Loyola tops Fenwick for GCAC Red title
2nd half goals pave way for 3-0 win
By Michael Wojtychiw
WILMETTE -- Winning the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference has become something of an annual event for Loyola's girls soccer program. Since at least the 2016 season, the Ramblers have at minimum tied for a share of the conference title, meaning that the five seniors that have played on Shannon Hartinger's squad since she took over four years ago have won a conference championship in each of the three years soccer has been played.
The team and its manager were looking to continue the streak when the Ramblers faced off with Fenwick in Wilmette. To make things even more important, it was Senior Night and the squad’s 15 near-graduates would be honored.
After a scoreless first half, the Ramblers continued their streak of conference titles by scoring three second half goals en route to a 3-0 shutout win.
"It's a challenge to stay on top of conference every year," Loyola senior defender Anne Carretta said. "Everyone's coming for us, but we just play the game we know how to play. We calm each other down, work with each other. That's the strongest part of this team, when we work together."
"Tonight we battled through the emotions of Senior Night," Hartinger said. "We battled through the conditions that we haven't seen so far this year and really through the stress that they've had the past couple weeks as the year winds down with graduation, AP tests and things like that.
"We know we're always going to have competitive games against teams like St. Ignatius and Fenwick and for our girls, it's ones we have to get up for and play. We always want to have a consistent performance and if we do that and play well, then we can win the conference, and we're happy with that."
Tenth-ranked Loyola came out a little sluggish.
While the teams were scoreless at intermission, Fenwick manager Craig Blazer felt his team played a decent half. The problem was they just couldn't finish their opportunities.
"We competed and did a good job to keep the score line, but in the second half, it turned into a pretty good soccer game," he said. "They tried to play out of the back, which meant that we first were able to get into the attacking half. We pressed them and at times we did a really good job. From that energy, we got fouls that we put on frame and were somewhat dangerous."
After a halftime message from Hartinger, however, Loyola felt as if it was back on its game.
"I think it goes back to our depth and the girls giving it all they could for their time on the field," Hartinger said. "If we need to make changes, we could keep people fresh. We came out with more energy, started to connect more passes. Getting the first goal is big, because it helps us carry our energy."
In a game that featured four handballs, it was the middle two that loomed large.
With about 10 minutes elapsed in the second half, a Loyola handball earned Fenwick a free kick just a yard outside of the box. But Caroline Henige's free kick sailed high.
Not five minutes later, Loyola's Grace Ehlert drilled a shot from distance into the box that led to a handball inside the box. The Ramblers (14-4-1, 5-0-0) received a penalty shot, which junior defender Emily Pikarski buried for a 1-0 lead with 25 minutes, 37 seconds remaining.
It was all they needed. Like it has all year, the Loyola defense locked in and shut down the Fenwick attack.
"We had our two outside backs on both sides step up and press more to their wing players, so we would be able to step to them if they got past," Carretta said. "We pressured really close, were on the players hard and tried to win every 50-50 ball we could."
Ehlert got involved in the Ramblers' next goal when she delivered a beautiful pass to fellow senior Katie Diblik, who slotted it past Fenwick keeper Audrey Henrichs with 16:23 remaining.
Fenwick (8-6-2, 3-2-0) wasn't discouraged. The Friars got back into their offense.
Despite always seeming to have two defenders on her, Fenwick senior Kate Henige did what she could to try to get her squad on the scoreboard. She sent a free kick just high and another shot just wide.
Senior midfielder Natalie LoGiudice followed with a shot on goal that was eventually saved with about 11 minutes remaining.
"We looked at 27 (Kate Henige) and knew she was a great player," Carretta said. "We looked at it as if one person goes and the other person stays, the next person pinches in to take away the opportunity for her to do what she does best.
“We tried to keep her cornered and keep the pressure on her high."
Three ensuing Friars free kicks, including one by senior defender Emily Ortiz that was saved, did not break the ice.
Dual-sport junior Emmy Christopher, who also runs track in the spring for Loyola, put the finishing touches on the game with a goal with 5:42 remaining.
Fenwick had a chance to spoilt the shutout, but Kate Henige’s penalty kick with 47 seconds remaining went into the arms of the keeper.
With its regular-season complete, Fenwick now prepares for the state playoffs. The Friars are seeded behind Payton and Westinghouse in the Class AA Fenwick Sectional.
The Friars also host a regional. A semifinal win against Fenton on May 17 would most likely set the Friars up with a matchup with six-seed Pritzker on May 20 for the regional title.
"We had such a positive attitude today, and I think because of that, the girls know that they're going to connect and build on that and get some chances to score," Blazer said. "Right now, we've got some bumps and bruises. The next training sessions are going to be light, build on our mentality and be fresh.
"It's a whole team effort. The vibe from the girls is positive. I think they know we can do something special, as long as we go one half at a time. This was as good of an opponent we're going to play all year.
"We're excited for Tuesday."
The Ramblers finish the regular season with a matchup with De La Salle Thursday before heading off to the state playoffs as a three-seed in the Class 3A New Trier Sectional. A win over Leyden in the regional semifinal most likely would set up a rematch with 20th-ranked Young, a team the Ramblers tied with in their second game of the season.
"We'll get back to training and will want to clean up some things, especially on the attacking si de," Hartinger said. "Then hopefully we'll put that together, have a good performance Thursday night and then turn our attention to Leyden."
"We didn't start strong in the first half, but as everyone saw, we came out strong in the second half," Loyola's Evey Mendoza said. "We just need to start strong in both halves and build our confidence. We came in hoping to win a conference championship and we got that. Now we just have to keep going until June 4 (the date of the state championship match)."
Starting lineups
Fenwick
GK: Audrey Henrichs
D: Emily Ortiz
D: Lizzie Brunick
D: Abbie Rogowski
MF: Julia Cianci
MF: Maddie Rogowski
MF: Gabi Kapusta
MF: Caroline Henige
MF: Natalie LoGuidice
F: Kate Henige
F: Kiera Mullarkey
Loyola
GK: Clare Sanders
D: Evey Mendoza
D: Maya Basan
D: Anne Carretta
D: Ellianna Seeley
MF: Isabella Guzman
MF: Grace Ehlert
F: Lauren Couri
F: Kathryn Diblik
F: Kaitlyn Kurtz
F: Kendall Beil
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Grace Ehlert, sr., midfielder, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
L: Emily Pikarski (PK), 55th minute
L: Kathryn Diblik (Grace Ehlert), 66th minute
L: Emmy Christopher (unassisted), 74th minute
2nd half goals pave way for 3-0 win
By Michael Wojtychiw
WILMETTE -- Winning the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference has become something of an annual event for Loyola's girls soccer program. Since at least the 2016 season, the Ramblers have at minimum tied for a share of the conference title, meaning that the five seniors that have played on Shannon Hartinger's squad since she took over four years ago have won a conference championship in each of the three years soccer has been played.
The team and its manager were looking to continue the streak when the Ramblers faced off with Fenwick in Wilmette. To make things even more important, it was Senior Night and the squad’s 15 near-graduates would be honored.
After a scoreless first half, the Ramblers continued their streak of conference titles by scoring three second half goals en route to a 3-0 shutout win.
"It's a challenge to stay on top of conference every year," Loyola senior defender Anne Carretta said. "Everyone's coming for us, but we just play the game we know how to play. We calm each other down, work with each other. That's the strongest part of this team, when we work together."
"Tonight we battled through the emotions of Senior Night," Hartinger said. "We battled through the conditions that we haven't seen so far this year and really through the stress that they've had the past couple weeks as the year winds down with graduation, AP tests and things like that.
"We know we're always going to have competitive games against teams like St. Ignatius and Fenwick and for our girls, it's ones we have to get up for and play. We always want to have a consistent performance and if we do that and play well, then we can win the conference, and we're happy with that."
Tenth-ranked Loyola came out a little sluggish.
While the teams were scoreless at intermission, Fenwick manager Craig Blazer felt his team played a decent half. The problem was they just couldn't finish their opportunities.
"We competed and did a good job to keep the score line, but in the second half, it turned into a pretty good soccer game," he said. "They tried to play out of the back, which meant that we first were able to get into the attacking half. We pressed them and at times we did a really good job. From that energy, we got fouls that we put on frame and were somewhat dangerous."
After a halftime message from Hartinger, however, Loyola felt as if it was back on its game.
"I think it goes back to our depth and the girls giving it all they could for their time on the field," Hartinger said. "If we need to make changes, we could keep people fresh. We came out with more energy, started to connect more passes. Getting the first goal is big, because it helps us carry our energy."
In a game that featured four handballs, it was the middle two that loomed large.
With about 10 minutes elapsed in the second half, a Loyola handball earned Fenwick a free kick just a yard outside of the box. But Caroline Henige's free kick sailed high.
Not five minutes later, Loyola's Grace Ehlert drilled a shot from distance into the box that led to a handball inside the box. The Ramblers (14-4-1, 5-0-0) received a penalty shot, which junior defender Emily Pikarski buried for a 1-0 lead with 25 minutes, 37 seconds remaining.
It was all they needed. Like it has all year, the Loyola defense locked in and shut down the Fenwick attack.
"We had our two outside backs on both sides step up and press more to their wing players, so we would be able to step to them if they got past," Carretta said. "We pressured really close, were on the players hard and tried to win every 50-50 ball we could."
Ehlert got involved in the Ramblers' next goal when she delivered a beautiful pass to fellow senior Katie Diblik, who slotted it past Fenwick keeper Audrey Henrichs with 16:23 remaining.
Fenwick (8-6-2, 3-2-0) wasn't discouraged. The Friars got back into their offense.
Despite always seeming to have two defenders on her, Fenwick senior Kate Henige did what she could to try to get her squad on the scoreboard. She sent a free kick just high and another shot just wide.
Senior midfielder Natalie LoGiudice followed with a shot on goal that was eventually saved with about 11 minutes remaining.
"We looked at 27 (Kate Henige) and knew she was a great player," Carretta said. "We looked at it as if one person goes and the other person stays, the next person pinches in to take away the opportunity for her to do what she does best.
“We tried to keep her cornered and keep the pressure on her high."
Three ensuing Friars free kicks, including one by senior defender Emily Ortiz that was saved, did not break the ice.
Dual-sport junior Emmy Christopher, who also runs track in the spring for Loyola, put the finishing touches on the game with a goal with 5:42 remaining.
Fenwick had a chance to spoilt the shutout, but Kate Henige’s penalty kick with 47 seconds remaining went into the arms of the keeper.
With its regular-season complete, Fenwick now prepares for the state playoffs. The Friars are seeded behind Payton and Westinghouse in the Class AA Fenwick Sectional.
The Friars also host a regional. A semifinal win against Fenton on May 17 would most likely set the Friars up with a matchup with six-seed Pritzker on May 20 for the regional title.
"We had such a positive attitude today, and I think because of that, the girls know that they're going to connect and build on that and get some chances to score," Blazer said. "Right now, we've got some bumps and bruises. The next training sessions are going to be light, build on our mentality and be fresh.
"It's a whole team effort. The vibe from the girls is positive. I think they know we can do something special, as long as we go one half at a time. This was as good of an opponent we're going to play all year.
"We're excited for Tuesday."
The Ramblers finish the regular season with a matchup with De La Salle Thursday before heading off to the state playoffs as a three-seed in the Class 3A New Trier Sectional. A win over Leyden in the regional semifinal most likely would set up a rematch with 20th-ranked Young, a team the Ramblers tied with in their second game of the season.
"We'll get back to training and will want to clean up some things, especially on the attacking si de," Hartinger said. "Then hopefully we'll put that together, have a good performance Thursday night and then turn our attention to Leyden."
"We didn't start strong in the first half, but as everyone saw, we came out strong in the second half," Loyola's Evey Mendoza said. "We just need to start strong in both halves and build our confidence. We came in hoping to win a conference championship and we got that. Now we just have to keep going until June 4 (the date of the state championship match)."
Starting lineups
Fenwick
GK: Audrey Henrichs
D: Emily Ortiz
D: Lizzie Brunick
D: Abbie Rogowski
MF: Julia Cianci
MF: Maddie Rogowski
MF: Gabi Kapusta
MF: Caroline Henige
MF: Natalie LoGuidice
F: Kate Henige
F: Kiera Mullarkey
Loyola
GK: Clare Sanders
D: Evey Mendoza
D: Maya Basan
D: Anne Carretta
D: Ellianna Seeley
MF: Isabella Guzman
MF: Grace Ehlert
F: Lauren Couri
F: Kathryn Diblik
F: Kaitlyn Kurtz
F: Kendall Beil
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Grace Ehlert, sr., midfielder, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
L: Emily Pikarski (PK), 55th minute
L: Kathryn Diblik (Grace Ehlert), 66th minute
L: Emmy Christopher (unassisted), 74th minute