Lillig gives NSCD
right touch against Willows
Senior’s savvy and experience leads Raiders to 1-0 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
DES PLAINES -- Eun Hae Lillig has a special sense of time, place and the particular thrill of optimizing the moment.
The enior midfielder at North Shore Country Day almost seems majestically attuned to her surroundings; she is rarely out of place and dialed into the action.
“She’s a great captain, and somebody who totally brings our team together,” senior defender Jane Scullion said.
She also has an experience that is irreplaceable. She started on back-to-back teams that made back-to-back Class A state title-game appearances in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
What that means, in practical terms, is that she is unlikely to be fazed or surprised.
“We lost a lot of the main part of those teams,” Lillig said. “This year is about rebuilding and maintaining what North Shore girls’ soccer is about.
“We are trying to be positive.”
Lillig blasted home a ball from Scullion in the ninth minute that the Raiders utilized for the 1-0 victory over Willows in Independent School League action at Maryville Academy on Tuesday.
After scoring her third goal of the season, Lillig earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor for her outstanding play.
North Shore Country Day (2-1-1, 2–1-1) is experiencing the natural if volatile cyclical movements of a program in transition.
Lillig, Scullion, midfielder/forward Zinzi Steele and defender Natalie Duquette are the four captains.
They make up the bulk of the players who either started or made up the rotation of the 2019 team that lost to Columbia in the state championship game.
The game marked the first meeting between the two rivals since North Shore Country Day defeated the Eagles 3-0 in the 2019 Cristo Rey St. Martin Sectional championship in Waukegan.
That familiarity naturally summoned a gilded past.
Lillig is a throwback and connective thread. She is a three-time Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List player for the Class of 2021. As a sophomore two years ago, she scored 11 goals and had five assists.
She was more of a complementary piece to three-time all-state player Edith Edwards-Mizel and standouts Julia Fortier, Caroline Segal and Allie Charnas.
The desire to link past and present is palpable.
“I’m trying my best to step into their roles,” Lillig said. “Obviously they’re very big shoes to fill. I’m trying to play for them and trying to do my best to keep their memory on the field.”
Scullion said the team lamented the missed chances to extend their lead against Willows. The combination play of the two underscored the vital importance of experience and talent.
“I think the early goal definitely brought up the excitement and the confidence, especially since we have so many new girls who have not been part of this before,” Scullion said.
“We were having some trouble finding the back of the net, but that first goal kept the energy up.”
Willows mentor Liz Stangel may be the youngest head coach in Illinois. She graduated from her alma mater in 2017 when she was the team’s keeper.
In her first full year coaching after the pandemic wiped out last season, Stangel said her young team reacted well against the early adversity.
“Last week was a rough one for us, and we lost games 5-1, 6-0 and 7-0,” she said. “Those teams got early goals against us, and we got down on ourselves.
“Today we had the mentality of as soon as a goal gets scored, whether it’s them or us, we don’t want to just let them control the game.”
The Eagles played without their best offensive player, senior midfielder Emma Dunaway.
Junior forward Emma Niemchura stepped up and flashed some terrific runs. She was close to breaking free inside the final third several times but was thwarted.
Every time the Eagles threatened, North Shore Country Day seemingly got one of its long and athletic defenders like Scullion or Duquette to thwart the run.
“I felt like we controlled the first half really well,” Stangel said. “I didn’t feel as though we were chasing. It was more of a matter of holding possession, and that’s where they got us.”
Willows (4-5-0, 2-3-0) worked until the closing moments for the equalizer. Emma Niemchura had a ball just go off frame. Freshman defender Arielle Donahue blasted a free kick from the right wing just wide of the mark.
Stangel was pleased by the improved level of play, if not the result.
“Unfortunately we lost, but overall I thought this was probably our best game of the year,” she said.
Much of the second half was played in a slight drizzle, and the wet grass field definitely interrupted the flow of the ball. A couple of times, Lillig got free into space only for the ball to seemingly stop.
Junior midfielder Ellie Stevenson is one of those players who saw some action during the state title run two years ago. She had a goal and an assist then in situational minutes.
Stevenson flashed some terrific play against Willows, pushing forward and blasting a couple of shots that just veered wide left.
Raiders junior midfielder Kendall Vallas had a ball hit off the post late in the second half. Even if the Raiders did not strike paydirt, their pressure forced the Eagles on their heels.
That made it easier to defend against the counter.
“I think one of the things I’m trying my best to do is helping everybody improve their skills during practice and apply that to a faster speed of play in games,” Lillig said.
“We might not play the same as before, and it might not be the same team exactly, but we have a positive attitude and outlook. We are trying to do our best out there.”
Junior Peyton Hudson played in four games during that magical run of 2019. The keeper also brings some composure and presence to the back.
Junior defender Lexi Jackson contributed to the strong defense.
A slightly different era is now underway at North Shore Country Day.
“We went to the state tournament three years ago. Then we started a new season, and everybody talked about the new year,” Raiders coach Lizzy Giffen said.
“Every year there is a new team. We have a few players who were on the team a couple of years ago, but you have to work with what you have at the time and not look into the past too much.”
Part of the culture and camaraderie are the connections of playing at such a small school. North Shore Country Day has a model of success in girls’ tennis, basketball and field hockey.
Edwards-Mizel was part of a tennis team that won a state championship in the fall of 2019. She was also a basketball standout.
Soccer is not the only way the team bonds together.
“A lot of the girls have not played soccer in two years, or they are new to the sport, but a lot of us have played field hockey together in the fall,” Lillig said.
“We have known each other for a few years.”
This is a new edition of the Raiders, but success is expected.
“For me, as a coach, I’m really competitive and the kids are really competitive, and we want to put our best selves forward,” Giffen said.
“At the end of the day, I want them to walk away thinking that was a good experience, and they had a good time when they were there.”
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK: Peyton Hudson
D: Lauren Gallagher
D: Natalie Duquette
D: Lexi Jackson
D: Jane Scullion
MF: Alma Fitzgerald
MF: Ellie Stevenson
MF: Eun Hae Lillig
MF: Zinzi Steele
MF: Lindsey Glew
F: Lila Golson
Willows
GK: Elaina Niemchura
D: Arielle Donahue
D: Lucy James
D: Isabel Avila
D: Isa Vidales
MF: Grace Rademacher
MF: Penelope Rodriguez
MF: Nora Sukkar
MF: Emma Niemchura
F: Emily Elder
F: Simone Burns
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Eun Hae Lillig, sr., MF, North Shore Country Day
Scoring summary
First half
North Shore Country Day—Eun Hae Lillig (Jane Scullion), ninth minute
Second half
No scoring
right touch against Willows
Senior’s savvy and experience leads Raiders to 1-0 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
DES PLAINES -- Eun Hae Lillig has a special sense of time, place and the particular thrill of optimizing the moment.
The enior midfielder at North Shore Country Day almost seems majestically attuned to her surroundings; she is rarely out of place and dialed into the action.
“She’s a great captain, and somebody who totally brings our team together,” senior defender Jane Scullion said.
She also has an experience that is irreplaceable. She started on back-to-back teams that made back-to-back Class A state title-game appearances in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
What that means, in practical terms, is that she is unlikely to be fazed or surprised.
“We lost a lot of the main part of those teams,” Lillig said. “This year is about rebuilding and maintaining what North Shore girls’ soccer is about.
“We are trying to be positive.”
Lillig blasted home a ball from Scullion in the ninth minute that the Raiders utilized for the 1-0 victory over Willows in Independent School League action at Maryville Academy on Tuesday.
After scoring her third goal of the season, Lillig earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor for her outstanding play.
North Shore Country Day (2-1-1, 2–1-1) is experiencing the natural if volatile cyclical movements of a program in transition.
Lillig, Scullion, midfielder/forward Zinzi Steele and defender Natalie Duquette are the four captains.
They make up the bulk of the players who either started or made up the rotation of the 2019 team that lost to Columbia in the state championship game.
The game marked the first meeting between the two rivals since North Shore Country Day defeated the Eagles 3-0 in the 2019 Cristo Rey St. Martin Sectional championship in Waukegan.
That familiarity naturally summoned a gilded past.
Lillig is a throwback and connective thread. She is a three-time Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List player for the Class of 2021. As a sophomore two years ago, she scored 11 goals and had five assists.
She was more of a complementary piece to three-time all-state player Edith Edwards-Mizel and standouts Julia Fortier, Caroline Segal and Allie Charnas.
The desire to link past and present is palpable.
“I’m trying my best to step into their roles,” Lillig said. “Obviously they’re very big shoes to fill. I’m trying to play for them and trying to do my best to keep their memory on the field.”
Scullion said the team lamented the missed chances to extend their lead against Willows. The combination play of the two underscored the vital importance of experience and talent.
“I think the early goal definitely brought up the excitement and the confidence, especially since we have so many new girls who have not been part of this before,” Scullion said.
“We were having some trouble finding the back of the net, but that first goal kept the energy up.”
Willows mentor Liz Stangel may be the youngest head coach in Illinois. She graduated from her alma mater in 2017 when she was the team’s keeper.
In her first full year coaching after the pandemic wiped out last season, Stangel said her young team reacted well against the early adversity.
“Last week was a rough one for us, and we lost games 5-1, 6-0 and 7-0,” she said. “Those teams got early goals against us, and we got down on ourselves.
“Today we had the mentality of as soon as a goal gets scored, whether it’s them or us, we don’t want to just let them control the game.”
The Eagles played without their best offensive player, senior midfielder Emma Dunaway.
Junior forward Emma Niemchura stepped up and flashed some terrific runs. She was close to breaking free inside the final third several times but was thwarted.
Every time the Eagles threatened, North Shore Country Day seemingly got one of its long and athletic defenders like Scullion or Duquette to thwart the run.
“I felt like we controlled the first half really well,” Stangel said. “I didn’t feel as though we were chasing. It was more of a matter of holding possession, and that’s where they got us.”
Willows (4-5-0, 2-3-0) worked until the closing moments for the equalizer. Emma Niemchura had a ball just go off frame. Freshman defender Arielle Donahue blasted a free kick from the right wing just wide of the mark.
Stangel was pleased by the improved level of play, if not the result.
“Unfortunately we lost, but overall I thought this was probably our best game of the year,” she said.
Much of the second half was played in a slight drizzle, and the wet grass field definitely interrupted the flow of the ball. A couple of times, Lillig got free into space only for the ball to seemingly stop.
Junior midfielder Ellie Stevenson is one of those players who saw some action during the state title run two years ago. She had a goal and an assist then in situational minutes.
Stevenson flashed some terrific play against Willows, pushing forward and blasting a couple of shots that just veered wide left.
Raiders junior midfielder Kendall Vallas had a ball hit off the post late in the second half. Even if the Raiders did not strike paydirt, their pressure forced the Eagles on their heels.
That made it easier to defend against the counter.
“I think one of the things I’m trying my best to do is helping everybody improve their skills during practice and apply that to a faster speed of play in games,” Lillig said.
“We might not play the same as before, and it might not be the same team exactly, but we have a positive attitude and outlook. We are trying to do our best out there.”
Junior Peyton Hudson played in four games during that magical run of 2019. The keeper also brings some composure and presence to the back.
Junior defender Lexi Jackson contributed to the strong defense.
A slightly different era is now underway at North Shore Country Day.
“We went to the state tournament three years ago. Then we started a new season, and everybody talked about the new year,” Raiders coach Lizzy Giffen said.
“Every year there is a new team. We have a few players who were on the team a couple of years ago, but you have to work with what you have at the time and not look into the past too much.”
Part of the culture and camaraderie are the connections of playing at such a small school. North Shore Country Day has a model of success in girls’ tennis, basketball and field hockey.
Edwards-Mizel was part of a tennis team that won a state championship in the fall of 2019. She was also a basketball standout.
Soccer is not the only way the team bonds together.
“A lot of the girls have not played soccer in two years, or they are new to the sport, but a lot of us have played field hockey together in the fall,” Lillig said.
“We have known each other for a few years.”
This is a new edition of the Raiders, but success is expected.
“For me, as a coach, I’m really competitive and the kids are really competitive, and we want to put our best selves forward,” Giffen said.
“At the end of the day, I want them to walk away thinking that was a good experience, and they had a good time when they were there.”
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK: Peyton Hudson
D: Lauren Gallagher
D: Natalie Duquette
D: Lexi Jackson
D: Jane Scullion
MF: Alma Fitzgerald
MF: Ellie Stevenson
MF: Eun Hae Lillig
MF: Zinzi Steele
MF: Lindsey Glew
F: Lila Golson
Willows
GK: Elaina Niemchura
D: Arielle Donahue
D: Lucy James
D: Isabel Avila
D: Isa Vidales
MF: Grace Rademacher
MF: Penelope Rodriguez
MF: Nora Sukkar
MF: Emma Niemchura
F: Emily Elder
F: Simone Burns
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Eun Hae Lillig, sr., MF, North Shore Country Day
Scoring summary
First half
North Shore Country Day—Eun Hae Lillig (Jane Scullion), ninth minute
Second half
No scoring