Bartlett's 2nd half storms past South Elgin Hawks score all their goal after the break for big 4-0 U8 win
By Bill McLean
SOUTH ELGIN — Vince Revak’s shout to his Hawks was a cross between a reminder and a plea.
“Find feet!” Bartlett’s head coach bellowed on a mild Monday evening, hoping to see passes hit cleats in the 24th minute of the Upstate Eight Conference showdown on South Elgin’s natural grass pitch.
The first half ended scoreless.
Bartlett then found something else — the back of the net — four times, including thrice in a span of eight minutes, in the second half. The Hawks’ 4-0 victory over the defending Upstate Eight champs improved their overall record to 7-2-0 and conference mark to 6-0-0.
South Elgin’s Storm, ranked no. 24 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, slipped to 5-1-2, 3-1-2.
“Four goals … that’s fabulous,” said Hawks junior back Sabrina Fowler, whose back-post goal on a free kick from 23 yards upped the visitors’ lead to 3-0 in the 60th minute. “I’d expected a one-goal game; I think we all did.”
Bartlett sophomore midfielder Brooke Baumann opened the scoring on a penalty kick following a hand-ball in the box in the 45th minute. Nine minutes later, following a corner kick by Fowler, Hawks junior midfielder Tessa Evans managed to settle a loose ball in heavy traffic and then blasted a shot from the middle of the box past Storm sophomore goalkeeper Karissa Cruz (seven saves).
Bartlett junior Alexis DeRango got credit for the assist.
A goal from reserve freshman midfielder/forward Lizzie Dzielski, off a super cross from midfielder Laney Stark — another freshman — capped the scoring in the 62nd minute.
Winning keeper Caitlin Yurkovich stopped two shots for Bartlett, which entered the contest in the cluster of “Look out for” teams in Chicagoland Soccer’s rankings.
“PK and free kick goals … those burn,” said South Elgin coach Laura Szwaja, whose crew had to compete Monday without injured junior defender Chloe Buecler. “The game was closer than a 4-0 game. Bartlett is a very good team, a very disciplined team. They won the ball in the air, clearly, throughout the second half. Did a good job executing overall.
“We knew it would be a challenge. We expected a good game.”
South Elgin showed urgency in the first minute, with junior forward Katrina Barthelt and sophomore midfielder Alyssa Doherty engineering a dangerous rush that ended with a wide shot.
Bartlett dictated matters during most of the action from there. Evans was a maven in the middle, turning quickly each time the ball was at her feet and initiating extended possessions.
“She’s everywhere,” Revak said after the Hawks’ fourth-straight win. “She’s the heartbeat of our core.
“Tessa,” Fowler added, “is a great distributor in the middle.”
Senior forward Serena Salvato gathered a cross from Baumann, who dished the ball to Evans in the 20th minute. South Elgin’s defense felt the heat during the sequence but prevented a shot on goal.
Hawks junior defender Madison Neer was wide open practically every time she ventured near midfield. Revak has given Neer — at 5-foot-11 the Hawks’ top threat to head corner kicks — more offensive responsibilities out wide than he had in previous seasons.
“She’s quick enough to handle them,” the coach said.
Bartlett generated a pair of set-piece chances (one corner kick, one free kick) in the final three minutes of the first half.
The second half?
All Bartlett.
Evans stole a pass and passed it to Salvato in the 42nd minute. Stark earned a corner kick for the visitors; Fowler booted it and almost found Neer’s head.
Another Bartlett corner, about a minute later, set the stage for the hand-ball infraction and Baumann’s ensuing PK.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way we played today,” Revak said. “Our starters played well. Our subs stepped up. And our intensity never went down.
“We proved tonight that we can play with anyone.”
Players from both teams demonstrated how much they care about the players wearing the opposing side’s threads. Evans and South Elgin junior defender Norah Stueck collided violently in midfield with 5:26 left in the second half. Both were going hard for a 50/50 ball. Both went down. Hard. Evans stayed down — for about five minutes.
It appeared she had suffered a serious injury to her right knee.
After the game, an emotional Stueck approached Evans, sitting on the Hawks’ bench, and said repeatedly, “I’m so sorry.” Stueck later added, “I hope you’re okay.”
Evans tried to ease Stueck’s pain by assuring her she’d be fine and that she knew the crash was an unintentional one.
The heartfelt scene surprised neither the players nor the coaches.
Several players from both teams are Chicago Rush West club teammates.
“Our girls love their girls, and their girls love our girls,” Szwaja said afterward. “They love to compete against each other. Look at them over there (just outside the stadium). They’re getting together for pictures.”
The next morning, Revak shared some encouraging news.
“Tessa seemed to be in good spirits,” he noted via email. “She said she would be coming to practice.”
Bartlett visits Upstate Eight foe Fenton on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. and hosts Lake Park on Saturday at 10 a.m.; South Elgin hosts U8 foe Glenbard East on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. and entertains Geneva on Saturday at noon.
Footnotes:
South Elgin coach and English teacher Szwaja played for Elk Grove soccer teams that won three Mid-Suburban League East titles in the early 2000s. The 2004 EG graduate was on the Grenadiers club that made a deep Class AA playoff run in 2002 before losing 3-1 to eventual state champion Evanston in a supersectional. She played club soccer at the University of Illinois and suffered a torn ACL “while playing a casual summer game,” she said. … Szwaja asked Storm freshman defender Ella Dihel to move up and put her motor to good use in Bartlett’s zone in the second half. “My role (normally) is to run around and steal the ball,” Dihel said. “Ella,” Szwaja said, “has been a super utility player for us, with Chloe (Buecler) out because of an injury. Her energy keeps her teammates up.” … Dihel, on Bartlett: “It’s a strong team all over the field.”
Starting lineups
Bartlett
GK Caitlin Yurkovich
D Madison Neer
D Madison Balgeman
D Sabrina Fowler
D Gracie Cwik
M Tessa Evans
M Brooke Baumann
M Alexis DeRango
M Laney Stark
F Lauren Kowalski
F Serena Salvato
South Elgin
GK Karissa Cruz
D Ella Dihel
D Norah Stueck
D Lesly Ulloa
D Maille Dunne
M Lily Ernandez
M Erin Morahan
M Alli Rys
M Alyssa Doherty
F Bella Piaskowy
F Katrina Barthelt
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Tessa Evans, jr., M, Bartlett
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Bartlett — Baumann (PK), 45’
Bartlett — Evans (DeRango), 54’
Bartlett — Fowler (UA), 60’
Bartlett — Lizzie Dzielski (Stark), 62’
By Bill McLean
SOUTH ELGIN — Vince Revak’s shout to his Hawks was a cross between a reminder and a plea.
“Find feet!” Bartlett’s head coach bellowed on a mild Monday evening, hoping to see passes hit cleats in the 24th minute of the Upstate Eight Conference showdown on South Elgin’s natural grass pitch.
The first half ended scoreless.
Bartlett then found something else — the back of the net — four times, including thrice in a span of eight minutes, in the second half. The Hawks’ 4-0 victory over the defending Upstate Eight champs improved their overall record to 7-2-0 and conference mark to 6-0-0.
South Elgin’s Storm, ranked no. 24 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, slipped to 5-1-2, 3-1-2.
“Four goals … that’s fabulous,” said Hawks junior back Sabrina Fowler, whose back-post goal on a free kick from 23 yards upped the visitors’ lead to 3-0 in the 60th minute. “I’d expected a one-goal game; I think we all did.”
Bartlett sophomore midfielder Brooke Baumann opened the scoring on a penalty kick following a hand-ball in the box in the 45th minute. Nine minutes later, following a corner kick by Fowler, Hawks junior midfielder Tessa Evans managed to settle a loose ball in heavy traffic and then blasted a shot from the middle of the box past Storm sophomore goalkeeper Karissa Cruz (seven saves).
Bartlett junior Alexis DeRango got credit for the assist.
A goal from reserve freshman midfielder/forward Lizzie Dzielski, off a super cross from midfielder Laney Stark — another freshman — capped the scoring in the 62nd minute.
Winning keeper Caitlin Yurkovich stopped two shots for Bartlett, which entered the contest in the cluster of “Look out for” teams in Chicagoland Soccer’s rankings.
“PK and free kick goals … those burn,” said South Elgin coach Laura Szwaja, whose crew had to compete Monday without injured junior defender Chloe Buecler. “The game was closer than a 4-0 game. Bartlett is a very good team, a very disciplined team. They won the ball in the air, clearly, throughout the second half. Did a good job executing overall.
“We knew it would be a challenge. We expected a good game.”
South Elgin showed urgency in the first minute, with junior forward Katrina Barthelt and sophomore midfielder Alyssa Doherty engineering a dangerous rush that ended with a wide shot.
Bartlett dictated matters during most of the action from there. Evans was a maven in the middle, turning quickly each time the ball was at her feet and initiating extended possessions.
“She’s everywhere,” Revak said after the Hawks’ fourth-straight win. “She’s the heartbeat of our core.
“Tessa,” Fowler added, “is a great distributor in the middle.”
Senior forward Serena Salvato gathered a cross from Baumann, who dished the ball to Evans in the 20th minute. South Elgin’s defense felt the heat during the sequence but prevented a shot on goal.
Hawks junior defender Madison Neer was wide open practically every time she ventured near midfield. Revak has given Neer — at 5-foot-11 the Hawks’ top threat to head corner kicks — more offensive responsibilities out wide than he had in previous seasons.
“She’s quick enough to handle them,” the coach said.
Bartlett generated a pair of set-piece chances (one corner kick, one free kick) in the final three minutes of the first half.
The second half?
All Bartlett.
Evans stole a pass and passed it to Salvato in the 42nd minute. Stark earned a corner kick for the visitors; Fowler booted it and almost found Neer’s head.
Another Bartlett corner, about a minute later, set the stage for the hand-ball infraction and Baumann’s ensuing PK.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way we played today,” Revak said. “Our starters played well. Our subs stepped up. And our intensity never went down.
“We proved tonight that we can play with anyone.”
Players from both teams demonstrated how much they care about the players wearing the opposing side’s threads. Evans and South Elgin junior defender Norah Stueck collided violently in midfield with 5:26 left in the second half. Both were going hard for a 50/50 ball. Both went down. Hard. Evans stayed down — for about five minutes.
It appeared she had suffered a serious injury to her right knee.
After the game, an emotional Stueck approached Evans, sitting on the Hawks’ bench, and said repeatedly, “I’m so sorry.” Stueck later added, “I hope you’re okay.”
Evans tried to ease Stueck’s pain by assuring her she’d be fine and that she knew the crash was an unintentional one.
The heartfelt scene surprised neither the players nor the coaches.
Several players from both teams are Chicago Rush West club teammates.
“Our girls love their girls, and their girls love our girls,” Szwaja said afterward. “They love to compete against each other. Look at them over there (just outside the stadium). They’re getting together for pictures.”
The next morning, Revak shared some encouraging news.
“Tessa seemed to be in good spirits,” he noted via email. “She said she would be coming to practice.”
Bartlett visits Upstate Eight foe Fenton on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. and hosts Lake Park on Saturday at 10 a.m.; South Elgin hosts U8 foe Glenbard East on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. and entertains Geneva on Saturday at noon.
Footnotes:
South Elgin coach and English teacher Szwaja played for Elk Grove soccer teams that won three Mid-Suburban League East titles in the early 2000s. The 2004 EG graduate was on the Grenadiers club that made a deep Class AA playoff run in 2002 before losing 3-1 to eventual state champion Evanston in a supersectional. She played club soccer at the University of Illinois and suffered a torn ACL “while playing a casual summer game,” she said. … Szwaja asked Storm freshman defender Ella Dihel to move up and put her motor to good use in Bartlett’s zone in the second half. “My role (normally) is to run around and steal the ball,” Dihel said. “Ella,” Szwaja said, “has been a super utility player for us, with Chloe (Buecler) out because of an injury. Her energy keeps her teammates up.” … Dihel, on Bartlett: “It’s a strong team all over the field.”
Starting lineups
Bartlett
GK Caitlin Yurkovich
D Madison Neer
D Madison Balgeman
D Sabrina Fowler
D Gracie Cwik
M Tessa Evans
M Brooke Baumann
M Alexis DeRango
M Laney Stark
F Lauren Kowalski
F Serena Salvato
South Elgin
GK Karissa Cruz
D Ella Dihel
D Norah Stueck
D Lesly Ulloa
D Maille Dunne
M Lily Ernandez
M Erin Morahan
M Alli Rys
M Alyssa Doherty
F Bella Piaskowy
F Katrina Barthelt
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Tessa Evans, jr., M, Bartlett
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Bartlett — Baumann (PK), 45’
Bartlett — Evans (DeRango), 54’
Bartlett — Fowler (UA), 60’
Bartlett — Lizzie Dzielski (Stark), 62’