New Trier rolls against Fremd
Trevians win 3-0 in regular-season Senior Night finale
By Gary Larsen
NORTHFIELD -- Fremd captain Lauren Burke is no philosopher but the words she spoke after her side’s 3-0 loss to New Trier on Friday should stand as a warning for any team trying to come from behind in any soccer game.
“You can’t bounce back from even a one-goal deficit against a team that wants to win it more than you do,” Burke said.
New Trier coach Jim Burnside has been urging his girls to play with more of a chip on their shoulder, and from start to finish New Trier (16-2-5) played with an edge that Fremd (11-4-3) struggled to match in a regular-season finale for both teams.
The Trevians, ranked fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, got goals from Emma Weaver, Lily Conley, and Alex Wirth to win in convincing fashion. They also used some Senior Night motivation to great effect.
“We had great energy tonight, and it showed how people wanted to play for the seniors rather than play for the win,” Burnside said. “That’s what that game looked like -- we were going to play for the people that were leaving.”
Fremd had not lost in 10 games and had only given up seven goals through 17 games heading into Friday’s match. The Vikings, ranked 16th in the Top 25, had also not given up more than a single goal in any game all season.
Giving up three goals predictably had Fremd coach Steve Keller beside himself after the game.
“We’re much better than the performance we had,” he said. “It’s disappointing. There wasn’t any grit. There was no assertiveness. There was no killer instinct. It was one of those nights.”
In New Trier, Fremd took on a team that has been equally tough defensively. Friday’s win with Meghan Dwyer in goal was the Trevians’ ninth shutout in 10 games.
Fremd found a few early chances taken by Caeleigh Stone and Christy Murauskis that went for naught before New Trier began imposing its will. Weaver, Wirth, Fallon Warshauer, and Mia Sedgwick all found shots that were either sent wide or that Fremd keeper Jennifer Norris kept out of net.
Norris shined in keeping the game scoreless through 30 minutes, making a pair of diving stops on Weaver shots and charging off her line to smother shot attempts by Wirth and Conley.
But at 32 minutes, Fremd learned something that most of the Trevians’ opponents learned this season: a defense can usually only hold Weaver down for so long.
From 30 yards straight-out from the post on the left side, Weaver scored her 24th goal of the year on a free kick that sailed to the upper ninety at the far post. Norris dove and got her hands on it but Weaver’s shot had too much pace, and the Trevians had a 1-0 lead.
Fremd had a free kick chance late in the half that went unanswered and struggled to find scoring chances through 40 minutes.
“We’ve been playing better soccer, and there are times when certain people have been extremely dangerous,” Keller said, “but tonight we had nobody that was threatening them.”
New Trier honored seniors Conley, Dwyer, Warshauer, Josie Crumley, Kate Sawdey, Lily Frentzel, and Julia Goldish and their parents at halftime.
“They’re all role models to me and to see them tonight -- it was a little emotional,” the junior Weaver said of the seniors' send-off. “But it was good, and I’m glad they got recognized and appreciated. They deserve it.”
After the ceremony, Dwyer handled a free kick taken from 25 yards by Fremd’s Ashley Scesniak at 41 minutes, and pounced on a ball at the near post sent from the right side at 42 minutes. Dwyer intercepted a low serve sent from the right side by Emma Spotak at 43 minutes as Fremd tried to mount some early second half pressure.
The Trevians defense stood firm. The group is led by center backs Crumley and Heidi Bianucci, outside backs Ava Shah and Jenna Birdsell, and two top-shelf keepers sharing time in net in Dwyer and Courtney Charchut.
One of the unsung players in New Trier’s defensive scheme is one of its defensive mids, and she shined Friday.
“She was winning balls, running through balls — I thought Kate Sawdey was great in the midfield tonight,” Burnside said.
There’s not much statistical glory to be had for a defensive mid, but Sawdey spent the night doing all the things her position calls for.
“My best nights are when I win balls out of the air, I defend, and I help the rest of the midfield and the team to stay organized,” Sawdey said. “I also have Heidi and Josie behind me, helping me with that.”
At 47 minutes, Weaver sent a ball ahead up the right side with Frentzel running on, but Fremd defender Allie Prigge tracked back hard to destroy the play.
Four minutes later, New Trier doubled its lead on a goal set up by a Weaver corner kick from the right side.
Goldish got on the end of the serve and flicked it towards the far post, where Conley sent a head shot whipping past a diving Norris at the post.
“I was making my run and didn’t get there in time, but Julia Goldish was there,” Conley said. “I saw the keeper was out, and I just headed it as hard as I could. It was a great ball by Emma and a great flick by Julia.”
Fremd tried to answer. Dwyer saved a Palak Khera shot at 56 minutes and slid over to save a blistered free kick taken by Scesniak at 59 minutes.
Norris charged out to the 18 at 60 minutes to beat Weaver to a through-ball but a minute later, Weaver sent a ball ahead to Wirth. She finished in alone on Norris to make it 3-0.
Dwyer preserved the shutout in the game’s waning minutes with a tremendous diving stop of a Fremd free kick. It was an exclamation point on New Trier’s 14th shutout of the year.
“They’re good, hard-working kids,” Burnside said. “At times this year, we have not been great. But we’re starting to learn a little bit about what we can do. We were a young, inexperienced team at the beginning of the year.”
Sawdey, named Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match for her unsung role in the win, has enjoyed the evolution of this year’s team in her senior year.
“I think this year our team collectively went into the season with less experience than in the past, which was part of the reason we struggled at the beginning,” Sawdey said. “But we really came together and learned how to play together, and fixed what we struggled with. We’re on the uphill and now we want to keep it going.”
With regional play beginning on Tuesday, the Vikings hope that Friday’s loss helps shock them into rediscovering their ‘A’ game in a hurry.
Burke admitted that New Trier's reputation might have gotten into the Vikings' heads.
“Normally we’re composed, and we’re confident,” Burke said of “Sometimes we start slow and then we figure it out, but against teams like this, you just can’t start slow. I think we came out today thinking that we were going to get pushed around, and then they pushed us around.”
New Trier opens the postseason at the Maine West regional on May 14 against the play-in winner Taft. The Trevians are the top seed of the Class 3A sectional they host.
Fremd is the third seed of the Buffalo Grove Sectional. The Vikings open regional play at home on May 14 against Waukegan, the no. 14 seed.
Burke hopes her Vikings will rediscover the grit they struggled to find during Friday’s loss.
“We have it, it just wasn’t being showed here,” Burke said. “We can’t afford to have a performance like this. We’ve got a couple of days to figure it out before the playoffs start because it’s win or go home.”
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK Meghan Dwyer
D Heidi Bianucci
D Josie Crumley
D Jenna Birdsell
D Ava Shah
M Lily Conley
M Kate Sawdey
M Julia Goldish
M Lilly Frentzel
F Emma Weaver
F Fallon Warshauer
Fremd
GK Jennifer Norris
D Lauren Burke
D Allie Prigge
D Palak Khera
D Elizabeth Prigge
M Christy Murauskis
M MacKenzie Stein
M Emma Katovich
M Ashley Scesniak
F Emma Spotak
F Caeleigh Stone
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match — Kate Sawdey, sr., M, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier - Weaver (FK) 32 minutes
Second half
New Trier - Conley (Goldish) 51 minutes
New Trier - Wirth (Weaver) 61 minutes
Trevians win 3-0 in regular-season Senior Night finale
By Gary Larsen
NORTHFIELD -- Fremd captain Lauren Burke is no philosopher but the words she spoke after her side’s 3-0 loss to New Trier on Friday should stand as a warning for any team trying to come from behind in any soccer game.
“You can’t bounce back from even a one-goal deficit against a team that wants to win it more than you do,” Burke said.
New Trier coach Jim Burnside has been urging his girls to play with more of a chip on their shoulder, and from start to finish New Trier (16-2-5) played with an edge that Fremd (11-4-3) struggled to match in a regular-season finale for both teams.
The Trevians, ranked fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, got goals from Emma Weaver, Lily Conley, and Alex Wirth to win in convincing fashion. They also used some Senior Night motivation to great effect.
“We had great energy tonight, and it showed how people wanted to play for the seniors rather than play for the win,” Burnside said. “That’s what that game looked like -- we were going to play for the people that were leaving.”
Fremd had not lost in 10 games and had only given up seven goals through 17 games heading into Friday’s match. The Vikings, ranked 16th in the Top 25, had also not given up more than a single goal in any game all season.
Giving up three goals predictably had Fremd coach Steve Keller beside himself after the game.
“We’re much better than the performance we had,” he said. “It’s disappointing. There wasn’t any grit. There was no assertiveness. There was no killer instinct. It was one of those nights.”
In New Trier, Fremd took on a team that has been equally tough defensively. Friday’s win with Meghan Dwyer in goal was the Trevians’ ninth shutout in 10 games.
Fremd found a few early chances taken by Caeleigh Stone and Christy Murauskis that went for naught before New Trier began imposing its will. Weaver, Wirth, Fallon Warshauer, and Mia Sedgwick all found shots that were either sent wide or that Fremd keeper Jennifer Norris kept out of net.
Norris shined in keeping the game scoreless through 30 minutes, making a pair of diving stops on Weaver shots and charging off her line to smother shot attempts by Wirth and Conley.
But at 32 minutes, Fremd learned something that most of the Trevians’ opponents learned this season: a defense can usually only hold Weaver down for so long.
From 30 yards straight-out from the post on the left side, Weaver scored her 24th goal of the year on a free kick that sailed to the upper ninety at the far post. Norris dove and got her hands on it but Weaver’s shot had too much pace, and the Trevians had a 1-0 lead.
Fremd had a free kick chance late in the half that went unanswered and struggled to find scoring chances through 40 minutes.
“We’ve been playing better soccer, and there are times when certain people have been extremely dangerous,” Keller said, “but tonight we had nobody that was threatening them.”
New Trier honored seniors Conley, Dwyer, Warshauer, Josie Crumley, Kate Sawdey, Lily Frentzel, and Julia Goldish and their parents at halftime.
“They’re all role models to me and to see them tonight -- it was a little emotional,” the junior Weaver said of the seniors' send-off. “But it was good, and I’m glad they got recognized and appreciated. They deserve it.”
After the ceremony, Dwyer handled a free kick taken from 25 yards by Fremd’s Ashley Scesniak at 41 minutes, and pounced on a ball at the near post sent from the right side at 42 minutes. Dwyer intercepted a low serve sent from the right side by Emma Spotak at 43 minutes as Fremd tried to mount some early second half pressure.
The Trevians defense stood firm. The group is led by center backs Crumley and Heidi Bianucci, outside backs Ava Shah and Jenna Birdsell, and two top-shelf keepers sharing time in net in Dwyer and Courtney Charchut.
One of the unsung players in New Trier’s defensive scheme is one of its defensive mids, and she shined Friday.
“She was winning balls, running through balls — I thought Kate Sawdey was great in the midfield tonight,” Burnside said.
There’s not much statistical glory to be had for a defensive mid, but Sawdey spent the night doing all the things her position calls for.
“My best nights are when I win balls out of the air, I defend, and I help the rest of the midfield and the team to stay organized,” Sawdey said. “I also have Heidi and Josie behind me, helping me with that.”
At 47 minutes, Weaver sent a ball ahead up the right side with Frentzel running on, but Fremd defender Allie Prigge tracked back hard to destroy the play.
Four minutes later, New Trier doubled its lead on a goal set up by a Weaver corner kick from the right side.
Goldish got on the end of the serve and flicked it towards the far post, where Conley sent a head shot whipping past a diving Norris at the post.
“I was making my run and didn’t get there in time, but Julia Goldish was there,” Conley said. “I saw the keeper was out, and I just headed it as hard as I could. It was a great ball by Emma and a great flick by Julia.”
Fremd tried to answer. Dwyer saved a Palak Khera shot at 56 minutes and slid over to save a blistered free kick taken by Scesniak at 59 minutes.
Norris charged out to the 18 at 60 minutes to beat Weaver to a through-ball but a minute later, Weaver sent a ball ahead to Wirth. She finished in alone on Norris to make it 3-0.
Dwyer preserved the shutout in the game’s waning minutes with a tremendous diving stop of a Fremd free kick. It was an exclamation point on New Trier’s 14th shutout of the year.
“They’re good, hard-working kids,” Burnside said. “At times this year, we have not been great. But we’re starting to learn a little bit about what we can do. We were a young, inexperienced team at the beginning of the year.”
Sawdey, named Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match for her unsung role in the win, has enjoyed the evolution of this year’s team in her senior year.
“I think this year our team collectively went into the season with less experience than in the past, which was part of the reason we struggled at the beginning,” Sawdey said. “But we really came together and learned how to play together, and fixed what we struggled with. We’re on the uphill and now we want to keep it going.”
With regional play beginning on Tuesday, the Vikings hope that Friday’s loss helps shock them into rediscovering their ‘A’ game in a hurry.
Burke admitted that New Trier's reputation might have gotten into the Vikings' heads.
“Normally we’re composed, and we’re confident,” Burke said of “Sometimes we start slow and then we figure it out, but against teams like this, you just can’t start slow. I think we came out today thinking that we were going to get pushed around, and then they pushed us around.”
New Trier opens the postseason at the Maine West regional on May 14 against the play-in winner Taft. The Trevians are the top seed of the Class 3A sectional they host.
Fremd is the third seed of the Buffalo Grove Sectional. The Vikings open regional play at home on May 14 against Waukegan, the no. 14 seed.
Burke hopes her Vikings will rediscover the grit they struggled to find during Friday’s loss.
“We have it, it just wasn’t being showed here,” Burke said. “We can’t afford to have a performance like this. We’ve got a couple of days to figure it out before the playoffs start because it’s win or go home.”
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK Meghan Dwyer
D Heidi Bianucci
D Josie Crumley
D Jenna Birdsell
D Ava Shah
M Lily Conley
M Kate Sawdey
M Julia Goldish
M Lilly Frentzel
F Emma Weaver
F Fallon Warshauer
Fremd
GK Jennifer Norris
D Lauren Burke
D Allie Prigge
D Palak Khera
D Elizabeth Prigge
M Christy Murauskis
M MacKenzie Stein
M Emma Katovich
M Ashley Scesniak
F Emma Spotak
F Caeleigh Stone
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match — Kate Sawdey, sr., M, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier - Weaver (FK) 32 minutes
Second half
New Trier - Conley (Goldish) 51 minutes
New Trier - Wirth (Weaver) 61 minutes