Nassar's 1st goal ignites New Trier attack
Senior D sets tone for dominant Naperville Invitational win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
OAK PARK -- Patience is not only a virtue, it’s a necessity when you play at New Trier. Meredith Nassar is exhibit A.
The defender did not play on the varsity until her junior season last year. She saw situational time and posted two assists for the powerhouse program that has played in four-consecutive Class 3A state championship games.
Playing in the shadows gave her game and skills the time necessary to develop. Now she is one of the foundational pieces of an air-tight defense that has conceded just two goals. As the Trevians continue to work out the kinks and develop a fluid offensive attack, Nassar personifies the multidimensional qualities of her team
Standing in a spot seemingly removed from any offensive threat, Nassar made the kind of opportunistic play that opened the floodgates.
Nassar drilled a high and looping ball from 35 yards that took a vicious spin and flummoxed a first-time varsity keeper as the Trevians, ranked fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, unleashed a blinding and devastating attack in a 6-0 road victory over Oak Park and River Forest in a Naperville Invitational group play game Friday night.
New Trier (8-0-2) plays Palatine at Metea Valley on Saturday. The winner of that game advances out of Group H and qualifies for the quarterfinal bracket.
Despite dominating the opening moments of the game, New Trier was stymied until the 18th minute. Even if it felt inevitable, New Trier still needed that breakthrough. Nassar eagerly supplied the moment. The ball got punched out to Nassar, stationed on the left hash when she made her decisive action.
“I just chipped it up thinking one of our players would run in, and then it just kind of got lucky, I guess,” Nassar said.
The ball bounded deep into the bright light and handcuffed Huskies’ keeper Cece Crumlish, a sophomore elevated to the varsity and seeing her first minutes at the level -- talk about trial by fire.
Nassar, as the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match, set a dynamic tone.
“Everyone worked really hard, and we worked really hard to possess the ball,” she said. “That was really important. We want to work really hard and just improve where we need improvement. We want to work on things that Burnside talks about in practice and just try to work together as a team.
“I think we are just coming out stronger and with more intensity.”
The goal rattled the young Huskies (0-6-0).
“There were a lot of nerves, and I guess I was not as ready to play as I thought,” Crumlish said.
A historically solid program, the Huskies are in a learning mode. They had played only four games leading into the New Trier matchup. A communications snafu resulted in the team forfeiting its game against Palatine on Thursday night.
“That is an outstanding group of girls and a great coaching staff,” Oak Park and River Forest coach Ignacio Ponce said. “They had most of the possession in the game. They were the better team. However the first 20 minutes, we were zero-zero. That first goal, I think she kicked it from 35 or 40 yards out, that was the turn of the game, I think.
“We started getting tired, because the girls were working so hard.”
New Trier’s last championship appearance in the Naperville Invitational happened in 2014, when they lost 2-1 against Waubonsie Valley. That was the team’s only defeat in a 31-1-0 Class 3A state title run, the first of three-consecutive Trevians state championships. Remarkably, New Trier never won the invitational during its four-year run of Class 3A finals appearances.
“This tournament is great competition, just like the state tournament,” New Trier coach Jim Burnside said. “It’s hard. You’re in the middle of the season and also coming out of another tournament.”
After failing to get out of the pool play of the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic last week, New Trier has been on a mission. The Trevians throttled no. 3 Glenbrook South in conference play on Tuesday, a redemption game after the Titans captured the classic championship over Evanston.
On Friday night, New Trier looked overpowering, beautifully directing its attack. The two superstars, senior defender Sydney Parker and sophomore midfielder Emma Weaver, played their roles accordingly. Parker had two goals and Weaver registered two assists as the Trevians broke out to the commanding 3-0 lead at the break.
“I think when we see teams that we play in tournaments, and we don’t get the results, and then we play again it is always more motivation for us to be better,” Parker said. “With Glenbrook South, we did not get to play them in our tournament, but we beat them earlier this week, and that was kind of interesting.”
Parker’s brace led the offensive onslaught. Her volley that originated off a Nicole Kaspi free kick and a Lily Conley header produced the most scintillating goal of the game. The Trevians showed their full arsenal, scoring off sharply designed and executed set pieces and also in the run of play.
Parker’s first score came in the 33rd minute.
Senior forward Victoria Flannagan controlled a through-ball from Weaver and smashed home a ball from about 14 yards in the 38th minute.
Parker, freshman forward Grace Walker and junior midfielder Kate Sawdey punctuated the rout with second half goals. New Trier looked fluid, organized and marked by high energy. Oak Park and River Forest never managed a shot on goal.
Despite the Trevians’ scoring onslaught, Huskies’ keeper Crumlish played well. She had nine saves, several quite daring and athletically impressive.
“I felt that we definitely worked hard during this game,” she said. “There were some tense moments where the defense had to come back and try to clear or get the ball out. They definitely had a better time than we did. That definitely hurt us, the fact that we could not push it up into our attacking quarter.”
Despite the one-sided loss, Ponce continues to see improvement.
“It’s not reflected in the score, but we have really grown a lot since our first game of the year,” he said. “If you saw us on day one and you saw us now, you’d see a different team. Our girls have become very physical. They want to win. They’re working hard, very dedicated and disciplined. All we need is that one win to turn us around.”
New Trier is a team molding into a privileged and frightening shape.
“I think we are starting to find our path a little bit and find our confidence,” Burnside said. “I still don’t think we fully know what we are doing in the formation we are in, and it is going to take a little bit longer there. I think with the weather we are feeling pretty good, and we are feeling pretty healthy.
“We’re in a good spot.”
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK: Megan Dwyer
D: Nell Martin
D: Meredith Nassar
D: Sydney Parker
D: Caroline Iserloth
M: Whitney Hoban
M: Emma Weaver
M: Victoria Flannagan
M: Lily Conley
M: Grace Walker
F: Nicole Kaspi
Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Cece Crumlish
D: Hope Nowak
D: Elyse Kanagandram
D: Alexis Schulman
D: Eloise Burnham
M: Eden Saraceno
M: Emma Smith
M: Emma Wojack
M: Grace Malagoli
F: Kaitlyn Vogan
F: Anne Wollmuth
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Meredith Nassar, sr., D, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Meredith Nassar, 18th minute
New Trier—Sydney Parker (Nicole Kaspi and Lily Conley), 33rd minute
New Trier—Victoria Flannagan (Emma Weaver), 38th minute
Second half
New Trier—Grace Walker (Whitney Hoban), 49th minute
New Trier—Parker (Weaver), 54th minute
New Trier—Kate Sawdey (Nell Martin), 77th minute
Senior D sets tone for dominant Naperville Invitational win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
OAK PARK -- Patience is not only a virtue, it’s a necessity when you play at New Trier. Meredith Nassar is exhibit A.
The defender did not play on the varsity until her junior season last year. She saw situational time and posted two assists for the powerhouse program that has played in four-consecutive Class 3A state championship games.
Playing in the shadows gave her game and skills the time necessary to develop. Now she is one of the foundational pieces of an air-tight defense that has conceded just two goals. As the Trevians continue to work out the kinks and develop a fluid offensive attack, Nassar personifies the multidimensional qualities of her team
Standing in a spot seemingly removed from any offensive threat, Nassar made the kind of opportunistic play that opened the floodgates.
Nassar drilled a high and looping ball from 35 yards that took a vicious spin and flummoxed a first-time varsity keeper as the Trevians, ranked fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, unleashed a blinding and devastating attack in a 6-0 road victory over Oak Park and River Forest in a Naperville Invitational group play game Friday night.
New Trier (8-0-2) plays Palatine at Metea Valley on Saturday. The winner of that game advances out of Group H and qualifies for the quarterfinal bracket.
Despite dominating the opening moments of the game, New Trier was stymied until the 18th minute. Even if it felt inevitable, New Trier still needed that breakthrough. Nassar eagerly supplied the moment. The ball got punched out to Nassar, stationed on the left hash when she made her decisive action.
“I just chipped it up thinking one of our players would run in, and then it just kind of got lucky, I guess,” Nassar said.
The ball bounded deep into the bright light and handcuffed Huskies’ keeper Cece Crumlish, a sophomore elevated to the varsity and seeing her first minutes at the level -- talk about trial by fire.
Nassar, as the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match, set a dynamic tone.
“Everyone worked really hard, and we worked really hard to possess the ball,” she said. “That was really important. We want to work really hard and just improve where we need improvement. We want to work on things that Burnside talks about in practice and just try to work together as a team.
“I think we are just coming out stronger and with more intensity.”
The goal rattled the young Huskies (0-6-0).
“There were a lot of nerves, and I guess I was not as ready to play as I thought,” Crumlish said.
A historically solid program, the Huskies are in a learning mode. They had played only four games leading into the New Trier matchup. A communications snafu resulted in the team forfeiting its game against Palatine on Thursday night.
“That is an outstanding group of girls and a great coaching staff,” Oak Park and River Forest coach Ignacio Ponce said. “They had most of the possession in the game. They were the better team. However the first 20 minutes, we were zero-zero. That first goal, I think she kicked it from 35 or 40 yards out, that was the turn of the game, I think.
“We started getting tired, because the girls were working so hard.”
New Trier’s last championship appearance in the Naperville Invitational happened in 2014, when they lost 2-1 against Waubonsie Valley. That was the team’s only defeat in a 31-1-0 Class 3A state title run, the first of three-consecutive Trevians state championships. Remarkably, New Trier never won the invitational during its four-year run of Class 3A finals appearances.
“This tournament is great competition, just like the state tournament,” New Trier coach Jim Burnside said. “It’s hard. You’re in the middle of the season and also coming out of another tournament.”
After failing to get out of the pool play of the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic last week, New Trier has been on a mission. The Trevians throttled no. 3 Glenbrook South in conference play on Tuesday, a redemption game after the Titans captured the classic championship over Evanston.
On Friday night, New Trier looked overpowering, beautifully directing its attack. The two superstars, senior defender Sydney Parker and sophomore midfielder Emma Weaver, played their roles accordingly. Parker had two goals and Weaver registered two assists as the Trevians broke out to the commanding 3-0 lead at the break.
“I think when we see teams that we play in tournaments, and we don’t get the results, and then we play again it is always more motivation for us to be better,” Parker said. “With Glenbrook South, we did not get to play them in our tournament, but we beat them earlier this week, and that was kind of interesting.”
Parker’s brace led the offensive onslaught. Her volley that originated off a Nicole Kaspi free kick and a Lily Conley header produced the most scintillating goal of the game. The Trevians showed their full arsenal, scoring off sharply designed and executed set pieces and also in the run of play.
Parker’s first score came in the 33rd minute.
Senior forward Victoria Flannagan controlled a through-ball from Weaver and smashed home a ball from about 14 yards in the 38th minute.
Parker, freshman forward Grace Walker and junior midfielder Kate Sawdey punctuated the rout with second half goals. New Trier looked fluid, organized and marked by high energy. Oak Park and River Forest never managed a shot on goal.
Despite the Trevians’ scoring onslaught, Huskies’ keeper Crumlish played well. She had nine saves, several quite daring and athletically impressive.
“I felt that we definitely worked hard during this game,” she said. “There were some tense moments where the defense had to come back and try to clear or get the ball out. They definitely had a better time than we did. That definitely hurt us, the fact that we could not push it up into our attacking quarter.”
Despite the one-sided loss, Ponce continues to see improvement.
“It’s not reflected in the score, but we have really grown a lot since our first game of the year,” he said. “If you saw us on day one and you saw us now, you’d see a different team. Our girls have become very physical. They want to win. They’re working hard, very dedicated and disciplined. All we need is that one win to turn us around.”
New Trier is a team molding into a privileged and frightening shape.
“I think we are starting to find our path a little bit and find our confidence,” Burnside said. “I still don’t think we fully know what we are doing in the formation we are in, and it is going to take a little bit longer there. I think with the weather we are feeling pretty good, and we are feeling pretty healthy.
“We’re in a good spot.”
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK: Megan Dwyer
D: Nell Martin
D: Meredith Nassar
D: Sydney Parker
D: Caroline Iserloth
M: Whitney Hoban
M: Emma Weaver
M: Victoria Flannagan
M: Lily Conley
M: Grace Walker
F: Nicole Kaspi
Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Cece Crumlish
D: Hope Nowak
D: Elyse Kanagandram
D: Alexis Schulman
D: Eloise Burnham
M: Eden Saraceno
M: Emma Smith
M: Emma Wojack
M: Grace Malagoli
F: Kaitlyn Vogan
F: Anne Wollmuth
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Meredith Nassar, sr., D, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Meredith Nassar, 18th minute
New Trier—Sydney Parker (Nicole Kaspi and Lily Conley), 33rd minute
New Trier—Victoria Flannagan (Emma Weaver), 38th minute
Second half
New Trier—Grace Walker (Whitney Hoban), 49th minute
New Trier—Parker (Weaver), 54th minute
New Trier—Kate Sawdey (Nell Martin), 77th minute