New Trier squeaks past
Fremd in final pre-tourney test
Trevians prevail on lone goal, extend unbeaten skein to 12 games
By Bob Narang
PALATINE -- New Trier senior forward Morgan Fagan is ready for the playoffs to start.
The Trevians, currently no. 4 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, rank among a handful of teams grouped in the most-capable category of winning the Class 3A state championship.
Many Trevians, including Fagan and Kate Dobsch, are anxious to embark on their first varsity playoff run of their careers.
“I’m so excited for the playoffs to begin, start that process next week,” Fagan said. “This is my first year on the team, so all this means so much to me that our team has come together, and we’re playing so well together. We’ve all worked so hard for each other and kept our energy throughout every game.”
Dobsch, a Wake Forest recruit, said she's happy with her decision to play high school soccer for the first time in her career. The Trevians, the no. 1 seed in the Maine South Sectional, open the playoffs against the winner of the Maine East-Schurz game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at home.
“Our goal is to win the state championship,” Dobsch said. “We have a lot of things to do, like connecting balls and keeping our intensity up.
“I’m looking forward to the playoffs. I wish I played high school sooner. It’s been a special year; a lot of things have changed but having a Senior Night and being one of the leaders on the field is such a great feeling.”
The Trevians will enter the playoffs on a 12-game unbeaten streak (11-0-1) after defeating no. 19 Fremd 1-0 Saturday afternoon. The game closed out a regular-season that saw New Trier finish with a 16-1-4 record overall and an 8-0-2 mark in the Central Suburban League South Division.
The Trevians entered their last pre-playoff test off an impressive 1-0 win over Highland Park in Friday’s Central Suburban League title game. New Trier coach Jim Burnside said his team battled for the entire 80 minutes.
“(Highland Park) is a good athletic and quick team and put a lot of pressure on us, but we did what we needed to do,” Burnside said. “We wanted to win the CSL outright. We were able to squeeze one out.
“We did a good job coming back (strong) against Fremd and dealing with the wind. I was happy with the way the kids played in the first half and everybody got to play. We always play Fremd in our last game of the season. It’s always a great test for us and a great battle against a great opponent.
“It was a good game again today. We love doing it, because it gives us some momentum and also shows us what we need to work on for the next week.
Dobsch said the Trevians showed a lot of resolve overcoming a sluggish effort against Highland Park to add some more hardware to the team’s trophy case
“We struggled a bit, but it showed we pushed through even though we weren’t playing one of our best games,” Dobsch said. “We had the grit and heart to beat a team, even at 1-0.
“It was nice to beat (Fremd) to have some momentum for the playoffs. I think the key was winning all the 50/50 balls and all the balls in the air. We definitely dominated the air, which we’ve struggled with before. That helped us stay in the game because they’re a super-physical team. That’s how we dominated and kept our intensity up throughout the game.”
Back on the pitch after only a 15-hour gap, New Trier shocked Fremd on the sunny and brisk afternoon with a goal in the fourth minute.
Fagan, off a pass from Caroline Finnegan, found an open shot right outside the box on the right side. She lofted a soft shot in the top part of the net for the lone goal of the game.
The Finnigan-Fagan connection is one of the factors for the Trevians’ success, and it struck again against the Vikings.
“I did a quick switch off the pass to me and one-touched to Morgan. She dribbled up and hit a nice lofting shot,” Finnigan said. “We connect really well, have a lot of assists to goals and the other way around, because we read each other well and both work really hard.”
Fagan, a Boston University recruit, said she improvised on her goal to get a shot past Fremd goalie Sam Gary.
“Caroline had a good pass to me, Fagan said. “I saw a couple of girls in front of me, dribbled in and beat them both and took a shot, and it went through the goalies hands. It’s funny, because this whole week we worked on low shots, and I got a high shot on my goal.”
Fremd (10-3-0, 9-1-0, second place Mid-Suburban League) missed a golden chance to make a statement before the playoffs following losses to top-ranked St. Charles East (3-0) and no. 5 Barrington (3-2 in overtime). The Vikings’ four-game winning streak ended after they could only put three shots on New Trier goalie Wynne Hague.
Fremd, a no. 4 seed in the Warren Sectionals faces off against Rolling Meadows on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at home.
“I think we tried our best to capitalize on all the balls forward,” said Fremd senior midfielder Ashley Scesniak, a Southern Illinois. “We like to play diagonal balls in the corner, because we have a lot of speed up-top. We struggled winning the balls in the middle.
“We need to focus on that next week in practice before our first playoff game. I thought we gave New Trier a good fight, after we got into it. We kind of shocked them and kept them on their toes.
“I hope we keep bringing this intensity, but we have to play with it right off the bat. I think if we have this competitive-nature, we can make it far into the playoffs.”
Gary made four saves, including three in the second half. In the 53rd minute, the Trevians nearly scored off a shot from 40 yards, but Gary leaped into the air, batted the ball down, fell to the ground and grabbed the loose ball before it passed the goal line.
“They were a couple of close ones,” Gary said. “That first goal really woke us up and definitely woke me up. I started off little rough, not feeling great. But as the intensity picked up, it improved my play and our team’s play.
“It was a fun game, a really good test and opponent. That save that almost went over me, I luckily got a touch on it. That one has gone over me a couple of times in the past. I was proud to make that save.
“I think the communication with me and my backline really improved today, and we all played a really great game.”
Fremd junior forward Lily Spotak missed a pair of shots wide in the first half, but she nearly tied the game on the Vikings’ best attempt. In the 70th minute, Spotak, one of the fastest players on the field, busted free for a one-on-one situation with Hague. At speed she blasted a shot from 12 yards out, but Hague saved the straight-on shot.
Spotak took the loss in stride.
“In the first half, I was looking to cross the ball, but I don’t know if that was a smart decision,” Spotak said. “On my last shot, I probably messed up and probably should’ve slowed down and taken another touch.
“I got little too excited and just shot it. I think we need to bring up the intensity from the beginning. We're going for it all in the playoffs. We're going for it."
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK: Wynne Hague
D: Jenna Birdsell
D: Anna Marshall
D: Ava Shah
MF: Caroline Finnigan
MF: Mia Sedgwick
MF: Annie Paden
MF: Kate Dobsch
F: Kendall Sierens
F: Charlotte Dellin
F: Morgan Fagan
Fremd
GK: Sam Gray
D: Bella Scesniak
D: Shannon Moran
D: Gemma Gillespie
MF: Ashley Scesniak
MF: Kaitlyn Rodi
MF: Kylie Williams
MF: Ava Catherall
F: Anna Schmitt
F: Caeleigh Stone
F: Lily Spotak
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Morgan Fagan, sr., MF, New Trier.
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier - Morgan Fagan (Caroline Finnegan), 4’
Second half
No scoring
Fremd in final pre-tourney test
Trevians prevail on lone goal, extend unbeaten skein to 12 games
By Bob Narang
PALATINE -- New Trier senior forward Morgan Fagan is ready for the playoffs to start.
The Trevians, currently no. 4 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, rank among a handful of teams grouped in the most-capable category of winning the Class 3A state championship.
Many Trevians, including Fagan and Kate Dobsch, are anxious to embark on their first varsity playoff run of their careers.
“I’m so excited for the playoffs to begin, start that process next week,” Fagan said. “This is my first year on the team, so all this means so much to me that our team has come together, and we’re playing so well together. We’ve all worked so hard for each other and kept our energy throughout every game.”
Dobsch, a Wake Forest recruit, said she's happy with her decision to play high school soccer for the first time in her career. The Trevians, the no. 1 seed in the Maine South Sectional, open the playoffs against the winner of the Maine East-Schurz game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at home.
“Our goal is to win the state championship,” Dobsch said. “We have a lot of things to do, like connecting balls and keeping our intensity up.
“I’m looking forward to the playoffs. I wish I played high school sooner. It’s been a special year; a lot of things have changed but having a Senior Night and being one of the leaders on the field is such a great feeling.”
The Trevians will enter the playoffs on a 12-game unbeaten streak (11-0-1) after defeating no. 19 Fremd 1-0 Saturday afternoon. The game closed out a regular-season that saw New Trier finish with a 16-1-4 record overall and an 8-0-2 mark in the Central Suburban League South Division.
The Trevians entered their last pre-playoff test off an impressive 1-0 win over Highland Park in Friday’s Central Suburban League title game. New Trier coach Jim Burnside said his team battled for the entire 80 minutes.
“(Highland Park) is a good athletic and quick team and put a lot of pressure on us, but we did what we needed to do,” Burnside said. “We wanted to win the CSL outright. We were able to squeeze one out.
“We did a good job coming back (strong) against Fremd and dealing with the wind. I was happy with the way the kids played in the first half and everybody got to play. We always play Fremd in our last game of the season. It’s always a great test for us and a great battle against a great opponent.
“It was a good game again today. We love doing it, because it gives us some momentum and also shows us what we need to work on for the next week.
Dobsch said the Trevians showed a lot of resolve overcoming a sluggish effort against Highland Park to add some more hardware to the team’s trophy case
“We struggled a bit, but it showed we pushed through even though we weren’t playing one of our best games,” Dobsch said. “We had the grit and heart to beat a team, even at 1-0.
“It was nice to beat (Fremd) to have some momentum for the playoffs. I think the key was winning all the 50/50 balls and all the balls in the air. We definitely dominated the air, which we’ve struggled with before. That helped us stay in the game because they’re a super-physical team. That’s how we dominated and kept our intensity up throughout the game.”
Back on the pitch after only a 15-hour gap, New Trier shocked Fremd on the sunny and brisk afternoon with a goal in the fourth minute.
Fagan, off a pass from Caroline Finnegan, found an open shot right outside the box on the right side. She lofted a soft shot in the top part of the net for the lone goal of the game.
The Finnigan-Fagan connection is one of the factors for the Trevians’ success, and it struck again against the Vikings.
“I did a quick switch off the pass to me and one-touched to Morgan. She dribbled up and hit a nice lofting shot,” Finnigan said. “We connect really well, have a lot of assists to goals and the other way around, because we read each other well and both work really hard.”
Fagan, a Boston University recruit, said she improvised on her goal to get a shot past Fremd goalie Sam Gary.
“Caroline had a good pass to me, Fagan said. “I saw a couple of girls in front of me, dribbled in and beat them both and took a shot, and it went through the goalies hands. It’s funny, because this whole week we worked on low shots, and I got a high shot on my goal.”
Fremd (10-3-0, 9-1-0, second place Mid-Suburban League) missed a golden chance to make a statement before the playoffs following losses to top-ranked St. Charles East (3-0) and no. 5 Barrington (3-2 in overtime). The Vikings’ four-game winning streak ended after they could only put three shots on New Trier goalie Wynne Hague.
Fremd, a no. 4 seed in the Warren Sectionals faces off against Rolling Meadows on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at home.
“I think we tried our best to capitalize on all the balls forward,” said Fremd senior midfielder Ashley Scesniak, a Southern Illinois. “We like to play diagonal balls in the corner, because we have a lot of speed up-top. We struggled winning the balls in the middle.
“We need to focus on that next week in practice before our first playoff game. I thought we gave New Trier a good fight, after we got into it. We kind of shocked them and kept them on their toes.
“I hope we keep bringing this intensity, but we have to play with it right off the bat. I think if we have this competitive-nature, we can make it far into the playoffs.”
Gary made four saves, including three in the second half. In the 53rd minute, the Trevians nearly scored off a shot from 40 yards, but Gary leaped into the air, batted the ball down, fell to the ground and grabbed the loose ball before it passed the goal line.
“They were a couple of close ones,” Gary said. “That first goal really woke us up and definitely woke me up. I started off little rough, not feeling great. But as the intensity picked up, it improved my play and our team’s play.
“It was a fun game, a really good test and opponent. That save that almost went over me, I luckily got a touch on it. That one has gone over me a couple of times in the past. I was proud to make that save.
“I think the communication with me and my backline really improved today, and we all played a really great game.”
Fremd junior forward Lily Spotak missed a pair of shots wide in the first half, but she nearly tied the game on the Vikings’ best attempt. In the 70th minute, Spotak, one of the fastest players on the field, busted free for a one-on-one situation with Hague. At speed she blasted a shot from 12 yards out, but Hague saved the straight-on shot.
Spotak took the loss in stride.
“In the first half, I was looking to cross the ball, but I don’t know if that was a smart decision,” Spotak said. “On my last shot, I probably messed up and probably should’ve slowed down and taken another touch.
“I got little too excited and just shot it. I think we need to bring up the intensity from the beginning. We're going for it all in the playoffs. We're going for it."
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK: Wynne Hague
D: Jenna Birdsell
D: Anna Marshall
D: Ava Shah
MF: Caroline Finnigan
MF: Mia Sedgwick
MF: Annie Paden
MF: Kate Dobsch
F: Kendall Sierens
F: Charlotte Dellin
F: Morgan Fagan
Fremd
GK: Sam Gray
D: Bella Scesniak
D: Shannon Moran
D: Gemma Gillespie
MF: Ashley Scesniak
MF: Kaitlyn Rodi
MF: Kylie Williams
MF: Ava Catherall
F: Anna Schmitt
F: Caeleigh Stone
F: Lily Spotak
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Morgan Fagan, sr., MF, New Trier.
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier - Morgan Fagan (Caroline Finnegan), 4’
Second half
No scoring