DGN outlasts York to nab Elk Grove title
Trojans use 3-0 PK advantage to repeat as champs
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE -- No stranger to big-game pressure, Downers Grove North bounced back from a 1-0 deficit in the first overtime against scrappy York to ultimately win the title match of the Elk Grove Tournament on penalty kicks Wednesday night.
The Trojans won the repeat matchup versus York. The Trojans prevailed 2-1 in the tournament final last season.
Downers Grove North, which finished fourth in the 2017 IHSA Class 3A tournament after falling 1-0 to eventual champion Barrington in the semifinals, looked to be in trouble against the Dukes until senior midfielder Abby Swanson tied the match with 3:11 left in the second of two 5-minute OT sessions. Swanson, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match, wiggled through traffic and headed a corner kick by senior defender Olivia Bull past York junior goalkeeper Kathleen Levins to force PKs.
Downers Grove North -- ranked 5th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 -- prevailed 3-0 in the PK round, with senior defender Chloe Nowka and junior mid Julia Kramper scoring to the upper left, and senior defender Carissa Mysliwiec tallying with a waist-high blast to the right. Trojans senior goalkeeper Grace Stevenson stopped all three York tries with relative ease.
"We've been in games like this before," said Swanson, a constant threat on the attack, especially in the second half. "The game is not over until the final whistle."
Bull, who joined Swanson in creating numerous chances before the pair of co-captains finally connected in extra time, said, "Abby and I, we can find each other. We said, 'We're gonna win this.' When it got to PKs, we told everyone 'Don't think, just try your best.'"
The match was hard-fought from the start, with the budding West Suburban Conference Silver Division rivals locked in a physical, defensive struggle for much of the match. York (4-1-0) had a near-miss in the 7th minute when Caila Ward deflected a free kick off the crossbar. The Trojans (2-0-1) came oh-so-close in the 28th minute when Swanson delivered a perfect pass to senior forward Alyssa Gunderson, whose quick shot was stopped by Levins right along the goal line, leading the Downers Grove North faithful wishing for instant replay.
Otherwise, the Dukes frustrated the Trojans in the scoreless first half, playing in-your-face 'D' and collapsing in the middle as Downers Grove North tried to spring ahead on the attack. The Trojans adjusted after the break and were much more dangerous as the second half unfolded.
"York gave us all we could handle," said Trojans head coach Brain Papa. "We played really well ... had some opportunities. But York was trapping us, so you've got to play the ball and run midfielders through the middle. But then we don't shoot the ball. You have to shoot. You can't just carry it in."
Added Swanson: "It was tough. We knew they'd come out strong. They played an offsides trap, so we had to adjust. We regrouped at halftime."
In the 50th minute, Kramper settled a cross from sophomore forward Alexis Parker and fired a low 30-yard shot that Levins handled. Three minutes later, Trojans senior defender Francesca Marconi headed a Bull corner wide-right.
Kramper had a great look in the 55th minute when she sent a left-footed rocket inches wide, and Swanson slipped in for a wide-angle try from the right side that Levins snuffed with a diving stop. Levins also had the answer for a Swanson try with 12 minutes remaining in regulation.
York created a pair of opportunities in the second half, the first coming in the 58th minute on a blast from the left side by sophomore midfielder Bridget Los that soared wide-right. With 6:35 left in the second half, senior mid Madeline Levins crossed a ball to Los, who missed wide-left from a sharp angle.
York finally broke the 0-0 tie with 1:01 left in OT No. 1. Junior forward Ward notched the marker, taking a pass from Madeline Levins in the box and tucking the ball past a charging Stevenson inside the right post.
"I was so pumped (after scoring) ... so excited," Ward said.
Swanson then tallied the tying goal in the second OT to spoil the celebration.
"I'm proud of our team -- it came down to PKs," said Dukes keeper Levins. "I couldn't get my hand on that last one to keep it going. But I gave it my best effort. As a team, I thought we did a good job defensively."
Added Ward: "It was evenly matched. It got kinda dirty out there, too ... a little bloody. But we should have held 'em off in the second OT. It hurts to lose when you're winning in overtime. But it makes me more fired up for the season. It lit the flame."
York skipper Don Vana said, "We tried to come out with intensity. It's a conference (foe), and we played hard. I think we sat back a little bit in the second half, but the competition level was right there."
Bull said that nabbing the Elk Grove tourney title with a win over York should serve the Trojans well down the road.
"It was such a good match," she said. "York is probably one of our biggest rivals now. We're pumped. This gets us ready for the rest of the season."
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
G: Grace Stevenson
D: Chloe Nowka
D: Olivia Bull
D: Carissa Mysliwiec
D: Francesca Marconi
M: Bryn Hueberger
M: Abby Swanson
M: Julia Kramper
F: Isabella Scarlati
F: Alexis Parker
F: Alyssa Gunderson
York
G: Kathleen Levins
D: Lauren Healy
D: Siena Pinkerton
D: Hailey Walker
D: Riley Haug
M: Lindsey Schiller
M: Madeline Levins
M: Bridget Los
M: Morgan McCarthy
F: Caila Ward
F: Maggie Bleyer
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Abby Swanson, sr., M, Downers Grove North
Officials: Boris Vukovic, Bob Canavan, Patrick Legge
Scoring summary
1. York: Caila Ward (assisted by Madeline Levins) with 1:01 left in 1st OT
2. Downers Grove North: Abby Swanson (assisted by Olivia Bull) with 3:11 left in 2nd OT
PKs
Downers Grove North: Chloe Nowka, Julia Kramper, Carissa Mysliwiec
Trojans use 3-0 PK advantage to repeat as champs
By Ken Keenan
ELK GROVE -- No stranger to big-game pressure, Downers Grove North bounced back from a 1-0 deficit in the first overtime against scrappy York to ultimately win the title match of the Elk Grove Tournament on penalty kicks Wednesday night.
The Trojans won the repeat matchup versus York. The Trojans prevailed 2-1 in the tournament final last season.
Downers Grove North, which finished fourth in the 2017 IHSA Class 3A tournament after falling 1-0 to eventual champion Barrington in the semifinals, looked to be in trouble against the Dukes until senior midfielder Abby Swanson tied the match with 3:11 left in the second of two 5-minute OT sessions. Swanson, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match, wiggled through traffic and headed a corner kick by senior defender Olivia Bull past York junior goalkeeper Kathleen Levins to force PKs.
Downers Grove North -- ranked 5th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 -- prevailed 3-0 in the PK round, with senior defender Chloe Nowka and junior mid Julia Kramper scoring to the upper left, and senior defender Carissa Mysliwiec tallying with a waist-high blast to the right. Trojans senior goalkeeper Grace Stevenson stopped all three York tries with relative ease.
"We've been in games like this before," said Swanson, a constant threat on the attack, especially in the second half. "The game is not over until the final whistle."
Bull, who joined Swanson in creating numerous chances before the pair of co-captains finally connected in extra time, said, "Abby and I, we can find each other. We said, 'We're gonna win this.' When it got to PKs, we told everyone 'Don't think, just try your best.'"
The match was hard-fought from the start, with the budding West Suburban Conference Silver Division rivals locked in a physical, defensive struggle for much of the match. York (4-1-0) had a near-miss in the 7th minute when Caila Ward deflected a free kick off the crossbar. The Trojans (2-0-1) came oh-so-close in the 28th minute when Swanson delivered a perfect pass to senior forward Alyssa Gunderson, whose quick shot was stopped by Levins right along the goal line, leading the Downers Grove North faithful wishing for instant replay.
Otherwise, the Dukes frustrated the Trojans in the scoreless first half, playing in-your-face 'D' and collapsing in the middle as Downers Grove North tried to spring ahead on the attack. The Trojans adjusted after the break and were much more dangerous as the second half unfolded.
"York gave us all we could handle," said Trojans head coach Brain Papa. "We played really well ... had some opportunities. But York was trapping us, so you've got to play the ball and run midfielders through the middle. But then we don't shoot the ball. You have to shoot. You can't just carry it in."
Added Swanson: "It was tough. We knew they'd come out strong. They played an offsides trap, so we had to adjust. We regrouped at halftime."
In the 50th minute, Kramper settled a cross from sophomore forward Alexis Parker and fired a low 30-yard shot that Levins handled. Three minutes later, Trojans senior defender Francesca Marconi headed a Bull corner wide-right.
Kramper had a great look in the 55th minute when she sent a left-footed rocket inches wide, and Swanson slipped in for a wide-angle try from the right side that Levins snuffed with a diving stop. Levins also had the answer for a Swanson try with 12 minutes remaining in regulation.
York created a pair of opportunities in the second half, the first coming in the 58th minute on a blast from the left side by sophomore midfielder Bridget Los that soared wide-right. With 6:35 left in the second half, senior mid Madeline Levins crossed a ball to Los, who missed wide-left from a sharp angle.
York finally broke the 0-0 tie with 1:01 left in OT No. 1. Junior forward Ward notched the marker, taking a pass from Madeline Levins in the box and tucking the ball past a charging Stevenson inside the right post.
"I was so pumped (after scoring) ... so excited," Ward said.
Swanson then tallied the tying goal in the second OT to spoil the celebration.
"I'm proud of our team -- it came down to PKs," said Dukes keeper Levins. "I couldn't get my hand on that last one to keep it going. But I gave it my best effort. As a team, I thought we did a good job defensively."
Added Ward: "It was evenly matched. It got kinda dirty out there, too ... a little bloody. But we should have held 'em off in the second OT. It hurts to lose when you're winning in overtime. But it makes me more fired up for the season. It lit the flame."
York skipper Don Vana said, "We tried to come out with intensity. It's a conference (foe), and we played hard. I think we sat back a little bit in the second half, but the competition level was right there."
Bull said that nabbing the Elk Grove tourney title with a win over York should serve the Trojans well down the road.
"It was such a good match," she said. "York is probably one of our biggest rivals now. We're pumped. This gets us ready for the rest of the season."
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
G: Grace Stevenson
D: Chloe Nowka
D: Olivia Bull
D: Carissa Mysliwiec
D: Francesca Marconi
M: Bryn Hueberger
M: Abby Swanson
M: Julia Kramper
F: Isabella Scarlati
F: Alexis Parker
F: Alyssa Gunderson
York
G: Kathleen Levins
D: Lauren Healy
D: Siena Pinkerton
D: Hailey Walker
D: Riley Haug
M: Lindsey Schiller
M: Madeline Levins
M: Bridget Los
M: Morgan McCarthy
F: Caila Ward
F: Maggie Bleyer
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Abby Swanson, sr., M, Downers Grove North
Officials: Boris Vukovic, Bob Canavan, Patrick Legge
Scoring summary
1. York: Caila Ward (assisted by Madeline Levins) with 1:01 left in 1st OT
2. Downers Grove North: Abby Swanson (assisted by Olivia Bull) with 3:11 left in 2nd OT
PKs
Downers Grove North: Chloe Nowka, Julia Kramper, Carissa Mysliwiec