Armbrust keeps St. Francis
even with Naperville Central
Defender prevents go-ahead goal as Spartans salvage 1-1 tie
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Emma Armbrust was in desperation mode.
With her team caught in a counterattack, the St. Francis senior defender watched Naperville Central forward Liz Bayert chip a ball over the head of goalkeeper Aubrey Quaranto’s head and race after it.
Twenty yards of open space was all that stood between Bayert and the empty net as the clock ticked down under 10 minutes to go.
It appeared Bayert had an easy path to scoring the go-ahead goal. Then Armbrust raced out of nowhere to slide-tackle the ball away.
“All I could really think about was we’re not losing this game,” Armbrust said. “I know that if I go in hesitant, then it’s more dangerous for me.
“You’ve just got to go all-in and trust that, A) they won’t call a foul on you if you’re going for the ball, and B) you’ve got to make sure you get the ball out.
“So that’s what I was focusing on on that play. Luckily it worked out, and I don’t think anything bad happened to my knee.”
It was a scary moment for the Spartans in general and Armbrust in particular, but her play ended up preserving a 1-1 tie at Memorial Stadium.
Armbrust landed awkwardly after the collision with Bayert, coming down on her right knee, the same joint in which she suffered a torn ACL earlier in her career. After several minutes of lying on the cold turf, she got up and walked off the field unaided.
“It was just kind of an awkward tackle, but my coach said I fell on it straight, so that was good,” Armbrust said. “I kind of freaked out, but all the tests felt good, and it didn’t feel like it did when I tore it.”
Armbrust wasn’t the fastest player on the field, but she was able to get the angle on Bayert to prevent the host Redhawks (3-1-1) from taking the lead in a game they once trailed 1-0.
“The angle is the only way I know that I can gain on someone,” Armbrust said. “If I’m going from straight behind, I’m not getting there.”
St. Francis (0-1-1) hasn’t gotten in the win column yet but the Spartans will get there eventually. Bumped up to Class 3A after winning the AA state championship last season, they began the season with a tough back-to-back, losing to St. Charles North 1-0 on Tuesday in what coach Jim Winslow called “a track meet” before traveling to take on the Redhawks (3-1-1), who already had four games under their belts and were rested after suffering their first loss, a 4-0 decision to Granite City on Saturday.
“In fairness to St. Francis, they’re playing their second game in two nights, and I would think that St. Charles North is a handful on their own,” Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said. “We’re no St. Charles North, but we’re OK.”
Despite graduating a terrific senior class, St. Francis figures to be more than OK, and they looked it in this game despite the fatigue.
Senior forward Mickey Corrigan matched her 2018 goal total when she took a pass from Caroline Zimmer, turned and blasted a 25-yard shot into the upper right corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with 10:47 left in the first half. It was one of only five shots taken by the two squads before intermission.
“I just heard my dad in the back of my head saying, ‘just take the shot,’” Corrigan said. “He yells at me a lot, because I always decide to pass the ball off, so this time I decided to be a little selfish and just take it myself.”
That’s what Winslow wants to see more of. With defenses understandably blanketing Iowa-bound striker Hannah Rittenhouse, the Spartans need other players to be more aggressive in the attack.
“She’s capable of hitting balls from 25 yards and in, no problem,” Winslow said of Corrigan. “That one she kept down.
“That’s her biggest issue when she shoots at times, is she will elevate everything. When she keeps it down, she can hit a ball well.”
Naperville Central forward Sullivan Schubel also hit a ball well, though it was with her head instead of her foot.
The sophomore got her first goal of the season, and second of her varsity career, at the 29:59 mark of the second half when she nodded home a 20-yard free kick from sophomore Emma Irle to tie the game.
“We worked on it in practice,” Schubel said. “We ran it through a couple times.
“We ran it pretty good, and Emma had a really good ball to me. It was a really competitive game, and it just felt really good to tie it and get the intensity up.”
Irle’s free kick came from just outside the top right corner of the St. Francis box. Instead of putting it on frame, Irle rifled the kick across the crease to Schubel, who powered the header inside the left post.
“It was a great finish,” Watson said. “She hammered it.
“It’s only as good as the service, and Emma’s ball was perfect. It got to the back side with pace, and it was dropping so we could get on top of it and put it down.”
The Redhawks don’t have any proven goal-scorers but they have a bunch of young players eager to find the back of the net. Sarah Scoles has scored three times already and Schubel is showing promise.
“I’m hoping to score more goals and play really well with the other forwards and try to get some assists,” Schubel said. “I think we’re working really well as a team together.
“We’re working hard at practices, and I think it’s showing on the field.”
Indeed, the Redhawks are off to a good start even though Watson is still tinkering with his lineup. They’ve fallen behind in every game so far but have lost just once.
“We’re getting contributions on the offensive side from a lot of different players, and our kids are battling,” Watson said. “So much of what we’ve been trying to do these first five games is move kids around and try to figure out what we have and what we are. We’re starting to get it.
“There has been no quit in the girls. We don’t have a lot of opportunities, but we know we are going to capitalize. That’s our mindset that the girls have, that they will capitalize when the opportunity comes around.”
St. Francis had a golden opportunity to retake the lead with 21 minutes remaining in the second half when Naperville Central goalkeeper Amber Hunter went down to corral a ball just outside her left post but gave it up to Katherine Lemke, who maneuvered around her and fired on the empty net.
Lemke’s shot hit the right post and bounced right back to her before anyone could get near her. But the rebound skittered untouched along the goal line before being cleared by the defense.
The Redhawks’ defense was stellar, allowing only seven shots. Rittenhouse had only two of those, both coming in the second half, and both were solid drives. But Hunter was up to the task, making diving stops on a 28-yard attempt with 26:00 to go and a 25-yarder with 7:50 left.
“I was pleased,” Watson said. “Our effort was good.
“(Rittenhouse) is a nice player, and they have a handful of talented attacking players. I thought our back four for the most part was very good. Grace Anderson is playing at a very high level right now.”
The Spartans expect to play at a high level, and they will need to now that they’ve been bumped up to 3A.
“I think we’re up for the challenge,” Rittenhouse said. “It’s going to be a little different, because we lost a lot of seniors from last year.
“It’s kind of a whole new lineup, so we’re just kind of working around and seeing where people fit and where they will work best. I think it’s going to be a good year if we keep working hard, keep moving around and stay focused.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK Aubrey Quaranto
D Lauren Douglass
D Jill DiTusa
D Katherine Lemke
D Anna Moran
D Emma Armbrust
M Ava Hensley
M Alex Salemy
F Adrianna Rotondi
F Caroline Zimmer
F Hannah Rittenhouse
Naperville Central
GK Sophie Epelbaum
D Emma Irle
D Grace Anderson
D Abbey Hillman
D Sophie Skoubis
D Caroline Giannone
M Liz Barker
M Sullivan Schubel
M Maddie Mills
F Sarah Scoles
F Caroline Reedy
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Emma Armbrust, sr., D, St. Francis
Scoring summary
First half
St. Francis – Mickey Corrigan (Caroline Zimmer) 10:47
Second half
Naperville Central – Sullivan Schubel (Emma Irle) 29:59
even with Naperville Central
Defender prevents go-ahead goal as Spartans salvage 1-1 tie
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Emma Armbrust was in desperation mode.
With her team caught in a counterattack, the St. Francis senior defender watched Naperville Central forward Liz Bayert chip a ball over the head of goalkeeper Aubrey Quaranto’s head and race after it.
Twenty yards of open space was all that stood between Bayert and the empty net as the clock ticked down under 10 minutes to go.
It appeared Bayert had an easy path to scoring the go-ahead goal. Then Armbrust raced out of nowhere to slide-tackle the ball away.
“All I could really think about was we’re not losing this game,” Armbrust said. “I know that if I go in hesitant, then it’s more dangerous for me.
“You’ve just got to go all-in and trust that, A) they won’t call a foul on you if you’re going for the ball, and B) you’ve got to make sure you get the ball out.
“So that’s what I was focusing on on that play. Luckily it worked out, and I don’t think anything bad happened to my knee.”
It was a scary moment for the Spartans in general and Armbrust in particular, but her play ended up preserving a 1-1 tie at Memorial Stadium.
Armbrust landed awkwardly after the collision with Bayert, coming down on her right knee, the same joint in which she suffered a torn ACL earlier in her career. After several minutes of lying on the cold turf, she got up and walked off the field unaided.
“It was just kind of an awkward tackle, but my coach said I fell on it straight, so that was good,” Armbrust said. “I kind of freaked out, but all the tests felt good, and it didn’t feel like it did when I tore it.”
Armbrust wasn’t the fastest player on the field, but she was able to get the angle on Bayert to prevent the host Redhawks (3-1-1) from taking the lead in a game they once trailed 1-0.
“The angle is the only way I know that I can gain on someone,” Armbrust said. “If I’m going from straight behind, I’m not getting there.”
St. Francis (0-1-1) hasn’t gotten in the win column yet but the Spartans will get there eventually. Bumped up to Class 3A after winning the AA state championship last season, they began the season with a tough back-to-back, losing to St. Charles North 1-0 on Tuesday in what coach Jim Winslow called “a track meet” before traveling to take on the Redhawks (3-1-1), who already had four games under their belts and were rested after suffering their first loss, a 4-0 decision to Granite City on Saturday.
“In fairness to St. Francis, they’re playing their second game in two nights, and I would think that St. Charles North is a handful on their own,” Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said. “We’re no St. Charles North, but we’re OK.”
Despite graduating a terrific senior class, St. Francis figures to be more than OK, and they looked it in this game despite the fatigue.
Senior forward Mickey Corrigan matched her 2018 goal total when she took a pass from Caroline Zimmer, turned and blasted a 25-yard shot into the upper right corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with 10:47 left in the first half. It was one of only five shots taken by the two squads before intermission.
“I just heard my dad in the back of my head saying, ‘just take the shot,’” Corrigan said. “He yells at me a lot, because I always decide to pass the ball off, so this time I decided to be a little selfish and just take it myself.”
That’s what Winslow wants to see more of. With defenses understandably blanketing Iowa-bound striker Hannah Rittenhouse, the Spartans need other players to be more aggressive in the attack.
“She’s capable of hitting balls from 25 yards and in, no problem,” Winslow said of Corrigan. “That one she kept down.
“That’s her biggest issue when she shoots at times, is she will elevate everything. When she keeps it down, she can hit a ball well.”
Naperville Central forward Sullivan Schubel also hit a ball well, though it was with her head instead of her foot.
The sophomore got her first goal of the season, and second of her varsity career, at the 29:59 mark of the second half when she nodded home a 20-yard free kick from sophomore Emma Irle to tie the game.
“We worked on it in practice,” Schubel said. “We ran it through a couple times.
“We ran it pretty good, and Emma had a really good ball to me. It was a really competitive game, and it just felt really good to tie it and get the intensity up.”
Irle’s free kick came from just outside the top right corner of the St. Francis box. Instead of putting it on frame, Irle rifled the kick across the crease to Schubel, who powered the header inside the left post.
“It was a great finish,” Watson said. “She hammered it.
“It’s only as good as the service, and Emma’s ball was perfect. It got to the back side with pace, and it was dropping so we could get on top of it and put it down.”
The Redhawks don’t have any proven goal-scorers but they have a bunch of young players eager to find the back of the net. Sarah Scoles has scored three times already and Schubel is showing promise.
“I’m hoping to score more goals and play really well with the other forwards and try to get some assists,” Schubel said. “I think we’re working really well as a team together.
“We’re working hard at practices, and I think it’s showing on the field.”
Indeed, the Redhawks are off to a good start even though Watson is still tinkering with his lineup. They’ve fallen behind in every game so far but have lost just once.
“We’re getting contributions on the offensive side from a lot of different players, and our kids are battling,” Watson said. “So much of what we’ve been trying to do these first five games is move kids around and try to figure out what we have and what we are. We’re starting to get it.
“There has been no quit in the girls. We don’t have a lot of opportunities, but we know we are going to capitalize. That’s our mindset that the girls have, that they will capitalize when the opportunity comes around.”
St. Francis had a golden opportunity to retake the lead with 21 minutes remaining in the second half when Naperville Central goalkeeper Amber Hunter went down to corral a ball just outside her left post but gave it up to Katherine Lemke, who maneuvered around her and fired on the empty net.
Lemke’s shot hit the right post and bounced right back to her before anyone could get near her. But the rebound skittered untouched along the goal line before being cleared by the defense.
The Redhawks’ defense was stellar, allowing only seven shots. Rittenhouse had only two of those, both coming in the second half, and both were solid drives. But Hunter was up to the task, making diving stops on a 28-yard attempt with 26:00 to go and a 25-yarder with 7:50 left.
“I was pleased,” Watson said. “Our effort was good.
“(Rittenhouse) is a nice player, and they have a handful of talented attacking players. I thought our back four for the most part was very good. Grace Anderson is playing at a very high level right now.”
The Spartans expect to play at a high level, and they will need to now that they’ve been bumped up to 3A.
“I think we’re up for the challenge,” Rittenhouse said. “It’s going to be a little different, because we lost a lot of seniors from last year.
“It’s kind of a whole new lineup, so we’re just kind of working around and seeing where people fit and where they will work best. I think it’s going to be a good year if we keep working hard, keep moving around and stay focused.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK Aubrey Quaranto
D Lauren Douglass
D Jill DiTusa
D Katherine Lemke
D Anna Moran
D Emma Armbrust
M Ava Hensley
M Alex Salemy
F Adrianna Rotondi
F Caroline Zimmer
F Hannah Rittenhouse
Naperville Central
GK Sophie Epelbaum
D Emma Irle
D Grace Anderson
D Abbey Hillman
D Sophie Skoubis
D Caroline Giannone
M Liz Barker
M Sullivan Schubel
M Maddie Mills
F Sarah Scoles
F Caroline Reedy
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Emma Armbrust, sr., D, St. Francis
Scoring summary
First half
St. Francis – Mickey Corrigan (Caroline Zimmer) 10:47
Second half
Naperville Central – Sullivan Schubel (Emma Irle) 29:59