Deerfield withstands Wheaton N. surge
Warriors open Kickoff Classic with 2-1 win
By Mike Garofola
WHEATON -- Deerfield made it two wins out of two this season, but it wasn't easy.
Prior to his Warriors meeting with tourney host Wheaton North on Thursday, manager Rich Grady said the plan was to take a long look at everyone during a busy first two weeks of the season in order to eventually sort out his 2019 roster, which includes a trio of keepers.
Sophomore Isa Davila, a gymnast by trade who came to Grady without any experience between the sticks, made a strong impression on the head coach and his staff with several acrobatic stops to insure a 2-1 victory on Thursday at Rexilius Field in Wheaton.
Davila, and another sophomore, Wheaton North midfielder Kayla Shebar shared Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Match honors in this entertaining, and hard-fought contest played in a roaring west wind that was later joined by a constant rain, neither of which seemed to effect either team on this night.
"Yes, the conditions were not the best, but both teams played hard, and for us, we had to defend quite a bit in the second half. Fortunately (Isa) came through with some key saves when we needed her," said Grady, whose club continues tournament play at 1 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Sandburg.
Davila was called into action when starter Carolyn Curley was shown a yellow card in the 32nd minute for an inadvertant touch with her glove outside the box.
"I didn't even have time to think about anything when Carolyn got her yellow card. In fact I wasn't really sure what was going on, so I wasn't nervous at all," began Davila, who says part of the reason for her playing soccer is just the pure enjoyment of being involved in a team sport at Deerfield.
"My teammates in the back helped me relax for the last 7-8 minutes before the half, so that helped me a lot also," continued Davila, who could also thank her near post for stopping Ella Kocher's free kick following the Curley booking.
"Their keeper made some quality saves in some slippery and windy conditions in a second half I felt we mostly dominated with our play," said Falcons manager Tim McEvilly. "Nonetheless, I was real pleased with everything overall that we did tonight."
"We lost 12-13 seniors from last year, so there's a breaking-in period for all of us," offered Falcons senior Anna Warfield. "I really feel like once we get comfortable with each other and where we're all going to be, we're going to be a very good team."
Warfield is one of just three seniors in McEvilly's first 11 with Leila Parente and Sarah Breka. Wheaton North had trouble with its touch early on and found itself defending more than attacking for the better half of the first quarter hour of play.
However, despite its low percentage of passes connected, it was the homeside that struck first.
Moments after McEvilly brought both Olivia Moreno and Claudia Kim on to provide some energy and pace to the Falcons attack, freshman Moreno hit the opener.
She ran onto a lovely early ball from Audrey Ciemanec that pried open the Deerfield defense and allowed Moreno to finish by going the opposite way to the far inside netting at 17 minutes.
"Just a great goal by Olivia" said a thrilled McEvilly.
Then the aforementioned Kim tricked her way just outside the box, but Deerfield's backline duo of Dylan Sachs and Katie Morgan did well to squeeze the life out of another potential scoring chance from the Falcons.
"We have (five) freshmen with us this spring, four of them start," Grady said. "In the first two games, they have all done about as well as expected."
Morgan is one of the frosh in Grady's first 11 and joins Ally Linn, Riley Schimanski and Holly Deutsch.
Mallori Killoren, who stepped in two years ago to instant success in her rookie season, was all-state a year ago as a sophomore. She fully understands what her younger mates have in store for them.
"The adjustment to playing against bigger, stronger and older players is the toughest thing, but the freshmen we have this year have shown they can play," said Killoren. "Tonight, you saw one of them (Riley) score the game-winner."
The all-everything Killoren put her mark on the first half of action. She used her creative genious and ability to distribute and direct the Warriors attack. Six minutes after Moreno's opener, Killoren drew her club back even.
The junior's third goal of the season came after some nifty combo play with Shayna Wood. It allowed Killoren to touch-and-go past the Falcons last defender before a sublime finish under keeper Hanley Elftmann at 23 minutes.
The equalizer opened play up for the last half of the first period. Wheaton North's Shebar went close, and Kocher hit the post with another free kick. Killoren, Greer Deutsch and Schimanski all inspired quality play in the Warriors attack.
Killoren was stopped point-blank on consecutive attempts at the half hour when it appeared the visitors would go ahead. Marissa Hyland tested Elftmann just afterwards in her attempt to find the back of the net.
"We struggled a lot in that first half because no. 13 (Killoren) is a great player who was responsible for keeping us under pressure most of the time," said McEvilly.
"But what helped so much in the second half was marking (Killoren) with Payten Yates and slowing her game down. It helped us enjoy most of the play after the break."
The defensive switch was one of a couple keys that allowed the Falcons to play on their front foot for most of the second half. Shebar right there with the man-marking work of Yates.
Shebar, so quick on the ball, roared up the flank and whipped a handful of purposeful crossed into the box or back post to test the Warriors.
The sophomore helped Moreno send her looping attempt off the bar in the 49th minute. She then created a corner and free kick chance for her mates only to see Davila come to the rescue in the wind and slippery conditions inside her box.
Wheaton North continued to keep its guests in their own end. Deerfield defended with all its might up until 62 minutes when up popped Schimanski, who put a dagger in the hearts of the Falcons faithful.
"The other night against Antioch (Killoren) scored what I felt was one of the best goals in recent memory because of the great buildup and combination work," commented Grady. "But Riley's game-winner tonight was a real thing of beauty."
Five Warriors had a touch on the ball. It ended with Megan David connecting with Deutsch, who in turn found Schimanski on the far right side.
The freshman rattled her low drive off the back post and into the back of the net.
"Two defensive mistakes cost us tonight, and that was it," lamented McEvilly, whose club threw everything forward at the Warriors in the last quarter hour as they went in search of the equalizer.
The last, and best, opportunity came in the closing moments when Davila raced out and kept her feet and wits about her. She collected a well-paced free kick from Rachel Brady.
"Wheaton North came out and played physical soccer, won a lot of first and second balls, and maybe surprised all of us who were on last year's team which beat them, 6-2," admitted Killoren.
"We obviously have a lot to work on, especially in our own end defensively, but I like the way the girls fought, especially in the second half to get us the win," said Grady.
"The purpose of (us) having 6-7 games before spring break is to find some things out about the team and each other Whatever we learn will help us tremendously down the road."
Both McEvilly and Warfield came away with plenty to build from and be proud of, despite Wheaton North's second-consecutive, one-goal defeat.
"I can tell already with the nice blend of experience and young players that this is going to a very good team," said Warfield.
"I like the style of play we've shown so far and our ability to create chances. As I said, once we figure things out it will be a much different team from a year ago when we won 5-6 games."
McEvilly, whose club conceded three-straight answering goals in its season opening 3-2 loss to Glenbard West earlier in the week, agreed with Warfield's assessment of the Falcons.
"There's plenty to like with this group.," he said. "They're smart, like to try to play the game the right way, and they can be an exciting bunch to watch when all is going well.
"It's early, and like most teams, we haven't really been outside much except for our first two games. But they showed in that second half they can dominate play after a so-so first half of play."
Next up for the Falcons in its Kickoff Classic is a visit to Metea Valley at noon Saturday, followed by another tourney contest against Class AA power Lemont at home Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Deerfield (4-4-2)
G- Carolyn Curley
D- Ally Linn
D- Katie Morgan
D- Dylan Sachs
D- Shayna Wood
M- Riley Schimanski
M- Maroli Killoren
M- Mallory Sawyer
M- Holly Deutsch
F- Julia Neal
F- Marissa Hyland
Wheaton North (4-5-1)
G- Hanley Elftmann
D- Audrey Ciemanec
D- Amanda Tegart
D- Rachel Brady
D- Ella Kocher
M- Anna Warfield
M- Kayla Shebar
M- Riley Winckler
M- Payten Yates
M- Leila Parente
F- Sarah Breka
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Isa Davila, so., GK, Deerfield
Kayla Shebar, so., MF, Wheaton North
Referee: Vic Walker
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton North: Moreno (Ciemanec) 17'
Deerfield: Killoren (Wood) 23'
Second half
Deerfield: Schimanski (G. Deutsch, David) 64'
Warriors open Kickoff Classic with 2-1 win
By Mike Garofola
WHEATON -- Deerfield made it two wins out of two this season, but it wasn't easy.
Prior to his Warriors meeting with tourney host Wheaton North on Thursday, manager Rich Grady said the plan was to take a long look at everyone during a busy first two weeks of the season in order to eventually sort out his 2019 roster, which includes a trio of keepers.
Sophomore Isa Davila, a gymnast by trade who came to Grady without any experience between the sticks, made a strong impression on the head coach and his staff with several acrobatic stops to insure a 2-1 victory on Thursday at Rexilius Field in Wheaton.
Davila, and another sophomore, Wheaton North midfielder Kayla Shebar shared Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Match honors in this entertaining, and hard-fought contest played in a roaring west wind that was later joined by a constant rain, neither of which seemed to effect either team on this night.
"Yes, the conditions were not the best, but both teams played hard, and for us, we had to defend quite a bit in the second half. Fortunately (Isa) came through with some key saves when we needed her," said Grady, whose club continues tournament play at 1 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Sandburg.
Davila was called into action when starter Carolyn Curley was shown a yellow card in the 32nd minute for an inadvertant touch with her glove outside the box.
"I didn't even have time to think about anything when Carolyn got her yellow card. In fact I wasn't really sure what was going on, so I wasn't nervous at all," began Davila, who says part of the reason for her playing soccer is just the pure enjoyment of being involved in a team sport at Deerfield.
"My teammates in the back helped me relax for the last 7-8 minutes before the half, so that helped me a lot also," continued Davila, who could also thank her near post for stopping Ella Kocher's free kick following the Curley booking.
"Their keeper made some quality saves in some slippery and windy conditions in a second half I felt we mostly dominated with our play," said Falcons manager Tim McEvilly. "Nonetheless, I was real pleased with everything overall that we did tonight."
"We lost 12-13 seniors from last year, so there's a breaking-in period for all of us," offered Falcons senior Anna Warfield. "I really feel like once we get comfortable with each other and where we're all going to be, we're going to be a very good team."
Warfield is one of just three seniors in McEvilly's first 11 with Leila Parente and Sarah Breka. Wheaton North had trouble with its touch early on and found itself defending more than attacking for the better half of the first quarter hour of play.
However, despite its low percentage of passes connected, it was the homeside that struck first.
Moments after McEvilly brought both Olivia Moreno and Claudia Kim on to provide some energy and pace to the Falcons attack, freshman Moreno hit the opener.
She ran onto a lovely early ball from Audrey Ciemanec that pried open the Deerfield defense and allowed Moreno to finish by going the opposite way to the far inside netting at 17 minutes.
"Just a great goal by Olivia" said a thrilled McEvilly.
Then the aforementioned Kim tricked her way just outside the box, but Deerfield's backline duo of Dylan Sachs and Katie Morgan did well to squeeze the life out of another potential scoring chance from the Falcons.
"We have (five) freshmen with us this spring, four of them start," Grady said. "In the first two games, they have all done about as well as expected."
Morgan is one of the frosh in Grady's first 11 and joins Ally Linn, Riley Schimanski and Holly Deutsch.
Mallori Killoren, who stepped in two years ago to instant success in her rookie season, was all-state a year ago as a sophomore. She fully understands what her younger mates have in store for them.
"The adjustment to playing against bigger, stronger and older players is the toughest thing, but the freshmen we have this year have shown they can play," said Killoren. "Tonight, you saw one of them (Riley) score the game-winner."
The all-everything Killoren put her mark on the first half of action. She used her creative genious and ability to distribute and direct the Warriors attack. Six minutes after Moreno's opener, Killoren drew her club back even.
The junior's third goal of the season came after some nifty combo play with Shayna Wood. It allowed Killoren to touch-and-go past the Falcons last defender before a sublime finish under keeper Hanley Elftmann at 23 minutes.
The equalizer opened play up for the last half of the first period. Wheaton North's Shebar went close, and Kocher hit the post with another free kick. Killoren, Greer Deutsch and Schimanski all inspired quality play in the Warriors attack.
Killoren was stopped point-blank on consecutive attempts at the half hour when it appeared the visitors would go ahead. Marissa Hyland tested Elftmann just afterwards in her attempt to find the back of the net.
"We struggled a lot in that first half because no. 13 (Killoren) is a great player who was responsible for keeping us under pressure most of the time," said McEvilly.
"But what helped so much in the second half was marking (Killoren) with Payten Yates and slowing her game down. It helped us enjoy most of the play after the break."
The defensive switch was one of a couple keys that allowed the Falcons to play on their front foot for most of the second half. Shebar right there with the man-marking work of Yates.
Shebar, so quick on the ball, roared up the flank and whipped a handful of purposeful crossed into the box or back post to test the Warriors.
The sophomore helped Moreno send her looping attempt off the bar in the 49th minute. She then created a corner and free kick chance for her mates only to see Davila come to the rescue in the wind and slippery conditions inside her box.
Wheaton North continued to keep its guests in their own end. Deerfield defended with all its might up until 62 minutes when up popped Schimanski, who put a dagger in the hearts of the Falcons faithful.
"The other night against Antioch (Killoren) scored what I felt was one of the best goals in recent memory because of the great buildup and combination work," commented Grady. "But Riley's game-winner tonight was a real thing of beauty."
Five Warriors had a touch on the ball. It ended with Megan David connecting with Deutsch, who in turn found Schimanski on the far right side.
The freshman rattled her low drive off the back post and into the back of the net.
"Two defensive mistakes cost us tonight, and that was it," lamented McEvilly, whose club threw everything forward at the Warriors in the last quarter hour as they went in search of the equalizer.
The last, and best, opportunity came in the closing moments when Davila raced out and kept her feet and wits about her. She collected a well-paced free kick from Rachel Brady.
"Wheaton North came out and played physical soccer, won a lot of first and second balls, and maybe surprised all of us who were on last year's team which beat them, 6-2," admitted Killoren.
"We obviously have a lot to work on, especially in our own end defensively, but I like the way the girls fought, especially in the second half to get us the win," said Grady.
"The purpose of (us) having 6-7 games before spring break is to find some things out about the team and each other Whatever we learn will help us tremendously down the road."
Both McEvilly and Warfield came away with plenty to build from and be proud of, despite Wheaton North's second-consecutive, one-goal defeat.
"I can tell already with the nice blend of experience and young players that this is going to a very good team," said Warfield.
"I like the style of play we've shown so far and our ability to create chances. As I said, once we figure things out it will be a much different team from a year ago when we won 5-6 games."
McEvilly, whose club conceded three-straight answering goals in its season opening 3-2 loss to Glenbard West earlier in the week, agreed with Warfield's assessment of the Falcons.
"There's plenty to like with this group.," he said. "They're smart, like to try to play the game the right way, and they can be an exciting bunch to watch when all is going well.
"It's early, and like most teams, we haven't really been outside much except for our first two games. But they showed in that second half they can dominate play after a so-so first half of play."
Next up for the Falcons in its Kickoff Classic is a visit to Metea Valley at noon Saturday, followed by another tourney contest against Class AA power Lemont at home Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Deerfield (4-4-2)
G- Carolyn Curley
D- Ally Linn
D- Katie Morgan
D- Dylan Sachs
D- Shayna Wood
M- Riley Schimanski
M- Maroli Killoren
M- Mallory Sawyer
M- Holly Deutsch
F- Julia Neal
F- Marissa Hyland
Wheaton North (4-5-1)
G- Hanley Elftmann
D- Audrey Ciemanec
D- Amanda Tegart
D- Rachel Brady
D- Ella Kocher
M- Anna Warfield
M- Kayla Shebar
M- Riley Winckler
M- Payten Yates
M- Leila Parente
F- Sarah Breka
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Isa Davila, so., GK, Deerfield
Kayla Shebar, so., MF, Wheaton North
Referee: Vic Walker
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton North: Moreno (Ciemanec) 17'
Deerfield: Killoren (Wood) 23'
Second half
Deerfield: Schimanski (G. Deutsch, David) 64'