IC Catholic Prep's Hurt puts one on Trinity
Senior F scores 4 2nd half goals to lead Knights to 4-2 road win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
MELROSE PARK -- She has a name out of Shakespeare. And if ever it reflected what she is capable of on a soccer field, Olivia Hurt lives up to the hype. She puts the sting of pain on the opposition.
The four-year star forward at IC Catholic Prep made her name two years as a dynamic and creative scorer and facilitator who produced 26 goals and 18 assists in helping the Knights capture their first state trophy in program history with a Class A fourth place finish.
Tessa Langdon was the leader of that team. Making the leap to featured attraction last year, Hurt went into hyper drive, expanding her play and showing off a refined game and an even more dangerous touch. She amassed a stunning 89 points with 31 goals and 27 assists in powering IC Catholic Prep to a Class A supersectional and earning Chicagoland Soccer all-state honors.
On a day her depleted team needed her more than ever, Hurt again painted a masterpiece of a performance by showcasing her creativity, athleticism and ability to seize the moment.
The senior scored four second half goals and showed great verve and flair in scoring off set pieces and in the field of play to power the Knights to a 4-2 comeback victory over host Trinity at Memorial Field.
The game was played as if in a production of Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” with pounding rain and snow for virtually the entire game. Hurt still shined through.
“I think we just stepped up our game and played at a higher level in the second half,” Hurt said. “We are overcoming a lot of adversity right now. We had two ACL tears and a ankle injury, so I think we are all trying to come together and work really hard as a team and adjust so that we can play really well the rest of the season.”
Hurt ripped the headlines away from the Blazers (7-10-0), who played a physical and skilled game throughout the first half. Despite missing its best player, freshman Bridget Whiteside, who is recovering from an ankle injury, Trinity showed poise and toughness throughout the first half, taking away Hurt and building some compelling action of its own.
Junior Natalia Guerra, a dynamic and explosive talent in her own right, played with conviction and intensity in leading the Blazers. Guerra broke through during a peculiar end-of-the-half moment. The clock on the scoreboard signaled the end of the half and the horn went off, but the center referee maintained official time on the field and said additional time remained.
In the closing seconds, Guerra took a ball from Tabitha Mucci on the left edge and blasted a shot from about 19 yards that curled inside the near post for a 1-0 halftime lead.
“It felt great, especially scoring in that situation,” Guerra said. “I felt it motivated us going into the half, but I guess we lost some focus and concentration and we kind of gave up.
“I think we went into the second half maybe a little too confident, or maybe we didn’t want it as much as the other team did, because they were losing. I felt like we could have done better.”
Hurt turned the tide by scoring three goals in the first eight minutes of the second half for the Knights (8-7-0). The goals underscored her versatility as a free kick specialist and a dynamic athlete in space.
At the start of the second half, Hurt generated consecutive free kicks about 22 yards out on the center left location. Trinity keeper Jackie Ostiguin dove on the first attempt. Hurt persevered and maintained the pressure. Off another restart in the 43rd minute, Hurt delivered with a low, skidding ball the rain and snow made difficult to track.
The ball took a wicked bounce and skidded under the arms of Ostiguin for the Knights’ first goal. Hurt was just getting started. The Knights have an elite freshman in midfielder Claire Wagner, the younger sister of Abi Wagner, a three-year starter and the team's second-leading scorer who is one of the players lost to injury.
Athletic and rangy, Claire Wagner has a powerful finish and a strong leg, and she showed great presence and the ability to play off Hurt throughout the game. She assisted Hurt’s second and fourth goals.
In the 45th minute, Wagner punched a ball up in the air that proved difficult to handle, momentarily freezing Ostiguin. Hurt made a great thrust toward the goal, leaped in the air and just preceded the Trinity keeper in smashing a header past her for the 2-1 Knights’ lead.
“I just went in strong, and I didn’t see the goalie coming at me,” Hurt said. “I just knew it was a perfect ball, and I had to go in hard and be really strong and be prepared to take the contact.”
IC Catholic Prep's injuries have pushed Claire Wagner into an expanded role, and she has flourished.
“We have to adjust to the injuries to some of our main positions,” Claire Wagner said. “I am just a freshman. I try my best, and I do as much as I can to help the team improve and go forward. The intensity and toughness of the game takes some time getting used to, but it is not as [hard] as I thought would be.”
Hurt extended the lead to 3-1 in the 48th minute by converting a penalty kick after a Trinity defender was cited for fouling her inside the box.
Guerra was nearly the equal of Hurt throughout the game. She kept the Blazers close. She broke free early in the second half and forced Knights’ keeper Gabby Smola to come hard off her line for the clearance.
Guerra breathed life into the Blazers’ cause by converting her own penalty kick in the 52nd minute after a Knights’ handball inside the box.
The Hurt and Wagner collaboration clicked again, this time with Wagner playing a through-ball in space. Hurt deftly controlled it and smashed home a sidewinder from about 16 yards in the 56th minute to punctuate her glittering day.
For her outstanding performance, Olivia Hurt earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
“We were more aggressive in the second half, and we took our opportunities when we had them,” Hurt said. “I think getting that first one on the free kick really pumped us up. Usually with our team it is the first goal that really gets us going.”
IC Catholic Prep coach Antonio Godinez said the late-half mental breakdown that led to the Trinity goal effectively woke his team up.
“The play just told us we needed to be more alert and more aggressive in the second half,” he said. “Our want and the desire to just try to create was the difference in the second half.
“We went with three [forwards] and three in the back, and we were very aggressive. We had a different mentality in the second half. I told the girls we were not going to sit back and wait. We were going to attack.”
Trinity coach Kyle McClure is looking to change the culture, and bring in a toughness and discipline. He was disappointed by his team’s effort in the second half.
“I think we got outworked, and that is what hurt us,” McClure said. “We were up 1-0 at halftime, and I think the girls on that team wanted it more than us. They were willing to work harder.”
IC Catholic Prep repeatedly victimized Trinity by winning 50-50 balls and taking strategic advantage of balls that hit off the wet turf for scoring opportunities.
“Natalia I thought played great,” McClure said. “I told the girls after the game I have higher expectations for them. We played good soccer in the first half, we come out with a lead. And we come out in the first eight minutes of the second half and give up three goals, because we did not care enough or work hard enough.
“Hopefully that is going to change.”
Starting lineups
IC Catholic Prep
GK: Gabby Smola
D: Kelly Murray
D: Suzy Maloney
D: Cassandra Serrano
MF: Claire Wagner
MF: Eva Calles
MF: Sophie Hurt
MF: Kate Sebastian
F: Frances Cook
F: Olivia Hurt
F: Rachel Simonides
Trinity
GK: Jackie Ostiguin
D: Tabitha Mucci
D: Antonella Rivoir
D: Natalia Guerra
D: Natalie Maite
MF: Josie Poe
MF: Christina Martinez
MF: Nora Clements
MF: Isabella Whitlock
F: Grace McCaughey
F: Caroline Leyden
Chicagoland soccer MVP of the Match: Olivia Hurt, sr., F, IC Catholic Prep
Scoring summary
First half
Trinity—Natalia Guerra (Tabitha Mucci), 40th minute
Second half
IC Catholic Prep—Olivia Hurt (free kick), 43rd minute
IC Catholic Prep—Hurt (Claire Wagner), 45th minute
IC Catholic Prep—Hurt (penalty kick), 48th minute
Trinity—Guerra (penalty kick), 52nd minute
IC Catholic Prep—Hurt (Wagner), 56th minute
Senior F scores 4 2nd half goals to lead Knights to 4-2 road win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
MELROSE PARK -- She has a name out of Shakespeare. And if ever it reflected what she is capable of on a soccer field, Olivia Hurt lives up to the hype. She puts the sting of pain on the opposition.
The four-year star forward at IC Catholic Prep made her name two years as a dynamic and creative scorer and facilitator who produced 26 goals and 18 assists in helping the Knights capture their first state trophy in program history with a Class A fourth place finish.
Tessa Langdon was the leader of that team. Making the leap to featured attraction last year, Hurt went into hyper drive, expanding her play and showing off a refined game and an even more dangerous touch. She amassed a stunning 89 points with 31 goals and 27 assists in powering IC Catholic Prep to a Class A supersectional and earning Chicagoland Soccer all-state honors.
On a day her depleted team needed her more than ever, Hurt again painted a masterpiece of a performance by showcasing her creativity, athleticism and ability to seize the moment.
The senior scored four second half goals and showed great verve and flair in scoring off set pieces and in the field of play to power the Knights to a 4-2 comeback victory over host Trinity at Memorial Field.
The game was played as if in a production of Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” with pounding rain and snow for virtually the entire game. Hurt still shined through.
“I think we just stepped up our game and played at a higher level in the second half,” Hurt said. “We are overcoming a lot of adversity right now. We had two ACL tears and a ankle injury, so I think we are all trying to come together and work really hard as a team and adjust so that we can play really well the rest of the season.”
Hurt ripped the headlines away from the Blazers (7-10-0), who played a physical and skilled game throughout the first half. Despite missing its best player, freshman Bridget Whiteside, who is recovering from an ankle injury, Trinity showed poise and toughness throughout the first half, taking away Hurt and building some compelling action of its own.
Junior Natalia Guerra, a dynamic and explosive talent in her own right, played with conviction and intensity in leading the Blazers. Guerra broke through during a peculiar end-of-the-half moment. The clock on the scoreboard signaled the end of the half and the horn went off, but the center referee maintained official time on the field and said additional time remained.
In the closing seconds, Guerra took a ball from Tabitha Mucci on the left edge and blasted a shot from about 19 yards that curled inside the near post for a 1-0 halftime lead.
“It felt great, especially scoring in that situation,” Guerra said. “I felt it motivated us going into the half, but I guess we lost some focus and concentration and we kind of gave up.
“I think we went into the second half maybe a little too confident, or maybe we didn’t want it as much as the other team did, because they were losing. I felt like we could have done better.”
Hurt turned the tide by scoring three goals in the first eight minutes of the second half for the Knights (8-7-0). The goals underscored her versatility as a free kick specialist and a dynamic athlete in space.
At the start of the second half, Hurt generated consecutive free kicks about 22 yards out on the center left location. Trinity keeper Jackie Ostiguin dove on the first attempt. Hurt persevered and maintained the pressure. Off another restart in the 43rd minute, Hurt delivered with a low, skidding ball the rain and snow made difficult to track.
The ball took a wicked bounce and skidded under the arms of Ostiguin for the Knights’ first goal. Hurt was just getting started. The Knights have an elite freshman in midfielder Claire Wagner, the younger sister of Abi Wagner, a three-year starter and the team's second-leading scorer who is one of the players lost to injury.
Athletic and rangy, Claire Wagner has a powerful finish and a strong leg, and she showed great presence and the ability to play off Hurt throughout the game. She assisted Hurt’s second and fourth goals.
In the 45th minute, Wagner punched a ball up in the air that proved difficult to handle, momentarily freezing Ostiguin. Hurt made a great thrust toward the goal, leaped in the air and just preceded the Trinity keeper in smashing a header past her for the 2-1 Knights’ lead.
“I just went in strong, and I didn’t see the goalie coming at me,” Hurt said. “I just knew it was a perfect ball, and I had to go in hard and be really strong and be prepared to take the contact.”
IC Catholic Prep's injuries have pushed Claire Wagner into an expanded role, and she has flourished.
“We have to adjust to the injuries to some of our main positions,” Claire Wagner said. “I am just a freshman. I try my best, and I do as much as I can to help the team improve and go forward. The intensity and toughness of the game takes some time getting used to, but it is not as [hard] as I thought would be.”
Hurt extended the lead to 3-1 in the 48th minute by converting a penalty kick after a Trinity defender was cited for fouling her inside the box.
Guerra was nearly the equal of Hurt throughout the game. She kept the Blazers close. She broke free early in the second half and forced Knights’ keeper Gabby Smola to come hard off her line for the clearance.
Guerra breathed life into the Blazers’ cause by converting her own penalty kick in the 52nd minute after a Knights’ handball inside the box.
The Hurt and Wagner collaboration clicked again, this time with Wagner playing a through-ball in space. Hurt deftly controlled it and smashed home a sidewinder from about 16 yards in the 56th minute to punctuate her glittering day.
For her outstanding performance, Olivia Hurt earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
“We were more aggressive in the second half, and we took our opportunities when we had them,” Hurt said. “I think getting that first one on the free kick really pumped us up. Usually with our team it is the first goal that really gets us going.”
IC Catholic Prep coach Antonio Godinez said the late-half mental breakdown that led to the Trinity goal effectively woke his team up.
“The play just told us we needed to be more alert and more aggressive in the second half,” he said. “Our want and the desire to just try to create was the difference in the second half.
“We went with three [forwards] and three in the back, and we were very aggressive. We had a different mentality in the second half. I told the girls we were not going to sit back and wait. We were going to attack.”
Trinity coach Kyle McClure is looking to change the culture, and bring in a toughness and discipline. He was disappointed by his team’s effort in the second half.
“I think we got outworked, and that is what hurt us,” McClure said. “We were up 1-0 at halftime, and I think the girls on that team wanted it more than us. They were willing to work harder.”
IC Catholic Prep repeatedly victimized Trinity by winning 50-50 balls and taking strategic advantage of balls that hit off the wet turf for scoring opportunities.
“Natalia I thought played great,” McClure said. “I told the girls after the game I have higher expectations for them. We played good soccer in the first half, we come out with a lead. And we come out in the first eight minutes of the second half and give up three goals, because we did not care enough or work hard enough.
“Hopefully that is going to change.”
Starting lineups
IC Catholic Prep
GK: Gabby Smola
D: Kelly Murray
D: Suzy Maloney
D: Cassandra Serrano
MF: Claire Wagner
MF: Eva Calles
MF: Sophie Hurt
MF: Kate Sebastian
F: Frances Cook
F: Olivia Hurt
F: Rachel Simonides
Trinity
GK: Jackie Ostiguin
D: Tabitha Mucci
D: Antonella Rivoir
D: Natalia Guerra
D: Natalie Maite
MF: Josie Poe
MF: Christina Martinez
MF: Nora Clements
MF: Isabella Whitlock
F: Grace McCaughey
F: Caroline Leyden
Chicagoland soccer MVP of the Match: Olivia Hurt, sr., F, IC Catholic Prep
Scoring summary
First half
Trinity—Natalia Guerra (Tabitha Mucci), 40th minute
Second half
IC Catholic Prep—Olivia Hurt (free kick), 43rd minute
IC Catholic Prep—Hurt (Claire Wagner), 45th minute
IC Catholic Prep—Hurt (penalty kick), 48th minute
Trinity—Guerra (penalty kick), 52nd minute
IC Catholic Prep—Hurt (Wagner), 56th minute