Stevenson fights back,
downs Naperville North in PKs
No. 20 Patriots upset no. 8 Huskies for Malnati's title shot
By Mike Garofola
NORTHFIELD -- Stevenson beat Naperville North 4-2 in penalty shootout Saturday to advance into the Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic final Monday night against tourney host New Trier.
The Patriots dramatic victory ended the hopes of the Huskies to win a second Malnati's trophy after doing so in the inaugural edition in 2017.
"It's always tough to go out this late in the tournament, but they put in all four of their kicks with perfect accuracy, and we came up a little short on our end. That's the way it goes sometimes in this sport," said Naperville North manager Steve Goletz after this marathon semifinal came to a crashing end for his club.
"We had a fantastic week, at a fantastic tournament, going 3-0-0 in group play to get us this far, and we learned a lot about ourselves, which will terrific preparation for our next big tournament (Naperville Invitational)."
The Huskies (5-3-1) attack awoke from a quiet start to its season by scoring eight goals in group play, three more than it netted in its five previous games.
"We were on a nice little run coming into this tournament, so it's a little difficult right now knowing we were one game from reaching the final," said a disappointed Reilly Riggs.
The Huskies star, along with her backline mates Emily Dulik, Jordan Leonard and Paige Sylvester were called upon to defend more than they would have liked. The Patriots (8-1-2) began to play with more confidence after the break following a stern reminder of the 'facts of soccer life' from manager PepeJon Chavez.
"It was kind of out of character with me to call out a few of my players, but I told (them) and the rest of the girls in no uncertain terms that we were being manhandled out there," said Chavez of his speech at the intermission.
"I likened it to a big sister beating up a little sister. Although North has far more seniors than we do, is bigger and stronger than us, there was no reason for us to back down from a tough challenge.
"I've been saying for awhile that with us having so many freshmen and sophomore players, we're going to grow at a slow, but steady pace. But maybe with this victory today against a great opponent, we've come of age."
It appeared from the opening whistle, the young Patriots side could be in for a long afternoon at Robert Naughton Field.
If it weren't for the lively play of Naperville North's ringleaders Leah Shumate and Maddie Schlecht, who took turns running the show in the middle of the park, it was the work rate of the rest of the Huskies, who won nearly every 50-50 and second ball, whether in the air or on the floor.
"We certainly played well enough to win, and in my opinion, we had a lot of the play, but the one thing we could have done better was to create better chances, and shoot the ball more," admitted Riggs.
North did just that in the first quarter hour. Shumate smashed her long-range effort off the back post; Schlecht had her 30-yard blast saved by Stevenson keeper Jennifer Staton, with Huskies teammates Emily Dulik, Hannah Martin and Katie Murphy buzzing around the area.
"We had a real good first half of play," said Goletz. "Then from after the break, both sides took turns with 10-15 minutes of flashes in the attack. But we were not sharp enough in the final third to make our moments really count."
When Chavez brought his top player, Kalyssa VanZanten on, along with Grace Wingfield, the duo provided some much needed pace and inspiration to the Patriots attack.
"Stevenson became dangerous with no. 7 (VanZanten) lurking in and around our area when she came in," said Goletz.
Both VanZanten and Wingfield went wide with their first attempts just after they were brought on in the 16th minute. Next, some nice combination work from Naperville North's Schlecht, Shumate, Gerner and Maddie Thompson ended just short of the box.
Moments later, Shumate nearly sent Schlecht clean through with a marvelous diagonal ball, but an alert interception by Paige Copeland inside the box averted the threat.
Shumate netted a stunning free kick strike just under the bar in the 31st minute to send the Huskies into the break with a 1-0 lead. That sent Chavez searching for the right words to use during his halftime speech.
"We have just three seniors on our roster, so we're lacking that experience most teams have, such as Naperville, to help lead your way out of tough times," began Chavez.
"I guess the girls heard what I had to say, because we came out with a little more edge in our game and with more energy and purpose. You cannot ask for much more than that from a young team."
North was on its back foot from the opening of the second half, with Patriots sophomore Abigail Kalou bringing keeper Amanda Johnson into action with consecutive saves.
Two deep throws from Stevenson were defended easily by the Huskies, who then watched Kalou, Kristin Hill and Gabe Nyc combine to produce a nice effort on frame from Kalou.
Naperville North weathered the storm without conceding the equalizer, then went about finding another to double its money.
Shumate missed with her free kick after Schlecht and Martin created her chance in the 57th minute. Then it was Taylor Klaiber's turn to attempt to add another to the scoreline.
The senior gave Goletz outstanding minutes when the club needed fresh legs and pace, and it was during her time on the pitch near the hour when she would shine.
Klaiber turned with speed, before releasing a well-aimed shot that came off Jennifer Staten, and onto the foot of Schlecht, who had her attempt saved cleanly by the Patriots keeper.
Hannah Martin's angled shot was held tightly held by Staten with Schlecht right there for the rebound at 58 minutes. A Wingfield to VanZanten counter followed and forced defender Paige Sylvester into a retrieving mission in order to avert disaster.
The Huskies conceded another VanZanten corner at 66 minutes, and the senior took full advantage of the opportunity when she curled her inward swinging serve into the net to level the match.
"We never allowed (Stevenson) to create much of anything through the run of play, but they were dangerous with corners and dead-balls with no. 7 (VanZanten)," said Goletz.
The equalizer sparked a frantic final 14 minutes in which both clubs threw players forward in attempt to find what could be the eventual game-winner.
Stevenson's Wingfield nearly latched onto a wonderful ball from VanZanten into the box, before two more corners from the Patriots tested the Huskies defense. In turn, Katie Murphy went 1-v.-1 before finding Schmate, whose left-footed blast from 25 yards went over the bar.
Both clubs enjoyed a handful of half-chances during the two extra sessions, but when 100 minutes were unable to decide a winner, it was time to do so in kicks.
Once there, Shumate and Kayla Constabileo each converted their spot kick, but when Murphy had her effort saved by Staton, Gabe Nyc finished nicely to make it 2-1 Stevenson.
After Schlecht went wide, VanZanten found the back of the net. After Magee buried her attempt, Kristin Hill finished off the Huskies for good.
"Amanda (Johnson) guessed correctly on all four of their kicks, but each one was hit just inside the post and into the ropes -- nothing you can do about perfection," said Goletz.
Chavez liked what he saw.
"Staton was a rock for us today, and when you talk about building a soccer team, it always starts in the back," began Chavez.
"Steve has a great one over there, but we're building a very good unit as well. It starts with Constabileo, who I believe is one of the best young central defenders around and our outside back Tess Koleno, who plays with such composure for being just a sophomore."
Naperville North will regroup and get itself ready to go for its Naperville Invitational opener Wednesday at home with Oswego East. The Huskies continue group play against Lyons on Saturday (April 20) at their home park.
"This tournament was a good learning experience for all of us, especially our young players, who had the chance to play against quality opponents and go through PKs," said Riggs, who shared Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors with Constabileo.
Goletz agreed wholeheartedly with Riggs.
"You know when the state series comes around, we could be involved in a situation just as this one," he said. "So whatever we learned from today and this week is something we'll carry forward into the Naperville Invitational and afterwards."
Starting lineups
Naperville North (4-3-3)
G- Amanda Johnson
D- Paige Sylvester
D- Reilly Riggs
D- Emily Magee
D- Jordan Leonard
M- Maddie Schlecht
M- Leah Shumate
M- Ellie Gerner
F- Emily Dulik
F- Hannah Martin
F- Katie Murphy
Stevenson (4-4-2)
G- Jennifer Staton
D- Paige Copeland
D- Myah Schoolman
D- Kayla Constabileo
D- Tess Koleno
M- Gabi Nyc
M- Alyssa Bende
M- Lily Mahdavian
M- Jessica Baigorria
F- Abigail Kalou
F- Kristin Hill
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Reilly Riggs, sr., D, Naperville North
Kayla Constabileo, so., D, Stevenson
Referee
Vic Walker
Scoring summary
First half
Naperville North: Shumate (FK) 31'
Second half
Stevenson: Van Zanten (U/A) 66'
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
PKs
Naperville North: Shumate (make), Murphy (saved), Schlecht (wide), Magee (make)
Stevenson: Constabileo (make), Gabe Nyc (make), VanZanten (make), Hill (make)
downs Naperville North in PKs
No. 20 Patriots upset no. 8 Huskies for Malnati's title shot
By Mike Garofola
NORTHFIELD -- Stevenson beat Naperville North 4-2 in penalty shootout Saturday to advance into the Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic final Monday night against tourney host New Trier.
The Patriots dramatic victory ended the hopes of the Huskies to win a second Malnati's trophy after doing so in the inaugural edition in 2017.
"It's always tough to go out this late in the tournament, but they put in all four of their kicks with perfect accuracy, and we came up a little short on our end. That's the way it goes sometimes in this sport," said Naperville North manager Steve Goletz after this marathon semifinal came to a crashing end for his club.
"We had a fantastic week, at a fantastic tournament, going 3-0-0 in group play to get us this far, and we learned a lot about ourselves, which will terrific preparation for our next big tournament (Naperville Invitational)."
The Huskies (5-3-1) attack awoke from a quiet start to its season by scoring eight goals in group play, three more than it netted in its five previous games.
"We were on a nice little run coming into this tournament, so it's a little difficult right now knowing we were one game from reaching the final," said a disappointed Reilly Riggs.
The Huskies star, along with her backline mates Emily Dulik, Jordan Leonard and Paige Sylvester were called upon to defend more than they would have liked. The Patriots (8-1-2) began to play with more confidence after the break following a stern reminder of the 'facts of soccer life' from manager PepeJon Chavez.
"It was kind of out of character with me to call out a few of my players, but I told (them) and the rest of the girls in no uncertain terms that we were being manhandled out there," said Chavez of his speech at the intermission.
"I likened it to a big sister beating up a little sister. Although North has far more seniors than we do, is bigger and stronger than us, there was no reason for us to back down from a tough challenge.
"I've been saying for awhile that with us having so many freshmen and sophomore players, we're going to grow at a slow, but steady pace. But maybe with this victory today against a great opponent, we've come of age."
It appeared from the opening whistle, the young Patriots side could be in for a long afternoon at Robert Naughton Field.
If it weren't for the lively play of Naperville North's ringleaders Leah Shumate and Maddie Schlecht, who took turns running the show in the middle of the park, it was the work rate of the rest of the Huskies, who won nearly every 50-50 and second ball, whether in the air or on the floor.
"We certainly played well enough to win, and in my opinion, we had a lot of the play, but the one thing we could have done better was to create better chances, and shoot the ball more," admitted Riggs.
North did just that in the first quarter hour. Shumate smashed her long-range effort off the back post; Schlecht had her 30-yard blast saved by Stevenson keeper Jennifer Staton, with Huskies teammates Emily Dulik, Hannah Martin and Katie Murphy buzzing around the area.
"We had a real good first half of play," said Goletz. "Then from after the break, both sides took turns with 10-15 minutes of flashes in the attack. But we were not sharp enough in the final third to make our moments really count."
When Chavez brought his top player, Kalyssa VanZanten on, along with Grace Wingfield, the duo provided some much needed pace and inspiration to the Patriots attack.
"Stevenson became dangerous with no. 7 (VanZanten) lurking in and around our area when she came in," said Goletz.
Both VanZanten and Wingfield went wide with their first attempts just after they were brought on in the 16th minute. Next, some nice combination work from Naperville North's Schlecht, Shumate, Gerner and Maddie Thompson ended just short of the box.
Moments later, Shumate nearly sent Schlecht clean through with a marvelous diagonal ball, but an alert interception by Paige Copeland inside the box averted the threat.
Shumate netted a stunning free kick strike just under the bar in the 31st minute to send the Huskies into the break with a 1-0 lead. That sent Chavez searching for the right words to use during his halftime speech.
"We have just three seniors on our roster, so we're lacking that experience most teams have, such as Naperville, to help lead your way out of tough times," began Chavez.
"I guess the girls heard what I had to say, because we came out with a little more edge in our game and with more energy and purpose. You cannot ask for much more than that from a young team."
North was on its back foot from the opening of the second half, with Patriots sophomore Abigail Kalou bringing keeper Amanda Johnson into action with consecutive saves.
Two deep throws from Stevenson were defended easily by the Huskies, who then watched Kalou, Kristin Hill and Gabe Nyc combine to produce a nice effort on frame from Kalou.
Naperville North weathered the storm without conceding the equalizer, then went about finding another to double its money.
Shumate missed with her free kick after Schlecht and Martin created her chance in the 57th minute. Then it was Taylor Klaiber's turn to attempt to add another to the scoreline.
The senior gave Goletz outstanding minutes when the club needed fresh legs and pace, and it was during her time on the pitch near the hour when she would shine.
Klaiber turned with speed, before releasing a well-aimed shot that came off Jennifer Staten, and onto the foot of Schlecht, who had her attempt saved cleanly by the Patriots keeper.
Hannah Martin's angled shot was held tightly held by Staten with Schlecht right there for the rebound at 58 minutes. A Wingfield to VanZanten counter followed and forced defender Paige Sylvester into a retrieving mission in order to avert disaster.
The Huskies conceded another VanZanten corner at 66 minutes, and the senior took full advantage of the opportunity when she curled her inward swinging serve into the net to level the match.
"We never allowed (Stevenson) to create much of anything through the run of play, but they were dangerous with corners and dead-balls with no. 7 (VanZanten)," said Goletz.
The equalizer sparked a frantic final 14 minutes in which both clubs threw players forward in attempt to find what could be the eventual game-winner.
Stevenson's Wingfield nearly latched onto a wonderful ball from VanZanten into the box, before two more corners from the Patriots tested the Huskies defense. In turn, Katie Murphy went 1-v.-1 before finding Schmate, whose left-footed blast from 25 yards went over the bar.
Both clubs enjoyed a handful of half-chances during the two extra sessions, but when 100 minutes were unable to decide a winner, it was time to do so in kicks.
Once there, Shumate and Kayla Constabileo each converted their spot kick, but when Murphy had her effort saved by Staton, Gabe Nyc finished nicely to make it 2-1 Stevenson.
After Schlecht went wide, VanZanten found the back of the net. After Magee buried her attempt, Kristin Hill finished off the Huskies for good.
"Amanda (Johnson) guessed correctly on all four of their kicks, but each one was hit just inside the post and into the ropes -- nothing you can do about perfection," said Goletz.
Chavez liked what he saw.
"Staton was a rock for us today, and when you talk about building a soccer team, it always starts in the back," began Chavez.
"Steve has a great one over there, but we're building a very good unit as well. It starts with Constabileo, who I believe is one of the best young central defenders around and our outside back Tess Koleno, who plays with such composure for being just a sophomore."
Naperville North will regroup and get itself ready to go for its Naperville Invitational opener Wednesday at home with Oswego East. The Huskies continue group play against Lyons on Saturday (April 20) at their home park.
"This tournament was a good learning experience for all of us, especially our young players, who had the chance to play against quality opponents and go through PKs," said Riggs, who shared Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors with Constabileo.
Goletz agreed wholeheartedly with Riggs.
"You know when the state series comes around, we could be involved in a situation just as this one," he said. "So whatever we learned from today and this week is something we'll carry forward into the Naperville Invitational and afterwards."
Starting lineups
Naperville North (4-3-3)
G- Amanda Johnson
D- Paige Sylvester
D- Reilly Riggs
D- Emily Magee
D- Jordan Leonard
M- Maddie Schlecht
M- Leah Shumate
M- Ellie Gerner
F- Emily Dulik
F- Hannah Martin
F- Katie Murphy
Stevenson (4-4-2)
G- Jennifer Staton
D- Paige Copeland
D- Myah Schoolman
D- Kayla Constabileo
D- Tess Koleno
M- Gabi Nyc
M- Alyssa Bende
M- Lily Mahdavian
M- Jessica Baigorria
F- Abigail Kalou
F- Kristin Hill
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Reilly Riggs, sr., D, Naperville North
Kayla Constabileo, so., D, Stevenson
Referee
Vic Walker
Scoring summary
First half
Naperville North: Shumate (FK) 31'
Second half
Stevenson: Van Zanten (U/A) 66'
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
PKs
Naperville North: Shumate (make), Murphy (saved), Schlecht (wide), Magee (make)
Stevenson: Constabileo (make), Gabe Nyc (make), VanZanten (make), Hill (make)