Friendly a help to
Fremd, Notre Dame (Peoria)
Teams spread the work around in pre-playoff match
By Mike Garofola
PALATINE -- A bit of a rollercoaster season may be nearing the top of the tracks for Fremd, which hopes the biggest thrills are yet to come.
The host Vikings (10-6-2) defeated Notre Dame (Peoria) 1-0 at sun-kissed Hildebrandt Field on Saturday to run its modest win streak to three games.
Both sides seemed to use the game as a tune-up. Each played its entire roster.
“We wanted to get everyone some time out there today,” Keller said. “We want to be healthy and ready for New Trier to finish up the regular-season before regionals.”
The victory gave manager Steve Keller and four of his seniors confidence going forward after a disappointing run in the Naperville Invitational.
"Our 1-4-2 record that began with our 3-0 loss to Barrington on April 16 (and ended with a 2-0 loss against Neuqua Valley on April 30) is easily one of the low points of this season," said Keller. The Vikings went into the Barrington game, at 6-1-1 overall and 5-0-1 in conference play, with visions of glory.
"We missed out on a chance to go ahead of Barrington," said senior Lily Spotak, who will play next fall at Eastern Michigan. “That loss pretty much ended any hope of winning the division. After that it got much worse when we lost all four of our games at the Naperville Invitational.
"Those four games were the wake-up call we all needed. Since then, I think we're mentally back to where we should be, and I really feel as if everyone believes in each other, and that we can make a long run in the playoffs."
Spotak helped her team turn the corner when she scored five total goals in wins against Rolling Meadows and Hersey. Fremd finished third in the West Division at 8-1-2. Barrington produced a perfect campaign; Conant was the runnerup at 9-1-1.
"We just did not play up to our potential at all at the Naperville Invitational," said Anna Schmitt, who will attend Indiana University next fall to study business.
“We really needed to figure things out in a hurry and change our attitude if we hoped to finish strong and get outselves ready for the postseason.
"The great thing about playing for (Keller) is (he) loves the sport, makes it fun to train and play, and really knows everything about it. Even though he can be really tough on us, he is so good at putting players where they belong, getting us to play. That's what we'll be looking to do in the playoffs."
"We were all disappointed in ourselves, after the result against Barrington and at the Naperville invite,” said senior defender/midfielder Shannon Moran. “But one of the things about this team is we have great chemistry, and we get along really well. We knew we had to put all of those poor results behind us and just look ahead."
After the Vikings finish up the regular-season at no. 24 New Trier on Friday, they begin preparation to host Waukegan at 6 p.m. May 17 in their regional semifinal.
The Vikings victory over Notre Dame (9-8-1) came from a first half goal from Gillespie. Senior Sam Gary earned another clean-sheet in the win.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the Irish lost to no. 3 Naperville North. The Class AA program didn’t enter the late-season road trip the way they wanted, according to Ben Ralph, who starred for the boys side in his playing days.
"We were missing our most dangerous player up-top, sophomore Casey Rodgers, and our starting midfielder and scoring leader Claire Girard,” he said. “Then just a few minutes into the second half, we lost Elly Bare for the rest of the game.
“I thought the girls battled, and fought over the two days against two 3A schools with talent, and great reputations."
"Defensively we played well, and I felt like we controlled the last 20 minutes of this game, which saw their keeper make 3-4 really good saves to keep us off the scoreboard.
"We knew it was a tall task even if we were healthy. But that is why we wanted to schedule games against programs of their caliber to make us better and help prepare us for the postseason."
The Irish, who lost in a supersectional last June to eventual state runnerup Joliet Catholic, earned a no. 2 sub-sectional seed in the sectional it hosts. Dunlap, which is ranked no. 7 in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll, tops that side of the bracket.
Ralph was a key figure on the 2008 state championship team as an Irish center back. Notre Dame beat Sacred Heart-Griffin 3-0 in the championship game to finish the season at 23-3-1 in the state’s first season with three classes.
"Defensively we were stout, and had 4-5 guys who could put the ball into the back of the net. We had a team filled with guys who didn't care about their numbers that season, only about winning," recounted Ralph, whose 2007 club lost in the supersectionals in overtime to Centennial.
The Irish who brought a large contingency of friend, and family for the weekend.
Saturday the team had a picnic lunch at Florey Park in Rolling Meadows prior to the 4 p.m. kickoff at Fremd.
The Vikings recent turnaround can be attributed to several players – a few who are veterans and a few who are wearing the varsity green for the first time.
Spotak, who leads the club with 10 goals, Moran, junior Kaitlyn Rodi and the sophomore duo of Gillespie, and Bella Scesniak were all praised by Keller.
Schmitt, Spotak and fellow seniors Moran and Kylie Williams chose a handful of newcomers when asked to name those who have been a pleasant surprise this spring.
"Lia DiGirolamo and Cami Tofilon have really fit in with the varsity,” said Spotak. “Lia came up from the JV. Cami scored a big goal in the Kinsella Cup win over Palatine."
Moran, who will also attend Indiana University in the fall, agreed with the choices of Spotak. Schmitt added sophomores Sam Findysz and Maddie McMillan to the list.
"Sammie does a lot for us up-top,” said Schmitt. “She has scored some goals, created others and can put on a lot of pressure for us. Maggie is just a hard worker and really good defender, who just quietly does her job."
Williams, whom Schmitt says elicits plenty of laughs because of how excited she becomes when she puts one into the back of the net, is a three-year varsity player, who will attend Mississippi in the fall with an eye on a marketing degree.
"All of those players mentioned have done very well as new varsity players,” said Williams. “They have all fit in really well, but I think all of us seniors do our best to make them welcome through our pasta parties and with the way Keller encourages us to be senior leaders.
"One of the high points of the season thus far was our win over Palatine to bring the Kinsella Cup back home with us for another year. Our (0-0) overtime draw against Conant was a real low point to me because we did not come out and compete like we should have.”
Fremd hopes to deliver some surprises in the postseason.
"In addition to our seniors, players like Hanah Rosen and Rodi have performed consistently,” said Keller. “New players such as Grace Arango, Ania Ciborowski, and Maria and Stella Varon have done very well of late."
It's apparent Moran, Schmitt, Spotak and Williams share the same feelings of what they will miss most when their prep careers come to a close. It’s the just playing together and seeing their friends on this team day-in, and day-out. They enjoyed success together and worked through a failure or two along the way.
"We just love the people we're around everyday. We are a family," said Moran.
"The friendship that all of us have is just the best," added Schmitt.
Williams said: "The seniors have known each other since elementary school. To be able to play together here at Fremd has been really special."
"I'm going to miss all of my friends on this team, the soccer community, and friends and family who have come out to watch and support us,” said Spotak. “It makes being a part of Fremd soccer so much fun."
Keller has remained a positive constant for the program.
He has enjoyed a remarkable career in both programs at Fremd and collected nine combined state trophies as he nears 600 victories overall. The most recent success was the boys Class 3A second place finish last fall.
"(Keller) can be tough, but he's fair and fun,: said Schmitt. “He's all about the players, we enjoy coming out each day."
"(He) is funny, and has a great sense of humor. He makes soccer so much fun," added Williams.
"I've been around (Keller) for a while now, because my sister (Emma) played for him just before I got here,” said Spotak.
“I knew he could be tough and demands the best out of everyone, but he's fair and knows so much about the sport. You want to work hard for him each day."
"(Keller) is just a great coach,” said Moran. “He can motivate, teach, prepare us for each game. He's a fun person, who makes it fun to be out there."
Keller likes his group.
"This team works hard,” he said. “They laugh a lot, have fun and are terrific girls to be around. I enjoy being around them each and every day" Keller says in closing.
Starting lineups
Notre Dame (Peoria)
G- Addie Jennetten
D- Ellen Dahlquist
D- Jane Geers
D- Meredith Oliver
D- Jennie Horst
MF- Maddie Stickelmaier
MF- Elly Bare
MF- Kayley Horst
MF- Lucy Byrkit
F- Lauren DellaValle
F- Sammi Laird
Fremd
G- Sam Gary
D- Bella Scesniak
D- Hanah Rosen
D- Gemma Gillespie
D- Cami Tofilon
MF- Maria Varon
MF- Shannon Moran
MF- Kylie Williams
MF- Lia Digirolamo
F- Ania Ciborowski
F- Anna Schmitt
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Gemma Gillespie, so., D, Fremd
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd: Gillespie (unassisted), 34’
Second half
No scoring
Fremd, Notre Dame (Peoria)
Teams spread the work around in pre-playoff match
By Mike Garofola
PALATINE -- A bit of a rollercoaster season may be nearing the top of the tracks for Fremd, which hopes the biggest thrills are yet to come.
The host Vikings (10-6-2) defeated Notre Dame (Peoria) 1-0 at sun-kissed Hildebrandt Field on Saturday to run its modest win streak to three games.
Both sides seemed to use the game as a tune-up. Each played its entire roster.
“We wanted to get everyone some time out there today,” Keller said. “We want to be healthy and ready for New Trier to finish up the regular-season before regionals.”
The victory gave manager Steve Keller and four of his seniors confidence going forward after a disappointing run in the Naperville Invitational.
"Our 1-4-2 record that began with our 3-0 loss to Barrington on April 16 (and ended with a 2-0 loss against Neuqua Valley on April 30) is easily one of the low points of this season," said Keller. The Vikings went into the Barrington game, at 6-1-1 overall and 5-0-1 in conference play, with visions of glory.
"We missed out on a chance to go ahead of Barrington," said senior Lily Spotak, who will play next fall at Eastern Michigan. “That loss pretty much ended any hope of winning the division. After that it got much worse when we lost all four of our games at the Naperville Invitational.
"Those four games were the wake-up call we all needed. Since then, I think we're mentally back to where we should be, and I really feel as if everyone believes in each other, and that we can make a long run in the playoffs."
Spotak helped her team turn the corner when she scored five total goals in wins against Rolling Meadows and Hersey. Fremd finished third in the West Division at 8-1-2. Barrington produced a perfect campaign; Conant was the runnerup at 9-1-1.
"We just did not play up to our potential at all at the Naperville Invitational," said Anna Schmitt, who will attend Indiana University next fall to study business.
“We really needed to figure things out in a hurry and change our attitude if we hoped to finish strong and get outselves ready for the postseason.
"The great thing about playing for (Keller) is (he) loves the sport, makes it fun to train and play, and really knows everything about it. Even though he can be really tough on us, he is so good at putting players where they belong, getting us to play. That's what we'll be looking to do in the playoffs."
"We were all disappointed in ourselves, after the result against Barrington and at the Naperville invite,” said senior defender/midfielder Shannon Moran. “But one of the things about this team is we have great chemistry, and we get along really well. We knew we had to put all of those poor results behind us and just look ahead."
After the Vikings finish up the regular-season at no. 24 New Trier on Friday, they begin preparation to host Waukegan at 6 p.m. May 17 in their regional semifinal.
The Vikings victory over Notre Dame (9-8-1) came from a first half goal from Gillespie. Senior Sam Gary earned another clean-sheet in the win.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the Irish lost to no. 3 Naperville North. The Class AA program didn’t enter the late-season road trip the way they wanted, according to Ben Ralph, who starred for the boys side in his playing days.
"We were missing our most dangerous player up-top, sophomore Casey Rodgers, and our starting midfielder and scoring leader Claire Girard,” he said. “Then just a few minutes into the second half, we lost Elly Bare for the rest of the game.
“I thought the girls battled, and fought over the two days against two 3A schools with talent, and great reputations."
"Defensively we played well, and I felt like we controlled the last 20 minutes of this game, which saw their keeper make 3-4 really good saves to keep us off the scoreboard.
"We knew it was a tall task even if we were healthy. But that is why we wanted to schedule games against programs of their caliber to make us better and help prepare us for the postseason."
The Irish, who lost in a supersectional last June to eventual state runnerup Joliet Catholic, earned a no. 2 sub-sectional seed in the sectional it hosts. Dunlap, which is ranked no. 7 in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll, tops that side of the bracket.
Ralph was a key figure on the 2008 state championship team as an Irish center back. Notre Dame beat Sacred Heart-Griffin 3-0 in the championship game to finish the season at 23-3-1 in the state’s first season with three classes.
"Defensively we were stout, and had 4-5 guys who could put the ball into the back of the net. We had a team filled with guys who didn't care about their numbers that season, only about winning," recounted Ralph, whose 2007 club lost in the supersectionals in overtime to Centennial.
The Irish who brought a large contingency of friend, and family for the weekend.
Saturday the team had a picnic lunch at Florey Park in Rolling Meadows prior to the 4 p.m. kickoff at Fremd.
The Vikings recent turnaround can be attributed to several players – a few who are veterans and a few who are wearing the varsity green for the first time.
Spotak, who leads the club with 10 goals, Moran, junior Kaitlyn Rodi and the sophomore duo of Gillespie, and Bella Scesniak were all praised by Keller.
Schmitt, Spotak and fellow seniors Moran and Kylie Williams chose a handful of newcomers when asked to name those who have been a pleasant surprise this spring.
"Lia DiGirolamo and Cami Tofilon have really fit in with the varsity,” said Spotak. “Lia came up from the JV. Cami scored a big goal in the Kinsella Cup win over Palatine."
Moran, who will also attend Indiana University in the fall, agreed with the choices of Spotak. Schmitt added sophomores Sam Findysz and Maddie McMillan to the list.
"Sammie does a lot for us up-top,” said Schmitt. “She has scored some goals, created others and can put on a lot of pressure for us. Maggie is just a hard worker and really good defender, who just quietly does her job."
Williams, whom Schmitt says elicits plenty of laughs because of how excited she becomes when she puts one into the back of the net, is a three-year varsity player, who will attend Mississippi in the fall with an eye on a marketing degree.
"All of those players mentioned have done very well as new varsity players,” said Williams. “They have all fit in really well, but I think all of us seniors do our best to make them welcome through our pasta parties and with the way Keller encourages us to be senior leaders.
"One of the high points of the season thus far was our win over Palatine to bring the Kinsella Cup back home with us for another year. Our (0-0) overtime draw against Conant was a real low point to me because we did not come out and compete like we should have.”
Fremd hopes to deliver some surprises in the postseason.
"In addition to our seniors, players like Hanah Rosen and Rodi have performed consistently,” said Keller. “New players such as Grace Arango, Ania Ciborowski, and Maria and Stella Varon have done very well of late."
It's apparent Moran, Schmitt, Spotak and Williams share the same feelings of what they will miss most when their prep careers come to a close. It’s the just playing together and seeing their friends on this team day-in, and day-out. They enjoyed success together and worked through a failure or two along the way.
"We just love the people we're around everyday. We are a family," said Moran.
"The friendship that all of us have is just the best," added Schmitt.
Williams said: "The seniors have known each other since elementary school. To be able to play together here at Fremd has been really special."
"I'm going to miss all of my friends on this team, the soccer community, and friends and family who have come out to watch and support us,” said Spotak. “It makes being a part of Fremd soccer so much fun."
Keller has remained a positive constant for the program.
He has enjoyed a remarkable career in both programs at Fremd and collected nine combined state trophies as he nears 600 victories overall. The most recent success was the boys Class 3A second place finish last fall.
"(Keller) can be tough, but he's fair and fun,: said Schmitt. “He's all about the players, we enjoy coming out each day."
"(He) is funny, and has a great sense of humor. He makes soccer so much fun," added Williams.
"I've been around (Keller) for a while now, because my sister (Emma) played for him just before I got here,” said Spotak.
“I knew he could be tough and demands the best out of everyone, but he's fair and knows so much about the sport. You want to work hard for him each day."
"(Keller) is just a great coach,” said Moran. “He can motivate, teach, prepare us for each game. He's a fun person, who makes it fun to be out there."
Keller likes his group.
"This team works hard,” he said. “They laugh a lot, have fun and are terrific girls to be around. I enjoy being around them each and every day" Keller says in closing.
Starting lineups
Notre Dame (Peoria)
G- Addie Jennetten
D- Ellen Dahlquist
D- Jane Geers
D- Meredith Oliver
D- Jennie Horst
MF- Maddie Stickelmaier
MF- Elly Bare
MF- Kayley Horst
MF- Lucy Byrkit
F- Lauren DellaValle
F- Sammi Laird
Fremd
G- Sam Gary
D- Bella Scesniak
D- Hanah Rosen
D- Gemma Gillespie
D- Cami Tofilon
MF- Maria Varon
MF- Shannon Moran
MF- Kylie Williams
MF- Lia Digirolamo
F- Ania Ciborowski
F- Anna Schmitt
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Gemma Gillespie, so., D, Fremd
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd: Gillespie (unassisted), 34’
Second half
No scoring