Reavis awakens to slip past Argo
Defending league champs keep repeat hopes alive with 1-0 win
By Bobby Narang
BURBANK — Most rivalry games are full of energy and action, especially in soccer.
The chance to gain a small measure — in some cases, a big measure — of respect and bragging rights by beating a close rival often leads to spirited and physical games.
That wasn’t the case in Thursday’s Argo-Reavis girls soccer match.
After a mostly sunless, cold and winter-like spring that tested the resolve of residents in Chicagoland, Thursday’s sunny and warm weather was a welcome relief.
Maybe that’s why Argo and Reavis players seemed to spend most of the first half basking in the sun, staying away from aggressive attacks and playing with little sense of urgency.
The slow-paced game caused several fans to bark out words of frustration over the lack of action. One implored, “Do something.”
The two teams combined for no shots on goal in the first 17 minutes, and just one save for the entire half.
Thankfully, Reavis junior forward Yamileth Torres broke the ice, chasing down a long pass, then dribbling to her left before drilling a shot into the back of the net in the 33rd minute to spark Reavis to a 1-0 victory in South Suburban Conference Red Division play.
Reavis coach Konrad Dziedzic commented that it was an unusually odd start for both teams.
“I don’t know what happened, maybe it was the first time we had warm weather or vacations or something,” Dziedzic said. “The second half we came out with a bit more fire and urgency, but in the first half, we had a slow start for sure in the first 25 minutes.”
The Rams (6-8-1, 4-1-1) pulled out the South Side “Winning ugly” mantra to stay in the race for the conference title. Argo (1-10-1, 1-4-1) failed to score a goal for the fourth time this season.
“For us, we knew they’re struggling but it was a rivalry game,” Dziedzic said. “It gave them more motivation to make it a tougher game for us. We didn’t step up to it right away, but we were way more better in the second half and just unlucky in terms of finishing and putting the ball in the back of the net.
“I told them at halftime that (Argo) was here to spoil our party. We still have a chance to win conference. We didn’t perform well in the first half, and I told (the players) that if they beat us or tie us and that prevents us from winning conference, that’s like a victory for them. That’s like them winning conference.
“We had to play better in the second half. This was a good grind-it-out victory for us. It could hopefully help us in the playoffs and that mentality and change of direction. If we put in the work, we can do better.”
Dziedzic said the Rams have built some momentum for a strong push late in the season. Reavis has posted two-straight shutouts after a 3-0 win against Evergreen Park 3-0 on Tuesday, and won four of their last five games heading into a key conference home showdown against T.F. United on Tuesday.
“I think we’re meeting our projections, but we could potentially do better,” Dziedzic said. “As long as we’re meeting it, our goal is to repeat as conference champions and move on forward from that.”
Before Torres’ lone goal, the only action was two free kicks, a shot on goal by Argo that hit the crossbar in the 17th minute and a hard-hit shot by Torres that was blocked by a defender in the 30th minute.
Torres said she was happy to send the Argonauts home with a loss, while raising her season total to four goals.
“Emily (Chavez) made the pass to me, and I passed it to Olivia (Smycz) and she made the pass to me,” Torres said. “I was nervous on that play. It felt amazing to score. This was a big win. We started on a rough start, so I hope we can keep winning.”
Reavis goalie Jazmin Ayala enjoyed a mostly care-free afternoon basking in the sun. She finished with one save in the first half. She lost her footing and fell attempting to control a high-lofting shot with 59 seconds left. The ball squirted free in front of her, but the Argonauts, weren’t able to take advantage.
Ayala added her second and last save with 6:50 left in regulation.
Junior defender Alexandra Mendez said the Rams played better in the second half. Reavis was more aggressive from the outset after the break; sophomore Alyssa Juarez nearly scored a goal just 37 seconds into the half.
The hosts attempted three corner kicks and nearly knocked in a shot in a wild sequence in the 66th minute. Juarez had another shot saved in the 77th minute.
“It was really hard to see that we didn’t win by as much as we wanted to, but it was good to see us try out best,” Mendez said. “Yamileth also scored a nice goal. I think the sun definitely drained us, but we were defensive and kept the ball on our half. We played better in the second half after our coach snapped us into thinking we have to work harder.”
Junior defender Chavez said the Rams enjoyed the weather, but must play with more energy in their next game.
“We could’ve score more, but maybe it was the heat,” Chavez said. “We all did our best. We have to keep pushing. We have potential. We hope to win all of our games and be conference champs again. That would be really big, and we definitely can do it again.”
Starting lineups
Argo
GK Emine Nebiu
D Julissa Nevarez
D Lily Sanchez
D Karina Delatorre
D Magali Lopez
MF Isabela Moro
MF Kasia Rafacz
MF Lily Lozano
MF Yaretzi Sanchez
F Andrea Mendez
F Paulina Gallardo
Reavis
GK Jazmin Ayala
D Ruby Ramirez
D Alexandra Mendez
D Emily Chavez
D Naomi Rangel
MF Oliva Smycz
MF Natalie Carriedo
MF Jasmine Juache
MF Alaina Hernandez
MF Nicole Grochola
F Yamileth Torres
Chicagoland MVP of the Match: Yamileth Torres, jr., F, Reavis
Scoring summary
First half
Reavis — Yamileth Torres (Olivia Smycz), 33rd minute
Second half
No scoring
Defending league champs keep repeat hopes alive with 1-0 win
By Bobby Narang
BURBANK — Most rivalry games are full of energy and action, especially in soccer.
The chance to gain a small measure — in some cases, a big measure — of respect and bragging rights by beating a close rival often leads to spirited and physical games.
That wasn’t the case in Thursday’s Argo-Reavis girls soccer match.
After a mostly sunless, cold and winter-like spring that tested the resolve of residents in Chicagoland, Thursday’s sunny and warm weather was a welcome relief.
Maybe that’s why Argo and Reavis players seemed to spend most of the first half basking in the sun, staying away from aggressive attacks and playing with little sense of urgency.
The slow-paced game caused several fans to bark out words of frustration over the lack of action. One implored, “Do something.”
The two teams combined for no shots on goal in the first 17 minutes, and just one save for the entire half.
Thankfully, Reavis junior forward Yamileth Torres broke the ice, chasing down a long pass, then dribbling to her left before drilling a shot into the back of the net in the 33rd minute to spark Reavis to a 1-0 victory in South Suburban Conference Red Division play.
Reavis coach Konrad Dziedzic commented that it was an unusually odd start for both teams.
“I don’t know what happened, maybe it was the first time we had warm weather or vacations or something,” Dziedzic said. “The second half we came out with a bit more fire and urgency, but in the first half, we had a slow start for sure in the first 25 minutes.”
The Rams (6-8-1, 4-1-1) pulled out the South Side “Winning ugly” mantra to stay in the race for the conference title. Argo (1-10-1, 1-4-1) failed to score a goal for the fourth time this season.
“For us, we knew they’re struggling but it was a rivalry game,” Dziedzic said. “It gave them more motivation to make it a tougher game for us. We didn’t step up to it right away, but we were way more better in the second half and just unlucky in terms of finishing and putting the ball in the back of the net.
“I told them at halftime that (Argo) was here to spoil our party. We still have a chance to win conference. We didn’t perform well in the first half, and I told (the players) that if they beat us or tie us and that prevents us from winning conference, that’s like a victory for them. That’s like them winning conference.
“We had to play better in the second half. This was a good grind-it-out victory for us. It could hopefully help us in the playoffs and that mentality and change of direction. If we put in the work, we can do better.”
Dziedzic said the Rams have built some momentum for a strong push late in the season. Reavis has posted two-straight shutouts after a 3-0 win against Evergreen Park 3-0 on Tuesday, and won four of their last five games heading into a key conference home showdown against T.F. United on Tuesday.
“I think we’re meeting our projections, but we could potentially do better,” Dziedzic said. “As long as we’re meeting it, our goal is to repeat as conference champions and move on forward from that.”
Before Torres’ lone goal, the only action was two free kicks, a shot on goal by Argo that hit the crossbar in the 17th minute and a hard-hit shot by Torres that was blocked by a defender in the 30th minute.
Torres said she was happy to send the Argonauts home with a loss, while raising her season total to four goals.
“Emily (Chavez) made the pass to me, and I passed it to Olivia (Smycz) and she made the pass to me,” Torres said. “I was nervous on that play. It felt amazing to score. This was a big win. We started on a rough start, so I hope we can keep winning.”
Reavis goalie Jazmin Ayala enjoyed a mostly care-free afternoon basking in the sun. She finished with one save in the first half. She lost her footing and fell attempting to control a high-lofting shot with 59 seconds left. The ball squirted free in front of her, but the Argonauts, weren’t able to take advantage.
Ayala added her second and last save with 6:50 left in regulation.
Junior defender Alexandra Mendez said the Rams played better in the second half. Reavis was more aggressive from the outset after the break; sophomore Alyssa Juarez nearly scored a goal just 37 seconds into the half.
The hosts attempted three corner kicks and nearly knocked in a shot in a wild sequence in the 66th minute. Juarez had another shot saved in the 77th minute.
“It was really hard to see that we didn’t win by as much as we wanted to, but it was good to see us try out best,” Mendez said. “Yamileth also scored a nice goal. I think the sun definitely drained us, but we were defensive and kept the ball on our half. We played better in the second half after our coach snapped us into thinking we have to work harder.”
Junior defender Chavez said the Rams enjoyed the weather, but must play with more energy in their next game.
“We could’ve score more, but maybe it was the heat,” Chavez said. “We all did our best. We have to keep pushing. We have potential. We hope to win all of our games and be conference champs again. That would be really big, and we definitely can do it again.”
Starting lineups
Argo
GK Emine Nebiu
D Julissa Nevarez
D Lily Sanchez
D Karina Delatorre
D Magali Lopez
MF Isabela Moro
MF Kasia Rafacz
MF Lily Lozano
MF Yaretzi Sanchez
F Andrea Mendez
F Paulina Gallardo
Reavis
GK Jazmin Ayala
D Ruby Ramirez
D Alexandra Mendez
D Emily Chavez
D Naomi Rangel
MF Oliva Smycz
MF Natalie Carriedo
MF Jasmine Juache
MF Alaina Hernandez
MF Nicole Grochola
F Yamileth Torres
Chicagoland MVP of the Match: Yamileth Torres, jr., F, Reavis
Scoring summary
First half
Reavis — Yamileth Torres (Olivia Smycz), 33rd minute
Second half
No scoring