Glenbard East freezes
out Barthelt, ices South Elgin
Host Rams take key Upstate 8 win on Zatarski strike
By Dave Owen
Glenbard East did its part Monday to keep explosive South Elgin forward Katrina Barthelt from creating many quality chances and kept her off the scoreboard.
Rams senior Maia Zatarski then took care of the other half of what turned into a winning equation.
Locked in a scoreless game with 24:23 left in the second half, Glenbard East’s Sophia Sommesi won a ball near midfield and found Zatarski. After a long run up the middle, Zatarski dribbled to open space and lined a 20-yard shot into the upper-left corner of the net.
That perfect strike and the Rams’ defensive effort stood up as the difference, as Glenbard East (6-4-0, 2-0-0) won 1-0 in a key Upstate Eight Conference battle with the Storm (4-3-2, 3-1-1).
”We dropped Zatarski from forward (to midfield this year),” Rams coach Kent Overbey said. "We wanted her on the ball a little more, and you could see why on that goal.
“She picked it up maybe 45 yards out, made a couple players miss and then dropped a bomb, which is becoming her go to. She’s done that a couple of times.”
The goal was Zatarski’s team-high seventh of 2022, just ahead of forward Jasmine Dhamers’ six.
“(Sommesi) got that first tackle and then played me the ball,” Zatarski said. “I think everyone was pushing really hard. I got lucky to be in that space where it came to me, and I got on the end of it. But without everyone pushing hard, I never would have got that goal.”
With games on the line, Zatarski has developed the perfect scorer’s mentality.
“I kind of just think to myself, someone needs to get to the ball and score,” she said. “Even if everyone is pushing, it still has got to be you. You always have to be the one to try to get the ball, and if (the shot) is not there for you at least try to get it to someone else. Just keep pushing hard.”
On a windy 40-degree night that even featured occasional snow flurries, neither offense was in a deep freeze.
Glenbard East’s Natalie Borcean fired the first salvo of the night three minutes into the game with a low 22-yard shot that went wide right.
Six minutes later, Sommesi’s 15-yard drive off a Zatarski pass was denied on a diving save at the right post by Storm goalkeeper Mallory Stueck.
Then came the Rams’ best chance of the first half. In the 16th minute, Sarah Conroy took a Sarah Liljestrand pass and lined a 10-yard shot off the left post.
“I just think from the start they looked like they wanted it a little more as a team,” South Elgin defender Nora Stueck said. “Like the effort they put up-top exceeded what our team had, besides Katrina. As a team we all have to want to score. This is a team sport.”
Glenbard East’s intensity was understandable after losses to South Elgin the past two seasons.
“I think that was a huge motivator, especially for the seniors.” Glenbard East sophomore defender Ciara Johnson said. “They're a great group of players. and I love playing with them. I feel like they really wanted this win.
“For them not to be able to come out with the result they wanted the last few years, I think that motivation really helped push us to get this win for them tonight.”
But outside of the chance-filled early stretch of the game and Zatarski’s well-struck goal, the Rams were in for a battle of survival against a potent South Elgin offense.
”The biggest thing was Katrina up-top,” Overbey said of Barthelt, who had 19 goals in nine games in an abbreviated 2021 season and entered with five finishes in her last three games this spring.
”She's the show. And I thought they also did a really good job of working it through number 12 (Ella Dihel) up-top. She was super dangerous.
“When those two get going, it’s pretty hard to stop. I thought our defense did a great job of backing each other up,” Overbey added. “It's like Michael Jordan: you can only hope to contain for so long.”
After keeping Barthelt tightly marked most of the first half, the Rams faced their first look at the three-time Chicagoland Soccerr all-stater’s open-field talents in the 37th minute.
Dribbling across the top of the box left to right, Barthelt lined an 18-yarder wide of the left post.
“She got loose a couple of times,” Overbey said, “but we did a great job of keeping bodies between her and the goal, specifically Ciara Johnson, a sophomore playing center back.
“Ciara stepped in for Julia Bereta our freshman starter who's out, and also our outside back Hope McKenna has been sick so Jamie Quirk has been starting there. Both of them I thought did a really good job. They're first-time varsity players, and they were really solid. No mistakes.”
Whatever credit her coach gave her, Johnson preferred to share.
“I think our team played really well tonight,” she said. “We were able to connect on a bunch of levels.
“Our defensive line of me, Brielle (DeForest), Ruby (Campuzano) and Jamie...all of us were able to especially stop number six (Barthelt). We knew coming into this game that she was a big threat on her team. We had to respect them and work hard, and I felt like we did that really well.”
The Rams successfully defended back-to-back Storm corner kicks in the 15th minute without allowing a shot. Quirk’s strong plays included good 1-v-1 defense that prevented a try from Dihel after a left-sideline run in the 28th minute.
“I just feel like Jamie Quirk and I, we've been put in tough situations this year playing a bunch of different positions,” Johnson said. “And the way we are able to kind of adapt to each situation has been good, because our team has had to deal with a lot of injuries. We've been able to adapt and play to the best of our abilities.”
Those defensive abilities would be further tested soon after the halftime break.
Just 90 seconds in, Dihel’s right-side rush and shot was grabbed at the post by Rams goalkeeper Zoe Romano.
Then after a 12-yard one-timer wide with 33:10 left by Glenbard East’s Dahmers, a South Elgin push into the box five minutes later met resistance when Quirk prevented a shot attempt 15 yards out with more, strong 1-v-1 defense.
Plays like that with good buildup but no ensuing shot were at the core of South Elgin coach Laura Snow’s postgame frustration.
“They did what they said they were going to do,” Snow said. “They were going to track Katrina and wherever she went, they went. But I think we also, across our front line today, tried to force it at times. I think that's more on us than the job that they did tracking us. I think we lost on our own mistakes today.”
A Dihel 20-yard free kick with 26:05 to play met similar resistance, as DeForest beat a Storm player to the send in-front and cleared the box.
Then less than two minutes later, Zatarski’s great run and better shot put the Rams up 1-0.
“Even though they didn't get many shots on goal, I'll say I think they deserved the win,” Snow said. “If you're going to lose a game, you want to lose it on a nice shot like that.”
Defender Nora Stueck expressed respect but frustration over the key play.
“They took advantage of the one chance, and that's just the consequence of our own actions,” she said. “I think we possessed well tonight, but i just don't think our energy was exactly where it needed to be cohesively as a team.”
With little room to operate all night, Barthelt was impressed by the Rams’ effort and the Zatarski goal.
“They should get a lot of credit,” Barthelt said. “They have a lot of depth.
“It was a really even game. They just finished their chances better than we did. I think going forward our energy has to be higher, more intensity, and we need to take advantage of the chances we get.”
As for the winning goal ---
“I think it ties in a lot to the mental side of things,” Barthelt said. “I think they played a lot smarter at times than we did, and for us at times that fell through. That's what caused their goal. We just need to play smarter and harder the whole game.”
Down 1-0, the Storm did get to work fast to try for an equalizer.
With 21:50 left, Dihel’s upfield send sprung Barthelt on a race to the loose ball. But Romano arrived an eyelash earlier at the 25 to kick the ball out of bounds.
Then on the ensuing throw-in, the Rams’ Haley Tu and Borcean combined to clear the zone and spark a counterattack that eventually led to another well-struck Zatarski one-timer. This one, from 25 yards, inched just over the crossbar.
South Elgin was back with another set piece with 15:55 left, but Nora Stueck’s sideline free kick from 23 yards was cleared by Somessi just ahead of Barthelt’s arrival.
A Dihel corner kick send to the near post with 14 minutes left had potential for more havoc and a tying chance, but Romano and the Rams’ defense endured a crowd in front to emerge with a goal kick.
”Zoe in the back is so solid,” Overbey said. “She just controls the game. They had a lot of free kicks. The snow is in your eyes, you can't see. She's just a calm presence back there and just handles her business.
“And I thought (upfield) the two Sarahs, Liljestrand and Conroy, were outstanding as well.”
Liljestrand’s chance in the box with 9:25 left was blocked by the Storm defense.
From there, the final minutes became a battle to hold on to the 1-0 lead for the Rams. Their hold never slipped.
Off a Storm throw-in 15 yards out with 7:55 left, Borcean was fouled on a battle for possession in the box. Then with 1:07 to play, a 35-yard South Elgin free kick send was headed away from trouble in the box by Johnson.
A final Storm free kick by Norah Stueck from just inside midfield with 15 seconds left provided one last hope. But an Ashley Gonzalez 20-yard shot went wide right. And two-consecutive losses to South Elgin were replaced by a chilly but happy postgame celebration for the Rams.
“It's awesome especially for senior year,” Zatarski said. “It makes me really excited that we put this one away.
“I really love our team this year. Everyone tries so hard, and it really showed in this game, whereas in years past we kind of got the short stick against South Elgin. But with everyone on our team this year trying so hard, we got this done. It's really great.”
And after a 4-1 loss to Morton on Saturday in a Plainfield Cup consolation match, the Rams were back on the track that had produced three wins in their previous four games (two by shutout).
“Saturday was definitely a tough game for us,” Johnson, “and I’m just really proud of everyone on the team and how we were able to come back from that and play a really solid game.”
As the only Upstate Eight team to defeat Glenbard East the last two seasons (2019 and 2021, around the COVID-cancelled 2020 season), the Storm ran into a motivated foe.
“I don't think we played up to the standard of what we're used to playing at,” Snow said, “especially recently with our momentum (a 4-1-0 record in the previous five games).
“It’s a tough loss, and I hope we learn a lesson from it. We have a lot of adjusting to do before our next conference game (Wednesday vs. Streamwood).”
Barthelt looks forward to better days, with Monday’s loss a learning experience.
“We'll try to take advantage of the chances we have going forward,” Barthelt said, “and see what comes out of it.”
As for Glenbard East, one of the two likely biggest hurdles on the road to the UEC title was cleared.
“This is huge,” Zatarski added. “Now we need to focus on Bartlett (April 27). As long as we can put that one away, I think we're in really good shape to get all the wins in conference.”
Starting lineups
South Elgin
GK Mallory Stueck
D Mailie Dunne
D Norah Stueck
D Chloe Beucler
D Lesly Ulloa
M Emily Delamora
M Alyssa Doherty
M Adeline Kinsella
M Lily Emandez
F Ella Dihel
F Katrina Barthelt
Glenbard East
GK Zoe Romano
D Ruby Campozano
D Ciara Johnson
D Brielle DeForest
D Jamie Quirk
M Maia Zatarski
M Natalie Borcean
M Haley Tu
M Sarah Conroy
F Jasmine Dhamers
F Sarah Liljestrand
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Maia Zatarski, sr. MF, Glenbard East
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
GE- Maia Zatarski, 56’
out Barthelt, ices South Elgin
Host Rams take key Upstate 8 win on Zatarski strike
By Dave Owen
Glenbard East did its part Monday to keep explosive South Elgin forward Katrina Barthelt from creating many quality chances and kept her off the scoreboard.
Rams senior Maia Zatarski then took care of the other half of what turned into a winning equation.
Locked in a scoreless game with 24:23 left in the second half, Glenbard East’s Sophia Sommesi won a ball near midfield and found Zatarski. After a long run up the middle, Zatarski dribbled to open space and lined a 20-yard shot into the upper-left corner of the net.
That perfect strike and the Rams’ defensive effort stood up as the difference, as Glenbard East (6-4-0, 2-0-0) won 1-0 in a key Upstate Eight Conference battle with the Storm (4-3-2, 3-1-1).
”We dropped Zatarski from forward (to midfield this year),” Rams coach Kent Overbey said. "We wanted her on the ball a little more, and you could see why on that goal.
“She picked it up maybe 45 yards out, made a couple players miss and then dropped a bomb, which is becoming her go to. She’s done that a couple of times.”
The goal was Zatarski’s team-high seventh of 2022, just ahead of forward Jasmine Dhamers’ six.
“(Sommesi) got that first tackle and then played me the ball,” Zatarski said. “I think everyone was pushing really hard. I got lucky to be in that space where it came to me, and I got on the end of it. But without everyone pushing hard, I never would have got that goal.”
With games on the line, Zatarski has developed the perfect scorer’s mentality.
“I kind of just think to myself, someone needs to get to the ball and score,” she said. “Even if everyone is pushing, it still has got to be you. You always have to be the one to try to get the ball, and if (the shot) is not there for you at least try to get it to someone else. Just keep pushing hard.”
On a windy 40-degree night that even featured occasional snow flurries, neither offense was in a deep freeze.
Glenbard East’s Natalie Borcean fired the first salvo of the night three minutes into the game with a low 22-yard shot that went wide right.
Six minutes later, Sommesi’s 15-yard drive off a Zatarski pass was denied on a diving save at the right post by Storm goalkeeper Mallory Stueck.
Then came the Rams’ best chance of the first half. In the 16th minute, Sarah Conroy took a Sarah Liljestrand pass and lined a 10-yard shot off the left post.
“I just think from the start they looked like they wanted it a little more as a team,” South Elgin defender Nora Stueck said. “Like the effort they put up-top exceeded what our team had, besides Katrina. As a team we all have to want to score. This is a team sport.”
Glenbard East’s intensity was understandable after losses to South Elgin the past two seasons.
“I think that was a huge motivator, especially for the seniors.” Glenbard East sophomore defender Ciara Johnson said. “They're a great group of players. and I love playing with them. I feel like they really wanted this win.
“For them not to be able to come out with the result they wanted the last few years, I think that motivation really helped push us to get this win for them tonight.”
But outside of the chance-filled early stretch of the game and Zatarski’s well-struck goal, the Rams were in for a battle of survival against a potent South Elgin offense.
”The biggest thing was Katrina up-top,” Overbey said of Barthelt, who had 19 goals in nine games in an abbreviated 2021 season and entered with five finishes in her last three games this spring.
”She's the show. And I thought they also did a really good job of working it through number 12 (Ella Dihel) up-top. She was super dangerous.
“When those two get going, it’s pretty hard to stop. I thought our defense did a great job of backing each other up,” Overbey added. “It's like Michael Jordan: you can only hope to contain for so long.”
After keeping Barthelt tightly marked most of the first half, the Rams faced their first look at the three-time Chicagoland Soccerr all-stater’s open-field talents in the 37th minute.
Dribbling across the top of the box left to right, Barthelt lined an 18-yarder wide of the left post.
“She got loose a couple of times,” Overbey said, “but we did a great job of keeping bodies between her and the goal, specifically Ciara Johnson, a sophomore playing center back.
“Ciara stepped in for Julia Bereta our freshman starter who's out, and also our outside back Hope McKenna has been sick so Jamie Quirk has been starting there. Both of them I thought did a really good job. They're first-time varsity players, and they were really solid. No mistakes.”
Whatever credit her coach gave her, Johnson preferred to share.
“I think our team played really well tonight,” she said. “We were able to connect on a bunch of levels.
“Our defensive line of me, Brielle (DeForest), Ruby (Campuzano) and Jamie...all of us were able to especially stop number six (Barthelt). We knew coming into this game that she was a big threat on her team. We had to respect them and work hard, and I felt like we did that really well.”
The Rams successfully defended back-to-back Storm corner kicks in the 15th minute without allowing a shot. Quirk’s strong plays included good 1-v-1 defense that prevented a try from Dihel after a left-sideline run in the 28th minute.
“I just feel like Jamie Quirk and I, we've been put in tough situations this year playing a bunch of different positions,” Johnson said. “And the way we are able to kind of adapt to each situation has been good, because our team has had to deal with a lot of injuries. We've been able to adapt and play to the best of our abilities.”
Those defensive abilities would be further tested soon after the halftime break.
Just 90 seconds in, Dihel’s right-side rush and shot was grabbed at the post by Rams goalkeeper Zoe Romano.
Then after a 12-yard one-timer wide with 33:10 left by Glenbard East’s Dahmers, a South Elgin push into the box five minutes later met resistance when Quirk prevented a shot attempt 15 yards out with more, strong 1-v-1 defense.
Plays like that with good buildup but no ensuing shot were at the core of South Elgin coach Laura Snow’s postgame frustration.
“They did what they said they were going to do,” Snow said. “They were going to track Katrina and wherever she went, they went. But I think we also, across our front line today, tried to force it at times. I think that's more on us than the job that they did tracking us. I think we lost on our own mistakes today.”
A Dihel 20-yard free kick with 26:05 to play met similar resistance, as DeForest beat a Storm player to the send in-front and cleared the box.
Then less than two minutes later, Zatarski’s great run and better shot put the Rams up 1-0.
“Even though they didn't get many shots on goal, I'll say I think they deserved the win,” Snow said. “If you're going to lose a game, you want to lose it on a nice shot like that.”
Defender Nora Stueck expressed respect but frustration over the key play.
“They took advantage of the one chance, and that's just the consequence of our own actions,” she said. “I think we possessed well tonight, but i just don't think our energy was exactly where it needed to be cohesively as a team.”
With little room to operate all night, Barthelt was impressed by the Rams’ effort and the Zatarski goal.
“They should get a lot of credit,” Barthelt said. “They have a lot of depth.
“It was a really even game. They just finished their chances better than we did. I think going forward our energy has to be higher, more intensity, and we need to take advantage of the chances we get.”
As for the winning goal ---
“I think it ties in a lot to the mental side of things,” Barthelt said. “I think they played a lot smarter at times than we did, and for us at times that fell through. That's what caused their goal. We just need to play smarter and harder the whole game.”
Down 1-0, the Storm did get to work fast to try for an equalizer.
With 21:50 left, Dihel’s upfield send sprung Barthelt on a race to the loose ball. But Romano arrived an eyelash earlier at the 25 to kick the ball out of bounds.
Then on the ensuing throw-in, the Rams’ Haley Tu and Borcean combined to clear the zone and spark a counterattack that eventually led to another well-struck Zatarski one-timer. This one, from 25 yards, inched just over the crossbar.
South Elgin was back with another set piece with 15:55 left, but Nora Stueck’s sideline free kick from 23 yards was cleared by Somessi just ahead of Barthelt’s arrival.
A Dihel corner kick send to the near post with 14 minutes left had potential for more havoc and a tying chance, but Romano and the Rams’ defense endured a crowd in front to emerge with a goal kick.
”Zoe in the back is so solid,” Overbey said. “She just controls the game. They had a lot of free kicks. The snow is in your eyes, you can't see. She's just a calm presence back there and just handles her business.
“And I thought (upfield) the two Sarahs, Liljestrand and Conroy, were outstanding as well.”
Liljestrand’s chance in the box with 9:25 left was blocked by the Storm defense.
From there, the final minutes became a battle to hold on to the 1-0 lead for the Rams. Their hold never slipped.
Off a Storm throw-in 15 yards out with 7:55 left, Borcean was fouled on a battle for possession in the box. Then with 1:07 to play, a 35-yard South Elgin free kick send was headed away from trouble in the box by Johnson.
A final Storm free kick by Norah Stueck from just inside midfield with 15 seconds left provided one last hope. But an Ashley Gonzalez 20-yard shot went wide right. And two-consecutive losses to South Elgin were replaced by a chilly but happy postgame celebration for the Rams.
“It's awesome especially for senior year,” Zatarski said. “It makes me really excited that we put this one away.
“I really love our team this year. Everyone tries so hard, and it really showed in this game, whereas in years past we kind of got the short stick against South Elgin. But with everyone on our team this year trying so hard, we got this done. It's really great.”
And after a 4-1 loss to Morton on Saturday in a Plainfield Cup consolation match, the Rams were back on the track that had produced three wins in their previous four games (two by shutout).
“Saturday was definitely a tough game for us,” Johnson, “and I’m just really proud of everyone on the team and how we were able to come back from that and play a really solid game.”
As the only Upstate Eight team to defeat Glenbard East the last two seasons (2019 and 2021, around the COVID-cancelled 2020 season), the Storm ran into a motivated foe.
“I don't think we played up to the standard of what we're used to playing at,” Snow said, “especially recently with our momentum (a 4-1-0 record in the previous five games).
“It’s a tough loss, and I hope we learn a lesson from it. We have a lot of adjusting to do before our next conference game (Wednesday vs. Streamwood).”
Barthelt looks forward to better days, with Monday’s loss a learning experience.
“We'll try to take advantage of the chances we have going forward,” Barthelt said, “and see what comes out of it.”
As for Glenbard East, one of the two likely biggest hurdles on the road to the UEC title was cleared.
“This is huge,” Zatarski added. “Now we need to focus on Bartlett (April 27). As long as we can put that one away, I think we're in really good shape to get all the wins in conference.”
Starting lineups
South Elgin
GK Mallory Stueck
D Mailie Dunne
D Norah Stueck
D Chloe Beucler
D Lesly Ulloa
M Emily Delamora
M Alyssa Doherty
M Adeline Kinsella
M Lily Emandez
F Ella Dihel
F Katrina Barthelt
Glenbard East
GK Zoe Romano
D Ruby Campozano
D Ciara Johnson
D Brielle DeForest
D Jamie Quirk
M Maia Zatarski
M Natalie Borcean
M Haley Tu
M Sarah Conroy
F Jasmine Dhamers
F Sarah Liljestrand
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Maia Zatarski, sr. MF, Glenbard East
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
GE- Maia Zatarski, 56’