Deerfield seniors enjoy special night
Burns, Hyland key 5-0 victory vs. Maine East
By Patrick Z. McGavin
DEERFIELD -- On the fence on the east side of the field, the avatars of the 13 seniors were constructed in stylized paper designs and specially marked, occasioning memory and reflection.
Mostly it turned into a celebration.
Sydney Burns, a midfielder turned defender of late, made a point of inviting all of her friends and family to help take part in the festivities. It became a glorious and heart-rending moment.
“What a great memory I am going to have,” she said.
On Senior Night, Burns scored her first goal of the year and added an assist as Deerfield won its fourth-straight game with a 5-0 victory over Maine East in Central Suburban League North Division play Wednesday night.
“I really think it is the bonding of our team, and the ability to shift and be flexible,” Burns said. “Obviously every year we have had older players leaving and new players coming in, and each year we found some key players, and we are always switching around positions.”
Burns’s selflessness and team-first perspective is a particular hallmark, an indication of players making the necessary personal sacrifices.
“Sydney Burns has been a defender for all of a week,” Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. “She has been doing it well. Lexi Strauss started as a defender, and we have moved her up-top and she had an assist. Riley Schimanski was a midfielder, and we put her up-top and she scored twice against Highland Park [Monday].
“The good thing about this team is we have different players who can play multiple positions.”
Burns earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her superb play. She is not done yet.
“It was positive for me,” she said. “I know we are going to have plenty more games left. We are planning to go much farther in the playoffs than we did last year. That is what is going to keep me going.”
Deerfield (11-9-1, 2-2-1) put that versatility and positional flexibility to great use. The other significant story of late is the return of star junior Malori Killoren. A Chicagoland Soccer all-stater player as a sophomore, she scored 24 goals and had 11 assists last year and blasted off like a Roman candle to start the year with nine goals in her first seven games.
Then she was struck with mono, and missed the next 12 games. Killoren returned to action Monday and converted a penalty kick in the 3-1 Warriors’ victory.
Deerfield’s season has taken on a before and after quality: the seven games Killoren played where the team went 5-2-0, and the 12 she missed where the team finished 4-7-1.
“She is a key component to what we do,” Burns said.
Killoren generates attention and must be accounted for, and that creates lanes and opportunities for the Warriors to exploit. Burns opened the scoring in the 17th minute.
Killoren put the Warriors up 2-0 at halftime with a goal in the 21st minute. “We rely on her for a lot of things, so it is great to have her back,” senior forward Marissa Hyland said.
Maine East (6-10-2, 0-5-0) put up a tough fight for the opening 20 minutes. Forwards Jessika Berrun and Victoria Barrera created some pressure and forced Deerfield keeper Carolyn Curley to make two first half saves.
“We are building and trying to change the mentality around here,” coach Byron DeLeon said. “We are changing the style we play, and we are trying to come out and compete.”
The Blue Demons have partnered with a Niles-based club program to give chances for the players to participate in year-round games.
In this game, Deerfield had the run of play and the more consistent possession time.
Maine East showed toughness and vigor in fighting off the Warriors. Eventually Deerfield’s depth just wore them down. Grady started a special all-senior lineup. Once Killoren and the other talented underclass players began filtering in, it provided a change of pace, Deerfield took off.
The night belonged to those 13 seniors.
“Oh, my gosh, it was so emotional,” Hyland said. “These girls, we have been playing together since we were eight years old. We have bonded through these last 10 years, and it is insane thinking I am not going to be playing soccer with them anymore.”
Grady said the plan is to work Killoren back into physical shape so she is able to find her rhythm and timing.
“It is nice to have her back,” he said. “We have to get her to full fitness, and that is going to take a while. In the Highland Park game, she played a lot, but she had a lot of cramps. The plan tonight was not to play her as much. Hopefully we can get some practices in this week, because we have multiple games next week.”
Hyland and Killoren showed off what a spellbinding tandem they are. In the 47th minute, Hyland worked the left wing and pushed the ball into the middle as Killoren took a quick stutter step and blasted home a ball from about 17 yards inside the near post.
Killoren has 12 goals in just nine games.
Hyland was active from the jump but really made her presence felt in the second half. Energized by the festivities, Hyland turned the game into a rout in the 56th minute by smashing home a ball from the left edge from about 16 yards.
“It is feeling really good for all of us,” she said. “We are all excited and happy the way we have clicked. Right now everybody is playing like rock stars.”
The pageantry and the beauty of the night made it all the more worthwhile.
“I don’t know where to start,” Hyland said. “You can’t even put it into words. I made friends that will last my whole life. I have learned so many things from so many different people, and they have taught me so many things, and these people mean so much.”
The night ended perfectly as Brooke Feldman, in her only year on the varsity, scored her first career goal in the 60th minute off a beautiful pass from the back by Burns.
“I usually play midfield, and the last few games I have been playing forward," Feldman said. "And Sydney played a great ball from the back. Tonight was about celebration and reflection. All the seniors have been playing together since second grade.
“There are 13 of us, and not everybody has a chance to get on the field at the same time. I think our ability to play tonight was pretty cool.”
All in all, Deerfield is trending in the right direction -- pushing straight up -- with the return of Killoren and the evolution of other key personnel who adjusted to her absence by developing their games.
Deerfield earned the fourth-seed of the Class AA sectional at Antioch.
“We have had to play differently, and we are still trying to figure out our best combination and what is everybody’s best position,” Grady said. “We have a collection of good soccer players. We are not just Malori, and she said a lot of the other girls figured out what they could do without her.
“We have some challenge games left, and a very challenging playoff structure. It is what you want, everybody playing well going into the playoffs and seeing what happens.”
Starting lineups
Maine East
GK: Olivia Medina
D: Michelle Piro
D: Angelica Torres Lima
D: Rose Montes
D: Susan Elizabeth Georges
D: Tina Wardanejad
MF: Angelina Tamez
MF: Cristina Anguiano
MF: Adamaris Mora
F: Jessika Berrum
F: Victoria Barrera
Deerfield
GK: Carolyn Curley
D: Hannah Shapiro
D: Sydney Burns
D: Sophie Goodman
D: Cora Sagan
MF: Shayna Wood
MF: Naomi Fischoff
MF: Brooke Feldman
F: Marissa Hyland
F: Julia Neal
F: Greer Deutsch
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sydney Burns, sr., D, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
Deerfield—Sydney Burns (Naomi Fischoff), 17th minute
Deerfield—Malori Killoren (Lexi Strauss), 21st minute
Second half
Deerfield—Killoren (Marissa Hyland), 47th minute
Deerfield—Hyland (Holly Deutsch), 56th minute
Deerfield—Brooke Feldman (Burns), 60th minute
Burns, Hyland key 5-0 victory vs. Maine East
By Patrick Z. McGavin
DEERFIELD -- On the fence on the east side of the field, the avatars of the 13 seniors were constructed in stylized paper designs and specially marked, occasioning memory and reflection.
Mostly it turned into a celebration.
Sydney Burns, a midfielder turned defender of late, made a point of inviting all of her friends and family to help take part in the festivities. It became a glorious and heart-rending moment.
“What a great memory I am going to have,” she said.
On Senior Night, Burns scored her first goal of the year and added an assist as Deerfield won its fourth-straight game with a 5-0 victory over Maine East in Central Suburban League North Division play Wednesday night.
“I really think it is the bonding of our team, and the ability to shift and be flexible,” Burns said. “Obviously every year we have had older players leaving and new players coming in, and each year we found some key players, and we are always switching around positions.”
Burns’s selflessness and team-first perspective is a particular hallmark, an indication of players making the necessary personal sacrifices.
“Sydney Burns has been a defender for all of a week,” Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. “She has been doing it well. Lexi Strauss started as a defender, and we have moved her up-top and she had an assist. Riley Schimanski was a midfielder, and we put her up-top and she scored twice against Highland Park [Monday].
“The good thing about this team is we have different players who can play multiple positions.”
Burns earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her superb play. She is not done yet.
“It was positive for me,” she said. “I know we are going to have plenty more games left. We are planning to go much farther in the playoffs than we did last year. That is what is going to keep me going.”
Deerfield (11-9-1, 2-2-1) put that versatility and positional flexibility to great use. The other significant story of late is the return of star junior Malori Killoren. A Chicagoland Soccer all-stater player as a sophomore, she scored 24 goals and had 11 assists last year and blasted off like a Roman candle to start the year with nine goals in her first seven games.
Then she was struck with mono, and missed the next 12 games. Killoren returned to action Monday and converted a penalty kick in the 3-1 Warriors’ victory.
Deerfield’s season has taken on a before and after quality: the seven games Killoren played where the team went 5-2-0, and the 12 she missed where the team finished 4-7-1.
“She is a key component to what we do,” Burns said.
Killoren generates attention and must be accounted for, and that creates lanes and opportunities for the Warriors to exploit. Burns opened the scoring in the 17th minute.
Killoren put the Warriors up 2-0 at halftime with a goal in the 21st minute. “We rely on her for a lot of things, so it is great to have her back,” senior forward Marissa Hyland said.
Maine East (6-10-2, 0-5-0) put up a tough fight for the opening 20 minutes. Forwards Jessika Berrun and Victoria Barrera created some pressure and forced Deerfield keeper Carolyn Curley to make two first half saves.
“We are building and trying to change the mentality around here,” coach Byron DeLeon said. “We are changing the style we play, and we are trying to come out and compete.”
The Blue Demons have partnered with a Niles-based club program to give chances for the players to participate in year-round games.
In this game, Deerfield had the run of play and the more consistent possession time.
Maine East showed toughness and vigor in fighting off the Warriors. Eventually Deerfield’s depth just wore them down. Grady started a special all-senior lineup. Once Killoren and the other talented underclass players began filtering in, it provided a change of pace, Deerfield took off.
The night belonged to those 13 seniors.
“Oh, my gosh, it was so emotional,” Hyland said. “These girls, we have been playing together since we were eight years old. We have bonded through these last 10 years, and it is insane thinking I am not going to be playing soccer with them anymore.”
Grady said the plan is to work Killoren back into physical shape so she is able to find her rhythm and timing.
“It is nice to have her back,” he said. “We have to get her to full fitness, and that is going to take a while. In the Highland Park game, she played a lot, but she had a lot of cramps. The plan tonight was not to play her as much. Hopefully we can get some practices in this week, because we have multiple games next week.”
Hyland and Killoren showed off what a spellbinding tandem they are. In the 47th minute, Hyland worked the left wing and pushed the ball into the middle as Killoren took a quick stutter step and blasted home a ball from about 17 yards inside the near post.
Killoren has 12 goals in just nine games.
Hyland was active from the jump but really made her presence felt in the second half. Energized by the festivities, Hyland turned the game into a rout in the 56th minute by smashing home a ball from the left edge from about 16 yards.
“It is feeling really good for all of us,” she said. “We are all excited and happy the way we have clicked. Right now everybody is playing like rock stars.”
The pageantry and the beauty of the night made it all the more worthwhile.
“I don’t know where to start,” Hyland said. “You can’t even put it into words. I made friends that will last my whole life. I have learned so many things from so many different people, and they have taught me so many things, and these people mean so much.”
The night ended perfectly as Brooke Feldman, in her only year on the varsity, scored her first career goal in the 60th minute off a beautiful pass from the back by Burns.
“I usually play midfield, and the last few games I have been playing forward," Feldman said. "And Sydney played a great ball from the back. Tonight was about celebration and reflection. All the seniors have been playing together since second grade.
“There are 13 of us, and not everybody has a chance to get on the field at the same time. I think our ability to play tonight was pretty cool.”
All in all, Deerfield is trending in the right direction -- pushing straight up -- with the return of Killoren and the evolution of other key personnel who adjusted to her absence by developing their games.
Deerfield earned the fourth-seed of the Class AA sectional at Antioch.
“We have had to play differently, and we are still trying to figure out our best combination and what is everybody’s best position,” Grady said. “We have a collection of good soccer players. We are not just Malori, and she said a lot of the other girls figured out what they could do without her.
“We have some challenge games left, and a very challenging playoff structure. It is what you want, everybody playing well going into the playoffs and seeing what happens.”
Starting lineups
Maine East
GK: Olivia Medina
D: Michelle Piro
D: Angelica Torres Lima
D: Rose Montes
D: Susan Elizabeth Georges
D: Tina Wardanejad
MF: Angelina Tamez
MF: Cristina Anguiano
MF: Adamaris Mora
F: Jessika Berrum
F: Victoria Barrera
Deerfield
GK: Carolyn Curley
D: Hannah Shapiro
D: Sydney Burns
D: Sophie Goodman
D: Cora Sagan
MF: Shayna Wood
MF: Naomi Fischoff
MF: Brooke Feldman
F: Marissa Hyland
F: Julia Neal
F: Greer Deutsch
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sydney Burns, sr., D, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
Deerfield—Sydney Burns (Naomi Fischoff), 17th minute
Deerfield—Malori Killoren (Lexi Strauss), 21st minute
Second half
Deerfield—Killoren (Marissa Hyland), 47th minute
Deerfield—Hyland (Holly Deutsch), 56th minute
Deerfield—Brooke Feldman (Burns), 60th minute