New-look Evanston steams ahead
Wildkits end perfect opening week with Mundelein win
By Dan Shalin
EVANSTON – There is life after Maia Cella. Evanston has proven that fact early this season after improving to 2-0-0 with a 2-1 win over Mundelein Saturday at Murney Lazier Field.
The Wildkits (2-0-0) got first half goals from junior forward Hadley Bushala and senior right back Avery Ackman. The scores came on either side of a strike from Mundelein senior forward Myah Strokosch.
Though it was only a one-goal victory, the experienced Wildkits dominated possession and had a decided edge in scoring chances. Evanston showed it should remain a force in the Central Suburban League South Division, even after the graduation of the talismanic midfielder Cella, a four-year varsity standout now plying her trade at Wisconsin.
“We did not capitalize on our opportunities, but the opportunities were there, and that’s what we like to see,” Evanston head coach Stacy Salgado said. “Going forward, it doesn’t scare me that it was only 2-1, because it felt a lot more than that. We held possession for most of the game, so we are pretty confident, and the girls are pretty confident.”
For Mundelein (0-1-1) it was a potentially costly afternoon -- the Mustangs lost three players to injury in the second half.
Senior midfielder Jackie Tyma was helped off the field, and then carted to the bench with a lower-body injury.
Then came a scary moment as sophomore Becca Nielsen fell awkwardly after being tripped up on a breakaway. An ambulance was called, and she was stretchered off the field with an upper-body injury.
The paramedics hadn’t even left when their services were needed again, when freshman defender Eva Their required attention for an upper-body injury.
Mustangs head coach Ernie Billittier said he was proud of the way his team continued to battle, despite facing adversity, losing key players and having to wait through lengthy delays while those players received treatment.
“Give our girls a lot of credit,” Billittier said. “With seemingly some serious injuries and stoppages in play, they were able to keep their heads in the game and keep it tight until the end and compete against a top team like Evanston. The mentality and work-rate are something I’m proud of.”
The game was not even three minutes old when Evanston struck. Junior midfielder Keara Kerr sent in a curler from the top corner of the box. The ball sailed past Mundelein freshman goalkeeper Lia Pirelli, but struck the goalpost. While Kerr turned away in frustration, the quick-thinking Bushala appeared on the scene to slide in the rebound for her second goal of the season.
“(Salgado) is always telling us to follow every shot, in case the goalie drops it or it hits the post,” Bushala said. “I’ve been trying to do that more often, and it worked out.”
Evanston continued to boss the game, with the interchangeable forward trio of Bushala, Kerr and senior Vanessa Eljaiek looking particularly dangerous, especially attacking down the wings.
On the surface, it appeared like a shift in tactics for a team that previously built many attacks through the middle thanks to Cella’s ability to control play and operate in tight spaces. But Salgado said the Wildkits have not changed their approach this season.
“Truthfully, I think we’re just sticking to the same kind of game plan,” she said. “We like to possess the ball and work as a team. We’re fortunate where we have very fast outside wingers, so we’re trying to utilize that quite a bit. But it’s not necessarily our game plan, it’s just kind of how it’s playing out.”
Just when this contest looked like it might play out as a comfortable Evanston victory, Mundelein’s Strokosch leveled the score with a goal that came against the run of play.
Shortly beyond the halfway point in the first half, Strokosch got to a bouncing ball and looped it over the head of Evanston’s freshman goalkeeper Caitlin Fitzpatrick, who was well off her line. The ball was rolling toward the net when Strokosch may have gotten a second touch on it just before it crossed the line.
Salgado said her young keeper Fitzpatrick is talented, but obviously still getting her feet wet on the varsity level.
The young shot-stopper has the advantage of playing behind a veteran backline that returns three of four starters: Ruby Siegel, a Brandeis (Mass.) University-bound senior center back, Annika DeStefano, a junior center back, and Ackman. Freshman Ryan Lucas had gotten the nod at left back.
With just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half, Ackman restored Evanston’s advantage with a perfectly-struck 35-yard free kick that flew right over the head of Mundelein’s Pirelli and into the upper reaches of the net.
“I actually thought it was going over (when I hit it), but once I (looked up and) saw the net, I was like ‘Yes!’” Ackman said. “It felt good, getting us up one and setting the tone for the second half. We came into the second half with a lead, and that felt good.”
The second half featured just about everything, except a goal.
There were the injuries and stoppages that followed. Evanston also created several near-scoring chances.
Eljaiek, playing without the brace on her left knee she wore as a junior, looked the most likely to score.
The Skidmore (N.Y.) College-bound attacker, who injured her knee as a sophomore, narrowly missed connecting with a Kerr cross at the far post, had a goal disallowed for offsides and then hit the crossbar after reaching a ball saved by Mundelein’s second half goalkeeper senior Gillian Beginski.
After recording eight goals and eight assists in her comeback season last spring, Eljaiek appears capable of improving on those numbers in 2018. Her ability to do so, will be one of several factors that determine whether or not the Wildkits can equal, or improve upon, their 15-6-3 mark from 2017.
Another key is the continued growth of the midfield trio of sophomore Callista O’Connor, playing in Cella’s old attacking mid position, junior Kat Sehgal and senior Margaret Rogan. The latter two are the Wildkits’ main 50/50 ball-winners. All three are getting more playing time than they did a year ago.
“I think the midfielders have definitely stepped up a lot this year,” Bushala said. “Rogan, Sehgal and O’Connor have shown they deserve the time and that they are capable. When they work together, it’s almost as if Maia (Cella) was still there, because it works so well.”
Starting lineups
Mundelein
G Lia Pirelli
D Hadlee Linane
D Carly Zentz
D Eva Their
D Molly Mishler
M Kate Hay
M Addison Spilman
M Nicole Robb
M Jackie Tyma
F Gigi Sahagun
F Morgan Albertsen
Evanston
G Caitlin Fitzpatrick
D Ryann Lucas
D Ruby Siegel
D Annika DeStefano
D Avery Ackman
M Kat Sehgal
M Margaret Rogan
M Callista O’Connor
F Vanessa Eljaiek
F Hadley Bushala
F Keara Kerr
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Hadley Bushala, jr. F, Evanston.
Scoring summary
1st Half
Evanston – Bushala 38:29
Mundelein – Strokosch 19:11
Evanston – Ackman 11:45
2nd Half
None
Wildkits end perfect opening week with Mundelein win
By Dan Shalin
EVANSTON – There is life after Maia Cella. Evanston has proven that fact early this season after improving to 2-0-0 with a 2-1 win over Mundelein Saturday at Murney Lazier Field.
The Wildkits (2-0-0) got first half goals from junior forward Hadley Bushala and senior right back Avery Ackman. The scores came on either side of a strike from Mundelein senior forward Myah Strokosch.
Though it was only a one-goal victory, the experienced Wildkits dominated possession and had a decided edge in scoring chances. Evanston showed it should remain a force in the Central Suburban League South Division, even after the graduation of the talismanic midfielder Cella, a four-year varsity standout now plying her trade at Wisconsin.
“We did not capitalize on our opportunities, but the opportunities were there, and that’s what we like to see,” Evanston head coach Stacy Salgado said. “Going forward, it doesn’t scare me that it was only 2-1, because it felt a lot more than that. We held possession for most of the game, so we are pretty confident, and the girls are pretty confident.”
For Mundelein (0-1-1) it was a potentially costly afternoon -- the Mustangs lost three players to injury in the second half.
Senior midfielder Jackie Tyma was helped off the field, and then carted to the bench with a lower-body injury.
Then came a scary moment as sophomore Becca Nielsen fell awkwardly after being tripped up on a breakaway. An ambulance was called, and she was stretchered off the field with an upper-body injury.
The paramedics hadn’t even left when their services were needed again, when freshman defender Eva Their required attention for an upper-body injury.
Mustangs head coach Ernie Billittier said he was proud of the way his team continued to battle, despite facing adversity, losing key players and having to wait through lengthy delays while those players received treatment.
“Give our girls a lot of credit,” Billittier said. “With seemingly some serious injuries and stoppages in play, they were able to keep their heads in the game and keep it tight until the end and compete against a top team like Evanston. The mentality and work-rate are something I’m proud of.”
The game was not even three minutes old when Evanston struck. Junior midfielder Keara Kerr sent in a curler from the top corner of the box. The ball sailed past Mundelein freshman goalkeeper Lia Pirelli, but struck the goalpost. While Kerr turned away in frustration, the quick-thinking Bushala appeared on the scene to slide in the rebound for her second goal of the season.
“(Salgado) is always telling us to follow every shot, in case the goalie drops it or it hits the post,” Bushala said. “I’ve been trying to do that more often, and it worked out.”
Evanston continued to boss the game, with the interchangeable forward trio of Bushala, Kerr and senior Vanessa Eljaiek looking particularly dangerous, especially attacking down the wings.
On the surface, it appeared like a shift in tactics for a team that previously built many attacks through the middle thanks to Cella’s ability to control play and operate in tight spaces. But Salgado said the Wildkits have not changed their approach this season.
“Truthfully, I think we’re just sticking to the same kind of game plan,” she said. “We like to possess the ball and work as a team. We’re fortunate where we have very fast outside wingers, so we’re trying to utilize that quite a bit. But it’s not necessarily our game plan, it’s just kind of how it’s playing out.”
Just when this contest looked like it might play out as a comfortable Evanston victory, Mundelein’s Strokosch leveled the score with a goal that came against the run of play.
Shortly beyond the halfway point in the first half, Strokosch got to a bouncing ball and looped it over the head of Evanston’s freshman goalkeeper Caitlin Fitzpatrick, who was well off her line. The ball was rolling toward the net when Strokosch may have gotten a second touch on it just before it crossed the line.
Salgado said her young keeper Fitzpatrick is talented, but obviously still getting her feet wet on the varsity level.
The young shot-stopper has the advantage of playing behind a veteran backline that returns three of four starters: Ruby Siegel, a Brandeis (Mass.) University-bound senior center back, Annika DeStefano, a junior center back, and Ackman. Freshman Ryan Lucas had gotten the nod at left back.
With just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half, Ackman restored Evanston’s advantage with a perfectly-struck 35-yard free kick that flew right over the head of Mundelein’s Pirelli and into the upper reaches of the net.
“I actually thought it was going over (when I hit it), but once I (looked up and) saw the net, I was like ‘Yes!’” Ackman said. “It felt good, getting us up one and setting the tone for the second half. We came into the second half with a lead, and that felt good.”
The second half featured just about everything, except a goal.
There were the injuries and stoppages that followed. Evanston also created several near-scoring chances.
Eljaiek, playing without the brace on her left knee she wore as a junior, looked the most likely to score.
The Skidmore (N.Y.) College-bound attacker, who injured her knee as a sophomore, narrowly missed connecting with a Kerr cross at the far post, had a goal disallowed for offsides and then hit the crossbar after reaching a ball saved by Mundelein’s second half goalkeeper senior Gillian Beginski.
After recording eight goals and eight assists in her comeback season last spring, Eljaiek appears capable of improving on those numbers in 2018. Her ability to do so, will be one of several factors that determine whether or not the Wildkits can equal, or improve upon, their 15-6-3 mark from 2017.
Another key is the continued growth of the midfield trio of sophomore Callista O’Connor, playing in Cella’s old attacking mid position, junior Kat Sehgal and senior Margaret Rogan. The latter two are the Wildkits’ main 50/50 ball-winners. All three are getting more playing time than they did a year ago.
“I think the midfielders have definitely stepped up a lot this year,” Bushala said. “Rogan, Sehgal and O’Connor have shown they deserve the time and that they are capable. When they work together, it’s almost as if Maia (Cella) was still there, because it works so well.”
Starting lineups
Mundelein
G Lia Pirelli
D Hadlee Linane
D Carly Zentz
D Eva Their
D Molly Mishler
M Kate Hay
M Addison Spilman
M Nicole Robb
M Jackie Tyma
F Gigi Sahagun
F Morgan Albertsen
Evanston
G Caitlin Fitzpatrick
D Ryann Lucas
D Ruby Siegel
D Annika DeStefano
D Avery Ackman
M Kat Sehgal
M Margaret Rogan
M Callista O’Connor
F Vanessa Eljaiek
F Hadley Bushala
F Keara Kerr
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Hadley Bushala, jr. F, Evanston.
Scoring summary
1st Half
Evanston – Bushala 38:29
Mundelein – Strokosch 19:11
Evanston – Ackman 11:45
2nd Half
None