Fenwick the toast of Oak Park
Friars post 4-0 win in annual rivaly match vs. OPRF
By Gary Larsen
OAK PARK -- On one of the spring’s truly hot days and holding a 4-0 lead over Oak Park and River Forest on Saturday, Fenwick's backup players took over for the starters in the game’s final 20 minutes.
Except, of course, for defender Lauren Miller.
“Every game, all four years. She’s never off the field,” Friars coach Rob Watson said. “Maybe a minute here or there for water, but that’s it. She’s an iron woman.
“She’s never been hurt, and she’s the only kid I can say that about. Every game, all four years, she’s just a workhorse.”
Asked about getting no rest on an 80-degree day, with even more heat rising off the artificial surface at the Huskies' stadium, Miller shrugged.
“I’m just trying to help my team whenever I can,” Miller said. “I just love doing my job out there. I’m a little tired, but I don’t mind. I can always get some water after the game.”
Miller's not the only standout Fenwick (11-2-4) has on its backline. The Friars have seen former attacking player Lauren Stibich morph into one of the best defenders in Illinois this year. And they have a college-bound basketball player in net in McKenzie Blaze and a former defender, Shannon Ehrhardt, shining as an attacking player at midfield.
Shifting roles for multi-faceted athletes have been the norm for Fenwick. Even Miller entered high school as an attacking player before Watson moved her to the back.
“I’ll play anywhere my coach needs me to play, but I like playing in back,” Miller said. “I can watch the game and kind of see what’s going on. (While) my team is doing their job up there, I try to do my job in back.”
The Friars wasted little time taking control against the Huskies. Captain Anna Waring scored just four minutes into the game, and Ehrhardt made it 2-0 with a goal at nine minutes. Ehrhardt was positioned outside the top of the penalty area when a ball rolled out to her, and she calmly put a shot on the ground inside the left post with her left foot from 20 yards.
Former defender Ehrhardt has now scored six goals in four games as a midfielder.
“She’s just working hard and getting to the right spot at the right time,” Watson said of Ehrhardt. “She’s getting it all on effort.”
Ehrhardt’s scoring output has been an added bonus while she has acclimated to the new position.
“It was hard switching from center back to outside wing,” she said. “But I was injured and had to work my way through the injury and work my way back to eventually starting. I’m getting used to it.”
Fenwick took a 3-0 lead three minutes halftime when center mid Kaylie Fredian touched a ball back to Anissa Nourse, who blistered a shot into the goal from 25 yards.
The scoring ended when Nourse centered a pass from the left side and Ehrhardt buried it at 48 minutes.
Ehrhardt had a good opportunity for a hat-trick at 67 minutes but sent the shot just high of frame from 18 yards after taking a feed from teammate Alessia Mollo.
Ehrhardt’s brace earned her Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match honor, but the notoriety could have also easily been handed out to the entire Fenwick backline. Defenders like Miller, Stibich, Tess Shannon, and Margaux Shearer anchor the defense in front of Blaze, who posted her 10th shutout of the year in the nonconference neighborhood rivalry game.
Blaze is now two shutouts away from tying the program record of 12 in a season. Fenwick has only given up 11 goals in 17 games for an average of .64 goals-against per outing.
“We have an amazing defense and such great chemistry,” Miller said. “And McKenzie has been phenomenal in net. She is so stable back there.”
After the early 2-0 lead, the Friars flirted with restart chances on Stibich freekicks at 10 and 12 minutes. Forward Morgan Hosty got her head on the first one and popped it up to Huskies keeper Alexandra Hampton.
Waring took a hard shot from the left side that Hampton saved at 13 minutes, and Blaze handled a chip taken by the Huskies’ Eden Saraceno a minute later. Hampton raced back to her line to retrieve a Hosty chip shot, and then saved a Molly Griffin offering at 21 minutes. Hosty blistered another ball just wide of the right post from 18 yards at 32 minutes before the Fredian-Nourse connection gave Fenwick its third goal before halftime.
Fenwick went into Saturday’s game with four ties in its previous six games. Most recently the Friars, listed among the honorable mention teams in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, tied no. 6 St. Francis and no. 8 Loyola.
“We talked a few days ago and said that if we just concentrate on our game, it’s going to come,” Watson said. “Even with those draws, we were still playing pretty well. We cleaned up some mistakes and got the shutout today, and I like that. I love to see us score goals, too, but when you can get a shutout it’s going to be tough to lose.”
Ehrhardt likes her side’s chances once Class AA regional play begins on May 15. The Friars are seeded fourth in the sectional they'll host and open against 13th-seeded Steinmetz at the Fenton Regional.
“I really think when we’re all together on the field, we have great chemistry and we can pull out those (postseason) wins,” Ehrhardt said. “We’re starting to play to our potential, and we’re not playing down to other teams.”
Blaze continued to shine in goal for Fenwick. She handled every toe-poke, header and hard shot the Huskies managed to send her way. An example of her aggressive play came in the 58th minute. The senior raced out to the 18 to clear the area, but her kick caromed off a charging Huskies player and floated back towards the goal line. Blaze tracked back to collect it and preserve the shutout.
Oak Park and River Forest has struggled for wins this season, but the Huskies played hard and stayed positive throughout Saturday’s loss.
“It’s one of those years when we’re trying to develop, and the girls have their hearts in it,” Huskies coach Ignacio Ponce said. “We just don’t have the whole package right now. We’ve struggled to find finishing. It’s one of those rebuilding years that we have to focus on so we can bounce back next year.
“We’re graduating 11 players so that will open up a lot of opportunities for the kids coming up next year. At the same time it’s going to put the pressure on those playing with us now to grow. It will take some time in the offseason to work on skills, finishing, and everything we’ll need for next year to be successful.”
Starting lineups
Fenwick
GK McKenzie Blaze
D Lauren Miller
D Lauren Stibich
D Tess Shannon
D Rosie Smith
M Regan Hultquist
M Kaylie Fredian
M Shannon Ehrhardt
M Anna Waring
F Morgan Hosty
F Anissa Nourse
Oak Park and River Forest
GK Alexandra Hampton
D Alexis Schulman
D Eloise Burnham
D Emma Celio
D Ariel Kelly
M Kaitlin Kenoian
M Hope Nowak
M Eden Saraceno
M Emma Smith
F Allie Saraceno
F Julie Cabacungan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Shannon Ehrhardt, sr., M, Fenwick
Scoring summary
First half
Fenwick — Waring (UA) 4th minute
Fenwick — Ehrhardt (UA) 9th minute
Fenwick — Nourse (Fredian) 37th minute
Second half
Fenwick — Ehrhardt (Nourse) 48th minute
Friars post 4-0 win in annual rivaly match vs. OPRF
By Gary Larsen
OAK PARK -- On one of the spring’s truly hot days and holding a 4-0 lead over Oak Park and River Forest on Saturday, Fenwick's backup players took over for the starters in the game’s final 20 minutes.
Except, of course, for defender Lauren Miller.
“Every game, all four years. She’s never off the field,” Friars coach Rob Watson said. “Maybe a minute here or there for water, but that’s it. She’s an iron woman.
“She’s never been hurt, and she’s the only kid I can say that about. Every game, all four years, she’s just a workhorse.”
Asked about getting no rest on an 80-degree day, with even more heat rising off the artificial surface at the Huskies' stadium, Miller shrugged.
“I’m just trying to help my team whenever I can,” Miller said. “I just love doing my job out there. I’m a little tired, but I don’t mind. I can always get some water after the game.”
Miller's not the only standout Fenwick (11-2-4) has on its backline. The Friars have seen former attacking player Lauren Stibich morph into one of the best defenders in Illinois this year. And they have a college-bound basketball player in net in McKenzie Blaze and a former defender, Shannon Ehrhardt, shining as an attacking player at midfield.
Shifting roles for multi-faceted athletes have been the norm for Fenwick. Even Miller entered high school as an attacking player before Watson moved her to the back.
“I’ll play anywhere my coach needs me to play, but I like playing in back,” Miller said. “I can watch the game and kind of see what’s going on. (While) my team is doing their job up there, I try to do my job in back.”
The Friars wasted little time taking control against the Huskies. Captain Anna Waring scored just four minutes into the game, and Ehrhardt made it 2-0 with a goal at nine minutes. Ehrhardt was positioned outside the top of the penalty area when a ball rolled out to her, and she calmly put a shot on the ground inside the left post with her left foot from 20 yards.
Former defender Ehrhardt has now scored six goals in four games as a midfielder.
“She’s just working hard and getting to the right spot at the right time,” Watson said of Ehrhardt. “She’s getting it all on effort.”
Ehrhardt’s scoring output has been an added bonus while she has acclimated to the new position.
“It was hard switching from center back to outside wing,” she said. “But I was injured and had to work my way through the injury and work my way back to eventually starting. I’m getting used to it.”
Fenwick took a 3-0 lead three minutes halftime when center mid Kaylie Fredian touched a ball back to Anissa Nourse, who blistered a shot into the goal from 25 yards.
The scoring ended when Nourse centered a pass from the left side and Ehrhardt buried it at 48 minutes.
Ehrhardt had a good opportunity for a hat-trick at 67 minutes but sent the shot just high of frame from 18 yards after taking a feed from teammate Alessia Mollo.
Ehrhardt’s brace earned her Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match honor, but the notoriety could have also easily been handed out to the entire Fenwick backline. Defenders like Miller, Stibich, Tess Shannon, and Margaux Shearer anchor the defense in front of Blaze, who posted her 10th shutout of the year in the nonconference neighborhood rivalry game.
Blaze is now two shutouts away from tying the program record of 12 in a season. Fenwick has only given up 11 goals in 17 games for an average of .64 goals-against per outing.
“We have an amazing defense and such great chemistry,” Miller said. “And McKenzie has been phenomenal in net. She is so stable back there.”
After the early 2-0 lead, the Friars flirted with restart chances on Stibich freekicks at 10 and 12 minutes. Forward Morgan Hosty got her head on the first one and popped it up to Huskies keeper Alexandra Hampton.
Waring took a hard shot from the left side that Hampton saved at 13 minutes, and Blaze handled a chip taken by the Huskies’ Eden Saraceno a minute later. Hampton raced back to her line to retrieve a Hosty chip shot, and then saved a Molly Griffin offering at 21 minutes. Hosty blistered another ball just wide of the right post from 18 yards at 32 minutes before the Fredian-Nourse connection gave Fenwick its third goal before halftime.
Fenwick went into Saturday’s game with four ties in its previous six games. Most recently the Friars, listed among the honorable mention teams in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, tied no. 6 St. Francis and no. 8 Loyola.
“We talked a few days ago and said that if we just concentrate on our game, it’s going to come,” Watson said. “Even with those draws, we were still playing pretty well. We cleaned up some mistakes and got the shutout today, and I like that. I love to see us score goals, too, but when you can get a shutout it’s going to be tough to lose.”
Ehrhardt likes her side’s chances once Class AA regional play begins on May 15. The Friars are seeded fourth in the sectional they'll host and open against 13th-seeded Steinmetz at the Fenton Regional.
“I really think when we’re all together on the field, we have great chemistry and we can pull out those (postseason) wins,” Ehrhardt said. “We’re starting to play to our potential, and we’re not playing down to other teams.”
Blaze continued to shine in goal for Fenwick. She handled every toe-poke, header and hard shot the Huskies managed to send her way. An example of her aggressive play came in the 58th minute. The senior raced out to the 18 to clear the area, but her kick caromed off a charging Huskies player and floated back towards the goal line. Blaze tracked back to collect it and preserve the shutout.
Oak Park and River Forest has struggled for wins this season, but the Huskies played hard and stayed positive throughout Saturday’s loss.
“It’s one of those years when we’re trying to develop, and the girls have their hearts in it,” Huskies coach Ignacio Ponce said. “We just don’t have the whole package right now. We’ve struggled to find finishing. It’s one of those rebuilding years that we have to focus on so we can bounce back next year.
“We’re graduating 11 players so that will open up a lot of opportunities for the kids coming up next year. At the same time it’s going to put the pressure on those playing with us now to grow. It will take some time in the offseason to work on skills, finishing, and everything we’ll need for next year to be successful.”
Starting lineups
Fenwick
GK McKenzie Blaze
D Lauren Miller
D Lauren Stibich
D Tess Shannon
D Rosie Smith
M Regan Hultquist
M Kaylie Fredian
M Shannon Ehrhardt
M Anna Waring
F Morgan Hosty
F Anissa Nourse
Oak Park and River Forest
GK Alexandra Hampton
D Alexis Schulman
D Eloise Burnham
D Emma Celio
D Ariel Kelly
M Kaitlin Kenoian
M Hope Nowak
M Eden Saraceno
M Emma Smith
F Allie Saraceno
F Julie Cabacungan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Shannon Ehrhardt, sr., M, Fenwick
Scoring summary
First half
Fenwick — Waring (UA) 4th minute
Fenwick — Ehrhardt (UA) 9th minute
Fenwick — Nourse (Fredian) 37th minute
Second half
Fenwick — Ehrhardt (Nourse) 48th minute