Re-start wonder Grundhofer directs
Lincoln-Way Central past Evanston
Set piece kicks powers Knights' 2-1 3rd place win over Evanston
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- Grace Grundhofer is the kind of trailblazing talent who mixes different art forms and disciplines into her own unique style of of play.
The defender from Lincoln-Way Central jams different modes and ways of being into her all-around game as an elite defender and gifted shot-creator.
She merges art, ballet and movement into a stunning package.
A former gymnast, she is the master of the flip-throw. The torque of her body generates exceptional velocity and distance from the sidelines.
It is almost as good as a corner or free kick.
“When I was younger, my older sister’s team had a girl who did that, and I said I wanted to do it,” she said.
“It is just exhilarating to know I can get the ball in there.”
Imitation is not just flattery -- it makes for some exceptional set pieces.
Grundhofer showed off her talents to spectacular effect with two beautiful set-ups goals in the Knights’ 2-1 victory over Evanston in the Class 3A third place game Saturday at North Central College.
Lincoln-Way Central (25-2-0) moved past the disappointment of its semifinal loss to now champion Metea Valley with a strong and disciplined effort.
The Knights captured their first state trophy since the 2007 team finished fourth in Class AA.
Evanston (21-4-1) watched a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise magnificent season as the Wildkits struggled to regain their previous playoff-run magic.
A team already reeling the loss of captain Sarah Sollinger, also played without standout keeper Ariel Kite and midfielder Adriana Merriam.
Evanston never got untracked in its two Final Four games.
“Obviously this was not the way we wanted to end, but this doesn’t take away from what we did throughout the season,” senior defender Carly Menocal said.
“Yesterday was a bummer, because we wanted to be in the finals. It is also a great opportunity being either third of fourth in the state, as opposed to not being in these games at all.”
Lincoln-Way Central has a two-way force in Grundhofer, who also uses her physical style and aggressive play as a space-collapsing, tactical defender.
The Knights entered the state finals with a staggering 21 shutouts. Keeper Alexa Hadley conceded just five goals until the 2-0 loss Friday against Metea Valley.
“We had a lot of motivation coming off of yesterday, because we really wanted to win,” midfielder Emma Vogler said.
Grace Grundhofer and Vogler collaborated in the 12th minute for the early advantage.
Lincoln-Way Central gathered momentum through applied pressure, resulting in a corner kick from the right edge.
The first corner effort by Grundhofer was off the mark and short.
“It wasn’t very good -- I didn’t even get it past the first post. I had to take a deep breath, at least to clear the first post and get it to the back post,” she said.
Her second ball was a beauty, arcing bwtween the posts and hitting the turf before Vogler's beutifully timed sudden burst.
The deflection off her head underscored a natural and intuitive quality.
She scored a nearly identical goal in the Knights' 2-1 supersectional victory over Glenbard West.
“I feel like that is a real specialty of mine just getting around the goal like that when it’s crowded and everything ... being able to see where the ball is,” Vogler said.
She scored her seventh goal.
Grundhofer created her team-best 23rd assist.
Evanston forward Jocelyn Leigh nearly created an immediate equalizer, breaking through on the right wing and finishing a shot off movement that just pushed wide of the far post.
Midfielder Nahla Dominguez also showed some sharp play with her free kicks.
Forward Brealyn Viamille got loose several times from her customary spot on the left wing. She weaved through the Knights’ back, angling for separation and a good look.
“We just wanted to come here and finish our season strong,” Menocal said.
Throughout the first half, Evanston pieced together moments without fully stringing or combining actions together in a way that created distinct opportunities.
More often than not, the ball rested or was played into the Wildkits’ end.
What that meant was Grundhofer was always around, present and available, and ready to strut her stuff.
Working off the 1-0 halftime lead, Lincoln-Way Central appeared the more relaxed and capable team.
The Knights’ players met pre-game Saturday morning, with the idea of letting off steam and phasing out the disappointment of the semifinal loss.
A couple of the players came up with the idea of making customized cowboy hats, decorated by the players and autographed by each one.
“Emotionally last night was tough, but we just decided we’re not going to have any regrets after this game, and we’re just going to put it all out there,” midfielder Madisyn Kenworthy said.
Grundhofer again struck with her magic.
Working off her flip-throw from the left edge, she generated tremendous depth with a beautiful ball into the box.
Reagan Schultz had the first touch. As an Evanston defender looked to clear the ball, Kenworthy got there a split second earlier.
Her blast from about 12 yards curled inside the near post in the 58th minute.
“All you can do on the flip-throws is try to be in the right place,” Kenworthy said. “I think all of us going into this game, we wanted to play aggressively.
“Win or lose, it was the last game of the season. Why not have fun with it, put everything out there and see what happens?”
For her accomplishments and all-around play, Grundhofer earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
“I just thought I had to get the quality in there and make sure to get it where one of our players could get it,” she said.
The two-goal deficit amplified the pressure against Evanston.
“Sometimes stuff happens in soccer,” Menocal said. “She obviously had an amazing flip-throw.
“It was unfortunate both of their goals were off set pieces, but that is part of the game.”
Leigh and Viamille, in concert with the third forward, Nadia VandenBerg, pushed numbers forward as Evanston looked to finally get untracked after more than 120 minutes of scoreless play dating to the semifinal Friday night.
Evanston had only been shut out twice during the regular season in losses against Naperville North and St. Teresa, of Kansas City, Mo.
Forward Sofia Dailey entered the lineup and injected a burst of speed as a corollary to Leigh at the top of the formation.
Lincoln-Way Central did a great job of bottling up the action. By the time Evanston found some space, it proved too little and too late.
In the 78th minute, Leigh got deep and controlled a through-ball from Viamille.
Hadley jumped off her line and went low to contact the ball. As he was prone on the ground, Leigh went around her and put the ball into the open net from about six yards in the 78th minute.
“This was really tough, but we always really try to play the full 80 minutes, and always keep pushing no matter much time is left and just keep feeding off each other’s energy,” Leigh said.
In her breakout season, Leigh finished with 27 goals and eight assists.
She was a principal cause the Wildkits completed an undefeated run through the hellacious Central Suburban League South Division.
“I really would like two more tries at this,” Leigh said.
“I’m really proud of how far we came. Even though we may not have gotten the result that we wanted, we worked so hard to get here. It still feels really good to say that we got this far.”
Starting lineups
Evanston
GK: Shea Lucas
D: Shea Ackman
D: Lucinda Lindland
D: Carly Menocal
D: Ellie Oif
D: Sydney Ross
MF: Nahla Dominguez
MF: Tate Lucas
F: Nadia VandenBerg
F: Brealyn Viamille
F: Jocelyn Leigh
Lincoln-Way Central
GK: Alexa Hadley
D: Jenni Andjelic
D: Grace Grundhofer
D: Abby Sudkamp
D: Chloe Grundhofer
MF: Madi Watt
MF: Sarah Borsellino
MF: Madisyn Kenworthy
MF: Emma Vogler
F: Christine Erdman
F: Reagan Schultz
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Grace Grundhofer, sr., D, Lincoln-Way Central
Scoring summary
First half
LWC: Emma Vogler (Grace Grundhofer), 12th minute
Second half
LWC: Madisyn Kenworthy (Reagan Schultz), 58th minute
E: Jocelyn Leigh (Brealyn Viamille), 78th minute
Lincoln-Way Central past Evanston
Set piece kicks powers Knights' 2-1 3rd place win over Evanston
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- Grace Grundhofer is the kind of trailblazing talent who mixes different art forms and disciplines into her own unique style of of play.
The defender from Lincoln-Way Central jams different modes and ways of being into her all-around game as an elite defender and gifted shot-creator.
She merges art, ballet and movement into a stunning package.
A former gymnast, she is the master of the flip-throw. The torque of her body generates exceptional velocity and distance from the sidelines.
It is almost as good as a corner or free kick.
“When I was younger, my older sister’s team had a girl who did that, and I said I wanted to do it,” she said.
“It is just exhilarating to know I can get the ball in there.”
Imitation is not just flattery -- it makes for some exceptional set pieces.
Grundhofer showed off her talents to spectacular effect with two beautiful set-ups goals in the Knights’ 2-1 victory over Evanston in the Class 3A third place game Saturday at North Central College.
Lincoln-Way Central (25-2-0) moved past the disappointment of its semifinal loss to now champion Metea Valley with a strong and disciplined effort.
The Knights captured their first state trophy since the 2007 team finished fourth in Class AA.
Evanston (21-4-1) watched a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise magnificent season as the Wildkits struggled to regain their previous playoff-run magic.
A team already reeling the loss of captain Sarah Sollinger, also played without standout keeper Ariel Kite and midfielder Adriana Merriam.
Evanston never got untracked in its two Final Four games.
“Obviously this was not the way we wanted to end, but this doesn’t take away from what we did throughout the season,” senior defender Carly Menocal said.
“Yesterday was a bummer, because we wanted to be in the finals. It is also a great opportunity being either third of fourth in the state, as opposed to not being in these games at all.”
Lincoln-Way Central has a two-way force in Grundhofer, who also uses her physical style and aggressive play as a space-collapsing, tactical defender.
The Knights entered the state finals with a staggering 21 shutouts. Keeper Alexa Hadley conceded just five goals until the 2-0 loss Friday against Metea Valley.
“We had a lot of motivation coming off of yesterday, because we really wanted to win,” midfielder Emma Vogler said.
Grace Grundhofer and Vogler collaborated in the 12th minute for the early advantage.
Lincoln-Way Central gathered momentum through applied pressure, resulting in a corner kick from the right edge.
The first corner effort by Grundhofer was off the mark and short.
“It wasn’t very good -- I didn’t even get it past the first post. I had to take a deep breath, at least to clear the first post and get it to the back post,” she said.
Her second ball was a beauty, arcing bwtween the posts and hitting the turf before Vogler's beutifully timed sudden burst.
The deflection off her head underscored a natural and intuitive quality.
She scored a nearly identical goal in the Knights' 2-1 supersectional victory over Glenbard West.
“I feel like that is a real specialty of mine just getting around the goal like that when it’s crowded and everything ... being able to see where the ball is,” Vogler said.
She scored her seventh goal.
Grundhofer created her team-best 23rd assist.
Evanston forward Jocelyn Leigh nearly created an immediate equalizer, breaking through on the right wing and finishing a shot off movement that just pushed wide of the far post.
Midfielder Nahla Dominguez also showed some sharp play with her free kicks.
Forward Brealyn Viamille got loose several times from her customary spot on the left wing. She weaved through the Knights’ back, angling for separation and a good look.
“We just wanted to come here and finish our season strong,” Menocal said.
Throughout the first half, Evanston pieced together moments without fully stringing or combining actions together in a way that created distinct opportunities.
More often than not, the ball rested or was played into the Wildkits’ end.
What that meant was Grundhofer was always around, present and available, and ready to strut her stuff.
Working off the 1-0 halftime lead, Lincoln-Way Central appeared the more relaxed and capable team.
The Knights’ players met pre-game Saturday morning, with the idea of letting off steam and phasing out the disappointment of the semifinal loss.
A couple of the players came up with the idea of making customized cowboy hats, decorated by the players and autographed by each one.
“Emotionally last night was tough, but we just decided we’re not going to have any regrets after this game, and we’re just going to put it all out there,” midfielder Madisyn Kenworthy said.
Grundhofer again struck with her magic.
Working off her flip-throw from the left edge, she generated tremendous depth with a beautiful ball into the box.
Reagan Schultz had the first touch. As an Evanston defender looked to clear the ball, Kenworthy got there a split second earlier.
Her blast from about 12 yards curled inside the near post in the 58th minute.
“All you can do on the flip-throws is try to be in the right place,” Kenworthy said. “I think all of us going into this game, we wanted to play aggressively.
“Win or lose, it was the last game of the season. Why not have fun with it, put everything out there and see what happens?”
For her accomplishments and all-around play, Grundhofer earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
“I just thought I had to get the quality in there and make sure to get it where one of our players could get it,” she said.
The two-goal deficit amplified the pressure against Evanston.
“Sometimes stuff happens in soccer,” Menocal said. “She obviously had an amazing flip-throw.
“It was unfortunate both of their goals were off set pieces, but that is part of the game.”
Leigh and Viamille, in concert with the third forward, Nadia VandenBerg, pushed numbers forward as Evanston looked to finally get untracked after more than 120 minutes of scoreless play dating to the semifinal Friday night.
Evanston had only been shut out twice during the regular season in losses against Naperville North and St. Teresa, of Kansas City, Mo.
Forward Sofia Dailey entered the lineup and injected a burst of speed as a corollary to Leigh at the top of the formation.
Lincoln-Way Central did a great job of bottling up the action. By the time Evanston found some space, it proved too little and too late.
In the 78th minute, Leigh got deep and controlled a through-ball from Viamille.
Hadley jumped off her line and went low to contact the ball. As he was prone on the ground, Leigh went around her and put the ball into the open net from about six yards in the 78th minute.
“This was really tough, but we always really try to play the full 80 minutes, and always keep pushing no matter much time is left and just keep feeding off each other’s energy,” Leigh said.
In her breakout season, Leigh finished with 27 goals and eight assists.
She was a principal cause the Wildkits completed an undefeated run through the hellacious Central Suburban League South Division.
“I really would like two more tries at this,” Leigh said.
“I’m really proud of how far we came. Even though we may not have gotten the result that we wanted, we worked so hard to get here. It still feels really good to say that we got this far.”
Starting lineups
Evanston
GK: Shea Lucas
D: Shea Ackman
D: Lucinda Lindland
D: Carly Menocal
D: Ellie Oif
D: Sydney Ross
MF: Nahla Dominguez
MF: Tate Lucas
F: Nadia VandenBerg
F: Brealyn Viamille
F: Jocelyn Leigh
Lincoln-Way Central
GK: Alexa Hadley
D: Jenni Andjelic
D: Grace Grundhofer
D: Abby Sudkamp
D: Chloe Grundhofer
MF: Madi Watt
MF: Sarah Borsellino
MF: Madisyn Kenworthy
MF: Emma Vogler
F: Christine Erdman
F: Reagan Schultz
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Grace Grundhofer, sr., D, Lincoln-Way Central
Scoring summary
First half
LWC: Emma Vogler (Grace Grundhofer), 12th minute
Second half
LWC: Madisyn Kenworthy (Reagan Schultz), 58th minute
E: Jocelyn Leigh (Brealyn Viamille), 78th minute