Variety spices up Deerfield Senior Night win
4-0 victory over Maine West keeps Warriors perfect in CSL North
By Gary Larsen
DEERFIELD -- The way that Deerfield senior Rachel Levin leapt and spun in the air as she ran, and then leapt and spun again while grinning wildly and shouting in celebration, you’d think she had just scored the goal that won the World Cup.
But then unbridled glee is infectious when a team is attacking and scoring the way the Warriors have been. Levin’s goal also came on her home turf on a big night.
“I was really happy for Rachel, to get her a goal on Senior Night,” Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. “She’s somebody that really works hard, and she’s been a great option for us. She’s aggressive, and she’s got speed.”
Deerfield (11-2-0, 2-0-0) displayed speed and aggression throughout its 4-0 win over visiting Maine West in Tuesday’s Central Suburban League North Division game. The wealth was spread around as the Warriors got two goals from Malori Killoren and one apiece from Levin and Marissa Hyland, and two assists from Samantha Linn with solo helpers from Shayna Wood and Dylan Sachs.
From the nifty distribution skills of midfielder Haley Emory, to Linn’s relentlessness on the outside, to the speed and scoring ability of forward Killoren, Deerfield’s attack was in fine form.
“We’ve been working as a team very well, and it’s a whole different dynamic than last year,” Emory said. “We’re working more as a unit, we can flow better from defense to mids to forwards and eventually to the back of the net. I think last year we were missing that connection, and we’ve really worked together well so far this year.”
The Warriors’ four goals Tuesday gave them 43 goals in 13 games. Fifteen of those goals have come during their current four-game win streak, and the squad has won eight of its last nine games.
Maine West (6-3-1, 0-1-1) started fast this year but against a team like Deerfield that can attack from multiple positions, the visitors spent most of the night in a defensive crouch.
“Credit Deerfield, they’re a good experienced team, and they put high pressure on us,” Maine West coach Jeff Bishop said. “They’ve got a lot of upperclassmen but some talented underclassmen, too. And they killed us down the sides.
“We never got the ball moving, and we played kickball a lot tonight. I tried telling our girls that the switch ball was there for us. We just couldn’t get it. They were giving us the space to do it, and we just couldn’t do it.”
Ranked 17th in this week’s Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, Deerfield worked methodically to find dangerous chances early. Emory reached the end line and earned a corner kick at eight minutes, and forward Chloe Cappas volleyed a serve from Linn from 14 yards that Maine West keeper Gabry Faraone handled easily at 12 minutes.
Deerfield started a surge at 17 minutes, Emory led Linn perfectly along the touch line on the right side with a long ball on the ground. Linn settled and crossed it with Hyland charging onto it at the far post for the game’s first truly dangerous scoring chance.
The ball barely eluded Hyland over the end line but a pattern was set. Four minutes later, Cappas slid a ball across the 18 that Hyland teed up and sent just wide. One tick of the big hand later, Emory sent another perfect feed ahead on the right side to Linn, whose cross was cleared out.
Linn spent much of the first half racing after feeds sent along the right side, courtesy of Emory’s distribution skills.
“I know exactly where (Linn) is going to be and when to play it, and it works,” Emory said. “She’s always there.”
Emory’s running mate, senior center mid Devyn Compisi, had to leave the game at 17 minutes with an injury. Compisi and Emory have spearheaded Deerfield’s attack this year.
“We didn’t really get to see our midfield at its best tonight, because Devyn got hurt so early in the match,” Grady said. “But the two of them have really been dominating in the midfield defensively, and that just kickstarts our offense.
“That’s the biggest change in our team between this year and last year. Last year I had Haley and Devyn both playing in the back, and our midfield suffered as a result. And now any one of our midfielders can attack.”
For the work she did at midfield after Compisi left the game, Emory was named Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match.
Hyland tested Faraone again with a shot at 24 minutes, and Deerfield defender Riley Halpern curled a free kick just wide from 33 yards one minute later. Killoren finally broke the ice at 26 minutes, taking a feed from Linn into the box on the right side and going far post with it to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
That lead increased quickly when Emory sent a ball ahead to Wood, who nearly reached the end line on the right side before playing the ball back out to Killoren, who took a touch or two to her left before mimicing he first score inside the far post at 28 minutes.
Killoren has now scored 12 goals in 13 games “and obviously she’s a difference-maker for us,” Grady said.
Deerfield kept its 2-0 lead at halftime thanks to a save at the post from keeper Karley Morris on a head shot from Maine West’s Melissa Gomez at 40 minutes.
Dangerous scoring chances were hard to come by for a Maine West team that has played with purpose in 2018.
“We’re having a really good season, and one of the best starts that we’ve had,” Bishop said.
“(Defender) Sarah Magnoni is a quality player, she’s one of the best. And (forwards) Dylan Van Fleet and Vanesa Reyes have played well for us. They work well together up-top, but they couldn’t get it going today and you have to credit (Deerfield’s) defense.”
That back third earned its fourth-consecutive shutout, and its sixth of the season. The Warriors’ girls in back have only given up 12 goals in 13 games.
Halpern, Ashley Morgan, Sydney Fleishman, and Shayna Wood have played well in front of Morris and backup keeper Carolyn Curley. Defender Emma Pelz also returned from injury Tuesday to bolster the backline.
“A lot of us have been playing together for a really long time,” Halpern said. “And we’ve learned a lot from our mistakes, both from watching stuff from last year and talking about what we did, and watching film from this year from previous games. So our mistakes, like getting split in the back or not shifting fast enough, we’ve kind of cleaned those mistakes up.”
Linn was at it again to start the second half, first reaching the endline at 41 minutes and crossing a ball just wide, and taking a pass from Killoren and crossing it at 45 minutes, nearly connecting with Hyland at the far post.
In the Warriors end, Morris cut off a cross and saved a one-hopper from distance at 50 minutes. Then two minutes later the Linn-Hyland connection finally paid off, with Hyland finishing on a Linn cross to the left side.
Halpern forced Faraone to make a diving save at the post with a shot from 30 yards before Levin’s goal at 59 minutes. The assist of the game came from Sachs, who sent a perfect ball ahead to Levin in dangerous, tight space. Levin deftly split two defenders and went in alone on net, burying a shot inside the post from point-blank range for her first goal of the season.
“I knew we were going to be good offensively and be able to challenge people, but honestly I’m surprised at how well we’ve clicked offensively,” Grady said. “We’ve really been going at teams, and as a coach that’s really fun to watch.”
Morris was steady in net through 67 minutes and then gave way to Curley, who made her playing time count. She left her line to snare a Maine West free kick sent in front of the goalmouth and then dove to the post at 74 minutes to swat away a shot and preserve the shutout.
“We have twenty-five players, twenty-four of them were healthy tonight, and we got all of them in the game,” Grady said. “Lauren Goodsnyder came in and gave us good minutes on the right side tonight. Betsy McKinney plays in the back for us, and I had her at midfield and forward tonight, and she played well. So did Meg Feldman at center back. Everyone did a nice job tonight.”
Starting lineups
Maine West
GK Gabry Faraone
D Marissa Murillo
D Sarah Magnoni
D Pamela Mendoza
D Meghan Paluch
M Gretta Martin
M Maddie Roppel
M Melissa Gomez
M Serenah Quiroga
F Dylan Van Fleet
F Vanessa Reyes
Deerfield
GK Karley Morris
D Riley Halpern
D Meg Feldman
D Sydney Fleishman
D Betsy McKinney
M Devyn Compisi
M Haley Emory
M Ashley Morgan
M Samantha Linn
F Rachel Levin
F Chloe Cappas
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Haley Emory, sr., M, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
Deerfield — Killoren (Linn) 26th minute
Deerfield — Killoren (Wood) 29th minute
Second half
Deerfield — Hyland (Linn) 52nd minute
Deerfield — Levin (Sachs) 59th minute
4-0 victory over Maine West keeps Warriors perfect in CSL North
By Gary Larsen
DEERFIELD -- The way that Deerfield senior Rachel Levin leapt and spun in the air as she ran, and then leapt and spun again while grinning wildly and shouting in celebration, you’d think she had just scored the goal that won the World Cup.
But then unbridled glee is infectious when a team is attacking and scoring the way the Warriors have been. Levin’s goal also came on her home turf on a big night.
“I was really happy for Rachel, to get her a goal on Senior Night,” Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. “She’s somebody that really works hard, and she’s been a great option for us. She’s aggressive, and she’s got speed.”
Deerfield (11-2-0, 2-0-0) displayed speed and aggression throughout its 4-0 win over visiting Maine West in Tuesday’s Central Suburban League North Division game. The wealth was spread around as the Warriors got two goals from Malori Killoren and one apiece from Levin and Marissa Hyland, and two assists from Samantha Linn with solo helpers from Shayna Wood and Dylan Sachs.
From the nifty distribution skills of midfielder Haley Emory, to Linn’s relentlessness on the outside, to the speed and scoring ability of forward Killoren, Deerfield’s attack was in fine form.
“We’ve been working as a team very well, and it’s a whole different dynamic than last year,” Emory said. “We’re working more as a unit, we can flow better from defense to mids to forwards and eventually to the back of the net. I think last year we were missing that connection, and we’ve really worked together well so far this year.”
The Warriors’ four goals Tuesday gave them 43 goals in 13 games. Fifteen of those goals have come during their current four-game win streak, and the squad has won eight of its last nine games.
Maine West (6-3-1, 0-1-1) started fast this year but against a team like Deerfield that can attack from multiple positions, the visitors spent most of the night in a defensive crouch.
“Credit Deerfield, they’re a good experienced team, and they put high pressure on us,” Maine West coach Jeff Bishop said. “They’ve got a lot of upperclassmen but some talented underclassmen, too. And they killed us down the sides.
“We never got the ball moving, and we played kickball a lot tonight. I tried telling our girls that the switch ball was there for us. We just couldn’t get it. They were giving us the space to do it, and we just couldn’t do it.”
Ranked 17th in this week’s Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, Deerfield worked methodically to find dangerous chances early. Emory reached the end line and earned a corner kick at eight minutes, and forward Chloe Cappas volleyed a serve from Linn from 14 yards that Maine West keeper Gabry Faraone handled easily at 12 minutes.
Deerfield started a surge at 17 minutes, Emory led Linn perfectly along the touch line on the right side with a long ball on the ground. Linn settled and crossed it with Hyland charging onto it at the far post for the game’s first truly dangerous scoring chance.
The ball barely eluded Hyland over the end line but a pattern was set. Four minutes later, Cappas slid a ball across the 18 that Hyland teed up and sent just wide. One tick of the big hand later, Emory sent another perfect feed ahead on the right side to Linn, whose cross was cleared out.
Linn spent much of the first half racing after feeds sent along the right side, courtesy of Emory’s distribution skills.
“I know exactly where (Linn) is going to be and when to play it, and it works,” Emory said. “She’s always there.”
Emory’s running mate, senior center mid Devyn Compisi, had to leave the game at 17 minutes with an injury. Compisi and Emory have spearheaded Deerfield’s attack this year.
“We didn’t really get to see our midfield at its best tonight, because Devyn got hurt so early in the match,” Grady said. “But the two of them have really been dominating in the midfield defensively, and that just kickstarts our offense.
“That’s the biggest change in our team between this year and last year. Last year I had Haley and Devyn both playing in the back, and our midfield suffered as a result. And now any one of our midfielders can attack.”
For the work she did at midfield after Compisi left the game, Emory was named Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match.
Hyland tested Faraone again with a shot at 24 minutes, and Deerfield defender Riley Halpern curled a free kick just wide from 33 yards one minute later. Killoren finally broke the ice at 26 minutes, taking a feed from Linn into the box on the right side and going far post with it to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
That lead increased quickly when Emory sent a ball ahead to Wood, who nearly reached the end line on the right side before playing the ball back out to Killoren, who took a touch or two to her left before mimicing he first score inside the far post at 28 minutes.
Killoren has now scored 12 goals in 13 games “and obviously she’s a difference-maker for us,” Grady said.
Deerfield kept its 2-0 lead at halftime thanks to a save at the post from keeper Karley Morris on a head shot from Maine West’s Melissa Gomez at 40 minutes.
Dangerous scoring chances were hard to come by for a Maine West team that has played with purpose in 2018.
“We’re having a really good season, and one of the best starts that we’ve had,” Bishop said.
“(Defender) Sarah Magnoni is a quality player, she’s one of the best. And (forwards) Dylan Van Fleet and Vanesa Reyes have played well for us. They work well together up-top, but they couldn’t get it going today and you have to credit (Deerfield’s) defense.”
That back third earned its fourth-consecutive shutout, and its sixth of the season. The Warriors’ girls in back have only given up 12 goals in 13 games.
Halpern, Ashley Morgan, Sydney Fleishman, and Shayna Wood have played well in front of Morris and backup keeper Carolyn Curley. Defender Emma Pelz also returned from injury Tuesday to bolster the backline.
“A lot of us have been playing together for a really long time,” Halpern said. “And we’ve learned a lot from our mistakes, both from watching stuff from last year and talking about what we did, and watching film from this year from previous games. So our mistakes, like getting split in the back or not shifting fast enough, we’ve kind of cleaned those mistakes up.”
Linn was at it again to start the second half, first reaching the endline at 41 minutes and crossing a ball just wide, and taking a pass from Killoren and crossing it at 45 minutes, nearly connecting with Hyland at the far post.
In the Warriors end, Morris cut off a cross and saved a one-hopper from distance at 50 minutes. Then two minutes later the Linn-Hyland connection finally paid off, with Hyland finishing on a Linn cross to the left side.
Halpern forced Faraone to make a diving save at the post with a shot from 30 yards before Levin’s goal at 59 minutes. The assist of the game came from Sachs, who sent a perfect ball ahead to Levin in dangerous, tight space. Levin deftly split two defenders and went in alone on net, burying a shot inside the post from point-blank range for her first goal of the season.
“I knew we were going to be good offensively and be able to challenge people, but honestly I’m surprised at how well we’ve clicked offensively,” Grady said. “We’ve really been going at teams, and as a coach that’s really fun to watch.”
Morris was steady in net through 67 minutes and then gave way to Curley, who made her playing time count. She left her line to snare a Maine West free kick sent in front of the goalmouth and then dove to the post at 74 minutes to swat away a shot and preserve the shutout.
“We have twenty-five players, twenty-four of them were healthy tonight, and we got all of them in the game,” Grady said. “Lauren Goodsnyder came in and gave us good minutes on the right side tonight. Betsy McKinney plays in the back for us, and I had her at midfield and forward tonight, and she played well. So did Meg Feldman at center back. Everyone did a nice job tonight.”
Starting lineups
Maine West
GK Gabry Faraone
D Marissa Murillo
D Sarah Magnoni
D Pamela Mendoza
D Meghan Paluch
M Gretta Martin
M Maddie Roppel
M Melissa Gomez
M Serenah Quiroga
F Dylan Van Fleet
F Vanessa Reyes
Deerfield
GK Karley Morris
D Riley Halpern
D Meg Feldman
D Sydney Fleishman
D Betsy McKinney
M Devyn Compisi
M Haley Emory
M Ashley Morgan
M Samantha Linn
F Rachel Levin
F Chloe Cappas
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Haley Emory, sr., M, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
Deerfield — Killoren (Linn) 26th minute
Deerfield — Killoren (Wood) 29th minute
Second half
Deerfield — Hyland (Linn) 52nd minute
Deerfield — Levin (Sachs) 59th minute