Brett's wizardry leads Loyola to final
Ramblers top Glenbrook S. 3-0 in sectional semis; New Trier next
By Ken Keenan
GLENVIEW -- Led by the magic touch of junior forward Maggie Brett, Loyola advanced to the finals of the IHSA Class 3A Glenbrook South Sectional with a 3-0 win over the host Titans in semifinal action Tuesday night.
The Ramblers (19-1-4), ranked no. 6 in the final regular season Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 Poll, will face undefeated New Trier (21-0-2) in the sectional final at 6 p.m. Friday. The Trevians, ranked second in the Top 25, defeated Evanston 3-0 in the other semifinal match at Glenbrook South. In 2017, New Trier topped Loyola 3-0 in a sectional final en route to a runner-up finish in the state tournament.
Brett, who scored the first and third goals and was instrumental in Loyola's second tally against Glenbrook South, was named Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. The squad's scoring machine (19 goals, 12 assists), said that she and her fellow Ramblers are primed for the rematch with New Trier.
"We're looking for redemption against New Trier," Brett said. "We have absolutely nothing to lose. We'll go out there like it's any other team."
Loyola senior goalkeeper Maggie Avery, who made several nice saves down the stretch to preserve the shutout against the Titans, said, "It's been a long time since we've beaten New Trier. But Glenbrook South is not an easy team, either. We can springboard off this win and give it our all against New Trier."
Added standout Ramblers junior defender Lauren Daffada: "We'll look at film, and play like the way we've been playing. We're not gonna play scared (vs. the Trevians)."
Brett's first bit of sorcery in the semifinal match came with 32:31 left in the first half. After corralling a long punt by Avery, Brett dashed ahead on the right side before beating Titans junior keeper Libbie Vanderveen with a hard strike inside the right post to give Loyola a quick 1-0 lead.
"We wanted to come out strong and set the tone," said Loyola head coach Scott Ackman. "We wanted the early goal to get momentum -- and then get another before halftime so we could continue to play our game."
The Ramblers' second goal came on a penalty kick by junior defender Emily Chrisman with 12:18 to go before the break. Brett earned the free look when she was fouled in the box during another long run toward the cage. Chrisman nailed the PK low-left past a diving Vanderveen.
"I think we had a lot of nervous energy before the first goal," Avery said. "After the second one, we settled down, and we weren't as nervous."
Brett's magic act came full circle when she concluded the scoring with 26:51 remaining in regulation. Running at full speed, Brett somehow found a 50-yard free kick by Chrisman with her head and got just enough of the ball to slowly direct it over the goal line.
"I don't usually score goals like that," Brett said. "Emily (Chrisman) gave me a nod, and I just followed it in."
Ackman said, "That was an amazing goal. Just to have the sense of where you are on the field ... she totally anticipated the play."
Brett had other chances as well, including a deep-angle try from the right side that hit the side of the net seconds before halftime, and a shot on the doorstep following a corner kick by senior forward Stephanie Ramsay in the 50th minute that resulted in a rebound for junior midfielder Sammie Holton that Vanderveen also stopped.
"Loyola went to the ball hard all day long, and we didn't get there on time," said Glenbrook South skipper Seong Ha. "Loyola can make you pay. At this stage, it's all about skill level and 'want-to.' The second goal was very unfortunate. If we'd done our job, it wouldn't have happened.
"But we accomplished a lot this season," Ha continued. "If you look at our schedule, our opponents were 103 games over .500 all in all. We competed hard all year against tough competition, and we'll learn from this game and use it as fuel in the offseason."
Stellar junior forward Makayla Stadler tried her best to fuel a comeback for the Titans. Less than a minute before Loyola upped the lead to 3-0, Stadler cut in from the left side and fired a quick shot that Avery answered. About 70 seconds after the third goal, Stadler worked her way through two defenders on the right side to unleash a solid, left-footed strike that Avery stopped as well.
In the 58th minute, Stadler sent a ball to freshman forward Grace Diehl for a tip try on Avery. With 16:15 showing, Stadler nabbed a loose ball and was stopped by Avery in-close. Soon after, Stadler uncorked a 25-yard missile that Avery handled.
"Obviously, the stakes were large (in the second half)," Stadler said. "We knew we had to get one goal to get momentum. We've come back from 1-0 before, but once it got to 2-0, it was a different game."
Avery said the Ramblers, who finished in a 1-1 tie with Glenbrook South on April 9, were well aware the Titans were capable of mounting a late surge.
"We know they're not quitters," she said. "They're fighters. We'd be the same way down 3-0."
Daffada said, "We all knew they wouldn't give up. We just had to stay focused and play smart."
Brett agreed, adding, "A 3-0 lead seems comfortable, but we knew they wouldn't quit. You have to keep focused until the buzzer ends it."
Loyola's focus now turns to the Trevians, Class 3A champions from 2014-16 and the runnerup in 2017.
"We'll watch film on New Trier and prepare for them," Ackman said. "We want to go in loose and confident and get the early goal ... maintain that playoff intensity we had tonight."
Starting lineups
Loyola
G: Maggie Avery
D: Emily Chrisman
D: Lauren Daffada
D: Riley Burns
D: Kiersten Kerrane
M: Cate Shellenback
M: Vanessa Murray
M: Sophie Doerr
M: Sammie Holton
F: Stephanie Ramsay
F: Maggie Brett
Glenbrook South
G: Libbie Vanderveen
D: Christie Chrones
D: Katie Sullivan
D: Challen Flaws
D: Caroline Hensing
M: Ellie Flowers
M: Lauren Meier
M: Katie Gates
M: Grace O'Brien
F: Makayla Stadler
F: Kate Weiss
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Maggie Brett, jr., F, Loyola
Officials: Doug Neufeldt, Peter Stavropoulos, Dana Joras
Scoring summary
First half
Loyola: Maggie Brett (assisted by Maggie Avery) in 8th minute;
Loyola: Emily Chrisman on PK in 28th minute;
Second half
Loyola: Brett (assisted by Chrisman) in 54th minute
Ramblers top Glenbrook S. 3-0 in sectional semis; New Trier next
By Ken Keenan
GLENVIEW -- Led by the magic touch of junior forward Maggie Brett, Loyola advanced to the finals of the IHSA Class 3A Glenbrook South Sectional with a 3-0 win over the host Titans in semifinal action Tuesday night.
The Ramblers (19-1-4), ranked no. 6 in the final regular season Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 Poll, will face undefeated New Trier (21-0-2) in the sectional final at 6 p.m. Friday. The Trevians, ranked second in the Top 25, defeated Evanston 3-0 in the other semifinal match at Glenbrook South. In 2017, New Trier topped Loyola 3-0 in a sectional final en route to a runner-up finish in the state tournament.
Brett, who scored the first and third goals and was instrumental in Loyola's second tally against Glenbrook South, was named Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. The squad's scoring machine (19 goals, 12 assists), said that she and her fellow Ramblers are primed for the rematch with New Trier.
"We're looking for redemption against New Trier," Brett said. "We have absolutely nothing to lose. We'll go out there like it's any other team."
Loyola senior goalkeeper Maggie Avery, who made several nice saves down the stretch to preserve the shutout against the Titans, said, "It's been a long time since we've beaten New Trier. But Glenbrook South is not an easy team, either. We can springboard off this win and give it our all against New Trier."
Added standout Ramblers junior defender Lauren Daffada: "We'll look at film, and play like the way we've been playing. We're not gonna play scared (vs. the Trevians)."
Brett's first bit of sorcery in the semifinal match came with 32:31 left in the first half. After corralling a long punt by Avery, Brett dashed ahead on the right side before beating Titans junior keeper Libbie Vanderveen with a hard strike inside the right post to give Loyola a quick 1-0 lead.
"We wanted to come out strong and set the tone," said Loyola head coach Scott Ackman. "We wanted the early goal to get momentum -- and then get another before halftime so we could continue to play our game."
The Ramblers' second goal came on a penalty kick by junior defender Emily Chrisman with 12:18 to go before the break. Brett earned the free look when she was fouled in the box during another long run toward the cage. Chrisman nailed the PK low-left past a diving Vanderveen.
"I think we had a lot of nervous energy before the first goal," Avery said. "After the second one, we settled down, and we weren't as nervous."
Brett's magic act came full circle when she concluded the scoring with 26:51 remaining in regulation. Running at full speed, Brett somehow found a 50-yard free kick by Chrisman with her head and got just enough of the ball to slowly direct it over the goal line.
"I don't usually score goals like that," Brett said. "Emily (Chrisman) gave me a nod, and I just followed it in."
Ackman said, "That was an amazing goal. Just to have the sense of where you are on the field ... she totally anticipated the play."
Brett had other chances as well, including a deep-angle try from the right side that hit the side of the net seconds before halftime, and a shot on the doorstep following a corner kick by senior forward Stephanie Ramsay in the 50th minute that resulted in a rebound for junior midfielder Sammie Holton that Vanderveen also stopped.
"Loyola went to the ball hard all day long, and we didn't get there on time," said Glenbrook South skipper Seong Ha. "Loyola can make you pay. At this stage, it's all about skill level and 'want-to.' The second goal was very unfortunate. If we'd done our job, it wouldn't have happened.
"But we accomplished a lot this season," Ha continued. "If you look at our schedule, our opponents were 103 games over .500 all in all. We competed hard all year against tough competition, and we'll learn from this game and use it as fuel in the offseason."
Stellar junior forward Makayla Stadler tried her best to fuel a comeback for the Titans. Less than a minute before Loyola upped the lead to 3-0, Stadler cut in from the left side and fired a quick shot that Avery answered. About 70 seconds after the third goal, Stadler worked her way through two defenders on the right side to unleash a solid, left-footed strike that Avery stopped as well.
In the 58th minute, Stadler sent a ball to freshman forward Grace Diehl for a tip try on Avery. With 16:15 showing, Stadler nabbed a loose ball and was stopped by Avery in-close. Soon after, Stadler uncorked a 25-yard missile that Avery handled.
"Obviously, the stakes were large (in the second half)," Stadler said. "We knew we had to get one goal to get momentum. We've come back from 1-0 before, but once it got to 2-0, it was a different game."
Avery said the Ramblers, who finished in a 1-1 tie with Glenbrook South on April 9, were well aware the Titans were capable of mounting a late surge.
"We know they're not quitters," she said. "They're fighters. We'd be the same way down 3-0."
Daffada said, "We all knew they wouldn't give up. We just had to stay focused and play smart."
Brett agreed, adding, "A 3-0 lead seems comfortable, but we knew they wouldn't quit. You have to keep focused until the buzzer ends it."
Loyola's focus now turns to the Trevians, Class 3A champions from 2014-16 and the runnerup in 2017.
"We'll watch film on New Trier and prepare for them," Ackman said. "We want to go in loose and confident and get the early goal ... maintain that playoff intensity we had tonight."
Starting lineups
Loyola
G: Maggie Avery
D: Emily Chrisman
D: Lauren Daffada
D: Riley Burns
D: Kiersten Kerrane
M: Cate Shellenback
M: Vanessa Murray
M: Sophie Doerr
M: Sammie Holton
F: Stephanie Ramsay
F: Maggie Brett
Glenbrook South
G: Libbie Vanderveen
D: Christie Chrones
D: Katie Sullivan
D: Challen Flaws
D: Caroline Hensing
M: Ellie Flowers
M: Lauren Meier
M: Katie Gates
M: Grace O'Brien
F: Makayla Stadler
F: Kate Weiss
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Maggie Brett, jr., F, Loyola
Officials: Doug Neufeldt, Peter Stavropoulos, Dana Joras
Scoring summary
First half
Loyola: Maggie Brett (assisted by Maggie Avery) in 8th minute;
Loyola: Emily Chrisman on PK in 28th minute;
Second half
Loyola: Brett (assisted by Chrisman) in 54th minute