Elk Grove teamwork bears fruit in 2-1 win
Unbeaten streak at 5 games with big MSL East triumph over BG
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE VILLAGE -- Suddenly sizzling Elk Grove upped its winning streak to three in a row with a 2-1 decision over visiting Buffalo Grove in a rough-and-tumble Mid-Suburban League battle Saturday afternoon.
The victory lifted the Grenadiers to 6-4-2 overall and improved their conference mark to 4-3-1. It also extended the team's unbeaten stretch to 3-0-2.
The success comes with a visual aid -- a large pineapple that sits on the bench during games. It's something that new coach Dean Burrier Sanchis introduced to the team.
"We have a team motto," he explained. "We're a pineapple: one piece, one unit. You can't pull the berries off the outside. It's all about what's on the inside. We work for each other ... do whatever it takes to get the result."
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Amanda Sitkowski did that and how. She netted both goals for the winners. The shifty senior forward opened the scoring in the seventh minute when she fired a short turnaround shot into the right corner past Buffalo Grove senior goalkeeper Jackie Molloy. Elk Grove junior defender Marisa Mauro earned the assist.
After the Bison (6-5-1, 6-3-0) knotted the score at 1-1 on a goal by senior midfielder Alyssa Floro with 21:47 left in the first half, Sitkowski buried the game-winner with 37:29 remaining in regulation. Tracking a perfectly-placed long pass from sister Emily, a sophomore middie, the elder Sitkowski raced ahead untouched and easily beat a charging Molloy from 15 yards.
"The first goal picked us up a bit," Amanda Sitkowski said. "It allowed us to settle in. Getting the first goal, we got a feel for how we needed to play. On the second goal, I curved my run in, reached out and got a touch, and it went in. Being sisters, we know how each other likes to play ... where we're gonna be."
Buffalo Grove came oh-so-close to notching the equalizer in the 78th minute when sophomore forward Macy Floro rattled a 25-yard blast off the crossbar as Grenadiers junior keeper Rachel Kandefer reached high attempting to deflect the missile.
"It was really intense out there," Floro said. "We put our best effort forward. But they're (Elk Grove) a good team, and it was hard to adapt to their defense at first. We tried to respond quickly (down 2-1), but came up short."
Bison head coach Pat Dudle said, "It was a real battle. Both teams really needed this win for the (MSL) East Division title. It had a little playoff feel. Both teams were hungry. We just fell a little short."
Click here to see the updated Mid-Suburban League table
"Credit Elk Grove," Dudle continued. "They played a great game. They're getting stronger and stronger. That group of seniors, they've really turned the tide for the school."
Some of that credit goes to first-year Elk Grove skipper Burrier Sanchis, who said his squad has fully embraced an all-hands-on-deck mentality this season.
Elk Grove junior middie Gabriella Mauro termed Burrier Sanchis's arrival, "a breath of fresh air. He made us more comfortable with each other, and more confident."
The Grenadiers put that assertiveness on display against Buffalo Grove, whether bouncing back to regain the lead or making sure the advantage wouldn't slip away.
"We came together at halftime and talked about what we needed to fix," Gabriella Mauro said. "Even when they tied it, we wanted to keep the vibe going, and I think we brought it the second half. Our goal was to keep that lead no matter what."
Scrappy Elk Grove freshman mid Alexa Joshi added: "At halftime, we said, 'The first half is over. It's 0-0. Just go out and fight with heart.' (The Bison) hit the crossbar, we said, 'Let's clear it out, no problem.' Even in the last minute, we've got to keep pushing each other. We had to finish it off strong."
Burrier Sanchis said, "Today was a tough battle with a great Buffalo Grove team -- a very well-coached team. We knew it would be physical. We knew we had come to work with our hard hats for 80 minutes. We knew we'd have to bring our best game to get a win."
The Grenadiers created a few chances while nursing the lead, including a try by Amanda Sitkowski on a partial breakaway in the 69th minute that Molloy handled, a bending, 25-yard free kick by solid senior mid Zoe Blomquist that missed just wide-left with 11:10 remaining, and a line-drive corner kick by Joshi that Molloy grabbed at the left post.
Meanwhile, Elk Grove's stingy defense held the Bison to a mere trio of chances while protecting the slim margin, including a close-in try by freshman forward Pamela Bolis in the 51st minute and a 20-yard strike by Libit in the 74th minute.
"The girls dug in and and did what needed to be done, and we contained BG as best as we could," Burrier Sanchis said. "Our girls, they just keep fighting."
"I knew we could hold the lead," Amanda Sitkowski said. "Keeping a positive attitude gives us an edge. I believe the momentum will really build from here. We have that confidence."
Pineapple, anyone?
Starting lineups
Buffalo Grove
G: Jackie Molloy
D: Zoe Robertson
D: Christina Ruterschmidt
D: Kendra Lee
D: Savannah Larsen
M: Kara Tyner
M: Aaliyah Rocha
M: Quinlan Libit
M: Alyssa Floro
F: Macy Floro
F: Pamela Bolis
Elk Grove
G: Rachel Kandefer
D: Marisa Mauro
D: Grace Nuxoll
D: Emma Simmons
D: Emma Slattery
M: Alexa Joshi
M: Zoe Blomquist
M: Gabriella Mauro
M: Emily Sitkowski
M: Kate Talens
F: Amanda Sitkowski
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Amanda Sitkowski, sr., F, Elk Grove
Officials: Rafel Zielinski, Mateusz Dulski, Dimitri Katsmingos
Scoring summary
First half
1. Elk Grove: Amanda Sitkowski (assisted by Marisa Mauro) in 7th minute;
2. Buffalo Grove: Alyssa Floro (assisted by Quinlan Libit) in 19th minute;
Second half
3. Elk Grove: Amanda Sitkowski (assisted by Emily Sitkowski) in 43rd minute.
Unbeaten streak at 5 games with big MSL East triumph over BG
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE VILLAGE -- Suddenly sizzling Elk Grove upped its winning streak to three in a row with a 2-1 decision over visiting Buffalo Grove in a rough-and-tumble Mid-Suburban League battle Saturday afternoon.
The victory lifted the Grenadiers to 6-4-2 overall and improved their conference mark to 4-3-1. It also extended the team's unbeaten stretch to 3-0-2.
The success comes with a visual aid -- a large pineapple that sits on the bench during games. It's something that new coach Dean Burrier Sanchis introduced to the team.
"We have a team motto," he explained. "We're a pineapple: one piece, one unit. You can't pull the berries off the outside. It's all about what's on the inside. We work for each other ... do whatever it takes to get the result."
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Amanda Sitkowski did that and how. She netted both goals for the winners. The shifty senior forward opened the scoring in the seventh minute when she fired a short turnaround shot into the right corner past Buffalo Grove senior goalkeeper Jackie Molloy. Elk Grove junior defender Marisa Mauro earned the assist.
After the Bison (6-5-1, 6-3-0) knotted the score at 1-1 on a goal by senior midfielder Alyssa Floro with 21:47 left in the first half, Sitkowski buried the game-winner with 37:29 remaining in regulation. Tracking a perfectly-placed long pass from sister Emily, a sophomore middie, the elder Sitkowski raced ahead untouched and easily beat a charging Molloy from 15 yards.
"The first goal picked us up a bit," Amanda Sitkowski said. "It allowed us to settle in. Getting the first goal, we got a feel for how we needed to play. On the second goal, I curved my run in, reached out and got a touch, and it went in. Being sisters, we know how each other likes to play ... where we're gonna be."
Buffalo Grove came oh-so-close to notching the equalizer in the 78th minute when sophomore forward Macy Floro rattled a 25-yard blast off the crossbar as Grenadiers junior keeper Rachel Kandefer reached high attempting to deflect the missile.
"It was really intense out there," Floro said. "We put our best effort forward. But they're (Elk Grove) a good team, and it was hard to adapt to their defense at first. We tried to respond quickly (down 2-1), but came up short."
Bison head coach Pat Dudle said, "It was a real battle. Both teams really needed this win for the (MSL) East Division title. It had a little playoff feel. Both teams were hungry. We just fell a little short."
Click here to see the updated Mid-Suburban League table
"Credit Elk Grove," Dudle continued. "They played a great game. They're getting stronger and stronger. That group of seniors, they've really turned the tide for the school."
Some of that credit goes to first-year Elk Grove skipper Burrier Sanchis, who said his squad has fully embraced an all-hands-on-deck mentality this season.
Elk Grove junior middie Gabriella Mauro termed Burrier Sanchis's arrival, "a breath of fresh air. He made us more comfortable with each other, and more confident."
The Grenadiers put that assertiveness on display against Buffalo Grove, whether bouncing back to regain the lead or making sure the advantage wouldn't slip away.
"We came together at halftime and talked about what we needed to fix," Gabriella Mauro said. "Even when they tied it, we wanted to keep the vibe going, and I think we brought it the second half. Our goal was to keep that lead no matter what."
Scrappy Elk Grove freshman mid Alexa Joshi added: "At halftime, we said, 'The first half is over. It's 0-0. Just go out and fight with heart.' (The Bison) hit the crossbar, we said, 'Let's clear it out, no problem.' Even in the last minute, we've got to keep pushing each other. We had to finish it off strong."
Burrier Sanchis said, "Today was a tough battle with a great Buffalo Grove team -- a very well-coached team. We knew it would be physical. We knew we had come to work with our hard hats for 80 minutes. We knew we'd have to bring our best game to get a win."
The Grenadiers created a few chances while nursing the lead, including a try by Amanda Sitkowski on a partial breakaway in the 69th minute that Molloy handled, a bending, 25-yard free kick by solid senior mid Zoe Blomquist that missed just wide-left with 11:10 remaining, and a line-drive corner kick by Joshi that Molloy grabbed at the left post.
Meanwhile, Elk Grove's stingy defense held the Bison to a mere trio of chances while protecting the slim margin, including a close-in try by freshman forward Pamela Bolis in the 51st minute and a 20-yard strike by Libit in the 74th minute.
"The girls dug in and and did what needed to be done, and we contained BG as best as we could," Burrier Sanchis said. "Our girls, they just keep fighting."
"I knew we could hold the lead," Amanda Sitkowski said. "Keeping a positive attitude gives us an edge. I believe the momentum will really build from here. We have that confidence."
Pineapple, anyone?
Starting lineups
Buffalo Grove
G: Jackie Molloy
D: Zoe Robertson
D: Christina Ruterschmidt
D: Kendra Lee
D: Savannah Larsen
M: Kara Tyner
M: Aaliyah Rocha
M: Quinlan Libit
M: Alyssa Floro
F: Macy Floro
F: Pamela Bolis
Elk Grove
G: Rachel Kandefer
D: Marisa Mauro
D: Grace Nuxoll
D: Emma Simmons
D: Emma Slattery
M: Alexa Joshi
M: Zoe Blomquist
M: Gabriella Mauro
M: Emily Sitkowski
M: Kate Talens
F: Amanda Sitkowski
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Amanda Sitkowski, sr., F, Elk Grove
Officials: Rafel Zielinski, Mateusz Dulski, Dimitri Katsmingos
Scoring summary
First half
1. Elk Grove: Amanda Sitkowski (assisted by Marisa Mauro) in 7th minute;
2. Buffalo Grove: Alyssa Floro (assisted by Quinlan Libit) in 19th minute;
Second half
3. Elk Grove: Amanda Sitkowski (assisted by Emily Sitkowski) in 43rd minute.