Weaver spins her magic against St. Francis
Records hat-trick in 3-1 Malnati's victory over Spartans
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHFIELD -- Heidi Bianucci is an artist when it comes to free kicks. She is dangerous anywhere on the field, her booming and elegant ball floats into space and is placed with an envious precision.
What a thing of beauty.
“I always love how many lines I can break and get balls as far as possible over the defense,” she said. "Now my teammates know I am going to do that, and they know I am going to kick the ball so that everything becomes easier."
She is also a lockdown defender and a big reason New Trier, ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, is undefeated through its first 12 games. Her free kicks opened up space and allowed the Trevians’ otherworldly Emma Weaver to strut her stuff.
Weaver scored all three goals and Bianucci helped stifle a strong and capable St. Francis team as the Trevians pulled out the 3-1 victory to wrap up a perfect pool play mark in the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic on Thursday night.
New Trier (7-0-5) ran its winning streak to three games. The Trevians beat no. 11 Lane, no. 20 Stevenson and the Spartans, who won the Class AA state championship last spring, to advance to the semifinals Saturday.
New Trier plays fellow undefeated and tenth-ranked Lyons in the first semifinal. The Lions also impressed in going 3-0 in Group C, beating no. 9 Glenbrook South, no. 24 Loyola and Lake Forest. Naperville North, ranked no. 8, went undefeated in Group B and plays wild card Stevenson in the second semifinal.
Due to weather issues and rescheduled games played Thursday, the originally scheduled night for the semifinals, the championship has been switched to 7 p.m. Monday night.
Bianucci played with the Trevians two years ago as a freshman and elected to play club last year. She tore her MCL last December playing club and decided she was better off focusing her game on high school.
“It took a while to recover,” she said. “The doctor said it was more about me getting it back in motion that was harder than the actual recovery of the tissue. I am happy to be back.”
Her physical and athletic ability has been central to the Trevians’ outstanding recent play. New Trier allowed just two goals in the first three tournament games.
“We are really winning the ball out of the air,” she said. “We are communicating a lot more,and I think that just comes with getting to know each other. I am really excited to be part of this. I have been playing soccer since I was six, and I have been a defender since I was six.”
Weaver scored her 14th, 15th and 16th goals of the year.
She blasted in a penalty kick in the second minute after a St. Francis defender was ruled to have an illegal touch inside the box. The play underlined the Trevians’ aggression and high-attacking style.
In the 14th minute, forward Fallon Warshauer played a ball to midfielder Lily Conley who slotted the ball down the right wing to Weaver. Her shot from about 16 yards was a piece of pure beauty.
“As we get to know each other more, it is definitely visible on the field,” Weaver said. “We play off each other, and we know each other’s strengths. As that becomes more pronounced, we become a better team. Our whole team is so athletic.
“This tournament has been a huge confidence booster for us.”
At the other end, the tournament marked part of the unsentimental and harsh life lessons the Spartans have endured. St. Francis was scheduled to host the game on Wednesday until the inclement weather altered that plan.
Several reserves and players from the junior varsity, who have reinforced the starters, were called away to play the Spartans’ previously scheduled Thursday conference game with Rosary.
A year after reaching the semifinal round, the Spartans went 0-3-0 in pool play. Some context is necessary here. St. Francis has just 731 students, converted to 1,207 using the IHSA multiplier. St. Francis played New Trier (3,925 students), Stevenson (4,200) and Lane (4,180 converted to 6,899 with the multiplier).
This is a proud and tenacious team not used to losing. The results have been painful to swallow. The Spartans (1-3-2) see the larger upside.
“I am honestly not disappointed by how we have done in the tournament,” defender Lauren Douglass said. “We are not playing these small Catholic schools anymore. We are playing big 4,000-kid schools, and it is just making us better playing against them.
“It is going to improve us as a team.”
St. Francis is undergoing a bit of a culture shock, and it is manifesting itself in onfield frustration that resulted in one red card issued for “violent conduct,” and a yellow given to star forward Hannah Rittenhouse late in the match.
“They are frustrated, and you can see it,” St. Francis coach Jim Winslow said. “We are not getting the breaks for lack of a better word. Tonight we have a handball called against us in the second minute, and now you are down 1-0 against a pretty good team and fighting uphill the rest of the way.
“In the first half, we had some good sequences. What is frustrating in these first six games is there are pieces that are coming along. It's just finishing the final pass or the the one thing. We make a mistake, and we are being punished for it left, right and center.”
In the 45th minute, Weaver put the finishing touches on her masterpiece. New Trier’s pressure forced a turnover at midfield that Conley controlled. She slotted a gorgeous through-ball. Weaver ran onto and by the last defender to get a first touch past Spartans’ keeper Aubrey Quaranto for the hat-trick.
Rittenhouse was stymied by a great recovery and stop by New Trier keeper Meagan Dwyer at the end of the half. Rittenhouse finally let out her frustration by driving down the left edge and hammering home a ball from about 14 yards in the 61st minute.
Courtney Charcout, who played the second half in goal for the Trevians, made a spectacular stop off a header by Alex Salemy to maintain the Trevians’ two-goal advantage.
A year ago, Carmel lost all three games of pool play and advanced to a supersectional against New Trier. A tournament this loaded is going to leave a couple of teams humbled.
“We don’t know each other very well as players and as the season goes on, we can figure it out,” sophomore defender Katherine Lemke said. “I think we went into this season thinking it was going to be just like last year, and it is a lot tougher to come back from a successful season to do it again.
“We just need that one game where we score a bunch of goals and get our confidence back.”
New Trier had a similar experience a year ago. Two hard-fought ties with St. Francis and Stevenson deprived the Trevians of making the semifinal bracket. The two ties marked the only blemish on their otherwise perfect record until they lost the Class 3A state championship game on penalty kicks against Barrington.
“I think when we show out on the field like we did tonight and come out strong and play like this every night the result shows,” Weaver said. “If we play like this, we are going to be good.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK: Aubrey Quaranto
D: Jill DiTusa
D: Emma Armbrust
D: Katherine Lemke
D: Lauren Douglass
MF: Mickey Corrigan
MF: Julia Zeman
MF: Ava Hensley
F: Adriana Rotondi
F: Julia Mills
F: Hannah Rittenhouse
New Trier
GK: Meghan Dwyer
D: Josie Crumley
D: Ava Shah
D: Julia Goldish
D: Heidi Bianucci
MF: Lily Conley
MF: Emma Weaver
MF: Kate Sawdey
F: Mia Sedgwick
F: Alex Wirth
F: Fallon Warshauer
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emma Weaver, Jr., MF, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Emma Weaver (penalty kick), second minute
New Trier—Weaver (Lily Conley), 14th minute
Second half
New Trier—Weaver (Lily Conley), 45th minute
St. Francis—Hannah Rittenhouse (Julia Zeman), 61st minute
Records hat-trick in 3-1 Malnati's victory over Spartans
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHFIELD -- Heidi Bianucci is an artist when it comes to free kicks. She is dangerous anywhere on the field, her booming and elegant ball floats into space and is placed with an envious precision.
What a thing of beauty.
“I always love how many lines I can break and get balls as far as possible over the defense,” she said. "Now my teammates know I am going to do that, and they know I am going to kick the ball so that everything becomes easier."
She is also a lockdown defender and a big reason New Trier, ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, is undefeated through its first 12 games. Her free kicks opened up space and allowed the Trevians’ otherworldly Emma Weaver to strut her stuff.
Weaver scored all three goals and Bianucci helped stifle a strong and capable St. Francis team as the Trevians pulled out the 3-1 victory to wrap up a perfect pool play mark in the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic on Thursday night.
New Trier (7-0-5) ran its winning streak to three games. The Trevians beat no. 11 Lane, no. 20 Stevenson and the Spartans, who won the Class AA state championship last spring, to advance to the semifinals Saturday.
New Trier plays fellow undefeated and tenth-ranked Lyons in the first semifinal. The Lions also impressed in going 3-0 in Group C, beating no. 9 Glenbrook South, no. 24 Loyola and Lake Forest. Naperville North, ranked no. 8, went undefeated in Group B and plays wild card Stevenson in the second semifinal.
Due to weather issues and rescheduled games played Thursday, the originally scheduled night for the semifinals, the championship has been switched to 7 p.m. Monday night.
Bianucci played with the Trevians two years ago as a freshman and elected to play club last year. She tore her MCL last December playing club and decided she was better off focusing her game on high school.
“It took a while to recover,” she said. “The doctor said it was more about me getting it back in motion that was harder than the actual recovery of the tissue. I am happy to be back.”
Her physical and athletic ability has been central to the Trevians’ outstanding recent play. New Trier allowed just two goals in the first three tournament games.
“We are really winning the ball out of the air,” she said. “We are communicating a lot more,and I think that just comes with getting to know each other. I am really excited to be part of this. I have been playing soccer since I was six, and I have been a defender since I was six.”
Weaver scored her 14th, 15th and 16th goals of the year.
She blasted in a penalty kick in the second minute after a St. Francis defender was ruled to have an illegal touch inside the box. The play underlined the Trevians’ aggression and high-attacking style.
In the 14th minute, forward Fallon Warshauer played a ball to midfielder Lily Conley who slotted the ball down the right wing to Weaver. Her shot from about 16 yards was a piece of pure beauty.
“As we get to know each other more, it is definitely visible on the field,” Weaver said. “We play off each other, and we know each other’s strengths. As that becomes more pronounced, we become a better team. Our whole team is so athletic.
“This tournament has been a huge confidence booster for us.”
At the other end, the tournament marked part of the unsentimental and harsh life lessons the Spartans have endured. St. Francis was scheduled to host the game on Wednesday until the inclement weather altered that plan.
Several reserves and players from the junior varsity, who have reinforced the starters, were called away to play the Spartans’ previously scheduled Thursday conference game with Rosary.
A year after reaching the semifinal round, the Spartans went 0-3-0 in pool play. Some context is necessary here. St. Francis has just 731 students, converted to 1,207 using the IHSA multiplier. St. Francis played New Trier (3,925 students), Stevenson (4,200) and Lane (4,180 converted to 6,899 with the multiplier).
This is a proud and tenacious team not used to losing. The results have been painful to swallow. The Spartans (1-3-2) see the larger upside.
“I am honestly not disappointed by how we have done in the tournament,” defender Lauren Douglass said. “We are not playing these small Catholic schools anymore. We are playing big 4,000-kid schools, and it is just making us better playing against them.
“It is going to improve us as a team.”
St. Francis is undergoing a bit of a culture shock, and it is manifesting itself in onfield frustration that resulted in one red card issued for “violent conduct,” and a yellow given to star forward Hannah Rittenhouse late in the match.
“They are frustrated, and you can see it,” St. Francis coach Jim Winslow said. “We are not getting the breaks for lack of a better word. Tonight we have a handball called against us in the second minute, and now you are down 1-0 against a pretty good team and fighting uphill the rest of the way.
“In the first half, we had some good sequences. What is frustrating in these first six games is there are pieces that are coming along. It's just finishing the final pass or the the one thing. We make a mistake, and we are being punished for it left, right and center.”
In the 45th minute, Weaver put the finishing touches on her masterpiece. New Trier’s pressure forced a turnover at midfield that Conley controlled. She slotted a gorgeous through-ball. Weaver ran onto and by the last defender to get a first touch past Spartans’ keeper Aubrey Quaranto for the hat-trick.
Rittenhouse was stymied by a great recovery and stop by New Trier keeper Meagan Dwyer at the end of the half. Rittenhouse finally let out her frustration by driving down the left edge and hammering home a ball from about 14 yards in the 61st minute.
Courtney Charcout, who played the second half in goal for the Trevians, made a spectacular stop off a header by Alex Salemy to maintain the Trevians’ two-goal advantage.
A year ago, Carmel lost all three games of pool play and advanced to a supersectional against New Trier. A tournament this loaded is going to leave a couple of teams humbled.
“We don’t know each other very well as players and as the season goes on, we can figure it out,” sophomore defender Katherine Lemke said. “I think we went into this season thinking it was going to be just like last year, and it is a lot tougher to come back from a successful season to do it again.
“We just need that one game where we score a bunch of goals and get our confidence back.”
New Trier had a similar experience a year ago. Two hard-fought ties with St. Francis and Stevenson deprived the Trevians of making the semifinal bracket. The two ties marked the only blemish on their otherwise perfect record until they lost the Class 3A state championship game on penalty kicks against Barrington.
“I think when we show out on the field like we did tonight and come out strong and play like this every night the result shows,” Weaver said. “If we play like this, we are going to be good.”
Starting lineups
St. Francis
GK: Aubrey Quaranto
D: Jill DiTusa
D: Emma Armbrust
D: Katherine Lemke
D: Lauren Douglass
MF: Mickey Corrigan
MF: Julia Zeman
MF: Ava Hensley
F: Adriana Rotondi
F: Julia Mills
F: Hannah Rittenhouse
New Trier
GK: Meghan Dwyer
D: Josie Crumley
D: Ava Shah
D: Julia Goldish
D: Heidi Bianucci
MF: Lily Conley
MF: Emma Weaver
MF: Kate Sawdey
F: Mia Sedgwick
F: Alex Wirth
F: Fallon Warshauer
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emma Weaver, Jr., MF, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier—Emma Weaver (penalty kick), second minute
New Trier—Weaver (Lily Conley), 14th minute
Second half
New Trier—Weaver (Lily Conley), 45th minute
St. Francis—Hannah Rittenhouse (Julia Zeman), 61st minute