Bianchi stands out for Jones
Junior forward takes care of the scoring in 2-0 win over Hancock
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Jones is a team on the make that pulses with excitement and enthusiasm. The team has rocketed forward on a steady ascension toward elite status in the city.
Peering over its season-opening rival Hancock, Jones saw its mirror image. It is not just that both schools are named the Eagles. In taking over the Jones program, coach Derek Bylsma recognized immediately the need to create a cultural foundation.
He fostered a platform of teamwork, competitiveness and skill development. The early growth was incremental. In time, the program took off. Jones moved through the city’s lower-level hierarchy, building confidence and an identity and looking toward a bigger picture.
Most important Bylsma has immediate experience of knowing the hunger and desire of developing programs to make their mark. At the start of their game, Hancock had the upper hand. They had Jones out of rhythm and off balance.
Martina Bianchi rode to the rescue for Jones. A junior who has the flexibility to play multiple positions, she combines ideal size with a physical and aggressive style. She personified Jones’s greater clarity and urgency in the second half.
She used her 5-foot-10 size expertly to form an inviting target.
“Being the first game, we were expecting to be a little rusty and not do as well as we could, but I definitely think we are getting to understand what it feels like like to work with one another, especially with the new players,” Bianchi said.
Bianchi broke the game open by scoring two impressive goals nine minutes apart in that second half that powered Jones to the 2-0 victory in Chinatown on Tuesday.
“Being the first game, we were expecting to be a little rusty and not do as well as we could, but I definitely think we are getting to understand what it feels like like to work with one another, especially with the new players,” Bianchi said.
For her accomplishments, Bianchi earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction.
“Even though I was the one to get the final touch on the ball, in soccer everything is a team effort,” she said. “I definitely did not do it alone out there. I feel very empowered with our performance, and I feel like I am capable of improving and only getting better in our next games.”
Bylsma saw a gifted young player becoming fully attuned to her abilities.
“What I love to see Martina do is just bang it around with people,” Bylsma said. “If you see her in space, she is a surprisingly skillful player for being as powerful as she is. If you pick her out and watch her, she initiates a lot of contact. She is a very valuable player and somebody I like a lot.”
Hancock made Jones raise its game in the second half.
Froylan Jimenez is one of the bright and determined young coaches in the city. Last fall his Hancock boys’ team experienced a breakthrough in reaching the semifinals of the city tournament, where they played eventual champion Solorio close.
“This is my fourth year with the girls, and we have really worked hard to build and develop the culture here,” Jimenez said. “I think in the first half we had the upper hand. I am very excited about what this team is capable of -- I think once we are able to get outside more and have a chance for our midfielders to jell.”
Hancock (0-1-0) nearly scored twice at the start with sophomore forward Rianna Tovar, its best player, just missing on a ball from about 12 yards that clipped the side netting. Moments later, senior midfielder Erika Munoz attacked the Jones’ defensive perimeter and forced Jones’s standout keeper Devin Barry to come hard off the line.
Munoz shot repelled off the near post. Hancock made a statement.
Hancock senior keeper Leslie Davalos was outstanding. She made a spectacular recovery to stop a point-blank rebound shot by Jones’ forward Carmen Marshall in the 14th minute. She also denied a penalty kick by Avery Kaplan in the second half that allowed Hancock to stay close.
“I knew they would be that kind of team,” Bylsma said. “I know that team, and I know that coach, and I know the kind of culture he is trying to build there, which is a culture that I like. He is always going to have a hard-working team, and they are going to challenge for 50-50 balls, and they are going to be pretty good on the ball.”
Hancock is playing for accountability and recognition. As a smaller school with a developing program, Jimenez knows everything connects. Every game is consequential and filled with meaning.
“Give credit to Derek and Jones, they have a quality team,’ Jimenez said. “They had the better play in the second half. We struggled against the wind on a few of those balls where we were not able to get a clearance.”
Hancock’s backline of Fatima Rendon-Bedolla, Bianca Salazar, Elissafe Moreno and Victoria Yepez disrupted Jones’s ability to consistently connect and build the attack throughout the first half.
Hancock was aggressive and determined, and proved they belonged.
“The thing about the first half that bothered me was not so much that we were not organized,” Bylsma said. “It was more they were beating us to the ball. They were winning 50-50 balls on us. When we win, we are winning the 50-50 game. Our team is so dependent on that. If we are getting outhustled, then we are going to be in trouble. The reason we have been able to be effective is many games we are the hardest-working team on the field.
“When we do that, we can be really good and effective. We have to challenge for the ball; we have to look up and we have to play aggressive and take some chances up front. I think in the second half that is what we did. The game opened up a bit in the second half.
“I think in the end we had too much for them. I was able to run people in, and I did not have any drop off. I have 15, 16 or 17 players who could all be starters this year.”
The wind cut diagonally across the field, and it proved more beneficial at the north end, where Jones attacked in the second half. The spark came from the team’s only freshman, a wiry and quick defender named Olivia Rodriguez, who brought tremendous energy off the bench.
Rodriguez helped turn the game around in the 57th minute. From her right outside-back position, she pushed the ball down the flank and made an expert cross into the box that Bianchi was able to control and put away with a one-touch shot for her team’s first goal of the year.
“Olivia played fantastic and gave us a lot of energy and got the ball forward,” Bylsma said. “She is going to be an amazing player for us. I am not even sure outside back is her best position. It does give her some room, and she is very crafty with the ball. She is really tough and really quick. I like her a lot.
“Since I have been here I have always had at least three freshmen on varsity. This year Olivia was the only freshman that made it. That is not a function of this year’s freshmen not being as good. It just shows the strength of the team and where the program has come. It is much harder to make varsity as a freshman than it was several years ago.”
Bianchi put the game away in the 66th minute by controlling a deflection on a throw-in and redirecting the ball inside the far post for her second goal.
Jones got the win. Hancock earned the satisfaction of a solid effort.
“I thought we played really well and competed the whole game, until the very end we were right there, a play or two away,” Jimenez said. “I am proud of our effort and how we competed against a big school, a Premier team like Jones.”
Jones finished 13-8-3 last year. Bylsma considers this year’s iteration the most talented group he has ever had. The team has skill and a strong balance of experienced and younger players. At times, he had as many as eight underclass players in the game.
Watching Hancock provided Bylsma with a reminder of where his team was.
“I remember when we were 1st or 2nd Division and we were playing a Premier team, we were doing really well against them,” Bylsma said.
“It is not surprising that they are at this level. The coach has worked really hard to build a program. I liked their team. I liked the way they played. I thought they played really hard and physical. They have a couple of really good players."
Starting lineups
Hancock
GK: Leslie Davalos
D: Fatima Rendon-Bedolla
D: Bianca Salazar
D: Elissafe Moreno
D: Victoria Yepez
MF: Madeline Milhan
MF: Erika Munoz
MF: Anyssa Pazmino
MF: Emily Garcia
F: Rianna Tovar
F: Bianca Tovar
Jones
GK: Devin Barry
D: Audrey Bruce
D: Shayna Ellis
D: Catherine Lorden
D: Izzy Kamba
MF: Natalie Loos
MF: Laura Rios
MF: Parker Ellis
F: Avery Kaplan
F: Martina Bianchi
F: Sophie Jennerjahn
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Martina Bianchi, Jones, jr. F
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
Jones—Martina Bianchi (Olivia Rodriguez), 57th minute
Jones—Bianchi (unassisted), 66th minute
Junior forward takes care of the scoring in 2-0 win over Hancock
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Jones is a team on the make that pulses with excitement and enthusiasm. The team has rocketed forward on a steady ascension toward elite status in the city.
Peering over its season-opening rival Hancock, Jones saw its mirror image. It is not just that both schools are named the Eagles. In taking over the Jones program, coach Derek Bylsma recognized immediately the need to create a cultural foundation.
He fostered a platform of teamwork, competitiveness and skill development. The early growth was incremental. In time, the program took off. Jones moved through the city’s lower-level hierarchy, building confidence and an identity and looking toward a bigger picture.
Most important Bylsma has immediate experience of knowing the hunger and desire of developing programs to make their mark. At the start of their game, Hancock had the upper hand. They had Jones out of rhythm and off balance.
Martina Bianchi rode to the rescue for Jones. A junior who has the flexibility to play multiple positions, she combines ideal size with a physical and aggressive style. She personified Jones’s greater clarity and urgency in the second half.
She used her 5-foot-10 size expertly to form an inviting target.
“Being the first game, we were expecting to be a little rusty and not do as well as we could, but I definitely think we are getting to understand what it feels like like to work with one another, especially with the new players,” Bianchi said.
Bianchi broke the game open by scoring two impressive goals nine minutes apart in that second half that powered Jones to the 2-0 victory in Chinatown on Tuesday.
“Being the first game, we were expecting to be a little rusty and not do as well as we could, but I definitely think we are getting to understand what it feels like like to work with one another, especially with the new players,” Bianchi said.
For her accomplishments, Bianchi earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction.
“Even though I was the one to get the final touch on the ball, in soccer everything is a team effort,” she said. “I definitely did not do it alone out there. I feel very empowered with our performance, and I feel like I am capable of improving and only getting better in our next games.”
Bylsma saw a gifted young player becoming fully attuned to her abilities.
“What I love to see Martina do is just bang it around with people,” Bylsma said. “If you see her in space, she is a surprisingly skillful player for being as powerful as she is. If you pick her out and watch her, she initiates a lot of contact. She is a very valuable player and somebody I like a lot.”
Hancock made Jones raise its game in the second half.
Froylan Jimenez is one of the bright and determined young coaches in the city. Last fall his Hancock boys’ team experienced a breakthrough in reaching the semifinals of the city tournament, where they played eventual champion Solorio close.
“This is my fourth year with the girls, and we have really worked hard to build and develop the culture here,” Jimenez said. “I think in the first half we had the upper hand. I am very excited about what this team is capable of -- I think once we are able to get outside more and have a chance for our midfielders to jell.”
Hancock (0-1-0) nearly scored twice at the start with sophomore forward Rianna Tovar, its best player, just missing on a ball from about 12 yards that clipped the side netting. Moments later, senior midfielder Erika Munoz attacked the Jones’ defensive perimeter and forced Jones’s standout keeper Devin Barry to come hard off the line.
Munoz shot repelled off the near post. Hancock made a statement.
Hancock senior keeper Leslie Davalos was outstanding. She made a spectacular recovery to stop a point-blank rebound shot by Jones’ forward Carmen Marshall in the 14th minute. She also denied a penalty kick by Avery Kaplan in the second half that allowed Hancock to stay close.
“I knew they would be that kind of team,” Bylsma said. “I know that team, and I know that coach, and I know the kind of culture he is trying to build there, which is a culture that I like. He is always going to have a hard-working team, and they are going to challenge for 50-50 balls, and they are going to be pretty good on the ball.”
Hancock is playing for accountability and recognition. As a smaller school with a developing program, Jimenez knows everything connects. Every game is consequential and filled with meaning.
“Give credit to Derek and Jones, they have a quality team,’ Jimenez said. “They had the better play in the second half. We struggled against the wind on a few of those balls where we were not able to get a clearance.”
Hancock’s backline of Fatima Rendon-Bedolla, Bianca Salazar, Elissafe Moreno and Victoria Yepez disrupted Jones’s ability to consistently connect and build the attack throughout the first half.
Hancock was aggressive and determined, and proved they belonged.
“The thing about the first half that bothered me was not so much that we were not organized,” Bylsma said. “It was more they were beating us to the ball. They were winning 50-50 balls on us. When we win, we are winning the 50-50 game. Our team is so dependent on that. If we are getting outhustled, then we are going to be in trouble. The reason we have been able to be effective is many games we are the hardest-working team on the field.
“When we do that, we can be really good and effective. We have to challenge for the ball; we have to look up and we have to play aggressive and take some chances up front. I think in the second half that is what we did. The game opened up a bit in the second half.
“I think in the end we had too much for them. I was able to run people in, and I did not have any drop off. I have 15, 16 or 17 players who could all be starters this year.”
The wind cut diagonally across the field, and it proved more beneficial at the north end, where Jones attacked in the second half. The spark came from the team’s only freshman, a wiry and quick defender named Olivia Rodriguez, who brought tremendous energy off the bench.
Rodriguez helped turn the game around in the 57th minute. From her right outside-back position, she pushed the ball down the flank and made an expert cross into the box that Bianchi was able to control and put away with a one-touch shot for her team’s first goal of the year.
“Olivia played fantastic and gave us a lot of energy and got the ball forward,” Bylsma said. “She is going to be an amazing player for us. I am not even sure outside back is her best position. It does give her some room, and she is very crafty with the ball. She is really tough and really quick. I like her a lot.
“Since I have been here I have always had at least three freshmen on varsity. This year Olivia was the only freshman that made it. That is not a function of this year’s freshmen not being as good. It just shows the strength of the team and where the program has come. It is much harder to make varsity as a freshman than it was several years ago.”
Bianchi put the game away in the 66th minute by controlling a deflection on a throw-in and redirecting the ball inside the far post for her second goal.
Jones got the win. Hancock earned the satisfaction of a solid effort.
“I thought we played really well and competed the whole game, until the very end we were right there, a play or two away,” Jimenez said. “I am proud of our effort and how we competed against a big school, a Premier team like Jones.”
Jones finished 13-8-3 last year. Bylsma considers this year’s iteration the most talented group he has ever had. The team has skill and a strong balance of experienced and younger players. At times, he had as many as eight underclass players in the game.
Watching Hancock provided Bylsma with a reminder of where his team was.
“I remember when we were 1st or 2nd Division and we were playing a Premier team, we were doing really well against them,” Bylsma said.
“It is not surprising that they are at this level. The coach has worked really hard to build a program. I liked their team. I liked the way they played. I thought they played really hard and physical. They have a couple of really good players."
Starting lineups
Hancock
GK: Leslie Davalos
D: Fatima Rendon-Bedolla
D: Bianca Salazar
D: Elissafe Moreno
D: Victoria Yepez
MF: Madeline Milhan
MF: Erika Munoz
MF: Anyssa Pazmino
MF: Emily Garcia
F: Rianna Tovar
F: Bianca Tovar
Jones
GK: Devin Barry
D: Audrey Bruce
D: Shayna Ellis
D: Catherine Lorden
D: Izzy Kamba
MF: Natalie Loos
MF: Laura Rios
MF: Parker Ellis
F: Avery Kaplan
F: Martina Bianchi
F: Sophie Jennerjahn
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Martina Bianchi, Jones, jr. F
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
Jones—Martina Bianchi (Olivia Rodriguez), 57th minute
Jones—Bianchi (unassisted), 66th minute