Payton's Moore bears down on Northside
Grizzlies star sophomore nets goal, collects assist in 2-0 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Olivia Moore is back, to the chagrin of Northside.
An injured tendon she suffered in her right foot slowed the start of her new season. Moore wore a walking boot as she underwent a two-week recovery.
The gifted Payton midfielder, Moore made her reputation in 2018 when she scored two goals as the Grizzlies glided past Northside 5-0.
Now a year after, Moore made her star-making performance, the same teams matched up on the same field and Moore again underscored her vitality and importance and proved why she is a cut above.
The sophomore is a heady and graceful player with a sense for making plays and creating opportunities. With Moore back in the lineup the Grizzlies are beginning to achieve a fluidity and precision offensively.
Moore broke open a tight game by converting a penalty kick and adding a late assist that Sophie Salem finished as the Grizzlies secured the 2-0 Chicago Public League Premier Division victory at Winnemac Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
For her achievements, Olivia Moore earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match accolade.
Payton (6-1-0, 3-1-0) also maintained possession of the “fire hydrant,” the customized trophy the two rivals annually battle over as part of their bragging-rights series.
Moore and junior midfielder Hayley Owens facilitate the Grizzlies’ attack. Owens is a deft and creative talent with vision and speed, and Moore is the athletic and dynamic counterpart.
The two fuse their gifts together and play off each other especially well.
“Hayley and I used to play together when we were really young, so I have known her for a while,” Moore said. “It’s great to be back playing together in the middle, which we did not do a lot last year. We really know where each other is at, and we have the same mindset for the game.”
The interchangeable talents give Payton coach Paul Escobar a lot of flexibility to mount his attack.
“We have two of our more technical and creative players in the middle,” he said. “It’s good to have them back. We struggled a little bit in the final third, but I have to give it to Northside. They were tough as nails, especially defensively. They were very organized, and it was hard for us to break them down.”
Rivalry games tend to play out at a higher level, shaped by competitiveness and desire. Northside is the more limited team with regard to talent, but the Mustangs played hard and energetically throughout.
Keeper Isabel Hopson had seven saves and showed exceptional anticipation and recovery skills. Northside made Payton work for everything.
“They definitely had control of the game, but I was proud of how we played,” Northside coach Robert Albritton said. “We have come a long way in a short amount of time. I am very pleased with the effort and the intelligence of the girls and what they did.”
Forward Abbie Smith, the Mustangs’ most dangerous talent, again showed a toughness and physical style that provided an offensive outlet at the top of the attack. Midfielder Gabriela Jiminez also generated a couple of decent looks.
“I thought our first half was better,” Jimenez said. “We were playing with a lot more possession with the ball. In the second half I think we lost a part of that. I think we were not as concentrated as we were in the first half. We kept getting pushed back, and we started to panic and some of our players got frustrated, which led to yellow cards.”
Northside (3-6-1, 0-5-0) played with just nine field players for the final 17 minutes after a player was issued her second yellow card.
“Our personal attitudes made our play much weaker, and that is something we have to fix,” Jimenez said.
Payton had a different look in the back as freshman forward Nadine Denehan, a thrilling young talent in her own right, was an emergency fill-in for normal starting keeper Pilar Kelly.
She had three saves as Payton posted its third shutout of the year.
“She did a great job,” Escobar said. “That shows a lot of her character. We really don’t have a normal back-up keeper, and we found out she played a little in club when she was younger. Nadine is one our better athletes, and she stepped up. She loves to play forward, and it just shows her character in how she put the team ahead of herself.”
Payton monopolized possession time, and Northside struggled to find its shape and balance offensively in the second half.
“We were way too direct,” Albritton said. “When you play defense and you get the ball, it takes a lot of discipline to not just kick the ball forward. That is what we kept doing. Every once in a while we looked kind of dangerous, but more often than not the ball came back in our direction.”
Hopson kept the Mustangs close. The near constant pressure eventually wore Northside down. Payton earned the penalty kick after a handball by a Northside defender inside the box.
Moore stepped up and drilled the shot inside the near post.
Sophie Salem, another part of the Grizzlies talented young cast, is a junior forward. She also excelled in the game last year, scoring two goals and adding an assist.
Like Moore, she replicated her standout play by completing a run and finishing a perfect cross Moore served in the 76th minute that put the game away.
“We have a tendency of starting a little slow, like the first five minutes, but we are working on getting there right away,” Moore said. “Scoring has sometimes been tough for us.
“We are definitely learning the flow and figuring out how to take more shots, especially earlier in the game. We have a lot of new people.”
Escobar sees a team molding and shaping its identity, a talented team still searching and finding its way. The ability to play through some adversity and frustration at the inability to produce early is a positive sign.
“I still think we can get better,” he said. “Our attack is not where I want it to be, and the girls feel the same way. We just have to work on getting sharper every game. I think sometimes we might turn off sometimes in key moments of games, or lose a little concentration, in front of the goal. That is going to hurt us if we don’t start putting the ball in the goal, early and often.
“When you score goals early, it takes a lot of the pressure off.”
Starting lineups
Northside
GK: Isabel Hopson
D: Erika Sanchez
D: Madeline Yu
D: Andrea Vaca
D: Claire Boyle
MF: Gabriela Jimenez
MF: Erin Goldman
MF: Paolo Macias
MF: Lily Garner
F: Abbie Smith
F: Alicja Ramotowski
Payton
GK: Nadine Denehan
D: Brigitte Joyce
D: Mimi Hamada
D: Ellen Hengesbach
D: Maddie Clerkin
M: Olivia Moore
M: Hayley Owens
M: Emilia Wilke
M: Lindsey Holzman
F: Sophie Salem
F: Nancy Krug
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Olivia Moore, so., MF, Payton
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
Payton—Olivia Moore (penalty kick), 57th minute
Payton—Sophie Salem (Moore), 76th minute
Grizzlies star sophomore nets goal, collects assist in 2-0 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Olivia Moore is back, to the chagrin of Northside.
An injured tendon she suffered in her right foot slowed the start of her new season. Moore wore a walking boot as she underwent a two-week recovery.
The gifted Payton midfielder, Moore made her reputation in 2018 when she scored two goals as the Grizzlies glided past Northside 5-0.
Now a year after, Moore made her star-making performance, the same teams matched up on the same field and Moore again underscored her vitality and importance and proved why she is a cut above.
The sophomore is a heady and graceful player with a sense for making plays and creating opportunities. With Moore back in the lineup the Grizzlies are beginning to achieve a fluidity and precision offensively.
Moore broke open a tight game by converting a penalty kick and adding a late assist that Sophie Salem finished as the Grizzlies secured the 2-0 Chicago Public League Premier Division victory at Winnemac Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
For her achievements, Olivia Moore earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match accolade.
Payton (6-1-0, 3-1-0) also maintained possession of the “fire hydrant,” the customized trophy the two rivals annually battle over as part of their bragging-rights series.
Moore and junior midfielder Hayley Owens facilitate the Grizzlies’ attack. Owens is a deft and creative talent with vision and speed, and Moore is the athletic and dynamic counterpart.
The two fuse their gifts together and play off each other especially well.
“Hayley and I used to play together when we were really young, so I have known her for a while,” Moore said. “It’s great to be back playing together in the middle, which we did not do a lot last year. We really know where each other is at, and we have the same mindset for the game.”
The interchangeable talents give Payton coach Paul Escobar a lot of flexibility to mount his attack.
“We have two of our more technical and creative players in the middle,” he said. “It’s good to have them back. We struggled a little bit in the final third, but I have to give it to Northside. They were tough as nails, especially defensively. They were very organized, and it was hard for us to break them down.”
Rivalry games tend to play out at a higher level, shaped by competitiveness and desire. Northside is the more limited team with regard to talent, but the Mustangs played hard and energetically throughout.
Keeper Isabel Hopson had seven saves and showed exceptional anticipation and recovery skills. Northside made Payton work for everything.
“They definitely had control of the game, but I was proud of how we played,” Northside coach Robert Albritton said. “We have come a long way in a short amount of time. I am very pleased with the effort and the intelligence of the girls and what they did.”
Forward Abbie Smith, the Mustangs’ most dangerous talent, again showed a toughness and physical style that provided an offensive outlet at the top of the attack. Midfielder Gabriela Jiminez also generated a couple of decent looks.
“I thought our first half was better,” Jimenez said. “We were playing with a lot more possession with the ball. In the second half I think we lost a part of that. I think we were not as concentrated as we were in the first half. We kept getting pushed back, and we started to panic and some of our players got frustrated, which led to yellow cards.”
Northside (3-6-1, 0-5-0) played with just nine field players for the final 17 minutes after a player was issued her second yellow card.
“Our personal attitudes made our play much weaker, and that is something we have to fix,” Jimenez said.
Payton had a different look in the back as freshman forward Nadine Denehan, a thrilling young talent in her own right, was an emergency fill-in for normal starting keeper Pilar Kelly.
She had three saves as Payton posted its third shutout of the year.
“She did a great job,” Escobar said. “That shows a lot of her character. We really don’t have a normal back-up keeper, and we found out she played a little in club when she was younger. Nadine is one our better athletes, and she stepped up. She loves to play forward, and it just shows her character in how she put the team ahead of herself.”
Payton monopolized possession time, and Northside struggled to find its shape and balance offensively in the second half.
“We were way too direct,” Albritton said. “When you play defense and you get the ball, it takes a lot of discipline to not just kick the ball forward. That is what we kept doing. Every once in a while we looked kind of dangerous, but more often than not the ball came back in our direction.”
Hopson kept the Mustangs close. The near constant pressure eventually wore Northside down. Payton earned the penalty kick after a handball by a Northside defender inside the box.
Moore stepped up and drilled the shot inside the near post.
Sophie Salem, another part of the Grizzlies talented young cast, is a junior forward. She also excelled in the game last year, scoring two goals and adding an assist.
Like Moore, she replicated her standout play by completing a run and finishing a perfect cross Moore served in the 76th minute that put the game away.
“We have a tendency of starting a little slow, like the first five minutes, but we are working on getting there right away,” Moore said. “Scoring has sometimes been tough for us.
“We are definitely learning the flow and figuring out how to take more shots, especially earlier in the game. We have a lot of new people.”
Escobar sees a team molding and shaping its identity, a talented team still searching and finding its way. The ability to play through some adversity and frustration at the inability to produce early is a positive sign.
“I still think we can get better,” he said. “Our attack is not where I want it to be, and the girls feel the same way. We just have to work on getting sharper every game. I think sometimes we might turn off sometimes in key moments of games, or lose a little concentration, in front of the goal. That is going to hurt us if we don’t start putting the ball in the goal, early and often.
“When you score goals early, it takes a lot of the pressure off.”
Starting lineups
Northside
GK: Isabel Hopson
D: Erika Sanchez
D: Madeline Yu
D: Andrea Vaca
D: Claire Boyle
MF: Gabriela Jimenez
MF: Erin Goldman
MF: Paolo Macias
MF: Lily Garner
F: Abbie Smith
F: Alicja Ramotowski
Payton
GK: Nadine Denehan
D: Brigitte Joyce
D: Mimi Hamada
D: Ellen Hengesbach
D: Maddie Clerkin
M: Olivia Moore
M: Hayley Owens
M: Emilia Wilke
M: Lindsey Holzman
F: Sophie Salem
F: Nancy Krug
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Olivia Moore, so., MF, Payton
Scoring summary
First half
None
Second half
Payton—Olivia Moore (penalty kick), 57th minute
Payton—Sophie Salem (Moore), 76th minute