St. Francis grabs draw from jaws of defeat
Spartans earn 2-2 deadlock with Lake Forest on Rittenhouse goal
By Gary Larsen
LAKE FOREST -- St. Francis’ Hannah Rittenhouse faced two Lake Forest defenders in the box but instead of trying to slickly get around them or pull the ball back, the Iowa-bound forward did what she does best in tight spaces.
“I just went through them,” Rittenhouse said, “and then I aimed at the far post.”
Rittenhouse’s goal with little more than two minutes remaining forced a 2-2 tie on Saturday in a Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic consolation game.
Lake Forest has seen more than its share of big, athletic, skilled attacking players during the tournament. The Scouts also had to contend with Glenbrook South’s Makayla Stadler and Lyons’ Eileen Murphy, so Rittenhouse simply completed a talented triad of challenges for Lake Forest.
“They’re all similar in being strong, but they can also all play the game,” Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager said. “Like a bull in a china shop, (Rittenhouse) went through two players and finished well.”
Lake Forest (5-3-1) twice led by a goal, first on a pre-intermission goal from Ashley Bufe and then on a second half goal from Leland Keller. The Scouts showed strong flashes of attacking cohesion throughout the contest.
“We worked yesterday on attacking with pace and strength, and through-balls, and the first goal we got was the result of what we’ve talked about,” Stuckslager said. “Then we had two great chances towards the end of the game.”
Bufe scored from 12 yards at six minutes but the Spartans’ Mickey Corrigan tied the game from 18 yards on a feed from Katherine Lemke at 21 minutes.
Lemke served a ball from the left side that rolled across the 18 with Rittenhouse stepping to it.
“Honestly, (Rittenhouse) always dummies it when she knows someone is behind her,” Corrigan said. That’s just what Rittenhouse did and Corrigan did the rest, lofting a shot under the crossbar.
For that quick, on-the-fly decision and for scoring the pivotal late goal, Rittenhouse earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
Bufe threatened twice near the top of the Spartans’ penalty area after Corrigan’s goal. St. Francis defender Lauren Douglass thwarted both plays as Bufe applied solid pressure in the first half.
“Some of that is confidence,” Stuckslager said of Bufe. “Success breeds confidence and after that goal you could see that she had a little spring in her step.”
At 43 minutes, Rittenhouse sent a through-ball ahead from midfield, and Scouts keeper Sydney Fitzgerald charged out beyond the 18 to clear it. Armbrust intercepted a ball in the box intended for Bufe a minute later. Rittenhouse ripped a pair of shots at 45 and 47 minutes that defenders deflected over the endline for Spartans corner kicks that went for naught.
Lake Forest nearly scored at 61 minutes when Ashleigh Rupprecht broke into the Spartans’ box with a lone remaining defender on her hip, but Rupprecht’s shot soared high of frame.
Keller put Lake Forest up at 71 minutes on a free kick from 37 yards near the right touchline. Then the Scouts sent a final quality chance on net when Elise Stanley sent a hard-hit shot directly at Spartans keeper Emily Dziengel, who took over for starter Aubrey Quaranto in the second half.
Rittenhouse’s goal followed to end the day’s scoring.
St. Francis went 0-2-2 in Malnati’s play this year against the Scouts, Stevenson (1-1 draw), New Trier (3-1 loss), and Lane (4-3 loss). Lake Forest finished 1-2-1 in tournament play, including games against Lyons (3-1 loss), Glenbrook South (1-0 loss), and Loyola (1-0 win).
“Everyone stepped up. It’s the third game where everyone has played except for our backup goalie,” said Stuckslager, who was also particularly pleased with defender Mary McKendry’s play on Saturday.
“She’s played outside back and she stepped in and played center back. It’s her first game there, and she did a great job,” Stuckslager said. “She’s a sophomore, and she had to go up against (Rittenhouse).”
On the heels of winning last year’s Class AA state title, St. Francis entered this season with a stable of new players. Per IHSA rules, the Spartans must also move up and play in the 3A state tournament this season.
The formidable Malnati’s tournament gave St. Francis a taste of the best that Illinois has to offer.
“It’s been a rough week in terms of dealing with the outcomes of the games, just because of the success we had last year,” defender Emma Armbrust said. “Getting thrown into this tournament right off the bat, it’s tough but I think in the long run it will be super beneficial to us.
“We’ll meet teams like this in the playoffs so we have to be prepared for that. So there has been some disappointment in the outcomes, but when we look back on it the effort we’ve put forth is something we should be proud of.”
St. Francis coach Jim Winslow has moved players around the pitch to start the season, looking for the right combination. Rittenhouse liked the combination she saw Saturday.
“It was hard the first couple games, because we had no idea where people fit best,” Rittenhouse said. “I think this game kind of secured who plays where. It benefited us and made us feel more comfortable knowing we’re not moving around as much as we used to.”
Winslow also wants his girls to play without feeling the pressure of being last year’s state champions.
“I’m pleased with all of them, and I like that they weren’t playing like they had the world on their shoulders today,” Winslow said. “This isn’t a World Cup final. We all know these are tough games.
“We had just about the exact same record with the exact same scores in this tournament two years ago, and everybody felt pretty good about it.”
While the Spartans’ attack sorts out its personnel, the security blanket of a quality backline is invaluable, and the team has a veteran core in Lemke, Armbrust, Lauren Douglass, and Jill DiTusa.
In describing how she feels about the St. Francis defenders, Corrigan used words normally reserved for Navy Seals.
“I trust them with my life,” Corrigan said.
That might be slightly more pressure than the Spartans' girls in back bargained for but Corrigan has total confidence in the defensive third.
“Occasionally balls get through but that’s not their fault. It has to go through everyone on the field first,” Corrigan said. “I’ve been playing with Emma Armbrust my whole life, and I know that when she’s back there, we’re safe.”
Armbrust likes the way she and her mates are playing thus far.
“Most of our backs are returning players from last year,” Armbrust said, “so that’s been a huge asset to us because it’s not something that we have to work on so much. We know where we need to be and what we need to do. And we’re getting back in the groove.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK Aubrey Quaranto
D Lauren Douglass
D Emma Armbrust
D Katherine Lemke
D Anna Moran
M Emily Thill
M Julia Zeman
M Katelin Chapparo
M Ava Hensley
F Mickey Corrigan
F Hannah Rittenhouse
Lake Forest
GK Sophia DiVagno
D Lily Bryant
D Mary McKendry
D Leland Keller
D Lindsey Asmussen
M Ashley Bufe
M Molly Fisher
M Maddie Ingold
M Ainsley Allan
M Katie Bondoc
F Elise Stanley
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match — Hannah Rittenhouse, sr., F, St. Francis
Scoring summary
First half
Lake Forest - Bufe (UA) 6th minute
St. Francis - Corrigan (Lemke) 21st minute
Second half
Lake Forest - Keller (FK) 71st minute
St. Francis - Rittenhouse (UA) 77th minute
Spartans earn 2-2 deadlock with Lake Forest on Rittenhouse goal
By Gary Larsen
LAKE FOREST -- St. Francis’ Hannah Rittenhouse faced two Lake Forest defenders in the box but instead of trying to slickly get around them or pull the ball back, the Iowa-bound forward did what she does best in tight spaces.
“I just went through them,” Rittenhouse said, “and then I aimed at the far post.”
Rittenhouse’s goal with little more than two minutes remaining forced a 2-2 tie on Saturday in a Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic consolation game.
Lake Forest has seen more than its share of big, athletic, skilled attacking players during the tournament. The Scouts also had to contend with Glenbrook South’s Makayla Stadler and Lyons’ Eileen Murphy, so Rittenhouse simply completed a talented triad of challenges for Lake Forest.
“They’re all similar in being strong, but they can also all play the game,” Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager said. “Like a bull in a china shop, (Rittenhouse) went through two players and finished well.”
Lake Forest (5-3-1) twice led by a goal, first on a pre-intermission goal from Ashley Bufe and then on a second half goal from Leland Keller. The Scouts showed strong flashes of attacking cohesion throughout the contest.
“We worked yesterday on attacking with pace and strength, and through-balls, and the first goal we got was the result of what we’ve talked about,” Stuckslager said. “Then we had two great chances towards the end of the game.”
Bufe scored from 12 yards at six minutes but the Spartans’ Mickey Corrigan tied the game from 18 yards on a feed from Katherine Lemke at 21 minutes.
Lemke served a ball from the left side that rolled across the 18 with Rittenhouse stepping to it.
“Honestly, (Rittenhouse) always dummies it when she knows someone is behind her,” Corrigan said. That’s just what Rittenhouse did and Corrigan did the rest, lofting a shot under the crossbar.
For that quick, on-the-fly decision and for scoring the pivotal late goal, Rittenhouse earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
Bufe threatened twice near the top of the Spartans’ penalty area after Corrigan’s goal. St. Francis defender Lauren Douglass thwarted both plays as Bufe applied solid pressure in the first half.
“Some of that is confidence,” Stuckslager said of Bufe. “Success breeds confidence and after that goal you could see that she had a little spring in her step.”
At 43 minutes, Rittenhouse sent a through-ball ahead from midfield, and Scouts keeper Sydney Fitzgerald charged out beyond the 18 to clear it. Armbrust intercepted a ball in the box intended for Bufe a minute later. Rittenhouse ripped a pair of shots at 45 and 47 minutes that defenders deflected over the endline for Spartans corner kicks that went for naught.
Lake Forest nearly scored at 61 minutes when Ashleigh Rupprecht broke into the Spartans’ box with a lone remaining defender on her hip, but Rupprecht’s shot soared high of frame.
Keller put Lake Forest up at 71 minutes on a free kick from 37 yards near the right touchline. Then the Scouts sent a final quality chance on net when Elise Stanley sent a hard-hit shot directly at Spartans keeper Emily Dziengel, who took over for starter Aubrey Quaranto in the second half.
Rittenhouse’s goal followed to end the day’s scoring.
St. Francis went 0-2-2 in Malnati’s play this year against the Scouts, Stevenson (1-1 draw), New Trier (3-1 loss), and Lane (4-3 loss). Lake Forest finished 1-2-1 in tournament play, including games against Lyons (3-1 loss), Glenbrook South (1-0 loss), and Loyola (1-0 win).
“Everyone stepped up. It’s the third game where everyone has played except for our backup goalie,” said Stuckslager, who was also particularly pleased with defender Mary McKendry’s play on Saturday.
“She’s played outside back and she stepped in and played center back. It’s her first game there, and she did a great job,” Stuckslager said. “She’s a sophomore, and she had to go up against (Rittenhouse).”
On the heels of winning last year’s Class AA state title, St. Francis entered this season with a stable of new players. Per IHSA rules, the Spartans must also move up and play in the 3A state tournament this season.
The formidable Malnati’s tournament gave St. Francis a taste of the best that Illinois has to offer.
“It’s been a rough week in terms of dealing with the outcomes of the games, just because of the success we had last year,” defender Emma Armbrust said. “Getting thrown into this tournament right off the bat, it’s tough but I think in the long run it will be super beneficial to us.
“We’ll meet teams like this in the playoffs so we have to be prepared for that. So there has been some disappointment in the outcomes, but when we look back on it the effort we’ve put forth is something we should be proud of.”
St. Francis coach Jim Winslow has moved players around the pitch to start the season, looking for the right combination. Rittenhouse liked the combination she saw Saturday.
“It was hard the first couple games, because we had no idea where people fit best,” Rittenhouse said. “I think this game kind of secured who plays where. It benefited us and made us feel more comfortable knowing we’re not moving around as much as we used to.”
Winslow also wants his girls to play without feeling the pressure of being last year’s state champions.
“I’m pleased with all of them, and I like that they weren’t playing like they had the world on their shoulders today,” Winslow said. “This isn’t a World Cup final. We all know these are tough games.
“We had just about the exact same record with the exact same scores in this tournament two years ago, and everybody felt pretty good about it.”
While the Spartans’ attack sorts out its personnel, the security blanket of a quality backline is invaluable, and the team has a veteran core in Lemke, Armbrust, Lauren Douglass, and Jill DiTusa.
In describing how she feels about the St. Francis defenders, Corrigan used words normally reserved for Navy Seals.
“I trust them with my life,” Corrigan said.
That might be slightly more pressure than the Spartans' girls in back bargained for but Corrigan has total confidence in the defensive third.
“Occasionally balls get through but that’s not their fault. It has to go through everyone on the field first,” Corrigan said. “I’ve been playing with Emma Armbrust my whole life, and I know that when she’s back there, we’re safe.”
Armbrust likes the way she and her mates are playing thus far.
“Most of our backs are returning players from last year,” Armbrust said, “so that’s been a huge asset to us because it’s not something that we have to work on so much. We know where we need to be and what we need to do. And we’re getting back in the groove.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK Aubrey Quaranto
D Lauren Douglass
D Emma Armbrust
D Katherine Lemke
D Anna Moran
M Emily Thill
M Julia Zeman
M Katelin Chapparo
M Ava Hensley
F Mickey Corrigan
F Hannah Rittenhouse
Lake Forest
GK Sophia DiVagno
D Lily Bryant
D Mary McKendry
D Leland Keller
D Lindsey Asmussen
M Ashley Bufe
M Molly Fisher
M Maddie Ingold
M Ainsley Allan
M Katie Bondoc
F Elise Stanley
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match — Hannah Rittenhouse, sr., F, St. Francis
Scoring summary
First half
Lake Forest - Bufe (UA) 6th minute
St. Francis - Corrigan (Lemke) 21st minute
Second half
Lake Forest - Keller (FK) 71st minute
St. Francis - Rittenhouse (UA) 77th minute