Stevenson’s family acts
guide win over Lane
Patriots beat short-handed Lane in tournament opener
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHFIELD -- Stevenson junior Bella Chavez is part of a family business.
It's a booming and highly exciting time for the family brand.
The midfielder wields her considerable craft and abilities for her father, PepeJon Chavez, who directs the Patriots’ two soccer programs.
“Family is definitely the most important part of our culture,” she said.
“On and off the field, we are really close as a team. It’s not just one player we are relying on with each game.”
“My sister Arria is also on the team,” said Bella, pronounced “Bay-yuh,” a diminutive of her full name.
“I have my dad and my sister to play with, and that’s an honor. I feel very blessed. People say it’s not fun to work with family, but I think it’s just the opposite.”
Bella Chavez scored two goals as the Stevenson, ranked no. 13 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, glided past 14th-ranked Lane 5-1 in Group A play of the 4th annual Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic here Saturday.
She also earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match award for her outstanding play.
Stevenson (5-0-0) is the defending tournament champion from 2019, the last year the event was held before the two-year pandemic interruption.
The goal differential of the match made sense when context is added. Lane played without six rotation players and three starters, out due to illness and the conflicting schedule of Chicago Public League’s spring break.
Lane coach Michelle Vale had to start two freshmen off of her junior varsity team.
“I really appreciate the fact that anyone I asked to play, whether they are players who don’t usually get as many minutes or players who coming from our junior varsity, they were happy and willing to step up for me and the team,” Vale said.
One of those freshman call ups, forward Grace Carmen, scored her first career goal in the second half for Lane (5-3-0).
Junior keeper Siena Belko was the other standout for Lane. She kept her team close through more than 30 minutes of play with several spectacular stops.
Playing just the first half, Belko had six saves.
“I’d say my style when we are playing against teams like this, who are really fast paced and I’m expecting a lot of shots already, it puts me up to my best game,” Belko said.
“That’s when the game is really exciting for me, being able to jump around and really make saves like that. I feel like that pushes me to be my best player.”
Belko and her teammates have endured a brutal early schedule against the likes of no. 5 Glenbrook North, no. 15 Loyola, no. 25 Young, and Class AA third place finisher Saint Viator.
The keeper has more than held her own with shutouts of Saint Viator and Loyola.
She also posted two conference shutouts.
She makes up for her lack of size with athleticism, quickness and considerable poise, and has great reaction time inside the box.
“When we are playing hard teams, everyone plays better,” Belko said.
“I love playing with my team, and we always want to play our best for each other.”
For much of the first half, the game was a thrilling back-and-forth affair. Stevenson’s early aggressiveness was matched by Lane’s set pieces and counter push.
Bella Chavez broke through in the 18th minute by finishing a beautiful corner from forward Ellie Egeland.
“Right away, we were pressing really hard and creating amazing opportunities,” Bella Chavez said.
“That first goal was bound to come, and it happened. I was glad we put it in the net and kept on going.”
Lane showed courage and produced dangerous moments throughout the first half.
Sophomore midfielder Kristiyana Sevova continued to impress as the next great Lane talent.
She balances size, quickness and a sharp presence. She plays with enthusiasm and has shown a continuous and electric energy.
Midway through the first half, she generated Lane’s best pre-intermission chance by driving into the Patriots’ half and while on the move blasting a ball that forced keeper Mandy Meliker to make a diving stop.
Meliker and starting defender Bri Welter also contributed to the Patriots’ Class 4A state basketball championship team.
There is another family connection at Stevenson with junior midfielder Mimi VanZanten, who extended the Patriots lead to 2-0 with her 32nd minute goal.
Her family has been synonymous with Stevenson soccer the last six years.
Her oldest sister, Brianna VanZanten, was a three-year starter who is now completing her college career at Case Western.
Her middle sister, Kalyssa VanZanten, known as “Kiki,” is the most celebrated player.
She scored the winning goal in the Patriots’ 2-0 victory over New Trier in the championship game of the Deep Dish Classic in 2019.
During that season, her only year of playing high school, Kiki scored 26 goals and had 14 assists to earn Chicagoland Soccer all-state honors.
She led the Patriots to a school-record 22 wins and a supersectional appearance.
Now at Notre Dame, she is playing with the Jamaican national team in their World Cup qualifying games. Their mother Priscilla ran track for her native country. Their father Kent played football at Illinois Wesleyan.
“It’s obviously awesome following them: going to all of my sisters’ games when I was younger and seeing them play and sitting in the bleachers and wishing that could be me one day,” Mimi VanZanten said. “Now I finally have the opportunity to play for Stevenson.”
PepeJon Chavez has coached all three VanZanten sisters.
Mimi is practically the third Chavez sister.
“I’ve known PepeJon since I was four,” VanZanten said. “Getting to work with him in a real game-setting is awesome.”
The Patriots are deep, skilled and athletic, and team enthusiasm is high.
“Looking at the rankings, we are very excited to be in there,” VanZanten said. “Our ranking is only going to get higher.
“Our potential grows, and we can see that for every game.”
Lane’s goal by Carmen was set up by a beautiful pass from Gabriela Pop, was the first scored on Stevenson this season.
Lane’s all-state midfielder Scout Murray was a person of interest, and she was continually shadowed by the Patriots’ backline.
Defender Olivia Schmit generated the best chances for Lane with her free kicks. One just sailed over the top of the bar early in the second half. Murray was denied three times as well.
Group A features a roundelay of power programs with no. 12 New Trier and no. 20 Carmel still on Lane’s docket.
Lane travels to Carmel on Monday and hosts New Trier on Tuesday. Stevenson is at New Trier on Monday and hosts Carmel on Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Stevenson
GK: Mandy Meliker
D: Kaitlyn Hong
D: Lily Mahdavian
D: Bri Welter
D: Hailey Livesay
MF: Ella Hong
MF: Mimi VanZanten
MF: Brynn Stein
MF: Bella Chavez
F: Arria Chavez
F: Ellie Egeland
Lane
GK: Siena Belko
D: Jocelyn Ramirez
D: Olive Tinucci
D: Olivia Schmit
D: Sawyer Mills
MF: Dale Sink
MF: Krstiyana Sevova
MF: Maya Martinez-Bates
MF: Scout Murray
F: Grace Carmen
F: Gabriela Pop
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Bella Chavez, jr., MF, Stevenson
Scoring summary
First half
Stevenson—Bella Chavez (Ellie Egeland), 18th minute
Stevenson—Mimi VanZanten (unassisted), 32nd minute
Second half
Stevenson—Chavez (Sami An), 51st minute
Lane—Grace Carmen (Gabriela Pop), 57th
Stevenson—Kaitlyn Hong (Ella Hong), 58th minute
Stevenson—Brynn Stein (unassisted), 73rd minute
guide win over Lane
Patriots beat short-handed Lane in tournament opener
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NORTHFIELD -- Stevenson junior Bella Chavez is part of a family business.
It's a booming and highly exciting time for the family brand.
The midfielder wields her considerable craft and abilities for her father, PepeJon Chavez, who directs the Patriots’ two soccer programs.
“Family is definitely the most important part of our culture,” she said.
“On and off the field, we are really close as a team. It’s not just one player we are relying on with each game.”
“My sister Arria is also on the team,” said Bella, pronounced “Bay-yuh,” a diminutive of her full name.
“I have my dad and my sister to play with, and that’s an honor. I feel very blessed. People say it’s not fun to work with family, but I think it’s just the opposite.”
Bella Chavez scored two goals as the Stevenson, ranked no. 13 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, glided past 14th-ranked Lane 5-1 in Group A play of the 4th annual Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic here Saturday.
She also earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match award for her outstanding play.
Stevenson (5-0-0) is the defending tournament champion from 2019, the last year the event was held before the two-year pandemic interruption.
The goal differential of the match made sense when context is added. Lane played without six rotation players and three starters, out due to illness and the conflicting schedule of Chicago Public League’s spring break.
Lane coach Michelle Vale had to start two freshmen off of her junior varsity team.
“I really appreciate the fact that anyone I asked to play, whether they are players who don’t usually get as many minutes or players who coming from our junior varsity, they were happy and willing to step up for me and the team,” Vale said.
One of those freshman call ups, forward Grace Carmen, scored her first career goal in the second half for Lane (5-3-0).
Junior keeper Siena Belko was the other standout for Lane. She kept her team close through more than 30 minutes of play with several spectacular stops.
Playing just the first half, Belko had six saves.
“I’d say my style when we are playing against teams like this, who are really fast paced and I’m expecting a lot of shots already, it puts me up to my best game,” Belko said.
“That’s when the game is really exciting for me, being able to jump around and really make saves like that. I feel like that pushes me to be my best player.”
Belko and her teammates have endured a brutal early schedule against the likes of no. 5 Glenbrook North, no. 15 Loyola, no. 25 Young, and Class AA third place finisher Saint Viator.
The keeper has more than held her own with shutouts of Saint Viator and Loyola.
She also posted two conference shutouts.
She makes up for her lack of size with athleticism, quickness and considerable poise, and has great reaction time inside the box.
“When we are playing hard teams, everyone plays better,” Belko said.
“I love playing with my team, and we always want to play our best for each other.”
For much of the first half, the game was a thrilling back-and-forth affair. Stevenson’s early aggressiveness was matched by Lane’s set pieces and counter push.
Bella Chavez broke through in the 18th minute by finishing a beautiful corner from forward Ellie Egeland.
“Right away, we were pressing really hard and creating amazing opportunities,” Bella Chavez said.
“That first goal was bound to come, and it happened. I was glad we put it in the net and kept on going.”
Lane showed courage and produced dangerous moments throughout the first half.
Sophomore midfielder Kristiyana Sevova continued to impress as the next great Lane talent.
She balances size, quickness and a sharp presence. She plays with enthusiasm and has shown a continuous and electric energy.
Midway through the first half, she generated Lane’s best pre-intermission chance by driving into the Patriots’ half and while on the move blasting a ball that forced keeper Mandy Meliker to make a diving stop.
Meliker and starting defender Bri Welter also contributed to the Patriots’ Class 4A state basketball championship team.
There is another family connection at Stevenson with junior midfielder Mimi VanZanten, who extended the Patriots lead to 2-0 with her 32nd minute goal.
Her family has been synonymous with Stevenson soccer the last six years.
Her oldest sister, Brianna VanZanten, was a three-year starter who is now completing her college career at Case Western.
Her middle sister, Kalyssa VanZanten, known as “Kiki,” is the most celebrated player.
She scored the winning goal in the Patriots’ 2-0 victory over New Trier in the championship game of the Deep Dish Classic in 2019.
During that season, her only year of playing high school, Kiki scored 26 goals and had 14 assists to earn Chicagoland Soccer all-state honors.
She led the Patriots to a school-record 22 wins and a supersectional appearance.
Now at Notre Dame, she is playing with the Jamaican national team in their World Cup qualifying games. Their mother Priscilla ran track for her native country. Their father Kent played football at Illinois Wesleyan.
“It’s obviously awesome following them: going to all of my sisters’ games when I was younger and seeing them play and sitting in the bleachers and wishing that could be me one day,” Mimi VanZanten said. “Now I finally have the opportunity to play for Stevenson.”
PepeJon Chavez has coached all three VanZanten sisters.
Mimi is practically the third Chavez sister.
“I’ve known PepeJon since I was four,” VanZanten said. “Getting to work with him in a real game-setting is awesome.”
The Patriots are deep, skilled and athletic, and team enthusiasm is high.
“Looking at the rankings, we are very excited to be in there,” VanZanten said. “Our ranking is only going to get higher.
“Our potential grows, and we can see that for every game.”
Lane’s goal by Carmen was set up by a beautiful pass from Gabriela Pop, was the first scored on Stevenson this season.
Lane’s all-state midfielder Scout Murray was a person of interest, and she was continually shadowed by the Patriots’ backline.
Defender Olivia Schmit generated the best chances for Lane with her free kicks. One just sailed over the top of the bar early in the second half. Murray was denied three times as well.
Group A features a roundelay of power programs with no. 12 New Trier and no. 20 Carmel still on Lane’s docket.
Lane travels to Carmel on Monday and hosts New Trier on Tuesday. Stevenson is at New Trier on Monday and hosts Carmel on Tuesday.
Starting lineups
Stevenson
GK: Mandy Meliker
D: Kaitlyn Hong
D: Lily Mahdavian
D: Bri Welter
D: Hailey Livesay
MF: Ella Hong
MF: Mimi VanZanten
MF: Brynn Stein
MF: Bella Chavez
F: Arria Chavez
F: Ellie Egeland
Lane
GK: Siena Belko
D: Jocelyn Ramirez
D: Olive Tinucci
D: Olivia Schmit
D: Sawyer Mills
MF: Dale Sink
MF: Krstiyana Sevova
MF: Maya Martinez-Bates
MF: Scout Murray
F: Grace Carmen
F: Gabriela Pop
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Bella Chavez, jr., MF, Stevenson
Scoring summary
First half
Stevenson—Bella Chavez (Ellie Egeland), 18th minute
Stevenson—Mimi VanZanten (unassisted), 32nd minute
Second half
Stevenson—Chavez (Sami An), 51st minute
Lane—Grace Carmen (Gabriela Pop), 57th
Stevenson—Kaitlyn Hong (Ella Hong), 58th minute
Stevenson—Brynn Stein (unassisted), 73rd minute