Crazy goal, stingy keeper lift IC over Payton
Knights hold off Grizzies by 1-0 count
By Ken Keenan
ELMHURST -- Akin to a Hail Mary pass in football or a half-court prayer shot in basketball, an improbable strike by sophomore midfielder Abi Wagner managed to sneak into the back of the net to give IC Catholic Prep a 1-0 win over visiting Payton in nonconference play Thursday night at Lewis Field.
Working to keep a ball alive along the goal line on the far right side in the 53rd minute, Wagner sent a rising cross that seemed harmlessly on its way to hitting the side of the cage. But the ball curled over Payton freshman goalkeeper Nadine Denahan's head and found the upper far corner for the only tally of the match.
"I was crossing it," Wagner said. "I can't say it was a shot. I truly meant to cross that ball. Somehow, it went in. It felt really good. Whenever we get the lead first, it feels good."
Knights senior keeper Gaby Smola and the IC defense did the rest, holding the charging Grizzlies at bay to preserve the shutout and the third-straight win for IC (4-5-0). Smola, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match, made several fine stops, including a handful during a first half that was dominated by Payton.
During a two-minute stretch midway through the opening session, Smola nabbed a 25-yard shot by Grizzlies sophomore midfielder Olivia Moore; robbed sophomore mid Claire Schlensker with an angle-cutting, sliding save; and smoothly corralled a corner kick by junior mid Hayley Owens.
Owens also fired a 35-yard rocket that Smola smothered with 14:45 to go before the break.
Soon after Wagner's magical goal, Payton's Schlensker scooted ahead on a semi-breakaway and just missed nipping the crossbar with a high shot from 15 yards. With 20:50 left in the second half, Grizzlies freshman mid Isabella Chitarro missed high on a 30-yard try.
Payton kept coming. In the 62nd minute, junior forward Sophie Salem had a clear-cut breakaway and barely missed wide-right from 10 yards. Only 5:20 remained when Owens fed shifty junior forward Lindsey Holzman for a 20-yard, one-timer that Smola denied.
Smola also stopped a shot with her face -- yes, her face -- to foil a breakaway try by Salem early in the second half.
"We had opportunities," said Payton skipper Paul Escobar. "But if you don't score goals, you're gonna lose. It's frustrating. IC was sitting back a little bit, and then (Wagner) got loose and that ball went in. As soon as they scored, their energy went up. We had trouble matching that."
Escobar, whose squad fell to 7-3-0 with the loss, continued: "We were trying to move the ball side to side, but we weren't very sharp in the middle of the field. I thought our defense played great. Overall, no doubt about our effort and intensity. You give your all, sometimes you don't get the result."
Smola, a four-year varsity veteran between the pipes for IC, said she she welcomed the challenge of holding the slim lead when the Grizzlies were desperately seeking the equalizer.
"I don't feel pressure ... I get this adrenaline rush," she said. "I try to help us get a shutout every time. Plus, this is the best defense we've had in a while. I knew the 'D' would be there, and they really stepped up."
Smola continued: "I'm really proud of my team. We went 100 percent. This is a well-deserved win for us."
Wagner, who concluded a long run in the 48th minute with a hard shot that Denahan handled, added: "The first half, Payton controlled. It seems we always wait for the other team to set the mood. We did a better job in the second half. We got the goal, and our momentum kept going. And our defense was really strong."
IC Catholic Prep coach Antonio Godinez agreed, pointing to the efforts of senior defenders Suzy Maloney and Kelly Murray, and sophomore defender Cassandra Serrano in particular.
"They did tremendous work tonight," he said.
The Knights skipper had the most praise for the lock-down performance by Smola.
"This was a great game for her," Godinez said. "She demonstrated a lot of leadership and courage. Payton continued to attack -- didn't stop -- and (Smola) came through in the clutch for us. But she's come up big for us all season."
The defeat was tough to stomach for Payton, which was playing its second match in a row and third in four days. In addition, regular starting goalkeeper Pilar Kelly, a junior was among six Payton players unavailable due to other school-related activities. That left the inexperienced Denahan, normally a forward, to mind the net.
"We had tired legs, but that's no excuse," said Grizzlies junior defender Mimi Hamada. "After they scored, we tried to respond. But it wasn't falling for us. We fought really hard. It just didn't go our way. It hurts. We gave it everything we had."
Added Owens: "We have low-scoring games in general. But when they scored on that shot, it was disheartening. We kind of deflated. I still feel we should have won. It's definitely frustrating. We did step up a bit, but there was no reason not to get the job done."
Starting lineups
Payton
G: Nadine Denahan
D: Brigitte Joyce
D: Mimi Hamada
D: Ellen Hengesbach
M: Ella Marden
M: Olivia Moore
M: Isabella Chitarro
M: Hayley Owens
F: Sophie Salem
F: Nancy Krug
F: Lindsey Holzman
IC Catholic Prep
G: Gaby Smola
D: Claire Wagner
D: Suzy Maloney
D: Kelly Murray
D: Cassandra Serrano
M: Sophie Hurt
M: Bella Leslie
M: Olivia Hurt
M: Abi Wagner
F: Frances Cook
F: Kate Sebastian
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Gaby Smola, sr., GK, IC Catholic Prep
Officials: Dylan Kramer, Nick Gavrila, Arek Pugacewicz
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
IC: Abi Wagner (unassisted) in 53rd minute
Knights hold off Grizzies by 1-0 count
By Ken Keenan
ELMHURST -- Akin to a Hail Mary pass in football or a half-court prayer shot in basketball, an improbable strike by sophomore midfielder Abi Wagner managed to sneak into the back of the net to give IC Catholic Prep a 1-0 win over visiting Payton in nonconference play Thursday night at Lewis Field.
Working to keep a ball alive along the goal line on the far right side in the 53rd minute, Wagner sent a rising cross that seemed harmlessly on its way to hitting the side of the cage. But the ball curled over Payton freshman goalkeeper Nadine Denahan's head and found the upper far corner for the only tally of the match.
"I was crossing it," Wagner said. "I can't say it was a shot. I truly meant to cross that ball. Somehow, it went in. It felt really good. Whenever we get the lead first, it feels good."
Knights senior keeper Gaby Smola and the IC defense did the rest, holding the charging Grizzlies at bay to preserve the shutout and the third-straight win for IC (4-5-0). Smola, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match, made several fine stops, including a handful during a first half that was dominated by Payton.
During a two-minute stretch midway through the opening session, Smola nabbed a 25-yard shot by Grizzlies sophomore midfielder Olivia Moore; robbed sophomore mid Claire Schlensker with an angle-cutting, sliding save; and smoothly corralled a corner kick by junior mid Hayley Owens.
Owens also fired a 35-yard rocket that Smola smothered with 14:45 to go before the break.
Soon after Wagner's magical goal, Payton's Schlensker scooted ahead on a semi-breakaway and just missed nipping the crossbar with a high shot from 15 yards. With 20:50 left in the second half, Grizzlies freshman mid Isabella Chitarro missed high on a 30-yard try.
Payton kept coming. In the 62nd minute, junior forward Sophie Salem had a clear-cut breakaway and barely missed wide-right from 10 yards. Only 5:20 remained when Owens fed shifty junior forward Lindsey Holzman for a 20-yard, one-timer that Smola denied.
Smola also stopped a shot with her face -- yes, her face -- to foil a breakaway try by Salem early in the second half.
"We had opportunities," said Payton skipper Paul Escobar. "But if you don't score goals, you're gonna lose. It's frustrating. IC was sitting back a little bit, and then (Wagner) got loose and that ball went in. As soon as they scored, their energy went up. We had trouble matching that."
Escobar, whose squad fell to 7-3-0 with the loss, continued: "We were trying to move the ball side to side, but we weren't very sharp in the middle of the field. I thought our defense played great. Overall, no doubt about our effort and intensity. You give your all, sometimes you don't get the result."
Smola, a four-year varsity veteran between the pipes for IC, said she she welcomed the challenge of holding the slim lead when the Grizzlies were desperately seeking the equalizer.
"I don't feel pressure ... I get this adrenaline rush," she said. "I try to help us get a shutout every time. Plus, this is the best defense we've had in a while. I knew the 'D' would be there, and they really stepped up."
Smola continued: "I'm really proud of my team. We went 100 percent. This is a well-deserved win for us."
Wagner, who concluded a long run in the 48th minute with a hard shot that Denahan handled, added: "The first half, Payton controlled. It seems we always wait for the other team to set the mood. We did a better job in the second half. We got the goal, and our momentum kept going. And our defense was really strong."
IC Catholic Prep coach Antonio Godinez agreed, pointing to the efforts of senior defenders Suzy Maloney and Kelly Murray, and sophomore defender Cassandra Serrano in particular.
"They did tremendous work tonight," he said.
The Knights skipper had the most praise for the lock-down performance by Smola.
"This was a great game for her," Godinez said. "She demonstrated a lot of leadership and courage. Payton continued to attack -- didn't stop -- and (Smola) came through in the clutch for us. But she's come up big for us all season."
The defeat was tough to stomach for Payton, which was playing its second match in a row and third in four days. In addition, regular starting goalkeeper Pilar Kelly, a junior was among six Payton players unavailable due to other school-related activities. That left the inexperienced Denahan, normally a forward, to mind the net.
"We had tired legs, but that's no excuse," said Grizzlies junior defender Mimi Hamada. "After they scored, we tried to respond. But it wasn't falling for us. We fought really hard. It just didn't go our way. It hurts. We gave it everything we had."
Added Owens: "We have low-scoring games in general. But when they scored on that shot, it was disheartening. We kind of deflated. I still feel we should have won. It's definitely frustrating. We did step up a bit, but there was no reason not to get the job done."
Starting lineups
Payton
G: Nadine Denahan
D: Brigitte Joyce
D: Mimi Hamada
D: Ellen Hengesbach
M: Ella Marden
M: Olivia Moore
M: Isabella Chitarro
M: Hayley Owens
F: Sophie Salem
F: Nancy Krug
F: Lindsey Holzman
IC Catholic Prep
G: Gaby Smola
D: Claire Wagner
D: Suzy Maloney
D: Kelly Murray
D: Cassandra Serrano
M: Sophie Hurt
M: Bella Leslie
M: Olivia Hurt
M: Abi Wagner
F: Frances Cook
F: Kate Sebastian
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Gaby Smola, sr., GK, IC Catholic Prep
Officials: Dylan Kramer, Nick Gavrila, Arek Pugacewicz
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
IC: Abi Wagner (unassisted) in 53rd minute