Castellanos tops school mark, Lake Park
West Chicago star’s 26th goal of season delivers 1-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
WEST CHICAGO – One day, Barbie Castellanos will look back on her record-setting 2019 season with pride.
For now, the West Chicago senior midfielder is focused on just one thing -- winning.
Castellanos tallied her 26th goal of the season Monday night and that was all the host Wildcats needed to beat Lake Park 1-0 and move above the .500 mark heading into Wednesday’s regular season and Upstate Eight Conference finale with Glenbard South.
The goal by Castellanos was both breathtaking and record-breaking. It came on a long breakaway with 35:17 left in the second half and broke West Chicago’s single-season scoring record.
Megan Radloff, a 2011 graduate, held the old record of 25.
“Honestly, I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel,” Castellanos said. “It feels good, though.
“It’s kind of cool to break a record. But I think (the win) feels even better, because now we have more wins than we have losses.”
That’s significant because the Wildcats (9-8-4) can clinch a winning record by beating Glenbard South on Senior Night. But in the meantime, West Chicago coach Cesar Gomez is going to savor Castellanos’ record.
“I don’t know if our kids understand this,” Gomez said. “You have to be kind of grown up to understand how (special) that record is.
“And Barbie is someone who is listening to every word that you say and applies it. She is not looking (to set records), but she is looking to win.
“That’s how she is. ... She definitely wants to win every game, but she just (focuses on) winning the game that she’s playing right now. It’s such a fun way to see things.”
The Wildcats have fun watching Castellanos do her thing. They had to wait a while to see it pay off in this match because Lake Park (4-15-1) did a good job of mucking things up in the midfield.
Part of the reason for that was the fact that the Wildcats’ main facilitator, junior Giselle Navejas, is still working her way back from an ankle injury that caused her to miss eight games.
Navejas, who returned to the lineup Saturday, is not 100 percent and thus did not play the whole match. But she hooked up with Castellanos for the decisive play, sending a pass from her own end up the left side to Castellanos, who broke into the clear with a terrific burst of speed.
Two Lake Park defenders gave chase and were on Castellanos’ heels, but she stayed in front and slotted a perfect shot past charging goalkeeper Lilija Briedis and inside the right post.
The Wildcats lost six games without Navejas, so Castellanos is relieved to have her back.
“She just knows my runs,” Castellanos said. “We read each other pretty well, so she knew exactly where to pass it, and I ran onto it.
“I feel like that’s what we’re always looking for. I’m always waiting for a pass through from her.
“She was kind of going in and off the field, so when she came back in it was like, ‘Alright, it’s time, this is it.’ And I think I got the first touch, someone passed it to her and I saw her feet.”
And the goal was enough to see off the Lancers, who lost their seventh 1-0 decision.
“They had a connection in the middle between (Castellanos) and (Navejas),” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said. “We kind of knew that and wanted to defend it in some way but didn’t want to change up what we were doing.”
What the Lancers have been doing this spring is improving, though it hasn’t showed in their record. Gone are the routine blowout losses they have suffered in recent years, replaced by competitive matches that go down to the wire.
But Lake Park still lacks offense. The Lancers were shut out for the 16th time in 20 games, which includes a 1-0 shootout win over St. Laurence and a scoreless tie with Addison Trail.
“We’ve kept more games tight this year,” Crosby said. “Our goal differential is a lot better.
“It’s still tough to get so many 1-0 losses that you never put yourself in a chance to win or a draw. I think (tonight’s) game was incredibly sloppy in the first half for both teams.
“I don’t think either of us were happy with our performance. We couldn’t connect passes and when we did, we were slow moving and slow thinking.”
The Lancers were outshot 16-2, with both shots coming off the noggin of senior Cyndi Martinez, who nearly gave the visitors the lead in the opening minute.
Sophomore Ann Marie Ahrens sent a corner kick high and to the far post, where Martinez rose up and sent a powerful header just over the crossbar. Martinez also missed on a hard header on an identical play with 25:00 left in the second half.
“We came out with strong energy in the first couple of minutes,” said Martinez, whose three goals leads Lake Park in scoring. “We’re capable of (scoring).
“We’ve been getting a lot of through-balls. We’re working on our runs, trying new positions, so I’m proud of everyone.”
One thing both teams can hang their hat on is their defense. The Lancers were able to blunt many of West Chicago’s attempts to get Castellanos through the seams and when she did get loose, Briedis came up with some big saves, finishing the night with eight stops.
“Overall, our team defending is incredibly stronger,” Crosby said. “That’s something we can take pride in.
“It’s hard to put more than one or two past us. What we need to build is our attack, and that’s coming along year by year.”
West Chicago’s defense was solid as a rock against the Lancers, with Luciana Balzer, Joana Velazquez, Odalis Martinez and Mose Vargas buckling down in front of goalie Haley Rich, who didn’t have to make a save.
“We play really good defense in this game,” Castellanos said. “I think what helped was we actually communicated.
“I know some games we were like, ‘We communicated.’ But I think there has never been as much communication as there was today.”
Balzer, a sophomore, agreed.
“I think after a long losing streak, we finally realized that we needed to (exert) high pressure,” Balzer said. “So we’re telling each other ‘Step up, drop back, cover each other.’”
Taking care of business allows backliners like Balzer to admire Castellanos’ handiwork down the other end.
“(The record) is inspirational,” Balzer said. “I’ve played with her last year and now this year, and she’s done a really good job of helping our team out.
“She’s very aggressive. She’s good at anticipating passes, and she has really good acceleration.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Lilija Briedis
D Isabella Witt
D Sarah Novak
D Olivia Wroblewski
D Sophie Giron
M Francesca Ottolino
M Cyndi Martinez
M Ann Marie Ahrens
M Lilli Giron
M Emma Thorne
F Selena Catalano
West Chicago
GK Haley Rich
D Luciana Balzer
D Joana Velazquez
D Odalis Martinez
D Mose Vargas
M Barbie Castellanos
M Giselle Navejas
M Evelyn Hernandez
M Emily Ayala
F Ruby Lebo
F Jackie Hernandez
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Barbie Castellanos, sr., MF, West Chicago
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
WC: Barbie Castellanos (Giselle Navejas), 45th minute
West Chicago star’s 26th goal of season delivers 1-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
WEST CHICAGO – One day, Barbie Castellanos will look back on her record-setting 2019 season with pride.
For now, the West Chicago senior midfielder is focused on just one thing -- winning.
Castellanos tallied her 26th goal of the season Monday night and that was all the host Wildcats needed to beat Lake Park 1-0 and move above the .500 mark heading into Wednesday’s regular season and Upstate Eight Conference finale with Glenbard South.
The goal by Castellanos was both breathtaking and record-breaking. It came on a long breakaway with 35:17 left in the second half and broke West Chicago’s single-season scoring record.
Megan Radloff, a 2011 graduate, held the old record of 25.
“Honestly, I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel,” Castellanos said. “It feels good, though.
“It’s kind of cool to break a record. But I think (the win) feels even better, because now we have more wins than we have losses.”
That’s significant because the Wildcats (9-8-4) can clinch a winning record by beating Glenbard South on Senior Night. But in the meantime, West Chicago coach Cesar Gomez is going to savor Castellanos’ record.
“I don’t know if our kids understand this,” Gomez said. “You have to be kind of grown up to understand how (special) that record is.
“And Barbie is someone who is listening to every word that you say and applies it. She is not looking (to set records), but she is looking to win.
“That’s how she is. ... She definitely wants to win every game, but she just (focuses on) winning the game that she’s playing right now. It’s such a fun way to see things.”
The Wildcats have fun watching Castellanos do her thing. They had to wait a while to see it pay off in this match because Lake Park (4-15-1) did a good job of mucking things up in the midfield.
Part of the reason for that was the fact that the Wildcats’ main facilitator, junior Giselle Navejas, is still working her way back from an ankle injury that caused her to miss eight games.
Navejas, who returned to the lineup Saturday, is not 100 percent and thus did not play the whole match. But she hooked up with Castellanos for the decisive play, sending a pass from her own end up the left side to Castellanos, who broke into the clear with a terrific burst of speed.
Two Lake Park defenders gave chase and were on Castellanos’ heels, but she stayed in front and slotted a perfect shot past charging goalkeeper Lilija Briedis and inside the right post.
The Wildcats lost six games without Navejas, so Castellanos is relieved to have her back.
“She just knows my runs,” Castellanos said. “We read each other pretty well, so she knew exactly where to pass it, and I ran onto it.
“I feel like that’s what we’re always looking for. I’m always waiting for a pass through from her.
“She was kind of going in and off the field, so when she came back in it was like, ‘Alright, it’s time, this is it.’ And I think I got the first touch, someone passed it to her and I saw her feet.”
And the goal was enough to see off the Lancers, who lost their seventh 1-0 decision.
“They had a connection in the middle between (Castellanos) and (Navejas),” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said. “We kind of knew that and wanted to defend it in some way but didn’t want to change up what we were doing.”
What the Lancers have been doing this spring is improving, though it hasn’t showed in their record. Gone are the routine blowout losses they have suffered in recent years, replaced by competitive matches that go down to the wire.
But Lake Park still lacks offense. The Lancers were shut out for the 16th time in 20 games, which includes a 1-0 shootout win over St. Laurence and a scoreless tie with Addison Trail.
“We’ve kept more games tight this year,” Crosby said. “Our goal differential is a lot better.
“It’s still tough to get so many 1-0 losses that you never put yourself in a chance to win or a draw. I think (tonight’s) game was incredibly sloppy in the first half for both teams.
“I don’t think either of us were happy with our performance. We couldn’t connect passes and when we did, we were slow moving and slow thinking.”
The Lancers were outshot 16-2, with both shots coming off the noggin of senior Cyndi Martinez, who nearly gave the visitors the lead in the opening minute.
Sophomore Ann Marie Ahrens sent a corner kick high and to the far post, where Martinez rose up and sent a powerful header just over the crossbar. Martinez also missed on a hard header on an identical play with 25:00 left in the second half.
“We came out with strong energy in the first couple of minutes,” said Martinez, whose three goals leads Lake Park in scoring. “We’re capable of (scoring).
“We’ve been getting a lot of through-balls. We’re working on our runs, trying new positions, so I’m proud of everyone.”
One thing both teams can hang their hat on is their defense. The Lancers were able to blunt many of West Chicago’s attempts to get Castellanos through the seams and when she did get loose, Briedis came up with some big saves, finishing the night with eight stops.
“Overall, our team defending is incredibly stronger,” Crosby said. “That’s something we can take pride in.
“It’s hard to put more than one or two past us. What we need to build is our attack, and that’s coming along year by year.”
West Chicago’s defense was solid as a rock against the Lancers, with Luciana Balzer, Joana Velazquez, Odalis Martinez and Mose Vargas buckling down in front of goalie Haley Rich, who didn’t have to make a save.
“We play really good defense in this game,” Castellanos said. “I think what helped was we actually communicated.
“I know some games we were like, ‘We communicated.’ But I think there has never been as much communication as there was today.”
Balzer, a sophomore, agreed.
“I think after a long losing streak, we finally realized that we needed to (exert) high pressure,” Balzer said. “So we’re telling each other ‘Step up, drop back, cover each other.’”
Taking care of business allows backliners like Balzer to admire Castellanos’ handiwork down the other end.
“(The record) is inspirational,” Balzer said. “I’ve played with her last year and now this year, and she’s done a really good job of helping our team out.
“She’s very aggressive. She’s good at anticipating passes, and she has really good acceleration.”
Starting lineups
Lake Park
GK Lilija Briedis
D Isabella Witt
D Sarah Novak
D Olivia Wroblewski
D Sophie Giron
M Francesca Ottolino
M Cyndi Martinez
M Ann Marie Ahrens
M Lilli Giron
M Emma Thorne
F Selena Catalano
West Chicago
GK Haley Rich
D Luciana Balzer
D Joana Velazquez
D Odalis Martinez
D Mose Vargas
M Barbie Castellanos
M Giselle Navejas
M Evelyn Hernandez
M Emily Ayala
F Ruby Lebo
F Jackie Hernandez
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Barbie Castellanos, sr., MF, West Chicago
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
WC: Barbie Castellanos (Giselle Navejas), 45th minute