Offense, senior moments lead DGS past AT
Class of '18 finishes game with flourish in 7-0 win
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE – The regular season home finale for Downers Grove South’s seniors was a celebration to the final second.
The Mustangs (9-5-3, 4-1 in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division) jumped to a 3-0 halftime lead Thursday against Addison Trail (2-11-1, 0-4-0) and punctuated their night with three goals in the final 6:40 of play to cap a 7-0 win.
And those late goals in the late-going held some added significance.
“We ended up (the match) with all of our seniors on the field, in the last home game we have in the regular season,” Mustangs coach Chris Hernandez said. “It was something we wanted to do, and they earned that opportunity. I’m glad it worked out for us.”
Senior Emily Brindac has been a Downers Grove South standout defender for several seasons. The Mustangs’ near monopoly in scoring chances and time of possession Thursday made for a quiet night’s work, and a chance to savor the ride.
“Honestly it’s so crazy that everything is coming to an end so fast,” Brindac said. “I feel like the four years just flew by.
“I’m going to miss this team so much. It’s good to end on a win in our last home game.”
Brindac and fellow star defender Jen Masello (two assists Thursday) were the only two senior starters against the Blazers. They have helped lift the Mustangs’ fortunes back onto the upswing after a six-win season last spring.
“I think Jen and I try to be really easy to talk to,” Brindac said, “so when younger players need advice and stuff they can come to us and feel really comfortable with us helping them out.
“We’re always working on helping our younger players grow.”
The growth of the Downers Grove South underclassmen was epitomized Thursday by two-goal games from both junior Nicole Fajardo and sophomore Jordan Rose.
After junior Taylor Petring generated two shots in the first eight minutes to begin a steady Mustangs attack in the Addison Trail end, Fajardo, who has six goals this season, provided the breakthrough in the 13th minute.
Paige Reichert’s interception of a goal kick at the 40-yard line set the table. Reichert’s pass then sprung Fajardo in 1-v.-1. Her 15-yard blast high inside the right post put DGS up 1-0.
Fajardo also scored the Mustangs’ first goal of the second half (off a Petring throw-in and Masello touch-pass), also in the 13th minute of that stanza.
“The first one really meant a lot to the team, because I felt like that opened up a lot of the other goals,” Fajardo said. “And the one in the second half did the same thing. It was pretty slow at first (in each half), and we were able to pick up after that.”
A packed box of Blazers defenders and solid saves by goalkeeper Klaudia Kulikowski denied multiple Mustangs threats.
But with Fajardo delivering the first finish, the wall would eventually wither.
With DGS still up just 1-0 with 16:28 left in the first half, sophomore Talia Davis’ good defense and better offense upped the lead to 2-0.
Davis made a nice offensive zone steal at the right edge of the box, dribbled in on goal and powered an 8-yard shot off Kulikowski and just inside the right post.
The sophomore just missed another goal in the 27th minute after Kulikowski juggled Rose’s cross to the crease. Davis won the loose ball but sent the open net rebound inches wide of the left post and off the side of the net.
But with 10:43 left in the half, another strong attack on goal would pay off.
Lauren Travis angled a perfect send from the right side to Rose racing up the middle. The sophomore didn’t miss, lining a low 10-yard breakaway shot inside the left post for a 3-0 lead.
“We’re happy for Lauren Travis to get out there and do well,” Hernandez said. “She tore her ACL in the regional final against Downers Grove North last year, so it’s been a long road to recovery, and to getting her back to a good level.”
As for Rose, the best was yet to come.
With 1:55 left, she showed off her potential for danger from distance with one of the goals of the year.
Off a pass from Masello, Rose found open space to shoot and defied the odds – driving a 40-yard blast just under the crossbar for her eighth goal of 2018.
“I didn’t know if I was going to pass it wide or cross it,” Rose said. “I saw the open shot and no one was pressing me, so I took it.
“I’ve had about three (goals from distance) like that. If it’s open, I try them.”
When not finishing, Rose was helping create multiple chances from the midfield.
“I felt like a lot of through-balls and over-the-top/over-their-backline balls were really working for us,” she said.
Rose’s two-goal game and all-around play earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors in the win.
“Jordan kind of captured some attention today,” Hernandez said. “But Jordan’s been waiting. She was like, ‘I want to have a game and just explode.’ And that’s what she’s capable of. We’re happy for her.
“And Jen (Masello) is Jen – solid as ever in the back.”
Masello set up DGS’ first goal of the second half, after the Mustangs came roaring out of the gate at halftime.
Petring chipped a shot that deflected off the crossbar just 1:10 into the half. Jillian Paladino’s ensuing corner kick was then headed just wide of the back post by Savannah Hanyzewski.
Then with 34:15 left, Petring’s left side run and cross set up Andrea Lopez in front for an 8-yard shot that was denied on a great save and clear by Kulikowski.
With 31 minutes left, both Rose and Fajardo were narrowly denied. First, Kulikowski stopped a high 30-yard Rose rocket shot. Then Fajardo chipped the loose ball rebound just over the net.
But with 27:11 to go, Fajardo finished her next chance. A Masello touch to the back post off a right side throw-in set up Fajardo's low 10-yarder inside the left post.
“I think the thing that was helping us the most was staying composed and trying to make those plays,” Fajardo said of the Mustangs’ offensive outburst Thursday.
“Each person is really talented on this team. All of us were trying to get those goals and trying to help each other out. That helped us out.”
After near-misses from 10 yards by Abby Wissler with 16:05 left (a Kulikowski save at the post) and Davis with 15:00 to go (a great dribble around two defenders and shot just wide), the Mustangs defense briefly did its part.
Addison Trail generated its lone corner kick of the night with 9:20 left. But after a quick scramble in the box, Davis cleared the send safely upfield.
Brindac followed with 7:10 to go with a 50-50 ball win at midfield, then a nice header block of a would-be Blazers send moments later.
From there, the Downers South offense was back in command – beginning with a senior moment.
With 6:40 left, Brenda Gonzalez won a send to the box in traffic at the 10-yard line. Gonzalez’s ensuing pass hit fellow senior Lauren Kelly right of the net. Her 10-yard putaway upped the lead to 5-0.
“(Kelly) had a goal, and an assist at the end,” Hernandez said. “Overall we were trying to get back on the right track about playing our style.
“At times in some of our losses we get pretty frantic. Other than that we just wanted to play direct and make some good decisions.”
Good decisions and great individual plays continued to the final horn.
With 4:50 left, freshman Olivia Meyer nicely eluded two defenders and lined a shot off the far post.
Rose’s aim from distance was marksman perfect for a 6-0 lead with 1:55 to go. Then Kelly and third-year varsity junior Reichert had the last word.
Reichert’s steal from a defender and 12-yard shot with 1:35 left was denied on a great diving save by the often-tested Kulikowski.
With 1:02 on the clock, Kelly sent a perfect cross from the right end line to a streaking Reichert, whose touch from in front of the net capped the 7-0 win.
“We wanted to make sure we didn’t leave anything behind after this game,” Fajardo said.
Facing a tough nonconference schedule (which included the elite Naperville Invitational and culminates with Saturday’s match at Naperville North), the Mustangs have endured many storms and growing pains to finish strong.
“We’ve done a lot of team-bonding stuff, and the girls have really gotten close as a team,” Brindac said. “So we’re really supportive of each other, and also comfortable to give each other criticisms. I think that’s a big part of it.”
Hosting regionals in mid-May, the Mustangs hope even better times are still to come.
“Definitely communication on the field (is a key),” Brindac said. “We’re really good at that – that’s one of our strengths as a team.
“So if we just keep working at that and training in practices, I think we have a lot ahead of us.”
After efforts like Thursday, the potential is there for young DGS.
“Like our coach (Hernandez) has said, there’s a lot of ups and downs (this season),” Fajardo said. “But I feel like this team is starting to pick it up.
“We’re just trying to stay high right now, and I think we’re doing really well.”
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
GK Klaudia Kulikowski
D Valeria Soto
D Lucia Fullone
D Nahuelly Reyna
D Sandy Herrera
M Demi Koulogeorgas
M Vanessa Ramirez
M Jenny Santana
M Brisamar Rodriguez
F Jazmine Espinoza
F Berenice Berumen
Downers Grove South
GK Rose Dumford
D Emily Brindac
D Abby Wissler
D Jennifer Masello
D Brynn Davis
M Jordan Rose
M Jillian Paladino
M Marlo Rachie
M Taylor Petring
F Nicole Fajardo
F Paige Reichert
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Jordan Rose, so. M, Downers Grove South
Scoring summary
First half
DGS – Nicole Fajardo (Paige Reichert assist), 12:27
DGS – Talia Davis (unassisted), 23:32
DGS – Jordan Rose (Lauren Travis), 29:17
Second half
DGS – Fajardo (Jen Masello), 52:49
DGS – Lauren Kelly (Brenda Gonzalez), 73:20
DGS – Rose (Masello), 78:05
DGS – Reichert (Kelly), 78:58
Class of '18 finishes game with flourish in 7-0 win
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE – The regular season home finale for Downers Grove South’s seniors was a celebration to the final second.
The Mustangs (9-5-3, 4-1 in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division) jumped to a 3-0 halftime lead Thursday against Addison Trail (2-11-1, 0-4-0) and punctuated their night with three goals in the final 6:40 of play to cap a 7-0 win.
And those late goals in the late-going held some added significance.
“We ended up (the match) with all of our seniors on the field, in the last home game we have in the regular season,” Mustangs coach Chris Hernandez said. “It was something we wanted to do, and they earned that opportunity. I’m glad it worked out for us.”
Senior Emily Brindac has been a Downers Grove South standout defender for several seasons. The Mustangs’ near monopoly in scoring chances and time of possession Thursday made for a quiet night’s work, and a chance to savor the ride.
“Honestly it’s so crazy that everything is coming to an end so fast,” Brindac said. “I feel like the four years just flew by.
“I’m going to miss this team so much. It’s good to end on a win in our last home game.”
Brindac and fellow star defender Jen Masello (two assists Thursday) were the only two senior starters against the Blazers. They have helped lift the Mustangs’ fortunes back onto the upswing after a six-win season last spring.
“I think Jen and I try to be really easy to talk to,” Brindac said, “so when younger players need advice and stuff they can come to us and feel really comfortable with us helping them out.
“We’re always working on helping our younger players grow.”
The growth of the Downers Grove South underclassmen was epitomized Thursday by two-goal games from both junior Nicole Fajardo and sophomore Jordan Rose.
After junior Taylor Petring generated two shots in the first eight minutes to begin a steady Mustangs attack in the Addison Trail end, Fajardo, who has six goals this season, provided the breakthrough in the 13th minute.
Paige Reichert’s interception of a goal kick at the 40-yard line set the table. Reichert’s pass then sprung Fajardo in 1-v.-1. Her 15-yard blast high inside the right post put DGS up 1-0.
Fajardo also scored the Mustangs’ first goal of the second half (off a Petring throw-in and Masello touch-pass), also in the 13th minute of that stanza.
“The first one really meant a lot to the team, because I felt like that opened up a lot of the other goals,” Fajardo said. “And the one in the second half did the same thing. It was pretty slow at first (in each half), and we were able to pick up after that.”
A packed box of Blazers defenders and solid saves by goalkeeper Klaudia Kulikowski denied multiple Mustangs threats.
But with Fajardo delivering the first finish, the wall would eventually wither.
With DGS still up just 1-0 with 16:28 left in the first half, sophomore Talia Davis’ good defense and better offense upped the lead to 2-0.
Davis made a nice offensive zone steal at the right edge of the box, dribbled in on goal and powered an 8-yard shot off Kulikowski and just inside the right post.
The sophomore just missed another goal in the 27th minute after Kulikowski juggled Rose’s cross to the crease. Davis won the loose ball but sent the open net rebound inches wide of the left post and off the side of the net.
But with 10:43 left in the half, another strong attack on goal would pay off.
Lauren Travis angled a perfect send from the right side to Rose racing up the middle. The sophomore didn’t miss, lining a low 10-yard breakaway shot inside the left post for a 3-0 lead.
“We’re happy for Lauren Travis to get out there and do well,” Hernandez said. “She tore her ACL in the regional final against Downers Grove North last year, so it’s been a long road to recovery, and to getting her back to a good level.”
As for Rose, the best was yet to come.
With 1:55 left, she showed off her potential for danger from distance with one of the goals of the year.
Off a pass from Masello, Rose found open space to shoot and defied the odds – driving a 40-yard blast just under the crossbar for her eighth goal of 2018.
“I didn’t know if I was going to pass it wide or cross it,” Rose said. “I saw the open shot and no one was pressing me, so I took it.
“I’ve had about three (goals from distance) like that. If it’s open, I try them.”
When not finishing, Rose was helping create multiple chances from the midfield.
“I felt like a lot of through-balls and over-the-top/over-their-backline balls were really working for us,” she said.
Rose’s two-goal game and all-around play earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors in the win.
“Jordan kind of captured some attention today,” Hernandez said. “But Jordan’s been waiting. She was like, ‘I want to have a game and just explode.’ And that’s what she’s capable of. We’re happy for her.
“And Jen (Masello) is Jen – solid as ever in the back.”
Masello set up DGS’ first goal of the second half, after the Mustangs came roaring out of the gate at halftime.
Petring chipped a shot that deflected off the crossbar just 1:10 into the half. Jillian Paladino’s ensuing corner kick was then headed just wide of the back post by Savannah Hanyzewski.
Then with 34:15 left, Petring’s left side run and cross set up Andrea Lopez in front for an 8-yard shot that was denied on a great save and clear by Kulikowski.
With 31 minutes left, both Rose and Fajardo were narrowly denied. First, Kulikowski stopped a high 30-yard Rose rocket shot. Then Fajardo chipped the loose ball rebound just over the net.
But with 27:11 to go, Fajardo finished her next chance. A Masello touch to the back post off a right side throw-in set up Fajardo's low 10-yarder inside the left post.
“I think the thing that was helping us the most was staying composed and trying to make those plays,” Fajardo said of the Mustangs’ offensive outburst Thursday.
“Each person is really talented on this team. All of us were trying to get those goals and trying to help each other out. That helped us out.”
After near-misses from 10 yards by Abby Wissler with 16:05 left (a Kulikowski save at the post) and Davis with 15:00 to go (a great dribble around two defenders and shot just wide), the Mustangs defense briefly did its part.
Addison Trail generated its lone corner kick of the night with 9:20 left. But after a quick scramble in the box, Davis cleared the send safely upfield.
Brindac followed with 7:10 to go with a 50-50 ball win at midfield, then a nice header block of a would-be Blazers send moments later.
From there, the Downers South offense was back in command – beginning with a senior moment.
With 6:40 left, Brenda Gonzalez won a send to the box in traffic at the 10-yard line. Gonzalez’s ensuing pass hit fellow senior Lauren Kelly right of the net. Her 10-yard putaway upped the lead to 5-0.
“(Kelly) had a goal, and an assist at the end,” Hernandez said. “Overall we were trying to get back on the right track about playing our style.
“At times in some of our losses we get pretty frantic. Other than that we just wanted to play direct and make some good decisions.”
Good decisions and great individual plays continued to the final horn.
With 4:50 left, freshman Olivia Meyer nicely eluded two defenders and lined a shot off the far post.
Rose’s aim from distance was marksman perfect for a 6-0 lead with 1:55 to go. Then Kelly and third-year varsity junior Reichert had the last word.
Reichert’s steal from a defender and 12-yard shot with 1:35 left was denied on a great diving save by the often-tested Kulikowski.
With 1:02 on the clock, Kelly sent a perfect cross from the right end line to a streaking Reichert, whose touch from in front of the net capped the 7-0 win.
“We wanted to make sure we didn’t leave anything behind after this game,” Fajardo said.
Facing a tough nonconference schedule (which included the elite Naperville Invitational and culminates with Saturday’s match at Naperville North), the Mustangs have endured many storms and growing pains to finish strong.
“We’ve done a lot of team-bonding stuff, and the girls have really gotten close as a team,” Brindac said. “So we’re really supportive of each other, and also comfortable to give each other criticisms. I think that’s a big part of it.”
Hosting regionals in mid-May, the Mustangs hope even better times are still to come.
“Definitely communication on the field (is a key),” Brindac said. “We’re really good at that – that’s one of our strengths as a team.
“So if we just keep working at that and training in practices, I think we have a lot ahead of us.”
After efforts like Thursday, the potential is there for young DGS.
“Like our coach (Hernandez) has said, there’s a lot of ups and downs (this season),” Fajardo said. “But I feel like this team is starting to pick it up.
“We’re just trying to stay high right now, and I think we’re doing really well.”
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
GK Klaudia Kulikowski
D Valeria Soto
D Lucia Fullone
D Nahuelly Reyna
D Sandy Herrera
M Demi Koulogeorgas
M Vanessa Ramirez
M Jenny Santana
M Brisamar Rodriguez
F Jazmine Espinoza
F Berenice Berumen
Downers Grove South
GK Rose Dumford
D Emily Brindac
D Abby Wissler
D Jennifer Masello
D Brynn Davis
M Jordan Rose
M Jillian Paladino
M Marlo Rachie
M Taylor Petring
F Nicole Fajardo
F Paige Reichert
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Jordan Rose, so. M, Downers Grove South
Scoring summary
First half
DGS – Nicole Fajardo (Paige Reichert assist), 12:27
DGS – Talia Davis (unassisted), 23:32
DGS – Jordan Rose (Lauren Travis), 29:17
Second half
DGS – Fajardo (Jen Masello), 52:49
DGS – Lauren Kelly (Brenda Gonzalez), 73:20
DGS – Rose (Masello), 78:05
DGS – Reichert (Kelly), 78:58