Andrew puts it all together vs. Leyden
Thunderbolts roll to Windy City consolation title with 5-0 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BRIDGEVIEW -- Samantha Koppers has an infectious style. At her best, the Andrew forward pulsates with energy that carries over to her teammates. Her mentality is immersive, living in the moment and letting the spontaneous take hold.
“We don’t necessarily try to play for an outcome,” Koppers said. “We just go out, play our game and look to have a lot of fun.” By removing the pressure and high-stakes nerves, the game slows down, and everything becomes attuned to feeling and emotion. Bad actions never last, and the positives turn into their own reward.
“Every game we just hype each other and play our the game that way our coaches have taught us, passing, moving and just having fun out there.”
Her radiant style established a dominant pattern as she broke open the game with a steal and assist of the opening score and a goal of her own as Andrew won its fifth-straight game with a convincing 5-0 victory over Leyden in the consolation championship of the Windy City Ram Classic on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Park.
The Thunderbolts ended the 32-team, five-game tournament in very high spirits by posting three shutouts and winning their four final games by a margin of 23-1. This year’s edition provided a compelling snapshot, a look back and a promising forward direction. Andrew started in a shutout loss to defending champion Glenbard East in the opening round. Andrew lost to the Rams in the title game last year.
“Some of that was on me,” Andrew coach Loren Zolk said. “That was a tough draw, literally out of a hat. It was our first game out of the gates, and we are still figuring out positions and where people go. After that game, we made some adjustments, and clearly now things are starting to go well.”
Andrew (5-1-0) dominated every action against the Eagles. Leyden (3-3-0) never generated a significant offensive threat, conceding about 85 percent of the possession time to the Thunderbolts.
Andrew appeared at a different speed and tempo, playing with the wind and forcing the Eagles to almost continually play backwards and in retreat.
“They came out and just overwhelmed us,” Leyden coach John Schiemann said. “They have some very skilled players who moved the ball very well. They also did a very good job of capitalizing on our mistakes.”
In the 13th minute, Koppers showed how much separation there was between the teams. Off a Leyden free kick at midfield, she read the ball beautifully and intercepted it. She quickly converted the turnover into a scoring chance, slotting the ball to forward Erin Jaskierski. An attacking player, Jaskierski broke free in space and smashed home a ball from about 14 yards inside the near post.
“It’s an awesome feeling to have our hard work from practice factor into how we play into a game,” Koppers said. She was just getting started.
In the 20th minute, senior defender/midfielder Mia Milazzo blasted a shot that Leyden keeper Arisbel Dorado blocked. Koppers staged her run perfectly and was there to finish for the 2-0 lead at the break.
Koppers earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction for the early spark she provided. But hers was only one of many standout performances. Milazzo recorded three assists, two generated from rebounds. Junior midfielder Megan Nemec also flashed enormous talent by scoring a goal and contributing an assist.
Nemec applied constant pressure. She even hit the crossbar in the first half as Andrew amassed 27 shots on goal.
“Right from the start of the game, I was looking to attack,” Nemec said. “Our whole team is pretty solid right now. Our biggest issue is finishing in the final third. We did a much better job of that in the second half, and we kept up the intensity.”
Nemec put the game out of reach by blasting home a short ball from Milazzo in the 43rd minute. Midfielder Alex Dennis followed with another rebound shot off a Milazzo try in the 50th minute. Nemec punctuated the dominant performance by sliding a pass to reserve midfielder Brandi Muys on the left edge that she advanced and finished with authority.
“We did what we wanted to do, control the ball and create chances,” Zolk said. “I thought, in the first half, they were doing a good job of defending us in the final third. When teams do that, you have to make adjustments in order to create better opportunities.
“We did a better job of that in the second half.”
Leyden starting keeper Dorado played the first half. Evelyn Arzola played the second half. The two combined for nine saves.
“This was not the result we wanted, but we still won three in a row after losing our first game in the tourname, and we beat Reavis in penalty kicks 4-3 to get here,” Schiemann said.
The Eagles’ best player, midfielder Evelyn Abundes, typified the spirit and attitude of her team.
“This was a once in a lifetime experience,” she said. “We obviously put in a lt of work to get here. Mentally it takes a lot of effort in order get ready to play here. It’s very easy to get distracted by everything going on around you. We struggled with our offense and in our communication.
“Even though we did not get the result we wanted, it was a great experience.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK: Arisbel Dorado
D: Angelica Perez
D: Julia Kornatowska
D: Liliana Herrera
D: Nicole Sedlacek
MF: Kathy Sotelo
MF: Karla Rubio
MF: Catherine Saponieri
MF:Evelyn Abundes
F: Yesenia Diaz
F: Leslie Godinez
Andrew
GK: Gabby Sportello
D: Addison Lim
D: Brigid Tunney
D: Nicole Koppers
D: Emma Lehnert
MF: Mia Milazzo
MF: Alex Dennis
MF: Megan Nemec
MF: Megan O’Neil
F: Samantha Koppers
F: Erin Jaskierski
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Samantha Koppers, jr., F, Andrew
Scoring summary
First half
Andrew—Erin Jaskierski (Samantha Koppers), 13th minute
Andrew—Koppers (Mia Milazzo), 20th minute
Second half
Andrew—Megan Nemec (Milazzo), 43rd minute
Andrew—Alex Dennis (Milazzo), 50th minute
Andrew—Brandi Muys (Nemec), 65th minute
Thunderbolts roll to Windy City consolation title with 5-0 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BRIDGEVIEW -- Samantha Koppers has an infectious style. At her best, the Andrew forward pulsates with energy that carries over to her teammates. Her mentality is immersive, living in the moment and letting the spontaneous take hold.
“We don’t necessarily try to play for an outcome,” Koppers said. “We just go out, play our game and look to have a lot of fun.” By removing the pressure and high-stakes nerves, the game slows down, and everything becomes attuned to feeling and emotion. Bad actions never last, and the positives turn into their own reward.
“Every game we just hype each other and play our the game that way our coaches have taught us, passing, moving and just having fun out there.”
Her radiant style established a dominant pattern as she broke open the game with a steal and assist of the opening score and a goal of her own as Andrew won its fifth-straight game with a convincing 5-0 victory over Leyden in the consolation championship of the Windy City Ram Classic on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Park.
The Thunderbolts ended the 32-team, five-game tournament in very high spirits by posting three shutouts and winning their four final games by a margin of 23-1. This year’s edition provided a compelling snapshot, a look back and a promising forward direction. Andrew started in a shutout loss to defending champion Glenbard East in the opening round. Andrew lost to the Rams in the title game last year.
“Some of that was on me,” Andrew coach Loren Zolk said. “That was a tough draw, literally out of a hat. It was our first game out of the gates, and we are still figuring out positions and where people go. After that game, we made some adjustments, and clearly now things are starting to go well.”
Andrew (5-1-0) dominated every action against the Eagles. Leyden (3-3-0) never generated a significant offensive threat, conceding about 85 percent of the possession time to the Thunderbolts.
Andrew appeared at a different speed and tempo, playing with the wind and forcing the Eagles to almost continually play backwards and in retreat.
“They came out and just overwhelmed us,” Leyden coach John Schiemann said. “They have some very skilled players who moved the ball very well. They also did a very good job of capitalizing on our mistakes.”
In the 13th minute, Koppers showed how much separation there was between the teams. Off a Leyden free kick at midfield, she read the ball beautifully and intercepted it. She quickly converted the turnover into a scoring chance, slotting the ball to forward Erin Jaskierski. An attacking player, Jaskierski broke free in space and smashed home a ball from about 14 yards inside the near post.
“It’s an awesome feeling to have our hard work from practice factor into how we play into a game,” Koppers said. She was just getting started.
In the 20th minute, senior defender/midfielder Mia Milazzo blasted a shot that Leyden keeper Arisbel Dorado blocked. Koppers staged her run perfectly and was there to finish for the 2-0 lead at the break.
Koppers earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction for the early spark she provided. But hers was only one of many standout performances. Milazzo recorded three assists, two generated from rebounds. Junior midfielder Megan Nemec also flashed enormous talent by scoring a goal and contributing an assist.
Nemec applied constant pressure. She even hit the crossbar in the first half as Andrew amassed 27 shots on goal.
“Right from the start of the game, I was looking to attack,” Nemec said. “Our whole team is pretty solid right now. Our biggest issue is finishing in the final third. We did a much better job of that in the second half, and we kept up the intensity.”
Nemec put the game out of reach by blasting home a short ball from Milazzo in the 43rd minute. Midfielder Alex Dennis followed with another rebound shot off a Milazzo try in the 50th minute. Nemec punctuated the dominant performance by sliding a pass to reserve midfielder Brandi Muys on the left edge that she advanced and finished with authority.
“We did what we wanted to do, control the ball and create chances,” Zolk said. “I thought, in the first half, they were doing a good job of defending us in the final third. When teams do that, you have to make adjustments in order to create better opportunities.
“We did a better job of that in the second half.”
Leyden starting keeper Dorado played the first half. Evelyn Arzola played the second half. The two combined for nine saves.
“This was not the result we wanted, but we still won three in a row after losing our first game in the tourname, and we beat Reavis in penalty kicks 4-3 to get here,” Schiemann said.
The Eagles’ best player, midfielder Evelyn Abundes, typified the spirit and attitude of her team.
“This was a once in a lifetime experience,” she said. “We obviously put in a lt of work to get here. Mentally it takes a lot of effort in order get ready to play here. It’s very easy to get distracted by everything going on around you. We struggled with our offense and in our communication.
“Even though we did not get the result we wanted, it was a great experience.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK: Arisbel Dorado
D: Angelica Perez
D: Julia Kornatowska
D: Liliana Herrera
D: Nicole Sedlacek
MF: Kathy Sotelo
MF: Karla Rubio
MF: Catherine Saponieri
MF:Evelyn Abundes
F: Yesenia Diaz
F: Leslie Godinez
Andrew
GK: Gabby Sportello
D: Addison Lim
D: Brigid Tunney
D: Nicole Koppers
D: Emma Lehnert
MF: Mia Milazzo
MF: Alex Dennis
MF: Megan Nemec
MF: Megan O’Neil
F: Samantha Koppers
F: Erin Jaskierski
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Samantha Koppers, jr., F, Andrew
Scoring summary
First half
Andrew—Erin Jaskierski (Samantha Koppers), 13th minute
Andrew—Koppers (Mia Milazzo), 20th minute
Second half
Andrew—Megan Nemec (Milazzo), 43rd minute
Andrew—Alex Dennis (Milazzo), 50th minute
Andrew—Brandi Muys (Nemec), 65th minute