Newcomer Bickhart makes up for lost time,
Wheaton A. tops depleted Deerfield
2019 transfer scores brace in 4-1 tournament win
By Bob Narang
SCHAUMBURG -- To say that Wheaton Academy senior midfielder Kelly Bickhart is ready to go is really, really an understatement.
After transferring from Westminster Christian in Elgin to Wheaton Academy before the start of her junior season, Bickhart endured the canceled pandemic season before she could don the Warriors’ uniform for the first time.
She started her Wheaton Academy career with a big splash on Thursday with a brace in a 9-0 victory over Metro Suburban Conference foe Elmwood Park on Thursday.
Two days later, Bickhart supplied another dose of magical footwork, scoring two more goals to lift Wheaton Academy to a 4-1 win over Deerfield in the PepsiCo Showdown at Olympic Park.
It was a stunning first-week debut that prompted Bickhart to smile.
“I’m just excited to soak it up, and loving every minute of it and not taking anytime for granted,” Bickert said. “This feels amazing. It’s our second game in 694 days. It’s just a joy to be out there. We want to make this season worth it and soak up every second that we have with each other to celebrate and grow as group and play excellent soccer.”
Playing on the shorter Field 2 at the facility, Bickhart started the scoring by slamming a shot from 15 yards into the net just eight minutes into the game. She notched her second goal on a free kick from 35 yards in the 56th minute to extend the lead to 4-1.
“On the first goal, it was an excellent ball by Amy Alexander,” Bickhart said. “She bumped it right, and I had two touches and crossed it in. The second goal, we just did our little play with three girls. I was aiming for a shot. We talked about doing a cross, but I looked for the shot in the end. It ended up slipping in at the top.”
Wheaton Academy coach Maria Selvaggio said Bickhart has made a seamless transition to playing for her team.
“She's come to our summer camp for years, and then she transferred back and quickly showed that she’s been trained and is so refined technically and a very smooth player,” she said. “She keeps her composure the whole time."
Wheaton Academy (2-0-0) dominated undermanned and inexperienced Deerfield (1-1-0), which especially missed junior leaders Holly Deutsch, Riley Schimanski and Katie Morgan.
The Warriors had trouble with Wheaton Academy’s strength and physical play.
“I think the big thing is we were missing seven players today,” Grady said. “Two of them were contact tracing, one starter was taking the ACT, one dislocated her kneecap. We had a player out for pink eye, a couple of others out with injuries.
“It was a chance for some others to play. We will have closer to a full team on Sunday. We have a big roster, so it’s about learning. We had eight kids with varsity experience before this week.”
Both teams are set to conclude tournament play Sunday. Deerfield meets Marist at 1:45 p.m.; Wheaton Academy takes on Lincoln-Way Central at 4 p.m. Wheaton Academy was schedule to play two games on Saturday, but had its second game moved to Sunday.
Selvaggio credited her players following the game plan to the victory in the Battle of the Warriors team nickname game.
“Our job was to possess and keep the ball,” Selvaggio said. “We’ve got some really crafty players in the middle. When they have the ball, some good things happen. Our objective was keep possession and be persistent defensively and make no silly mistakes. We did a good job.
“When our middle fielders have the ball, we’re happy. We have to continue to play to our strengths. We have skill in the middle, speed on the width. We’re still figuring ourself out. I’m excited to see how we can build on our strengths individually.”
Wheaton Academy goalie Sara Swoboda, who finished with six saves, made two diving stops in the first five minutes but Deerfield rarely threatened for the rest of the game.
In the 28th minute, Deerfield junior midfielder Emma Gassman drilled a free kick into the back of the net to avoid the shutout.
“I think we played really well defensively,” Swoboda said. “For me, I tried to make sure the ball was passed back to me, to get the ball out quickly and be in the right position at the right time. I think I played pretty well. I was little disappointed with the goal I gave up, but I have to give credit because it was a strong kick.”
Freshman Eva DeSouza recorded her first varsity goal in the 25th minute. She looped in a shot from 30 yards that sailed over Deerfield goalie Gabi Sipe’s head into the net.
“I was so happy after that (goal),” DeSouza said. “I jumped up, and it made me so hyped. Anna Africa was just dribbling down the right side, and I found an opening in the defense. She passed it to me, and I set myself up, and it went over the keeper’s hands into the net. It felt pretty good.”
Wheaton Academy junior Lily Lebo added her name to the scoring column in the 47th minute, tapping in a shot off a rebound for her second netter of the season.
“I got the last shot and placed it in,” Lebo said. “I think as a team, we worked well together, and it showed today.”
Grady said he’s excited for Sunday’s game. Sipe played the first half in the net, finishing with four saves. Senior Isa Davila tallied two saves in the second half.
“I like what we did,” he said. “We just have to clean some things up and will learn from it.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
GK Sara Swoboda
D Sarah Vander Klok
D Grace Platt
D Kelsey Bowling
D Olivia Crane
M Lily Lebo
M Amy Alexander
M Sydney Abbott
M Emily Setran
F Haleigh Manske
F Kelly Bickhart
Deerfield
GK Gabi Sipe
D Ally Linn
D Noa Friedland
D Katie Denison
D Andrea Balestra
MF Emma Gassman
MF Emily Fox
MF Erin Emory
F Madeline Stevens
F Izzy Johnson
F Simone Criz
Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Match: Kelly Bickhart, sr. M, Wheaton Academy
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton Academy— Kelly Bickhart (Amy Alexander) 8’
Wheaton Academy — Eva DeSouza (Anna Africa) 25’
Deerfield — Emma Gassman (unassisted) 28’
Second half
Wheaton Academy —Lily Lebo (unassisted) 47’
Wheaton Academy — Kelly Bickhart (unassisted) 56’
Wheaton A. tops depleted Deerfield
2019 transfer scores brace in 4-1 tournament win
By Bob Narang
SCHAUMBURG -- To say that Wheaton Academy senior midfielder Kelly Bickhart is ready to go is really, really an understatement.
After transferring from Westminster Christian in Elgin to Wheaton Academy before the start of her junior season, Bickhart endured the canceled pandemic season before she could don the Warriors’ uniform for the first time.
She started her Wheaton Academy career with a big splash on Thursday with a brace in a 9-0 victory over Metro Suburban Conference foe Elmwood Park on Thursday.
Two days later, Bickhart supplied another dose of magical footwork, scoring two more goals to lift Wheaton Academy to a 4-1 win over Deerfield in the PepsiCo Showdown at Olympic Park.
It was a stunning first-week debut that prompted Bickhart to smile.
“I’m just excited to soak it up, and loving every minute of it and not taking anytime for granted,” Bickert said. “This feels amazing. It’s our second game in 694 days. It’s just a joy to be out there. We want to make this season worth it and soak up every second that we have with each other to celebrate and grow as group and play excellent soccer.”
Playing on the shorter Field 2 at the facility, Bickhart started the scoring by slamming a shot from 15 yards into the net just eight minutes into the game. She notched her second goal on a free kick from 35 yards in the 56th minute to extend the lead to 4-1.
“On the first goal, it was an excellent ball by Amy Alexander,” Bickhart said. “She bumped it right, and I had two touches and crossed it in. The second goal, we just did our little play with three girls. I was aiming for a shot. We talked about doing a cross, but I looked for the shot in the end. It ended up slipping in at the top.”
Wheaton Academy coach Maria Selvaggio said Bickhart has made a seamless transition to playing for her team.
“She's come to our summer camp for years, and then she transferred back and quickly showed that she’s been trained and is so refined technically and a very smooth player,” she said. “She keeps her composure the whole time."
Wheaton Academy (2-0-0) dominated undermanned and inexperienced Deerfield (1-1-0), which especially missed junior leaders Holly Deutsch, Riley Schimanski and Katie Morgan.
The Warriors had trouble with Wheaton Academy’s strength and physical play.
“I think the big thing is we were missing seven players today,” Grady said. “Two of them were contact tracing, one starter was taking the ACT, one dislocated her kneecap. We had a player out for pink eye, a couple of others out with injuries.
“It was a chance for some others to play. We will have closer to a full team on Sunday. We have a big roster, so it’s about learning. We had eight kids with varsity experience before this week.”
Both teams are set to conclude tournament play Sunday. Deerfield meets Marist at 1:45 p.m.; Wheaton Academy takes on Lincoln-Way Central at 4 p.m. Wheaton Academy was schedule to play two games on Saturday, but had its second game moved to Sunday.
Selvaggio credited her players following the game plan to the victory in the Battle of the Warriors team nickname game.
“Our job was to possess and keep the ball,” Selvaggio said. “We’ve got some really crafty players in the middle. When they have the ball, some good things happen. Our objective was keep possession and be persistent defensively and make no silly mistakes. We did a good job.
“When our middle fielders have the ball, we’re happy. We have to continue to play to our strengths. We have skill in the middle, speed on the width. We’re still figuring ourself out. I’m excited to see how we can build on our strengths individually.”
Wheaton Academy goalie Sara Swoboda, who finished with six saves, made two diving stops in the first five minutes but Deerfield rarely threatened for the rest of the game.
In the 28th minute, Deerfield junior midfielder Emma Gassman drilled a free kick into the back of the net to avoid the shutout.
“I think we played really well defensively,” Swoboda said. “For me, I tried to make sure the ball was passed back to me, to get the ball out quickly and be in the right position at the right time. I think I played pretty well. I was little disappointed with the goal I gave up, but I have to give credit because it was a strong kick.”
Freshman Eva DeSouza recorded her first varsity goal in the 25th minute. She looped in a shot from 30 yards that sailed over Deerfield goalie Gabi Sipe’s head into the net.
“I was so happy after that (goal),” DeSouza said. “I jumped up, and it made me so hyped. Anna Africa was just dribbling down the right side, and I found an opening in the defense. She passed it to me, and I set myself up, and it went over the keeper’s hands into the net. It felt pretty good.”
Wheaton Academy junior Lily Lebo added her name to the scoring column in the 47th minute, tapping in a shot off a rebound for her second netter of the season.
“I got the last shot and placed it in,” Lebo said. “I think as a team, we worked well together, and it showed today.”
Grady said he’s excited for Sunday’s game. Sipe played the first half in the net, finishing with four saves. Senior Isa Davila tallied two saves in the second half.
“I like what we did,” he said. “We just have to clean some things up and will learn from it.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
GK Sara Swoboda
D Sarah Vander Klok
D Grace Platt
D Kelsey Bowling
D Olivia Crane
M Lily Lebo
M Amy Alexander
M Sydney Abbott
M Emily Setran
F Haleigh Manske
F Kelly Bickhart
Deerfield
GK Gabi Sipe
D Ally Linn
D Noa Friedland
D Katie Denison
D Andrea Balestra
MF Emma Gassman
MF Emily Fox
MF Erin Emory
F Madeline Stevens
F Izzy Johnson
F Simone Criz
Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Match: Kelly Bickhart, sr. M, Wheaton Academy
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton Academy— Kelly Bickhart (Amy Alexander) 8’
Wheaton Academy — Eva DeSouza (Anna Africa) 25’
Deerfield — Emma Gassman (unassisted) 28’
Second half
Wheaton Academy —Lily Lebo (unassisted) 47’
Wheaton Academy — Kelly Bickhart (unassisted) 56’