Barrington edges closer
to league title with win over Fremd
Fillies extend winning streak to 8 with 3-0 MSL road victory
By Mike Garofola
PALATINE -- Kaitlin Taylor netted a significant early marker that helped send reigning league champion Barrington to a commanding win over rival Fremd on Saturday afternoon at Hildebrandt Field.
The Fillies impressive 3-0 victory was their eighth-straight win and ended a highly successful week that saw Ryan Stengren’s club increase its lead to five points over the Vikings with just four games to go on each team’s Mid-Suburban League schedule.
"We got the result we came here for," said Stengren, whose club will host surprising Rolling Meadows on Wednesday, before the start of group play in the Naperville Invitational one night later against York at Barrington Community Stadium. “The girls came out and played well from the very start, but we all know we can be better. Although we're very happy with this win, there's always more work to do before our next time out.”
"They were clearly the better team today," began Fremd (6-2-2, 5-1-1) manager, Steve Keller.
"(They) worked a lot harder than we did, won nearly every 50/50 and second balls all over the field. With their energy and nonstop play, it seemed like there were more than 11 of them out there today."
"Playing (Fremd) is always an 80-minute battle. We expect them to be physical with a lot of pressure and tough challenges," said Gracie Stagnito, whose superb work in the middle of the park game the Fillies senior a share of the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor with her young teammate Taylor. “I really liked the way we came out today. Our ball movement, passing and work-rate really seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game.”
"There was a lot of build-up to this game,” said Taylor. “We all knew how important it was, and I agree with (Stagnito), it was our start that really made a difference in this game."
Despite playing into a cold, stiff crosswind during the first period, the Barrington (8-1-0, 7-0-0, 21 points) dismissed the obstacle by keeping the ball on the floor as often as possible. When sending long early balls towards the corner flags, they hit them heavy enough to keep in play for their wing players up-top.
It could have been a 2-0 game in the first seven minutes after Riley Raynor, then Brooke Brown each having a go at Vikings keeper Sam Gary, who had a very busy day between the sticks for the home side.
After the near miss by Brown, Keller pushed Anna Schmitt up-top to give the Vikings three forwards in the hope of more pressure on the Fillies backline and creating a chance or two with the wind at their backs.
"We tried to be aggressive in our play at the start, but it wasn't at all near what it should have been," admitted Schmitt, whom her coach called Fremd’s best player on the day. “Barrington took advantage by winning so many balls in the midfield, and moving the ball around much quicker than we did.”
The Vikings were nearly caught cold when Fillies Ellie Sanchez and Kate Lubinsky created a chance for Taylor that went just wide in the 16th minute. The sequence was possible by a terrific diagonal run by Lubinsky that allowed her to latch onto a well-played ball from Sanchez from her outside back position.
The Lubinsky-to-Taylor combination would find the opener two minutes later when Lubinsky ran freely to the endline before sending her left-footed cross for Taylor to finish.
"Kate gave me just a great cross,” Taylor said. “When I saw her go end line, all I thought about was getting to an open spot in the box to get on the end of it."
Taylor’s clinical finish brought a huge cheer from the Fillies faithful.
"(We've) had Kate Lubinsky starting for us as an outside back while waiting for Kathleen Baker to be 100 percent fit coming back from an injury," began Stengren.
"So, to be able to move Kate (up) as an outside midfielder gives us more in our attack. Having (Baker) taking over on the outside gives us two players (Ellie Sanchez the other) who can defend, get forward and give us service out of the back.”
Baker, who returned from playing from Eclipse, is a terrific addition to the Fillies backline. She combines size, strength, pace and mindset of an attacking player to the Fillies.
"Kathleen had a great game, both with defense and offense,” said Stengren. “(We) moved her outside from her spot as a central defender to help keep the speed and quickness of (Fremd’s) Lily (Spotak) from hurting us."
Spotak, a senior along with her sophomore running mate up-top Sam Findysz, has scored the majority of the Vikings goals thus far. But this talented twosome rarely saw the ball in the opening period, because of the Fillies dominance in the middle of the park. Barrington would not allow them to connect and in turn pry open the backline of the visitors.
Brown, Lubinsky, Stagnito and Nicole Gwiasda could have won 85 percent of the balls in the air or on the turf in a first half that saw the Fillies have chances to double or even triple their advantage before the intermission.
After Schmitt headed a ball over the bar off a corner in the 21st minute, the visitors enjoyed most of the play until the end of the half, which included two glorious chances and two half-chances.
Gwiasda found the roof after a helper from Brown, then it was Lubinsky, who set herself free on the end of an enterprising run up the right side before driving an angled shot just wide of the far post.
Sam Gary came to the rescue when her teammates half cleared a corner. That allowed Gwiasda to find Brown at the back post for a close-range effort that was stopped.
With Barrington turning up the pressure in the final moments of the half, defender Maddie McMillan would take another sure goal off the line to help keep the visitors advantage to just one-goal.
"We should have two goals heading into the break," said Stengren. “We need to finish those chances, because to keep a team like Fremd close is a dangerous thing.”
"We were a little lucky to be chasing just one goal," said Schmitt. “That's one of the things Keller talked about at the half, the other being we needed to come out after the break with more energy, to be more competitive and to play harder. We did, and that's something we'll take with us going into our next game.”
That next game for Schmitt and her teammates will be Tuesday night against Palatine in the 27th annual Kinsella Cup, which will mark the final cross-town derby for retiring Palatine manager Willie Filian.
Stengren’s worries of missed opportunities received some relief when Taylor bagged her second with a looping 22-yard effort that sailed over the outstretched gloves of Gary.
Fillies sophomore forward Sarah Sarnowski provided the helper on the 51st minute goal.
The visitors’ concentration level continued as they looked to double their insurance. The home side, through Schmitt, Shannon Moran, Kaitlyn Roti and McMillan followed the request of Keller from the break.
"I was happy with the way we competed in the second half," said Keller. We were scrappier. We increased our pressure, and we challenged so much more than the first half."
"I think all of us who were on last year’s team that came back from being down two goals to Barrington, (then) losing in overtime came into this game expecting more and to avenge that loss,” said Schmitt. “We fell short but at least came back and played more like we can in the second half."
Barrington continued to look its attacking best leading up to the final goal. Raynor went wide twice, and Taylor was denied her third of the day by Gary, who send her close-range effort up and onto the roof.
Gwiasda saw her redirected header stopped by Gary, but when the ball spilled free the ever-present Stagnito steered in the Fillies third goal in the 72nd minute.
"I was really proud of the effort that our young players gave today," said Stagnito. (They) have been getting better with each training session and game we play. What's great is they all continue to work hard to improve.”
"I am really happy for the girls today,” said Stengren. “They came out and played hard from the very beginning and continued to do so right until the end of the game to beat a very good Fremd team.
"It was a good win for us and a really important one in the race for the MSL West title. We'll watch the film, see what we need to work on and get ourselves ready for our game with Rolling Meadows."
Starting lineups
Barrington (4-3-3)
G- Abby Raynor
D- Ellie Sanchez
D- Caitlin Paul
D- Kathleen Baker
D- Gracie Stagnito
M- Kaitlin Taylor
M- Nicole Gwiasda
M- Brooke Brown
F- Kate Lubinsky
F- Riley Raynor
F- Piper Lucier
Fremd (4-4-2)
G- Sam Gary
D- Shannon Moran
D- Ava Catherall
D- Maddie McMillan
D- Kaitlyn Rodi
M- Kylie Williams
M- Gemma Gillespie
M- Hannah Rosen
M- Anna Schmitt
F- Lily Spotak
F- Sam Findysz
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Gracie Stagnito, sr., MF, Barrington; Kaitlin Taylor, so., MF, Barrington
Referee: Bruno Vukovic
Scoring summary
First half
Barrington: Taylor (Lubinsky), 18th minute
Second half
Barrington: Taylor (Sarnowski), 51st minute
Barrington: Stagnito (Brown), 72nd minute
to league title with win over Fremd
Fillies extend winning streak to 8 with 3-0 MSL road victory
By Mike Garofola
PALATINE -- Kaitlin Taylor netted a significant early marker that helped send reigning league champion Barrington to a commanding win over rival Fremd on Saturday afternoon at Hildebrandt Field.
The Fillies impressive 3-0 victory was their eighth-straight win and ended a highly successful week that saw Ryan Stengren’s club increase its lead to five points over the Vikings with just four games to go on each team’s Mid-Suburban League schedule.
"We got the result we came here for," said Stengren, whose club will host surprising Rolling Meadows on Wednesday, before the start of group play in the Naperville Invitational one night later against York at Barrington Community Stadium. “The girls came out and played well from the very start, but we all know we can be better. Although we're very happy with this win, there's always more work to do before our next time out.”
"They were clearly the better team today," began Fremd (6-2-2, 5-1-1) manager, Steve Keller.
"(They) worked a lot harder than we did, won nearly every 50/50 and second balls all over the field. With their energy and nonstop play, it seemed like there were more than 11 of them out there today."
"Playing (Fremd) is always an 80-minute battle. We expect them to be physical with a lot of pressure and tough challenges," said Gracie Stagnito, whose superb work in the middle of the park game the Fillies senior a share of the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor with her young teammate Taylor. “I really liked the way we came out today. Our ball movement, passing and work-rate really seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game.”
"There was a lot of build-up to this game,” said Taylor. “We all knew how important it was, and I agree with (Stagnito), it was our start that really made a difference in this game."
Despite playing into a cold, stiff crosswind during the first period, the Barrington (8-1-0, 7-0-0, 21 points) dismissed the obstacle by keeping the ball on the floor as often as possible. When sending long early balls towards the corner flags, they hit them heavy enough to keep in play for their wing players up-top.
It could have been a 2-0 game in the first seven minutes after Riley Raynor, then Brooke Brown each having a go at Vikings keeper Sam Gary, who had a very busy day between the sticks for the home side.
After the near miss by Brown, Keller pushed Anna Schmitt up-top to give the Vikings three forwards in the hope of more pressure on the Fillies backline and creating a chance or two with the wind at their backs.
"We tried to be aggressive in our play at the start, but it wasn't at all near what it should have been," admitted Schmitt, whom her coach called Fremd’s best player on the day. “Barrington took advantage by winning so many balls in the midfield, and moving the ball around much quicker than we did.”
The Vikings were nearly caught cold when Fillies Ellie Sanchez and Kate Lubinsky created a chance for Taylor that went just wide in the 16th minute. The sequence was possible by a terrific diagonal run by Lubinsky that allowed her to latch onto a well-played ball from Sanchez from her outside back position.
The Lubinsky-to-Taylor combination would find the opener two minutes later when Lubinsky ran freely to the endline before sending her left-footed cross for Taylor to finish.
"Kate gave me just a great cross,” Taylor said. “When I saw her go end line, all I thought about was getting to an open spot in the box to get on the end of it."
Taylor’s clinical finish brought a huge cheer from the Fillies faithful.
"(We've) had Kate Lubinsky starting for us as an outside back while waiting for Kathleen Baker to be 100 percent fit coming back from an injury," began Stengren.
"So, to be able to move Kate (up) as an outside midfielder gives us more in our attack. Having (Baker) taking over on the outside gives us two players (Ellie Sanchez the other) who can defend, get forward and give us service out of the back.”
Baker, who returned from playing from Eclipse, is a terrific addition to the Fillies backline. She combines size, strength, pace and mindset of an attacking player to the Fillies.
"Kathleen had a great game, both with defense and offense,” said Stengren. “(We) moved her outside from her spot as a central defender to help keep the speed and quickness of (Fremd’s) Lily (Spotak) from hurting us."
Spotak, a senior along with her sophomore running mate up-top Sam Findysz, has scored the majority of the Vikings goals thus far. But this talented twosome rarely saw the ball in the opening period, because of the Fillies dominance in the middle of the park. Barrington would not allow them to connect and in turn pry open the backline of the visitors.
Brown, Lubinsky, Stagnito and Nicole Gwiasda could have won 85 percent of the balls in the air or on the turf in a first half that saw the Fillies have chances to double or even triple their advantage before the intermission.
After Schmitt headed a ball over the bar off a corner in the 21st minute, the visitors enjoyed most of the play until the end of the half, which included two glorious chances and two half-chances.
Gwiasda found the roof after a helper from Brown, then it was Lubinsky, who set herself free on the end of an enterprising run up the right side before driving an angled shot just wide of the far post.
Sam Gary came to the rescue when her teammates half cleared a corner. That allowed Gwiasda to find Brown at the back post for a close-range effort that was stopped.
With Barrington turning up the pressure in the final moments of the half, defender Maddie McMillan would take another sure goal off the line to help keep the visitors advantage to just one-goal.
"We should have two goals heading into the break," said Stengren. “We need to finish those chances, because to keep a team like Fremd close is a dangerous thing.”
"We were a little lucky to be chasing just one goal," said Schmitt. “That's one of the things Keller talked about at the half, the other being we needed to come out after the break with more energy, to be more competitive and to play harder. We did, and that's something we'll take with us going into our next game.”
That next game for Schmitt and her teammates will be Tuesday night against Palatine in the 27th annual Kinsella Cup, which will mark the final cross-town derby for retiring Palatine manager Willie Filian.
Stengren’s worries of missed opportunities received some relief when Taylor bagged her second with a looping 22-yard effort that sailed over the outstretched gloves of Gary.
Fillies sophomore forward Sarah Sarnowski provided the helper on the 51st minute goal.
The visitors’ concentration level continued as they looked to double their insurance. The home side, through Schmitt, Shannon Moran, Kaitlyn Roti and McMillan followed the request of Keller from the break.
"I was happy with the way we competed in the second half," said Keller. We were scrappier. We increased our pressure, and we challenged so much more than the first half."
"I think all of us who were on last year’s team that came back from being down two goals to Barrington, (then) losing in overtime came into this game expecting more and to avenge that loss,” said Schmitt. “We fell short but at least came back and played more like we can in the second half."
Barrington continued to look its attacking best leading up to the final goal. Raynor went wide twice, and Taylor was denied her third of the day by Gary, who send her close-range effort up and onto the roof.
Gwiasda saw her redirected header stopped by Gary, but when the ball spilled free the ever-present Stagnito steered in the Fillies third goal in the 72nd minute.
"I was really proud of the effort that our young players gave today," said Stagnito. (They) have been getting better with each training session and game we play. What's great is they all continue to work hard to improve.”
"I am really happy for the girls today,” said Stengren. “They came out and played hard from the very beginning and continued to do so right until the end of the game to beat a very good Fremd team.
"It was a good win for us and a really important one in the race for the MSL West title. We'll watch the film, see what we need to work on and get ourselves ready for our game with Rolling Meadows."
Starting lineups
Barrington (4-3-3)
G- Abby Raynor
D- Ellie Sanchez
D- Caitlin Paul
D- Kathleen Baker
D- Gracie Stagnito
M- Kaitlin Taylor
M- Nicole Gwiasda
M- Brooke Brown
F- Kate Lubinsky
F- Riley Raynor
F- Piper Lucier
Fremd (4-4-2)
G- Sam Gary
D- Shannon Moran
D- Ava Catherall
D- Maddie McMillan
D- Kaitlyn Rodi
M- Kylie Williams
M- Gemma Gillespie
M- Hannah Rosen
M- Anna Schmitt
F- Lily Spotak
F- Sam Findysz
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Gracie Stagnito, sr., MF, Barrington; Kaitlin Taylor, so., MF, Barrington
Referee: Bruno Vukovic
Scoring summary
First half
Barrington: Taylor (Lubinsky), 18th minute
Second half
Barrington: Taylor (Sarnowski), 51st minute
Barrington: Stagnito (Brown), 72nd minute