Full-strength Rochelle Zell more
than enough for CPC third place win
Tigers top Tepeyac 7-0, welcome back seniors for state playoffs
By Curt Herron
CHICAGO -- On a night when Rochelle Zell received a third place trophy for their play in the Chicago Prep Conference tournament at Harrison Park in the Pilsen community, some of the team's seniors reflected on things that they'll remember from their experiences at the school.
The Tigers had just captured a 7-0 victory over Our Lady of Tepeyac on Thursday. While they would have naturally preferred to play in the tournament finals, which featured Hope and Ida Crown, they get one last chance to play for a title next week that could keep their season going a little longer.
The Tigers start the state tournament when they St. Edward on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. The winner will advance to Friday's regional finals with Willows as the likely opponent. The regional champion advances to the Class A Cristo Rey St. Martin Sectional in Waukegan on June 8. Rochelle Zell, which has played in regional finals in 2019 and 2016, seeks its first title.
On Thursday, Rochelle Zell (8-4-0) received goals from four different players during the first 15 minutes and added two more goals before halftime. The Tigers scored right after the break to reduce the match to around an hour of play due to the mercy rule.
Senior Noa Steinbach scored three goals and handed out two assists, senior Noa Saxton added two goals, Becca Berkeley scored a goal and had an assist and Janie Levitan also had a goal. After the match, Saxton, Berkeley and Levitan were recognized for being selected to the all-conference team.
Rochelle Zell was short-handed for much of the season. Several team members spent a month in Israel on a senior trip, but they're back now and coach David Martinez hopes that his team can make a little history during the postseason.
"We've definitely been tested early with four senior starters in Israel. Our other senior who didn't go to Israel was injured for half the season," Martinez said. "Finally, everyone is starting to come back and now we're jelling as a team right before we get to the playoffs. That's phenomenal, and we're excited for that. So that's what we're shooting for, and we'll see how it goes.
"The girls don't give up, no matter who they're playing or whatever the score is. They play 80 minutes, every single second. It truly defines who they are, not only as a team, but as individuals of good character."
Senior Sarah Erlichman and Steinbach are happy to be back with their team after enjoying their stay in Israel. While they knew that their absence might affect the team, they are proud of how well the squad performed without them and are excited to see how well the new-look team can play in the postseason.
"It was amazing," Erlichman said. "It was the best trip that I've ever had. To go to Israel, I'm so grateful. The fact that we even got to go was amazing. It was unfortunate that our season got cut, but to be in the holiest place is something that you can't pass up ever.
"This team is a really special group of girls, not to mention our school as a whole, since it's a very interesting community. I didn't always grow up with a community of all Jews while living in Peoria. So, by coming here, I got to experience what a real Jewish community is like. I was very sad to come home from Israel, because I love Israel, but this is the perfect way to come back home, because I love soccer and these girls."
For a team that was missing some of its top players for so much of its season, they certainly didn't show any signs of having missing a beat against Our Lady of Tepeyac, which continued to battle throughout despite the score.
Levitan started the scoring in the fifth minute with a short try following a pass from Steinbach, who then made it 2-0 in the seventh minute when she got past defenders to connect from close range.
The Tigers made it 3-0 in the ninth minute when Berkeley placed a corner kick in the box and Saxton got to the loose ball and connected. Then Berkeley joined the goal scorers in the 16th minute when she delivered on a free kick from 40 yards.
Following a hand ball in the box, Steinbach fired in the subsequent penalty in the 20th minute to make it 5-0. Five minutes later she sent a pass to Saxton, who connected from 10 yards in the 25th minute to round out the first half scoring.
"It was actually a really hard decision for me," Steinbach said of the trip to Israel. "I struggled with the decision for a while because soccer is my main sport. But I knew that I couldn't pass up on a trip to Israel with my best friends. While I missed soccer dearly, it was one of the best experiences ever.
"And the team didn't need us, since they were doing so well. I'm so proud of them. I was getting updates every night from my dad and from every game from coach Martinez and Noa, and it made me so happy to know that they weren't struggling without us.
"I lived in South Carolina for four years where I had no Jewish friends, so coming back to a Jewish community made me feel at home again, especially Rochelle Zell, there's no other school like it. All of the teachers are amazing and become your friends by the end of your senior year. My math teacher, Ms. Gitlin, is great. It's such a great place."
The final score of the match came shortly after the second half began. Steinbach completed her hat-trick with Berkeley providing the assist.
Goalkeeper Talia Scholder didn't face any real threats, thanks to defensive play from players like Naomi Sendlin, Aya Moller, Eliana Halivni and Erlichman.
The Deerfield school boasts that 84 percent of its 170 students are involved in at least one sport, which has to rank highly among IHSA school. In that regard, Saxton is a typical student. She has been involved in a wide range of sports at Rochelle Zell.
"I love being a part of this team since it's one of my favorite sports," Saxton said. "I was in basketball for all of my years here and also did cross country and tennis. My mom likes to say that it's really nice that everyone gets included. If you went to a bigger school it's not like that.
"It did take some adjusting to play without two of our essential players. But we got in the groove of it, and we've had a pretty successful season. I like the unity and the love that's on this team. Everybody is so close and some of my best friends I've gotten from the sports at this school. And the friendships go off the field, it's more than just a team."
Starting lineups
G - Diana Ortega
D - Angela Cabrera
D - Jacqueline Morales
D - Ashley Cervantes
D - Kimberly Rubio
M - Carla Cazares
M - Nancy Vega
M - Maritza Salas
M - Bianca Aguirre
F - Anais Soria
F - Bexaida Sanchez
Rochelle Zell
G - Talia Scholder
D - Sarah Erlichman
D - Aya Moller
D - Naomi Sendlin
D - Eliana Halivni
M - Noa Steinbach
M - Janie Levitan
M - Ahava Cohen
M - Abigail Singer
F - Noa Saxton
F - Becca Berkeley
Our Lady of Tepeyac
Will send to you shortly
Player of the match - Noa Steinbach, sr., MF, Rochelle Zell
Scoring summary
First half
RZ - Levitan (Steinbach), 5
RZ - Steinbach, 7
RZ - Saxton, 9
RZ - Berkeley, 15
RZ - Steinbach, 20
RZ - Saxton (Steinbach), 25
Second half
Steinbach (Berkeley), 41
than enough for CPC third place win
Tigers top Tepeyac 7-0, welcome back seniors for state playoffs
By Curt Herron
CHICAGO -- On a night when Rochelle Zell received a third place trophy for their play in the Chicago Prep Conference tournament at Harrison Park in the Pilsen community, some of the team's seniors reflected on things that they'll remember from their experiences at the school.
The Tigers had just captured a 7-0 victory over Our Lady of Tepeyac on Thursday. While they would have naturally preferred to play in the tournament finals, which featured Hope and Ida Crown, they get one last chance to play for a title next week that could keep their season going a little longer.
The Tigers start the state tournament when they St. Edward on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. The winner will advance to Friday's regional finals with Willows as the likely opponent. The regional champion advances to the Class A Cristo Rey St. Martin Sectional in Waukegan on June 8. Rochelle Zell, which has played in regional finals in 2019 and 2016, seeks its first title.
On Thursday, Rochelle Zell (8-4-0) received goals from four different players during the first 15 minutes and added two more goals before halftime. The Tigers scored right after the break to reduce the match to around an hour of play due to the mercy rule.
Senior Noa Steinbach scored three goals and handed out two assists, senior Noa Saxton added two goals, Becca Berkeley scored a goal and had an assist and Janie Levitan also had a goal. After the match, Saxton, Berkeley and Levitan were recognized for being selected to the all-conference team.
Rochelle Zell was short-handed for much of the season. Several team members spent a month in Israel on a senior trip, but they're back now and coach David Martinez hopes that his team can make a little history during the postseason.
"We've definitely been tested early with four senior starters in Israel. Our other senior who didn't go to Israel was injured for half the season," Martinez said. "Finally, everyone is starting to come back and now we're jelling as a team right before we get to the playoffs. That's phenomenal, and we're excited for that. So that's what we're shooting for, and we'll see how it goes.
"The girls don't give up, no matter who they're playing or whatever the score is. They play 80 minutes, every single second. It truly defines who they are, not only as a team, but as individuals of good character."
Senior Sarah Erlichman and Steinbach are happy to be back with their team after enjoying their stay in Israel. While they knew that their absence might affect the team, they are proud of how well the squad performed without them and are excited to see how well the new-look team can play in the postseason.
"It was amazing," Erlichman said. "It was the best trip that I've ever had. To go to Israel, I'm so grateful. The fact that we even got to go was amazing. It was unfortunate that our season got cut, but to be in the holiest place is something that you can't pass up ever.
"This team is a really special group of girls, not to mention our school as a whole, since it's a very interesting community. I didn't always grow up with a community of all Jews while living in Peoria. So, by coming here, I got to experience what a real Jewish community is like. I was very sad to come home from Israel, because I love Israel, but this is the perfect way to come back home, because I love soccer and these girls."
For a team that was missing some of its top players for so much of its season, they certainly didn't show any signs of having missing a beat against Our Lady of Tepeyac, which continued to battle throughout despite the score.
Levitan started the scoring in the fifth minute with a short try following a pass from Steinbach, who then made it 2-0 in the seventh minute when she got past defenders to connect from close range.
The Tigers made it 3-0 in the ninth minute when Berkeley placed a corner kick in the box and Saxton got to the loose ball and connected. Then Berkeley joined the goal scorers in the 16th minute when she delivered on a free kick from 40 yards.
Following a hand ball in the box, Steinbach fired in the subsequent penalty in the 20th minute to make it 5-0. Five minutes later she sent a pass to Saxton, who connected from 10 yards in the 25th minute to round out the first half scoring.
"It was actually a really hard decision for me," Steinbach said of the trip to Israel. "I struggled with the decision for a while because soccer is my main sport. But I knew that I couldn't pass up on a trip to Israel with my best friends. While I missed soccer dearly, it was one of the best experiences ever.
"And the team didn't need us, since they were doing so well. I'm so proud of them. I was getting updates every night from my dad and from every game from coach Martinez and Noa, and it made me so happy to know that they weren't struggling without us.
"I lived in South Carolina for four years where I had no Jewish friends, so coming back to a Jewish community made me feel at home again, especially Rochelle Zell, there's no other school like it. All of the teachers are amazing and become your friends by the end of your senior year. My math teacher, Ms. Gitlin, is great. It's such a great place."
The final score of the match came shortly after the second half began. Steinbach completed her hat-trick with Berkeley providing the assist.
Goalkeeper Talia Scholder didn't face any real threats, thanks to defensive play from players like Naomi Sendlin, Aya Moller, Eliana Halivni and Erlichman.
The Deerfield school boasts that 84 percent of its 170 students are involved in at least one sport, which has to rank highly among IHSA school. In that regard, Saxton is a typical student. She has been involved in a wide range of sports at Rochelle Zell.
"I love being a part of this team since it's one of my favorite sports," Saxton said. "I was in basketball for all of my years here and also did cross country and tennis. My mom likes to say that it's really nice that everyone gets included. If you went to a bigger school it's not like that.
"It did take some adjusting to play without two of our essential players. But we got in the groove of it, and we've had a pretty successful season. I like the unity and the love that's on this team. Everybody is so close and some of my best friends I've gotten from the sports at this school. And the friendships go off the field, it's more than just a team."
Starting lineups
G - Diana Ortega
D - Angela Cabrera
D - Jacqueline Morales
D - Ashley Cervantes
D - Kimberly Rubio
M - Carla Cazares
M - Nancy Vega
M - Maritza Salas
M - Bianca Aguirre
F - Anais Soria
F - Bexaida Sanchez
Rochelle Zell
G - Talia Scholder
D - Sarah Erlichman
D - Aya Moller
D - Naomi Sendlin
D - Eliana Halivni
M - Noa Steinbach
M - Janie Levitan
M - Ahava Cohen
M - Abigail Singer
F - Noa Saxton
F - Becca Berkeley
Our Lady of Tepeyac
Will send to you shortly
Player of the match - Noa Steinbach, sr., MF, Rochelle Zell
Scoring summary
First half
RZ - Levitan (Steinbach), 5
RZ - Steinbach, 7
RZ - Saxton, 9
RZ - Berkeley, 15
RZ - Steinbach, 20
RZ - Saxton (Steinbach), 25
Second half
Steinbach (Berkeley), 41