Loyola tempers its enthusiasm over victory
Ramblers beat Lake Forest 1-0 but miss semifinals on tiebreaker
By Patrick Z. McGavin
LAKE FOREST -- The seconds melted away and Loyola remained dialed in and tried to score. Every game has sub-movements and intertwined plots. The Ramblers were chasing a game within a game.
The good news is the no. 4 Ramblers fought through an inspired Lake Forest team to secure the 1-0 victory after sophomore midfielder Vanessa Angel drilled a beautiful ball from the right wing from about 19 yards in the 57th minute here Wednesday afternoon.
As hard and distinguished as the Ramblers played, it was not enough to advance to Friday’s championship bracket of the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic. By dint of the Ramblers’ 1-1 draw with no. 18 Glenbrook South on Monday, Loyola finished with a plus one goal-differential in group play. Glenbrook South defeated Lake Forest 3-1 on Saturday. With only three teams in the bracket, there was no opportunity to earn a wild card spot.
Group winners St. Francis (A), Naperville North (B) and Glenbrook South (C) advance to the semifinal round. For the wild cars spot, Evanston (5 points) and New Trier (5 points) each finished with a plus 2 goal-differential. The Wildkits advanced on the second tiebreaker, fewest goals allowed.
The semifinals will feature Evanston against St. Francis, and Glenbrook South versus Naperville North on Friday at New Trier. The Trevians play Carmel in a consolation game Saturday on home. Loyola hosts Lyons in a consolation game at its stadium on Saturday. Hinsdale Central matches up against Lake Forest at Loyola.
“There are no excuses,” Loyola coach Craig Snower said. “We have to execute. We did not execute offensively in our last two games. There is no excuse for us only scoring two goals in our last two games. We have to do better, we have to work harder, and we have to produce more.”
Loyola (6-0-1) enjoyed a substantial advantage in shots, opportunities and time of possession. The Ramblers looked smooth and aggressive at the start. Riley Burns, their elite defender, moved up to the midfield and showed her commanding skill set. She was quick to the ball and helped push it from side to side.
“I am really able to play anywhere,” Burns said. “With this game we needed to get more offense, especially with Sophie Doerr ... out with a toe injury. I have been pushing up so that we can get more shots and more offensive action going.”
Burns’s presence also helps in the transition to defense, creating a wall in the middle.
Lake Forest (2-3-1) is a young team brimming with possibility. A year ago, the Scouts competed with seven freshmen starters and appeared on the verge of greatness. Changes in the national development academy model resulted in six of those players not returning. They are now playing club.
Skilled junior midfielder Ashley Bufe returned to the fold. She represents the new hope for the Scouts. Playing with another precocious sophomore, Elise Stanley, Lake Forest (2-3-1) played some exemplary soccer of its own. Senior forward Mary Gregg, the team’s most experienced talent, also excelled throughout the first half as the Scouts thwarted the Ramblers.
“It was a tough game,” Bufe said. “We have been playing with a lot of these girls through club, so we definitely knew what we were up against. It was definitely in our mindset that this was going to be a fast-paced game, and we need to connect. I think we went in with a good mindset, and we started out super strong.
“Through the early training and our first couple of games, we were working a lot on getting our formation together and learning how to defend as a team because we are all pretty much new playing with one another. It’s important that we are all on the same page with one another, know which runs players are making and who to connect the pass with.”
The one returning sophomore starter, standout keeper Sophia DiVagno, was out with an injury. So was her top replacement, Cassidy Shaul. That forced Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager into some creative thinking. He inserted senior forward Ainsley Allan, his leading scorer, as his emergency starter. Allan acquitted herself very well.
She preserved a scoreless first half by snaring a tight, short rocket ball from Loyola star forward Stephanie Ramsay.
Lake Forest was excited by how they played.
“I think it is a great group of girls this year,” Stanley said. “I know we lost a lot of players from last year. I know a bunch of the girls who are on the (club) team who unfortunately are not playing this year. I think we mesh really well together, and we have improved so much from the beginning of the season. I think we are just going to get better.
“It’s always a big adjustment you have to make when you are working with an entirely new group of girls. It’s not about one person. We have to play well as a group. In the game (against Glenbrook South) on Saturday, I don’t think we interacted as well as we did today. I think today our passes were on point, and we made good runs.”
Murray, a gifted sophomore in her own right, finally broke through midway through the second half. With Loyola again moving the ball crisply from the back, midfielder Cate Shellenback controlled the ball and punched it over the top to a streaking Murray on the right wing.
Murray beautifully sidestepped a defender and got to the edge and unleashed the ball for a looping shot that curved just right inside the far post. Scoring her first goal this year, Murray also attained Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
“I think we just started to play the ball out wide and we were able to get crosses in,” Murray said. “It started with the defense, and they were able to get the ball out and play it wide. The ball came from the back. I just dribbled it in and shot it.”
But the victory was not quite enough in this situation. On multiple occasions junior forward Maggie Brett got to the edge and made a cross that Loyola could not get on the end of. Despite the win, the mood was subdued.
“I think personally the team feels we could have picked it up a little bit more,” Burns said. “Yesterday was a good game with Glenbrook South, but we just need to find more of our grit. Today we should have finished a lot more.
“I think at this point in the season we still need to find our rhythm. We are getting there. We started off really well and now we just have to get back into it, keeping getting our shots off and keep getting our offense going.”
The disappointment was more acute by how razor close the team was to qualifying for the semifinal round.
“Creating and finishing are two different things,” Snower said. “We got around the corner five or six good times, and our runs were not crisp no was our finishing. We told the kids afterwards somebody has to be willing to finish their run in the box and beat a player to a spot and knock the ball into the back of the net.
“We are not doing that right now.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Maggie Avery
D: Lauren Daffada
D: Faith Craddock
D: Kiersten Kerrane
D: Emily Chrisman
M: Cate Shellenback
M: Vanessa Murray
M: Riley Burns
M: Claire Kelly
F: Stephanie Ramsay
F: Maggie Brett
Lake Forest
GK: Ainsley Allan
D: Camy Esplin
D: Christina Gregg
D: Maggie Mick
D: Lily Bryant
M: Ashley Bufe
M:: Leland Keller
M: Kylie Murray
M: Alex Flynn
F: Mary Gregg
F: Elise Stanley
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Vanessa Murray, so., MF, Loyola
Scoring summary
Firs half
None
Second half
Loyola—Vanessa Murray (Cate Shellenback), 57th minute
Ramblers beat Lake Forest 1-0 but miss semifinals on tiebreaker
By Patrick Z. McGavin
LAKE FOREST -- The seconds melted away and Loyola remained dialed in and tried to score. Every game has sub-movements and intertwined plots. The Ramblers were chasing a game within a game.
The good news is the no. 4 Ramblers fought through an inspired Lake Forest team to secure the 1-0 victory after sophomore midfielder Vanessa Angel drilled a beautiful ball from the right wing from about 19 yards in the 57th minute here Wednesday afternoon.
As hard and distinguished as the Ramblers played, it was not enough to advance to Friday’s championship bracket of the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic. By dint of the Ramblers’ 1-1 draw with no. 18 Glenbrook South on Monday, Loyola finished with a plus one goal-differential in group play. Glenbrook South defeated Lake Forest 3-1 on Saturday. With only three teams in the bracket, there was no opportunity to earn a wild card spot.
Group winners St. Francis (A), Naperville North (B) and Glenbrook South (C) advance to the semifinal round. For the wild cars spot, Evanston (5 points) and New Trier (5 points) each finished with a plus 2 goal-differential. The Wildkits advanced on the second tiebreaker, fewest goals allowed.
The semifinals will feature Evanston against St. Francis, and Glenbrook South versus Naperville North on Friday at New Trier. The Trevians play Carmel in a consolation game Saturday on home. Loyola hosts Lyons in a consolation game at its stadium on Saturday. Hinsdale Central matches up against Lake Forest at Loyola.
“There are no excuses,” Loyola coach Craig Snower said. “We have to execute. We did not execute offensively in our last two games. There is no excuse for us only scoring two goals in our last two games. We have to do better, we have to work harder, and we have to produce more.”
Loyola (6-0-1) enjoyed a substantial advantage in shots, opportunities and time of possession. The Ramblers looked smooth and aggressive at the start. Riley Burns, their elite defender, moved up to the midfield and showed her commanding skill set. She was quick to the ball and helped push it from side to side.
“I am really able to play anywhere,” Burns said. “With this game we needed to get more offense, especially with Sophie Doerr ... out with a toe injury. I have been pushing up so that we can get more shots and more offensive action going.”
Burns’s presence also helps in the transition to defense, creating a wall in the middle.
Lake Forest (2-3-1) is a young team brimming with possibility. A year ago, the Scouts competed with seven freshmen starters and appeared on the verge of greatness. Changes in the national development academy model resulted in six of those players not returning. They are now playing club.
Skilled junior midfielder Ashley Bufe returned to the fold. She represents the new hope for the Scouts. Playing with another precocious sophomore, Elise Stanley, Lake Forest (2-3-1) played some exemplary soccer of its own. Senior forward Mary Gregg, the team’s most experienced talent, also excelled throughout the first half as the Scouts thwarted the Ramblers.
“It was a tough game,” Bufe said. “We have been playing with a lot of these girls through club, so we definitely knew what we were up against. It was definitely in our mindset that this was going to be a fast-paced game, and we need to connect. I think we went in with a good mindset, and we started out super strong.
“Through the early training and our first couple of games, we were working a lot on getting our formation together and learning how to defend as a team because we are all pretty much new playing with one another. It’s important that we are all on the same page with one another, know which runs players are making and who to connect the pass with.”
The one returning sophomore starter, standout keeper Sophia DiVagno, was out with an injury. So was her top replacement, Cassidy Shaul. That forced Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager into some creative thinking. He inserted senior forward Ainsley Allan, his leading scorer, as his emergency starter. Allan acquitted herself very well.
She preserved a scoreless first half by snaring a tight, short rocket ball from Loyola star forward Stephanie Ramsay.
Lake Forest was excited by how they played.
“I think it is a great group of girls this year,” Stanley said. “I know we lost a lot of players from last year. I know a bunch of the girls who are on the (club) team who unfortunately are not playing this year. I think we mesh really well together, and we have improved so much from the beginning of the season. I think we are just going to get better.
“It’s always a big adjustment you have to make when you are working with an entirely new group of girls. It’s not about one person. We have to play well as a group. In the game (against Glenbrook South) on Saturday, I don’t think we interacted as well as we did today. I think today our passes were on point, and we made good runs.”
Murray, a gifted sophomore in her own right, finally broke through midway through the second half. With Loyola again moving the ball crisply from the back, midfielder Cate Shellenback controlled the ball and punched it over the top to a streaking Murray on the right wing.
Murray beautifully sidestepped a defender and got to the edge and unleashed the ball for a looping shot that curved just right inside the far post. Scoring her first goal this year, Murray also attained Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
“I think we just started to play the ball out wide and we were able to get crosses in,” Murray said. “It started with the defense, and they were able to get the ball out and play it wide. The ball came from the back. I just dribbled it in and shot it.”
But the victory was not quite enough in this situation. On multiple occasions junior forward Maggie Brett got to the edge and made a cross that Loyola could not get on the end of. Despite the win, the mood was subdued.
“I think personally the team feels we could have picked it up a little bit more,” Burns said. “Yesterday was a good game with Glenbrook South, but we just need to find more of our grit. Today we should have finished a lot more.
“I think at this point in the season we still need to find our rhythm. We are getting there. We started off really well and now we just have to get back into it, keeping getting our shots off and keep getting our offense going.”
The disappointment was more acute by how razor close the team was to qualifying for the semifinal round.
“Creating and finishing are two different things,” Snower said. “We got around the corner five or six good times, and our runs were not crisp no was our finishing. We told the kids afterwards somebody has to be willing to finish their run in the box and beat a player to a spot and knock the ball into the back of the net.
“We are not doing that right now.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Maggie Avery
D: Lauren Daffada
D: Faith Craddock
D: Kiersten Kerrane
D: Emily Chrisman
M: Cate Shellenback
M: Vanessa Murray
M: Riley Burns
M: Claire Kelly
F: Stephanie Ramsay
F: Maggie Brett
Lake Forest
GK: Ainsley Allan
D: Camy Esplin
D: Christina Gregg
D: Maggie Mick
D: Lily Bryant
M: Ashley Bufe
M:: Leland Keller
M: Kylie Murray
M: Alex Flynn
F: Mary Gregg
F: Elise Stanley
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Vanessa Murray, so., MF, Loyola
Scoring summary
Firs half
None
Second half
Loyola—Vanessa Murray (Cate Shellenback), 57th minute