Beck fetes sister, seniors
in Hersey win over Elk Grove
Sophomore's hat-trick leads 5-0 Senior Day victory
By Bobby Narang
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS -- Hersey’s Abi Beck stole the show on Senior Day.
There was one slight problem with Beck’s spotlight performance — she’s only a sophomore.
But Hersey’s three seniors, especially her older sister Ali, didn’t mind the memorable performance by the underclassman.
Fourteen hours after suffering a tough loss to Fremd, Hersey used the accurate leg of Abi Beck to a 5-0 win over Elk Grove on a glorious Senior Day in beautiful late morning and early afternoon weather Saturday.
Previously Beck notched a hat-trick against Wheeling on April 1.
The Huskies (9-8-2, 6-4-1 Mid-Suburban East) closed out the regular-season in grand fashion and gave seniors Ali Beck, Cassie Caruso and Becca Caliendo a memorable send-off.
The Huskies had numerous quality opportunities to tack on more goals, but Elk Grove senior defender Lili Duckmann stopped several threats. Duckmann, a star basketball player, kept the score within reach for the Grenadiers with her closing speed that stopped more Hersey offensive production.
Hersey coach Mike Rusniak praised his small senior group for helping steer the younger players throughout a difficult season.
“This was a perfect way to have a senior game, just nice weather and at home,” he said. “We’ve played in two games in nice weather, with the only other one against Highland Park.
“I have to give the whole team credit, to play a strong team yesterday at a high level and … then to come out and still have legs. I was proud of how well they bounced back. That’s a credit to the seniors, keeping the team mentally focused and playing to their potential. You are spoiled as a coach when you have good leadership.”
Abi Beck scored the final three goals, including two in the second half, to up her season total to nine. The Huskies have a lengthy break before opening the Class 3A playoffs. The seventh seed in the Warren Sectional will meet 10th-seed Mundelein on May 18 in a Stevenson Regional semifinal.
With a next-level skill set that features speed, quality footwork and the ability to stop on a dime, Abi Beck has served notice she is a player to watch for the next two seasons. Her game might be colorful, but Abi prefers to keep her words short and team-oriented.
One of the big highlights in the game was a Beck-to-Beck scoring play, when Ali Beck set up her younger sister with a pass for a goal to pad the lead to 3-0 in the 38th minute.
“I think we really came out to play, to award our seniors in their last home game,” Abi Beck said. “It’s sad that his is my last home game playing together with my sister. This is our second year together. It’s been really cool playing with her, plus having someone at home to talk about the games and stuff.”
Rusniak said Abi Beck’s breakout season is a good sign for the future, especially with so many returnees slated for the 2023 season.
Sophomore Faith Sena scored the first goal of the game, and junior Ava Cismoski notched the second goal. Freshman Kiki Craft delivered two assists.
“Our youth is going to take us to the next level,” he said. “It’s going to be exciting. It’s hard not to get excited what they’re going to bring to the table next year. The freshmen and sophomores are already competing very well against more experienced and stronger girls. It’s going to be really exciting.
“Abi has just slowly started to come out of her shell as a player. She’s a person of few words, but she has a second gear when running. Sometimes, it looks like she’s not running, then looks like she’s been shot out of a cannon.
“You see it build-up, and then she has such a smooth, running technique. It looks like she’s coasting. Abi has been an awesome surprise. We pushed her up to forward and told her she’s the person we’re going to look to go to. She’s done a great job with her confidence and being able to make plays that matter.”
After the team had a short postgame talk and handed out game balls, Ali Beck said she was happy to end the regular-season with a victory.
“It was really exciting to have a win in our last game, and to see everyone’s growth throughout the season,” Ali Beck said. “Everyone has improved a lot, and gotten better playing together.
“It means a lot for the momentum, a confidence booster. Senior Day hasn’t sunken in yet. This year we had a lot of strong games, even in the elements. It snowed three times, so that was really memorable.”
Caruso, a defender, said it was a quality bounce-back win for the Huskies over the Grenadiers (4-14-2, 2-7-1). Hersey goalie Alli Paulsen collected four saves to earn the shutout.
“It feels great, just to celebrate the three years I’ve been on the team,” Caruso said. “Friday was a really tough game, tied 1-1 at half and we fell apart in the second half. We wanted to come out strong and celebrate the seniors by playing strong. I was like we have to come out strong for our Senior Night in response
“Last year was a really rushed season with no preseason and really hectic. This year we got time to grow together as a team before the season started. Our playoff hopes are to take it one game at a time, focus on Mundelein first, and hopefully make it to the next round. It was great to get to grow with this team. We became really close the last two years.”
Caliendo said she’s ready to pass the torch to her two sisters. Her younger sister, Anni, is a sophomore on the team, and she has another sister in eighth grade.
“It was really good to end the regular-season with a big win, and the shutout was great and a lot of goals for Abi Beck,” Becca Caliendo said. We were a lot more organized and focused today in the backline.
“I’m really appreciative for the opportunities to play at Hersey, another pair of sisters. My sister is playing next year and another sister is coming up next year. We’re going to keep soccer going in our family.”
Several minutes after the shutout victory, Rusniak, wearing his sunglasses, gazed up to the sky and added a few more words of praise to his seniors.
“They’ve been through a lot, really been incredible leaders. With a young team having good leadership is just so essential,” Rusniak said while his players popped orange-and-black balloons. “Each one of them has a unique style. They were extremely important keeping this team close through some of the ups and downs of our seasons.
“Watching them grow to this level has been awesome: Becca, Cassie and Ali. It’s kind of hard not thinking of seeing them in our lineup because these last two years they’ve been so important.”
Starting lineups
Elk Grove
GK Veronica Kozbiel
D Ava Hennig
D Kayce Wadas
D Lili Duckmann
MF Caroline Hadler
MF Ella Duckmann
MF Maggie Maher
MF Tiffany Joseph
MF Sydney Joseph
F Jennifer Benitez
F Julia Jacorzynska
Hersey
GK Alli Paulson
D Natalie Suto
D Ali Beck
D Ani Caliendo
D Cassie Caruso
MF Kiki Craft
MF Finley Wilcox
MF Ava Cismoski
MF Abi Beck
MF Becca Caliendo
F Faith Sena
Chicagoland MVP of the Match: Abi Beck, so., MF, Hersey
Scoring summary
First half
Hersey — Faith Sena (Kiki Craft), 2nd minute
Hersey — Ava Cismoski (Asha Bontje), 36th minute
Hersey — Abi Beck (Ali Beck), 38th minute
Second half
Hersey — Abi Beck (Kiki Craft) 41st minute
Hersey — Abi Beck (unassisted), 70th minute
in Hersey win over Elk Grove
Sophomore's hat-trick leads 5-0 Senior Day victory
By Bobby Narang
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS -- Hersey’s Abi Beck stole the show on Senior Day.
There was one slight problem with Beck’s spotlight performance — she’s only a sophomore.
But Hersey’s three seniors, especially her older sister Ali, didn’t mind the memorable performance by the underclassman.
Fourteen hours after suffering a tough loss to Fremd, Hersey used the accurate leg of Abi Beck to a 5-0 win over Elk Grove on a glorious Senior Day in beautiful late morning and early afternoon weather Saturday.
Previously Beck notched a hat-trick against Wheeling on April 1.
The Huskies (9-8-2, 6-4-1 Mid-Suburban East) closed out the regular-season in grand fashion and gave seniors Ali Beck, Cassie Caruso and Becca Caliendo a memorable send-off.
The Huskies had numerous quality opportunities to tack on more goals, but Elk Grove senior defender Lili Duckmann stopped several threats. Duckmann, a star basketball player, kept the score within reach for the Grenadiers with her closing speed that stopped more Hersey offensive production.
Hersey coach Mike Rusniak praised his small senior group for helping steer the younger players throughout a difficult season.
“This was a perfect way to have a senior game, just nice weather and at home,” he said. “We’ve played in two games in nice weather, with the only other one against Highland Park.
“I have to give the whole team credit, to play a strong team yesterday at a high level and … then to come out and still have legs. I was proud of how well they bounced back. That’s a credit to the seniors, keeping the team mentally focused and playing to their potential. You are spoiled as a coach when you have good leadership.”
Abi Beck scored the final three goals, including two in the second half, to up her season total to nine. The Huskies have a lengthy break before opening the Class 3A playoffs. The seventh seed in the Warren Sectional will meet 10th-seed Mundelein on May 18 in a Stevenson Regional semifinal.
With a next-level skill set that features speed, quality footwork and the ability to stop on a dime, Abi Beck has served notice she is a player to watch for the next two seasons. Her game might be colorful, but Abi prefers to keep her words short and team-oriented.
One of the big highlights in the game was a Beck-to-Beck scoring play, when Ali Beck set up her younger sister with a pass for a goal to pad the lead to 3-0 in the 38th minute.
“I think we really came out to play, to award our seniors in their last home game,” Abi Beck said. “It’s sad that his is my last home game playing together with my sister. This is our second year together. It’s been really cool playing with her, plus having someone at home to talk about the games and stuff.”
Rusniak said Abi Beck’s breakout season is a good sign for the future, especially with so many returnees slated for the 2023 season.
Sophomore Faith Sena scored the first goal of the game, and junior Ava Cismoski notched the second goal. Freshman Kiki Craft delivered two assists.
“Our youth is going to take us to the next level,” he said. “It’s going to be exciting. It’s hard not to get excited what they’re going to bring to the table next year. The freshmen and sophomores are already competing very well against more experienced and stronger girls. It’s going to be really exciting.
“Abi has just slowly started to come out of her shell as a player. She’s a person of few words, but she has a second gear when running. Sometimes, it looks like she’s not running, then looks like she’s been shot out of a cannon.
“You see it build-up, and then she has such a smooth, running technique. It looks like she’s coasting. Abi has been an awesome surprise. We pushed her up to forward and told her she’s the person we’re going to look to go to. She’s done a great job with her confidence and being able to make plays that matter.”
After the team had a short postgame talk and handed out game balls, Ali Beck said she was happy to end the regular-season with a victory.
“It was really exciting to have a win in our last game, and to see everyone’s growth throughout the season,” Ali Beck said. “Everyone has improved a lot, and gotten better playing together.
“It means a lot for the momentum, a confidence booster. Senior Day hasn’t sunken in yet. This year we had a lot of strong games, even in the elements. It snowed three times, so that was really memorable.”
Caruso, a defender, said it was a quality bounce-back win for the Huskies over the Grenadiers (4-14-2, 2-7-1). Hersey goalie Alli Paulsen collected four saves to earn the shutout.
“It feels great, just to celebrate the three years I’ve been on the team,” Caruso said. “Friday was a really tough game, tied 1-1 at half and we fell apart in the second half. We wanted to come out strong and celebrate the seniors by playing strong. I was like we have to come out strong for our Senior Night in response
“Last year was a really rushed season with no preseason and really hectic. This year we got time to grow together as a team before the season started. Our playoff hopes are to take it one game at a time, focus on Mundelein first, and hopefully make it to the next round. It was great to get to grow with this team. We became really close the last two years.”
Caliendo said she’s ready to pass the torch to her two sisters. Her younger sister, Anni, is a sophomore on the team, and she has another sister in eighth grade.
“It was really good to end the regular-season with a big win, and the shutout was great and a lot of goals for Abi Beck,” Becca Caliendo said. We were a lot more organized and focused today in the backline.
“I’m really appreciative for the opportunities to play at Hersey, another pair of sisters. My sister is playing next year and another sister is coming up next year. We’re going to keep soccer going in our family.”
Several minutes after the shutout victory, Rusniak, wearing his sunglasses, gazed up to the sky and added a few more words of praise to his seniors.
“They’ve been through a lot, really been incredible leaders. With a young team having good leadership is just so essential,” Rusniak said while his players popped orange-and-black balloons. “Each one of them has a unique style. They were extremely important keeping this team close through some of the ups and downs of our seasons.
“Watching them grow to this level has been awesome: Becca, Cassie and Ali. It’s kind of hard not thinking of seeing them in our lineup because these last two years they’ve been so important.”
Starting lineups
Elk Grove
GK Veronica Kozbiel
D Ava Hennig
D Kayce Wadas
D Lili Duckmann
MF Caroline Hadler
MF Ella Duckmann
MF Maggie Maher
MF Tiffany Joseph
MF Sydney Joseph
F Jennifer Benitez
F Julia Jacorzynska
Hersey
GK Alli Paulson
D Natalie Suto
D Ali Beck
D Ani Caliendo
D Cassie Caruso
MF Kiki Craft
MF Finley Wilcox
MF Ava Cismoski
MF Abi Beck
MF Becca Caliendo
F Faith Sena
Chicagoland MVP of the Match: Abi Beck, so., MF, Hersey
Scoring summary
First half
Hersey — Faith Sena (Kiki Craft), 2nd minute
Hersey — Ava Cismoski (Asha Bontje), 36th minute
Hersey — Abi Beck (Ali Beck), 38th minute
Second half
Hersey — Abi Beck (Kiki Craft) 41st minute
Hersey — Abi Beck (unassisted), 70th minute