NSCD blitzes IC in 2nd half, returns to finals Raiders net 6 after intermission, 3 in 78 seconds, beat IC 7-1
By Dave Owen
RIVER FOREST – When North Shore Country Day flips the switch, it’s often lights out for opponents.
However, it was IC Catholic Prep (15-8-0) that provided the first electricity of Tuesday’s Class A Concordia Supersectional match an Abi Wagner goal 50 seconds into play put the underdog Knights up 1-0.
But entering halftime tied 1-1, the Raiders (15-3-0) answered that game-opening shock in multiples. Scoring five times in the first 10:28 of the second half, NSCD took complete command en route to a 7-1 win and a return trip to the state semifinals Friday in Naperville.
“I think it’s our team energy,” said NSCD senior Emily Weil, who scored two goals in the dominant second half stretch. “Once one person gets the energy up, they kind of bring everybody else up and that allows us to go on those runs like that.”
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Eun Hae Lillig had a part in four of NSCD’s first five goals (two goals, two assists), as her team turned the early 1-0 deficit and a first half of near-misses into a second half scoring clinic.
“I think it was a little bit of relief (scoring early in the second half),” Lillig said, “and also even more motivation: ‘Let’s keep this going and play hard.’”
One quiet motivation for the Raiders all season has been fulfilled: returning to state to try to improve on their 2018 second place finish.
“At the beginning of the season,” Weil said, “we said we weren’t going to focus just on accomplishing those goals.
“But throughout the whole season there was that little voice in the back of my head saying, ‘I want to get back.’ And it just feels so amazing that we’re finally going to get to go back.
“We told ourselves we weren’t going to focus on it,” Weil added, “but I think we all felt maybe not necessarily a pressure, but a desire to go back and win it this year.”
Said Lillig: “We focus a lot on not expecting success but working for it and trying to earn our way back to state. So it feels great to have done that.
“Other people may have expected us to win, but really it was just about us working hard and earning that success.”
The Knights certainly made NSCD earn its return trip to state Tuesday.
IC turned its opening possession of the game into magic. Wagner, a junior forward, created space and powered a high 15-yard shot that deflected off NSCD goalkeeper Abby Renaud’s hands and into the net.
“Obvously we didn’t expect that (first-minute goal),” Wagner said. “To come out that fast is probably the best we’ve ever done. We’re usually not a first half team. To score in the first few minutes was huge momentum. It was awesome.”
NSCD answered that opening salvo with waves of threats the rest of the half. IC weathered the storm to maintain their 1-0 lead for most of the frame.
“We kept the energy up,” Wagner said. “Everyone was really positive, and we held our ‘D.’ We haven’t had that strong of a defense before.”
That defensive muscle began to show in the sixth minute, when freshman Claire Wagner nicely blocked an Eith Edwards-Mizel shot left of the net.
Two minutes later, goalkeeper Gabbey Smola made a nice right post block and control of another Edwards-Mizel quality chance off a Paige Forester pass.
Smola remained busy, smothering a Lillig 8-yard shot off a cross to the front in the 15th minute. One minute later, Allie Charnas’ 10-yard shot off a NSCD corner kick went just wide right.
“We had a lot of chances in the first half,” Raiders coach Lizzy Giffen said. “I think they (IC) just had the perfect game plan. I was really impressed with them and how they were coached.”
IC continued to play with no fear.
In the 20th minute, a Edwards-Mizel corner kick brought a high-energy response from Smola. She came off her line to punch the send away, then continued to race forward towards the edge of the box to boot the ball upfield.
Two minutes later, Edwards-Mizel’s right-side attack and low 8-yard shot were denied on a Smola low catch at the right post.
Then in the 27th minute, an extended sequence produced big plays by several Knights. Suzy Maloney, Kelly Murray and Cassandra Serrano all blocked shots or crosses in the box as the IC 1-0 lead held up.
“We played some pretty tough opponents this season,” IC coach Antonio Godinez said, “so I just told the girls ‘We’ve got to play them straight up. We’re not going to change anything.’ We did that the first half.”
But NSCD’s relentless attack would finally knock down the wall. Albeit it needed an incredible effort to do so.
With 11:52 until halftime, Edwards-Mizel tipped the ball past two defenders up the left sideline. She then sidestepped another defender on her dribble to the end line and angled a perfect pass beyond Smola’s reach.
Lillig did the rest, powering home an 8-yard drive in front to tie the game 1-1.
“I think that throughout the first half we were really just picking each other up,” Lillig said, “and that kept my mindset positive and kept me motivated.”
The Knights defense was back in the 35th minute, with Smola’s leaping one-handed deflection of a corner kick and eventual diving cover in the crease.
Lillig followed with shots just over the net off Weil passes in the 36th and 37th minute, then a final first half Raiders threat with 35 seconds left ended with Serrano’s shot block and a Julia Fortier rebound wide right.
Any Raiders near-miss frustration from the first half would not carry over in the least.
“At halftime,” Lillig said, “Miss Giffen was telling me to just keep getting it to open space and try to get involved more.”
It took 45 seconds to turn the message into reality.
Off an initial send by Caroline Segal, Forester burst in on right wing and sent a cross to Lillig in front. The sophomore did the rest, lining a low shot inside the left post to put NSCD up 2-1.
IC made a strong bid to answer with 36:40 left to play. After Abi Wagner was fouled left of the box 11 yards off the endline. Olivia Hurt fired the ensuing free kick from 11 yards off the end line off the football crossbar just above the net.
But that threat and another Hurt 28-yard free kick caught by NSCD goalkeeper Renaud with 33:50 left would be small interludes in what was a dominant second half stretch of play for the Raiders.
The NSCD lead went to 3-1 with 35:18 to go. Off an Edwards-Mizel pass up right wing, Lillig’s dribble in on goal was initially broken up by a sliding Smola deflection. But the loose ball rolled to Weil left of the goal for an open-net putaway.
Less than five minutes later, a burst of three goals in just 78 seconds clinched NSCD’s return to state.
Off a Weil pass with 30:50 left, Edwards-Mizel was tripped in the box. Charnas’ ensuing penalty kick upped the lead to 4-1.
Just 33 seconds later, Edwards-Mizel’s goal off a Lillig pass made the score 5-1.
Then with 29:32 to play, Smola’s sliding save 15 yards off her line denied a Weil break-in on left wing, but Weil deposited the open-net rebound inside the left post to put NSCD quickly in command at 6-1.
“We’ve been really working on placement and putting the ball away from the goalie,” Giffen said. “That was the emphasis (at halftime). We didn’t make that many adjustments.
“But then we click on one (goal), get a little bit of a spark, and they feed off each others’ energy. They’re all pretty good friends, and all have played together for a couple of years. So they really want to do it for each other. They get really excited and cheer for each other. It’s very much a team mentality, which is awesome.”
Having virtually the entire nucleus of last year’s team intact has helped the Raiders click.
“We’ve been playing together long enough that we have that kind of chemistry and know where to find each other,” Weil said. “We know what runs the other person is going to make, and it makes it so much easier to find them.”
Said Giffen: “From last year’s team we lost two seniors, one was a starter. So we’ve had a lot of time to play together and get even more comfortable with each other. That’s been really great.
“I think all 11 of those players on the field are really playing well,” Giffen added. “And when all 11 of them are on, I think we’re hard to beat.”
Great individual effort would produce a seventh NSCD goal with 15:09 to go. Charnas won a 50-50 ball, burst in left and lined a shot inside the post to finish the scoring.
“It was a tale of two halves,” IC’s Godinez said. “The other team came out really strong (in the second half).
“(Our players) followed the game plan and came out strong, but we just got away from it. We tended to sit back instead of playing like these girls have been playing. That hurt us in the second half.
“The second half I just felt some defensive assignments weren’t done correctly,” Godinez added, “and that’s how they slipped through.”
NSCD defeated IC by an identical 7-1 score in last year’s supersectional. But the 2017 state semifinalist Knights never led in that game and had a healthier and more experienced squad on the field a year ago.
“We lost three starters to injuries (this year),” Godinez said, “so looking at this game from last year’s game (with NSCD) we were without six starters.
“We started four freshmen, so the future looks bright. And the girls played very hard; we were in every game. This game was a little bit tough for us in the second half, but I thought the girls had an excellent season.”
Despite the suddenly lopsided final score, the IC players kept similar perspective.
“We really have no business being here,” Abi Wagner said. “We had a ton of injuries. That’s why I think it’s awesome that we even made it to this point. And to get on the board first was even better, such a huge confidence thing.”
The Knights also didn’t quit in the face of NSCD’s second half blitz.
With 12:20 to go, Abi Wagner made a midfield steal and raced in on multiple defenders, sending a 15-yard shot wide right.
Then with 6:50 left, a Hurt cross to the post was sent just over the net by Rachel Simonides.
“We had a great season,” Abi Wagner said. “Obviously I’m disappointed we lost, but we made it this far and there’s nothing else we could do. So it’s awesome.”
Things are even more awesome for NSCD.
First-time state semifinal qualifiers last year, the purple wave looks to make an even more colorful impact this time.
“This year we’ve had a lot of firsts,” Weil said. “Winning our conference and beating a 3A team (13-win Maine West) has given us the confidence that we can go back and win it (state) this year.”
Experience should be a huge factor on the Raiders’ side this weekend.
“I think our team’s closeness off the field really connects us on the field,” Lillig said. “We know each other so well, and our team hasn’t shifted a lot from last year.
“We didn’t lose many players, so I think being together for two years has also really helped our team stay focused.”
Next up is Herscher (23-4-0), in a state semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday.
“We’re just going to go in, play our game, play hard,” Lillig said. “That’s our mindset for every game, to play our best.”
Starting lineups
NSCD
GK: Abby Renaud
D: Caroline Segal
D: Emma Smirl
D: Jane Scullion
D: Rachel Olatunji
M: Paige Forester
M: Allie Charnas
M: Emily Weil
M: Julia Fortier
F: Eun Hae Lillig
F: Edith Edwards-Mizel
IC Catholic Prep
GK: Gabbey Smola
D: Claire Wagner
D: Suzy Maloney
D: Cassandra Serrano
D: Maggie O’Brien
M: Abi Wagner
M: Kelly Murray
M: Frances Cook
M: Eva Calles
F: Olivia Hurt
F: Rachel Simonides
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Eun Hae Lillig, so. F, NSCD
Scoring summary
First half
ICCP- Abi Wagner, 1st minute
NSCD- Eun Hae Lillig (Edith Edwards-Mizel), 29th minute
Second half
NSCD- Lillig (Paige Forester), 41st minute
NSCD- Emily Weil (Lillig), 45th minute
NSCD- Allie Charnas (PK), 50th minute
NSCD- Edwards-Mizel (Lillig), 50th minute
NSCD- Weil, 51st minute
NSCD- Charnas, 65th minute
By Dave Owen
RIVER FOREST – When North Shore Country Day flips the switch, it’s often lights out for opponents.
However, it was IC Catholic Prep (15-8-0) that provided the first electricity of Tuesday’s Class A Concordia Supersectional match an Abi Wagner goal 50 seconds into play put the underdog Knights up 1-0.
But entering halftime tied 1-1, the Raiders (15-3-0) answered that game-opening shock in multiples. Scoring five times in the first 10:28 of the second half, NSCD took complete command en route to a 7-1 win and a return trip to the state semifinals Friday in Naperville.
“I think it’s our team energy,” said NSCD senior Emily Weil, who scored two goals in the dominant second half stretch. “Once one person gets the energy up, they kind of bring everybody else up and that allows us to go on those runs like that.”
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Eun Hae Lillig had a part in four of NSCD’s first five goals (two goals, two assists), as her team turned the early 1-0 deficit and a first half of near-misses into a second half scoring clinic.
“I think it was a little bit of relief (scoring early in the second half),” Lillig said, “and also even more motivation: ‘Let’s keep this going and play hard.’”
One quiet motivation for the Raiders all season has been fulfilled: returning to state to try to improve on their 2018 second place finish.
“At the beginning of the season,” Weil said, “we said we weren’t going to focus just on accomplishing those goals.
“But throughout the whole season there was that little voice in the back of my head saying, ‘I want to get back.’ And it just feels so amazing that we’re finally going to get to go back.
“We told ourselves we weren’t going to focus on it,” Weil added, “but I think we all felt maybe not necessarily a pressure, but a desire to go back and win it this year.”
Said Lillig: “We focus a lot on not expecting success but working for it and trying to earn our way back to state. So it feels great to have done that.
“Other people may have expected us to win, but really it was just about us working hard and earning that success.”
The Knights certainly made NSCD earn its return trip to state Tuesday.
IC turned its opening possession of the game into magic. Wagner, a junior forward, created space and powered a high 15-yard shot that deflected off NSCD goalkeeper Abby Renaud’s hands and into the net.
“Obvously we didn’t expect that (first-minute goal),” Wagner said. “To come out that fast is probably the best we’ve ever done. We’re usually not a first half team. To score in the first few minutes was huge momentum. It was awesome.”
NSCD answered that opening salvo with waves of threats the rest of the half. IC weathered the storm to maintain their 1-0 lead for most of the frame.
“We kept the energy up,” Wagner said. “Everyone was really positive, and we held our ‘D.’ We haven’t had that strong of a defense before.”
That defensive muscle began to show in the sixth minute, when freshman Claire Wagner nicely blocked an Eith Edwards-Mizel shot left of the net.
Two minutes later, goalkeeper Gabbey Smola made a nice right post block and control of another Edwards-Mizel quality chance off a Paige Forester pass.
Smola remained busy, smothering a Lillig 8-yard shot off a cross to the front in the 15th minute. One minute later, Allie Charnas’ 10-yard shot off a NSCD corner kick went just wide right.
“We had a lot of chances in the first half,” Raiders coach Lizzy Giffen said. “I think they (IC) just had the perfect game plan. I was really impressed with them and how they were coached.”
IC continued to play with no fear.
In the 20th minute, a Edwards-Mizel corner kick brought a high-energy response from Smola. She came off her line to punch the send away, then continued to race forward towards the edge of the box to boot the ball upfield.
Two minutes later, Edwards-Mizel’s right-side attack and low 8-yard shot were denied on a Smola low catch at the right post.
Then in the 27th minute, an extended sequence produced big plays by several Knights. Suzy Maloney, Kelly Murray and Cassandra Serrano all blocked shots or crosses in the box as the IC 1-0 lead held up.
“We played some pretty tough opponents this season,” IC coach Antonio Godinez said, “so I just told the girls ‘We’ve got to play them straight up. We’re not going to change anything.’ We did that the first half.”
But NSCD’s relentless attack would finally knock down the wall. Albeit it needed an incredible effort to do so.
With 11:52 until halftime, Edwards-Mizel tipped the ball past two defenders up the left sideline. She then sidestepped another defender on her dribble to the end line and angled a perfect pass beyond Smola’s reach.
Lillig did the rest, powering home an 8-yard drive in front to tie the game 1-1.
“I think that throughout the first half we were really just picking each other up,” Lillig said, “and that kept my mindset positive and kept me motivated.”
The Knights defense was back in the 35th minute, with Smola’s leaping one-handed deflection of a corner kick and eventual diving cover in the crease.
Lillig followed with shots just over the net off Weil passes in the 36th and 37th minute, then a final first half Raiders threat with 35 seconds left ended with Serrano’s shot block and a Julia Fortier rebound wide right.
Any Raiders near-miss frustration from the first half would not carry over in the least.
“At halftime,” Lillig said, “Miss Giffen was telling me to just keep getting it to open space and try to get involved more.”
It took 45 seconds to turn the message into reality.
Off an initial send by Caroline Segal, Forester burst in on right wing and sent a cross to Lillig in front. The sophomore did the rest, lining a low shot inside the left post to put NSCD up 2-1.
IC made a strong bid to answer with 36:40 left to play. After Abi Wagner was fouled left of the box 11 yards off the endline. Olivia Hurt fired the ensuing free kick from 11 yards off the end line off the football crossbar just above the net.
But that threat and another Hurt 28-yard free kick caught by NSCD goalkeeper Renaud with 33:50 left would be small interludes in what was a dominant second half stretch of play for the Raiders.
The NSCD lead went to 3-1 with 35:18 to go. Off an Edwards-Mizel pass up right wing, Lillig’s dribble in on goal was initially broken up by a sliding Smola deflection. But the loose ball rolled to Weil left of the goal for an open-net putaway.
Less than five minutes later, a burst of three goals in just 78 seconds clinched NSCD’s return to state.
Off a Weil pass with 30:50 left, Edwards-Mizel was tripped in the box. Charnas’ ensuing penalty kick upped the lead to 4-1.
Just 33 seconds later, Edwards-Mizel’s goal off a Lillig pass made the score 5-1.
Then with 29:32 to play, Smola’s sliding save 15 yards off her line denied a Weil break-in on left wing, but Weil deposited the open-net rebound inside the left post to put NSCD quickly in command at 6-1.
“We’ve been really working on placement and putting the ball away from the goalie,” Giffen said. “That was the emphasis (at halftime). We didn’t make that many adjustments.
“But then we click on one (goal), get a little bit of a spark, and they feed off each others’ energy. They’re all pretty good friends, and all have played together for a couple of years. So they really want to do it for each other. They get really excited and cheer for each other. It’s very much a team mentality, which is awesome.”
Having virtually the entire nucleus of last year’s team intact has helped the Raiders click.
“We’ve been playing together long enough that we have that kind of chemistry and know where to find each other,” Weil said. “We know what runs the other person is going to make, and it makes it so much easier to find them.”
Said Giffen: “From last year’s team we lost two seniors, one was a starter. So we’ve had a lot of time to play together and get even more comfortable with each other. That’s been really great.
“I think all 11 of those players on the field are really playing well,” Giffen added. “And when all 11 of them are on, I think we’re hard to beat.”
Great individual effort would produce a seventh NSCD goal with 15:09 to go. Charnas won a 50-50 ball, burst in left and lined a shot inside the post to finish the scoring.
“It was a tale of two halves,” IC’s Godinez said. “The other team came out really strong (in the second half).
“(Our players) followed the game plan and came out strong, but we just got away from it. We tended to sit back instead of playing like these girls have been playing. That hurt us in the second half.
“The second half I just felt some defensive assignments weren’t done correctly,” Godinez added, “and that’s how they slipped through.”
NSCD defeated IC by an identical 7-1 score in last year’s supersectional. But the 2017 state semifinalist Knights never led in that game and had a healthier and more experienced squad on the field a year ago.
“We lost three starters to injuries (this year),” Godinez said, “so looking at this game from last year’s game (with NSCD) we were without six starters.
“We started four freshmen, so the future looks bright. And the girls played very hard; we were in every game. This game was a little bit tough for us in the second half, but I thought the girls had an excellent season.”
Despite the suddenly lopsided final score, the IC players kept similar perspective.
“We really have no business being here,” Abi Wagner said. “We had a ton of injuries. That’s why I think it’s awesome that we even made it to this point. And to get on the board first was even better, such a huge confidence thing.”
The Knights also didn’t quit in the face of NSCD’s second half blitz.
With 12:20 to go, Abi Wagner made a midfield steal and raced in on multiple defenders, sending a 15-yard shot wide right.
Then with 6:50 left, a Hurt cross to the post was sent just over the net by Rachel Simonides.
“We had a great season,” Abi Wagner said. “Obviously I’m disappointed we lost, but we made it this far and there’s nothing else we could do. So it’s awesome.”
Things are even more awesome for NSCD.
First-time state semifinal qualifiers last year, the purple wave looks to make an even more colorful impact this time.
“This year we’ve had a lot of firsts,” Weil said. “Winning our conference and beating a 3A team (13-win Maine West) has given us the confidence that we can go back and win it (state) this year.”
Experience should be a huge factor on the Raiders’ side this weekend.
“I think our team’s closeness off the field really connects us on the field,” Lillig said. “We know each other so well, and our team hasn’t shifted a lot from last year.
“We didn’t lose many players, so I think being together for two years has also really helped our team stay focused.”
Next up is Herscher (23-4-0), in a state semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday.
“We’re just going to go in, play our game, play hard,” Lillig said. “That’s our mindset for every game, to play our best.”
Starting lineups
NSCD
GK: Abby Renaud
D: Caroline Segal
D: Emma Smirl
D: Jane Scullion
D: Rachel Olatunji
M: Paige Forester
M: Allie Charnas
M: Emily Weil
M: Julia Fortier
F: Eun Hae Lillig
F: Edith Edwards-Mizel
IC Catholic Prep
GK: Gabbey Smola
D: Claire Wagner
D: Suzy Maloney
D: Cassandra Serrano
D: Maggie O’Brien
M: Abi Wagner
M: Kelly Murray
M: Frances Cook
M: Eva Calles
F: Olivia Hurt
F: Rachel Simonides
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Eun Hae Lillig, so. F, NSCD
Scoring summary
First half
ICCP- Abi Wagner, 1st minute
NSCD- Eun Hae Lillig (Edith Edwards-Mizel), 29th minute
Second half
NSCD- Lillig (Paige Forester), 41st minute
NSCD- Emily Weil (Lillig), 45th minute
NSCD- Allie Charnas (PK), 50th minute
NSCD- Edwards-Mizel (Lillig), 50th minute
NSCD- Weil, 51st minute
NSCD- Charnas, 65th minute