Fremd can't take Kinsella Cup from Palatine
Vikings fall 1-0 in annual crosstown rivalry
By Ken Keenan
PALATINE -- Bragging rights were on the line when Fremd and Palatine lined up Saturday afternoon for a chance to claim the 2018 Kinsella Cup, presented annually to the winner of a one-match showdown between the longtime crosstown rivals in honor of the late Jimmy Kinsella, who co-founded the Palatine Celtic Soccer Club in 1968 with Bill Hughes.
A defensive struggle ensued, and the host Pirates emerged with a 1-0 win on a goal in the 46th minute by senior midfielder Sarah Clancy, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match.
It marked the seventh time that Palatine has secured the trophy since Kinsella Cup play began in 1995. Fremd, a 15-time winner, last raised the Cup in 2013.
The Palatine Celtic Soccer Club, affiliated with the Palatine Park District, provides youth soccer programs for boys and girls ages 4-18. Naturally, some players who were teammates as kids end up on opposite sides of the field once they reach the high school level.
"A lot of our Celtic kids had a bearing on the game," said Palatine head coach Willie Filian, whose squad improved to 2-4-2 overall and 1-1-0 in Mid-Suburban League play with its first conference win of the campaign. "Sarah (Clancy), (senior defender) Anja Jacobson -- they had good games. And (sophomore defender) Mel Simon, she had a fantastic game. So all our key players had very good games, and they played 80 minutes each.
"That's the thing about the Cup. All these kids, it means a lot to them -- both sides."
Palatine senior defender Sarah Jasonowicz said, "I started out in Celtic house soccer, so I grew up with some of the Fremd kids. Winning the Cup, it really brought us together. This could get some fire under us for the rest of the season."
Fremd head coach Steve Keller said, "The Cup is a cool thing. It's always nice for the kids. And Celtic soccer is awesome. Anything to bring exposure to our game is great."
Other things were on Keller's mind though, like the path to the end result that left his Vikings at 2-2-2, 2-1-0. It was not exactly what he had in mind to start the day.
"I'm not disappointed in the effort ... more disappointed with the grit," Keller said. "Palatine got more numbers on the ball than we did, we didn't combine our link well, and 50/50 balls, they probably won the majority of 'em. Palatine deserved to win, and that's the bottom line."
Added Fremd sophomore defender Lauren Burk: "It's a friendly rivalry, but that's what makes (the final score) more frustrating. We were trying to prove ourselves against (Palatine), but we didn't do it today."
Chances didn't come in bunches for either side, especially in the first half. Clancy headed a corner kick by Pirates senior midfielder Isabel Esquivel wide-right in the 2nd minute, and Simon also missed to the right on a 30-yard free kick two minutes later.
Fremd junior mid Layla Dib floated a 30-yard free kick wide-left with 27 minutes to go in the first half, and Palatine junior goalkeeper Amaya Rivera stopped a 30-yard try by Vikings sophomore middie Mackenzie Stein with 23:40 to go before the break.
In the 26th minute, Palatine junior mid Ann Luo headed a corner by Esquivel wide-left. A minute later, Fremd sophomore mid Claire Stewart missed just high from 25 yards.
Shortly before halftime, Clancy released a spinning, turnaround shot in close that was snagged by Rivera, keeping the game scoreless after 40 minutes.
Clancy made the most of her next chance, finishing a play that Palatine sophomore midfielder Olivia Radtke started on the right side. She sent an upfield pass to senior forward Gianna Valero, who then steered the ball ahead to a charging Clancy. Measuring her strike with a defender in tow, Clancy fired high into the top left corner from 20 yards with 34:36 remaining in the second session.
"It was a long run," Clancy said. "I knew the defender was on me, so I just moved my hip and hit it. I kinda aimed -- a little luck, too."
Filian said he talked to his troops at halftime about making something happen rather than waiting for Fremd to dictate the play.
"We looked at some of things Fremd was doing better than us -- anticipating and keeping us in our end, beating us to 50/50 balls, putting good pressure on us," he said. "So we said, 'Let's be more proactive, not reactive like the first half.' In the second half, we pushed the tempo more."
Sparked by Clancy's tally, the Pirates built on the momentum with a series of chances in the ensuing minutes, including a sizzling 20-yard try by Clancy that whizzed wide-right in the 51st minute, followed soon after by a wide-angle shot from Jasonowicz that Fremd sophomore keeper Jennifer Norris nabbed.
With 20:25 left in regulation, Clancy nearly made it 2-0 when she banged a 15-yard strike off the left post.
Fremd's best chances to net the equalizer came on a 25-yard free kick by senior defender Marta Cholewa in the 65th minute that barely missed nipping the crossbar, and a chip shot in deep by Burk with 3:25 to go.
"We were a little disorganized in the back today, and we weren't winning balls out of the air," Burk said. "After a while, that became frustrating."
Cholea added: "We didn't connect very well ... held the ball too long.
"Being a senior, there is some frustration. This match, it's a competition. Being a senior, I was hoping we'd prove ourselves this year. But we couldn't do it today."
Starting lineups
Fremd
G: Jennifer Norris
D: Marta Cholewa
D: Morgan Perkins
D: Lauren Burk
D: Elizabeth Prigge
M: Allie Prigge
M: Mackenzie Stein
M: Ashley Scesniak
M: Emma Katovich
M: Layla Dib
F: Caeleigh Stone
Palatine
G: Amaya Rivera
D: Shelby Donofrio
D: Anja Jacobson
D: Sarah Jasonowicz
D: Melanie Simon
M: Ann Luo
M: Julianna Mandarino
M: Sarah Clancy
M: Olivia Radtke
M: Isabel Esquivel
F: Gianna Valero
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sarah Clancy, sr., M, Palatine
Officials: Trevor Fulk, Vitali Hantsevich, Lukasz Zielinski
Scoring summary
1. Palatine: Sarah Clancy (assisted by Gianna Valero) in 46th minute
Vikings fall 1-0 in annual crosstown rivalry
By Ken Keenan
PALATINE -- Bragging rights were on the line when Fremd and Palatine lined up Saturday afternoon for a chance to claim the 2018 Kinsella Cup, presented annually to the winner of a one-match showdown between the longtime crosstown rivals in honor of the late Jimmy Kinsella, who co-founded the Palatine Celtic Soccer Club in 1968 with Bill Hughes.
A defensive struggle ensued, and the host Pirates emerged with a 1-0 win on a goal in the 46th minute by senior midfielder Sarah Clancy, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match.
It marked the seventh time that Palatine has secured the trophy since Kinsella Cup play began in 1995. Fremd, a 15-time winner, last raised the Cup in 2013.
The Palatine Celtic Soccer Club, affiliated with the Palatine Park District, provides youth soccer programs for boys and girls ages 4-18. Naturally, some players who were teammates as kids end up on opposite sides of the field once they reach the high school level.
"A lot of our Celtic kids had a bearing on the game," said Palatine head coach Willie Filian, whose squad improved to 2-4-2 overall and 1-1-0 in Mid-Suburban League play with its first conference win of the campaign. "Sarah (Clancy), (senior defender) Anja Jacobson -- they had good games. And (sophomore defender) Mel Simon, she had a fantastic game. So all our key players had very good games, and they played 80 minutes each.
"That's the thing about the Cup. All these kids, it means a lot to them -- both sides."
Palatine senior defender Sarah Jasonowicz said, "I started out in Celtic house soccer, so I grew up with some of the Fremd kids. Winning the Cup, it really brought us together. This could get some fire under us for the rest of the season."
Fremd head coach Steve Keller said, "The Cup is a cool thing. It's always nice for the kids. And Celtic soccer is awesome. Anything to bring exposure to our game is great."
Other things were on Keller's mind though, like the path to the end result that left his Vikings at 2-2-2, 2-1-0. It was not exactly what he had in mind to start the day.
"I'm not disappointed in the effort ... more disappointed with the grit," Keller said. "Palatine got more numbers on the ball than we did, we didn't combine our link well, and 50/50 balls, they probably won the majority of 'em. Palatine deserved to win, and that's the bottom line."
Added Fremd sophomore defender Lauren Burk: "It's a friendly rivalry, but that's what makes (the final score) more frustrating. We were trying to prove ourselves against (Palatine), but we didn't do it today."
Chances didn't come in bunches for either side, especially in the first half. Clancy headed a corner kick by Pirates senior midfielder Isabel Esquivel wide-right in the 2nd minute, and Simon also missed to the right on a 30-yard free kick two minutes later.
Fremd junior mid Layla Dib floated a 30-yard free kick wide-left with 27 minutes to go in the first half, and Palatine junior goalkeeper Amaya Rivera stopped a 30-yard try by Vikings sophomore middie Mackenzie Stein with 23:40 to go before the break.
In the 26th minute, Palatine junior mid Ann Luo headed a corner by Esquivel wide-left. A minute later, Fremd sophomore mid Claire Stewart missed just high from 25 yards.
Shortly before halftime, Clancy released a spinning, turnaround shot in close that was snagged by Rivera, keeping the game scoreless after 40 minutes.
Clancy made the most of her next chance, finishing a play that Palatine sophomore midfielder Olivia Radtke started on the right side. She sent an upfield pass to senior forward Gianna Valero, who then steered the ball ahead to a charging Clancy. Measuring her strike with a defender in tow, Clancy fired high into the top left corner from 20 yards with 34:36 remaining in the second session.
"It was a long run," Clancy said. "I knew the defender was on me, so I just moved my hip and hit it. I kinda aimed -- a little luck, too."
Filian said he talked to his troops at halftime about making something happen rather than waiting for Fremd to dictate the play.
"We looked at some of things Fremd was doing better than us -- anticipating and keeping us in our end, beating us to 50/50 balls, putting good pressure on us," he said. "So we said, 'Let's be more proactive, not reactive like the first half.' In the second half, we pushed the tempo more."
Sparked by Clancy's tally, the Pirates built on the momentum with a series of chances in the ensuing minutes, including a sizzling 20-yard try by Clancy that whizzed wide-right in the 51st minute, followed soon after by a wide-angle shot from Jasonowicz that Fremd sophomore keeper Jennifer Norris nabbed.
With 20:25 left in regulation, Clancy nearly made it 2-0 when she banged a 15-yard strike off the left post.
Fremd's best chances to net the equalizer came on a 25-yard free kick by senior defender Marta Cholewa in the 65th minute that barely missed nipping the crossbar, and a chip shot in deep by Burk with 3:25 to go.
"We were a little disorganized in the back today, and we weren't winning balls out of the air," Burk said. "After a while, that became frustrating."
Cholea added: "We didn't connect very well ... held the ball too long.
"Being a senior, there is some frustration. This match, it's a competition. Being a senior, I was hoping we'd prove ourselves this year. But we couldn't do it today."
Starting lineups
Fremd
G: Jennifer Norris
D: Marta Cholewa
D: Morgan Perkins
D: Lauren Burk
D: Elizabeth Prigge
M: Allie Prigge
M: Mackenzie Stein
M: Ashley Scesniak
M: Emma Katovich
M: Layla Dib
F: Caeleigh Stone
Palatine
G: Amaya Rivera
D: Shelby Donofrio
D: Anja Jacobson
D: Sarah Jasonowicz
D: Melanie Simon
M: Ann Luo
M: Julianna Mandarino
M: Sarah Clancy
M: Olivia Radtke
M: Isabel Esquivel
F: Gianna Valero
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sarah Clancy, sr., M, Palatine
Officials: Trevor Fulk, Vitali Hantsevich, Lukasz Zielinski
Scoring summary
1. Palatine: Sarah Clancy (assisted by Gianna Valero) in 46th minute