Weaver looms large, New Trier tops Carmel
Soph soars with 2 goals, 2 assist in 5-1 super win over Carmel
By Patrick Z. McGavin
EVANSTON -- Of all of her prodigious physical gifts, Emma Weaver is blessed with an observational grace and acuity. The nervy New Trier sophomore midfielder is quick not only to the ball, but reacting to the moment, quickly reading and breaking down the tendencies of the defenders around her and the reaction of the keeper.
In the first half of the Trevians’ high-stakes supersectional matchup with Carmel, Weaver saw her opportunity and blasted a ball just outside the box at the Corsairs goal. It missed, but the point was clear.
Weaver was efficiently computing her own data. In the 30th minute, everything clicked and paid off handsomely. Working the right edge of the field in the attacking third, Weaver launched a rocket ball from about 24 yards that caught Carmel keeper Sophia Sarkis off balance for the crucial opening score.
Weaver was the star of stars in scoring two goals and administering two assists as New Trier, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, captured its fifth-consecutive supersectional championship with the sharp and deeply impressive 5-1 victory over a skilled and high quality 16th-ranked Carmel side Tuesday night.
For her outstanding and versatile play, Weaver earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match distinction. She has a 15 goals and team-best 19 assists so far this season.
New Trier (23-0-2) ran its winning streak to 18 games and will play Andrew (21-4-0) in the second Class 3A state semifinal Friday night at North Central College in Naperville. New Trier qualified for state for the 11th time in the career of coach Jim Burnside.
“Winning a supersectional is never going to get old,” star senior forward Nicole Kaspi said. “I echo that,” Burnside said.
Many of the great foundational players of the program, like current Illinois star Kelly Maday, lined the stands to watch the game. The scene seemed to mark a symbolic passing of the torch, with its attendant sense of purpose, commitment and skill.
“When you look in the stands and see all the girls that we played with over the years, all the players from my past, what we did tonight was for them,” Kaspi said. “Having them see us and what we were doing out there was really special for us.
“I want to cherish this.”
The final score is misleading. Reaching the supersectional for the first time in school history in the Class 3A field, Carmel (16-5-1) played beautifully and ferociously as well. The Corsairs won the Class AA state title three years ago on Erin Johnston’s 78th-minute goal against Glenwood.
The victory elevated the Corsairs into the larger schools division. In the last two years, Carmel failed to get past a regional final. Last year they lost to Stevenson is a regional semifinal.
“The last couple of years, we had a lot of talent, but the chemistry was not always there,” senior defender Lily Sykes said. “Once we moved up to [Class] 3A, we got into a little rut. We were playing bigger schools, against harder teams, and we struggled with that.
“I am so happy we accomplished what we did.”
With two superb attacking juniors in forward Zenaya Barnes and midfielder Skyler Thomas, Carmel ran step for step with the Trevians through the first half. Barnes made a couple of strong runs and nearly created a one-on-one opportunity with freshman forward Sarah Galla. The Corsairs proved they belonged.
Weaver made the significant and bold first move. Senior midfielder Whitney Hoban crafted the beautiful through-ball that she hammered home with authority.
“I took a similar shot before in the game, and I hit it wide,” Weaver said. When Whitney played that amazing through-ball, I saw the open slot in the far post, and the ball was in the air. I just bolted it in. The keeper usually steps near post when I go out wide, so I try to rip it far.”
As well as the Trevians played, Carmel countered enough and showed moxie and fight to be down by a workable single goal at the break. That is where New Trier is at its most dangerous, cooly and analytically looking to break down the opposition.
“These kids understand how to make adjustments, and we came out in the second half just firing,” Burnside said. “It is impressive what we do. I’ve said this before, but I think the best halftime happens when the coaches are standing here [off the side] talking and the players are huddled up and talking about what they need to do.
“I think that fires them up and keeps them going.”
Weaver was the catalyst of an early second half flurry that gave the Trevians a commanding edge. In the 43rd minute, she advanced the ball and got to the edge and crossed a sharp ball that senior forward Victoria Flannagan timed with her forward burst for a one-touch inside the box for the crucial second goal.
It was Flannagan’s fifth goal of the year. “Victoria’s amazing at getting to that near post,” Weaver said. “She does that really well and she was right there.” New Trier’s relentless and attacking style began to wear the Corsairs down.
Not satisfied with the two-goal cushion, New Trier maintained its forward thrust. In the 48th minute, the Trevians orchestrated their most beautiful goal of the night. Starting as a throw-in from the left edge, senior defender Caroline Iserloth played the first ball that Hoban volleyed and freshman forward Grace Walker finished with a header. The timing was exquisite, just one beat off and the scoring sequence is thwarted.
“They had an amazing attacking midfielder [Weaver],” Sykes said. “They have a lot of really strong players in the air. They won the majority of the 50-50 balls. Overall they were probably a better team than us. They had a good team; they had amazing shots, and they finished when it counted. I think that is just what happened.”
Though stung by the two quick goals, Carmel refused to yield. In the 53rd minute, the game tightened and became increasingly more interesting. Barnes worked the right edge and drilled a cross that wedged between a couple of New Trier defenders.
Carmel junior midfielder Olivia Salvi got the necessary touch that slid past New Trier keeper Meghan Dwyer for the goal. Newly energized, Carmel maintained its strong play. The turning point unfolded moments later. Sykes had a free kick from about 30 yards on the right wing. The ball tantalizing hit an open and very dangerous spot. No Carmel player got to the ball and it skidded out of bounds.
“We could have potentially gotten ourselves back into the game,” Carmel coach Ray Krawzak said. “If you do your job and you make your run and commit to the place they are going to get to, and the ball is between you and the far post, it is a 3-2 score and a much different game. From there, I pushed forward when we were down, and that is what I tend to do.
“We give up a little bit defensively, which has been our strength the whole season. I am going to second guess that, whether we should have gone as offensive as we did. Obviously that opened us up for getting scored on.”
Weaver eliminated any possibility of a Carmel comeback by blasting home another laser shot from the right edge in the 63rd minute.
“I give Lily Conley all the credit,” Weaver said. “She worked really hard in the box, and I was there to put it in the back of the net.”
Weaver punctuated her brilliant night in the 69th minute with another dazzling scoring play.
Working on the right edge, she looped the ball over a defender who was draped on her and served a ball that Kaspi blasted home for her 17th goal of the year.
Weaver was a precocious freshman on last year’s team that lost to Barrington in a shootout in the state championship game which ended the Trevians’ streak of three-consecutive state championships. Weaver is hungry to restore New Trier to the ultimate prize.
“We want to prove ourselves,” she said. “We know what we are capable of. That state championship is what we want.”
Sydney Parker, the Trevians’ best all-around player, exemplified the spirit and competitive drive of a team that has created a benchmark. “You want to do it for your teammates,” Parker said. “We lost state last year, but we had such a successful season. I think leaving something on the field is the biggest disappointment. It is more than just wanting to do it for the record. You want to extend the season as far as you can, especially for the seniors. We’ve had a lot of success, but some of the girls are not going to be playing in college.
“We want to build this community and keep it going as long as possible.”
Carmel also had plenty to celebrate. The Corsairs lost their first game on this same field against Hinsdale Central in a pool play game of the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic. The Corsairs lost all three games of the tournament, putting them at just 3-3-0 in the middle of April. The team had more questions than answers at that point.
The Corsairs ascended to another level, ripping off an eight-game winning streak and finishing the rest of its schedule with a 13-2-1 record. They were one of four teams from the loaded East Suburban Catholic Conference that qualified for the supersectional round.
“There were mistakes we needed to make to know what we were doing wrong,” Sykes said. “It was the small things and also our effort. Once we fixed those things everything clicked. Once it started going, there was momentum and then it felt normal. We definitely needed those three games to slap us in the face and bring us back.”
Starting lineups
Carmel
GK: Sophia Sarkis
D: Lily Sykes
D: Ciara Thomas
D: Maddy Splitt
D: Morgan Smola
M: Emma Heinrich
M: Skyler Thomas
M: Olivia Salvi
M: Mia Salvi
M: Sarah Galla
F: Zenaya Barnes
New Trier
GK: Meghan Dwyer
D: Josie Crumley
D: Meredith Nassar
D: Sydney Parker
D: Caroline Iserloth
M: Whitney Hoban
M: Emma Weaver
M: Lily Conley
F:: Nicole Basil
F: Victoria Flannagan
F: Nicole Kaspi
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emma Weaver, so., M, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Emma Weaver (Whitney Hoban), 30th minute
Second half
New Trier—Victoria Flannagan (Weaver), 43rd minute
New Trier—Grace Walker (Hoban), 48th minute
Carmel—Olivia Salvi (unassisted), 53rd minute
New Trier—Weaver (Lily Conley), 63rd minute
New Trier—Nicole Kaspi (Weaver), 69th minute
Soph soars with 2 goals, 2 assist in 5-1 super win over Carmel
By Patrick Z. McGavin
EVANSTON -- Of all of her prodigious physical gifts, Emma Weaver is blessed with an observational grace and acuity. The nervy New Trier sophomore midfielder is quick not only to the ball, but reacting to the moment, quickly reading and breaking down the tendencies of the defenders around her and the reaction of the keeper.
In the first half of the Trevians’ high-stakes supersectional matchup with Carmel, Weaver saw her opportunity and blasted a ball just outside the box at the Corsairs goal. It missed, but the point was clear.
Weaver was efficiently computing her own data. In the 30th minute, everything clicked and paid off handsomely. Working the right edge of the field in the attacking third, Weaver launched a rocket ball from about 24 yards that caught Carmel keeper Sophia Sarkis off balance for the crucial opening score.
Weaver was the star of stars in scoring two goals and administering two assists as New Trier, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, captured its fifth-consecutive supersectional championship with the sharp and deeply impressive 5-1 victory over a skilled and high quality 16th-ranked Carmel side Tuesday night.
For her outstanding and versatile play, Weaver earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match distinction. She has a 15 goals and team-best 19 assists so far this season.
New Trier (23-0-2) ran its winning streak to 18 games and will play Andrew (21-4-0) in the second Class 3A state semifinal Friday night at North Central College in Naperville. New Trier qualified for state for the 11th time in the career of coach Jim Burnside.
“Winning a supersectional is never going to get old,” star senior forward Nicole Kaspi said. “I echo that,” Burnside said.
Many of the great foundational players of the program, like current Illinois star Kelly Maday, lined the stands to watch the game. The scene seemed to mark a symbolic passing of the torch, with its attendant sense of purpose, commitment and skill.
“When you look in the stands and see all the girls that we played with over the years, all the players from my past, what we did tonight was for them,” Kaspi said. “Having them see us and what we were doing out there was really special for us.
“I want to cherish this.”
The final score is misleading. Reaching the supersectional for the first time in school history in the Class 3A field, Carmel (16-5-1) played beautifully and ferociously as well. The Corsairs won the Class AA state title three years ago on Erin Johnston’s 78th-minute goal against Glenwood.
The victory elevated the Corsairs into the larger schools division. In the last two years, Carmel failed to get past a regional final. Last year they lost to Stevenson is a regional semifinal.
“The last couple of years, we had a lot of talent, but the chemistry was not always there,” senior defender Lily Sykes said. “Once we moved up to [Class] 3A, we got into a little rut. We were playing bigger schools, against harder teams, and we struggled with that.
“I am so happy we accomplished what we did.”
With two superb attacking juniors in forward Zenaya Barnes and midfielder Skyler Thomas, Carmel ran step for step with the Trevians through the first half. Barnes made a couple of strong runs and nearly created a one-on-one opportunity with freshman forward Sarah Galla. The Corsairs proved they belonged.
Weaver made the significant and bold first move. Senior midfielder Whitney Hoban crafted the beautiful through-ball that she hammered home with authority.
“I took a similar shot before in the game, and I hit it wide,” Weaver said. When Whitney played that amazing through-ball, I saw the open slot in the far post, and the ball was in the air. I just bolted it in. The keeper usually steps near post when I go out wide, so I try to rip it far.”
As well as the Trevians played, Carmel countered enough and showed moxie and fight to be down by a workable single goal at the break. That is where New Trier is at its most dangerous, cooly and analytically looking to break down the opposition.
“These kids understand how to make adjustments, and we came out in the second half just firing,” Burnside said. “It is impressive what we do. I’ve said this before, but I think the best halftime happens when the coaches are standing here [off the side] talking and the players are huddled up and talking about what they need to do.
“I think that fires them up and keeps them going.”
Weaver was the catalyst of an early second half flurry that gave the Trevians a commanding edge. In the 43rd minute, she advanced the ball and got to the edge and crossed a sharp ball that senior forward Victoria Flannagan timed with her forward burst for a one-touch inside the box for the crucial second goal.
It was Flannagan’s fifth goal of the year. “Victoria’s amazing at getting to that near post,” Weaver said. “She does that really well and she was right there.” New Trier’s relentless and attacking style began to wear the Corsairs down.
Not satisfied with the two-goal cushion, New Trier maintained its forward thrust. In the 48th minute, the Trevians orchestrated their most beautiful goal of the night. Starting as a throw-in from the left edge, senior defender Caroline Iserloth played the first ball that Hoban volleyed and freshman forward Grace Walker finished with a header. The timing was exquisite, just one beat off and the scoring sequence is thwarted.
“They had an amazing attacking midfielder [Weaver],” Sykes said. “They have a lot of really strong players in the air. They won the majority of the 50-50 balls. Overall they were probably a better team than us. They had a good team; they had amazing shots, and they finished when it counted. I think that is just what happened.”
Though stung by the two quick goals, Carmel refused to yield. In the 53rd minute, the game tightened and became increasingly more interesting. Barnes worked the right edge and drilled a cross that wedged between a couple of New Trier defenders.
Carmel junior midfielder Olivia Salvi got the necessary touch that slid past New Trier keeper Meghan Dwyer for the goal. Newly energized, Carmel maintained its strong play. The turning point unfolded moments later. Sykes had a free kick from about 30 yards on the right wing. The ball tantalizing hit an open and very dangerous spot. No Carmel player got to the ball and it skidded out of bounds.
“We could have potentially gotten ourselves back into the game,” Carmel coach Ray Krawzak said. “If you do your job and you make your run and commit to the place they are going to get to, and the ball is between you and the far post, it is a 3-2 score and a much different game. From there, I pushed forward when we were down, and that is what I tend to do.
“We give up a little bit defensively, which has been our strength the whole season. I am going to second guess that, whether we should have gone as offensive as we did. Obviously that opened us up for getting scored on.”
Weaver eliminated any possibility of a Carmel comeback by blasting home another laser shot from the right edge in the 63rd minute.
“I give Lily Conley all the credit,” Weaver said. “She worked really hard in the box, and I was there to put it in the back of the net.”
Weaver punctuated her brilliant night in the 69th minute with another dazzling scoring play.
Working on the right edge, she looped the ball over a defender who was draped on her and served a ball that Kaspi blasted home for her 17th goal of the year.
Weaver was a precocious freshman on last year’s team that lost to Barrington in a shootout in the state championship game which ended the Trevians’ streak of three-consecutive state championships. Weaver is hungry to restore New Trier to the ultimate prize.
“We want to prove ourselves,” she said. “We know what we are capable of. That state championship is what we want.”
Sydney Parker, the Trevians’ best all-around player, exemplified the spirit and competitive drive of a team that has created a benchmark. “You want to do it for your teammates,” Parker said. “We lost state last year, but we had such a successful season. I think leaving something on the field is the biggest disappointment. It is more than just wanting to do it for the record. You want to extend the season as far as you can, especially for the seniors. We’ve had a lot of success, but some of the girls are not going to be playing in college.
“We want to build this community and keep it going as long as possible.”
Carmel also had plenty to celebrate. The Corsairs lost their first game on this same field against Hinsdale Central in a pool play game of the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic. The Corsairs lost all three games of the tournament, putting them at just 3-3-0 in the middle of April. The team had more questions than answers at that point.
The Corsairs ascended to another level, ripping off an eight-game winning streak and finishing the rest of its schedule with a 13-2-1 record. They were one of four teams from the loaded East Suburban Catholic Conference that qualified for the supersectional round.
“There were mistakes we needed to make to know what we were doing wrong,” Sykes said. “It was the small things and also our effort. Once we fixed those things everything clicked. Once it started going, there was momentum and then it felt normal. We definitely needed those three games to slap us in the face and bring us back.”
Starting lineups
Carmel
GK: Sophia Sarkis
D: Lily Sykes
D: Ciara Thomas
D: Maddy Splitt
D: Morgan Smola
M: Emma Heinrich
M: Skyler Thomas
M: Olivia Salvi
M: Mia Salvi
M: Sarah Galla
F: Zenaya Barnes
New Trier
GK: Meghan Dwyer
D: Josie Crumley
D: Meredith Nassar
D: Sydney Parker
D: Caroline Iserloth
M: Whitney Hoban
M: Emma Weaver
M: Lily Conley
F:: Nicole Basil
F: Victoria Flannagan
F: Nicole Kaspi
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emma Weaver, so., M, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Emma Weaver (Whitney Hoban), 30th minute
Second half
New Trier—Victoria Flannagan (Weaver), 43rd minute
New Trier—Grace Walker (Hoban), 48th minute
Carmel—Olivia Salvi (unassisted), 53rd minute
New Trier—Weaver (Lily Conley), 63rd minute
New Trier—Nicole Kaspi (Weaver), 69th minute