Glenbard East starts,
finishes fast to sink Streamwood
Rams remain undefeated in Upstate Eight Conference
By Curt Herron
LOMBARD -- Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey was understandably concerned about all of the early-season injuries that his team had to deal with, especially since he only has three seniors to go along with six juniors who experienced varsity action as freshmen two years ago.
But after seeing his team turn in a good performance in a 5-2 Upstate Eight Conference home victory over Streamwood on Wednesday, the coach is pleased by how his players have stepped up and taken on different roles. That’s helped the Rams get off to a 2-1-1 start and a 2-0-1 mark in conference play.
The Rams scored three goals during a stretch of 7:39 early in the opening half to seemingly take control of the match. But after the Sabres answered a short time later with their first goal and then closed to within 3-2 with less than 20 minutes remaining, the hosts scored two more times to wrap up the victory.
Jasmine Dhamers and Maia Zatarski each scored two goals while Sarah Liljestrand added a goal and two assists to lead the Rams. Ruby Campuzano and Maddie Kiefer also chipped in with an assist for the winners, who now prepare for a big home nonconference match on Saturday against district rival Glenbard West.
"We've had multiple players out every game until now, but we only had one person out today, so this was the closest that we've been to 100 percent," Overbey said. "I think that says a lot about our team with how players are stepping up. The most impressive thing to me about this game and this team is just how ready everybody is to step in at any position. It says a lot about the players on this team, that they're so willing to do whatever we need. I like their attitude and the will to compete
"Our message has been to celebrate every win and every goal since we've seen what it feels like when it gets taken away from you. We had players who lost freshman years and some lost sophomore years after being big contributors as freshmen. We only carry one goalie, and Zoe (Romano) is amazing. When we asked the team what we'd do if something happened to her, we had three or four hands go up from kids who said they'd step in the goal in the middle of a game if they had to. That's refreshing and awesome."
The Rams opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Campuzano sent a ball in front of the goal and Dhamers put it in. Then in the 13th minute, Dhamers connected for the second time after Liljestrand directed a pass to her and she got past keeper Selina Chavez and put a shot into an empty net from about 30 yards.
"It starts out of the back, and we're strong in the midfield. They're able to get the ball out and have people who are able to cross them in," Dhamers said. "We do a really good job of building out of the back and getting balls up, and we're glad to get on the end of them. We're really close as a team. It takes 11 people, so everybody is part of everything."
The Rams grabbed a 3-0 advantage in the 17th minute when Zatarski got to a loose ball following a defensive clear and put in a shot from close range.
"Even though we have five captains, there are more players who can be the leaders," Zatarski said. "Everyone is stepping up to what they have to do. There's been so many injuries, and we've had to move people around. I love how everyone is willing to go wherever to better the team. And everyone's close with each other, and it's a fun group."
Joining juniors Zatarski and Liljestrand as team captains are seniors Sophia Heatley and Kendall Crackel and junior Natalie Borcean.
"We stepped out here with great energy and just showed what we can do," Liljestrand said. "I feel like it's great that anyone is willing to play any position and are willing to give it their all. I feel like we bond so well. We started the season not as strong, but now we're bonding very well. We're connecting."
Sabres coach Matt Polovin has also had to improvise at times due to having a similar team make-up as the Rams. He has just three seniors and several sophomores and freshmen with limited or no varsity experience as well as a small bench. Streamwood (2-3-1, 0-2-1) was led by two goals from Natalia Colin while Diana Herrera assisted on both scores.
The Sabres, who have three home matches during the next few days, finally connected in the 21st minute when Herrera sent a pass to Colin, who got free and fired in an attempt from about 20 yards.
"It was hard when you're down 3-0 in the first half because it's hard to keep up the pace," Colin said. "I think that our team did good, but we just needed a little more finishing. The thing I like most about us is our passing. We have a lot of players who know each other, so it makes it easier to pass, and we keep a lot of possession between our players."
Both sides had opportunities during the last part of the opening half. After Chavez denied Glenbard East's Dhamers and Zatarski on good attempts, Rams keeper Zoe Romano halted a pair of long free kicks that were sent in by Colin.
Early in the second half, Colin was denied again, as were Sophia Sommesi and Zatarski on the other side of the field. In the 63rd minute, Streamwood closed the gap to 3-2 when Herrera and Colin again connected, this time on a corner kick. Colin got a touch on the loose ball in front of the net to pull her team to within a goal.
But the Rams answered quickly. Kiefer found Liljestrand, who put in an attempt from about 15 yards in the 65th minute. And shortly after a try by Colin bounced off the crossbar, Liljestrand sent a pass to Zatarski, who connected into an open net from about 10 yards to conclude the scoring.
"I give my girls a ton of credit under the circumstances," Polovin said. "We have a very small roster to begin with, so the majority of the girls were getting a ton of minutes out there. For them to keep working hard for all 80 minutes against Glenbard East, which didn't give us anything lightly. We had to work for everything.
"Natalia played a really great game, and she does some nice things out there. I just think sometimes she needs a little more support from some of the girls. This is a very young team so every game is a big-time learning lesson.
“All that I can ask is if they can give me 100 percent every game and finish some of our chances. We're getting, in each game, a lot of perfect chances to put some shots away. Once they start doing that, they're going to see how things are going to be a lot easier for them."
Starting lineups
Streamwood
G - Selina Chavez
D- Esther Cardenas
D- Vanessa Colin
D- Karla Morales
D- Madison Rivera
M- Diana Herrera
M- Kristina Kellogg
M- Karla Morales
M- Daniela Sanchez
F- Natalia Colin
F- Reyna Saldivar
Glenbard East
G- Zoe Romano
D-Ruby Campuzano
D- Sarah Conroy
D - Kendall Crackel
D - Maddie Kiefer
M - Natalie Borcean
M - Sophia Heatley
M - Sophia Sommesi
M - Maia Zatarski
F - Jasmine Dhamers
F - Sarah Liljestrand
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sarah Liljestrand, jr., F, Glenbard East
Scoring summary
First half
GE - Dhamers (Campuzano), 9
GE - Dhamers (Liljestrand), 13
GE - Zatarski, 17
Str - N. Colin (Herrera), 21
Second half
Str - N. Colin (Herrera), 63
GE - Liljestrand (Kiefer), 65
GE - Zatarski (Liljestrand), 70
finishes fast to sink Streamwood
Rams remain undefeated in Upstate Eight Conference
By Curt Herron
LOMBARD -- Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey was understandably concerned about all of the early-season injuries that his team had to deal with, especially since he only has three seniors to go along with six juniors who experienced varsity action as freshmen two years ago.
But after seeing his team turn in a good performance in a 5-2 Upstate Eight Conference home victory over Streamwood on Wednesday, the coach is pleased by how his players have stepped up and taken on different roles. That’s helped the Rams get off to a 2-1-1 start and a 2-0-1 mark in conference play.
The Rams scored three goals during a stretch of 7:39 early in the opening half to seemingly take control of the match. But after the Sabres answered a short time later with their first goal and then closed to within 3-2 with less than 20 minutes remaining, the hosts scored two more times to wrap up the victory.
Jasmine Dhamers and Maia Zatarski each scored two goals while Sarah Liljestrand added a goal and two assists to lead the Rams. Ruby Campuzano and Maddie Kiefer also chipped in with an assist for the winners, who now prepare for a big home nonconference match on Saturday against district rival Glenbard West.
"We've had multiple players out every game until now, but we only had one person out today, so this was the closest that we've been to 100 percent," Overbey said. "I think that says a lot about our team with how players are stepping up. The most impressive thing to me about this game and this team is just how ready everybody is to step in at any position. It says a lot about the players on this team, that they're so willing to do whatever we need. I like their attitude and the will to compete
"Our message has been to celebrate every win and every goal since we've seen what it feels like when it gets taken away from you. We had players who lost freshman years and some lost sophomore years after being big contributors as freshmen. We only carry one goalie, and Zoe (Romano) is amazing. When we asked the team what we'd do if something happened to her, we had three or four hands go up from kids who said they'd step in the goal in the middle of a game if they had to. That's refreshing and awesome."
The Rams opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Campuzano sent a ball in front of the goal and Dhamers put it in. Then in the 13th minute, Dhamers connected for the second time after Liljestrand directed a pass to her and she got past keeper Selina Chavez and put a shot into an empty net from about 30 yards.
"It starts out of the back, and we're strong in the midfield. They're able to get the ball out and have people who are able to cross them in," Dhamers said. "We do a really good job of building out of the back and getting balls up, and we're glad to get on the end of them. We're really close as a team. It takes 11 people, so everybody is part of everything."
The Rams grabbed a 3-0 advantage in the 17th minute when Zatarski got to a loose ball following a defensive clear and put in a shot from close range.
"Even though we have five captains, there are more players who can be the leaders," Zatarski said. "Everyone is stepping up to what they have to do. There's been so many injuries, and we've had to move people around. I love how everyone is willing to go wherever to better the team. And everyone's close with each other, and it's a fun group."
Joining juniors Zatarski and Liljestrand as team captains are seniors Sophia Heatley and Kendall Crackel and junior Natalie Borcean.
"We stepped out here with great energy and just showed what we can do," Liljestrand said. "I feel like it's great that anyone is willing to play any position and are willing to give it their all. I feel like we bond so well. We started the season not as strong, but now we're bonding very well. We're connecting."
Sabres coach Matt Polovin has also had to improvise at times due to having a similar team make-up as the Rams. He has just three seniors and several sophomores and freshmen with limited or no varsity experience as well as a small bench. Streamwood (2-3-1, 0-2-1) was led by two goals from Natalia Colin while Diana Herrera assisted on both scores.
The Sabres, who have three home matches during the next few days, finally connected in the 21st minute when Herrera sent a pass to Colin, who got free and fired in an attempt from about 20 yards.
"It was hard when you're down 3-0 in the first half because it's hard to keep up the pace," Colin said. "I think that our team did good, but we just needed a little more finishing. The thing I like most about us is our passing. We have a lot of players who know each other, so it makes it easier to pass, and we keep a lot of possession between our players."
Both sides had opportunities during the last part of the opening half. After Chavez denied Glenbard East's Dhamers and Zatarski on good attempts, Rams keeper Zoe Romano halted a pair of long free kicks that were sent in by Colin.
Early in the second half, Colin was denied again, as were Sophia Sommesi and Zatarski on the other side of the field. In the 63rd minute, Streamwood closed the gap to 3-2 when Herrera and Colin again connected, this time on a corner kick. Colin got a touch on the loose ball in front of the net to pull her team to within a goal.
But the Rams answered quickly. Kiefer found Liljestrand, who put in an attempt from about 15 yards in the 65th minute. And shortly after a try by Colin bounced off the crossbar, Liljestrand sent a pass to Zatarski, who connected into an open net from about 10 yards to conclude the scoring.
"I give my girls a ton of credit under the circumstances," Polovin said. "We have a very small roster to begin with, so the majority of the girls were getting a ton of minutes out there. For them to keep working hard for all 80 minutes against Glenbard East, which didn't give us anything lightly. We had to work for everything.
"Natalia played a really great game, and she does some nice things out there. I just think sometimes she needs a little more support from some of the girls. This is a very young team so every game is a big-time learning lesson.
“All that I can ask is if they can give me 100 percent every game and finish some of our chances. We're getting, in each game, a lot of perfect chances to put some shots away. Once they start doing that, they're going to see how things are going to be a lot easier for them."
Starting lineups
Streamwood
G - Selina Chavez
D- Esther Cardenas
D- Vanessa Colin
D- Karla Morales
D- Madison Rivera
M- Diana Herrera
M- Kristina Kellogg
M- Karla Morales
M- Daniela Sanchez
F- Natalia Colin
F- Reyna Saldivar
Glenbard East
G- Zoe Romano
D-Ruby Campuzano
D- Sarah Conroy
D - Kendall Crackel
D - Maddie Kiefer
M - Natalie Borcean
M - Sophia Heatley
M - Sophia Sommesi
M - Maia Zatarski
F - Jasmine Dhamers
F - Sarah Liljestrand
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sarah Liljestrand, jr., F, Glenbard East
Scoring summary
First half
GE - Dhamers (Campuzano), 9
GE - Dhamers (Liljestrand), 13
GE - Zatarski, 17
Str - N. Colin (Herrera), 21
Second half
Str - N. Colin (Herrera), 63
GE - Liljestrand (Kiefer), 65
GE - Zatarski (Liljestrand), 70