Several firsts power Loyola win over Trinity
Junior call up Francesca Hill leads no. 23 Ramblers
By Patrick Z. McGavin
GLENVIEW -- The power of imagination is a beautiful thing to behold. Just ask Loyola's Francesca Hill, a junior midfielder who was summoned from the lower levels to play in her first varsity game.
Her mind racing with possibility, Hill thought out every conceivable scenario. Making it happen in real time in a game situation is something else entirely. She found her way.
The first step to realization is making it real.
Hill made a striking debut by scoring off a free kick from freshman Molly SIpe in the 28th minute that broke open the game powered the no. 23 Ramblers to the 3-0 victory over Trinity in conference play Tuesday afternoon at the Munz Sports Campus.
On the restart, Sipe stood on the right wing about 30 yards out and delivered a looping ball past the first line of defenders inside the box. Hill was the first person there for the finishing touch inside the near post.
First varsity game, first varsity goal.
“It started as a free kick, and I saw Molly and made eye contact with her,” Hill said. “At first, I did not realize where the (shot) had gone, but then I saw everybody reacting, and I realized I scored.”
Loyola coach Shannon Hartinger went deep into her lineup, experimenting with different looks. Hill brought a hunger and intensity as a player eager to make her mark. It all came together.
“I was surprised at first by the opportunity,” Hill said. “But I had in my head that I’d bet a chance like this would happen, and I knew I had to be ready."
For her accomplishments, Hill was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. She was almost too elated by the thrill, the sensation of being part of a bigger and more explosive game.
She seized her chance.
“I practiced with [the varsity] yesterday, and I have also worked with them a couple of times before,” Hill said. “It feels great to be part of a faster game. It feels more real playing on this field with them.
“It was fun.”
Loyola (5-4-2, 2-0-1) won for the fifth time in its last seven games. The shutout follows a surge of strong play that saw the Ramblers administer the first loss of the season to previous no. 4 Glenbrook South and Fremd, which was also highly ranked.
The story of the upstart Blazers (6-8-0, 0-2-0) also demands to be put in context. In his first year, coach Kyle McClure has sought to alter the culture of the program. Being more competitive in conference play was his first directive.
Trinity failed to score a goal in conference play last year. By comparison, Loyola won last year’s game by a margin of 9-0. The game showed how quickly the Blazers have responded to the more rigorous, free-flowing ideas of McClure.
“I think we have done much better than last year, or the years before that,” defender Natalia Guerra said. “The result is much better than anytime we have played them before. We are working much harder on how to defend, how to recover, playing from the back and making more plays.”
Loyola clearly controlled the ball and had the majority of possession. Trinity stymied the Ramblers in the final third throughout much of the first half. It is a measure of how far the Blazers have come that the Ramblers had to work hard for their goals.
“It took them more than 20 minutes to score in the first half,” McClure said. “I think the biggest difference is that they are in much better condition than we are. We played them well for 20 minutes and then we just got tired. That is something we are going to fix in the offseason.”
Sipe is an elite freshman, and she put strong and consistent pressure in the final third. Midfielder Lauren Daffada continued her strong play with her ball skills and ability to drive the ball into the middle and push it wide. In the 36th minute, a freshmen connection broke the game open.
Forward Kathryn Diblik drove the ball down the left flank and got to the line as she served a cross that midfielder Isabella Guzman finished with a beautiful quick touch for the 2-0 lead.
“Katie had a great run, so I just thought I’d sit down in the pocket there where they were not able to pressure us as much defensively, and I thought I could get in there and get a shot,” Guzman said.
Like Hill, the goal was the first of her career. Guzman is one of seven freshmen on the Ramblers’ roster. Getting significant minutes as a freshman at a perennial program is quite an achievement in its own right.
“It is an amazing honor, and I am really thankful to be given this opportunity,” Guzman said. “I think as a young player, you want to be able to take every advantage, have fun out there and be ready for the next three years coming up.”
The very thing that Hartinger imagined playing out has unfolded with a logical precision. The young players needed time to learn the speed and quickness of the game, and they have injected youth, quickness and activity to a talented roster.
“We are lucky to have a strong group of senior leaders combined with juniors and sophomores who have all helped to incorporate the freshmen into the group,” Hartinger said. “The older players have done a great job of welcoming and inviting the younger players and showing great leadership, on and off the field.”
Grace Ehlert and Sipe have been the breakthrough freshmen. Sipe was a dynamic and capable presence throughout the game who forced the Blazers’ keeper Jacqueline Ostiguin into a series of difficult saves. She recorded eight stops.
Another impressive freshman is defender Maya Basan. She alternates with Sipe on the free kicks, and she hit the post from 40 yards in the first half and had another shot ricochet off the near post in the second half.
Ehlert put the closing touches on the performance by scoring in the 67th minute off a pass by midfielder Margaret Elliott. Now the Ramblers look to the continuation of group play in the Naperville Invitational. They beat Fremd on penalty kicks in a specially scheduled game April 9.
“I think we are at a good point of the season where we were tested with good competition, and we responded well,” Hartinger said. “We have not gotten all the results we wanted, but we have started to play and perform better.
“We are defending well as a team, and we are attacking better. We are moving in an upward direction.”
So are the Blazers. Bridget Whitehouse, a skilled freshman in her own right, moved up to the middle and showed excellent instincts. Midfielder Josephine Poe and forward Kaitlyn Poulsen also demonstrated a strong physical presence and the willingness to mix it up.
Progress is usually measured incrementally, but the Blazers are moving u by leaps and bounds.
“Obviously we did not get a lot of good offensive chances today,” McClure said. “We had a few, and we could have gotten one today. I was pleased with our performance. In the last two games, I thought we played our best soccer. I think we took another step forward today. They are obviously a really good team and, they have a lot of skilled players who are fast. They hurt us.
“I think if we and carry this over and continue the progression we are showing, we are going to pick up a few more wins.”
Starting lineups
Trinity
GK: Jacqueline Ostiguin
D: Natalia Guerra
D: Antonella Rivoir
D: Tabitha Mucci
D: Natalie Maine
D: Jessica Olmos
MF: Bridget Whiteside
MF: Grace McCaughey
MF: Josephine Poe
F: Kaitlyn Poulsen
F: Isabella Whitlock
Loyola
GK: Maddie Kenny
D: Grace Cutler
D: Madeline Prassas
D: Maya Basan
MF: Grace Ehlert
MF: Kate Murtagh
MF: Lauren Daffada
MF: Maggie Brett
F: Molly Sipe
FF: Kaitlyn Kurtz
F: Eleanor Jackson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Francesca Hill, jr., MF, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
Loyola—Francesca Hill (Molly Sipe), 28th minute
Loyola—Isabella Guzman (Kathryn Diblik), 36th minute
Second half
Loyola—Grace Ehlert (Margaret Elliott), 67th minute
Junior call up Francesca Hill leads no. 23 Ramblers
By Patrick Z. McGavin
GLENVIEW -- The power of imagination is a beautiful thing to behold. Just ask Loyola's Francesca Hill, a junior midfielder who was summoned from the lower levels to play in her first varsity game.
Her mind racing with possibility, Hill thought out every conceivable scenario. Making it happen in real time in a game situation is something else entirely. She found her way.
The first step to realization is making it real.
Hill made a striking debut by scoring off a free kick from freshman Molly SIpe in the 28th minute that broke open the game powered the no. 23 Ramblers to the 3-0 victory over Trinity in conference play Tuesday afternoon at the Munz Sports Campus.
On the restart, Sipe stood on the right wing about 30 yards out and delivered a looping ball past the first line of defenders inside the box. Hill was the first person there for the finishing touch inside the near post.
First varsity game, first varsity goal.
“It started as a free kick, and I saw Molly and made eye contact with her,” Hill said. “At first, I did not realize where the (shot) had gone, but then I saw everybody reacting, and I realized I scored.”
Loyola coach Shannon Hartinger went deep into her lineup, experimenting with different looks. Hill brought a hunger and intensity as a player eager to make her mark. It all came together.
“I was surprised at first by the opportunity,” Hill said. “But I had in my head that I’d bet a chance like this would happen, and I knew I had to be ready."
For her accomplishments, Hill was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. She was almost too elated by the thrill, the sensation of being part of a bigger and more explosive game.
She seized her chance.
“I practiced with [the varsity] yesterday, and I have also worked with them a couple of times before,” Hill said. “It feels great to be part of a faster game. It feels more real playing on this field with them.
“It was fun.”
Loyola (5-4-2, 2-0-1) won for the fifth time in its last seven games. The shutout follows a surge of strong play that saw the Ramblers administer the first loss of the season to previous no. 4 Glenbrook South and Fremd, which was also highly ranked.
The story of the upstart Blazers (6-8-0, 0-2-0) also demands to be put in context. In his first year, coach Kyle McClure has sought to alter the culture of the program. Being more competitive in conference play was his first directive.
Trinity failed to score a goal in conference play last year. By comparison, Loyola won last year’s game by a margin of 9-0. The game showed how quickly the Blazers have responded to the more rigorous, free-flowing ideas of McClure.
“I think we have done much better than last year, or the years before that,” defender Natalia Guerra said. “The result is much better than anytime we have played them before. We are working much harder on how to defend, how to recover, playing from the back and making more plays.”
Loyola clearly controlled the ball and had the majority of possession. Trinity stymied the Ramblers in the final third throughout much of the first half. It is a measure of how far the Blazers have come that the Ramblers had to work hard for their goals.
“It took them more than 20 minutes to score in the first half,” McClure said. “I think the biggest difference is that they are in much better condition than we are. We played them well for 20 minutes and then we just got tired. That is something we are going to fix in the offseason.”
Sipe is an elite freshman, and she put strong and consistent pressure in the final third. Midfielder Lauren Daffada continued her strong play with her ball skills and ability to drive the ball into the middle and push it wide. In the 36th minute, a freshmen connection broke the game open.
Forward Kathryn Diblik drove the ball down the left flank and got to the line as she served a cross that midfielder Isabella Guzman finished with a beautiful quick touch for the 2-0 lead.
“Katie had a great run, so I just thought I’d sit down in the pocket there where they were not able to pressure us as much defensively, and I thought I could get in there and get a shot,” Guzman said.
Like Hill, the goal was the first of her career. Guzman is one of seven freshmen on the Ramblers’ roster. Getting significant minutes as a freshman at a perennial program is quite an achievement in its own right.
“It is an amazing honor, and I am really thankful to be given this opportunity,” Guzman said. “I think as a young player, you want to be able to take every advantage, have fun out there and be ready for the next three years coming up.”
The very thing that Hartinger imagined playing out has unfolded with a logical precision. The young players needed time to learn the speed and quickness of the game, and they have injected youth, quickness and activity to a talented roster.
“We are lucky to have a strong group of senior leaders combined with juniors and sophomores who have all helped to incorporate the freshmen into the group,” Hartinger said. “The older players have done a great job of welcoming and inviting the younger players and showing great leadership, on and off the field.”
Grace Ehlert and Sipe have been the breakthrough freshmen. Sipe was a dynamic and capable presence throughout the game who forced the Blazers’ keeper Jacqueline Ostiguin into a series of difficult saves. She recorded eight stops.
Another impressive freshman is defender Maya Basan. She alternates with Sipe on the free kicks, and she hit the post from 40 yards in the first half and had another shot ricochet off the near post in the second half.
Ehlert put the closing touches on the performance by scoring in the 67th minute off a pass by midfielder Margaret Elliott. Now the Ramblers look to the continuation of group play in the Naperville Invitational. They beat Fremd on penalty kicks in a specially scheduled game April 9.
“I think we are at a good point of the season where we were tested with good competition, and we responded well,” Hartinger said. “We have not gotten all the results we wanted, but we have started to play and perform better.
“We are defending well as a team, and we are attacking better. We are moving in an upward direction.”
So are the Blazers. Bridget Whitehouse, a skilled freshman in her own right, moved up to the middle and showed excellent instincts. Midfielder Josephine Poe and forward Kaitlyn Poulsen also demonstrated a strong physical presence and the willingness to mix it up.
Progress is usually measured incrementally, but the Blazers are moving u by leaps and bounds.
“Obviously we did not get a lot of good offensive chances today,” McClure said. “We had a few, and we could have gotten one today. I was pleased with our performance. In the last two games, I thought we played our best soccer. I think we took another step forward today. They are obviously a really good team and, they have a lot of skilled players who are fast. They hurt us.
“I think if we and carry this over and continue the progression we are showing, we are going to pick up a few more wins.”
Starting lineups
Trinity
GK: Jacqueline Ostiguin
D: Natalia Guerra
D: Antonella Rivoir
D: Tabitha Mucci
D: Natalie Maine
D: Jessica Olmos
MF: Bridget Whiteside
MF: Grace McCaughey
MF: Josephine Poe
F: Kaitlyn Poulsen
F: Isabella Whitlock
Loyola
GK: Maddie Kenny
D: Grace Cutler
D: Madeline Prassas
D: Maya Basan
MF: Grace Ehlert
MF: Kate Murtagh
MF: Lauren Daffada
MF: Maggie Brett
F: Molly Sipe
FF: Kaitlyn Kurtz
F: Eleanor Jackson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Francesca Hill, jr., MF, Loyola
Scoring summary
First half
Loyola—Francesca Hill (Molly Sipe), 28th minute
Loyola—Isabella Guzman (Kathryn Diblik), 36th minute
Second half
Loyola—Grace Ehlert (Margaret Elliott), 67th minute