Deerfield lights up the
big screen vs. Maine East
7 different players score in 7-0 Senior Night shutout win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
DEERFIELD — Bella Lowis projected out like an old-fashioned movie star.
Deerfield unveiled a new state of the art scoreboard at the start of the Warriors’ game against Maine East.
Lowis and the rest of her teammates made it explode like a roman candle.
The technological wonder also allowed for a special ceremony honoring Lowis and her 10 senior teammates. Photographs of the players when they were young kids were juxtaposed against contemporary images.
In the presence of teammates, coaches and family members, the seniors made a short speech to the crowd.
The past, present and future jammed together.
“This team is my everything,” Lowis said. “This is a great night for the seniors. It’s great to see everybody learn and grow as players, especially having three freshmen on our team. It’s interesting to see how they have already improved.
“Tonight was a great game to be with everyone and experience the seniors all playing together. We could all work and each get ourselves a goal.”
Deerfield rocked out by exploding for three goals in three minutes in the opening moments as the Warriors continued their strong play with the 7-0 victory in Central Suburban League North Division play Wednesday night.
Seven different players scored goals.
Lowis earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction by scoring a goal and adding two assists for the Warriors (6-5-1, 2-1-0).
“The more we play, the more we work together and bond as a team,” Lowis said. “This team is actually probably one of our best teams. I feel as though we are growing together.”
Deerfield generated 25 shots, aggressively dictating the pace and tempo by taking its first shot against Maine East keeper Amanda Smith in the first 20 seconds.
After working out the early kinks, the Warriors struck gold with three goals in three minutes. Junior forward Riley Schimanski started things out with a deep run that she finished with a header goal after an assist from junior forward Holly Deutsch in the eighth minute.
“This is great momentum for our game later this week with Vernon Hills,” Schimanski said. “Getting people scoring and their confidence up is really important.
“Last year, since we didn’t get a season, it’s even more important just to play harder. Tonight was also for the seniors who didn’t get a season last year. We want to just go out and put it all out on the field and set a good example.”
Schimanski and Deutsch are the Warriors’ dominant offensive pieces. They play well off each other, Schimanski, savvy and cool under pressure, balances the shot creativity and athleticism of Deutsch.
Seconds after the Schimanski goal, Deutsch got into the action by blasting home a short volley.
The two have a friendly, almost jousting, rivalry that ups the competitive ante.
“I just think as a forward we are doing a phenomenal job connecting,” Deutsch said. “We are getting the plays we need to get to the goal. It was great to see us connect in the first 10 minutes and take control of the game.
“We’ve been playing high school about two and a half years now since last year didn’t really count. We play on rival club teams, and it’s always great playing against Riley. We got the nice battle going. It’s amazing to have us click on the field, because we know each other really well, and we are dangerous up-top.”
Lowis posted her first assist by threading the needle on a cross that sophomore forward Simone Criz turned into the final goal of the early run.
The game was effectively over.
Lowis punctuated the dominant first half performance with a goal in the 40th minute that put the Warriors up 6-0.
She also assisted the fifth goal, another deft pass that Jessie Fisher finished inside the box.
Noa Friedland scored in the 33rd minute. Senior forward Leah Hamilton, who was fittingly the last senior to speak in the opening ceremony, completed the lopsided game with her goal in the 47th minute.
Deerfield posted back-to-back shutouts after blanking previously unbeaten Round Lake 4-0 on Monday night. Three of their losses have come against teams ranked in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 — no. 5 Warren, no. 9 Evanston and no. 23 Wheaton Academy.
Two other losses came against teams in the honorable mention section of the ranking -- Lane and Highland Park.
“We played a challenging schedule, and that is deliberate to see how we can learn and improve,” Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. “Mostly we are in conference right now, so the idea is to be peaking when we get to the playoffs.
“We’re trending in the right direction. The Highland Park game was not great for us. They came out ready to play, and we were not ready. We didn’t do what we needed to do.”
Senior keeper Gabi Sipe had a double-magic night by helping the team secure their sixth shutout and also getting time as a forward during the second half.
“I haven’t played in the field in years,” she said. “It’s fun to be able to run around. It helps me realize how much work it does take to play the field positions.
“It also helps me better understand how I can better direct my players, seeing how hard it can be to know if you are offside or not. It helps me be a better goalie.”
As the quality of the opponents becomes more elevated, that is crucial. The team is gaining reps and developing confidence at the right time.
“I was pleased with how we played the last couple of games,” Grady said. “I think we’re moving the ball well. We had a good result against Round Lake the other night. We had some good goals.
“It was the same thing tonight, we had a lot of good goals early in the game. It was a good night for the seniors.”
Starting lineups
Maine East
GK: Amanda Smith
D: Michelle Piro
D: Estefani Cruz Ramirez
D: Eshaal Syeda
D: Vinny Chawada
MF: Tracy Duong
MF: Almira Jamal
MF: Anna Tsvetkova
MF: Hamina Arifi
F: Sarah Coronado
F: Angelica Patyk
Deerfield
GK: Gabi Sipe
D: Ally Linn
D: Andrea Balestro
D: Izzy Johnson
D: Tyler Schreiber
MF: Anna Fang
MF: Erin Emory
MF: Emily Fox
F: Holly Deutsch
F: Riley Schimanski
F: Simone Criz
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Bella Lowis, sr., F, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
Deerfield—Riley Schimanski (Holly Deutsch), eighth minute
Deerfield—Deutsch (Ally Lin), ninth minute
Deerfield—Simone Cris (Bella Lowis), 10th minute
Deerfield—Noa Friedland (Becky Shamberg), 33rd minute
Deerfield—Jessie Fisher (Lowis), 38th minute
Deerfield—Lowis (unassisted), 40th minute
Second half
Deerfield—Leah Hamilton (Anna Fang), 48th minute
big screen vs. Maine East
7 different players score in 7-0 Senior Night shutout win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
DEERFIELD — Bella Lowis projected out like an old-fashioned movie star.
Deerfield unveiled a new state of the art scoreboard at the start of the Warriors’ game against Maine East.
Lowis and the rest of her teammates made it explode like a roman candle.
The technological wonder also allowed for a special ceremony honoring Lowis and her 10 senior teammates. Photographs of the players when they were young kids were juxtaposed against contemporary images.
In the presence of teammates, coaches and family members, the seniors made a short speech to the crowd.
The past, present and future jammed together.
“This team is my everything,” Lowis said. “This is a great night for the seniors. It’s great to see everybody learn and grow as players, especially having three freshmen on our team. It’s interesting to see how they have already improved.
“Tonight was a great game to be with everyone and experience the seniors all playing together. We could all work and each get ourselves a goal.”
Deerfield rocked out by exploding for three goals in three minutes in the opening moments as the Warriors continued their strong play with the 7-0 victory in Central Suburban League North Division play Wednesday night.
Seven different players scored goals.
Lowis earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction by scoring a goal and adding two assists for the Warriors (6-5-1, 2-1-0).
“The more we play, the more we work together and bond as a team,” Lowis said. “This team is actually probably one of our best teams. I feel as though we are growing together.”
Deerfield generated 25 shots, aggressively dictating the pace and tempo by taking its first shot against Maine East keeper Amanda Smith in the first 20 seconds.
After working out the early kinks, the Warriors struck gold with three goals in three minutes. Junior forward Riley Schimanski started things out with a deep run that she finished with a header goal after an assist from junior forward Holly Deutsch in the eighth minute.
“This is great momentum for our game later this week with Vernon Hills,” Schimanski said. “Getting people scoring and their confidence up is really important.
“Last year, since we didn’t get a season, it’s even more important just to play harder. Tonight was also for the seniors who didn’t get a season last year. We want to just go out and put it all out on the field and set a good example.”
Schimanski and Deutsch are the Warriors’ dominant offensive pieces. They play well off each other, Schimanski, savvy and cool under pressure, balances the shot creativity and athleticism of Deutsch.
Seconds after the Schimanski goal, Deutsch got into the action by blasting home a short volley.
The two have a friendly, almost jousting, rivalry that ups the competitive ante.
“I just think as a forward we are doing a phenomenal job connecting,” Deutsch said. “We are getting the plays we need to get to the goal. It was great to see us connect in the first 10 minutes and take control of the game.
“We’ve been playing high school about two and a half years now since last year didn’t really count. We play on rival club teams, and it’s always great playing against Riley. We got the nice battle going. It’s amazing to have us click on the field, because we know each other really well, and we are dangerous up-top.”
Lowis posted her first assist by threading the needle on a cross that sophomore forward Simone Criz turned into the final goal of the early run.
The game was effectively over.
Lowis punctuated the dominant first half performance with a goal in the 40th minute that put the Warriors up 6-0.
She also assisted the fifth goal, another deft pass that Jessie Fisher finished inside the box.
Noa Friedland scored in the 33rd minute. Senior forward Leah Hamilton, who was fittingly the last senior to speak in the opening ceremony, completed the lopsided game with her goal in the 47th minute.
Deerfield posted back-to-back shutouts after blanking previously unbeaten Round Lake 4-0 on Monday night. Three of their losses have come against teams ranked in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 — no. 5 Warren, no. 9 Evanston and no. 23 Wheaton Academy.
Two other losses came against teams in the honorable mention section of the ranking -- Lane and Highland Park.
“We played a challenging schedule, and that is deliberate to see how we can learn and improve,” Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. “Mostly we are in conference right now, so the idea is to be peaking when we get to the playoffs.
“We’re trending in the right direction. The Highland Park game was not great for us. They came out ready to play, and we were not ready. We didn’t do what we needed to do.”
Senior keeper Gabi Sipe had a double-magic night by helping the team secure their sixth shutout and also getting time as a forward during the second half.
“I haven’t played in the field in years,” she said. “It’s fun to be able to run around. It helps me realize how much work it does take to play the field positions.
“It also helps me better understand how I can better direct my players, seeing how hard it can be to know if you are offside or not. It helps me be a better goalie.”
As the quality of the opponents becomes more elevated, that is crucial. The team is gaining reps and developing confidence at the right time.
“I was pleased with how we played the last couple of games,” Grady said. “I think we’re moving the ball well. We had a good result against Round Lake the other night. We had some good goals.
“It was the same thing tonight, we had a lot of good goals early in the game. It was a good night for the seniors.”
Starting lineups
Maine East
GK: Amanda Smith
D: Michelle Piro
D: Estefani Cruz Ramirez
D: Eshaal Syeda
D: Vinny Chawada
MF: Tracy Duong
MF: Almira Jamal
MF: Anna Tsvetkova
MF: Hamina Arifi
F: Sarah Coronado
F: Angelica Patyk
Deerfield
GK: Gabi Sipe
D: Ally Linn
D: Andrea Balestro
D: Izzy Johnson
D: Tyler Schreiber
MF: Anna Fang
MF: Erin Emory
MF: Emily Fox
F: Holly Deutsch
F: Riley Schimanski
F: Simone Criz
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Bella Lowis, sr., F, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
Deerfield—Riley Schimanski (Holly Deutsch), eighth minute
Deerfield—Deutsch (Ally Lin), ninth minute
Deerfield—Simone Cris (Bella Lowis), 10th minute
Deerfield—Noa Friedland (Becky Shamberg), 33rd minute
Deerfield—Jessie Fisher (Lowis), 38th minute
Deerfield—Lowis (unassisted), 40th minute
Second half
Deerfield—Leah Hamilton (Anna Fang), 48th minute