Deerfield stumbles, Highland Park
rises up to control CSL North
Warriors can't stop HP's Schenk in battle for league lead
By Rusty Silber
DEEFIELD -- Rivalries are one of the best things about high school sports. In Township High School District 113 that means Deerfield and Highland Park, which have raised the level of competition against one another on the pitch these days.
The schools’ meetings rose to even more importance this season with each playing exceptional soccer. The pair rode five-match winning streaks and stood one game apart in the standings when they met in a crucial Central Suburban League North Division match on Monday.
The unique game was the result of the conference’s pandemic schedule in which each team plays the others twice.
Highland Park won the night and likely the North Division with three second half goals in a 4-1 victory over host Deerfield. The win kept the Giants (11-2-0, 6-0-0) blemishless in lead while the Warriors (9-6-1- 4-2-0) dropped two games back.
After the game the Warriors were left to ponder: What really happened in that second half?
"I'm disappointed, because this was twice that we've played them," Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. “(Highland Park) was a very good and very effective team. But we knew what they were going to do, and we knew what we wanted to do and we didn't do it. That's the frustrating thing. They won conference and congrats to them. Now it’s about getting ready for the playoffs."
Deerfield had been playing some pretty good soccer approaching the tail end of the season and with Class AA seeding coming up later this week. The Warriors are working to get a high seed in the Wauconda Sectional.
"I believe our offense had been clicking," Grady said. "If you look at the teams that we've lost to overall, all the teams are really solid. We lost to Highland Park twice (2-0 in the previous match). We lost to Warren; we lost to Evanston; we lost to Wheaton Academy and Lane Tech.
“There are some things that we need to sort out. We're getting there, and we're extremely young. We only start one senior. I expect we will get there."
Deerfield's senior midfielder, Anna Fang was right in the middle of things and saw what happened first-hand in the second half. However, she knows what this Warriors team can really do better on the field together.
"Obviously, the loss was a little bit hard, and there's definitely a lot of things we can learn," Fang said. "I think when this team plays to our level, and we play together, our energy is up, both on the bench and the field. We can do amazing things.
“It's just finding that key, that click, that snap, that gets us going. In this one, we just didn't have it. Highland Park was a great team. I guess, they came out stronger in the second half. We were back on our heels, and we have to learn to roll with the punches. We didn't roll very well."
For the first 40 minutes, it was a typically played rivalry battle with a 1-1 tie at the break.
But Highland Park took over in the second half. Sydney Schenk was the biggest Giant.
The Highland Park senior midfielder put her leg into each score with a goal and three assists. For her memorable performance, she was named Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match.
"I love getting the assists and finding my teammates for goals," said Schenk, who has seven goals and eight assists this season and will play at Case Western Reserve in Ohio next fall. "I saw the opportunity to get around defenders on both sides. I cut around the left side and go with both feet, just looked up, found my teammates and let it ride."
Goals are great, but assists can be just as good. Schenk’s unselfishness has made the Giants a better team all season long.
"Sometimes the assist feels better than a goal," Schenk said. "I did the work, and my teammates helped me out. They make me look good, and I make them look good. It's a great feeling finishing off your work. That's soccer and teamwork."
Schenk set up the eventual game-winning goal in the 44th minute with a cross from the left side of the penalty area. Lucy Paull finished in front for a 2-1 Giants advantage.
A Schenk corner kick in the 55th minute resulted in freshman Emma Risko-Juarez’s header for a two-goal goal lead.
Schenk added her only goal on a 45-yard free kick that went under the crossbar in the 61st minute.
In the first half, Highland Park opened the scoring with Schenk's assist to Katherine Ohlwein in the 10th minute of play.
Deerfield evened the score 1-1 in the 22nd minute, when Riley Schimanski found the back of the net off an assist from Holly Deutsch. The Warriors offense came up empty after that.
It’s an understatement to say the 2021 season has been different. To be able to start playing high school soccer again and make it this far was far from a given after COVID-19 wiped out the entirety of last season. The chance to play has filled many players, families and coaches with a sense of appreciation.
"I think these girls have been waiting for a soccer season," Highland Park coach Kate Straka said. "We're just so grateful for the Deerfield and Highland Park communities to come out for both of these teams and support them in an amazing way. Both games have had an electric feeling, and we fed off of that very well. There are definitely girls here that thrive under pressure.”
In that second half, Highland Park made some adjustments that produced the three goals along with the efforts of Schenk
"Schenk is the captain that will be the captain at practice that will pick up cones," Straka said. "She's a leader on the field. She's a captain with three assists and one goal. She's an amazing woman. She had only played five games in her sophomore year and is now irreplaceable."
Starting lineups
Highland Park
GK-Morgan Cohen
D-Avery Butler
D-Maddie Ohlwein
D-Haley Cohen
MF-Kira Thomas
MF-Sydney Schenk
MF-Anna Stahlberger
MF-Emma Risko-Juarez
MF-Greta Ohlwein
F-Julia Struck
F-Katherine Ohlwein
Deerfield
GK-Isa Davilla
D-Avery Kingsepp
D-Katie Morgan
D-Madeline Stevens
MF-Ally Linn
MF-Emma Gassman
MF-Erin Emory
MF-Simone Criz
MF-Emily Fox
F-Holly Deutsch
F-Riley Schimanski
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match - Sydney Schenk, sr., MF, Highland Park
Scoring summary
First half
HP-Katherine Ohlwein (Sydney Schenk) 10'
Dfld-Riley Schimanski (Holly Duetsch) 22'
Second half
HP-Lucy Paull (Sydney Schenk) 44'
HP-Emma Risko-Juarez (Sydney Schenk) 55'
HP-Sydney Schenk (unassisted) 61'
rises up to control CSL North
Warriors can't stop HP's Schenk in battle for league lead
By Rusty Silber
DEEFIELD -- Rivalries are one of the best things about high school sports. In Township High School District 113 that means Deerfield and Highland Park, which have raised the level of competition against one another on the pitch these days.
The schools’ meetings rose to even more importance this season with each playing exceptional soccer. The pair rode five-match winning streaks and stood one game apart in the standings when they met in a crucial Central Suburban League North Division match on Monday.
The unique game was the result of the conference’s pandemic schedule in which each team plays the others twice.
Highland Park won the night and likely the North Division with three second half goals in a 4-1 victory over host Deerfield. The win kept the Giants (11-2-0, 6-0-0) blemishless in lead while the Warriors (9-6-1- 4-2-0) dropped two games back.
After the game the Warriors were left to ponder: What really happened in that second half?
"I'm disappointed, because this was twice that we've played them," Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. “(Highland Park) was a very good and very effective team. But we knew what they were going to do, and we knew what we wanted to do and we didn't do it. That's the frustrating thing. They won conference and congrats to them. Now it’s about getting ready for the playoffs."
Deerfield had been playing some pretty good soccer approaching the tail end of the season and with Class AA seeding coming up later this week. The Warriors are working to get a high seed in the Wauconda Sectional.
"I believe our offense had been clicking," Grady said. "If you look at the teams that we've lost to overall, all the teams are really solid. We lost to Highland Park twice (2-0 in the previous match). We lost to Warren; we lost to Evanston; we lost to Wheaton Academy and Lane Tech.
“There are some things that we need to sort out. We're getting there, and we're extremely young. We only start one senior. I expect we will get there."
Deerfield's senior midfielder, Anna Fang was right in the middle of things and saw what happened first-hand in the second half. However, she knows what this Warriors team can really do better on the field together.
"Obviously, the loss was a little bit hard, and there's definitely a lot of things we can learn," Fang said. "I think when this team plays to our level, and we play together, our energy is up, both on the bench and the field. We can do amazing things.
“It's just finding that key, that click, that snap, that gets us going. In this one, we just didn't have it. Highland Park was a great team. I guess, they came out stronger in the second half. We were back on our heels, and we have to learn to roll with the punches. We didn't roll very well."
For the first 40 minutes, it was a typically played rivalry battle with a 1-1 tie at the break.
But Highland Park took over in the second half. Sydney Schenk was the biggest Giant.
The Highland Park senior midfielder put her leg into each score with a goal and three assists. For her memorable performance, she was named Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match.
"I love getting the assists and finding my teammates for goals," said Schenk, who has seven goals and eight assists this season and will play at Case Western Reserve in Ohio next fall. "I saw the opportunity to get around defenders on both sides. I cut around the left side and go with both feet, just looked up, found my teammates and let it ride."
Goals are great, but assists can be just as good. Schenk’s unselfishness has made the Giants a better team all season long.
"Sometimes the assist feels better than a goal," Schenk said. "I did the work, and my teammates helped me out. They make me look good, and I make them look good. It's a great feeling finishing off your work. That's soccer and teamwork."
Schenk set up the eventual game-winning goal in the 44th minute with a cross from the left side of the penalty area. Lucy Paull finished in front for a 2-1 Giants advantage.
A Schenk corner kick in the 55th minute resulted in freshman Emma Risko-Juarez’s header for a two-goal goal lead.
Schenk added her only goal on a 45-yard free kick that went under the crossbar in the 61st minute.
In the first half, Highland Park opened the scoring with Schenk's assist to Katherine Ohlwein in the 10th minute of play.
Deerfield evened the score 1-1 in the 22nd minute, when Riley Schimanski found the back of the net off an assist from Holly Deutsch. The Warriors offense came up empty after that.
It’s an understatement to say the 2021 season has been different. To be able to start playing high school soccer again and make it this far was far from a given after COVID-19 wiped out the entirety of last season. The chance to play has filled many players, families and coaches with a sense of appreciation.
"I think these girls have been waiting for a soccer season," Highland Park coach Kate Straka said. "We're just so grateful for the Deerfield and Highland Park communities to come out for both of these teams and support them in an amazing way. Both games have had an electric feeling, and we fed off of that very well. There are definitely girls here that thrive under pressure.”
In that second half, Highland Park made some adjustments that produced the three goals along with the efforts of Schenk
"Schenk is the captain that will be the captain at practice that will pick up cones," Straka said. "She's a leader on the field. She's a captain with three assists and one goal. She's an amazing woman. She had only played five games in her sophomore year and is now irreplaceable."
Starting lineups
Highland Park
GK-Morgan Cohen
D-Avery Butler
D-Maddie Ohlwein
D-Haley Cohen
MF-Kira Thomas
MF-Sydney Schenk
MF-Anna Stahlberger
MF-Emma Risko-Juarez
MF-Greta Ohlwein
F-Julia Struck
F-Katherine Ohlwein
Deerfield
GK-Isa Davilla
D-Avery Kingsepp
D-Katie Morgan
D-Madeline Stevens
MF-Ally Linn
MF-Emma Gassman
MF-Erin Emory
MF-Simone Criz
MF-Emily Fox
F-Holly Deutsch
F-Riley Schimanski
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match - Sydney Schenk, sr., MF, Highland Park
Scoring summary
First half
HP-Katherine Ohlwein (Sydney Schenk) 10'
Dfld-Riley Schimanski (Holly Duetsch) 22'
Second half
HP-Lucy Paull (Sydney Schenk) 44'
HP-Emma Risko-Juarez (Sydney Schenk) 55'
HP-Sydney Schenk (unassisted) 61'