Rookie GK Hyland saves Fenwick;
Deerfield awakens late to earn draw
Sophomore emergency replacement steps up in net in 2-2 tie
By Bobby Narang
RIVER FOREST -- Leah Hyland first varsity start in the net was certainly one to remember.
Fenwick starting goalkeeper Audrey Hinrichs was unable to attend Thursday’s home game against undefeated Deerfield due to a college visit for basketball. That caused coach Craig Blazer into a difficult choice. He chose sophomore field player Hyland as the emergency pick to play goalie.
Though she may not have been ready for the experience mentally, physically Hyland was up to the task.
“I was really scared going out, because I had never played goalie, maybe in grade school a few times. That wasn’t really anything,” Hyland said. “I just wanted to step up for team. I wasn’t expecting it, but I just wanted to do my best. The whole team was nice about it, and I thought they would be upset if I let a few goals in.”
Eighty minutes later, Hyland had a game to remember. Though Deerfield scored twice in the final 10 minutes, the host Friars (3-1-1) secured a 2-2 tie against their no. 21-ranked visitors.
The Warriors (4-0-1) staved off defeat with an aggressive attack to salvage a tie.
Deerfield was strong in the first 10 minutes and the final 10 minutes, attacking the goal with numerous shots. Hyland, a defender in most games, finished with seven saves.
“We found out (last week) that Audrey was going to go on a visit, and it was unbelievable to see someone take the opportunity and play well,” coach Craig Blazer said. “We were up 2-0, and they made some good shots at tie it.”
Hyland said she’s ready to go back to her natural position but enjoyed her experience in the net. She had three saves in first half and four in the second, including an easy game-saver in the final seconds.
Hyland tallied three saves in the first 10 minutes.
“I was very scared, but I just wanted to pull through and finish the job,” Hyland said. “Unfortunately in the end, it didn’t pan out as well as I had hoped. I’m still really proud we got a 2-2 tie.”
Deerfield battled back behind the veteran combination of Riley Schimanski and Holly Deutsch. Both scored a goal and tallied an assist in the comeback.
“We didn’t take advantage of opportunities in the beginning. We made a couple of mistakes in the back, and we got punished for it,” Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. “I really like Kate Henige. She’s a really good player for them. You can’t give her chances, because she will put them away.
“But I’m really pleased with the way we responded. We told them at halftime we can score multiple goals in a half and to go do it. (Fenwick) is a quality team that we may see in the playoffs. We figured out a way how to compete, especially in the latter part of the second half.
“It was a matter of once we got the first one, we would have energy. We almost had a chance to get a third goal. The girls were all into it and supported each other. We’ll see if we can build off this for Saturday.”
Deerfield senior midfielder Erin Emory said she was happy with the late surge that gained the tie.
“I think at the beginning we all started confident and strong and almost scored many times, but then we kind of got a little sloppy,” Emory said. “Once we realized we had to get our heads together, that’s when the true magic happened. We all just need to play with the same intensity the whole time and not drop off.”
After withstanding the strong early push by the Warriors, Fenwick slowly started building an attack to gain control of the game. As a steady snow fell and the threat of darkness loomed, the Friars entertained a mostly large pro-Fenwick crowd by scoring two goals in less than five minutes.
Grace Kapsch scored the first goal of the game, smacking a header off the crossbar, snagging the rebound and nudging in a shot with 3:43 remaining until halftime.
Twenty-eight seconds into the second half, Henige shocked the Warriors with a 22-yard yard blast into the near upper corner of the net to double the lead. Kapsch got the assist.
“I just kind of saw an opening, and no one was behind me when I checked my shoulder. So, I kind of turned and shot,” Henige said. “I didn’t want to wait, because I knew a defender was coming.
“This was a good game. They’re a really good team. We did really well in the first half, and had the two slip-ups in the second half. Both of their goals were really good. We still fought.”
Henige noted numerous missed scoring chances to add to their goal tally, but nothing materialized to build upon the lead.
“I was very frustrated, but it’s a game and sometimes things are up and down,” she said. “We can learn from this and get better.”
Blazer said his team wasn’t overly disappointed with the outcome, especially after entering the game with two-consecutive wins. And Deerfield presented a formidable opponent -- the Warriors outscored their first four opponents, Rolling Meadows, Wheeling, Round Lake and Palatine, by a combined 23-1.
“We had so many positives to take from this, just five games in,” Blazer said. “We played well against such a good team in Deerfield. Our players rose to the occasion and matched their energy. It was good soccer.
“We held them off at the beginning of the game, and that allowed us to make it a game. The goals we scored were really good execution. We only had a few shots on goal, so we had a super high percentage.”
Just when it looked like Fenwick might tack on a goal or two, the visitors awoke. Deerfield kept the ball in their offensive zone for most of the final 12-plus minutes.
Schimanski, off a pass from Deutsch, nailed a slow roller through the crowd to cut the deficit to 2-1 with 9:44 remaining.
“I went around the defender and used my speed,” Deutsch said of her assist to Schimanski. “I saw Riley slide in … right in the lane. I was so excited. The adrenaline was going so hard. I refused to lose and sit on the bus ride for an hour back.”
Schimanski, who has seven goals on the season, said she was happy to break the ice.
“It was really awesome,” Schimanski said. “Getting a touch on that ball was so good, and really helped our team. Both goals really showed the heart of our team. We were down two goals, but we fought until the end.”
Deutsch, the all-time program leader in assists, raised her season total to four goals and seven assists.
She scored the tying goal off a perfect cross from Schimanski with just 1:34 left in regulation.
“I just kept working, playing 80 minutes, and did not stop and put my heart into it and just refused to lose,” Deutsch said of the second goal. “Definitely in the first 10 minutes we had a really strong warmup and came in guns blazing and almost had two goals right away, but we kind of dropped off and got in our heads and sat back. The last 10 minutes we played hard.”
Hyland admitted the flurry of activity in the final 10 minutes was difficult for an inexperienced goalie, especially against a team with the talent to make a run in the playoffs.
"The first goal was little rough, and I wasn't expecting it to go down the field and past the defense," Hyland said. "I should've called out and told the defense where each shooter was.
“On the second goal, it got played down far. I thought it was offsides but they didn't call it."
Her counterpart, Deerfield sophomore keeper Lauren Gottlieb, finished the game with six saves.
Starting lineups
Deerfield
GK Lauren Gottlieb
D Ally Linn
D Katie Morgan
D Madeline Stevens
D Emma Gassman
MF Erin Emory
MF Jessie Fisher
MF Holly Deutsch
MF Ryane Emory
F Emily Fox
F Riley Schimanski
Fenwick
GK Leah Hyland
D Lizzie Brunick
D Abbie Rogowski
D Emily Ortiz
D Gabi Kapusta
MF Grace Kapsch
MF Maddie Rogowski
MF Natalie LoGiudice
MF Caroline Henige
MF Julia Cianci
F Kate Henige
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Holly Deutsch, sr., MF, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
Fenwick — Grace Kapsch (unassisted), 37th minute
Second half
Fenwick — Kate Henige (Grace Kapsch), 41st minute
Deerfield — Riley Schimanski (Holly Deutsch), 71st minute
Deerfield — Holly Deutsch (Riley Schimanski), 79th minute
Deerfield awakens late to earn draw
Sophomore emergency replacement steps up in net in 2-2 tie
By Bobby Narang
RIVER FOREST -- Leah Hyland first varsity start in the net was certainly one to remember.
Fenwick starting goalkeeper Audrey Hinrichs was unable to attend Thursday’s home game against undefeated Deerfield due to a college visit for basketball. That caused coach Craig Blazer into a difficult choice. He chose sophomore field player Hyland as the emergency pick to play goalie.
Though she may not have been ready for the experience mentally, physically Hyland was up to the task.
“I was really scared going out, because I had never played goalie, maybe in grade school a few times. That wasn’t really anything,” Hyland said. “I just wanted to step up for team. I wasn’t expecting it, but I just wanted to do my best. The whole team was nice about it, and I thought they would be upset if I let a few goals in.”
Eighty minutes later, Hyland had a game to remember. Though Deerfield scored twice in the final 10 minutes, the host Friars (3-1-1) secured a 2-2 tie against their no. 21-ranked visitors.
The Warriors (4-0-1) staved off defeat with an aggressive attack to salvage a tie.
Deerfield was strong in the first 10 minutes and the final 10 minutes, attacking the goal with numerous shots. Hyland, a defender in most games, finished with seven saves.
“We found out (last week) that Audrey was going to go on a visit, and it was unbelievable to see someone take the opportunity and play well,” coach Craig Blazer said. “We were up 2-0, and they made some good shots at tie it.”
Hyland said she’s ready to go back to her natural position but enjoyed her experience in the net. She had three saves in first half and four in the second, including an easy game-saver in the final seconds.
Hyland tallied three saves in the first 10 minutes.
“I was very scared, but I just wanted to pull through and finish the job,” Hyland said. “Unfortunately in the end, it didn’t pan out as well as I had hoped. I’m still really proud we got a 2-2 tie.”
Deerfield battled back behind the veteran combination of Riley Schimanski and Holly Deutsch. Both scored a goal and tallied an assist in the comeback.
“We didn’t take advantage of opportunities in the beginning. We made a couple of mistakes in the back, and we got punished for it,” Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. “I really like Kate Henige. She’s a really good player for them. You can’t give her chances, because she will put them away.
“But I’m really pleased with the way we responded. We told them at halftime we can score multiple goals in a half and to go do it. (Fenwick) is a quality team that we may see in the playoffs. We figured out a way how to compete, especially in the latter part of the second half.
“It was a matter of once we got the first one, we would have energy. We almost had a chance to get a third goal. The girls were all into it and supported each other. We’ll see if we can build off this for Saturday.”
Deerfield senior midfielder Erin Emory said she was happy with the late surge that gained the tie.
“I think at the beginning we all started confident and strong and almost scored many times, but then we kind of got a little sloppy,” Emory said. “Once we realized we had to get our heads together, that’s when the true magic happened. We all just need to play with the same intensity the whole time and not drop off.”
After withstanding the strong early push by the Warriors, Fenwick slowly started building an attack to gain control of the game. As a steady snow fell and the threat of darkness loomed, the Friars entertained a mostly large pro-Fenwick crowd by scoring two goals in less than five minutes.
Grace Kapsch scored the first goal of the game, smacking a header off the crossbar, snagging the rebound and nudging in a shot with 3:43 remaining until halftime.
Twenty-eight seconds into the second half, Henige shocked the Warriors with a 22-yard yard blast into the near upper corner of the net to double the lead. Kapsch got the assist.
“I just kind of saw an opening, and no one was behind me when I checked my shoulder. So, I kind of turned and shot,” Henige said. “I didn’t want to wait, because I knew a defender was coming.
“This was a good game. They’re a really good team. We did really well in the first half, and had the two slip-ups in the second half. Both of their goals were really good. We still fought.”
Henige noted numerous missed scoring chances to add to their goal tally, but nothing materialized to build upon the lead.
“I was very frustrated, but it’s a game and sometimes things are up and down,” she said. “We can learn from this and get better.”
Blazer said his team wasn’t overly disappointed with the outcome, especially after entering the game with two-consecutive wins. And Deerfield presented a formidable opponent -- the Warriors outscored their first four opponents, Rolling Meadows, Wheeling, Round Lake and Palatine, by a combined 23-1.
“We had so many positives to take from this, just five games in,” Blazer said. “We played well against such a good team in Deerfield. Our players rose to the occasion and matched their energy. It was good soccer.
“We held them off at the beginning of the game, and that allowed us to make it a game. The goals we scored were really good execution. We only had a few shots on goal, so we had a super high percentage.”
Just when it looked like Fenwick might tack on a goal or two, the visitors awoke. Deerfield kept the ball in their offensive zone for most of the final 12-plus minutes.
Schimanski, off a pass from Deutsch, nailed a slow roller through the crowd to cut the deficit to 2-1 with 9:44 remaining.
“I went around the defender and used my speed,” Deutsch said of her assist to Schimanski. “I saw Riley slide in … right in the lane. I was so excited. The adrenaline was going so hard. I refused to lose and sit on the bus ride for an hour back.”
Schimanski, who has seven goals on the season, said she was happy to break the ice.
“It was really awesome,” Schimanski said. “Getting a touch on that ball was so good, and really helped our team. Both goals really showed the heart of our team. We were down two goals, but we fought until the end.”
Deutsch, the all-time program leader in assists, raised her season total to four goals and seven assists.
She scored the tying goal off a perfect cross from Schimanski with just 1:34 left in regulation.
“I just kept working, playing 80 minutes, and did not stop and put my heart into it and just refused to lose,” Deutsch said of the second goal. “Definitely in the first 10 minutes we had a really strong warmup and came in guns blazing and almost had two goals right away, but we kind of dropped off and got in our heads and sat back. The last 10 minutes we played hard.”
Hyland admitted the flurry of activity in the final 10 minutes was difficult for an inexperienced goalie, especially against a team with the talent to make a run in the playoffs.
"The first goal was little rough, and I wasn't expecting it to go down the field and past the defense," Hyland said. "I should've called out and told the defense where each shooter was.
“On the second goal, it got played down far. I thought it was offsides but they didn't call it."
Her counterpart, Deerfield sophomore keeper Lauren Gottlieb, finished the game with six saves.
Starting lineups
Deerfield
GK Lauren Gottlieb
D Ally Linn
D Katie Morgan
D Madeline Stevens
D Emma Gassman
MF Erin Emory
MF Jessie Fisher
MF Holly Deutsch
MF Ryane Emory
F Emily Fox
F Riley Schimanski
Fenwick
GK Leah Hyland
D Lizzie Brunick
D Abbie Rogowski
D Emily Ortiz
D Gabi Kapusta
MF Grace Kapsch
MF Maddie Rogowski
MF Natalie LoGiudice
MF Caroline Henige
MF Julia Cianci
F Kate Henige
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Holly Deutsch, sr., MF, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
Fenwick — Grace Kapsch (unassisted), 37th minute
Second half
Fenwick — Kate Henige (Grace Kapsch), 41st minute
Deerfield — Riley Schimanski (Holly Deutsch), 71st minute
Deerfield — Holly Deutsch (Riley Schimanski), 79th minute