NS Country Day falls in Class A title bid
Raiders battle, but ND-Quincy repeats with 4 2nd half goals
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Edith Edwards-Mizel and her North Shore Country Day teammates are living proof that you don’t have to dream big in order to have great success.
You don’t even have to dream at all. But you do have to work hard and work together.
Certainly Edwards-Mizel, a sophomore forward, did not foresee that the Raiders would advance all the way to the Class A state championship game and earn the first soccer trophy in school history.
“No, not at all,” Edwards-Mizel said. “We thought we were not going to do as well as last year because we lost so many people (to graduation). But I think we proved to ourselves that wasn’t true.”
Indeed, North Shore Country Day, which had never before won a sectional title, enjoyed the finest season in school history. The little school that could (with an enrollment of 228) often gets overshadowed, to say the least, by nearby Class 3A powerhouses New Trier and Loyola.
But the Raiders are on the map after going toe-to-toe Saturday with state small-school power Notre Dame (Quincy) at North Central College. Despite being outshot 28-3 by the defending state champions, North Shore Country Day hung tough. Edwards-Mizel scored the tying goal in the 46th minute before Notre Dame finally broke the game open and won 5-1.
It is the second-straight Class A state title and fifth in the last nine years for Notre Dame (26-3-1), which finished the season with a 12-game winning streak, during which it gave up just three goals.
“It’s definitely still a win in my head,” North Shore Country Day sophomore midfielder Allie Charnas said. “We had a fantastic season.
“Our postseason was the best postseason our school has ever had for any sport, so we had that mentality, you could see that all of us were smiling and clapping.
“None of us looked sad at the end. We were really proud of how we did.”
The Raiders (16-5-0) did better than many people expected in a title tilt that wasn’t decided until the final 10 minutes.
North Shore Country Day goalkeeper Abby Renaud made six of her 10 saves in the first half and the Raiders’ backline of Anna Brennan, Gabbie Kaplinsky, Emma Smirl and Caroline Segal worked tirelessly in 90-degree heat to keep Notre Dame’s high-powered offense at bay.
“With this heat, it was especially difficult, but our defenders have been so strong this year,” Charnas said. “Caroline Segal, Gabbie Kaplinsky, Anna (Brennan), all of them have been doing so well.
“They never give up. They always chase the ball back and any time they make a mistake, they earn it back immediately.
The game was scoreless until the 7:49 mark of the first half. That’s when Notre Dame's Isabella Anderson sent a pass up the middle to Hannah Peters just outside the top of the circle.
Peters, who finished with two goals and two assists to earn Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors, turned and fired a left-footed shot from 24 yards that went inside the right post to give the defending champs the lead.
Notre Dame nearly extended the lead with 2:05 remaining, but Erin Barnes open shot from the middle of the box sailed high.
Then came the first stirrings from the Raiders’ offense. Charnas was tripped and awarded a free kick on the left wing in the final minute of the half.
Charnas teed up the 24-yard kick and drove the ball off the crossbar with 40 seconds remaining.
“It’s always brutal to hit the crossbar, but it happens,” Charnas noted.
With the way Notre Dame was dominating, that miss felt like it would be North Shore Country Day’s only opportunity.
But the Raiders came out of halftime in high spirits and stunned the crowd by getting the equalizer with 34:15 to go.
North Shore Country Day plays a 4-5-1 formation, which leaves Edwards-Mizel to forage alone up-top. But she can feast on unsuspecting defenses, which is what she did on a throw-in from the right side from Segal.
Edwards-Mizel tracked down the ball just inside the box and lofted a 16-yard shot that went over the head of Notre Dame goalie Madison Lynn Meyer, struck the underside of the crossbar and landed just over the goal line.
It was Edwards-Mizel’s team-high 28th goal of the season and second in as many matches at the state finals.
“It was off a throw-in from Caroline Segal,” Edwards-Mizel said. “She just threw it over my head, and I heard my brothers yelling to shoot it, so I basically did a punt.
“It was really exciting, kind of surreal in the moment. But I feel like in the second half we really picked up the energy.”
The goal denied Notre Dame its’ 23rd shutout of the season and signaled that the Raiders would not go down without a fierce fight, despite playing just 12 players.
“That was really important to our morale,” Charnas said. “You could see how much we picked up and kind of found our stride after that goal happened.
“Edith has been so strong all season with getting that first goal and getting us going. I think we definitely played better after that.”
But so, too, did Notre Dame, which rose to the challenge by scoring four unanswered goals.
Peters and Anderson reversed their roles in combining on Notre Dame’s second goal, which came with 27:56 remaining. This time Peters got the assist, driving to the right endline before crossing in front to the wide-open Anderson, who drilled a five-yard shot past Renaud for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
Yet it was far from over. The Raiders fended off three corner kicks in the next eight minutes, but a hand ball call in the box on a fourth corner proved to be costly as Olivia Dreyer converted a penalty kick to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 3-1 with 17:37 to go.
Still, the Raiders fought on and created one more scoring chance in the 75th minute. Junior Paige Forester got free in the left side of the box but Meyer charged off her line and smothered the shot with 5:45 remaining.
That proved to be North Shore Country Day’s final shot and Peters ended any thoughts of a comeback 80 seconds later when she raced past the defense and scored on a breakaway to make it 4-1.
Beth Eversman tacked on an insurance goal with 52 seconds left off an assist from Peters.
The victory was the 530th of Notre Dame coach Mark Longo’s 29-year career, during which his team has won six state trophies.
In contrast, North Shore Country Day coach Lizzy Giffen has guided the Raiders to a 45-20 record over the past four seasons. But there is no doubt in her mind the Raiders belonged on the same field with Notre Dame.
“We played our way in, and we felt like we deserved to be here,” Giffen said. “We were just excited.
“This was an opportunity that we haven’t had before, and the girls wanted to prove that they earned it, and they did a great job.”
The Raiders did it with a 16-player roster that included only two seniors – Brennan and backup goalie Gabby Greer.
“It just shows us what we can do as a team,” Edwards-Mizel said. “The progress from last year to this year, even though we lost five seniors who were all really good, it shows that we can move forward, and we can improve.”
Charnas credited co-captains Greer and Brennan for leading the way.
“Our captains have been really great leaders and have built this fantastic team chemistry that has been evolving throughout the year,” Charnas said.
The Raiders believe their program will continue to evolve.
“I think it’s going to be good in the future, especially because we are so young,” Edwards-Mizel said. “I can see that everyone on this team has improved so much since last year with speed and technique. I’m really looking forward to it.”
For now, the Raiders will find a place to put their new trophy and be able to look back on this weekend with pride.
“It was really fun,” Edwards-Mizel said. “(Before the game) we were like, this is the last 80 minutes we get to play as a team as this specific team, so we just wanted to enjoy it.”
So what was special about this North Shore Country Day squad?
“I don’t know,” Giffen said. “It’s kind of a combination of having some players who have played soccer longer than some of our (teams) in years past, and I also think that they’re pretty good friends, so they spend a lot of time together.
“I think that relationship comes to the field, and they’re real competitive. They really like to win and play hard.”
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK Abby Renaud
D Anna Brennan
D Gabbie Kaplinsky
D Emma Smirl
D Caroline Segal
M Eun Hae Lillig
M Julia Fortier
M Emily Weil
M Allie Charnas
M Paige Forester
F Edith Edwards-Mizel
Notre Dame (Quincy)
GK Madison Lynn Meyer
D Sierra Sturhahn
D Maddie Dickerman
D Molly Penn
M Maddie Peters
M Taylor Keck
M Olivia Dreyer
M Morgan Evans
F Erin Barnes
F Isabella Anderson
F Hannah Peters
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Hannah Peters, sr., F, Quincy Notre Dame
Scoring summary
First half
ND – Hannah Peters (Isabella Anderson) 7:49
Second half
NSCD – Edith Edwards-Mizel (Caroline Segal) 34:15
ND – Anderson (Peters) 27:56
ND – Oliver Breyer (PK) 17:37
ND – Peters (unassisted) 4:25
ND – Beth Eversman (Peters) :52
Raiders battle, but ND-Quincy repeats with 4 2nd half goals
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Edith Edwards-Mizel and her North Shore Country Day teammates are living proof that you don’t have to dream big in order to have great success.
You don’t even have to dream at all. But you do have to work hard and work together.
Certainly Edwards-Mizel, a sophomore forward, did not foresee that the Raiders would advance all the way to the Class A state championship game and earn the first soccer trophy in school history.
“No, not at all,” Edwards-Mizel said. “We thought we were not going to do as well as last year because we lost so many people (to graduation). But I think we proved to ourselves that wasn’t true.”
Indeed, North Shore Country Day, which had never before won a sectional title, enjoyed the finest season in school history. The little school that could (with an enrollment of 228) often gets overshadowed, to say the least, by nearby Class 3A powerhouses New Trier and Loyola.
But the Raiders are on the map after going toe-to-toe Saturday with state small-school power Notre Dame (Quincy) at North Central College. Despite being outshot 28-3 by the defending state champions, North Shore Country Day hung tough. Edwards-Mizel scored the tying goal in the 46th minute before Notre Dame finally broke the game open and won 5-1.
It is the second-straight Class A state title and fifth in the last nine years for Notre Dame (26-3-1), which finished the season with a 12-game winning streak, during which it gave up just three goals.
“It’s definitely still a win in my head,” North Shore Country Day sophomore midfielder Allie Charnas said. “We had a fantastic season.
“Our postseason was the best postseason our school has ever had for any sport, so we had that mentality, you could see that all of us were smiling and clapping.
“None of us looked sad at the end. We were really proud of how we did.”
The Raiders (16-5-0) did better than many people expected in a title tilt that wasn’t decided until the final 10 minutes.
North Shore Country Day goalkeeper Abby Renaud made six of her 10 saves in the first half and the Raiders’ backline of Anna Brennan, Gabbie Kaplinsky, Emma Smirl and Caroline Segal worked tirelessly in 90-degree heat to keep Notre Dame’s high-powered offense at bay.
“With this heat, it was especially difficult, but our defenders have been so strong this year,” Charnas said. “Caroline Segal, Gabbie Kaplinsky, Anna (Brennan), all of them have been doing so well.
“They never give up. They always chase the ball back and any time they make a mistake, they earn it back immediately.
The game was scoreless until the 7:49 mark of the first half. That’s when Notre Dame's Isabella Anderson sent a pass up the middle to Hannah Peters just outside the top of the circle.
Peters, who finished with two goals and two assists to earn Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors, turned and fired a left-footed shot from 24 yards that went inside the right post to give the defending champs the lead.
Notre Dame nearly extended the lead with 2:05 remaining, but Erin Barnes open shot from the middle of the box sailed high.
Then came the first stirrings from the Raiders’ offense. Charnas was tripped and awarded a free kick on the left wing in the final minute of the half.
Charnas teed up the 24-yard kick and drove the ball off the crossbar with 40 seconds remaining.
“It’s always brutal to hit the crossbar, but it happens,” Charnas noted.
With the way Notre Dame was dominating, that miss felt like it would be North Shore Country Day’s only opportunity.
But the Raiders came out of halftime in high spirits and stunned the crowd by getting the equalizer with 34:15 to go.
North Shore Country Day plays a 4-5-1 formation, which leaves Edwards-Mizel to forage alone up-top. But she can feast on unsuspecting defenses, which is what she did on a throw-in from the right side from Segal.
Edwards-Mizel tracked down the ball just inside the box and lofted a 16-yard shot that went over the head of Notre Dame goalie Madison Lynn Meyer, struck the underside of the crossbar and landed just over the goal line.
It was Edwards-Mizel’s team-high 28th goal of the season and second in as many matches at the state finals.
“It was off a throw-in from Caroline Segal,” Edwards-Mizel said. “She just threw it over my head, and I heard my brothers yelling to shoot it, so I basically did a punt.
“It was really exciting, kind of surreal in the moment. But I feel like in the second half we really picked up the energy.”
The goal denied Notre Dame its’ 23rd shutout of the season and signaled that the Raiders would not go down without a fierce fight, despite playing just 12 players.
“That was really important to our morale,” Charnas said. “You could see how much we picked up and kind of found our stride after that goal happened.
“Edith has been so strong all season with getting that first goal and getting us going. I think we definitely played better after that.”
But so, too, did Notre Dame, which rose to the challenge by scoring four unanswered goals.
Peters and Anderson reversed their roles in combining on Notre Dame’s second goal, which came with 27:56 remaining. This time Peters got the assist, driving to the right endline before crossing in front to the wide-open Anderson, who drilled a five-yard shot past Renaud for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
Yet it was far from over. The Raiders fended off three corner kicks in the next eight minutes, but a hand ball call in the box on a fourth corner proved to be costly as Olivia Dreyer converted a penalty kick to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 3-1 with 17:37 to go.
Still, the Raiders fought on and created one more scoring chance in the 75th minute. Junior Paige Forester got free in the left side of the box but Meyer charged off her line and smothered the shot with 5:45 remaining.
That proved to be North Shore Country Day’s final shot and Peters ended any thoughts of a comeback 80 seconds later when she raced past the defense and scored on a breakaway to make it 4-1.
Beth Eversman tacked on an insurance goal with 52 seconds left off an assist from Peters.
The victory was the 530th of Notre Dame coach Mark Longo’s 29-year career, during which his team has won six state trophies.
In contrast, North Shore Country Day coach Lizzy Giffen has guided the Raiders to a 45-20 record over the past four seasons. But there is no doubt in her mind the Raiders belonged on the same field with Notre Dame.
“We played our way in, and we felt like we deserved to be here,” Giffen said. “We were just excited.
“This was an opportunity that we haven’t had before, and the girls wanted to prove that they earned it, and they did a great job.”
The Raiders did it with a 16-player roster that included only two seniors – Brennan and backup goalie Gabby Greer.
“It just shows us what we can do as a team,” Edwards-Mizel said. “The progress from last year to this year, even though we lost five seniors who were all really good, it shows that we can move forward, and we can improve.”
Charnas credited co-captains Greer and Brennan for leading the way.
“Our captains have been really great leaders and have built this fantastic team chemistry that has been evolving throughout the year,” Charnas said.
The Raiders believe their program will continue to evolve.
“I think it’s going to be good in the future, especially because we are so young,” Edwards-Mizel said. “I can see that everyone on this team has improved so much since last year with speed and technique. I’m really looking forward to it.”
For now, the Raiders will find a place to put their new trophy and be able to look back on this weekend with pride.
“It was really fun,” Edwards-Mizel said. “(Before the game) we were like, this is the last 80 minutes we get to play as a team as this specific team, so we just wanted to enjoy it.”
So what was special about this North Shore Country Day squad?
“I don’t know,” Giffen said. “It’s kind of a combination of having some players who have played soccer longer than some of our (teams) in years past, and I also think that they’re pretty good friends, so they spend a lot of time together.
“I think that relationship comes to the field, and they’re real competitive. They really like to win and play hard.”
Starting lineups
North Shore Country Day
GK Abby Renaud
D Anna Brennan
D Gabbie Kaplinsky
D Emma Smirl
D Caroline Segal
M Eun Hae Lillig
M Julia Fortier
M Emily Weil
M Allie Charnas
M Paige Forester
F Edith Edwards-Mizel
Notre Dame (Quincy)
GK Madison Lynn Meyer
D Sierra Sturhahn
D Maddie Dickerman
D Molly Penn
M Maddie Peters
M Taylor Keck
M Olivia Dreyer
M Morgan Evans
F Erin Barnes
F Isabella Anderson
F Hannah Peters
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Hannah Peters, sr., F, Quincy Notre Dame
Scoring summary
First half
ND – Hannah Peters (Isabella Anderson) 7:49
Second half
NSCD – Edith Edwards-Mizel (Caroline Segal) 34:15
ND – Anderson (Peters) 27:56
ND – Oliver Breyer (PK) 17:37
ND – Peters (unassisted) 4:25
ND – Beth Eversman (Peters) :52