Reavis plows through wintry mix for 5-0 win
Corona hat-trick leads Rams over Oak Lawn for 3rd win in row
By Dave Owen
BURBANK -- Spring may not have returned yet, but Litzy Corona has.
Reavis will take that tradeoff.
Sidelined all last season by injury, Corona struck Thursday for a hat-trick to lead the Rams (5-5-0, 2-1-0 in the South Suburban Conference Red Division) to their third victory in a row, a 5-0 win over visiting Oak Lawn (1-7-0, 0-2-0).
“Last year I really didn’t play because I had a knee injury,” said Corona, a junior who now has a team-high seven goals this season. “But I came back ready this year.”
Corona was certainly prepared for big things Thursday, earning Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors with a series of strikes that turned a close game through 32 minutes into a Reavis rout.
All of her goals came during a 13-minute stretch of play over the late first and early second halves, as the Rams’ lead grew from 1-0 to 4-0.
“Freshman year Litzy played for us as an outside mid, then last year she was out for the entire season,” Reavis coach Phil Basile said. “So coming back and finding her role was something we were working at.
“She’s a very skilled player. It’s just finding her role with the other players around her, because we want to highlight her abilities and put her in a position to utilize her strengths.”
That quest had Corona in action at several spots.
“We tried her at center mid, forward, outside mid, and really it’s finding where she can excel and finding that chemistry,” Basile said. “Today I wanted to see how she would work with the other forward up-top (Isabel Guzman), and I felt she found space and found opportunities to take shots that were pretty nice. And she was able to capitalize.”
Capitalizing wasn’t easy early for Reavis. Dealing with 35 degree temperatures and a steady first half snowfall, the Rams faced another frustrating obstacle early from a strong Oak Lawn defensive effort.
A steady barrage of early chances went unfulfilled. Six minutes in, Kimberly Marquez’s nice interception and 25-yard blast was denied on a block and cover up by Oak Lawn goalkeeper Julia Janks.
Then in the 11th minute, Janks made a nice diving deflection to her right on Arlette Hernandez’s 20-yard shot off a Marquez throw-in.
The near misses continued. On a 1-v.-1 attack in the 22nd minute, Guzman sent her shot just wide. Then off a Sylwia Rzadkosz cross, Jelena Stojadinovic’s 6-yard shot was saved by Janks.
“Oak Lawn is a developing program, and they’re a lot stronger this year,” Basile said. “But this was an opportunity for us to work on finishing in the final third, which is where we’ve been struggling. We’ve had multiple opportunities to score early on in games and haven’t capitalized on it.
“Today I was really talking to my offense about getting some runs off the ball and taking advantage of opportunities we have, because in a tighter game that one chance to score might be our only chance.
“Even today we struggled to get an early goal,” Basile added, “and it allows teams to build momentum and puts us under pressure.”
But if the pressure was building, two beautiful long strikes ended that.
Marquez nicely broke the ice (literally and figuratively) with 13:59 left in the first half. Gathering a loose clearing attempt, the senior lined a straight-on 32-yard drive high inside the left post to put Reavis up 1-0.
“Any opportunity we can get we’re always looking to score,” said Marquez, who has four goals this season. “It worked to my favor today.”
Dealing with the frustrating early near-misses and awful weather, Marquez and her teammates persevered.
“It was a little tougher, especially on the ground because the ball would skid more,” she said of the wintry mess. “But we managed.”
Marquez’s strong all-around play Thursday (which included stepping in to intercept numerous Oak Lawn throw-ins) has been a constant for the Rams.
“My center mids (Marquez and Rzadkosz) are very strong players,” Basile said. “They play very well off the ball and have a high work rate.
“Sylwia’s a sophomore who played outside mid last year. We put her at center mid where she’s somebody on the ball. And Kimberly, you talk about playing 18 to 18 (yard lines) as a center mid – she’ll drop all the way back, get all the way up. I have very high expectations for her this year.
“She’s kind of the heart of the team with keeping our energy up,” Basile added. “That heart is appreciated, where she’s constantly engaged and fighting for every ball, and working towards the team being successful. That’s a reason why she’s a captain two years in a row.”
The Rams had a third star to go with the Marquez-Rzadkosz combination on Thursday.
“We want to elevate Litzy’s play by being around them,” Basile said, “as opposed to her being off to the side and not being able to connect.”
With 7:20 left until halftime, Corona connected with a long-distance strike to widen the Rams lead to 2-0.
On a 45-yard direct kick after a foul, Corona’s drive went over a leaping Janks and just under the crossbar to rev up Reavis’ momentum.
“We knew they would play well as a team,” Oak Lawn coach John Faro said. “I didn’t know 10 and 11 (Rzadkosz and Marquez) would be such a hassle, but we definitely played defensive to keep it close. Then when they got those two really nice deep goals, we hoped for one for ourselves, and it didn’t happen.”
Dueling defensive plays dotted the final six minutes of the half (steals by Reavis defenders Camilina Valdez and Alyssa Froylan, and a nice block by Oak Lawn’s Natalie Para on a Marquez shot). But after the intermission, Corona’s offensive talents quickly took over.
Her first chance came just 20 seconds into the second half, as passes by Marquez and Stojadinovic sprung Corona for a 12-yard drive just over the net.
Just 36 seconds later, Corona finished with a 20-yard blast high off Janks’ hands and in for a 3-0 lead.
Then with 34:14 left, Corona completed her hat-trick and made the lead 4-0 with a right side run and low 15-yarder angled inside the left post.
Corona’s strong finishes through the run of play impressed her coach.
“She’s always been one over the ball on set pieces because she has the strongest leg,” Basile said, “and just being left footed throws off goalies sometimes reading how the curve of the ball is (on shots) onto frame.
“She’s always been that go-to person, but in the flow of the game I want to see her being an integral part of the offense. Today I saw more of that, which gives me a lot of thought where she will play our next game.
“She’s naturally adept at making runs up the field with an outside player,” Basile added. “If she’s playing in the middle of the field we can give her more opportunities. That’s a big thing; how do we get her involved?”
Corona’s two quick strikes were a big problem for Oak Lawn, as their strong start to the match was deflated.
“This is probably one of the better games we’ve played, but you kind of run out of gas,” Faro said. “They (Reavis) had to earn their first goal -- that made it a dangerous game for a while there.
“The second half goals, when they came out and put them up pretty quick, that didn’t help. But that’s a good team. They’re going to surprise people, just like I hope we do too one of these days coming up.”
Reavis has made huge strides since just before spring break. The Rams have won their last three games by a combined 9-0 margin.
“A lot of practice, passing and talking are the most important things,” Corona said. “He (Basile) always says, ‘You’ve got to talk; you’ve got to talk.’ And it shows out there. When we’re communicating, we get things done.”
That communication starts with the energetic Basile and his coaching staff.
“We have great coaches that kind of pump us up, Coach G (assistant Jeff Grider) and Basile send all these types of encouragements like ‘Game day, let’s go, let’s get hyped.’ That really helps us get in the mood of playing soccer and wanting to win.
“In the beginning we had a bit of a rocky start,” Marquez added. “It was a new bunch, a new collection of teammates. But like Litzy said, communication has been a huge asset to our winning. And the connection we have with each other now is really good. We know where to pass it to, we know where our teammates are going to be. That really helps us a lot.”
Not to be overshadowed was Reavis goalkeeper Briana Silva, who earned her third-straight shutout Thursday. Her best moment came with 18:20 left on a breakaway for Oak Lawn’s Cynthia Nunez; Silva came off her line for a sliding kick save on the shot.
Marquez also made a nice defensive contribution on a second half threat, nicely blocking a Cayley Patete shot on a scramble in front with 23:10 to play.
And the Reavis offense wasn’t done. With 15:41 left, a Rzadkosz pass sprung Guzman for a breakaway down the middle and a putaway for the Rams' final 5-0 lead.
Just 15 seconds later, Eveli Ramirez’s shot off the crossbar continued the attack. Corona nearly added a fourth goal with 9:35 to go, sending a 25-yard shot inches wide of the left post.
A few minutes later, a frigid 80 minutes had ended with Reavis remaining red hot.
“We’ve won the last three games and go into the PepsiCo (tournament starting Saturday) in good position,” Basile said. “Go out and play, and keep winning.
“I think we’ve had the hardest part of our schedule. We played Morton, Stagg and Lemont, probably the three hardest teams we’ll face.
“We’ll be fine if we continue to develop our finishing and stay strong in the back,” Basile added. “We have five underclassmen playing and have to continue to develop their maturity and composure, but ultimately we’re doing alright.”
Starting lineups
Oak Lawn
GK Julia Janks
D Sam Gavras
D Natalie Para
D Sabrin Jaber
D Kailee Piwowarczyk
M Cynthia Nunez
M Jessica Szaflarski
M Emily Meraz
M Christina Jimenez
F Cayley Patete
F Reagan Cameron
Reavis
GK Briana Silva
D Arlette Hernandez
D Alyssa Froylan
D Camilina Valdez
D Desirae Beck
M Lily Saenz
M Kimberly Marquez
M Sylwia Rzadkosz
M Haidi Sanchez
F Rebecca Confederat
F Isabel Guzman
Chciagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Litzy Corona, jr. F, Reavis
Scoring summary
1st half
Reavis – Kimberly Marquez 26:01
Reavis - Litzy Corona 32:40
2nd half
Reavis – Corona 40:56
Reavis - Corona 45:46
Reavis - Isabel Guzman 64:19
Corona hat-trick leads Rams over Oak Lawn for 3rd win in row
By Dave Owen
BURBANK -- Spring may not have returned yet, but Litzy Corona has.
Reavis will take that tradeoff.
Sidelined all last season by injury, Corona struck Thursday for a hat-trick to lead the Rams (5-5-0, 2-1-0 in the South Suburban Conference Red Division) to their third victory in a row, a 5-0 win over visiting Oak Lawn (1-7-0, 0-2-0).
“Last year I really didn’t play because I had a knee injury,” said Corona, a junior who now has a team-high seven goals this season. “But I came back ready this year.”
Corona was certainly prepared for big things Thursday, earning Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors with a series of strikes that turned a close game through 32 minutes into a Reavis rout.
All of her goals came during a 13-minute stretch of play over the late first and early second halves, as the Rams’ lead grew from 1-0 to 4-0.
“Freshman year Litzy played for us as an outside mid, then last year she was out for the entire season,” Reavis coach Phil Basile said. “So coming back and finding her role was something we were working at.
“She’s a very skilled player. It’s just finding her role with the other players around her, because we want to highlight her abilities and put her in a position to utilize her strengths.”
That quest had Corona in action at several spots.
“We tried her at center mid, forward, outside mid, and really it’s finding where she can excel and finding that chemistry,” Basile said. “Today I wanted to see how she would work with the other forward up-top (Isabel Guzman), and I felt she found space and found opportunities to take shots that were pretty nice. And she was able to capitalize.”
Capitalizing wasn’t easy early for Reavis. Dealing with 35 degree temperatures and a steady first half snowfall, the Rams faced another frustrating obstacle early from a strong Oak Lawn defensive effort.
A steady barrage of early chances went unfulfilled. Six minutes in, Kimberly Marquez’s nice interception and 25-yard blast was denied on a block and cover up by Oak Lawn goalkeeper Julia Janks.
Then in the 11th minute, Janks made a nice diving deflection to her right on Arlette Hernandez’s 20-yard shot off a Marquez throw-in.
The near misses continued. On a 1-v.-1 attack in the 22nd minute, Guzman sent her shot just wide. Then off a Sylwia Rzadkosz cross, Jelena Stojadinovic’s 6-yard shot was saved by Janks.
“Oak Lawn is a developing program, and they’re a lot stronger this year,” Basile said. “But this was an opportunity for us to work on finishing in the final third, which is where we’ve been struggling. We’ve had multiple opportunities to score early on in games and haven’t capitalized on it.
“Today I was really talking to my offense about getting some runs off the ball and taking advantage of opportunities we have, because in a tighter game that one chance to score might be our only chance.
“Even today we struggled to get an early goal,” Basile added, “and it allows teams to build momentum and puts us under pressure.”
But if the pressure was building, two beautiful long strikes ended that.
Marquez nicely broke the ice (literally and figuratively) with 13:59 left in the first half. Gathering a loose clearing attempt, the senior lined a straight-on 32-yard drive high inside the left post to put Reavis up 1-0.
“Any opportunity we can get we’re always looking to score,” said Marquez, who has four goals this season. “It worked to my favor today.”
Dealing with the frustrating early near-misses and awful weather, Marquez and her teammates persevered.
“It was a little tougher, especially on the ground because the ball would skid more,” she said of the wintry mess. “But we managed.”
Marquez’s strong all-around play Thursday (which included stepping in to intercept numerous Oak Lawn throw-ins) has been a constant for the Rams.
“My center mids (Marquez and Rzadkosz) are very strong players,” Basile said. “They play very well off the ball and have a high work rate.
“Sylwia’s a sophomore who played outside mid last year. We put her at center mid where she’s somebody on the ball. And Kimberly, you talk about playing 18 to 18 (yard lines) as a center mid – she’ll drop all the way back, get all the way up. I have very high expectations for her this year.
“She’s kind of the heart of the team with keeping our energy up,” Basile added. “That heart is appreciated, where she’s constantly engaged and fighting for every ball, and working towards the team being successful. That’s a reason why she’s a captain two years in a row.”
The Rams had a third star to go with the Marquez-Rzadkosz combination on Thursday.
“We want to elevate Litzy’s play by being around them,” Basile said, “as opposed to her being off to the side and not being able to connect.”
With 7:20 left until halftime, Corona connected with a long-distance strike to widen the Rams lead to 2-0.
On a 45-yard direct kick after a foul, Corona’s drive went over a leaping Janks and just under the crossbar to rev up Reavis’ momentum.
“We knew they would play well as a team,” Oak Lawn coach John Faro said. “I didn’t know 10 and 11 (Rzadkosz and Marquez) would be such a hassle, but we definitely played defensive to keep it close. Then when they got those two really nice deep goals, we hoped for one for ourselves, and it didn’t happen.”
Dueling defensive plays dotted the final six minutes of the half (steals by Reavis defenders Camilina Valdez and Alyssa Froylan, and a nice block by Oak Lawn’s Natalie Para on a Marquez shot). But after the intermission, Corona’s offensive talents quickly took over.
Her first chance came just 20 seconds into the second half, as passes by Marquez and Stojadinovic sprung Corona for a 12-yard drive just over the net.
Just 36 seconds later, Corona finished with a 20-yard blast high off Janks’ hands and in for a 3-0 lead.
Then with 34:14 left, Corona completed her hat-trick and made the lead 4-0 with a right side run and low 15-yarder angled inside the left post.
Corona’s strong finishes through the run of play impressed her coach.
“She’s always been one over the ball on set pieces because she has the strongest leg,” Basile said, “and just being left footed throws off goalies sometimes reading how the curve of the ball is (on shots) onto frame.
“She’s always been that go-to person, but in the flow of the game I want to see her being an integral part of the offense. Today I saw more of that, which gives me a lot of thought where she will play our next game.
“She’s naturally adept at making runs up the field with an outside player,” Basile added. “If she’s playing in the middle of the field we can give her more opportunities. That’s a big thing; how do we get her involved?”
Corona’s two quick strikes were a big problem for Oak Lawn, as their strong start to the match was deflated.
“This is probably one of the better games we’ve played, but you kind of run out of gas,” Faro said. “They (Reavis) had to earn their first goal -- that made it a dangerous game for a while there.
“The second half goals, when they came out and put them up pretty quick, that didn’t help. But that’s a good team. They’re going to surprise people, just like I hope we do too one of these days coming up.”
Reavis has made huge strides since just before spring break. The Rams have won their last three games by a combined 9-0 margin.
“A lot of practice, passing and talking are the most important things,” Corona said. “He (Basile) always says, ‘You’ve got to talk; you’ve got to talk.’ And it shows out there. When we’re communicating, we get things done.”
That communication starts with the energetic Basile and his coaching staff.
“We have great coaches that kind of pump us up, Coach G (assistant Jeff Grider) and Basile send all these types of encouragements like ‘Game day, let’s go, let’s get hyped.’ That really helps us get in the mood of playing soccer and wanting to win.
“In the beginning we had a bit of a rocky start,” Marquez added. “It was a new bunch, a new collection of teammates. But like Litzy said, communication has been a huge asset to our winning. And the connection we have with each other now is really good. We know where to pass it to, we know where our teammates are going to be. That really helps us a lot.”
Not to be overshadowed was Reavis goalkeeper Briana Silva, who earned her third-straight shutout Thursday. Her best moment came with 18:20 left on a breakaway for Oak Lawn’s Cynthia Nunez; Silva came off her line for a sliding kick save on the shot.
Marquez also made a nice defensive contribution on a second half threat, nicely blocking a Cayley Patete shot on a scramble in front with 23:10 to play.
And the Reavis offense wasn’t done. With 15:41 left, a Rzadkosz pass sprung Guzman for a breakaway down the middle and a putaway for the Rams' final 5-0 lead.
Just 15 seconds later, Eveli Ramirez’s shot off the crossbar continued the attack. Corona nearly added a fourth goal with 9:35 to go, sending a 25-yard shot inches wide of the left post.
A few minutes later, a frigid 80 minutes had ended with Reavis remaining red hot.
“We’ve won the last three games and go into the PepsiCo (tournament starting Saturday) in good position,” Basile said. “Go out and play, and keep winning.
“I think we’ve had the hardest part of our schedule. We played Morton, Stagg and Lemont, probably the three hardest teams we’ll face.
“We’ll be fine if we continue to develop our finishing and stay strong in the back,” Basile added. “We have five underclassmen playing and have to continue to develop their maturity and composure, but ultimately we’re doing alright.”
Starting lineups
Oak Lawn
GK Julia Janks
D Sam Gavras
D Natalie Para
D Sabrin Jaber
D Kailee Piwowarczyk
M Cynthia Nunez
M Jessica Szaflarski
M Emily Meraz
M Christina Jimenez
F Cayley Patete
F Reagan Cameron
Reavis
GK Briana Silva
D Arlette Hernandez
D Alyssa Froylan
D Camilina Valdez
D Desirae Beck
M Lily Saenz
M Kimberly Marquez
M Sylwia Rzadkosz
M Haidi Sanchez
F Rebecca Confederat
F Isabel Guzman
Chciagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Litzy Corona, jr. F, Reavis
Scoring summary
1st half
Reavis – Kimberly Marquez 26:01
Reavis - Litzy Corona 32:40
2nd half
Reavis – Corona 40:56
Reavis - Corona 45:46
Reavis - Isabel Guzman 64:19