North Shore Country Day fast from the gate
Raiders improve to 2-0 with 3-0 win over University (Chicago)
By Gary Larsen
SKOKIE -- In the immediate aftermath of losing last year’s Class A state title game, North Shore Country Day went berserk with anger. Players screamed at each other. They attacked a linesman and tore his shirt off. The team skipped the trophy ceremony and instead stormed the parking lot to set a car on fire.
Of course they didn’t. Because even losing a state title game didn’t diminish in the least what the Raiders accomplished as the first girls’ soccer team in school history to reach the state finals.
“We were all so proud of how far we made it,” Raiders midfielder Eun Hae Lillig said. “All of the postseason last year was pretty unexpected for us. So even though the final didn't turn out the way we would have preferred, it was still a great way to finish off the season. Nobody was too sad. It was all about the accomplishment.”
Last year’s run featured a 2-1 sectional final win over St. Edward, followed by a 7-1 supersectional win over IC Catholic Prep. The Raiders then won 1-0 over University (Chicago) in double overtime of their state semifinal game at North Central College in Naperville.
The Raiders’ run finally came to a halt in a 5-1 loss to Notre Dame (Quincy) in the state title game. They finished with a 16-5-0 record.
“It felt like we left it all on the field in that game,” Raiders coach Lizzy Giffen said. “We played about a 110 minutes the day before, and we played a solid 70 minutes in the (state title) game.
“So it was a total celebration. It was an awesome moment and everyone was just really proud of themselves.”
A new season in 2019 carries excitement and expectation for North Shore Country Day. The Raiders only graduated two seniors from last year’s team, neither of whom scored a single goal.
Therein lies the blueprint for this season, which features a skilled and unselfish team aiming to play possession soccer with good size, speed, and chemistry.
“The team is pretty much the same, and having a second year to grow and to get better together is helping,” Lillig said. “We’re also a very close-knit team.”
At a school with an enrollment of only 228 students, it’s likely that everyone at North Shore Country Day feels close to one another. A small-school mentality tends to breed kinship and a thrilling run to a state title game has brought the Raiders even closer.
“This team has a lot of fun,” Giffen said. “They're all pretty good friends so if anything, it's a good time. They're also a little bit older now as juniors and seniors so with that comes a little bit more maturity. So they know when to turn it on and train, and when to have fun.”
After opening the season with a 9-0 win over Marian Catholic, North Shore Country Day (2-0-0, 1-0-0) faced University (2-3-0, 1-1-0) on Tuesday in a rematch of last year’s state semifinal game. It was also a season-opening conference game for both teams in the Independent School League.
The Raiders won 3-0 on goals from Lillig, Edith Edwards-Mizel, and Allie Charnas, who also assisted on Edwards-Mizel’s goal and played prominently throughout in the attack from midfield.
Charnas earned Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match honors for her effort in the win. “Allie had a good game, and when she takes her space she’s dangerous,” Giffen said.
Edwards-Mizel, a 2018 Chicagoland Soccer all-stater, won’t be a secret to any team the Raiders play this season. The junior had 28 goals and 21 assists as the team’s lone forward last year, and she sent a handful of shots just wide of the post in Tuesday’s win.
But North Shore Country Day is anything but a one-trick pony. The Raiders return four additional players who scored double-digit goals last year in Charnas (10), Emily Weil (15), Paige Forester (11), and Caroline Segal (10).
As the main link between the midfield and Edwards-Mizel up-top, Lillig had seven goals and seven assists as a freshman on last year’s team.
“Personally, I need to work on my speed of play a little bit,” Lillig said. “And as a team, maybe we need to work on possessing the ball a little more instead of always going forward with it. It's still early in the season, and we're still trying to connect. But we are improving.”
University (Chicago) had a quality chance to go up 1-0 early in Tuesday’s game, when Willow Young intercepted a pass near midfield and streaked in alone on Raiders keeper Abby Renaud.
Renaud was on the spot to cleanly snare Young’s shot from 14 yards. University graduated 10 seniors from last year’s state finals team, so this year’s Maroons are finding their way for coach Bannon Stroud.
“We did some things well. North Shore Country Day is very good, and I know they returned a lot of good players,” Stroud said. “We knew they were going to be a good team. But overall we did some things well, and we’ll continue to get better.”
Renaud earned eight shutouts as last year’s starting keeper and has yet to give up a goal in the Raiders' two games this season.
A back four featuring center backs Emily Smirl and Jane Scullion, and outside backs Segal and Rachel Olatunji has good size in front of Renaud.
“Our backline is going to be anchored by (Smirl). Our defense is an area we feel confident about,” Giffen said. “Caroline Segal was all-conference as an outside back last year and a lot of our success last year started in back.”
The offense speaks for itself.
Edwards-Mizel raced onto a Forester ball sent ahead midway through the first half and was tripped in the box by a defender. But Charnas ripped the ensuing penalty kick off the post and the game remained scoreless.
That changed at 20 minutes when Lillig followed up a shot taken by Weil on the left side and buried the deflection for the game’s first goal. Edwards-Mizel made it 2-0 at 39 minutes, running onto a Charnas pass on the right side and poking it inside the far post past charging University keeper Eve Grobman.
Charnas scored the game’s final goal at 51 minutes, and the Raiders continued to carry most of the attack to the game’s final whistle against a Maroons team seeking chemistry to start the year.
“We graduated a lot so we have a lot of youth, and we just need to grow up some,” Stroud said. “We did grow up some today. We have to go through some building blocks to prepare us for the season, and that’s where we were today."
Outside mids Forester and Weil fought well up the touchlines for North Shore country Day, while Lillig, Charnas, and Julia Fortier played solidly through the central midfield.
“They connect really well, and I just thought today that the movement off the ball could have been a little bit better,” Giffen said. “Because when they connect, they look pretty good. The good thing is that we have a lot of players that can distribute the ball.
“We had a big team meeting once we named the roster, and the girls want to stay focused on what’s important -- being good teammates, getting better every day.
"Last year we believed in ourselves and kind of proved what we already knew. So right now it's kind of making sure we don't get wrapped up in (expectations). We just want to come out and play.”
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK Abby Renaud
D Emily Smirl
D Jane Scullion
D Rachel Olatunji
D Caroline Segal
M Allie Charnas
M Eun Hae Lillig
M Julia Fortier
M Paige Forester
M Emily Weil
F Edith Edwards-Mizel
University (Chicago)
GK Eve Grobman
D Eliza Doss
D Elizabeth Gately
D Ella Beiser
D Grace Watson
M Eleanor Skish
M Grace Brady
M Kathryn Holleb
M Willow Young
M Greta List
F Isabella Kellermeier
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Allie Charnas, jr., M, North Shore Country Day
Scoring summary
First half
North Shore Country Day: Lillig (Weil), 20th minute
North Shore Country Day: Edwards-Mizel (Charnas), 39th minute
Second half
North Shore Country Day: Charnas (UA), 51st minute
Raiders improve to 2-0 with 3-0 win over University (Chicago)
By Gary Larsen
SKOKIE -- In the immediate aftermath of losing last year’s Class A state title game, North Shore Country Day went berserk with anger. Players screamed at each other. They attacked a linesman and tore his shirt off. The team skipped the trophy ceremony and instead stormed the parking lot to set a car on fire.
Of course they didn’t. Because even losing a state title game didn’t diminish in the least what the Raiders accomplished as the first girls’ soccer team in school history to reach the state finals.
“We were all so proud of how far we made it,” Raiders midfielder Eun Hae Lillig said. “All of the postseason last year was pretty unexpected for us. So even though the final didn't turn out the way we would have preferred, it was still a great way to finish off the season. Nobody was too sad. It was all about the accomplishment.”
Last year’s run featured a 2-1 sectional final win over St. Edward, followed by a 7-1 supersectional win over IC Catholic Prep. The Raiders then won 1-0 over University (Chicago) in double overtime of their state semifinal game at North Central College in Naperville.
The Raiders’ run finally came to a halt in a 5-1 loss to Notre Dame (Quincy) in the state title game. They finished with a 16-5-0 record.
“It felt like we left it all on the field in that game,” Raiders coach Lizzy Giffen said. “We played about a 110 minutes the day before, and we played a solid 70 minutes in the (state title) game.
“So it was a total celebration. It was an awesome moment and everyone was just really proud of themselves.”
A new season in 2019 carries excitement and expectation for North Shore Country Day. The Raiders only graduated two seniors from last year’s team, neither of whom scored a single goal.
Therein lies the blueprint for this season, which features a skilled and unselfish team aiming to play possession soccer with good size, speed, and chemistry.
“The team is pretty much the same, and having a second year to grow and to get better together is helping,” Lillig said. “We’re also a very close-knit team.”
At a school with an enrollment of only 228 students, it’s likely that everyone at North Shore Country Day feels close to one another. A small-school mentality tends to breed kinship and a thrilling run to a state title game has brought the Raiders even closer.
“This team has a lot of fun,” Giffen said. “They're all pretty good friends so if anything, it's a good time. They're also a little bit older now as juniors and seniors so with that comes a little bit more maturity. So they know when to turn it on and train, and when to have fun.”
After opening the season with a 9-0 win over Marian Catholic, North Shore Country Day (2-0-0, 1-0-0) faced University (2-3-0, 1-1-0) on Tuesday in a rematch of last year’s state semifinal game. It was also a season-opening conference game for both teams in the Independent School League.
The Raiders won 3-0 on goals from Lillig, Edith Edwards-Mizel, and Allie Charnas, who also assisted on Edwards-Mizel’s goal and played prominently throughout in the attack from midfield.
Charnas earned Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match honors for her effort in the win. “Allie had a good game, and when she takes her space she’s dangerous,” Giffen said.
Edwards-Mizel, a 2018 Chicagoland Soccer all-stater, won’t be a secret to any team the Raiders play this season. The junior had 28 goals and 21 assists as the team’s lone forward last year, and she sent a handful of shots just wide of the post in Tuesday’s win.
But North Shore Country Day is anything but a one-trick pony. The Raiders return four additional players who scored double-digit goals last year in Charnas (10), Emily Weil (15), Paige Forester (11), and Caroline Segal (10).
As the main link between the midfield and Edwards-Mizel up-top, Lillig had seven goals and seven assists as a freshman on last year’s team.
“Personally, I need to work on my speed of play a little bit,” Lillig said. “And as a team, maybe we need to work on possessing the ball a little more instead of always going forward with it. It's still early in the season, and we're still trying to connect. But we are improving.”
University (Chicago) had a quality chance to go up 1-0 early in Tuesday’s game, when Willow Young intercepted a pass near midfield and streaked in alone on Raiders keeper Abby Renaud.
Renaud was on the spot to cleanly snare Young’s shot from 14 yards. University graduated 10 seniors from last year’s state finals team, so this year’s Maroons are finding their way for coach Bannon Stroud.
“We did some things well. North Shore Country Day is very good, and I know they returned a lot of good players,” Stroud said. “We knew they were going to be a good team. But overall we did some things well, and we’ll continue to get better.”
Renaud earned eight shutouts as last year’s starting keeper and has yet to give up a goal in the Raiders' two games this season.
A back four featuring center backs Emily Smirl and Jane Scullion, and outside backs Segal and Rachel Olatunji has good size in front of Renaud.
“Our backline is going to be anchored by (Smirl). Our defense is an area we feel confident about,” Giffen said. “Caroline Segal was all-conference as an outside back last year and a lot of our success last year started in back.”
The offense speaks for itself.
Edwards-Mizel raced onto a Forester ball sent ahead midway through the first half and was tripped in the box by a defender. But Charnas ripped the ensuing penalty kick off the post and the game remained scoreless.
That changed at 20 minutes when Lillig followed up a shot taken by Weil on the left side and buried the deflection for the game’s first goal. Edwards-Mizel made it 2-0 at 39 minutes, running onto a Charnas pass on the right side and poking it inside the far post past charging University keeper Eve Grobman.
Charnas scored the game’s final goal at 51 minutes, and the Raiders continued to carry most of the attack to the game’s final whistle against a Maroons team seeking chemistry to start the year.
“We graduated a lot so we have a lot of youth, and we just need to grow up some,” Stroud said. “We did grow up some today. We have to go through some building blocks to prepare us for the season, and that’s where we were today."
Outside mids Forester and Weil fought well up the touchlines for North Shore country Day, while Lillig, Charnas, and Julia Fortier played solidly through the central midfield.
“They connect really well, and I just thought today that the movement off the ball could have been a little bit better,” Giffen said. “Because when they connect, they look pretty good. The good thing is that we have a lot of players that can distribute the ball.
“We had a big team meeting once we named the roster, and the girls want to stay focused on what’s important -- being good teammates, getting better every day.
"Last year we believed in ourselves and kind of proved what we already knew. So right now it's kind of making sure we don't get wrapped up in (expectations). We just want to come out and play.”
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK Abby Renaud
D Emily Smirl
D Jane Scullion
D Rachel Olatunji
D Caroline Segal
M Allie Charnas
M Eun Hae Lillig
M Julia Fortier
M Paige Forester
M Emily Weil
F Edith Edwards-Mizel
University (Chicago)
GK Eve Grobman
D Eliza Doss
D Elizabeth Gately
D Ella Beiser
D Grace Watson
M Eleanor Skish
M Grace Brady
M Kathryn Holleb
M Willow Young
M Greta List
F Isabella Kellermeier
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Allie Charnas, jr., M, North Shore Country Day
Scoring summary
First half
North Shore Country Day: Lillig (Weil), 20th minute
North Shore Country Day: Edwards-Mizel (Charnas), 39th minute
Second half
North Shore Country Day: Charnas (UA), 51st minute