Hard-working Loyola upsets GBS
Ramblers strike twice in 2nd half for surprising 2-1 Malnati's win
By Gary Larsen
WILMETTE -- Loyola only has two returning varsity players from last season, plus a new head coach in Shannon Hartinger, so it’s a rebuilding season to be sure for the Ramblers.
However, that rebuild could go faster than anyone anticipated.
Loyola knocked off previously unbeaten Glenbrook South 2-1 on Saturday, in opening-round of pool play of this year’s Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic tournament.
“Our mood at the end of the game -- everyone was so proud of each other,” Loyola senior Maggie Brett said. “GBS is amazing. So in a year like this for us, it feels amazing.”
Glenbrook South coach Mark Daniels had a simple explanation for how Loyola beat his Titans, who had risen to fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“They outworked us,” he said.
The Ramblers toiled hard all over the pitch, an effort illuminated by one Rambler in particular. Loyola was tasked with slowing down one of the most dominant attacking players in Illinois, in Glenbrook South's Villanova-bound Makayla Stadler, who scored her side’s lone goal just seven minutes into the game.
But from there to the final buzzer, Loyola’s Lauren Daffada put on her hard hat and went to work.
“Credit has to go to Lauren Daffada. She played outstanding as a defensive midfielder today,” Hartinger said. “She was able to screen our backline and deny service into Makayla, which was obviously important because Makayla is such a great player.”
Daffada’s key role in the win for Loyola earned her Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match honor.
In only its third year, the Malnati’s Classic has already arguably become the second-toughest regular-season tournament in Illinois behind the legendary Naperville Invitational, from which 27 of Illinois’ 31 state championship teams have emerged since 1988.
The Malnati’s Classic features round-robin play among 12 teams - nine of which are ranked in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Two more teams are ranked among the honorable mention squads.
Loyola is one of those teams to look out for, which the Ramblers proved throughout Saturday’s win.
“We’ve been working really, really hard to build this team up,” said Loyola senior midfielder Kate Murtagh, who co-captains the team along with Brett. “We knew we had to come out and play our own game and play the best we can today, and we got the result.”
The Titans (9-1-1) came out strong, on the heels of an emotional 1-1 Central Suburban League South Division tie with third-ranked New Trier on Wednesday.
Stadler opened the scoring when a failed clear squirted out to her, and she stretched the back netting from 14 yards.
South forward Katie Weiss blistered a shot from 22 yards that Loyola keeper Katherine Jaros saved and through 10 minutes the Titans seemed to be finding their footing towards what they do when they’re at their best.
“We push the ball around well, we capitalize on our opportunities, and we defend,” Daniels said.
Loyola (2-2-2) began answering South’s pressure by sticking to a game plan explained by Murtagh: “GBS is strong in the air. So we did a great job of settling the ball and playing our game on the ground,” she said. “We settled the game down and played to feet.”
The Ramblers began organizing trips into their attacking third, as Brett, Meredith Phillips, Molly Sipe, and Eleanor Jackson all took turns either applying pressure or finding shots.
In her third game back since her recovery from an ACL injury, Brett showed flashes of what the Ramblers can expect once she rounds into form. The senior moved around the midfield and made dangerous runs throughout.
“I still have a lot more training to do, to work on the physical and mental part of the game, to get back into it because it’s been so long,” Brett said. “It’s just something I need to get used to again. And a game like this does so much to build my confidence.”
The Ramblers will not only benefit once Brett is back at a hundred percent. She’s already giving to the team in other ways.
“She’s very fast, very good with the ball, and she gives us a little more up-front with her runs both on and off the ball,” Hartinger said. “But above that, she’s also a fantastic leader for us. So to have her back on the field, I think the girls are really inspired by her.”
Freshman Sipe has been rock-solid through six games for the Ramblers, and she helped key Loyola’s tying goal three minutes into the second half.
Sipe crossed a ball from the left side, and Brett ran onto it with South keeper Libby Vanderveen charging off her line. Brett got to it first and scored from 10 yards.
The two also collided on the play, with Brett tripping over a sliding Vanderveen.
“I just held my breath, like ‘I’ve got to get this in the goal’. With the adrenaline, I didn’t even think about it,” Brett said.
Ten minutes later, sophomore Jackson grabbed center stage with the game-winning goal, chipping a ball from 14 yards that floated under the crossbar behind a retreating Vanderveen.
“We’re fortunate to have a lot of different players that can have an impact on the game,” Hartinger said. “Eleanor works so hard off the ball, and she found a great position to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Glenbrook South went into Saturday’s game missing a few key players due to injuries, and both Stadler and Dana Steffen had to leave the game in Saturday’s second half due to injury. Both players returned to the field but the Titans struggled to the 65th minute to find their ‘A’ game.
Trailing by a goal, Glenbrook South brought attacking heat to the game’s final 15 minutes. Weiss and midfielder Challen Flaws both sent shots off the crossbar, but the Titans were unable to find an equalizing goal.
“We fought hard, but the intensity factor of the last 15 minutes needed to be there the whole game,” Daniels said. “We just didn’t play well. We’re missing some key players, but you’ve got to deal with that. We made too many bad passes, and I think it was just one of those days.
“Makayla is going to fight for everything, and Channel Flaws in the midfield is a workhorse. But overall, I think (Loyola) outworked us. We weren’t able to rise up to that challenge, and we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”
Hartinger was pleased with the result her girls got Saturday and the way they played in getting it.
“I like the way we moved the ball around, especially early in the game,” Hartinger said. “We switched the field well and were able to find channels to get in behind the backline. In the second half, we just gutted the game out and found a way to keep the ball out of the back of the net in the final 15 minutes.
“Full credit goes to our backline, our defensive mids and our goalkeeper,” Hartinger said of defenders Sipe, Megan Kurtz, Claire Kelly, Madeline Passas, Grace Cutler, and keeper Jaros. Daffada and Murtagh battled well in the middle of the field along with Grace Ehlert.
“Grace Ehlert is another freshman, and she played a very good game in the midfield,” Hartinger said. “I think she started the season recognizing that she would grow into the position, and she has done that very quickly.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK Katherine Jaros
D Claire Kelly
D Megan Kurtz
D Madeline Prassas
D Molly Sipe
M Kate Murtagh
M Maggie Brett
M Meredith Phillips
M Lauren Daffada
M Grace Ehlert
F Kaitlyn Kurtz
Glenbrook South
GK Libby Vanderveen
D Christie Chrones
D Marlee Hague
D Katie Gates
D Grace O’Brien
M Julia DiSanto
M Sydney Boland
M Challen Flaws
M Dana Steffen
F Makayla Stadler
F Katie Weiss
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Lauren Daffada, sr., MF, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbrook South — Stadler (UA) 7th minute
Second half
Loyola — Brett (Sipe) 43rd minute
Loyola — Jackson (UA) 53rd minute
Ramblers strike twice in 2nd half for surprising 2-1 Malnati's win
By Gary Larsen
WILMETTE -- Loyola only has two returning varsity players from last season, plus a new head coach in Shannon Hartinger, so it’s a rebuilding season to be sure for the Ramblers.
However, that rebuild could go faster than anyone anticipated.
Loyola knocked off previously unbeaten Glenbrook South 2-1 on Saturday, in opening-round of pool play of this year’s Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic tournament.
“Our mood at the end of the game -- everyone was so proud of each other,” Loyola senior Maggie Brett said. “GBS is amazing. So in a year like this for us, it feels amazing.”
Glenbrook South coach Mark Daniels had a simple explanation for how Loyola beat his Titans, who had risen to fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“They outworked us,” he said.
The Ramblers toiled hard all over the pitch, an effort illuminated by one Rambler in particular. Loyola was tasked with slowing down one of the most dominant attacking players in Illinois, in Glenbrook South's Villanova-bound Makayla Stadler, who scored her side’s lone goal just seven minutes into the game.
But from there to the final buzzer, Loyola’s Lauren Daffada put on her hard hat and went to work.
“Credit has to go to Lauren Daffada. She played outstanding as a defensive midfielder today,” Hartinger said. “She was able to screen our backline and deny service into Makayla, which was obviously important because Makayla is such a great player.”
Daffada’s key role in the win for Loyola earned her Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match honor.
In only its third year, the Malnati’s Classic has already arguably become the second-toughest regular-season tournament in Illinois behind the legendary Naperville Invitational, from which 27 of Illinois’ 31 state championship teams have emerged since 1988.
The Malnati’s Classic features round-robin play among 12 teams - nine of which are ranked in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Two more teams are ranked among the honorable mention squads.
Loyola is one of those teams to look out for, which the Ramblers proved throughout Saturday’s win.
“We’ve been working really, really hard to build this team up,” said Loyola senior midfielder Kate Murtagh, who co-captains the team along with Brett. “We knew we had to come out and play our own game and play the best we can today, and we got the result.”
The Titans (9-1-1) came out strong, on the heels of an emotional 1-1 Central Suburban League South Division tie with third-ranked New Trier on Wednesday.
Stadler opened the scoring when a failed clear squirted out to her, and she stretched the back netting from 14 yards.
South forward Katie Weiss blistered a shot from 22 yards that Loyola keeper Katherine Jaros saved and through 10 minutes the Titans seemed to be finding their footing towards what they do when they’re at their best.
“We push the ball around well, we capitalize on our opportunities, and we defend,” Daniels said.
Loyola (2-2-2) began answering South’s pressure by sticking to a game plan explained by Murtagh: “GBS is strong in the air. So we did a great job of settling the ball and playing our game on the ground,” she said. “We settled the game down and played to feet.”
The Ramblers began organizing trips into their attacking third, as Brett, Meredith Phillips, Molly Sipe, and Eleanor Jackson all took turns either applying pressure or finding shots.
In her third game back since her recovery from an ACL injury, Brett showed flashes of what the Ramblers can expect once she rounds into form. The senior moved around the midfield and made dangerous runs throughout.
“I still have a lot more training to do, to work on the physical and mental part of the game, to get back into it because it’s been so long,” Brett said. “It’s just something I need to get used to again. And a game like this does so much to build my confidence.”
The Ramblers will not only benefit once Brett is back at a hundred percent. She’s already giving to the team in other ways.
“She’s very fast, very good with the ball, and she gives us a little more up-front with her runs both on and off the ball,” Hartinger said. “But above that, she’s also a fantastic leader for us. So to have her back on the field, I think the girls are really inspired by her.”
Freshman Sipe has been rock-solid through six games for the Ramblers, and she helped key Loyola’s tying goal three minutes into the second half.
Sipe crossed a ball from the left side, and Brett ran onto it with South keeper Libby Vanderveen charging off her line. Brett got to it first and scored from 10 yards.
The two also collided on the play, with Brett tripping over a sliding Vanderveen.
“I just held my breath, like ‘I’ve got to get this in the goal’. With the adrenaline, I didn’t even think about it,” Brett said.
Ten minutes later, sophomore Jackson grabbed center stage with the game-winning goal, chipping a ball from 14 yards that floated under the crossbar behind a retreating Vanderveen.
“We’re fortunate to have a lot of different players that can have an impact on the game,” Hartinger said. “Eleanor works so hard off the ball, and she found a great position to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Glenbrook South went into Saturday’s game missing a few key players due to injuries, and both Stadler and Dana Steffen had to leave the game in Saturday’s second half due to injury. Both players returned to the field but the Titans struggled to the 65th minute to find their ‘A’ game.
Trailing by a goal, Glenbrook South brought attacking heat to the game’s final 15 minutes. Weiss and midfielder Challen Flaws both sent shots off the crossbar, but the Titans were unable to find an equalizing goal.
“We fought hard, but the intensity factor of the last 15 minutes needed to be there the whole game,” Daniels said. “We just didn’t play well. We’re missing some key players, but you’ve got to deal with that. We made too many bad passes, and I think it was just one of those days.
“Makayla is going to fight for everything, and Channel Flaws in the midfield is a workhorse. But overall, I think (Loyola) outworked us. We weren’t able to rise up to that challenge, and we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”
Hartinger was pleased with the result her girls got Saturday and the way they played in getting it.
“I like the way we moved the ball around, especially early in the game,” Hartinger said. “We switched the field well and were able to find channels to get in behind the backline. In the second half, we just gutted the game out and found a way to keep the ball out of the back of the net in the final 15 minutes.
“Full credit goes to our backline, our defensive mids and our goalkeeper,” Hartinger said of defenders Sipe, Megan Kurtz, Claire Kelly, Madeline Passas, Grace Cutler, and keeper Jaros. Daffada and Murtagh battled well in the middle of the field along with Grace Ehlert.
“Grace Ehlert is another freshman, and she played a very good game in the midfield,” Hartinger said. “I think she started the season recognizing that she would grow into the position, and she has done that very quickly.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK Katherine Jaros
D Claire Kelly
D Megan Kurtz
D Madeline Prassas
D Molly Sipe
M Kate Murtagh
M Maggie Brett
M Meredith Phillips
M Lauren Daffada
M Grace Ehlert
F Kaitlyn Kurtz
Glenbrook South
GK Libby Vanderveen
D Christie Chrones
D Marlee Hague
D Katie Gates
D Grace O’Brien
M Julia DiSanto
M Sydney Boland
M Challen Flaws
M Dana Steffen
F Makayla Stadler
F Katie Weiss
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Lauren Daffada, sr., MF, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbrook South — Stadler (UA) 7th minute
Second half
Loyola — Brett (Sipe) 43rd minute
Loyola — Jackson (UA) 53rd minute