SCE steps closer to goal
with shutout win over Glenbard W.
Saints win 4-0, prepare to meet crosstown rival for 3rd time
By Curt Herron
ST. CHARLES -- A team has to feel very excited about its chances of winning a sectional championship when it completely puts the clamps on its sectional semifinal opponent as it creates numerous great scoring opportunities.
That's just what St. Charles East did Tuesday when it faced Glenbard West in the Class 3A Bartlett Sectional semifinal match at Norris Stadium.
The top-seeded Fighting Saints were on the attack from the outset and prevented the Hilltoppers from seriously threatening throughout the match. That conduct resulted in a convincing 4-0 victory that advanced them to the sectional final against rival St. Charles North. The title game, at 5 p.m. Friday at Norris Stadium, keeps St. Charles East in its home stadium.
Coach Vince DiNuzzo's squad improved to 21-0-1 and posted their 15th shutout of the season and fourth in a row. Upcoming opponent and second-seeded St. Charles North advanced with a 2-1 home victory over Wheaton Warrenville South in the other semifinal match. The Saints own 3-0 and 2-0 wins over North this season.
St. Charles East hopes to capture its first sectional championship since 2014 while denying the North Stars (14-4-2) their fifth-straight sectional title. The teams faced off in the sectional finals in 2019 and in the semifinals the year before that. Friday's winner advances to Tuesday's Barrington Supersectional against the host and top-seeded Broncos or third-seed Hononegah.
"The defending piece is kind of what starts our attack," DiNuzzo said. "At one point we got away from that. There was so much space behind the back four. The space was there, and we had so many opportunities and we were frustrated a bit. But once we kind of honed in defensively and stemmed our attack from winning the ball in the midfield, I think it opened some opportunities for our front three, and we saw that the finishing was just a lot better in the second half.
"We're healthy, and that's what's important. Hopefully we continue to play our style of soccer. We put a lot of value in our offseason by having open gyms and opportunities for kids to play together. So when we started in March, it wasn't the first time that these kids had played together. Obviously building that chemistry with some newcomers and we had 20 games in the regular season, and that helped. The amount of soccer that we've played in the last two months has kind of allowed us to meld together."
Late in the opening half, Megan Sreniawski made a great pass in front of the net to Hannah Miller, who connected for the only first half score. After the break, Sreniawski, who earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor, scored three goals during a 20-minute span. Jenna Sitta assisted on the first two and Ashley Stellon on the final tally.
The fourth-seeded Hilltoppers (11-6-0), who made their first sectional appearance in 20 years, hung in throughout most of the opening half thanks largely to the efforts of senior goalkeeper Sam Bleker, who was under attack from the opening minute.
She halted a string of good attempts from McKenna Gahagan, Sreniawski, Miller, Sitta and Stellon during the opening 20 minutes. But there was little that she could do in the 28th minute when Sreniawski sent a pass in front of the net and Miller completed the play with the game-winning goal.
"Something that we've been working on in practice, and we've really tried to put emphasis on, is that if the play is not there, to try to hold the ball up and wait for numbers to get into the box," Sreniawski said. "In that moment, I didn't really see anyone open making runs in, so I just tried to hold the ball and wait for that open pass. I saw Hannah running up. So, I just passed it there and it was a goal.
"She (Bleker) is a really talented keeper and at first it was frustrating because she was kind of able to guess where I was trying to pass the ball in. So at halftime, we talked about just trying to put more power on the ball, and that's what I did in the second half. I was able to get goals off it. We definitely have a lot of chemistry, and I've been playing with Ashley from a young age. We played club together so I know where she is going to play the ball and the same with our other mids. Just playing this season, I think we've built really good chemistry together and we know how to play off of each other."
The Saints have only allowed nine goals this season and many of those occured with the first 11 off the field. Glenbard West, which averaged three goals a match and had a couple of players back who didn't play in their regional title win, was unable to move the ball due to the pressure that the Saints applied all over the field.
Leading the way for the Saints along the backline are Megan Stout, Jessica Stepien, Lindsey Rzeszutko and Anna Champine. Their combined play allowed goalkeeper Sofia Iori to have few concerns while recording another shutout.
"I think the chemistry in the backline is something that's unstoppable, and we're really strong," Champine said. "Even when the subs like Sydney Smith and Ashley Brummel come in, the intensity stays the same. Defensively, we always have the urge and the drive to win the ball back, and I think that's what makes us strong in the back.
"What pushes us in the playoffs is that we don't want to let our guard down by letting up goals because we've come so far and worked so hard to keep that going. Having such a talented midfield and top three has been really beneficial for the backline. And what makes us strong is that we have so much movement and talent on and off the ball."
Bleker halted attempts by Sitta and Miller early in the final half but the Saints finally began to break open the match when Sreniawski took a pass from Sitta and then moved past defenders to connect from 20 yards in the 49th minute. That gave the hosts a 2-0 lead.
The same pairing occured on East's next goal. Sreniawski fired in a liner that went over the keeper's head in the 59th minute and then in the 69th minute, Stellon found Sreniawski, who capped her three-goal effort with a try from close range.
"I like the chemistry that we have," Yazmin Martinez said. "We all know where each player is and we play together. Everyone here brings something to the team and I think that we've all grown together."
Glenbard West's coach was obviously proud of his goalie's performance and that his squad got the chance to compete in the sectional against one of the state's top teams.
"They have some terrific players, and it was a matchup problem and a nightmare to prepare for," Hilltoppers coach Adam Szyszko said. "Sam stood on her head and was amazing for most of the match. But they're so quick defensively and close on the ball very quickly. You don't get a lot of space and angles, and they choke off any possession.
"I'm so proud of our group. We set the goal at the beginning of the season to win the regional and we did that. Give St. Charles East all the credit. They're a heckuva side."
Starting lineups
Glenbard West
G - Sam Bleker
D - Elise Pollock
D - Emma Kluge
D - Jennifer Fox
D - Ellie Tarczon
M - Emmie Roberts
M - Clare Kostolansky
M - Megan Mullins
M - Maggie McDonnell
F - Brianna Hernandez
F - Kendall Walch
St. Charles East
G - Sofia Iori
D - Megan Stout
D - Jessica Stepien
D - Lindsey Rzeszutko
D - Anna Champine
M - Yazmin Martinez
M - Ashley Stellon
M - McKenna Gahagan
F - Jenna Sitta
F - Megan Sreniawski
F - Hannah Miller
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Megan Sreniawski, sr., MF, St. Charles East
Scoring summary
First half
SCE - Miller (Sreniawski), 28
Second half
SCE - Sreniawski (Sitta), 49
SCE - Sreniawski (Sitta), 59
SCE - Sreniawski (Stellon), 69
with shutout win over Glenbard W.
Saints win 4-0, prepare to meet crosstown rival for 3rd time
By Curt Herron
ST. CHARLES -- A team has to feel very excited about its chances of winning a sectional championship when it completely puts the clamps on its sectional semifinal opponent as it creates numerous great scoring opportunities.
That's just what St. Charles East did Tuesday when it faced Glenbard West in the Class 3A Bartlett Sectional semifinal match at Norris Stadium.
The top-seeded Fighting Saints were on the attack from the outset and prevented the Hilltoppers from seriously threatening throughout the match. That conduct resulted in a convincing 4-0 victory that advanced them to the sectional final against rival St. Charles North. The title game, at 5 p.m. Friday at Norris Stadium, keeps St. Charles East in its home stadium.
Coach Vince DiNuzzo's squad improved to 21-0-1 and posted their 15th shutout of the season and fourth in a row. Upcoming opponent and second-seeded St. Charles North advanced with a 2-1 home victory over Wheaton Warrenville South in the other semifinal match. The Saints own 3-0 and 2-0 wins over North this season.
St. Charles East hopes to capture its first sectional championship since 2014 while denying the North Stars (14-4-2) their fifth-straight sectional title. The teams faced off in the sectional finals in 2019 and in the semifinals the year before that. Friday's winner advances to Tuesday's Barrington Supersectional against the host and top-seeded Broncos or third-seed Hononegah.
"The defending piece is kind of what starts our attack," DiNuzzo said. "At one point we got away from that. There was so much space behind the back four. The space was there, and we had so many opportunities and we were frustrated a bit. But once we kind of honed in defensively and stemmed our attack from winning the ball in the midfield, I think it opened some opportunities for our front three, and we saw that the finishing was just a lot better in the second half.
"We're healthy, and that's what's important. Hopefully we continue to play our style of soccer. We put a lot of value in our offseason by having open gyms and opportunities for kids to play together. So when we started in March, it wasn't the first time that these kids had played together. Obviously building that chemistry with some newcomers and we had 20 games in the regular season, and that helped. The amount of soccer that we've played in the last two months has kind of allowed us to meld together."
Late in the opening half, Megan Sreniawski made a great pass in front of the net to Hannah Miller, who connected for the only first half score. After the break, Sreniawski, who earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor, scored three goals during a 20-minute span. Jenna Sitta assisted on the first two and Ashley Stellon on the final tally.
The fourth-seeded Hilltoppers (11-6-0), who made their first sectional appearance in 20 years, hung in throughout most of the opening half thanks largely to the efforts of senior goalkeeper Sam Bleker, who was under attack from the opening minute.
She halted a string of good attempts from McKenna Gahagan, Sreniawski, Miller, Sitta and Stellon during the opening 20 minutes. But there was little that she could do in the 28th minute when Sreniawski sent a pass in front of the net and Miller completed the play with the game-winning goal.
"Something that we've been working on in practice, and we've really tried to put emphasis on, is that if the play is not there, to try to hold the ball up and wait for numbers to get into the box," Sreniawski said. "In that moment, I didn't really see anyone open making runs in, so I just tried to hold the ball and wait for that open pass. I saw Hannah running up. So, I just passed it there and it was a goal.
"She (Bleker) is a really talented keeper and at first it was frustrating because she was kind of able to guess where I was trying to pass the ball in. So at halftime, we talked about just trying to put more power on the ball, and that's what I did in the second half. I was able to get goals off it. We definitely have a lot of chemistry, and I've been playing with Ashley from a young age. We played club together so I know where she is going to play the ball and the same with our other mids. Just playing this season, I think we've built really good chemistry together and we know how to play off of each other."
The Saints have only allowed nine goals this season and many of those occured with the first 11 off the field. Glenbard West, which averaged three goals a match and had a couple of players back who didn't play in their regional title win, was unable to move the ball due to the pressure that the Saints applied all over the field.
Leading the way for the Saints along the backline are Megan Stout, Jessica Stepien, Lindsey Rzeszutko and Anna Champine. Their combined play allowed goalkeeper Sofia Iori to have few concerns while recording another shutout.
"I think the chemistry in the backline is something that's unstoppable, and we're really strong," Champine said. "Even when the subs like Sydney Smith and Ashley Brummel come in, the intensity stays the same. Defensively, we always have the urge and the drive to win the ball back, and I think that's what makes us strong in the back.
"What pushes us in the playoffs is that we don't want to let our guard down by letting up goals because we've come so far and worked so hard to keep that going. Having such a talented midfield and top three has been really beneficial for the backline. And what makes us strong is that we have so much movement and talent on and off the ball."
Bleker halted attempts by Sitta and Miller early in the final half but the Saints finally began to break open the match when Sreniawski took a pass from Sitta and then moved past defenders to connect from 20 yards in the 49th minute. That gave the hosts a 2-0 lead.
The same pairing occured on East's next goal. Sreniawski fired in a liner that went over the keeper's head in the 59th minute and then in the 69th minute, Stellon found Sreniawski, who capped her three-goal effort with a try from close range.
"I like the chemistry that we have," Yazmin Martinez said. "We all know where each player is and we play together. Everyone here brings something to the team and I think that we've all grown together."
Glenbard West's coach was obviously proud of his goalie's performance and that his squad got the chance to compete in the sectional against one of the state's top teams.
"They have some terrific players, and it was a matchup problem and a nightmare to prepare for," Hilltoppers coach Adam Szyszko said. "Sam stood on her head and was amazing for most of the match. But they're so quick defensively and close on the ball very quickly. You don't get a lot of space and angles, and they choke off any possession.
"I'm so proud of our group. We set the goal at the beginning of the season to win the regional and we did that. Give St. Charles East all the credit. They're a heckuva side."
Starting lineups
Glenbard West
G - Sam Bleker
D - Elise Pollock
D - Emma Kluge
D - Jennifer Fox
D - Ellie Tarczon
M - Emmie Roberts
M - Clare Kostolansky
M - Megan Mullins
M - Maggie McDonnell
F - Brianna Hernandez
F - Kendall Walch
St. Charles East
G - Sofia Iori
D - Megan Stout
D - Jessica Stepien
D - Lindsey Rzeszutko
D - Anna Champine
M - Yazmin Martinez
M - Ashley Stellon
M - McKenna Gahagan
F - Jenna Sitta
F - Megan Sreniawski
F - Hannah Miller
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Megan Sreniawski, sr., MF, St. Charles East
Scoring summary
First half
SCE - Miller (Sreniawski), 28
Second half
SCE - Sreniawski (Sitta), 49
SCE - Sreniawski (Sitta), 59
SCE - Sreniawski (Stellon), 69