Ahrens, Lake Park connect for victory
Freshman’s 2 assists, Lancers' strong set pieces earn 3-0 win
By Dave Owen
ROSELLE – Lake Park’s Ann Marie Ahrens let nothing slow her down Saturday.
Despite having a would-be beautiful goal denied by an official’s ruling on a first half corner kick, the freshman had a monster day with two assists and the corner kick that set up another goal, as the Lancers (5-13-0) powered to a 3-0 win over Addison Trail (3-14-1).
And as if 80 minutes of constant motion and extra effort on the field weren’t enough, the midfielder only had time for a quick comment as she rushed to a postgame appointment.
“I think the main thing was that we had a lot of good possession,” said Ahrens, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “And then we had a lot of good opportunities switching the field.
“And what also really worked was the communication we had with our center mids and then our wide mids getting up and pushing through.”
Breaking through for scores was a challenge all day for the Lancers. A five-defender Addison Trail alignment and missed scoring opportunities of all types kept the score 1-0 until late in the second half.
But Lake Park’s own strong defense throughout the match and a perfectly executed set play in the 22nd minute kept any major worries to a minimum.
The first goal started when Sophie Giron’s 12-yard shot after an offensive zone steal and left side rush was deflected wide by a diving Blazers goalkeeper Klaudia Kulikowski.
But on the ensuing corner kick, Ahrens’ send from the left corner was headed in at the back post by senior Jaclyn Lamz with 18:39 left to give the Lancers a 1-0 lead.
“Just in the right place, and there wasn’t a man on me,” Lamz said of her goal.
“She (Ahrens) had a really good game. Her view of the field is really good, and she was able to get (the ball) to our feet on the outside really well too.”
Before that goal, Ahrens had initiated a chance just 40 seconds into the match – her pass to Liz Guenther ended with a Guenther cross and Cyndi Martinez header just wide left.
Then with the 1-0 lead, Ahrens’ next big play produced a great finish – but a tough ruling.
Off passes by Ahrens and Martinez, another corner kick resulted when Giron’s chip towards an open net was cleared over the end line by Addison Trail defender Valeria Soto.
On the ensuing set piece with 12:50 left in the first half, Ahrens’ left-side corner appeared to curl just under the crossbar inside the near post. But officials ruled the ball had gone out of bounds, denying the would-be goal.
“What a ball,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said. “It’s right on net, she puts it where we want it, we’re crashing inside the 6 and she puts it in a spot where there’s nowhere to go but in.
“Unfortunately the official saw it go in and then out of bounds, but it looked like it was good to us.
“She was bummed out she didn’t get that one,” Crosby added, “but she’ll have plenty more chances to put more on the board. And to get two assists – the way she’s becoming a playmaker for us and setting other people up, we’re more proud of that.”
The Lancers defense also had a day to be proud of.
Freshman Emma Thorne was a rock at center back all day. One of her highlights came on an Addison Trail corner kick in the 25th minute, when Thorne first blocked a Soto shot. Then after a prolonged battle for control in the box, Thorne’s long clear ended the threat.
“Emma’s a fierce competitor and kind of our staple in the back,” Crosby said. “Then Amber (Sedwick) on the outside with her, and Sarah (Novak) and Steph (Zamchemski) swapping the outside left next to her, they have a really good sense to stay connected.
“Defensively as a unit we played together today, and all the girls deserve credit for the shutout. We ask them all to do different things, and when they work together it’s hard to score off us. It’s been a while since we felt it, but today they felt it. They were confident, recognized where each other were, were patient and communicated way better.
“For Emma as a freshman to voice herself, that’s tough,” Crosby added. “Today she wasn’t hesitant and communicated very well, and other girls picked up on it and also communicated more. And things get figured out a lot faster when we do that.”
The shutout was the Lancers’ first since a 1-0 win April 12 at Plainfield Central.
“It was great to finally get another shutout – it’s been a while,” Thorne said. “We really worked well together. If one person got beat, the next outside was right there to get the ball. We tried our best to keep it on the ground when we could. We have to keep working on that though.”
Said Sedwick: “We were working really well on playing balls out of the back, staying connected, and shifting really well to get the ball up to Liz (Guenther at midfield). That really helped us.”
But with their lead just 1-0 at halftime, the Lancers came out of the break with added fire.
“Coach talked at halftime that ‘If we really wanted it, we should go for it,’” Lake Park senior Ziri Hernandez said. “He asked us, ‘Who wants a goal?’ and the whole team raised their hands.
“We didn’t want to leave it 1-0 when we knew we could give so much more. And we wanted to make up for other goals we missed in previous games that were so close.”
But finishing chances would remain tough for awhile.
Off a 65-yard Sedwick free kick with 37:40 left, a Hernandez header forward set up an Ahrens 30-yard shot just wide right (off the football uprights).
Four minutes later, a 35-yard Guenther free kick resulted in a one-hop save by Kulikowski.
Then after repelling a Blazers corner kick with 16:50 left with a header block away from the box by Novak to keep the score 1-0, Lake Park’s increasing sense of urgency would soon finally pay off.
With 13:36 to go, Sedwick’s throw-in from 15 yards out spun to Ahrens at the 10-yard line right of the net. Her header went to open space, and Martinez nicely touched an 8-yard shot past a charging Kulikowski and inside the left post for a 2-0 lead.
Again, Ahrens’ role as instigator was vital.
“She can take it upon herself to share the ball with others, even though she’s a strong finisher and great goal scorer,” Crosby said. “She recognizes the right moments to set somebody else up, and it gives them a good chance on net.
“For her to get that little redirection for Cyndi’s goal – a throw-in she taps over the defensive player that falls right to Cyndi to tuck away. The girls recognize she’s doing that for them. It’s something small, but a big play to give us a chance to get a goal.
“She (Ahrens) makes plays like that almost every game for us, and today was really a showcase,” Crosby added. “She had a really good game today.”
And as for adjustments with the lead just 1-0?
“In the second half we wanted to see Ann Marie and all our center mids move the ball side to side,” Crosby said. “We were being too one-sided (in the first half) and had trouble switching the field.
“Our conversation after the game was, ‘Boy, did we reach that goal and smash it out of the park.’ We were moving it a lot better, and Ann Marie was a big part of it.”
And with 4:31 left, Ahrens and the Lancers provided the icing on the victory cake.
After another big defensive play by Thorne with 10:50 left (a nice win and clear of the box on a 1-v.-1 Addison Trail attack), Lake Park produced another corner kick chance when Ahrens’ right-sideline shot deflected out off a Blazers defender.
Ahrens’ right side corner kick connected with Selena Catalano at the 10-yard-line. Her header redirect to the left found an onrushing Hernandez, whose putaway from six yards completed the 3-0 win.
“I kind of measured my run,” Hernandez said. “I saw Sel (Catalano) go in for the header, and I was already kind of in with her.
“When I saw her go I backtracked a little bit, and once I saw it go over her, that’s when I crashed the net. I tried not to let that go past after she had worked so hard to get it. I didn’t want it to go to waste.”
It was a great time for Hernandez’s first goal of the season.
“I missed a couple before, so finally putting it in the back of the net felt so good,” she said.
“It was our game; we knew we were the better team – not to trash the other team, they were good. But we knew we had practiced a lot on this, crashing the net (on corner kicks).”
The Lancers had some added motivation on their road to victory.
“We wanted to do it for our teammates who weren’t here today,” Hernandez said. “One of our captains Bri (McAloon) was out for a Student Council seminar. Another one Tarch (Lauren Tarchala), is a really strong wing (and left the game early), and a strong center mid Isabel Armas (was out). We wanted to make up for their loss here.”
Despite the two late goals, Addison Trail coach Sergio Nunez was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I think the girls lost the wind out of their sails towards the end,” Nunez said. “That hurt us. And I wish we capitalized a couple times offensively, but it just didn’t go our way.
“Kudos to Lake Park. They had good ballhandlers. But I’m proud of my girls. They never gave up.”
Like Ahrens, Guenther was another major factor in the Lancers’ excellent midfield play Saturday. She praised the entire team’s effort.
“I felt (the key) was just utilizing the backs through the holding mids, and having the holding mids like Alexis (Morgan), and I distribute out to the outsides as much as possible,” Guenther said. “I also give credit to the attackers. They’ve done a lot working through the middles and the outsides back and forth. It was really everyone overall.”
Enjoying a nonconference break from their grueling DuPage Valley Conference schedule, the Lancers had another reason to smile.
“With this win today we’re one (win) more than last season, which is progress,” Crosby said. “You just hope to continue to build on that. Our seniors have done that, and now the girls stepping up next year know that’s the expectation -- continue to build and grow as a team.”
The Lancers hope the growth can continue the rest of this season, starting with Tuesday’s DVC finale at home Tuesday against Naperville Central.
“This will deinitely boost our confidence going into the Naperville game,” Lamz said. “Especially since last year it was a 1-0 loss against them (the Redhawks), and they’re really good. Hopefully we can do well against them.”
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
GK Klaudia Kulikowski
D Valeria Soto
D Lucia Fullone
D Demi Koulogeorgas
D Berenice Berrumen
D Jenny Santana
M Nahuelly Reyna
M Vanessa Ramirez
M Sandy Herrera
M Brisamar Rodriguez
F Kate Lugardo
Lake Park
GK Sarah Yochem
D Stephanie Zachemski
D Emma Thorne
D Amber Sedwick
M Ann Marie Ahrens
M Alexis Morgan
M Liz Guenther
M Lauren Tarchala
M Jaclyn Lamz
F Ziri Hernandez
F Selena Catalano
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ann Marie Ahrens, fr. M, Lake Park
Scoring summary
First half
LP – Jaclyn Lamz (Ann Marie Ahrens assist), 21:21
Second half
LP – Cyndi Martinez (Ahrens), 66:24
LP – Ziri Hernandez (Selena Catalano), 75:29
Freshman’s 2 assists, Lancers' strong set pieces earn 3-0 win
By Dave Owen
ROSELLE – Lake Park’s Ann Marie Ahrens let nothing slow her down Saturday.
Despite having a would-be beautiful goal denied by an official’s ruling on a first half corner kick, the freshman had a monster day with two assists and the corner kick that set up another goal, as the Lancers (5-13-0) powered to a 3-0 win over Addison Trail (3-14-1).
And as if 80 minutes of constant motion and extra effort on the field weren’t enough, the midfielder only had time for a quick comment as she rushed to a postgame appointment.
“I think the main thing was that we had a lot of good possession,” said Ahrens, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “And then we had a lot of good opportunities switching the field.
“And what also really worked was the communication we had with our center mids and then our wide mids getting up and pushing through.”
Breaking through for scores was a challenge all day for the Lancers. A five-defender Addison Trail alignment and missed scoring opportunities of all types kept the score 1-0 until late in the second half.
But Lake Park’s own strong defense throughout the match and a perfectly executed set play in the 22nd minute kept any major worries to a minimum.
The first goal started when Sophie Giron’s 12-yard shot after an offensive zone steal and left side rush was deflected wide by a diving Blazers goalkeeper Klaudia Kulikowski.
But on the ensuing corner kick, Ahrens’ send from the left corner was headed in at the back post by senior Jaclyn Lamz with 18:39 left to give the Lancers a 1-0 lead.
“Just in the right place, and there wasn’t a man on me,” Lamz said of her goal.
“She (Ahrens) had a really good game. Her view of the field is really good, and she was able to get (the ball) to our feet on the outside really well too.”
Before that goal, Ahrens had initiated a chance just 40 seconds into the match – her pass to Liz Guenther ended with a Guenther cross and Cyndi Martinez header just wide left.
Then with the 1-0 lead, Ahrens’ next big play produced a great finish – but a tough ruling.
Off passes by Ahrens and Martinez, another corner kick resulted when Giron’s chip towards an open net was cleared over the end line by Addison Trail defender Valeria Soto.
On the ensuing set piece with 12:50 left in the first half, Ahrens’ left-side corner appeared to curl just under the crossbar inside the near post. But officials ruled the ball had gone out of bounds, denying the would-be goal.
“What a ball,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said. “It’s right on net, she puts it where we want it, we’re crashing inside the 6 and she puts it in a spot where there’s nowhere to go but in.
“Unfortunately the official saw it go in and then out of bounds, but it looked like it was good to us.
“She was bummed out she didn’t get that one,” Crosby added, “but she’ll have plenty more chances to put more on the board. And to get two assists – the way she’s becoming a playmaker for us and setting other people up, we’re more proud of that.”
The Lancers defense also had a day to be proud of.
Freshman Emma Thorne was a rock at center back all day. One of her highlights came on an Addison Trail corner kick in the 25th minute, when Thorne first blocked a Soto shot. Then after a prolonged battle for control in the box, Thorne’s long clear ended the threat.
“Emma’s a fierce competitor and kind of our staple in the back,” Crosby said. “Then Amber (Sedwick) on the outside with her, and Sarah (Novak) and Steph (Zamchemski) swapping the outside left next to her, they have a really good sense to stay connected.
“Defensively as a unit we played together today, and all the girls deserve credit for the shutout. We ask them all to do different things, and when they work together it’s hard to score off us. It’s been a while since we felt it, but today they felt it. They were confident, recognized where each other were, were patient and communicated way better.
“For Emma as a freshman to voice herself, that’s tough,” Crosby added. “Today she wasn’t hesitant and communicated very well, and other girls picked up on it and also communicated more. And things get figured out a lot faster when we do that.”
The shutout was the Lancers’ first since a 1-0 win April 12 at Plainfield Central.
“It was great to finally get another shutout – it’s been a while,” Thorne said. “We really worked well together. If one person got beat, the next outside was right there to get the ball. We tried our best to keep it on the ground when we could. We have to keep working on that though.”
Said Sedwick: “We were working really well on playing balls out of the back, staying connected, and shifting really well to get the ball up to Liz (Guenther at midfield). That really helped us.”
But with their lead just 1-0 at halftime, the Lancers came out of the break with added fire.
“Coach talked at halftime that ‘If we really wanted it, we should go for it,’” Lake Park senior Ziri Hernandez said. “He asked us, ‘Who wants a goal?’ and the whole team raised their hands.
“We didn’t want to leave it 1-0 when we knew we could give so much more. And we wanted to make up for other goals we missed in previous games that were so close.”
But finishing chances would remain tough for awhile.
Off a 65-yard Sedwick free kick with 37:40 left, a Hernandez header forward set up an Ahrens 30-yard shot just wide right (off the football uprights).
Four minutes later, a 35-yard Guenther free kick resulted in a one-hop save by Kulikowski.
Then after repelling a Blazers corner kick with 16:50 left with a header block away from the box by Novak to keep the score 1-0, Lake Park’s increasing sense of urgency would soon finally pay off.
With 13:36 to go, Sedwick’s throw-in from 15 yards out spun to Ahrens at the 10-yard line right of the net. Her header went to open space, and Martinez nicely touched an 8-yard shot past a charging Kulikowski and inside the left post for a 2-0 lead.
Again, Ahrens’ role as instigator was vital.
“She can take it upon herself to share the ball with others, even though she’s a strong finisher and great goal scorer,” Crosby said. “She recognizes the right moments to set somebody else up, and it gives them a good chance on net.
“For her to get that little redirection for Cyndi’s goal – a throw-in she taps over the defensive player that falls right to Cyndi to tuck away. The girls recognize she’s doing that for them. It’s something small, but a big play to give us a chance to get a goal.
“She (Ahrens) makes plays like that almost every game for us, and today was really a showcase,” Crosby added. “She had a really good game today.”
And as for adjustments with the lead just 1-0?
“In the second half we wanted to see Ann Marie and all our center mids move the ball side to side,” Crosby said. “We were being too one-sided (in the first half) and had trouble switching the field.
“Our conversation after the game was, ‘Boy, did we reach that goal and smash it out of the park.’ We were moving it a lot better, and Ann Marie was a big part of it.”
And with 4:31 left, Ahrens and the Lancers provided the icing on the victory cake.
After another big defensive play by Thorne with 10:50 left (a nice win and clear of the box on a 1-v.-1 Addison Trail attack), Lake Park produced another corner kick chance when Ahrens’ right-sideline shot deflected out off a Blazers defender.
Ahrens’ right side corner kick connected with Selena Catalano at the 10-yard-line. Her header redirect to the left found an onrushing Hernandez, whose putaway from six yards completed the 3-0 win.
“I kind of measured my run,” Hernandez said. “I saw Sel (Catalano) go in for the header, and I was already kind of in with her.
“When I saw her go I backtracked a little bit, and once I saw it go over her, that’s when I crashed the net. I tried not to let that go past after she had worked so hard to get it. I didn’t want it to go to waste.”
It was a great time for Hernandez’s first goal of the season.
“I missed a couple before, so finally putting it in the back of the net felt so good,” she said.
“It was our game; we knew we were the better team – not to trash the other team, they were good. But we knew we had practiced a lot on this, crashing the net (on corner kicks).”
The Lancers had some added motivation on their road to victory.
“We wanted to do it for our teammates who weren’t here today,” Hernandez said. “One of our captains Bri (McAloon) was out for a Student Council seminar. Another one Tarch (Lauren Tarchala), is a really strong wing (and left the game early), and a strong center mid Isabel Armas (was out). We wanted to make up for their loss here.”
Despite the two late goals, Addison Trail coach Sergio Nunez was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I think the girls lost the wind out of their sails towards the end,” Nunez said. “That hurt us. And I wish we capitalized a couple times offensively, but it just didn’t go our way.
“Kudos to Lake Park. They had good ballhandlers. But I’m proud of my girls. They never gave up.”
Like Ahrens, Guenther was another major factor in the Lancers’ excellent midfield play Saturday. She praised the entire team’s effort.
“I felt (the key) was just utilizing the backs through the holding mids, and having the holding mids like Alexis (Morgan), and I distribute out to the outsides as much as possible,” Guenther said. “I also give credit to the attackers. They’ve done a lot working through the middles and the outsides back and forth. It was really everyone overall.”
Enjoying a nonconference break from their grueling DuPage Valley Conference schedule, the Lancers had another reason to smile.
“With this win today we’re one (win) more than last season, which is progress,” Crosby said. “You just hope to continue to build on that. Our seniors have done that, and now the girls stepping up next year know that’s the expectation -- continue to build and grow as a team.”
The Lancers hope the growth can continue the rest of this season, starting with Tuesday’s DVC finale at home Tuesday against Naperville Central.
“This will deinitely boost our confidence going into the Naperville game,” Lamz said. “Especially since last year it was a 1-0 loss against them (the Redhawks), and they’re really good. Hopefully we can do well against them.”
Starting lineups
Addison Trail
GK Klaudia Kulikowski
D Valeria Soto
D Lucia Fullone
D Demi Koulogeorgas
D Berenice Berrumen
D Jenny Santana
M Nahuelly Reyna
M Vanessa Ramirez
M Sandy Herrera
M Brisamar Rodriguez
F Kate Lugardo
Lake Park
GK Sarah Yochem
D Stephanie Zachemski
D Emma Thorne
D Amber Sedwick
M Ann Marie Ahrens
M Alexis Morgan
M Liz Guenther
M Lauren Tarchala
M Jaclyn Lamz
F Ziri Hernandez
F Selena Catalano
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ann Marie Ahrens, fr. M, Lake Park
Scoring summary
First half
LP – Jaclyn Lamz (Ann Marie Ahrens assist), 21:21
Second half
LP – Cyndi Martinez (Ahrens), 66:24
LP – Ziri Hernandez (Selena Catalano), 75:29