Wheaton North's counterculture
tops Glenbard West
Pair of 2nd half counterattack goals highlight 4-0 Classic win
By Bill McLean
WHEATON -- On each of Glenbard West’s first two corner kicks Saturday afternoon, which came in a span covering the game’s first seven minutes, Wheaton North junior forward Macy Hutchinson used her head in the box to knock away the set-piece threat.
The 5-foot-10 Falcon relied on her speed, feet and guile thereafter, as tournament host Wheaton North defeated West’s Hilltoppers 4-0 in round two of the Kickoff Classic in raw, rainy conditions.
There’s nothing gray about this Macy when it comes to her prowess on pitches. Hutchinson was also a critical part of a pair of second half counterattacks that resulted in goals at Rexilius Stadium.
Freshman midfielder Calah Strong and freshman forward Talia Kaempf dished the passes before Hutchinson struck for a 2-0 lead in the 49th minute.
Nine minutes later, in another counter rush that began in Wheaton North’s back, Hutchinson gathered a pass from Kaempf and delivered a pass to yet another freshman, forward Piper Harborth, whose goal upped the lead to 3-0.
“They took advantage of their chances,” said Glenbard West coach Adam Szyszko, whose squad downed host Sandburg 3-1 in a Kickoff Classic opener on Thursday and trailed 1-0 at the break Saturday. “They didn’t have very many today, maybe five, but you have to give them credit for capitalizing four times.
“Tim’s (Falcons coach McEvilly’s) team countered well and finished well.”
The victory avenged Wheaton North’s penalty kick loss to Glenbard West in a Class 3A regional title match last spring.
Kaempf was an eighth-grader then.
Saturday she had a one-goal, two-assist performance, matching Hutchinson’s productive effort and making her second contest in Falcons soccer garb a memorable one.
The left-footed Kaempf broke a 0-0 tie spectacularly in the 26th minute, using her dominant leg to blast a 25-yard-plus shot to the upper-left corner of the goal.
“I love that she’s a lefty,” Hutchinson said under raindrops afterward.
Kaempf, standing to Hutchinson’s right, had a flashback while discussing her young varsity career.
“First day of tryouts, the weather was just like it is today,” said Kaempf, whose corner kick preceded the final tally of the day, a close-range shot by senior forward and Northern Michigan recruit Olivia Moreno in the 78th minute.
Hutchinson got credit for the assist.
“It’s been fun,” continued Kaempf, one of five freshmen who made McEvilly’s varsity. “Our midfielders (including starters Lauren Nguyen, Claudia Kim and Addison Falco) did such a great job today.”
So did Wheaton North’s defenders. Hutchinson lauded the corps in the back (featuring starters Rowan Smith, Anna Roe, Grace Ryan and Abby Gosling) that helped trigger North’s successful counters and evened the Falcons’ record at 1-1-0.
Falcons’ backup goalkeeper Olivia Iberle, one of five sophomores on varsity, played admirably in the tough conditions. She stopped 10 shots.
“We had conversations yesterday (Friday) in practice about staying organized,” said McEvilly. “I thought we did a better job in that area than we did in our opener.
“Glenbard West,” he added, “is a talented group.”
Glenbard West (1-1-0) enjoyed the run of play for the first 20 minutes of the first half. Szyszko’s crew booted three corners in the first eight minutes. Hilltoppers junior Clare Kostolansky was a bona fide threat every time the ball was near her feet.
Seniors Elise Pollock and Jennifer Fox made runs that created chances, too.
Kostolansky’s laser shot from distance banged off the crossbar in the 34th minute. The rebound settled near the wheels of junior forward Sophia Brown, whose point-blank shot was secured by Iberle.
“Our good chemistry is there,” said an upbeat Kostolansky. “We’re still excited about our team, about what we’re capable of doing."
Glenbard West senior defender Emma Kluge — one of three captains along with senior midfielder Maggie McDonnell and senior forward and Loyola University recruit Emily Roberts — complimented the victors and also exuded positivity after her team’s postgame huddle.
“Wheaton North capitalized often today,” Kluge said. “I’m not worried about us. The talent is there, and we work hard, really hard.”
The Hilltoppers showed urgency in the first minute of the second half. Senior midfielder Maeve Repking’s lengthy shot from a wing had Hilltoppers fans hoping for the equalizer, but the attempt zoomed high.
West’s coaches praised the effort from their sideline.
“Our chances were there, just not as many as I would have liked,” Szyszko said. “But I saw some positives, ball possession being one of them.
“We can be pretty good.”
Both squads resume Kickoff Classic action Tuesday. Wheaton North visits Sandburg — ranked no. 13 in Chicagoland Soccer’s First 50 preseason poll at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; and Glenbard West hosts no. 11 Benet that afternoon at 4:30 p.m.
Each Kickoff Classic team plays four games. Glenbard West’s tourney finale is against visiting and 30th-ranked Metea Valley at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (March 24). Wheaton North plays at Benet on the same day at 4:30 p.m.
Footnotes
Wheaton North’s top goalkeeper, 5-foot-11 sophomore Zoey Bohmer, missed the Falcons’ first two games with an injury. “We’re hoping to get her back next week,” McEvilly said. … Strong scored the Wheaton North goal in the 5-1 season-opening loss to Plainfield North in the Kickoff Classic on March 17 … Glenbard West got goals from Kostolansky, Repking and Roberts in its 3-1 defeat of Sandburg in their Kickoff Classic opener on March 17. Kostolansky also provided a pair of assists. Hilltoppers senior forward Nikki Tyburk had the other assist. … The starting lineups were not announced before Saturday afternoon’s game. But Wheaton North’s PA announcer deserves a hand for announcing them about five minutes after the kickoff. … Glenbard West sophomore keeper Ava Callaway made two saves in Saturday’s loss. … Hutchinson headed a Glenbard West corner away from danger for a third time Saturday, this one coming late in the second half. … McEvilly, with his team up 3-0 late Saturday afternoon, coached as hard as coaches do when their team is down 3-0. The good helmsmen never stop exhorting, never stop teaching.
Starting lineups
Glenbard West
GK Ava Callaway
D Ellie Beaudoin
D Jennifer Fox
D Emma Kluge
D Elise Pollock
MF Clare Kostolansky
MF Maeve Repking
MF Maggie McDonnell
F Nikki Tyburk
F Sophia Brown
F Gwen Johnson
Wheaton North
G Olivia Iberle
D Rowan Smith
D Anna Roe
D Grace Ryan
D Abby Gosling
MF Lauren Nguyen
MF Claudia Kim
MF Addison Falco
F Olivia Moreno
F Macy Hutchinson
F Talia Kaempf
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Macy Hutchinson, jr. F, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton North — Kaempf (Calah Strong), 26’
Second half
Wheaton North — Hutchinson (Kaempf, Strong), 49’
Wheaton North — Piper Harborth (Hutchinson, Kaempf), 58’
Wheaton North — Moreno (Hutchinson), 78’
tops Glenbard West
Pair of 2nd half counterattack goals highlight 4-0 Classic win
By Bill McLean
WHEATON -- On each of Glenbard West’s first two corner kicks Saturday afternoon, which came in a span covering the game’s first seven minutes, Wheaton North junior forward Macy Hutchinson used her head in the box to knock away the set-piece threat.
The 5-foot-10 Falcon relied on her speed, feet and guile thereafter, as tournament host Wheaton North defeated West’s Hilltoppers 4-0 in round two of the Kickoff Classic in raw, rainy conditions.
There’s nothing gray about this Macy when it comes to her prowess on pitches. Hutchinson was also a critical part of a pair of second half counterattacks that resulted in goals at Rexilius Stadium.
Freshman midfielder Calah Strong and freshman forward Talia Kaempf dished the passes before Hutchinson struck for a 2-0 lead in the 49th minute.
Nine minutes later, in another counter rush that began in Wheaton North’s back, Hutchinson gathered a pass from Kaempf and delivered a pass to yet another freshman, forward Piper Harborth, whose goal upped the lead to 3-0.
“They took advantage of their chances,” said Glenbard West coach Adam Szyszko, whose squad downed host Sandburg 3-1 in a Kickoff Classic opener on Thursday and trailed 1-0 at the break Saturday. “They didn’t have very many today, maybe five, but you have to give them credit for capitalizing four times.
“Tim’s (Falcons coach McEvilly’s) team countered well and finished well.”
The victory avenged Wheaton North’s penalty kick loss to Glenbard West in a Class 3A regional title match last spring.
Kaempf was an eighth-grader then.
Saturday she had a one-goal, two-assist performance, matching Hutchinson’s productive effort and making her second contest in Falcons soccer garb a memorable one.
The left-footed Kaempf broke a 0-0 tie spectacularly in the 26th minute, using her dominant leg to blast a 25-yard-plus shot to the upper-left corner of the goal.
“I love that she’s a lefty,” Hutchinson said under raindrops afterward.
Kaempf, standing to Hutchinson’s right, had a flashback while discussing her young varsity career.
“First day of tryouts, the weather was just like it is today,” said Kaempf, whose corner kick preceded the final tally of the day, a close-range shot by senior forward and Northern Michigan recruit Olivia Moreno in the 78th minute.
Hutchinson got credit for the assist.
“It’s been fun,” continued Kaempf, one of five freshmen who made McEvilly’s varsity. “Our midfielders (including starters Lauren Nguyen, Claudia Kim and Addison Falco) did such a great job today.”
So did Wheaton North’s defenders. Hutchinson lauded the corps in the back (featuring starters Rowan Smith, Anna Roe, Grace Ryan and Abby Gosling) that helped trigger North’s successful counters and evened the Falcons’ record at 1-1-0.
Falcons’ backup goalkeeper Olivia Iberle, one of five sophomores on varsity, played admirably in the tough conditions. She stopped 10 shots.
“We had conversations yesterday (Friday) in practice about staying organized,” said McEvilly. “I thought we did a better job in that area than we did in our opener.
“Glenbard West,” he added, “is a talented group.”
Glenbard West (1-1-0) enjoyed the run of play for the first 20 minutes of the first half. Szyszko’s crew booted three corners in the first eight minutes. Hilltoppers junior Clare Kostolansky was a bona fide threat every time the ball was near her feet.
Seniors Elise Pollock and Jennifer Fox made runs that created chances, too.
Kostolansky’s laser shot from distance banged off the crossbar in the 34th minute. The rebound settled near the wheels of junior forward Sophia Brown, whose point-blank shot was secured by Iberle.
“Our good chemistry is there,” said an upbeat Kostolansky. “We’re still excited about our team, about what we’re capable of doing."
Glenbard West senior defender Emma Kluge — one of three captains along with senior midfielder Maggie McDonnell and senior forward and Loyola University recruit Emily Roberts — complimented the victors and also exuded positivity after her team’s postgame huddle.
“Wheaton North capitalized often today,” Kluge said. “I’m not worried about us. The talent is there, and we work hard, really hard.”
The Hilltoppers showed urgency in the first minute of the second half. Senior midfielder Maeve Repking’s lengthy shot from a wing had Hilltoppers fans hoping for the equalizer, but the attempt zoomed high.
West’s coaches praised the effort from their sideline.
“Our chances were there, just not as many as I would have liked,” Szyszko said. “But I saw some positives, ball possession being one of them.
“We can be pretty good.”
Both squads resume Kickoff Classic action Tuesday. Wheaton North visits Sandburg — ranked no. 13 in Chicagoland Soccer’s First 50 preseason poll at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; and Glenbard West hosts no. 11 Benet that afternoon at 4:30 p.m.
Each Kickoff Classic team plays four games. Glenbard West’s tourney finale is against visiting and 30th-ranked Metea Valley at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (March 24). Wheaton North plays at Benet on the same day at 4:30 p.m.
Footnotes
Wheaton North’s top goalkeeper, 5-foot-11 sophomore Zoey Bohmer, missed the Falcons’ first two games with an injury. “We’re hoping to get her back next week,” McEvilly said. … Strong scored the Wheaton North goal in the 5-1 season-opening loss to Plainfield North in the Kickoff Classic on March 17 … Glenbard West got goals from Kostolansky, Repking and Roberts in its 3-1 defeat of Sandburg in their Kickoff Classic opener on March 17. Kostolansky also provided a pair of assists. Hilltoppers senior forward Nikki Tyburk had the other assist. … The starting lineups were not announced before Saturday afternoon’s game. But Wheaton North’s PA announcer deserves a hand for announcing them about five minutes after the kickoff. … Glenbard West sophomore keeper Ava Callaway made two saves in Saturday’s loss. … Hutchinson headed a Glenbard West corner away from danger for a third time Saturday, this one coming late in the second half. … McEvilly, with his team up 3-0 late Saturday afternoon, coached as hard as coaches do when their team is down 3-0. The good helmsmen never stop exhorting, never stop teaching.
Starting lineups
Glenbard West
GK Ava Callaway
D Ellie Beaudoin
D Jennifer Fox
D Emma Kluge
D Elise Pollock
MF Clare Kostolansky
MF Maeve Repking
MF Maggie McDonnell
F Nikki Tyburk
F Sophia Brown
F Gwen Johnson
Wheaton North
G Olivia Iberle
D Rowan Smith
D Anna Roe
D Grace Ryan
D Abby Gosling
MF Lauren Nguyen
MF Claudia Kim
MF Addison Falco
F Olivia Moreno
F Macy Hutchinson
F Talia Kaempf
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Macy Hutchinson, jr. F, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton North — Kaempf (Calah Strong), 26’
Second half
Wheaton North — Hutchinson (Kaempf, Strong), 49’
Wheaton North — Piper Harborth (Hutchinson, Kaempf), 58’
Wheaton North — Moreno (Hutchinson), 78’