Lake Forest defense
rests easy in win over Zion-Benton
Offense runs the show in 5-0 North Suburban Conference win
By Bob Narang
ZION -- Lake Forest freshman goalie Sarah Constantine made an unforced error in Thursday’s North Suburban Conference game against Zion-Benton.
In the final minutes of the game, Constantine strolled over to the side of the box to grab an errant soccer ball. She casually tossed it toward the Lake Forest sideline. When the ball stopped a few yards short of the bench area, a referee near midfield called for a brief stoppage to clear the ball off the field.
That was about it, action-wise, for Constantine's night.
With Zion-Benton unable to uncork a single shot on goal, she mostly stood alone, with her arms crossed at times, simply staring at the action at the other end of the field.
At least she had something interesting to watch -- Lake Forest’s scoring opportunities for plentiful for 80 minutes.
Junior midfielder Emersen Waddle scored twice early, including in the opening minute, to lead Lake Forest to a 5-0 North Suburban Conference win over host Zion-Benton.
On a picturesque evening, the Scouts (5-6-0, 3-3-0) relied on a collective effort to end a three-game losing streak.
Just 55 seconds into the game, Waddle started the fireworks. The junior, Tricia Gray, Callie Birtman and Lilly Cran scored the goals for the Scouts.
“It’s a nice night, and Zion-Benton competed,” Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager said. “It was nice to get everyone to play, because our last three games against (ranked) Warren, New Trier and Stevenson not everyone got to play. We were a little distracted, because prom is coming up this weekend.
“I don’t know if we’ve played on grass. That took some getting used to because the weight from some of the passes was tough to hit. Zion-Benton’s keeper (Cynthia Venegas) was excellent.”
Stuckslager praised Waddle for her part in putting the three-game losing streak behind the team. She scored in the opening minute and added a header in the 11th minute.
“She’s matured tremendously since her freshman year," he said. "We’re looking for great things the rest of the year and next year. You can tell she enjoys being out here and enjoys the camaraderie and competition and the challenge for herself on how good she can be.”
Waddle, the youngest daughter of former Chicago Bears wide receiver Tom Waddle, is not planning to follow in the footsteps of her three older sisters — Georgia, Angela and Lea — who all played major college soccer. Waddle said a serious right-knee injury in seventh grade led to that decision.
“Coming out this year with a new group of girls has been amazing,” Waddle said. “I’m extremely happy to be playing soccer. I missed soccer. I needed to get running. Last year I felt a gap from a social and physical aspect, which definitely took a toll on my happiness through the year.”
Lake Forest junior forward Ashleigh Rupprecht said the five-goal margin was the perfect tonic for her team after getting shut out in three-straight matches.
“The grass kind of tripped me up, and I just couldn’t put a good touch on it and score,” Rupprecht said. “But today was a day for everyone to rise up. We got to see everyone play in different positions and situations.
“It was really fun to see everyone get on the field and score some goals. Five goals is good. We’ve got some potential. We run hard, connect passes and are always willing to fight for the whole 80 minutes on the field.”
Junior defender Charlotte Andress said the Scouts lacked some intensity early in the game. Lake Forest missed numerous chances to score goals, knocking countless shots wide of the post or into the backs or legs of Zion-Benton defenders.
“We’ve been working on playing every game hard,” Andress said. “We’ve been playing this season for our seniors, so a game like this, it’s a bit disappointing that we didn’t come out hard enough, but we’ll be working on that in practice.
Zion-Benton's senior goalie Venegas, who played club soccer in her freshman and sophomore seasons, was a steady presence in the net for the Zee-Bees. She was peppered all game with shots, starting from the opening minute until the final whistle.
She recorded 10 of her 17 saves in a frenzied first half in which the Zee-Bees crossed midfield for a total of 30 seconds.
Venegas benefitted from countless shots banging off her defenders, and the Scouts inability to finish in the final third on several attempts.
“It’s a team effort in a way, not just based on me,” Venegas said. “The midfielders and defenders all helped me out. I usually get overwhelmed, but having a supportive team helps, just to joke around with them helps me out.
“I normally would’ve been down right way, but my defenders helped me a lot.”
Senior midfielder Lelsy Rodriguez, a four-year varsity player who was named the 2020-21 Zion-Benton Female Athlete of the Year, said the future is bright for the young team.
“This year we have a lot of freshmen which normally would be frowned upon. But I’m just happy we have girls coming out, and they give a lot of energy,” Rodriguez said. “I’m excited to see what they can be in the future and plan on coming back to watch them.”
Junior midfielder Alex Benjamin said the Zee-Bees played better in the second half, which is a good sign heading into the final week of the regular season.
“We’re all pretty new to this and can still grow,” Benjamin said. “We have to fight for the ball and go for it and be aggressive.”
Zion-Benton coach Cliff Pontillo acknowledged his job is to develop players while in high school in comparison to having experienced club players enter his program.
The Zee-Bees’ youth was evident throughout Thursday’s match with their inability to attack and take advantage of the Scouts reserves in the final 25 minutes. Loud cheers erupted from the stands every time the Zee-Bees (2-11-1, 0-4-0) were able to cross into Lake Forest territory.
Zion-Benton, which started five freshmen, took solace in allowing just one goal in the second half, a final netter right before the buzzer.
“We have one team (in the program). The bulk of this team are freshmen, and we’re going up against high-powered varsity teams,” Pontillo said. “It’s a learning process. We played Warren on Tuesday, changed formations after a rough game.
“We had practice and showed improvement against Lake Forest. It’s a slow process. We’re trying to keep games close and do what we can offensively with the skill level that we’re at. We’re working at it.
“It’s hard for the girls to go through a loss, but as coaches, we’re looking at the freshmen we have who are really talented and see what we will be a year or two from now.
“Everything we do is skill based and trying to get our touches better and incrementally better day by day with the hope that next year and the year after when the freshmen are juniors, we can score a couple of goals, keep the game close and get a win here and there.
“We’re so proud of our girls today from the progress we made by keeping the games close. We were irritating them. They were frustrated, because they didn’t score more goals. We have to play 80 minutes like that, and are not quite to the 80-minute part yet.”
Starting lineups
Lake Forest
GK: Sarah Constantine
D: Hanna Sands
D: Lindsey Asmussen
D: Lyla Walsh
D: Hayden Keller
MF: Mary McKendry
MF: Emersen Waddle
MF: Molly Fisher
D: Charlotte Andress
F: Ashleigh Rupprecht
F: Callie Birtman
Zion-Benton
GK: Cynthia Venegas
D: Katherine Banda
D: Jimena Rodriguez
D: Alex Benjamin
D: America Zavala
MF: Marleth Jujuano
MF: Abigail Bahena
MF: Abby McLaughlin
MF: Ella Neal
MF: Lesly Rodriguez
F: Allison Castellanos
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emersen Waddle, jr., MF, Lake Forest.
Scoring summary
First half
Lake Forest—Emersen Waddle (Molly Fisher), 1’
Lake Forest— Emersen Waddle (Callie Birtman), 11’
Lake Forest—Tricia Gray (UA), 31’
Second half
Lake Forest — Callie Birtman (Keller) 57’
Lake Forest — Lilly Cran (Lily Bryant) 80’
rests easy in win over Zion-Benton
Offense runs the show in 5-0 North Suburban Conference win
By Bob Narang
ZION -- Lake Forest freshman goalie Sarah Constantine made an unforced error in Thursday’s North Suburban Conference game against Zion-Benton.
In the final minutes of the game, Constantine strolled over to the side of the box to grab an errant soccer ball. She casually tossed it toward the Lake Forest sideline. When the ball stopped a few yards short of the bench area, a referee near midfield called for a brief stoppage to clear the ball off the field.
That was about it, action-wise, for Constantine's night.
With Zion-Benton unable to uncork a single shot on goal, she mostly stood alone, with her arms crossed at times, simply staring at the action at the other end of the field.
At least she had something interesting to watch -- Lake Forest’s scoring opportunities for plentiful for 80 minutes.
Junior midfielder Emersen Waddle scored twice early, including in the opening minute, to lead Lake Forest to a 5-0 North Suburban Conference win over host Zion-Benton.
On a picturesque evening, the Scouts (5-6-0, 3-3-0) relied on a collective effort to end a three-game losing streak.
Just 55 seconds into the game, Waddle started the fireworks. The junior, Tricia Gray, Callie Birtman and Lilly Cran scored the goals for the Scouts.
“It’s a nice night, and Zion-Benton competed,” Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager said. “It was nice to get everyone to play, because our last three games against (ranked) Warren, New Trier and Stevenson not everyone got to play. We were a little distracted, because prom is coming up this weekend.
“I don’t know if we’ve played on grass. That took some getting used to because the weight from some of the passes was tough to hit. Zion-Benton’s keeper (Cynthia Venegas) was excellent.”
Stuckslager praised Waddle for her part in putting the three-game losing streak behind the team. She scored in the opening minute and added a header in the 11th minute.
“She’s matured tremendously since her freshman year," he said. "We’re looking for great things the rest of the year and next year. You can tell she enjoys being out here and enjoys the camaraderie and competition and the challenge for herself on how good she can be.”
Waddle, the youngest daughter of former Chicago Bears wide receiver Tom Waddle, is not planning to follow in the footsteps of her three older sisters — Georgia, Angela and Lea — who all played major college soccer. Waddle said a serious right-knee injury in seventh grade led to that decision.
“Coming out this year with a new group of girls has been amazing,” Waddle said. “I’m extremely happy to be playing soccer. I missed soccer. I needed to get running. Last year I felt a gap from a social and physical aspect, which definitely took a toll on my happiness through the year.”
Lake Forest junior forward Ashleigh Rupprecht said the five-goal margin was the perfect tonic for her team after getting shut out in three-straight matches.
“The grass kind of tripped me up, and I just couldn’t put a good touch on it and score,” Rupprecht said. “But today was a day for everyone to rise up. We got to see everyone play in different positions and situations.
“It was really fun to see everyone get on the field and score some goals. Five goals is good. We’ve got some potential. We run hard, connect passes and are always willing to fight for the whole 80 minutes on the field.”
Junior defender Charlotte Andress said the Scouts lacked some intensity early in the game. Lake Forest missed numerous chances to score goals, knocking countless shots wide of the post or into the backs or legs of Zion-Benton defenders.
“We’ve been working on playing every game hard,” Andress said. “We’ve been playing this season for our seniors, so a game like this, it’s a bit disappointing that we didn’t come out hard enough, but we’ll be working on that in practice.
Zion-Benton's senior goalie Venegas, who played club soccer in her freshman and sophomore seasons, was a steady presence in the net for the Zee-Bees. She was peppered all game with shots, starting from the opening minute until the final whistle.
She recorded 10 of her 17 saves in a frenzied first half in which the Zee-Bees crossed midfield for a total of 30 seconds.
Venegas benefitted from countless shots banging off her defenders, and the Scouts inability to finish in the final third on several attempts.
“It’s a team effort in a way, not just based on me,” Venegas said. “The midfielders and defenders all helped me out. I usually get overwhelmed, but having a supportive team helps, just to joke around with them helps me out.
“I normally would’ve been down right way, but my defenders helped me a lot.”
Senior midfielder Lelsy Rodriguez, a four-year varsity player who was named the 2020-21 Zion-Benton Female Athlete of the Year, said the future is bright for the young team.
“This year we have a lot of freshmen which normally would be frowned upon. But I’m just happy we have girls coming out, and they give a lot of energy,” Rodriguez said. “I’m excited to see what they can be in the future and plan on coming back to watch them.”
Junior midfielder Alex Benjamin said the Zee-Bees played better in the second half, which is a good sign heading into the final week of the regular season.
“We’re all pretty new to this and can still grow,” Benjamin said. “We have to fight for the ball and go for it and be aggressive.”
Zion-Benton coach Cliff Pontillo acknowledged his job is to develop players while in high school in comparison to having experienced club players enter his program.
The Zee-Bees’ youth was evident throughout Thursday’s match with their inability to attack and take advantage of the Scouts reserves in the final 25 minutes. Loud cheers erupted from the stands every time the Zee-Bees (2-11-1, 0-4-0) were able to cross into Lake Forest territory.
Zion-Benton, which started five freshmen, took solace in allowing just one goal in the second half, a final netter right before the buzzer.
“We have one team (in the program). The bulk of this team are freshmen, and we’re going up against high-powered varsity teams,” Pontillo said. “It’s a learning process. We played Warren on Tuesday, changed formations after a rough game.
“We had practice and showed improvement against Lake Forest. It’s a slow process. We’re trying to keep games close and do what we can offensively with the skill level that we’re at. We’re working at it.
“It’s hard for the girls to go through a loss, but as coaches, we’re looking at the freshmen we have who are really talented and see what we will be a year or two from now.
“Everything we do is skill based and trying to get our touches better and incrementally better day by day with the hope that next year and the year after when the freshmen are juniors, we can score a couple of goals, keep the game close and get a win here and there.
“We’re so proud of our girls today from the progress we made by keeping the games close. We were irritating them. They were frustrated, because they didn’t score more goals. We have to play 80 minutes like that, and are not quite to the 80-minute part yet.”
Starting lineups
Lake Forest
GK: Sarah Constantine
D: Hanna Sands
D: Lindsey Asmussen
D: Lyla Walsh
D: Hayden Keller
MF: Mary McKendry
MF: Emersen Waddle
MF: Molly Fisher
D: Charlotte Andress
F: Ashleigh Rupprecht
F: Callie Birtman
Zion-Benton
GK: Cynthia Venegas
D: Katherine Banda
D: Jimena Rodriguez
D: Alex Benjamin
D: America Zavala
MF: Marleth Jujuano
MF: Abigail Bahena
MF: Abby McLaughlin
MF: Ella Neal
MF: Lesly Rodriguez
F: Allison Castellanos
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emersen Waddle, jr., MF, Lake Forest.
Scoring summary
First half
Lake Forest—Emersen Waddle (Molly Fisher), 1’
Lake Forest— Emersen Waddle (Callie Birtman), 11’
Lake Forest—Tricia Gray (UA), 31’
Second half
Lake Forest — Callie Birtman (Keller) 57’
Lake Forest — Lilly Cran (Lily Bryant) 80’