St. Francis turns
on the jets against Elmwood Park
8 different players score in rout
By Patrick Z. McGavin
ELMWOOD PARK — Lauren Bruce has a steely and direct approach to her art. Soccer is a point of pride, and she means business.
“I think it’s important that we always come out and dominate, because you never know how the game will go,” Bruce said. “I think it’s always important that we stay strong because you don’t want to play down another level.
“You want to keep it at the level you always play at.”
The junior midfielder at St. Francis personifies the intense and stylish manner the Spartans go about their effort. They are rarely passive and always go for broke.
Elmwood Park became the latest casualty.
Bruce scored three goals as the Spartans, ranked 17th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, scored at will and interchangeably in an all-around first half explosion during the 12-0 victory in Metro Suburban Conference play Thursday night.
On her way to earning the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor, Bruce scored twice in the first five minutes, effectively unleashing a varied and multi-pronged St. Francis attack that overwhelmed the Tigers.
Eight different players scored, and all the goals came in the first half. St. Francis scored six goals in the final 11 minutes of the opening half.
Coming off a 15-1 victory against Chicago Christian Tuesday, the Spartans (8-0-0, 7-0-0) have a scoring differential of 66 to 7.
The “Hannah Show,” sophomore starter Hannah Blaha and senior backup Hannah Davis, combined for the team’s fifth shutout.
Davis collected four saves in the abbreviated 20-minute second half. Elmwood Park forward Lauren Olson generated the best second half scoring chance with a free kick just outside the box that danced over the top of the crossbar.
Senior Katherine Lemke is the last connection to the Spartans’ Class AA state championship team of 2018. She was a freshman defender on that team who collected two assists in situational minutes.
It was the second state championship in the program’s history, following the Class AA state title in 2012.
An elite golfer who is set to play that sport at Creighton in the fall, Lemke underscores the versatility and positional flexibility the Sparans have at their command.
Lemke plays all three field positions, impacting every level of the game.
That history means something at St. Francis. Curiously enough, the hardest part about the return to play was finding out just exactly what the Spartans had.
Lemke and senior forward Kate Chaparro were the only players with previous varsity experience. Bruce and the other standouts from her class, like midfielder Claire Reinke and defender/midfielder Sara Dziengel, were ostensibly newcomers to the scene and virtually unknown.
“I had 12 seniors that state championship year, and I had six the following year and I had 14 last year,” St. Francis coach Jim Winslow said. “That’s 32 kids I’ve lost. Going into the season, at least we’re going to play, and I thought I’d take my hits this year.
“Coming off of what we were coming off, we literally had no clue about what we had. The seniors have been great, the sophomores and juniors were good, and my freshman class is fantastic.”
That across-the-board talent was on full display.
Midfielder Ella Wozniak is one of the freshmen who has made an instant contribution. She had a goal and an assist while showing excellent balance, a sharp first touch and the ability to get to open balls.
“I didn’t actually know the history,” Wozniak said. “I came to an open house, and I came over to the soccer table. I didn’t know they had won state championships.
“That was definitely something that added on and made me want to go to St. Francis. I am really excited for the years to come, and I think the rest of this year is going to be really good.”
Wozniak said by immersing herself in the culture, she discovered immediately the closeness and camaraderie the rest of the team feeds off.
“It was great to meet everyone,” Wozniak said. “The culture is very welcoming; at the same time it’s very competitive. But everything goes and moves at the right pace.”
If Bruce got the offense flowing, Reinke connected the disparate pieces by assisting three of the first six goals. The Spartans’ attack only went one direction—downhill. The Spartans repeatedly caught the Tigers’ flat footed and out of defensive shape.
Elmwood Park (1-7-0, 1-7-0) had been competitive though unlucky in several of its games, suffering three one-goal losses.
The Eagles tried to counter by pushing numbers forward. More often than not, it led to breakways or vulnerable actions St, Francis repeatedly took advantage of.
The Spartans freshmen gave a glimpse of what to look toward to in the future. Sophia Roszkowski had a goal and two assists. Forward Paige Chrustowski registered a goal and assist.
Midfielder Ellie Bielenda, one of the most intriguing of the Spartans’ standout freshman players, also scored two goals.
The game was not just a celebration of youth. Savvy veterans like Chaparro scored twice and Lemke also scored.
Junior Sara Dziengel put the finishing touches on the first half explosion by driving a ball high that caught the Tigers’ keeper off-balance for the final goal.
Her older sister Emily Dziengel was a sophomore backup keeper on the state title team. Her senior season was lost out to the pandemic. Now Sara and the next wave of talent are honoring those who missed out.
Just a couple of hours before the game, St. Francis secured the no. 1 seed of the Class AA Solorio Sectional. The Spartans close out the regular-season against IC Catholic Prep on Tuesday.
“I think it helps that the seniors and juniors were super welcoming when we came in as freshmen,” Dziengel said. “All the juniors have been able to connect really well. Even during quarantine, Jim had us doing Zoom calls and conferences.
“We were all still together. When the season began this year, we were able to play well together. We’ve been able to put them all together to have new experiences for everyone and connect together.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK: Hannah Blaha
D: Megan Ward
D: Katherine Lemke
D: Abby Curtis
D/MF: Sara Dziengel
MF: Sophia Roszkowski
MF: Claire Reinke
MF: Sofia Monzon
F: Kate Chaparro
F: Lauren Bruce
F: Paige Chrustowski
Elmwood Park
GK: Alexa Duarte
D: Madison Garcia
D: Allison Scheidt
D: Zyana Turcios
MF: Karina Vargas
MF: Diana Rivero
MF: Olivia Dombek
MF: Briza Ocampo
MF: Mia Ramirez
MF: Elizabeth Kelsey
F: Lauren Olson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Lauren Bruce, jr., F, St. Francis
Scoring summary
First half
St. Francis—Lauren Bruce (Paige Chrustowski), 3rd minute
St. Francis—Bruce (unassisted), 5th minute
St. Francis—Chrustowski (Claire Reinke), 11th minute
St. Francis—Kate Chaparro (Reinke), 13th minute
St. Francis—Bruce (unassisted), 19th minute
St. Francis—Katherine Lemke (Reinke), 25th minute
St. Francis—Ellie Bielenda (unassisted), 27th minute
St. Francis—Ella Wozniak (Sophia Roszkowski), 29th minute
St. Francis—Chaparro (Roszkowski), 31st minute
St. Francis—Bielenda (Wozniak), 34th minute
St. Francis—Roszkowski (unassisted), 37th minute
St. Francis—Sara Dziengel (Bielenda), 38th minute
Second half
No scoring
on the jets against Elmwood Park
8 different players score in rout
By Patrick Z. McGavin
ELMWOOD PARK — Lauren Bruce has a steely and direct approach to her art. Soccer is a point of pride, and she means business.
“I think it’s important that we always come out and dominate, because you never know how the game will go,” Bruce said. “I think it’s always important that we stay strong because you don’t want to play down another level.
“You want to keep it at the level you always play at.”
The junior midfielder at St. Francis personifies the intense and stylish manner the Spartans go about their effort. They are rarely passive and always go for broke.
Elmwood Park became the latest casualty.
Bruce scored three goals as the Spartans, ranked 17th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, scored at will and interchangeably in an all-around first half explosion during the 12-0 victory in Metro Suburban Conference play Thursday night.
On her way to earning the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor, Bruce scored twice in the first five minutes, effectively unleashing a varied and multi-pronged St. Francis attack that overwhelmed the Tigers.
Eight different players scored, and all the goals came in the first half. St. Francis scored six goals in the final 11 minutes of the opening half.
Coming off a 15-1 victory against Chicago Christian Tuesday, the Spartans (8-0-0, 7-0-0) have a scoring differential of 66 to 7.
The “Hannah Show,” sophomore starter Hannah Blaha and senior backup Hannah Davis, combined for the team’s fifth shutout.
Davis collected four saves in the abbreviated 20-minute second half. Elmwood Park forward Lauren Olson generated the best second half scoring chance with a free kick just outside the box that danced over the top of the crossbar.
Senior Katherine Lemke is the last connection to the Spartans’ Class AA state championship team of 2018. She was a freshman defender on that team who collected two assists in situational minutes.
It was the second state championship in the program’s history, following the Class AA state title in 2012.
An elite golfer who is set to play that sport at Creighton in the fall, Lemke underscores the versatility and positional flexibility the Sparans have at their command.
Lemke plays all three field positions, impacting every level of the game.
That history means something at St. Francis. Curiously enough, the hardest part about the return to play was finding out just exactly what the Spartans had.
Lemke and senior forward Kate Chaparro were the only players with previous varsity experience. Bruce and the other standouts from her class, like midfielder Claire Reinke and defender/midfielder Sara Dziengel, were ostensibly newcomers to the scene and virtually unknown.
“I had 12 seniors that state championship year, and I had six the following year and I had 14 last year,” St. Francis coach Jim Winslow said. “That’s 32 kids I’ve lost. Going into the season, at least we’re going to play, and I thought I’d take my hits this year.
“Coming off of what we were coming off, we literally had no clue about what we had. The seniors have been great, the sophomores and juniors were good, and my freshman class is fantastic.”
That across-the-board talent was on full display.
Midfielder Ella Wozniak is one of the freshmen who has made an instant contribution. She had a goal and an assist while showing excellent balance, a sharp first touch and the ability to get to open balls.
“I didn’t actually know the history,” Wozniak said. “I came to an open house, and I came over to the soccer table. I didn’t know they had won state championships.
“That was definitely something that added on and made me want to go to St. Francis. I am really excited for the years to come, and I think the rest of this year is going to be really good.”
Wozniak said by immersing herself in the culture, she discovered immediately the closeness and camaraderie the rest of the team feeds off.
“It was great to meet everyone,” Wozniak said. “The culture is very welcoming; at the same time it’s very competitive. But everything goes and moves at the right pace.”
If Bruce got the offense flowing, Reinke connected the disparate pieces by assisting three of the first six goals. The Spartans’ attack only went one direction—downhill. The Spartans repeatedly caught the Tigers’ flat footed and out of defensive shape.
Elmwood Park (1-7-0, 1-7-0) had been competitive though unlucky in several of its games, suffering three one-goal losses.
The Eagles tried to counter by pushing numbers forward. More often than not, it led to breakways or vulnerable actions St, Francis repeatedly took advantage of.
The Spartans freshmen gave a glimpse of what to look toward to in the future. Sophia Roszkowski had a goal and two assists. Forward Paige Chrustowski registered a goal and assist.
Midfielder Ellie Bielenda, one of the most intriguing of the Spartans’ standout freshman players, also scored two goals.
The game was not just a celebration of youth. Savvy veterans like Chaparro scored twice and Lemke also scored.
Junior Sara Dziengel put the finishing touches on the first half explosion by driving a ball high that caught the Tigers’ keeper off-balance for the final goal.
Her older sister Emily Dziengel was a sophomore backup keeper on the state title team. Her senior season was lost out to the pandemic. Now Sara and the next wave of talent are honoring those who missed out.
Just a couple of hours before the game, St. Francis secured the no. 1 seed of the Class AA Solorio Sectional. The Spartans close out the regular-season against IC Catholic Prep on Tuesday.
“I think it helps that the seniors and juniors were super welcoming when we came in as freshmen,” Dziengel said. “All the juniors have been able to connect really well. Even during quarantine, Jim had us doing Zoom calls and conferences.
“We were all still together. When the season began this year, we were able to play well together. We’ve been able to put them all together to have new experiences for everyone and connect together.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK: Hannah Blaha
D: Megan Ward
D: Katherine Lemke
D: Abby Curtis
D/MF: Sara Dziengel
MF: Sophia Roszkowski
MF: Claire Reinke
MF: Sofia Monzon
F: Kate Chaparro
F: Lauren Bruce
F: Paige Chrustowski
Elmwood Park
GK: Alexa Duarte
D: Madison Garcia
D: Allison Scheidt
D: Zyana Turcios
MF: Karina Vargas
MF: Diana Rivero
MF: Olivia Dombek
MF: Briza Ocampo
MF: Mia Ramirez
MF: Elizabeth Kelsey
F: Lauren Olson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Lauren Bruce, jr., F, St. Francis
Scoring summary
First half
St. Francis—Lauren Bruce (Paige Chrustowski), 3rd minute
St. Francis—Bruce (unassisted), 5th minute
St. Francis—Chrustowski (Claire Reinke), 11th minute
St. Francis—Kate Chaparro (Reinke), 13th minute
St. Francis—Bruce (unassisted), 19th minute
St. Francis—Katherine Lemke (Reinke), 25th minute
St. Francis—Ellie Bielenda (unassisted), 27th minute
St. Francis—Ella Wozniak (Sophia Roszkowski), 29th minute
St. Francis—Chaparro (Roszkowski), 31st minute
St. Francis—Bielenda (Wozniak), 34th minute
St. Francis—Roszkowski (unassisted), 37th minute
St. Francis—Sara Dziengel (Bielenda), 38th minute
Second half
No scoring