Payton, Jones show off youthful talent
CPL team's play to draw in game with double meaning
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO — Snapshots in time: a beautiful cross off a corner kick floats into the box and Jones’ sophomore Natalie Loos is the first player there, smashing a header that is on line only to clip the underside of the bar; that play is mirrored by a terrific moment from Payton’s singular young midfielder Hayley Owens, who deftly navigates the middle of the field to generate an opening and hammers a ball that Jones’ keeper Devin Barry stops with a spectacular diving deflection.
“One thing about Payton and Jones is there is always a lot of intensity and emotion,” Payton coach Paul Escobar said. “There was a lot of activity on both sides. That’s what you expect.
“As long as you come with that, it is always going to be a good game.”
Against a beautiful twilight backdrop, two of the city’s best teams demonstrated exciting promise and exciting soccer even in the absence of scoring as Payton and Jones counteracted and matched intensity in the 0-0 draw at the Eagles’ turf field Thursday in Chinatown.
Jones and Payton hardly require additional incentive. The game had double meaning, serving as both a Chicago Public League Premier Division game and a pool play game in the second edition of the Chicago Cup. The programs were originally set to play their division game on Monday. Rather than play twice in four days, the coaches decided to combine the two.
It made for some exhilarating soccer. The game also functioned as a prominent showcase for the bright futures of both programs. Payton (7-2-2, 3-2-1) started six sophomores and a freshman. Jones (8-2-3, 2-1-2) had four sophomores and two freshman starters.
Hayley Owens and Jones sophomore midfielder Sophia Jennerjahn shared the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
“It was a really well fought game by both teams,” Owens said. “We each had our moments, and I think the game came down to the middle a lot. That was a good fight.”
Payton extended its unbeaten streak to four games. The Grizzlies came into the game on fire, having scored 17 goals in three previous games. They are unscored upon during that run.
Finally playing under conducive conditions with a dry turf and no wind, each side was able to show of its full complement of offensive talent.
Owens again showed why she is one of the best sophomores in the state. She is electric with the ball and constantly put the Eagles on their heels.
“Hayley is so skilled,” senior Payton midfielder Fiona O’Brien said. “Sometimes I just have fun watching her.”
Owens shows both touch and power. She is also inventive. Twice working off corners in the first half, she played short balls to find a vulnerable seam on the right wing that yielded good looks from junior defender Maddie Clerkin. Both shots ended up high and long. The point was made. Payton was creating opportunities.
Owens is her biggest critic.
“I know today, I was really frustrated because a lot of my through-balls, I was not able to get under them and get them through,” she said. “In the past few games, we have scored a lot, but not unfortunately today. We did have some good chances.”
The game served as a vindication for Jones. The Eagles played Lincoln Park to a scoreless draw at home on Wednesday. They failed to convert on a penalty kick in the 77th minute. This game showed not all zero-zero games are created equal.
“So different,” Jones coach Derek Bylsma said. “Two zero-zero ties. I think Lincoln Park played really well yesterday. It was super rainy, wet and cold. We just weren’t there. Today we are going after every 50/50 ball, and we were working. I’ve said all year, when we work we can be a great team. When we are flat, then we are in trouble.
“In this game, we worked.”
If Payton dictated the run of play in the first 20 minutes, the Loos header off the corner kick from freshman midfielder Laura Rios signaled the best first half scoring opportunity.
“I saw it coming, and I tried to get to it and under the ball, and I tried to aim it under the goal,” Loos said. “I thought it was going in for a second there. I was just trying my hardest to get that goal, and it was frustrating that I didn’t get it.
“I thought both teams were putting in a good fight. There’s a huge rivalry between the two schools. It was frustrating that we got the zero-zero game, but it was also good that we kept everything together. We are proud of ourselves.”
A normal central midfielder, Loos shifted to the backline with Jones’ top defender, Gabriela Baxtrom, out with an injury.
“I don’t get many opportunities to go at goal,” Loos said. “I was happy to get the opportunity playing center back.”
The two keepers were solid. Jones’ Barry again showed her athleticism and keen instincts, twice making diving stops as part of her five-save performance. Payton’s Hannah Lynn registered four saves.
O’Brien was just one of four combined senior starters.
“It’s so fun playing with all this young talent,” she said. “They are amazing in the middle. Today I thought we did a good job of working together in the middle, with our passing. If we are able to continue to unlock that, it will be great with all the games we have coming up.”
Sophomore forward Sophie Salem, who had two goals and two assists in the Grizzlies’ 5-0 victory over Northside Wednesday, had two shots that just eluded the mark. Nothing was arbitrary or random in this game. All actions carried consequences.
Sophia Jennerjahn injected an explosive element to the Jones’ attack. Her speed on the perimeter nearly altered the game. Twice she made deep runs and used her speed to separate from the pack and attack the goal. Her blast from about 15 yards just pushed wide of the mark in the 67th minute.
“After that [Lincoln Park] game, we were all disappointed, but we knew we all had to work pretty hard and prove ourselves tonight,” Jennerjahn said. “Going into the game we prepared ourselves mentally and hyped each other up with a positive attitude. It showed a lot on the field.
“On the last run, I was already tired going in, but I knew I had to work for my team and work really hard to get there and make the most opportunities as I could.”
Payton and Jones are both angling for top four finishes in the Premier standings, which would ensure avoiding unbeaten division powers Lane and Young until the semifinal round of the city tournament.
The Chicago Cup games return to Jones Saturday morning. Payton matches up with Mother McAuley and Jones gets another shot at nemesis Latin. The Romans beat Jones 1-0 in a Pepsi bracket semifinal last week.
Getting hot is important with the conclusion of the Premier Division regular season, the continuation of the Chicago Cup and the start of the city tournament all looming.
“The Latin game was 1-0 and yesterday’s tie was disappointing,” Bylsma said. “I felt good about today, and I feel good about where we are at. One of the things that is different this year is we are much deeper. A lot of games in a short period of time does not hurt us as much as it used to, because we have kids we can keep sending in there.
“Payton has a lot of good young talent, too. You saw Sophia Jennerjahn. She comes in and, there are certain things she can do. She’s fast, and she pulls away with the ball. We have always known that is there, but this is her first year playing varsity. We are excited going forward.”
Starting lineups
Payton
GK: Hannah Lynn
D: Brigitte Joyce
D: Mimi Hamada
D: Maddie Clerkin
MF: Ella Marden
MF: Fiona O’Brien
MF: Emelia Wilke
MF: Hayley Owens
MF: Olivia Moore
F: Lindsay Holzman
F: Sophie Salem
Jones
GK: Devin Barry
D: Natalie Loos
D: Izzy Kamba
D: Catherine Lorden
M: Carmen Marshall
M: Audrey Bruce
M: Martina Bianchi
M: Rachel Sohn
M: Parker Ellis
F: Avery Kaplan
F: Gillian Miller
Chicagoland Soccer co-MVPs of the match: Hayley Owens, so., M, Payton
Sophia Jennerjahn, so., M, Jones
Scoring
None
CPL team's play to draw in game with double meaning
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO — Snapshots in time: a beautiful cross off a corner kick floats into the box and Jones’ sophomore Natalie Loos is the first player there, smashing a header that is on line only to clip the underside of the bar; that play is mirrored by a terrific moment from Payton’s singular young midfielder Hayley Owens, who deftly navigates the middle of the field to generate an opening and hammers a ball that Jones’ keeper Devin Barry stops with a spectacular diving deflection.
“One thing about Payton and Jones is there is always a lot of intensity and emotion,” Payton coach Paul Escobar said. “There was a lot of activity on both sides. That’s what you expect.
“As long as you come with that, it is always going to be a good game.”
Against a beautiful twilight backdrop, two of the city’s best teams demonstrated exciting promise and exciting soccer even in the absence of scoring as Payton and Jones counteracted and matched intensity in the 0-0 draw at the Eagles’ turf field Thursday in Chinatown.
Jones and Payton hardly require additional incentive. The game had double meaning, serving as both a Chicago Public League Premier Division game and a pool play game in the second edition of the Chicago Cup. The programs were originally set to play their division game on Monday. Rather than play twice in four days, the coaches decided to combine the two.
It made for some exhilarating soccer. The game also functioned as a prominent showcase for the bright futures of both programs. Payton (7-2-2, 3-2-1) started six sophomores and a freshman. Jones (8-2-3, 2-1-2) had four sophomores and two freshman starters.
Hayley Owens and Jones sophomore midfielder Sophia Jennerjahn shared the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
“It was a really well fought game by both teams,” Owens said. “We each had our moments, and I think the game came down to the middle a lot. That was a good fight.”
Payton extended its unbeaten streak to four games. The Grizzlies came into the game on fire, having scored 17 goals in three previous games. They are unscored upon during that run.
Finally playing under conducive conditions with a dry turf and no wind, each side was able to show of its full complement of offensive talent.
Owens again showed why she is one of the best sophomores in the state. She is electric with the ball and constantly put the Eagles on their heels.
“Hayley is so skilled,” senior Payton midfielder Fiona O’Brien said. “Sometimes I just have fun watching her.”
Owens shows both touch and power. She is also inventive. Twice working off corners in the first half, she played short balls to find a vulnerable seam on the right wing that yielded good looks from junior defender Maddie Clerkin. Both shots ended up high and long. The point was made. Payton was creating opportunities.
Owens is her biggest critic.
“I know today, I was really frustrated because a lot of my through-balls, I was not able to get under them and get them through,” she said. “In the past few games, we have scored a lot, but not unfortunately today. We did have some good chances.”
The game served as a vindication for Jones. The Eagles played Lincoln Park to a scoreless draw at home on Wednesday. They failed to convert on a penalty kick in the 77th minute. This game showed not all zero-zero games are created equal.
“So different,” Jones coach Derek Bylsma said. “Two zero-zero ties. I think Lincoln Park played really well yesterday. It was super rainy, wet and cold. We just weren’t there. Today we are going after every 50/50 ball, and we were working. I’ve said all year, when we work we can be a great team. When we are flat, then we are in trouble.
“In this game, we worked.”
If Payton dictated the run of play in the first 20 minutes, the Loos header off the corner kick from freshman midfielder Laura Rios signaled the best first half scoring opportunity.
“I saw it coming, and I tried to get to it and under the ball, and I tried to aim it under the goal,” Loos said. “I thought it was going in for a second there. I was just trying my hardest to get that goal, and it was frustrating that I didn’t get it.
“I thought both teams were putting in a good fight. There’s a huge rivalry between the two schools. It was frustrating that we got the zero-zero game, but it was also good that we kept everything together. We are proud of ourselves.”
A normal central midfielder, Loos shifted to the backline with Jones’ top defender, Gabriela Baxtrom, out with an injury.
“I don’t get many opportunities to go at goal,” Loos said. “I was happy to get the opportunity playing center back.”
The two keepers were solid. Jones’ Barry again showed her athleticism and keen instincts, twice making diving stops as part of her five-save performance. Payton’s Hannah Lynn registered four saves.
O’Brien was just one of four combined senior starters.
“It’s so fun playing with all this young talent,” she said. “They are amazing in the middle. Today I thought we did a good job of working together in the middle, with our passing. If we are able to continue to unlock that, it will be great with all the games we have coming up.”
Sophomore forward Sophie Salem, who had two goals and two assists in the Grizzlies’ 5-0 victory over Northside Wednesday, had two shots that just eluded the mark. Nothing was arbitrary or random in this game. All actions carried consequences.
Sophia Jennerjahn injected an explosive element to the Jones’ attack. Her speed on the perimeter nearly altered the game. Twice she made deep runs and used her speed to separate from the pack and attack the goal. Her blast from about 15 yards just pushed wide of the mark in the 67th minute.
“After that [Lincoln Park] game, we were all disappointed, but we knew we all had to work pretty hard and prove ourselves tonight,” Jennerjahn said. “Going into the game we prepared ourselves mentally and hyped each other up with a positive attitude. It showed a lot on the field.
“On the last run, I was already tired going in, but I knew I had to work for my team and work really hard to get there and make the most opportunities as I could.”
Payton and Jones are both angling for top four finishes in the Premier standings, which would ensure avoiding unbeaten division powers Lane and Young until the semifinal round of the city tournament.
The Chicago Cup games return to Jones Saturday morning. Payton matches up with Mother McAuley and Jones gets another shot at nemesis Latin. The Romans beat Jones 1-0 in a Pepsi bracket semifinal last week.
Getting hot is important with the conclusion of the Premier Division regular season, the continuation of the Chicago Cup and the start of the city tournament all looming.
“The Latin game was 1-0 and yesterday’s tie was disappointing,” Bylsma said. “I felt good about today, and I feel good about where we are at. One of the things that is different this year is we are much deeper. A lot of games in a short period of time does not hurt us as much as it used to, because we have kids we can keep sending in there.
“Payton has a lot of good young talent, too. You saw Sophia Jennerjahn. She comes in and, there are certain things she can do. She’s fast, and she pulls away with the ball. We have always known that is there, but this is her first year playing varsity. We are excited going forward.”
Starting lineups
Payton
GK: Hannah Lynn
D: Brigitte Joyce
D: Mimi Hamada
D: Maddie Clerkin
MF: Ella Marden
MF: Fiona O’Brien
MF: Emelia Wilke
MF: Hayley Owens
MF: Olivia Moore
F: Lindsay Holzman
F: Sophie Salem
Jones
GK: Devin Barry
D: Natalie Loos
D: Izzy Kamba
D: Catherine Lorden
M: Carmen Marshall
M: Audrey Bruce
M: Martina Bianchi
M: Rachel Sohn
M: Parker Ellis
F: Avery Kaplan
F: Gillian Miller
Chicagoland Soccer co-MVPs of the match: Hayley Owens, so., M, Payton
Sophia Jennerjahn, so., M, Jones
Scoring
None