Glenbard E.’s 2nd half derails W. Chicago
Rams overcome halftime deficit for 2-1 win, stay in U8 title hunt
By Dave Owen
WEST CHICAGO -- The latest highlight in West Chicago’s season of improvement also had an impact on the opposing side.
After the Wildcats (10-7-2, 1-1-0 in the Upstate Eight Valley) took a 1-0 halftime lead on a goal by standout midfielder Barbie Castellanos, visiting Glenbard East used the deficit as motivation heading into the second half.
The results were immediate. Two goals in the first 7:22 after the break powered the Rams (9-3-3, 2-0-2) to an eventual 2-1 win.
“At halftime we definitely started motivating each other, that we can’t let a silly goal just kill us,” said Lindsey Novak, whose goal and assist earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
“We had to bring the energy, and we knew the first 10 minutes really would make the difference. We all started connecting passes, getting beyond calls and kind of miscommunication (in the first half). We really worked together as a team to get the outcome we were hoping to get.”
Teamwork took the form of pinpoint passing and unselfishness on the deciding strikes.
With 35:45 left in the match, Mimi Camacho drove up the right side and sent a cross to Amy Chiero at the edge of the box. Chiero nicely angled a pass to Novak rushing in to the left post, who lined in the equalizing goal.
“We’ve been working in practice on crossing the ball a lot, getting the ball across to the top of the 18,” Chiero said. “Mimi did a great job of passing it back to me. I just laid it off, and Lindsey made a great finish.”
Then just three minutes later, the same formula of quick passes and another close-in power finish netted the game-winner.
Chiero initiated the play at midfield, finding Ali Liljestrand on the right. Liljestrand passed to Novak, whose cross to the front set up Camacho for a low 6-yard liner into the net.
“Mimi was in the perfect spot (on the second goal),” Novak said. “We’ve been working on dribbling to the end line and crossing it in, and we were able to get two goals off of that drill basically. It was amazing.”
A halftime adjustment produced rapid results.
“I thought we had a bunch of chances in the first half, but we got a little more efficient in the second half,” said Rams coach Kent Overbey.
“We changed it up a little bit at halftime. We pushed one of our forwards (Camacho) up a little bit higher and made their stopper drop, so essentially they were marking one girl with two. And when Mimi could turn, she could find people in the corners. It just opened the whole game up.”
Before Glenbard East’s second half surge, the play of West Chicago goalkeeper Haley Rich and Castellanos had given the Wildcats an early edge.
Castellanos had the first half’s main moment with a great individual effort 15 minutes in. Intercepting a Rams clearing attempt and seeing goalkeeper Faith Davies off her line, Castellanos sent a high chip from well outside the box into the net for a 1-0 West Chicago lead.
“Honestly it was like someone (on Glenbard East) kicked it and tried clearing it,” Castellanos said of the goal. “I saw the chance, and I guess I’m used to those where it’s like the goalies tend to try to clear it really quick, it comes to me, and I see her a little far off the net.
“I tried to place it and get the right power on the shot, and not go over. There’s a few times when that happens. But it’s my second goal this season chipping it, so it’s cool. And especially losing to them 3-0 last year, getting a goal was very powerful.”
Whether it’s scoring unlikely goals or elsewhere on the field, Castellanos is a powerful presence.
“She is wired differently,” Gomez said. “Not that many people have her passion for the game.”
Containing Castellanos was a focus all night of the Rams’ midfield and defense.
“You could tell in the first half that she was a very strong midfielder,” Chiero said. “She had great touches on the ball, and she was helping their team switch the field a lot, which is what we had to step up on a lot in the second half.
“We did a great job of it. Both Ali and Toledo (at midfield) and Mattie (Pusateri at ouside back) were shifting across, and then our defense was backing us up if it ever got past us. No. 3 (Castellanos) was doing a great job, but we were able to shut her down.”
The Rams’ efforts neutralized a usual West Chicago strength.
“They obviously like to possess, and we had more possession than they did today,” Overbey said. “That may be the first time ever.
“I thought our midfield was excellent, especially Amy Chiero stepping forward and winning balls. And Ali in the first half winning balls and getting on the attack was awesome.”
Outside of Castellanos’ impressive goal, Glenbard East’s defense (11 shutouts this season) was in its usual peak form.
“We knew it was kind of – I don’t want to say a fluke, it was a really impressive finish from way out,” Pusateri said. “But we knew we were strong and that we could get goals back.”
But despite several chances, the Rams’ offense had trouble getting on the board in the first half.
West Chicago battled without standout sweeper Odalis Martinez (sidelined by a mid-April hyperextended knee), but goalkeeper Rich and the Wildcats’ defense protected the lead into the half.
“I thought Haley really played like a goalie today,” Wildcats coach J. Cesar Gomez said. “She tends to usually stay on her line, and she came out. Her punt was impeccable, her hands were good as well. I thought she arrived today, and what a great time to do it.”
Rich’s aggressive approach paid off.
“To keep focused I try to be communicative with my backs,” Rich said, “and one thing I’ve been working on this season is coming out more to balls like at the top of the box and things like that. That’s what I’ve really focused on the most since the beginning of the season, and I think I’ve really improved.
“Sometimes it’s a little hard. I get down sometimes after goals, especially because I think I can save everything. But mistakes happen, and we just go past it.
“I am honestly so impressed with my team,” Rich added. “We have so much chemistry on and off the field. We’ve had a couple losses in a row, but we’ve picked it up so much (this year).”
After Glenbard East seized the 2-1 lead, Rich helped deny several more Rams threats. She made a high catch at the post of Camacho’s 20-yard shot with 30:35 left.
Free kicks by Katie Hansen then created chances. First, a Hansen 58-yard free kick with 28:20 to play spun free into the box, where Rich just beat a Rams player to the loose ball and covered.
Then with 20 minutes left, Rich made a catch at the far post of another well-struck Hansen 45-yard free kick.
Rich’s best save came with 10:10 to go. Off a Pusateri corner kick, Rich made a diving catch at the near post of a Liljestrand 6-yard shot.
“They’re a good team,” Gomez said of Glenbard East. “They play aggressive soccer, not dirty soccer. It’s fun to watch that – they go through every ball. We have a good possession game, but we’re still begging for aggressiveness through it like they have.
“There’s a little bit of an edge to them. They’re going to get there, and let you know that they’re there. We haven’t done that. We’re trying to get there, and when we do we’ll be able to compete with teams that are more physical.”
While withstanding multiple Rams threats, West Chicago still generated its own bids to tie.
One came with 19:40 to go – on a Giselle Navejas chip towards the box, Glenbard East goalkeeper Faith Davies raced out to challenge the high send. Davies managed to partially deflect a 15-yard header by Castellanos, which was then cleared by a Rams defender.
With 4:30 left, Navejas’ 1-v.-1 rush was initially cleared. Evelyn Hernandez followed with a 35-yard rebound try, which deflected on goal.
Davies’ final save came with two minutes left, a catch at the 6-yard line on a Navejas 45-yard free kick.
“We knew West Chicago liked to possess the ball and try to switch the field,” Pusateri said of her team’s defensive effort. “So it started with our forwards keeping them on one side, and our midfield marking tight. We’ve been doing that all season, which has helped the defense not have too much to worry about honestly.
“And when it comes at us we just try to do all we can, but we know we have Faith Davies behind us. We know she’s a great keeper. We’re just confident, because we know we can go in strong, and we’ll back each other up. Katie, Sam (Johnson) and Alyse (Donato) do a great job of stepping behind if one of us goes up, and Faith will scoop up anything that rolls past.”
Being unable to finish on scoring chances had been one of the few Rams weaknesses this spring. The second half Tuesday changed that.
“We’ve had a lot of chances, and it’s hard because we’ve done better in the past seasons,” Novak said. “But we’re finally finding our sweet spot and working together.
“We know we’re going to keep moving on from here, and hopefully get shutouts more often and keep winning.”
For West Chicago, the 2-1 loss hardly dimmed enthusiasm.
“We’ve had a good season,” Castellanos said. “I don’t think West Chicago has had 10 wins in a season, so getting those wins is pretty nice.
“We’re getting there, getting closer to the goal we want. We’re evening out with teams that were pretty harsh last year, teams that would beat us by a lot. We’re minimizing the goals that they have, and I think we’re improving a lot as a team.”
The optimism starts at the top with Gomez.
“I’m proud of the group,” the Wildcats coach said. “Our motto is ‘We greater than me.’ And they’ve bought into the stuff we’re telling them.
“We want two things out of them every day: their best attitude and the best you. And they’re bringing it. They challenge each other, and we see the result. This is unheard of in a long time for us, to win 10 games and to go 2-1 today. Glenbard East has been there, they know what this tastes like, and we want to have it. We were able to play toe to toe with them. But we didn’t get one corner kick, or one free kick close by.”
With top defender Martinez receiving therapy for her knee injury and her timetable to return unknown, the Wildcats have battled on.
“It’s so hard, because you can look back at the close games we’ve lost without her,” Gomez said. “It’s a humongous hole. She is a sophomore who delegates well, she wins everything near the goal; it’s hard.
“But we love the group that we have. They listen, they’re coachable. And every time we win or lose we learn something. Today we learned a lot.”
Said Castellanos: “We worked hard and tried not to give up. We did a lot of ball watching early in the season. That’s something we’re working on as a group, communicating, going in together and winning those 50-50 balls. We tend to be the underdogs like our coach calls us, so I think we need to understand how to beat the bigger teams.”
Glenbard East has been the biggest team in the UEC Valley of late, and came up large again Tuesday.
“I’m really proud of the way the team responded at halftime,” Overbey said. “We were a little down, but I thought we were playing well. It was going to come if we just kept chipping away.
“We’re going to have tough games where we get down, and we have to be able to respond like that. And I thought we kept the hammer down the whole half. That’s what we needed.”
Starting lineups
Glenbard East
GK Faith Davies
D Alyse Donato
D Sam Johnson
D Katie Hansen
D Mattie Pusateri
M Elizabeth Toledo
M Amy Chiero
M Ali Liljestrand
F Mimi Camacho
F Maddie Weltin
F Lindsey Novak
West Chicago
GK Haley Rich
D Luciana Balzer
D Alex Alcantar
D Patty Fernandez
D Maribel Gonzalez
M Barbie Castellanos
M Vanessa Montenegro
M Kayla Schwarz
M Vivis Martinez
F Giselle Navejas
F Genesis Garcia
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Lindsey Novak, jr. F, Glenbard East.
Scoring summary
First half
WC – Barbie Castellanos, 16th minute
Second half
GE– Lindsey Novak (Amy Chiero), 45th minute
GE– Mimi Camacho (Novak), 48th minute
Rams overcome halftime deficit for 2-1 win, stay in U8 title hunt
By Dave Owen
WEST CHICAGO -- The latest highlight in West Chicago’s season of improvement also had an impact on the opposing side.
After the Wildcats (10-7-2, 1-1-0 in the Upstate Eight Valley) took a 1-0 halftime lead on a goal by standout midfielder Barbie Castellanos, visiting Glenbard East used the deficit as motivation heading into the second half.
The results were immediate. Two goals in the first 7:22 after the break powered the Rams (9-3-3, 2-0-2) to an eventual 2-1 win.
“At halftime we definitely started motivating each other, that we can’t let a silly goal just kill us,” said Lindsey Novak, whose goal and assist earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
“We had to bring the energy, and we knew the first 10 minutes really would make the difference. We all started connecting passes, getting beyond calls and kind of miscommunication (in the first half). We really worked together as a team to get the outcome we were hoping to get.”
Teamwork took the form of pinpoint passing and unselfishness on the deciding strikes.
With 35:45 left in the match, Mimi Camacho drove up the right side and sent a cross to Amy Chiero at the edge of the box. Chiero nicely angled a pass to Novak rushing in to the left post, who lined in the equalizing goal.
“We’ve been working in practice on crossing the ball a lot, getting the ball across to the top of the 18,” Chiero said. “Mimi did a great job of passing it back to me. I just laid it off, and Lindsey made a great finish.”
Then just three minutes later, the same formula of quick passes and another close-in power finish netted the game-winner.
Chiero initiated the play at midfield, finding Ali Liljestrand on the right. Liljestrand passed to Novak, whose cross to the front set up Camacho for a low 6-yard liner into the net.
“Mimi was in the perfect spot (on the second goal),” Novak said. “We’ve been working on dribbling to the end line and crossing it in, and we were able to get two goals off of that drill basically. It was amazing.”
A halftime adjustment produced rapid results.
“I thought we had a bunch of chances in the first half, but we got a little more efficient in the second half,” said Rams coach Kent Overbey.
“We changed it up a little bit at halftime. We pushed one of our forwards (Camacho) up a little bit higher and made their stopper drop, so essentially they were marking one girl with two. And when Mimi could turn, she could find people in the corners. It just opened the whole game up.”
Before Glenbard East’s second half surge, the play of West Chicago goalkeeper Haley Rich and Castellanos had given the Wildcats an early edge.
Castellanos had the first half’s main moment with a great individual effort 15 minutes in. Intercepting a Rams clearing attempt and seeing goalkeeper Faith Davies off her line, Castellanos sent a high chip from well outside the box into the net for a 1-0 West Chicago lead.
“Honestly it was like someone (on Glenbard East) kicked it and tried clearing it,” Castellanos said of the goal. “I saw the chance, and I guess I’m used to those where it’s like the goalies tend to try to clear it really quick, it comes to me, and I see her a little far off the net.
“I tried to place it and get the right power on the shot, and not go over. There’s a few times when that happens. But it’s my second goal this season chipping it, so it’s cool. And especially losing to them 3-0 last year, getting a goal was very powerful.”
Whether it’s scoring unlikely goals or elsewhere on the field, Castellanos is a powerful presence.
“She is wired differently,” Gomez said. “Not that many people have her passion for the game.”
Containing Castellanos was a focus all night of the Rams’ midfield and defense.
“You could tell in the first half that she was a very strong midfielder,” Chiero said. “She had great touches on the ball, and she was helping their team switch the field a lot, which is what we had to step up on a lot in the second half.
“We did a great job of it. Both Ali and Toledo (at midfield) and Mattie (Pusateri at ouside back) were shifting across, and then our defense was backing us up if it ever got past us. No. 3 (Castellanos) was doing a great job, but we were able to shut her down.”
The Rams’ efforts neutralized a usual West Chicago strength.
“They obviously like to possess, and we had more possession than they did today,” Overbey said. “That may be the first time ever.
“I thought our midfield was excellent, especially Amy Chiero stepping forward and winning balls. And Ali in the first half winning balls and getting on the attack was awesome.”
Outside of Castellanos’ impressive goal, Glenbard East’s defense (11 shutouts this season) was in its usual peak form.
“We knew it was kind of – I don’t want to say a fluke, it was a really impressive finish from way out,” Pusateri said. “But we knew we were strong and that we could get goals back.”
But despite several chances, the Rams’ offense had trouble getting on the board in the first half.
West Chicago battled without standout sweeper Odalis Martinez (sidelined by a mid-April hyperextended knee), but goalkeeper Rich and the Wildcats’ defense protected the lead into the half.
“I thought Haley really played like a goalie today,” Wildcats coach J. Cesar Gomez said. “She tends to usually stay on her line, and she came out. Her punt was impeccable, her hands were good as well. I thought she arrived today, and what a great time to do it.”
Rich’s aggressive approach paid off.
“To keep focused I try to be communicative with my backs,” Rich said, “and one thing I’ve been working on this season is coming out more to balls like at the top of the box and things like that. That’s what I’ve really focused on the most since the beginning of the season, and I think I’ve really improved.
“Sometimes it’s a little hard. I get down sometimes after goals, especially because I think I can save everything. But mistakes happen, and we just go past it.
“I am honestly so impressed with my team,” Rich added. “We have so much chemistry on and off the field. We’ve had a couple losses in a row, but we’ve picked it up so much (this year).”
After Glenbard East seized the 2-1 lead, Rich helped deny several more Rams threats. She made a high catch at the post of Camacho’s 20-yard shot with 30:35 left.
Free kicks by Katie Hansen then created chances. First, a Hansen 58-yard free kick with 28:20 to play spun free into the box, where Rich just beat a Rams player to the loose ball and covered.
Then with 20 minutes left, Rich made a catch at the far post of another well-struck Hansen 45-yard free kick.
Rich’s best save came with 10:10 to go. Off a Pusateri corner kick, Rich made a diving catch at the near post of a Liljestrand 6-yard shot.
“They’re a good team,” Gomez said of Glenbard East. “They play aggressive soccer, not dirty soccer. It’s fun to watch that – they go through every ball. We have a good possession game, but we’re still begging for aggressiveness through it like they have.
“There’s a little bit of an edge to them. They’re going to get there, and let you know that they’re there. We haven’t done that. We’re trying to get there, and when we do we’ll be able to compete with teams that are more physical.”
While withstanding multiple Rams threats, West Chicago still generated its own bids to tie.
One came with 19:40 to go – on a Giselle Navejas chip towards the box, Glenbard East goalkeeper Faith Davies raced out to challenge the high send. Davies managed to partially deflect a 15-yard header by Castellanos, which was then cleared by a Rams defender.
With 4:30 left, Navejas’ 1-v.-1 rush was initially cleared. Evelyn Hernandez followed with a 35-yard rebound try, which deflected on goal.
Davies’ final save came with two minutes left, a catch at the 6-yard line on a Navejas 45-yard free kick.
“We knew West Chicago liked to possess the ball and try to switch the field,” Pusateri said of her team’s defensive effort. “So it started with our forwards keeping them on one side, and our midfield marking tight. We’ve been doing that all season, which has helped the defense not have too much to worry about honestly.
“And when it comes at us we just try to do all we can, but we know we have Faith Davies behind us. We know she’s a great keeper. We’re just confident, because we know we can go in strong, and we’ll back each other up. Katie, Sam (Johnson) and Alyse (Donato) do a great job of stepping behind if one of us goes up, and Faith will scoop up anything that rolls past.”
Being unable to finish on scoring chances had been one of the few Rams weaknesses this spring. The second half Tuesday changed that.
“We’ve had a lot of chances, and it’s hard because we’ve done better in the past seasons,” Novak said. “But we’re finally finding our sweet spot and working together.
“We know we’re going to keep moving on from here, and hopefully get shutouts more often and keep winning.”
For West Chicago, the 2-1 loss hardly dimmed enthusiasm.
“We’ve had a good season,” Castellanos said. “I don’t think West Chicago has had 10 wins in a season, so getting those wins is pretty nice.
“We’re getting there, getting closer to the goal we want. We’re evening out with teams that were pretty harsh last year, teams that would beat us by a lot. We’re minimizing the goals that they have, and I think we’re improving a lot as a team.”
The optimism starts at the top with Gomez.
“I’m proud of the group,” the Wildcats coach said. “Our motto is ‘We greater than me.’ And they’ve bought into the stuff we’re telling them.
“We want two things out of them every day: their best attitude and the best you. And they’re bringing it. They challenge each other, and we see the result. This is unheard of in a long time for us, to win 10 games and to go 2-1 today. Glenbard East has been there, they know what this tastes like, and we want to have it. We were able to play toe to toe with them. But we didn’t get one corner kick, or one free kick close by.”
With top defender Martinez receiving therapy for her knee injury and her timetable to return unknown, the Wildcats have battled on.
“It’s so hard, because you can look back at the close games we’ve lost without her,” Gomez said. “It’s a humongous hole. She is a sophomore who delegates well, she wins everything near the goal; it’s hard.
“But we love the group that we have. They listen, they’re coachable. And every time we win or lose we learn something. Today we learned a lot.”
Said Castellanos: “We worked hard and tried not to give up. We did a lot of ball watching early in the season. That’s something we’re working on as a group, communicating, going in together and winning those 50-50 balls. We tend to be the underdogs like our coach calls us, so I think we need to understand how to beat the bigger teams.”
Glenbard East has been the biggest team in the UEC Valley of late, and came up large again Tuesday.
“I’m really proud of the way the team responded at halftime,” Overbey said. “We were a little down, but I thought we were playing well. It was going to come if we just kept chipping away.
“We’re going to have tough games where we get down, and we have to be able to respond like that. And I thought we kept the hammer down the whole half. That’s what we needed.”
Starting lineups
Glenbard East
GK Faith Davies
D Alyse Donato
D Sam Johnson
D Katie Hansen
D Mattie Pusateri
M Elizabeth Toledo
M Amy Chiero
M Ali Liljestrand
F Mimi Camacho
F Maddie Weltin
F Lindsey Novak
West Chicago
GK Haley Rich
D Luciana Balzer
D Alex Alcantar
D Patty Fernandez
D Maribel Gonzalez
M Barbie Castellanos
M Vanessa Montenegro
M Kayla Schwarz
M Vivis Martinez
F Giselle Navejas
F Genesis Garcia
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Lindsey Novak, jr. F, Glenbard East.
Scoring summary
First half
WC – Barbie Castellanos, 16th minute
Second half
GE– Lindsey Novak (Amy Chiero), 45th minute
GE– Mimi Camacho (Novak), 48th minute