DGN ends Hinsdale C. turnaround season
Parker nets 2 in 4-0 win; Trojans take back-to-back regionals
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to your opponent.
Hinsdale Central goalkeeper Taylor Ward wasn’t wearing a hat on Friday, but she gave the proverbial nod to Downers Grove North after the Trojans won their Class 3A regional championship in convincing fashion.
Alexis Parker scored on back-to-back shots in the opening 15 minutes and the host Trojans rolled to a 4-0 victory at Doerhoefer Park.
It is the first time Downers Grove North has won consecutive regional titles. The Trojans had captured just one previous regional before last year.
“Basically, they had some breakaways,” Ward said. “Our defense tried their best, but they were amazing shots. They were great plays.”
Ward, a sophomore, played an outstanding game in her first regional final. She made six saves, including three terrific stops on Downers Grove North breakaways.
But she didn’t have much of a chance of stopping Parker in the early going. The powerful sophomore striker, who came into the game with four goals on the season, gave the Trojans the early lead in the 10th minute when she tapped in a cross from Carli Nehls.
Parker was left wide-open on that play, leaving Ward hung out to dry. It happened again five minutes later when Downers Grove North’s Julia Kramper played a ball over the top to Parker, who had a step on her defender.
Parker raced toward the top of the box as Ward came charging off her line to cut down the angle. The keeper’s effort went for naught as Parker ripped a right-footed blast into the lower left corner of the net for a 2-0 lead.
“I saw the goalie coming, and I knew I had a girl on my back,” Parker said. “I didn’t want to be fouled in the box, I just wanted to get it through.
“I saw the goalie coming out, so I knew I had to place it to the corner, and I just hit it to the left corner.”
Parker was fired up for a match that most thought could go either way. The second-seeded Trojans (12-6-4) edged the seventh-seeded Red Devils 1-0 during the regular season, but Hinsdale Central (8-11-2) had won four of its last six games entering the rematch.
“I knew I had to come ready to play today,” Parker said. “I wanted to beat them by as many points as we could, and so I just got out there and scored as many as I could to contribute.”
Parker’s twin strikes changed the atmosphere immediately, giving the Trojans an air of inevitability which the Red Devils were unable to puncture.
“I think we came out a little flat and full credit to them,” Hinsdale Central coach Bryan Ciesiulka said. “They took advantage of it.
“They put away their first two chances of the game and all of a sudden we’re on our back foot. It’s hard against a good defensive team like that.”
The deficit could have been much worse. Downer Grove North’s two-time all-state midfielder Abby Swanson hit the right post in the 16th minute and seven minutes later saw her power header stopped by Ward.
The Red Devils felt fortunate to trail by only two at intermission and came out rejuvenated to start the second half, applying their first sustained pressure of the match.
But the initial optimism was short-lived as the Trojans scored against the run of play in the 44th minute when Carissa Mysliwiec beat Ward on a breakaway to make it 3-0.
The play was even after that, but the Red Devils could not penetrate the Trojans’ defense. North goalie Grace Stevenson had to make four of her six saves in the second half, but all but one came on shots from distance.
Senior defender Madeline Swade had four free kicks from between 23 and 43 yards stopped by Stevenson, who also was perfectly positioned to catch Madigan Lynch’s flick-on off a long ball from Swade in the 42nd minute.
Downers Grove North freshman Abby Peterson capped the scoring in the 75th minute, knocking home Swanson’s cross from the right wing.
“I’m proud of the way our girls worked, especially in the second half,” Ciesiulka said. “You saw a good glimpse of what Hinsdale Central soccer is all about.
“They worked hard, and they got it on the ground when they could. I’m very proud of their effort today.”
Ward acknowledged the feelings of her senior teammates, but she knows she has two more seasons to help the program grow.
“I think we got so much better as a team (this season),” Ward said. “We started to work together, and that really helped. It was awesome (to see the results).”
While North was clearly the better team Friday, that may not always be the case.
“I think that (the Trojans) played great,” Ward said. “They had better chances and better shots.
“(But) you shake it off and you say, ‘OK, let’s go beat them next year.’”
The Trojans would have beaten the Red Devils by a much bigger margin if not for Ward, who denied breakaways from Mysliwiec, Nehls and Alyssa Gunderson in the second half.
Ward and fellow sophomore Fiona Fitzsimons return between the pipes next year, as will nine other players who started Friday. That bodes well for a team that quadrupled its 2017 win total.
“Both of our goalies, Taylor and Fiona, have had great seasons and I think (that is a result of) them pushing each other in practices and in games,” Ciesiulka said.
“We’ve seen Taylor and Fiona make incredible saves like that all year, so we’ve got a great goalkeeping tandem, and we’re pretty pumped about it.”
Ciesiulka is pumped about the progress the Red Devils showed in his first year at the helm. The former Neuqua Valley star, who played 2½ seasons of pro soccer, took over a team that won only twice last year and turned it into a squad that was competitive in 20 of its 21 matches despite having no college recruits in the senior class.
“(That is possible) when you have a group of girls who are willing to work hard and put in the effort that they did all season,” Ciesiulka said. “We asked a lot of them.
“We treated them like Division I college athletes. They raised their level of play all season. I think by the end they were playing some really good soccer, and I’m really excited for the future.”
For Downers Grove North, the future is now. The Trojans, who finished fourth at the 2017 state finals, started nine seniors Friday and know that their championship window likely closes with the end of this season.
“For me and I think for a lot of the seniors, as we were talking about before the game, we were just saying how this could be our last game so just play with all your heart and don’t walk off the field thinking you could have done something more,” Downers Grove North senior defender Francesca Marconi said. “That’s the first time all season we’ve played a full 80 minutes.
“I think it was clear we just played with so much heart, passion and intensity for the whole 80 minutes, and I think that showed in the result.”
The Trojans, who will play third-seeded Glenbard East in Tuesday’s York Sectional semifinals, now have won consecutive regional championships in memorable fashion. They knocked off Downers Grove South last year to win their first crown since 2008 and beat the Red Devils in their final home game of this season.
“Those are our two biggest rivals,” Nehls said. “So it’s a good feeling.”
Starting lineups
Hinsdale Central
GK Taylor Ward
D Sarah Cernugal
D Madeline Swade
D Sophie Simmons
D Samantha Moriarty
M Camille Lubic
M Jackie Blake
M Jane Bibby
F Haley Arnold
F Samantha Guido
F Madigan Lynch
Downers Grove North
GK Grace Stevenson
D Chloe Nowka
D Olivia Bull
D Francesca Marconi
D Isabel Scarlati
M Julia Kramper
M Abby Swanson
M Alyssa Gunderson
F Carissa Mysliwiec
F Alexis Parker
F Carli Nehls
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Alexis Parker, so., F, Downers Grove North.
Scoring summary
First half
Downers Grove North – Alexis Parker (Carli Nehls), 10th minute
Downers Grove North – Parker (Julia Kramper), 15th minute
Second half
Downers Grove North – Carissa Mysliwiec (unassisted), 44th minute
Downers Grove North – Abby Peterson (Abby Swanson), 75th minute
Parker nets 2 in 4-0 win; Trojans take back-to-back regionals
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to your opponent.
Hinsdale Central goalkeeper Taylor Ward wasn’t wearing a hat on Friday, but she gave the proverbial nod to Downers Grove North after the Trojans won their Class 3A regional championship in convincing fashion.
Alexis Parker scored on back-to-back shots in the opening 15 minutes and the host Trojans rolled to a 4-0 victory at Doerhoefer Park.
It is the first time Downers Grove North has won consecutive regional titles. The Trojans had captured just one previous regional before last year.
“Basically, they had some breakaways,” Ward said. “Our defense tried their best, but they were amazing shots. They were great plays.”
Ward, a sophomore, played an outstanding game in her first regional final. She made six saves, including three terrific stops on Downers Grove North breakaways.
But she didn’t have much of a chance of stopping Parker in the early going. The powerful sophomore striker, who came into the game with four goals on the season, gave the Trojans the early lead in the 10th minute when she tapped in a cross from Carli Nehls.
Parker was left wide-open on that play, leaving Ward hung out to dry. It happened again five minutes later when Downers Grove North’s Julia Kramper played a ball over the top to Parker, who had a step on her defender.
Parker raced toward the top of the box as Ward came charging off her line to cut down the angle. The keeper’s effort went for naught as Parker ripped a right-footed blast into the lower left corner of the net for a 2-0 lead.
“I saw the goalie coming, and I knew I had a girl on my back,” Parker said. “I didn’t want to be fouled in the box, I just wanted to get it through.
“I saw the goalie coming out, so I knew I had to place it to the corner, and I just hit it to the left corner.”
Parker was fired up for a match that most thought could go either way. The second-seeded Trojans (12-6-4) edged the seventh-seeded Red Devils 1-0 during the regular season, but Hinsdale Central (8-11-2) had won four of its last six games entering the rematch.
“I knew I had to come ready to play today,” Parker said. “I wanted to beat them by as many points as we could, and so I just got out there and scored as many as I could to contribute.”
Parker’s twin strikes changed the atmosphere immediately, giving the Trojans an air of inevitability which the Red Devils were unable to puncture.
“I think we came out a little flat and full credit to them,” Hinsdale Central coach Bryan Ciesiulka said. “They took advantage of it.
“They put away their first two chances of the game and all of a sudden we’re on our back foot. It’s hard against a good defensive team like that.”
The deficit could have been much worse. Downer Grove North’s two-time all-state midfielder Abby Swanson hit the right post in the 16th minute and seven minutes later saw her power header stopped by Ward.
The Red Devils felt fortunate to trail by only two at intermission and came out rejuvenated to start the second half, applying their first sustained pressure of the match.
But the initial optimism was short-lived as the Trojans scored against the run of play in the 44th minute when Carissa Mysliwiec beat Ward on a breakaway to make it 3-0.
The play was even after that, but the Red Devils could not penetrate the Trojans’ defense. North goalie Grace Stevenson had to make four of her six saves in the second half, but all but one came on shots from distance.
Senior defender Madeline Swade had four free kicks from between 23 and 43 yards stopped by Stevenson, who also was perfectly positioned to catch Madigan Lynch’s flick-on off a long ball from Swade in the 42nd minute.
Downers Grove North freshman Abby Peterson capped the scoring in the 75th minute, knocking home Swanson’s cross from the right wing.
“I’m proud of the way our girls worked, especially in the second half,” Ciesiulka said. “You saw a good glimpse of what Hinsdale Central soccer is all about.
“They worked hard, and they got it on the ground when they could. I’m very proud of their effort today.”
Ward acknowledged the feelings of her senior teammates, but she knows she has two more seasons to help the program grow.
“I think we got so much better as a team (this season),” Ward said. “We started to work together, and that really helped. It was awesome (to see the results).”
While North was clearly the better team Friday, that may not always be the case.
“I think that (the Trojans) played great,” Ward said. “They had better chances and better shots.
“(But) you shake it off and you say, ‘OK, let’s go beat them next year.’”
The Trojans would have beaten the Red Devils by a much bigger margin if not for Ward, who denied breakaways from Mysliwiec, Nehls and Alyssa Gunderson in the second half.
Ward and fellow sophomore Fiona Fitzsimons return between the pipes next year, as will nine other players who started Friday. That bodes well for a team that quadrupled its 2017 win total.
“Both of our goalies, Taylor and Fiona, have had great seasons and I think (that is a result of) them pushing each other in practices and in games,” Ciesiulka said.
“We’ve seen Taylor and Fiona make incredible saves like that all year, so we’ve got a great goalkeeping tandem, and we’re pretty pumped about it.”
Ciesiulka is pumped about the progress the Red Devils showed in his first year at the helm. The former Neuqua Valley star, who played 2½ seasons of pro soccer, took over a team that won only twice last year and turned it into a squad that was competitive in 20 of its 21 matches despite having no college recruits in the senior class.
“(That is possible) when you have a group of girls who are willing to work hard and put in the effort that they did all season,” Ciesiulka said. “We asked a lot of them.
“We treated them like Division I college athletes. They raised their level of play all season. I think by the end they were playing some really good soccer, and I’m really excited for the future.”
For Downers Grove North, the future is now. The Trojans, who finished fourth at the 2017 state finals, started nine seniors Friday and know that their championship window likely closes with the end of this season.
“For me and I think for a lot of the seniors, as we were talking about before the game, we were just saying how this could be our last game so just play with all your heart and don’t walk off the field thinking you could have done something more,” Downers Grove North senior defender Francesca Marconi said. “That’s the first time all season we’ve played a full 80 minutes.
“I think it was clear we just played with so much heart, passion and intensity for the whole 80 minutes, and I think that showed in the result.”
The Trojans, who will play third-seeded Glenbard East in Tuesday’s York Sectional semifinals, now have won consecutive regional championships in memorable fashion. They knocked off Downers Grove South last year to win their first crown since 2008 and beat the Red Devils in their final home game of this season.
“Those are our two biggest rivals,” Nehls said. “So it’s a good feeling.”
Starting lineups
Hinsdale Central
GK Taylor Ward
D Sarah Cernugal
D Madeline Swade
D Sophie Simmons
D Samantha Moriarty
M Camille Lubic
M Jackie Blake
M Jane Bibby
F Haley Arnold
F Samantha Guido
F Madigan Lynch
Downers Grove North
GK Grace Stevenson
D Chloe Nowka
D Olivia Bull
D Francesca Marconi
D Isabel Scarlati
M Julia Kramper
M Abby Swanson
M Alyssa Gunderson
F Carissa Mysliwiec
F Alexis Parker
F Carli Nehls
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Alexis Parker, so., F, Downers Grove North.
Scoring summary
First half
Downers Grove North – Alexis Parker (Carli Nehls), 10th minute
Downers Grove North – Parker (Julia Kramper), 15th minute
Second half
Downers Grove North – Carissa Mysliwiec (unassisted), 44th minute
Downers Grove North – Abby Peterson (Abby Swanson), 75th minute