Grass pitch, Richmond-B. can't slow NSCD
Raiders' skill and depth leads to powerful 6-0 win on natural surface
By Patrick Z. McGavin
WAUKEGAN -- The age of specialization is outright reputed at North Shore Country Day, where most of the Raiders elite soccer players spend their time with other sports, especially tennis or basketball.
The defending Class A state runnerup plays like a basketball team on turf, supercharged and ready to utilize their skill set and style to overwhelm the opposition. “We have told the players before that sometimes we play worse when we slow it down,” Raiders’ coach Lizzy Giffen said.
North Shore Country Day is at its best on artificial surfaces, where the ball smashes hard and bounces quickly in a way that rewards the aggressive team. Still, the Raiders know how to append their game to the circumstances.
The state tournament has a way of defamiliarizing the action. Opponents tend to be different than what teams went up against during the regular season. Conditions and fields are also less predictable. Playing at the Waukegan Sports Park against a new opponent marked a new frame of reference.
The Raiders passed all the tests with flying colors.
Senior midfielder Paige Forester ignited the attack with an early goal, and she continued her outstanding play by generating two assists as North Shore Country Day ran past Richmond-Burton 6-0 in a Class A Cristo Rey St. Martin Sectional semifinal Wednesday.
The natural grass surface was perfectly cut, and it posed a slightly different equation for the Raiders to solve. “On grass it is a slower game, and we try to be a fast-paced team,” Giffen said. “It also takes a toll on the players. I often say it is like playing in sand out there.”
No matter, North Shore Country Day (13-3-0) won its ninth-straight game and now moves to the sectional championship against conference rival Willows on Saturday at Dugdale Park, also in Waukegan.
“They move off the ball really well,” Richmond-Burton coach Casey DeCaluwe said. “There was not a weak spot on the team for us to find a way to attack. I would not be surprised if they went very far.”
The Raiders’ versatility is a sight to behold. It plays out in different ways in the styles and sizes of the players. Forester, lanky and agile, uses her size to separate from defenders. Star forward Edith Edwards-Mizel is a wizard in space; she is quick and explosive.
Forester started things off beautifully by cutting through the Richmond-Burton defensive interior and smashing a ball home in the ninth minute for the early advantage. For her standout play, the senior midfielder earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match award.
According to Edwards-Mizel, the Raiders adjusted their style and took advantage of the different speed and rhythm the ball traveled.
“I think in general we play very fast,” Edwards-Mizel said. “It is slower, but there are also certain aspects of grass that will help us out. Sometimes when you play on turf, slotted balls go long just because the surface plays so fast.
“Today, on the grass, Paige and Emily [Weil] were able to get to everything before the ball got to the end line.”
North Shore Country Day dominated possession, forcing the Rockets to react consistently to their attack and play on their heels. For the balance of the first half, the score stayed the same. Sometimes possession can turn out to be empty in the sense of not expanding on the score.
The Raiders were pleased with the shape of the first half.
“I think for a lot of the game, we felt in control,” Edwards-Mizel said. “We did a very good job of keeping the ball in their half. That can flip on a dime if you don’t have a goal backing that up.”
Forester and Mizel-Edwards changed the tenor completely by collaborating on a goal at the end of the half. It came with just seconds remaining as Mizel-Edwards again showcased her dazzling ability to create off the dribble in space. Forester’s pass was right on the mark.
Richmond-Burton felt the blow.
“After the early goal, we settled into the game, and we fought hard,” DeCaluwe said. “The late goal going into halftime was obviously not how we wanted to close out the first half.”
North Shore Country Day is psychologically attuned to every action. They know the consequences. Edwards-Mizel said given the stakes of the game, even though the team came into the match a heavy favorite, the Raiders knew they could not afford to let down.
“”We knew it was going to be a challenge,” she said. “Before the game as we were warming up, we talked about how we had to take the game very seriously and set the right tone.”
Midfielder Julia Fortier said the 40th-minute finish was a statement.
“The end of the half, and you hit them with so much momentum,” she said. “We go in at the break, and we were ready to come out hard again.”
The chemistry of the Raiders is also magical. Being such a small school has its advantages, the players have grown up close and played together so long. Everybody is an extension of the other. Edwards-Mizel returned the favor early in the second half, slotting a ball that Fortier finished in the 49th minute.
Weil turned the heat with an unassisted goal in the 52nd minute.
Sophomore midfielder Eun Hae Lillig put the finishing touches on the victory by scoring back-to-back goals off assists from Forester and Weil, respectively. The depth and skill level proved overpowering against the Rockets.
“I feel like normally I am more of a person who will create the assist or help build up the attack,” Lillig said. “It was very exciting for me to score some goals today.”
That closeness manifests itself in different capacities, Lillig said.
“I think a big part of our team is just picking each other up,” she said. “Anytime the ball goes out, you just pick each other up and that keeps the momentum going. In the first half, I was getting pretty tired, and I kept hearing Allie [Charnas] and Paige motivating me.”
North Shore Country Day is a rare program, a Class A program capable of playing up to any level. That was evidenced in competitive games against Class 3A schools: a shootout victory over Maine West; and tight games with Chicago Public League power Young and rapidly improving Wheaton North; and a 1-0 loss to Class AA Lake Forest.
Now the focus turns to a familiar opponent, the Willows team North Shore Country Day beat 4-1 on April 23. North Shore Country Day and Willows are the top two seeds of the subsectional.
“I don’t think we can take the last score like it is going to have any impact on what the next score is going to be,” Fortier said. “I think we have to come out knowing Willows is going to be looking for revenge.
“We are very excited and ready to come out strong.”
Starting lineups
Richmond-Burton
GK: Kendall Haugaard-Collazo
D: Ellie Lappen
D: Morgan DeGroot
D: Bailey Lasch
D: Leigha Denzel
MF: Anne Bilik
MF: Camille Husko
MF: Charlie Holas
MF: Lilian Mclean
F: Audrey Orkild
F: Victoria Rockwell
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
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Paige Forester, sr., MF, North Shore Country Day
Scoring summary
First half
North Shore Country Day—Paige Forester (unassisted), 9th minute
North Shore Country Day—Edith Edwards-Mizel (Forester), 40th minute
Second half
North Shore Country Day—Julia Fortier (Edwards-Mizel), 49th minute
North Shore Country Day—Emily Weil (unassisted), 52nd minute
North Shore Country Day—Eun Hae Lillig (Forester), 64th minute
North Shore Country Day—Lillig (Weil), 70th minute
Raiders' skill and depth leads to powerful 6-0 win on natural surface
By Patrick Z. McGavin
WAUKEGAN -- The age of specialization is outright reputed at North Shore Country Day, where most of the Raiders elite soccer players spend their time with other sports, especially tennis or basketball.
The defending Class A state runnerup plays like a basketball team on turf, supercharged and ready to utilize their skill set and style to overwhelm the opposition. “We have told the players before that sometimes we play worse when we slow it down,” Raiders’ coach Lizzy Giffen said.
North Shore Country Day is at its best on artificial surfaces, where the ball smashes hard and bounces quickly in a way that rewards the aggressive team. Still, the Raiders know how to append their game to the circumstances.
The state tournament has a way of defamiliarizing the action. Opponents tend to be different than what teams went up against during the regular season. Conditions and fields are also less predictable. Playing at the Waukegan Sports Park against a new opponent marked a new frame of reference.
The Raiders passed all the tests with flying colors.
Senior midfielder Paige Forester ignited the attack with an early goal, and she continued her outstanding play by generating two assists as North Shore Country Day ran past Richmond-Burton 6-0 in a Class A Cristo Rey St. Martin Sectional semifinal Wednesday.
The natural grass surface was perfectly cut, and it posed a slightly different equation for the Raiders to solve. “On grass it is a slower game, and we try to be a fast-paced team,” Giffen said. “It also takes a toll on the players. I often say it is like playing in sand out there.”
No matter, North Shore Country Day (13-3-0) won its ninth-straight game and now moves to the sectional championship against conference rival Willows on Saturday at Dugdale Park, also in Waukegan.
“They move off the ball really well,” Richmond-Burton coach Casey DeCaluwe said. “There was not a weak spot on the team for us to find a way to attack. I would not be surprised if they went very far.”
The Raiders’ versatility is a sight to behold. It plays out in different ways in the styles and sizes of the players. Forester, lanky and agile, uses her size to separate from defenders. Star forward Edith Edwards-Mizel is a wizard in space; she is quick and explosive.
Forester started things off beautifully by cutting through the Richmond-Burton defensive interior and smashing a ball home in the ninth minute for the early advantage. For her standout play, the senior midfielder earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match award.
According to Edwards-Mizel, the Raiders adjusted their style and took advantage of the different speed and rhythm the ball traveled.
“I think in general we play very fast,” Edwards-Mizel said. “It is slower, but there are also certain aspects of grass that will help us out. Sometimes when you play on turf, slotted balls go long just because the surface plays so fast.
“Today, on the grass, Paige and Emily [Weil] were able to get to everything before the ball got to the end line.”
North Shore Country Day dominated possession, forcing the Rockets to react consistently to their attack and play on their heels. For the balance of the first half, the score stayed the same. Sometimes possession can turn out to be empty in the sense of not expanding on the score.
The Raiders were pleased with the shape of the first half.
“I think for a lot of the game, we felt in control,” Edwards-Mizel said. “We did a very good job of keeping the ball in their half. That can flip on a dime if you don’t have a goal backing that up.”
Forester and Mizel-Edwards changed the tenor completely by collaborating on a goal at the end of the half. It came with just seconds remaining as Mizel-Edwards again showcased her dazzling ability to create off the dribble in space. Forester’s pass was right on the mark.
Richmond-Burton felt the blow.
“After the early goal, we settled into the game, and we fought hard,” DeCaluwe said. “The late goal going into halftime was obviously not how we wanted to close out the first half.”
North Shore Country Day is psychologically attuned to every action. They know the consequences. Edwards-Mizel said given the stakes of the game, even though the team came into the match a heavy favorite, the Raiders knew they could not afford to let down.
“”We knew it was going to be a challenge,” she said. “Before the game as we were warming up, we talked about how we had to take the game very seriously and set the right tone.”
Midfielder Julia Fortier said the 40th-minute finish was a statement.
“The end of the half, and you hit them with so much momentum,” she said. “We go in at the break, and we were ready to come out hard again.”
The chemistry of the Raiders is also magical. Being such a small school has its advantages, the players have grown up close and played together so long. Everybody is an extension of the other. Edwards-Mizel returned the favor early in the second half, slotting a ball that Fortier finished in the 49th minute.
Weil turned the heat with an unassisted goal in the 52nd minute.
Sophomore midfielder Eun Hae Lillig put the finishing touches on the victory by scoring back-to-back goals off assists from Forester and Weil, respectively. The depth and skill level proved overpowering against the Rockets.
“I feel like normally I am more of a person who will create the assist or help build up the attack,” Lillig said. “It was very exciting for me to score some goals today.”
That closeness manifests itself in different capacities, Lillig said.
“I think a big part of our team is just picking each other up,” she said. “Anytime the ball goes out, you just pick each other up and that keeps the momentum going. In the first half, I was getting pretty tired, and I kept hearing Allie [Charnas] and Paige motivating me.”
North Shore Country Day is a rare program, a Class A program capable of playing up to any level. That was evidenced in competitive games against Class 3A schools: a shootout victory over Maine West; and tight games with Chicago Public League power Young and rapidly improving Wheaton North; and a 1-0 loss to Class AA Lake Forest.
Now the focus turns to a familiar opponent, the Willows team North Shore Country Day beat 4-1 on April 23. North Shore Country Day and Willows are the top two seeds of the subsectional.
“I don’t think we can take the last score like it is going to have any impact on what the next score is going to be,” Fortier said. “I think we have to come out knowing Willows is going to be looking for revenge.
“We are very excited and ready to come out strong.”
Starting lineups
Richmond-Burton
GK: Kendall Haugaard-Collazo
D: Ellie Lappen
D: Morgan DeGroot
D: Bailey Lasch
D: Leigha Denzel
MF: Anne Bilik
MF: Camille Husko
MF: Charlie Holas
MF: Lilian Mclean
F: Audrey Orkild
F: Victoria Rockwell
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
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Paige Forester, sr., MF, North Shore Country Day
Scoring summary
First half
North Shore Country Day—Paige Forester (unassisted), 9th minute
North Shore Country Day—Edith Edwards-Mizel (Forester), 40th minute
Second half
North Shore Country Day—Julia Fortier (Edwards-Mizel), 49th minute
North Shore Country Day—Emily Weil (unassisted), 52nd minute
North Shore Country Day—Eun Hae Lillig (Forester), 64th minute
North Shore Country Day—Lillig (Weil), 70th minute