Plainfield South defense never rests
Shuts out host Joliet W. to keep Cougars undefeated in league
By Bill Stone
JOLIET -- On a veteran Plainfield South girls soccer team with 14 seniors, starting center defender Christina Schade is practically no. 15 -- as a junior.
“I came up (to varsity) my freshman year. I’ve played with these girls since I was little, in club to now, so I’ve been with them my whole life,” Schade said. “I just love them. They’re like family.”
Working together Thursday, the Cougars continued their strong start to the season with a 4-0 victory at Joliet West that was a little extra special to the defense and Schade, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
The Southwest Prairie Conference victory was the fourth shutout of the season but first in the last five games for the Cougars (7-1-1, 3-0-0), who were listed as an honorable mention squad in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
It was also was the first time that Joliet West (2-3-0, 1-1-0) was blanked. The Tigers scored 11 goals in their first four games.
“It’s always nice (to record a shutout), especially from a defensive standpoint,” Schade said. “You alway feels the pressure when goals are shot. I just think when you get that shutout, it’s just like, ‘Man, I put in that 100 percent effort to help.’”
A balanced offense also helped and opened a 3-0 lead just 1:08 into the second half. Senior Isabel Cerda scored twice, and junior Emily DeVivo delivered three assists and contributed to the first two goals by placing corner kicks into dangerous territory. Seniors Ciara Coneset and Taylor Metcalf also scored.
Defense was the operative word at Plainfield South's practice Wednesday.
“We knew we had to come out here and play a good defensive game, and we a did a lot of that (Wednesday),” Cougars coach Alfonso Lopez said. “We talked about the formation, how we needed to adjust, and we did that. The girls that came in off the bench (in the second half) adjusted as well. They did a good job keeping them off the (score)board.”
The visitors only faced two shots in the first half, but Joliet West's lone blast on goal came with the game still scoreless after nine minutes. Senior Kendra Neill cut across to receive a pass from senior Amanda DiNardo, but keeper Nicole Trenholm was there for the save.
Within the next two minutes, Coneset scored by beautifully heading home DeVivo’s corner kick from the left side.
In the second half, senior reserve goalie Jami Maloney and defenders/defensive midfielders Adanelly Escamilla, Samantha Harkness, Karis Mele, Nina Rojas and Nikki Bayles stood tall against the Tigers’ starters to preserve the shutout.
“They put in so much work (that second half). They helped keep that shutout. They’re the reason the shutout happened,” Schade said. “We pretty much know who we can rely on, and you can rely on everyone on this team.”
“The goal for every goalkeeper is to get a shutout,” Trenholm added. “It’s just better than a win. It’s like an extra satisfaction, and it’s really good because you know everyone’s working as a team to defend and not let a goal in.”
Schade said that the defensive mindset goes beyond the backline to their defensive center midfielders -- usually senior Amaya Silvar and Coneset and sometimes sophomore Rojas -- who come back to help when needed.
Joliet West, which had two-of-its-three corner kicks in the first half, mainly initiated offense between the hash marks of the football field. The ball handler usually found herself quickly greeted.
“(Our defensive midfielders) come back for us, play defense. They hold when we need a hold,” Schade said. “They push up for the forwards. They do a lot for us. They’re really a big factor in our game
“(At practice) we worked on a lot of man-marking and doubling back, which is when the offense comes back and helps the defense. We worked on a lot of connecting with our midfielders so that they can connect out wide to get up to the forwards.”
Schade has emerged into a steadying force. She was promoted to varsity halfway through her freshman season and last year alternated between center and outside defender, when the Cougars had two seniors among their usual backline rotation.
“Christina is someone we’ve been relying on for basically the last three years,” Lopez said. “She’s a leader for us in the backline. Whenever she knows she has a back-up with her, it makes her more confident. She’s more aggressive. She goes after everybody.”
Offensively, the Cougars’ connections continued to flourish.
With 10:48 left until halftime. Cerda took control of a DeVivo’s corner kick at the top of the box, turned and then unleashed a shot toward the right side of the net that deflected off a defender before finding its way into the right side of the net.
“We have Ciara Coneset, she’s a good header. All of us aren’t afraid to put our head in there (on corner kicks), put whatever body part we can use to get it in the goal,” Cerda said.
Just 68 seconds into the second half, the Cougars exploited the Tigers’ aggressive defensive line. Cerda used her speed to chase down a lead ball from DeVivo and converted on a right wing breakaway.
With 33:59 left, Cerda began a passing combination with DeVivo and Metcalf, who put home Plainfield South's final score.
“You always want to score in the game, set the tone early, try and show them that we’re out here to win,” Cerda said. “Just the set pieces, getting the girls up, pushing them to the top, always trying to finish every play, every opportunity we have up there -- just to put it in the goal is all we have to do.”
Among the Cougars’ 22 goals this season, Cerda has contributed four, and Coneset and Metcalf have knocked in three apiece. DeVivo has eight assists.
“It’s not just one or two people (providing offense). We have a well balanced attack. The girls like to share the ball, so we score from all over,” Lopez said. “We have a couple of girls that can get up over pretty much any defender and get their head on the ball.”
Much of the second half intrigue was whether the Cougars’ reserves could preserve the shutout.
Joliet West graduated seven starters and sophomore captain Katie Meagher suffered an ACL injury in the season-opening 2-1 loss to Homewood-Flossmoor that still affects the team's defensive structure. Still the Tigers are on pace to surpass their 2017 record, when they went 5-16-1 and 0-9-0 in the SPC.
Forward DiNardo is a Southern Illinois-Edwardsville recruit playing high school soccer for the first time. Junior center midfielder Litzy Mendez and outside midfielder Neill also had considerable ball possession.
“(Plainfield South’s) defense is tough. We just had a little trouble getting around it,” Joliet West coach Michael O’Shea said. “I felt like we forced the ball up the middle a little too much, something we’ve been talking about all season. But their back four did a very good job of slowing our offense down.”
Arguably the Tigers’ best scoring chance came in the 56th minute on a passing combination to allowed DiNardo to break free down the right wing, but she put her blast off the side of the net.
Three minutes later, Plainfield South's Maloney came out aggressively to snuff out a lead ball chance to Neill at the top of the box. Neill later had a point-blank shot in the center of the box that Maloney handled in the 66th minute. A Tigers’ corner kick with less than eight minutes remaining was potentially dangerous, but Maloney got a hand on ball and sophomore Kylie Pickering, situated by the far post, cleared it.
Considering that 12 of Painfield South's seniors are committed or nearly set to play collegiate soccer, their non-starters would be coveted by most opponents.
And even with this being spring break, the only player not available Thursday was a scratch due to injury.
“A lot of (our players) are back from last year and they know what’s expected,” Lopez said. “As soon as they get in, they give it their all so (our players) know we can count on anybody to come in and help us out.”
“Everybody is very experienced,” Trenholm added. “We switch around positions a lot because everyone is strong in every position. They know what they’re doing, and they always give 110 percent. We give it our all.”
In league play, Joliet West previously beat Romeoville 3-1, which the Cougars have beaten twice.
How will Plainfield South fare the remainder of its league season? Lopez believes that defense will be a key factor.
“We’ve had a good start. We’ve had a couple of hiccups here and there, but the girls are adjusting and playing well,” he said.
“We’ve put in a lot of work on that defensive end. We’ve got to keep cleaning stuff up, because we know a lot of the tough teams are still ahead. In this conference, you can’t take days off. You’ve got to keep working.”
Starting lineups
Plainfield South
GK – Nicole Trenholm
D – Emily Sauder
D – Christina Schade
D – Cameron Graham
M – Alyssa Grigg
M – Ciara Coneset
M – Amaya Silvar
M – Emily DeVivo
M – Phoebe Hillery
F – Isabel Cerda
F – Taylor Metcalf
Joliet West
GK – Samantha Baloy
D – Bailey Pubentz
D – Isabelle Bohanek
D – Carolina Bedolla
D – Jazmin Villalobos
M – Litzy Mendez
M – Marcy Rosales
M – Maite Bernal
M – Destiny Ashcraft
F – Amanda DiNardo
F – Kendra Neill
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Christina Schade, jr., D, Plainfield South
Game summary
Plainfield South 2 2 – 4
Joliet West 0 0 – 0
Scoring
First half
Plainfield South: Ciara Coneset (Emily DeVivo) 11:45
Plainfield South: Isabel Cerda 29:12
Second half
Plainfield South: Isabel Cerda (Emily DeVivo) 41:08
Plainfield South: Taylor Metcalf (Emily DeVivo) 46:01
Goalies (saves)
Plainfield South: Nicole Trenholm (1 save), Jami Maloney (3 saves)
Joliet West: Samantha Baloy (7 saves)
Shots (on goal)
Plainfield South 17 (11)
Joliet West 7 (4)
Corner kicks
Plainfield South 6
Joliet West 3
Shuts out host Joliet W. to keep Cougars undefeated in league
By Bill Stone
JOLIET -- On a veteran Plainfield South girls soccer team with 14 seniors, starting center defender Christina Schade is practically no. 15 -- as a junior.
“I came up (to varsity) my freshman year. I’ve played with these girls since I was little, in club to now, so I’ve been with them my whole life,” Schade said. “I just love them. They’re like family.”
Working together Thursday, the Cougars continued their strong start to the season with a 4-0 victory at Joliet West that was a little extra special to the defense and Schade, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
The Southwest Prairie Conference victory was the fourth shutout of the season but first in the last five games for the Cougars (7-1-1, 3-0-0), who were listed as an honorable mention squad in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
It was also was the first time that Joliet West (2-3-0, 1-1-0) was blanked. The Tigers scored 11 goals in their first four games.
“It’s always nice (to record a shutout), especially from a defensive standpoint,” Schade said. “You alway feels the pressure when goals are shot. I just think when you get that shutout, it’s just like, ‘Man, I put in that 100 percent effort to help.’”
A balanced offense also helped and opened a 3-0 lead just 1:08 into the second half. Senior Isabel Cerda scored twice, and junior Emily DeVivo delivered three assists and contributed to the first two goals by placing corner kicks into dangerous territory. Seniors Ciara Coneset and Taylor Metcalf also scored.
Defense was the operative word at Plainfield South's practice Wednesday.
“We knew we had to come out here and play a good defensive game, and we a did a lot of that (Wednesday),” Cougars coach Alfonso Lopez said. “We talked about the formation, how we needed to adjust, and we did that. The girls that came in off the bench (in the second half) adjusted as well. They did a good job keeping them off the (score)board.”
The visitors only faced two shots in the first half, but Joliet West's lone blast on goal came with the game still scoreless after nine minutes. Senior Kendra Neill cut across to receive a pass from senior Amanda DiNardo, but keeper Nicole Trenholm was there for the save.
Within the next two minutes, Coneset scored by beautifully heading home DeVivo’s corner kick from the left side.
In the second half, senior reserve goalie Jami Maloney and defenders/defensive midfielders Adanelly Escamilla, Samantha Harkness, Karis Mele, Nina Rojas and Nikki Bayles stood tall against the Tigers’ starters to preserve the shutout.
“They put in so much work (that second half). They helped keep that shutout. They’re the reason the shutout happened,” Schade said. “We pretty much know who we can rely on, and you can rely on everyone on this team.”
“The goal for every goalkeeper is to get a shutout,” Trenholm added. “It’s just better than a win. It’s like an extra satisfaction, and it’s really good because you know everyone’s working as a team to defend and not let a goal in.”
Schade said that the defensive mindset goes beyond the backline to their defensive center midfielders -- usually senior Amaya Silvar and Coneset and sometimes sophomore Rojas -- who come back to help when needed.
Joliet West, which had two-of-its-three corner kicks in the first half, mainly initiated offense between the hash marks of the football field. The ball handler usually found herself quickly greeted.
“(Our defensive midfielders) come back for us, play defense. They hold when we need a hold,” Schade said. “They push up for the forwards. They do a lot for us. They’re really a big factor in our game
“(At practice) we worked on a lot of man-marking and doubling back, which is when the offense comes back and helps the defense. We worked on a lot of connecting with our midfielders so that they can connect out wide to get up to the forwards.”
Schade has emerged into a steadying force. She was promoted to varsity halfway through her freshman season and last year alternated between center and outside defender, when the Cougars had two seniors among their usual backline rotation.
“Christina is someone we’ve been relying on for basically the last three years,” Lopez said. “She’s a leader for us in the backline. Whenever she knows she has a back-up with her, it makes her more confident. She’s more aggressive. She goes after everybody.”
Offensively, the Cougars’ connections continued to flourish.
With 10:48 left until halftime. Cerda took control of a DeVivo’s corner kick at the top of the box, turned and then unleashed a shot toward the right side of the net that deflected off a defender before finding its way into the right side of the net.
“We have Ciara Coneset, she’s a good header. All of us aren’t afraid to put our head in there (on corner kicks), put whatever body part we can use to get it in the goal,” Cerda said.
Just 68 seconds into the second half, the Cougars exploited the Tigers’ aggressive defensive line. Cerda used her speed to chase down a lead ball from DeVivo and converted on a right wing breakaway.
With 33:59 left, Cerda began a passing combination with DeVivo and Metcalf, who put home Plainfield South's final score.
“You always want to score in the game, set the tone early, try and show them that we’re out here to win,” Cerda said. “Just the set pieces, getting the girls up, pushing them to the top, always trying to finish every play, every opportunity we have up there -- just to put it in the goal is all we have to do.”
Among the Cougars’ 22 goals this season, Cerda has contributed four, and Coneset and Metcalf have knocked in three apiece. DeVivo has eight assists.
“It’s not just one or two people (providing offense). We have a well balanced attack. The girls like to share the ball, so we score from all over,” Lopez said. “We have a couple of girls that can get up over pretty much any defender and get their head on the ball.”
Much of the second half intrigue was whether the Cougars’ reserves could preserve the shutout.
Joliet West graduated seven starters and sophomore captain Katie Meagher suffered an ACL injury in the season-opening 2-1 loss to Homewood-Flossmoor that still affects the team's defensive structure. Still the Tigers are on pace to surpass their 2017 record, when they went 5-16-1 and 0-9-0 in the SPC.
Forward DiNardo is a Southern Illinois-Edwardsville recruit playing high school soccer for the first time. Junior center midfielder Litzy Mendez and outside midfielder Neill also had considerable ball possession.
“(Plainfield South’s) defense is tough. We just had a little trouble getting around it,” Joliet West coach Michael O’Shea said. “I felt like we forced the ball up the middle a little too much, something we’ve been talking about all season. But their back four did a very good job of slowing our offense down.”
Arguably the Tigers’ best scoring chance came in the 56th minute on a passing combination to allowed DiNardo to break free down the right wing, but she put her blast off the side of the net.
Three minutes later, Plainfield South's Maloney came out aggressively to snuff out a lead ball chance to Neill at the top of the box. Neill later had a point-blank shot in the center of the box that Maloney handled in the 66th minute. A Tigers’ corner kick with less than eight minutes remaining was potentially dangerous, but Maloney got a hand on ball and sophomore Kylie Pickering, situated by the far post, cleared it.
Considering that 12 of Painfield South's seniors are committed or nearly set to play collegiate soccer, their non-starters would be coveted by most opponents.
And even with this being spring break, the only player not available Thursday was a scratch due to injury.
“A lot of (our players) are back from last year and they know what’s expected,” Lopez said. “As soon as they get in, they give it their all so (our players) know we can count on anybody to come in and help us out.”
“Everybody is very experienced,” Trenholm added. “We switch around positions a lot because everyone is strong in every position. They know what they’re doing, and they always give 110 percent. We give it our all.”
In league play, Joliet West previously beat Romeoville 3-1, which the Cougars have beaten twice.
How will Plainfield South fare the remainder of its league season? Lopez believes that defense will be a key factor.
“We’ve had a good start. We’ve had a couple of hiccups here and there, but the girls are adjusting and playing well,” he said.
“We’ve put in a lot of work on that defensive end. We’ve got to keep cleaning stuff up, because we know a lot of the tough teams are still ahead. In this conference, you can’t take days off. You’ve got to keep working.”
Starting lineups
Plainfield South
GK – Nicole Trenholm
D – Emily Sauder
D – Christina Schade
D – Cameron Graham
M – Alyssa Grigg
M – Ciara Coneset
M – Amaya Silvar
M – Emily DeVivo
M – Phoebe Hillery
F – Isabel Cerda
F – Taylor Metcalf
Joliet West
GK – Samantha Baloy
D – Bailey Pubentz
D – Isabelle Bohanek
D – Carolina Bedolla
D – Jazmin Villalobos
M – Litzy Mendez
M – Marcy Rosales
M – Maite Bernal
M – Destiny Ashcraft
F – Amanda DiNardo
F – Kendra Neill
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Christina Schade, jr., D, Plainfield South
Game summary
Plainfield South 2 2 – 4
Joliet West 0 0 – 0
Scoring
First half
Plainfield South: Ciara Coneset (Emily DeVivo) 11:45
Plainfield South: Isabel Cerda 29:12
Second half
Plainfield South: Isabel Cerda (Emily DeVivo) 41:08
Plainfield South: Taylor Metcalf (Emily DeVivo) 46:01
Goalies (saves)
Plainfield South: Nicole Trenholm (1 save), Jami Maloney (3 saves)
Joliet West: Samantha Baloy (7 saves)
Shots (on goal)
Plainfield South 17 (11)
Joliet West 7 (4)
Corner kicks
Plainfield South 6
Joliet West 3