Wheaton North finds scoring touch, eliminates South Elgin
Host Falcons' 4-0 win earns regional title shot vs. St. Charles East
By Bill McLean
WHEATON — Some South Elgin players wept after a playoff loss Wednesday night. Others smiled briefly, because they were among good friends.
A few did both, their smiles forcing teardrops to take detours down cheeks.
“Look at them,” choked-up Storm coach Laura Snow said after her 10th-seeded club fell 4-0 to host Wheaton North in a Class 3A regional semifinal. “They don’t want to leave the field. They’re good kids. They love being around each other, love taking care of each other.
“I feel bad for our seniors. They didn’t get what they deserved
during their high school soccer years. COVID stole a lot from them.”
Wheaton North sophomore goalkeeper Zoey Bohmer robbed Storm senior forward and Bemidji State (Minn.) University recruit Katrina Barthelt of a goal at the 36-minute mark, leaping and twirling her 5-foot-11 frame to make a no-look save with her right forearm.
The move was part-volleyball-block, part-balletic, part- acrobatic.
“She’s the most athletic person, ever,” said Falcons junior forward Macy Hutchinson, who scored a pair of first half goals, the second via a penalty kick in the 23rd minute in gray, mild conditions at Rexilius Field.
An all-sectional keeper as a freshman last spring, Bohmer (four saves) also plays basketball and golf.
“She’s the best athlete in our program,” Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly said. “You’re not going to find anybody who’d argue otherwise. Zoey is a natural athlete and a serious competitor who can do so many things well.
“On that save she made,” the coach added, “she’d probably tell you that she should have been in a better position to make the play.”
Seventh-seeded Wheaton North (9-9-0) will face second-seeded St. Charles East — ranked no. 20 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 — for a regional championship Friday at 5 p.m.
St. Charles East defeated West Chicago 8-0 in the first Wheaton North Regional semifinal Wednesday.
The Fighting Saints scored three second half goals in a 4-0 defeat of Wheaton North in a DuKane Conference contest May 12.
“Be aggressive on restarts — that’s what we’ll have to do against St. Charles East,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson scored her first goal Wednesday off a spot-on cross from Falcons freshman forward Talia Kaempf in the 14th minute. Kaempf wasn’t far from a corner-kick patch when she delivered the assist.
Hutchinson poked a short, far-post shot past Storm junior keeper Karissa Cruz (six saves).
“
Great composure,” McEvilly shouted to Kaempf as Kaempf headed to her team’s bench for a spell.
Falcons senior midfielder Claudia Kim drew the penalty that preceded Hutchinson’s PK nine minutes later. The hosts went up 3-0 in the 32nd minute, thanks to a gorgeous counterattack sequence that featured a textbook through-pass from junior reserve midfielder Maddie delAlcazar to senior forward Olivia Moreno, who then darted and dodged midfielders and backs before finding the back of the net.
“Yes, Maddie! Yes, Maddie!” a thrilled McEvilly bellowed as the play unfolded.
“Great early ball by Maddie,” Moreno said after the victory, adding the team had practiced threading such helpers during a big chunk of Tuesday’s practice.
“All that work we did yesterday paid off today.”
Barthelt, a three-time Chicagoland Soccer all-stater, and South Elgin sophomore forward Ella Dihel were handfuls for Wheaton North’s backs in spite of the final score. Barthelt’s relentlessness and toughness, along with Dihel’s speed and shiftiness, had to be marked.
Or else.
“Those two are dangerous … as dangerous as any forward we’d seen in our conference this year,” McEvilly said.
Wheaton North senior defender Rowan Smith performed admirably at both ends of the pitch. She followed up several clears in the first half with a nifty goal off a corner from Kaempf in the 58th minute.
The 5-9 Smith planted in the middle of the box and used her left foot to volley Kaempf’s service past Cruz.
“We had quality finishes tonight,” McEvilly said. “And we had a game plan; our players stuck with it, offensively and defensively.”
South Elgin (6-9-4) received sturdy efforts from junior central midfielder/center back Lesly Ulloa, senior back Norah Steuck and senior midfielder Liliana Erandez.
Steuck, Barthelt and reliable senior defender Chloe Beucler played on Snow’s Upstate Eight Conference championship squad as freshmen.
But Barthelt and Beucler opted to share their thoughts on their final high school team rather than revisit the 2019 season.
“Our energy was so high all the time,” Barthelt said.
“Sometimes teams,” Beucler said, “have a hard time meshing their upper-class players and their under-class players. We didn’t; all of us clicked together from the beginning of the season. We have leaders … leaders who will return next year. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do for this program next year and beyond.”
Beucler was asked to pick a moment that would best capture the essence of South Elgin’s 2022 edition. She thought about it briefly and then chose instead to issue a big-picture response.
“Years from now, when I look back at this season, all I’ll remember for sure is that I got to play soccer with my best friends,” she said.
Footnotes
Wheaton North senior back Kate Wanzenberg sang a fine rendition of the national anthem before Wednesday’s regional semifinal. … It’s always a good sign when a team’s top-notch player is unsure of their goal total. Such uncertainty means they’re team-first, me-second players. “I think I have eight or nine,” WN’s Hutchinson said after her two-goal effort Wednesday night. The response would not have surprised McEvilly in the least. “They’re focusing on working as a unit and on team goals,” the coach said minutes before kickoff. “They don’t think about themselves.” … Barthelt plans to major in exercise science at Bemidji State. … Falcons sophomore backup goalkeeper Olivia Iberle entered the game in the 75th minute and recorded a save three minutes later. … Beucler will attend the University of Illinois. Her major? “That’s up in the air,” she said Wednesday. … Bohmer revealed one of her nicknames Wednesday. I’ve been called, ‘The Highlighter,’” she said. Indeed. The keeper wears a blinding, neon-yellow jersey and matching socks in games. … Wheaton North’s four-goal outburst in its playoff opener halted its losing streak at six games. The Falcons had netted only one goal since beating
visiting Hampshire 2-0 on April 23. “This kind of win was good for us,” Moreno said. “We’d been in a bit of scoring drought.” … South Elgin freshman fullback Ashley Gonzalez, who’d earned a starting nod this spring, stayed home Wednesday after undergoing surgery to repair an ACL tear.
Starting lineups
South Elgin
GK Karissa Cruz
D Norah Steuck
D Maddie Meiner
D Alexia Benitez
D Chloe Beucler
M Liliana Erandez
M Janelle Defensor
M Lesly Ulloa
F Madelyn Baker
F Ella Dihel
F Katrina Barthelt
Wheaton North
GK Zoey Bohmer
D Rowan Smith
D Anna Roe
D Grace Ryan
M Lauren Nguyen
M Calah Strong
M Claudia Kim
D Addison Falco
F Olivia Moreno
F Talia Kaempf
F Macy Hutchinson
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Macy Hutchinson, jr., F, Wheaton North;
Talia Kaempf, fr., F, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
WN: Hutchinson (Kaempf), 14’
WN: Hutchinson (PK), 23’
WN: Moreno (Maddie delAlcazar), 32’
Second half
WN: Smith (Kaempf), 58’
Host Falcons' 4-0 win earns regional title shot vs. St. Charles East
By Bill McLean
WHEATON — Some South Elgin players wept after a playoff loss Wednesday night. Others smiled briefly, because they were among good friends.
A few did both, their smiles forcing teardrops to take detours down cheeks.
“Look at them,” choked-up Storm coach Laura Snow said after her 10th-seeded club fell 4-0 to host Wheaton North in a Class 3A regional semifinal. “They don’t want to leave the field. They’re good kids. They love being around each other, love taking care of each other.
“I feel bad for our seniors. They didn’t get what they deserved
during their high school soccer years. COVID stole a lot from them.”
Wheaton North sophomore goalkeeper Zoey Bohmer robbed Storm senior forward and Bemidji State (Minn.) University recruit Katrina Barthelt of a goal at the 36-minute mark, leaping and twirling her 5-foot-11 frame to make a no-look save with her right forearm.
The move was part-volleyball-block, part-balletic, part- acrobatic.
“She’s the most athletic person, ever,” said Falcons junior forward Macy Hutchinson, who scored a pair of first half goals, the second via a penalty kick in the 23rd minute in gray, mild conditions at Rexilius Field.
An all-sectional keeper as a freshman last spring, Bohmer (four saves) also plays basketball and golf.
“She’s the best athlete in our program,” Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly said. “You’re not going to find anybody who’d argue otherwise. Zoey is a natural athlete and a serious competitor who can do so many things well.
“On that save she made,” the coach added, “she’d probably tell you that she should have been in a better position to make the play.”
Seventh-seeded Wheaton North (9-9-0) will face second-seeded St. Charles East — ranked no. 20 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 — for a regional championship Friday at 5 p.m.
St. Charles East defeated West Chicago 8-0 in the first Wheaton North Regional semifinal Wednesday.
The Fighting Saints scored three second half goals in a 4-0 defeat of Wheaton North in a DuKane Conference contest May 12.
“Be aggressive on restarts — that’s what we’ll have to do against St. Charles East,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson scored her first goal Wednesday off a spot-on cross from Falcons freshman forward Talia Kaempf in the 14th minute. Kaempf wasn’t far from a corner-kick patch when she delivered the assist.
Hutchinson poked a short, far-post shot past Storm junior keeper Karissa Cruz (six saves).
“
Great composure,” McEvilly shouted to Kaempf as Kaempf headed to her team’s bench for a spell.
Falcons senior midfielder Claudia Kim drew the penalty that preceded Hutchinson’s PK nine minutes later. The hosts went up 3-0 in the 32nd minute, thanks to a gorgeous counterattack sequence that featured a textbook through-pass from junior reserve midfielder Maddie delAlcazar to senior forward Olivia Moreno, who then darted and dodged midfielders and backs before finding the back of the net.
“Yes, Maddie! Yes, Maddie!” a thrilled McEvilly bellowed as the play unfolded.
“Great early ball by Maddie,” Moreno said after the victory, adding the team had practiced threading such helpers during a big chunk of Tuesday’s practice.
“All that work we did yesterday paid off today.”
Barthelt, a three-time Chicagoland Soccer all-stater, and South Elgin sophomore forward Ella Dihel were handfuls for Wheaton North’s backs in spite of the final score. Barthelt’s relentlessness and toughness, along with Dihel’s speed and shiftiness, had to be marked.
Or else.
“Those two are dangerous … as dangerous as any forward we’d seen in our conference this year,” McEvilly said.
Wheaton North senior defender Rowan Smith performed admirably at both ends of the pitch. She followed up several clears in the first half with a nifty goal off a corner from Kaempf in the 58th minute.
The 5-9 Smith planted in the middle of the box and used her left foot to volley Kaempf’s service past Cruz.
“We had quality finishes tonight,” McEvilly said. “And we had a game plan; our players stuck with it, offensively and defensively.”
South Elgin (6-9-4) received sturdy efforts from junior central midfielder/center back Lesly Ulloa, senior back Norah Steuck and senior midfielder Liliana Erandez.
Steuck, Barthelt and reliable senior defender Chloe Beucler played on Snow’s Upstate Eight Conference championship squad as freshmen.
But Barthelt and Beucler opted to share their thoughts on their final high school team rather than revisit the 2019 season.
“Our energy was so high all the time,” Barthelt said.
“Sometimes teams,” Beucler said, “have a hard time meshing their upper-class players and their under-class players. We didn’t; all of us clicked together from the beginning of the season. We have leaders … leaders who will return next year. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do for this program next year and beyond.”
Beucler was asked to pick a moment that would best capture the essence of South Elgin’s 2022 edition. She thought about it briefly and then chose instead to issue a big-picture response.
“Years from now, when I look back at this season, all I’ll remember for sure is that I got to play soccer with my best friends,” she said.
Footnotes
Wheaton North senior back Kate Wanzenberg sang a fine rendition of the national anthem before Wednesday’s regional semifinal. … It’s always a good sign when a team’s top-notch player is unsure of their goal total. Such uncertainty means they’re team-first, me-second players. “I think I have eight or nine,” WN’s Hutchinson said after her two-goal effort Wednesday night. The response would not have surprised McEvilly in the least. “They’re focusing on working as a unit and on team goals,” the coach said minutes before kickoff. “They don’t think about themselves.” … Barthelt plans to major in exercise science at Bemidji State. … Falcons sophomore backup goalkeeper Olivia Iberle entered the game in the 75th minute and recorded a save three minutes later. … Beucler will attend the University of Illinois. Her major? “That’s up in the air,” she said Wednesday. … Bohmer revealed one of her nicknames Wednesday. I’ve been called, ‘The Highlighter,’” she said. Indeed. The keeper wears a blinding, neon-yellow jersey and matching socks in games. … Wheaton North’s four-goal outburst in its playoff opener halted its losing streak at six games. The Falcons had netted only one goal since beating
visiting Hampshire 2-0 on April 23. “This kind of win was good for us,” Moreno said. “We’d been in a bit of scoring drought.” … South Elgin freshman fullback Ashley Gonzalez, who’d earned a starting nod this spring, stayed home Wednesday after undergoing surgery to repair an ACL tear.
Starting lineups
South Elgin
GK Karissa Cruz
D Norah Steuck
D Maddie Meiner
D Alexia Benitez
D Chloe Beucler
M Liliana Erandez
M Janelle Defensor
M Lesly Ulloa
F Madelyn Baker
F Ella Dihel
F Katrina Barthelt
Wheaton North
GK Zoey Bohmer
D Rowan Smith
D Anna Roe
D Grace Ryan
M Lauren Nguyen
M Calah Strong
M Claudia Kim
D Addison Falco
F Olivia Moreno
F Talia Kaempf
F Macy Hutchinson
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Macy Hutchinson, jr., F, Wheaton North;
Talia Kaempf, fr., F, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
WN: Hutchinson (Kaempf), 14’
WN: Hutchinson (PK), 23’
WN: Moreno (Maddie delAlcazar), 32’
Second half
WN: Smith (Kaempf), 58’