Rochelle Zell can't derail
league leader Hope
Tigers win streak ends with 4-1 loss
By A.J. Schmitz
DEERFIELD -- Rochelle Zell knew it was in for a competitive match against undefeated Hope.
“All of their players are really good,” said Zell head coach David Martinez. “They’re club players. It’s tough when you have one club player versus a number of them.”
Rochelle Zell (5-2-0, 3-2-0) picked up their second Chicago Prep Conference loss on Tuesday in a 4-1 result against Hope (6-0-0, 4-0-0), that ended a three-game win streak that saw the Tigers score 24 goals while only conceding two.
Hope hit the ground running, setting an urgent tempo that pressured Zell on the ball. The initial stages were marked by a battle for possession as both teams got to know one another.
Before each side fully settled into their rhythms, Hope midfielder Gabriela Espinoza took advantage of a misdirected goal kick, finding herself free on goal at the corner of the box. Without hesitation, she took a textbook strike and found the far post during the fifth minute, giving the Eagles an early lead.
With that, Zell started to wake up.
Offensively, Zell’s chances remained few and far between. But defensively, the Tigers showed their mettle despite the final score line.
Center back Meira Lieberman put on a show as she saved more than one breakaway from turning into a scoring opportunity, combating Hope’s speed with her deep position on the pitch. In the 16th minute, Hope defender Lia Linares took it herself from one end of the field to another, in a real show of skill on the ball. But before Zell could face any consequences on the defensive end from Linares’ impressive run, Lieberman swooped in to knock the ball out of play and break the offensive momentum.
“I think because I was told this was a good team, that pushed me to work 100 times harder,” Lieberman said.
Hope forwards Crystal Cervantes and Adaliah Gonzalez were frustrated to receive few close looks. Lieberman’s effort forced Hope’s attackers to take their chances from long range, a strategy that Martinez said was meant to give his team the advantage. Unfortunately for his team, that’s not the way it turned out.
“We had a game plan: ‘How do we stop crosses? How do we stop shots?’ he said. “And then their first three goals were shots from afar. Something we game-planned for but didn’t really execute until the second half.”
Hope scored back-to-back goals midway through the first half. Midfielder Camila Baragan retained possession of a loose ball outside the box on Zell’s defensive end. With a one-touch turn, she launched the ball into the back of the net during the 18th minute.
Perhaps suffering a loss of morale, Zell conceded again in the 19th minute, allowing Espinoza another long-range shot. Taking the ball down the outside, Espinoza was near the goal line beyond the edge of the box when she fired a laser that Zell goalkeeper Talia Scholder managed to get fingers to.
Unfortunately for Scholder, her touch was not enough to prevent the goal, and the ball hit the crossbar before bouncing into the net.
“I usually score in games, but I think I was lucky today,” Espinoza said of her two Hail Mary goals.
Hope head coach Jorge Linares agreed.
“We had three lucky shots in the first half, and I think that was the difference,” he said, alluding to the evenly matched second half.
The 3-0 halftime score line was hardly indicative of Scholder’s valiant effort in net. Hope had multiple shots that could have easily put the game out of reach early, but Scholder was a stalwart.
Barragan almost got her first goal in the 10th minute on another long-range shot, but Scholder tracked it well and snagged the ball out of the air. Espinoza’s hat-trick was stifled in the 34th minute when she took a rocket on the ground from a wide position in the box. Scholder kept a good position to shut it down on the near post.
With such a performance, it’s hard to believe this is Scholder’s first season in net. As with many goalkeepers, it appears she walked into the job by chance.
“I didn’t start playing goalie until the middle of the season. So it’s very new, but I think I’ve improved a lot,” she said. “My teammate came up to me and she goes, ‘You’re playing goalie next game.’ So I played that one day and asked Martinez if I could play goalie for the rest of the season. He said yes so I just kind of went with it.”
Zell’s lack of club experience means natural goalkeepers are hard to come by. Naturally then, they must create their own from within.
The second half saw much more even play, with Zell and Hope each scoring once. That ultimately proved the relative equity between the sides.
Zell started the half on the right foot and scored in the 55th minute. Playmaker and midfielder Becca Berkeley dished the ball to forward Noa Saxton outside the box. Saxton took a touch around the defense and smacked a difficult shot over Hope goalkeeper Faith Manke.
The Tigers excitement dwindled during the 68th minute when, after shutting Zell out following their only goal, Hope answered to solidify the win.
Cervantes, who previously found difficulty getting to goal, was given space to run in on net after a throw-in. With only Scholder to beat, Cervantes found the back of the net.
Aside from the late goal, Martinez was pleased with his team's second half performance, yet he regretted how long it took Zell to reach top form.
“We can’t wait until we are down a goal, or down two goals, for us to play harder and smarter. So that’s the biggest thing we are taking away,” said Martinez.
“I’m anticipating a great game on Thursday against Ida Crown. It’s always been a competitive game so I’m hoping our girls prevail and play how they’re capable of playing.”
With a win against Ida Crown (4-3-0, 3-2-0) on Thursday, the Tigers will cement their third place position in the Chicago Prep Conference.
Hope takes on Pritzker (9-1-0) in a nonconference game May 17 before returning to league play and hosting Our Lady of Tepeyac (1-4-0, 0-4-0) on May 18.
Starting lineups
Hope
GK: Faith Manke
D: Helen Linares
D: Keyla Lopez
D: Mia Linares
M: Camila Barragan
M: Samantha Duran
M: Gabriela Espinoza
M: Valerie Saldona
M: Samantha Silva
F: Crystal Cervantes
F: Adaliah Gonzalez
Rochelle Zell
GK: Talia Scholder
D: Naomi Sendlin
D: Meira Lieberman
D: Haley Rudnick
D: Aya Moller
M: Ahava Cohen
M: Abigail Singer
M: Becca Berkeley
M: Janie Levitan
F: Noa Saxton
F: Zoey Weiss
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Gabriela Espinoza, sr., MF, Hope
Scoring Summary
First half
Hope: Espinoza (UA) 5th minute
Hope: Barragan (UA) 18th minute
Hope: Espinoza (UA) 19th minute
Second half
Rochelle Zell: Saxton (Berkeley) 55th minute
Hope: Cervantes (UA) 68th minute
league leader Hope
Tigers win streak ends with 4-1 loss
By A.J. Schmitz
DEERFIELD -- Rochelle Zell knew it was in for a competitive match against undefeated Hope.
“All of their players are really good,” said Zell head coach David Martinez. “They’re club players. It’s tough when you have one club player versus a number of them.”
Rochelle Zell (5-2-0, 3-2-0) picked up their second Chicago Prep Conference loss on Tuesday in a 4-1 result against Hope (6-0-0, 4-0-0), that ended a three-game win streak that saw the Tigers score 24 goals while only conceding two.
Hope hit the ground running, setting an urgent tempo that pressured Zell on the ball. The initial stages were marked by a battle for possession as both teams got to know one another.
Before each side fully settled into their rhythms, Hope midfielder Gabriela Espinoza took advantage of a misdirected goal kick, finding herself free on goal at the corner of the box. Without hesitation, she took a textbook strike and found the far post during the fifth minute, giving the Eagles an early lead.
With that, Zell started to wake up.
Offensively, Zell’s chances remained few and far between. But defensively, the Tigers showed their mettle despite the final score line.
Center back Meira Lieberman put on a show as she saved more than one breakaway from turning into a scoring opportunity, combating Hope’s speed with her deep position on the pitch. In the 16th minute, Hope defender Lia Linares took it herself from one end of the field to another, in a real show of skill on the ball. But before Zell could face any consequences on the defensive end from Linares’ impressive run, Lieberman swooped in to knock the ball out of play and break the offensive momentum.
“I think because I was told this was a good team, that pushed me to work 100 times harder,” Lieberman said.
Hope forwards Crystal Cervantes and Adaliah Gonzalez were frustrated to receive few close looks. Lieberman’s effort forced Hope’s attackers to take their chances from long range, a strategy that Martinez said was meant to give his team the advantage. Unfortunately for his team, that’s not the way it turned out.
“We had a game plan: ‘How do we stop crosses? How do we stop shots?’ he said. “And then their first three goals were shots from afar. Something we game-planned for but didn’t really execute until the second half.”
Hope scored back-to-back goals midway through the first half. Midfielder Camila Baragan retained possession of a loose ball outside the box on Zell’s defensive end. With a one-touch turn, she launched the ball into the back of the net during the 18th minute.
Perhaps suffering a loss of morale, Zell conceded again in the 19th minute, allowing Espinoza another long-range shot. Taking the ball down the outside, Espinoza was near the goal line beyond the edge of the box when she fired a laser that Zell goalkeeper Talia Scholder managed to get fingers to.
Unfortunately for Scholder, her touch was not enough to prevent the goal, and the ball hit the crossbar before bouncing into the net.
“I usually score in games, but I think I was lucky today,” Espinoza said of her two Hail Mary goals.
Hope head coach Jorge Linares agreed.
“We had three lucky shots in the first half, and I think that was the difference,” he said, alluding to the evenly matched second half.
The 3-0 halftime score line was hardly indicative of Scholder’s valiant effort in net. Hope had multiple shots that could have easily put the game out of reach early, but Scholder was a stalwart.
Barragan almost got her first goal in the 10th minute on another long-range shot, but Scholder tracked it well and snagged the ball out of the air. Espinoza’s hat-trick was stifled in the 34th minute when she took a rocket on the ground from a wide position in the box. Scholder kept a good position to shut it down on the near post.
With such a performance, it’s hard to believe this is Scholder’s first season in net. As with many goalkeepers, it appears she walked into the job by chance.
“I didn’t start playing goalie until the middle of the season. So it’s very new, but I think I’ve improved a lot,” she said. “My teammate came up to me and she goes, ‘You’re playing goalie next game.’ So I played that one day and asked Martinez if I could play goalie for the rest of the season. He said yes so I just kind of went with it.”
Zell’s lack of club experience means natural goalkeepers are hard to come by. Naturally then, they must create their own from within.
The second half saw much more even play, with Zell and Hope each scoring once. That ultimately proved the relative equity between the sides.
Zell started the half on the right foot and scored in the 55th minute. Playmaker and midfielder Becca Berkeley dished the ball to forward Noa Saxton outside the box. Saxton took a touch around the defense and smacked a difficult shot over Hope goalkeeper Faith Manke.
The Tigers excitement dwindled during the 68th minute when, after shutting Zell out following their only goal, Hope answered to solidify the win.
Cervantes, who previously found difficulty getting to goal, was given space to run in on net after a throw-in. With only Scholder to beat, Cervantes found the back of the net.
Aside from the late goal, Martinez was pleased with his team's second half performance, yet he regretted how long it took Zell to reach top form.
“We can’t wait until we are down a goal, or down two goals, for us to play harder and smarter. So that’s the biggest thing we are taking away,” said Martinez.
“I’m anticipating a great game on Thursday against Ida Crown. It’s always been a competitive game so I’m hoping our girls prevail and play how they’re capable of playing.”
With a win against Ida Crown (4-3-0, 3-2-0) on Thursday, the Tigers will cement their third place position in the Chicago Prep Conference.
Hope takes on Pritzker (9-1-0) in a nonconference game May 17 before returning to league play and hosting Our Lady of Tepeyac (1-4-0, 0-4-0) on May 18.
Starting lineups
Hope
GK: Faith Manke
D: Helen Linares
D: Keyla Lopez
D: Mia Linares
M: Camila Barragan
M: Samantha Duran
M: Gabriela Espinoza
M: Valerie Saldona
M: Samantha Silva
F: Crystal Cervantes
F: Adaliah Gonzalez
Rochelle Zell
GK: Talia Scholder
D: Naomi Sendlin
D: Meira Lieberman
D: Haley Rudnick
D: Aya Moller
M: Ahava Cohen
M: Abigail Singer
M: Becca Berkeley
M: Janie Levitan
F: Noa Saxton
F: Zoey Weiss
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Gabriela Espinoza, sr., MF, Hope
Scoring Summary
First half
Hope: Espinoza (UA) 5th minute
Hope: Barragan (UA) 18th minute
Hope: Espinoza (UA) 19th minute
Second half
Rochelle Zell: Saxton (Berkeley) 55th minute
Hope: Cervantes (UA) 68th minute