McCaslin brace leads SCE past Hinsdale C.
Transfer a good fit, leads no. 6 Saints to Naperville Inv. quarters
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- Elle McCaslin arrived at her new school at St. Charles East marked by uncertainty. A transfer from Plymouth High School in Canton, Michigan, she arrived in the summer, wearing a brace after having surgery to repair a torn ACL on her left knee.
The first time she met coach Vince DiNuzzo for a walk-through at the new school, she was just coming off the surgery. Everything was in flux. She made a miraculous recovery. “It was much faster than anybody said,” McCaslin said.
She was medically cleared in the middle of February, and she joined the Saints’ basketball team. At 6-foot, she makes for a striking presence. Her time with the basketball team was shortened, but it was a crucial part of her easing into a new school and a new environment.
Now she plays as if she belonged here from the start. “My team gets all the credits” she said. “They all believe in me to score when we need to as well as give me great balls to finish.”
McCaslin utilized her size and abilities to maximum influence in scoring two goals in leading the Saints, ranked no. 6 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, past Hinsdale Central 3-0 to capture their group in the Naperville Invitational on Saturday afternoon at Naperville North.
With her two tallies, she has scored a team-high 19 goals. St. Charles East is the beneficiary. Now the Saints (12-3-0) return to this field Thursday to play no. Neuqua Valley at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinal bracket.
The game was played under gusting winds and a harsh bright light. The conditions were hot, sticky and humid. “Anytime you play with a wind at more than 20 miles an hour, it is going to impact the game,” DiNuzzo said.
“It took us a while to settle down. They played a different defense than what we saw when they played Waubonsie Valley on Wednesday night. We were expecting a 4-3-3, and they gave us a different look, almost a 4-2-3-1 and we had to adjust.”
The Red Devils’ most experienced and talented defender, Sammy Moriarity, was issued a red card in the Waubonsie Valley game and was forced to sit out. Coach Anthony Madonia shifted his normal look on the run.
Hinsdale Central played with the wind in the first half. Somewhat counterintuitively, Madonia considered that a disadvantage.
“I come from a different generation when we played almost all of our games on grass, and not the [fast] turf,” Madonia explained. “I have quickly gotten that out of my head.
“We play better when the wind is in our face. We get in the habit of just dumping the ball, and the ball was running and running, and we were not getting on the end of it throughout the first half.”
McCaslin helped break the game open in the 27th minute, working off a free kick in tandem with junior defender Alondra Carranza.
“I set the ball down and looked up, and I took a few steps back and was scanning the field, and that is when Elle and I made eye contact,” Carranza said. “I knew exactly what she wanted. I gave her a driven ball slightly in the air to her feet, and I knew when she controlled it and took her first touch that she was going to score.”
McCaslin uses her size and length to shield off defenders and get an optimal spot, especially on the right flank. Working off the smaller defender, she moves at her own pace and speed.
“I took the two defenders on 1-v.-2 and saw that the goalie left the front post open a little so I slid and shot it front post,” she said
St. Charles East has now scored a staggering 64 goals in 15 games.
“I think a big part of that is the pace we have been able to play at,” DiNuzzo said. “Last year we were really young and a lot of our younger players got a lot of varsity minutes. From that they developed their confidence and the team chemistry. We are starting to see the benefit of that.”
As good as the offense has been, the defense has been suffocating. Led by Carranza, it has been equally sublime. Hinsdale Central played hard and well. The game was closer than the final score indicated. Under first-year coach Madonia, Hinsdale Central has exhibited vast improvement.
The Red Devils (3-8-2) came into the contest off solid games, a 2-1 victory over Glenbard West in West Suburban Silver play on two goals by Lindsey May and the tight 1-0 loss against no. 15 Waubonsie Valley in the first group play game.
“We clearly have our identity and our style of play now,” Madonia said. “We are able to keep possession and be organized defensively. We really haven’t given up that much. The one or two mistakes are the ones that teams are able to capitalize on.
“That is what happens when you play against good competition. We have played eight teams ranked in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll.”
Caroline Lyman, the Missouri recruit in her first year playing high school, continues to perform at a high level for the Red Devils. May has become that additional scoring threat. Madonia is also overjoyed at the heightened level of play from Olivia Rayis, a versatile talent who has alternately been brilliant between the backline and the midfield.
“People see the score of this game, and it is hard for them to wrap their heads around how close the game actually was,” he said. “We are a dangerous team, and we are just trying to figure out how to score against high-caliber teams. We have put some goals in against some dangerous teams.
“What we are lacking right now is getting that touch in the final third. We just have to make it a habit.”
McCaslin effectively put the game away by converting a penalty kick in the 52nd minute after a Red Devis’ defender made an illegal touch inside the box. Midfielder Renee Unterberg scored her sixth goal of the year in the 79th minute for the closing touch.
For her accomplishments McCaslin earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor. The victory sets up a huge week for the Saints. St. Charles East meets rival and no. 2 St. Charles North on Tuesday in a critical DuKane Conference matchup. St. Charles North beat East 2-1 in the championship of the St. Charles Augsburg-Drach Invitational on April 6.
“We are all super excited to play North,” Carranza said. “I can’t wait to show them St. Charles East can beat them. If my team can put together all that I know we are capable of, there is no doubt in my mind we are going to win.”
Hinsdale Central will match up with Oswego East at Geneva on Thursday.
“We have not been blown out or mismatched against anybody,” Madonia said. “The players are confident. We are getting better. This is my first season, and it is going to take us a little while to get there. These girls are so smart, so patient, so driven; they see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“They comprehend what I am saying to them. Our season is about progress, not perfection.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK: Grace Griffin
D: Ashley DiOrio
D: Alondra Carranza
D: Jessica Stepien
D: Lindsey Rzeszutko
MF: Jenna Sita
MF: Kayla Villa
MF: Margaret Harper
MF: Hannah Miller
MF: Renee Unterberg
F: Elle McCaslin
Hinsdale Central
GK: Taylor Ward
D: Lauren Oleferchik
D: Sophie Simmons
D: Olivia Rayis
D: Alyssa Moncrief
MF: Lindsey May
MF: Caroline Lyman
MF: Haley Paulson
MF: Sammy Guido
MF: Sarah Cernugel
F: Maddie Lynch
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Elle McCaslin, jr., F, St. Charles East
Scoring summary
First half
St. Charles East—Elle McCaslin (Alondra Carranza), 27th minute
Second half
St. Charles East—McCaslin (penalty kick), 52nd minute
St. Charles East—Renee Unterberg (Sidda Patel), 79th minute
Transfer a good fit, leads no. 6 Saints to Naperville Inv. quarters
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- Elle McCaslin arrived at her new school at St. Charles East marked by uncertainty. A transfer from Plymouth High School in Canton, Michigan, she arrived in the summer, wearing a brace after having surgery to repair a torn ACL on her left knee.
The first time she met coach Vince DiNuzzo for a walk-through at the new school, she was just coming off the surgery. Everything was in flux. She made a miraculous recovery. “It was much faster than anybody said,” McCaslin said.
She was medically cleared in the middle of February, and she joined the Saints’ basketball team. At 6-foot, she makes for a striking presence. Her time with the basketball team was shortened, but it was a crucial part of her easing into a new school and a new environment.
Now she plays as if she belonged here from the start. “My team gets all the credits” she said. “They all believe in me to score when we need to as well as give me great balls to finish.”
McCaslin utilized her size and abilities to maximum influence in scoring two goals in leading the Saints, ranked no. 6 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, past Hinsdale Central 3-0 to capture their group in the Naperville Invitational on Saturday afternoon at Naperville North.
With her two tallies, she has scored a team-high 19 goals. St. Charles East is the beneficiary. Now the Saints (12-3-0) return to this field Thursday to play no. Neuqua Valley at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinal bracket.
The game was played under gusting winds and a harsh bright light. The conditions were hot, sticky and humid. “Anytime you play with a wind at more than 20 miles an hour, it is going to impact the game,” DiNuzzo said.
“It took us a while to settle down. They played a different defense than what we saw when they played Waubonsie Valley on Wednesday night. We were expecting a 4-3-3, and they gave us a different look, almost a 4-2-3-1 and we had to adjust.”
The Red Devils’ most experienced and talented defender, Sammy Moriarity, was issued a red card in the Waubonsie Valley game and was forced to sit out. Coach Anthony Madonia shifted his normal look on the run.
Hinsdale Central played with the wind in the first half. Somewhat counterintuitively, Madonia considered that a disadvantage.
“I come from a different generation when we played almost all of our games on grass, and not the [fast] turf,” Madonia explained. “I have quickly gotten that out of my head.
“We play better when the wind is in our face. We get in the habit of just dumping the ball, and the ball was running and running, and we were not getting on the end of it throughout the first half.”
McCaslin helped break the game open in the 27th minute, working off a free kick in tandem with junior defender Alondra Carranza.
“I set the ball down and looked up, and I took a few steps back and was scanning the field, and that is when Elle and I made eye contact,” Carranza said. “I knew exactly what she wanted. I gave her a driven ball slightly in the air to her feet, and I knew when she controlled it and took her first touch that she was going to score.”
McCaslin uses her size and length to shield off defenders and get an optimal spot, especially on the right flank. Working off the smaller defender, she moves at her own pace and speed.
“I took the two defenders on 1-v.-2 and saw that the goalie left the front post open a little so I slid and shot it front post,” she said
St. Charles East has now scored a staggering 64 goals in 15 games.
“I think a big part of that is the pace we have been able to play at,” DiNuzzo said. “Last year we were really young and a lot of our younger players got a lot of varsity minutes. From that they developed their confidence and the team chemistry. We are starting to see the benefit of that.”
As good as the offense has been, the defense has been suffocating. Led by Carranza, it has been equally sublime. Hinsdale Central played hard and well. The game was closer than the final score indicated. Under first-year coach Madonia, Hinsdale Central has exhibited vast improvement.
The Red Devils (3-8-2) came into the contest off solid games, a 2-1 victory over Glenbard West in West Suburban Silver play on two goals by Lindsey May and the tight 1-0 loss against no. 15 Waubonsie Valley in the first group play game.
“We clearly have our identity and our style of play now,” Madonia said. “We are able to keep possession and be organized defensively. We really haven’t given up that much. The one or two mistakes are the ones that teams are able to capitalize on.
“That is what happens when you play against good competition. We have played eight teams ranked in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll.”
Caroline Lyman, the Missouri recruit in her first year playing high school, continues to perform at a high level for the Red Devils. May has become that additional scoring threat. Madonia is also overjoyed at the heightened level of play from Olivia Rayis, a versatile talent who has alternately been brilliant between the backline and the midfield.
“People see the score of this game, and it is hard for them to wrap their heads around how close the game actually was,” he said. “We are a dangerous team, and we are just trying to figure out how to score against high-caliber teams. We have put some goals in against some dangerous teams.
“What we are lacking right now is getting that touch in the final third. We just have to make it a habit.”
McCaslin effectively put the game away by converting a penalty kick in the 52nd minute after a Red Devis’ defender made an illegal touch inside the box. Midfielder Renee Unterberg scored her sixth goal of the year in the 79th minute for the closing touch.
For her accomplishments McCaslin earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor. The victory sets up a huge week for the Saints. St. Charles East meets rival and no. 2 St. Charles North on Tuesday in a critical DuKane Conference matchup. St. Charles North beat East 2-1 in the championship of the St. Charles Augsburg-Drach Invitational on April 6.
“We are all super excited to play North,” Carranza said. “I can’t wait to show them St. Charles East can beat them. If my team can put together all that I know we are capable of, there is no doubt in my mind we are going to win.”
Hinsdale Central will match up with Oswego East at Geneva on Thursday.
“We have not been blown out or mismatched against anybody,” Madonia said. “The players are confident. We are getting better. This is my first season, and it is going to take us a little while to get there. These girls are so smart, so patient, so driven; they see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“They comprehend what I am saying to them. Our season is about progress, not perfection.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK: Grace Griffin
D: Ashley DiOrio
D: Alondra Carranza
D: Jessica Stepien
D: Lindsey Rzeszutko
MF: Jenna Sita
MF: Kayla Villa
MF: Margaret Harper
MF: Hannah Miller
MF: Renee Unterberg
F: Elle McCaslin
Hinsdale Central
GK: Taylor Ward
D: Lauren Oleferchik
D: Sophie Simmons
D: Olivia Rayis
D: Alyssa Moncrief
MF: Lindsey May
MF: Caroline Lyman
MF: Haley Paulson
MF: Sammy Guido
MF: Sarah Cernugel
F: Maddie Lynch
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Elle McCaslin, jr., F, St. Charles East
Scoring summary
First half
St. Charles East—Elle McCaslin (Alondra Carranza), 27th minute
Second half
St. Charles East—McCaslin (penalty kick), 52nd minute
St. Charles East—Renee Unterberg (Sidda Patel), 79th minute