Skelton, Warren continue
quick start versus Deerfield
Junior posts goal, 2 assists in 3-1 nonconference victory
By Bob Narang
Warren’s Ella Skelton was primed to become a breakout player last season.
After playing valuable minutes in her freshman season with the Blue Devils in 2019, Skelton was one of the returnees expected to fill the large gap from the graduation of Chicagoland Soccer all-stater Courtney Chomko.
In a stellar four-year career, Chomko amassed 30 goals and 44 assists. She and defender Olivia Wolf led the Blue Devils to a regional title in girls soccer’s last full season.
Skelton admitted being frustrated she had to wait an extra year before becoming an integral part of the Warren program following the cancellation of her sophomore season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Throughout the offseason, Skelton worked tirelessly on her skills and conditioning to prepare for the abridged 2021 season.
“It was super challenging to wait,” Skelton said. “As a team, we did a good job of doing as many routines and staying together to get ready for this season. As soon as we were able to get on the field, we’ve been ready to bring it this year.”
Four games into the season, Skelton’s well on her way.
She recorded a goal and two assists to power Warren to a 3-1 victory over Deerfield in nonconference play on Monday.
The Blue Devils (3-0-1), who are ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, scored two goals in the first half before letting up in the second half. Liza Matimore tapped in a shot for insurance in the 78th minute.
Warren coach Ryan McCabe said he stressed to his team to start the game off with enthusiasm.
"We talked about it earlier Monday that we want to set the tone for the week,” McCabe said. “We got a big week with Wauconda on Tuesday and then we’re in the Glenbrook South quad this weekend. We have five games in six games. We wanted to make sure we got organized and got this game under our belt and set the tone.
“It’s always nice to get one (goal) early. I thought we could’ve gotten a couple more, but we didn’t put them away for whatever reason. I think the girls did a nice job of coming back from giving up that early goal in the second half and still staying on … to get that third one.”
Skelton played a big part in setting the tone, assisting Samantha Pullins for a goal in the fifth minute. She scored her third goal of the season off an assist from Melissa Cote in the 37th minute to pad the lead to 2-0.
Skelton, one of the fastest players on the Blue Devils, relied on her speed to drill the shot into the net.
“I feel like I go up the left side a lot, and am able to do the most on that side,” Skelton said. “I saw an open shot on the front left corner and decided to take it.”
McCabe said Skelton, a captain, is fulfilling her potential to become a college player.
“Ella’s kind of our heart and soul,” he said. “She plays with a lot of passion and speed. We’re really looking forward to using her versatility. I think I used her in three different spots today. A lot of our success runs through her. That was the case tonight.
“She’s improved a lot and has always been athletic. In her freshman year, I knew I had to get her on the field, so I ended up putting her as an outside back. She loved flying up and down the wings.
“Last year she was primed to have a really big breakout year as an attacking player, so we’re finally seeing that now. She’s doing a really nice job for us.”
Deerfield (3-4-1) is inching closer to a full roster after numerous players missed games early in the season.
Warriors were dealt a blow after Rich Grady announced sophomore defender Marissa Siciliano was ruled out for the season Thursday after suffering a knee injury in the first few minutes of the season-opener.
Grady said he added freshman defender Madeline Stevens to the starting lineup for Monday’s game.
“It’s nice we have pretty much our whole group together,” Grady said. “We told them before the game that it’s not about the result tonight, but about the performance. We weren’t really happy with our performance on Saturday against Lane. I thought we did much better today. I thought the two goals they got in the first half, we should’ve done better defensively.”
The Warriors offense is still a work in progress. They rarely possessed the ball on Warren’s side of the field. Blue Devils’ keeper Myka Smith finished with one save.
Deerfield junior defender Ally Linn’s first varsity goal in the 41st minute was a spark for the team and cut its deficit to 2-1. The Warriors played with more vigor in the second half following a change in formation.
“I thought first half we definitely struggled, but we switched the formation from a 4-3-4 to a 3-5-2 in the second half,” Linn said. “The five midfielders really helped us control the ball in the middle and get the ball up.
“We had a big talk at halftime about pressing and working as a team. I think throughout the first couple of games we were slowly trying to get our groove, but it started to click today in the second half and that hopefully will carry us through conference and the rest of the season.
“We definitely brought more energy in the second half. Everyone was coming together. We had a lot more chances. When I was on the field and the bench, you could see a big difference than from the first half.”
Junior defender Katie Morgan, in her third year on the varsity, said the Warriors have improved significantly since losing 4-1 to Wheaton Academy in the PepsiCo Showdown on April 17.
“We have a lot of young players, and it’s a big adjustment from club to high school soccer," Morgan said. "It’s a totally different style of play. I think people are starting to get the hang of it and get in the groove.
“I think we were trying a new formation, and it worked very well. I think all of these players who have never played with each other are starting to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we’re building off each other.”
Deerfield senior midfielder Anna Fang echoed Morgan’s words on the team slowly building toward the playoffs. The Warriors have five freshmen and two sophomores on their roster.
Senior goalie Isa Davila had four saves, including a leaping, one-hand tap-out save in the middle of the first half.
“We came out little slow and sloppy in the first half, but something clicked in the second half,” Fang said. “I think definitely part of it was our energy. We should just be excited to be playing, especially after the disappointment of last season and not being able to play. Just getting to be on the field is so amazing.
“But having all those games in the last few weeks has helped us to learn how everyone’s playing together. We have a very young team, so getting in groove and learning your teammates is helping a lot.”
Meanwhile, Warren is entertaining thoughts of a long run in the playoffs. Pullins’ opener started with a corner kick she then drilled in from close range in front of the box.
“It felt good to get that in and get us started off and give us that little boost early in the game,” Pullins said. “I feel we have a pretty strong team with a couple of new freshmen coming in. A lot of us play club together, so we have pretty good chemistry.
“Last year was a tough year for us. It would’ve been my first year of varsity, and we had a really good team. We're looking to have a really good season this year."
Starting lineups
Warren
GK Myka Smith
D Emma Paraskos
D Liv Ehlers
D Paige Hogberg
D Melissa Cote
MF Kylie Mahoney
MF Samantha Pullins
MF Katelyn Crowson
F Amber Langosch
F Ella Skelton
F Liza Matimore
Deerfield
GK Isa Davila
D Ally Linn
D Madeline Stevens
D Katie Morgan
D Avery Kingsepp
MF Erin Emory
MF Emily Fox
MF Anna Fang
F Holly Deutsch
F Riley Schimanski
F Sara Goldstone
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ella Skelton, jr., F, Warren
Scoring Summary
First half
Warren — Samantha Pullins (Ella Skelton) 5’
Warren —Ella Skelton (Melissa Cote) 37’
Second half
Deerfield — Ally Linn (unassisted) 41’
Warren — Liza Matimore (Ella Skelton) 78’
quick start versus Deerfield
Junior posts goal, 2 assists in 3-1 nonconference victory
By Bob Narang
Warren’s Ella Skelton was primed to become a breakout player last season.
After playing valuable minutes in her freshman season with the Blue Devils in 2019, Skelton was one of the returnees expected to fill the large gap from the graduation of Chicagoland Soccer all-stater Courtney Chomko.
In a stellar four-year career, Chomko amassed 30 goals and 44 assists. She and defender Olivia Wolf led the Blue Devils to a regional title in girls soccer’s last full season.
Skelton admitted being frustrated she had to wait an extra year before becoming an integral part of the Warren program following the cancellation of her sophomore season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Throughout the offseason, Skelton worked tirelessly on her skills and conditioning to prepare for the abridged 2021 season.
“It was super challenging to wait,” Skelton said. “As a team, we did a good job of doing as many routines and staying together to get ready for this season. As soon as we were able to get on the field, we’ve been ready to bring it this year.”
Four games into the season, Skelton’s well on her way.
She recorded a goal and two assists to power Warren to a 3-1 victory over Deerfield in nonconference play on Monday.
The Blue Devils (3-0-1), who are ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, scored two goals in the first half before letting up in the second half. Liza Matimore tapped in a shot for insurance in the 78th minute.
Warren coach Ryan McCabe said he stressed to his team to start the game off with enthusiasm.
"We talked about it earlier Monday that we want to set the tone for the week,” McCabe said. “We got a big week with Wauconda on Tuesday and then we’re in the Glenbrook South quad this weekend. We have five games in six games. We wanted to make sure we got organized and got this game under our belt and set the tone.
“It’s always nice to get one (goal) early. I thought we could’ve gotten a couple more, but we didn’t put them away for whatever reason. I think the girls did a nice job of coming back from giving up that early goal in the second half and still staying on … to get that third one.”
Skelton played a big part in setting the tone, assisting Samantha Pullins for a goal in the fifth minute. She scored her third goal of the season off an assist from Melissa Cote in the 37th minute to pad the lead to 2-0.
Skelton, one of the fastest players on the Blue Devils, relied on her speed to drill the shot into the net.
“I feel like I go up the left side a lot, and am able to do the most on that side,” Skelton said. “I saw an open shot on the front left corner and decided to take it.”
McCabe said Skelton, a captain, is fulfilling her potential to become a college player.
“Ella’s kind of our heart and soul,” he said. “She plays with a lot of passion and speed. We’re really looking forward to using her versatility. I think I used her in three different spots today. A lot of our success runs through her. That was the case tonight.
“She’s improved a lot and has always been athletic. In her freshman year, I knew I had to get her on the field, so I ended up putting her as an outside back. She loved flying up and down the wings.
“Last year she was primed to have a really big breakout year as an attacking player, so we’re finally seeing that now. She’s doing a really nice job for us.”
Deerfield (3-4-1) is inching closer to a full roster after numerous players missed games early in the season.
Warriors were dealt a blow after Rich Grady announced sophomore defender Marissa Siciliano was ruled out for the season Thursday after suffering a knee injury in the first few minutes of the season-opener.
Grady said he added freshman defender Madeline Stevens to the starting lineup for Monday’s game.
“It’s nice we have pretty much our whole group together,” Grady said. “We told them before the game that it’s not about the result tonight, but about the performance. We weren’t really happy with our performance on Saturday against Lane. I thought we did much better today. I thought the two goals they got in the first half, we should’ve done better defensively.”
The Warriors offense is still a work in progress. They rarely possessed the ball on Warren’s side of the field. Blue Devils’ keeper Myka Smith finished with one save.
Deerfield junior defender Ally Linn’s first varsity goal in the 41st minute was a spark for the team and cut its deficit to 2-1. The Warriors played with more vigor in the second half following a change in formation.
“I thought first half we definitely struggled, but we switched the formation from a 4-3-4 to a 3-5-2 in the second half,” Linn said. “The five midfielders really helped us control the ball in the middle and get the ball up.
“We had a big talk at halftime about pressing and working as a team. I think throughout the first couple of games we were slowly trying to get our groove, but it started to click today in the second half and that hopefully will carry us through conference and the rest of the season.
“We definitely brought more energy in the second half. Everyone was coming together. We had a lot more chances. When I was on the field and the bench, you could see a big difference than from the first half.”
Junior defender Katie Morgan, in her third year on the varsity, said the Warriors have improved significantly since losing 4-1 to Wheaton Academy in the PepsiCo Showdown on April 17.
“We have a lot of young players, and it’s a big adjustment from club to high school soccer," Morgan said. "It’s a totally different style of play. I think people are starting to get the hang of it and get in the groove.
“I think we were trying a new formation, and it worked very well. I think all of these players who have never played with each other are starting to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we’re building off each other.”
Deerfield senior midfielder Anna Fang echoed Morgan’s words on the team slowly building toward the playoffs. The Warriors have five freshmen and two sophomores on their roster.
Senior goalie Isa Davila had four saves, including a leaping, one-hand tap-out save in the middle of the first half.
“We came out little slow and sloppy in the first half, but something clicked in the second half,” Fang said. “I think definitely part of it was our energy. We should just be excited to be playing, especially after the disappointment of last season and not being able to play. Just getting to be on the field is so amazing.
“But having all those games in the last few weeks has helped us to learn how everyone’s playing together. We have a very young team, so getting in groove and learning your teammates is helping a lot.”
Meanwhile, Warren is entertaining thoughts of a long run in the playoffs. Pullins’ opener started with a corner kick she then drilled in from close range in front of the box.
“It felt good to get that in and get us started off and give us that little boost early in the game,” Pullins said. “I feel we have a pretty strong team with a couple of new freshmen coming in. A lot of us play club together, so we have pretty good chemistry.
“Last year was a tough year for us. It would’ve been my first year of varsity, and we had a really good team. We're looking to have a really good season this year."
Starting lineups
Warren
GK Myka Smith
D Emma Paraskos
D Liv Ehlers
D Paige Hogberg
D Melissa Cote
MF Kylie Mahoney
MF Samantha Pullins
MF Katelyn Crowson
F Amber Langosch
F Ella Skelton
F Liza Matimore
Deerfield
GK Isa Davila
D Ally Linn
D Madeline Stevens
D Katie Morgan
D Avery Kingsepp
MF Erin Emory
MF Emily Fox
MF Anna Fang
F Holly Deutsch
F Riley Schimanski
F Sara Goldstone
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ella Skelton, jr., F, Warren
Scoring Summary
First half
Warren — Samantha Pullins (Ella Skelton) 5’
Warren —Ella Skelton (Melissa Cote) 37’
Second half
Deerfield — Ally Linn (unassisted) 41’
Warren — Liza Matimore (Ella Skelton) 78’