Effort right, result wrong for Lake Park
Lancers lack finish, drop non-league match to Hoffman Estates
By Gary Larsen
ROSELLE -- Lake Park has a team that can defend, win the midfield, and plays with a commitment to hard work and improvement. Now if only the Lancers could start finishing.
“We have the potential to score,” Lancers senior Lauren Trachala said. “We just have to find the urgency to score.”
Hoffman Estates’ 3-0 win over Lake Park on Tuesday was one of those games where the final score didn’t reflect the nature of play. The visiting Hawks got a first half goal from junior Kathy Lopez and two second half goals from senior Molly Salerno. Meanwhile, Lake Park flirted unsuccessfully for a goal throughout.
Salerno, who led Hoffman Estates (3-1-1) in scoring and assists last season, consistently flashed the type of urgency and hunger to score that Lake Park (0-6-0) still seeks.
“Molly has always been good for us,” Hawks coach Jeff Bird said. “In our formation we need that -- coming off the wings like Molly does, along with strong forwards like Avery (Panek) and Kathy (Lopez) on the other side. We’ve got a really good group of girls.”
Lake Park coach Sean Crosby also loves the group of girls he has in the fold, and for much of the game his Lancers found feet and pressed into the Hawks’ defensive third.
Finding a dangerous scoring chance was another matter, however.
“You can win possession all you want but you have to put it all together and right now, we’re no threat in the attack,” Crosby said. “Today wasn’t at all up to our expectations. It’s having the urgency and the belief that you can (score). We have the kids who can do it, but I don’t know if they believe enough in themselves to do it, or do it at game speed.”
Hoffman Estates took a 1-0 lead five minutes into the game on Lopez’s goal and Lake Park spent the next 10 minutes winning balls and pushing into its offensive third.
At the 20-minute mark, Lancers senior defender Amber Sedwick sent a corner kick that found senior mid Jaclyn Lamz just beyond the far post, but Lamz’s shot went wide of net. Less than a minute later, Lancers sophomore Selena Catalano found herself one-on-one with Hawks keeper Crystal Adochio, who left her line to deny Catalano a quality shot.
Those consecutive plays typified Lake Park’s finishing woes.
“It’s finishing, it’s connecting passes in the final third, it’s wanting it in the back of the net,” Tarchala said. “We get it (to the final third), and then it just stops up there. We’ve still got time but we’ve got to figure it out. Our defense is strong so right now we have to keep focusing on finishing. We have to keep our heads up and keep going.”
Lamz reached the end line and sent another offering wide of frame at 22 minutes, and at 29 minutes Lancers junior keeper Sarah Yochem gathered a low-rolling shot sent in by Hawks sophomore Sherlin Pementel Ramirez.
Adochio cleanly handled a hard-hit one-hopper sent by Lancers senior Elizabeth Guenther at 35 minutes, and Lancers junior Cyndi Martinez intercepted a ball near midfield and sent it ahead up the left side to senior Gianna Pistorio, who got the ball deep before firing wide of the net.
Lake Park had more of the ball through 40 minutes but Hoffman Estates had a 1-0 lead.
“We just have to keep working on transitioning from the defense to the offense and once we (start finishing), we’ll be good,” freshman defender Emma Thorne said. “We’re starting to get more chances. It will get there.”
Tarchala curled a free kick just high of net from 18 yards early in the second half, before the Hawks grabbed a 2-0 lead at 52 minutes on a penalty kick buried by Salerno.
Tarchala took a ball to the end line on the left side and sent it back out to junior Ziri Hernandez one minute later, but Adochio saved Hernandez’s shot at the post from 18 yards, to a Lake Park corner kick.
That corner kick went for naught and on the ensuing trip upfield for Hoffman Estates, Salerno struck again, receiving a Panek pass near the 18 and lofting a perfectly-placed shot under the crossbar to the back netting at 56 minutes.
Salerno earned Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match honors.
“It was a great ball by Avery (Panek),” Salerno said. “I just tried to get a shot off right away, and I managed to sneak it in there, in the top corner.
“(Lake Park) gave us a good fight, and we all played strong and gave it everything we’ve got. We had to play smart and move the ball wide. We stepped up our intensity in the second half, too, in pressuring the ball and being first to the ball. We had to come out with fire in the second half, and we did.”
Ramirez sent a shot just wide at 59 minutes, set up by a corner kick from Hawks sophomore Josephine Roberts, and at 71 minutes Salerno one-timed a blistering shot from 20 yards out directly at Yochem, who handled it cleanly.
Trailing 3-0, Lake Park continued to fight for a goal in the game’s final 20 minutes. Tarchala hustled a ball to the endline on the right side and centered a nice pass to Catalano, who sent a shot just wide. From there, Lake Park’s most dangerous chances came courtesy of Sedwick.
The senior sent several dangerous free kicks to the goalmouth from long-range in the second half. Her serve at 62 minutes from 45 yards on the left side bounced high near the goalmouth but went untouched, and she sent another quality kick in from roughly 50 yards two minutes later that found Catalano, but her head shot went wide.
“Amber has been one of our best attackers, because she’s putting in the best balls on our set pieces and corners,” Crosby said. “She’s putting them in the right spots, and we just need somebody on the end of them.”
Bird applauded the day’s work put in by sophomore defender Gabrielle Anderson on Tuesday, along with Panek, Salerno, and quality contributions off the bench from sophomore mid Summer Voeller.
He was also happier with his Hawks’ second half of play.
“We came out hungrier, played the ball quicker, and played it a little more east-west than north-south, and we better recognized opportunities on the field,” Bird said. “We’ve got skilled players, and it’s a matter of relaxing and playing it simple, and I think we did that.”
Crosby likes what Tarchala brings to the attack and sees the need for the Lancers to get her into dangerous scoring positions. He also pointed to the edge that defenders Sedwick, Guenther, Martinez, and Thorne played with all day, and how his attack needs to put a similar type of chip on its collective shoulder.
“Amber’s a fighter, Bri is great in the midfield pressuring every fifty-fifty ball, Emma is great in our midfield defensive area in terms of fighting and not backing down, and Cyndi (Martinez) stepped in really well as a starting back today.
“So defensively, we’re strong and we have that fight. And what a player like Amber has — that sense of competitiveness — you need that to push the envelope a little bit. Because you can be a strong competitor and still also be a phenomenal sportsman. And we have a lot of that on the team.”
Thorne saw no reason to hit the panic button with so much season left to play.
“It’s a tough loss but we can turn this around,” she said. “We have a really good returning senior group that works really well together and other players have stepped up. We just have to stay positive and keep playing our game.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Sarah Yochem
D Cyndi Martinez
D Amber Sedwick
D Emma Thorne
D Elizabeth Guenther
M Jaclyn Lamz
M Brianna McAloon
M Ann Marie Ahrens
M Ziri Hernandez
F Alexis Morgan
F Lauren Tarchaia
Hoffman Estates
GK Crystal Adochio
D Josephine Roberts
D Christina Salerno
D Vanessa Alonso Hernandez
D Emma Lunak
M Kaitlyn Krogstad
M Alyssa Dupart
M Molly Salerno
M Vanessa Bonilla
F Kathy Lopez
F Avery Panek
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Molly Salerno, sr. M, Hoffman Estates
Scoring summary
First half
Hoffman Estates: Lopez (UA)
Second half
Hoffman Estates: M. Salerno (PK), M. Salerno (Panek)
Lancers lack finish, drop non-league match to Hoffman Estates
By Gary Larsen
ROSELLE -- Lake Park has a team that can defend, win the midfield, and plays with a commitment to hard work and improvement. Now if only the Lancers could start finishing.
“We have the potential to score,” Lancers senior Lauren Trachala said. “We just have to find the urgency to score.”
Hoffman Estates’ 3-0 win over Lake Park on Tuesday was one of those games where the final score didn’t reflect the nature of play. The visiting Hawks got a first half goal from junior Kathy Lopez and two second half goals from senior Molly Salerno. Meanwhile, Lake Park flirted unsuccessfully for a goal throughout.
Salerno, who led Hoffman Estates (3-1-1) in scoring and assists last season, consistently flashed the type of urgency and hunger to score that Lake Park (0-6-0) still seeks.
“Molly has always been good for us,” Hawks coach Jeff Bird said. “In our formation we need that -- coming off the wings like Molly does, along with strong forwards like Avery (Panek) and Kathy (Lopez) on the other side. We’ve got a really good group of girls.”
Lake Park coach Sean Crosby also loves the group of girls he has in the fold, and for much of the game his Lancers found feet and pressed into the Hawks’ defensive third.
Finding a dangerous scoring chance was another matter, however.
“You can win possession all you want but you have to put it all together and right now, we’re no threat in the attack,” Crosby said. “Today wasn’t at all up to our expectations. It’s having the urgency and the belief that you can (score). We have the kids who can do it, but I don’t know if they believe enough in themselves to do it, or do it at game speed.”
Hoffman Estates took a 1-0 lead five minutes into the game on Lopez’s goal and Lake Park spent the next 10 minutes winning balls and pushing into its offensive third.
At the 20-minute mark, Lancers senior defender Amber Sedwick sent a corner kick that found senior mid Jaclyn Lamz just beyond the far post, but Lamz’s shot went wide of net. Less than a minute later, Lancers sophomore Selena Catalano found herself one-on-one with Hawks keeper Crystal Adochio, who left her line to deny Catalano a quality shot.
Those consecutive plays typified Lake Park’s finishing woes.
“It’s finishing, it’s connecting passes in the final third, it’s wanting it in the back of the net,” Tarchala said. “We get it (to the final third), and then it just stops up there. We’ve still got time but we’ve got to figure it out. Our defense is strong so right now we have to keep focusing on finishing. We have to keep our heads up and keep going.”
Lamz reached the end line and sent another offering wide of frame at 22 minutes, and at 29 minutes Lancers junior keeper Sarah Yochem gathered a low-rolling shot sent in by Hawks sophomore Sherlin Pementel Ramirez.
Adochio cleanly handled a hard-hit one-hopper sent by Lancers senior Elizabeth Guenther at 35 minutes, and Lancers junior Cyndi Martinez intercepted a ball near midfield and sent it ahead up the left side to senior Gianna Pistorio, who got the ball deep before firing wide of the net.
Lake Park had more of the ball through 40 minutes but Hoffman Estates had a 1-0 lead.
“We just have to keep working on transitioning from the defense to the offense and once we (start finishing), we’ll be good,” freshman defender Emma Thorne said. “We’re starting to get more chances. It will get there.”
Tarchala curled a free kick just high of net from 18 yards early in the second half, before the Hawks grabbed a 2-0 lead at 52 minutes on a penalty kick buried by Salerno.
Tarchala took a ball to the end line on the left side and sent it back out to junior Ziri Hernandez one minute later, but Adochio saved Hernandez’s shot at the post from 18 yards, to a Lake Park corner kick.
That corner kick went for naught and on the ensuing trip upfield for Hoffman Estates, Salerno struck again, receiving a Panek pass near the 18 and lofting a perfectly-placed shot under the crossbar to the back netting at 56 minutes.
Salerno earned Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match honors.
“It was a great ball by Avery (Panek),” Salerno said. “I just tried to get a shot off right away, and I managed to sneak it in there, in the top corner.
“(Lake Park) gave us a good fight, and we all played strong and gave it everything we’ve got. We had to play smart and move the ball wide. We stepped up our intensity in the second half, too, in pressuring the ball and being first to the ball. We had to come out with fire in the second half, and we did.”
Ramirez sent a shot just wide at 59 minutes, set up by a corner kick from Hawks sophomore Josephine Roberts, and at 71 minutes Salerno one-timed a blistering shot from 20 yards out directly at Yochem, who handled it cleanly.
Trailing 3-0, Lake Park continued to fight for a goal in the game’s final 20 minutes. Tarchala hustled a ball to the endline on the right side and centered a nice pass to Catalano, who sent a shot just wide. From there, Lake Park’s most dangerous chances came courtesy of Sedwick.
The senior sent several dangerous free kicks to the goalmouth from long-range in the second half. Her serve at 62 minutes from 45 yards on the left side bounced high near the goalmouth but went untouched, and she sent another quality kick in from roughly 50 yards two minutes later that found Catalano, but her head shot went wide.
“Amber has been one of our best attackers, because she’s putting in the best balls on our set pieces and corners,” Crosby said. “She’s putting them in the right spots, and we just need somebody on the end of them.”
Bird applauded the day’s work put in by sophomore defender Gabrielle Anderson on Tuesday, along with Panek, Salerno, and quality contributions off the bench from sophomore mid Summer Voeller.
He was also happier with his Hawks’ second half of play.
“We came out hungrier, played the ball quicker, and played it a little more east-west than north-south, and we better recognized opportunities on the field,” Bird said. “We’ve got skilled players, and it’s a matter of relaxing and playing it simple, and I think we did that.”
Crosby likes what Tarchala brings to the attack and sees the need for the Lancers to get her into dangerous scoring positions. He also pointed to the edge that defenders Sedwick, Guenther, Martinez, and Thorne played with all day, and how his attack needs to put a similar type of chip on its collective shoulder.
“Amber’s a fighter, Bri is great in the midfield pressuring every fifty-fifty ball, Emma is great in our midfield defensive area in terms of fighting and not backing down, and Cyndi (Martinez) stepped in really well as a starting back today.
“So defensively, we’re strong and we have that fight. And what a player like Amber has — that sense of competitiveness — you need that to push the envelope a little bit. Because you can be a strong competitor and still also be a phenomenal sportsman. And we have a lot of that on the team.”
Thorne saw no reason to hit the panic button with so much season left to play.
“It’s a tough loss but we can turn this around,” she said. “We have a really good returning senior group that works really well together and other players have stepped up. We just have to stay positive and keep playing our game.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Sarah Yochem
D Cyndi Martinez
D Amber Sedwick
D Emma Thorne
D Elizabeth Guenther
M Jaclyn Lamz
M Brianna McAloon
M Ann Marie Ahrens
M Ziri Hernandez
F Alexis Morgan
F Lauren Tarchaia
Hoffman Estates
GK Crystal Adochio
D Josephine Roberts
D Christina Salerno
D Vanessa Alonso Hernandez
D Emma Lunak
M Kaitlyn Krogstad
M Alyssa Dupart
M Molly Salerno
M Vanessa Bonilla
F Kathy Lopez
F Avery Panek
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Molly Salerno, sr. M, Hoffman Estates
Scoring summary
First half
Hoffman Estates: Lopez (UA)
Second half
Hoffman Estates: M. Salerno (PK), M. Salerno (Panek)