Evanston hounds Niles North in 2-1 win
Wildkits fire away but Vikings keeper Litt keeps things close
By Ken Keenan
SKOKIE -- A ton of possession time and a barrage of shots doesn't always add up to a blowout win, something Evanston discovered in a 2-1 victory over host Niles North in Central Suburban League North Division action Saturday afternoon.
Backstopped by the outstanding play of senior goalkeeper Nora Litt, who sported a tell-tale scar on her right cheek at game's end, the Vikings kept the score from ballooning in the Wildkits' favor.
Litt made numerous stellar saves, including a spectacular, point-blank stop on a short blast by Evanston sophomore forward Ryann Lucas -- and another on the rebound -- with the Wildkits clinging to a 1-0 lead in the 58th minute.
Seven minutes later, Lucas -- Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match -- potted what turned out to be the game-winner, unleashing a powerful, 25-yard shot with her left foot into the top left corner to complete a long run down the right side.
"We created opportunities, but didn't capitalize enough," said Evanston head coach Stacy Salgado, whose squad (ranked 16th in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 poll) improved to 2-0-0 with the win. "The (Niles North) goalkeeper had a great game, a lot of good stops, but we have to finish those chances."
Converting on its first opportunity of the second half, Niles North (2-1-0) cut the Evanston lead to 2-1 in the 68th minute when speedy senior forward Yael Bettenhausen pounced on a loose ball in front and tapped it in past surprised Wildkits junior keeper Sylvi Imrem.
"Our game plan was to absorb possession and counter," said Niles North skipper Filip Cejovic. "I thought we controlled the game defensively. Evanston is aggressive, but perhaps too aggressive. When we adjusted to their style of play, I feel we competed."
But Evanston didn't implode and continued to pepper Litt with solid strikes the rest of the way. Litt, who was replaced by junior Sara Montes for seven minutes early in the second half following a collision in-close, robbed Wildkits senior midfielder Keara Kerr with 4:25 showing and then made a juggling save to defuse a 30-yard missile by Lucas less than a minute later.
Litt also stopped a low try by Evanston freshman forward Brealyn Viamille in the 77th minute, and also closed the door on a sharp shot by Lucas -- as well as the rebound try by Viamille -- with 1:30 remaining in the match.
"I thought we did well possessing, but we could have put more shots away," Lucas said. "Their goalkeeper was good, but we should have shot in the corner sometimes."
Viamille, who was a key cog (along with Lucas, Kerr and freshman midfielder Nahla Dominguez) in the Wildkits' wheel of strategy to possess wide and then aggressively attack from the middle, agreed.
"It felt like every shot was on goal today," Viamille said. "But we have to practice shooting at the corners, and putting crosses away, too. It is good to win, but there's that feeling that we should have scored more. We have to put those chances away."
Added Dominguez: "I feel like everybody did their part -- except we have to finish, finish, finish."
Salgado said, "We have some really good ballhandlers. Those three (Lucas, Villamille, Dominguez), they're all very solid on the ball. They have a good, attacking mindset ... good skillful players."
Evanston grabbed a 1-0 lead on a tip-in by freshman defender Carly Menocal off a corner kick by Dominguez with 18:20 to go in the first half. The Wildkits had numerous opportunities to increase the margin in the opening session but were foiled time after time by Litt and Co.
Litt made a nice diving save to thwart Dominguez on the doorstep in the 24th minute, and also had the answer for a 30-yard strike by Kerr with 10:25 to go before the break. Dominguez also missed high and wide on a header in the 31st minute, and Lucas misfired on a header off a 20-yard free kick by Evanston senior mid Hadley Bushala in the 37th minute.
Merely 50 second before halftime, Litt gobbled up a 25-yard try by Viamille.
"I knew from the get-go that Evanston would be an aggressive, possession-type team," Litt said. "So I took that as motivation and said, 'I'm not gonna let one in.' When they scored, I used that as anger and said, 'No more goals!' You take the emotion and control it."
In defeat, Cejovic had nothing but praise for the stand-on-her-head performance by his courageous keeper.
"As a coach, I'm always trying to teach life lessons, even during a game," he said. "The fact that (Litt) had her best game? It shows that hard work pays off. Returning after her injury? That shows she's grown as a person."
Meanwhile, Evanston hopes the win over Niles North serves as part of its own growth process.
"We got the win, but it's only the second game of the season," Salgado said. "We're trying to figure out our game and our rhythm ... lots to work on early in the season."
Added Lucas: "It could have been more satisfying if we scored more, but it's a good experience to get the win."
Starting lineups
Evanston
G: Sylvi Imrem
D: Lucinda Lindland
D: Carly Menocal
D: Sarah Sollinger
D: Nadia Van Den Berg
M: Hadley Bushala
M: Callista O'Connor
M: Katarina Sehgal
M: Ryann Lucas
M: Keara Kerr
F: Brealyn Viamille
Niles North
G: Nora Litt
D: Ruth Pasca
D: Grace Dentzer
D: Elina Callas
D: Sara Montes
M: Madelyn Koppe
M: Kate Whitney
M: Alexandra Hatieganu
M: Angela Arana
F: Yael Bettenhausen
F: Samar Mari
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ryann Lucas, so., MF, Evanston
Officials: Rommel Benjamin, Albert Cory, Alex Stivak
Scoring summary
First half
Evanston: Carly Menocal (assisted by Nahla Dominguez) in 22nd minute
Second half
Evanston: Ryann Lucas (unassisted) in 65th minute
Niles North: Yael Bettenhausen (unassisted) in 68th minute
Wildkits fire away but Vikings keeper Litt keeps things close
By Ken Keenan
SKOKIE -- A ton of possession time and a barrage of shots doesn't always add up to a blowout win, something Evanston discovered in a 2-1 victory over host Niles North in Central Suburban League North Division action Saturday afternoon.
Backstopped by the outstanding play of senior goalkeeper Nora Litt, who sported a tell-tale scar on her right cheek at game's end, the Vikings kept the score from ballooning in the Wildkits' favor.
Litt made numerous stellar saves, including a spectacular, point-blank stop on a short blast by Evanston sophomore forward Ryann Lucas -- and another on the rebound -- with the Wildkits clinging to a 1-0 lead in the 58th minute.
Seven minutes later, Lucas -- Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match -- potted what turned out to be the game-winner, unleashing a powerful, 25-yard shot with her left foot into the top left corner to complete a long run down the right side.
"We created opportunities, but didn't capitalize enough," said Evanston head coach Stacy Salgado, whose squad (ranked 16th in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 poll) improved to 2-0-0 with the win. "The (Niles North) goalkeeper had a great game, a lot of good stops, but we have to finish those chances."
Converting on its first opportunity of the second half, Niles North (2-1-0) cut the Evanston lead to 2-1 in the 68th minute when speedy senior forward Yael Bettenhausen pounced on a loose ball in front and tapped it in past surprised Wildkits junior keeper Sylvi Imrem.
"Our game plan was to absorb possession and counter," said Niles North skipper Filip Cejovic. "I thought we controlled the game defensively. Evanston is aggressive, but perhaps too aggressive. When we adjusted to their style of play, I feel we competed."
But Evanston didn't implode and continued to pepper Litt with solid strikes the rest of the way. Litt, who was replaced by junior Sara Montes for seven minutes early in the second half following a collision in-close, robbed Wildkits senior midfielder Keara Kerr with 4:25 showing and then made a juggling save to defuse a 30-yard missile by Lucas less than a minute later.
Litt also stopped a low try by Evanston freshman forward Brealyn Viamille in the 77th minute, and also closed the door on a sharp shot by Lucas -- as well as the rebound try by Viamille -- with 1:30 remaining in the match.
"I thought we did well possessing, but we could have put more shots away," Lucas said. "Their goalkeeper was good, but we should have shot in the corner sometimes."
Viamille, who was a key cog (along with Lucas, Kerr and freshman midfielder Nahla Dominguez) in the Wildkits' wheel of strategy to possess wide and then aggressively attack from the middle, agreed.
"It felt like every shot was on goal today," Viamille said. "But we have to practice shooting at the corners, and putting crosses away, too. It is good to win, but there's that feeling that we should have scored more. We have to put those chances away."
Added Dominguez: "I feel like everybody did their part -- except we have to finish, finish, finish."
Salgado said, "We have some really good ballhandlers. Those three (Lucas, Villamille, Dominguez), they're all very solid on the ball. They have a good, attacking mindset ... good skillful players."
Evanston grabbed a 1-0 lead on a tip-in by freshman defender Carly Menocal off a corner kick by Dominguez with 18:20 to go in the first half. The Wildkits had numerous opportunities to increase the margin in the opening session but were foiled time after time by Litt and Co.
Litt made a nice diving save to thwart Dominguez on the doorstep in the 24th minute, and also had the answer for a 30-yard strike by Kerr with 10:25 to go before the break. Dominguez also missed high and wide on a header in the 31st minute, and Lucas misfired on a header off a 20-yard free kick by Evanston senior mid Hadley Bushala in the 37th minute.
Merely 50 second before halftime, Litt gobbled up a 25-yard try by Viamille.
"I knew from the get-go that Evanston would be an aggressive, possession-type team," Litt said. "So I took that as motivation and said, 'I'm not gonna let one in.' When they scored, I used that as anger and said, 'No more goals!' You take the emotion and control it."
In defeat, Cejovic had nothing but praise for the stand-on-her-head performance by his courageous keeper.
"As a coach, I'm always trying to teach life lessons, even during a game," he said. "The fact that (Litt) had her best game? It shows that hard work pays off. Returning after her injury? That shows she's grown as a person."
Meanwhile, Evanston hopes the win over Niles North serves as part of its own growth process.
"We got the win, but it's only the second game of the season," Salgado said. "We're trying to figure out our game and our rhythm ... lots to work on early in the season."
Added Lucas: "It could have been more satisfying if we scored more, but it's a good experience to get the win."
Starting lineups
Evanston
G: Sylvi Imrem
D: Lucinda Lindland
D: Carly Menocal
D: Sarah Sollinger
D: Nadia Van Den Berg
M: Hadley Bushala
M: Callista O'Connor
M: Katarina Sehgal
M: Ryann Lucas
M: Keara Kerr
F: Brealyn Viamille
Niles North
G: Nora Litt
D: Ruth Pasca
D: Grace Dentzer
D: Elina Callas
D: Sara Montes
M: Madelyn Koppe
M: Kate Whitney
M: Alexandra Hatieganu
M: Angela Arana
F: Yael Bettenhausen
F: Samar Mari
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ryann Lucas, so., MF, Evanston
Officials: Rommel Benjamin, Albert Cory, Alex Stivak
Scoring summary
First half
Evanston: Carly Menocal (assisted by Nahla Dominguez) in 22nd minute
Second half
Evanston: Ryann Lucas (unassisted) in 65th minute
Niles North: Yael Bettenhausen (unassisted) in 68th minute