Prospect keeps title chances alive
Knights' pressure delivers 2-1 MSL East win at Hoffman Estates
By Mike Garofola
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- With little room to misstep, Prospect pushed forward Thursday night in its quest for a Mid-Suburban League East Division championship.
The Lady Knights (9-6-1, 5-3-1) held off a gritty performance from host Hoffman Estates at Garber Stadium and used first half goals against the Hawks to secure a 2-1 victory to inch closer to division leading Buffalo Grove.
The final week of this 2018 season is fraught with plenty of nervous moments among the top four in the East Division. Buffalo Grove has one league game left and leads with 18 points, two clear of Prospect, Elk Grove and Hersey, who each have two games remaining after Thursday night play.
"There isn't much time left for all of us," said Prospect manager Tom Froats. "We got some help tonight with Barrington beating Buffalo Grove, but we have the defending champions on Friday (May 4), before finishing up with Hersey next Monday."
"In a perfect world, six points in our next two games puts us in good shape, but both of our opponents won't make it that easy for us. We'll look for a little help from our MSL rivals with Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove and Hersey while we'll go out and try to take care of business on our own."
On paper, it would have appeared the Knights had an easy road to three points against the Hawks (1-9-0 in MSL East), who have struggled all season long with its young and inexperienced roster, along with some recent poor luck in the injury department.
"We did not play very well at all earlier in the week against Rolling Meadows in a 5-1 loss, but we reminded the girls heading into this one that we can play the spoiler role with a good effort," said manager Jeff Bird.
"Although we were unable to, I thought we played the type of game we're capable of playing. Especially when you consider we have such a short bench and with us asking nine players to go 70 minutes or more tonight."
The Hawks crowd on Senior Night quickly saw that its guests came to play. If it wasn't Shawna Stokes, Faith Fitzsimmons or Ella Marzolf causing trouble, it was Froats' outside midfielders Madalyn Ladd and Kristin Schneider who were breaking down the home side with enterprising runs along the flanks.
"Shawna is our all-everything player: scored clutch goals for us; created in the middle; and really helps our attack get going," said Froats. "Faith, as you saw tonight, can run forever (while) creating, winning balls and just giving us a lot of energy."
Marzolf rattled the post just three minutes into this contest. The attempt might have found its way into the back of the net if not for an alert Hawks defender who took the ball off the line.
Moments later Hawks keeper Elise Psonak, who was busy all throughout the night, saved a Fitzsimmons blast, then breathed a sigh of relief when Marzolf headed wide a corner Ladd whipped into the box.
The home side continued to weather the Prospect storm and was put to an even tougher test when Froats brought on fresh legs in the junior duo of Abbey Danciu and Ashley Adams.
"Those two have been a big part of our team this year," said Froats. "They give us instant offense so many times when they come from the bench and really did tonight. Each scored a goal and provided opportunites in the Hawks' end."
The two worked a terrific one-two combination which resulted in Adams outpacing the Hawks outside back before unloading a well-aimed strike that Psonak saved.
The ensuing corner by Ladd hit the gloves of Psonak before spilling free and becoming a sitter inside the six-yard box.
Danciu found a way in a crowd to slot past Psonak at 19 minutes.
"It's taken us awhile lately to find our rhythm, because we've had so many days off with the weather delays and even the cold weather also," said Fitzsimmons. "But tonight, we came out strong from the start, which is something we have to do from here on out."
Psonak was put to the test once again five minutes after the Danciu opener. This time the sophomore had no chance against Adams, who used a bit of trickery to dribble free of her mark to get in close before finishing with a sublime touch.
"Those 2-0 leads are always dangerous to protect, and you saw just how dangerous they can be when Hoffman pulled one back against us to grab back some of the momentum before the break," said Froats.
The two-goal advantage the Knights built was cut in half by freshman Avery Panek who recovered a loose ball in front of keeper Gianna Rossi following a Molly Salerno corner.
After Paneks' seventh goal of the season at 28 minutes, Hoffman Estates used its new-found confidence to press forward in search of the equalizer.
"We can't relax against anyone, because when we do, you can see what can happen to us," offered Prospect defender Helen Siavelis, who blocked two shots inside the box during her outstanding play along the Knights backline all night long.
The visitors broke the Hawks momentum as the intermission drew nearer with Marzolf almost handcuffing Psonak in the 35th minute, Sarah Mulvihill having a go after a lovely build-up produced by five different players and a wicked snap-shot on frame by Kristina Suto.
"We did really well with our possession game for most of the night and created some terrific chances and opportunities off of our possession," said Froats. "We still lacked that deadly touch in the final third which could have led to another goal or two to make things a little easier for us."
Prospect started the second half as brightly as it ended the first with the usual suspects tormenting the Hawks with their pace and purpose going forward.
However, when the Knights were unable to solve Psonak and her backline mates during their impressive opening 10 minutes of play, the pendulum swung in favor of the Hawks during the next quarter hour.
"Prospect played a solid game all throughout," said Bird. "They had some effective passing plays that helped them get deep into our back third and just missed connecting on a couple of crossing opportunites
"But overall, you could say the same for us, especially after the break. I was pleased with every single player of ours, who left it all out there tonight.
"Our midfield trio of Emma Essex, Christina Salerno and Vanessa Bonilla deserves credit, as does Avery (Panek) up-top, who was our lone forward for most of the game.
"And our senior captain, Molly Salerno, our most consistent player of all, was always a threat on the outside.
"It was a good game to watch."
Both Ashley Erickson and Siavelis registered timely blocks when the Hawks revved up their attack. Siavelis' most impressive piece of work came when she was on a retrieval mission and parried away a troublesome in-close Molly Salerno shot off the counter.
Froats inserted Adams back into action in the 55th minute, and the Prospect forward showed why she earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors by shredding the Hawks apart with several runs that helped bring her club back into the game.
"Ashley was easily our player of the game," said Froats. "She did so many things with and without the ball, while helping to keep the pressure on the Hawks when we needed it most."
Adams earned two-straight corners with her nonstop work rate, then went just wide in the 76th minute to force the home side to defend more instead of throwing numbers forward.
"This was a great win for us," began Siavelis.
"To get three points when we really needed them helped put a little more pressure on Buffalo Grove for their next game."
Fitzsimmons added: "We're at a point in our season when we cannot relax at all for 80 minutes. We just cannot take that chance."
The Knights visit made an impression on their hosts for a number of reasons.
"Tom does a great job with his team," said Bird. "He has a quality group of girls, and their sportsmanship really came through both during the game and afterwards.
"Near their team bus, one of our girls (Vanessa Alonso) was accepting a promposal, and everyone, including the Prospect team jumped up and cheered when it all came down.
"It was an unique twist to see a group of competitors, who all played their hearts out prior to all of this, come together to put life in proper perspective for everyone to see.
"Hats off to Tom and his club."
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK- Gianna Rossi
D- Madalyn Ladd
D- Helen Siavelis
D- Ashley Erickson
D- Natalie Marfilius
D- Kristina Suto
M- Ella Marzolf
M- Faith Fitzsimmons
M- Kristin Schneider
F- Shawna Stokes
F- Sarah Mulvihill
Hoffman Estates
GK- Elise Psonak
D- Josie Roberts
D- Emma Lunak
D- Gaby Anderson
D- Cassidy Ryan
M- Molly Salerno
M- Vanessa Bonilla
M- Christina Salerno
M- Summer Voeller
M- Emma Essex
F- Avery Panek
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ashley Adams, jr., F, Prospect
Referee: Adrian Werbick
Scoring summary
First half
Prospect: Danciu (Ladd) 19'
Prospect: Adams (U/A) 24'
Hoffman Estates: Panek (M. Salerno) 28'
Knights' pressure delivers 2-1 MSL East win at Hoffman Estates
By Mike Garofola
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- With little room to misstep, Prospect pushed forward Thursday night in its quest for a Mid-Suburban League East Division championship.
The Lady Knights (9-6-1, 5-3-1) held off a gritty performance from host Hoffman Estates at Garber Stadium and used first half goals against the Hawks to secure a 2-1 victory to inch closer to division leading Buffalo Grove.
The final week of this 2018 season is fraught with plenty of nervous moments among the top four in the East Division. Buffalo Grove has one league game left and leads with 18 points, two clear of Prospect, Elk Grove and Hersey, who each have two games remaining after Thursday night play.
"There isn't much time left for all of us," said Prospect manager Tom Froats. "We got some help tonight with Barrington beating Buffalo Grove, but we have the defending champions on Friday (May 4), before finishing up with Hersey next Monday."
"In a perfect world, six points in our next two games puts us in good shape, but both of our opponents won't make it that easy for us. We'll look for a little help from our MSL rivals with Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove and Hersey while we'll go out and try to take care of business on our own."
On paper, it would have appeared the Knights had an easy road to three points against the Hawks (1-9-0 in MSL East), who have struggled all season long with its young and inexperienced roster, along with some recent poor luck in the injury department.
"We did not play very well at all earlier in the week against Rolling Meadows in a 5-1 loss, but we reminded the girls heading into this one that we can play the spoiler role with a good effort," said manager Jeff Bird.
"Although we were unable to, I thought we played the type of game we're capable of playing. Especially when you consider we have such a short bench and with us asking nine players to go 70 minutes or more tonight."
The Hawks crowd on Senior Night quickly saw that its guests came to play. If it wasn't Shawna Stokes, Faith Fitzsimmons or Ella Marzolf causing trouble, it was Froats' outside midfielders Madalyn Ladd and Kristin Schneider who were breaking down the home side with enterprising runs along the flanks.
"Shawna is our all-everything player: scored clutch goals for us; created in the middle; and really helps our attack get going," said Froats. "Faith, as you saw tonight, can run forever (while) creating, winning balls and just giving us a lot of energy."
Marzolf rattled the post just three minutes into this contest. The attempt might have found its way into the back of the net if not for an alert Hawks defender who took the ball off the line.
Moments later Hawks keeper Elise Psonak, who was busy all throughout the night, saved a Fitzsimmons blast, then breathed a sigh of relief when Marzolf headed wide a corner Ladd whipped into the box.
The home side continued to weather the Prospect storm and was put to an even tougher test when Froats brought on fresh legs in the junior duo of Abbey Danciu and Ashley Adams.
"Those two have been a big part of our team this year," said Froats. "They give us instant offense so many times when they come from the bench and really did tonight. Each scored a goal and provided opportunites in the Hawks' end."
The two worked a terrific one-two combination which resulted in Adams outpacing the Hawks outside back before unloading a well-aimed strike that Psonak saved.
The ensuing corner by Ladd hit the gloves of Psonak before spilling free and becoming a sitter inside the six-yard box.
Danciu found a way in a crowd to slot past Psonak at 19 minutes.
"It's taken us awhile lately to find our rhythm, because we've had so many days off with the weather delays and even the cold weather also," said Fitzsimmons. "But tonight, we came out strong from the start, which is something we have to do from here on out."
Psonak was put to the test once again five minutes after the Danciu opener. This time the sophomore had no chance against Adams, who used a bit of trickery to dribble free of her mark to get in close before finishing with a sublime touch.
"Those 2-0 leads are always dangerous to protect, and you saw just how dangerous they can be when Hoffman pulled one back against us to grab back some of the momentum before the break," said Froats.
The two-goal advantage the Knights built was cut in half by freshman Avery Panek who recovered a loose ball in front of keeper Gianna Rossi following a Molly Salerno corner.
After Paneks' seventh goal of the season at 28 minutes, Hoffman Estates used its new-found confidence to press forward in search of the equalizer.
"We can't relax against anyone, because when we do, you can see what can happen to us," offered Prospect defender Helen Siavelis, who blocked two shots inside the box during her outstanding play along the Knights backline all night long.
The visitors broke the Hawks momentum as the intermission drew nearer with Marzolf almost handcuffing Psonak in the 35th minute, Sarah Mulvihill having a go after a lovely build-up produced by five different players and a wicked snap-shot on frame by Kristina Suto.
"We did really well with our possession game for most of the night and created some terrific chances and opportunities off of our possession," said Froats. "We still lacked that deadly touch in the final third which could have led to another goal or two to make things a little easier for us."
Prospect started the second half as brightly as it ended the first with the usual suspects tormenting the Hawks with their pace and purpose going forward.
However, when the Knights were unable to solve Psonak and her backline mates during their impressive opening 10 minutes of play, the pendulum swung in favor of the Hawks during the next quarter hour.
"Prospect played a solid game all throughout," said Bird. "They had some effective passing plays that helped them get deep into our back third and just missed connecting on a couple of crossing opportunites
"But overall, you could say the same for us, especially after the break. I was pleased with every single player of ours, who left it all out there tonight.
"Our midfield trio of Emma Essex, Christina Salerno and Vanessa Bonilla deserves credit, as does Avery (Panek) up-top, who was our lone forward for most of the game.
"And our senior captain, Molly Salerno, our most consistent player of all, was always a threat on the outside.
"It was a good game to watch."
Both Ashley Erickson and Siavelis registered timely blocks when the Hawks revved up their attack. Siavelis' most impressive piece of work came when she was on a retrieval mission and parried away a troublesome in-close Molly Salerno shot off the counter.
Froats inserted Adams back into action in the 55th minute, and the Prospect forward showed why she earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors by shredding the Hawks apart with several runs that helped bring her club back into the game.
"Ashley was easily our player of the game," said Froats. "She did so many things with and without the ball, while helping to keep the pressure on the Hawks when we needed it most."
Adams earned two-straight corners with her nonstop work rate, then went just wide in the 76th minute to force the home side to defend more instead of throwing numbers forward.
"This was a great win for us," began Siavelis.
"To get three points when we really needed them helped put a little more pressure on Buffalo Grove for their next game."
Fitzsimmons added: "We're at a point in our season when we cannot relax at all for 80 minutes. We just cannot take that chance."
The Knights visit made an impression on their hosts for a number of reasons.
"Tom does a great job with his team," said Bird. "He has a quality group of girls, and their sportsmanship really came through both during the game and afterwards.
"Near their team bus, one of our girls (Vanessa Alonso) was accepting a promposal, and everyone, including the Prospect team jumped up and cheered when it all came down.
"It was an unique twist to see a group of competitors, who all played their hearts out prior to all of this, come together to put life in proper perspective for everyone to see.
"Hats off to Tom and his club."
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK- Gianna Rossi
D- Madalyn Ladd
D- Helen Siavelis
D- Ashley Erickson
D- Natalie Marfilius
D- Kristina Suto
M- Ella Marzolf
M- Faith Fitzsimmons
M- Kristin Schneider
F- Shawna Stokes
F- Sarah Mulvihill
Hoffman Estates
GK- Elise Psonak
D- Josie Roberts
D- Emma Lunak
D- Gaby Anderson
D- Cassidy Ryan
M- Molly Salerno
M- Vanessa Bonilla
M- Christina Salerno
M- Summer Voeller
M- Emma Essex
F- Avery Panek
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ashley Adams, jr., F, Prospect
Referee: Adrian Werbick
Scoring summary
First half
Prospect: Danciu (Ladd) 19'
Prospect: Adams (U/A) 24'
Hoffman Estates: Panek (M. Salerno) 28'