Vernon Hills makes 73 minutes of Deerfield's work disappear in 34 seconds
Visiting Cougars erase 3-1 deficit to earn draw
By Bill McLean
DEERFIELD — Nobody would have blamed visiting Vernon Hills coach Mike McCaulou had he sprinted toward the bleachers at halftime and recruited students with eligibility to suit up for his Cougars on Friday night.
Starting junior back Katie Perritt suffered a knee injury in the first minute against Deerfield in a Central Suburban League North Division tilt at Adams Field. Her sub, freshman back/midfielder Sara Budziak, sustained an ankle injury three minutes later.
Neither would return.
Two other Cougars starters, junior midfielder Grace Guillaume and junior midfielder/back Caitlyn Leuck, limped off the Warriors’ pitch in the final six minutes of the first half.
They would return.
Another painful sight — and another temporary one, for Vernon Hills — was the information on the scoreboard with 20 minutes left in the second half:
Deerfield 3, Vernon Hills 1.
But the visitors came through with a hale and hearty stretch 13 minutes later, stunning Deerfield with a pair of goals spanning a scant 34 seconds and escaping with a 3-3 tie on a warm night in Lake County.
“To do what we did with our injuries and being down 3-1 to a quality team, I couldn’t be prouder or more grateful than I am right now,” said a thrilled McCaulou, whose Cougars trailed 3-0 to Deerfield in the schools’ first meeting on May 7, and nearly knotted matters on the home turf before falling 3-2.
“An absolutely outstanding effort by our girls tonight. Talk about resiliency, talk about determination, talk about getting knocked down and right back up — these girls showed all of that. Their hearts are monstrous.”
Chicagoland Soccer co-MVP of the Match Jessie Biede, a senior forward, essentially started and completed the electric comeback. She received a feed from Cougars junior midfielder Julia Kempf and booted a shot that glanced off Deerfield’s second goalkeeper of the night, Gabi Sipe (three saves). Guillaume then pounced on the short rebound to pare Deerfield’s advantage to 3-2 in the 73rd minute.
Thirty-four seconds later, following a foul in the box, Biede equalized the contest on a PK.
“Crazy,” Biede said of her club erasing a two-goal deficit in about the time it takes to order a meal at a drive-through. “We don’t stop, ever. We never got down on ourselves, and we all put together the energy we needed to come back.
“Our team’s injuries … back, ankle, knee, you name it. We overcame all of them to get this tie.”
Each team had entered the match with a 5-2-0 CSL North mark. A day earlier, the Class AA sectional seeds were announced: Deerfield (now 10-6-2 overall and 5-2-1 in CSL North action) received the no. 3 slot in the Wauconda Sectional and Vernon Hill (8-5-1, 5-2-1) the no. 7 in the same sectional.
There’s a shot, McCaulou pointed dout, that Vernon Hills and Deerfield could meet in June with a regional championship at stake.
“Scoring three goals should be enough to win a game,” said Warriors coach Rich Grady, whose squad led 1-0 at the break. “We controlled the game for large segments.”
Deerfield opened the scoring on an alert play by freshman forward and Chicagoland Soccer co-MVP of the Match Emily Fox, who intercepted a risky pass in Vernon Hills’ zone, dribbled five yards and then poked a 15-yard shot past Cougars senior goalkeeper Daniella Jarrell (10 saves), who stopped several dangerous blasts from Deerfield’s formidable attackers, including junior forward Riley Schimanski.
Fox struck for her second goal of the night — and 12th of the season — off another dandy, lengthy cross from Warriors junior forward Holly Deutsch in the 60th minute. Deutsch finished with two assists, upping her total to a team-high 16. Deutsch’s first spot-on cross found a sprinting Schimanski, whose team-best 15th goal of the season gave the hosts a 2-1 lead in the 51st minute.
“Holly, your cross was insane,” Deerfield junior back Ally Linn said after the second helper.
Deutsch was sitting along the Warriors’ sideline at the time of the compliment.
“Extremely tough,” Deutsch said afterward of having to accept the stalemate. “Vernon Hills never gave up.”
“Vernon Hills,” Fox added, “kept working after falling behind by two goals. Kept working hard. We have to work just as hard, even when we have a lead like we had tonight.”
Vernon Hills tied it a 1 following a majestic service from sophomore midfielder Rose Sheridan in the 48th minute. Sheridan entered the game following Budziak’s injury early in the first half. Cougars freshman forward/midfielder Meagan Winckler, stationed near the far post, fielded Sheridan’s offering cleanly and jabbed it home.
Deerfield visits Niles North on Monday at 7 p.m. and hosts Maine West on Tuesday at 7 p.m.; Vernon Hills visits Highland Park on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. and entertains Niles North on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Deerfield outscored Niles North and Maine West by a combined 11-1 in its first run-through vs. CSL North foes; Vernon Hills defeated Niles North 8-0 on May 19.
Footnotes
Deerfield senior Isa Davila (two saves) started in goal against Vernon Hills and blanked the visitors in the first 40 minutes. … McCaulou, who also coaches boys soccer at Vernon Hills and wore a black T-shirt Friday (with “Family Forever” adorning the back), on guiding Cougars in two seasons each year at the District 128 school: “We’re so fortunate, getting to coach a group of boys and girls like we have each year. They’re all committed to the sport, love to play. We don’t have the most club players in the world (referring to his girls side), but look what they did tonight, in a road game and in a playoff atmosphere. These girls will run though a brick wall for you.” … Had Deerfield been able to maintain its 3-1 lead Friday night, Schimanski would have notched her 11th career game-winning goal. Her career-goal total is 21. … Deerfield’s only two CSL North losses came at the feet of Highland Park on April 29 (2-0) and May 17 (4-1).
Starting lineups
Vernon Hills
GK Daniella Jarrell
D Katie Perritt
D Maya Oppenheim
D Brooke Kading
D Caitlin Leuck
M Grace Guillaume
M Rylee Makowskyj
M Julia Kempf
F Jessie Biede
F Rubi Gonzalez
F Meagan Winckler
Deerfield
GK Isa Davila
D Ally Linn
D Avery Kingsepp
D Madeline Stevens
D Katie Morgan
M Emma Gassman
M Emily Fox
M Erin Emory
F Holly Deutsch
F Riley Schimanski
F Simone Criz
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Jessie Biede, sr., F, Vernon Hills; Emily Fox, fr., MF, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
Deerfield — Fox (UA), 33’
Second half
Vernon Hills — Winckler (Rose Sheridan), 48’
Deerfield — Schimanski (Deutsch), 51’
Deerfield — Fox (Deutsch), 60’
Vernon Hills — Guillaume (Biede), 73’
Vernon Hills — Biede (PK), 74’
Visiting Cougars erase 3-1 deficit to earn draw
By Bill McLean
DEERFIELD — Nobody would have blamed visiting Vernon Hills coach Mike McCaulou had he sprinted toward the bleachers at halftime and recruited students with eligibility to suit up for his Cougars on Friday night.
Starting junior back Katie Perritt suffered a knee injury in the first minute against Deerfield in a Central Suburban League North Division tilt at Adams Field. Her sub, freshman back/midfielder Sara Budziak, sustained an ankle injury three minutes later.
Neither would return.
Two other Cougars starters, junior midfielder Grace Guillaume and junior midfielder/back Caitlyn Leuck, limped off the Warriors’ pitch in the final six minutes of the first half.
They would return.
Another painful sight — and another temporary one, for Vernon Hills — was the information on the scoreboard with 20 minutes left in the second half:
Deerfield 3, Vernon Hills 1.
But the visitors came through with a hale and hearty stretch 13 minutes later, stunning Deerfield with a pair of goals spanning a scant 34 seconds and escaping with a 3-3 tie on a warm night in Lake County.
“To do what we did with our injuries and being down 3-1 to a quality team, I couldn’t be prouder or more grateful than I am right now,” said a thrilled McCaulou, whose Cougars trailed 3-0 to Deerfield in the schools’ first meeting on May 7, and nearly knotted matters on the home turf before falling 3-2.
“An absolutely outstanding effort by our girls tonight. Talk about resiliency, talk about determination, talk about getting knocked down and right back up — these girls showed all of that. Their hearts are monstrous.”
Chicagoland Soccer co-MVP of the Match Jessie Biede, a senior forward, essentially started and completed the electric comeback. She received a feed from Cougars junior midfielder Julia Kempf and booted a shot that glanced off Deerfield’s second goalkeeper of the night, Gabi Sipe (three saves). Guillaume then pounced on the short rebound to pare Deerfield’s advantage to 3-2 in the 73rd minute.
Thirty-four seconds later, following a foul in the box, Biede equalized the contest on a PK.
“Crazy,” Biede said of her club erasing a two-goal deficit in about the time it takes to order a meal at a drive-through. “We don’t stop, ever. We never got down on ourselves, and we all put together the energy we needed to come back.
“Our team’s injuries … back, ankle, knee, you name it. We overcame all of them to get this tie.”
Each team had entered the match with a 5-2-0 CSL North mark. A day earlier, the Class AA sectional seeds were announced: Deerfield (now 10-6-2 overall and 5-2-1 in CSL North action) received the no. 3 slot in the Wauconda Sectional and Vernon Hill (8-5-1, 5-2-1) the no. 7 in the same sectional.
There’s a shot, McCaulou pointed dout, that Vernon Hills and Deerfield could meet in June with a regional championship at stake.
“Scoring three goals should be enough to win a game,” said Warriors coach Rich Grady, whose squad led 1-0 at the break. “We controlled the game for large segments.”
Deerfield opened the scoring on an alert play by freshman forward and Chicagoland Soccer co-MVP of the Match Emily Fox, who intercepted a risky pass in Vernon Hills’ zone, dribbled five yards and then poked a 15-yard shot past Cougars senior goalkeeper Daniella Jarrell (10 saves), who stopped several dangerous blasts from Deerfield’s formidable attackers, including junior forward Riley Schimanski.
Fox struck for her second goal of the night — and 12th of the season — off another dandy, lengthy cross from Warriors junior forward Holly Deutsch in the 60th minute. Deutsch finished with two assists, upping her total to a team-high 16. Deutsch’s first spot-on cross found a sprinting Schimanski, whose team-best 15th goal of the season gave the hosts a 2-1 lead in the 51st minute.
“Holly, your cross was insane,” Deerfield junior back Ally Linn said after the second helper.
Deutsch was sitting along the Warriors’ sideline at the time of the compliment.
“Extremely tough,” Deutsch said afterward of having to accept the stalemate. “Vernon Hills never gave up.”
“Vernon Hills,” Fox added, “kept working after falling behind by two goals. Kept working hard. We have to work just as hard, even when we have a lead like we had tonight.”
Vernon Hills tied it a 1 following a majestic service from sophomore midfielder Rose Sheridan in the 48th minute. Sheridan entered the game following Budziak’s injury early in the first half. Cougars freshman forward/midfielder Meagan Winckler, stationed near the far post, fielded Sheridan’s offering cleanly and jabbed it home.
Deerfield visits Niles North on Monday at 7 p.m. and hosts Maine West on Tuesday at 7 p.m.; Vernon Hills visits Highland Park on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. and entertains Niles North on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Deerfield outscored Niles North and Maine West by a combined 11-1 in its first run-through vs. CSL North foes; Vernon Hills defeated Niles North 8-0 on May 19.
Footnotes
Deerfield senior Isa Davila (two saves) started in goal against Vernon Hills and blanked the visitors in the first 40 minutes. … McCaulou, who also coaches boys soccer at Vernon Hills and wore a black T-shirt Friday (with “Family Forever” adorning the back), on guiding Cougars in two seasons each year at the District 128 school: “We’re so fortunate, getting to coach a group of boys and girls like we have each year. They’re all committed to the sport, love to play. We don’t have the most club players in the world (referring to his girls side), but look what they did tonight, in a road game and in a playoff atmosphere. These girls will run though a brick wall for you.” … Had Deerfield been able to maintain its 3-1 lead Friday night, Schimanski would have notched her 11th career game-winning goal. Her career-goal total is 21. … Deerfield’s only two CSL North losses came at the feet of Highland Park on April 29 (2-0) and May 17 (4-1).
Starting lineups
Vernon Hills
GK Daniella Jarrell
D Katie Perritt
D Maya Oppenheim
D Brooke Kading
D Caitlin Leuck
M Grace Guillaume
M Rylee Makowskyj
M Julia Kempf
F Jessie Biede
F Rubi Gonzalez
F Meagan Winckler
Deerfield
GK Isa Davila
D Ally Linn
D Avery Kingsepp
D Madeline Stevens
D Katie Morgan
M Emma Gassman
M Emily Fox
M Erin Emory
F Holly Deutsch
F Riley Schimanski
F Simone Criz
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Jessie Biede, sr., F, Vernon Hills; Emily Fox, fr., MF, Deerfield
Scoring summary
First half
Deerfield — Fox (UA), 33’
Second half
Vernon Hills — Winckler (Rose Sheridan), 48’
Deerfield — Schimanski (Deutsch), 51’
Deerfield — Fox (Deutsch), 60’
Vernon Hills — Guillaume (Biede), 73’
Vernon Hills — Biede (PK), 74’