WWS overcomes Senior Night
jitters, Batavia for win
Hadzic scores, Farrell on the mark in 1-0 DuKane win
By Jared Birchfield
WHEATON – Riding a three-match winning streak, Batavia had momentum going into Tuesday night’s DuKane Conference road contest with Wheaton Warrenville South at Red Grange Field.
Their hosts were looking to regroup after a lopsided loss last Thursday to St. Charles East.
During the first half, Batavia maintained its drive, dominating play and taking more shots on goal than South. However, the Tigers were the ones to find the back of the net in the first 40 minutes and led 1-0 at intermission.
The pendulum started swinging the Tigers’ way in the second half as they took control of the contest. While South was unable to end its attacks with goals, they held Batavia scoreless for the win.
“To get a clean-sheet and get a 1-0 over a very good team, obviously, that's momentum. We were coming off kind of a sour situation with St. Charles East, so this is a good three points for us,” said Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari. “They are big and strong through the middle, and that was difficult to match up against. They had some good looks early on, and they just didn't hit frame.”
Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco believes his team’s trend is noticeable. He noted that compared to the teams’ first meeting, a 4-1 Wheaton Warrenville South win on April 29, the 1-0 loss was a step forward. The Bulldogs coach thinks his team is on target to peak when it is most important – the postseason.
“You can see that today compared to the first game (against South) we’re better. We're just improving for the playoffs, that's all we're doing,” he said. “From the 4-1 loss to now, I would say that we've improved. We're on the pace so we'll be playing our best when we hit the playoffs in two weeks.”
Gianfrancesco said his squad had a lot of opportunities in the first half.
“We played a pretty good game. Compared to them I thought we dominated the first half, but we couldn’t finish,” said the Batavia coach. “The key (to the game) was they scored, and we didn't. We had more shots on frame than they did so we should have scored more goals. At the end of the day, it was execution. We didn't finish our chances that we had.”
Since it was Wheaton Warrenville South’s Senior Night, it was appropriate that a member of the Class of 2021 scored the Tigers’ only goal. Melisa Hadzic found the back of the net in the 23rd minute after the senior midfielder beat Bulldogs goalkeeper Morgan Haug to a loose ball in the right corner of the penalty box.
“I was playing left wing at the time, and I saw Elise (Farrell) pass the ball. I saw a huge spot of open space, and I just kind of ran through it trying to make sure I wouldn't be offsides, so I ran in front of people,” Hadzic said. “I thought I wouldn't get to the ball actually, because the goalie kind of got in front of it. I don't know if it went through her legs or her hands. I just got on the on the other end of it and put it in the back of the goal.”
Callipari believed that Senior Night played a part in the Tigers’ first half play.
"We had three days off, and we had a lot on our minds with senior night. We got off a little slow tonight, and they took advantage of that and did a nice job of being really comfortable,” the coach said. “We looked a little anxious at times.”
Batavia’s best scoring opportunity came with 40 seconds left in the first half. Junior forward Johanna Shubert got a shot off from 20 yards, but it was caught by Tigers goalie Caroline Spayth. The junior finished the night with four saves.
Callipari praised his keeper’s effort.
“Our goalie Caroline was very clean tonight, nothing squeezed out,” he said. “She made all the right decisions regarding saving, blocking and covering. Her position was good.”
In an effort to slow Batavia (5-9-0, 4-7-0) down, South (8-5-0, 7-4-0) changed its formation in the second half. The strategy worked and kept most of the play on the Bulldogs’ side of the pitch in the last 40 minutes.
“We went to a 4-4-2 from a 4-2-3-1 right away in the second half,” Callipari said. “Part of that reason was they were bringing their front forwards back into our midfield. The way we were shaped, we had nobody covering them.
“They're trying to pull our backs out, and our backs didn't want to come so (Batavia) would have possession and opportunities (in the first half).
“Dropping the midfield back allowed our backs to stay where they were. It (the 4-4-2 formation) is obviously a defensive shell. We already had the one goal, so it was a matter to sustain and to take away their width which was killing us in the first half. That worked out.”
Wheaton Warrenville South was also concerned about containing Batavia’s Ashley Whelpley.
“(Batavia) was bringing number 9 (Whelpley) a little bit more into the midfield and that was causing us a little bit of a headache. She's just going to be looking for an opening to shoot and get it on frame so you can't let her shoot from anywhere,” Callipari said. “We wanted her marked so we had to bring in another person back into play against her as well. Overall, as a plan it went pretty well.”
Junior defender Elise Farrell had the task of defending Whelpley.
“Elise had to mark Whelpley, who is very capable on the ball, and she turns really well,” the South coach said. “Elise had to work with her as well as recover for others in her role. I thought she did a really nice job of handling their best player.”
Farrell earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match acclaim for her defensive effort.
The junior gave more credit to her backline mates: Ella McClatchy, Olivia Vassios and Mallory Cadagin.
“From the beginning of this season we have a completely new backline,” Farrell said. “We’re just trying to figure out how to work together, how to drop and cover. I think throughout the season, as you saw today, we did a really good job of stepping and covering and knowing when to step up.”
While shutting down Batavia, Wheaton Warrenville South could not capitalize on its opportunities.
“We missed a couple of sitters in the six-yard box that might have alleviated some of the pressure at the end getting a second goal and maybe a third,” Callipari said.
Starting lineups
Batavia
GK: Morgan Haug
D: Kyla MacKenzie
D: Caitlin Callahan
D: Carlin King
D: Alyssa Sarik
M: Ashley Whelpley
M: Riley DiBiase
M: Avery Soloman
M: Brooke Carlson
F: Laila Figueras
F: Johanna Shubert
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Caroline Spayth
D: Ella McClatchy
D: Elise Farrell
D: Olivia Vassios
D: Mallory Cadagin
M: Mia McCoyd
M: Emma Showman
M: Caroline Kratz
M: Melisa Hadzic
M: Kate Hartnett
F: Becca Hausenstein
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Elise Farrell, jr, D, Wheaton Warrenville South
Scoring summary
First half
WWS: Hadzic (Farrell), 23rd minute
Second half
No scoring
jitters, Batavia for win
Hadzic scores, Farrell on the mark in 1-0 DuKane win
By Jared Birchfield
WHEATON – Riding a three-match winning streak, Batavia had momentum going into Tuesday night’s DuKane Conference road contest with Wheaton Warrenville South at Red Grange Field.
Their hosts were looking to regroup after a lopsided loss last Thursday to St. Charles East.
During the first half, Batavia maintained its drive, dominating play and taking more shots on goal than South. However, the Tigers were the ones to find the back of the net in the first 40 minutes and led 1-0 at intermission.
The pendulum started swinging the Tigers’ way in the second half as they took control of the contest. While South was unable to end its attacks with goals, they held Batavia scoreless for the win.
“To get a clean-sheet and get a 1-0 over a very good team, obviously, that's momentum. We were coming off kind of a sour situation with St. Charles East, so this is a good three points for us,” said Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari. “They are big and strong through the middle, and that was difficult to match up against. They had some good looks early on, and they just didn't hit frame.”
Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco believes his team’s trend is noticeable. He noted that compared to the teams’ first meeting, a 4-1 Wheaton Warrenville South win on April 29, the 1-0 loss was a step forward. The Bulldogs coach thinks his team is on target to peak when it is most important – the postseason.
“You can see that today compared to the first game (against South) we’re better. We're just improving for the playoffs, that's all we're doing,” he said. “From the 4-1 loss to now, I would say that we've improved. We're on the pace so we'll be playing our best when we hit the playoffs in two weeks.”
Gianfrancesco said his squad had a lot of opportunities in the first half.
“We played a pretty good game. Compared to them I thought we dominated the first half, but we couldn’t finish,” said the Batavia coach. “The key (to the game) was they scored, and we didn't. We had more shots on frame than they did so we should have scored more goals. At the end of the day, it was execution. We didn't finish our chances that we had.”
Since it was Wheaton Warrenville South’s Senior Night, it was appropriate that a member of the Class of 2021 scored the Tigers’ only goal. Melisa Hadzic found the back of the net in the 23rd minute after the senior midfielder beat Bulldogs goalkeeper Morgan Haug to a loose ball in the right corner of the penalty box.
“I was playing left wing at the time, and I saw Elise (Farrell) pass the ball. I saw a huge spot of open space, and I just kind of ran through it trying to make sure I wouldn't be offsides, so I ran in front of people,” Hadzic said. “I thought I wouldn't get to the ball actually, because the goalie kind of got in front of it. I don't know if it went through her legs or her hands. I just got on the on the other end of it and put it in the back of the goal.”
Callipari believed that Senior Night played a part in the Tigers’ first half play.
"We had three days off, and we had a lot on our minds with senior night. We got off a little slow tonight, and they took advantage of that and did a nice job of being really comfortable,” the coach said. “We looked a little anxious at times.”
Batavia’s best scoring opportunity came with 40 seconds left in the first half. Junior forward Johanna Shubert got a shot off from 20 yards, but it was caught by Tigers goalie Caroline Spayth. The junior finished the night with four saves.
Callipari praised his keeper’s effort.
“Our goalie Caroline was very clean tonight, nothing squeezed out,” he said. “She made all the right decisions regarding saving, blocking and covering. Her position was good.”
In an effort to slow Batavia (5-9-0, 4-7-0) down, South (8-5-0, 7-4-0) changed its formation in the second half. The strategy worked and kept most of the play on the Bulldogs’ side of the pitch in the last 40 minutes.
“We went to a 4-4-2 from a 4-2-3-1 right away in the second half,” Callipari said. “Part of that reason was they were bringing their front forwards back into our midfield. The way we were shaped, we had nobody covering them.
“They're trying to pull our backs out, and our backs didn't want to come so (Batavia) would have possession and opportunities (in the first half).
“Dropping the midfield back allowed our backs to stay where they were. It (the 4-4-2 formation) is obviously a defensive shell. We already had the one goal, so it was a matter to sustain and to take away their width which was killing us in the first half. That worked out.”
Wheaton Warrenville South was also concerned about containing Batavia’s Ashley Whelpley.
“(Batavia) was bringing number 9 (Whelpley) a little bit more into the midfield and that was causing us a little bit of a headache. She's just going to be looking for an opening to shoot and get it on frame so you can't let her shoot from anywhere,” Callipari said. “We wanted her marked so we had to bring in another person back into play against her as well. Overall, as a plan it went pretty well.”
Junior defender Elise Farrell had the task of defending Whelpley.
“Elise had to mark Whelpley, who is very capable on the ball, and she turns really well,” the South coach said. “Elise had to work with her as well as recover for others in her role. I thought she did a really nice job of handling their best player.”
Farrell earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match acclaim for her defensive effort.
The junior gave more credit to her backline mates: Ella McClatchy, Olivia Vassios and Mallory Cadagin.
“From the beginning of this season we have a completely new backline,” Farrell said. “We’re just trying to figure out how to work together, how to drop and cover. I think throughout the season, as you saw today, we did a really good job of stepping and covering and knowing when to step up.”
While shutting down Batavia, Wheaton Warrenville South could not capitalize on its opportunities.
“We missed a couple of sitters in the six-yard box that might have alleviated some of the pressure at the end getting a second goal and maybe a third,” Callipari said.
Starting lineups
Batavia
GK: Morgan Haug
D: Kyla MacKenzie
D: Caitlin Callahan
D: Carlin King
D: Alyssa Sarik
M: Ashley Whelpley
M: Riley DiBiase
M: Avery Soloman
M: Brooke Carlson
F: Laila Figueras
F: Johanna Shubert
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Caroline Spayth
D: Ella McClatchy
D: Elise Farrell
D: Olivia Vassios
D: Mallory Cadagin
M: Mia McCoyd
M: Emma Showman
M: Caroline Kratz
M: Melisa Hadzic
M: Kate Hartnett
F: Becca Hausenstein
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Elise Farrell, jr, D, Wheaton Warrenville South
Scoring summary
First half
WWS: Hadzic (Farrell), 23rd minute
Second half
No scoring