Glenbrook S. uses
depth to down Willowbrook
Titans rally in 2nd half for 2-1 win in Windy City quarterfinal
By Curt Herron
VILLA PARK -- When a team falls behind early on the road and still finds itself down with 30 minutes remaining even though it has had plenty of good scoring opportunities, it's easy for its players to get frustrated and to lose focus. As a result, a defeat can follow.
That’s what faced Glenbrook South on Thursday when it played host Willowbrook in a Windy City Ram Classic Round of 16 winners’ bracket match. But instead of getting down, the Titans stuck to their game plan and utilized their depth to score two goals within a span of 12:25 to take a 2-1 victory over the Warriorsf.
Bella Gemignani scored following an assist from Audrey Langenbach in the 44th minute of the 70-minute match to gain a 1-1 tie. Then in the 56th minute, Gemignani set up Kate Winter for the eventual winning goal to give the Titans their second victory to open the season.
Willowbrook fell to 1-1-0.
Glenbrook South has 28 players on its roster; Willowbrook has 21.
"We said at halftime that we have to use our depth, sub in and use fresh legs, and you saw that," Glenbrook South coach Mark Daniels said. ”We were also a little smarter up-top on creating opportunities with our speed and switching the field of play.
"That's what we talked about at halftime and the girls did what we wanted them to do. I think our possession game was better and our switching the field was better. I think that we just needed to watch their counter transition. And that kind of opened things up a little for us, just to get it off of our defensive third.
"We were looking to find the open girl and move the ball, and that's where the depth comes in. They were getting tired chasing the ball. The more we could make them chase the ball, the more difficult it is and the better angles that we have for those slotted balls.
“This is a game that I was kind of worried about. This was a pivotal game for us, even though it was just our second game. It was the most important game for us now. They just get bigger and bigger as we go on. "
Willowbrook scored on its first good opportunity, when Kennedy Vannoy put in a shot from about 10 yards toward the opposite side of the net in the fifth minute.
Glenbrook South had many good chances. Anna Durow sent in three dangerous corner kicks, two of which were secured by Warriors keeper Maddie Aderholt. The other produced a loose ball in front that was cleared by defenders.
Durow also fired in a threatening liner, and Lauren Koopersmith added a good scoring chance as the first half wound down.
Willowbrook just missed making it 2-0 right before the intermission buzzer sounded when Brooke Vandergrift fired in a shot that was deflected away by goalie Bella Crist.
"The girls showed a lot of really good things," Warriors coach Julio Del Real said. "We had some pretty good passing, some pretty good teamwork and a lot of great defense. We played a very well-coached team that never gives up. You have to be on your toes all of the time because they're coming after every ball. And as soon as they lose it, they're going to try to get it back right away.
"This shows the girls things that they can and can't get away with. This gives us a great opportunity at teaching the girls what things mean in the game, because you can only do it in practice for so long. You have to put it in situations which mean something.
“This is good to see since we played an exceptional team, and I thought we played them very well. We played them pretty tough and created opportunities as well. I think if we continue to play that way and learn from the things that we've been trying to teach them in practice we’ll continue to do well.
“I do believe that this game made us much better."
Willowbrook was back on the attack right after the break. In the first five minutes: Vannoy sent in a header that was hauled in by Crist, who deflected a subsequent attempt by Vannoy; Rachael Klamecki sent in a corner kick; Vandergrift was wide on a try; and Klamecki lined one that Crist secured.
Klamecki shares captain duties along with Izzy Manning.
Even though still down by a goal, Glenbrook South began to dominate on good scoring chances with Langenbach starting things by being stopped by Aderholt as she drove toward the net. A bit later, Gemignani went just wide.
But the next time Gemignani got the ball, she was spot on. Langenbach sent a great pass to her inside, and the senior connected from in front of the net to tie the match at 1-1 in the 44th minute. For her efforts, Gemignani earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
"I think that at halftime, when we were down by one, we just decided that we were going to be a second half team. Nobody was going to give up," said Gemignani, who shares captain duties with Lilly O'Rourke, Crist and Durow. "And when it was your turn to step onto the field, whether it was five minutes or 35 minutes, you were going to try your best and go hard to every ball and you're going to try to score.
"Being down 1-0, we definitely relied on our defense to be a brick wall. The second half was definitely a more-physical game. We were trying to win 50-50 balls, but the other team was going in hard, too It was a real battle.
“I like the way that we play together and our compatibility as a team. We work really hard in practices, just connecting, and we're learning to play together. Even though this is only our second game, I think that our team chemistry is really there, and we know where our teammates are going to be on the field so we can find them."
In the 48th minute, Durow was denied on a close-range attempt, and Gia Kokkalis sent an attempt just wide.
The Titans finally moved in front for good in the 56th minute when Gemignani sent a pass inside to Winter, who put in the short attempt.
"When we were down, we definitely didn't get discouraged, but instead it inspired us to try even harder," Winter said. "We all know our role on the team, whether it's cheering on the bench or giving those quick subs or having that starting position and playing most of the game.
“I think that every position is important, and we all put in the work in order to get there together.
"I think you need these early wins. The team is looking good, and this definitely encourages us for the rest of the season. I really like our energy and our goal this year is to focus. So in practice, we're always focused and energetic, because we know that we have to put the work in to accomplish our goals."
Glenbrook South not only got several more good scoring chances through the remainder of the match, but it also had most of the possession. Willowbrook had very few opportunities to try to get the equalizer.
"I think now we know that we need to put more shots in the back of the net," Willowbrook senior Mackenzie Parente said. "In the first five minutes of each half we really started off real strong, and you could tell that we were the better team. If we would have put another one in the back of the net at the start of the second half we would have had a better shot and had more momentum.
"We're all friends on and off the field, so I think we all owe it to each other to put in the best effort on the field when we're given the chance. Tomorrow when we're going to come to practice, we won't hang our heads low because we lost. It will be a new day, and we're going to move on and continue building on what we've learned from this game. I think that we're going to go on and have an amazing season."
In the final minutes of the match, the Titans got corner kicks from Kat Souleles and Carolyn Cameranesi. Meghan Noe was stopped on a long shot, and Cameranesi was thwarted on a shorter attempt by Aderholt.
Despite suffering their first defeat after allowing the two second half goals, the Willwbrook wasn't disheartened by the setback against a quality opponent. Instead they'll take the lessons that they learned from the loss and use it help them better prepare for play in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division.
"I'm proud of how hard we worked," Warriors junior Molly Brennan said. "I think once we started settling the ball, we really flipped the switch and started making some more attacks. I think this is a good start to the season. Hopefully we grow from this.
"I think that our defense really pulled together and supported us for this one. And I think that we can start building on that solid foundation that we have and work forward with our team to start making more attacks instead of just defending.
“I like how hard-working we are. I don't feel like we gave up. We still continued our strong defense and chasing after the balls. I think that is an awesome quality on the team, and I think that is going to serve us well this season."
Starting Lineups
Glenbrook South
G Bella Crist
D Ashley Ciss
D Heather Sundstrom
D Megan Flentye
D Adyson Clemen
M Meghan Noe
M Anna Durow
M Lilly O'Rourke
M Claire Baim
F Bella Gemignani
F Audrey Langenbach
Willowbrook
G Maddie Aderholt
D Halie Ahrens
D Izzy Manning
D Allie Knudson
D Ali Vittorio
M Brooke Vandergrift
M Molly Brennan
M Mackenzie Parente
M Rachael Klamecki
F Kennedy Vannoy
F Erin Fitzgibbon
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Bella Gemignani, sr., F, Glenbrook South
Scoring Summary
First half
W: Kennedy Vannoy, 5th minute
Second half
GBS: Bella Gemignani (Audrey Langenbach), 44th minute
GBS: Kate Winter (Bella Gemignani), 56th minute
depth to down Willowbrook
Titans rally in 2nd half for 2-1 win in Windy City quarterfinal
By Curt Herron
VILLA PARK -- When a team falls behind early on the road and still finds itself down with 30 minutes remaining even though it has had plenty of good scoring opportunities, it's easy for its players to get frustrated and to lose focus. As a result, a defeat can follow.
That’s what faced Glenbrook South on Thursday when it played host Willowbrook in a Windy City Ram Classic Round of 16 winners’ bracket match. But instead of getting down, the Titans stuck to their game plan and utilized their depth to score two goals within a span of 12:25 to take a 2-1 victory over the Warriorsf.
Bella Gemignani scored following an assist from Audrey Langenbach in the 44th minute of the 70-minute match to gain a 1-1 tie. Then in the 56th minute, Gemignani set up Kate Winter for the eventual winning goal to give the Titans their second victory to open the season.
Willowbrook fell to 1-1-0.
Glenbrook South has 28 players on its roster; Willowbrook has 21.
"We said at halftime that we have to use our depth, sub in and use fresh legs, and you saw that," Glenbrook South coach Mark Daniels said. ”We were also a little smarter up-top on creating opportunities with our speed and switching the field of play.
"That's what we talked about at halftime and the girls did what we wanted them to do. I think our possession game was better and our switching the field was better. I think that we just needed to watch their counter transition. And that kind of opened things up a little for us, just to get it off of our defensive third.
"We were looking to find the open girl and move the ball, and that's where the depth comes in. They were getting tired chasing the ball. The more we could make them chase the ball, the more difficult it is and the better angles that we have for those slotted balls.
“This is a game that I was kind of worried about. This was a pivotal game for us, even though it was just our second game. It was the most important game for us now. They just get bigger and bigger as we go on. "
Willowbrook scored on its first good opportunity, when Kennedy Vannoy put in a shot from about 10 yards toward the opposite side of the net in the fifth minute.
Glenbrook South had many good chances. Anna Durow sent in three dangerous corner kicks, two of which were secured by Warriors keeper Maddie Aderholt. The other produced a loose ball in front that was cleared by defenders.
Durow also fired in a threatening liner, and Lauren Koopersmith added a good scoring chance as the first half wound down.
Willowbrook just missed making it 2-0 right before the intermission buzzer sounded when Brooke Vandergrift fired in a shot that was deflected away by goalie Bella Crist.
"The girls showed a lot of really good things," Warriors coach Julio Del Real said. "We had some pretty good passing, some pretty good teamwork and a lot of great defense. We played a very well-coached team that never gives up. You have to be on your toes all of the time because they're coming after every ball. And as soon as they lose it, they're going to try to get it back right away.
"This shows the girls things that they can and can't get away with. This gives us a great opportunity at teaching the girls what things mean in the game, because you can only do it in practice for so long. You have to put it in situations which mean something.
“This is good to see since we played an exceptional team, and I thought we played them very well. We played them pretty tough and created opportunities as well. I think if we continue to play that way and learn from the things that we've been trying to teach them in practice we’ll continue to do well.
“I do believe that this game made us much better."
Willowbrook was back on the attack right after the break. In the first five minutes: Vannoy sent in a header that was hauled in by Crist, who deflected a subsequent attempt by Vannoy; Rachael Klamecki sent in a corner kick; Vandergrift was wide on a try; and Klamecki lined one that Crist secured.
Klamecki shares captain duties along with Izzy Manning.
Even though still down by a goal, Glenbrook South began to dominate on good scoring chances with Langenbach starting things by being stopped by Aderholt as she drove toward the net. A bit later, Gemignani went just wide.
But the next time Gemignani got the ball, she was spot on. Langenbach sent a great pass to her inside, and the senior connected from in front of the net to tie the match at 1-1 in the 44th minute. For her efforts, Gemignani earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
"I think that at halftime, when we were down by one, we just decided that we were going to be a second half team. Nobody was going to give up," said Gemignani, who shares captain duties with Lilly O'Rourke, Crist and Durow. "And when it was your turn to step onto the field, whether it was five minutes or 35 minutes, you were going to try your best and go hard to every ball and you're going to try to score.
"Being down 1-0, we definitely relied on our defense to be a brick wall. The second half was definitely a more-physical game. We were trying to win 50-50 balls, but the other team was going in hard, too It was a real battle.
“I like the way that we play together and our compatibility as a team. We work really hard in practices, just connecting, and we're learning to play together. Even though this is only our second game, I think that our team chemistry is really there, and we know where our teammates are going to be on the field so we can find them."
In the 48th minute, Durow was denied on a close-range attempt, and Gia Kokkalis sent an attempt just wide.
The Titans finally moved in front for good in the 56th minute when Gemignani sent a pass inside to Winter, who put in the short attempt.
"When we were down, we definitely didn't get discouraged, but instead it inspired us to try even harder," Winter said. "We all know our role on the team, whether it's cheering on the bench or giving those quick subs or having that starting position and playing most of the game.
“I think that every position is important, and we all put in the work in order to get there together.
"I think you need these early wins. The team is looking good, and this definitely encourages us for the rest of the season. I really like our energy and our goal this year is to focus. So in practice, we're always focused and energetic, because we know that we have to put the work in to accomplish our goals."
Glenbrook South not only got several more good scoring chances through the remainder of the match, but it also had most of the possession. Willowbrook had very few opportunities to try to get the equalizer.
"I think now we know that we need to put more shots in the back of the net," Willowbrook senior Mackenzie Parente said. "In the first five minutes of each half we really started off real strong, and you could tell that we were the better team. If we would have put another one in the back of the net at the start of the second half we would have had a better shot and had more momentum.
"We're all friends on and off the field, so I think we all owe it to each other to put in the best effort on the field when we're given the chance. Tomorrow when we're going to come to practice, we won't hang our heads low because we lost. It will be a new day, and we're going to move on and continue building on what we've learned from this game. I think that we're going to go on and have an amazing season."
In the final minutes of the match, the Titans got corner kicks from Kat Souleles and Carolyn Cameranesi. Meghan Noe was stopped on a long shot, and Cameranesi was thwarted on a shorter attempt by Aderholt.
Despite suffering their first defeat after allowing the two second half goals, the Willwbrook wasn't disheartened by the setback against a quality opponent. Instead they'll take the lessons that they learned from the loss and use it help them better prepare for play in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division.
"I'm proud of how hard we worked," Warriors junior Molly Brennan said. "I think once we started settling the ball, we really flipped the switch and started making some more attacks. I think this is a good start to the season. Hopefully we grow from this.
"I think that our defense really pulled together and supported us for this one. And I think that we can start building on that solid foundation that we have and work forward with our team to start making more attacks instead of just defending.
“I like how hard-working we are. I don't feel like we gave up. We still continued our strong defense and chasing after the balls. I think that is an awesome quality on the team, and I think that is going to serve us well this season."
Starting Lineups
Glenbrook South
G Bella Crist
D Ashley Ciss
D Heather Sundstrom
D Megan Flentye
D Adyson Clemen
M Meghan Noe
M Anna Durow
M Lilly O'Rourke
M Claire Baim
F Bella Gemignani
F Audrey Langenbach
Willowbrook
G Maddie Aderholt
D Halie Ahrens
D Izzy Manning
D Allie Knudson
D Ali Vittorio
M Brooke Vandergrift
M Molly Brennan
M Mackenzie Parente
M Rachael Klamecki
F Kennedy Vannoy
F Erin Fitzgibbon
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Bella Gemignani, sr., F, Glenbrook South
Scoring Summary
First half
W: Kennedy Vannoy, 5th minute
Second half
GBS: Bella Gemignani (Audrey Langenbach), 44th minute
GBS: Kate Winter (Bella Gemignani), 56th minute