Marist falls in ESCC finale
RedHawks stumble in 4-0 loss to Saint Viator
By Gary Larsen
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS -- To make a run or not make a run, that is always the question in soccer. Saint Viator made every run that mattered against Marist.
The visiting RedHawks lost 4-0 to the Lions in the East Suburban Catholic Conference game, and it was Saint Viator’s movement and the RedHawks’ lack thereof that marked the game.
Marist won 5-1 in its previous game against Homewood-Flossmoor by making those runs.
“We were moving off the ball a lot in that game, and that was the key difference -- getting open and running off the ball,” Marist senior defender Michelle Lenz said. “That’s what killed us today.”
A hat-trick from Saint Viator’s Brinley McVeigh punctuated the Lions’ scoring punch; teammate Payton McDonnell also tallied in the win.
Saint Viator wasted no time on the turf at Robert Morris College field in Arlington Heights. McVeigh scored in the game’s second minute from 16 yards. An early goal is settling for a team, and the Lions attacked freely and aggressively from that point forward.
“It sets the momentum, gets us going, and gets us focused,” McVeigh said. “It also takes away the nerves.”
Marist (9-10-2, 3-4-0) was back on its heels and stayed there for most of the first half.
“The urgency wasn’t there from the opening whistle, and it cost us. And once you get down like that right away it can kill your spirits,” Lenz said. “They were aggressive, especially on offense. They were very offensive and had a lot of players up-top making great runs down the line. It was very hard to keep up with.”
Saint Viator improved to 9-5-2 with the win and remained in the ESCC title hunt with a 3-0-1 mark. Benet leads the conference at 5-0-1 and Carmel sits second ahead of the Lions at 5-0-0.
Coach Mike Taylor has his girls working hard. If they can finish with a little more regularity, a deep postseason run could be in their future.
“We worked the ball well and scored early, which we asked for,” Taylor said. “We’ve had the chances, but we’ve just struggled scoring. So our emphasis last week was when you have the opportunities, be smart and take them. We did that for the most part today.”
McDonnell’s goal came at 13 minutes when she took a few touches from outside the 18. McDonnell’s shot from 16 yards went in off the outstretched hands of Marist keeper Lauren Stapleton, who dove to her right at the post.
Saint Viator pressured well to halftime. Stapleton rushed off her line to smother a serve at 37 minutes, and Marist survived a crowded goalmouth with players fighting for a ball on the carpet as the first half expired.
Marist assistant coach Victor Trevino, running the club in the absence of head coach Chris Roe, was clear about what he hoped his girls experienced, particularly in the first half.
“The lesson learned today is that all 11 have to move down the field as one,” Trevino said. “We had moments where we were switching the field, but we didn’t hold onto the ball enough. We’d have two or three passes, and that was it. They also capitalized on our mistakes and obviously against good teams, you can’t make those mistakes.”
Marist had a good chance to cut the lead in half on the opening kick-off of the second half. Senior Allesa Corcoran dribbled up and sent a good chance just high of frame, and the Lions wasted little time responding to the near-goal.
At 43 minutes, McVeigh danced around a few defenders before going in alone on net and scoring from point-blank range to make it 3-0. She scored again late in the game, giving her nine goals this season.
Her hat-trick also earned McVeigh the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
“Brinley’s very good, but she’s a defensive midfielder. We don't really have a pure striker,” Taylor said. “But the opportunities are there.”
“On defense we’re organized because we have Sam (DeJuilo) and Anna (Johnston) there,” Taylor said of his central defender and keeper. “I need for us to have the same leadership up-front.
“We bend, but we don’t break. We played Quincy Notre Dame last week, the defending Class A champs, and we beat them 1-0. We played Peoria Notre Dame on PKs, but we shut them out. So it’s just getting that one goal we need, even though you’d like to get two, three, or four.”
McVeigh is athletic and skilled and has worked hard this year to help put goals on the board.
“I was a center back on club, and that’s obviously very different. But Taylor has been helping me, and it’s so fun,” McVeigh said. “We’ve had some tough games where we couldn’t get one in. So in a game like this, it’s nice to get four.”
Saint Viator is seeded third and will host a Class AA sectional. The Lions open regional play May 16 in the Amundsen Regional against 13th-seeded Senn.
Marist plays Shepard and Mother McAuley before opening regional play as the fourth seed of the Class AA Lemont Sectional. Marist will host a regional and play no. 13-seed Bremen on May 16.
The RedHawks know they’ll have to play the way they did in the their 5-1 win against Homewoood-Flossmoor, rather than the way they were outrun by Saint Viator Saturday.
Lenz, Cece Light, and Annie Callaghan shined in the win over Homewood-Flossmoor, and Trevino applauded the day’s work that sweeper Lenz put in on a warm day Saturday.
“The turf gets toasty and you can definitely feel the difference,” Lenz said. “I’m used to being able to run for eighty minutes no problem, but I definitely felt more dead in this game.
Lenz knows that a deep postseason run for the RedHawks hinges on a return to their level of play in that last win as they head into the final week of the regular season.
“We’re better from the beginning of the season, and our biggest problem has been consistency,” Lenz said. “When we’re on, we’re good, but the problem has been being on all the time. But we’re moving forward.”
Starting lineups
Marist
GK Lauren Stapleton
D Michelle Lenz
D Katherine Pappas
D Sofia Perez
D Alexis O’Brien
M Cecilia Light
M Lindsey Richter
M Annie Callaghan
M Ciara Bridges
F Allesa Corcoran
F Amanda Rizzo
Saint Viator
GK Anna Johnston
D Christina Petrillo
D Ameila Bottcher
D Samantha DeJulio
D Meagan Vincens
M Maeve Schumacher
M Payton McDonnell
M Brinley McVeigh
M Katherine Schade
F Caitlin Kenney
F Michaela Mueller
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Brinley McVeigh. sr., M, Saint Viator
Scoring summary
First half
Saint Viator — McVeigh (UA) 2nd minute
Saint Viator — McDonnell (UA) 13th minute
Second half
Saint Viator -- McVeigh (UA) 43rd minute
Saint Viator -- McVeigh (UA) 64th minute
RedHawks stumble in 4-0 loss to Saint Viator
By Gary Larsen
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS -- To make a run or not make a run, that is always the question in soccer. Saint Viator made every run that mattered against Marist.
The visiting RedHawks lost 4-0 to the Lions in the East Suburban Catholic Conference game, and it was Saint Viator’s movement and the RedHawks’ lack thereof that marked the game.
Marist won 5-1 in its previous game against Homewood-Flossmoor by making those runs.
“We were moving off the ball a lot in that game, and that was the key difference -- getting open and running off the ball,” Marist senior defender Michelle Lenz said. “That’s what killed us today.”
A hat-trick from Saint Viator’s Brinley McVeigh punctuated the Lions’ scoring punch; teammate Payton McDonnell also tallied in the win.
Saint Viator wasted no time on the turf at Robert Morris College field in Arlington Heights. McVeigh scored in the game’s second minute from 16 yards. An early goal is settling for a team, and the Lions attacked freely and aggressively from that point forward.
“It sets the momentum, gets us going, and gets us focused,” McVeigh said. “It also takes away the nerves.”
Marist (9-10-2, 3-4-0) was back on its heels and stayed there for most of the first half.
“The urgency wasn’t there from the opening whistle, and it cost us. And once you get down like that right away it can kill your spirits,” Lenz said. “They were aggressive, especially on offense. They were very offensive and had a lot of players up-top making great runs down the line. It was very hard to keep up with.”
Saint Viator improved to 9-5-2 with the win and remained in the ESCC title hunt with a 3-0-1 mark. Benet leads the conference at 5-0-1 and Carmel sits second ahead of the Lions at 5-0-0.
Coach Mike Taylor has his girls working hard. If they can finish with a little more regularity, a deep postseason run could be in their future.
“We worked the ball well and scored early, which we asked for,” Taylor said. “We’ve had the chances, but we’ve just struggled scoring. So our emphasis last week was when you have the opportunities, be smart and take them. We did that for the most part today.”
McDonnell’s goal came at 13 minutes when she took a few touches from outside the 18. McDonnell’s shot from 16 yards went in off the outstretched hands of Marist keeper Lauren Stapleton, who dove to her right at the post.
Saint Viator pressured well to halftime. Stapleton rushed off her line to smother a serve at 37 minutes, and Marist survived a crowded goalmouth with players fighting for a ball on the carpet as the first half expired.
Marist assistant coach Victor Trevino, running the club in the absence of head coach Chris Roe, was clear about what he hoped his girls experienced, particularly in the first half.
“The lesson learned today is that all 11 have to move down the field as one,” Trevino said. “We had moments where we were switching the field, but we didn’t hold onto the ball enough. We’d have two or three passes, and that was it. They also capitalized on our mistakes and obviously against good teams, you can’t make those mistakes.”
Marist had a good chance to cut the lead in half on the opening kick-off of the second half. Senior Allesa Corcoran dribbled up and sent a good chance just high of frame, and the Lions wasted little time responding to the near-goal.
At 43 minutes, McVeigh danced around a few defenders before going in alone on net and scoring from point-blank range to make it 3-0. She scored again late in the game, giving her nine goals this season.
Her hat-trick also earned McVeigh the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
“Brinley’s very good, but she’s a defensive midfielder. We don't really have a pure striker,” Taylor said. “But the opportunities are there.”
“On defense we’re organized because we have Sam (DeJuilo) and Anna (Johnston) there,” Taylor said of his central defender and keeper. “I need for us to have the same leadership up-front.
“We bend, but we don’t break. We played Quincy Notre Dame last week, the defending Class A champs, and we beat them 1-0. We played Peoria Notre Dame on PKs, but we shut them out. So it’s just getting that one goal we need, even though you’d like to get two, three, or four.”
McVeigh is athletic and skilled and has worked hard this year to help put goals on the board.
“I was a center back on club, and that’s obviously very different. But Taylor has been helping me, and it’s so fun,” McVeigh said. “We’ve had some tough games where we couldn’t get one in. So in a game like this, it’s nice to get four.”
Saint Viator is seeded third and will host a Class AA sectional. The Lions open regional play May 16 in the Amundsen Regional against 13th-seeded Senn.
Marist plays Shepard and Mother McAuley before opening regional play as the fourth seed of the Class AA Lemont Sectional. Marist will host a regional and play no. 13-seed Bremen on May 16.
The RedHawks know they’ll have to play the way they did in the their 5-1 win against Homewoood-Flossmoor, rather than the way they were outrun by Saint Viator Saturday.
Lenz, Cece Light, and Annie Callaghan shined in the win over Homewood-Flossmoor, and Trevino applauded the day’s work that sweeper Lenz put in on a warm day Saturday.
“The turf gets toasty and you can definitely feel the difference,” Lenz said. “I’m used to being able to run for eighty minutes no problem, but I definitely felt more dead in this game.
Lenz knows that a deep postseason run for the RedHawks hinges on a return to their level of play in that last win as they head into the final week of the regular season.
“We’re better from the beginning of the season, and our biggest problem has been consistency,” Lenz said. “When we’re on, we’re good, but the problem has been being on all the time. But we’re moving forward.”
Starting lineups
Marist
GK Lauren Stapleton
D Michelle Lenz
D Katherine Pappas
D Sofia Perez
D Alexis O’Brien
M Cecilia Light
M Lindsey Richter
M Annie Callaghan
M Ciara Bridges
F Allesa Corcoran
F Amanda Rizzo
Saint Viator
GK Anna Johnston
D Christina Petrillo
D Ameila Bottcher
D Samantha DeJulio
D Meagan Vincens
M Maeve Schumacher
M Payton McDonnell
M Brinley McVeigh
M Katherine Schade
F Caitlin Kenney
F Michaela Mueller
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Brinley McVeigh. sr., M, Saint Viator
Scoring summary
First half
Saint Viator — McVeigh (UA) 2nd minute
Saint Viator — McDonnell (UA) 13th minute
Second half
Saint Viator -- McVeigh (UA) 43rd minute
Saint Viator -- McVeigh (UA) 64th minute