Lake Park intensifies effort
in scoreless draw vs. Glenbard South
Lancers get strong game from GK Boafo
By Curt Herron
GLEN ELLYN -- It's all about perspective. Take the case of Lake Park after their 0-0 tie at Glenbard South on Monday.
After a tough opening week with three losses in the Elk Grove Invitational, the Lancers recorded a shutout, connected better with each other and put together several good scoring opportunities. It was definitely a big step in the right direction.
Lake Park tied its hosts in the opening match of the Raiders Invitational. Glenbard South (1-1-1) entered the contest after a 3-0 victory over Aurora Central. Its season started with a 1-0 loss to Class A power Timothy.
Lake Park enjoyed its change of fortune.
"In our first week we played some big dogs," said coach Sean Crosby, whose team faced Maine South, Downers Grove North and the host team in Week 1. “We didn't let ourselves off the hook with our schedule right off the bat.
"We battled, but we didn't have full 100-percent legs. We had some girls who got some injuries, and we didn't get to play full minutes with them. We got some of them back today, but not all of them. “
The reason for the Lancers improvement was noticeable.
“It was just the hustle from start to finish today, and our ability to pass a little bit better than we did last week,” Crosby said.
"Our tally that we were counting was passing strings. Last week, we didn't have too many more than three-consecutive passes without getting the ball turned over. It was a lot better today. That was a 100-percent goal of ours and the girls committed to it. From a coaching standpoint, that was fantastic to see. And for us to roll through every number that was an eligible player today and for them to stand up and perform on the field, that was something that we are also excited about.
"Our defensive group was great. Bella Witt, our right back is a captain, and center back Madie Mintrup, is another captain for us. I thought Peyton Sarubbi, one of our center defenders, had a standout performance by just tracking and reading plays.
“Brynn Ellenbecker is a freshman and a left defender, and she just reads the game really well and covers her teammates really well. She made a commitment to really try and focus on connecting to her other three defenders, and she did a great job. Her positioning was great and she cleared the ball. And anytime there were dangerous moments, she just played it out of bounds, and let us get reset. A really defensive game from everybody.”
When a team records its initial shutout of the season, then the individual in the net usually has a big role. That certainly was the case in a match where Glenbard South used its speed to create multiple good opportunities to connect. But Lancers sophomore goalie Vanessa Boafo was up to the challenge each time, either coming out of the net to shut down attempts or securing all of the threatening shots that came her way.
"Vanessa was phenomenal,” Crosby said. “She was also our player of the tournament last week.
"To see them do the same thing defensively to start the week is great. And on the attack, we hit a crossbar in the first half. That was Peyton Olinski, who's our best attacking player.
“I have a good group here, because they never quit. They work hard, give 100 percent and leave their hustle on the field.
“From a coaching standpoint, everything that I wanted to see was on the field with their work rate and their hustle. They played together as a team. It was a great match for us, and it was a great way to bounce back from what was a tough first week."
The Lancers (0-3-1) plan to see an increasingly strong effort when they complete the tournament against Nazareth at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Riverside-Brookfield was scheduled to be in the event but dropped out.
After their final invitational game, Lake Park will take 10 days off from competition before they rematch Elk Grove on April 4 and host St. Charles East in their first DuKane Conference match on April 7.
After Glenbard South had most of the good scoring chances in the opening half Monday, Lake Park started to put more pressure on goalie Sofia Alcala during the final 40 minutes. Their first good opportunity of the second half came on a corner kick from Peyton Olinski in the 50th minute. Then in the 59th minute she was at it again following a good buildup from Isabelle Skrabanek to Erin Vachlin before having a go from close-range that went just wide.
In the 67th minute, the Lancers had another good chance with an indirect free kick from just outside of the box. Francesca Cali provided the short pass to Olinski, who drove to the net. Although there appeared to be contact in the box, the referee saw otherwise. Another good threat for the visitors came in the 73rd minute when Teagan Locus got off a short attempt but it was halted by Alcala.
"Last week was kind of our first time playing as a team since we have a lot of younger girls," Witt said. "I really think that we've been kind of learning how each of us plays, our strengths and weaknesses.
“Today we did a really good job of capitalizing on plays and passes that we know that we can hit. And I really think that kind of boosted our confidence to be able to get those plays into the attacking third.
"We're learning to trust in each other, and that we can rely on each other and that we do have options by getting the ball up, can get it wide or pass it out. I think that's something that's really big for us, being a younger team.
“Learning to trust in each other and learning the patterns of what the other team is doing was really working for us today. I really like our spirit and energy.
“Probably the thing I like most about this team is being able to lift each other up. We're not yelling at each other; we're getting on each other constructively. In the end, we just want to uplift each other."
Coach Kevin Berner's Raiders (1-1-1) did their best throughout the match to avoid the outcome of their opener, a 1-0 loss to Timothy.
It especially showed following the break when they received good scoring chances from Annika Wise, Ellie Anderson and Madeline Sebahar. The first pair provided most of the threats.
Lake Park’s Boafo was up to the task. She made several nice saves and played like a veteran, even though this is just the sophomore's second year in the sport and first on the varsity.
Even though soccer in her bloodline, Boafo was originally more interested in playing basketball. She only recently took up soccer and now has become a big fan of the sport.
"Actually I started playing soccer last year, but I'm part of a soccer family," Boafo said. "My sister, Lauren, plays at Western Michigan as a goalkeeper. I do what I do just to be like her; she's my role model. Because I play basketball, I felt during the quarantine that I should try something new.
“I thought maybe I should try to be like my sister and try the sport. Once I played last year on JV, I fell in love with the sport; it's just a joy to play. I just think that a goalkeeper's job is to just protect the box and do what they can for their team.
“I feel like when you get closer to the ball that you can read the girls' actions by their eyes and the position of their legs, just little things.
"I feel like we improved tremendously from last week, when we were starting to learn the ropes by having new players playing together\. But now, in this game, I can see major improvement throughout our team.
“Even though it's great to make a save, you just want the best for your team. And I can see that my team has really put in the work in this game, and we've done way better than what we were doing last week."
There were far less oohs and aahs in the opening half, but most of those were provided by Glenbard South, which plays its first seven matches, and nine of their first 10, at home. Several Glenbard South players had good chances during the initial 40 minutes but Boafo thwarted tries sent in by Paige Kennedy, Wise, Sebahar and Anderson.
Lake Park's best opportunity of the first half came shortly before the break when Olinski hit a liner that deflected off the crossbar. Glenbard East hoped to score in the late going when Lauren Price sent in a corner kick, but Ellenbecker headed it away to thwart that threat.
"One of our goals for this game was to just connect passes and really get into attacking more, with building out of the back, starting there," junior Madie Mintrup said. "And I really think we executed that, and we worked really well together as a group today.
“I'm really proud of the girls for that. On and off the field, we've definitely made a lot of connections in a short time, which is really helping us on the field. We have a lot of great connections and a lot of trust in each other and that has really helped us.
"There are going to be hard games, and there are going to be easy games. There are 80 minutes in a game, so there's going to be mistakes and great plays. You just want to celebrate the great plays and make up for the bad ones, and that's really key during the season.
“I just love how we've made connections, and we're always listening to each other. We've really built a good support system, on and off the field. And I just love that about this group of girls."
Starting lineups
Lake Park
G Vanessa Boafo
D Isabella Witt
D Peyton Sarubbi
D Brynn Ellenbecker
D Madie Mintrup
M Isabelle Skrabanek
M Francesca Cali
M Peyton Olinski
M Erin Vachlin
F Kira Holiday
F Teagan Locus
Glenbard South
G Sofia Alcala
D Mary Kate Pinkleman
D Madelyn Weber
D Abby Bergmann
M Paige Kennedy
M Olivia Weber
M Madeline Sebahar
M Emma Seaman
F Ellie Anderson
F Annika Wise
F Lauren Price
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Vanessa Boafo, so., GK, Lake Park
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
in scoreless draw vs. Glenbard South
Lancers get strong game from GK Boafo
By Curt Herron
GLEN ELLYN -- It's all about perspective. Take the case of Lake Park after their 0-0 tie at Glenbard South on Monday.
After a tough opening week with three losses in the Elk Grove Invitational, the Lancers recorded a shutout, connected better with each other and put together several good scoring opportunities. It was definitely a big step in the right direction.
Lake Park tied its hosts in the opening match of the Raiders Invitational. Glenbard South (1-1-1) entered the contest after a 3-0 victory over Aurora Central. Its season started with a 1-0 loss to Class A power Timothy.
Lake Park enjoyed its change of fortune.
"In our first week we played some big dogs," said coach Sean Crosby, whose team faced Maine South, Downers Grove North and the host team in Week 1. “We didn't let ourselves off the hook with our schedule right off the bat.
"We battled, but we didn't have full 100-percent legs. We had some girls who got some injuries, and we didn't get to play full minutes with them. We got some of them back today, but not all of them. “
The reason for the Lancers improvement was noticeable.
“It was just the hustle from start to finish today, and our ability to pass a little bit better than we did last week,” Crosby said.
"Our tally that we were counting was passing strings. Last week, we didn't have too many more than three-consecutive passes without getting the ball turned over. It was a lot better today. That was a 100-percent goal of ours and the girls committed to it. From a coaching standpoint, that was fantastic to see. And for us to roll through every number that was an eligible player today and for them to stand up and perform on the field, that was something that we are also excited about.
"Our defensive group was great. Bella Witt, our right back is a captain, and center back Madie Mintrup, is another captain for us. I thought Peyton Sarubbi, one of our center defenders, had a standout performance by just tracking and reading plays.
“Brynn Ellenbecker is a freshman and a left defender, and she just reads the game really well and covers her teammates really well. She made a commitment to really try and focus on connecting to her other three defenders, and she did a great job. Her positioning was great and she cleared the ball. And anytime there were dangerous moments, she just played it out of bounds, and let us get reset. A really defensive game from everybody.”
When a team records its initial shutout of the season, then the individual in the net usually has a big role. That certainly was the case in a match where Glenbard South used its speed to create multiple good opportunities to connect. But Lancers sophomore goalie Vanessa Boafo was up to the challenge each time, either coming out of the net to shut down attempts or securing all of the threatening shots that came her way.
"Vanessa was phenomenal,” Crosby said. “She was also our player of the tournament last week.
"To see them do the same thing defensively to start the week is great. And on the attack, we hit a crossbar in the first half. That was Peyton Olinski, who's our best attacking player.
“I have a good group here, because they never quit. They work hard, give 100 percent and leave their hustle on the field.
“From a coaching standpoint, everything that I wanted to see was on the field with their work rate and their hustle. They played together as a team. It was a great match for us, and it was a great way to bounce back from what was a tough first week."
The Lancers (0-3-1) plan to see an increasingly strong effort when they complete the tournament against Nazareth at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Riverside-Brookfield was scheduled to be in the event but dropped out.
After their final invitational game, Lake Park will take 10 days off from competition before they rematch Elk Grove on April 4 and host St. Charles East in their first DuKane Conference match on April 7.
After Glenbard South had most of the good scoring chances in the opening half Monday, Lake Park started to put more pressure on goalie Sofia Alcala during the final 40 minutes. Their first good opportunity of the second half came on a corner kick from Peyton Olinski in the 50th minute. Then in the 59th minute she was at it again following a good buildup from Isabelle Skrabanek to Erin Vachlin before having a go from close-range that went just wide.
In the 67th minute, the Lancers had another good chance with an indirect free kick from just outside of the box. Francesca Cali provided the short pass to Olinski, who drove to the net. Although there appeared to be contact in the box, the referee saw otherwise. Another good threat for the visitors came in the 73rd minute when Teagan Locus got off a short attempt but it was halted by Alcala.
"Last week was kind of our first time playing as a team since we have a lot of younger girls," Witt said. "I really think that we've been kind of learning how each of us plays, our strengths and weaknesses.
“Today we did a really good job of capitalizing on plays and passes that we know that we can hit. And I really think that kind of boosted our confidence to be able to get those plays into the attacking third.
"We're learning to trust in each other, and that we can rely on each other and that we do have options by getting the ball up, can get it wide or pass it out. I think that's something that's really big for us, being a younger team.
“Learning to trust in each other and learning the patterns of what the other team is doing was really working for us today. I really like our spirit and energy.
“Probably the thing I like most about this team is being able to lift each other up. We're not yelling at each other; we're getting on each other constructively. In the end, we just want to uplift each other."
Coach Kevin Berner's Raiders (1-1-1) did their best throughout the match to avoid the outcome of their opener, a 1-0 loss to Timothy.
It especially showed following the break when they received good scoring chances from Annika Wise, Ellie Anderson and Madeline Sebahar. The first pair provided most of the threats.
Lake Park’s Boafo was up to the task. She made several nice saves and played like a veteran, even though this is just the sophomore's second year in the sport and first on the varsity.
Even though soccer in her bloodline, Boafo was originally more interested in playing basketball. She only recently took up soccer and now has become a big fan of the sport.
"Actually I started playing soccer last year, but I'm part of a soccer family," Boafo said. "My sister, Lauren, plays at Western Michigan as a goalkeeper. I do what I do just to be like her; she's my role model. Because I play basketball, I felt during the quarantine that I should try something new.
“I thought maybe I should try to be like my sister and try the sport. Once I played last year on JV, I fell in love with the sport; it's just a joy to play. I just think that a goalkeeper's job is to just protect the box and do what they can for their team.
“I feel like when you get closer to the ball that you can read the girls' actions by their eyes and the position of their legs, just little things.
"I feel like we improved tremendously from last week, when we were starting to learn the ropes by having new players playing together\. But now, in this game, I can see major improvement throughout our team.
“Even though it's great to make a save, you just want the best for your team. And I can see that my team has really put in the work in this game, and we've done way better than what we were doing last week."
There were far less oohs and aahs in the opening half, but most of those were provided by Glenbard South, which plays its first seven matches, and nine of their first 10, at home. Several Glenbard South players had good chances during the initial 40 minutes but Boafo thwarted tries sent in by Paige Kennedy, Wise, Sebahar and Anderson.
Lake Park's best opportunity of the first half came shortly before the break when Olinski hit a liner that deflected off the crossbar. Glenbard East hoped to score in the late going when Lauren Price sent in a corner kick, but Ellenbecker headed it away to thwart that threat.
"One of our goals for this game was to just connect passes and really get into attacking more, with building out of the back, starting there," junior Madie Mintrup said. "And I really think we executed that, and we worked really well together as a group today.
“I'm really proud of the girls for that. On and off the field, we've definitely made a lot of connections in a short time, which is really helping us on the field. We have a lot of great connections and a lot of trust in each other and that has really helped us.
"There are going to be hard games, and there are going to be easy games. There are 80 minutes in a game, so there's going to be mistakes and great plays. You just want to celebrate the great plays and make up for the bad ones, and that's really key during the season.
“I just love how we've made connections, and we're always listening to each other. We've really built a good support system, on and off the field. And I just love that about this group of girls."
Starting lineups
Lake Park
G Vanessa Boafo
D Isabella Witt
D Peyton Sarubbi
D Brynn Ellenbecker
D Madie Mintrup
M Isabelle Skrabanek
M Francesca Cali
M Peyton Olinski
M Erin Vachlin
F Kira Holiday
F Teagan Locus
Glenbard South
G Sofia Alcala
D Mary Kate Pinkleman
D Madelyn Weber
D Abby Bergmann
M Paige Kennedy
M Olivia Weber
M Madeline Sebahar
M Emma Seaman
F Ellie Anderson
F Annika Wise
F Lauren Price
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Vanessa Boafo, so., GK, Lake Park
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring