Prospect roars back
to subdue Glenbrook South
Visitors score 3 times in last 14 minutes for nonconference win
By Mike Garofola
GLENVIEW -- Late heroics rescued a Prospect club whose quality underlined its comeback victory Thursday against Glenbrook South at John Davis Stadium. The win should send a message to the Mid-Suburban League that the Lady Knights are a team to watch.
Led by the goal-scoring trio of Natalie Bouzas, Jackie Keane and Abby Knott, the Lady Knights erased a two-goal second half deficit to record a 3-2 victory in this snowy nonconference affair.
"I am very happy for the girls," said Prospect manager, Tom Froats. “They were very deserving of this result, despite a couple of unfortunate events along the way that saw us concede two goals. That put us on our heels until we found each other, started to connect, and finally settled down.
"I was extremely pleased with our consistent effort at a high level for the entire 80 minutes. It is (because) of our depth of talent. We were able to stay at that level against a very good opponent like Glenbrook South."
Titans captain Lilly O'Rourke, who is on her way to play next fall at DePaul University, minced little words when asked her thoughts on how this contest played out.
"Soccer is a 80-minute game,” she said. “We played 40; they played 80. They were better than us and deserved the result they got."
"(This) result was frustrating for all of us," began Glenbrook South manager Mark Daniels, whose club is now 3-4-0 overall after the defeat.
"The conversation when we came together as a team was how the apparent lack of intensity from the team, during certain stretches of the game for whatever reason, played a huge role in their three second half goals.
“Our inability to win most of the 50/50 challenges and not showing poise when we were under pressure were determining factors."
Prospect was forced to show its mettle against a Titans club that came out at the opening whistle looking to play through O'Rourke, fellow senior captain Anna Durow and junior Meghan Noe in the middle of the park. They demonstrated the team’s desire to find front-runners Bella Gemignani, Lauren Koopersmith and Audrey Langenbach.
"Our stats in almost every game thus far show our possession rate is more than our opponents," said Daniels. “But on the flipside, our opponents have recorded three times as many shots, crosses, corner kicks and attacking transitions
"We're keeping the ball better, but we are not creating enough dangerous options from our high possession rate."
Glenbrook South’s first opportunity on frame came through O'Rourke. Noe set up her teammate for an angled attempt from the right side that junior keeper Lily Barich saved in the 10th minute.
While the home side was adding to its possession, and passing percentage statistics, the visitors were beginning to build a spirited attack. It came to fruition in the second half and featured far more speed, purpose and pace than that of the host team. In the end, that was the reason Prospect posted its road victory.
"We really do not have any drop off from our first 11, to our second 11,” said Froats. “Both exhibit plenty of quality and a lot of flexibility as to where we play some of them.”
The Lady Knights looked to play through Hannah Mekky, Maggie Rosenburg and Kayley Bouzas in the middle. Mekky’s early ball sent Lauren Harrell through for a try. Mekky created again; this time with a solo effort that saw the visitors create a pair of close tries twice in the 20th minute.
Froats, and his assistant boys manager Mike Andrews, put up a bit of a protest when referee Marek Zavios sent O'Rourke to the spot in the 23rd minute. The senior calmly steered the opener into the back of the net.
Zavios explained during the intermission that when O'Rourke went to turn, she was taken down with a hard ankle tackle.
Glenbrook South keeper and captain Bella Crist showed nice range and athletic skill when she ventured far to her left to get just enough of her left glove on a Julia Valenti attempt to tip it around the post for a Lady Knights corner.
In the process, Crist suffered a slight injury that forced the senior out of action. That allowed the introduction of sophomore Lyndsey Mack, who worked between the sticks for the rest of the evening.
Mack made an early impact when she somehow stopped a flurry of three shots from inside the six-yard box to keep Prospect off the scoreboard at the half hour.
"Lyndsey did a great job all night after coming in for Bella," said Daniels.
Mack came through one more time just before the break when Mekky and Jillian Sawadski gave Harrell a left-footed chance.
Just prior to the visitor’s late opportunity, Gemignani roared up the right side and played across to Langenback. Barich stopped the shot from just inside the box, before Kat Souleles went wide from 20 yards.
Glenbrook South took a 1-0 lead into the break.
"I thought as a team, we played pretty well during our first half," offered senior Ashley Ciss, who was stationed as one of the Titans central defenders in Daniels' starting 11 before taking over at the six after the intermission.
“But after we went up 2-0 early in the second half, I thought we were a little too relaxed in our play and really had a lot of trouble winning the ball all over the field.”
Prospect enjoyed a brighter start after the break in comparison to the Titans. Sawadski, Harrell and Valentini all had a go during the first quarter hour of the second half.
Despite the Lady Knights owning most of the play during that period, it was the home side that found the back of the net. Durow drifted out of the back to send a looping 40-yard attempt just inside the woodwork in the 57th minute against junior keeper Rachel Winski, who started the second half. Sophomore Sarah Bradbury finished the game.
"We might have taken our foot of the gas a little, mentally and physically after Anna gave us that two-goal advantage," lamented Daniels.
“Prospect picked up its effort to get that one goal that changed the momentum. We didn't match their efforts in the last 20 minutes, and it ultimately cost us in the end."
Consecutive deep throws from Abby Davis led to a corner. Mia D'onofrio’s send into the box proved difficult for the home team to parry out of danger.
An opportunistic Natalie Bouzas seized on the opportunity and pulled one back for the visitors.
The junior’s goal in the 67th minute set the stage for a glorious comeback. It continued when a short ball played out of the back allowed Keane to collect it for several touches before she fired on the turn from 30 yards to level things in the 69th minute.
"We just did not play well in the second half, especially in the last 10-15 of the game,” said O’Rourke. “We could not win balls, or match their urgency at all."
After the Keane equalizer, the visitors got on the ball again, dominated possession and played with the desire of a team driven to earn a win and not one that would settle for a draw.
"Once we got back even, we all thought we could find a way to win this game," said Abby Knott, who will attend the University of Wisconsin in the fall. “It was just a great 80-minute effort for all of us and an exciting win.”
Knott admitted to closing her eyes when she elevated far above a pack of white and blue shirts at the back post to meet Mekkys' hard-driven corner. The four-year varsity veteran must have seen enough of the ball to thump it firmly just inside the far post four minutes from time.
"(Maggie) Rosenburg, Harrell, Mekky and Knott all had an attacking mindset to transition quickly throughout the game for us," said Froats. “Our backline, led by Natalie Bouzas and Kaela (Salehzdeh), were solid and improved as the game went on.”
Salehzdeh and Mekky shared Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors for their solid play.
Prospect beat Palatine in its conference opener Friday night to improve to 4-1-0 on the season. The Lady Knights will now prep for an important Mid-Suburban League home contest against Fremd on April 6.
Glenbrook South was left to assess the damage.
"I liked our possession tonight in some stretches, but we obviously must become more efficient and dangerous in the final third," began Daniels.
"Possession with a purpose rather than just possession will be key in our development. Plus, we need to limit dead ball opportunities. Tonight, we gave far too many away.
"We had two freshmen in our starting lineup tonight. (midfielder) Lauren Koopersmith and Adyson Clemen, who was in our backline. I thought they did well for us. That was a big positive and something to build from also."
The Titans get some time to regroup before they meet nonconference foe Vernon Hills at 7 p.m. at home on April 7. Two days later Glenbrook South plays its opener in the tough Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic against ranked Loyola in a game at Lake Forest.
Starting lineups
Prospect (4-3-3)
G- Lily Barich
D- Julia Valentini
D- Kaela Salehzadeh
D- Natalie Bouzas
D- Jackie Keane
M- Maggie Rosenburg
M- Hannah Mekky
M- Kayley Bouzas
F- Abby Knott
F- Lauren Harrell
F- Jillian Sawadski
Glenbrook South (4-3-3)
G- Bella Crist
D- Adyson Clemen
D- Ashley Ciss
D- Caitlyn Antman
D- Cristina Papadatos
M- Anna Durow
M- Lilly O'Rourke
M- Meghan Noe
F- Lauren Koopersmith
F- Bella Gemignani
F- Audrey Langenbach
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Hannah Mekky, sr., MF, Prospect; Kaela Salehzadeh, sr., D, Prospect
Referee: Marek Zavios
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbrook South: O'Rourke (PK) 23'
Second half
Glenbrook South: Durow (U/A) 57'
Prospect: N. Bouzas (D'onofrio) 67'
Prospect: Keane (U/A) 69'
Prospect: Knott (Mekky) 76'
to subdue Glenbrook South
Visitors score 3 times in last 14 minutes for nonconference win
By Mike Garofola
GLENVIEW -- Late heroics rescued a Prospect club whose quality underlined its comeback victory Thursday against Glenbrook South at John Davis Stadium. The win should send a message to the Mid-Suburban League that the Lady Knights are a team to watch.
Led by the goal-scoring trio of Natalie Bouzas, Jackie Keane and Abby Knott, the Lady Knights erased a two-goal second half deficit to record a 3-2 victory in this snowy nonconference affair.
"I am very happy for the girls," said Prospect manager, Tom Froats. “They were very deserving of this result, despite a couple of unfortunate events along the way that saw us concede two goals. That put us on our heels until we found each other, started to connect, and finally settled down.
"I was extremely pleased with our consistent effort at a high level for the entire 80 minutes. It is (because) of our depth of talent. We were able to stay at that level against a very good opponent like Glenbrook South."
Titans captain Lilly O'Rourke, who is on her way to play next fall at DePaul University, minced little words when asked her thoughts on how this contest played out.
"Soccer is a 80-minute game,” she said. “We played 40; they played 80. They were better than us and deserved the result they got."
"(This) result was frustrating for all of us," began Glenbrook South manager Mark Daniels, whose club is now 3-4-0 overall after the defeat.
"The conversation when we came together as a team was how the apparent lack of intensity from the team, during certain stretches of the game for whatever reason, played a huge role in their three second half goals.
“Our inability to win most of the 50/50 challenges and not showing poise when we were under pressure were determining factors."
Prospect was forced to show its mettle against a Titans club that came out at the opening whistle looking to play through O'Rourke, fellow senior captain Anna Durow and junior Meghan Noe in the middle of the park. They demonstrated the team’s desire to find front-runners Bella Gemignani, Lauren Koopersmith and Audrey Langenbach.
"Our stats in almost every game thus far show our possession rate is more than our opponents," said Daniels. “But on the flipside, our opponents have recorded three times as many shots, crosses, corner kicks and attacking transitions
"We're keeping the ball better, but we are not creating enough dangerous options from our high possession rate."
Glenbrook South’s first opportunity on frame came through O'Rourke. Noe set up her teammate for an angled attempt from the right side that junior keeper Lily Barich saved in the 10th minute.
While the home side was adding to its possession, and passing percentage statistics, the visitors were beginning to build a spirited attack. It came to fruition in the second half and featured far more speed, purpose and pace than that of the host team. In the end, that was the reason Prospect posted its road victory.
"We really do not have any drop off from our first 11, to our second 11,” said Froats. “Both exhibit plenty of quality and a lot of flexibility as to where we play some of them.”
The Lady Knights looked to play through Hannah Mekky, Maggie Rosenburg and Kayley Bouzas in the middle. Mekky’s early ball sent Lauren Harrell through for a try. Mekky created again; this time with a solo effort that saw the visitors create a pair of close tries twice in the 20th minute.
Froats, and his assistant boys manager Mike Andrews, put up a bit of a protest when referee Marek Zavios sent O'Rourke to the spot in the 23rd minute. The senior calmly steered the opener into the back of the net.
Zavios explained during the intermission that when O'Rourke went to turn, she was taken down with a hard ankle tackle.
Glenbrook South keeper and captain Bella Crist showed nice range and athletic skill when she ventured far to her left to get just enough of her left glove on a Julia Valenti attempt to tip it around the post for a Lady Knights corner.
In the process, Crist suffered a slight injury that forced the senior out of action. That allowed the introduction of sophomore Lyndsey Mack, who worked between the sticks for the rest of the evening.
Mack made an early impact when she somehow stopped a flurry of three shots from inside the six-yard box to keep Prospect off the scoreboard at the half hour.
"Lyndsey did a great job all night after coming in for Bella," said Daniels.
Mack came through one more time just before the break when Mekky and Jillian Sawadski gave Harrell a left-footed chance.
Just prior to the visitor’s late opportunity, Gemignani roared up the right side and played across to Langenback. Barich stopped the shot from just inside the box, before Kat Souleles went wide from 20 yards.
Glenbrook South took a 1-0 lead into the break.
"I thought as a team, we played pretty well during our first half," offered senior Ashley Ciss, who was stationed as one of the Titans central defenders in Daniels' starting 11 before taking over at the six after the intermission.
“But after we went up 2-0 early in the second half, I thought we were a little too relaxed in our play and really had a lot of trouble winning the ball all over the field.”
Prospect enjoyed a brighter start after the break in comparison to the Titans. Sawadski, Harrell and Valentini all had a go during the first quarter hour of the second half.
Despite the Lady Knights owning most of the play during that period, it was the home side that found the back of the net. Durow drifted out of the back to send a looping 40-yard attempt just inside the woodwork in the 57th minute against junior keeper Rachel Winski, who started the second half. Sophomore Sarah Bradbury finished the game.
"We might have taken our foot of the gas a little, mentally and physically after Anna gave us that two-goal advantage," lamented Daniels.
“Prospect picked up its effort to get that one goal that changed the momentum. We didn't match their efforts in the last 20 minutes, and it ultimately cost us in the end."
Consecutive deep throws from Abby Davis led to a corner. Mia D'onofrio’s send into the box proved difficult for the home team to parry out of danger.
An opportunistic Natalie Bouzas seized on the opportunity and pulled one back for the visitors.
The junior’s goal in the 67th minute set the stage for a glorious comeback. It continued when a short ball played out of the back allowed Keane to collect it for several touches before she fired on the turn from 30 yards to level things in the 69th minute.
"We just did not play well in the second half, especially in the last 10-15 of the game,” said O’Rourke. “We could not win balls, or match their urgency at all."
After the Keane equalizer, the visitors got on the ball again, dominated possession and played with the desire of a team driven to earn a win and not one that would settle for a draw.
"Once we got back even, we all thought we could find a way to win this game," said Abby Knott, who will attend the University of Wisconsin in the fall. “It was just a great 80-minute effort for all of us and an exciting win.”
Knott admitted to closing her eyes when she elevated far above a pack of white and blue shirts at the back post to meet Mekkys' hard-driven corner. The four-year varsity veteran must have seen enough of the ball to thump it firmly just inside the far post four minutes from time.
"(Maggie) Rosenburg, Harrell, Mekky and Knott all had an attacking mindset to transition quickly throughout the game for us," said Froats. “Our backline, led by Natalie Bouzas and Kaela (Salehzdeh), were solid and improved as the game went on.”
Salehzdeh and Mekky shared Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors for their solid play.
Prospect beat Palatine in its conference opener Friday night to improve to 4-1-0 on the season. The Lady Knights will now prep for an important Mid-Suburban League home contest against Fremd on April 6.
Glenbrook South was left to assess the damage.
"I liked our possession tonight in some stretches, but we obviously must become more efficient and dangerous in the final third," began Daniels.
"Possession with a purpose rather than just possession will be key in our development. Plus, we need to limit dead ball opportunities. Tonight, we gave far too many away.
"We had two freshmen in our starting lineup tonight. (midfielder) Lauren Koopersmith and Adyson Clemen, who was in our backline. I thought they did well for us. That was a big positive and something to build from also."
The Titans get some time to regroup before they meet nonconference foe Vernon Hills at 7 p.m. at home on April 7. Two days later Glenbrook South plays its opener in the tough Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic against ranked Loyola in a game at Lake Forest.
Starting lineups
Prospect (4-3-3)
G- Lily Barich
D- Julia Valentini
D- Kaela Salehzadeh
D- Natalie Bouzas
D- Jackie Keane
M- Maggie Rosenburg
M- Hannah Mekky
M- Kayley Bouzas
F- Abby Knott
F- Lauren Harrell
F- Jillian Sawadski
Glenbrook South (4-3-3)
G- Bella Crist
D- Adyson Clemen
D- Ashley Ciss
D- Caitlyn Antman
D- Cristina Papadatos
M- Anna Durow
M- Lilly O'Rourke
M- Meghan Noe
F- Lauren Koopersmith
F- Bella Gemignani
F- Audrey Langenbach
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Hannah Mekky, sr., MF, Prospect; Kaela Salehzadeh, sr., D, Prospect
Referee: Marek Zavios
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbrook South: O'Rourke (PK) 23'
Second half
Glenbrook South: Durow (U/A) 57'
Prospect: N. Bouzas (D'onofrio) 67'
Prospect: Keane (U/A) 69'
Prospect: Knott (Mekky) 76'