Loyola's lock-down
defense does in Fenwick
League-leading Ramblers win 1-0,
continue scoreless, unbeaten streaks
By Bob Narang
RIVER FOREST — Loyola sophomore goalie Ellie Bradley acknowledged fighting boredom comes with the territory.
The Ramblers are among the hottest teams in the state. That’s good news for the Loyola’s playoff hopes, but bad news for an inexperienced high school goalie looking to get some quality regular-season work in her first varsity campaign.
Lately, Bradley’s spending most games getting very few opportunities to make an imprint. Highlight saves are hard to come by when you don’t have hardly any — or any, such as Thursday’s game against Fenwick — chances for a save.
That was the case in the Ramblers’ second Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division matchup with Fenwick this week.
Behind a first half goal by Grace Ehlert, Loyola knocked off Fenwick 1-0 for the second time in a three-day span on Thursday afternoon at Dominican University.
The Ramblers (9-1-2, 5-0-0) collected a 2-0 win over the Friars (4-2-1, 4-2-0) Tuesday. Loyola, which is ranked seventh in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, stretched its streak to eight games in a row without allowing a goal. That run covers the most recent matches in the Ramblers’ 10-game unbeaten streak.
New Trier was the last team to put the ball in the back of the net against the Ramblers in a 1-1 tie on April 24. In total, the Ramblers have given up five goals in 12 matches.
Two days after recording one save against the Friars, Bradley’s jersey was not ruffled following a save-less game.
“The backline is locked down every game,” Bradley said. “Every single game our defense shows up. Zero goals in eight games: that’s hard to do. Our backs are really good, and they know how to play the through-balls up to our forwards to get goals. They’re strong and have good chemistry.”
The closest the Friars came to a goal came on a header from in front of the box that veered out of bounds in the 32nd minute. Bradley said she stays focused by communicating with her teammates.
“I try and stay as engaged as possible because you never know when someone going to come down,” Bradley said. “But my backline has always got me. I’m not super worried. I try and stay as focused as I can without getting too distracted.”
The Ramblers were able to make their lone goal stand in the pivotal conference game. Ehlert, a captain, scored on a shot from seven yards off a corner kick from Molly Sipe in the 23rd minute.
Brooke Semple and Kaitlyn Kurtz accounted for Loyola’s goals in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Fenwick.
“Molly had the corner from the left side, and I made my run toward the middle of the back post,” Ehlert said. “It was played right there, so I finished it with my right foot.
“It’s hard to go back-to-back against the same team, especially since they knew who we are and our style. We did a good job staying after it, and shutting them out again.”
Fenwick junior midfielder Anna Dray said her team showed marked improvement since Tuesday’s loss.
“They’re playing an offense that includes a lot of balls over our backline,” Dray said. “We’re a team that likes to play small through the middle. They have a very strong middle, and we’re trying to work up the sides.
“We really had to get that perfect ball. We had more opportunities, which I was happy about compared to Tuesday. This will make us better.
“We’re a team in a rebuilding era after losing so many seniors. The harder competition is showing us how fast we have to play to compete on the state level.”
Loyola coach Shannon Hartinger said it was another stellar effort by her backline.
"I think our backline has been consistently led by Eva Pattison,” Hartinger said. “We’ve rotated some different players in the center back position. Also, I can’t say enough about Maya Basan and Molly Sipe.
“Our goalie, Ellie Bradley, is doing a great job of staying focused the entire game. … She’s ready to make saves when she needs it.
“Our team defending has been excellent all over the field, where teams aren’t generating any chances against us. We’re happy with that.”
Pattison said Bradley does a good job communicating with her teammates, which has been a key factor in Loyola’s success.
“We work good together and talk a lot,” Pattison said. “I trust Ellie a lot. If I can play the ball back to her, and even if she’s not getting any saves, we can play it back to her. She can distribute the ball well.”
Meanwhile, Fenwick junior striker Kate Henige said playing two games against the highly ranked Ramblers will help her team in the long run.
“It’s probably the best team we’ve played yet,” Henige said. “We were working on it in practice. It was a lot better than on Tuesday. We kept trying to get through, but couldn’t break through the defense, which happens some games.
“We learned how we want to play the ball better. We have to improve on corner kicks and attacking them. We just didn’t get many chances to do it.”
The Ramblers certainly had chances to collect more pile up goals, but Fenwick junior goalie Audrey Henrichs stood in their way. She recorded seven saves, highlighted by a diving stop in the 77th minute.
Loyola signaled its intentions to the large crowd with a 30-yard shot in the opening seconds that clanged loudly off the post.
“Loyola brings some of best talent in the state,” Dray said. “They have a great program. We learned they were quick and fast out of the gates on Tuesday.
“Today, we were ready to keep up with their speed. I do think our defense stepped up and we had more opportunities even though they weren’t finished. A 1-0 score feels pretty close considering Loyola’s record against schools like New Trier.”
Fenwick coach Craig Blazer said his young team is playing well down the stretch.
“We’re just in this building process with these girls, and they are doing a great job,” he said. “We improved in the first half from the last game, and we improved in the second half in the sense of not conceding a goal or one-on-ones or dangerous situations.
“But giving up the corner kick was problematic. That was little disappointing. The girls didn’t quit, and they had a great attitude. That’s encouraging. We had a couple of final third entries, but credit to Loyola. They have a very good team.”
The Ramblers play back-to-back games against Trinity next week before continuing the same trend with Mother McAuley the following week. Loyola closes out the regular season at St. Ignatius on June 1.
Ehlert said the Ramblers are focused on building momentum toward the playoffs.
“We’re having a great year,” Ehlert said. “We have good team chemistry. We keep a fun and positive environment, but we come to play. We play hard and all of us want to play for each other and our school. It’s good.
“We definitely want to win regionals and compete for a sectional championship, as well as winning conference, which we’re on track to do.”
Starting lineups
Fenwick
GK: Audrey Hinrichs
D: Grace Kapsch
D: Courtney Yungerman
D: Emily Ortiz
D: Maddie Rogowski
MF: Caroline Henige
MF: Emi Kapusta
MF: Anna Dray
MF: Grace McGann
F: Juliana Giuffre
F: Kate Henige
Loyola
GK: Ellie Bradley
D: Molly Sipe
D: Maya Basan
D: Kendell Beil
MF: Grace Ehlert
MF: Isabella Guzman
MF: Eva Pattison
F: Ella Grace Conley
F: Kathryn Diblik
F: Kaitlyn Kurtz
F: Emmy Christopher
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Grace Ehlert, jr., MF, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
Loyola - Grace Ehlert (Molly Sipe), 23’
Second half
No scoring
defense does in Fenwick
League-leading Ramblers win 1-0,
continue scoreless, unbeaten streaks
By Bob Narang
RIVER FOREST — Loyola sophomore goalie Ellie Bradley acknowledged fighting boredom comes with the territory.
The Ramblers are among the hottest teams in the state. That’s good news for the Loyola’s playoff hopes, but bad news for an inexperienced high school goalie looking to get some quality regular-season work in her first varsity campaign.
Lately, Bradley’s spending most games getting very few opportunities to make an imprint. Highlight saves are hard to come by when you don’t have hardly any — or any, such as Thursday’s game against Fenwick — chances for a save.
That was the case in the Ramblers’ second Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division matchup with Fenwick this week.
Behind a first half goal by Grace Ehlert, Loyola knocked off Fenwick 1-0 for the second time in a three-day span on Thursday afternoon at Dominican University.
The Ramblers (9-1-2, 5-0-0) collected a 2-0 win over the Friars (4-2-1, 4-2-0) Tuesday. Loyola, which is ranked seventh in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, stretched its streak to eight games in a row without allowing a goal. That run covers the most recent matches in the Ramblers’ 10-game unbeaten streak.
New Trier was the last team to put the ball in the back of the net against the Ramblers in a 1-1 tie on April 24. In total, the Ramblers have given up five goals in 12 matches.
Two days after recording one save against the Friars, Bradley’s jersey was not ruffled following a save-less game.
“The backline is locked down every game,” Bradley said. “Every single game our defense shows up. Zero goals in eight games: that’s hard to do. Our backs are really good, and they know how to play the through-balls up to our forwards to get goals. They’re strong and have good chemistry.”
The closest the Friars came to a goal came on a header from in front of the box that veered out of bounds in the 32nd minute. Bradley said she stays focused by communicating with her teammates.
“I try and stay as engaged as possible because you never know when someone going to come down,” Bradley said. “But my backline has always got me. I’m not super worried. I try and stay as focused as I can without getting too distracted.”
The Ramblers were able to make their lone goal stand in the pivotal conference game. Ehlert, a captain, scored on a shot from seven yards off a corner kick from Molly Sipe in the 23rd minute.
Brooke Semple and Kaitlyn Kurtz accounted for Loyola’s goals in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Fenwick.
“Molly had the corner from the left side, and I made my run toward the middle of the back post,” Ehlert said. “It was played right there, so I finished it with my right foot.
“It’s hard to go back-to-back against the same team, especially since they knew who we are and our style. We did a good job staying after it, and shutting them out again.”
Fenwick junior midfielder Anna Dray said her team showed marked improvement since Tuesday’s loss.
“They’re playing an offense that includes a lot of balls over our backline,” Dray said. “We’re a team that likes to play small through the middle. They have a very strong middle, and we’re trying to work up the sides.
“We really had to get that perfect ball. We had more opportunities, which I was happy about compared to Tuesday. This will make us better.
“We’re a team in a rebuilding era after losing so many seniors. The harder competition is showing us how fast we have to play to compete on the state level.”
Loyola coach Shannon Hartinger said it was another stellar effort by her backline.
"I think our backline has been consistently led by Eva Pattison,” Hartinger said. “We’ve rotated some different players in the center back position. Also, I can’t say enough about Maya Basan and Molly Sipe.
“Our goalie, Ellie Bradley, is doing a great job of staying focused the entire game. … She’s ready to make saves when she needs it.
“Our team defending has been excellent all over the field, where teams aren’t generating any chances against us. We’re happy with that.”
Pattison said Bradley does a good job communicating with her teammates, which has been a key factor in Loyola’s success.
“We work good together and talk a lot,” Pattison said. “I trust Ellie a lot. If I can play the ball back to her, and even if she’s not getting any saves, we can play it back to her. She can distribute the ball well.”
Meanwhile, Fenwick junior striker Kate Henige said playing two games against the highly ranked Ramblers will help her team in the long run.
“It’s probably the best team we’ve played yet,” Henige said. “We were working on it in practice. It was a lot better than on Tuesday. We kept trying to get through, but couldn’t break through the defense, which happens some games.
“We learned how we want to play the ball better. We have to improve on corner kicks and attacking them. We just didn’t get many chances to do it.”
The Ramblers certainly had chances to collect more pile up goals, but Fenwick junior goalie Audrey Henrichs stood in their way. She recorded seven saves, highlighted by a diving stop in the 77th minute.
Loyola signaled its intentions to the large crowd with a 30-yard shot in the opening seconds that clanged loudly off the post.
“Loyola brings some of best talent in the state,” Dray said. “They have a great program. We learned they were quick and fast out of the gates on Tuesday.
“Today, we were ready to keep up with their speed. I do think our defense stepped up and we had more opportunities even though they weren’t finished. A 1-0 score feels pretty close considering Loyola’s record against schools like New Trier.”
Fenwick coach Craig Blazer said his young team is playing well down the stretch.
“We’re just in this building process with these girls, and they are doing a great job,” he said. “We improved in the first half from the last game, and we improved in the second half in the sense of not conceding a goal or one-on-ones or dangerous situations.
“But giving up the corner kick was problematic. That was little disappointing. The girls didn’t quit, and they had a great attitude. That’s encouraging. We had a couple of final third entries, but credit to Loyola. They have a very good team.”
The Ramblers play back-to-back games against Trinity next week before continuing the same trend with Mother McAuley the following week. Loyola closes out the regular season at St. Ignatius on June 1.
Ehlert said the Ramblers are focused on building momentum toward the playoffs.
“We’re having a great year,” Ehlert said. “We have good team chemistry. We keep a fun and positive environment, but we come to play. We play hard and all of us want to play for each other and our school. It’s good.
“We definitely want to win regionals and compete for a sectional championship, as well as winning conference, which we’re on track to do.”
Starting lineups
Fenwick
GK: Audrey Hinrichs
D: Grace Kapsch
D: Courtney Yungerman
D: Emily Ortiz
D: Maddie Rogowski
MF: Caroline Henige
MF: Emi Kapusta
MF: Anna Dray
MF: Grace McGann
F: Juliana Giuffre
F: Kate Henige
Loyola
GK: Ellie Bradley
D: Molly Sipe
D: Maya Basan
D: Kendell Beil
MF: Grace Ehlert
MF: Isabella Guzman
MF: Eva Pattison
F: Ella Grace Conley
F: Kathryn Diblik
F: Kaitlyn Kurtz
F: Emmy Christopher
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Grace Ehlert, jr., MF, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
Loyola - Grace Ehlert (Molly Sipe), 23’
Second half
No scoring