Dobsch uses her head, chooses foot
to lead New Trier past Glenbrook North
Lone goal holds up, gives Trevians 1-0 win, sectional final berth
By Bill McLean
NORTHFIELD — Perhaps it was a good thing that New Trier senior midfielder Kate Dobsch chose not to use her head at a pivotal moment in Tuesday night’s Class 3A sectional semifinal against visiting Glenbrook North.
She settled for her foot — after settling senior midfielder Caroline Finnigan’s savvy header in the 18th minute.
“I thought about it,” the Wake Forest-bound Dobsch said of the prospect of fielding her teammate’s one-bounce header with a noggin shot on goal.
Plan B worked out beautifully on the warm night. Dobsch let Finnigan’s six-yard pass descend to terra firma and then booted it past Glenbrook North senior goalkeeper Annie Welch from three yards out to notch the difference in New Trier’s 1-0 victory.
“We made one mistake defensively,” Glenbrook North coach Tony Valsamis said following the conclusion of one of the best seasons (14-2-3) in program history. “Nice goal for them. New Trier is so competitive, athletic and physical.”
The highly competitive clash was Glenbrook North-New Trier III. They tied 0-0 in Northfield on April 29. New Trier then downed Glenbrook North 2-1 in Northbrook on May 17.
“Battle,” New Trier coach Jim Burnside said after his side eliminated the fourth-seeded Spartans, ranked no. 12 in the Top 25. “That was a battle. Glenbrook North is a great team, athletic and fast.”
New Trier’s defense had its hands full — feet, too — for most of the night, particularly in the second half when the Spartans fought valiantly to keep their season alive. New Trier senior center backs Mia Sedgwick and Jenna Birdsell diffused a slew of Spartans scoring threats.
And Trevians senior goalkeeper Wynne Hague (six saves) had to dive a few times to keep the ball out of the net. Spartans senior forward Riley Philbin’s hard shot from close range died in Hague’s mitts in the 22nd minute.
“Our defense held up great, and Wynne played a phenomenal game,” Burnside said. “We needed her to play a phenomenal game.
“What you saw from her tonight,” the six-time state champion coach added, “was senior leadership.”
One of the entertaining 1-v-1 confrontations of the evening was the Morgan Fagan-Nayia Sellas matchup. The Boston University-bound Fagan, a New Trier senior forward, and Sellas, a Glenbrook North sophomore defender, delighted the vocal crowd several times — Fagan with her speed and nifty foot skills; Sellas with her tenaciousness and fearlessness.
Glenbrook North’s Welch, a Yale commit, and Philbin, a future Wisconsin Badger, were first-time prep players this spring. Spartans junior forward Lily Denk, who created a couple of second-half chances to knot the score, thought of them and the team’s other seniors throughout the season and especially on Tuesday night.
“All of us wanted to show Annie and Riley what high school soccer is all about and how it could lead to the creation of lasting friendships,” Denk said. “This team was special, one of our school’s best ever.
“All of us also wanted to play well for the team tonight, and we did that against a team that’s really good and constantly pushes and puts pressure on teams. Whatever I did during the game was for us seniors.”
One of New Trier’s major concerns before the contest was Philbin. But Trevs Sedgwick and Birdsell allayed that worry in both halves with their sturdy abilities to contain the superb Spartan.
For that collective effort they shared Chicagoland Soccer Co-MVP of the Match honors.
“Guarding ‘8’ (Philbin’s jersey number) was something we knew we’d have to do well tonight in order to win,” Finnigan said. “She’s one of Glenbrook North’s runners; their runners are hard to defend. But our center backs, Mia and Jenna, are amazing, aren’t they? What also helped us was our crowd. We texted a lot of people today, because we wanted a big turnout for us.
“They were into it. We loved how loud our fans were.”
The hosts, though, would not have needed a soul in the stands to invigorate them. Burnside’s bunch entered the contest with plenty of intensity.
It was a playoff game after all.
New Trier took its first corner kick in the first minute, prompting a Trevs coach to shout, “Here we go, here we go!”
“We came out on fire,” said Dobsch, who, because she’s such a team player, couldn’t tell anyone definitively how many goals she has netted in ’21. “High energy, along with winning as many 50/50 balls as we did, helped. So did our will to win.”
The top-seeded Trevians (19-1-4), ranked no. 4 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, advanced to face no. 13 Evanston (16-2-3) in Friday night’s Maine South Sectional final, beginning at 7:15 p.m. at New Trier’s Robert Naughton Field.
Second-seeded Evanston edged Loyola Academy 1-0 in the other Maine South Sectional semifinal Tuesday night.
The last time New Trier allowed goals? May 18, eight games ago, in a 2-2 tie with … Evanston. The Trevians defeated the Wildkits 2-0 in the teams’ first meeting on May 5.
Footnotes:
New Trier has outscored opponents 20-0 in its seven-game winning streak that started with a 7-0 defeat of Niles West on May 21. … Spartans coach Valsamis believes Denk, Glenbrook North’s second-leading scorer in 2021, should be getting more looks from college coaches than she has. “She’s a selfless player,” he said. “Lily played quite well for us tonight, working for the shots she took in the second half and delivering several dangerous crosses.” … Glenbrook North’s 2021 varsity roster included six freshmen and four sophomores. Four underclassmen started against New Trier in the sectional semifinal Tuesday. “Such a variety of players, age-wise,” Valsamis said. “Most hadn’t played soccer with each other before this season. We’ll be solid again next season.” … Welch finished with three saves and defended well on corners. … Though it was only two years ago. It probably feels like a decade ago, at least, to many -- New Trier finished third when the Class 3A state tournament was last held, in 2019. … New Trier won state championships in 2003-04; 2006; and 2014-16. … Glenbrook North had appeared in a sectional semifinal only once before in program history.
Starting lineups
Glenbrook North
GK Annie Welch
D Nayia Sellas
D Logan Leiter
D Addison Cha
D Kat Sellas
M Dani Gichner
M Morissa Lambert
M Margy Porta
F Lily Denk
F Riley Philbin
F Ella Panek
New Trier
GK Wynne Hague
D Jenna Birdsell
D Ava Shah
D Anna Marshall
D Mia Sedgwick
M Kate Dobsch
M Caroline Finnigan
M Annie Paden
F Morgan Fagan
F Alex Wirth
F Charlotte Dellin
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Jenna Birdsell, sr., D, New Trier;
Mia Sedgwick, sr., D, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier — Dobsch (Finnigan), 18’
Second half
No scoring
to lead New Trier past Glenbrook North
Lone goal holds up, gives Trevians 1-0 win, sectional final berth
By Bill McLean
NORTHFIELD — Perhaps it was a good thing that New Trier senior midfielder Kate Dobsch chose not to use her head at a pivotal moment in Tuesday night’s Class 3A sectional semifinal against visiting Glenbrook North.
She settled for her foot — after settling senior midfielder Caroline Finnigan’s savvy header in the 18th minute.
“I thought about it,” the Wake Forest-bound Dobsch said of the prospect of fielding her teammate’s one-bounce header with a noggin shot on goal.
Plan B worked out beautifully on the warm night. Dobsch let Finnigan’s six-yard pass descend to terra firma and then booted it past Glenbrook North senior goalkeeper Annie Welch from three yards out to notch the difference in New Trier’s 1-0 victory.
“We made one mistake defensively,” Glenbrook North coach Tony Valsamis said following the conclusion of one of the best seasons (14-2-3) in program history. “Nice goal for them. New Trier is so competitive, athletic and physical.”
The highly competitive clash was Glenbrook North-New Trier III. They tied 0-0 in Northfield on April 29. New Trier then downed Glenbrook North 2-1 in Northbrook on May 17.
“Battle,” New Trier coach Jim Burnside said after his side eliminated the fourth-seeded Spartans, ranked no. 12 in the Top 25. “That was a battle. Glenbrook North is a great team, athletic and fast.”
New Trier’s defense had its hands full — feet, too — for most of the night, particularly in the second half when the Spartans fought valiantly to keep their season alive. New Trier senior center backs Mia Sedgwick and Jenna Birdsell diffused a slew of Spartans scoring threats.
And Trevians senior goalkeeper Wynne Hague (six saves) had to dive a few times to keep the ball out of the net. Spartans senior forward Riley Philbin’s hard shot from close range died in Hague’s mitts in the 22nd minute.
“Our defense held up great, and Wynne played a phenomenal game,” Burnside said. “We needed her to play a phenomenal game.
“What you saw from her tonight,” the six-time state champion coach added, “was senior leadership.”
One of the entertaining 1-v-1 confrontations of the evening was the Morgan Fagan-Nayia Sellas matchup. The Boston University-bound Fagan, a New Trier senior forward, and Sellas, a Glenbrook North sophomore defender, delighted the vocal crowd several times — Fagan with her speed and nifty foot skills; Sellas with her tenaciousness and fearlessness.
Glenbrook North’s Welch, a Yale commit, and Philbin, a future Wisconsin Badger, were first-time prep players this spring. Spartans junior forward Lily Denk, who created a couple of second-half chances to knot the score, thought of them and the team’s other seniors throughout the season and especially on Tuesday night.
“All of us wanted to show Annie and Riley what high school soccer is all about and how it could lead to the creation of lasting friendships,” Denk said. “This team was special, one of our school’s best ever.
“All of us also wanted to play well for the team tonight, and we did that against a team that’s really good and constantly pushes and puts pressure on teams. Whatever I did during the game was for us seniors.”
One of New Trier’s major concerns before the contest was Philbin. But Trevs Sedgwick and Birdsell allayed that worry in both halves with their sturdy abilities to contain the superb Spartan.
For that collective effort they shared Chicagoland Soccer Co-MVP of the Match honors.
“Guarding ‘8’ (Philbin’s jersey number) was something we knew we’d have to do well tonight in order to win,” Finnigan said. “She’s one of Glenbrook North’s runners; their runners are hard to defend. But our center backs, Mia and Jenna, are amazing, aren’t they? What also helped us was our crowd. We texted a lot of people today, because we wanted a big turnout for us.
“They were into it. We loved how loud our fans were.”
The hosts, though, would not have needed a soul in the stands to invigorate them. Burnside’s bunch entered the contest with plenty of intensity.
It was a playoff game after all.
New Trier took its first corner kick in the first minute, prompting a Trevs coach to shout, “Here we go, here we go!”
“We came out on fire,” said Dobsch, who, because she’s such a team player, couldn’t tell anyone definitively how many goals she has netted in ’21. “High energy, along with winning as many 50/50 balls as we did, helped. So did our will to win.”
The top-seeded Trevians (19-1-4), ranked no. 4 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, advanced to face no. 13 Evanston (16-2-3) in Friday night’s Maine South Sectional final, beginning at 7:15 p.m. at New Trier’s Robert Naughton Field.
Second-seeded Evanston edged Loyola Academy 1-0 in the other Maine South Sectional semifinal Tuesday night.
The last time New Trier allowed goals? May 18, eight games ago, in a 2-2 tie with … Evanston. The Trevians defeated the Wildkits 2-0 in the teams’ first meeting on May 5.
Footnotes:
New Trier has outscored opponents 20-0 in its seven-game winning streak that started with a 7-0 defeat of Niles West on May 21. … Spartans coach Valsamis believes Denk, Glenbrook North’s second-leading scorer in 2021, should be getting more looks from college coaches than she has. “She’s a selfless player,” he said. “Lily played quite well for us tonight, working for the shots she took in the second half and delivering several dangerous crosses.” … Glenbrook North’s 2021 varsity roster included six freshmen and four sophomores. Four underclassmen started against New Trier in the sectional semifinal Tuesday. “Such a variety of players, age-wise,” Valsamis said. “Most hadn’t played soccer with each other before this season. We’ll be solid again next season.” … Welch finished with three saves and defended well on corners. … Though it was only two years ago. It probably feels like a decade ago, at least, to many -- New Trier finished third when the Class 3A state tournament was last held, in 2019. … New Trier won state championships in 2003-04; 2006; and 2014-16. … Glenbrook North had appeared in a sectional semifinal only once before in program history.
Starting lineups
Glenbrook North
GK Annie Welch
D Nayia Sellas
D Logan Leiter
D Addison Cha
D Kat Sellas
M Dani Gichner
M Morissa Lambert
M Margy Porta
F Lily Denk
F Riley Philbin
F Ella Panek
New Trier
GK Wynne Hague
D Jenna Birdsell
D Ava Shah
D Anna Marshall
D Mia Sedgwick
M Kate Dobsch
M Caroline Finnigan
M Annie Paden
F Morgan Fagan
F Alex Wirth
F Charlotte Dellin
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Jenna Birdsell, sr., D, New Trier;
Mia Sedgwick, sr., D, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier — Dobsch (Finnigan), 18’
Second half
No scoring