4-0 win over Bartlett (1-2) to improve to 2-0 in South Elgin tournament play.
“Yesterday we figured out what we need to do in practice, and we brought the same intensity in the game,” West Chicago coach J. Cesar Gomez said. “That’s what we ask of them, and they delivered it today.”
Feeding off Kayla Kirkwood’s strong dribble drives and passes to open teammates, the Wildcats jumped to a 2-0 lead just over 15 minutes in and never cooled off in 35-degree conditions.
“We have possessions always (this season), but we didn’t have the hunger to go get the goal before,” Gomez said. “Today it showed us that this can be our standard now for every game.”
Regularly drawing two or more defenders and then passing to open teammates, Kirkwood had three assists en route to Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match honors.
“Since we had two games canceled, we worked a lot in practice,” Kirkwood said. “We were trying to find ourselves and the way we play possession, moving the ball.
“We just had to turn things up a notch, fix a couple of things and I think we really fixed that today. We really found ourselves out there, and now that we know what we have to do out there it’s going to be a lot easier to come out here and play like we can play.”
The Wildcats set the tone just 55 seconds in. Off a Kirkwood cross, Alli Oglanian’s 12-yard straight on shot was denied on a great save by Bartlett goalkeeper Nykia Wetterman.
“We should have scored in the first minute and it didn’t happen, but we’re very persistent now,” Gomez said. “We’re looking to score early and pressure teams.”
That pressure paid off un unlikely fashion for a 1-0 lead six minutes in. Kirkwood’s throw-in somehow skipped across the box to an open Jasmine Mendoza, whose 6-yard putaway inside the left post gave her team the lead for good.
Great teamwork made it 2-0 with 24:23 left until halftime. Mendoza’s midfield steal sprung Kirkwood in on goal. Dribbling between two defenders, Kirkwood sent a pass to a wide-open Oglanian for a 15-yard drive inside the left post.
The lead grew to 3-0 witth 7:51 to go in the half, when Kirkwood’s nice touch pass found Katie Reitz open on left wing. Reitz dribbled around charging goalkeeper Wetterman and chipped a 15-yard angle shot inside the right post.
“My job is pretty much turning when I can turn or passing the ball,” Kirkwood said, “and making runs or getting into open space and attacking whenever I can, to be honest. I think that really helps the team a lot, because our thing is possession. When I do that it creates a lot of space for us and a lot of counterattacks. It really worked out today.”
Shut out in their first two games of 2015, the Wildcats have struck for 11 goals in their last three contests. Kirkwood’s willingness to pass when double- or triple-teamed instead of shooting has been a big difference.
“We finally convinced Kayla that she can’t take on 11 (opponents),” Gomez said. “Today we had her spreading the ball to someone else and then getting the second ball. The rest of the team has to pay attention to her. Somebody’s open somewhere and we just have to figure that out.
“We’re very pleased with what she did today. We can’t ask too much more out of her. We don’t want her being frustrated. We want her active and adding to what we’re trying to do.”
Kirkwood’s unselfishness and great finishes by her teammates were a tough combination for Bartlett.
“Kayla’s a really good player,” Hawks coach Ben Beary said. “We had a pretty good idea of what West Chicago wanted to do and how they play. They possess out of the back and move it up the flanks. Even knowing that, they were still able to do that to us. Hats off to them. They played a really good game.
“We have a lot to learn,” Beary added. “Last year we got better all season, and these are early season opportunities to improve.”
West Chicago made it 4-0 with 32:06 left in the match on a great hustle play by Alexa Vega. After making an initial pass to Kimmy Diaz on left wing, Vega followed Diaz up the left side, corralled a loose ball and lined an 18-yard shot under the crossbar to close the night’s scoring.
“As a midfielder, I played up my whole life, so that’s what I’ve been doing: crossing, back, receive it and maybe take one or two (steps) and shoot,” Vega said. “That’s what I’ve been doing since I was little.
“We started working more as a team and communicating more, more than before. Before some players were scared to talk to one another because we were scared of what we’d say. Yesterday’s practice was really intense, and today we worked together well and communicated more. That led to this win because as we talk more, we know what’s going on around us.”
Reitz’s chip to the far post off a Kirkwood pass in the 27th minute of play just missed connection on another great West Chicago chance. But Bartlett also had its opportunities.
The best came off a Mariela Alba corner kick with 30:40 to play.
Goalkeeper Emma Gaggioli batted down the initial Alba attempt. Then defender Jessie Maldonado made a great block of Melissa Gal’s point blank rebound attempt. The wild sequence ended with Gaggioli’s nice catch save of Carrigan Sablik’s open 12-yarder from left of the net.
Sablik later sent a shot just wide of the right post, and with 2:30 left, a hand ball set up a strong Alba 25-yard direct kick that was cleared by Maddie Aguilera to end the last threat to West Chicago’s first shutout of the season.
The Wildcats’ offensive aggressiveness was the tale of the game.
“I feel like they just attacked us very well,” Alba said. “It was hard for us to keep the ball, and we panicked a little bit. It was new to some of our girls too, the high pressure and intensity. You have to get used to that.
“We need to make sure we keep the ball and don’t panic, and that our passes are solid on combination runs, as in give-and-gos and who runs where.”
With four freshmen up on varsity, Bartlett is still looking to gain both experience and strength.
“We’re not physical enough,” Beary said. “We have freshmen and sophomores who have to learn how to play at the varsity level.
“We saw it against Oswego too (in a 4-1 loss). They brought it to us and West Chicago brought it to us. If you’re just standing there waiting for the ball and not prepared to fight for it, you have 11 girls on the other team willing to run you over to get it.
“If we don’t have that mentality, we’re going to lose a lot of matches. But it’s early in the season and a good opportunity. We have to get tougher -- that’s the biggest thing.”
Alba has been a March standout with both Bartlett goals this season.
“Just getting the ball to my feet I feel is the key because I’m not a very fast player but I’m good with my feet,” Alba said. “Just play me a ball and I’ll play it back and we can just do one-two combinations.”
The junior is confident of the Hawks’ future.
“We’ve been a young team,” Alba said. “Last year we only had two seniors so it’s not like anything new. We have a good group of girls here that bring a lot to the table.”
As for West Chicago, confidence hit new levels after Wednesday’s great performance.
“This is just going to make us better and make us stronger physical and mental wise,” Kirkwood said. “I hope we can make it far in the playoffs because that’s one thing we’ve never been able to do. I hope this year we can finally accomplish that.”
Starting lineups
West Chicago
GK- Emma Gaggioli
D- Marli Welch
D- Kimmy Diaz
D- Jessie Maldonado
D- Vicky Cantu
MF- Alexa Vega
MF- Maddie Aguilera
MF- Stephanie Mata
MF- Jasmine Mendoza
F- Kayla Kirkwood
F- Alli Oglanian
Bartlett
GK- Nykia Wetterman
D- Jamie Kenna
D- Melissa Gal
D- Shannon Brohan
D- Molly O’Malley
MF- Mariela Alba
MF- Jenna Dombrowski
MF- Jenna Noesen
MF- Jessica Mirsky
F-Carrigan Sablik
F- Josie Dombrowski
MVP of Match: Kayla Kirkwood, West Chicago