Prospect pushes, but
Hoffman Estates pulls out win
Frosh, soph's long-distance connection the difference in 1-0 win
By Bill McLean
HOFFMAN ESTATES — Prospect kept pushing, pushing, pushing on Friday evening.
Host Hoffman Estates kept thwarting, thwarting, thwarting.
Hoffman’s Hawks won the Mid-Suburban League clash 1-0, thwarts and all. Sophomore forward Hailey Weidner’s goal off a spot-on, 40-something-yard service from freshman midfielder/defender Natasha Navarro in the 15th minute was the difference.
The victory in chilly, breezy conditions upped Hoffman Estates’ overall and MSL records to 4-1-0; Prospect slipped to 1-3-2, 1-2-1.
“Big win for us, against a consistently strong program,” said Hawks girls soccer coach Jeff Bird, whose mask failed spectacularly to hide his joy. “The way our girls played, this was a pure-heart game. Our defense played tenaciously, and our goalkeeper [junior Paige Schneider, five saves] broke up at least three plays on dangerous crosses from Prospect.”
To boot: Hoffman had to battle without senior tri-captain and midfielder/forward Avery Panek, who missed the game to attend her sister Arden’s graduation at Illinois State University in Normal. One of Bird’s top-flight players, the ISU-bound-Panek scored a team-high-tying three goals to go with an assist in the Hawks’ first four matches.
The fourth-year varsity member, who’s thinking of playing club soccer in college, would have been proud of what her team’s ‘D’ did en route to the ‘W’ on Friday night. Senior tri-captain Christina Salerno was a rock, again, in the back, and a pair of freshman defenders — Mallory Anderson and Katelyn Paszkiewicz — each snuffed a Prospect cross attempt in the span of a minute early in the second half.
“It’s frustrating, not being able to capitalize on our chances,” said classy Knights coach Tom Froats, who, seconds after the final horn blared, said, “Well done, Hoffman,” to the victors along the sideline.
“Credit Hoffman,” the coach added. “We had possession, run of play. Hoffman defended well and took away the opportunities we tried to create. We have to be more aggressive in the final third.”
Tireless Knights junior Abby Knott, a three-sport athlete (also golf and basketball), played aggressive soccer all over the pitch, particularly during her sideline rushes that generated more than a few promising sequences. Prospect senior forward and future Wisconsin-Stevens Point player Madison Culli blasted a 20-yard shot on goal in the third minute and continued to pose a steady threat.
Hoffman’s defense had to contain Prospect sophomore midfielder/forward Jillian Sawadski’s speed. No easy task.
In the 25th minute, a pass from Knights junior defender Jackie Keane found senior midfielder Maddie Cowen, who then delivered a sound pass to senior forward/midfielder Grace Martin.
Martin’s shot missed wide, but the connections delighted the Knights’ fans.
“It seemed like we had possession 70 percent of the time today,” said a somewhat befuddled Knott, who turned quickly after collecting a pass from junior midfielder/forward Hannah Mekky to strike a 10-yard shot on goal in the 37th minute. “Our record now … it’s tough. Tough to understand. We just have to prove to people that we’re not the team our record says we are.”
Weidner’s goal spoke volumes because it was, well, the difference Friday night. Navarro — one of six freshmen on Bird’s varsity — launched the assist from near midfield, and a sprinting Weidner made it look easy from there.
“Perfect pass,” a grateful Weidner said afterward. “Natasha knew exactly where I’d be.”
Bird said several “unexpected gems” have sparkled for the Hawks since the start of the season. One of them is Navarro.
“For a freshman, she makes amazing passes,” Bird said. “She’s aggressive to the ball. Once she gets there she does a good job of protecting space to give herself enough room to make an effective pass.”
Hawks midfielder Mia Eberman, another senior tri-captain, provided key contributions late, including a steal in the 68th minute and a disruption of a Prospect rush some seven minutes later.
“Mia covers so much ground for us out there,” Bird said. “She’s a ballerina on the ball.”
Prospect defeated Hoffman Estates 5-0 in the teams’ last meeting — way back in 2019.
Prospect’s 2021 edition has similar potency, but the area scoreboards haven’t reflected that. Yet. Froats, his staff and his dynamic crew must know that.
“It’s a funny game, soccer,” Froats said. “You can possess and control most of the game, but that doesn't always result in a win. We’ll continue to work and stay positive. Right now it’s the little things we have to fix.”
Prospect entertains Palatine at 7:30 p.m. Monday; Hoffman Estates hosts Elk Grove on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
Footnotes
From the Department of ‘Did You Know?’: Bird, in his sixth season as girls soccer coach at Hoffman, served as a student-trainer at Northern Illinois University. … Prospect starting sophomore midfielder/forward Lauren Harrell suffered a concussion in a road game at Fremd on April 28, and is expected to be back in action in Monday’s game against visiting Palatine. … Take five: Froats lets his players circle up and talk among themselves for the first five minutes at halftime. He and assistant coach Mike Andrews then take care of the vocal matters for the final five minutes of the break. … Froats, on Knott: “She has a tremendous work rate, as do many of our players.” Knott didn’t appear to be the least bit tired, even though she must have completed dozens of dashes that covered 20-40 yards and who knows how many quick cuts and five-yard bursts. “Oh, I was tired,” she admitted. “You didn’t think I looked tired? My legs are tired. What I’m thankful for is the basketball training I do during the winters. Lots of cardio work.” If the three-sport athlete had to choose a fourth sport it would be “club soccer,” Knott said. … Hoffman junior forward Charlotte Hethcoat sustained a serious ankle injury while drawing a foul in the 53th minute and did not return. She’d also been dealing with shin splints. Hethcoat entered Friday’s game tied with Panek for the team lead in goals with three. … Schneider’s clean-sheet against Prospect was her second of the season.
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK Annie Ninness
D Kaela Salehzadeh
D Isabella Hubrich
D Jackie Keane
M Maggie Rosenburg
M Kaylee Naughten
M Hannah Mekky
M Kayley Bouzas
F Abby Knott
F Madison Culli
F Jillian Sawadski
Hoffman Estates
GK Paige Schneider
D Izzy Troyer
D Christina Salerno
D Maya Schmidt
D Katelyn Paszkiewicz
M Mia Eberman
M Natasha Navarro
M Mallory Anderson
M Emma Essex
F Hailey Weidner
F Charlotte Hethcoat
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Hailey Weidner, so., F, Hoffman Estates
Scoring summary
First half
Hoffman Estates — Weidner (Navarro), 15’
Second half
No scoring
Hoffman Estates pulls out win
Frosh, soph's long-distance connection the difference in 1-0 win
By Bill McLean
HOFFMAN ESTATES — Prospect kept pushing, pushing, pushing on Friday evening.
Host Hoffman Estates kept thwarting, thwarting, thwarting.
Hoffman’s Hawks won the Mid-Suburban League clash 1-0, thwarts and all. Sophomore forward Hailey Weidner’s goal off a spot-on, 40-something-yard service from freshman midfielder/defender Natasha Navarro in the 15th minute was the difference.
The victory in chilly, breezy conditions upped Hoffman Estates’ overall and MSL records to 4-1-0; Prospect slipped to 1-3-2, 1-2-1.
“Big win for us, against a consistently strong program,” said Hawks girls soccer coach Jeff Bird, whose mask failed spectacularly to hide his joy. “The way our girls played, this was a pure-heart game. Our defense played tenaciously, and our goalkeeper [junior Paige Schneider, five saves] broke up at least three plays on dangerous crosses from Prospect.”
To boot: Hoffman had to battle without senior tri-captain and midfielder/forward Avery Panek, who missed the game to attend her sister Arden’s graduation at Illinois State University in Normal. One of Bird’s top-flight players, the ISU-bound-Panek scored a team-high-tying three goals to go with an assist in the Hawks’ first four matches.
The fourth-year varsity member, who’s thinking of playing club soccer in college, would have been proud of what her team’s ‘D’ did en route to the ‘W’ on Friday night. Senior tri-captain Christina Salerno was a rock, again, in the back, and a pair of freshman defenders — Mallory Anderson and Katelyn Paszkiewicz — each snuffed a Prospect cross attempt in the span of a minute early in the second half.
“It’s frustrating, not being able to capitalize on our chances,” said classy Knights coach Tom Froats, who, seconds after the final horn blared, said, “Well done, Hoffman,” to the victors along the sideline.
“Credit Hoffman,” the coach added. “We had possession, run of play. Hoffman defended well and took away the opportunities we tried to create. We have to be more aggressive in the final third.”
Tireless Knights junior Abby Knott, a three-sport athlete (also golf and basketball), played aggressive soccer all over the pitch, particularly during her sideline rushes that generated more than a few promising sequences. Prospect senior forward and future Wisconsin-Stevens Point player Madison Culli blasted a 20-yard shot on goal in the third minute and continued to pose a steady threat.
Hoffman’s defense had to contain Prospect sophomore midfielder/forward Jillian Sawadski’s speed. No easy task.
In the 25th minute, a pass from Knights junior defender Jackie Keane found senior midfielder Maddie Cowen, who then delivered a sound pass to senior forward/midfielder Grace Martin.
Martin’s shot missed wide, but the connections delighted the Knights’ fans.
“It seemed like we had possession 70 percent of the time today,” said a somewhat befuddled Knott, who turned quickly after collecting a pass from junior midfielder/forward Hannah Mekky to strike a 10-yard shot on goal in the 37th minute. “Our record now … it’s tough. Tough to understand. We just have to prove to people that we’re not the team our record says we are.”
Weidner’s goal spoke volumes because it was, well, the difference Friday night. Navarro — one of six freshmen on Bird’s varsity — launched the assist from near midfield, and a sprinting Weidner made it look easy from there.
“Perfect pass,” a grateful Weidner said afterward. “Natasha knew exactly where I’d be.”
Bird said several “unexpected gems” have sparkled for the Hawks since the start of the season. One of them is Navarro.
“For a freshman, she makes amazing passes,” Bird said. “She’s aggressive to the ball. Once she gets there she does a good job of protecting space to give herself enough room to make an effective pass.”
Hawks midfielder Mia Eberman, another senior tri-captain, provided key contributions late, including a steal in the 68th minute and a disruption of a Prospect rush some seven minutes later.
“Mia covers so much ground for us out there,” Bird said. “She’s a ballerina on the ball.”
Prospect defeated Hoffman Estates 5-0 in the teams’ last meeting — way back in 2019.
Prospect’s 2021 edition has similar potency, but the area scoreboards haven’t reflected that. Yet. Froats, his staff and his dynamic crew must know that.
“It’s a funny game, soccer,” Froats said. “You can possess and control most of the game, but that doesn't always result in a win. We’ll continue to work and stay positive. Right now it’s the little things we have to fix.”
Prospect entertains Palatine at 7:30 p.m. Monday; Hoffman Estates hosts Elk Grove on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
Footnotes
From the Department of ‘Did You Know?’: Bird, in his sixth season as girls soccer coach at Hoffman, served as a student-trainer at Northern Illinois University. … Prospect starting sophomore midfielder/forward Lauren Harrell suffered a concussion in a road game at Fremd on April 28, and is expected to be back in action in Monday’s game against visiting Palatine. … Take five: Froats lets his players circle up and talk among themselves for the first five minutes at halftime. He and assistant coach Mike Andrews then take care of the vocal matters for the final five minutes of the break. … Froats, on Knott: “She has a tremendous work rate, as do many of our players.” Knott didn’t appear to be the least bit tired, even though she must have completed dozens of dashes that covered 20-40 yards and who knows how many quick cuts and five-yard bursts. “Oh, I was tired,” she admitted. “You didn’t think I looked tired? My legs are tired. What I’m thankful for is the basketball training I do during the winters. Lots of cardio work.” If the three-sport athlete had to choose a fourth sport it would be “club soccer,” Knott said. … Hoffman junior forward Charlotte Hethcoat sustained a serious ankle injury while drawing a foul in the 53th minute and did not return. She’d also been dealing with shin splints. Hethcoat entered Friday’s game tied with Panek for the team lead in goals with three. … Schneider’s clean-sheet against Prospect was her second of the season.
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK Annie Ninness
D Kaela Salehzadeh
D Isabella Hubrich
D Jackie Keane
M Maggie Rosenburg
M Kaylee Naughten
M Hannah Mekky
M Kayley Bouzas
F Abby Knott
F Madison Culli
F Jillian Sawadski
Hoffman Estates
GK Paige Schneider
D Izzy Troyer
D Christina Salerno
D Maya Schmidt
D Katelyn Paszkiewicz
M Mia Eberman
M Natasha Navarro
M Mallory Anderson
M Emma Essex
F Hailey Weidner
F Charlotte Hethcoat
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Hailey Weidner, so., F, Hoffman Estates
Scoring summary
First half
Hoffman Estates — Weidner (Navarro), 15’
Second half
No scoring