Cristo Rey's Solorzano plays
lights out against Rochelle Zell
Junior scores 4 to knock Tigers into ISL third place game
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Rochelle Zell ran into a buzzsaw.
The form was decidedly human – it was the shape and style of Cristo Rey midfielder Julissa Solorzano.
She played at a different level than everybody else. It effectively rendered meaningless the 1-1 tie the two teams played earlier this season.
“In the first game, we were so frustrated that we kept yelling at each other,” Solorzano said.
“It just wasn’t working out.”
The Cristeros also had several older players on the team away on a retreat during the first meeting. The rematch was different, much different.
Zell had little recourse or defensive strategy to make.
The Tigers’ quest to teach the championship game of the Chicago Prep Conference tournament came to a crashing halt with the 5-0 Cristo Rey victory in the tournament semifinals Tuesday at Harrison Park.
In the cold and rainy weather, Solarzono played as though she were on ice skates, moving brilliantly and tactically. Zell could never contain her.
She scored four times for the Cristeros (10-1-4), who will play top-seeded Hope Thursday in the championship.
Zell (10-4-1), the no. 2 seed, moves to the third place game against Ida Crown, a team it beat 2-0 during the season.
“I think in general, in that first game that we played, we had a lot of energy, and we really wanted to do well and perform at a high level,” sophomore forward Becca Berkeley said.
“In this game, I think we had hope because we tied them the last time. Coming into this game we had that on our shoulders. I don’t think we necessarily wanted it as much as we did the last game.”
Solorzano scored twice in staking the Cristeros to a 2-0 halftime lead.
She blasted a ball from about 26 yards from the right wing in the 10th minute to open her personal scoring deluge.
In the 20th minute, midfielder Janet Delgado played her a ball about 16 yards on the right edge. She took a quick one-touch and smashed it home.
“I honestly take it more as a team, and not so much about me,” she said. “As soon as I scored two goals, I said it was time to play with my team.
“Those first goals were the first two shots I got, and the rest came out of teamwork and communication.”
Solorzano is as versatile as she is skilled. She played three different positions during the game, starting out wide as a winger, moved to the middle as central midfielder and ended up at forward.
She earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her excellent play.
“Julissa is a well-rounded player who is able to adapt to any formation and adapt to a new position,” Cristo Rey coach Julian Gomez said.
“Even though she is an offensive player, she knows how to play defense. Anytime she loses the ball on offense, she hustles to get that ball back.”
She is also the team leader, the one who demands respect and equity in every action.
“I like to encourage my teammates to let them know even if the ball goes out, or they can’t catch up to the girl, they have to run back and just keep moving,” Solorzano said.
Rochelle Zell junior keeper Talia Scholder showed excellent timing, movement and anticipation skills.
Despite the goals surrendered, Scholder was largely left on her own. Zell conceded too much ground and put her at a severe disadvantage.
She made eight saves during the game.
Zell coach David Martinez saw a team not ready to play at the start. The lack of effort bothered him.
“Collectively, we came out flat, and we just could not stay with our marks,” he said.
“We made some adjustments, and we created some opportunities up-top once we were finally able to clear the ball.”
Tigers freshman Bailey Singer was a bright spot. She is electric with the ball, and has the sense and savvy to find her spots on the field.
The young forward was proud to get the chance to make a contribution for her team.
“This means a lot to me to have the opportunity to do so well, and keep growing and learning as I go on,” Singer said.
“I’m going to learn from this experience tonight. I’m going to be able to go in faster, stronger and communicate more with the team. I want to help us figure out what we have to do.”
Midfielders Zoey Weiss and Janie Levitan also played well, demonstrating strong movement off the ball and the ability to mix it up.
“This is definitely a wake-up call to step up, and be ready to compete,” Berkeley said. “We have to want it as badly as the other team.”
The Tigers have seven seniors, and the third place marks their final game with the program. On Monday, the seniors are going to be leaving for a special senior trip to Israel.
Their early departure means the Tigers will be short-staffed for the beginning of the Class A state tournament.
Call this game a coming-of-age experience for a team that starts three freshmen and three sophomores.
To their credit, the Tigers never gave up, or stopped hustling. Martinez played his entire available roster. The lesson might have been cruel.
It was definitely a moment for the team to reflect, and think how they want their season to go in the final part.
“We beat Ida Crown on our Senior Night, and had a good result,” Martinez said. “We need to come out with the same energy, have a good warm-up, and not play flat-footed.
“We are not going to have a full-team for the regionals. We need to send off our seniors with a trophy in hand.”
Starting lineups
Cristo Rey
GK: Abigail Ruiz
D: Bibiana Zermeno
D: Bianca Olvera
D: Beverly Valdez
D: Maria Jacobo
MF: Osmara Flores
MF: Janet Delgado
MF: Julissa Solorzano
MF: Jizelle Lopez
F: Melanie Araujo
F: Jennifer Garcia
Rochelle Zell
GK: Talia Scholder
D: Serena Sklar
D: Haley Rudnick
D: Moriya Mlotek
D: Meira Lieberman
MF: Aya Moller
MF: Zoey Weiss
MF: Janie Levitan
MF: Ahava Cohen
F: Becca Berkeley
F: Elana Cohen
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Julissa Solorzano, jr., MF, Cristo Rey
Scoring summary
First half
CR: Julissa Solorzano (unassisted), 10th minute
CR: Solorzano (Janet Delgado), 20th minute
Second half
CR: Solorzano (unassisted), 55th minute
CR: Solorzano (unassisted), 61st minute
CR: Beverley Valdez (corner kick), 70th minute
lights out against Rochelle Zell
Junior scores 4 to knock Tigers into ISL third place game
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Rochelle Zell ran into a buzzsaw.
The form was decidedly human – it was the shape and style of Cristo Rey midfielder Julissa Solorzano.
She played at a different level than everybody else. It effectively rendered meaningless the 1-1 tie the two teams played earlier this season.
“In the first game, we were so frustrated that we kept yelling at each other,” Solorzano said.
“It just wasn’t working out.”
The Cristeros also had several older players on the team away on a retreat during the first meeting. The rematch was different, much different.
Zell had little recourse or defensive strategy to make.
The Tigers’ quest to teach the championship game of the Chicago Prep Conference tournament came to a crashing halt with the 5-0 Cristo Rey victory in the tournament semifinals Tuesday at Harrison Park.
In the cold and rainy weather, Solarzono played as though she were on ice skates, moving brilliantly and tactically. Zell could never contain her.
She scored four times for the Cristeros (10-1-4), who will play top-seeded Hope Thursday in the championship.
Zell (10-4-1), the no. 2 seed, moves to the third place game against Ida Crown, a team it beat 2-0 during the season.
“I think in general, in that first game that we played, we had a lot of energy, and we really wanted to do well and perform at a high level,” sophomore forward Becca Berkeley said.
“In this game, I think we had hope because we tied them the last time. Coming into this game we had that on our shoulders. I don’t think we necessarily wanted it as much as we did the last game.”
Solorzano scored twice in staking the Cristeros to a 2-0 halftime lead.
She blasted a ball from about 26 yards from the right wing in the 10th minute to open her personal scoring deluge.
In the 20th minute, midfielder Janet Delgado played her a ball about 16 yards on the right edge. She took a quick one-touch and smashed it home.
“I honestly take it more as a team, and not so much about me,” she said. “As soon as I scored two goals, I said it was time to play with my team.
“Those first goals were the first two shots I got, and the rest came out of teamwork and communication.”
Solorzano is as versatile as she is skilled. She played three different positions during the game, starting out wide as a winger, moved to the middle as central midfielder and ended up at forward.
She earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her excellent play.
“Julissa is a well-rounded player who is able to adapt to any formation and adapt to a new position,” Cristo Rey coach Julian Gomez said.
“Even though she is an offensive player, she knows how to play defense. Anytime she loses the ball on offense, she hustles to get that ball back.”
She is also the team leader, the one who demands respect and equity in every action.
“I like to encourage my teammates to let them know even if the ball goes out, or they can’t catch up to the girl, they have to run back and just keep moving,” Solorzano said.
Rochelle Zell junior keeper Talia Scholder showed excellent timing, movement and anticipation skills.
Despite the goals surrendered, Scholder was largely left on her own. Zell conceded too much ground and put her at a severe disadvantage.
She made eight saves during the game.
Zell coach David Martinez saw a team not ready to play at the start. The lack of effort bothered him.
“Collectively, we came out flat, and we just could not stay with our marks,” he said.
“We made some adjustments, and we created some opportunities up-top once we were finally able to clear the ball.”
Tigers freshman Bailey Singer was a bright spot. She is electric with the ball, and has the sense and savvy to find her spots on the field.
The young forward was proud to get the chance to make a contribution for her team.
“This means a lot to me to have the opportunity to do so well, and keep growing and learning as I go on,” Singer said.
“I’m going to learn from this experience tonight. I’m going to be able to go in faster, stronger and communicate more with the team. I want to help us figure out what we have to do.”
Midfielders Zoey Weiss and Janie Levitan also played well, demonstrating strong movement off the ball and the ability to mix it up.
“This is definitely a wake-up call to step up, and be ready to compete,” Berkeley said. “We have to want it as badly as the other team.”
The Tigers have seven seniors, and the third place marks their final game with the program. On Monday, the seniors are going to be leaving for a special senior trip to Israel.
Their early departure means the Tigers will be short-staffed for the beginning of the Class A state tournament.
Call this game a coming-of-age experience for a team that starts three freshmen and three sophomores.
To their credit, the Tigers never gave up, or stopped hustling. Martinez played his entire available roster. The lesson might have been cruel.
It was definitely a moment for the team to reflect, and think how they want their season to go in the final part.
“We beat Ida Crown on our Senior Night, and had a good result,” Martinez said. “We need to come out with the same energy, have a good warm-up, and not play flat-footed.
“We are not going to have a full-team for the regionals. We need to send off our seniors with a trophy in hand.”
Starting lineups
Cristo Rey
GK: Abigail Ruiz
D: Bibiana Zermeno
D: Bianca Olvera
D: Beverly Valdez
D: Maria Jacobo
MF: Osmara Flores
MF: Janet Delgado
MF: Julissa Solorzano
MF: Jizelle Lopez
F: Melanie Araujo
F: Jennifer Garcia
Rochelle Zell
GK: Talia Scholder
D: Serena Sklar
D: Haley Rudnick
D: Moriya Mlotek
D: Meira Lieberman
MF: Aya Moller
MF: Zoey Weiss
MF: Janie Levitan
MF: Ahava Cohen
F: Becca Berkeley
F: Elana Cohen
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Julissa Solorzano, jr., MF, Cristo Rey
Scoring summary
First half
CR: Julissa Solorzano (unassisted), 10th minute
CR: Solorzano (Janet Delgado), 20th minute
Second half
CR: Solorzano (unassisted), 55th minute
CR: Solorzano (unassisted), 61st minute
CR: Beverley Valdez (corner kick), 70th minute