South Elgin’s Barthelt finds
a way vs. Glenbard East
Goal in 75th minute gives Storm a 2-1 UEC win over Rams
By Gary Larsen
SOUTH ELGIN — There’s just nowhere for South Elgin’s Katrina Barthelt to hide.
Maybe if she wore a disguise she’d be able to anonymously find a small space devoid of multiple defenders charged with clamping down on her. Maybe then she could avoid getting consistently man-marked and double-teamed.
Or maybe if Barthelt dyed her hair or changed her uniform number she could find a way around being that proverbial player about whom opposing coaches say to their players “make someone other than her beat you.”
But that’s life when you’re the worst-kept secret in the Upstate Eight Conference.
Barthelt is a junior who scored 33 goals as a freshman prodigy two years ago. Any hope that opponents might have forgotten about her after a season lost to the pandemic has proven fruitless.
“She scored 33 goals as a freshman, because nobody knew she was coming,” South Elgin coach Laura Szwaja said. “Now, every coach we run into, they all have a game-plan for her.”
Glenbard East’s game plan in slowing down Barthelt worked fairly well during Wednesday’s UEC tilt in South Elgin — for 75 minutes. That's when, in a 1-1 game built on one penalty kick conversion for each team, Barthelt did what opponents fear most where she’s concerned.
“She got loose,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said.
Barthelt hovered near the right touchline where a Rams defender settled a ball but took just a hair’s width too long to get it off her foot. Barthelt stepped in, took it away, and streaked up the right side.
“I think their defender took too much time on the ball. I saw the opportunity, and I took it,” Barthelt said. “I was actually looking to play a ball in the box but then I saw a little opening and I thought why not take it?”
Barthelt turned the corner and took a few touches across the box before sending a left-footed shot inside the far post. It was her 19th goal in nine games. She scored number 18 on a first half penalty kick conversion, after she’d been tripped in the box.
Glenbard East tied the game in the second half on a Jasmine Dhamers penalty kick at 63 minutes. The Rams pushed hard from there for a winning goal, with South Elgin keeper Mallory Stueck standing tall to keep them out.
“We were pushing, looking for the win after we’d tied it up,” Overbey said. “We thought we had good pressure on (Barthelt). But she got loose once, and she made a great shot.”
A punch-and-counterpunch game played out between two top UEC teams in Glenbard East (6-3-1, 5-1-1) and South Elgin (6-1-2, 4-1-2). Back-and-forth play led to the 16th minute, when Barthelt ran down a ball sent ahead to the top of the Rams’ box and poked it past charging Rams keeper Zoe Romano.
The ball stalled before the goal line but Barthelt ran it down and got fouled near the post. She converted the penalty kick and the Storm had a 1-0 lead.
South Elgin’s Bella Piaskowy sent a ball just wide in transition and forced a tip-save from Romano to the 30th minute. Romano then made a sprawling save on a point-blank Barthelt shot at 37 minutes.
Romano capped off a spectacular first half in net with a tip-save over the bar at 40 minutes on a shot from the Storm’s Ella Dihel. South Elgin’s pressure stood out, but Romano stood up.
“She kept us in it. She made a couple point-blank saves in the first half and did a great job,” Overbey said of Romano.
After a 4-0 loss to UEC leader Bartlett on Monday, there was not shortage of wind in South Elgin’s sails Wednesday.
“Our energy was good today, coming out of a bad loss,” Szwaja said. “Bartlett is incredibly talented, but it was a game where we just chose not to attack. Our energy and possession were much better today.”
Chasing a one-goal deficit, Glenbard East’s intensity rose after halftime. Natalie Borcean sent a free kick off a wall of Storm defenders at 53 minutes, and the Rams’ Sarah Conroy sent a shot wide two minutes later. Teammate Jasmine Dhamers did the same one minute later from 22 yards.
COVID-19 protocols for close contact have caused multiple temporary absences for Glenbard East, but Romano has seen no drop in competitive fire.
“One of the things I'm most proud about on this team is that whatever 10 girls are playing in front of me, they play with fight and urgency,” Romano said. “Whether we are down or if it’s 0-0, we play the same. We just want to win so bad. Everyone has good days and bad days with communication, but we've been having more good days than bad days. And that consistency is key, 100 percent.”
Stueck also stood out Wednesday. The Storm keeper made some high-quality saves in the second half to hold the Rams at bay. Szwaja applauded the day’s work put in by her junior.
“Mallory did awesome today. I think she's been waiting for her moment, and now she's starting to shine,” Szwaja said. “She had a solid game, felt very confident, and I know her defenders felt confident with her back there.”
Stueck went into Wednesday’s game fueled by Monday’s setback.
“After the loss to Bartlett it's about proving ourselves and what a good team we are,” Stueck said. “(Glenbard East) was fast and physical, so we had to win those balls in the air and shut down those shots. I've gotten more confident in myself, just being around this team. I’m more comfortable with them, and it's just gotten a lot better.”
Glenbard East’s Maya Reinheimer hit a shot off the bar at 63 minutes, and one minute later teammate Sophia Sommesi was fouled in the box to set up a Rams penalty kick.
Dhamers calmly buried it to tie the game.
“We fought back,” Overbey said. “After the PK in the first half, it wasn't a situation where we dropped our heads. We kept grinding and kept pushing. I thought our attacking out of the midfield was good and their defense did a great job. We were unable to break it down other than the PK, and that was the difference.”
Physical back-and-forth play ensued before Barthelt’s deciding goal and continued to the final buzzer.
“I thought we played well," Overbey said. "I thought Sarah Liljestrand was dangerous attacking through the middle, and obviously Zoe kept us in it which was great. I also thought Haley Tu coming off the bench at that defensive center mid spot played well. We don't mention her often enough, and she was very good today. And I thought Jasmine was dangerous the whole game. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get loose.”
The Storm backline of Norah Stueck, Mailie Dunne, Lesly Ulloa, and Ella Dihel tought the good fight in the face of Glenbard East’s second half pressure.
South Elgin freshman Dihel has been a jack-of-all-trades.
“She's kind of our freshman utility player. She just does what she's asked to do, and she was solid today,” Szwaja said. “I think she saved us, especially in the first half with a couple mishaps in back and that's what good defenders are supposed to do, take care of each other. So Ella was definitely somebody her teammates were grateful for today.”
Team captain Barthelt — Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match — was happy with the way her side responded after Glenbard East knotted the game.
“We kept our motivation the whole way through,” Barthelt said. “We never let down our guard. After their PK it definitely got messy and unorganized, and I think we all realized we needed to flip the switch back on.”
Starting lineups
Glenbard East
GK Zoe Romano
D Maddie Kiefer
D Hope McKenna
D Kendall Crackel
D Brielle DeForest
MF Sarah Liljestrand
MF Sophia Sommesi
MF Natalie Borcean
MF Sophia Heatley
F Jasmine Dhamers
F Sarah Conroy
South Elgin
GK Mallory Stueck
D Ella Dihel
D Lesly Ulloa
D Norah Stueck
D Mailie Dunne
MF Alyssa Doherty
MF Lily Emandez
MF Kiara Andrewin
MF Allie Rhys
MF Erin Morahan
F Katrina Barthelt
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Katrina Barthelt, jr., F, South Elgin
Scoring summary
First half
South Elgin — Barthelt (PK) 16 minutes
Second half
Glenbard East — Dhamers (PK) 63 minutes
South Elgin — Barthelt (UA) 75 minutes
a way vs. Glenbard East
Goal in 75th minute gives Storm a 2-1 UEC win over Rams
By Gary Larsen
SOUTH ELGIN — There’s just nowhere for South Elgin’s Katrina Barthelt to hide.
Maybe if she wore a disguise she’d be able to anonymously find a small space devoid of multiple defenders charged with clamping down on her. Maybe then she could avoid getting consistently man-marked and double-teamed.
Or maybe if Barthelt dyed her hair or changed her uniform number she could find a way around being that proverbial player about whom opposing coaches say to their players “make someone other than her beat you.”
But that’s life when you’re the worst-kept secret in the Upstate Eight Conference.
Barthelt is a junior who scored 33 goals as a freshman prodigy two years ago. Any hope that opponents might have forgotten about her after a season lost to the pandemic has proven fruitless.
“She scored 33 goals as a freshman, because nobody knew she was coming,” South Elgin coach Laura Szwaja said. “Now, every coach we run into, they all have a game-plan for her.”
Glenbard East’s game plan in slowing down Barthelt worked fairly well during Wednesday’s UEC tilt in South Elgin — for 75 minutes. That's when, in a 1-1 game built on one penalty kick conversion for each team, Barthelt did what opponents fear most where she’s concerned.
“She got loose,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said.
Barthelt hovered near the right touchline where a Rams defender settled a ball but took just a hair’s width too long to get it off her foot. Barthelt stepped in, took it away, and streaked up the right side.
“I think their defender took too much time on the ball. I saw the opportunity, and I took it,” Barthelt said. “I was actually looking to play a ball in the box but then I saw a little opening and I thought why not take it?”
Barthelt turned the corner and took a few touches across the box before sending a left-footed shot inside the far post. It was her 19th goal in nine games. She scored number 18 on a first half penalty kick conversion, after she’d been tripped in the box.
Glenbard East tied the game in the second half on a Jasmine Dhamers penalty kick at 63 minutes. The Rams pushed hard from there for a winning goal, with South Elgin keeper Mallory Stueck standing tall to keep them out.
“We were pushing, looking for the win after we’d tied it up,” Overbey said. “We thought we had good pressure on (Barthelt). But she got loose once, and she made a great shot.”
A punch-and-counterpunch game played out between two top UEC teams in Glenbard East (6-3-1, 5-1-1) and South Elgin (6-1-2, 4-1-2). Back-and-forth play led to the 16th minute, when Barthelt ran down a ball sent ahead to the top of the Rams’ box and poked it past charging Rams keeper Zoe Romano.
The ball stalled before the goal line but Barthelt ran it down and got fouled near the post. She converted the penalty kick and the Storm had a 1-0 lead.
South Elgin’s Bella Piaskowy sent a ball just wide in transition and forced a tip-save from Romano to the 30th minute. Romano then made a sprawling save on a point-blank Barthelt shot at 37 minutes.
Romano capped off a spectacular first half in net with a tip-save over the bar at 40 minutes on a shot from the Storm’s Ella Dihel. South Elgin’s pressure stood out, but Romano stood up.
“She kept us in it. She made a couple point-blank saves in the first half and did a great job,” Overbey said of Romano.
After a 4-0 loss to UEC leader Bartlett on Monday, there was not shortage of wind in South Elgin’s sails Wednesday.
“Our energy was good today, coming out of a bad loss,” Szwaja said. “Bartlett is incredibly talented, but it was a game where we just chose not to attack. Our energy and possession were much better today.”
Chasing a one-goal deficit, Glenbard East’s intensity rose after halftime. Natalie Borcean sent a free kick off a wall of Storm defenders at 53 minutes, and the Rams’ Sarah Conroy sent a shot wide two minutes later. Teammate Jasmine Dhamers did the same one minute later from 22 yards.
COVID-19 protocols for close contact have caused multiple temporary absences for Glenbard East, but Romano has seen no drop in competitive fire.
“One of the things I'm most proud about on this team is that whatever 10 girls are playing in front of me, they play with fight and urgency,” Romano said. “Whether we are down or if it’s 0-0, we play the same. We just want to win so bad. Everyone has good days and bad days with communication, but we've been having more good days than bad days. And that consistency is key, 100 percent.”
Stueck also stood out Wednesday. The Storm keeper made some high-quality saves in the second half to hold the Rams at bay. Szwaja applauded the day’s work put in by her junior.
“Mallory did awesome today. I think she's been waiting for her moment, and now she's starting to shine,” Szwaja said. “She had a solid game, felt very confident, and I know her defenders felt confident with her back there.”
Stueck went into Wednesday’s game fueled by Monday’s setback.
“After the loss to Bartlett it's about proving ourselves and what a good team we are,” Stueck said. “(Glenbard East) was fast and physical, so we had to win those balls in the air and shut down those shots. I've gotten more confident in myself, just being around this team. I’m more comfortable with them, and it's just gotten a lot better.”
Glenbard East’s Maya Reinheimer hit a shot off the bar at 63 minutes, and one minute later teammate Sophia Sommesi was fouled in the box to set up a Rams penalty kick.
Dhamers calmly buried it to tie the game.
“We fought back,” Overbey said. “After the PK in the first half, it wasn't a situation where we dropped our heads. We kept grinding and kept pushing. I thought our attacking out of the midfield was good and their defense did a great job. We were unable to break it down other than the PK, and that was the difference.”
Physical back-and-forth play ensued before Barthelt’s deciding goal and continued to the final buzzer.
“I thought we played well," Overbey said. "I thought Sarah Liljestrand was dangerous attacking through the middle, and obviously Zoe kept us in it which was great. I also thought Haley Tu coming off the bench at that defensive center mid spot played well. We don't mention her often enough, and she was very good today. And I thought Jasmine was dangerous the whole game. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get loose.”
The Storm backline of Norah Stueck, Mailie Dunne, Lesly Ulloa, and Ella Dihel tought the good fight in the face of Glenbard East’s second half pressure.
South Elgin freshman Dihel has been a jack-of-all-trades.
“She's kind of our freshman utility player. She just does what she's asked to do, and she was solid today,” Szwaja said. “I think she saved us, especially in the first half with a couple mishaps in back and that's what good defenders are supposed to do, take care of each other. So Ella was definitely somebody her teammates were grateful for today.”
Team captain Barthelt — Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match — was happy with the way her side responded after Glenbard East knotted the game.
“We kept our motivation the whole way through,” Barthelt said. “We never let down our guard. After their PK it definitely got messy and unorganized, and I think we all realized we needed to flip the switch back on.”
Starting lineups
Glenbard East
GK Zoe Romano
D Maddie Kiefer
D Hope McKenna
D Kendall Crackel
D Brielle DeForest
MF Sarah Liljestrand
MF Sophia Sommesi
MF Natalie Borcean
MF Sophia Heatley
F Jasmine Dhamers
F Sarah Conroy
South Elgin
GK Mallory Stueck
D Ella Dihel
D Lesly Ulloa
D Norah Stueck
D Mailie Dunne
MF Alyssa Doherty
MF Lily Emandez
MF Kiara Andrewin
MF Allie Rhys
MF Erin Morahan
F Katrina Barthelt
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Katrina Barthelt, jr., F, South Elgin
Scoring summary
First half
South Elgin — Barthelt (PK) 16 minutes
Second half
Glenbard East — Dhamers (PK) 63 minutes
South Elgin — Barthelt (UA) 75 minutes