Warren offense explodes against Carmel
Three players record two goals for dominant performance
By Patrick Z. McGavin
GURNEE-- Trying to make sense of the game is a mad gesture or fool’s errand. The game is too mercurial and unpredictable to ever fully comprehend.
Two teams filled with pride, ambition and hope looked to find their swagger and their identity, moving past promise and potential and finding quality results.
Carmel figured to be one of the best teams in Lake County after the Corsairs returned quality players and experienced talent from a team that reached a Class 3A supersectional last year.
After the transition period of last year, Warren was ready to make a big leap forward and reclaim its status as an elite program that won back-to-back regional titles and reached a sectional title game two years ago.
How do you account for a roughly 42-minute stretch of play, just over a half of action, where the teams combined for 10 goals? The final says a rout. The game itself was different and not nearly as binary as the numbers suggest.
“The scoreline is deceiving,” Warren coach Ryan McCabe said. “Carmel was very sharp and they put us under a lot of pressure, especially at the start of the second half.”
Carmel coach Ray Krawzak agreed, with the crucial difference being success rate.
“They had good offense too, and they were able to deliver every single time,” he said. “We had a lot of good corners, and we put one in. When you have 12 corners or whatever we just had, we need to put more than one in. We do 10 corners in practice, and we have to get two in otherwise we run. We did not do that today.
“You have to do better when you get that many opportunities.”
In a dizzying and breathless game, Warren exploded for a season-high goal total as three different players recorded two goals as the Blue Devils captured the 8-2 victory here Tuesday night.
To put the numbers in context, Warren scored twice as many goals (6) in the second half as they managed (3) in its first five games.
From the start of the year, Warren (2-3-1) has shown evidence of being blessed with talent and a wow factor. The Blue Devils led No. 3 New Trier for much of the game before the Trevians scored a 65th minute goal in a 1-1 draw to start the year. Warren also played No. 19 Wauconda tough in a 1-0 loss.
The breakthrough occurred over the weekend at the Parkway College Showcase in St. Louis. The Blue Devils beat previously unbeaten Granite City—ranked No. 2 in Chicagoland Soccer’s Top 10 poll—2-0 on Saturday for their first win of the year.
“When we played Granite City, it was freezing rain and our girls were just in it,” senior midfielder Courtney Chomko said. “We were ready to win; we were ready to win every head ball. It was the same when we played New Trier. We knew going in it was the going to be a tough game, but we went for every header, for every ball.”
Chomko scored a goal and recorded two assists. She is the last piece connected to the 2017 team—the greatest team in program history that sent six players to college. A connective thread to the past and present, Chomko represents a reminder of the lofty heights the team has reached and what the future holds.
“Finally we are getting to work well together, connecting and we are working well as a group and all of the young girls are really showing what they have,” Chomko said.
“It was a good experience to go to St. Louis and get our first win, and it definitely sparked something. Not just the goals, but as a team, we really worked well together. On the field, the communication was great and the passes were amazing. I am excited about what this season has to come going forward.”
Elizabeth Weinberg earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match distinction for her extraordinary play. She scored two goals and added two assists.
Her goal in the 28th minute off a cross from sophomore forward Cate Cullison started the scoring onslaught. A standout volleyball player, she is an electric athlete with size and speed. She repeatedly broke down the Corsairs’ back to create scoring chances.
“We have been working really hard as a team finishing,” Weinberg said. “I love working with Courtney, she always finds me. Today we had a really good click. Carmel was really good competition. We were so happy to finally connect with our passes and finish the ball.”
Chomko scored in the 35th minute for a 2-0 Blue Devils’ halftime lead.
Here is where things got really interesting. McCabe has been playing two keepers throughout the year. Senior Alana Turner earned the start and had one save. Sarah Barbosa, who has been very impressive, began in the second half.
Carmel (2-3-0) tested her right away. In the 41st minute, star forward Zenaya Barnes worked down the right edge and unleashed a rocket ball that Barbosa got a fingertip save. Off the resulting corner, sophomore midfielder Mia Salvi nearly bent in a shot at the far post, only for Barbosa to make another spectacular save.
Maintaining the pressure, Barnes appeared to have another goal with an exhilarating pirouette as she switched the ball to her left foot and smashed a rocket that had Barbosa off line. Seemingly out of nowhere, junior defender Morgan Liebau filled the void with a superb kick save.
“They are a great team,” Barnes said. “I play with some of them in club. For our back, they were able to split us and create good chances they were able to finish. I thought we had a lot of opportunities, and we need to learn how to finish.
“We are still a new and young team, and once we get that mindset of you can’t win without scoring, we are going to be okay.”
Cullison and Weinberg scored less than a minute apart in the moments later and Carmel suddenly faced the daunting prospect of being in a tied or one-goal game and instead suddenly trailed 4-0.
“I think there is a lesson to be learned here,” Krawzak said. “We need to mentally figure out how to keep ourselves in a game right now. We need to be able to suffer through some adversity and still thinking we are going to win. When they score one goal, we get down on ourselves. All of a sudden, you cannot have five minutes of feeling that way, because they are going to put another one in. No matter what the situation is, you always have to believe you can get back into the game. That is the maturity we need to get.”
In the 47th minute, Barnes finally broke through with a howitzer ball inside the far post that cut the lead to 4-1.
Sophomore midfielder Emily Soriaga, another of the Blue Devils’ bright young talents, put the game away by scoring twice in the 60th and 61st minute. Weinberg’s through ball created a breakaway and she hammered home a high ball that clipped just inside the bar and was ruled a goal.
Soriaga is the team’s corner and free kick specialist. She has the most powerful shot.
“It was absolutely amazing to see our team come together,” Soriaga said. “We have had some rough times so far this year. “It has been like a roller coaster of a season, of big highs and some lows, but I think we have to focus and not get too excited about our games. We get too excited with how we play in one game and then we play badly in the next game.
“We have to stay consistent with every game.”
Two freshmen, forward Athena McGinn and midfielder Ella Skelton, scored their first career goals for the Blue Devils.
Barbosa finished with four saves.
“I think we definitely came out sharp,” McCabe said. “It has been nice we have been able to continue to grow and keep our momentum rolling from our games down in St. Louis. I think we just needed that breakthrough to help our confidence to keep us going.”
Senior midfielder Olivia Salvi punched home a corner for the Corsairs’ other goal. Carmel plays Marist in its conference opener Thursday and then takes part in the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic, playing No. 9 Naperville North at Evanston on Saturday.
Despite the disparity of the score, Carmel is clearly a team of intriguing pieces that needs time to mesh. The Salvi sisters and the Galla twins—midfielder Liz and forward Sarah—are very talented.
“We have a little bit of maturing that we have to do,” Krawzak said.
Starting lineups
Carmel
GK: Taylor Zelich
D: Caitlin Teehan
D: Morgan Smola
D: Maddy Splitt
MF: Liz Galla
MF: Mia Salvi
MF: Olivia Pullin
MF: Olivia Salvi
F: Zenaya Barnes
F: Sarah Galla
F: Lucy Tarcha
Warren
GK: Alana Turner
D: Annika Attiah
D: Olivia Wolf
D: Maddie Gryzik
D: Zoe Wagner
MF: Courtney Chomko
MF: Emma Preda
MF: Kylie Mahoney
F: Elizabeth Weinberg
F: Morgan Liebau
F: Cate Cullison
MVP of the match: Elizabeth Weinberg, Jr., F, Warren
Scoring summary
First half
Warren—Elizabeth Weinberg (Cate Cullison), 28th minute
Warren—Courtney Chomko (Athena McGinn), 35th minute
Second half
Warren—Cullison (Weinberg), 44th minute
Warren—Weinberg (Chomko), 45th minute
Carmel—Zenaya Barnes (unassisted), 47th minute
Warren—Emily Soriaga (Weinberg), 60th minute
Warren—Soriaga (unassisted), 61st minute
Carmel—Olivia Salvi (unassisted), 63rd minute
Warren—Ella Skelton (Soriaga), 67th minute
Warren—McGinn (Chomko), 70th minute
Three players record two goals for dominant performance
By Patrick Z. McGavin
GURNEE-- Trying to make sense of the game is a mad gesture or fool’s errand. The game is too mercurial and unpredictable to ever fully comprehend.
Two teams filled with pride, ambition and hope looked to find their swagger and their identity, moving past promise and potential and finding quality results.
Carmel figured to be one of the best teams in Lake County after the Corsairs returned quality players and experienced talent from a team that reached a Class 3A supersectional last year.
After the transition period of last year, Warren was ready to make a big leap forward and reclaim its status as an elite program that won back-to-back regional titles and reached a sectional title game two years ago.
How do you account for a roughly 42-minute stretch of play, just over a half of action, where the teams combined for 10 goals? The final says a rout. The game itself was different and not nearly as binary as the numbers suggest.
“The scoreline is deceiving,” Warren coach Ryan McCabe said. “Carmel was very sharp and they put us under a lot of pressure, especially at the start of the second half.”
Carmel coach Ray Krawzak agreed, with the crucial difference being success rate.
“They had good offense too, and they were able to deliver every single time,” he said. “We had a lot of good corners, and we put one in. When you have 12 corners or whatever we just had, we need to put more than one in. We do 10 corners in practice, and we have to get two in otherwise we run. We did not do that today.
“You have to do better when you get that many opportunities.”
In a dizzying and breathless game, Warren exploded for a season-high goal total as three different players recorded two goals as the Blue Devils captured the 8-2 victory here Tuesday night.
To put the numbers in context, Warren scored twice as many goals (6) in the second half as they managed (3) in its first five games.
From the start of the year, Warren (2-3-1) has shown evidence of being blessed with talent and a wow factor. The Blue Devils led No. 3 New Trier for much of the game before the Trevians scored a 65th minute goal in a 1-1 draw to start the year. Warren also played No. 19 Wauconda tough in a 1-0 loss.
The breakthrough occurred over the weekend at the Parkway College Showcase in St. Louis. The Blue Devils beat previously unbeaten Granite City—ranked No. 2 in Chicagoland Soccer’s Top 10 poll—2-0 on Saturday for their first win of the year.
“When we played Granite City, it was freezing rain and our girls were just in it,” senior midfielder Courtney Chomko said. “We were ready to win; we were ready to win every head ball. It was the same when we played New Trier. We knew going in it was the going to be a tough game, but we went for every header, for every ball.”
Chomko scored a goal and recorded two assists. She is the last piece connected to the 2017 team—the greatest team in program history that sent six players to college. A connective thread to the past and present, Chomko represents a reminder of the lofty heights the team has reached and what the future holds.
“Finally we are getting to work well together, connecting and we are working well as a group and all of the young girls are really showing what they have,” Chomko said.
“It was a good experience to go to St. Louis and get our first win, and it definitely sparked something. Not just the goals, but as a team, we really worked well together. On the field, the communication was great and the passes were amazing. I am excited about what this season has to come going forward.”
Elizabeth Weinberg earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match distinction for her extraordinary play. She scored two goals and added two assists.
Her goal in the 28th minute off a cross from sophomore forward Cate Cullison started the scoring onslaught. A standout volleyball player, she is an electric athlete with size and speed. She repeatedly broke down the Corsairs’ back to create scoring chances.
“We have been working really hard as a team finishing,” Weinberg said. “I love working with Courtney, she always finds me. Today we had a really good click. Carmel was really good competition. We were so happy to finally connect with our passes and finish the ball.”
Chomko scored in the 35th minute for a 2-0 Blue Devils’ halftime lead.
Here is where things got really interesting. McCabe has been playing two keepers throughout the year. Senior Alana Turner earned the start and had one save. Sarah Barbosa, who has been very impressive, began in the second half.
Carmel (2-3-0) tested her right away. In the 41st minute, star forward Zenaya Barnes worked down the right edge and unleashed a rocket ball that Barbosa got a fingertip save. Off the resulting corner, sophomore midfielder Mia Salvi nearly bent in a shot at the far post, only for Barbosa to make another spectacular save.
Maintaining the pressure, Barnes appeared to have another goal with an exhilarating pirouette as she switched the ball to her left foot and smashed a rocket that had Barbosa off line. Seemingly out of nowhere, junior defender Morgan Liebau filled the void with a superb kick save.
“They are a great team,” Barnes said. “I play with some of them in club. For our back, they were able to split us and create good chances they were able to finish. I thought we had a lot of opportunities, and we need to learn how to finish.
“We are still a new and young team, and once we get that mindset of you can’t win without scoring, we are going to be okay.”
Cullison and Weinberg scored less than a minute apart in the moments later and Carmel suddenly faced the daunting prospect of being in a tied or one-goal game and instead suddenly trailed 4-0.
“I think there is a lesson to be learned here,” Krawzak said. “We need to mentally figure out how to keep ourselves in a game right now. We need to be able to suffer through some adversity and still thinking we are going to win. When they score one goal, we get down on ourselves. All of a sudden, you cannot have five minutes of feeling that way, because they are going to put another one in. No matter what the situation is, you always have to believe you can get back into the game. That is the maturity we need to get.”
In the 47th minute, Barnes finally broke through with a howitzer ball inside the far post that cut the lead to 4-1.
Sophomore midfielder Emily Soriaga, another of the Blue Devils’ bright young talents, put the game away by scoring twice in the 60th and 61st minute. Weinberg’s through ball created a breakaway and she hammered home a high ball that clipped just inside the bar and was ruled a goal.
Soriaga is the team’s corner and free kick specialist. She has the most powerful shot.
“It was absolutely amazing to see our team come together,” Soriaga said. “We have had some rough times so far this year. “It has been like a roller coaster of a season, of big highs and some lows, but I think we have to focus and not get too excited about our games. We get too excited with how we play in one game and then we play badly in the next game.
“We have to stay consistent with every game.”
Two freshmen, forward Athena McGinn and midfielder Ella Skelton, scored their first career goals for the Blue Devils.
Barbosa finished with four saves.
“I think we definitely came out sharp,” McCabe said. “It has been nice we have been able to continue to grow and keep our momentum rolling from our games down in St. Louis. I think we just needed that breakthrough to help our confidence to keep us going.”
Senior midfielder Olivia Salvi punched home a corner for the Corsairs’ other goal. Carmel plays Marist in its conference opener Thursday and then takes part in the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic, playing No. 9 Naperville North at Evanston on Saturday.
Despite the disparity of the score, Carmel is clearly a team of intriguing pieces that needs time to mesh. The Salvi sisters and the Galla twins—midfielder Liz and forward Sarah—are very talented.
“We have a little bit of maturing that we have to do,” Krawzak said.
Starting lineups
Carmel
GK: Taylor Zelich
D: Caitlin Teehan
D: Morgan Smola
D: Maddy Splitt
MF: Liz Galla
MF: Mia Salvi
MF: Olivia Pullin
MF: Olivia Salvi
F: Zenaya Barnes
F: Sarah Galla
F: Lucy Tarcha
Warren
GK: Alana Turner
D: Annika Attiah
D: Olivia Wolf
D: Maddie Gryzik
D: Zoe Wagner
MF: Courtney Chomko
MF: Emma Preda
MF: Kylie Mahoney
F: Elizabeth Weinberg
F: Morgan Liebau
F: Cate Cullison
MVP of the match: Elizabeth Weinberg, Jr., F, Warren
Scoring summary
First half
Warren—Elizabeth Weinberg (Cate Cullison), 28th minute
Warren—Courtney Chomko (Athena McGinn), 35th minute
Second half
Warren—Cullison (Weinberg), 44th minute
Warren—Weinberg (Chomko), 45th minute
Carmel—Zenaya Barnes (unassisted), 47th minute
Warren—Emily Soriaga (Weinberg), 60th minute
Warren—Soriaga (unassisted), 61st minute
Carmel—Olivia Salvi (unassisted), 63rd minute
Warren—Ella Skelton (Soriaga), 67th minute
Warren—McGinn (Chomko), 70th minute