A dream deferred for N. Shore Country Day
Raiders fall to state power Columbia in Class A title game
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- North Shore Country Day was chasing history. Columbia sought to vanquish a devastating moment out of its recent past.
The two opposing movements clashed on a brilliant and hot afternoon as the Raiders’ trademark speed, athleticism and deft scoring touch was nullified by the equally imposing speed and skill of the Eagles.
“They were really quick, and they were really good off the ball,” North Shore Country Day coach Lizzy Giffen said. “Every player is moving all the time, and when you have that in a high school team, that makes you very dangerous and difficult to play.”
The Raiders’ dream of the first state title in program history ended on a melancholy note as Columbia showcased a diverse and devastating attack for a 4-0 victory in the Class A state championship Saturday at North Central College.
For the second-straight year, North Shore Country Day came in as a big underdog and settled for second place.
“That was a great team,” Giffen said. “I think they deserved to win. They played great. I am very happy with our girls. You could not have asked for more of an effort, energy and excitement. We just could not get our game going [offensively]. We were not able to get breakaways with slotted balls on the outside.
“I am happy with how we played.”
Senior keeper Abby Renaud, as she has been all year, was majestic for the Raiders (16-4-0). She withstood the fierce pressure generated by the Eagles through the opening 20 minutes. She finished with 11 saves. The title game marked just the eighth time this year she permitted a goal in a game.
Columbia star senior forward Kennedy Jones was the difference-maker in the first half. She broke the game open with two fantastic plays and earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
Columbia’s pressure generated 10 corner kick opportunities. In the 25th minute, from the left edge, Jones delivered with a beautiful service that midfielder Fae Harrell smashed home with a header for the 1-0 lead.
“I have always taken corners, and it is just the way we finish,” Jones said. “The goal definitely put a fire underneath us. Once we hit the one goal we are just ready for more.”
The Eagles (27-2-1) dictated possession. The Raiders fought and generated some credible pressure of their own.
“There were some moments in there when it was just 1-0, and we had some opportunities, but they came back,” Raiders’ star forward Edith Edwards-Mizel said. “In those first 25 minutes, Abby kept us in the game big time with some huge saves.”
The second goal was the turning moment for the Raiders. Giffen knew if her team had any chance of pulling the upset they had to stay close.
“We wanted to try and keep it 1-0 as long as we could,” she said.
Jones scuttled those plans by breaking free down the left edge and blasting home a short volley from about 14 yards for a backbreaking goal in the 39th minute that created greater separation.
“We made some adjustments at halftime,” Giffen said. “We were ready to come out the second half, and we came out very hard and gave them a run for their money. I think had we been able to score and make it 2-1, it might have been a different game.”
Columbia senior Rylee Iorio is one of the state’s best keepers: for the season she allowed a scant eight goals in 30 games and finished with 19 shutouts. The Eagles allowed just two goals in their seven-game state championship run, those in blowout wins, and none in Naperville.
Columbia has held the top spot of the Illinois 10, the Chicagoland Soccer poll of the top teams outside of Chicago and its suburbs, ever since Week 2 of the season. The defining moment came with the Eagles’ 2-1 victory over Neuqua Valley on March 29 at the Parkway College Showcase in St. Louis.
“We went into that game very nervous, because we knew they were a very good team,” Jones said. “We gave it everything we had against them, and once we beat them it was a huge moment and gave us a lot of confidence.”
Iorio reiterated the point.
“Neuqua was the best team we played all year,” she said. “It was a crucial game, and we came in knowing they were a big and really good school. Beating them showed how good we were.”
The Eagles’ entire season has been structured around the pain of last year’s state tournament loss, a double overtime 1-0 defeat that saw Althoff score with three seconds remaining.
“It was pouring rain, and a girl gets to the corner and crosses it, and it bent in,” Columbia coach Jamey Bridges said. “There is a poster the players made of the girls from Althoff celebrating, and our girls lying on the field crying. It has been our motivation since May 18 of last year. Especially with losing just one senior from that team, we knew this was our year.”
In addition to Neuqua Valley, Columbia beat Class 3A programs Granite City, Collinsville, Edwardsville and Alton. The Eagles also defeated Class AA powers Notre Dame (Peoria), Triad, Springfield, Gibault and Waterloo.
The state title is the first in program history. The Eagles previously finished second and third in Class A in 2006 and 2008 respectively, during the two-class era.
The program was undefeated against state teams.
“To be able to say we played the Class A, Class AA and Class 3A schools and say we were not able to lose to any of them, I think that is a special feeling,” Bridges said.
North Shore Country Day generated greater opportunities and possession time in the second half. They were able to generate shots. Iorio finished with four saves. The Raiders never quite unleashed their speed on the perimeter to create serious chances.
Columbia punctuated its great season with late goals by midfielders Haley Glover and Reagan Mauch, who added two assists.
The moment was perhaps bittersweet for the Raiders. A year ago, they were an unknown in uncharted territory.
Now things have changed and North Shore Country Day is poised to hang around.
Only Renaud and midfielders Emily Weil and Paige Forester graduate.
“I am going to miss the physical stuff, like Emily’s speed, her ability to stick with the ball every single time, Abby making all those great saves and Paige, too,” Edwards-Mizel said.
“They are really great people.”
Weil and Edwards-Mizel finished with 20 goals. Forester had 12 goals and 12 assists. Midfielder Allie Charnas posted 14 goals and 14 assists. Sophomore Eun Hae Lillig emerged as the next star in the program with 11 goals and six assists.
North Shore Country Day has made its reputation at the state level as a school to be reckoned with. This is a program capable of playing with anybody its own size and a great many others with significant larger enrollments.
“I never imagined this when I started here that we would make it this far,” Weil said. “I feel like I have grown so much as a player, and we have grown so much as a team to get where we are now.
“The thing I am going to take away is that it does not matter who is the best, who has the most talented players, it is about finding a group of girls that you are going to be close with. That is when you are going to have the most success.”
The coaches and players had much to be thrilled about.
“I want to make sure we have been proud of what we have built,” Giffen said. “This has been years in the making.
“The same thing we said at the beginning of this year, we are going to say next year. We win, we lose, we play hard, next year is going to be totally different. That is what was so amazing about this year’s team. We really did not focus on the state tournament.
“We focused on controlling what we could, improving and that process leads you here. If we do that again, we will see.”
If there was a disappointment or pain, the players shielded it from view. They appeared to live vicariously in the moment.
“Two years in a row,” Edwards-Mizel said. “Not too shabby.”
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK: Abby Renaud
D: Emma Smirl
D: Jane Scullion
D: Rachel Olatunji
D: Caroline Segal
MF: Allie Charnas
MF: Eun Hae Lillig
MF: Julia Fortier
MF: Paige Forester
MF: Emily Weil
F: Edith Edwards-Mizel
Columbia
GK: Rylee Iorio
D: Alison Carr
D: Jenna Jackson
D: Kyra Bivins
D: Mary Gasaway
MF: Fae Harrell
MF: Reagan Mauch
MF: Haley Glover
MF: Sophia Bonaldi
F: Chloe Graff
F: Kennedy Jones
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Kennedy Jones, sr., F, Columbia
Scoring summary
First half
Columbia—Fae Harrell (Kennedy Jones), 25th minute
Columbia—Jones (Reagan Mauch), 39th minute
Second half
Columbia—Haley Glover (Mauch), 63rd minute
Columbia—Mauch (unassisted), 79th minute
Raiders fall to state power Columbia in Class A title game
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- North Shore Country Day was chasing history. Columbia sought to vanquish a devastating moment out of its recent past.
The two opposing movements clashed on a brilliant and hot afternoon as the Raiders’ trademark speed, athleticism and deft scoring touch was nullified by the equally imposing speed and skill of the Eagles.
“They were really quick, and they were really good off the ball,” North Shore Country Day coach Lizzy Giffen said. “Every player is moving all the time, and when you have that in a high school team, that makes you very dangerous and difficult to play.”
The Raiders’ dream of the first state title in program history ended on a melancholy note as Columbia showcased a diverse and devastating attack for a 4-0 victory in the Class A state championship Saturday at North Central College.
For the second-straight year, North Shore Country Day came in as a big underdog and settled for second place.
“That was a great team,” Giffen said. “I think they deserved to win. They played great. I am very happy with our girls. You could not have asked for more of an effort, energy and excitement. We just could not get our game going [offensively]. We were not able to get breakaways with slotted balls on the outside.
“I am happy with how we played.”
Senior keeper Abby Renaud, as she has been all year, was majestic for the Raiders (16-4-0). She withstood the fierce pressure generated by the Eagles through the opening 20 minutes. She finished with 11 saves. The title game marked just the eighth time this year she permitted a goal in a game.
Columbia star senior forward Kennedy Jones was the difference-maker in the first half. She broke the game open with two fantastic plays and earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
Columbia’s pressure generated 10 corner kick opportunities. In the 25th minute, from the left edge, Jones delivered with a beautiful service that midfielder Fae Harrell smashed home with a header for the 1-0 lead.
“I have always taken corners, and it is just the way we finish,” Jones said. “The goal definitely put a fire underneath us. Once we hit the one goal we are just ready for more.”
The Eagles (27-2-1) dictated possession. The Raiders fought and generated some credible pressure of their own.
“There were some moments in there when it was just 1-0, and we had some opportunities, but they came back,” Raiders’ star forward Edith Edwards-Mizel said. “In those first 25 minutes, Abby kept us in the game big time with some huge saves.”
The second goal was the turning moment for the Raiders. Giffen knew if her team had any chance of pulling the upset they had to stay close.
“We wanted to try and keep it 1-0 as long as we could,” she said.
Jones scuttled those plans by breaking free down the left edge and blasting home a short volley from about 14 yards for a backbreaking goal in the 39th minute that created greater separation.
“We made some adjustments at halftime,” Giffen said. “We were ready to come out the second half, and we came out very hard and gave them a run for their money. I think had we been able to score and make it 2-1, it might have been a different game.”
Columbia senior Rylee Iorio is one of the state’s best keepers: for the season she allowed a scant eight goals in 30 games and finished with 19 shutouts. The Eagles allowed just two goals in their seven-game state championship run, those in blowout wins, and none in Naperville.
Columbia has held the top spot of the Illinois 10, the Chicagoland Soccer poll of the top teams outside of Chicago and its suburbs, ever since Week 2 of the season. The defining moment came with the Eagles’ 2-1 victory over Neuqua Valley on March 29 at the Parkway College Showcase in St. Louis.
“We went into that game very nervous, because we knew they were a very good team,” Jones said. “We gave it everything we had against them, and once we beat them it was a huge moment and gave us a lot of confidence.”
Iorio reiterated the point.
“Neuqua was the best team we played all year,” she said. “It was a crucial game, and we came in knowing they were a big and really good school. Beating them showed how good we were.”
The Eagles’ entire season has been structured around the pain of last year’s state tournament loss, a double overtime 1-0 defeat that saw Althoff score with three seconds remaining.
“It was pouring rain, and a girl gets to the corner and crosses it, and it bent in,” Columbia coach Jamey Bridges said. “There is a poster the players made of the girls from Althoff celebrating, and our girls lying on the field crying. It has been our motivation since May 18 of last year. Especially with losing just one senior from that team, we knew this was our year.”
In addition to Neuqua Valley, Columbia beat Class 3A programs Granite City, Collinsville, Edwardsville and Alton. The Eagles also defeated Class AA powers Notre Dame (Peoria), Triad, Springfield, Gibault and Waterloo.
The state title is the first in program history. The Eagles previously finished second and third in Class A in 2006 and 2008 respectively, during the two-class era.
The program was undefeated against state teams.
“To be able to say we played the Class A, Class AA and Class 3A schools and say we were not able to lose to any of them, I think that is a special feeling,” Bridges said.
North Shore Country Day generated greater opportunities and possession time in the second half. They were able to generate shots. Iorio finished with four saves. The Raiders never quite unleashed their speed on the perimeter to create serious chances.
Columbia punctuated its great season with late goals by midfielders Haley Glover and Reagan Mauch, who added two assists.
The moment was perhaps bittersweet for the Raiders. A year ago, they were an unknown in uncharted territory.
Now things have changed and North Shore Country Day is poised to hang around.
Only Renaud and midfielders Emily Weil and Paige Forester graduate.
“I am going to miss the physical stuff, like Emily’s speed, her ability to stick with the ball every single time, Abby making all those great saves and Paige, too,” Edwards-Mizel said.
“They are really great people.”
Weil and Edwards-Mizel finished with 20 goals. Forester had 12 goals and 12 assists. Midfielder Allie Charnas posted 14 goals and 14 assists. Sophomore Eun Hae Lillig emerged as the next star in the program with 11 goals and six assists.
North Shore Country Day has made its reputation at the state level as a school to be reckoned with. This is a program capable of playing with anybody its own size and a great many others with significant larger enrollments.
“I never imagined this when I started here that we would make it this far,” Weil said. “I feel like I have grown so much as a player, and we have grown so much as a team to get where we are now.
“The thing I am going to take away is that it does not matter who is the best, who has the most talented players, it is about finding a group of girls that you are going to be close with. That is when you are going to have the most success.”
The coaches and players had much to be thrilled about.
“I want to make sure we have been proud of what we have built,” Giffen said. “This has been years in the making.
“The same thing we said at the beginning of this year, we are going to say next year. We win, we lose, we play hard, next year is going to be totally different. That is what was so amazing about this year’s team. We really did not focus on the state tournament.
“We focused on controlling what we could, improving and that process leads you here. If we do that again, we will see.”
If there was a disappointment or pain, the players shielded it from view. They appeared to live vicariously in the moment.
“Two years in a row,” Edwards-Mizel said. “Not too shabby.”
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK: Abby Renaud
D: Emma Smirl
D: Jane Scullion
D: Rachel Olatunji
D: Caroline Segal
MF: Allie Charnas
MF: Eun Hae Lillig
MF: Julia Fortier
MF: Paige Forester
MF: Emily Weil
F: Edith Edwards-Mizel
Columbia
GK: Rylee Iorio
D: Alison Carr
D: Jenna Jackson
D: Kyra Bivins
D: Mary Gasaway
MF: Fae Harrell
MF: Reagan Mauch
MF: Haley Glover
MF: Sophia Bonaldi
F: Chloe Graff
F: Kennedy Jones
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Kennedy Jones, sr., F, Columbia
Scoring summary
First half
Columbia—Fae Harrell (Kennedy Jones), 25th minute
Columbia—Jones (Reagan Mauch), 39th minute
Second half
Columbia—Haley Glover (Mauch), 63rd minute
Columbia—Mauch (unassisted), 79th minute