Carmel produces winning
roundelay vs. Joliet Catholic
Close friends Jenkins, Fix connect for game-winning sequence
By Patrick Z. McGavin
JOLIET -- Lauren Jenkins has a near preternatural awareness of everywhere Emily Fix is on the field.
The two are confidants, on and off the playing space. It extends to other sports, scenarios and actions.
That kind of closeness and personal connection is impossible to overstate.
The carryover is dramatic.
“Emily and I have been playing tennis together for years,” Jenkins said. “We’re a duo on the tennis court and in soccer.
“It’s great to finally see that hard work paying off on the field.”
A midfielder at Carmel, Jenkins played one of her best games of the year in a harshly beautiful and special afternoon game.
She scored a goal and created the game-winning sequence with a beautiful interception and assist that Fix finished in the 50th minute.
Jenkins’ play powered the Corsairs’ 3-1 victory over Joliet Catholic in East Suburban Catholic Conference action at ATI Memorial Stadium on Monday.
Carmel (5-4-1, 1-1-0) won for the first time since defeating Lake Forest 1-0 on April 2.
The Corsairs went 0-4-1 since that game, albeit with an important asterisk.
Their five-subsequent games came against five-ranked teams, squaring off in conference against Benet on top of the four games Carmel played in the 4th Annual Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic.
Carmel also snapped the six-game winning streak of the Angels (8-4-0, 2-1-0), who finished second in the state last year in Class AA.
Joliet Catholic has emerged as a power program the last three years with back-to-back state trophies after finishing fourth in 2019.
The Angels were somewhat unlucky and short-handed, dealing with a special break and student trip that left the team with just one substitute.
Joliet Catholic coach Oscar Valdez and his players left immediately after the game, and did not make themselves available to the press.
Carmel has never sought an easy path -- the Corsairs were the second smallest school in the dynamic 12-team field at the Deep Dish Classic.
“I think last week was really good for us playing those higher-level teams,” Jenkins said.
“We were able to figure out our new formation. We shifted to playing three in the middle, so I have been working in those attacking roles.”
Carmel started off jacked up and hotwired, exploding off the jump with excellent combination play with Jenkins in the middle and Fix and Anna Hartman at the top of the formation.
Carmel had multiple on-target actions at the start but got exploited on the counter. Angels’ star Emma Gruber blasted into space on the right wing and played a beautiful cross to Liz Caedwell on the left wing.
A freshman forward, Caedwell drove deep and made a great staccato step before blasting home about a 14-yard shot inside the far post for the Angels’ lead in the 11th minute.
Carmel should have been dazed -- all its effort had gone to waste, and the team was staring at a number one on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
“I think as a team, it has always been one of our goals to keep the intensity up,” Jenkins said.
“We always talk about the five-minute moments, and always finishing. So right after we get scored on, we say what are those next five minutes, and what do we do to change the momentum to our side.”
Hartman and Jenkins provided an unequivocal answer; the Joliet Catholic advantage held for less than two minutes.
Hartman got the ball on the right wing and drove the edge as she snaked a beautiful cross in open space that bypassed a defender and found Jenkins ready and willing to finish.
Her third goal of the season came in the 13th minute.
Carmel sensed an advantage, and continued its pressure. Fix made a series of strong moves at the Angels’ that keeper Mary Pietras surgically denied.
“Even after they scored, we had our own opportunity. There was a sense there are going to be more that come,” Hartman said.
“You just have to keep trying.”
Carmel felt something that had been elusive the last two weeks -- momentum.
“Once Lauren hit it in, even though that made it 1-1, I felt like we were controlling the game,” Hartman said.
Carmel coach Stephanie Kile noticed a change as well, not just situationally but emotionally.
That is the key to leveraging possibilities and actions on the field.
“The goal lifted the team and changed the momentum a little bit, because I think after Lauren’s goal we had several opportunities that we should have put away,” Kile said.
Bella D’Amore provided a charged moment in the closing seconds of the half with a sidewinding blast that took a ridiculous spin and nearly handcuffed Pietras for a goal.
She got just enough of a fingertip on it to redirect the ball. The moment foreshadowed the second half.
Joliet Catholic had some decent chances right after the break. Gruber and Caedwell were active and exceptional, getting into space and challenging the Corsairs at the point of attack.
Jenkins again made the decisive action. She stripped the ball near midfield, creating a two-on-one action with Fix.
She slotted the ball to Fix on the left edge.
Fix took a couple of dribbles to get her feet under her, and unleashed a terrific ball from 26 yards that settled inside the near post.
“I’ve been trying to work on those shots a bit lately,” Fix said. “I’m really glad that I got one in.
“I’m actually a little more comfortable shooting from distance, because on my club team I played outside back. I’m not really used to those through-balls, or air balls, and I have to work on that.”
Carmel did what good teams do, not simply trying to play the game out and starve out a one-goal advantage.
The Corsairs continued to attack.
“In the second half, I knew we were going to score more,” Hartman said. “Then Emily scored, and in my head, it felt like we were up more.
“When they were pressuring us more and the time was getting down, I thought we might try to get another one.”
Hartman scored her team-best seventh goal in the 77th minute.
With Joliet Catholic pressing, Hartman got behind and caught a terrific through-ball from Jillian Miller.
She worked her way down the right edge and blasted a ball in motion from about 19 yards.
Game, set and match.
Lauren Jenkins earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her fine play.
Her byplay with Fix and Hartman was something to watch. It had the same electric energy of tennis, the precision and togetherness, worked out in a different arena.
“We are also dealing with some injuries, so playing smart and playing a pretty technical game and keeping up that intensity and playing 100 percent, especially against their small bench today, that really helped us out,” Jenkins said.
Starting lineups
Carmel
GK: Maggie Bowes
D: Payton Carney
D: Kate Jones
D: Zyklah Barnes
D: Grace Harvey
MF: Mila Schachelmayer
MF: Jillian Miller
MF: Lauren Jenkins
F: Bella D’Amore
F: Anna Hartman
F: Emily Fix
Joliet Catholic
GK: Mary Pietras
D: Kate Gerdes
D: Sophie Aiello
D: Kate Gerdes
D: Reagan Willie
MF: Ella Dwyer
MF: Bella Berta
MF: Mary Meyer
MF: Lanie Czerkes
F: Liz Caedwell
F: Emma Gruber
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Lauren Jenkins, sr., MF, Carmel
Scoring summary
First half
Joliet Catholic—Liz Caedwell (Emma Gruber), 11th minute
Carmel—Lauren Jenkins (Anna Hartman), 13th minute
Second half
Carmel—Emily Fix (Jenkins), 50th minute
Carmel—Hartman (Jillian Miller), 77th minute
roundelay vs. Joliet Catholic
Close friends Jenkins, Fix connect for game-winning sequence
By Patrick Z. McGavin
JOLIET -- Lauren Jenkins has a near preternatural awareness of everywhere Emily Fix is on the field.
The two are confidants, on and off the playing space. It extends to other sports, scenarios and actions.
That kind of closeness and personal connection is impossible to overstate.
The carryover is dramatic.
“Emily and I have been playing tennis together for years,” Jenkins said. “We’re a duo on the tennis court and in soccer.
“It’s great to finally see that hard work paying off on the field.”
A midfielder at Carmel, Jenkins played one of her best games of the year in a harshly beautiful and special afternoon game.
She scored a goal and created the game-winning sequence with a beautiful interception and assist that Fix finished in the 50th minute.
Jenkins’ play powered the Corsairs’ 3-1 victory over Joliet Catholic in East Suburban Catholic Conference action at ATI Memorial Stadium on Monday.
Carmel (5-4-1, 1-1-0) won for the first time since defeating Lake Forest 1-0 on April 2.
The Corsairs went 0-4-1 since that game, albeit with an important asterisk.
Their five-subsequent games came against five-ranked teams, squaring off in conference against Benet on top of the four games Carmel played in the 4th Annual Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic.
Carmel also snapped the six-game winning streak of the Angels (8-4-0, 2-1-0), who finished second in the state last year in Class AA.
Joliet Catholic has emerged as a power program the last three years with back-to-back state trophies after finishing fourth in 2019.
The Angels were somewhat unlucky and short-handed, dealing with a special break and student trip that left the team with just one substitute.
Joliet Catholic coach Oscar Valdez and his players left immediately after the game, and did not make themselves available to the press.
Carmel has never sought an easy path -- the Corsairs were the second smallest school in the dynamic 12-team field at the Deep Dish Classic.
“I think last week was really good for us playing those higher-level teams,” Jenkins said.
“We were able to figure out our new formation. We shifted to playing three in the middle, so I have been working in those attacking roles.”
Carmel started off jacked up and hotwired, exploding off the jump with excellent combination play with Jenkins in the middle and Fix and Anna Hartman at the top of the formation.
Carmel had multiple on-target actions at the start but got exploited on the counter. Angels’ star Emma Gruber blasted into space on the right wing and played a beautiful cross to Liz Caedwell on the left wing.
A freshman forward, Caedwell drove deep and made a great staccato step before blasting home about a 14-yard shot inside the far post for the Angels’ lead in the 11th minute.
Carmel should have been dazed -- all its effort had gone to waste, and the team was staring at a number one on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
“I think as a team, it has always been one of our goals to keep the intensity up,” Jenkins said.
“We always talk about the five-minute moments, and always finishing. So right after we get scored on, we say what are those next five minutes, and what do we do to change the momentum to our side.”
Hartman and Jenkins provided an unequivocal answer; the Joliet Catholic advantage held for less than two minutes.
Hartman got the ball on the right wing and drove the edge as she snaked a beautiful cross in open space that bypassed a defender and found Jenkins ready and willing to finish.
Her third goal of the season came in the 13th minute.
Carmel sensed an advantage, and continued its pressure. Fix made a series of strong moves at the Angels’ that keeper Mary Pietras surgically denied.
“Even after they scored, we had our own opportunity. There was a sense there are going to be more that come,” Hartman said.
“You just have to keep trying.”
Carmel felt something that had been elusive the last two weeks -- momentum.
“Once Lauren hit it in, even though that made it 1-1, I felt like we were controlling the game,” Hartman said.
Carmel coach Stephanie Kile noticed a change as well, not just situationally but emotionally.
That is the key to leveraging possibilities and actions on the field.
“The goal lifted the team and changed the momentum a little bit, because I think after Lauren’s goal we had several opportunities that we should have put away,” Kile said.
Bella D’Amore provided a charged moment in the closing seconds of the half with a sidewinding blast that took a ridiculous spin and nearly handcuffed Pietras for a goal.
She got just enough of a fingertip on it to redirect the ball. The moment foreshadowed the second half.
Joliet Catholic had some decent chances right after the break. Gruber and Caedwell were active and exceptional, getting into space and challenging the Corsairs at the point of attack.
Jenkins again made the decisive action. She stripped the ball near midfield, creating a two-on-one action with Fix.
She slotted the ball to Fix on the left edge.
Fix took a couple of dribbles to get her feet under her, and unleashed a terrific ball from 26 yards that settled inside the near post.
“I’ve been trying to work on those shots a bit lately,” Fix said. “I’m really glad that I got one in.
“I’m actually a little more comfortable shooting from distance, because on my club team I played outside back. I’m not really used to those through-balls, or air balls, and I have to work on that.”
Carmel did what good teams do, not simply trying to play the game out and starve out a one-goal advantage.
The Corsairs continued to attack.
“In the second half, I knew we were going to score more,” Hartman said. “Then Emily scored, and in my head, it felt like we were up more.
“When they were pressuring us more and the time was getting down, I thought we might try to get another one.”
Hartman scored her team-best seventh goal in the 77th minute.
With Joliet Catholic pressing, Hartman got behind and caught a terrific through-ball from Jillian Miller.
She worked her way down the right edge and blasted a ball in motion from about 19 yards.
Game, set and match.
Lauren Jenkins earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her fine play.
Her byplay with Fix and Hartman was something to watch. It had the same electric energy of tennis, the precision and togetherness, worked out in a different arena.
“We are also dealing with some injuries, so playing smart and playing a pretty technical game and keeping up that intensity and playing 100 percent, especially against their small bench today, that really helped us out,” Jenkins said.
Starting lineups
Carmel
GK: Maggie Bowes
D: Payton Carney
D: Kate Jones
D: Zyklah Barnes
D: Grace Harvey
MF: Mila Schachelmayer
MF: Jillian Miller
MF: Lauren Jenkins
F: Bella D’Amore
F: Anna Hartman
F: Emily Fix
Joliet Catholic
GK: Mary Pietras
D: Kate Gerdes
D: Sophie Aiello
D: Kate Gerdes
D: Reagan Willie
MF: Ella Dwyer
MF: Bella Berta
MF: Mary Meyer
MF: Lanie Czerkes
F: Liz Caedwell
F: Emma Gruber
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Lauren Jenkins, sr., MF, Carmel
Scoring summary
First half
Joliet Catholic—Liz Caedwell (Emma Gruber), 11th minute
Carmel—Lauren Jenkins (Anna Hartman), 13th minute
Second half
Carmel—Emily Fix (Jenkins), 50th minute
Carmel—Hartman (Jillian Miller), 77th minute