Carmel welcomes ray-of-sunshine
victory vs. Marian Central
Freshman phenom Hartman nets hat-trick in 7-0 win
By Mike Garofola
MUNDELEIN -- Liz Galla saw some pretty fair and accomplished attacking players when she was a freshman varsity soccer player at Carmel in 2018. That season the Corsairs soared to a Class 3A supersectional behind high-profile players like Zeneya Barnes and Skylar Thomas before falling to eventual state runnerup New Trier.
Galla is now a four-year veteran star defender. What she has seen this year in freshman Anna Hartman may be the best of her run.
The Corsairs battled a strong first half wind, and an even stronger-willed opponent at Baker Stadium, until Hartman bagged three-consecutive goals to help the home side net five second half goals en route to a 7-0 victory over East Suburban Catholic Conference foe Marian Central.
"Anna is a super-talented player. All year long she has shown she can score, take on players, and just never give up. I am not surprised at all that she scored three for us today," said Galla, the classy Corsairs tri-captain, after watching Hartman calm the Hurricanes (3-4-1, 0-4-0).
Hartman, Mia Salvi, Sofia Coury, and company proved too much to handle on a warm, windy day in Mundelein.
"It feels really good to have a teammate like Liz complement me on my play. It means a lot coming from one of our captains, and a player who has been on the varsity all four years in high school," said Hartman, who leads her club with 12 goals.
"Anna is clearly our future," began Corsairs manager, Stephanie Kile, who was an assistant under former long-time leader Ray Krawzak including that 2018 season in which the Corsairs went 16-5-1 overall. Galla and Salvi were key figures during that wonderful run.
"Anna is so quick on the ball. She can turn people around, turn on the corner, go to goal or set others up. She has gotten better with each game we play."
The Corsairs came into this ESCC contest with a much-needed win over Marian last week after a nasty three-game stretch in which Galla and her teammates were sent packing by three Chicagoland Soccer-ranked state powers: no. 2 Benet, no. 8 Warren and no. 13 Joliet Catholic during a seven-day period.
"All three of those teams were great teams: Benet and JCA are the best in our conference, and Warren is a really great 3A team," said Galla. “Against all three we hung our heads when we fell behind, so it was good for us to come back to beat Marian, and to come out today and score some goals to gain our confidence back.”
Marian Central came in with a short bench and after losses to league mainstays Benet, Saint Viator and Marist. However in the first half hour, manager Brittany Solomon’s club showed no signs of a let-down.
"One thing about this team is they play with plenty of passion, pride and energy," said Solomon, who is expecting her second child in a matter of days. “They play hard for 80 minutes despite the injuries we've dealt with and a small roster. As a head coach, it's something that I am really proud of.”
Salvi created an early chance for the Corsairs (6-5-3, 2-2-1) with some nifty combination play that ended with Hartman whipping a quality ball into the six-yard box but defender Maggie Gillaspie parry the troublesome ball out of the area.
Gillaspie, along with teammate Amelia Fitzgerald, provided a strong partnership as the Hurricanes central defense. Despite the goal total, both earned well-deserved praise afterward from their coach.
"Both of those girls play with their hearts on their sleeves. We are very fortunate to have them both in the back for us," said Solomon, who watched both block several close-range shots before they could reach keepers Elizabeth Young and Anna Lingle, who shared duties between the sticks on this day.
Salvi was unstoppable when she converted her spot kick in the 15th minute that was produced from a build-up between her, Hartman and Jillian Miller.
Carmel started to build momentum after the score.
Kate Jones started a counter up the left side that linked Zkylah Barnes with Hartman. After the aforementioned Gillaspie-Fitzgerald combo moved in for the tackle, the ball spilled free to Miller, who drove her effort just over the bar.
Marian Central played a high, tight line in the first half. The hosts were slowly able to pry it open.
A short, clearing effort by the visitors allowed Hartman to collect the ball, beat a pair of players and then finish with a cool, confident touch five minutes before the break.
"We were hoping to go into the half down just one goal, but that late goal took a little out of us, ," said Solomon. “Knowing they would have the wind meant we had to be ready to defend the best we could in the second half.”
Of course, defending both Hartman and Mia Salvi is tough in and of itself. With the two-attacking aficionados running the show, Carmel’s offense began to run on pure octane just minutes into the second period.
The home side created three corners in a matter of three minutes after the break to ratchet up the pressure on their guest. Miller gave a ball to Hartman who found Coury. The freshman did the rest, bursting past a pair of defenders before beating Lingle with yet another sublime finish.
The three-goal advantage soon moved to four when Hartman completed her hat-trick from 14 yards in the 53rd minute.
It nearly became 5-0 moments later, but an alert clearing effort from Jenna Knapp took a Mia Salvi corner off the line.
Abby Gibbons did strike the fifth goal of the afternoon for the Corsairs with a wicked 30-yard blast that stung the gloves of Lingle, who could not stop the well-paced effort from the senior.
Kile took many of her starting 11 off for the day at the hour. They boisterously celebrated Franny Wiacek’s goal in the 70th minute.
"It was nice to score a few goals and be able to get players some minutes, and it was especially nice to someone like Franny, who works so hard in training to get in there and score a goal for herself," Kile said with a smile.
Salvi scored a bookend goal with a long-range bomb for her 9th of the season in the 72nd minute.
"This was a good win for us," said Galla, who will attend the University of Illinois, while her twin sister Sarah, a forward on the team, goes off to Iowa. “We've now put those three losses behind us, and hopefully use today's result to finish strong heading into regionals.
"Liz has done a great job for this team, and program all throughout her four years, we've come to rely on her, not only for her play along the back, but her leadership as well," beamed Kile.
"Her and Abby (Gibbons) have given us quality play along the back all year long. Mia (Salvi) in the middle, and Anna up-top have all been terrific. Now we just have to stay healthy and get better each time out until the playoffs."
Carmel earned the no. 6 seed in the Wauconda Sectional, behind Saint Viator (6-3-2), Prairie Ridge (7-2-0), Deerfield (10-6-2), Crystal Lake Central (9-3-0) and Wauconda (6-5-2).
Starting lineups
Marian Central Catholic (4-4-2)
G- Elizabeth Young
D- Ingrid Reyes
D- Maggie Gillaspie
D- Amelia Fitzgerald
D- Jenna Knapp
M- Sofia Cazares
M- Sidney Gerstenkorn
M- Gabriella Farraj
M- Angelica Bentancur
F- Kelsi McThenia
F- Mattea Schmidt
Carmel (4-4-2)
G- Lisete Astudillo
D- Grace Harvey
D- Liz Galla
D- Abby Gibbons
D- Zkylah Barnes
M- Lyndsey Basara
M- Mia Salvi
M- Jillian Miller
M- Maddie Preda
F- Anna Hartman
F- Sofia Coury
Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Match; Anna Hartman, Fr., F, Carmel
Referee: Mike Gardner
Scoring summary
First half
Carmel: Salvi (PK) 15'
Carmel: Hartman (U/A) 35'
Second half
Carmel: Hartman (Coury) 49'
Carmel: Hartman (Konen) 53'
Carmel: Gibbons (U/A) 57'
Carmel: Coury (U/A) 70'
Carmel: Salvi (U/A) 72'
victory vs. Marian Central
Freshman phenom Hartman nets hat-trick in 7-0 win
By Mike Garofola
MUNDELEIN -- Liz Galla saw some pretty fair and accomplished attacking players when she was a freshman varsity soccer player at Carmel in 2018. That season the Corsairs soared to a Class 3A supersectional behind high-profile players like Zeneya Barnes and Skylar Thomas before falling to eventual state runnerup New Trier.
Galla is now a four-year veteran star defender. What she has seen this year in freshman Anna Hartman may be the best of her run.
The Corsairs battled a strong first half wind, and an even stronger-willed opponent at Baker Stadium, until Hartman bagged three-consecutive goals to help the home side net five second half goals en route to a 7-0 victory over East Suburban Catholic Conference foe Marian Central.
"Anna is a super-talented player. All year long she has shown she can score, take on players, and just never give up. I am not surprised at all that she scored three for us today," said Galla, the classy Corsairs tri-captain, after watching Hartman calm the Hurricanes (3-4-1, 0-4-0).
Hartman, Mia Salvi, Sofia Coury, and company proved too much to handle on a warm, windy day in Mundelein.
"It feels really good to have a teammate like Liz complement me on my play. It means a lot coming from one of our captains, and a player who has been on the varsity all four years in high school," said Hartman, who leads her club with 12 goals.
"Anna is clearly our future," began Corsairs manager, Stephanie Kile, who was an assistant under former long-time leader Ray Krawzak including that 2018 season in which the Corsairs went 16-5-1 overall. Galla and Salvi were key figures during that wonderful run.
"Anna is so quick on the ball. She can turn people around, turn on the corner, go to goal or set others up. She has gotten better with each game we play."
The Corsairs came into this ESCC contest with a much-needed win over Marian last week after a nasty three-game stretch in which Galla and her teammates were sent packing by three Chicagoland Soccer-ranked state powers: no. 2 Benet, no. 8 Warren and no. 13 Joliet Catholic during a seven-day period.
"All three of those teams were great teams: Benet and JCA are the best in our conference, and Warren is a really great 3A team," said Galla. “Against all three we hung our heads when we fell behind, so it was good for us to come back to beat Marian, and to come out today and score some goals to gain our confidence back.”
Marian Central came in with a short bench and after losses to league mainstays Benet, Saint Viator and Marist. However in the first half hour, manager Brittany Solomon’s club showed no signs of a let-down.
"One thing about this team is they play with plenty of passion, pride and energy," said Solomon, who is expecting her second child in a matter of days. “They play hard for 80 minutes despite the injuries we've dealt with and a small roster. As a head coach, it's something that I am really proud of.”
Salvi created an early chance for the Corsairs (6-5-3, 2-2-1) with some nifty combination play that ended with Hartman whipping a quality ball into the six-yard box but defender Maggie Gillaspie parry the troublesome ball out of the area.
Gillaspie, along with teammate Amelia Fitzgerald, provided a strong partnership as the Hurricanes central defense. Despite the goal total, both earned well-deserved praise afterward from their coach.
"Both of those girls play with their hearts on their sleeves. We are very fortunate to have them both in the back for us," said Solomon, who watched both block several close-range shots before they could reach keepers Elizabeth Young and Anna Lingle, who shared duties between the sticks on this day.
Salvi was unstoppable when she converted her spot kick in the 15th minute that was produced from a build-up between her, Hartman and Jillian Miller.
Carmel started to build momentum after the score.
Kate Jones started a counter up the left side that linked Zkylah Barnes with Hartman. After the aforementioned Gillaspie-Fitzgerald combo moved in for the tackle, the ball spilled free to Miller, who drove her effort just over the bar.
Marian Central played a high, tight line in the first half. The hosts were slowly able to pry it open.
A short, clearing effort by the visitors allowed Hartman to collect the ball, beat a pair of players and then finish with a cool, confident touch five minutes before the break.
"We were hoping to go into the half down just one goal, but that late goal took a little out of us, ," said Solomon. “Knowing they would have the wind meant we had to be ready to defend the best we could in the second half.”
Of course, defending both Hartman and Mia Salvi is tough in and of itself. With the two-attacking aficionados running the show, Carmel’s offense began to run on pure octane just minutes into the second period.
The home side created three corners in a matter of three minutes after the break to ratchet up the pressure on their guest. Miller gave a ball to Hartman who found Coury. The freshman did the rest, bursting past a pair of defenders before beating Lingle with yet another sublime finish.
The three-goal advantage soon moved to four when Hartman completed her hat-trick from 14 yards in the 53rd minute.
It nearly became 5-0 moments later, but an alert clearing effort from Jenna Knapp took a Mia Salvi corner off the line.
Abby Gibbons did strike the fifth goal of the afternoon for the Corsairs with a wicked 30-yard blast that stung the gloves of Lingle, who could not stop the well-paced effort from the senior.
Kile took many of her starting 11 off for the day at the hour. They boisterously celebrated Franny Wiacek’s goal in the 70th minute.
"It was nice to score a few goals and be able to get players some minutes, and it was especially nice to someone like Franny, who works so hard in training to get in there and score a goal for herself," Kile said with a smile.
Salvi scored a bookend goal with a long-range bomb for her 9th of the season in the 72nd minute.
"This was a good win for us," said Galla, who will attend the University of Illinois, while her twin sister Sarah, a forward on the team, goes off to Iowa. “We've now put those three losses behind us, and hopefully use today's result to finish strong heading into regionals.
"Liz has done a great job for this team, and program all throughout her four years, we've come to rely on her, not only for her play along the back, but her leadership as well," beamed Kile.
"Her and Abby (Gibbons) have given us quality play along the back all year long. Mia (Salvi) in the middle, and Anna up-top have all been terrific. Now we just have to stay healthy and get better each time out until the playoffs."
Carmel earned the no. 6 seed in the Wauconda Sectional, behind Saint Viator (6-3-2), Prairie Ridge (7-2-0), Deerfield (10-6-2), Crystal Lake Central (9-3-0) and Wauconda (6-5-2).
Starting lineups
Marian Central Catholic (4-4-2)
G- Elizabeth Young
D- Ingrid Reyes
D- Maggie Gillaspie
D- Amelia Fitzgerald
D- Jenna Knapp
M- Sofia Cazares
M- Sidney Gerstenkorn
M- Gabriella Farraj
M- Angelica Bentancur
F- Kelsi McThenia
F- Mattea Schmidt
Carmel (4-4-2)
G- Lisete Astudillo
D- Grace Harvey
D- Liz Galla
D- Abby Gibbons
D- Zkylah Barnes
M- Lyndsey Basara
M- Mia Salvi
M- Jillian Miller
M- Maddie Preda
F- Anna Hartman
F- Sofia Coury
Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Match; Anna Hartman, Fr., F, Carmel
Referee: Mike Gardner
Scoring summary
First half
Carmel: Salvi (PK) 15'
Carmel: Hartman (U/A) 35'
Second half
Carmel: Hartman (Coury) 49'
Carmel: Hartman (Konen) 53'
Carmel: Gibbons (U/A) 57'
Carmel: Coury (U/A) 70'
Carmel: Salvi (U/A) 72'