Good starts put Fenwick past St. Ignatius
Emi Kapusta celebrates special day in 3-1 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
RIVER FOREST — The songs and celebrations could wait. Emi Kapusta had a game to win.
The senior midfielder at Fenwick would play out the emotional joy of celebrating her birthday. The focus at hand was playing a good St. Ignatius team.
“I think our team is very dedicated,” Kapusta said. “We come on the field ready to go, and I think that really shows.
“We can start in the back and build our way up.”
The Friars struck gold at the start of each half with beautiful goals that powered a 3-1 victory in Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Divison play Friday afternoon at Priory Park.
In a game marked by emotion and the adrenaline rush of excitement and nerves, Fenwick was eager to make an impactful opening statement.
“We wanted to come out strong, because we knew if we started strong, we’d play well the rest of the game,” junior forward Kate Henige said. “Getting that goal early helped us knock them down and take advantage of the game early on.
“Obviously we came out in the second half and did the same thing. That really helped.”
Fenwick (7-2-1, 7-2-0) was organized and aggressive at the start. That was evident after a corner kick opportunity was established in the first minute of play.
The Friars flooded numbers forward, and the lithe and angular Henige took charge moments later. At nearly 6-foot tall, she is exceptionally difficult to handle in space.
Henige got free on the left wing and advanced the ball before slotting a perfectly placed cross to senior midfielder Anna Dray just outside the top of the box.
Dray blasted the ball into the upper right 90 in the fifth minute.
“Honestly it didn’t really register with me that it had been that early until I looked up at the clock,” Dray said. “I thought, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it was only five minutes.’
“At that point we had already played a lot of soccer and built the attack up several times, and we just needed that one time to open it up.”
The tactical and psychological advantages of scoring early are almost impossible to overstate. Early goals are a godsend.
“It reminded me of one of the Loyola games. They scored early on us, and they really kind of held it the whole game,” Dray said.
“We learned from that. You have to really come out strong in games. That was the learning experience for us.”
St. Ignatius (8-4-0, 5-2-0) responded in its own sharp fashion. Coach and former Loyola star Caroline Zadina took over the program last year. Her coaching debut was delayed by the pandemic.
She has brought a nervy and athletic style to a team brimming with gifted young players. She also adjusted the attack to account for the absence of three-time all-state player Ella Richards, who is not playing high school this year.
Senior Lauren Tiemann is especially quick and dangerous in space, and she put exceptional pressure on the Friars’ interior with her ability to get to the goal.
In the 11th minute, midfielder Shannon Rydz broke free on the left edge and hammered a short volley that Fenwick keeper Audrey Hinrichs superbly denied.
“I think we had the majority of the possession today, and I thought we had great competition,” Zadina said. “I think we had a lot of chances on goal that just didn’t go our way by very small margins.”
The goal by Dray held up as the only score of the first half.
Fenwick’s players realized the one-goal margin was not likely to hold up given the attacking nature of the Wolfpack.
“Honestly I have to give credit to St. Ignatius,” Kapusta said. “I thought they did a good job in the second half, but I thought we did a better job of standing our ground.”
Fenwick also managed the ideal echo effect, opening its second half like the first. In the third minute, forward Juliana Giuffre made an aggressive hustle play to force a deflection off a Wolfpack defender that resulted in a corner.
Kapusta went to work from there.
Operating from the right corner, Kapusta smashed a left-footed ball in the 43rd minute that curved brilliantly for the crucial second goal.
“I’ve actually been working on that with one of the assistant coaches, and he kept telling me to hit more on the outside of the ball,” she said.
“Finally it worked out.”
Emi Kapusta earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor for her goal and recurrent ability to help the Friars develop the necessary possession and scoring build-up.
Fenwick did what St. Ignatius wanted to do.
“Obviously the first five minutes of each half is very important, and we would like to come out as strong as possible,” Zadina said.
“We learned from those moments, and it gives us something to work on as get ready for the state playoffs. We take it as a learning lesson.”
Henige and Giuffre collaborated for the final Fenwick goal in the 55th minute.
Henige got the ball on the left wing off a counter and drove hard toward the goal. Wolfpack keeper Darcy Schoen made a nice block of the first ball.
Giuffre was perfectly positioned for the rebound. She blasted it home for the 3-0 lead. Giuffre has a knack of being around the ball.
“I don’t know how that happens,” she said. “I just run up there, and I just feel like it’s always going to come back. Most of the time, I’m always trying to be up there waiting for the ball.
“Sometimes it does, and I place it in the back of the net.”
St. Ignatius sophomore forward Angelina Tomassini helped her team avert the shutout by knocking a left-footed ball that curved inside the near post in the 63rd minute.
Fenwick’s Hinrichs was stellar with seven saves.
The same teams play the second of their dual series Tuesday at St. Ignatius.
“We’ve been talking about having these games,” Kapusta said. “We played McAuley first on our field, and we got a win and then the next game at their place, all of us were nervous.
“We just have to keep on pushing. We know that determination really matters.”
Starting lineups
St. Ignatius
GK: Darcy Schoen
D: Cameron Shutt
D: Kate Abdo
D: Elizabeth Doherty
D: Santana Berhalter
MF: Valeria Fernandez
MF: Eloise Barnett
MF: Adrian Williams
MF: Shannon Rydz
F: Lauren Tiemann
F: Claire Redecki
Fenwick
GK: Audrey Hinrichs
D: Anna Bjorson
D: Abbie Rogowski
D: Courtney Yungerman
D: Emily Ortiz
MF: Anna Dray
MF: Grace McGann
MF: Emi Kapusta
MF: Grace Kapsch
F: Juliana Giuffre
F: Kate Henige
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emi Kapusta, sr., MF, Fenwick
Scoring summary
First half
Fenwick—Anna Dray (Kate Henige), fifth minute
Second half
Fenwick—Emi Kapusta (corner kick), 43rd minute
Fenwick—Juliana Giufre (Henige), 55th minute
St. Ignatius—Angelina Tomassini (Adrian Williams), 63rd minute
Emi Kapusta celebrates special day in 3-1 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
RIVER FOREST — The songs and celebrations could wait. Emi Kapusta had a game to win.
The senior midfielder at Fenwick would play out the emotional joy of celebrating her birthday. The focus at hand was playing a good St. Ignatius team.
“I think our team is very dedicated,” Kapusta said. “We come on the field ready to go, and I think that really shows.
“We can start in the back and build our way up.”
The Friars struck gold at the start of each half with beautiful goals that powered a 3-1 victory in Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Divison play Friday afternoon at Priory Park.
In a game marked by emotion and the adrenaline rush of excitement and nerves, Fenwick was eager to make an impactful opening statement.
“We wanted to come out strong, because we knew if we started strong, we’d play well the rest of the game,” junior forward Kate Henige said. “Getting that goal early helped us knock them down and take advantage of the game early on.
“Obviously we came out in the second half and did the same thing. That really helped.”
Fenwick (7-2-1, 7-2-0) was organized and aggressive at the start. That was evident after a corner kick opportunity was established in the first minute of play.
The Friars flooded numbers forward, and the lithe and angular Henige took charge moments later. At nearly 6-foot tall, she is exceptionally difficult to handle in space.
Henige got free on the left wing and advanced the ball before slotting a perfectly placed cross to senior midfielder Anna Dray just outside the top of the box.
Dray blasted the ball into the upper right 90 in the fifth minute.
“Honestly it didn’t really register with me that it had been that early until I looked up at the clock,” Dray said. “I thought, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it was only five minutes.’
“At that point we had already played a lot of soccer and built the attack up several times, and we just needed that one time to open it up.”
The tactical and psychological advantages of scoring early are almost impossible to overstate. Early goals are a godsend.
“It reminded me of one of the Loyola games. They scored early on us, and they really kind of held it the whole game,” Dray said.
“We learned from that. You have to really come out strong in games. That was the learning experience for us.”
St. Ignatius (8-4-0, 5-2-0) responded in its own sharp fashion. Coach and former Loyola star Caroline Zadina took over the program last year. Her coaching debut was delayed by the pandemic.
She has brought a nervy and athletic style to a team brimming with gifted young players. She also adjusted the attack to account for the absence of three-time all-state player Ella Richards, who is not playing high school this year.
Senior Lauren Tiemann is especially quick and dangerous in space, and she put exceptional pressure on the Friars’ interior with her ability to get to the goal.
In the 11th minute, midfielder Shannon Rydz broke free on the left edge and hammered a short volley that Fenwick keeper Audrey Hinrichs superbly denied.
“I think we had the majority of the possession today, and I thought we had great competition,” Zadina said. “I think we had a lot of chances on goal that just didn’t go our way by very small margins.”
The goal by Dray held up as the only score of the first half.
Fenwick’s players realized the one-goal margin was not likely to hold up given the attacking nature of the Wolfpack.
“Honestly I have to give credit to St. Ignatius,” Kapusta said. “I thought they did a good job in the second half, but I thought we did a better job of standing our ground.”
Fenwick also managed the ideal echo effect, opening its second half like the first. In the third minute, forward Juliana Giuffre made an aggressive hustle play to force a deflection off a Wolfpack defender that resulted in a corner.
Kapusta went to work from there.
Operating from the right corner, Kapusta smashed a left-footed ball in the 43rd minute that curved brilliantly for the crucial second goal.
“I’ve actually been working on that with one of the assistant coaches, and he kept telling me to hit more on the outside of the ball,” she said.
“Finally it worked out.”
Emi Kapusta earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor for her goal and recurrent ability to help the Friars develop the necessary possession and scoring build-up.
Fenwick did what St. Ignatius wanted to do.
“Obviously the first five minutes of each half is very important, and we would like to come out as strong as possible,” Zadina said.
“We learned from those moments, and it gives us something to work on as get ready for the state playoffs. We take it as a learning lesson.”
Henige and Giuffre collaborated for the final Fenwick goal in the 55th minute.
Henige got the ball on the left wing off a counter and drove hard toward the goal. Wolfpack keeper Darcy Schoen made a nice block of the first ball.
Giuffre was perfectly positioned for the rebound. She blasted it home for the 3-0 lead. Giuffre has a knack of being around the ball.
“I don’t know how that happens,” she said. “I just run up there, and I just feel like it’s always going to come back. Most of the time, I’m always trying to be up there waiting for the ball.
“Sometimes it does, and I place it in the back of the net.”
St. Ignatius sophomore forward Angelina Tomassini helped her team avert the shutout by knocking a left-footed ball that curved inside the near post in the 63rd minute.
Fenwick’s Hinrichs was stellar with seven saves.
The same teams play the second of their dual series Tuesday at St. Ignatius.
“We’ve been talking about having these games,” Kapusta said. “We played McAuley first on our field, and we got a win and then the next game at their place, all of us were nervous.
“We just have to keep on pushing. We know that determination really matters.”
Starting lineups
St. Ignatius
GK: Darcy Schoen
D: Cameron Shutt
D: Kate Abdo
D: Elizabeth Doherty
D: Santana Berhalter
MF: Valeria Fernandez
MF: Eloise Barnett
MF: Adrian Williams
MF: Shannon Rydz
F: Lauren Tiemann
F: Claire Redecki
Fenwick
GK: Audrey Hinrichs
D: Anna Bjorson
D: Abbie Rogowski
D: Courtney Yungerman
D: Emily Ortiz
MF: Anna Dray
MF: Grace McGann
MF: Emi Kapusta
MF: Grace Kapsch
F: Juliana Giuffre
F: Kate Henige
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emi Kapusta, sr., MF, Fenwick
Scoring summary
First half
Fenwick—Anna Dray (Kate Henige), fifth minute
Second half
Fenwick—Emi Kapusta (corner kick), 43rd minute
Fenwick—Juliana Giufre (Henige), 55th minute
St. Ignatius—Angelina Tomassini (Adrian Williams), 63rd minute