Marist sees Light, wins on Senior Day
RedHawks frosh delivers late going-away present in 2-1 win
By Steve Millar
CHICAGO – Becoming an impact player on the varsity team as a freshman isn’t easy, but Marist midfielder Cece Light has done just that.
Light says she owes a lot to the RedHawks’ seniors for making the transition to high school soccer easier.
“I really look up to our seniors, on and off the field,” Light said. “They’ve taken me under their wings and helped me so much not just with soccer, but in life.”
With Marist celebrating Senior Day on Saturday, Light made sure it was a joyous occasion.
Light’s goal with 4:48 left lifted the host RedHawks to a 2-1 East Suburban Catholic Conference win over Marian Central.
“Getting this win for our seniors was awesome,” Light said. “I was really hungry to get a goal for them.”
Light, Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match, provided the answer less than three minutes after Marist (8-9-2, 3-3-0) allowed a game-tying goal to the Hurricanes (6-7-0, 0-4-0).
A trio of freshmen connected to set up the game-winner.
Lindsey Richter’s cross found Ciara Bridges, who sent a quick pass to Light at the center of the box, where she buried her fourth goal of the season.
“I saw Ciara turn in, and I knew I had to get to the middle,” Light said. “I got my foot on it, and it curved in. It was sick.”
Light scored shortly after returning to the game after a spell on the bench.
“I got pulled out for a while and once coach (Chris Roe) put me back in, I knew I had to go out there and finish this game for us,” she said.
Roe’s decision to get his freshmen back on the field proved to be the right one.
“The freshmen all were great,” he said. “It’s tough to take them off the field. I did, because I got a little antsy. But they got back out there and came through big.”
Shortly before Light became the hero, Marian Central’s Tiffany Teubert did her best to spoil the party. On a free kick from 30 yards, Teubert sent a looping shot toward the goal.
Leaping goalkeeper Cassandra Eraci got a piece of it, but not enough to keep it out as it tucked into the top portion of the net for the equalizer with 7:38 to go.
“We made some boneheaded fouls that let them back in the game,” Roe said. “We’ve got to learn from that. I liked the way my girls responded, though. They wanted no part of losing or tying.”
With time ticking down in regulation, the RedHawks played with a sense of urgency after the game was tied.
“We wanted to get it back as fast as we could,” senior Amanda Rizzo said. “We pushed hard for that goal. Cece and I are really good friends, and it was so great to see her score that goal.”
Rizzo got the scoring started on a penalty kick in the 51st minute.
Marist’s Ally Corcoran came up with a loose ball near the corner off a failed Marian clearing attempt and dashed toward the goal. She was taken down from behind in the box, setting up the penalty opportunity.
Rizzo stepped up to the spot and calmly rolled a shot inside the right post for the 1-0 lead.
“I feel like everyone looks at me to take those PKs,” Rizzo said. “I try to remain calm, not get worried. I know I can usually put them away.”
The goal was the icing on the cake for what was already a special day for Rizzo.
“Senior Day was more fun than anything,” she said. “All the seniors got to start. We played hard, and it felt really good to get the win.”
With Marist defenders Michelle Lenz, Annie Callaghan, Alexis O’Brien, Alexis Rojas and Jill Tackes shutting down any action that came their way, Marian Central’s first shot on goal didn’t come until the 62nd minute.
Even that attempt was thwarted by O’Brien, who recovered nicely after Marian Central’s Alyssa Sutherland broke into the box off a free kick. O’Brien closed down Sutherland’s space from behind and forced her into a soft shot, which Eraci easily saved.
Lenz and Callaghan, meanwhile, consistently cleared balls out of the back quickly.
“Michelle and Annie are playing really well together,” Roe said. “It’s hard to take either of them off the field. Michelle has been our best player all season, and Annie is in a long recovery process (from a torn ACL last summer) and is still playing really solid.”
Eraci made two saves in her return to the net after being out for nearly a month.
“She had her tonsils removed and then there was a complication that kept her out 10 more days than she was supposed to be out,” Roe said. “It’s good to get her back. She’s a vocal leader, and we need that.”
Mackenzie Schwalbach made eight saves for Marian Central.
Hurricanes coach Karl Smith was pleased with his team’s effort and its ability to fight back to tie the game.
“This was two good teams playing each other, and it came down to the wire,” he said. “It was a really good game to be a part of.
“Our girls were really aggressive. They moved the ball well. We just have to focus on little tactical things before the playoffs.”
Speaking of the postseason, Smith believes his team is capable of making a big run in Class AA.
“We’re absolutely optimistic about our chances,” he said. “It’s the whole group and how they jell together and play well together.”
Roe, meanwhile, feels his team is back on the right track.
“When we’re playing well, we control the pace and get the ball moving around,” he said. “When we were struggling, it was more of a kick ball game. So, it was good to see us get back to doing what we do well.
“We’ve got some winnable games coming up, and we want to get on a roll and continue it right into the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Marian Central
GK: Mackenzie Schwalbach
D: Tiffany Teubert
D: Maggie Gallaspie
D: Hannah Maurer
MF: Hannah Villont
MF: Lucca Kenyon
MF: Meghan Lingle
MF: Addison Fortin
MF: Haven Jakubowicz
F: Zoe Villont
F: Alyssa Sutherland
Marist
GK: Cassandra Eraci
D: Michelle Lenz
D: Alexis Rojas
D: Annie Callaghan
D: Jill Tackes
MF: Katherine Pappas
MF: Ciara Bridges
MF: Cece Light
MF: Erin Stapleton
F: Ally Corcoran
F: Amanda Rizzo
Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match: Cece Light, fr., MF, Marist
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
Marist: Amanda Rizzo (PK), 51st minute
Marian Central: Tiffany Teubert (unassisted), 73rd minute
Marist: Cece Light (Ciara Bridges), 76th minute
RedHawks frosh delivers late going-away present in 2-1 win
By Steve Millar
CHICAGO – Becoming an impact player on the varsity team as a freshman isn’t easy, but Marist midfielder Cece Light has done just that.
Light says she owes a lot to the RedHawks’ seniors for making the transition to high school soccer easier.
“I really look up to our seniors, on and off the field,” Light said. “They’ve taken me under their wings and helped me so much not just with soccer, but in life.”
With Marist celebrating Senior Day on Saturday, Light made sure it was a joyous occasion.
Light’s goal with 4:48 left lifted the host RedHawks to a 2-1 East Suburban Catholic Conference win over Marian Central.
“Getting this win for our seniors was awesome,” Light said. “I was really hungry to get a goal for them.”
Light, Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match, provided the answer less than three minutes after Marist (8-9-2, 3-3-0) allowed a game-tying goal to the Hurricanes (6-7-0, 0-4-0).
A trio of freshmen connected to set up the game-winner.
Lindsey Richter’s cross found Ciara Bridges, who sent a quick pass to Light at the center of the box, where she buried her fourth goal of the season.
“I saw Ciara turn in, and I knew I had to get to the middle,” Light said. “I got my foot on it, and it curved in. It was sick.”
Light scored shortly after returning to the game after a spell on the bench.
“I got pulled out for a while and once coach (Chris Roe) put me back in, I knew I had to go out there and finish this game for us,” she said.
Roe’s decision to get his freshmen back on the field proved to be the right one.
“The freshmen all were great,” he said. “It’s tough to take them off the field. I did, because I got a little antsy. But they got back out there and came through big.”
Shortly before Light became the hero, Marian Central’s Tiffany Teubert did her best to spoil the party. On a free kick from 30 yards, Teubert sent a looping shot toward the goal.
Leaping goalkeeper Cassandra Eraci got a piece of it, but not enough to keep it out as it tucked into the top portion of the net for the equalizer with 7:38 to go.
“We made some boneheaded fouls that let them back in the game,” Roe said. “We’ve got to learn from that. I liked the way my girls responded, though. They wanted no part of losing or tying.”
With time ticking down in regulation, the RedHawks played with a sense of urgency after the game was tied.
“We wanted to get it back as fast as we could,” senior Amanda Rizzo said. “We pushed hard for that goal. Cece and I are really good friends, and it was so great to see her score that goal.”
Rizzo got the scoring started on a penalty kick in the 51st minute.
Marist’s Ally Corcoran came up with a loose ball near the corner off a failed Marian clearing attempt and dashed toward the goal. She was taken down from behind in the box, setting up the penalty opportunity.
Rizzo stepped up to the spot and calmly rolled a shot inside the right post for the 1-0 lead.
“I feel like everyone looks at me to take those PKs,” Rizzo said. “I try to remain calm, not get worried. I know I can usually put them away.”
The goal was the icing on the cake for what was already a special day for Rizzo.
“Senior Day was more fun than anything,” she said. “All the seniors got to start. We played hard, and it felt really good to get the win.”
With Marist defenders Michelle Lenz, Annie Callaghan, Alexis O’Brien, Alexis Rojas and Jill Tackes shutting down any action that came their way, Marian Central’s first shot on goal didn’t come until the 62nd minute.
Even that attempt was thwarted by O’Brien, who recovered nicely after Marian Central’s Alyssa Sutherland broke into the box off a free kick. O’Brien closed down Sutherland’s space from behind and forced her into a soft shot, which Eraci easily saved.
Lenz and Callaghan, meanwhile, consistently cleared balls out of the back quickly.
“Michelle and Annie are playing really well together,” Roe said. “It’s hard to take either of them off the field. Michelle has been our best player all season, and Annie is in a long recovery process (from a torn ACL last summer) and is still playing really solid.”
Eraci made two saves in her return to the net after being out for nearly a month.
“She had her tonsils removed and then there was a complication that kept her out 10 more days than she was supposed to be out,” Roe said. “It’s good to get her back. She’s a vocal leader, and we need that.”
Mackenzie Schwalbach made eight saves for Marian Central.
Hurricanes coach Karl Smith was pleased with his team’s effort and its ability to fight back to tie the game.
“This was two good teams playing each other, and it came down to the wire,” he said. “It was a really good game to be a part of.
“Our girls were really aggressive. They moved the ball well. We just have to focus on little tactical things before the playoffs.”
Speaking of the postseason, Smith believes his team is capable of making a big run in Class AA.
“We’re absolutely optimistic about our chances,” he said. “It’s the whole group and how they jell together and play well together.”
Roe, meanwhile, feels his team is back on the right track.
“When we’re playing well, we control the pace and get the ball moving around,” he said. “When we were struggling, it was more of a kick ball game. So, it was good to see us get back to doing what we do well.
“We’ve got some winnable games coming up, and we want to get on a roll and continue it right into the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Marian Central
GK: Mackenzie Schwalbach
D: Tiffany Teubert
D: Maggie Gallaspie
D: Hannah Maurer
MF: Hannah Villont
MF: Lucca Kenyon
MF: Meghan Lingle
MF: Addison Fortin
MF: Haven Jakubowicz
F: Zoe Villont
F: Alyssa Sutherland
Marist
GK: Cassandra Eraci
D: Michelle Lenz
D: Alexis Rojas
D: Annie Callaghan
D: Jill Tackes
MF: Katherine Pappas
MF: Ciara Bridges
MF: Cece Light
MF: Erin Stapleton
F: Ally Corcoran
F: Amanda Rizzo
Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match: Cece Light, fr., MF, Marist
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
Marist: Amanda Rizzo (PK), 51st minute
Marian Central: Tiffany Teubert (unassisted), 73rd minute
Marist: Cece Light (Ciara Bridges), 76th minute