Young Glenbard East getting job done
Rams top LWC 3-0 to advance to Windy City quartefinals
By Matt Le Cren
LOMBARD – If there was a year where Glenbard East’s recent run of success was going to come to a screeching halt, 2019 figured to be it.
The Rams figured to face stiff headwinds after graduating 10 seniors, many of whom played key roles into building the program into one of the area’s best.
So much for conventional wisdom, or for any headwind, proverbial or literal, being a drag on the Rams.
Elaine Wesling scored on a 22-yard rocket into a 45-mile-per-hour wind in the first half, fellow junior Summer Garcia converted on a 35-yard free kick and sophomore Maddie Weltin celebrated her 16th birthday by scoring in the rain as the host Rams knocked off visiting Lincoln-Way Central 3-0 on Thursday in the round of 16 in the Windy City Ram Classic.
Glenbard East (2-0-0), which will play Andrew in Saturday’s quarterfinals, gave the few souls who braved the atrocious weather a glimpse of what may be to come.
“The success is contagious,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said. “I think if you had asked me before the season, after graduating 10, to beat a very solid LWC team the second game of the season starting four freshmen and playing six freshmen, that would be awesome.
“It’s a testament to how ready these freshmen have been. They came in with a chip on their shoulder, that they want to prove that they deserve to be on this team and they have so far.”
Four freshmen -- defenders Ruby Campuzano and Sarah Liljestrand and midfielders Natalie Borcean and Maia Zatarski -- started against Lincoln-Way Central, which like the Rams had begun the season with a 7-0 win on Tuesday. Two others, midfielder Sarah Conroy and goalkeeper Zoe Romano, also saw action.
They were impressive in helping the Rams post their second shutout of the season and also giving a boost to players like Wesling and Garcia, who are playing expanded roles.
“It’s really fun because we have a bunch of new girls on the team and they are so good,” Wesling said. “We like to let them go (be) as good as they can be. Today they showed how good they really are and I like being there and helping them.”
The Rams will be led by seniors Lindsey Novak and Amy Chiero, established veterans who are ready to show everyone the ropes. Chiero is the midfield general, while Novak can score or pass with equal alacrity.
That was demonstrated on the first goal of the game, which came with 14:18 left in the first half. Novak’s pass to the middle of the field found Wesling in traffic just outside the top of the circle.
The Knights (1-1-0) looked to have Wesling contained as three defenders were in the area. But Wesling unleashed a cracker into the teeth of the wind that went just under the crossbar.
“I got probably the best through ball ever from Lindsey Novak and then I kind of just kicked it,” Wesling said. “As Lindsey would say, I just kicked it.”
Did she mind the wind?
“I was conscious of the wind,” Wesling said. “We love playing in bad weather. We can’t complain.”
Said Garcia: “It’s a mindset.”
The Rams played as if their mindset was to win no matter what. They got contributions all over the field, with the defense shutting out a potent team, the midfield battling the wind, rain and their opponents and Weltin, Novak and Wesling relentlessly attacking up front, as her goal demonstrated.
“Elaine got her head up and she can hit it from anywhere,” Overbey said. “She just ripped it into a 45-mile-per-hour wind. That was a great shot.
“She works her tail off up top. That play was just sheer hustle and putting herself in a position to make something happen. There were three defenders back there, but she cut it back and ripped it.”
Wesling’s goal, ironically, was Glenbard East’s only shot of the first half. The Rams also scored on their second attempt when Garcia unleashed a left-footed free kick from the right wing that went into the middle of the box and bounced over Lincoln-Way Central goalie Emma Sauriol’s head with 29:00 remaining.
“I was shocked,” Garcia said. “I did kind of try to shoot it.
“Amy Chiero told me to take it and she really believed in me. She’s a great captain.”
It was the second goal in as many games for Garcia, who is emerging as a force at both ends.
“Summer has been huge for us so far this year,” Overbey said. “She’s really come in strong and earned that spot. She’s very dangerous in the air and on those set pieces, which is a great tool to have.”
The Rams have so many tools defensively that Overbey has switched to a 5-3-2 formation to get as many of his talented backs on the field as possible. Campuzano and Liljestrand start on the outside and Garcia and sophomore Kendall Crackel have been noteworthy performers on the inside.
That group did not allow a shot in the second half, an impressive feat giving the attacking skills of the Knights’ Grace McGlaughlin and Nicolette George, who provided some drama in the first half.
“We really came together and kept communicating,” Garcia said. “I know Kendall Crackel was really helping me out, telling me to push forward or step on this player. We had really good chemistry.”
Junior goalkeeper Lisa Stranski finished with four saves in 55 minutes of work. All the stops came in the first half, including a diving effort to deny McGlaughlin on a 33-yard free kick with 4:30 to go.
The Knights did get one shot past Stranski 90 seconds earlier, but an alert Liljestrand did well to clear it off the line, which gave Stranski time to get up and save the rebound.
The Rams had the benefit of the wind in the second half and gradually took control.
Weltin capped the scoring with 2:47 left on a 22-yard shot inside the left post.
That gave the Rams 10 goals in their first two matches. While no one is predicting their offense will be as potent as in recent years, another strong season can’t be ruled out.
“I think we’re going to do really well,” Wesling said. “The team last year was so good. They left us with big shoes to fill and that makes me work harder.”
Starting lineups
Lincoln-Way Central
GK Emma Sauriol
D Shelby Slomski
D Ashley Ward
D Jenni Andjelic
D Megan Andjelic
M Katie Farr
M Keren Parham
M Maddie Jenig
F Grace McGlaughlin
F Nicolette George
F Megan Hutchinson
Glenbard East
GK Lisa Stanski
D Summer Garcia
D Kendall Crackel
D Sam Johnson
D Ruby Campuzano
D Sarah Liljestrand
M Maia Zatarski
M Amy Chiero
M Natalie Borcean
F Lindsey Novak
F Maddie Weltin
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Summer Garcia, jr., D, Glenbard East
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbard East – Elaine Weslin (Lindsey Novak) 14:18
Second half
Glenbard East – Summer Garcia 29:00
Glenbard East – Maddie Welting 2:47
Rams top LWC 3-0 to advance to Windy City quartefinals
By Matt Le Cren
LOMBARD – If there was a year where Glenbard East’s recent run of success was going to come to a screeching halt, 2019 figured to be it.
The Rams figured to face stiff headwinds after graduating 10 seniors, many of whom played key roles into building the program into one of the area’s best.
So much for conventional wisdom, or for any headwind, proverbial or literal, being a drag on the Rams.
Elaine Wesling scored on a 22-yard rocket into a 45-mile-per-hour wind in the first half, fellow junior Summer Garcia converted on a 35-yard free kick and sophomore Maddie Weltin celebrated her 16th birthday by scoring in the rain as the host Rams knocked off visiting Lincoln-Way Central 3-0 on Thursday in the round of 16 in the Windy City Ram Classic.
Glenbard East (2-0-0), which will play Andrew in Saturday’s quarterfinals, gave the few souls who braved the atrocious weather a glimpse of what may be to come.
“The success is contagious,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said. “I think if you had asked me before the season, after graduating 10, to beat a very solid LWC team the second game of the season starting four freshmen and playing six freshmen, that would be awesome.
“It’s a testament to how ready these freshmen have been. They came in with a chip on their shoulder, that they want to prove that they deserve to be on this team and they have so far.”
Four freshmen -- defenders Ruby Campuzano and Sarah Liljestrand and midfielders Natalie Borcean and Maia Zatarski -- started against Lincoln-Way Central, which like the Rams had begun the season with a 7-0 win on Tuesday. Two others, midfielder Sarah Conroy and goalkeeper Zoe Romano, also saw action.
They were impressive in helping the Rams post their second shutout of the season and also giving a boost to players like Wesling and Garcia, who are playing expanded roles.
“It’s really fun because we have a bunch of new girls on the team and they are so good,” Wesling said. “We like to let them go (be) as good as they can be. Today they showed how good they really are and I like being there and helping them.”
The Rams will be led by seniors Lindsey Novak and Amy Chiero, established veterans who are ready to show everyone the ropes. Chiero is the midfield general, while Novak can score or pass with equal alacrity.
That was demonstrated on the first goal of the game, which came with 14:18 left in the first half. Novak’s pass to the middle of the field found Wesling in traffic just outside the top of the circle.
The Knights (1-1-0) looked to have Wesling contained as three defenders were in the area. But Wesling unleashed a cracker into the teeth of the wind that went just under the crossbar.
“I got probably the best through ball ever from Lindsey Novak and then I kind of just kicked it,” Wesling said. “As Lindsey would say, I just kicked it.”
Did she mind the wind?
“I was conscious of the wind,” Wesling said. “We love playing in bad weather. We can’t complain.”
Said Garcia: “It’s a mindset.”
The Rams played as if their mindset was to win no matter what. They got contributions all over the field, with the defense shutting out a potent team, the midfield battling the wind, rain and their opponents and Weltin, Novak and Wesling relentlessly attacking up front, as her goal demonstrated.
“Elaine got her head up and she can hit it from anywhere,” Overbey said. “She just ripped it into a 45-mile-per-hour wind. That was a great shot.
“She works her tail off up top. That play was just sheer hustle and putting herself in a position to make something happen. There were three defenders back there, but she cut it back and ripped it.”
Wesling’s goal, ironically, was Glenbard East’s only shot of the first half. The Rams also scored on their second attempt when Garcia unleashed a left-footed free kick from the right wing that went into the middle of the box and bounced over Lincoln-Way Central goalie Emma Sauriol’s head with 29:00 remaining.
“I was shocked,” Garcia said. “I did kind of try to shoot it.
“Amy Chiero told me to take it and she really believed in me. She’s a great captain.”
It was the second goal in as many games for Garcia, who is emerging as a force at both ends.
“Summer has been huge for us so far this year,” Overbey said. “She’s really come in strong and earned that spot. She’s very dangerous in the air and on those set pieces, which is a great tool to have.”
The Rams have so many tools defensively that Overbey has switched to a 5-3-2 formation to get as many of his talented backs on the field as possible. Campuzano and Liljestrand start on the outside and Garcia and sophomore Kendall Crackel have been noteworthy performers on the inside.
That group did not allow a shot in the second half, an impressive feat giving the attacking skills of the Knights’ Grace McGlaughlin and Nicolette George, who provided some drama in the first half.
“We really came together and kept communicating,” Garcia said. “I know Kendall Crackel was really helping me out, telling me to push forward or step on this player. We had really good chemistry.”
Junior goalkeeper Lisa Stranski finished with four saves in 55 minutes of work. All the stops came in the first half, including a diving effort to deny McGlaughlin on a 33-yard free kick with 4:30 to go.
The Knights did get one shot past Stranski 90 seconds earlier, but an alert Liljestrand did well to clear it off the line, which gave Stranski time to get up and save the rebound.
The Rams had the benefit of the wind in the second half and gradually took control.
Weltin capped the scoring with 2:47 left on a 22-yard shot inside the left post.
That gave the Rams 10 goals in their first two matches. While no one is predicting their offense will be as potent as in recent years, another strong season can’t be ruled out.
“I think we’re going to do really well,” Wesling said. “The team last year was so good. They left us with big shoes to fill and that makes me work harder.”
Starting lineups
Lincoln-Way Central
GK Emma Sauriol
D Shelby Slomski
D Ashley Ward
D Jenni Andjelic
D Megan Andjelic
M Katie Farr
M Keren Parham
M Maddie Jenig
F Grace McGlaughlin
F Nicolette George
F Megan Hutchinson
Glenbard East
GK Lisa Stanski
D Summer Garcia
D Kendall Crackel
D Sam Johnson
D Ruby Campuzano
D Sarah Liljestrand
M Maia Zatarski
M Amy Chiero
M Natalie Borcean
F Lindsey Novak
F Maddie Weltin
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Summer Garcia, jr., D, Glenbard East
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbard East – Elaine Weslin (Lindsey Novak) 14:18
Second half
Glenbard East – Summer Garcia 29:00
Glenbard East – Maddie Welting 2:47