Lake Forest surprises
Carmel, takes regional title
Scouts capture 2-0 win, keeper Constantine shines
By Rusty Silber
NORRIDGE – Teams can play each other in the regular-season, but the postseason is a different animal. The stakes are higher, and the fire is hotter.
Third-seeded Carmel entered the postseason on a roll. But sub-.500 and sixth-seeded Lake Forest was a battle-hardened opponent who had lost to the Corsairs in an early season matchup. The Scouts turned the tables in the Class AA Ridgewood Regional final on Friday afternoon and ousted their third-seeded foe 2-0.
This was a totally different match than the first meeting April 2 when Carmel got past Lake Forest 1-0. The weather conditions were cold with snow, which made it difficult to move the ball and play proper soccer. On Friday, temperatures were in the 80s and the turf was steamy.
Carmel (12-6-1) had the wind at its back in the first half and had several of chances to take the lead. The Corsairs saw one shot pop off the cross bar and several other chances stopped by the Lake Forest keeper Sarah Constantine (nine saves).
"Our urgency effort was our biggest downfall for the entire 80 minutes," Carmel coach Stephanie Kile said. "That was our biggest challenge. Credit to Lake Forest, they came out and wanted it more, and in the end, they deserved it.
“We just didn't have the urgency for the second chances. You hit the crossbar and the ball popping out, we didn't have the urgency to get to the end of it. It really didn't help us at the end."
Corsairs' star forward Emily Fix (18 goals, 8 assists) had excellent chances but saw several 1-v-1 attempts against Constantine stopped in spectacular fashion.
"I think the goalie did a great job, and she came out a lot," Fix said. " I think it really trimmed me up. I think, I could've placed the ball a little bit more, that might have helped. But she was a really great keeper and had an amazing game.
“This game I did try to stay composed. I found the middle, and I was selfless in the box. Sometimes when I get frustrated, I'll try to dribble the ball through. I just think my placement could've been better."
A Corsairs goal in the opening half could have changed the course of the match.
"I think it would've made the game different," Fix said. "A lot of times, we would get a lot of momentum after a goal. It really helps us get into the game. If we had the first goal, it might have been the game-changer."
The shutout was the first against Carmel in a month. The four previous times the Corsairs were held scoreless, the results came against highly ranked state contenders Benet, in AA, and big school programs New Trier, Stevenson and Evanston.
Lake Forest’s Constantine carried over her efforts into the second half and earned a clean-sheet for the Scouts. For her impactful effort, she earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
"A shot is a shot, and I think every save is quality," Constantine said, "As long as you block it from going in, it's good for a save.
“I just tried to stay calm, and the coaches tell me they're the ones (the shooters) that are nervous and scared. As long as like I'm calm, I can kind of read off how they're going to hit it.
“Everyone contributes to the win, everyone helps in practices, and we build each other up. I think everyone is the MVP."
Getting to intermission even made a big difference for Lake Forest.
"It was an interesting game, (Carmel) had a couple of chances in the first half," Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager said. "I know our goalkeeper came up with a big save down low in the first half that helped us. We did move the ball well and got into some situations. But the final pass wasn't there for the final shot."
With the wind in the second half, the Scouts found their footing.
"We did talk about things at halftime, we moved the ball better and passed the ball to feet," Stuckslager said. "We're not a team that hits the ball long. They just moved the ball better, and we practiced set pieces. The first one was a great serve, and we talked about attacking the back post."
Emersen Waddle broke the ice on a header off Charlotte Andress corner kick in the 46th minute.
"We've been practicing the corners and set pieces a lot, because we know that we can close on them," Waddle said. "A majority of goals this season have been off corners this season.
“I have mastered where Charlotte's ball was going to go, and I knew it would go back post. I stepped forward, faked a player and went back making myself open for that header. I headed (the ball) straight down into the ground, so it would bounce into the back of the net."
Lake Forest cemented the win in the 77th minute. Taylor Cekay's first career goal was assisted by Ashleigh Rupprecht.
"I'm not a soccer star with this team that's so talented," said senior Cekay, who's been on the varsity two years and was also a gymnast and all-state diver at Lake Forest. "I work hard in practice just to keep up with them.
“I just can't believe that I got that opportunity. It was in slow motion literally -- the ball came to me, and I just had to take that chance to score."
Carmel's season was a good one and likely a stepping stone for next year. The Corsairs will return a talented nucleus.
"Honestly, this was a team that had a lot of grit," Kile said. "They worked hard and are a relatively young team. This was kind of an eye-opener for the younger kids.
“I think moving forward, there's a lot to learn from this game and this type of game. We did have a very good season, despite the result today. I think they had a lot of fun, and they had big wins to be proud of. We had a number of things to be proud of this season."
Lake Forest (9-10-1) earned a ticket to the Wauconda Sectional semifinals, where they will meet second-seeded Saint Viator at 7 p.m. Tuesday, The Lions, who finished third in the 2021 Class AA state field, beat ninth-seeded host Lakes 2-1 Friday.
Top-seeded Deerfield will play no. 5-seed Wauconda at 5 p.m. in the other semi.
The Bulldogs got past host and fourth-seeded Vernon Hills 2-0 for the regional title, and host Deerfield won its crown with a 4-0 shutout of Grayslake North.
Starting lineups
Carmel
GK-Lisete Astudillo
D-Mila Schachelmayer
D-Peyton Carney
D-Grace Harvey
D-Zkylah Barnes
MF-Bella D'Amore
MF-Lauren Jenkins
MF-Kate Jones
MF-Jillian Miller
F-Emily Fix
F-Anna Hartman
Lake Forest
GK-Sarah Constantine
D-Hanna Sands
D-Riley Hoskins
D-Charlotte Andress
D-Sophie Benjakul
MF-Emerson Waddle
MF-Lainey Tabor
MF-Kathy Peterson-Ross
F-Ava Walsh
F-Ashleigh Rupprecht
F-Tricia Grey
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Sarah Constantine, so., GK, Lake Forest
Scoring Summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
LF: Emersen Waddle (Charlotte Andress) 46'
LF: Taylor Cekay (Ashleigh Rupprecht) 77'
Carmel, takes regional title
Scouts capture 2-0 win, keeper Constantine shines
By Rusty Silber
NORRIDGE – Teams can play each other in the regular-season, but the postseason is a different animal. The stakes are higher, and the fire is hotter.
Third-seeded Carmel entered the postseason on a roll. But sub-.500 and sixth-seeded Lake Forest was a battle-hardened opponent who had lost to the Corsairs in an early season matchup. The Scouts turned the tables in the Class AA Ridgewood Regional final on Friday afternoon and ousted their third-seeded foe 2-0.
This was a totally different match than the first meeting April 2 when Carmel got past Lake Forest 1-0. The weather conditions were cold with snow, which made it difficult to move the ball and play proper soccer. On Friday, temperatures were in the 80s and the turf was steamy.
Carmel (12-6-1) had the wind at its back in the first half and had several of chances to take the lead. The Corsairs saw one shot pop off the cross bar and several other chances stopped by the Lake Forest keeper Sarah Constantine (nine saves).
"Our urgency effort was our biggest downfall for the entire 80 minutes," Carmel coach Stephanie Kile said. "That was our biggest challenge. Credit to Lake Forest, they came out and wanted it more, and in the end, they deserved it.
“We just didn't have the urgency for the second chances. You hit the crossbar and the ball popping out, we didn't have the urgency to get to the end of it. It really didn't help us at the end."
Corsairs' star forward Emily Fix (18 goals, 8 assists) had excellent chances but saw several 1-v-1 attempts against Constantine stopped in spectacular fashion.
"I think the goalie did a great job, and she came out a lot," Fix said. " I think it really trimmed me up. I think, I could've placed the ball a little bit more, that might have helped. But she was a really great keeper and had an amazing game.
“This game I did try to stay composed. I found the middle, and I was selfless in the box. Sometimes when I get frustrated, I'll try to dribble the ball through. I just think my placement could've been better."
A Corsairs goal in the opening half could have changed the course of the match.
"I think it would've made the game different," Fix said. "A lot of times, we would get a lot of momentum after a goal. It really helps us get into the game. If we had the first goal, it might have been the game-changer."
The shutout was the first against Carmel in a month. The four previous times the Corsairs were held scoreless, the results came against highly ranked state contenders Benet, in AA, and big school programs New Trier, Stevenson and Evanston.
Lake Forest’s Constantine carried over her efforts into the second half and earned a clean-sheet for the Scouts. For her impactful effort, she earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
"A shot is a shot, and I think every save is quality," Constantine said, "As long as you block it from going in, it's good for a save.
“I just tried to stay calm, and the coaches tell me they're the ones (the shooters) that are nervous and scared. As long as like I'm calm, I can kind of read off how they're going to hit it.
“Everyone contributes to the win, everyone helps in practices, and we build each other up. I think everyone is the MVP."
Getting to intermission even made a big difference for Lake Forest.
"It was an interesting game, (Carmel) had a couple of chances in the first half," Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager said. "I know our goalkeeper came up with a big save down low in the first half that helped us. We did move the ball well and got into some situations. But the final pass wasn't there for the final shot."
With the wind in the second half, the Scouts found their footing.
"We did talk about things at halftime, we moved the ball better and passed the ball to feet," Stuckslager said. "We're not a team that hits the ball long. They just moved the ball better, and we practiced set pieces. The first one was a great serve, and we talked about attacking the back post."
Emersen Waddle broke the ice on a header off Charlotte Andress corner kick in the 46th minute.
"We've been practicing the corners and set pieces a lot, because we know that we can close on them," Waddle said. "A majority of goals this season have been off corners this season.
“I have mastered where Charlotte's ball was going to go, and I knew it would go back post. I stepped forward, faked a player and went back making myself open for that header. I headed (the ball) straight down into the ground, so it would bounce into the back of the net."
Lake Forest cemented the win in the 77th minute. Taylor Cekay's first career goal was assisted by Ashleigh Rupprecht.
"I'm not a soccer star with this team that's so talented," said senior Cekay, who's been on the varsity two years and was also a gymnast and all-state diver at Lake Forest. "I work hard in practice just to keep up with them.
“I just can't believe that I got that opportunity. It was in slow motion literally -- the ball came to me, and I just had to take that chance to score."
Carmel's season was a good one and likely a stepping stone for next year. The Corsairs will return a talented nucleus.
"Honestly, this was a team that had a lot of grit," Kile said. "They worked hard and are a relatively young team. This was kind of an eye-opener for the younger kids.
“I think moving forward, there's a lot to learn from this game and this type of game. We did have a very good season, despite the result today. I think they had a lot of fun, and they had big wins to be proud of. We had a number of things to be proud of this season."
Lake Forest (9-10-1) earned a ticket to the Wauconda Sectional semifinals, where they will meet second-seeded Saint Viator at 7 p.m. Tuesday, The Lions, who finished third in the 2021 Class AA state field, beat ninth-seeded host Lakes 2-1 Friday.
Top-seeded Deerfield will play no. 5-seed Wauconda at 5 p.m. in the other semi.
The Bulldogs got past host and fourth-seeded Vernon Hills 2-0 for the regional title, and host Deerfield won its crown with a 4-0 shutout of Grayslake North.
Starting lineups
Carmel
GK-Lisete Astudillo
D-Mila Schachelmayer
D-Peyton Carney
D-Grace Harvey
D-Zkylah Barnes
MF-Bella D'Amore
MF-Lauren Jenkins
MF-Kate Jones
MF-Jillian Miller
F-Emily Fix
F-Anna Hartman
Lake Forest
GK-Sarah Constantine
D-Hanna Sands
D-Riley Hoskins
D-Charlotte Andress
D-Sophie Benjakul
MF-Emerson Waddle
MF-Lainey Tabor
MF-Kathy Peterson-Ross
F-Ava Walsh
F-Ashleigh Rupprecht
F-Tricia Grey
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Sarah Constantine, so., GK, Lake Forest
Scoring Summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
LF: Emersen Waddle (Charlotte Andress) 46'
LF: Taylor Cekay (Ashleigh Rupprecht) 77'