Seniors power Young past Lincoln Park
Sassower's, Ella Koleno's big days keep Dolphins in CPL title hunt
By Michael Wojtychiw
CHICAGO -- Confidence.
When things are going well, you have a lot of it. When they're not, the confidence level can get pretty low.
As the regular-season comes into the homestretch, Young manager Ross LaBauex is hoping for that confidence level to continue to rise.
"I think we still have to work on it a little," LaBauex said. "Confidence is a funny thing in sports. When you're confident, the game seems to slow down, it's a little easier and it's a great thing. When it's low, it's tough to get out of those ruts.
"We know we'll make mistakes, but it's about how we respond when those mistakes happen that's important."
If Wednesday's 5-0 home win over Lincoln Park is any indication, Young’s self-esteem is probably going to increase steadily.
After playing its last three games without a number of players due to injuries, spring break or the holiday season, the Dolphins had pretty much their entire lineup back for their game against their conference foes as they tried to keep up with Payton in the Chicago Public League Premier Division standings.
"Having everyone back, it was nice to finally jell again, get some goals," Young's Ella Koleno said. "I think that was a very good win for us as a team."
"It was a great win for us," Young's Alexis Sassower said. "We worked really well out there, putting together some great combinations. None of our goals were just dribbling through the defense, there was a lot of good passing and connection.
"Building our confidence back up going into the city tournament and then the state, is important, especially since we still have some tough competition next week to get us more prepared."
And keep pace with Payton, they did.
Playing through an on-and-off rain, the Dolphins (5-5-3, 4-0-1) got the scoring started early and then often thanks to its deep, talented senior class.
Alexis Sassower, a Case Western Reserve recruit, fed a beautiful through-ball to classmate Koleno in the 15th minute and the Washington University (St. Louis) recruit slotted the ball past the Lions' keeper.
Just three minutes later, Koleno added her second on a ball from sophomore Sonia Liew and the Dolphins were up 2-0 quickly.
"Sometimes with Alexis, we just know where the other one is going to be," Koleno said. "If I make the run, I know she's passing it there. Then it's just a touch past the goalie."
Sassower's second assist of the match came off a corner kick that junior Celeste Garton headed in four minutes after the second goal.
Many of the Dolphins players have been playing together for a long time, which has helped the team in its success and cohesiveness. Ella and Sydney Koleno, Chloe Garton, Sassower and Maisy Connolly are all seniors who have been on Young's varsity squad since their freshman seasons. Some of them have been playing together even longer.
"The fact that so many of us have been playing for so long, even before high school, like I've been playing with Alexis since when we were six with AYSO, Daphnie we've played club with her, having that team chemistry has been so helpful," Ella Koleno said. "It's especially so when we're down a goal, knowing we could pick each other up and keep going. That's been really helpful."
Lincoln Park, on the other hand, is trying to get to the level that schools like Young, Lane, Payton and Jones are at. Those four have placed consistently at or near the top of the conference standings. That’s a place Lions’ manager Geoffrey Ruttenberg is trying to get his squad.
"Part of our struggle is believing we can compete with the elite teams on a yearly basis, not just one individual year," he said. "When we walk on the field, we don't always believe we're the most talented team, and if you don't, it's going to be a battle no matter how talented you are.
"We've got a talented team, but I truly think they haven't seen our great team. Monday (a 5-0 loss to Lane) wasn't reflective of who we are, today wasn't as well. I want the girls to believe that and feel that way because if they do, we might not win every game, but we'll come out ahead more often than not."
The Lions (13-3, 3-3-0) are off to their best start in a long time and currently stand in fourth place.
A big reason for the success has been a combination of upperclassmen and underclassmen, but the success and improvement their sophomore class has had since their introduction to varsity soccer last year, has truly helped catapult them to where they're at.
"We've got a lot of good leaders on this team and that makes a difference in the team's attitude toward the game," Lincoln Park sophomore Ajla Gradjan said.
"For me, at least, we saw the boys do really well in the fall and knowing we didn't do as well as we'd hoped last year, I really wanted to make it better than last year."
Lincoln Park forward Taylor Spriggs said. "Going into the season with that attitude really helped us this year."
After a slow start in the first half, the Lions got more into the game in the second half, putting pressure on the Dolphins defense after halftime. It was something they weren't really able to do much of in the first half.
Ruttenberg liked how his squad responded to the multiple messages he gave them.
"I didn't like what I saw in the first 15 minutes, and I thought that was an issue with competing," he said. "So, I pulled everybody. We talked and put them back in there, and we finished strong there.
"I think we were just embarrassed. I challenged them. To me, you have to compete. No matter how good tactically or schematically you are, you have to compete. Otherwise, it won't make a difference."
After the break, Sassower, who had primarily been the set-up person on Young's first half goals, decided to get into the scoring column herself when she put a ball into the net two minutes into the half.
The senior then capped the scoring in the 79th minute by putting in another, this time off of a pass from Liew.
"Sonia had a beautiful through ball on my second goal," she said. "It really does go back to the connection we're having, learning to play with each other -- each other's strengths and weaknesses.
"Seeing that connection and that build-up has really helped us take our play to the next level."
"She's a good player, technically head and shoulders above some of the others out there," LaBauex said. "She's been consistent for us. Sometimes it doesn't show up in the stats, but she's always there making plays."
With only two conference games remaining and the Glenbrook South Quad next week before the city playoffs, Young knows what it has to do down the stretch to continue to be successful. The Dolphins defense has yet to allow a goal in conference play, something they haven't taken for granted.
"The next two weeks are very important to us to decide what type of team we're going to be going into the playoffs," LaBauex said. "I'm really just looking for, hoping for them to build up some confidence. We've got two good teams next week, and it's good to get those games later in the season to remind ourselves what it's like to play top competition in the state.
"Once playoffs start, it's a different game. One game at a time. So, we have to start wrapping our head around that and prepare."
For Lincoln Park, the loss marked a tough stretch against Jones, Lane and Young in consecutive conference matches. There was a double-digit date break between its Monday game with Lane and its previous contest on April 6 against Jones.
The Lions players now know what they have to do to be able to get to that level and are proud of what they've seen from their teammates thus far.
"We all come from a different style of play, different clubs, so working together has been good because we get to learn from each other," defender Lex Thanasouras said. "Being able to mix all of those really shows how good we can be."
"We learned that we can compete with anyone in our conference," Ruttenberg said.
Starting lineups
Lincoln Park
GK: Lizzie Deeds
D: Lex Thanasouras
D: Charlotte Ericson
D: Mariette Araujo
D: Cassidy Rodriguez
MF: Carolina Carreon
MF: Hilary Sanchez
MF: Mia Ocana
F: Lucia Lamagna
F: Taylor Spriggs
F: Ajla Gradjan
Young
GK: Zoe Adelstein
D: Celeste Garton
D: Ainsley Christensen
D: Lauren Roche
D: Katie Sweitzer
MF: Alexis Sassower
MF: Sydney Koleno
MF: Moira Koleno
F: Ella Koleno
F: Daphne Murray
F: Sonia Liew
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Alexis Sassower, sr., MF, Young
Scoring summary
First half
Young - Ella Koleno (Alexis Sassower), 15th minute
Young - Koleno (Sonia Liew), 18th minute
Young - Celeste Garton (Sassower), 22nd minute
Second half
Young - Sassower, 42nd minute
Young - Sassower (Liew), 79th minute
Sassower's, Ella Koleno's big days keep Dolphins in CPL title hunt
By Michael Wojtychiw
CHICAGO -- Confidence.
When things are going well, you have a lot of it. When they're not, the confidence level can get pretty low.
As the regular-season comes into the homestretch, Young manager Ross LaBauex is hoping for that confidence level to continue to rise.
"I think we still have to work on it a little," LaBauex said. "Confidence is a funny thing in sports. When you're confident, the game seems to slow down, it's a little easier and it's a great thing. When it's low, it's tough to get out of those ruts.
"We know we'll make mistakes, but it's about how we respond when those mistakes happen that's important."
If Wednesday's 5-0 home win over Lincoln Park is any indication, Young’s self-esteem is probably going to increase steadily.
After playing its last three games without a number of players due to injuries, spring break or the holiday season, the Dolphins had pretty much their entire lineup back for their game against their conference foes as they tried to keep up with Payton in the Chicago Public League Premier Division standings.
"Having everyone back, it was nice to finally jell again, get some goals," Young's Ella Koleno said. "I think that was a very good win for us as a team."
"It was a great win for us," Young's Alexis Sassower said. "We worked really well out there, putting together some great combinations. None of our goals were just dribbling through the defense, there was a lot of good passing and connection.
"Building our confidence back up going into the city tournament and then the state, is important, especially since we still have some tough competition next week to get us more prepared."
And keep pace with Payton, they did.
Playing through an on-and-off rain, the Dolphins (5-5-3, 4-0-1) got the scoring started early and then often thanks to its deep, talented senior class.
Alexis Sassower, a Case Western Reserve recruit, fed a beautiful through-ball to classmate Koleno in the 15th minute and the Washington University (St. Louis) recruit slotted the ball past the Lions' keeper.
Just three minutes later, Koleno added her second on a ball from sophomore Sonia Liew and the Dolphins were up 2-0 quickly.
"Sometimes with Alexis, we just know where the other one is going to be," Koleno said. "If I make the run, I know she's passing it there. Then it's just a touch past the goalie."
Sassower's second assist of the match came off a corner kick that junior Celeste Garton headed in four minutes after the second goal.
Many of the Dolphins players have been playing together for a long time, which has helped the team in its success and cohesiveness. Ella and Sydney Koleno, Chloe Garton, Sassower and Maisy Connolly are all seniors who have been on Young's varsity squad since their freshman seasons. Some of them have been playing together even longer.
"The fact that so many of us have been playing for so long, even before high school, like I've been playing with Alexis since when we were six with AYSO, Daphnie we've played club with her, having that team chemistry has been so helpful," Ella Koleno said. "It's especially so when we're down a goal, knowing we could pick each other up and keep going. That's been really helpful."
Lincoln Park, on the other hand, is trying to get to the level that schools like Young, Lane, Payton and Jones are at. Those four have placed consistently at or near the top of the conference standings. That’s a place Lions’ manager Geoffrey Ruttenberg is trying to get his squad.
"Part of our struggle is believing we can compete with the elite teams on a yearly basis, not just one individual year," he said. "When we walk on the field, we don't always believe we're the most talented team, and if you don't, it's going to be a battle no matter how talented you are.
"We've got a talented team, but I truly think they haven't seen our great team. Monday (a 5-0 loss to Lane) wasn't reflective of who we are, today wasn't as well. I want the girls to believe that and feel that way because if they do, we might not win every game, but we'll come out ahead more often than not."
The Lions (13-3, 3-3-0) are off to their best start in a long time and currently stand in fourth place.
A big reason for the success has been a combination of upperclassmen and underclassmen, but the success and improvement their sophomore class has had since their introduction to varsity soccer last year, has truly helped catapult them to where they're at.
"We've got a lot of good leaders on this team and that makes a difference in the team's attitude toward the game," Lincoln Park sophomore Ajla Gradjan said.
"For me, at least, we saw the boys do really well in the fall and knowing we didn't do as well as we'd hoped last year, I really wanted to make it better than last year."
Lincoln Park forward Taylor Spriggs said. "Going into the season with that attitude really helped us this year."
After a slow start in the first half, the Lions got more into the game in the second half, putting pressure on the Dolphins defense after halftime. It was something they weren't really able to do much of in the first half.
Ruttenberg liked how his squad responded to the multiple messages he gave them.
"I didn't like what I saw in the first 15 minutes, and I thought that was an issue with competing," he said. "So, I pulled everybody. We talked and put them back in there, and we finished strong there.
"I think we were just embarrassed. I challenged them. To me, you have to compete. No matter how good tactically or schematically you are, you have to compete. Otherwise, it won't make a difference."
After the break, Sassower, who had primarily been the set-up person on Young's first half goals, decided to get into the scoring column herself when she put a ball into the net two minutes into the half.
The senior then capped the scoring in the 79th minute by putting in another, this time off of a pass from Liew.
"Sonia had a beautiful through ball on my second goal," she said. "It really does go back to the connection we're having, learning to play with each other -- each other's strengths and weaknesses.
"Seeing that connection and that build-up has really helped us take our play to the next level."
"She's a good player, technically head and shoulders above some of the others out there," LaBauex said. "She's been consistent for us. Sometimes it doesn't show up in the stats, but she's always there making plays."
With only two conference games remaining and the Glenbrook South Quad next week before the city playoffs, Young knows what it has to do down the stretch to continue to be successful. The Dolphins defense has yet to allow a goal in conference play, something they haven't taken for granted.
"The next two weeks are very important to us to decide what type of team we're going to be going into the playoffs," LaBauex said. "I'm really just looking for, hoping for them to build up some confidence. We've got two good teams next week, and it's good to get those games later in the season to remind ourselves what it's like to play top competition in the state.
"Once playoffs start, it's a different game. One game at a time. So, we have to start wrapping our head around that and prepare."
For Lincoln Park, the loss marked a tough stretch against Jones, Lane and Young in consecutive conference matches. There was a double-digit date break between its Monday game with Lane and its previous contest on April 6 against Jones.
The Lions players now know what they have to do to be able to get to that level and are proud of what they've seen from their teammates thus far.
"We all come from a different style of play, different clubs, so working together has been good because we get to learn from each other," defender Lex Thanasouras said. "Being able to mix all of those really shows how good we can be."
"We learned that we can compete with anyone in our conference," Ruttenberg said.
Starting lineups
Lincoln Park
GK: Lizzie Deeds
D: Lex Thanasouras
D: Charlotte Ericson
D: Mariette Araujo
D: Cassidy Rodriguez
MF: Carolina Carreon
MF: Hilary Sanchez
MF: Mia Ocana
F: Lucia Lamagna
F: Taylor Spriggs
F: Ajla Gradjan
Young
GK: Zoe Adelstein
D: Celeste Garton
D: Ainsley Christensen
D: Lauren Roche
D: Katie Sweitzer
MF: Alexis Sassower
MF: Sydney Koleno
MF: Moira Koleno
F: Ella Koleno
F: Daphne Murray
F: Sonia Liew
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Alexis Sassower, sr., MF, Young
Scoring summary
First half
Young - Ella Koleno (Alexis Sassower), 15th minute
Young - Koleno (Sonia Liew), 18th minute
Young - Celeste Garton (Sassower), 22nd minute
Second half
Young - Sassower, 42nd minute
Young - Sassower (Liew), 79th minute