Manning’s late goal completes
Willowbrook rally past Glenbard East
Warriors end 3-game skid with 2-1 victory
By Curt Herron
VILLA PARK -- There's no better boost for a team that has gone through a tough stretch than to score a late goal that helps them capture a come-from-behind victory over a rival who is experiencing a successful season.
That's just what happened to Willowbrook on Friday night. The Warriors fell behind Glenbard East early in the second half before equaling things a few minutes later and then prevailing with a score in the late going for a 2-1 nonconference victory against its neighbor from Lombard.
Senior Izzy Manning connected for Willowbrook (7-5-0) on a long free kick in the 79th minute to break a tie that had been in place since the 49th minute when senior Erin Fitzgibbon connected. Following a scoreless opening half, Glenbard East (7-5-0) took the lead when junior Jasmine Dhamers scored in the 43rd minute.
It was the first victory for the Warriors over the Rams during coach Julio DelReal's tenure, and it couldn't have come at a better time. After getting off to a 5-1-0 start when it outscored opponents by a 19-4 margin, Willowbrook had lost three in a row and four of its last five while being outscored 18-6.
Glenbard East had recorded two-straight Upstate Eight Conference shutout wins and had victories in four of its last five matches, which had helped it to jump out to a 3-0-0 start in conference. The Ram’s are tied with Bartlett, and behind South Elgin and Elgin with at least one game in hand.
"The girls knew what was at stake, it was more than a game for both teams," DelReal said. "The friendships and playing in the same club and seeing each other for so much time. I told the girls that if you can't get up to play this game then you shouldn't be playing soccer at all.
“I've seen this rivalry in every sport, We could probably play them in marbles, and it would be just as competitive. There's a lot of bragging at stake.
"They're a great team, and they created really nice opportunities. My hat's off to them. I think this was a situation today where I think that luck was a little bit more on our side than on theirs, and that definitely helped. As a coaching staff, there's very little you need to do for this game, because it's mostly heart. The girls know what's at stake and what they're playing for, and they went out there and performed."
While disappointed to see his team not capitalize on more of its many chances and then yield a late goal, Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey knows that his squad is not at 100 percent. It’s played a lot of matches recently, and he is also focused on seeing his team pursue a conference title and then try to accomplish something in the postseason.
"Hats off to them, they put away two chances and we didn't," Overbey said. "I thought we had them on the ropes early and obviously didn't take advantage of some chances and sort of let them back in there. They took advantage.
“It was cross-town, and there were a lot of emotions because everybody knows everybody. Unfortunately, we didn't get the job done even though we worked well up-top, and I thought that we got in front of the goalie.
“Hats off to their keeper. She was super athletic and controlled the box well. We got in behind a lot into the box a lot, but she was there. She made a lot of athletic plays and was a shot-stopper. She did it all.
"We've been playing well coming into this but this was a stretch of five or six games in 10 days, and we looked a little gassed at the end. Our priority at this point needs to be our conference games.
“We have Bartlett coming up and Streamwood and Elgin back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. So, it's important for us to get back to practice Monday and just sort out some of those wrinkles that unfortunately we weren't able to take advantage of today.
“We have six seniors who've been on varsity since Day One and most of them have started all four years. We have eight seniors total, just a great core group. As soon as we can pull it all together and put the pieces together, it will be big."
The final 10 minutes of the match were very intense. Glenbard East had most of the good chances. Willowbrookj had two decent opportunities and made the most of their last one.
Glenbard East got good shots on goal from seniors Sarah Conroy and Natalie Borcean, but junior Willowbrook goalie Maddie Aderholt turned both away before Warriors senior Rachael Klamecki was denied by senior goalie Zoe Romano.
After Glenbard East’s senior Sarah Liljestrand sent in a pop-up and junior Brielle DeForest followed with a long free kick, the Rams were called for a foul. Manning launched a 40-yard free kick that Romano couldn't stop in the 79th minute. DeForest attempted one more long free kick in the final minute but Aderholt was able to secure it to assure the comeback win.
"I'm really proud of us for not getting down after that first goal, being kind of early in the beginning of the second half," Manning said. "Erin putting in that one goal afterward definitely helped us out to keep our heads up and keep battling, especially with it being a cross-town rivalry.
“Toward the end of the second half, just getting the opportunity to try to help get at least an assist for someone to put a ball in was really big and for it to go in really helped us out a lot.
"Maddie's stops helped us a lot. Toward the end she had that one big one where it was going to hit upper 90, and she just hit that out. That was a good job on her part. Because most of us girls know the ones on the other team and play club with them, it was really nice to beat them for the first time in a while.
“I like how we've had a lot of newcomers with freshmen and sophomores coming in, and we are still able to have that team chemistry and connect.”
Glenbard East briefly moved in front at 1-0 on one of the first real good scoring opportunities of the second half when Liljestrand sent a pass to Dhamers, who fired in an attempt from about 20 yards.
Shortly after Conroy was turned away by Aderholt, Willowbrook got its initial goal when Fitzgibbon got free and fired in a shot from about 20 yards in the 49th minute. The scoreboard remained even for more than half an hour.
"It can be really frustrating having to come back in the second half when you're tied at half, so getting the equalizer definitely helps get everyone’s spirits up when you're down," Fitzgibbon said. "The past couple of games have been a little bit frustrating, because we had a lot of goals scored on us. So, I think we definitely needed that, and once we got that goal, it definitely kind of changed the game for us.
"So many of us have played club together, so we all get along super well. There's been a lot of incoming freshmen this year, and there are a lot of new faces. I think the chemistry took a little time to get there but once it was there, I think it's been working really well for us. Since I've been a freshman, we haven't won against them so it feels really good."
Glenbard East definitely had the upper hand in chances throughout the final hour of play. But while a variety of Rams sent threatening attempts toward the net, Aderholt was up to the challenge and came up with several big stops.
"They had me working," Aderholt said. "Fresh in the half they scored. and we were a little down on ourselves. We started playing a little slow. But as soon as we picked our heads up and did what we had to do, I really think that that helped our confidence out there.
“We just played the game that we know. It helps having a defense that has your back and knowing that we all want the same thing. We want to come out with the win and have a good game. I think that helps us all to do our role the best that we can.
"It was cool and a good feeling when that (final goal) went in. That was amazing. We needed that, especially after the slump that we've been in.
“I love that no matter who we lose or who we gain, we're just all family. And I love that we all play together like we've been playing for our whole lives. I think that's great."
After the teams exchanged goals early in the final half, Willowbrook got a pair of threatening free kicks from Manning while Glenbard East answered with good attempts from senior Maia Zatarski, sophomore Jamie Quirk and Dhamers.
In the opening half, a few of the Rams' best attempts came from sophomore Maya Reinheimer, Conroy and Zatarski while some of the top threats for the hosts were turned in by seniors Brooke Vandergrift and Fitzgibbon.
Willowbrook will try to add to its win total when it hosts Fenwick on Tuesday, West Chicago on Thursday and Ridgewood on Saturday in nonconference action.
Glenbard East has three key Upstate Eight Conference matches next week. The Rams host Bartlett on Wednesday and travel to Streamwood on Friday and Elgin on Saturday.
Starting lineups
Glenbard East
G Zoe Romano
D Ruby Campuzano
D Jamie Quirk
D Ciara Johnson
D Brielle DeForest
M Maia Zatarski
M Natalie Borcean
M Haley Tu
F Sarah Liljestrand
F Jasmine Dhamers
F Sarah Conroy
Willowbrook
G Maddie Aderholt
D Halie Ahrens
D Izzy Manning
D Allie Knudsen
D Ali Vittorio
M Brooke Vandergrift
M Molly Brennan
M Mackenzie Parente
M Rachael Klamecki
F Kennedy Vannoy
F Erin Fitzgibbon
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Erin Fitzgibbon, sr., F, Wilowbrook;
Izzy Manning, sr., D, Willowbrook
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
G: Jasmine Dhamers (Sarah Liljestrand), 43rd minute
W: Erin Fitzgibbon, 49th minute
W: Izzy Manning, 79th minute
Willowbrook rally past Glenbard East
Warriors end 3-game skid with 2-1 victory
By Curt Herron
VILLA PARK -- There's no better boost for a team that has gone through a tough stretch than to score a late goal that helps them capture a come-from-behind victory over a rival who is experiencing a successful season.
That's just what happened to Willowbrook on Friday night. The Warriors fell behind Glenbard East early in the second half before equaling things a few minutes later and then prevailing with a score in the late going for a 2-1 nonconference victory against its neighbor from Lombard.
Senior Izzy Manning connected for Willowbrook (7-5-0) on a long free kick in the 79th minute to break a tie that had been in place since the 49th minute when senior Erin Fitzgibbon connected. Following a scoreless opening half, Glenbard East (7-5-0) took the lead when junior Jasmine Dhamers scored in the 43rd minute.
It was the first victory for the Warriors over the Rams during coach Julio DelReal's tenure, and it couldn't have come at a better time. After getting off to a 5-1-0 start when it outscored opponents by a 19-4 margin, Willowbrook had lost three in a row and four of its last five while being outscored 18-6.
Glenbard East had recorded two-straight Upstate Eight Conference shutout wins and had victories in four of its last five matches, which had helped it to jump out to a 3-0-0 start in conference. The Ram’s are tied with Bartlett, and behind South Elgin and Elgin with at least one game in hand.
"The girls knew what was at stake, it was more than a game for both teams," DelReal said. "The friendships and playing in the same club and seeing each other for so much time. I told the girls that if you can't get up to play this game then you shouldn't be playing soccer at all.
“I've seen this rivalry in every sport, We could probably play them in marbles, and it would be just as competitive. There's a lot of bragging at stake.
"They're a great team, and they created really nice opportunities. My hat's off to them. I think this was a situation today where I think that luck was a little bit more on our side than on theirs, and that definitely helped. As a coaching staff, there's very little you need to do for this game, because it's mostly heart. The girls know what's at stake and what they're playing for, and they went out there and performed."
While disappointed to see his team not capitalize on more of its many chances and then yield a late goal, Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey knows that his squad is not at 100 percent. It’s played a lot of matches recently, and he is also focused on seeing his team pursue a conference title and then try to accomplish something in the postseason.
"Hats off to them, they put away two chances and we didn't," Overbey said. "I thought we had them on the ropes early and obviously didn't take advantage of some chances and sort of let them back in there. They took advantage.
“It was cross-town, and there were a lot of emotions because everybody knows everybody. Unfortunately, we didn't get the job done even though we worked well up-top, and I thought that we got in front of the goalie.
“Hats off to their keeper. She was super athletic and controlled the box well. We got in behind a lot into the box a lot, but she was there. She made a lot of athletic plays and was a shot-stopper. She did it all.
"We've been playing well coming into this but this was a stretch of five or six games in 10 days, and we looked a little gassed at the end. Our priority at this point needs to be our conference games.
“We have Bartlett coming up and Streamwood and Elgin back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. So, it's important for us to get back to practice Monday and just sort out some of those wrinkles that unfortunately we weren't able to take advantage of today.
“We have six seniors who've been on varsity since Day One and most of them have started all four years. We have eight seniors total, just a great core group. As soon as we can pull it all together and put the pieces together, it will be big."
The final 10 minutes of the match were very intense. Glenbard East had most of the good chances. Willowbrookj had two decent opportunities and made the most of their last one.
Glenbard East got good shots on goal from seniors Sarah Conroy and Natalie Borcean, but junior Willowbrook goalie Maddie Aderholt turned both away before Warriors senior Rachael Klamecki was denied by senior goalie Zoe Romano.
After Glenbard East’s senior Sarah Liljestrand sent in a pop-up and junior Brielle DeForest followed with a long free kick, the Rams were called for a foul. Manning launched a 40-yard free kick that Romano couldn't stop in the 79th minute. DeForest attempted one more long free kick in the final minute but Aderholt was able to secure it to assure the comeback win.
"I'm really proud of us for not getting down after that first goal, being kind of early in the beginning of the second half," Manning said. "Erin putting in that one goal afterward definitely helped us out to keep our heads up and keep battling, especially with it being a cross-town rivalry.
“Toward the end of the second half, just getting the opportunity to try to help get at least an assist for someone to put a ball in was really big and for it to go in really helped us out a lot.
"Maddie's stops helped us a lot. Toward the end she had that one big one where it was going to hit upper 90, and she just hit that out. That was a good job on her part. Because most of us girls know the ones on the other team and play club with them, it was really nice to beat them for the first time in a while.
“I like how we've had a lot of newcomers with freshmen and sophomores coming in, and we are still able to have that team chemistry and connect.”
Glenbard East briefly moved in front at 1-0 on one of the first real good scoring opportunities of the second half when Liljestrand sent a pass to Dhamers, who fired in an attempt from about 20 yards.
Shortly after Conroy was turned away by Aderholt, Willowbrook got its initial goal when Fitzgibbon got free and fired in a shot from about 20 yards in the 49th minute. The scoreboard remained even for more than half an hour.
"It can be really frustrating having to come back in the second half when you're tied at half, so getting the equalizer definitely helps get everyone’s spirits up when you're down," Fitzgibbon said. "The past couple of games have been a little bit frustrating, because we had a lot of goals scored on us. So, I think we definitely needed that, and once we got that goal, it definitely kind of changed the game for us.
"So many of us have played club together, so we all get along super well. There's been a lot of incoming freshmen this year, and there are a lot of new faces. I think the chemistry took a little time to get there but once it was there, I think it's been working really well for us. Since I've been a freshman, we haven't won against them so it feels really good."
Glenbard East definitely had the upper hand in chances throughout the final hour of play. But while a variety of Rams sent threatening attempts toward the net, Aderholt was up to the challenge and came up with several big stops.
"They had me working," Aderholt said. "Fresh in the half they scored. and we were a little down on ourselves. We started playing a little slow. But as soon as we picked our heads up and did what we had to do, I really think that that helped our confidence out there.
“We just played the game that we know. It helps having a defense that has your back and knowing that we all want the same thing. We want to come out with the win and have a good game. I think that helps us all to do our role the best that we can.
"It was cool and a good feeling when that (final goal) went in. That was amazing. We needed that, especially after the slump that we've been in.
“I love that no matter who we lose or who we gain, we're just all family. And I love that we all play together like we've been playing for our whole lives. I think that's great."
After the teams exchanged goals early in the final half, Willowbrook got a pair of threatening free kicks from Manning while Glenbard East answered with good attempts from senior Maia Zatarski, sophomore Jamie Quirk and Dhamers.
In the opening half, a few of the Rams' best attempts came from sophomore Maya Reinheimer, Conroy and Zatarski while some of the top threats for the hosts were turned in by seniors Brooke Vandergrift and Fitzgibbon.
Willowbrook will try to add to its win total when it hosts Fenwick on Tuesday, West Chicago on Thursday and Ridgewood on Saturday in nonconference action.
Glenbard East has three key Upstate Eight Conference matches next week. The Rams host Bartlett on Wednesday and travel to Streamwood on Friday and Elgin on Saturday.
Starting lineups
Glenbard East
G Zoe Romano
D Ruby Campuzano
D Jamie Quirk
D Ciara Johnson
D Brielle DeForest
M Maia Zatarski
M Natalie Borcean
M Haley Tu
F Sarah Liljestrand
F Jasmine Dhamers
F Sarah Conroy
Willowbrook
G Maddie Aderholt
D Halie Ahrens
D Izzy Manning
D Allie Knudsen
D Ali Vittorio
M Brooke Vandergrift
M Molly Brennan
M Mackenzie Parente
M Rachael Klamecki
F Kennedy Vannoy
F Erin Fitzgibbon
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Erin Fitzgibbon, sr., F, Wilowbrook;
Izzy Manning, sr., D, Willowbrook
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
G: Jasmine Dhamers (Sarah Liljestrand), 43rd minute
W: Erin Fitzgibbon, 49th minute
W: Izzy Manning, 79th minute