Lake Park read all about it, Batavia tough
Bulldogs cruise 2-0 past Lancers in DuKane debut
By Chris Walker
BATAVIA – Lake Park senior goalkeeper Sarah Yochem knew what kind of challenge was in store for her and her fellow Lancers as they traveled to Batavia for a DuKane Conference tilt on a cold and drizzly Thursday night.
After all, she did her research on the Bulldogs on Chicagoland Soccer.
“You read the articles in Chicagoland Soccer about Batavia, and they are a good team with a lot of good people, especially in their midfield and in their forwards,” she said. “I knew I had to be on my toes.”
Yochem was most definitely busy, and did her part in denying a handful of solid scoring chances, but the Bulldogs were able to net a pair of goals in the first half while dominating possession and allowing the Lancers little opportunity in the attack in a 2-0 result.
“Once we let that first goal in, I think we settled in a lot more,” Yochem said. “In the second half we played Lake Park soccer and played more of the defense that we should’ve played in the first half.”
In a way, posting a shutout in the second half was a victory of sorts, at least for Yochem and her backline.
“For me, it’s a personal one (win),” she said. “Shutting out a team like Batavia in a half is all I can ask for, especially after letting two goals in. I mean, it happens, but it’s better than letting in a bunch more and losing by a lot more. I think that’s a personal goal, and not just for me, but also for the team, especially our defense. I think our defense played really well today, especially in the second half.”
While Yochem definitely didn’t get any time off going against Batavia’s formidable attack, the hosts' goalkeeping tandem weren’t called into duty to do much other than provide encouragement to their teammates and handle the less stressful goalkeeping responsibilities. Lake Park didn’t put a shot on goal the entire match.
As they have all season long for Batavia, junior Hailey Flanagan and freshman Aubrey Hahn split goalkeeping duties. Hahn played in the first half, and Flanagan took over for the second 40 minutes.
“You want to have that competition at all positions,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “I think both of them push each other to be better, which is great. We had a spirited practice yesterday and both of them were right on. A lot of talking and there were a lot of great saves that they made yesterday. It’s great to see that they kind of rival each other.
“Today I don’t think either of them touched the ball with their hands at all, but they got to be there for the feet and kind of create those opportunities in back for us to keep possession. So that worked out well.”
It’s healthy competition that gives the Bulldogs two great assets in net.
“Our practices are competitive, and we’re both really supportive of each other, so that’s nice,” Flanagan said. “We train together kind of on our own in practice so that really helps. And we both have pretty good chemistry with the team and both are able to communicate really well, and we’re both really strong skill-wise.”
Flanagan also knows what Yochem was feeling for the Lancers. She’s certainly played in enough games where she experienced the kind of game where a keeper is constantly being called on to make saves.
“I’m not going to lie, but sometimes it’s a relief for a game like this,” Flanagan said. “Those games when you’re under fire can be really stressful but being not as active can also be it’s own challenge. You have to stay mentally connected, because if you slip that’s going to be tough to recover from, especially during these cold games. You’ve got to keep yourself active in case you do have to be involved. With these games it’s more of like a mental challenge.”
Batavia, ranked no. 25 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, didn’t hold back at the start, attacking the Lancers from the get-go and seeing it pay off just a little more than 11 minutes into the action when senior defender Zaira Solis pounced on a loose ball off a corner kick from Anna Holcombe.
“There was a huge scramble in the middle,” Solis explained. “I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Their left back hit it out, but didn’t hit it out far enough. Then I came in and just shot it.”
It was Solis’ second goal of the season; she also played a key role in the Bulldogs picking up their fifth shutout of the spring. She was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her contributions and effort.
“On those plays we’re looking usually to get crosses in and if we can get a goal, it’s great,” she said.” We’re just continuing to progress a lot as a team and just this past week we’ve been working a lot on set plays and corner kicks so we wanted to score off a set play tonight. That has been our main focus this week, and I think we did that pretty well. We had a lot of opportunities from set plays.”
The Bulldogs earned eight corner kick opportunities in the game.
Their final goal didn’t come off a corner kick, but rather from junior midfielder Abby Zipse’s preparation, which can be traced to practice in her backyard.
Zipse acknowledged that she’s had a few opportunities from long-range this season but has often held back. This time, she went for it, and delivered from 35-yards to put the Bulldogs ahead 2-0 with 10:45 remaining in the first half.
“Usually I’m one of the center mids and one of us will be holding back and the other will go up,” Zipse said. “So I was holding back because the other was up, and it (the ball) popped out to me, and I looked up and saw there was nobody around me.
“I took a touch in and saw someone closing in on my left, so I had to decide if I was going to serve a ball in or shoot it. I’ve been working on my shot from the outside, so I just decided to go for it and see what happens and them, yeah, I just hit it and it sailed right in.”
Yochem made a leaping effort to deny it, but the ball just eluded her outstretched arms.
“Earlier this season I actually had a couple like this, but maybe from a little farther out that I saw,” she said. “I took some but was a little too weak so I’ve been working on that in my backyard and stuff so it paid off. I had a couple more in the second half, because I was kind of open in the middle a lot, but I couldn’t bury another one.”
Batavia (6-1-1, 1-0-0) will take a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s nonconference game against no. 14 Neuqua Valley. The Bulldogs have outscored their last four opponents 13-1.
“I think it’s just working every time to get better each game,” Gianfrancesco said. “Playing the ball around I think you see a lot of combinations of people moving off the ball. Luckily, we were able to finish a few chances to win 2-0. We created a lot of other opportunities so we just got to keep working. It’s good, and it’s our first conference win, and that’s definitely a bonus.”
Zipse said the team is getting more comfortable each week.
“There’s been a lot of team bonding so we’re really clicking together as a team right now,” she said. “We’re finding it easier to connect with each other now.”
Lake Park (0-7-1, 0-3-0) continues to battle hard despite not seeing the results in the win column that it would like.
“The effort is definitely there, and we don’t lack enthusiasm, and we want to win,” Lake Park sophomore defender Emma Thorne said. “Sometimes we need to be more aggressive on some plays, and we’ll look for a turnaround this week with the PepsiCo.”
Getting down early didn’t help matters Thursday.
“You never want to be down, and it didn’t hurt our morale but getting that first goal is always big,” Thorne said. “We knew Batavia was a strong team with a lot of speed and foot skills, and they’re strong through the entire back.”
Perhaps it won’t happen his year for Yochem to experience, but maybe the Lancers aren’t too far away from having a team like Batavia’s where the keeper isn’t working 24/7 so to speak.
“I told my girls that I love a boring game, because that means we’re doing good,” Yochem said. “I love when the ball is not by me. I’ll stand back there in the rain as long as we can put some in the back of the net. That’s the best day ever.”
The Lancers started five sophomores against the Bulldogs. That’s not a bad thing because it’s a talented group, albeit a less-experienced one.
“We’re working through a lot of adversity with a lot of injuries, and we’re playing a lot of good teams,” Thorne said. “That’s good because we need that competition, because we’re not going to get better if we don’t play them, especially when it comes to playoff time. We’re not going to have a chance to win in the playoffs if we’re not playing good teams like Batavia.”
With its talent and drive, the Lancers look to break into the win column soon.
“We have a lot of player who are stepping up big-time,” Thorne said. “They’re executing their roles the best they can and are learning everyday. They’re learning from the veterans to see what they can do more. We just have to focus on the present right now, because there is a lot of season left. And we have some seniors and we’re playing for them, and they’re playing their butts off for us, and we want to give everything we have for them.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Sarah Yochem
D Sophie Giron
D Sarah Novak
D Francesca Ottolino
D Emma Thorne
MF Ann Marie Ahrens
MF Patty Lachowiez
MF Katie Schwegler
MF Cyndi Martinez
F Cecilia Defino
F Lilli Giron
Batavia
GK Aubrey Hahn
D Taylor Fleury
D Kyla Mackenzie
D Jenna Nichols
D Zaira Solis
MF Morgan Toronyi
MF Bella Zink
MF Abby Zipse
F CeCe Hamann
F Anna Holcombe
F Grace Salyers
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Zaira Solis, sr., D, Batavia
Scoring summary
First half
Batavia – Zaira Solis (u/a) 28:59
Batavia – Abby Zipse (u/a) 10:45
Second half
No scoring
Bulldogs cruise 2-0 past Lancers in DuKane debut
By Chris Walker
BATAVIA – Lake Park senior goalkeeper Sarah Yochem knew what kind of challenge was in store for her and her fellow Lancers as they traveled to Batavia for a DuKane Conference tilt on a cold and drizzly Thursday night.
After all, she did her research on the Bulldogs on Chicagoland Soccer.
“You read the articles in Chicagoland Soccer about Batavia, and they are a good team with a lot of good people, especially in their midfield and in their forwards,” she said. “I knew I had to be on my toes.”
Yochem was most definitely busy, and did her part in denying a handful of solid scoring chances, but the Bulldogs were able to net a pair of goals in the first half while dominating possession and allowing the Lancers little opportunity in the attack in a 2-0 result.
“Once we let that first goal in, I think we settled in a lot more,” Yochem said. “In the second half we played Lake Park soccer and played more of the defense that we should’ve played in the first half.”
In a way, posting a shutout in the second half was a victory of sorts, at least for Yochem and her backline.
“For me, it’s a personal one (win),” she said. “Shutting out a team like Batavia in a half is all I can ask for, especially after letting two goals in. I mean, it happens, but it’s better than letting in a bunch more and losing by a lot more. I think that’s a personal goal, and not just for me, but also for the team, especially our defense. I think our defense played really well today, especially in the second half.”
While Yochem definitely didn’t get any time off going against Batavia’s formidable attack, the hosts' goalkeeping tandem weren’t called into duty to do much other than provide encouragement to their teammates and handle the less stressful goalkeeping responsibilities. Lake Park didn’t put a shot on goal the entire match.
As they have all season long for Batavia, junior Hailey Flanagan and freshman Aubrey Hahn split goalkeeping duties. Hahn played in the first half, and Flanagan took over for the second 40 minutes.
“You want to have that competition at all positions,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “I think both of them push each other to be better, which is great. We had a spirited practice yesterday and both of them were right on. A lot of talking and there were a lot of great saves that they made yesterday. It’s great to see that they kind of rival each other.
“Today I don’t think either of them touched the ball with their hands at all, but they got to be there for the feet and kind of create those opportunities in back for us to keep possession. So that worked out well.”
It’s healthy competition that gives the Bulldogs two great assets in net.
“Our practices are competitive, and we’re both really supportive of each other, so that’s nice,” Flanagan said. “We train together kind of on our own in practice so that really helps. And we both have pretty good chemistry with the team and both are able to communicate really well, and we’re both really strong skill-wise.”
Flanagan also knows what Yochem was feeling for the Lancers. She’s certainly played in enough games where she experienced the kind of game where a keeper is constantly being called on to make saves.
“I’m not going to lie, but sometimes it’s a relief for a game like this,” Flanagan said. “Those games when you’re under fire can be really stressful but being not as active can also be it’s own challenge. You have to stay mentally connected, because if you slip that’s going to be tough to recover from, especially during these cold games. You’ve got to keep yourself active in case you do have to be involved. With these games it’s more of like a mental challenge.”
Batavia, ranked no. 25 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, didn’t hold back at the start, attacking the Lancers from the get-go and seeing it pay off just a little more than 11 minutes into the action when senior defender Zaira Solis pounced on a loose ball off a corner kick from Anna Holcombe.
“There was a huge scramble in the middle,” Solis explained. “I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Their left back hit it out, but didn’t hit it out far enough. Then I came in and just shot it.”
It was Solis’ second goal of the season; she also played a key role in the Bulldogs picking up their fifth shutout of the spring. She was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her contributions and effort.
“On those plays we’re looking usually to get crosses in and if we can get a goal, it’s great,” she said.” We’re just continuing to progress a lot as a team and just this past week we’ve been working a lot on set plays and corner kicks so we wanted to score off a set play tonight. That has been our main focus this week, and I think we did that pretty well. We had a lot of opportunities from set plays.”
The Bulldogs earned eight corner kick opportunities in the game.
Their final goal didn’t come off a corner kick, but rather from junior midfielder Abby Zipse’s preparation, which can be traced to practice in her backyard.
Zipse acknowledged that she’s had a few opportunities from long-range this season but has often held back. This time, she went for it, and delivered from 35-yards to put the Bulldogs ahead 2-0 with 10:45 remaining in the first half.
“Usually I’m one of the center mids and one of us will be holding back and the other will go up,” Zipse said. “So I was holding back because the other was up, and it (the ball) popped out to me, and I looked up and saw there was nobody around me.
“I took a touch in and saw someone closing in on my left, so I had to decide if I was going to serve a ball in or shoot it. I’ve been working on my shot from the outside, so I just decided to go for it and see what happens and them, yeah, I just hit it and it sailed right in.”
Yochem made a leaping effort to deny it, but the ball just eluded her outstretched arms.
“Earlier this season I actually had a couple like this, but maybe from a little farther out that I saw,” she said. “I took some but was a little too weak so I’ve been working on that in my backyard and stuff so it paid off. I had a couple more in the second half, because I was kind of open in the middle a lot, but I couldn’t bury another one.”
Batavia (6-1-1, 1-0-0) will take a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s nonconference game against no. 14 Neuqua Valley. The Bulldogs have outscored their last four opponents 13-1.
“I think it’s just working every time to get better each game,” Gianfrancesco said. “Playing the ball around I think you see a lot of combinations of people moving off the ball. Luckily, we were able to finish a few chances to win 2-0. We created a lot of other opportunities so we just got to keep working. It’s good, and it’s our first conference win, and that’s definitely a bonus.”
Zipse said the team is getting more comfortable each week.
“There’s been a lot of team bonding so we’re really clicking together as a team right now,” she said. “We’re finding it easier to connect with each other now.”
Lake Park (0-7-1, 0-3-0) continues to battle hard despite not seeing the results in the win column that it would like.
“The effort is definitely there, and we don’t lack enthusiasm, and we want to win,” Lake Park sophomore defender Emma Thorne said. “Sometimes we need to be more aggressive on some plays, and we’ll look for a turnaround this week with the PepsiCo.”
Getting down early didn’t help matters Thursday.
“You never want to be down, and it didn’t hurt our morale but getting that first goal is always big,” Thorne said. “We knew Batavia was a strong team with a lot of speed and foot skills, and they’re strong through the entire back.”
Perhaps it won’t happen his year for Yochem to experience, but maybe the Lancers aren’t too far away from having a team like Batavia’s where the keeper isn’t working 24/7 so to speak.
“I told my girls that I love a boring game, because that means we’re doing good,” Yochem said. “I love when the ball is not by me. I’ll stand back there in the rain as long as we can put some in the back of the net. That’s the best day ever.”
The Lancers started five sophomores against the Bulldogs. That’s not a bad thing because it’s a talented group, albeit a less-experienced one.
“We’re working through a lot of adversity with a lot of injuries, and we’re playing a lot of good teams,” Thorne said. “That’s good because we need that competition, because we’re not going to get better if we don’t play them, especially when it comes to playoff time. We’re not going to have a chance to win in the playoffs if we’re not playing good teams like Batavia.”
With its talent and drive, the Lancers look to break into the win column soon.
“We have a lot of player who are stepping up big-time,” Thorne said. “They’re executing their roles the best they can and are learning everyday. They’re learning from the veterans to see what they can do more. We just have to focus on the present right now, because there is a lot of season left. And we have some seniors and we’re playing for them, and they’re playing their butts off for us, and we want to give everything we have for them.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Sarah Yochem
D Sophie Giron
D Sarah Novak
D Francesca Ottolino
D Emma Thorne
MF Ann Marie Ahrens
MF Patty Lachowiez
MF Katie Schwegler
MF Cyndi Martinez
F Cecilia Defino
F Lilli Giron
Batavia
GK Aubrey Hahn
D Taylor Fleury
D Kyla Mackenzie
D Jenna Nichols
D Zaira Solis
MF Morgan Toronyi
MF Bella Zink
MF Abby Zipse
F CeCe Hamann
F Anna Holcombe
F Grace Salyers
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Zaira Solis, sr., D, Batavia
Scoring summary
First half
Batavia – Zaira Solis (u/a) 28:59
Batavia – Abby Zipse (u/a) 10:45
Second half
No scoring