D’Argento sparks SCE over Fremd
Saints earn impressive 2-0 victory in battle of ranked teams
By Patrick Z. McGavin
PALATINE -- Alessia D’Argento is the kind of player any coach would welcome. She is magic with the ball, fast and electric in space. A left outside midfielder, she has a knack for applying pressure and creating opportunities.
“When she is out there 1-v.-1, I would not want to have to defend her,” new St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo said.
She was also eager to make a statement. After spending her junior year on the club circuit, D’Argento was back in comfortable, familiar surroundings, part of a talented team and ready to begin her last campaign of high school soccer in a distinctive way.
“I wanted to start the season on a positive note and make a mark after taking a year off,” she said.
D’Argento ushered in the DiNuzzo-era in impressive style by scoring a goal and creating the build-up for the second goal as the no. 16 Saints defeated no. 14 Fremd 2-0 in a marquee opener of top programs here Tuesday night.
DiNuzzo, who built a successful boys and girls program at Bartlett, moved over to direct the St. Charles East programs after Paul Jennison accepted a college assistant position at Northwestern University. The Saints (1-0-0) clicked on all cylinders, displaying sharp passing and an aggressive forward attack with a stellar and disruptive defense.
“It’s a credit to the girls,” DiNuzzo said. “The kids played well. They fit naturally into any system. Some of the things I might be saying to them might be a little different than what Paul was saying, but I do not think it has much to do with me.
“The group that we have is really special.”
Star senior midfielder Chantel Carranza, a two-time member of Chicagoland Soccer’s all-state teams, played her roles of orchestrator and creator brilliantly. She assisted both goals. Her speed and skill with the ball is the lynchpin of the team’s attack.
St. Charles East monopolized possession time. Carranza weaved the ball over the field.
D’Argento helped put on the finishing touch. In the 19th minute, the two collaborated as Carranza slotted a ball to the left edge that D’Argento finished with a deft and sure shot from just outside the box.
“She played a nice ball,” D’Argento said. “We’ve been working really well, and we have been working on a lot of set plays and pieces that bring our togetherness. I was just trying to make the most out of it and just bring a lot of energy and try to make as many plays as possible for the team.”
For her accomplishments, Alessia D’Argento earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction.
“I thought we did a good job of breaking down their press,” DiNuzzo said. “They were pressing pretty high. Alessia played outstanding. Our backline was impressive today. They did a good job of knocking away the first pass and switching the point of the attack from the back.”
The one-goal margin held up for much of the game. Fremd (0-1-0) demonstrated a lot of impressive parts of their own. This is a promising young team according to coach Steve Keller said.
“We are very young and very inexperienced,” he said. “Wer have a great group of girls, and they are eager to learn and work well together.”
Keller started five sophomores and two freshmen. The Vikings have only two seniors on the roster. One of them, Anna Billard, a midfielder/forward, was out with an injury. Marta Cholewa is the face of the program. Tough, relentless and very skilled, she is returning from a torn ACL that interrupted her junior year.
“It’s not the greatest, but it’s nothing I can’t bear,” Cholewa said. “I am just making sure there’s not too much pain, so I don’t injure myself further this season. I am taking it a little easy right now. I am not going into every 50/50 ball. I’m a little more hesitant, I can see it. I have to know when to go, and when not to go.”
Her presence is reassuring to the team’s youth. It was evident -- the team looked to her guidance. With only its duo of senior returning starters, Keller plays a deep bench. He has 10 players who saw considerable action last year.
Young players, like freshman midfielder Caeleigh Stone and sophomore midfielder Maya Poyraz, show tremendous promise as breakthrough talents.
Fremd just needs time to come of age.
“There are a lot of new players on the team, and we’re not used to playing with each other,” Cholewa said. “I think we can learn from this game and move on, work on just relaxing and knowing what to do with the ball and trusting that we have each other’s backs.
“The rest all look up to me and Anna, so there’s a lot of leadership.”
Fremd’s best scoring opportunity came in the 45th minute after an illegal touch by St. Charles East keeper Grace Griffin gave Cholewa a free kick on the left flank just outside the box. Cholewa generated strong velocity but she pushed the ball wide of the far post. It’s one she wanted back.
“I definitely could have played it better,” she said. “I had a lot of nerves right there. I should have calmed down there and taken a better shot closer to the post.”
Sophomore Jennifer Norris, another of the Vikings’ collection of skilled and unflappable young talents, also impressed in being handed a very difficult assignment. The goalkeeper takes over for the superb Kelsie Stone, a two-time Chicagoland Soccer all-stater.
Norris came through with eight saves.
Fremd hung close and disrupted the Saints’ attack to stay within the one-goal margin. D’Argento was again the catalyst. She drilled a ball from about 20 yards out from the left edge that hit off the post. The ball was redirected toward the middle and then pushed wide to a streaking Chantel Carranza on the right wing. She pushed the ball and crossed into senior forward Rose Stackhouse.
Stackhouse fought off two Fremd defender and got the final touch for the insurance goal in the 71st minute.
“We are still learning the new system, which is a little different,” Stackhouse said. “We have the whole season to perfect it. They were a great team, and it was good to finally get out tonight and play a game. Scoring like we did made us feel good. If you remember, at the end of last season, we definitely went through a bit of a scoring drought.
“Getting a 2-0 win over a team like this is a great start.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK: Grace Griffin
D: Hayley Popiel
D: Ashley DiOrio
D: Alondra Carranza
D: Hannah Miller
MF: Kayla Villa
MF: Chantel Carranza
MF: Madison Cady
MF: Alessia D’Argento
MF: Renee Unterberg
F: Rose Stackhouse
Fremd
GK: Jennifer Norris
D: Emma Katovich
D: Lauren Burk
D: Marissa Wade
MF: Caeleigh Stone
MF: Mackenzie Stein
MF: Ashley Scesniak
MF: Maya Poyraz
MF: Layla Dib
F: Marta Cholewa
F: Angie Zara
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Alessia D’Argento, St. Charles East, sr., F
Scoring summary
First half
St. Charles East—Alessia D’Argento (Chantel Carranza), 19th minute
Second half
St. Charles East—Rose Stackhouse (Carranza), 71st minute
Saints earn impressive 2-0 victory in battle of ranked teams
By Patrick Z. McGavin
PALATINE -- Alessia D’Argento is the kind of player any coach would welcome. She is magic with the ball, fast and electric in space. A left outside midfielder, she has a knack for applying pressure and creating opportunities.
“When she is out there 1-v.-1, I would not want to have to defend her,” new St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo said.
She was also eager to make a statement. After spending her junior year on the club circuit, D’Argento was back in comfortable, familiar surroundings, part of a talented team and ready to begin her last campaign of high school soccer in a distinctive way.
“I wanted to start the season on a positive note and make a mark after taking a year off,” she said.
D’Argento ushered in the DiNuzzo-era in impressive style by scoring a goal and creating the build-up for the second goal as the no. 16 Saints defeated no. 14 Fremd 2-0 in a marquee opener of top programs here Tuesday night.
DiNuzzo, who built a successful boys and girls program at Bartlett, moved over to direct the St. Charles East programs after Paul Jennison accepted a college assistant position at Northwestern University. The Saints (1-0-0) clicked on all cylinders, displaying sharp passing and an aggressive forward attack with a stellar and disruptive defense.
“It’s a credit to the girls,” DiNuzzo said. “The kids played well. They fit naturally into any system. Some of the things I might be saying to them might be a little different than what Paul was saying, but I do not think it has much to do with me.
“The group that we have is really special.”
Star senior midfielder Chantel Carranza, a two-time member of Chicagoland Soccer’s all-state teams, played her roles of orchestrator and creator brilliantly. She assisted both goals. Her speed and skill with the ball is the lynchpin of the team’s attack.
St. Charles East monopolized possession time. Carranza weaved the ball over the field.
D’Argento helped put on the finishing touch. In the 19th minute, the two collaborated as Carranza slotted a ball to the left edge that D’Argento finished with a deft and sure shot from just outside the box.
“She played a nice ball,” D’Argento said. “We’ve been working really well, and we have been working on a lot of set plays and pieces that bring our togetherness. I was just trying to make the most out of it and just bring a lot of energy and try to make as many plays as possible for the team.”
For her accomplishments, Alessia D’Argento earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction.
“I thought we did a good job of breaking down their press,” DiNuzzo said. “They were pressing pretty high. Alessia played outstanding. Our backline was impressive today. They did a good job of knocking away the first pass and switching the point of the attack from the back.”
The one-goal margin held up for much of the game. Fremd (0-1-0) demonstrated a lot of impressive parts of their own. This is a promising young team according to coach Steve Keller said.
“We are very young and very inexperienced,” he said. “Wer have a great group of girls, and they are eager to learn and work well together.”
Keller started five sophomores and two freshmen. The Vikings have only two seniors on the roster. One of them, Anna Billard, a midfielder/forward, was out with an injury. Marta Cholewa is the face of the program. Tough, relentless and very skilled, she is returning from a torn ACL that interrupted her junior year.
“It’s not the greatest, but it’s nothing I can’t bear,” Cholewa said. “I am just making sure there’s not too much pain, so I don’t injure myself further this season. I am taking it a little easy right now. I am not going into every 50/50 ball. I’m a little more hesitant, I can see it. I have to know when to go, and when not to go.”
Her presence is reassuring to the team’s youth. It was evident -- the team looked to her guidance. With only its duo of senior returning starters, Keller plays a deep bench. He has 10 players who saw considerable action last year.
Young players, like freshman midfielder Caeleigh Stone and sophomore midfielder Maya Poyraz, show tremendous promise as breakthrough talents.
Fremd just needs time to come of age.
“There are a lot of new players on the team, and we’re not used to playing with each other,” Cholewa said. “I think we can learn from this game and move on, work on just relaxing and knowing what to do with the ball and trusting that we have each other’s backs.
“The rest all look up to me and Anna, so there’s a lot of leadership.”
Fremd’s best scoring opportunity came in the 45th minute after an illegal touch by St. Charles East keeper Grace Griffin gave Cholewa a free kick on the left flank just outside the box. Cholewa generated strong velocity but she pushed the ball wide of the far post. It’s one she wanted back.
“I definitely could have played it better,” she said. “I had a lot of nerves right there. I should have calmed down there and taken a better shot closer to the post.”
Sophomore Jennifer Norris, another of the Vikings’ collection of skilled and unflappable young talents, also impressed in being handed a very difficult assignment. The goalkeeper takes over for the superb Kelsie Stone, a two-time Chicagoland Soccer all-stater.
Norris came through with eight saves.
Fremd hung close and disrupted the Saints’ attack to stay within the one-goal margin. D’Argento was again the catalyst. She drilled a ball from about 20 yards out from the left edge that hit off the post. The ball was redirected toward the middle and then pushed wide to a streaking Chantel Carranza on the right wing. She pushed the ball and crossed into senior forward Rose Stackhouse.
Stackhouse fought off two Fremd defender and got the final touch for the insurance goal in the 71st minute.
“We are still learning the new system, which is a little different,” Stackhouse said. “We have the whole season to perfect it. They were a great team, and it was good to finally get out tonight and play a game. Scoring like we did made us feel good. If you remember, at the end of last season, we definitely went through a bit of a scoring drought.
“Getting a 2-0 win over a team like this is a great start.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK: Grace Griffin
D: Hayley Popiel
D: Ashley DiOrio
D: Alondra Carranza
D: Hannah Miller
MF: Kayla Villa
MF: Chantel Carranza
MF: Madison Cady
MF: Alessia D’Argento
MF: Renee Unterberg
F: Rose Stackhouse
Fremd
GK: Jennifer Norris
D: Emma Katovich
D: Lauren Burk
D: Marissa Wade
MF: Caeleigh Stone
MF: Mackenzie Stein
MF: Ashley Scesniak
MF: Maya Poyraz
MF: Layla Dib
F: Marta Cholewa
F: Angie Zara
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Alessia D’Argento, St. Charles East, sr., F
Scoring summary
First half
St. Charles East—Alessia D’Argento (Chantel Carranza), 19th minute
Second half
St. Charles East—Rose Stackhouse (Carranza), 71st minute