Fremd awakens, produces
worthy senior moment against Hersey
Vikings honor Class of '22 with 3-1 MSL win
By Bobby Narang
PALATINE -- Senior Night games can often lead to a mixed bag of results.
Fremd experienced both sides of the emotional tug-of-war in Friday’s game against Hersey.
The Vikings came out flat and lacked aggression and punch in the final third.
But something clicked at halftime.
Maybe it was the speakers blaring Van Halen’s “Jump” seconds before the start of the final half. That caused several players to happily bounce up and down.
Perhaps the realization that losing on Senior Night, and a day after Fremd coach Steve Keller’s birthday, caused the change in energy.
Or the Vikings just came to the realization they didn’t want to disappoint the large crowd on a brisk but tolerable evening.
Either way, the Vikings woke up from their slumber and scored two goals in the second half to pull out a 3-1 victory over the Huskies in the the hosts final Mid-Suburban League game of the season.
The Vikings (9-6-2, 8-1-2 MSL West) have a quick turnaround. They host Notre Dame (Peoria) at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Hersey (8-8-2, 5-3-1 MSL East) has an even quicker return to the pitch. The Huskies hosted Elk Grove at 11 a.m. for their Senior Day.
A few minutes after the victory, the Vikings celebrated by giving Keller a chocolate cake for his birthday.
Fremd senior Kylie Williams said the team came out more aggressive in second half.
“Coach had his birthday (on Thursday), but we didn’t have practice, so we celebrated today,” Williams said. “We wanted to win on Senior Night, but also for his birthday.
“We just realized at halftime that we lollygagged in the first half, and it was 1-1. We knew we had to pick it up and win on Senior Night. There were a lot of nerves with all the people here, so it felt good to win it and secure it.”
Keller said the win was special for the nine soon-to-be graduates in their final conference home game. Several seniors mugged for pictures, even during the game. The Vikings celebrated with cake and candy bars. They thanked the fans along the fence.
“Senior (Night) is always difficult, because emotions come into play,” Keller said. “I thought they did a nice job. They handled it well.
“This team has a way of putting things into perspective. They have a lot of fun. They played hard and did the things we needed to do to win.
“We’re trying to build for the playoffs and find our stride. Tonight was a good step in that direction. That’s our main focus, so it was nice to get this win. I’m very proud of how we did in conference.”
Fremd senior forward Lily Spotak led the charge, showing off her immense skill set by scoring two goals. The Eastern Michigan recruit said she was happy to contribute to the victory.
Spotak’s been on a tear late in the season. She scored all three goals in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Rolling Meadows and raised her season total to team-high 10 goals.
“Both (goals were) with my left foot, slotted into the far post,” Spotak said. “They were pretty good finishes. The second one hit the post and went in, kind of shocking the goalie I think. I think this is a pretty good win, helping build our confidence. We have some tough games coming up before the playoffs, so this helps with our confidence and the right mentality to go into the playoffs.”
Spotak scored the first goal of the game in the 10th minute, but the Huskies tied the game on sophomore Abi Beck’s corner kick goal in the 35th minute.
“I was aiming for the back post, and it just curled in,” Beck said. “We played well, but we needed to stay in the game more mentally. We can beat anybody if we can stay away from mental mistakes. Everyone has to show up on Saturday and be locked in and play strong.”
Spotak energized Fremd by knocking in a slow-rolling shot inside the far post from the right side from 18 yards to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead in the 52nd minute.
Nine-plus minutes later, Fremd’s Sammie Findysz gave the Vikings a cushion, when senior Ania Ciborowski shook off a defender with a Chris Paul-like move and got some space to slot a perfect pass to Findysz, who knocked in a shot from 10 yards.
The sophomore, who missed last season with an injury, admitted she’s excited to be an important part of the team.
“I saw Ania running in and cutting in. She saw me making a run, and I found that pocket,” Findysz said. “She made a really nice pass. It was nice to hit one of those going into the playoffs.
“I’m really enjoying meeting the girls and going to practice and hanging with them. It’s good to make an impact. At the beginning of the season, I was making more of an impact, but hit a lull.
“Soccer is very streaky. I hope we can hit the streak in the playoffs, and I can impact the team more and help us win.”
Fremd senior goalie Sam Gary collected four saves in the victory and held the Huskies scoreless for the final 45 minutes.
The keeper said the emotions from Senior Night played a factor in the team’s early doldrums.
“It was a rough start,” Gary said. “I let that corner in. She had a great curve on it. I just misjudged it.
“That kind of woke us up, making us focus on our play more. Senior Night is tough. Lily had a great mindset coming into it. She was really encouraging. We all wanted to win this game. It was our last conference home game.
“I’ve been playing soccer for a long time. It’s weird that the playoffs are coming, and it could be our last game. We have to give it our all in Saturday’s game and against New Trier.”
Williams said the Vikings have the potential to be a team to watch in the playoffs.
“It’s been a fun year, but with COVID and everything, it’s been different,” she said. “I’m glad that the last year is a normal year. We have a fun team, so it’s been a good year to finish up on. We plan on leaving it all out there in the playoffs. We’ve had some tough games we’ve lost, but we’ve been fixing (problems) so we can be successful.”
Hersey senior defender Becca Caliendo said it’s important to not carry the sting of a tough road loss into the Huskies game Saturday.
“I think we played a pretty good game and usually give teams a good fight,” Caliendo said. “I’m excited to see how we do in the playoffs. It’s our last home game ever. We want to play well against Elk Grove.”
Hersey junior forward Ava Cismoski said she’s excited for the final stretch of the season, especially after not playing in her freshman season due to COVID-19 and missing all of last season with a knee injury.
“We’re a really gritty team and we fight until the end,” Cismoski said. “We just have to leave it all on the field (on Saturday), especially to do it for the seniors. We’re trying to build up for the playoffs.
“It feels good to be out here and playing and making connections on the field. It’s frustrating to lose games, but you have to make the most of every game you are on the field. I learned that last year, just watching every single game and not being able to do anything.”
Starting lineups
Hersey
GK Alli Paulson
D Ali Beck
D Cassie Caruso
D Natalie Suto
D Becca Caliendo
MF Asha Bontje
MF Finley Wilcox
MF Gretchen Chianelli
MF Abi Beck
F Faith Sena
F Ava Cismoski
Fremd
GK Sam Gary
D Shannon Moran
D Stella Varon
D Bella Scesniak
MF Maria Varon
MF Gemma Gillespie
MF Anna Schmitt
MF Kaitlyn Rodi
MF Kyrie Williams
F Lily Spotak
F Ania Ciborowski
Chicagoland MVP of the Match: Lily Spotak, sr. F, Fremd
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd — Lily Spotak (Kylie Williams), 10th minute
Hersey — Abi Beck (unassisted), 35th minute
Second half
Fremd — Lily Spotak (unassisted), 52nd minute
Fremd — Sammie Findysz (Ania Ciborowski), 62nd minute
worthy senior moment against Hersey
Vikings honor Class of '22 with 3-1 MSL win
By Bobby Narang
PALATINE -- Senior Night games can often lead to a mixed bag of results.
Fremd experienced both sides of the emotional tug-of-war in Friday’s game against Hersey.
The Vikings came out flat and lacked aggression and punch in the final third.
But something clicked at halftime.
Maybe it was the speakers blaring Van Halen’s “Jump” seconds before the start of the final half. That caused several players to happily bounce up and down.
Perhaps the realization that losing on Senior Night, and a day after Fremd coach Steve Keller’s birthday, caused the change in energy.
Or the Vikings just came to the realization they didn’t want to disappoint the large crowd on a brisk but tolerable evening.
Either way, the Vikings woke up from their slumber and scored two goals in the second half to pull out a 3-1 victory over the Huskies in the the hosts final Mid-Suburban League game of the season.
The Vikings (9-6-2, 8-1-2 MSL West) have a quick turnaround. They host Notre Dame (Peoria) at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Hersey (8-8-2, 5-3-1 MSL East) has an even quicker return to the pitch. The Huskies hosted Elk Grove at 11 a.m. for their Senior Day.
A few minutes after the victory, the Vikings celebrated by giving Keller a chocolate cake for his birthday.
Fremd senior Kylie Williams said the team came out more aggressive in second half.
“Coach had his birthday (on Thursday), but we didn’t have practice, so we celebrated today,” Williams said. “We wanted to win on Senior Night, but also for his birthday.
“We just realized at halftime that we lollygagged in the first half, and it was 1-1. We knew we had to pick it up and win on Senior Night. There were a lot of nerves with all the people here, so it felt good to win it and secure it.”
Keller said the win was special for the nine soon-to-be graduates in their final conference home game. Several seniors mugged for pictures, even during the game. The Vikings celebrated with cake and candy bars. They thanked the fans along the fence.
“Senior (Night) is always difficult, because emotions come into play,” Keller said. “I thought they did a nice job. They handled it well.
“This team has a way of putting things into perspective. They have a lot of fun. They played hard and did the things we needed to do to win.
“We’re trying to build for the playoffs and find our stride. Tonight was a good step in that direction. That’s our main focus, so it was nice to get this win. I’m very proud of how we did in conference.”
Fremd senior forward Lily Spotak led the charge, showing off her immense skill set by scoring two goals. The Eastern Michigan recruit said she was happy to contribute to the victory.
Spotak’s been on a tear late in the season. She scored all three goals in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Rolling Meadows and raised her season total to team-high 10 goals.
“Both (goals were) with my left foot, slotted into the far post,” Spotak said. “They were pretty good finishes. The second one hit the post and went in, kind of shocking the goalie I think. I think this is a pretty good win, helping build our confidence. We have some tough games coming up before the playoffs, so this helps with our confidence and the right mentality to go into the playoffs.”
Spotak scored the first goal of the game in the 10th minute, but the Huskies tied the game on sophomore Abi Beck’s corner kick goal in the 35th minute.
“I was aiming for the back post, and it just curled in,” Beck said. “We played well, but we needed to stay in the game more mentally. We can beat anybody if we can stay away from mental mistakes. Everyone has to show up on Saturday and be locked in and play strong.”
Spotak energized Fremd by knocking in a slow-rolling shot inside the far post from the right side from 18 yards to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead in the 52nd minute.
Nine-plus minutes later, Fremd’s Sammie Findysz gave the Vikings a cushion, when senior Ania Ciborowski shook off a defender with a Chris Paul-like move and got some space to slot a perfect pass to Findysz, who knocked in a shot from 10 yards.
The sophomore, who missed last season with an injury, admitted she’s excited to be an important part of the team.
“I saw Ania running in and cutting in. She saw me making a run, and I found that pocket,” Findysz said. “She made a really nice pass. It was nice to hit one of those going into the playoffs.
“I’m really enjoying meeting the girls and going to practice and hanging with them. It’s good to make an impact. At the beginning of the season, I was making more of an impact, but hit a lull.
“Soccer is very streaky. I hope we can hit the streak in the playoffs, and I can impact the team more and help us win.”
Fremd senior goalie Sam Gary collected four saves in the victory and held the Huskies scoreless for the final 45 minutes.
The keeper said the emotions from Senior Night played a factor in the team’s early doldrums.
“It was a rough start,” Gary said. “I let that corner in. She had a great curve on it. I just misjudged it.
“That kind of woke us up, making us focus on our play more. Senior Night is tough. Lily had a great mindset coming into it. She was really encouraging. We all wanted to win this game. It was our last conference home game.
“I’ve been playing soccer for a long time. It’s weird that the playoffs are coming, and it could be our last game. We have to give it our all in Saturday’s game and against New Trier.”
Williams said the Vikings have the potential to be a team to watch in the playoffs.
“It’s been a fun year, but with COVID and everything, it’s been different,” she said. “I’m glad that the last year is a normal year. We have a fun team, so it’s been a good year to finish up on. We plan on leaving it all out there in the playoffs. We’ve had some tough games we’ve lost, but we’ve been fixing (problems) so we can be successful.”
Hersey senior defender Becca Caliendo said it’s important to not carry the sting of a tough road loss into the Huskies game Saturday.
“I think we played a pretty good game and usually give teams a good fight,” Caliendo said. “I’m excited to see how we do in the playoffs. It’s our last home game ever. We want to play well against Elk Grove.”
Hersey junior forward Ava Cismoski said she’s excited for the final stretch of the season, especially after not playing in her freshman season due to COVID-19 and missing all of last season with a knee injury.
“We’re a really gritty team and we fight until the end,” Cismoski said. “We just have to leave it all on the field (on Saturday), especially to do it for the seniors. We’re trying to build up for the playoffs.
“It feels good to be out here and playing and making connections on the field. It’s frustrating to lose games, but you have to make the most of every game you are on the field. I learned that last year, just watching every single game and not being able to do anything.”
Starting lineups
Hersey
GK Alli Paulson
D Ali Beck
D Cassie Caruso
D Natalie Suto
D Becca Caliendo
MF Asha Bontje
MF Finley Wilcox
MF Gretchen Chianelli
MF Abi Beck
F Faith Sena
F Ava Cismoski
Fremd
GK Sam Gary
D Shannon Moran
D Stella Varon
D Bella Scesniak
MF Maria Varon
MF Gemma Gillespie
MF Anna Schmitt
MF Kaitlyn Rodi
MF Kyrie Williams
F Lily Spotak
F Ania Ciborowski
Chicagoland MVP of the Match: Lily Spotak, sr. F, Fremd
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd — Lily Spotak (Kylie Williams), 10th minute
Hersey — Abi Beck (unassisted), 35th minute
Second half
Fremd — Lily Spotak (unassisted), 52nd minute
Fremd — Sammie Findysz (Ania Ciborowski), 62nd minute