Late goal lifts Oswego E. past WWS
Wolves earn 1st victory of season with 1-0 decision
By Chris Walker
WHEATON -- Time was running out so Chloe Noon took matters onto her own foot.
The senior midfielder for Oswego East (1-1-0) launched a long free kick deep into the Wheaton Warrenville South box. Anya Gulbrandsen was able to get a touch on it and sent it into the back of the net with 14:05 remaining for a 1-0 nonconference road victory Thursday.
It was the first goal of the season for Oswego East, which is ranked 19th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Wheaton Warrenville South (0-1-1) remains scoreless this spring.
“I knew where I wanted to place it, and obviously we needed to get a goal,” said Noon, who is a Wolves tri-captain. “I just got it right in front of the goal, right in front of the six.
“I know I’m able to take those free kicks from far out, so I was confident in my ability to get it in and my teammates would be able to follow it up and get it in.
“We have girls like Anya and a bunch of other girls I know can finish. Anya is very skilled. She got it with the bottom of her foot and was able to just tap it in.”
The wet weather forced the game to be moved from a 4:30 p.m. start on Oswego East’s natural surface to a 6:50 p.m. (actually 7:08 p.m.) start on the artificial pitch at Wheaton Warrenville South’s Red Grange Field. On the substitute stage, Gulbrandsen made the play of the game. She earneding Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors for breaking the shutout and sending the Wolves home with their first victory of 2022.
“Chloe played a good ball,” she said. “It’s wet outside so you always have to overcompensate and assume the ball goes farther. The goalie was coming out for it, because it was a little under hit. It was a great ball. It (the shot) went right over her head and went in.”
Gulbrandsen somehow made it look easy in a blink of the eye.
“It’s really awkward when you get that touch like that,” she said. “We had a couple of those. We’ve been doing set pieces in practice, and this is just the kind of stuff where when you have an opportunity like that just one touch on the ball is all it takes when the goalie comes up.”
Wheaton Warrenville South went back and forth with the Wolves all evening, challenging their visitors before succumbing to Gulbrandsen’s big play.
“We made a mistake and good teams will make you pay for that mistake. Then we left the game in the balance,” Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. “I thought we had some really good scoring opportunities, and we didn’t capitalize on those opportunities.
“We left a lot of sitters. We could’ve made it a little bit more difficult for them, more of a challenge in the latter part of the game and then we could’ve managed better.”
The Tigers kept fighting after falling behind. They earned three corner kicks and produced a handful of other scoring chances: including a strong 30-yard free kick from senior defender and tri-captain Elie Farrell; and an attempt from Mia Harbert that Oswego East goalkeeper Sam McPhee was able to secure.
“We had a lot of opportunities with regards to dead ball environments,” Callipari said. “Having a couple injuries didn’t help us either. Overall I was very pleased with their disposition, and the way they feel. They’re capable, and they’re going to be competitive. That sets the tone going forward.”
After opening the season with a tough 1-0 loss against third-ranked Naperville Central, the reigning DuPage Valley Conference champions, Oswego East found itself in a battle with a former DVC team.
“This team came out and just battled against us,” Wolves coach Juan Leal said. “The way we played against Naperville Central, and the way we played today was kind of a little night and day for us. Obviously, they came out and challenged us really hard. Our girls had a little bit of a hard time adjusting to them.”
The Wolves picked up their intensity in the second half.
“I think we had a rough start in this game,” Noon said. “We all know coming off the first half we could give a lot more, and in the second half we gave a lot more.
“The second half was much better. The intensity was much better. We were able to possess more. I felt like in the first half we were panicking, but we were able to figure it out and sort it out.”
Said Gulbrandsen: “We started building up in the second half. The last game we played against Naperville Central we played good, but it really came down to a (penalty kick with 22:20 remaining). We talked about it in practice, how sometimes all it takes is one set piece. So, we always have to take advantage of those.”
It goes down as loss for Wheaton Warrenville South, but their fight against a ranked team should boost their confidence.
“It’s only our second game, and we’re really a new team this year with a lot of new faces,” Tigers senior defender and tri-captain Olivia Vassios said. “I really like how collectively we’re working together and moving the ball really well. This was a really competitive team, and I think we matched up to that level. It’s so early but we’re learning a lot.”
Figuring out a way to score is certainly a concern for the Tigers. The team went 13-7-0 and averaged 2.7 goals per game last year but graduated all-conference forwards Melisa Hadzic and Becca Hauenstein, and midfielder Emma Snowman.
“The biggest thing is we have to find the back of the net; that’s two games without scoring anything,” Tigers senior defender and tri-captain Mallory Cadagin said. “Defense-wise we’ll stay in the game the whole game, and then the last few minutes we’ll start to let up. I feel we need to stay in the game the whole time.
“They had a lot of people in the middle, so we had to work on playing outside more. I think we’re going to be really good this year though.”
Cadagin likes the way the Tigers are going down the line and cutting into the middle, but there’s still a need to increase targets in the middle.
“We’re struggling a bit with numbers in the middle, but when we do have the numbers the shots are there,” she said. “We had a really good shot from Elie (Farrell) almost scoring, and Mia T (Taullahue) had a really good shot, too.
“We are getting some opportunities. Then there are corner kicks; we sent some good corner kicks in.
“All in all, Meghan (Economos) has really added something to the top, and I think Ashley Adams is going to make a big impact this year. Overall I think we’re doing a really good job of combining with each other and finding each other.”
The Tigers can now head into their spring break with some positives. They don’t play again until hosting Burlington Central on April 5.
“(Oswego East) is well groomed and well coached and certainly have some able bodies around the park and a lot of athleticism,” Callipari said. “That was a good test for us today. I felt we weathered much and worked hard and showed a lot of mental fortitude and will.”
Oswego East is back at it on Tuesday (March 29) when it travels to Joliet Central for its Southwest Prairie Conference opener.
“We told the girls it doesn’t matter who we play, you always have got to bring your ‘A’ game," Leal said. "Even if you know the possibility is there that you could be a little more skilled than (the opponent), hard work will always outwork skill.
"We want to get playoff-style games right from the beginning against great opponents, and this team gave it to us.”
Starting lineups
Oswego East
GK: Sam McPhee
D: Yocie Castelan
D: Veronica Hamilton
D: Abigail Triska
MF: Taylor English
MF: Anya Gulbrandsen
MF: Riley Gumm
MF: Mikayla Lambert
MF: Chloe Noon
MF: Emma Rosenthal
F: Erika Smiley
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Eva Aimonette
D: Mallory Cadagin
D: Elie Farrell
D: Ella McClatchy
D: Lily Petrie
D: Olivia Vassios
MF: Carrie Harvey
MF: Kate Grunland
F: Lauren Barnett
F: Mia Taullahy
F: Meghan Economos
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Anya Gulbrandsen, so., MF, Oswego East
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Oswego East: Anya Gulbrandsen (Chloe Noon), 66th minute
Wolves earn 1st victory of season with 1-0 decision
By Chris Walker
WHEATON -- Time was running out so Chloe Noon took matters onto her own foot.
The senior midfielder for Oswego East (1-1-0) launched a long free kick deep into the Wheaton Warrenville South box. Anya Gulbrandsen was able to get a touch on it and sent it into the back of the net with 14:05 remaining for a 1-0 nonconference road victory Thursday.
It was the first goal of the season for Oswego East, which is ranked 19th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Wheaton Warrenville South (0-1-1) remains scoreless this spring.
“I knew where I wanted to place it, and obviously we needed to get a goal,” said Noon, who is a Wolves tri-captain. “I just got it right in front of the goal, right in front of the six.
“I know I’m able to take those free kicks from far out, so I was confident in my ability to get it in and my teammates would be able to follow it up and get it in.
“We have girls like Anya and a bunch of other girls I know can finish. Anya is very skilled. She got it with the bottom of her foot and was able to just tap it in.”
The wet weather forced the game to be moved from a 4:30 p.m. start on Oswego East’s natural surface to a 6:50 p.m. (actually 7:08 p.m.) start on the artificial pitch at Wheaton Warrenville South’s Red Grange Field. On the substitute stage, Gulbrandsen made the play of the game. She earneding Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors for breaking the shutout and sending the Wolves home with their first victory of 2022.
“Chloe played a good ball,” she said. “It’s wet outside so you always have to overcompensate and assume the ball goes farther. The goalie was coming out for it, because it was a little under hit. It was a great ball. It (the shot) went right over her head and went in.”
Gulbrandsen somehow made it look easy in a blink of the eye.
“It’s really awkward when you get that touch like that,” she said. “We had a couple of those. We’ve been doing set pieces in practice, and this is just the kind of stuff where when you have an opportunity like that just one touch on the ball is all it takes when the goalie comes up.”
Wheaton Warrenville South went back and forth with the Wolves all evening, challenging their visitors before succumbing to Gulbrandsen’s big play.
“We made a mistake and good teams will make you pay for that mistake. Then we left the game in the balance,” Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. “I thought we had some really good scoring opportunities, and we didn’t capitalize on those opportunities.
“We left a lot of sitters. We could’ve made it a little bit more difficult for them, more of a challenge in the latter part of the game and then we could’ve managed better.”
The Tigers kept fighting after falling behind. They earned three corner kicks and produced a handful of other scoring chances: including a strong 30-yard free kick from senior defender and tri-captain Elie Farrell; and an attempt from Mia Harbert that Oswego East goalkeeper Sam McPhee was able to secure.
“We had a lot of opportunities with regards to dead ball environments,” Callipari said. “Having a couple injuries didn’t help us either. Overall I was very pleased with their disposition, and the way they feel. They’re capable, and they’re going to be competitive. That sets the tone going forward.”
After opening the season with a tough 1-0 loss against third-ranked Naperville Central, the reigning DuPage Valley Conference champions, Oswego East found itself in a battle with a former DVC team.
“This team came out and just battled against us,” Wolves coach Juan Leal said. “The way we played against Naperville Central, and the way we played today was kind of a little night and day for us. Obviously, they came out and challenged us really hard. Our girls had a little bit of a hard time adjusting to them.”
The Wolves picked up their intensity in the second half.
“I think we had a rough start in this game,” Noon said. “We all know coming off the first half we could give a lot more, and in the second half we gave a lot more.
“The second half was much better. The intensity was much better. We were able to possess more. I felt like in the first half we were panicking, but we were able to figure it out and sort it out.”
Said Gulbrandsen: “We started building up in the second half. The last game we played against Naperville Central we played good, but it really came down to a (penalty kick with 22:20 remaining). We talked about it in practice, how sometimes all it takes is one set piece. So, we always have to take advantage of those.”
It goes down as loss for Wheaton Warrenville South, but their fight against a ranked team should boost their confidence.
“It’s only our second game, and we’re really a new team this year with a lot of new faces,” Tigers senior defender and tri-captain Olivia Vassios said. “I really like how collectively we’re working together and moving the ball really well. This was a really competitive team, and I think we matched up to that level. It’s so early but we’re learning a lot.”
Figuring out a way to score is certainly a concern for the Tigers. The team went 13-7-0 and averaged 2.7 goals per game last year but graduated all-conference forwards Melisa Hadzic and Becca Hauenstein, and midfielder Emma Snowman.
“The biggest thing is we have to find the back of the net; that’s two games without scoring anything,” Tigers senior defender and tri-captain Mallory Cadagin said. “Defense-wise we’ll stay in the game the whole game, and then the last few minutes we’ll start to let up. I feel we need to stay in the game the whole time.
“They had a lot of people in the middle, so we had to work on playing outside more. I think we’re going to be really good this year though.”
Cadagin likes the way the Tigers are going down the line and cutting into the middle, but there’s still a need to increase targets in the middle.
“We’re struggling a bit with numbers in the middle, but when we do have the numbers the shots are there,” she said. “We had a really good shot from Elie (Farrell) almost scoring, and Mia T (Taullahue) had a really good shot, too.
“We are getting some opportunities. Then there are corner kicks; we sent some good corner kicks in.
“All in all, Meghan (Economos) has really added something to the top, and I think Ashley Adams is going to make a big impact this year. Overall I think we’re doing a really good job of combining with each other and finding each other.”
The Tigers can now head into their spring break with some positives. They don’t play again until hosting Burlington Central on April 5.
“(Oswego East) is well groomed and well coached and certainly have some able bodies around the park and a lot of athleticism,” Callipari said. “That was a good test for us today. I felt we weathered much and worked hard and showed a lot of mental fortitude and will.”
Oswego East is back at it on Tuesday (March 29) when it travels to Joliet Central for its Southwest Prairie Conference opener.
“We told the girls it doesn’t matter who we play, you always have got to bring your ‘A’ game," Leal said. "Even if you know the possibility is there that you could be a little more skilled than (the opponent), hard work will always outwork skill.
"We want to get playoff-style games right from the beginning against great opponents, and this team gave it to us.”
Starting lineups
Oswego East
GK: Sam McPhee
D: Yocie Castelan
D: Veronica Hamilton
D: Abigail Triska
MF: Taylor English
MF: Anya Gulbrandsen
MF: Riley Gumm
MF: Mikayla Lambert
MF: Chloe Noon
MF: Emma Rosenthal
F: Erika Smiley
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Eva Aimonette
D: Mallory Cadagin
D: Elie Farrell
D: Ella McClatchy
D: Lily Petrie
D: Olivia Vassios
MF: Carrie Harvey
MF: Kate Grunland
F: Lauren Barnett
F: Mia Taullahy
F: Meghan Economos
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Anya Gulbrandsen, so., MF, Oswego East
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Oswego East: Anya Gulbrandsen (Chloe Noon), 66th minute